Battlestar Data : Cain's Return

Cain's Return

With the firm squeeze of the navi-hilt, the lone Viper throttled down the launch rails; ergs of tylium-powered exhaust sprayed across the gelid, space-exposed surfaces of steel and carbon. As the Viper rocketed into open space, the pilot rolled the starcraft up and around, maneuvering gracefully alongside the immense battlestar. His slow, circular course took him around the ship's perimeter.

And from the confines of the Viper's cockpit, Commander Cain surveyed the damage to his ship. The still-mighty Colonial battlestar Pegasus had visible damage, created by the debris of the two destroyed Cylon basestars. Cain had launched the Pegasus against Baltar's triad of base ships; he had hit two of the three. Cain had ordered the Pegasus on a down angle port turn after firing the last volleys of missiles. That took the venerable battlestar away from Baltar's base star -- and into open space. It was now impossible to target Baltar's basestar with all of the floating felgercarb that made the targeting scanners unreadable. With the accumulated damage, the dwindled support crew and the lack of pilots, the Pegasus was forced to rocket into deep space. Cain hoped that Baltar would follow the Pegasus away from the Galactica and her rag tag fleet. He rather enjoyed the idea of the two ships duking it out. His crew would have fought to the bloody end. But in the blizzard-like scanning conditions, Baltar would no sooner find the Galactica than locating the Pegasus.

Cain would savor the partial victory, but his battlestar would be forced into self-exile. Cain had entertained the thought of battling the base ship. He would be forced to sacrifice the battle to the returning waves of Cylon Raiders, though. His exec, Tolan, had agreed with his maneuvers into deep space. After all, Cain and his skeleton crew needed to live for another day, for another battle against those golmonging Cylons. Someday he would see Sheba, Bojay and the rest of his valiant Warriors again, who were evacuated to the Galactica. But that day would have to wait. Twenty yahrens would soon pass... In that time period, we saw the passing of Lloyd Bridges (Commander Cain) in March 1998. Richard Hatch (Apollo) released his "Battlestar Galactica: Warhawk" novel in August 1998. And Glen A. Larson and Todd Moyer announced in March 1999 a new Battlestar Galactica production starring -- you guessed it -- Commander Cain and the battlestar Pegasus. Bridges's characterization of Cain was indeed legendary to both science fiction entertainment and to Battlestar Galactica fans. The actor was tapped for the role of Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek, but declined. Bridges became a Battlestar Galactica icon after his 1978 appearances. He was indeed destined as the command lead for a science fiction series. I'm not sure Bridges's family would want Lloyd remembered solely for the role of Cain. But he made a strong impression. There's even a dedicated internet domain, BattlestarPegasus.com, in homage to the man and character.

Now, the question is: How would you want to see the role of Commander Cain continued?

Let's consider this:

Larson helped create Commander Cain. He did an admirable job creating this crusty war daggit who teams with the Galactica to battle the Cylons. Larson is rumored to own the creative rights to Galactica based on a contractual clause about the Cain character and the Pegasus. (I wonder if Larson made any sacrifices in order to pay Bridges's salary. Bridges was an ideal fit for the role.)
Larson intends to bring back Commander Cain and the Pegasus (as per the March 10, 1999 Variety article) in a new production. It alludes to the Pegasus searching for the Galactica, finding the first battlestar (the Atlantis -- setting the stage for Earth mythological origins/ legends) and teaming with the Galactica to battle the Cylons. Larson is rumored to own the creative rights to Galactica based on a contractual clause about the Cain character and the Pegasus.
Todd Moyer (associated with Larson) talked about "walking Vipers" in their production. That does NOT sound like Battlestar Galactica, rather Robotech or Transformers. Larson was quoted in SFX Online magazine, dated October 9, 1999. The magazine stated "He said it would look great on an Imax 3D screen, but 'It is one among many things that we are looking at.'"
Hatch published his Cain comeback story in 1998 in "Battlestar Galactica: Warhawk." In the book, Hatch and co-author Christopher Golden tell what happened to Cain all of those twenty yahrens, and what happens when everyone meets up again. Hatch is well-known for keeping the classic themes and characters, plus adding a few new things here and there, such as QSE generators (stealth technology from the Cylons), the Scarlet-class Viper design, and the Pegasus crew's improvements on the Viper with the Viper Duet design.

So, the question begs: Who do you want writing/guiding Cain's return? On one hand, we have the original writer behind Commander Cain. Mind you, we didn't see too much character growth during the limited two episode appearance, so we're not sure what he has in mind in a new production. On the other hand, Larson glorified his existence in the original episodes as a warmonger. Maybe that's all his character is: an obsessed, dedicated leader whom -- metaphorically speaking -- is the living embodiment of Ares, God of War. Then we have Richard Hatch, who wrote a powerful story which plausibly explained where Cain had been for twenty yahrens. ("Battlestar Galactica: Warhawk" by Richard Hatch and Christopher Golden.) It's a story that fans would love to see; it's the story that needs to be told. And Cain is totally in character.

In the end, we're going full circle, just like Cain flying around the Pegasus at the beginning of this article. Hatch has his vision; Larson/Moyer have theirs. Neither one is in full production right now. Is it an endless loop, wondering about the future? Or will we see Cain and the Pegasus in action again? Twenty yahrens is a long time to wait for that answer. I hope Universal and/or USA Networks decides soon. Time waits for no one. In closing, contemplate this: Who will play Cain in which production?

-by Vin Tran