Keep in mind people, she was only in three episodes and in Razor, and yet she managed to make such a lasting impression.

CAIN: I don't take orders from you. ADAMA: Call it whatever you like: I'm getting my memes. CAIN: You are making such a mistake. ADAMA: I'm getting my memes.

The Cain-Pegasus episodes represent some of the best in the series.

Roslin: "I am sure that Pegasus would prevail in any fight" Frakin' Adama "I wouldn't count on that" XD

Michelle Forbes was an excellent pick to play Admiral Cain, a do not mess with me commanding officer who had excellent knowledge for fighting the Cylons but was personally broken by what happened to her in "Razor". She was also very appealing & classy, same as when playing Ro Laren in Star Trek TNG.

1:29 As she shakes Bill's hand, She turns her hand to be above his (90 degrees counter-clockwise). That's a power move to establish dominance. Very subtle, very telling. What a show!

Love when she finally confronted her own mortality and the end. There was rage for feeling helpless with the gun pointed at her but there was also fear, she know she was going to die and that fear make her even more vulnerable that's why she cried just before she was shot.

Bear McCreary's score is so haunting at this moment. Relieving and foreboding at the same time, and a great piece of music in its own right. Only shows what genius this guy is and what he's achieved for the show. Masterful.

Admiral Cain's sin is that at her level she should not only have the small scale tactical in mind, but the larger strategic picture of preserving humanity and its institutions of which she is a part. I'd forgive a lot if the alternative was extinction, but it wasn't.

The thing is that Admiral Cain represents one half of what is needed in the military - cold, calculated decisions. Unfortunately, the other thing needed is compassion and to know when the line has been crossed. Cain didn't have that ability. She did what she thought needed to be done at any particular time. If you got in the way of that, she wouldn't hesitate to remove you as an obstacle. Adama, while calculated, possessed compassion. He knew when he needed to make an order that would likely result in men being killed but had the compassion to understand who those people were, even the enemy, and base that against what he needed to get done. If there was another way, even if it was a harder way, if it saved lives, he would do it. Cain stuck to the plan, always. Adama inspired confidence and respect, Cain inspired fear. People would give their lives for what Adama needed because they wanted to, those under Cain would do it because they had to for fear of the repercussions.

7:20, it was this point in the story when I realized that Cain was in fact suicidal and would doom humanity. She plans on trying to take back the colonies from a Cylon force which wiped all but TWO of humanities Battlestars. One being an older, decommissioned Jupiter Class and the other, while being the modern Mercury design, was comprised of a crew which no doubt hates the Galactica's crew after the death of one of their personnel during Starbuck's recon mission... Genius....

I always loved that though Cain and the Pegasus represented a dark mirror of Adama and Galactica there was still layers to her character. She is not evil for the sake of being evil. She was pushed to make difficult decisions that changed her and her crew, but despite all of that there was still echoes of the fine officer and Commander she used to be. Her decision to spare Adama even if it was only a reprieve makes her statement in the beginning all the more true: "Trust me when I say that while the chain of command is strict it is not heartless; and neither am I."

It's a pity Cain didn't have KZfaq. She could have watched one of those "How to disarm an opponent with a gun" videos and stay alive.

2.09 ..... "my Gods" That S on the end is an amazing continuity detail.

Admiral Cain was a very effective leader in her element. Smart, decisive, strong, effective command skills and her conclusions in combat are usually correct. It's no wonder that she was able to flourish in her environment. But there was a quote I read once about people like that. After a while, they start thinking that everyone else is either clever or stupid. But that's not true. It just takes people a little longer to figure things out. Cain started believing that most people were sheep that needed to be protected, led or slaughtered according to the needs of the fleet... and she believed the needs of the fleet and her will are the same thing. With no oversight or command authority over her, she had nothing to rein her in and she went rogue.

Flag officer on detached service.. Once she reported to the President, she's not detached anymore and the President is senior.

Admiral Cain and the Pegasus crew acted as the perfect foil for Adama and the Galactica crew. Excellent writing. I love BSG.

Great actress and a badass character.

Edward James Olmos and Michelle Forbes held their own.

