Laura Roslin

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Laura Roslin
Laura Roslin

Name

{{{name}}}
Age
Colony Caprica
Birth place {{{birthplace}}}
Birth Name Laura Roslin
Birth Date {{{birthdate}}}
Callsign
Nickname {{{nickname}}}
Introduced Miniseries
Death Cancer, while flying over Tanzania in 4 ACH (c. 148,000 BCE) (Daybreak, Part II)
Parents mother †, father †
Siblings Cheryl Roslin †
Sandra Roslin †
Children
Marital Status Unmarried;
Temporarilly cohabitated with William Adama aboard Galactica
Family Tree View
Role President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol;
formerly Secretary of Education
formerly schoolteacher
Rank
Serial Number {{{serial}}}
Portrayed by Mary McDonnell
Laura Roslin is a Cylon
Laura Roslin is a Final Five Cylon
Laura Roslin is a Human/Cylon Hybrid
Laura Roslin is an Original Series Cylon
Related Media
@ BW Media
Additional Information
[[Image:|200px|Laura Roslin]]

Laura Roslin serves as Secretary of Education at the time of the Cylon attack, later becoming President of the Twelve Colonies, despite never actually being elected to office.

Background[edit]

Some time before the Fall of the Twelve Colonies, Roslin is forced to take care of her dying mother, who is going through diloxin treatments for cancer (Act of Contrition). At some point, Roslin's father and sisters are killed in a car accident at the fault of a drunk driver (Daybreak, Part I). Like her mother, Roslin is a schoolteacher, though she enters politics under the mayoral administration of Richard Adar (Miniseries). When Adar decides to run for president, Roslin reluctantly agrees to join his campaign, and is later appointed as Secretary of Education.

Though Roslin never marries[1], she engages in a sexual affair with the married Adar (Epiphanies).[2] The day of the Cylon attack, Roslin learns that she has terminal breast cancer. Returning to work, Roslin informs Adar that she had successfully resolved an ongoing teacher's strike, but Adar vehemently disagrees with her method, and asks for her resignation. She asks him to defer the matter until she returns from the decommissioning ceremonies of the battlestar Galactica (Epiphanies).

Fall of the Colonies[edit]

Roslin travels to Galactica aboard the government-chartered civilian transport, Colonial Heavy 798, accompanied by a government aide, Billy Keikeya. Onboard Galactica, Secretary Roslin meets with Commander Adama, who denies her request to add a student computer network in the battlestar. Roslin lets the matter go to rest and departs the ship following the decommissioning ceremonies.

Roslin being sworn in

On route back to Caprica, Roslin learns from the captain that the Cylons are attacking the Twelve Colonies. Roslin quickly takes on the mantle of leadership, rallying the passengers to make space for potential refugees. She finally establishes contact with a government official on Caprica, who does not know the the whereabouts or condition of President Adar. As the transport begins to rescue survivors from a stranded passenger vessel, the Case Orange automated beacon is picked up on the wireless, and Roslin instructs the pilot to respond to the message with her government identification. Soon, a response returns from the automated message: Roslin, the forty-third official in line of succession, is the highest-ranking government official left alive and thus has succeeded Adar as president. Physically shaking, Roslin holds back tears and her voice cracks as the priestess Elosha administers the oath of office.

In her first act as president, Roslin orders the Galactica to assist her in rescue operations. In turn, Adama refuses to recognize her authority and orders the vessel to rendezvous with Galactica at Ragnar Anchorage. The two are interrupted by a pair of Cylon Raiders, which launch nuclear missiles at the small fleet Roslin has assembled. She refuses to leave the vessels behind and is only saved by quick thinking on the part of Lee Adama. Soon after, a Galactica Raptor carrying Dr. Gaius Baltar locates Roslin's ship, the newly rechristened Colonial One. Roslin appoints Baltar as her chief science advisor and uses the Raptor to locate any surviving ships around Caprica. Over the next few hours, Roslin's small group of ships transforms into a massive fleet harboring over 50,000 survivors.

While attempting to transfer passengers off all non-FTL capable ships, the Fleet is discovered by another pair of Raiders. Facing a difficult decision, Roslin orders all FTL-capable ships to jump to Ragnar Anchorage, abandoning the thousands of people still aboard the sub-light ships. At Ragnar, Roslin meets again with Adama and urges him to abandon the Twelve Colonies in favor of guiding the surviving civilians to a new home. Though Adama initially rejects this idea, he later acquiesces and the Fleet, protected by Galactica, leaves Colonial space.

