legend.gif (6727 bytes)

Opinion by Kajsa Berg

Once upon a time the battlestar Galactica ran into Commander Cain of the battlestar Pegasus and his daughter Sheba. At that time the fleet badly needed fuel. They were also headed straight for the Cylon capital on Gamoray. Cain is obsessed with the idea of taking the planet. Adama only wants enough fuel to save the people of the fleet. Several attempts are made to secure that fuel. None succeeds. Finally they are forced to take what they need directly from the Cylons on Gamoray. The mission is completed and the fuel captured. But Cain sacrifices his life and battlestar for the fleet, leaving his daughter behind on the Galactica.
A grand and beautiful tale, right? Unfortunately, that is probably all it is—a tale. Somehow Cain’s own actions don’t fit into the picture. Is what happens all that brave, beautiful and noble? It may take a closer look at Cain and his strategic genius to figure that out. Does he really, as he states, know “how to win a battle” (which, as it happens, is tactics, not strategy)?
Well, the first battle we hear of is Molecay where Cain loses the entire Fifth Fleet and gets whipped so badly that he does not even dare attempt returning to the Colonies. Luckily for Cain the Colonial military code is different from those common on Earth. Here he would have been court-martialed for deserting in the face of the enemy—hardly brave behavior.
Then we have the attack on the Cylon tankers. Cain knows where they are. Brilliant? Yes, on the part of his intelligence officer. Cain’s own claim to be able to “smell” the Cylons is probably nothing but good information and good timing—smell doesn’t travel though vacuum. Courage? When he doesn’t even dark to take out the tankers while Blue Squadron is still around? Had he had the nerve to try that his attempt on the honor and reputation of Blue Squadron might have been more successful.
As for pulling the Pegasus out at Baltar’s attack and utilizing the surprise value it is so obvious that no brilliance whatsoever was needed. It is clear that Adama had already thought about it when Cain comes up with it. I can’t help thinking that Adama used the attack as an excuse to give Cain back his command, thus gracefully backing out of an untenable situation. And it does keep Cain safely out of the battle for the greater part of it.
That leaves us with the final attack on Gamoray. It is Cain’s plan all right. Again it is fairly obvious. They have to attack to get fuel and they also have to protect themselves. The plan follows naturally.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work. Baltar has for example a really good chance of destroying the fleet early on. What stops him? Neither Cain nor his plan but Imperious Leader. Since Baltar has to protect this glorious gadget he can’t spare fighters to destroy the fleet. This is an unforeseen circumstance that saves both the fleet and Cain’s reputation. Quite a coup for Impy!
And then Cain’s final great sacrifice. To give up his life and battlestar in an attempt to get Baltar. Very brave, and extremely foolish. And Cain’s claim that the Cylon fighters will have nowhere to land is felgercarb—they have a whole planet! And the way to that planet goes straight through the fleet, the Galactica, and the teams on Gamoray’s surface. Some protection!
But if this is how it is, how come the Colonials see it differently? They see Cain as a brilliant tactician and a great hero, don’t they? All of them? Tigh, for one, doesn’t. He obviously finds Cain obnoxious and irritating. However, it is possible to claim Tigh’s dislike is based on envy. But it seems unlikely. But even if it is so, why would a sensible person like Tigh feel envy if Cain had gained a higher position thanks to better qualifications? If Cain, on the other hand, had been made commander despite lacking these qualifications it could explain Tigh’s feelings.
And then we have Adama’s reaction. At first he is elated. But is it because of Cain? Wouldn’t he have been just as happy over any other surviving Colonial battlestar? Later it is obvious that he keeps his feelings and his temper under strict control, until he loses his temper and relieves Cain of his command. It is clearly not a wise decision—it creates bad feeling and detracts from the morale Adama works so hard to build up and maintain. Combine that with the little talk Adama gives Apollo before the attempt on the Cylon tankers and you might begin to suspect that Adama suffers Cain for the man’s morale value, his PR.
But Cain’s warriors adore him and so do the Galactica warriors (with the possible exception of Boomer). Even after Cain’s attempt to blame the loss of the Cylon tankers on Blue Squadron, Apollo still admires and follows the man. So what is his magic? He clearly does not know how to win a battle. His plans do not always work. But he manages to make people think so. Actually, all of his actions seem calculated to make people see him as the great hero. And not only as a great hero but as a brave and brilliant leader who is still ‘just a simple warrior’ despite the ‘necessities of rank.’
Just take the way he dresses. Not in the blue of the other commanders but in an embellished version of a pilot’s uniform with the silk scarf to show dash and daring and the crop to mark his rank. But the way he enters a room is meant to remind everyone of his being a hero, a legend in his own time; the gloved honor guard following him everywhere and the way he clearly expects everyone to rise. It can’t be standard protocol since Commander Kronus does not insist on it, nor berate Adama for not using it. So it must be Cain’s own idea. Since he doesn’t need them for protection, showmanship seems the logical explanation. Even the way he speaks, in short sentences, simple words, very straightforward. Under stress—like when he says good bye to Sheba—he sounds rather different. His voice and speech are just another tool in creating a ‘living legend.’
Cain appears as a hero to his followers but he is playing a role, a role that obviously does wonders for morale. Compare that to Adama and Tigh’s reactions to the man to the warriors’ reactions to him and to the man’s real accomplishments and you get a mediocre warrior whose rise to power is good military PR. If you add the Council’s and the civilians’ opinions of wars and warriors it seems more like that was the audience the ‘living legend’ was created for. At some time Cain made a name for himself and High Command decided to make him their resident hero. And so the myth was created.
It is hard to tell if Cain himself believes in the legend or just plays along. He is good at playing the role he thinks fits the moment. Like when he is faced with blowing the Cylon tankers up: "I did what I thought was necessary for the survival of our people." Survival of the people indeed. It is the first and only time he shows any consideration of that nature and I keep getting this nagging suspicion that he is putting on an act to convince Adama—and fails miserably. But he doesn’t fail as the ‘living legend;’ playing that he is quite convincing. Maybe he has been playing it so long he has even convinced himself.
The glimmer of hope for a real man beneath all the acting is the very real affection both Cassiopeia and Colonel Tolen seem to feel for him. Even if Cassie has made it a habit to fall for phonies we know she sees right through them and loves them for what they are. And Tolen gives an impression of shrewdness and integrity—if he loves Cain it is for real and it is the real man he cares for.
But the obsessive adoration from his warriors is something else, from an intense belief in the legend. They clearly suffer from the weakness Starbuck describes in War of the Gods: “Everyone is trying to find someone or something to believe in,” with the silent addition, “instead of facing reality and trying for themselves.” To the warriors Cain is that someone. And one of those warriors is his daughter. Maybe that is the saddest part of all. She never loved—or even knew—her father. All she ever saw was the legendary Commander Cain. He put himself on a pedestal and now he can’t get down. And not even his own daughter can climb up to him.

Originally published in ANOMALY 12

BACK TO ARTICLES

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1