Template:BSG Character President Laura Roslin is a fictional character in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. She is played by Mary McDonnell.
Background
Cylon attack and escape
At the time of the Cylon attack on the Colonies, Roslin is the Secretary of Education under President Richard Adar and has worked with him since he was mayor of Caprica City. Roslin appears to have been in a romantic relationship with Adar.[1]
Roslin travels to Galactica to attend its decommissioning ceremonies, and is on her way back when the Cylon attack begins. During the attack, she receives and responds to an automatic signal, and is informed that she is the highest remaining member of the Presidential line of succession to respond. She is therefore sworn in as President by Elosha, a priest, aboard her ship, in a scene highly reminiscent of the November 22, 1963 swearing-in of Lyndon Baines Johnson aboard Air Force One after the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy.[2]
Early Presidency
Her first actions include organizing all FTL-capable ships together and convincing Commander William Adama to abandon a retaliatory attack on the Cylons, and instead join the "ragtag fleet" she has assembled in escaping. President Roslin and Billy Keikeya, her aide/press secretary/chief of staff, establish a working office space aboard her transport, renamed Colonial One (which the series' production team intentionally designed to resemble Air Force One). She immediately clashes with Commander Adama, the ranking Colonial military officer. They make an uneasy truce - that Adama will lead the military and the fleet's ships, while Roslin will preside over the fleet's personnel and look after the civilians' well-being.[2]
For the first few weeks, she acts as the sole voice of government, attending meetings and issuing orders alone.[3] Soon after the conflict depicted in the episode "Bastille Day", Roslin bows to popular pressure and agrees to establish a new Quorum of Twelve - the legislative branch of the colonial government, made up of a representative from each of the Twelve Colonies.[4]
It is at the first meeting of the new Quorum that Council member Tom Zarek of Sagittaron moves to nominate a vice-president; few are surprised when Zarek is nominated for the post. Zarek, a newly-released political prisoner, is striving to reinvent himself as a freedom fighter. Due to his responsibility for past terrorist acts, President Roslin and Commander Adama are determined to prevent him from gaining any power in the fleet.[4]
President Roslin chooses an old political ally, Wallace Gray, to run for Vice-President, but he fares poorly against the well-connected Zarek. After he gives a stirring speech to the news media, it becomes clear that Dr. Gaius Baltar has become a popular individual in the fleet, and Roslin pressures Gray to drop out so that Baltar can enter the race. With Baltar in the race, the vote comes down to a 6-6 deadlock in the Quorum, and President Roslin breaks the tie in Baltar's favor.[4]
By the close of the first season, the soft-spoken Roslin has become a formidable leader. She goes from evading Cmdr. Adama to ordering torture and executions of Cylon agents when, in her judgment, it is necessary.[5]
Prophecies and arrest
During the first season, it is revealed that prior to the Cylon attack, Roslin was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. As treatment, she opts to take chamalla, a controversial herbal drug.[6] After beginning the treatment, she begins to experience visions, which coincide with certain prophecies contained in the ancient scriptures of Kobol. She comes to believe, based on the prophecies, that she is the spiritual leader of the Colonials, and becomes intent on leading the fleet to Earth, a supposed safe haven.[5][7]
These beliefs begin to heavily influence her decisions as President, including sending Starbuck back to Caprica against Adama's orders, in order to retrieve the mythical Arrow of Apollo in accordance with the prophecies. As a result of this action, Commander Adama has her removed from power and thrown in the brig for breaking their agreement and interfering in military matters.[7]
During her imprisonment, Adama is shot, and Tigh takes charge of the fleet. With the aid of Captain Apollo, Roslin escapes, and convinces a large part of the fleet to abandon Galactica and join her instead.[8][9] As Roslin begins searching for the Tomb of Athena on Kobol, Adama attempts to find her and reunite the fleet. After being joined by Adama, and with the help of Sharon Valerii, the group manages to find the tomb. With the Arrow of Apollo, the tomb reveals clues to Earth's ___location. After reconciling with Commander Adama, she is reinstated as President.[10]
Declining health
After Roslin's reinstatement, her condition begins to worsen. She is told that she has, at most, about a month to live.[11] Shortly thereafter, Admiral Helena Cain of Battlestar Pegasus and Commander Adama came to the brink of a shooting war with each other over Cain's disregard for civil liberties and the civilian fleet.[12] Roslin realizes that Cain does not accept her as the true President, and with her health rapidly deteriorating, convinces Adama to have Cain assassinated pending a major operation against a Cylon fleet, while Cain is secretly planning the same action. Though neither is ultimately willing to follow through, Cain is still killed by a Cylon she had imprisoned and tortured, and Roslin promotes Adama to Admiral.[13]
