Ellen Tigh

Ellen Tigh (credit: Sci-Fi Channel)

Estranged wife of Saul Tigh

Children: None

(Played by: Kate Vernon)

Ellen Tigh is a man-hungry predator, and the reason, according to William Adama Saul Tigh took to drink. While her husband was away from home, she apparently "went through half the fleet".

Estranged from her husband, Ellen Tigh claims to have been on Picon at the time of the Cylon attack, on her way back to Gemenon for a reunion with her husband. When the airport was hit in the attack, she claims some un-named heroic soul found her unconscious body and got her on to one of the last transports out, and she has been unconscious aboard the Rising Star for some three weeks prior to Adama finding her.

Following her reunion with her husband, Tigh claims she wants to make a fresh start (Secrets and Lies), but no sooner as Saul - still hopelessly in love with her - agreed, than she is getting him back on the bottle and is flirting openly with other men - first an unwilling Lee Adama, with whom she tries to engage in a game of footsie under the table while she and her husband have dinner with Lee, his father and Laura Roslin. Later she flirts with Gaius Baltar with greater effect - annoying her husband in the process.

Not only are her claims of rescue suspect - no-one on the Rising Star can remember treating her through her long weeks of unconsciousness - Tigh takes an unnatural interest in Adama's plans to lead the fleet to Earth, almost badgering him into trying to reveal how long the journey will take. Her actions seem to support Adama's cautionary - and unbeknownst to Saul - act of having Baltar scan her blood sample to see if she is a Cylon.

While Tigh's mischief-making could be put down to her nature, and so hidden desire to drive a wedge between her husband and Adama, she does appear to be human, according to Baltar's tests, and this has quited Adama's suspicion. However, unbeknownst to all, Dr. Baltar has sabotaged his own Cylon detection efforts; fearing that exposing a Cylon agent would make himself a target for assasination, Dr. Baltar now lets everyone "pass" the Cylon test, regardless of the test's true result. Tigh's status as a human or Cylon remains an open question, but as Commander Adama pointed out, "Cylon or not, she's nothing but trouble"...

Involvement with Tom Zarek

During Colonial Day, Tigh states her belief that terrorist-turned-politican Tom Zarek is "the future", and greets him warmly over her husband's objections. Later on in the next day, after Wallace Grey's poor showing at the Quorum, Zarek pours her a drink.

Tigh: So you worried about Wallace Grey? I hear he's ahead in the vote count.

Zarek: Whatever the people want is fine by me.

Tigh: Everyone has an agenda. I know I do.

Zarek: And what would that be?

Tigh: Same as yours, Tom. Me, myself, and... ooh. I.

Zarek: You are... clearly a well connected, well informed woman.

Tigh: Wife of the XO, for whatever that's worth.

Zarek: Ah. Quite a bit. Now, and in the future.

Tigh: That's what I'm interested in, Tom. It's my place, and my... husband's place in the future.

Zarek: Okay. I'm looking for a friend of mine. His name is Valence.

Valence is found dead immediately thereafter. Saul Tigh was among the only individuals privy to the location he was being held. The following evening, at Gaius Baltar's victory celebration, Zarek slyly comments to Roslin "Ah, one thing you should know. I didn't kill Valence. I wonder who did?" Shortly thereafter, Tigh dances with her husband and tells him:

Tigh: I have a surprise for you.

Saul: Uh-oh. Should I be worried?

Tigh: Not unless you consider a day in a luxury suite aboard the Rising Star something to be worried about.

Saul: How did you swing that?

Tigh: I have my ways. What you need to do is to figure out a way to get slave-driving Bill to give you the day off. And while we're there, you might want to talk to a few people about... your future.

Saul: What?

Tigh: Later, my love. It can all wait until later.

She then embraces her husband and locks eyes with Zarek, seated across the room.

The general subtext of these scenes is not difficult to determine: Ellen Tigh furnished Zarek with the information he needed to arrange Valence's death (or as Zarek implies, arranged it herself) in return for favors with Zarek's cronies. More difficult to determine is what the nature of these was intended to be. Two days later, Adama is shot at by the Cylon Agent Sharon Valerii and the entire fleet thrown into chaos. Later that day, Saul, the acting commander of Galactica, declares martial law.

Although this turn of events is certainly beneficial to Tigh from her own standpoint, and possibly even to Zarek as it gives him another opportunity to vocally oppose an unpopular government, it is difficult to imagine Zarek having anything to do with it, given the identity of Adama's would-be assassin. If, however, Tigh is indeed a Cylon agent, she could easiliy have had the means to predict this, if not as clear a motive.

Martial law

After Adama's attempted assassination, Ellen encourages her husband to take extreme measures to assert his authority, sometimes in contrast to the more reasoned approaches he was proposing. While Saul seems to shy away from having authority, Ellen is intoxicated by the idea. Given Zarek's known views, Ellen Tigh may be influencing her husband's rule into a strong-handed military dictatorship in order to give Zarek the perfect opportunity to raise support among the fleet.

Unanswered Questions

• Did Tigh arrange for Valence's death herself, or just provide his location to a third party?
• What favors did she receive in return? What did she intend Saul to discuss on the Rising Star, and with whom?
  • Does her choice of a "getaway spot" have anything to do with her mysterious appearance aboard that ship four weeks earlier?
• How surprised was she by Zarek's defeat? Is her association with him still advantageous to her?
• Is Tigh a Cylon operative?
  • If so, what would be her motive for advancing her husband's position? Is there evidence for cooperation between Zarek's people and the Cylons, or manipulation of one by the other?
  • If not, how does the attempt on Adama's life impact her plans?
  • Possibly if she is a Cylon then her job is to create internal strife and if possible cause a civil war in a manner similer to how Palapatine became Emporer in the Star Wars seris. That is to play both sides agianst each other as shown by her cooperation with Zarek and her urging her husband to take a hardline approch when he declared martial law.