Aaron Kelly (Battlestar Galactica)
Encyclopedia
Captain Aaron Kelly is a fictional character
, played by Ty Olsson
, in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica TV program. The character has been part of the show since the 2003 Miniseries
. Captain Kelly is the landing signal officer
(LSO) aboard the Battlestar Galactica
. At the beginning of the second season, Captain Kelly was third in line of command, after then-Commander Adama
and then-Colonel Tigh
. The character of Aaron Kelly has no direct analog in the original Battlestar Galactica
earlier nuclear attack on the Galactica.
Kelly becomes executive officer
of Galactica after Adama is shot and falls comatose, and Tigh becomes commanding officer
and commander of the fleet. After the fleet jumps using out-of-date jump coordinates, resulting in Galactica ending up alone, Kelly strongly voices his opposition to Felix Gaeta
's plans to network Galacticas computers together to find the rest of the fleet.
Kelly is shown performing his duties as LSO in the second-season episode "Final Cut
". He is on duty when Louanne "Kat" Katraine
panics and finds herself unable to safely land her Viper
due to stimulant abuse. This episode was also the first to give the character's first name as Aaron.
Kelly is still serving aboard the Galactica when she jumps away from New Caprica to avoid the Cylon invasion fleet. He serves in the CIC
during the Battle of New Caprica, in which Galactica fights a holding action to allow the civilian population to escape from the Cylons. Two weeks before the trial of former President Gaius Baltar
is set to start, Kelly assassinates his first public defender and attempts to kill his second lawyer twice. When then-Major Lee Adama
uncovers the plot and confronts Kelly, disciplinary actions are taken against him.
He appears briefly in "The Oath"
, leading a fire team of rebel marines trying to prevent Baltar and President Roslin
from escaping Galactica. It is revealed in the following episode, "Blood on the Scales", that Kelly had been serving time in the brig for his previous actions and had been set free by Gaeta and Zarek's mutineers to serve alongside them. His loyalty to the mutineers quickly begins to waver however, and he is visibly shaken after Zarek orders the Quorum of Twelve to be executed. He later discovers Galen Tyrol trying to reach a weapon in the weapons locker. They begin to reminisce, and he allows Tyrol to escape. When he learns that Adama is about to face a firing squad he begins to crack under the pressure. He is found by Lee Adama, who interrogates him about where William Adama was being taken. Kelly joins Lee, Tigh and Sharon (Athena) in stopping the firing squad from executing Adama and joins them in retaking the ship.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, played by Ty Olsson
Ty Olsson
Tyler "Ty" Olsson is a Canadian actor. He's best known for being the voice of the dragon Ord on Dragon Tales and for portraying real life 9/11 victim Mark Bingham in the A&E television movie Flight 93.-Life and career:...
, in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica TV program. The character has been part of the show since the 2003 Miniseries
Battlestar Galactica (TV miniseries)
Battlestar Galactica is a three-hour miniseries written and produced by Ronald D. Moore and directed by Michael Rymer. It was the first part of the Battlestar Galactica reimagining based on the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series, and served as a backdoor pilot for the 2004 television series...
. Captain Kelly is the landing signal officer
Landing signal officer
Landing Signal Officers are naval aviators specially trained to facilitate the "safe and expeditious recovery" of naval aircraft aboard aircraft carriers. Originally LSOs were responsible for bringing aircraft aboard ship using hand signals...
(LSO) aboard the Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (ship)
The Battlestar Galactica is a space battleship in the original and re-imagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica.The Twelve Colonies of Man in the original television series built a number of Battlestars during their thousand-year war with the Cylons, whose battleships are...
. At the beginning of the second season, Captain Kelly was third in line of command, after then-Commander Adama
William Adama
William "Bill" Adama is a fictional character portrayed by Edward James Olmos in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series...
and then-Colonel Tigh
Saul Tigh
Saul Tigh is a fictional character on Battlestar Galactica played by Michael Hogan. The character was named Paul Tigh in early scripts, and was renamed due to legal issues, according to producer Ronald D. Moore. He is one of the main characters of the show.-Overview and personality:Saul Tigh is a...