In an attempt to give the survivors a reason to survive, Adama claims that he knows the location of Earth, the home of the Thirteenth Tribe. Roslin privately calls Adama out on his lie. Adama admits the deception, and in return for Roslin keeping his secret and allowing him to retain control of the military, he acknowledges Roslin's authority over the civilian fleet as president.

The First Month[edit]

Roslin begins building the foundations of a civilian government collecting a census on the remaining population while Cylon attacks force the Fleet to jump every 33 minutes. Working tirelessly throughout these attacks without any sleep, Roslin is forced to make another tough call and authorizes Galactica to destroy the Olympic Carrier, a ship suspected of being tracked by the Cylons. Ultimately, the destruction of the ship ends the attack, yet Roslin continues to question whether she had made the right choice considering the 1300 lives lost on the ship (33).

Though Roslin and Adama continue to have a weary relationship, Adama integrates her into the decision process. Roslin and Adama agree to keep the knowledge that Cylons now appear human a secret (Water). She later authorizes the conditional pardoning of prisoners aboard the Astral Queen, though is less than pleased when Lee ends a subsequent prison riot by giving the prisoners control of their ship and assuring that the scheduled presidential elections would take place in nine months (Bastille Day).

Having appointed Lee as her military liaison, she admits the truth of her cancer to him. She later seeks treatment from Galactica's doctor, Sherman Cottle, though she opts to use an alternative, psychoactive drug, Chamalla, rather than endure the same diloxin treatments she had watched her mother suffer through (Act of Contrition).

Following a suicide bombing aboard Galactica by a Number Five Cylon, Roslin holds a press conference revealing the truth about humanoid Cylons and releasing pictures of Aaron Doral and Leoben Conoy. The news is greeted with a stunned reaction throughout the Fleet (Litmus). A resulting independent investigation aboard Galactica is launched by Adama, though Roslin cautions against this course of action.

As a result of her press conference regarding the Cylons, a copy of Leoben Conoy is captured aboard the Gemenon Traveler. Despite Adama's desire to kill him immediately, Roslin insists he be interrogated. When Conoy claims that he has planted a nuclear bomb within the Fleet, Roslin travels to the Gemenon Traveler and stops the torture being inflicted on him. Agreeing to release him if he tells her where the bomb is, Conoy informs her that there is no bomb and that Adama is a Cylon. She subsequently orders him to be thrown out of an airlock, a method of execution repeated multiple times over the course of Roslin's administration (Flesh and Bone). While Roslin remains suspicious of Adama as a result of Conoy's claim, his accusation is refuted by Baltar's invention of a Cylon detector (Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down).

Soon after, Roslin reconstitutes the Quorum of Twelve aboard Cloud Nine. However, the election of Tom Zarek, leader of the jailbreak aboard the Astral Queen and political terrorist, as the Sagittaron delegate disrupts her agenda when Zarek insists on the election of a vice president. The delegate from Virgon nominates Zarek, while Roslin chooses Wallace Gray as her preferred candidate. However, Gray fails to win enough support in the Quorum to defeat Zarek and is replaced at the last minute by Baltar, the Caprican delegate. The resulting vote is a tie, which allows Roslin to cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of Baltar (Colonial Day).

The Dying Leader[edit]

