William Adama quotes from Battlestar Galactica (2003)

Adama

Captain Adama and Colonel Tigh are working on the plan now and I need some serious "out-of-the-box" thinking.

"Out-of-the-box" is where I live.

Dad, I'll bring it back.

Adama

You better or I'll kick your ass, it's a good lighter.

Adama

Politics. As exciting as war. Definitely as dangerous.

Roslin

Though in war, you can only get killed once. In politics it can happen over and over.

Adama

You're still standing.

Roslin

So are you.

Adama

And I can dance! (They start dancing together.)

Adama

[to Kara] Go ahead.

I believed you. Believed in Earth.

Adama

What are you doing, Starbuck?

Bringing home the cat, sir.

Adama

We can talk about this.

No, I don't think so.

Adama

I want you to remember one thing. I do not regret anything that I did. Be sure that whatever you're going to do, you don't regret it later. Do you understand me?

I guess we'll find out. [Executes a FTL jump to Caprica]

Galactica, Apollo. Starbuck has jumped away. Repeat, Starbuck has jumped away.

Tigh

She wasn't scheduled for a jump test! Where the hell did she go?

Adama

Home.

Adama

You don't lose control.

Thanks.

Adama

No, you've got to lose control, let your instincts take over... That's why you don't win.

Adama

[to Tigh] Bear witness, put on your headset. [to Roslin on the phone] Madam President, moments ago, Lt. Thrace took the Cylon Raider on an unscheduled and unauthorized jump.

Roslin

Yes.

Adama

Do you have any knowledge of this incident?

Roslin

Let's save some time here, Commander the question you really want to ask me is whether or not I asked Lt. Thrace to take the Raider to Caprica. And the answer to your question is yes.

Adama

You and I talked about this.

Roslin

Yes, we had.

Adama

We both decided it was a military decision.

Roslin

My responsibility as President is, first and foremost, to protect and preserve this fleet and its future. In the end, that outweighs any other consideration. It has to.

Adama

By taking the Raider, you've placed our people on the surface of Kobol in direct danger.

Roslin

I'm very aware of the danger our men and women are in on Kobol. I am also deeply aware of the danger this civilization will be in if I ignore the pursuit of this arrow.

Adama

I'm going to have to ask you for your resignation, Madam President.

Roslin

No.

Adama

Then I'm terminating your presidency, as of this moment.

Roslin

Commander Adama, I will exercise the authority of this office until I am unable to do so, so if you want to stage a coup you're gonna have to come over here and arrest me.

Adama

I don't want any blood shed.

Roslin

Of course you don't, neither do I. Neither does the press. They're here, by the way.

Adama

[mutters to Tigh] The press...

Roslin

They're recording every minute.

Commander William Adama

Congratulations to both of you. You carried out a very difficult and dangerous mission, and you did it despite any personal misgivings you may or may not have had. And for that I'm very proud. [shakes hands with Racetrack] Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you, sir. [extends her own arm, her hand belowscreen]

Adama

Thank y-

Adama

I was on the Galactica. We were boarded the last week of the war. By the end of the war they had learned a lot. Gotten smart. Clever. They didn't head to CIC or the magazines. Two teams. One went to Secondary Damage Control and the other to Aux Fire Control. See, that's clever. Not the CIC, Auxiliary. And not the Primary DC, the Secondary.

Tigh

Why?

Adama

First team was after the fire suppression system. It tried to override our safety lockouts and vent our air into space. Kill all of us before we could get our EVA suits on. Then the second team just walks in the Aux Fire Control and turns our own guns against the ships trying to rescue us. It was smart. Clever. Almost 2,000 guys bought the farm that day.

Adama

She was a Cylon, a machine. Is that what Boomer was, a machine? A thing?

That's what she turned out to be.

Adama

She was more than that to us. She was more than that to me. She was a vital, living person aboard my ship for almost two years. She couldn't have been just a machine. Could you love a machine?

Adama

Did you love her Chief?

I thought I did.

Adama

Well, when you think you love somebody, you love them. That's what love is. Thoughts…

Adama

Mr. Gaeta? I want to see all recon material o­n Kobol immediately in my quarters.

Felix Gaeta

[surprised] Aye, sir?

Tigh

Kobol?

Adama

Yes. I'm putting the fleet back together. I'm putting our family back together. This ends now.

Adama

She thinks you'll be President one day.

'Scuse me?

Adama

That's what she said to me once, that you reminded her of President Adar when he ran for his first office.

I don't really know how to respond to that, sir.

Adama

Don't let it go to your head. Adar was a moron.

Adama

I thought we were in the Tomb of Athena.

I think that was just the lobby.

Adama

I took your advice, met on common ground.

Roslin

And what was that?

Adama

We both wanted to live.

Adama

You told me they'd get a fair trial. What kind of a trial could they have possibly had?

Admiral Helena Cain

I assure you I heard them out. I weighed their statements against those of the guards and I took into consideration their service records and commendations. It was a difficult decision, Commander, but I daresay it was a fair one.

Adama

They have the right to have their case heard by a jury.

Cain

I am a flag officer on detached service during a time of war. Regulations give me broad authority in this matter.

Adama

[to Tigh] Launch the fighters. [to Cain] You can quote me whatever regulation you'd like. I'm not going to let you execute my men.

Cain

I highly suggest you reconsider that statement, Commander.

Admiral, Galactica is launching Vipers and a Raptor.

Cain

Commander, why are you launching Vipers?

Adama

Please arrange for Chief Tyrol and Lieutenant Agathon to be handed over to my Marines as soon as they arrive.

Cain

I don't take orders from you!

Adama

Call it whatever you like, I'm getting my men.

Cain

You are making such a mistake.

Adama

I'm getting my men.

Cain

Action stations.

Admiral, this will spiral out of control fast.

Cain

Launch the alert Vipers. Adama has taken us over the line. He's left me with no choice but to launch the alert Vipers. Target the main battery for Galactica. And may the Gods have mercy on their souls.