. The character of Aaron Kelly has no direct analog in the original Battlestar Galactica
Character biography
Captain Kelly is first shown greeting then-Commander Adama in a corridor before the decommissioning ceremony for the Galactica. Later in the miniseries, Kelly is shown collecting the dogtags of the fatalities of the Cylons'Cylon (Battlestar Galactica)
The Cylons are a cybernetic civilization at war with the Twelve Colonies of humanity in the Battlestar Galactica science fiction franchise, in the original 1978 and 1980 series, the 2004 reimagining, as well as the spin-off prequel series, Caprica...
earlier nuclear attack on the Galactica.
Kelly becomes executive officer
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
of Galactica after Adama is shot and falls comatose, and Tigh becomes commanding officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
and commander of the fleet. After the fleet jumps using out-of-date jump coordinates, resulting in Galactica ending up alone, Kelly strongly voices his opposition to Felix Gaeta
Felix Gaeta
Lieutenant Junior Grade Felix Gaeta is a fictional character on Battlestar Galactica played by Alessandro Juliani.- Character overview in his early career :...
's plans to network Galacticas computers together to find the rest of the fleet.
Kelly is shown performing his duties as LSO in the second-season episode "Final Cut
Final Cut (Battlestar Galactica)
"Final Cut" is the eighth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on September 9, 2005....
". He is on duty when Louanne "Kat" Katraine
Louanne Katraine
Louanne Katraine is a fictional character from the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series, portrayed by Luciana Carro.- Character biography :...
panics and finds herself unable to safely land her Viper
Colonial Viper
The Colonial Viper is the primary fighter spacecraft type used by the human protagonists in the Battlestar Galactica fictional universe. Appearing in both the 1978 original series and the 2003 reimagined series, as well as various derivative works, the single-pilot spacecraft are carried aboard...
due to stimulant abuse. This episode was also the first to give the character's first name as Aaron.
Kelly is still serving aboard the Galactica when she jumps away from New Caprica to avoid the Cylon invasion fleet. He serves in the CIC
Combat Information Center
The Operations Room is the tactical center of a warship or AWAC aircraft providing processed information for command and control of the near battle space or 'area of operations'...
during the Battle of New Caprica, in which Galactica fights a holding action to allow the civilian population to escape from the Cylons. Two weeks before the trial of former President Gaius Baltar
Gaius Baltar
Gaius Baltar is a fictional character in the TV series Battlestar Galactica played by James Callis, a reimagining of Count Baltar from the 1978 Battlestar Galactica series...
is set to start, Kelly assassinates his first public defender and attempts to kill his second lawyer twice. When then-Major Lee Adama
Lee Adama
Leland Joseph "Lee" Adama is a fictional character in the television series Battlestar Galactica. He is portrayed by actor Jamie Bamber. He is one of the main characters in the series.-Early life:...
uncovers the plot and confronts Kelly, disciplinary actions are taken against him.
He appears briefly in "The Oath"
The Oath (Battlestar Galactica)
"The Oath" is the fifteenth episode in the fourth season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. It aired on television in the United States and Canada on January 30, 2009 and in the UK on Sky One on February 3, 2009....
, leading a fire team of rebel marines trying to prevent Baltar and President Roslin
Laura Roslin
Her first actions include organizing all FTL-capable ships together and convincing Commander William Adama to abandon a retaliatory attack on the Cylons. President Roslin and Billy Keikeya, her aide/press secretary/chief of staff, establish a working office space aboard her transport, renamed...
from escaping Galactica. It is revealed in the following episode, "Blood on the Scales", that Kelly had been serving time in the brig for his previous actions and had been set free by Gaeta and Zarek's mutineers to serve alongside them. His loyalty to the mutineers quickly begins to waver however, and he is visibly shaken after Zarek orders the Quorum of Twelve to be executed. He later discovers Galen Tyrol trying to reach a weapon in the weapons locker. They begin to reminisce, and he allows Tyrol to escape. When he learns that Adama is about to face a firing squad he begins to crack under the pressure. He is found by Lee Adama, who interrogates him about where William Adama was being taken. Kelly joins Lee, Tigh and Sharon (Athena) in stopping the firing squad from executing Adama and joins them in retaking the ship.