She's one of my all time favorite sci-fi characters ever. She was cold, even brutal in her manner of command, but she was looking after the welfare and survival of her crew. Not that it justifies some of her actions, but after all she witnessed and went through it is understandable.

The reign of Cain was mainly insane.

6:34 *when mom calls you and your sibling into her home office*

Whatever "sanity" Cain had she lost when she executed her XO on the bridge of the Pegasus.

Cain grew up to be a fierce admiral.

You knew that sooner or later, Adama and Cain would be at each other's throat, to the point of planning mutual assassinations. Fortunately, they both backed off.

she was right about having his son as cag. Lee caused great harm to the fleet and so the human species

I knew she'd be trouble from the very first moment I saw her.

It was a small detail but I loved that colonial officers wore sidearms all times they were on duty. Not only has this always made sense to me as what should be common practice yet rarely is in shows such as this one but it also highlights exactly the kind of person admiral Cain was; esp in contrast to adama...

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT YOU WANT!!! You're fracking lucky you're not STARING AT YOUR OWN DEATH WARRANT!" One of the best characters of the series.

She was a Great character

Man the music was so good in this show. Love the guitar riffs here, real sci-fi tunes. The only other show that has had this good music was Stargate Universe if you ask me, both SGU and BSG had in-house music. AMAZING!

Michelle ages like a fine wine.

it was so satisfying when she finally got what was coming to her

Adama earned his position through blood, sweat and sacrifice. Cain earned her position because of her family's reputation and influence. In standard warfare Cain probably would've made a decent Flag Officer, but due to the extreme conditions she was placed under (the harsh fact that the enitre Human race is nearly completely extinct and all Twelve Colonies were now nuclear wastelands) she was just unable to cope with it like Adama was. His experience and demeanor allowed to him to fare far better off than Cain. The fact Cain believes they can retake all the Twelve Colonies with a fleet of refugees and only two remaining Human warships in existence shows just how disconnected Cain was with the situation, most of her decisions are made for the betterment of HERSELF and at times the rest of Pegasus and not giving two shits about anyone else.

One needs to understand that Cain was not a true career officer like Adama. She got her position and command through contacts rather then earn it like Adama did. The sudden loss of the home worlds and the fleet caused her to have a mental breakdown as she quickly started making impulsive and rash command decisions. The fact that she ordered the execution (or murder) of civilians as well as murdering her own XO proves this. She was not ready, prepared, or trained to handle such a massive event. And as for Chief Tyroll and Lt. Agathon, please remember that Cains "interrogator" was going to rape and torture her. They went to save a friend. And even in colonial law, such a thing is a war crime. rather it be human or machine.

She was awesome.

"... and if I'm not mistaken, Chief Tyrol was on trial there as well." Lol. Ouch!

Ensign Ro has come a long way!

Razor was so underrated

You can tell a lot about a person just by a handshake, of which there are 3 types: 1. The "wet dish towel:" Weak grip (if any), no eye contact, insecure. 2. The "firm:" Good grip, good eye contact, confident. 3. The "Vice Grip:" Overpowering. Hands not side-by-side (their hand on top). Fierce eye contact to establish dominance. Admiral Cain is a type 3. She outranked Adama but, she was sending a "message" as well.

She was such a strong character. It's a shame that they took her down so fast

"That is the last time you try to play upon my sympathies. Between you and me I feel a hell of a lot more sorry for myself." I'm paraphrasing but that sentiment always stuck with me. Cain was a well written character.

She says that "you're not my type" but she was.

She was my type goddamn

Admiral Cain was absolutely FRACKING INSANE.

Of course she was section 8! After all the trauma she had been through how could she not be? 2 choices: become rock hard/stone cold or crack up. Unlike Adama she had no family, no friends, no support, never a break from the terrible burden of revenge. She lost it anyway, lost perspective under the burden of command. Don't hate her, she was all they had and she did her best for them under the worst of circumstances.

She was a god damn Stalin, but I'd die for her.

The problem with fast track promotions and that she had absolutely no combat experience. She lost her mind and was willing to go right to hell with everyone riding her coat tails

The best episodes in the series.

