Laura Roslin is a fictional character in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series, portrayed by Mary McDonnell. She is the President of the Twelve Colonies. As of season 3, she is serving her second term. This article is about modern humans. ... For other uses, see Female (disambiguation). ... Mary McDonnell (born April 28, 1952) is an Academy Award-nominated American film, stage, and television actress. ... The cover from the North American DVD release of the miniseries. ... President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, trade unions, universities, and countries. ... The Twelve Colonies of Man or Twelve Colonies of Kobol constitute the main human civilization in the fictional universe of the original 1978 science fiction film and television series Battlestar Galactica, and in the subsequent miniseries (2003) and series remake (2004). ...  This article is about the fictional planet. ... The flag of the Twelve Colonies in the reimagined series The Twelve Colonies of Man or Twelve Colonies of Kobol constitute the main human civilization in the fictional universe of the original 1978 science fiction film and television series Battlestar Galactica, and in the subsequent miniseries (2003) and series reimagining... A fictional character is any person, persona, identity, or entity whose existence originates from a work of fiction. ... This article is about the reimagined universe of Battlestar Galactica in 2003; for more about the 2003 miniseries, see Battlestar Galactica (TV miniseries); for more about the subsequent television series, see Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series); for other versions, see the main Battlestar Galactica page or Battlestar Galactica (disambiguation). ... Mary McDonnell (born April 28, 1952) is an Academy Award-nominated American film, stage, and television actress. ... The Twelve Colonies of Man or Twelve Colonies of Kobol constitute the main human civilization in the fictional universe of the original 1978 science fiction film and television series Battlestar Galactica, and in the subsequent miniseries (2003) and series remake (2004). ...

Background

Cylon Attack and Escape

Just prior to 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, which fell apart when Roslin successfully defused a large-scale teachers strike. Adar (who assumed Roslin would fail at breaking the strike through peaceful means) demanded Roslin's resignation, citing the fact that he wanted to use force against the teachers in order to intimidate the other unions on Caprica from striking.^[1] Old Cylon Centurion shown in a museum display in the 2003 Battlestar Galactica miniseries The Cylons are a fictional race in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica. ... President Richard Adar is a character from Battlestar Galactica. ... A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger, greater) is the modern title of the highest ranking municipal officer. ...

Roslin refused to resign and vowed to fight for her job, as she left to go to a doctor's appointment and to the decommissioning ceremony for the Galactica. At her doctor's appointment, Roslin is told that she has terminal breast cancer and a year to live. Regardless of the news, Roslin goes to the ceremony. Upon leaving the ceremony, the Cylons attack the twelve colonies, wiping out nearly all of humanity in the process. During the attack, she receives and responds to an automatic signal, and is informed that she is the highest ranking (and possibly last remaining) surviving member of the Presidential line of succession to respond. She was 43rd in the line of succession to the Presidency. She is therefore sworn in as President by Elosha, a priest, aboard her ship, in a scene highly reminiscent of the swearing-in of Lyndon Baines Johnson aboard Air Force One after the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy on 1963-11-22.^[2] Roslin's assumption of the presidency may also be an allusion to Pat Frank's 1959 novel Alas, Babylon, in which the female Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare becomes President after a nuclear attack kills the President, Vice-President and Cabinet. Elosha is a character from the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series. ... Lyndon Baines Johnson ( August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), often referred to as LBJ, was an American politician. ... For the current aircraft, see Boeing VC-25. ... John Kennedy and JFK redirect here. ... For other uses, see 1963 (disambiguation). ... is the 326th day of the year (327th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Pat Frank (May 5, 1907 – October 12, 1964) is the pen name of the American novelist Harry Hart Frank. ... Alas, Babylon is a novel by Pat Frank published in 1959. ... The United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare (also known as HEW) was a cabinet level department of the United States government from 1953 until 1979. ...

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] Colonial FTL jump An FTL, or “Faster Than Light”, Drive is a fictional propulsion technology from the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series that allows space ships to achieve superluminal travel. ... William Bill Adama is a fictional character portrayed by Edward James Olmos in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series. ... Billy Keikeya is a character in the miniseries and television remake of Battlestar Galactica. ... Colonial One Colonial One is a civilian starship in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series, which serves as the headquarters for President of the Twelve Colonies. ...

