Talk:Karl Agathon/Archive 1

Has anyone else ever wondered why Sharon never calls Helo "Karl"? It seems to me like an emotional detatchement in her that nobody is recognizing (the characters) Rocky8311 19:33, October 17, 2005 (EDT)

Galactica-Boomer always called Tyrol "Chief", never "Galen". --Peter Farago 21:22, 17 October 2005 (EDT)

RDM explained this in the blog: we've never heard Tyrol called Galen out loud before this episode, "I am Galen Tyrol! My father was a priest!...", etc. Only people who read the blog would know his name; casual viewers would not. He said it would have sounded odd and ruined the dramatic moment, and I'm inclined to agree. --Ricimer 21:55, 17 October 2005 (EDT)

See, what I'd say to that is that on the Galactica, Sharon and Tyrol were trying to maintain a modicum of professional detachment, at least publicly. It was probably helpful to be in the practice of calling him "Chief" so something else didn't slip out in public (first name). But with Helo, I don't see any reasons why she should see a barrier to familiarity. Heck, she's carrying his child. Rocky8311 21:50, October 17, 2005 (EDT)

On Galactica, pilots tend to call each other their callsigns more than their real names. "Helo" *is* is his name to them. --Ricimer 21:56, 17 October 2005 (EDT)

Well, some people don't like being called by their first names. For instance, Angus MacGyver goes by "Mac" or "MacGyver", never by "Angus". Although on Galactica pilots do tend to be called by their callsigns. (Hence the term, "callsign", me thinks.)-- Joe Beaudoin 22:02, 17 October 2005 (EDT)

I agree with Ricimer. No one here calls me Ben. Even people I've known for years online who know my real name still call me Day. That's my name in this context. Similarly, Helo is Karl Agathon's name within the fraternity of pilots. This is probably Sharon (subconsciously?) signalling that she still wants to be part of that fraternity and Karl (also subconsciously?), by accepting that she calls him that, signaling that he thinks she should be allowed in, too.

I guess, though, it doesn't need to work like that. Maybe it's significant that Sharon calls Karl "Helo" but he calls her "Sharon", signaling that she's not, really, a pilot. It would be interesting to see if Lee or Kara asked/told Sharon not to call them Apollo and Starbuck and/or if they seem to be making a point of never calling her Boomer. --Day 23:55, 27 December 2005 (EST)

Re-imagined Series definition: a nickname used as a substitute for an aviator's given name in wireless communications and in conversation