Count Baltar
Encyclopedia
In the original 1978 Battlestar Galactica
television series, Count Baltar was a leading antagonist
character who betrayed the human race to its enemy, the robot race of Cylons
. He was portrayed by Canadian
actor John Colicos
.
between the Cylons and the Twelve Colonies of Man, Council of Twelve
-member Baltar acts as a liaison between the Twelve Colonies and the Cylons, and arranges for a peace conference that would bring an end to the war—with the Cylons apparently conceding defeat. Unknown to the Colonials, however, Baltar has made a deal with the Cylon Imperious Leader
: Baltar would conduct the peace conference to lull the Colonials into a false sense of security, while the Cylons prepared for a massive attack on the Colonial military and the Twelve Colonies. In return, the Imperious Leader promised Baltar that his home colony would be spared from the attack, and Baltar would be installed as its dictator. It is never stated which of the Twelve Colonies was Baltar's home, however the original script states that he was from "Orion," but as this did not make the finished cut its canonicity is debatable. Since the Cylons are dedicated to the complete annihilation of humanity, the Imperious Leader goes back on his word, and destroys all twelve Colonies in the attack.
. Baltar goes before the Imperious Leader, enraged that the Cylons had not held up their end of the bargain. The Imperious Leader responds by explaining to Baltar that every human being must be exterminated, and then sentences Baltar himself to death, reasoning that any being who would see his own race destroyed could not be trusted. The Imperious Leader orders that Baltar be brought away for public execution. Soon thereafter the Imperious Leader is killed when his basestar gets too close to the exploding planet Carillon
.
as Baltar's second in command; the two other basestars in Baltar's taskforce are also subservient to him. Baltar then makes it a personal quest to vanquish his rival, Commander Adama
, and destroy the Galactica and its Fleet. Of his numerous offensives against the Colonial survivors, his three biggest ones are in the following episodes (all two-parters):
For approximately the first half of the televised Battlestar Galactica series, Baltar was the commander of Cylon forces that ruthlessly pursued the Galactica and its rag-tag fugitive fleet of civilian ships, a theme continued in the 1995-7 graphic novels published by Image Comics
that take place some 20 years after the initial series.
" (Parts 1 & 2), the charismatic miracle worker Count Iblis
promises to Adama that he'll deliver "the enemy"—Baltar—to the Colonials. Baltar, irritated that neither he nor his Cylon crew can explain the mysterious lights dogging his basestar, transmits a direct message to the Galactica requesting permission to board on a proposal of "universal truce"; Adama seizes the opportunity to capture Baltar and his Raider, and have him tried by the Council for crimes against humanity. For the remainder of the series, Baltar is a prisoner on board the Colonial prison barge. The episode "Baltar's Escape" features an attempt by Baltar and other imprisoned villains—Borellian Nomen and some Eastern Alliance
officers—to escape from the prison barge. All escape except an overconfident Baltar, who witnesses a (clevery-exploited) malfunction in his re-activated Centurions that makes them destroy his Raider's launch panel instead of starting it—allowing the Galactica's people to re-apprehend him with little struggle.
", Baltar makes a deal with Adama. Baltar provides the Colonials with technical information on Cylon basestars, which Apollo and Starbuck use to render a wayward Clyon basestar "blind" to the Galactica, which then destroys it. In exchange, Adama agrees to "maroon
" Baltar with sufficient equipment and supplies to allow him to live on the first habitable planet
that the Fleet passes on its journey; Adama also reluctantly gives Baltar equipment for "short-range communications" so that he has some hope of "rescue". This ultimately paves the way for Baltar to find himself in command of Cylons again: in the spin-off series Galactica 1980
, it is revealed that he is the "Commandant" of the Cylons who have followed the Galactica and the fleet to Earth—although Baltar himself never physically appears in any particular episode of the second series.
. There, Baltar is a scientist—not a basestar commander or Council member—who is seduced by the human-looking Cylon Number Six
into inadvertantly sabotaging the Colonial security systems, allowing the Cylons to attack the Colonies. To cover up his involvement, he travels with the evading Colonial survivors—obstensibly to "protect" them from the human-looking Cylons, who could be impersonating anyone in the Fleet. He later becomes vice-president, then president, of the Fleet, then a de-facto dictator on New Caprica (a role only fantasized by Count Baltar). Later, he boards a Cylon basestar—thinking himself to be a Cylon. After being taken back to the Galactica, he is tried and acquitted of crimes against humanity, then becomes a leader of a rising monotheistic cult.
