FROM SAGAN TO SUPREME COMMANDANT

SAGAN Personage frequently sworn by by the Colonials; origin and exact meaning unknown.

SAGITARA One of the Twelve Colonies and one of the first attacked by the Cylons. In the premiere Adama made a point of asking Omega how Sagitara had fared in the attack, which may suggest that Omega is Sagitaran.

SALIK, DOCTOR (George Murdock) The senior Life Officer of the Galactica, Dr. Salik is a skilled medical officer with high ethical standards. Although he studied the encapsulated escapees from Lunar Seven with Dr. Wilker, he refused to be a party to the Council of Twelve’s plan to open the capsules; Adama proudly informed the Council that Salik’s act proved “that we are a race worth saving” (GE). One wonders if Adama’s praise was helped by the fact that Dr. Salik’s surgical skills saved his life earlier after the Cylon kamikaze attack on the Galactica (FS). Salik had to discover a cure for the mysterious illness that struck down the Galactica’s pilots (LG) and tried to figure out who or what Iblis was. In what was probably a rare lapse, Salik was one of the first people, according to Tigh, to overdose on partying when Iblis tried to seduce the people of the fleet to follow him (WG). Dr. Salik’s name is usually pronounced “Sah-lik” or “Say-lik,” but in “Lost Planet of the Gods” Adama pronounced it, probably mistakenly, as “Sah-LEEK.”
George Murdock portrayed “God” in Star Trek V, and later appeared in a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode as a Star Fleet admiral.

SALUTE The Colonial salute, seen only in “Take the Celestra” at the ceremony honoring Commander Kronus, consists of laying the open right hand on the front of the left shoulder.

SANITATION SHIP Garbage ship in the fleet, probably used to collect trash and sewage from the other ships, which would logically be recycled as much as possible. Starbuck complained that a sanitation ship was visible outside the porthole of his private dining room aboard the Rising Star, but it was actually a ploy to hide from Athena his real reason for asking for another room (LP).

SARAH (Kelly Harmon) Sarah’s father owned the farm on Paradeen for which she, Michael, and their respective children were bound when Apollo and Starbuck intercepted their ship. Apparently she was more or less forced somehow into bringing Michael, whom she was none too fond of. She found Captain Apollo attractive and asked him to remain on Paradeen with her. In an attempt to force him to stay she wrecked the cockpits of the two vipers. Later she apparently decided she could put up with Michael and remained on Paradeen. She is extremely antitechnology and never struck me at least as being particularly intelligent.

SCANNERS Sensors aboard the Galactica and, in smaller, less powerful forms aboard vipers and lesser ships. Presumably these consist of a wide array of sensing devices, both active and passive. The Galactica’s scanners were knocked out in the Cylon suicide attack (FS).

“SCORCHED PLANET POLICY” Baltar approved of Specter’s plan to destroy the remaining human habitations on Attila and referred to it as a “scorched planet policy” (YL).

SCORPIA One of the Twelve Colonies. Many fans attribute Cain to be a native of Scorpia, but there was no mention of this in the series itself.

SCORPIUS A deadly creature that inhabits the homeworld of the Borellian Nomen. Maga claimed that nomen strike fear into the hearts of others like the scorpius and advised Bora that they must have the “patience of the scorpius” (MN).

SEAL Colonial equivalent to our ‘marry.’ Apollo and Serina were sealed in a solemn ceremony by Commander Adama (LG).

SECRET TREATY The Nationalist President negotiated a secret treaty with the Eastern Alliance that called for an immediate end to hostilities. The Eastern Alliance used the treaty to lull the Nationalists into believing that they were safe when in fact the Eastern Alliance was planning a nuclear first strike (ET).

SECTAR The planet upon which the action of “The Magnificent Warriors” takes place. The human colonists were predominantly farmers who were being slowly exterminated by the indigenous Borays, who found it easier to steal from the farmers than to grow their own food.

SECTAR or SECTARE A Colonial measure of time. Adama recorded in his log that the vipers trailing the Eastern Alliance destroyer back to Lunar Seven had been gone for seven sectars (ET). Possibly another term for secton or perhaps the Colonial term for day, which seems more likely.

SECTON A Colonial measure of time, equivalent to our week.

SECTOR HEKLA Region on Arkta where the shuttle crashed, according to the Cylons (GI).

SECTOR SIGMA Sector of space where Arkta is located (GI).

