Serina (Battlestar Galactica)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Serina

Serina at the attack on Caprica
Race Human
Gender Female
Portrayed by Jane Seymour
Rank Pilot
Colony Caprica
Affiliation Colonials

Serina is the name of a fictional character in the 1978 movie Battlestar Galactica and original Battlestar Galactica television series. Portrayed by Jane Seymour, Serina was a famous news reporter in the Twelve Colonies.

The audience was first introduced to Serina as she was broadcasting coverage of the Peace Conference that was supposed to end the 1,000 year Cylon War. Her report was being filed from the surface of the planet Caprica, and her coverage continued during the first part of the sneak attack by the Cylons on the Colonies.

She managed to escape the attack with her son, Boxey, but Boxey's daggit Muffit was lost. His father also died in the attack.

Serina subsequently met Captain Apollo on Caprica when he landed his Viper and brought his father Commander Adama to the surface. Later, after the human survivors left the Colonies in a ragtag fleet, Serina asked Apollo to help with Boxey, who was refusing to eat. Apollo and Boxey established a bond, as did Serina and Apollo.

Serina was subsequently involved with the mission to Carillon which is depicted, along with the events previously described, in the Galactica film and in the TV episode "Saga of a Star World".

Ultimately, Serina and Apollo fell in love and were sealed (married) by Commander Adama in the subsequent two-part episode "Lost Planet of the Gods". In this episode, Serina volunteered to become a shuttle pilot and later trained to fly a Colonial Viper (despite Apollo's strenuous objections) when a strange disease incapacitated most of the fleet’s fighter pilots.

While accompanying Adama and Apollo during the exploration of Kobol, Serina was shot by a Cylon centurion in an ambush and later died with Apollo at her side aboard the Galactica.

[edit] Early concept

In early drafts of Battlestar Galactica scripts, the character of Serina was actually named Lyra, and was a member of the Quorum of Twelve, rather than a journalist. She was intended to be an ongoing character. When Jane Seymour was chosen for the part, she wanted to be free to do films. The script was rewritten to have her die of pluton poisoning (the same poisoning that destroyed the refugee's food supplies) in the pilot. Scenes to this effect were filmed and included in the first version of the pilot, however after this was shown to test audiences, it was deemed too depressing. All scenes with Serina being weak, or ill, or her diagnosis, or even the original ending scene in which she slipped out during a performance of the Colonial Anthem (presumably to die) were later edited out. Serina would die in the second episode of the series, "Lost Planet of the Gods".

[edit] Reimagining

Serina is one of the characters from the original Battlestar Galactica series that has no analog in the 2003 reimagined Battlestar Galactica, although, interestingly, the character of Boxey does appear.

Jane Seymour was asked to play the role of Admiral Cain in new series in 2005, but declined the part.

An amalgam analogue of Serina and Cassiopeia appears as Shevon, whom has a daughter Paya that function in a manner similar to Serina and Boxey in relation to Lee Adama, Captain Apollo's analog.

A TV reporter is featured in the new Battlestar Galactica, is D'Anna Biers.