William “Bill” Adama
William “Bill” Adama
Rank: Admiral
Portrayed by Edward James Olmos
William Adama was born on Caprica, the son of Joseph Adama and Evelyn Adama and raised in Qualai. Adama served late in the Cylon War as a Viper pilot.
Following the Cylon armistice, William Adama married Caroline Adama and had two sons, Lee and Zak, before the pressures of Adama’s career and the time he spent away from home in active service began to place a strain on their marriage, and the two eventually divorced. Furloughed by Colonial Fleet after the war’s end, Adama found work as a deck hand on a merchant fleet civilian freighter, where he met Saul Tigh, who became a long-time friend.
A Few years later Adama was reinstated to the Colonial Fleet. While elder son Lee Adama showed promise as a Viper pilot, younger Zak Adama did not. Kara Thrace, Zak’s flight instructor and lover, certified him for basic flight despite young Adama’s poor flight skills. Later, Zak Adama was killed in an operational flight. Zak’s death would cause a rift between Commander Adama and his older son for nearly three years until Thrace admits her error to both of them. Adama has the rare combination of qualities that make up a good leader: insight, the ability to naturally command respect, a common touch that enables him to relate to the enlisted personnel under his command as well as his officers, intuition, intelligence, a strong belief in his own abilities, and the ability to take the advice of others. These qualities are reflected in the fact that personnel of all ranks aboard Galactica hold him in high regard, and know that he is approachable.
Adama was promoted to Admiral in Season 2 of the BSG series.
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