SECURITY CHECK All computer banks are scanned for relevant information during a security check. Apollo had Colonel Tigh run one on Chameleon to try and find out who he really was, but all the security check was able to reveal was that there was no such person in the fleet (MN).

SECURITY COUNCIL HEARING Apollo ordered the two Council Security men who took Taba into custody to hold him pending Security Council Hearing. Presumably a civilian court within the fleet, perhaps a preliminary hearing before a full Tribunal takes place (MN).

SECURITY GUARD (Paul leClair) A mustached Security guard who was tricked by Starbuck into entering his cell in the brig and was locked up with his fellow guard (MR). Paul leClair’s security guard character also appeared in “Greetings from Earth” in the background of the hangar scenes and in “Baltar’s Escape.”

SECURITY LIEUTENANT (Bruce Wright) An officious but good-looking officer of Council Security, he barged into Apollo’s bachelor party looking for the person or persons who stole ale and ambrosa from the officers mess; he made a hurried retreat when Colonel Tigh arrived on the scene (LG). The Security Lieutenant also made a flash appearance in “War of the Gods” in one of the post-Triad crowd scenes (all you can see is the back of his head as he holds off the crowds trying to follow the players down the corridor). He also appeared in “Baltar’s Escape” as one of the Security men on the shuttle; Boomer asked him if he needed Council permission to use the turboflush and made veiled threats about messy landings! Not a popular person with the crew. Bruce Wright, by the way, is actually the actor I would most like to interview about his work on BG. This was the second of his three roles; see also Corporal Lomas and Ground Crewman.

SEETOL (Sandy Gimpel) Personal aide to the Ovion queen (P).

SEISMIC AND COSMIC MONITORING The seismic and cosmic monitoring aboard the agro ship went off the scales when the strange balls of light appeared (WG). Presumably refers to various kinds of scanners and their readouts, but the use of the term ‘seismic,’ which refers to earth movements, seems inane in this context and emphasizes that there was no scientific review of the scripts.

SELF DEFENSE Sire Solon suggested that Starbuck plead self defense when he was accused of killing Ortega, pointing out that although Starbuck would be (inexplicably!) kicked out of the military he’d probably receive a suspended sentence. Cassiopiea tried to talk him into the same thing, but neither Solon or Cassiopeia, who should know him a lot better than this, seem to realize that being kicked out of the service for a crime he didn’t commit would be just as repellent as a life sentence on the prison barge would be to a man like Starbuck (MR).

SENIOR SHIP One of the ships in the fleet, apparently inhabited mostly by older people. Chameleon was assigned to rehabilitation aboard this ship (MN).

SER 5-9 (Denny Miller) A burly renegade clone on Arkta, his full name is Series Five, Culture Nine. He took Apollo to Dr. Ravashol and was caught and whipped by the Cylons for being where he was not supposed to be, a punishment he accepted with courage; Ser Five-Nine is both a brave and intelligent man, and probably a fair example of the clones. Later, he led Apollo and the others up Mount Hekla until he was injured in an avalanche (GI).

SERENITY The small town on Sectar where the Colonials try to buy replacement seed and are sucked into the local Boray crisis (MW).

SERINA (Jane Seymour) Serina was a well-known Caprican newswoman who was broadcasting live at the time of the Cylon attack. She escaped the holocaust with her son, Boxey; there has been some speculation that the man who tried to get them to shelter during the attack and was killed doing so was Serina’s husband and Boxey’s father. She and Apollo met briefly on Caprica’s surface and later when Serina asked Apollo to help with Boxey, who was refusing to eat (Boxey’s refusal to eat over the loss of his daggit suggests to me, by the way, that the man killed on Caprica was not Boxey’s father and that Serina’s husband was either dead or otherwise gone at the time of the holocaust) (P). She and Apollo fell in love and were sealed by Commander Adama. Serina volunteered for shuttle pilot training and became a viper pilot when the strange disease incapacitated most of the Galactica’s warriors. While accompanying Adama and Apollo during the exploration of Kobol, Serina was shot in a Cylon ambush and died later aboard the Galactica (a death scene copied in Independence Day, among other BG and other SF tributes in that film. Weirdly, the actress who played the death scene in Independence Day is Mary McDonnell, who is now appearing in the new BG series as President Laura Roslin - who is dying of cancer! Talk about full circle!) (LG).
In early BG scripts the character’s name was Lyra and was a continuing character—in one unshot script she is actually a member of the Council of Twelve—and Boxey was not her son, but an orphan she and others cared for. Later, when Jane Seymour was cast in the part, she wanted to be free to do films and the premiere was rewritten to have her dying of radiation sickness, which was actually filmed but later trimmed out, much to Seymour’s surprise when she was asked to do “Lost Planet of the Gods.”

