Adama (TOS-RH)

This article has a separate continuity. This article is in the Richard Hatch continuation separate continuity, which is related to the Original Series. Be sure that your contributions to this article reflect the characters and events specific to this continuity only.

For the canonical depiction of this character, see: Adama (TOS).

Adama is the first leader of the Colonials following the Battle of Cimtar, commanding from the last known battlestar, Galactica in 7342.

As part of the pure Kobollian bloodline, a direct descendant of the House of Kobol, Adama possessed highly advanced mental skills that made him a formidable commander and leader, including empathy, telepathic sensitivity to emotions, and great wisdom. (RH: Armageddon)

Biography

Commanding Galactica

Many yahren prior to the Colonial exodus, Adama assumes command of the 500-yahren-old Galactica. Aboard her is a sanctuary, built into the commander's quarters during the construction of the battlestar, and known to only himself and, later, his eldest son Apollo, upon his thirtieth novayahren.

Adama tutored Apollo using the advanced machinery in the sanctuary that, while steeped in antiquity, outpaced technology available to the Colonials at that time. Ten yahren before his death, Adama first revealed their pure Kobollian bloodline to Apollo, explaining that as beings descended from the Lords of Kobol, they had greater access to certain areas of the brain than other humans. They were sensitive to emotions—hope, fear, joy, frustration, and grief. This made Adama a better commander and more compassionate leader, though it was a gift that was not necessarily a pleasure. (RH: Armageddon)

Personal life

Adama raised his children Apollo, Athena, and Zac in a hillside home on Caprica, where Athena's mother would sing lullabies to her every night. After Starbuck's parents were killed, Adama took him in as an orphan and raised him as part of the family.

Adama was known for being a wonderfully colorful, warm, and charismatic man, though his private quarters aboard Galactica were spartan and featureless, with unadorned white walls. The only personal items in his bedroom were holo-images of Apollo, Troy, Athena, and Starbuck. Athena reflected that perhaps his quarters were so bare because all that had mattered to him, other than his children, had been destroyed on Caprica during the obliteration of the colonies.

Adama was very fond of Cassiopeia, providing her with support, understanding, and encouragement that her own father never gave. Cassiopeia loved him very much for this kindness. (RH: Armageddon)

Fleeing the Cylon Tyranny

In the wake of the Cylon tyranny, Adama became a man known for few possessions. He retrieved only an antique clock from their ruined homestead on Caprica following the Cylons' final attack. The clock made a rhythmic clicking noise and was the one thing he salvaged from the ruins of their home. The antique clock was not his only item of antiquity, as his sanctuary also featured an antique wooden chair.

During his leadership of the Fleet, Adama led them beyond the Cyrannus galaxy and into deep space, attempting to track down the path of the Thirteenth Tribe that fled Kobol, the second birthplace of humankind. (RH: Armageddon)

Teachings and Philosophy

Adama taught Apollo many lessons that shaped his son's leadership. When Apollo was fifteen, Adama warned him: "Don't believe that the enemy of your enemy is your friend. Wisdom lies in recognizing what makes someone your enemy in the first place. If they wish to destroy you even if you have done them no harm, they will be equally unjust with others. They will make other enemies because it is in their nature. Form your alliances on the basis of self-defense, not self-delusion! And don't make the ultimate mistake of acting as your enemy does."

Adama counseled Apollo about leadership and compassion, telling him: "Love and compassion are not liabilities, but strengths upon which to draw. A Warrior has nothing to fight for if he does not allow himself to love, and be loved in return."

Adama also provided Apollo with practical political wisdom, explaining that many council members accomplished much before joining that body and weren't all decadent products of inherited wealth. However, he explained that even good minds were adversely affected by the nature of the council, as members became immune from the consequences of bad decisions and perfected the skill of never taking blame while claiming credit for anything that went right.

Adama observed that his children Apollo and Athena couldn't be more opposite in nature, telling Athena: "I love you and Apollo as I love my left and right hands. But the two of you couldn't be more opposite in nature. He'd rather fly and you'd rather study, even though you're both well rounded and able to do everything required. But your hearts could not be more different."

Death

Adama would not know the sights and sounds of Earth, for 18 yahren into their journey, Adama experienced a massive cardiac seizure. He drifted in and out of unconsciousness during the weeks following the first cardiac arrest, rarely recognizing or acknowledging the family gathered around him. Then it got worse.

Roughly thirteen centons before falling into a profound coma, Adama had a second seizure. About twenty centari before the coma, he opened his eyes and smiled, his mind working with sparkling clarity for the last time. Present with him were Athena, Apollo, and Troy. Despite his pain, Adama did not surrender his smile, requesting to be moved to his quarters and telling his family not to concern themselves with him, reminding them their responsibilities were to the Fleet. He told them he loved them all very much.

Adama called Troy by his childhood nickname "Boxey"—the only person in the Fleet who could get away with doing so. When Troy asked what he could do to ease Adama's pain, the commander extracted a promise that Troy would dedicate his life in service to the Lords of Kobol, stating that only with the wisdom of Kobol could the Fleet be saved. Weeping, Troy swore the oath, and Adama tousled his hair as he had done since Troy came into their family at age six.

Without warning, Adama's eyes grew dull and began to roll back. His smile grew impossibly wide, and he made a sound like a deep throaty laugh. When Athena asked what was happening, Adama whispered, "The light has come, Athena. The Lords have come. Kobol is so close now. I hear their voices." Then he was still, his smile slipping slowly from his face and his eyelids lowering to a slit, as he fell into a coma.

As Adama requested, he was moved back to his quarters, where he lay in coma for thirteen centons with Athena by his side. Apollo and Troy met with Tigh, who served as President by Proxy of the Quorum of Twelve during Adama's illness. The Fleet was in an uproar, panicked and desperately in need of leadership.