All the while, he communicates with a "virtual" Number Six that he alone can see. Eventually, he becomes one of the settlers on what, 150,000 years later, will be our Earth. All in all, Gauis Baltar is portrayed in a more morally dualistic and nuanced manner than Count Baltar—as humans and Cylons in general are portrayed in far less "black-and-white" manner in the new series than in the old. See "Gaius Baltar
" and "Battlestar Galactica (2004 series)" for more details.
Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series, created by Glen A. Larson. It starred Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict and ran for one season in 1978–79. After cancellation, its story was continued in 1980 as Galactica 1980 with Adama, Lieutenant Boomer and...
television series, Count Baltar was a leading antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
character who betrayed the human race to its enemy, the robot race of Cylons
Cylon (Battlestar Galactica)
The Cylons are a cybernetic civilization at war with the Twelve Colonies of humanity in the Battlestar Galactica science fiction franchise, in the original 1978 and 1980 series, the 2004 reimagining, as well as the spin-off prequel series, Caprica...
. He was portrayed by Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
actor John Colicos
John Colicos
John Colicos was a Greek-Canadian actor. He was a distinguished stage actor in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.-Career:...
.
History
In material deleted from the final broadcast of the episodes, it is explained that Baltar was originally a colonial military officer who led an expedition to discover new sources of tylium for mining. After discovering a particularly rich tylium deposit on Carillon, Baltar decided to go into business for himself, leaving the military. He falsified records, declaring Carillon too minimal for mining, and set himself up with the Cylons and Ovions, who were also mining Carillon.Traitor
Towards the last years of The Thousand Yahren WarCylon War
The Cylon War is a fictional interstellar war that occurred in the Battlestar Galactica universe. Both the original 1978 Battlestar Galactica movie and the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica miniseries are set shortly after that conflict....
between the Cylons and the Twelve Colonies of Man, Council of Twelve
Quorum of Twelve
The Quorum of Twelve is a fictional governing body of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol on the two Battlestar Galactica television series. In both series, it was composed of one representative from each colony.Series creator Glen A...
-member Baltar acts as a liaison between the Twelve Colonies and the Cylons, and arranges for a peace conference that would bring an end to the war—with the Cylons apparently conceding defeat. Unknown to the Colonials, however, Baltar has made a deal with the Cylon Imperious Leader
Imperious Leader
The Imperious Leader is the ruler of the Cylons as depicted in the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series.The Imperious Leader's body is built to resemble the reptilian race that originally built the Cylons, but is not organic in any way...
: Baltar would conduct the peace conference to lull the Colonials into a false sense of security, while the Cylons prepared for a massive attack on the Colonial military and the Twelve Colonies. In return, the Imperious Leader promised Baltar that his home colony would be spared from the attack, and Baltar would be installed as its dictator. It is never stated which of the Twelve Colonies was Baltar's home, however the original script states that he was from "Orion," but as this did not make the finished cut its canonicity is debatable. Since the Cylons are dedicated to the complete annihilation of humanity, the Imperious Leader goes back on his word, and destroys all twelve Colonies in the attack.
After the attack
A handful of humans flee in civilian ships, under the protection of the sole surviving Battlestar, the GalacticaBattlestar Galactica (ship)
The Battlestar Galactica is a space battleship in the original and re-imagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica.The Twelve Colonies of Man in the original television series built a number of Battlestars during their thousand-year war with the Cylons, whose battleships are...
. Baltar goes before the Imperious Leader, enraged that the Cylons had not held up their end of the bargain. The Imperious Leader responds by explaining to Baltar that every human being must be exterminated, and then sentences Baltar himself to death, reasoning that any being who would see his own race destroyed could not be trusted. The Imperious Leader orders that Baltar be brought away for public execution. Soon thereafter the Imperious Leader is killed when his basestar gets too close to the exploding planet Carillon
Carillon
A carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
.
