Helena Cain

Helena Cain
[[Image:|200px|Helena Cain]]
Name	{{{name}}}
Age	38 (Based on age of actress Michelle Forbes)
Colony	Tauron
Birth place	{{{birthplace}}}
Birth Name	Helena Cain
Birth Date	{{{birthdate}}}
Callsign
Nickname	{{{nickname}}}
Introduced	[[{{{seen}}}]]
Death	Shot by Gina aboard Pegasus, in Cain's quarters. (Resurrection Ship, Part II)
Parents
Siblings
Children
Marital Status
Family Tree	View
Role	Commanding Officer, Battlestar Pegasus
Rank	Admiral
Serial Number	{{{serial}}}
Portrayed by	Michelle Forbes
Helena Cain is a Cylon
Helena Cain is a Final Five Cylon
Helena Cain is a Human/Cylon Hybrid
Helena Cain is an Original Series Cylon
Related Media
		@ BW Media
Additional Information
[[Image:|200px|Helena Cain]]

Admiral Helena Cain, hailing from the colony Tauron, is commander of the Mercury class battlestar Pegasus. At the time of the Cylon attack, her battlestar is stationed at the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards for upgrades and shore leave. As the Cylons attack, destroying other battlestars and support ships there, Cain orders a blind Jump, gambling that the result of such an impromptu (and inadvisable) escape would be better than the alternative of destruction.

Somehow, she rescues survivors from the Shipyards, including a woman named Gina. Gina, later discovered as a Cylon agent, summarily caused the death of 800 persons under Cain's command when she informs the Cylons of their survival. Thwarting that, Cain leads the battlestar away from the Twelve Colonies, following a Cylon fleet that trailed what they discover as sister battlestar Galactica.

Cain not only enjoys the sensation of power, but also the acquisition of more of it. Upon meeting up with Commander William Adama's Fleet, she assumes command and transfers personnel from Galactica to Pegasus, including Lee Adama and Kara Thrace, indicating that Adama has let military discipline become too lax. Cain is more interested in fighting the Cylons, seemingly oblivious to the point that she and the ships around her are all that was left of the human race, whose survival is more paramount than offensive assaults. While Adama initially welcomes such attacks against a mysterious Cylon force that followed the Fleet (to stop it from following them), his attitude begins to cool about Cain's very strict and unmerciful leadership.

Cain's actions also raise concerns with President Laura Roslin. Cain recognizes Roslin and her former role as Secretary of Education. After the Fleet command transfer from Adama to Cain, Roslin makes several attempts to call Cain to request supplies for the civilian fleet, but all of Roslin's calls are ignored.

Cain may also show brutal behavior when commanding her own staff, according to a conversation over alcohol that Colonel Saul Tigh has with his Pegasus counterpart, Colonel Jack Fisk. Fisk comments that, after Pegasus' initially escapes, the battlestar once tries to attack a Cylon communications relay -- an easy target. On arrival in the system, however, it turns out the target is a Cylon staging area, filled with 15 squadrons of Raiders. Admiral Cain ordered her previous Executive Officer, a man she had served with for years, to carry out the attack anyway, but he refuses the order in the face of such odds. Admiral Cain asked the XO for his gun, and shot him in the head in front of the crew in the Pegasus CIC. Cain then turned to Fisk and ordered him to launch the attack, which he did. After relating this story to Col. Tigh, Col. Fisk says he is joking about the incident.

Although the story could be unreliable because Fisk is drunk at the time, Tigh relays the story and his suspicions of his likelihood to Adama. Adama cautions that Galactica's crew has also made some questionable actions since the attack. Even if the story is true, Adama is willing to give Cain the benefit of the doubt and not question the matter further.

After the suspect fatal assault of one of her crew members, Lieutenant Thorne, Cain arrests Chief Tyrol and Lieutenant Karl "Helo" Agathon and flies them to Pegasus, under Adama's protest, since traditionally a trial is held on the ship where an incident has occurred. Cain uses Galactica's log against Adama when he asks for a tribunal; Cain notes that Adama dismissed the last council unilaterally when the verdict did not suit him. Cain summarily court-martials the prisoners herself in a matter of hours, sentencing them to death. Commander Adama is far from pleased, and orders an assault crew to head for Pegasus to bring his men back. Cain responds by deploying her squadrons of advanced Mark VII Vipers against Adama's museum collection of Mark II Vipers in a tense standoff (Pegasus).

The tense game of chicken that ensued was ended by Starbuck and the Blackbird when she returned from her recon mission. Starbuck then transmitted the pictures she took of the Resurrection Ship back to the Pegasus CIC. Upon Starbuck's return to Pegasus, Cain is so impressed with her performance that she promotes Starbuck to Captain and Pegasus CAG, replacing the competent but uncreative and inflexible Capt. Taylor. Cain tasks Starbuck with planning the Galactica-Pegasus joint strike on the Resurrection Ship.

After Starbuck briefs both Adama, Apollo, and Cain on her plan to attack the Resurrection Ship, Adama pulls Starbuck aside and outlines a plan to assassinate Cain following the attack. (Resurrection Ship, Part I) Fortunatley for Cain, Adama never orders Starbuck to carry out her orders.

Unfortunatley for Cain, shortly after Adama's window to assassinate Cain had passed, Baltar helped Gina escape from the brig. Gina then made her way to Cain's quarters and shot Cain at point blank range, presumably killing her instantly. Cain's final words were "frak you."

Cain's funeral was given with full military honors, with Fisk and Starbuck giving eulogies. Though Starbuck only knew Cain briefly, she obviously admired the woman, stating "we were better off with her than without her." (Resurrection Ship, Part II)

Notes

• Helena Cain is inspired by the character of Commander Cain from the original Battlestar Galactica, portrayed by the late Lloyd Bridges.

• Actress Michelle Forbes guest starred as Dara Timicin in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Half a Life" and had a recurring role as Ensign Ro Laren during the last three seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Battlestar Galactica executive producer Ronald D. Moore, also a TNG veteran, wrote for her character in the episodes Disaster and The Next Phase.

• Cain's habit of expediting meetings by conducting them without chairs is borrowed from UN Ambassador John R. Bolton. (Source: "Pegasus" podcast)

Re-imagined Series definition: Executive Officer, e.g. Saul Tigh

Original Series definition: the equivalent of saying "objection" in a Colonial Tribunal (TOS: "Murder on the Rising Star")

Original Series definition: a Colonial court hearing (see: Law of the Twelve Colonies)