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] Bastille Day is an episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica televison series. ... Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of popular sovereignty by the peoples representatives. ...

It is at the first meeting of the new Quorum that Council member and former terrorist/freedom fighter Tom Zarek of Sagittaron moves to nominate a vice-president. Many, including Roslin, see this as a bid by Zarek to gain the vice-presidency so that he can have Roslin assassinated and assume control over the newly reorganized civilian government. To counter this, Roslin recruits 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] Tom Zarek is the name of a fictional character on the Sci Fi Channel series Battlestar Galactica. ... Gaius Baltar is a fictional character in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica. ...

By the close of the first season, the soft-spoken Roslin has become a formidable leader who not only authorizes the use of torture against Cylon agents, but also orders their deaths by way of "airlocking": forcing Cylons to be airlocked into space, where they suffocate and freeze to death.^[5]

Prophecies and Arrest

During the first season, Roslin opts to deal with her terminal illness through the use of a controversial herbal drug called chamalla.^[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] This article is about Earth as a planet. ... A safe haven is any security or other investment that loses none or little of its value in case of a market crash. ...

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] This article is about the character from the reimagined version of Battlestar Galactica. ... A symbol of Apollo, one of the Gods of Kobol, the arrow was left with the Colonies as a key to discovering the map to Earth. ... For other uses, see Jail (disambiguation). ...

During her imprisonment, Adama is shot, and Tigh takes charge of the fleet. With the aid of Lee Adama, 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] Lee Apollo Adama is a fictional character in the television series Battlestar Galactica. ... The Tomb of Athena is a fictional location in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series. ... This article is about the characters from the reimagining of Battlestar Galactica. ...

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, with Cain secretly planning the same action against Adama. 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] This article is about the character from the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica. ... The Battlestar Pegasus is a fictional spacecraft that appears in the original Battlestar Galactica television series, and its subsequent ongoing re-imagining, in which it first appears in the second season episode, Pegasus. Spoiler warning: // An original series Battlestar The Battlestar Pegasus appears in the original series two-part episode...

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] Number Six refers to a fictional model for characters portrayed by Canadian actress Tricia Helfer in the television re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica. ...

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]

After the period on New Caprica, during the trial of Gaius Baltar, Roslin reveals that her terminal cancer has indeed returned. Although she does not disclose how long she is expected to survive, she does admit that she is again taking chamalla. She only admits to her cancer when Lee Adama confronts her regarding her chamalla use while on the stand in Baltar's trial.

Administration Strains

After recovering and processing her memories of Baltar and Six, Roslin asks Baltar to resign his post as Vice President. His pride already wounded by the letter Roslin left him, to read in the event of her death regarding his ascension to the position of "President", 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] Slavery is any of a number of related conditions involving control of a person against his or her will, enforced by violence or other clear forms of coercion. ...

Furthermore, Roslin suffers more problems when her longtime aide Billy is murdered during a hostage crisis regarding a group of anti-Cylon activists who seek the death of Cylon traitor Sharon Agathon. Billy is replaced by a new aide, a woman named Tory Foster. Unlike Billy, Tory is shown to be a cold-blooded realist and supports Roslin in her most controversial action in the series, when she fakes the death of Sharon and Helo's baby and orders the child be given to a female fleet member. Tory Foster is a recurring fictional character from the 2004 TV series Battlestar Galactica, portrayed by Rekha Sharma. ...

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 if 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 undoubtedly weighed 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 Gemenese 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 Gemenese vote (as well as furthering the survival of the species), the damage had been done as many in the fleet turned against Roslin and began to support Baltar's run for the Presidency.^[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 at the urging of Number Six, to push for colonization of the planet as a wedge issue to win the election. 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] Understanding planetary habitability is partly an extrapolation of the Earths conditions, as it is the only planet currently known to support life. ... Number Six refers to a fictional model for characters portrayed by Canadian actress Tricia Helfer in the television re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica. ... Wedge issue is a social or political issue, often of a divisive or otherwise controversial nature, which is used by one political group to split apart or create a wedge in the support base of an opposing political group, with a view to enticing voters to give their support to...

