'Battlestar Galactica' - Main Cast

Admiral Adama is the stern father-figure to the fleet. He earned his reputation as a maverick by forbidding computer networking aboard his ship, to make sure Galactica could not be compromised by Cylons. This looked like paranoia until the Cylon attack. He'll take any measure to protect his fleet, though his fierce passion can sometimes cloud his judgment. He's proud of his son Lee and treats Kara (who was once engaged to his other son Zak, who died in a pilot training accident) as a daughter. Adama developed a close relationship with President Roslin, though his need to protect the fleet's interests slowed his willingness to act on it. Adama is played by veteran actor Edward James Olmos (Blade Runner).

Laura Roslin was education secretary before the Cylon attack; now she finds herself President of the twelve colonies. She realizes she must become a leader – and a politician – if she is to help salvage the human race and bring them to Earth. She has discovered she is capable of ruthlessness, even to the point of rigging a presidential election against the rabble-rousing Gaius Baltar, but is certain of her role as the leader that will guide the human race home. Her battle with cancer led her to try unconventional treatments that caused her to experience mystical visions that seemed to point the way to Earth.

One of humanity's great geniuses, Baltar's overriding interest is himself. Having made the Cylon attack possible, by allowing his girlfriend (who later turned out to be the Cylon humanoid Six) access to the military defense grid, Baltar was consumed by fear of discovery, goaded by an echo of Six that seemed to reside in his mind. But he couldn't help being a public figure, winning a contested presidential election against Roslin on a platform of ending humanity's wandering and settling on a planet he called New Caprica. His forced cooperation during the Cylon occupation of New Caprica led to treason charges, but Lee helped him beat the rap. Lately he has been gaining followers as a spiritual leader advocating the Cylons' one god.

At the time of the Cylon attack Captain Lee "Apollo" Adama was estranged from his father, Commander (later Admiral) Adama, over the death of his brother, a green fighter pilot named Zak. A hotshot pilot who headed up Galactica's Viper squad, later becoming Commander of Pegasus before he was ready, Lee found himself questioning his military calling and acted to protect President Roslin against an early military coup instigated by his father. His unshakable idealism and frustration with the miltary's adjustable principles eventually led him to leave entirely, first working to defend Baltar at his treason trial and later becoming Caprica's representative to the Quorum and, briefly, acting President.

Kara "Starbuck" Thrace is a cocky, hotshot fighter pilot who faces hard choices as the new Cylon war constantly throws new obstacles in her path. Once engaged to Lee's dead brother Zak, Kara feels a closeness to Lee that doesn't entirely dissipate when she meets her future husband, resistance fighter Sam Anders, on a mission to the remains of Caprica. Kara has long struggled with the direction of her life, but progressively she has sensed that she had a role to play in guiding humanity to Earth. In search of answers she piloted her Viper to its apparent destruction, only to return inexplicably in a pristine ship saying she could guide humanity to Earth, spurring a long battle against mistrust of her sanity and fear she might be a Cylon.

Captain Karl "Helo" Agathon was left behind on Caprica when he gave his place on an evacuation shuttle to Gaius Baltar. Later he encountered Sharon and, not knowing she was a Cylon, got involved in a relationship with her as they his from the Cylons occupying Caprica. His love for her enabled him to endure the revelation that she was a Cylon and the ostracism they endured when they returned to Galactica. Standing by his wife no matter what, his faith eventually helped convince Adama that she could be trusted. Rising quickly in the ranks, Helo stayed with Galactica as executive officer during the resettlement on New Caprica.

Tom Zarek was incarcerated for rebelling against the government at the time of the Cylon attack. Establishing himself as the prisoners' leader, he precipitated a hostage drama when Lee Adama came to them in desperate need for labor, winning rights for the prisoners and freedom for himself. Gaining wide popularity as a firebrand, Zarek found his way to Quorum and then the vice-presidency and was not above playing dirty politics -- despite his apparent ideals of a good government responsive to the people. Recognizing a fellow iconoclast, Zarek helped Lee a place on the Quorum, but soon found that Lee wasn't planning to play Zarek's game. Zarek is played by Richard Hatch, who starred as Apollo in the original Battlestar Galactica series.

Felix Gaeta started out as the bright and idealistic tactical officer aboard Galactica. A computer systems expert, Gaeta was often called on to resolve computer-related crises, as when a Cylon virus infected the ship's systems. His awe of the great scientist Gaius Baltar led to his selection as Baltar's aide during the latter's presidency; Gaeta stayed by Baltar's side during the Cylons' increasingly ruthless occupation, causing him to be suspected as a traitor following the humans' liberation. Tyrol, however, realized it was Gaeta who had been anonymously feeding secret information to the resistance. Embittered by the occupation and its aftermath, Gaeta was shot trying to abort Starbuck's reconnaissance mission to Earth, losing a leg.

Soft-spoken Dualla started out as the communications officer aboard Galactica. On more than one occasion she helped resolve a crisis by quickly finding an unobtrusive way to get things done, not necessarily with the knowledge or approval of her superiors. Long nursing an affection for the unattainable Lee Adama, she was able to gain his attention after Kara began spending time with Sam; they eventually married, and Dualla served as executive officer under Lee aboard the Pegasus during the settlement on New Caprica. Lee, however, drew away from her, and they separated after the liberation.

Admiral Cain commanded the Pegasus, the only other battlestar to survive the destruction of the Twelve Colonies. Their desperate situation convinced her leave behind the civilian fleet that had formed around the Pegasus, after first press-ganging onto Pegasus those civilians with skills she needed. She reacted to the revelation that her lover, a copy of Six working as a technician, was a Cylon with fury, allowing her to be brutalized and violated out of revenge as much as for information. The atmosphere of hatred and backstabbing aboard Pegasus forced Adama to act against his superior officer, and once Cain was dead -- killed by her Cylon ex-lover -- the Adamas had great difficulty restoring order and morale.