Pursuer of the Galactica and the Fleet
The succeeding Imperious Leader spares Baltar's life, believing that Baltar, being human, would have a superior insight into the minds of the remnants of humanity which the Cylons are pursuing. To this end, the Imperious Leader installs Baltar as the commander of a Cylon basestar, with LuciferLucifer (Battlestar Galactica)
Lucifer is a fictional character from the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series. Lucifer is the robot assistant to Count Baltar, voiced by Jonathan Harris of Lost in Space fame....
as Baltar's second in command; the two other basestars in Baltar's taskforce are also subservient to him. Baltar then makes it a personal quest to vanquish his rival, Commander Adama
Commander Adama
Commander Adama is a fictional character in the 1978 movie and subsequent ABC television series Battlestar Galactica and its continuation series, Galactica 1980. Adama is the commander of the great military vessel Battlestar Galactica, commander of the refugee fleet and military commander of the...
, and destroy the Galactica and its Fleet. Of his numerous offensives against the Colonial survivors, his three biggest ones are in the following episodes (all two-parters):
- "Lost Planet of the GodsLost Planet of the Gods"Lost Planet of the Gods" is a two-part episode of the original Battlestar Galactica television series.-Re-Imagining:*This episode was remade into a nine-episode story arc in the new Battlestar Galactica starting with season one's Kobol's Last Gleaming in which Kobol is discovered and ending in...
": Baltar realizes that Adama is taking the fleet into an immense void in order to find the "mother planet of humanity", KobolKobolKobol is the name of a planet in the fictional Battlestar Galactica universe.Within the context of both Battlestar Galactica stories, Kobol is the birthplace and original home of humanity, from which the civilization departed and formed the Twelve Colonies on other worlds...
, and has his fighters capture a Galactica patrol pilot—who happens to be StarbuckStarbuck-People:*Chez Starbuck, American actor*George Starbuck, American poet*JoJo Starbuck, American figure skater*Michael Majalahti , Finnish professional wrestler and rock singer*William H...
—telling him that he has a new "offer of peace to all humans." Baltar then lands on Kobol itself, alone, to tell Adama a different story: He was "as much a victim" as anyone else in the destruction of The Colonies, and the Cylons—being spread out all over the galaxy in search of the Galactica—are vulnerable; he proposes escorting the Galactica to Cylon in order to "launch a devastating counter-attack against those demons"—with Starbuck's release as proof of his sincerity. Adama is reluctant to trust Baltar again, but Baltar warns, "I can only be away so long before my machine friends become nervous and do something rash"—a prophecy soon fulfilled when an impatient Lucifer launches a Raider attack on Kobol. Baltar then becomes trapped in the ruins of the ancient city when a wall collapses on him. Left for dead by Adama and ApolloApollo (Battlestar Galactica)-Original Continuity:Apollo is the son of Commander Adama & Ila. He is played by Richard Hatch who also portrays Tom Zarek in the new Battlestar Galactica. Apollo has a sister Athena, also a Warrior, and a brother Zac who was killed in a Cylon ambush prior to their attack on the 12 colonies...
, who are unable to free him, he shouts after them, "You haven't seen the last of Baltar!" - "Gun on Ice Planet ZeroGun on Ice Planet Zero"Gun on Ice Planet Zero" is a two-part episode of the original Battlestar Galactica television series. Robert Thurston adapted the screenplay into a novel he titled The Cylon Death Machine.-Summary:...
": Baltar, once again in command of his basestar, has subtlely shepherded the Galactica and the Fleet over time toward the frozen planet Acta—which has an "energy-lens" pulsar—created by human Dr. Ravoshol, but hijacked by a Cylon garrison as a weapon—capable of destroying a battlestar with one shot. After two Viper pilots are killed and another is captured, Adama sends a Demolition TeamDemolition TeamThe Demolition Team are fictional characters, a team of comic book mercenaries in the DC Comics universe. They first appeared in Green Lantern #176 and were created by Len Wein and Dave Gibbons.-Fictional character history:...