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] Lieutenant Anastasia Dee Dualla, portrayed by Kandyse McClure, is a fictional character in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica // Spoiler warning: A native of Sagittaron,[1] Anastasia Dualla joined the Colonial Fleet against the wishes of her father; her decision to enlist caused a rift between them that was not healed by...

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 her aide, Tory.^[16] Spoiler warning: Lieutenant Junior Grade Sharon Valerii, aka Number Eight, aka Sharon Agathon, is the name of two characters on the television series Battlestar Galactica, a reimagining of the classic show of the same name. ... Hera or Isis is a character from the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series. ...

During this period, the relationship between Roslin and Adama undergoes a drastic change. During Adama's sole visit to the colony, he spends the bulk of his time with Roslin. During this visit, Roslin shares her dream of building a cabin in the mountains of New Caprica with Adama, and the two are shown spending the night talking about what is to become of the fleet. In future episodes where flasbacks to life on New Caprica are shown, Adama and Roslin are shown as growing much closer.

But after a year on New Caprica, the Cylons discover the colony, which under Baltar's leadership immediately surrenders. While Roslin does not actively participate in the underground resistance movement spearheaded by Saul Tigh, Roslin and her aide Tory make a detailed list of the colonists who collaborate with the Cylons for use against them, if and when the Cylons are ever driven off the planet.

When Tigh controversially orders the use of suicide bombers, Roslin is arrested on suspicion of aiding in Tigh's decision. Roslin, however, is freed by Baltar, who knowing that Roslin would never approve of such tactics, attempts unsuccessfully to get her to join him in jointly denouncing Tigh's actions. Days later, Roslin is re-arrested and nearly executed alongside a large group of suspected resistance members, but is saved by the combination of Tom Zarek (who moves Roslin to the back of the crowd, saving her from being shot) and the resistors, led by Galen Tyrol, who destroy the Centurion firing squad.^[17] A suicide attack is an attack on a military or civilian target, in which an attacker intends to kill others, knowing that he or she will either certainly or most likely die in the process (see suicide). ...

After New Caprica

After the fleet was reunited after the escape from New Caprica, Tom Zarek (who had been imprisoned when he refused to work with the Cylons ala Baltar) became President in light of Baltar's actions on New Caprica. In a private meeting with Roslin, Zarek revealed that Adama had threatened to boycott the existence of the civilian government in the fleet so long as he was in power. Rather than fight a lengthy and ultimately futile battle with Adama, Zarek offered a deal: he would name Laura Roslin as his new Vice President and then resign so as to allow Roslin to then assume power. In exchange for his forfeiting of power, Roslin would in turn appoint him Vice President and use her influence over Adama to force him to allow Zarek a seat at the proverbial table that was the civilian government of the fleet. Roslin agreed, though the revelation that Zarek was the mastermind behind "The Circle", a group that judged the worst of the worst of the New Caprica-Cylon Collaboraters and carried out summary executions of the guilty, caused their new friendship to splinter apart. Roslin wanted fair, public trials for the accused but Zarek believed that allowing public trials of those who collaborated with the Cylons could take years and tear the fleet apart. Furthermore, the Circle was Zarek's twistedly honorable solution to the issue at hand; since Zarek was the person who organized the Circle, Roslin's hands were effectively clean, especially in light of the fact that Zarek had told those involved in the Circle (including Saul Tigh), that they had until Roslin took office to do their business, in order to ensure Roslin would be guiltless in their actions. President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, trade unions, universities, and countries. ...

As such, Roslin reluctantly agreed to Zarek's plans and her first official act as President, once she had been sworn back into the office, was to grant general pardons to everyone in the fleet and set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to deal with any future problems regarding what happened on New Caprica.^[18] Truth and reconciliation commissions, under various names, are occasionally set up by states emerging from periods of internal unrest, civil war, or dictatorship. ...

The Colonial Fleet had been forced to a planet simply known as the "Algae planet" due to the contamination of Galactica's food storage and processing system. They had to navigate through a dense belt of dangerous stellar radiation and dust,^[19] but wound up losing 18 people and at least two ships crossing the expanse. Civilians and military personnel from the fleet spent nearly two weeks on the surface harvesting the raw plant matter that would be used to process new foodstuffs for the repaired processing systems on Galactica.^[20]

It was then discovered that the central star around which the Algae Planet orbited was unstable - indeed, on the very brink of going nova. And then there was the discovery that the "Temple of Five," documented in the ancient texts of the Colonial religion was also located on one of the planet's continents. (This discovery was made by Chief Tyrol toward the end of the harvest mission.) Finally, four Cylon Basestars appeared on Galactica's DRADIS before Galactica's personnel could return home.^[20] Artists conception of a white dwarf star accreting hydrogen from a larger companion A nova (pl. ...