  • Roslin reveals she is being affected by taking Chamalla extract to Elosha, having prescient visions – her dreams about Leoben Conoy which occurred immediately before he was found on the Gemenon Traveler, and her hallucination about snakes. On hearing about the snakes, Elosha reveals that it matches a prophecy in an ancient text written by Pythia 3,600 years ago concerning the exodus of humankind, which foretells that a dying Leader will lead the remnants of humanity to the promised land of Earth (The Hand of God).
  • Using the occasion of Colonial Day to institute a interim Quorum, the legislative branch of the Colonial Government Roslin is surprised when Tom Zarek wins nomination as Sagittaron representitive. Roslin feels she cannot remove him, as he won the election fairly. Zarek proposes the choosing of a Vice President which is seconded by Baltar and Zarek nominated for the position. This forces Roslin to push Wallace Gray, a presidential aide, into standing as an alternative candidate.
  • Roslin realizes that Baltar is quite popular in the Fleet and has Gray relinquish his position as her nominee in favor of Baltar. Baltar wins the nomination through a close vote (Colonial Day). During the Colonial Day celebration Adama and Roslin share a somewhat awkward dance.
  • Discovering that her cancer treatment is not going well, that is has spread to her lymphatic system, giving her perhaps 6 months to live (Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I).
  • On recon mission, Boomer and Crashdown stumble upon a habitable planet. Reviewing the recon photos of ruins, Roslin has a vision which Elosha confirms to be the City of the Gods on Kobol. Roslin has two further visions – the Arrow of Apollo and the Tomb of Athena, and accepts the scriptures as fact. Roslin tries to convince Adama that Kobol will point the way to Earth, that they must use the captured Cylon Raider to return to Caprica and retrieve the Arrow of Apollo. Adama doesn't agree with her and reminds her that the Raider is a military resource. She reminds him that just because they don't know where Earth is doesn't mean is doesn't exsist.
  • Roslin convinces Kara Thrace to use the captured Cylon Raider to return to Caprica in search of the Arrow of Apollo, a possible key to the true location of Earth (Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I).
  • Commander Adama stages a military coup in response to what he feels is mutiny aboard his ship. He asks for her resignation and she refuses, and reveals the press is recording the conversation. Adama isolates Colonial one, and eventually gets a boarding party on Colonial One. A confrontation ensues between the Marines and Roslin's security. It is broken only when Lee Adama sides with his conscience, and turns on Tigh. Afraid of a bloodbath, Roslin surrenders and is incarcerated aboard Galactica.
  • From her cell, Roslin eventually tells the Quorum of Twelve of her role in the Sacred Scrolls, and begins to gain significant underground civilian support for her cause. After escaping Galactica, Roslin takes a third of the Fleet back to Kobol, with the help of rival Tom Zarek, to search for the Tomb. Starbuck meets Roslin's fleet with the recovered Arrow, and a hazardous expedition on Kobol begins, aided by a second copy of the Sharon Cylon and Elosha, who is soon killed, leaving Roslin with a gap in her spirituality for a time (Home, Part I).
  • The recovered Commander Adama gains refreshed insight on the need for the Fleet to stay united, and finds Roslin's expedition. The leaders reconcile. Roslin's gamble on faith pays off big for humanity, and the group gains a map and their first waypoint to the true location of Earth (Home, Part II).
  • After this, Adama's and Roslin's respect for each other grows stronger and their leadership in managing fleet business becomes more cooperative, asking each other for advice and correcting each other as needed, starting with a potentially disruptive tabloid expose of the Gideon shootings.
  • After a near-disastrous military confrontation between Adama and Admiral Cain, Roslin forces them to concentrate on more important matters. Privately, Roslin tells Adama that Cain, whose power can radically affect the remnant of humanity both Roslin and Adama have strived so hard to protect, must be killed if Adama and the Fleet are to survive.
Roslin and Adama.
  • After the battle, and Admiral Cain's death, Roslin, now more frail with her illness, promotes William Adama to admiral. The new admiral gives the president a kiss, establishing a more personal aspect to their friendship (Resurrection Ship, Part II).
  • Roslin is miraculously saved by the injection of stem cells [3] from the Cylon hybrid fetus, which apparently eradicates her cancer (Epiphanies). In the hours prior to the cure, however, Roslin remembers her last days on Caprica, including the attractive blonde with Dr. Baltar, her vice president. She now recognizes the woman as a humanoid Cylon.
  • Roslin returns to work with a dispassionate, zealous manner, including an attempt to stop the black market, handling the terrible loss of Billy Keikeya, and the upcoming presidential election. After Keikeya's death, Roslin appoints Tory Foster as her aide.
  • Roslin's decision to enforce a no-abortion law to aid in repopulation complicates what might have been an easy reelection. Her own vice president, Dr. Baltar, challenges Roslin for the presidency. After the Agathon's child is born, Roslin, fearing both for the child's safety and its significance to the Cylon, has the child's death faked (Downloaded).
  • When New Caprica is found, Baltar uses the discovery to wedge the election to his favor. Roslin gives Foster tacit approval to rig the election; Foster, with the aid of Tigh and Dualla replace one ship's ballot box en route to the counting room, but the fraud is subsequently discovered by Lieutenant Gaeta. In a reversal of their earlier roles, Admiral Adama confronts Roslin about her actions, admitting the he doesn't like Baltar either, but adamant that they would be criminals if they stole the election, justified or not. Roslin listens to her friend, but remains convinced that it is the wrong choice and that they just give up. After the correct results are revealed, President Baltar first order is to begin the colonization of New Caprica.

