Meme Answer
For astreamofstars who wanted my Zarek head!canon.
I kinda jump all over the place...
You know, I feel like I spend a lot of time creating histories for him in AUs, that I don't spend all that much trying to figure him out in canon. I believe he is genuinely trying to build a better society, but all of his years in prison have cut him off from being able to communicate properly (or should I say appropriately?), or even knowing what it is the people fully need. I think a part of him broke after his uprising on the Astral Queen where he almost made himself a martyr, and rather than deal with it, he became sassy and threw jokes and innuendos at everything. Not in a teenage boy way, but for some reason Zarek always struck me as perpetually laughing at something, but he is a rather serious guy the first time we see him (not that he isn't serious at other times...). Ergo, some part of him thinks it's utterly fucking hilarious that he survived until the end of the world. And now he has to make it a better place.
His trial was a big media affair with lots of coverage. He really thought the media exposure would help his cause, but with Sagittaron so divided and unrepresented, it became a big boost for other Colonies' interests in painting his movement as a group of terrorists. He was idealistic and desperate (I feel like he was part of one of many splinter groups fighting for freedom, all with different personal agendas), so he bombed the building, but it was after his trail that he started to get bitter. When he refused Adar's pardons he thought things would pick up in the movement again, but it cycled out of the news really quickly.
Meier was imprisoned before him, and was the one who took Zarek under his wing when he first arrived. He could tell Tom had a way with people and knew he was intelligent, and he didn't want him to get thrown down by someone else and destroyed/lose his potential. Meier got his hands dirty for Tom before Zarek realized what was going on and started to take control of things. Zarek was use to a harsh life on Sagittaron but it took him a while to get prison politics under control.
Both of his parents were alive at the time of the attacks, but he hadn't talked to either of them in over thirty years.
He and Meier were sexually involved. He was one of the few people Tom trusted after his imprisonment.
He wasn't caught by authorities, someone from his group turned him in. He never found out who.
He was never religious, but he had a number of superstitions due to the culture he was raised in.
He genuinely likes kids and believed the older generation needed to get its hands dirty in order to protect them so they could grow up and work in a balanced, uncorrupted society in the future.
He and Laura developed a very amiable working relationship post-NC, and always trusted the other never to trust them. Somehow they got things done in a generally smooth manner.
Pissing Adama off always made his day better, even if it bit him ass in the long run/screwed up whatever he was trying to get done.
For a while he hoped Lee would really accept his mentoring and hopefully one day view him as a father figure. When it became apparent he wouldn't let go of his father even as he was becoming his own man, Zarek got a little bitter and started using Lee whatever way he could to piss off Adama and hurt Lee. (and get back at Laura where convenient)
I would get into why he wasn't a part of Baltar's trial except as a warning system but then all I can think is that
Obviously Zarek testified and kicked Romo's argument in the face and the Baltar was guilty and then executed/imprisoned and then eventually killed by an angry citizen and then after that shit settled he and Laura developed a more amiable relationship and he helped her out as she dealt with her cancer and the two of them slowly developed a more cohesive governing system for the fleet because obviously having reps from each ship makes a fuckload more sense than whatever it was they were doing before and when they ally with the Cylons he and Laura are able to actually get people to talk to each other and deal with it and then when they find nuked!Earth they hold the government together and split ways with the Cylons only to be reunited with them after one of them gets attacked by Cavil's group and Opera House!Galactica happens and Zarek makes it to Earth 2.0 the end.
I like Zarek, I think it was definitely a slower, post-show development. I first took an interest in him as an alternative partner for Laura and just exploring that, and that's mainly where things have stayed, but.. one day I think I'll do more with him. I really would like to write an AU where he really does become a father figure to Lee, start tweaking how the story goes around the Kobol arc (he decides not to plan and assassinate him) and just see where things for from there...
Er, that's all I've got. Thanks for asking!
ETA:
Zarek consolidates power and manipulates people because he doesn't trust them to get things done, or do them right. He can become obsessed with a singular goal and his bigger picture, and completely miss what's really unfolding around him. He doesn't get pleasure from it, but he willingly and easily uses violence as a tool.