—consisting of his three top warriors and a group of skillful criminals—to find a way to destroy the pulsar. Baltar responds by having his nearly-out-of-range ship launch two successive Raider attacks on the Galactica—withdrawing once his companion basestars have arrived and start closing in on the Galactica. He instructs Acta's Centurion commander, Vulpa, to fire the pulsar in random directions across the corridor that the Galactica and the Fleet must pass through to evade his basestars. In the end, the demolition team causes the pulsar to destroy itself—saving the Galactica—at (literally) the very last second. Despite the debacle, Baltar swears, "I shall have the last laugh on Adama—mark my words." - "The Living LegendThe Living Legend"The Living Legend" is a two-part episode of the original Battlestar Galactica television series. The episode is often rated as one of the most popular of the original series...
": Baltar, having once again located the Galactica's Fleet, launches an attack using Raiders from all three of his base ships, just as the Galactica approaches Cylon's "Outer Capital", Gommoray—only to be thwarted on the verge of destroying the Galactica by the arrival of Commander CainCommander CainCommander Cain is a fictional character in the original Battlestar Galactica science fiction TV series, portrayed by the American actor Lloyd Bridges.-Description:...
's Battlestar PegasusBattlestar PegasusBattlestar Pegasus is a fictional spacecraft that appears in the both the original and the reimagined television series Battlestar Galactica.- Battlestar Galactica :...
—which was inaccurately thought to have been destroyed in the attack on the Colonies. As he prepares for a new attack, the Galactica attacks Gommoray while Cylon's Imperious Leader is on it—forcing Baltar to send his fighters to rescue the Leader and destroy both battlestars. At this time, however, Cain complicates Baltar's plans by sending the Pegasus on a suicide mission to engage Baltar's three basestars. Baltar, unnerved by Cain's bravado, orders his own basestar to retreat behind the companion ships—which he leaves to intercept the Pegasus. After the battle, the Cylon Raiders are stranded in space with Baltar's ship out of range and the companion basestars destroyed—and the Pegasus' fate is unknown; Commander AdamaCommander AdamaCommander Adama is a fictional character in the 1978 movie and subsequent ABC television series Battlestar Galactica and its continuation series, Galactica 1980. Adama is the commander of the great military vessel Battlestar Galactica, commander of the refugee fleet and military commander of the...
withdraws the Galactica and the civilian refugee Fleet into deep space.
For approximately the first half of the televised Battlestar Galactica series, Baltar was the commander of Cylon forces that ruthlessly pursued the Galactica and its rag-tag fugitive fleet of civilian ships, a theme continued in the 1995-7 graphic novels published by Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
that take place some 20 years after the initial series.
Captured and imprisoned
In the episode "War of the GodsWar of the Gods (Battlestar Galactica)
"War of the Gods" is a two-part episode of the original Battlestar Galactica television series.-Part I:Four Vipers on patrol encounter mysterious orbs of light and are soon overtaken by a larger ship, which disables the Viper's instruments and emits a deafening sound. Aboard the Galactica, other...
" (Parts 1 & 2), the charismatic miracle worker Count Iblis
Count Iblis
Count Iblis is an alien on the TV series Battlestar Galactica. He was part of the original 1978 series, and was central to the plot of the two-part episode War of the Gods. In that episode, he was played by Patrick Macnee. He did not appear in the re-imagined series.- 1978 continuity :When a...
promises to Adama that he'll deliver "the enemy"—Baltar—to the Colonials. Baltar, irritated that neither he nor his Cylon crew can explain the mysterious lights dogging his basestar, transmits a direct message to the Galactica requesting permission to board on a proposal of "universal truce"; Adama seizes the opportunity to capture Baltar and his Raider, and have him tried by the Council for crimes against humanity. For the remainder of the series, Baltar is a prisoner on board the Colonial prison barge. The episode "Baltar's Escape" features an attempt by Baltar and other imprisoned villains—Borellian Nomen and some Eastern Alliance
Eastern Alliance (Battlestar Galactica)
The Eastern Alliance is a militaristic and totalitarian human interstellar state in the original Battlestar Galactica television series. The Alliance is opposed by the Western Coalition...
officers—to escape from the prison barge. All escape except an overconfident Baltar, who witnesses a (clevery-exploited) malfunction in his re-activated Centurions that makes them destroy his Raider's launch panel instead of starting it—allowing the Galactica's people to re-apprehend him with little struggle.
