Question about Battlestar Galactica: Razor

[DukeNukem 2417]

My brother was channel-surfing when he caught the part of BSG: Razor where the captain of the Pegasus orders a crewmember to hand over his sidearm, at which point the captain shoots him in the head with it. Without spoiling too much, can anyone explain why the hell the captain shot the guy instead of just chucking his sorry ass in the brig?

[Trace Venom]

Dude...

I take it you're not watching the series?

Not to get all obnoxiously nerdy on you, but explaining that to you might be futile if you're only casually interested in Battlestar Galactica.

Short explanation? Admiral Kane was a cold and merciless bitch (as were most of the crew of the Pegasus) and the Pegasus fleet was not exactly a place that was concerned as much with being "fair" as it was concerned with survival... by any means necesary.

That philosophy was the whole subtext of the Pegasus storyline: Contrasting both sides of the human experience: The Communal (Galactica) vs. The Darwinian (Pegasus). She shot him, because she thought her XO was a weak link that was not only a threat to her authority but a drain on the resources of the ship. In her eyes, allowing him to live while throwing him in the brig would only complicate things for her and jeopardize the mission.

It was a scene whose main point was to give you insight into the character of Admiral Kane while shocking you and making you think about the differences between Kane and Adama, in both their personal and leadership styles.

Just because it might seem cruel and illogical to us, doesn't mean it hasn't happened. I'm sure this sort of situation has indeed transpired hundreds of times in wars throughout history.

[TheSpotConlon]

If it's the bit I'm thinking, then it's a scene told several times in the series. The captain orders the XO to hand over his weapon when he won't direct the fighters into a suicide mission. She kills him, then points the gun at the second officer, giving him the same order. That scene is referenced a couple of times, sort of played like a "did it happen or didn't it" until it appears in Razor.

[DukeNukem 2417]

Thanks for the info. In my opinion, "weak links" who don't want to direct a suicide mission should be sent on the mission and allowed to get killed then, rather than get shot point blank by their CO.

As for the situation happening throughout history, look at the freaking Spartans. If their INFANTS looked weak, they chucked them off a cliff to die. THAT is what I'd call cold and merciless!