However, Gaius Baltar, aboard one of the Basestars since the Second Exodus (from New Caprica), hailed Galactica and successfully arranged a meeting between the Cylons (represented by himself, the lead number 3 model, and the lead Cavil) and Roslin, Admiral Adama, and Colonel Tigh. Boomer was also to be included in this meeting, but was stopped outside the meeting room by Sharon Agathon (a.k.a. "Athena") who identified Boomer, who was, of course, responsible for the assassination attempt on Adama two years earlier. Roslin could not stomach being in the same room as Baltar and left Adama to deal with the situation. Adama made it clear that any Cylon attempt to land troops on the surface would be met with Galactica's full nuclear arsenal being detonated on the Temple's site and any secrets it held about the location of Earth would be lost along with it.^[20]

Meanwhile, outside the meeting room, Boomer confronted Sharon Agathon about her allegedly dead baby. Boomer, now bearing an embittered attitude towards humanity following the events on New Caprica, tried to convince her fellow 'number 8' that humanity didn't deserve her loyalty by telling her about Roslin's conspiracy to steal her baby, Hera, and fake the infant's death for her benefit. These details included information the Cylons had gathered about Hera being sighted at Roslin's school on New Caprica before the Second Exodus. When Adama confronts Roslin about Boomer's story she admits her deception, causing Adama to leave, angry at the fact that he was left in the dark. After telling the Agathons the truth, Helo, Sharon's husband, kills her so she could be resurrected by the Cylons, giving her an opportunity to "rescue" Hera from the Cylons. Helo then blamed Roslin for the situation, and Adama was not happy with her either.^[20]

In the end, the Cylons are able to partially call Adama's bluff and land a single ship carrying Gaius Baltar and the Cylon known only as D'Anna Biers^[21] (other Cylon vessels were turned back because Galactica readied its nukes). But shortly after the Cylons force their way into the Temple, the central star goes nova and both the Cylon and Colonial fleets are forced to make a hasty jump away. Roslin's religious insights prove useful afterward when it comes time to determining both what parts of the Temple's inscriptions relate to Earth, and perhaps what parts relate to the Cylons. She starts to see that there may be more than a single purpose for the Temple, and that it's role in Colonial religious doctrine might not be the only one - perhaps it had messages for both the cylons and humanity.^[22] DAnna Biers is a character from the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series. ...

During the withdrawal from the Algae Planet, Baltar is captured while Colonial forces try to retake the Temple from the Cylons (successfully, although within an hour of the nova's shock wave reaching the planet's surface in any event).^[21] Also captured is the Cylon known as 'Caprica-Six', the blonde female Cylon responsible for the conspiracy to circumvent the Colonial defense mainframe just prior to the Cylon attack that destroyed the Colonies (although she's captured only by virtue of aiding the escape of Sharon Agathon & Hera).^[21]

Following his capture, Baltar is subjected to a radical form of hallucinogen-based interrogation and then offered the possibility of escaping execution in exchange for cooperation, as Adama, Tigh and Roslin seek to learn any clues to Earth's location that the Cylons may have obtained from the temple. When both of these stratagems fail, Baltar asks for a fair trial. Roslin rejects Adama's suggestion that Baltar be made to "simply disappear" and orders him to be given a fair trial for his crimes, even after a warning from Tom Zarek that doing so will provoke dangerous unrest among the fleet's civilian and military populations alike. In the course of his interrogation, Baltar admits his complicity in the original Cylon attack on the Colonies, thereby making a successful defense all the more difficult. However, all that Baltar can actually plead guilty to in a later court proceeding is leaking defense secrets to a defense contractor: something for which several years of imprisonment might be called for, but hardly death.