7-11 A Colonial card game (GI).

SHEBA, LIEUTENANT (Anne Lockhart) Sheba is the somewhat spoiled daughter of Commander Cain, though she improved with his continued absence. She was commander of one of the Pegasus’ viper squadrons and while on patrol with Bojay intercepted Apollo and Starbuck. With Bojay, she was a leader of the group of Pegasus pilots who attempted to stop Apollo, Boomer, and Jolly from redistributing the Pegasus’ fuel. She included herself in the mission to destroy the Cylon command center on Gamoray. Later, she was shot up and severely wounded in a dogfight and was transferred to the Galactica with the other Pegasus wounded (LL). In “War of the Gods” Sheba found in Iblis a sort of Cain-substitute (can you say “Electra complex?!”) and became his willing acolyte until she was almost killed by him, his energy bolt striking down the selfless Apollo instead. She later offered to trade her life for Apollo’s, but unfortunately the Light Beings didn’t take her up on that. Considering that she is the daughter of one of the most famous warriors in the Fleet her tendency to sniffle is quite a mystery, but she seemed more mature in later episodes (BE, HG).
Anne Lockhart was apparently originally considered for a part that may have been Athena or (more likely?) Lyra, but turned it down because she felt the part was too subservient to the male characters. Glen Larson later wrote in the part of Sheba with her in mind, but unfortunately the part was often badly and inconsistently written.

SHIELDS (Larry Cedar) One of the three cadets who accompanied Starbuck and Boomer’s patrol. His viper was destroyed when he and Cree attempted to attack the pulsar cannon (GI).

SHIP OF LIGHTS The vessel of the ‘angels’ or Light Beings, the advanced beings encountered by the Colonials in the episodes “War of the Gods” and “Experiment in Terra.” In actuality, three axes of blue neon tubing with tiny plastic details and grain of wheat lights, shot in two passes with the Dykstraflex camera, the first through a diffraction grating with the grain of wheat lights lit, the second shot through a fog filter with the neon lit and then the two pieces of film were optically combined. Definitely the only highlight of the post-John Dykstra special effects, really beautifully done.

SHORT RANGE MARKER BEACON All communications between the Recon Viper and the fleet were prohibited; the Galactica used the Recon Viper’s short range marker beacon to track it (LP). Presumably a directional, low-power transmitter.

SHUTTLECRAFT or SHUTTLE Large, twin engined cargo ships carried by the Galactica. The shuttles can carry people, cargo, and a landram, and some are equipped to drop paratroops out of vertical tubes. Shuttles are unarmed. There are also civilian shuttles in the fleet. If you’ve ever noticed a strange discrepancy between the model shuttle and the exterior used in hangar-bay and planet scenes, you’re not seeing things; John Dykstra’s team realized to their horror that the shuttle model was of a ship so large it wouldn’t fit in the Galactica’s hangar bays (!) so the exterior and interior shuttle sets were made half-size.

SILENT ONE Found drifting in space (presumably inside a spacecraft!), this person was brought to Proteus and put into a cell like the other prisoners. He never spoke, but covered the walls of his cell with paintings of a star system, which turns out to have been Earth’s star system. When he was captured by Croad, Starbuck was imprisoned in the Silent One’s cell (LP).

SILVER SPAR GROUP LEADER Sheba identifies herself thus to Starbuck and Apollo when she and Bojay intercept them (LL).

SILVER SPAR SQUADRON A squadron aboard the Pegasus, and later a squadron formed of Pegasus survivors and other pilots aboard the Galactica (LL, WG).

SIMULATOR A fake cockpit surrounded by a holographic starfield used to train pilots (LG).

SIRE A Colonial title of respect and/or nobility. Members of the Council are inevitably addressed as “Sire.”

SIRESS The female equivalent of “Sire.”

SKYBUS Starbuck told Boomer that some unfortunates from Beta Section had had to crawl all over the exterior of an old skybus to look for solium leaks; the silly Taurean woman on Carillon informed Starbuck and Boomer that she got there on a skybus (P). A small passenger spacecraft.

SLAYER (Nancy Carl) The wife of Robber (LP).

SNOW GARRISON Specially trained troops stationed at an ice station; Croft was commander of the Snow Garrison at Ice Station Kalpa.