Weeks after the Pegasus joins the fleet, Roslin is admitted to the Galactica's sickbay, on the verge of death. At the height of her illness, Roslin has a flashback of an encounter between Baltar and Number Six prior to the Cylon attack, but is not able to fully process her memories. As part of these flashbacks, it is revealed that President Adar had demanded Roslin's resignation due to a conflict between the two regarding her efforts in resolving a labor dispute, her position effectively secured by the Cylon attack and resulting governmental upheaval.[1]
As Roslin nears death, her life is saved by the apparent curative properties discovered in the blood of the unborn child of Sharon Valerii, whose pregnancy Roslin had previously believed should be terminated. Ostensibly cured of her cancer, she returns to her duties.[1]
Administration strains
After recovering and processing her memories of Baltar and Six, Roslin asks Baltar to resign his post as Vice President. His pride wounded, Baltar refuses. Roslin says that she will never give him another chance to do so.[14]
Following her return to duty Roslin discovered she had fallen behind in her work, and sought to again regularize internal trade within the Fleet. To these ends she sought to curtail rampant black market trading that had spread through the fleet, and Apollo began investigating it. However, he in the end reported to Roslin that their system would never be perfect, and there would always be some black market trading in the Fleet. Apollo killed the leader of the established black market network (an unscrupulous man that had the network dealing in drugs, killing with impunity, and engaged in child slavery, etc), and let the survivors continue black market trading with the warning that if any of these unsavory actions were continued, he would destroy them all. Roslin was less than happy that Apollo had made this decision and that trade could not be totally regulated, but had to endure it. Apollo had been put on the trail of the black market leadership by Councilman Tom Zarek, who said that he knew of the black market, but did not try to shut it down because it was a testament to Roslin's failures. After Apollo killed the old leadership and cleaned up the black market to a degree, Zarek was seen walking through the old trade bazaar of the black market; implying that he may have orchestrated the entire confrontation to have Apollo kill the old black market leadership, and then Zarek would step into the power vacuum.[14]
Run Up To Election Campaign
When a young Gemenese woman stowed away to the Galactica in order to have her pregnancy terminated, President Roslin insisted that the girl was within her rights to control her own body; abortion had been legal under colonial law before the Cylon attack, and Roslin considered this law to be still in effect. Roslin commented that she had been fighting during the course of her entire political career in support of pro-choice policies. However, Admiral Adama reminded her of the day following the attacks on the Twelve Colonies, when she told him that the human race, in order to survive, would have to retreat and then start to make babies. She then conferred with Dr. Baltar, who confirmed that with the Fleet population continued its constant rate of decline, the human race would go extinct in 18 years. Subsequently, she reluctantly put forth an Executive Order banning the interference in any further pregnancies. The Gemenese girl's pregnancy had been terminated before the Order was announced so neither she nor Dr. Cottle could be held criminally liable.[15]
This decision will undoubtedly weigh heavily in the upcoming elections for the new Presidency, especially since Dr. Baltar, while admitting that he had to support her decision as a member of her administration, publicly announced his private objection to the ban and announced his candidacy for President. The Gemenons in the fleet, who are religiously very fundamentalist, originally supported Roslin, but the Colonial religion views abortion as an abomination in the eyes of the Gods. Although banning abortion may have kept the Gemenon vote (as well as furthering the survival of the species), it has rankled many against her.[15]
A key issue of the election became the possible settlement of a new, habitable planet discovered by accident as a Raptor hit the wrong jump coordinates. Baltar leapt on the issue, prompted by visions of Number Six, to push for colonization of the planet. President Roslin continued to push for the search for Earth as a final settlement. As most of the people wished for land under their feet and a roof over their heads that wasn't the deck of a starship, Baltar gained considerably in the polls.[16]
Election
