| Laura Roslin | ||
|---|---|---|
| [[Image:File:Bsg-roslin-1.jpg|200px|Laura Roslin]] | ||
|
Name |
{{{name}}} | |
| Age | 50s (approximated) | |
| Colony | Caprica (presumed) | |
| Birth place | {{{birthplace}}} | |
| Birth Name | Laura Roslin | |
| Birth Date | {{{birthdate}}} | |
| Callsign | ||
| Nickname | {{{nickname}}} | |
| Introduced | [[{{{seen}}}]] | |
| Death | ||
| Parents | ||
| Siblings | ||
| Children | ||
| Marital Status | ||
| Family Tree | View | |
| Role | Interim President, The Twelve Colonies of Kobol (serving remainder of Adar's term) | |
| Rank | ||
| Serial Number | {{{serial}}} | |
| Portrayed by | Mary McDonnell | |
| Laura Roslin is a Cylon | ||
| Laura Roslin is a Final Five Cylon | ||
| Laura Roslin is a Human/Cylon Hybrid | ||
| Laura Roslin is an Original Series Cylon | ||
| Related Media | ||
| @ BW Media | ||
| Additional Information | ||
| [[Image:|200px|Laura Roslin]] | ||
Biographical Notes[edit]
Background[edit]
Laura Roslin is in her early 50s and has some 20 years of political experience. She was serving as Secretary of Education for the colonial government at the time of the Cylon attack, during which most of humanity was killed. At that time, Roslin was 43rd in line of succession for the Presidency of the Twelve Colonies. She learns that all those in line before her are dead, and is shortly sworn in as President.
Rise to President[edit]
At the time of the Cylon attack, Roslin was aboard the Colonial government cruiser Colonial Heavy 798, having just attended the decommissioning ceremonies for the battlestar named Galactica. In the latter part of the attack, she receives a message from the Case Orange automated beacon, a special mechanism seeking communication with any surviving Colonial government officials. Moments after responding to the beacon, she discovers that, other than herself, all members of President Adar's government have apparently been killed or are missing. The Case Orange response assigns Roslin new instructions, and she is duly sworn-in as President.
In the immediate aftermath of the attack, Roslin undertook a rescue mission, using the now-renamed Colonial One to round-up all vessels that had escape destruction and gather as many survivors as possible together, hoping to save the remnants of humanity from total annihiliation. Taking her small fleet to the Ragnar Anchorage, she successfully pursuaded Galactica commander William Adama away from his original intention of mounting a counter-attack against the Cylons, and towards helping the fleet make its escape.
Since the initial flight from the Twelve Colonies, Roslin has established a fledgling civilian government within the fleet, and has agreed to abide by civil law regarding her term of office (Bastille Day), thus making her government an interim cabinet that is completing President Adar's original term, prior to new elections being held. The size of her cabinet is unclear, but it is based aboard Colonial Heavy 798, now officially recognised as Colonial One. She has re-instituted the Quorum of Twelve as the legislative branch of the government, again on an interim basis pending the upcoming elections, as well as overseeing the election of a Vice President in the person of Doctor Gaius Baltar (Colonial Day).
In leading the fleet, Roslin has had an uneasy understanding with Adama that she is responsible for all civil leadership issues among the surviving Colonials, he is responsible for all military decisions (Mini-Series) - but the dividing line is not always clear between the two leaders.
Despite being thrust into the role of President in highly unusual and stressful circumstances, Laura Roslin initially proved herself both tough and capable within the role. Initially in awe of Adama, and worried he did not hold her in high regard (Water), she has quickly overcome her doubts and fears to be able to make the required decisions at the right time, and also stand up to Adama himself (You Can't Go Home Again). She is also prepared to put the safety of the fleet first, no matter what the cost of her actions (Flesh and Bone), but she is also able to recognise her limitations. One of these is understanding military terminology and protocol. As a result of this, she initially asked Lee Adama to become her Special Advisor so she might better understand military requirements (Water).
Such is her trust in Lee, that he became only the second person in the fleet to know of her medical condition (Bastille Day), after Billy Keikeya.
The Secrecy and Gift of Roslin's Illness[edit]
Immediately prior to the attack, Roslin had been diagnosed with breast cancer (Mini-Series), which had advanced far enough that it is inoperable. She apparently contracted it some time following her last test, some five years before (Act of Contrition). Since the attack, she has started undergoing both recognised treatments for the sickness and more "radical" treatments - such as Chamalla Extract (Act of Contrition). However, despite this, and more "regular" medical treatment, the cancer has continued to advance, aggressively attacking her lymphatic system (Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I), leading the Galactica's medical staff to measure her life-expentancy in terms of months.