Cain acted like a Sith Lord Vader! Executing anyone who fails. Whereas Adama was like a Jedi Obi Wan !

She went from piloting the u.s.s. enterprise to commanding a battlestar

Cain was ruthless, dude!

1:15 on of the few times in movie and TV where military personnel actually render a correct salute. Very cool.

Just in case there is anyone left who does not know this: Adama means "Earth" in Hebrew.

Wait, when did Ensign Ro Laren suddenly get promoted to Admiral and why is Captain Picard now second in command...on a different starship to boot? And the Borg now have spies in the federation with no implants somehow. I really need to catch up. Anyone know when the reruns air so I can set my VHS timer to record?

Ive said this in other posts but Ill Say it again: Admiral Caine was killed way too soon. Her, Fisk and Pegasus had enough stories for a whole season

For some it's 'Ozymandias', for others it's 'Battle of the Bastards' For me, 'Pegasus' was the best hour of TV ever made.

She flinched

Notice how often Admiral Cain pulled rank to get her way? How often she had to remind others that she was in command? How often she had to resort to violence to keep her men in line? That's a sign of a poor leader; her followers don't respect her and continually question her orders. She makes no attempt to earn her men's respect or establish an understanding with them, and never allows them any freedom to use their own judgment or play to their strengths. She has a "my way or the highway" attitude and never listens to anyone else's input in a situation. She sees her men as nothing more than expendable fodder and soldiers, and her poor leadership skills nearly caused the last two Battlestars in existence to destroy each other. "Any man who must say 'I am the king' is no true king." -Tywin Lannister

Adama: "I'm getting my big salad!"

Like the twist of making Cain Adama's superior , nice nod to original series when it was Adama's plan to integrate crews.

Michelle Forbes would make a great Honor Harrington.

My fave BSG episode ... mainly because of the music!

I caught the handshake too,...but I wouldn't mind her being on top,.....I'd actually "prefer it"😂.

One of the finest looking admirals I've ever seen! SHe was a hottie as a Star Trek Ensign as well!

IMO, this is the absolute BEST SCI-FI show ever made and it is a CRIME that every single character on this show isn't working today. That said, what makes this show brilliant is that it perfectly captures the human condition. We have a liberal Commander and a Conservative Admiral deciding the very FATE of the human race......

5:50 She is no longer detached, she is right with the new civilian government who commands both her and Adama. At this point Cain doesn't care about anything else but keeping power for herself but finally met someone who won't bow down to her or flinch when she makes threats.

mason handshake at 1:33

The Pegasus could of been a spin off series, would of been great.

I LOVE the actress (loved her on Star Trek also) but her character was just straight up evil. It was the only time a rooted for the Cylons lol. I thought a soldier was suppose to protect the civilians not slaughter them.

I am a flag officer on detached service during a time of war. - bad ass line. I wish they woulda kept her around for the better part of the season to really get that hate/respect conflict from the viewer. The Pegasus movie revealed a lot more of how bad-ass she was.

She should have watched her Six

8:05 The "wonderful" Admiral Cain. Fortunately, her "reign" is thankfully short.

although i was never a big fan of this reboot i have to admit that this was a Hell of a good story arc.

“Your not my type”