SNOW LAMP Used on Arkta, these seem to be gas or liquid-fueled lamps used by both the Colonials and the clones; surprisingly primitive at least for the Colonials (GI).

SNOWRAM A landram specially modified for cold-weather use and painted white (GI).

SOCIALATOR The practice of socialation was legal only on Gemoni, where it had been practiced with the blessings of the Elders (the all-male Elders, one presumes) for four thousand yahrens; Cassiopiea was a socialator. Most fans make the obvious assumption as to just what socialation was, a form of prostitution, but evidently it was a fairly respectable occupation (P). Although some fans appear to assume that socialation was legal all over the Colonies, internal series info suggests it was legal only on Gemoni.

SOLARIA Another battlestar lost at the Cylon ambush; like the Pacifica, not mentioned in the episode, but in various authorized BG publications.

SOLENITE An extremely powerful Colonial explosive, used to destroy the Ravashol pulsar (GI).

SOLIUM A fuel derived from tylium. Although not as dangerous as tylium it is still vicious stuff and all ships must be checked regularly for leaks (P). When the fire spread through the Galactica after the Cylon suicide attack, the temperature in the ship’s solium tankage reached critical levels but fortunately the fire was extinguished in time (FS).

SOLIUS Rifkis was Chief Administrator of Solius before the holocaust (MR). Possibly a city or an institution or a corporation of some kind; not enough information was given to be certain.

SOLON, SIRE (Brock Peters) Sire Solon is the tall, impressive Chief Opposer of the fleet and served in that capacity at Starbuck’s trial for the murder of Ortega. He seemed certain of Starbuck’s guilt and tried to convince him to plead self-defense. When Starbuck pled not guilty, Sire Solon appeared on an IFB interview show and smugly announced that a conviction was almost certain. But when Starbuck was proven innocent by Apollo he seemed to take it equitably (MR).

After his BG experiences, Brock Peters returned to SF as Admiral Cartwright in Star Trek IV and Star Trek VI.

SORRELL (Janet Lyn Curtis) One of the female pilots trained in vipers after the Galactica’s warriors fall ill (LG).

SOUND SENSOR When Lucifer cheerfully informed Baltar that some of the fighters that attacked the Galactica (“at least 30 percent!”) had enough fuel to rendezvous with the base ship, Baltar ordered them to turn around and reattack the Galactica, much to Lucifer’s astonishment; he believed his sound sensor had misheard Baltar (GI).

SPACEDROME A Command Centurion informed the Cylons waiting in the reception hall on Gamoray that Imperious Leader’s ship had just landed at the spacedrome (LL). Obviously a Cylon term for a landing field.

SPACE LOITERERS Cain described Starbuck and Apollo thus when he returned them to the Galactica aboard his shuttle (LL).

SPECTER (voice by Murray Matheson) The basically dishonest IL class garrison commander on Attila. He is of a slightly older series than Lucifer, who feels superior on that account. He lied to Baltar, double-crossed Kyle, and managed to talk his way right off the planet in the end (YL). It’s a pity he never reappeared, as he made a nice foil for Lucifer.

SPEED OF LIGHT Colonel Stone is incredulous that the Galactica can travel “at the speed of light” (ET) as indeed he should be; nothing material can travel at the speed of light, as proven by Einstein’s theories. One of the worse examples of scientific ignorance in BG; the writers evidently did not realize just how relatively slow the speed of light is compared to the size of space when traveling from one solar system to the next. In reality the Galactica and other ships in the fleet must have been fitted with some kind of hyperlight drive.

SPHEROID CONCERT An event which Cassiopiea was clearly enthusiastic about, as she went to the trouble of obtaining the last available tickets for it (TC). Whether spheroid concert is a type of performance in itself or “Spheroid” is a Colonial musical group of some kind is beyond solving on the information given.

