Leland Adama
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Overview
Rank: Captain
Age: 28
Marital Status: single
Children: none.
Siblings: Zak Adama (deceased)
Current position: Commander Air Group, Battlestar Galactica
(Played by: Jamie Bamber)
Biography
Background
Lee Adama is the eldest son of Caroline and William Adama. Together with his younger Brother, Zak, he was raised largely by his mother on Caprica, following his parents' divorce when he was eight.
Despite his father's estrangement from the family, Lee nevertheless inherited his passion for flying - a passion that saw him enrolling in the Colonial military after graduating from college. Following his basic training, he graduated from military academy third in his class and immediately applied for flight school.
Not to be outdone by his elder brother, Zak Adama applied for military service, a move that was eventually to bring tragedy to the Adama household.
Accepted into flight school, Lee proved himself a gifted and natural pilot, hampered only by his his tendency to over-intellectualise things - a result of his upbringing with his mother, who encouraged him the read widely, and think freely (encouragement that lead him to read banned texts by the renegade Tom Zarek while at college (Bastille Day)).
Graduating from flight school, Lee was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Colonial Forces, flying the Viper Mark VII. During this time, he was also introduced to Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, a trianing instructor at flight school, who was also involved with Zak Adama. While Lee was still at flight school, the three frequently spent time together, and Lee and Starbuck developed a friendship through Zak Adama (Mini-Series).
Brother's Death
Tragedy struck some two years prior to the renewed Cylon attack on the 12 colonies when Zak Adama, recently graduated from flight school was killed on a routine Viper mission. At the time, the cause of the accident was put down to pilot error. However, Lee Adama chose to blame the mishap on his father, whom he believed had pushed Zak into applying for military service and for applying for flight school (Mini-Series).
Following Zak's death, Lee Adama became estranged from his father, seeking to build his career well away from any influence exerted by either William Adama or the legendary Battlestar Galactica, his father's command. While he was successful in this - gaining tpromotion to Captain through his own abilities, he decision nevertheless placed a heavy strain on his friendship with Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, as she applied for pilot duty aboard the Galactica.
However, Lee was to be reunited with both his father and Kara Thrace when it was decided the Galactica should be decommissioed and handed over to civil authorities as a living museum and educational centre. As a part of the final ceremonies marking Galactica's retirement, Lee Adama was ordered to participate in a final Viper flyby to salute both the ship and her commanding officer - an assignment he undertook grudingly, doing little to hide his true feelings from the moment he arrived on the ship (Mini-Series). Matters were not helped when he discovered he'd be making the flyby not in his own Viper, as he had expected, but in the newly-restored Mark II Viper his father had flown during the Cylon War (Mini-Series).
Things were worsened after the PR official aboard the Galactica, Aaron Doral, saw Lee's presence on 'Galactica as a major PR opportunity and had the two men pose for pictures together. Immediately following this Lee pushed for a confrontation with his father over Zak's death, during which he gave vent to two years' worth of anger, clearly expressing his belief that William Adama was responsible for the loss of his brother.
Surprise Cylon Attack
Following the decommissioning ceremony, Lee Adama departed the Galactica, acting as a unofficial escort for Colonial Heavy 798, the official transport for Education Minister Laura Roslin, who had represented President Adar at the ceremony. Mid-way through their return to Caprica, Lee and the crew of Colonial Heavy 798 heard of the Cylon attacks on the 12 colonies, and shortly thereafter came under direct attack. While Lee was able to thwart the attack, his Viper was nevertheless damaged, and had to be brought aboard Colonial Heay 798, where he became one of the unofficial advisors to Laura Roslin aiding her in her self-appointed rescue mission.
Following his disobedience of a direct order from his father instructing Lee to take command of the government ship and break-off from rescue missions, he again saves the ship - while simultaneously making it look like it had been destroyed. He then supports Roslin in her efforts until it becomes clear that all stranded vessels - particularly those without FTL drives - cannot be rescued. He then pursuades her to head for the Ragnar Anchorage and rendezvous with the Galactica - even though it means leaving thousands to their fate and the hands of the Cylons.
On being reunited with the Galactica, Lee learns that her CAG, Captain Jackson Spencer has been killed in action, together with the members of Galactica's last fully-operational squadron of Mark VII fighters. As the ranking pilot aboard, and despite his relative inexperience, he finds himself promoted to the position of CAG. This promotion doesn't initially sit easy with him, given the gult separating him from his father, and is in stark contrast to Spencer's leadership - something that annoys Starbuck (33).
Special Advisor
His position is further complicated when, after assisting President Laura Roslin in matters of porotocol and other issues (Water), Lee finds himself attached to Roslin as a "special advisor" to further help her understand matters of military protocol. In particular, this does not sit well with his father (Bastille Day).
The situation is further exacerbated during a hostage crisis involving convicts being transported aboard the the Astral Queen. While the situation is resolved with only one loss of life, it is do so through an arrangement rached between Lee and the leader of the convicts, one Tom Zarek. While the solution is sensible, it is not to the liking of either William Adama or Laura Roslin.
In the weeks following the Cylon attack, Lee has had time to re-evaluate his relationship with his father - due in no small part to Starbuck's admmission of her involvement in Zak's acceptance as a fighter pilot (Mini-Series), and they have grown somewhat closer - even standing shoulder-to-shoulder following Starbuck going MIA (You Can't Go Home Again). Even so, Lee's former self-doubts and moodiness are not easily overcome, and sometimes come back to haunt him (The Hand of God).
During this time, Lee has also matured enormously, emerging from his shell as a somewhat disillusioned officer, unsure of himself despite his seniority, into a practical leader, who can now comfortably straddle his responsibilities and an officer in the Colonial fleet with his duties as advisor to Roslin, without undue clashes with either her or his father. This has been particularly-well demonstrated in his handling of security arrangements for the initial meeting of Roslin's Quorum of Twelve aboard the luxury liner Cloud Nine (Colonial Day).
--Colonial Archivist 17:22, 6 Jan 2005 (EST)