Vice-President Baltar and his political advisor Tom Zarek were able to successfully capitalize on the colonization issue, and public opinion swung in favor of settling the planet, christened New Caprica, and electing Baltar. During the night of the election, vote totals remained very close until approximately 5 hours after polls had closed, at which point Baltar was leading Roslin by roughly 5000 votes, with 3 ships yet to have their votes tallied. At that point, Roslin's campaign manager secretly called on Colonel Saul Tigh, who was among the military officers supervising vote-counting aboard Galactica. Tigh then signaled Petty-Officer Anastasia Dualla, who left the room and commandeered an incoming ballot box, replacing it with one apparently prepared ahead of time and containing forged votes which favored President Roslin. When these votes were tallied, President Roslin was announced as having won re-election. Tom Zarek was suspicious of the results, but Baltar personally assured him that Roslin would not engage in electoral fraud.[16]
The small conspiracy quickly unraveled, however, when Lieutenant Felix Gaeta noticed that the forged ballots had Vice-President Baltar's first name spelled correctly (Gaeta knew that the ship in question had a set of misprinted ballots). He brought this to the attention of Tigh, who insisted that he would handle the situation, after which Gaeta grew suspicious and personally alerted Admiral Adama. Adama, in turn, privately informed Roslin, who then herself confessed to authorizing her campaign manager's subterfuge. Adama eventually convinced Roslin that, despite the likelihood that a Baltar presidency would be "disastrous," they should announce that there had been a "tabulation error" and allow Baltar to take office rather than betraying their principles.[16]
On New Caprica
After leaving office, Roslin settled on New Caprica as did much of the fleet's civilian population. She resumed her old occupation as a school teacher and aided in the care of Sharon Agathon's half-Cylon, half-human baby, Hera/Isis, and appears to be the only person on New Caprica aware of the baby's true identity.[16]
Roslin comes into conflict with Saul Tigh, the leader of the resistance on occupied New Caprica, over his use of suicide bombers. The Cylon-dominated government initiates a crackdown in response to the bombings.[17] Roslin is arrested and nearly executed before the resistors, led by Galen Tyrol, destroy the Centurion firing squad.[18]
After New Caprica
After the fleet was reunited after the escape from New Caprica, Tom Zarek became President. Zarek, under pressure from Admiral Adama, agreed to name Laura Roslin as his Vice President and then resign. Roslin gave him the post of Vice President. However, because of his actions in giving the Circle the authority to quietly try and execute the citizens who collaborated with the Cylons on New Caprica, it is unknown whether he will still be allowed to serve as the Vice President. Zarek believed that allowing public trials of those who collaborated with the Cylons could take years and tear the fleet apart. Taking his advice, Roslin issued as the first act of her presidency a general pardon to everyone in the fleet and set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.[19]
External Links
References
- ^ a b c "Epiphanies". Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series).
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ a b "Miniseries, Parts 1 and 2". Battlestar Galactica (TV miniseries).
- ^ "Water". Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series).
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c "Colonial Day". Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series).
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ a b "Flesh and Bone". Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series).
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "Bastille Day". Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series).
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ a b "Kobol's Last Gleaming". Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series).
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "Resistance". Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series).
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Farm". Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series).
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "Home". Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series).
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "Flight of the Phoenix". Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series).
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "Pegasus". Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series).
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "Resurrection Ship". Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series).
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ a b "Black Market". Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series).
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ a b "The Captain's Hand". Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series).
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d "Lay Down Your Burdens". Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series).
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "Precipice". Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series).
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "Exodus". Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series).
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "Collaborators". Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series).
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help)