New Caprica[edit]

  • Early in the colonization, Roslin finds time to relax on New Caprica. She meets with Admiral Adama, who also takes in some time to unwind. The two friends comfortably chat about matters small and not-so-small over smoking and drinking, and later gaze at the stars together, allowing themselves to relax, lying outside, close to each other. Roslin worries that, amidst their temporary comfort, the Cylons could return, but it is nice to have what they have for the time being (Unfinished Business).
Roslin as a teacher on New Caprica.
  • A year passes on New Caprica, and Baltar's administration becomes the disaster that Roslin feared. Roslin returned to teaching, running the new settlement's school. Assisted by Maya, who brings her infant adopted daughter Isis (the secreted Cylon hybrid), Roslin is more comfortable watching over the pair personally.
  • On the 380th day after settling on the planet, the Cylons discover the colony, as Roslin had warned, and occupy the settlement.
  • On the 134th day of the Cylon occupation of New Caprica Roslin sits writing in her journal. Coincidentally, that day falls on Mars Day, named after the Colonial God of War. She notes that the New Capricans have not had contact with Galactica for four months but she refuses to believe that Admiral William Adama would abandon them. She writes that the insurgency is striking whenever and wherever possible, believing them critical to morale despite the futility of the gestures at times. She notes that for the insurgency to have a "more meaningful impact", they need to strike a high profile target, since killing the Cylons is nearly impossible. Roslin then speaks of the Cylon Occupation Authority's continued exertion of complete control over New Caprica City and are at their complete mercy. She notes that the government under President Gaius Baltar functions in name only. Roslin writes of the New Caprica Police and finds the prospect of humans misguided into believing that they're taking the role of policing New Caprica out Cylon hands nauseating. She notes that the names of the police officers are deeply hidden, but are likely people that "we least expect". Roslin notes that hundreds of people have been rounded up by the Cylons, held in detention, tortured, and even killed or disappeared. Roslin mentions the help of a source within Baltar's administration that has been helping them in recent weeks. They do not know who this person is, but the person is responsible for dropping important documents. The source communicates through the use of a secret signal (Occupation).
  • Later Roslin is detained by the Cylons and is visited in detention by Baltar. In order to appear friendly, he hands her back her glasses but then expresses his outrage and disbelief at the suicide bombings carried out by the resistance. He demands that he and Roslin publicly condemn these actions. Although Roslin initially expresses understanding for the resistance, when Baltar presses her to condone their attacks, she remains silent. Baltar tries to make her understand that order and policing is necessary and denies Roslin's allegations of random searches, arrests and torture. When he leaves, he again emphasizes that the situation has deteriorated to a dangerous level and orders the guard to release Roslin (Precipice).
  • After her release she goes to talk to Colonel Tigh, demanding that he stop with the suicide bombings. When Tigh asks if she works for the Cylons, she slaps him but apologizes quickly. Tigh says that none if it matters anymore, and argues that the attacks aren't any different from sending soldiers on suicide missions. He tells Roslin to stop being naive and moralizing until she is back on Colonial One again, and leaves.
  • The New Caprica Police storm through the city and arrest more people, including Laura Roslin. The prisoners are put on trucks, where Roslin meets Tom Zarek, who has spent the last four months in detention. He quips that he wishes she had gotten away with stealing the election (Precipice).
  • On the Pergamus Flats Roslin and the other detainees are lined up and are prepared for execution, but before they can be killed a team of resistance fighters takes out the Centurions meant to execute the detainees and frees them. Tyrol reveals to Roslin and the others that Galactica is on its way. Roslin smiles and looks up to the sky with happiness (Exodus, Part I).
  • In the resistance headquarters Laura Roslin orders Anders to guard Maya and Hera at all costs that Hera, "may well be the shape of things to come". He tasks two of his best men to protect her and see to her safe escape (Exodus, Part I).
  • Gunnery Sergeant Erin Mathias, the leader of Sharon Agathon's Marines meets with Roslin, Tom Zarek and the resistance to discuss the rescue plan. She brings weapons for the upcoming fight and learns that the colonists conducted evacuation exercises under the guise of fire drills.
  • Col. Tigh's resistance militia appears to consider themselves to be under the authority of Roslin, who acts as a government in exile/waiting with Foster as her deputy. Tom Zarek, legally the Vice President and Baltar's successor, is consulted on some military plans.
  • Later, during the Battle of New Caprica, Zarek and Roslin escape together but she states that she will evacuate aboard her ship, Colonial One. Zarek notes the important symbolism and gives a sidearm to Jammer, directing him to protect Roslin (Exodus, Part II). Once the fleet is safely reassembled, a de facto President Roslin, Foster, and civil servants begin clearing the trappings of the Baltar/Cylon administration from Colonial One while assembling a census and calculating their losses. It is at this time that Foster confirms that she failed to ensure the evacuation of Maya and Hera, and offers her apologies and resignation to Roslin who reassures Foster and takes something of a fatalistic view of their loss of Hera (Exodus, Part II).