My only problem with this arc is that Roslin for once, and only once maybe, didn't play up her part as she should. She was the president of the colonies, de facto military commander in chief of the fleet, even if the day to day military ops of the fleet wasn't run by her. Adm. Cain might have been Adama's senior and superior, but Roslin was her superior, in turn. In that meeting in Colonial One Roslin doesn't even mention that - she just goes on to tell Cain that she could fight Galactica or compromise - no, m'lady, she either could and should stand down under direct orders from her CiC to do so, and shut the eff up, or she could and should stand immediately relieved from command and arrested in wait for a court martial for insubordination and rebellion against the lawful authority (her commander in chief no less). It's obvious that Cain didn't bother to recognize the authority of Roslin to begin with - but still Roslin should've played that card and made it clear that if she disobeyed she'd be in open rebellion against the established, actual, authority in command in that scenario (the government of the colonies), which would've gone a long way to put her whole hold over Pegasus at risk ,for probably a good chunk of that ship's crew would have serious problems about serving under an officer in open rebellion. Besides, and again, they were in Colonial One. Cain should've been reprimanded, given the chance to follow the direct orders of the CIC of the fleet, and had she refused, IMMEDIATELY arrested. The only way she should've been allowed to go back to Pegasus would've been if she had comprehensively made clear she aknowledged she was not the girl in charge AT ALL, and that she recognized Roslin as the lawful authority she was bound to serve under (something she never did, btw). Refusal to do either would've meant the brig, court martial, removal of rank and command, and immediate promotion of Adama to the Admiral rank giving him command of both Galactica and Pegasus. It's quite the flaw in the writing of an otherwise excellent arc, and a big let down from a character that elsewhere in the series was shown to have absolutely no issues in firmly showing who REALLY was in charge when in need to do so, even when in much more dangerous and extreme situations than the one at hand (Roslin)

6:33-7:02, Adama and Cain in the principal's office.

The reign of Caine stays mainly in the plain.

Cain's demeanor and actions make me feel like she needs to be administered a considerable quantity of tranquilizer, with a dart gun . Likely on regular basis by a nearby sniper or gunman ready to administer regularly and when a need arises. It's like her angry stoicism, overwhelming Militarism and the need for control are the only things that keep her from breaking into a raging tantrum breakdown; or something to that effect. I imagine Cain like a tea kettle that has glowing metal from the heat, with few or no release valves leaving the thing to rattle and vibrate from the building pressure.

She met her end like the warrior she was.

Best science fiction show in my opinion to this day. Where is the Pegasus tv show? Come on Netflix? Must have Michelle Forbes can't do it without her 😁😀🤣😂😃😅😉

How did someone so junior in age to Adama go all the way up to Admiral?

Anyone got a link to the clip where Cain changes her mind on the execute orange order. It's a great scene, really want to see it again.

The reign of Cain makes the fleet feel pain. The fleet's real pain is mainly caused by Cain.

Fuck man... I remember the days when I still played video games... playing with a great man(he was a U.S. Marine on active in the barracks)on the night of Pegasus return... I don’t remember how but we fell into a soft but swiftly intensifying conversation about Battlestar Galactica. He said at one point, “I thought I was the only one who liked that stupid show.” But as he said it with such soft consistency and yet such channeled determination of some notion of deep meaning and a innate and instantaneous feeling... we kind of both silently realized we are both at home here. This was OUR show. It was so strong and certain that in that moment we both realized we used those actors that did those roles too hold up who and what we were in those unique times. At the point in time... we came to realize... that because of this silly little show... we were fuckin alright for a while. I remember that night, having a drink(a bottle, round as fuck but mentally it was a hexagon) and all those lovelies of ours that rocked our world in a way that can’t be unmade ever... there importance. Katie Sackoff, Edward James Olmos, Tricia Helfer, Grace Park, Mary McDonald, Jamie bamber, Micheal Hogan, James Callis, Aaron Douglas, Tamoh Pinekett, the mighty Alessandro Juliani and one of the worlds most lovely humans, the edifying Kandyse McClure...! What a daydream 💭 anyway... names I shouldn’t forget(Ronald D. Moore){I’m not mentioning David and his Godamned Lamps! Psssh} Ohh Rekha Sharma and Leah Cairns and Nikki Clyne and Kerry Norton and Keegan Conor Tracy and Alison Down, Eileen Peede, Alison Down, the wondrous Tyffany Lyndall-Knight , Lara Gilchrist, the stunning (absolutely stunning) Luciana Carro... what was I thinking of? Do I want to think of anything else? Graced with the presence of people like Lucy Lawless, Kate Vernon, Bodie Olmos, Micheal Trucco, Donnelly Rhodes, Callum Keith Rennie and Mathew Bennet, the greatest guys I ever seen Sam Witwer and Warren Christie, The fabulous Ryan Mcdonell and the fantastic Dominic Zamprogna! Sebastian Spence and Colin Lawrence! Lorena Gale! Dean Stockwell of coarse! He intensified the show in a way that it became transcendent after it had just transcended! Such a magical thing and all the rest of the family. It can be expressed only one way and that is family. And God did Michelle Forbes come in and steal the whole show for a while... even from Katie James and Jamie and Tricia and Grace... that’s not easy to do. In short... in terms of acting... it was the greatest quality I’ve ever seen... and when it comes to works of art... what all of you people did... and for the likes of all of us... it’s a cherished memory that became a force to help shape the history of the world. And from people like me to people like Elon Musk... you effected us very deeply, and enriched the human story and I just thought one person could remind you all how important you are to all of us. Thank you from all of our hearts. Your fans and the blissfully ignorant. We love you. So we all say it.

