Profile

Full name: William Adama
Canon from: Battlestar Galactica
Canon type (movies/books, etc): television
Age (approx if not sure): 67
Gender: Male

Character history:
Bill was born on Caprica, the son of prominent lawyer Joseph Adama and his accountant wife Evelyn. Bill’s mother and sister were killed in a suicide bombing when he was eleven. Specificall on his birthday. This set the tone for much of the rest of his life.His relationship with his father was strained, as seems to be common among Adama men. While he was still in school, the first Cylon war broke out. After finishing his education, Bill enlisted in the military as a Viper and Raptor pilot, with his first assignment being the battlestar Galactica. He successfully shot down a Cylon while flying his first combat mission.

Despite his notable service, Bill was furloughed from the military after the end of the war. While working on a civilian ship, he met a fellow veteran, Saul Tigh. The pair struck up an enduring friendship. Bill’s marriage to Carolanne, daughter of an influential family, paved the way for his reinstatement into the military. Not surprisingly, he also arranged for Saul’s reinstatement two years later.

Bill and Carolanne had two sons (Leeland and Zak), but the realities of a military career created a strain on their marriage. While Bill was advancing through the ranks to XO of the battlestar Columbia and commander of the battlestar Valkyrie, his marriage to Carolanne was breaking down, ultimately ending in divorce.

Late in his career, Bill escorted a stealth ship over the Armistice line. The mission was an unqualified failure, requiring that the pilot be shot down and provoking the ire of the Cylons. Afterwards, Bill was assigned to command the aging Galactica.

Bill’s sons both followed him into the military. Lee soon proved himself an excellent pilot, but Zak was ill fitted to the career. Zak only passed basic flight training due to his relationship with flight instructor Kara Thrace. His shakey piloting skills led to his death on an operational mission. This further strained Bill’s relationship with the elder Lee.

When Bill attended the decommissioning ceremony for Galactica, very little went as planned. First he gave a more ominous speech than he intended. This was followed by the return of the Cylons are the death of the vast majority of the human race. Rather than a museum, Galactica wound up as the protector of a small civilian fleet. Bill initially wanted to go out fighting the Cylons, but was persuaded by the newly promoted President Laura Roslin that protecting the remainder of the human race was more important, leading him to raise the prospect of finding the mythic Earth before the fleet.

Bill and Laura came to an agreement that while she was in charge of the fleet, military matters would remain in his hands. The two often clashed early on, culminating in a coup d’etat during which Bill threw Laura in the brig. He then devised a daring plan to take out a Cylon basestar. The triumphant pilot returning from that mission proceeded to shoot
Unfortunately for the Cylons, the shot was not fatal. However, tensions in the fleet worsen while Bill is unconscious. After his return to duty, the fleet is divided over Laura’s insistence on seeking the Tomb of Athena on Kobol. Roughly a third of the fleet follows her away from Galactica. However, he eventually realizes that keeping the fleet together is of utmost importance and orders the remainder to jump to Kobol. He travels down to the surface in an attempt to mend fences. This marks the beginning of a much gentler relationship with Laura Roslin.

The Fleet then encounters the Battlestar Pegasus, commanded by the much more hardline Admiral Cain. Tensions lead to a conspiracy to assassinate Admiral Cain, which ultimately went unexecuted. However, Cain was killed by a Cylon prisoner shortly afterwards. In the aftermath, Bill was promoted to Admiral.

After the election of Gaius Baltar, the majority of the Fleet settles on New Caprica. One year later, the Cylons invade and Galactica and Pegasus retreat. After desperate planning, Bill eventually comes up with a plan to return and rescue the colonists. This is a rather awesome manoeuvre involving belly flopping Galactica into the atmosphere. The Fleet then resumes its search for Earth.

After the return of Laura’s cancer, she stays with Bill in order to have more ready access to Galactica’s medical facilities.

The death of Kara Thrace was a heavy blow to Bill. When she returned, he was initially sceptical of her claim to know where Earth was, but eventually came around and dispatched her on a secret mission to seek Earth.

After Laura disappears with a Cylon basestar, Bill realizes that he can’t live without her. He resigns from the Fleet in order to wait alone in a Raptor, certain that she will reach the rendezvous point even if the rest of the Fleet has moved on. Not only did Laura return, she also confessed her love to him. Which he thought was about time.

Upon returning the Fleet, Laura was taken hostage by the rebel Cylons. This led to the shocking revelation that Bill’s longtime friend Saul Tigh was in fact one of the final Cylons the rebels were demanding. This is another heavy blow.

Shortly thereafter, Earth was finally found to the great rejoicing of the Fleet. Except Earth wasn’t exactly what they’d hoped for...

Character personality:

Despite all the odds, Bill is very much an idealist. One of his most notable characteristics is his incredible devotion to his crew. He is somewhat of a father figure to the entire Fleet. This leads to an extreme determination to leaving no man behind, and makes every situation where he is forced to do just that all the more painful. It also makes betrayal by his crew (usually in the form of turning out to be a Cylon...) cause additional pain. Although quite reserved in public, he shows a great deal of emotion in private, often throwing things off desks when upset.

Bill is also quite good at taking advice... eventually. While he will initially dismiss a point, he is often known to repeat the exact same point to someone else at a later time.

Physical description: Bill is not a young man. Although it’s still apparent that his hair was once black, it is mostly grey now. However, despite his age, he is still in excellent physical condition. He is seldom seen out of uniform. He wears glasses when reading.

Any crimes committed in canon: Violating the terms of an armistice, attempted murder of his own officer, treason (staging a military coup d’etat), war crimes (biological warfare, psychological torture), conspiracy to commit murder (Helena Cain), accessory after the fact to electoral fraud, dereliction of duty

Crime incarcerated into Glaxcin for: treason (staging a military coup d’etat)