STARBUCK, LIEUTENANT (Dirk Benedict) Starbuck is the handsome, incorrigible viper ace of Galactica’s Blue Squadron. He was born on Caprica in the agro colony of Umbra near the Thorn Forest and was one of thousands of small children found wandering in the Forest after a Cylon raid destroyed the settlement in 7322 (MN). Starbuck eventually attended the Academy and became a Colonial warrior. Details of his early career are not known.
Starbuck is a courageous and resourceful warrior whose daring has often brought him honor. Together with Apollo and Boomer he destroyed the minefield in the Straits of Madagon (P). He also participated in such dangerous events as the assault on the Ravashol pulsar—after surreptitiously adding his name to the roster because he felt responsible for Cadet Cree’s loss (GI)—the first flight of the Recon Viper (LP), the rescue of Megan on Attila (YL), the paratroop drop on Gamoray and a strafing run on a Cylon baseship (LL), and the infiltration of a Cylon base star (HG). Starbuck also keeps busy rescuing his friends from a myriad of hot situations; Cassiopiea from the Ovions (P), Apollo from the magnetic void (LG), Cree from a Cylon cold cell (GI), and Apollo from his own confused bungling on Terra (ET).
Starbuck is always ready for a good game of cards and spends much of his off duty time honing his skills and attempting to devise sure-to-win systems that never work; the trusting Apollo lost a secton’s pay playing one and Chameleon pointed out the gaping holes in another (MN). Starbuck is also always ready for romance, or perhaps we should be more blunt and truthful and just say sex, pursuing at various times Athena, Cassiopiea, Aurora, various Tennas, and evidently numerous others; he also made a blatant pass at Sheba (LL).
When not busy with the above hobbies Starbuck finds time for Triad with Apollo. Starbuck is close to Boomer, whose dry, rather sarcastic wit makes a nice foil for him, and apparently to Jolly, who Starbuck describes as being “almost like a kinsman” to him (WG). Observant BG fans will notice that the Starbuck/Apollo friendship appears to have become much closer after the holocaust; in the premiere except for scenes shot as afterthoughts Apollo is more of a loner and Starbuck and Boomer are buddies; as the producers realized what they had in Dirk Benedict he assumed a more important and central role.
Don Johnson was evidently considered for the role of Starbuck (“Sonny Crockett is Lt. Starbuck!”), but his slight Southern accent decided Glen Larson against him; Dirk Benedict was Larson’s prime choice but ABC wasn’t sure about him and he was cast at the last minute, which is why his name is missing from some of the very early press accounts about BG.
Dirk Benedict himself described Starbuck thus: “I’m the worst of the good guys.” Possibly, but many BG fans would add, “and the most interesting.”

STARCHASER Appropriate name painted on the side of the Recon Viper (LP). The only named viper seen in the series; evidently giving fighters names was not a common Colonial custom, unlike among Earth air forces.

STAR KOBOL Serina, in her broadcast from the Presidium on Caprica, mentioned that armistice negotiations were taking place on the Star Kobol (P). Either a ship in the fleet or perhaps a civilian passenger ship where the meetings with the Cylons were to take place.

STAR SPEED Commandant Leiter ordered his destroyer to Paradeen at star speed, presumably its top velocity (GE).

STARLOS A planet or outpost near Arkta that Leda suggested as a possible destination for her, Croft, and Wolfe once they killed Apollo and made good their escape.

STEAM PURGE System for cleaning the launch tubes aboard the Galactica. When Athena caught sight of Starbuck and Cassiopiea making out in the launch tubes she turned on the steam purge, giving them a big surprise (P). This scene was actually filmed twice, the first version being considerably more explicit (though mild compared with what you’ll see on NYPD Blue!) and changed by order of ABC.

STONE, COLONEL (Sidney Clute) General Maxwell’s aide, already in prison when “Charlie Watts” is dragged in. He’s obviously a good friend as well as a trusted subordinate, as Maxwell addresses him on one occasion as “Stoney” (ET).

STRIDER Name of Puppis’ small, horse-like riding beast (LW).

STRIKE COMMANDER Apollo occasionally refers to himself as ‘strike commander’ or ‘strike captain.’ It is possible that, rather than being a squadron commander, Apollo is actually commander of a viper wing, a group of squadrons. It’s possible that the Galactica’s strike commander (who would probably be a colonel) was killed in the holocaust and Apollo has assumed that role while remaining Blue Squadron commander.

STRIPPED AND MODULED Greenbean was afraid that he and the other pilots would be “stripped and moduled” if they were caught with stolen rations from the officer’s mess (LG). May refer to being stripped of one’s rank and then locked up in the brig.

SUPREME COMMANDANT (Nehemiah Persoff) The utterly unscrupulous leader of the Eastern Alliance, he planned the sneak nuclear first strike on the Nationalists. He informed his war council that they and other selected Eastern Alliancers would be safe in shelters, but most of the population would be left unwarned so as to solve the overpopulation problem (ET)!

�1987, 2000 by Susan J. Paxton

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