At the conclusion of Battlestar Galactica’s incredible New Caprica Arc, Commander Lee
Adama of the Battlestar Pegasus sacrifices his vessel in a visually stunning sequence,
to save his father and the Galactica from certain destruction.
While this decision certainly made for exciting storytelling, it doesn’t stand up to much
scrutiny from a dispassionate tactical standpoint, and I’d like to lay out a number of ways
in which I think the Colonials could have handled this situation better.
NUMBER ONE: Follow Adama’s Orders.
Before the rescue mission to New Caprica, Admiral Adama formulates a plan that represents
a fairly safe bet under the circumstances.
He recognises that the odds are not in their favour and it’s likely that the Galactica
may not survive the operation, with this in mind, he launches the rescue using only the
Galactica, and orders his son Lee to keep the Pegasus in a defensive posture around
the civilian fleet for eighteen hours, before continuing the journey to earth if the Galactica
does not return.
This is an extremely pragmatic decision, as the Pegasus is by far the greater asset to
humanity in its current condition, the ship is capable of constructing Vipers and other
utilities using mined ore, can safely train combat pilots using VR Simulators, and boasts
far more firepower and versatility than the Galactica.
The Mercury Class is essentially the perfect vessel for maintaining an isolated fleet in
deep space, and sending the ship on a dangerous mission to New Caprica could be seen as an
unacceptable risk.
In the show, Lee Adama disregards these orders, and enters into an engagement which saves
the battered Galactica, but results in the loss of the far more valuable Pegasus.
NUMBER TWO: Standby Reserves.
Shortly before it’s destruction, we see how effective a surprise attack from the Battlestar
Pegasus can be, as she appears on the flank of a Cylon Basestar and cuts the enemy ship
down in short order.
After this initial success, Lee entirely fails to maintain the momentum of his attack on
the enemy fleet, seemingly having entered the battle with the full intention of sacrificing
his vessel.
The Pegasus suffers significant damage as it strays into dangerously close range, and
the battlestar’s FTL drive is quickly disabled.
This is largely due to a decision by Lee to leave his ship’s entire fighter complement
behind to protect the civilian fleet, this seems like a drastic overcompensation to protect
civilian vessels that have remained hidden in the same nebula for several months until
now, and if the Cylons were to discover the Civilian Fleet, it wouldn’t be long before
a Basestar was deployed, and no amount of Vipers could inflict any meaningful damage
on a ship that large before it eliminated all of the civilian vessels.
With this in mind, Lee should have brought at least the majority of his fighters with
him to New Caprica, and used them to protect his vessel and the Galactica from subsystem
damage as he engaged the Cylons from longer range.
A delaying strategy like this may have allowed enough time for the Galactica to restore her
FTL drive, and for both ships to affect a fighting retreat.
NUMBER THREE: Raptor Assault.
The Battle of New Caprica represents perhaps the most high-stakes engagement of the second
cylon war, and a logical time to employ the colonial fleet’s limited supply of nuclear
warheads.
Early in the battle we see Swallow drones used to create false DRADIS images of the
Battlestars Galactica and Pegasus, a distraction which keeps the Cylons occupied for several
minutes.
This opportunity could have been used to jump an assault force of nuclear-armed raptors
on the Cylons flank, the mission would be difficult and likely suicidal, but it would
represent far more acceptable losses than the destruction of either Battlestar.
During the episode we discover that the two Basestars orbiting New Caprica do not represent
the full extent of the enemy force, and the that the Cylons had in fact kept an additional
pair of Basestars in reserve to be deployed a moment’s notice.
The upshot of this is that a Raptor assault like the one described here could only destroy
half of the full Cylon fleet, but it would leave the Galactica and Pegasus with only
two Basestars to destroy, a feat we’ve seen accomplished with relative ease during the
Battle of the Resurrection ship.
NUMBER FOUR: Don’t use the Adama Maneuver.
The Adama Maneuver is easily one of the most visually impressive and innovative sequences
in Sci-fi history, but it represents a dangerous application of resources in a desperate situation.
The vipers deployed by the Galactica to assist the New Caprica resistance are crucial in
destroying the watchtowers and gates necessary for the rebels to escape, but such a task
could easily have been completed by Assault Raptors deployed via FTL jump, this would
prevent the Galactica from suffering the lasting damage it received during the decent, and
free up her fighter squadrons to take part in the orbital battle.
It should also be noted that Raptors are capable of performing VTOL landings on a planet’s
surface, allowing them to deploy marines or assist in the civilian evacuation efforts
after completing their attack, an advantage that could not be provided by a wing of Vipers.
NUMBER FIVE: Use parts of the Civilian Fleet.
As we see with the Demetrius in season 4, a civilian ship that is performing very few
important duties in the fleet, can be transformed into a valuable military asset with only a
small refit and crew transfer.
Some ships in the fleet at this time, such as the liner Adriatic, are known to carry
guided missiles, and some even appear to be converted ex-military vessels.
Even without properly engaging the enemy, these ships could provide valuable distractions
at crucial moments, or even be weaponised as unmanned kamikaze vessels, any losses suffered
would again be far more manageable than the destruction of a Battlestar.
IN CONCLUSION: As previously stated, the sacrifice of the
Battlestar Pegasus added a dramatic and believable character moment to the show, but it does
provide unquestionable evidence that while Lee Adama may indeed be a good person, he
is far from a good commander.
As BSG and many other stories have taught us time and again, the role of a warship commander
is not one that can be filled by most people.
Such a person must be able to act dispassionately in any situation, and possess the strength
of character necessary to make emotionally devastating decisions for the greater good.
Had the roles of William and Lee Adama been reversed in the Battle of New Caprica, I don’t
believe the Admiral would have returned to rescue his son, it would no doubt have been
an unimaginably painful decision, but Adama would be keenly aware that it was the only
appropriate choice.
Imagine the civilian casualties that might have been avoided at the later Battles of
the Ionian Nebula and the Colony, had the Pegasus remained in place of the Galactica,
these kinds of long-term advantages are the reason the Admiral set out to conduct the
rescue alone in the first place, fully demonstrating the boundlessly impressive leadership qualities
that Adama displays throughout his entire story.