Roslin's Second Administration[edit]

  • Roslin allows President Tom Zarek to assumes his office temporarily. In order to protect Roslin from having to deal with months of public trials which could destroy the unity of the Fleet through public "witch hunts", Zarek quickly establishes the Circle, a secret tribunal to investigate, charge, adjudicate, and execute collaborators and traitors. Zarek and Roslin agree to a "musical chairs" process to constitutionally restore her to the presidency. 1: with Baltar having either died or abandoned his office, Zarek has ascended from vice president to president; 2: Zarek appoints Roslin to fill the vacant office of vice president; 3: Zarek promptly resigns the presidency and Roslin assumes the office; 5: Roslin then re-appoints Zarek to his former vice presidency and privately thanks him for his service and loyalty. With a token number of suspected collaborators having conspicuously disappeared, the newly inaugurated Roslin is able to secretly dissolve the Circle and publicly issue a general pardon for all but Baltar (Collaborators).
  • Roslin's relationship with Adama and the Agathons is strained when Adama discovers that Roslin hid the Cylon baby, Hera Agathon, without his knowledge (The Eye of Jupiter).
  • Baltar's capture from his time with the Cylons leads Roslin to first interrogate him, then put him to trial, which places new stresses on the President.
  • During Baltar's trial, Lee Adama confronts Roslin on his suspicion that she is taking chamalla again. Although Roslin silently pleads with him to not go that route, Adama persists and forces her to publicly reveal that her cancer has returned. Disappointed in him, she recalls a time when they were friends and she called him "Captain Apollo."
  • She has a vision in the Opera House on Kobol where she and an image of Sharon Agathon pursue Hera Agathon, but Hera is picked up by a Number Six. A later vision reveals that Sharon Agathon shares her vision. After conferring with each other, they both visit Caprica-Six, who disbelievingly confirms that she, too, experienced the vision. When the Fleet arrives at the Ionian nebula, Roslin nearly faints, possibly having another vision (Crossroads, Part II).
  • After Kara Thrace's mysterious return, Roslin deeply distrusts Thrace, although she claims to know the way the Earth and feels an instinctive need to go there. When Roslin and Adama don't comply with Thrace pleadings, Thrace confronts the president at gunpoint (He That Believeth In Me). Thrace hands Roslin her pistol and tells her to shoot if she believes that Thrace is a Cylon. Roslin pulls the trigger, but misses, and Thrace is subdued by Marines (Six of One).
  • Roslin still holds a grudge against Baltar and tries to curtail Baltar's freedoms when his new-founded cult has violent confrontations with followers of other beliefs. Ostensibly trying to protect his followers and keep peace in the Fleet, she passes an emergency measure to severely restrict their right of assembly. Although she pleads to the Quorum to think of what Baltar did on New Caprica and what he might do with followers blindly devoted to him, the Quorum vetoes her (Escape Velocity).
  • Roslin is currently on diloxin therapy, which has caused her to lose her hair and forces her to wear a wig. Throughout her treatment, William Adama comforts her at her bedside and offers her the use of his quarters when she wants (Faith).
  • When a rebel Cylon faction proposes an alliance with the Colonials, Roslin goes along with it to get a chance to destroy the Cylon Resurrection Hub, but doesn't want to uphold her side of bargain until they find Earth. Shortly after, she visits the Hybrid on the rebel basestar, but when it is awakened it unexpectedly jumps the ship away (Guess What's Coming to Dinner?).
  • Every time the basestar jumps, she has a vision of herself in an empty corridor on Galactica where she is joined by the spirit of her old friend Elosha, who takes her to sickbay to show her her own death. Elosha explains that Roslin has cut herself off from the ability to love people and shows her how Admiral Adama loves her. On the basestar, a badly injured Baltar confesses to her his part in the attack on the Colonies and she decides to leave him to bleed to death, but Elosha convinces her to help him.
  • She orders Karl Agathon to take Number Three to her once she is retrieved. After the battle, the Three jokingly tells her that she is one of the Final Five, but refuses to tell anyone the truth until she is sure that she is safe. Roslin also attempts to get answers from the Hybrid but the Hybrid appears to never say anything helpful, except to inform them of the fact that that Three has already been unboxed, and the reason she jumped away from the Fleet. After the ship returns to the rendezvous coordinates, she greets Admiral Adama who waited for her in a Raptor and finally admits that she loves him (The Hub).