Michelle Forbes - another great actor that got their start on Guiding Light.

Didn't Lloyd Bridges play Cain in the 70's BG?

Why? Why am I attracted to her? She's not "classically beautiful" but she's got something... That command authority and that aura of power she projects is so damn sexy. Is something wrong with me?

It was a very interesting choice to flip the Pegasus situation around from what it was in the classic series. For those who have only seen this version, the original series also featured the return of the Battlestar Pegasus, under the command of Commander Cain, played by Kirk Douglas. However where Admiral Cain outranked Adama in the new series, in the original it was the other way around - Adama, as both a Commander and as a member of the Quorum of Twelve, outranked Cain. There was still a conflict, but it was for completely different reasons - where Adama was cool-headed and preferred to avoid the Cylons, Cain had been waging guerilla war against the Cylons since the colonies fell and strongly disagreed with Adama's choices, even planning a mutiny of his own and deliberately sabotaging a plan that would have allowed them to avoid the Cylons while still accomplishing their goals because he wanted a fight. In the end, he sacrifices himself and the Pegasus to save Adama and the fleet, though his daughter survived and joined Galactica's Blue Squadron and became a potential romantic interest for Apollo. The changes made between series fascinate me, how similar and yet wildly different they are. Classic Pegasus only lasted two episodes while the modern Pegasus lasted significantly longer, yet in the end both were sacrificed to protect Galactica and the fleet.

As good as the Cain arc turned out to be in the end, there was still a major plot hole that the show never addressed - as President Roslin could have simply relieved Cain of her command after the initial showdown between Pegasus and Galactica, perhaps even going as far as having her security detail arresting Cain on Colonial One. It would have made for a much more dramatic and shocking twist, before Cain eventually was returned to her command of Pegasus for whatever reason before or during the attack on the Resurrection Ship. The rest of her story arc could have then followed the same line to her death at the hands of the captured Six.

Cain was a great character, the only thing I would hold against her writing is that execution of her XO. I think most people understand it again as "cold calculation" and no tollerance for insubordination. I would first claim it was excesively wasteful, a demotion, removal from the bridge crew or even brig would be all better choices. But most importantly - her XO did not openly disobey her order. To her direct question, he replied "I cannot follow the order with good conscience" or something along the lines. The only acceptable response from Cain would be to inform him, that his conscience is irrelevant and ask him again - because he failed to answer the question. Yet she shoots him. That doesnt fit her perfectly measured cold logic. She must have "missed" it and I dont think she would.

She warns Adama his son is not fit for command

As Commander in Chief President Roslin could have demoted Cain or removed her from command

She did leave her sister at the hands of the cylons because during the first war

Definitely see the bladerunner prequel they were going for here

Ensign Ro was promoted! 😀

What a great show and more important, what an amazing cast, male and females alike, put in just amazing performances, aside from baltair, I would argue the female cast members carried this show for most of its duration. What a beautiful thing when people were losing their marbles over starbuck being a female lead, but she really was right for the part.

This is the character that Lloyd Bridges played in the classic series.

This was such a fucking good show.

Michelle Forbes as Admiral Daala in Star Wars should be a thing, not by just voice actress but in character in front of Grand Admiral Thrawn played by Jeremy Irons, and their both would make the most memorized Imperial oficer to oficer chat in Star Wars history. She`s the best and She would be the a star of star trek, star wars, battlestar galactica in each as amazing character.