Is it that Bill manages to remain some sort of naivete about the people he commands? Does he think that they're all good people at heart or is it an ego thing that he can't imagine they would betray him personally?
I think he just feels that the way he views the world is the One Right Way. And we get a stellar example of this with Saul Tigh - even before anyone knew Saul Tigh was a Cylon, it was clear that he was not the person who should be in command in the event that anything happened to Bill, but Bill sort of glosses over all that happened (like, declaring martial law?) and keeps Tigh on as his XO. Sometimes this can be a plus, because it means that if Bill Adama thinks you're OK, then you are OK. On the other hand, I think he has no idea that anyone might feel differently about things than he does, so in the mutiny in particular his blind spots became glaringly obvious - he didn't understand that while he had accepted the Cylons as comrades (and even in Saul's case, as a friend), a lot of other people disagreed with him. He never tried to win over anyone to his POV, he just issued his orders and assumed they'd be obeyed, without realizing just how frayed the trust everyone had in him had become. In his mind, they're a family (though you'd think given his own family experiences, he might be a bit more aware of the fissures that exist even within a family, right?) and so he's always surprised by betrayal.
she definitely is never surprised by seeing the worst of people, thanks to her past. How do you think Kara and Bill are similar or different in this regard?
I think Kara is not as blindly confident as Bill that her world-view is the right one. When she truly believes in a cause, she'll hold on like a pit-bull, but she's open to changing her mind. (Now the way in which they are similar is that her personal loyalty, once given, is never revoked unless she feels that you've betrayed her - hence her trip to Caprica for the Arrow, I think.) But her friendship and loyalty (like Bill's), though not given lightly, is rock solid - she doesn't turn on Helo after the Sharon thing; she doesn't put a bullet in Sam's head when she finds out he's a Cylon - as she threatened - though ironically and tragically that happened anyway.
I think fundamentally, maybe Kara, though not at heart a pessimist, has seen more of the awfulness of the world because she is WILLING to see more. Adama is really good at blocking out whatever doesn't fit into his picture of things (such as his ex-wife's relationship with their sons or Zak's actual abilities as a pilot or Lee's passionate love for Kara or .... the list goes on :P)
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2010-11-12 03:53 pm (UTC)I think he just feels that the way he views the world is the One Right Way. And we get a stellar example of this with Saul Tigh - even before anyone knew Saul Tigh was a Cylon, it was clear that he was not the person who should be in command in the event that anything happened to Bill, but Bill sort of glosses over all that happened (like, declaring martial law?) and keeps Tigh on as his XO. Sometimes this can be a plus, because it means that if Bill Adama thinks you're OK, then you are OK. On the other hand, I think he has no idea that anyone might feel differently about things than he does, so in the mutiny in particular his blind spots became glaringly obvious - he didn't understand that while he had accepted the Cylons as comrades (and even in Saul's case, as a friend), a lot of other people disagreed with him. He never tried to win over anyone to his POV, he just issued his orders and assumed they'd be obeyed, without realizing just how frayed the trust everyone had in him had become. In his mind, they're a family (though you'd think given his own family experiences, he might be a bit more aware of the fissures that exist even within a family, right?) and so he's always surprised by betrayal.
she definitely is never surprised by seeing the worst of people, thanks to her past. How do you think Kara and Bill are similar or different in this regard?
I think Kara is not as blindly confident as Bill that her world-view is the right one. When she truly believes in a cause, she'll hold on like a pit-bull, but she's open to changing her mind. (Now the way in which they are similar is that her personal loyalty, once given, is never revoked unless she feels that you've betrayed her - hence her trip to Caprica for the Arrow, I think.) But her friendship and loyalty (like Bill's), though not given lightly, is rock solid - she doesn't turn on Helo after the Sharon thing; she doesn't put a bullet in Sam's head when she finds out he's a Cylon - as she threatened - though ironically and tragically that happened anyway.
I think fundamentally, maybe Kara, though not at heart a pessimist, has seen more of the awfulness of the world because she is WILLING to see more. Adama is really good at blocking out whatever doesn't fit into his picture of things (such as his ex-wife's relationship with their sons or Zak's actual abilities as a pilot or Lee's passionate love for Kara or .... the list goes on :P)