Revelations of the Final Five[edit]

  • In the basestar control room, Roslin, William Adama, D'Anna Biers and Leoben discuss the plans to return the Final Five. Biers reveals that there are only four in the Fleet and refuses to provide answers when Roslin questions her about the fifth's location. Roslin knows that the Colonials need them, for they know the way to Earth. Frustrated, Biers citing the failure of co-operation on New Caprica, announces that she will hold the Colonials on the ship hostage until the Final Four are returned to them. When a standoff between the Colonials and the Centurions breaks out, Roslin tells Adama and the pilots to stand down. Biers tells Adama to accompany her to Galactica on a Raptor but Adama refuses until Roslin insists on him going. Before he leaves, Roslin embraces Adama and whispers in his ear that if the Cylons get the four, they get Earth, and he can't allow that to happen, even if he has to destroy the basestar with them aboard. Adama leaves and Roslin returns to Baltar (Revelations).
  • Roslin rebandages Gaius Baltar's wounds, who is alive thanks to Roslin's change of heart. Roslin reveals that she told Adama to destroy the basestar if the Cylons get the final four. Foster walks in with a Six and hands Roslin her medication. Roslin thanks Foster and asks how she was able to do so. Foster's response is that she came with Biers to be with her people. It is then that Roslin realizes she was one of the Final Five. When asked if she had any idea, Roslin says no, and Foster tells her it might be worth pondering about other things she has been wrong about, then turns and leaves. Roslin interrupts her departure to ask her to convince Biers to release the hostages. Foster coldly replies that she's done taking orders from her.
  • As things heat up, Roslin and Baltar hear the hostages and Centurions outside the room, as a Number Two walks in and tells them that Biers is about to start executing more hostages. When Roslin requests that she be taken to Biers, Baltar insists that he be taken instead for he was with her in the Temple of Five. In her visions Roslin remebers seeing him in the Opera House and she agrees with him.
  • After the location of Earth is discovered and the Final Five are granted amnesty with Biers agreeing to release the hostages, Lee is discussing the location of Earth with his discouraged father. Roslin walks in and sitting next to him says she wants to see him pick up the first fistful of earth. He walks away saying that he'll be back. Lee Adama talks to Roslin about stepping down, and she praises him on resolving the crisis. Roslin says that the Fleet will need that kind of leadership in the years to come (Revelations).
  • In the CIC Adama, asks Roslin to give the final order to take them to Earth. An excited, happy and teary eyed Roslin smiles and gives Adama the order to jump to Earth. With that the fleet spools up and jumps.
  • On surface of Earth in the debris of a once great city, Roslin stands with Adama as he lifts up a handful of soil. A crew member next to them scans the soil with a Geiger counter. The soil is irradiated. Laura Roslin stands next to Adama, visably devastated. (Revelations).