Athena sang a lullaby to her father—the same one her mother had crooned to her every night in their hillside home on Caprica. After centons of anxiety, she finally fell asleep with her head on her father's chest. When Apollo came to check on them, Athena felt the stillness of her father's chest and the cold of his stiff fingers. Adama had died with his eyes open, an expression of wonder frozen forever in place.

Apollo closed Adama's eyes, saying, "Rest now, Father. Your great burden has been lifted." The siblings then left their father's quarters to bring the news of his death to the Fleet. (RH: Armageddon)

Funeral

It was Caprican tradition that the immediate family of the deceased would gather before the funeral to pay their final respects in privacy. In Adama's case, immediate family had a broad definition. His son and daughter were there, along with his adopted grandson Troy. At the urging of both Athena and Apollo, President Tigh, Boomer, and Cassiopeia with her and Starbuck's daughter Dalton also attended.

Apollo wore his Warrior's uniform to the funeral ceremony rather than mourner's clothing, receiving several curious stares. However, he felt it was the proper way to remember Adama. As mourners gathered, Apollo suffered their regrets and kind words with grace and courtesy, his public face grim, sad, and proud. His private pain was only slightly eased by the genuine warmth of others who gathered to mourn and of the Fleet itself. (RH: Armageddon)

Legacy

Adama's death created a power vacuum that was exacerbated by an old enemy. His passing had a terrible impact on the Fleet—morale suffered, politics threatened to tear them apart, and the entire motivation of the Fleet was questioned. In dying, Adama had taken with him all the stability he had offered so courageously and effortlessly during life.

According to Zac, who became one of the Lords of Kobol after his death, Adama is somewhere among the lightships. Though Zac has not seen him, he is certain that Adama, being of pure Kobollian blood, will eventually coalesce and become one of the Lords. (RH: Armageddon)

Adama's leadership philosophy continued to guide Apollo long after his death. Years later, when facing a deadly plague threatening the fleet, Apollo volunteered to be the first to receive an untested cure, demonstrating the leadership style he learned from his father—leading through personal example and shared sacrifice rather than commanding from safety. (RH: Redemption)

Programmed Messages and Presence

Long before his death, Adama programmed sacred information and recordings to be released at critical junctures in the travels of the fleet. These holographic projections from Adama's command chair would activate on rare occasions, providing guidance to Apollo. Apollo was always mystified by the technique his father used to program such uncannily relevant material into these projections—it seemed as if Adama had grasped the general outline of what was to come so that his advice was never an exercise in non-sequiturs.

Apollo visited the sanctuary when facing difficult decisions, sitting in his father's tattered command chair in the cold, dimly-lit chamber. Though the place was usually empty, quiet, and dark, Apollo could feel Adama's presence for the first time in years when he sat there. He realized how much he missed his father's wisdom, love, and support, wondering if he would ever experience such things again, even if there was an afterlife.

During one particularly difficult moment on Paradis, Apollo retreated to the sanctuary and Adama appeared before him. The hologram spoke: "All things eventually work together to serve the highest good. Trust your knowing which is not exactly the same as knowledge. Observe the sequence of events unfolding with both your mind and heart." When Apollo questioned how these recordings were cued to their circumstances after Adama's death, the image replied: "Your quest is not over. Our enemies are both inside and outside the fleet. You have carried on where I left off, my son."

When Apollo asked why the Cylons would pursue humanity across the universe just to destroy them, Adama provided a specific answer: "They are afraid of humanity. Hatred and fear are twins inside the core matrix." And when Apollo questioned why the endless war continued, Adama gave a single name: "Count Iblis!"

Apollo considered this another example of life after death, as the evidence had mounted up even before contact with the Gamon. He felt sorry for the more stubborn scientists aboard Galactica who clung to their notion of a completely materialistic universe, figuring their denial of any possible afterlife was simply a case of wishful thinking, since not everyone warmed up to the idea that they might have to exist forever.

Years after Adama's death, Apollo still drew on his father's memory and wisdom. When facing difficult times, he didn't need Adama to tell him what to do—what mattered was the confidence that his father once stood there to approve his victories and help him get past his failures. Apollo came to understand that Adama had needed him just as much after Zac died, something he hadn't fully appreciated until his father joined Zac "on the other side of the curtain." Sometimes, Apollo reflected, life taught all the hard lessons too late to do anything about them.

Vision to Apollo

During Apollo's vision in the underground city on Kobol, Adama appears to him as a holographic or spiritual presence. Adama warns Apollo that the Fleet is facing extermination and that the decisions and choices they make will seal their futures forever. He states that the Lords of Light have led them back to Kobol, but this does not guarantee victory. The Lords give free will because they are not there to guide humanity directly—the people must clean up their own mistakes, and the House of Kobol must be put in order once more.

Adama tells Apollo to trust his inner vision no matter what appears to him, stating there is much more at stake than Apollo can imagine. In his final words to his son, Adama says, "I'm very proud of you, Apollo. Remember I will love you always." (RH: Resurrection)

Notes

• Apollo would often visit the children's center aboard Galactica to watch the children playing, just as Adama had done before him, finding strength in remembering his mission to protect future generations.
• Adama's leadership style combined diplomatic caution with strategic vision, creating what Apollo considered a synthesis of different leadership approaches that he tried to emulate.
• The featureless nature of Adama's quarters aboard Galactica stood in stark contrast to his warm personality, suggesting that everything that truly mattered to him beyond his children had been destroyed on Caprica.
• Adama's mystical approach to life and his deep connection to the Lords of Kobol helped give Apollo the strength to face the challenges of ultimate command, though Athena found such transcendental matters more difficult to accept.