Freedom
In the final episode of the series, "The Hand of GodThe Hand of God (1978 Battlestar Galactica)
"The Hand of God" is an episode of the original Battlestar Galactica television series. This was the last episode of the original Battlestar Galactica TV series...
", Baltar makes a deal with Adama. Baltar provides the Colonials with technical information on Cylon basestars, which Apollo and Starbuck use to render a wayward Clyon basestar "blind" to the Galactica, which then destroys it. In exchange, Adama agrees to "maroon
Marooning
Marooning is the intentional leaving of someone in a remote area, such as an uninhabited island. The word appears in writing in approximately 1709, and is derived from the term maroon, a word for a fugitive slave, which could be a corruption of Spanish cimarrón, meaning a household animal who has...
" Baltar with sufficient equipment and supplies to allow him to live on the first habitable planet
Planetary habitability
Planetary habitability is the measure of a planet's or a natural satellite's potential to sustain life. Life may develop directly on a planet or satellite or be transferred to it from another body, a theoretical process known as panspermia...
that the Fleet passes on its journey; Adama also reluctantly gives Baltar equipment for "short-range communications" so that he has some hope of "rescue". This ultimately paves the way for Baltar to find himself in command of Cylons again: in the spin-off series Galactica 1980
Galactica 1980
Galactica 1980 is a science fiction television series, and a spin-off from the 1978–1979 series Battlestar Galactica. It was first broadcast on the ABC network in the United States from January 27 to May 4, 1980.-Development:...
, it is revealed that he is the "Commandant" of the Cylons who have followed the Galactica and the fleet to Earth—although Baltar himself never physically appears in any particular episode of the second series.
In the novelization
The original telefilm novelization tells a different story – that he was a rare items dealer who had grown wealthy from his business dealings and whose title of Count had been self-proclaimed.In the feature film version
In the feature film version, when Baltar meets the Imperious Leader, and it is explained to him that every human being must be exterminated, and Baltar is sentenced to death, Cylon Centurions immediately execute Baltar on the spot by beheading him. This differs from the television version, where his execution is delayed and he is sent to be prepared for public execution—with this Imperious Leader being killed at Carillon and, in the epilogue made for the movie's television broadcast, the succeeding Imperious Leader sparing Baltar's life and announcing that he would be provided with a basestar and Lucifer as a liaison—thus setting him up for his role in the series.In the re-imagined 2003 version
In the 2003 miniseries and 2004 series, Baltar is the character's last name—his first name being GaiusGaius Baltar
Gaius Baltar is a fictional character in the TV series Battlestar Galactica played by James Callis, a reimagining of Count Baltar from the 1978 Battlestar Galactica series...
. There, Baltar is a scientist—not a basestar commander or Council member—who is seduced by the human-looking Cylon Number Six
Number Six (Battlestar Galactica)
Number Six is a family of fictional characters from the reimagined science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica. She is portrayed by Canadian actress and model Tricia Helfer. Of the twelve known Cylon models, she is the sixth of the "Significant Seven"...
into inadvertantly sabotaging the Colonial security systems, allowing the Cylons to attack the Colonies. To cover up his involvement, he travels with the evading Colonial survivors—obstensibly to "protect" them from the human-looking Cylons, who could be impersonating anyone in the Fleet. He later becomes vice-president, then president, of the Fleet, then a de-facto dictator on New Caprica (a role only fantasized by Count Baltar). Later, he boards a Cylon basestar—thinking himself to be a Cylon. After being taken back to the Galactica, he is tried and acquitted of crimes against humanity, then becomes a leader of a rising monotheistic cult.
All the while, he communicates with a "virtual" Number Six that he alone can see. Eventually, he becomes one of the settlers on what, 150,000 years later, will be our Earth. All in all, Gauis Baltar is portrayed in a more morally dualistic and nuanced manner than Count Baltar—as humans and Cylons in general are portrayed in far less "black-and-white" manner in the new series than in the old. See "Gaius Baltar
Gaius Baltar
Gaius Baltar is a fictional character in the TV series Battlestar Galactica played by James Callis, a reimagining of Count Baltar from the 1978 Battlestar Galactica series...
" and "Battlestar Galactica (2004 series)" for more details.
External links
- Baltar at the Battlestar Wiki