Earth and a search for a new home[edit]

  • Both the humans and Cylons wander the surface of Earth, all indications point to a major nuclear disaster across the planet. Laura Roslin crouches down in the sand and picks up a short plant, what seems to be the only visible life found in the destruction. Teams around the planet have reported no responses to hails and that the entire planet looks much like the beach they are on now. Roslin quips, "It's perfect. We traded one nuked civilization for another." (Sometimes a Great Notion).
  • As the door to Adama and Roslin's Raptor opens, assembled around them is a huge crowd on the hangar deck anxious for answers. But Roslin can only shake her head in disbelief and her profound disappointment. Her dreams for humanity dashed, she turns and manages to weakly mutter to Adama, "Get me out of here." The crowd rushes Roslin and Adama, while Lee and the Marines try to hold back the surging crowds, Lee screaming over the crowds protests, shouts out that answers will be revealed in due time (Sometimes a Great Notion).
  • With their tests complete, both the teams of humans and Cylons meet aboard Galactica in Baltar's lab to discuss the findings of the Centurion helmet and humans remains buried on the surface. Caprica-Six confirms that other Centurion helmets were found as well as 250 skeletons from four sites around the planet. A Number Eight confirms that, while the Centurion design is similar, they have never seen this design before, and that it is not one of theirs. A shocked Roslin realizes that the Thirteenth Tribe created their own Cylons much like they had on the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. Lee Adama completes her thoughts; that like the Colonies these Cylons also rebelled against their masters. Baltar adds that they tested the skeletons as well, and the astonishing conclusion is that the every one of the skeletons themselves are also a form of humanoid Cylons. Caprica-Six confirms that their tests show the same conclusion. The Thirteenth Tribe were Cylons. Roslin leaves the meeting visibly shaken, but Lee Adama stops her to ask what she will tell the Quorum. Weak and dishearten, Roslin has nothing to say at all (Sometimes a Great Notion).
  • In Adama's quarters, Laura Roslin sits on the floor emotionally upset. She is setting fire to one of the pages of the Pythian Prophecy in the scared scrolls. Turning each successive page to light and burn the next, one by one. Adama arrives to ask Roslin to help figure out a way to shore up the Fleet's quickly sagging morale. She is passive and unresponsive, and Adama wishing to get closer to a obviously shaken Roslin kneels down beside her and continues. He tells her that she has missed her doloxan treatment, but Roslin's response is that she didn't feel like it and will not reschedule. Asking if she is willing to just lay down and quit, She laments to Adama that he took her advice and now there are so many men and women who have died for what appears to be a fruitless series of visions (Sometimes a Great Notion).
  • Roslin pretty much abandons her Presidency and decides to live as a normal person, also giving up her diloxin treatments. She also starts a relationship with Willam Adama, kissing him in a corridor, sleeping with him and later kissing him again and reacting badly to his supposed demise.
  • When Tom Zarek and Felix Gaeta start their coup, she is in the Admiral's quaters and decides to hed to Baltar's commune to make a wireless transmission about the mutiny to rally support to her and Adama. She makes a short broadcast before being jammed, then heads with Baltar to the Secondary Storage Airlock in order to get off the ship to saftey. There she kisses Adama goodbye, knowing he's going to stay behind to cover their escape and attempt to retake the ship, then leaves in a Cylon Raptor for the baseship. Narcho and Hotdog are ordered to shoot her down, but when she identifies herself before being jammed again, Hotdog hesitates and it allows her to escape to the baseship safely. There she keeps attempting to send another wireless message to the fleet over the Raptor's radio, but is blocked by Galactica's jamming. While the other Cylons discuss options, Roslin, with the help of a Number Two, succesfully penetrates Galactica's jamming and tells about the mutiny and orders the fleet to shut off their FTL drives before Galactica finally manages to jam her again. Ten ships obey, but the Cylons decide to jump away. Roslin gives a speech to them and convinces them to stay and help put down the mutiny. Roslin, taking command, contacts Galactica and orders the mutiny to end and Gaeta and Zarek to surrender. Zarek tells her that Tigh died trying to escape and Adama was tried, convicted and executed and calls for her surrender, but he strengthens her resolve and she promises to come after him with everything she has at her disposal and has the baseship's weapons turned on Galactica. After Galactica fails to jump away (Galen Tyrol disabled the FTL drive) it initaly looks like it will turn into a shooting war between the two ships, but Gaeta orders a weapons hold. Before anything further can happen, Adama regains control of Galactica and calls a relieved Roslin to tell her and the Cylons to stand down. Roslin returns to Galactica and tearfully embraces Adama.
  • When Hera Agathon is kidnapped by Boomer, Roslin somehow senses it and collapses.
  • After her collapse, Roslin is taken to sickbay and remains in bed there. She discusses with Adama abandoning Galactica and convinces him to do so.
  • Roslin is still in her sickbay bed when Cottle and Ishay discuss the rescue mission for Hera, not realizing she's awake. Once she's left alone, Roslin gets up and gets dressed and makes her way to the hanger where everyone is gathering. There she volunteers for the rescue mission asking Adama if he planned on going without her. Adama accepts Roslin's joining of the mission and she joins the volunteers for the mission.
  • Roslin, in sickbay, is given injections by Cottle that will keep her going for two days, but is warned that doing this will sap what life she has left and she'll die soon after. Roslin thanks Cottle for everything has done for her and gets choked up and Cottle appears to be touched as well by her thanks but she tells him to smoke a cigarette and grumble to preserves his reputation as a hard-ass which he does.
  • Roslin takes up a role in sickbay helping Ishay with patients. When Adama orders a check-in of all stations, Roslin checks-in for sickbay. During the battle she helps take care of the injured patients and decide who is fatally wounded and who can be saved. It overwhelms her and she leaves to take a break. While outside the sickbay, she senses Hera's return and rushes off to find her. Roslin finds Hera and pulls her out of the way of a group of Cylons, but Hera runs off afterwards. In a fullfilment of the Opera House Prophecy with the Opera House being substituted for Galactica, Roslin chases Hera through the corriders of the ship despite having trouble walking due to her weakened condition and meets up with Sharon Agathon and watches as she and Sharon are shut out by Baltar and Caprica Six who find Hera but don't realize that Roslin and Sharon are there. Later, during the truce, she is in in CIC leaning heavily on Adama as the Five transfer resurrection over to The Colony in exchange for Hera and an end to the war. She witnesses Tyrol break the download and kill Tory and takes cover as Simon, Cavil and Doral open fire only for Simon and Doral to be killed by Starbuck and Apollo and Cavil to kill himself. She stays next to Adama during the jump and asks Starbuck where she took them after its revealed that Galactica is now crippled.
  • On New Earth Roslin, visibly getting weaker, views the wildlife and asks Adama what the planet will be called. Adama decides to take her up in a Raptor to get a closer look at the wildlife and she enjoys the sight. Roslin says "so much...life" and then dies peacefully beside the man she loves. Adama places his wedding ring on her finger and buries her near the cabin he builds and visits her grave often to talk to her.

