Special Topic #6 -- In Defense of Lee Adama
I volunteered to write one of these "sprinkles" posts for the community, and since zinke already claimed my favorite subject -- arms -- I'm going to go with my second favorite subject: Lee Adama
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Sigh. I know. But all we can do is keep loving and defending our man!
but perhaps it's more that he is an idealist who needs ideals?
*nods* Yes, that is a very good way to put it.
Though he is also, as dionusia says, a pragmatist as well, when he needs to be.
Absolutely -- I wish I had touched on that, but I knew a lot would fall through the cracks and that I would have you guys to build on it. :)
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can most of his actions be chalked up to his daddy issues?
It really annoys the heck out of me when people characterize Lee this way because it's such an over-simplification. His immediate reactions to his father (and really any type of interpersonal relationship) can sometimes be traced back to daddy/childhood issues, but his final actions don't often reflect them.
Is Kara Lee's Achilles heel? What is it about her that can make him transgress in a way no one else can?
I would say Lee certainly considers her to be such. Lee likes the world to make sense, but Kara inevitably confounds him because she's more likely to act on impulse than thought out logic.
We better get some more arms before then end!
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His immediate reactions to his father (and really any type of interpersonal relationship) can sometimes be traced back to daddy/childhood issues, but his final actions don't often reflect them.
Yes, this. Great way to put it.
Lee likes the world to make sense, but Kara inevitably confounds him because she's more likely to act on impulse than thought out logic.
*snerk* Also well-put. Oh, Lee.
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Yes, like everyone else, I agree that's a crap line for Lee. That's KARA who needs the war, not Lee. (Which just goes to show Dee never could see her marriage straight without Kara in the middle of it).
CFR = Colonial Fleet Reserve. This is one of the tastiest throwaway tidbits TPTB have ever given us, IMO. Lee wasn't even full-time active military when the Cylons attacked (which makes you wonder what else he was doing with his time)Thanks for mentioning this because I was blown away by the idea that he was reserves and I've never seen anyone really mention it before. I thought that was a really weird choice for the writers to make because Lee holds such a grudge about his father forcing both him and Zak to follow in his footsteps...but dude, he was Reserves. That's a whole different ball of wax. Still an amazing commitment, but...not the same. It sheds some interesting light on ( ... )
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As to War College. In reality it's a mid-career thing seen as most available for what are called "Hard Chargers" e.g the ones they expect to be admirals some day. So for Lee to have gone there either at the start of his career or as a drilling reservist vice full time active duty wouldn't be consistent.
Now he could drill as a reservist there though:
The mission of the Naval War College Support Unit is to support the academic and research missions of the Naval War College through direct support to all departments and divisions of the college.
US Naval War College.
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I guess, who knows what being a reservist means in BSG terms. It still doesn't make sense to me, even at the end of the world, how Lee comes on the ship, is automatically made the CAG over all the other pilots there, then leapfrogs right up the chain to become a Major and Commander in practically the same episode almost. Adama, you nepotist!
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First we have the loss of a large number of Galactica's pilots, including the original CAG who was a Captain, in the original attack. I proposed elsewhere that Captain was way too junior a rank to be CAG (again based on USN experience) but we have what we have. Lee having been promoted early to Captain before arriving on the "G" (and one could perhaps argue for nepotism there) was reasonably the most senior pilot left for the CAG position.
The one issue that could be argued perhaps was the promotion to Major. Having made Captain early was the relatively quick promotion to Major unrealistic? In war maybe not and Adama presumably did it because of the loss of senior staff (Colonels) including Cain's XO and Fisk.
Absent Tigh, once Fisk was gone, the only Colonel left on either ship was Pegasus' engineering officer Garner who proved remarkably unfit for command. So unless there were a ( ... )
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Huh. Well, I could certainly see something like that happening. In a way it would be very consistent with his character.
Thanks for the inside info!
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Ditto, obvs. :)
And it's been gratifying to see how many people have always hated Dee's line about Lee being a soldier. Just goes to show she doesn't know him at all.... ;)
I've always seen Lee as an "everyman", just like Chief. I mean, he's a good pilot, a good leader, but he generally just does his job and doesn't get into trouble. And his problems seem so normal: daddy issues, being stuck in a job he doesn't really want. It seems like other character's problems are much bigger.
Well, and so much more mystical, on a grand destiny scale. I love that Lee has the kinds of problems that regular people can relate to.
What do you think Lee's ultimate destiny is?
President Adama!
You know, at Dragon Con last year someone asked Jamie this question and I yelled out "President!" and was met with scornful silence. Who's LAUGHING NOW, HUH? *g*
I really think Lee felt completely lost after Kara died-and then he couldn't even tell anyone how he really felt. ( ... )
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