While she kept her cancer a closely guarded secret at first, Roslin slowly began revealing it to more and more people. Lee Adama, Doctor Cottle and her press secretary Billy Keikeya were among the first to know. Kara Thrace found out when Roslin gave her her mission to return to Caprica and retrieve the Arrow of Apollo. Finally, she announced her illness to the entire Quorum of Twelve, including political rival Tom Zarek, by claiming she was the dying leader in the Pythian Prophecy destined to lead humanity to Earth (Fragged). This highly-influential move refuted Colonel Saul Tigh's attempts to discredit the effectiveness of the civilian government of the fleet and led him to declare martial law. (Fragged) It is likely now that telling the Quorum has effectively made Roslin's illness public knowledge.
Visions and Insurrection[edit]
Shortly after she started taking Chamalla extract, Roslin began to experience dreams and hallucinations. These were initially attributed to the Chamalla treatment itself, although the dreams and visions have been remarkably prescient and vivid.
In the first, a dream, she foresaw the arrival of Leoben Conoy in the fleet and his eventual death (Flesh and Bone). Shortly after this, she had an hallucination of some twelve snakes on her podium while she addressed concerns relating to the fleet's lack of fuel (The Hand of God).
As a result of these events, Roslin sought the assistance of Priestess Elosha. While she was unable to shed light on Roslin's dream about Conoy - that event having passed by the time Roslin told her of it - Elosha did reveal the writings of Pythia to Roslin, which foretell the exile of humanity from their homelands, and their journey to a new home under the guidance of a leader who has a vision of "two and ten" snakes, and who has a "wasting disease".
This event served to arouse Roslin's curiosity concerning Colonial scriptures and legends, a curiosity that turned to belief when the fleet stumbled upon the planet Kobol, as predicted by Leoben Conoy (Flesh and Bone). Armed with her new-found belief, Roslin operated behind William Adama's back to subvert a mission aimed at destroying a Cylon basestar guarding Kobol, and instead sending Lt. Thrace back to Caprica in search of the Arrow of Apollo, thus denying Adama the weapons platform he needed to attack the basestar (Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I). This action brought her directly into conflict with William Adama, who demanded her immediate resignation as President. When she refused, he terminated her Presidency and sent a squad under the command of Colonel Tigh to Colonial One to arrest Roslin in what amounts to a military coup. Despite the intervention of Lee Adama, Roslin was arrested and incarcerated aboard the Galactica (Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II). With Vice President Baltar missing on the surface of Kobol, this effectively leaves the fleet without any form of civil leadership, a situation worsened by an assassination attempt on William Adama himself immediately following Roslin's arrest (Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II).
Arrest, Exile and Return[edit]
Roslin's time incarcerated in Galactica's brig was anything but uneventful. She was visited often by Billy Keikeya, and gained useful information on the happenings throughout the fleet from the furloughed Lee Adama as well as her benevolent guard, Corporal Venner, a Gemenon native. Venner's respect of the president grew as he learned of her knowledge of the Sacred Scrolls and the Pythian prophesies. He asked her to pray with him during a Cylon attack (Scattered).
Colonel Tigh, in command while Bill Adama recovered, ignored Roslin's pleas for discussion and became agitated at other government officials and civilians who disagreed with Roslin's arrest. When Galactica was boarded by Cylon Centurions, Roslin insisted that Venner release her from the brig. Along with Billy, Venner attempted to escort Roslin to Sickbay, which is also designed as a disaster shelter for the ship. However, Venner's team was forced to divert and encountered the last two Centurions. A misfire on Billy's part sent Roslin and other members of her group to the floor to escape the hail of bullets. When Roslin arose, Venner noticed that the edge of her jacket had been shot through, although Roslin came away with little more than some bruises and scratches (Valley of Darkness). Venner's belief that Roslin was blessed by the gods gained more strength that day.
When the Quorum of Twelve demanded to see Roslin, Tigh attempted to dash their hopes by showing them a broken, hallucinating Roslin that his wife witnessed earlier. However, Corporal Venner smuggled in Chamalla extract on Billy's request to help, giving Roslin grasp of her senses again. She not only spoke to the Quorum after their arrival, but stated firmly that she has not relinquished her role as president, and described her role in the search for Earth as told in the Pythian prophesy. This act only increased Roslin's popularity and caused a stronger uprising throughout the fleet (Fragged).
Venner's loyalty to the president fully emerged when he conspired with Lee Adama and other members of Galactica to smuggle Roslin off the ship (Resistance). Roslin was wary of placing her security in the hands of her rival, Tom Zarek, but she was philosophical: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." After some secretive political and religious work on various ships and by wireless to gather more support, Roslin convinces over a third of the fleet to leave with her ship, the Astral Queen, to Kobol in search of the Tomb of Athena and the path to Earth. Roslin's ability to lead and command became stronger throughout this time, becoming able to keep Zarek's ambitions at bay and deliver decisions faster than before.