Notes[edit]

  • The character of Laura Roslin is unique to the Battlestar Galactica saga. She has no counterpart to the Original Series, where its version of President Adar is killed and a presidential replacement is never made. Roslin assumes more of the political-spiritual leadership of the Original Series' Commander Adama, whereas William Adama is representative of the Original Series' character's military commander aspect.
  • Actress Mary McDonnell is perhaps best known for her role in the epic film, Dances with Wolves, with Kevin Costner. Another famous role of hers was the U.S. First Lady in Independence Day, a film which (in a less serious tone than Battlestar) depicts cocky human fighter pilots battling an genocidal enemy from outer space. In that film she dies of her injuries from a helicopter crash before an end to the conflict is reached.
  • While it may be a coincidence, the name Laura Roslin is an amalgam of the forenames of the incumbent U.S. First Ladies at the time the Ronald D. Moore series and the Original Series each premiered: Laura Bush and Rosalynn Carter, respectively.
  • The glasses that the character wears are also McDonnell's real glasses.[4]

References[edit]

  1. According to the February issue of Sci Fi Magazine, actress Mary McDonnell indicates that, according to the series bible, Roslin has dated, but has never married. (Scans available on Ramblings of a dorkish nature)
  2. According to a December 2005 interview with Mary McDonnell in TV Guide, President Adar, a married man, was having an affair with Roslin in the twilight of his term.
  3. In the commentary track for "Epiphanies", Ron Moore states that a longer explanation of Roslin's cure was filmed that explained that the blood's stem cells cure Roslin. However, the scene was cut because he was afraid it would be too complicated and thought of as technobabble. The character's updated biography on the official Scifi.com site does confirm that stem cells from the hybrid were the actual cure. As such, Battlestar Wiki treats this data canonically as with information found in most deleted scenes.
  4. Mary McDonnell Q & A, Part 1 (backup available on Archive.org) . (VID) (2006-10-13). Retrieved on 2006-10-14.


Preceded by:
Richard Adar
President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol Succeeded by:
Gaius Baltar
Preceded by:
Tom Zarek
Vice President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol Succeeded by:
Tom Zarek
Preceded by:
Tom Zarek
President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol Succeeded by:
Romo Lampkin
and Lee Adama (Acting President)