I kinda jump all over the place...
You know, I feel like I spend a lot of time creating histories for him in AUs, that I don't spend all that much trying to figure him out in canon. I believe he is genuinely trying to build a better society, but all of his years in prison have cut him off from being able to communicate properly (or should I say appropriately?), or even knowing what it is the people fully need. I think a part of him broke after his uprising on the Astral Queen where he almost made himself a martyr, and rather than deal with it, he became sassy and threw jokes and innuendos at everything. Not in a teenage boy way, but for some reason Zarek always struck me as perpetually laughing at something, but he is a rather serious guy the first time we see him (not that he isn't serious at other times...). Ergo, some part of him thinks it's utterly fucking hilarious that he survived until the end of the world. And now he has to make it a better place.
His trial was a big media affair with lots of coverage. He really thought the media exposure would help his cause, but with Sagittaron so divided and unrepresented, it became a big boost for other Colonies' interests in painting his movement as a group of terrorists. He was idealistic and desperate (I feel like he was part of one of many splinter groups fighting for freedom, all with different personal agendas), so he bombed the building, but it was after his trail that he started to get bitter. When he refused Adar's pardons he thought things would pick up in the movement again, but it cycled out of the news really quickly.
Meier was imprisoned before him, and was the one who took Zarek under his wing when he first arrived. He could tell Tom had a way with people and knew he was intelligent, and he didn't want him to get thrown down by someone else and destroyed/lose his potential. Meier got his hands dirty for Tom before Zarek realized what was going on and started to take control of things. Zarek was use to a harsh life on Sagittaron but it took him a while to get prison politics under control.
Both of his parents were alive at the time of the attacks, but he hadn't talked to either of them in over thirty years.
He and Meier were sexually involved. He was one of the few people Tom trusted after his imprisonment.
He wasn't caught by authorities, someone from his group turned him in. He never found out who.
He was never religious, but he had a number of superstitions due to the culture he was raised in.
He genuinely likes kids and believed the older generation needed to get its hands dirty in order to protect them so they could grow up and work in a balanced, uncorrupted society in the future.
He and Laura developed a very amiable working relationship post-NC, and always trusted the other never to trust them. Somehow they got things done in a generally smooth manner.
Pissing Adama off always made his day better, even if it bit him ass in the long run/screwed up whatever he was trying to get done.
For a while he hoped Lee would really accept his mentoring and hopefully one day view him as a father figure. When it became apparent he wouldn't let go of his father even as he was becoming his own man, Zarek got a little bitter and started using Lee whatever way he could to piss off Adama and hurt Lee. (and get back at Laura where convenient)
I would get into why he wasn't a part of Baltar's trial except as a warning system but then all I can think is that
Obviously Zarek testified and kicked Romo's argument in the face and the Baltar was guilty and then executed/imprisoned and then eventually killed by an angry citizen and then after that shit settled he and Laura developed a more amiable relationship and he helped her out as she dealt with her cancer and the two of them slowly developed a more cohesive governing system for the fleet because obviously having reps from each ship makes a fuckload more sense than whatever it was they were doing before and when they ally with the Cylons he and Laura are able to actually get people to talk to each other and deal with it and then when they find nuked!Earth they hold the government together and split ways with the Cylons only to be reunited with them after one of them gets attacked by Cavil's group and Opera House!Galactica happens and Zarek makes it to Earth 2.0 the end.
I like Zarek, I think it was definitely a slower, post-show development. I first took an interest in him as an alternative partner for Laura and just exploring that, and that's mainly where things have stayed, but.. one day I think I'll do more with him. I really would like to write an AU where he really does become a father figure to Lee, start tweaking how the story goes around the Kobol arc (he decides not to plan and assassinate him) and just see where things for from there...
Er, that's all I've got. Thanks for asking!
ETA:
Zarek consolidates power and manipulates people because he doesn't trust them to get things done, or do them right. He can become obsessed with a singular goal and his bigger picture, and completely miss what's really unfolding around him. He doesn't get pleasure from it, but he willingly and easily uses violence as a tool.