Apollo (TOS)
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Overview
Name: Apollo
Rank: Captain
Status: Widowed; formerly sealed to Serena
Children: 1; Boxey (adopted)
Siblings: 2; Athena and Zak (KIA)
Age: 20s-30s
Portrayed By: Richard Hatch (IMDB entry)
Captain Apollo was the Galactica's lead Viper pilot, leading Blue Squadron in the defense of the rag-tag, fugitive Fleet.
Biography
Apollo was the son of Adama, commander of the last surviving battlestar, Galactica, after the destruction of the Twelve Colonies by the tyrannical Cylon Empire.
Original Series Character History
While leading a group of Cylons away from the Fleet, Apollo's viper ran out of fuel, causing him to crash-land on Equellas, a low-tech planet far removed from the Fleet's flight path. Marooned within an agrarian community, he befriended Vella and her son Puppis, joining with them in the fight against strong-arm man Lacerta. Apollo destroyed Lacerta's right-hand "man", Red-Eye, a marooned Centurion with memory problems, thus ending Lacerta's reign of terror. Although he was beginning to fall in love with Vella, Apollo nevertheless returned to the Fleet when Vella showed him another crashed viper, which had the fuel Apollo needed. (The Lost Warrior)
Apollo, accompanied by Boomer, piloted the shuttle which rescued Starbuck, who had become stranded on the planet Attilla. Apollo wisely suggested the use of a shuttlecraft, rather than a viper squadron, so as not to attract Cylon attention. (The Young Lords)
When the Galactica was severely damaged by suicidal Cylon Raiders, Apollo hatched the idea of modifying vipers to shoot fire-extinguishing boroton into the burning landing bay. When that failed to completely put out the flames, Apollo and Starbuck undertook a risky spacewalk to plant explosives on parts of the Galactica's hull, which successfully vented the fire out into space. While on the spacewalk, Apollo had the idea of placing mushies next to the ventilation duct on the bridge, in order to lure Muffit through the convoluted maze of ducts; the idea worked, saving the lives of Boomer, Athena, Boxey, and numerous other crewmembers stranded in the rejuvenation center. (Fire in Space)
Notes
Handpicked and sought after by Glen A. Larson, Richard Hatch did not originally accept the Apollo role, finding the character to be too one-dimensional in the original drafts of Saga of a Star World. However, changes to the script were made and he accepted the role of Apollo, which has fueled his life and dreams ever since.
In early script drafts, the Apollo character was named "Skyler"; many believe the name was changed to "Apollo" to avoid similarities with "Skywalker".