Returning Health Troubles

During Baltar's trial, it is revealed that Roslin's cancer has appeared again and that she is once again taking chamalla, the medicine used earlier in the series to help her cope with her cancer when Lee Adama questions her. Lee believed this to make her an illegitimate witness in Baltar's trial because of chamalla's hallucinogenic effects. Though it becomes apparent that Roslin did not want knowledge of her cancer revealed during Baltar's trial, she urged Lee to ask her why she was taking the drug, allowing her to confirm under oath she had cancer. ^[23]

Baltar was ultimately acquitted of his crimes by a 3-2 vote, leaving Roslin with nothing but her secret illness exposed, further badgering from the press and the very notion that Lee had betrayed her to support his own beliefs. She later discovers that Adama voted in favor of Baltar's acquittal. Adama tells Laura that they must look to the future and not pursue the vendettas of the past, though Roslin remains deeply agitated regarding Baltar's victory and Adama's decisive vote. She is last seen in "Crossroads Part II" feeling slightly light-headed as the fleet's power is shut down and a Cylon fleet ambushes them. In the same episode, Roslin experiences visions, in sync with Caprica Six and Sharon 'Athena' Agathon. These visions (of the inside of the ornate Kobol Opera House) also involve the human-cylon hybrid child, Hera. Baltar is present in the vision as well, but his role remains undefined.

The Route of the Gods is Challenged

In the opening fourth season premiere He That Believeth In Me, the return of Kara Thrace, presumed dead by the fleet for two months, alarms and angers Roslin, as she is convinced that Thrace's ressurection verifies her as a Cylon. Thrace's own conviction that she has visited Earth leads to conflict when Kara insists that the route given to the fleet by the Eye of Jupiter is false, and that they are pulling away from Earth's correct route, causing her great pain. Panicking, she attempts to force Roslin to turn back by infiltrating her quarters and aiming a gun at her head. She is apprehended, but not before Kara gives Roslin the chance to shoot her. Roslin fires the gun, but misses at close range. Adama later chastises the President, accusing her of not trusting Kara because she fears she will lose the people to a new "visionary" and die alone, powerless. This article is about the character from the reimagined version of Battlestar Galactica. ...

Illegitimacy of her Presidency

Despite acting as President for two terms, Roslin has never been democratically elected President by popular accord. Before the Cylon attack she was far down the line of succession. As the sole representative of Colonial Government left alive she gained the position by default.

She showed no interest in holding further elections until Lee Adama pointed out that, legally, she was serving out the remainder of President Adar's term so an election would need to be called. Further, she appears only to agree to this to secure the services of his ship in mining ice.

The general election in Season 2 resulted in Baltar being elected President, despite Roslin attempting to rig the votes. In Season 3 President Tom Zarek (the democratically-elected Vice-President) made her Vice-President only to turn over the Presidency to her.

References

Epiphanies is an episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica televison series. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ... This article is specifically about the 2003 Battlestar Galactica miniseries only; for other uses, see the main Battlestar Galactica page or Battlestar Galactica (disambiguation). ... Water is an episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica televison series. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ... Colonial Day is an episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica televison series. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ... Flesh and Bone is an episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica televison series. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ... Bastille Day is an episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica televison series. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ... Kobols Last Gleaming, Part I and II are episodes of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica televison series. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ... Resistance is an episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica televison series. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ... The Farm is an episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica televison series. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ... Home, Part I and II are episodes of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica televison series. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ... Flight of the Phoenix is an episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica televison series. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ... Pegasus is an episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ... Resurrection Ship, Part I and II are episodes of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica televison series. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ... Black Market is an episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica televison series. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ... The Captains Hand is an episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica televison series. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ... Lay Down Your Burdens, Parts I and II are episodes of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ... Exodus (parts one and two) are the third and fourth episodes of the third season from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ... Collaborators is the fifth episode, following Exodus Part II, of the third season from the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ... The Passage is the tenth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica, following Unfinished Business. This episode aired on December 8, 2006. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ... For the fictional object in Battlestar Galactica, see List of Battlestar Galactica objects#Eye of Jupiter The Eye of Jupiter is the eleventh episode of the third season from the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ... Rapture is the twelth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ... Taking a Break From All Your Worries is the thirteenth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ... Episode chronology Crossroads (Parts one and two) are the nineteenth and twentieth episodes of the third season and season finale from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica. ... This article is about the 2004 television series. ...

External links

• Laura Roslin on Battlestar Wiki