Roslin's faith in Kara Thrace was vindicated when she returned from Caprica with the Arrow of Apollo (Home, Part I). While she was initially inclined to have the Caprica copy of Sharon Valerii tossed from an airlock, she reconsidered and gained valuable data from the Humano-Cylon needed to find the Tomb of Athena before Cylons discovered Roslin's practically defenseless fleet of ships.
The recovered Commander Adama was initially enraged by Roslin's actions, but gained refreshed insight on the need for family to stay united. Perhaps, he thought, that Roslin had generated hope for Earth as he had in his fabrication of the knowledge of Earth--only Roslin was intent on getting results. With these and other thoughts in mind, Adama researched his ship's survey data on Kobol and left the ship in a Raptor with a small team to find Roslin's expedition on the surface of Kobol (Home, Part II).
On Kobol, Roslin and her group, lead by Valerii, find the path to the Tomb. Unfortunately, the party is ambushed by Cylon Centurions. Priestess Elosha, one of Roslin's most valuable advisors and friend, was killed. Roslin took Elosha's blood-spattered book of scripture to guide her and remind Roslin of her lost friend.
Roslin was pleasantly surprised to have Adama greet her warmly on his arrival at her camp on Kobol. The two leaders had a heart-to-heart talk about her rebellion, which Adama forgave. Roslin thanked Adama, calling him "Bill" casually, though she noted that she didn't require permission for what she had to do. Roslin worried that, with talk of the Caprica resistance, that her insistance to Adama to leave the Colonial worlds behind was a mistake. Adama, also calling Roslin by her first name, firmly chastized her, reminding Roslin that her decision was correct. If he chose to stay, Adama, his son, and all of humanity would be dead.
Adama and Roslin's party later find the Tomb. With some teamwork, they discover and activate the Tomb's virtual hologram mechanism. Roslin's gamble on faith pays off big for humanity, and the group gains a map and guide to the true location of Earth.
Back on Galactica, Commander Adama introduces Roslin as President during a speech on the ship, and leads the audience in a rousing ovation, showing his firm support for her insight, leadership and her role in the destiny and safety of humanity.
Admiral Cain, and Worsening Health[edit]
Adama and Roslin's respect for each other grew stronger and their leadership in managing fleet business became more cooperative. They worked together in getting reporter D'anna Biers corraled from her potentially disruptive tabloid expose' of the Gideon shootings by giving her almost-unlimited access to interview Galactica's crew. Her resulting documentary on the weary-but-determined battlestar crew was welcomed warmly by Roslin and Adama, "warts and all" (Final Cut).
Roslin found herself being solicited of advice more often from Commander Adama, who began to fully trust and even confide in her.
Doctor Cottle did not give Roslin good news about her cancer battle. In fact, the prognosis worsened. Cottle told Roslin she had, optimistically, a month to live. Roslin showed the panicked and frightened part of her that occupied that lavatory on the old Colonial Heavy 798, but only for a few moments. She began settling her affairs, starting with returning a book that Commander Adama gave to her, explaining that books are not meant to be lent. He asked her advice on trusting the Caprica Sharon Valerii copy in defending the Fleet against an incoming Cylon force (Flight of the Phoenix). Roslin suggested, based on her dealings with the same copy in orbit around Kobol, that perhaps he could find some common ground where the two can ally, despite his prejudices against this copy.
After the Cylons were routed and Galactica returned to normal operation, Roslin was honored to christen the new experimental stealth fighter dubbed the Blackbird in a small ceremony with its builders. Chief Tyrol gave Roslin the biggest surprise of all: The nickname of the new fighter was Laura, a gesture that brought tears to the President. Roslin managed to get a few laughs by making a mock strike at the Blackbird with the christening bottle, knowing its skin was too fragile.
Roslin was just as gleeful as the rest of the fleet when the advanced battlestar Pegasus arrived. Admiral Helena Cain recognized her and reacted with surprise at Roslin's new office. Roslin became concerned about Cain's abrupt command style, and asked Adama how he was managing relinquishing fleet command to Cain. Adama replied, with a smile, that he had been taking orders for a long time, and this was no different. Roslin was not convinced and sensed Adama's apprehension, but was polite enough not to inquire further. Roslin was more concerned that Cain was more interested with supplying Galactica of military parts and staff, rather than aiding in the needs of the civiilan fleet, as well as ignoring Roslin's wireless calls to Cain.
With Adama's rebellious attempt to return the hastily-convicted Helo and Tyrol from Cain's ship, Roslin may find herself at her greatest test as President: Trying to stop two battlestars from destroying themselves and all that is left of the human race.
Cinematic Trivia[edit]
If one watches carefully at the several ships that fly by the hospital just before viewers first see Laura Roslin in the mini-series, viewers may see a familiar spacecraft: A Firefly-class spacecraft from the popular but short-lived science-fiction series of the same name.