Month of Awesome Women: Laura Roslin (Battlestar Galactica)

[such_heights]

"If I wanted to toss a baby out of an airlock I'd say so."

Laura Roslin



Laura Roslin, President of the Twelve Colonies. Where do I even start. In a TV show filled with compelling characters, I latched onto her the most right from the start, and I never stopped loving her even when she was breaking my heart.

Right from the off, Roslin had the most interesting story, to me. She wasn't prepared for this, not the way Adama was or anyone on the Galactica, she was a politician and a teacher and in no way familiar with the art of war or skin-of-your-teeth survival. And yet from the first moment the Cylons attack we see that she is someone possessed with the most magnificent ability to rise above and beyond all reasonable expectation and put aside her grief at the loss of her civilization and her own personal struggle with her newly-diagnosed cancer, and rally everyone around her to protect the remnants of humanity. To me, the gap between where she starts and what she rises to makes her almost the biggest goddamn hero of them all.

The numbers on the board. Throwing cylons out the airlock. Trying to steal a election. Snapping pencils and mystery books and going to Kobol and the Opera House, I was with her every moment of her journey and I loved her more and more all the time. I think she is extraordinary, in no small part due to Mary McDonnell's completely phenomenal performance. There are few characters on TV I have found quite so reliably mesmerising.

Oh, Laura.

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Vid Rec: there's a war going on for your mind, laura by beccatoria
Laura Roslin and the Cylon Hybrid engage in a rap battle.

Comments

[anatsuno]

yes. I have hated her in places, yet I always love her even as I do. I am so in awe of her, you know?

[beck_liz]

Laura!!!! She is the awesomest. Love her lots and lots.

[chagrined]

She is such a BAMF. My favorite character on that show by farrrr.

[musesfool]

Frak yeah, she's awesome!

Why is this my only Laura icon?

[lyras]

Mary McDonnell is absolutely luminous in the role of Laura. And I agree, Laura is just awesome! Probably the most interesting character in the entire show, for me.

[fly_to_dawn]

Hearts in my eyes, hearts in my eyes.

[laurashapiro]

She is MY FAVORITE. On the rare occasions when I'm tempted to rewatch BSG, it's because of her.

[chaila]

♥ Well said! "Reliably mesmerizing" is just about the best description for Laura Roslin; no matter what she was doing, I wanted to watch her, to see what she would do or how she would react, and there were always at least six things going on beneath the surface. Oh Laura.

[sophinisba]

I love that bit from the miniseries that ended up in the opening credits, when she's taking the oath to become president and looks like she's not quite sure how to hold her hand. She starts out from a place of being so overwhelmed but she never even hesitates because she knows that the people need her. She's really amazing to watch (and also badass.)

[beccatoria]

The numbers on the board. Throwing cylons out the airlock. Trying to steal a election. Snapping pencils and mystery books and going to Kobol and the Opera House, I was with her every moment of her journey and I loved her more and more all the time. I think she is extraordinary, in no small part due to Mary McDonnell's completely phenomenal performance. There are few characters on TV I have found quite so reliably mesmerising.

COSIGNED. <3

Also, thank you for the rec!

[such_heights]

Completely! She has a real magnificence to her no matter what she's doing.

[such_heights]

<3333333

[such_heights]

Agree! I dig a bunch of the others, but she's just fabulous.

[such_heights]

So say we all!

Re: Why is this my only Laura icon?

[such_heights]

Me too! The way they set her arc up hit all my buttons.

[such_heights]

LAURAAAA!

[such_heights]

Most definitely! I enjoy going back to rewatch carefully selected sections - I personally never get tired of the New Caprica arc, for instance.

[such_heights]

there were always at least six things going on beneath the surface

Absolutely! It was great trying to puzzle her out.

[such_heights]

Oh god, yes, so many feelings in that moment, and you see them all play out on her face. Extraordinary.

[such_heights]

You're so welcome! It was just tough trying to pick which of your vids to go with! (Moon vs. Sun also has a special place in my heart, because yeah.)

[laurashapiro]

I still haven't ever rewatched. (: I'm sure I will at some point, but whenever I consider it I just feel too bitter.

OTOH, we recently rewatched S1 of Heroes and enjoyed it a lot...while whining CONSTANTLY about how good the show was when it started and how badly it went off the rails.

[fallingtowers]

Laura Roslin is probably the most truly radical and revolutionary character on that show, and it both saddens and irks me to no end when people can't or won't see this.