I Expected To Hate This Battlestar Galactica Character, But They Turned Out To Be One Of The Show's Best Ideas

This article contains a discussion of alcoholism.

Saul Tigh of Battlestar Galacticacould easily have been one of the most unsympathetic characters in the series, but the way he's written makes him one of the best. Tigh, brilliantly played by Michael Hogan, does not always make the best decisions — his declaring martial law makes Gaius Baltar's, one of sci-fi's best characters, parallel descent look sympathetic in comparison. Despite this, Tigh's duality is perhaps the most compelling to watch.

He also has one of the most satisfying redemption arcsof all the Battlestar Galactica characters. Whereas Tigh starts as a seemingly simplistic, angry, and often drunk character, viewers gradually come to view him as the person he is: a man with a deep sense of duty who suffers Battlestar Galactica's biggest twists. This core sense of self, despite his origins, comes into play later in the series.

Battlestar Galactica Initially Sets You Up To Dislike Saul Tigh

(And He Gets Worse Before It Gets Better)

In the Battlestar Galactica miniseries, Saul Tigh is set up as a pretty dislikable character. His functional alcoholism seems taken for granted as normal, and he has a quick temper, starting a fight with Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) by flipping a table. In the pilot episode of Battlestar Galactica when everyone is tired from the attack intervals, he acts as the bad cop to Adama's (Edward James Olmos) good cop in the CIC. He harshly deals with Dee's (Kandyse McClure) slip in due diligence, while Felix (Alessandro Juliani) and Bill are more diplomatic.

Poor decision-making, such as trying to undermine Roslin's authority using her poor health, is spurred on by Ellen Tigh.

Both the miniseries and the pilot do a good job of establishing that, although incredibly efficient as a senior officer, Tigh is not necessarily likable. As Tigh himself says: "If everyone is friends with the XO, he's not doing his frakkin' job." His alcoholism also gets worse throughout the series and, in many scenes, he is in an angry, raving drunken state. However, I think many of his unlikable aspects are down to his susceptibility to coercion from his wife, Ellen (Kate Vernon). Poor decision-making, such as trying to undermine Roslin's (Mary McDonnell) authority using her poor health, is spurred on by Ellen Tigh.

Saul Tigh Transforms Into A Tragic Battlestar Galactica Character You Feel Sorry For

How Tigh Responds To His Challenges Defines Him

Throughout the Battlestar Galactica series, I really came to appreciate the duality of Tigh. Like Starbuck, Tigh functions most effectively in a crisis and is a brilliant tactician, despite his lack of diplomatic skills. Although he is quick to anger, he has a deep sense of duty to Galactica and a strong friendship with Adama. In a way, his journey is the light mirror to Gaeta. While both of these complex characters go through difficult times, Tigh shows resilience and positive growth, while Battlestar Galactica's Felix Gaeta allows it to cloud his moral compass, despite his understandable reasons.

Tigh goes through experiences that are difficult to imagine enduring. Prioritizing the safety of the fleet, he has to poison his own wife, watching her die in his arms. On New Caprica, he goes through months of torture and isolation and loses his eye. He is perhaps the most resilient character in the cast. After Ellen's death, his drinking gets even worse, but it made it better for me to watch him come through it and repair his friendship with Bill, making him even more sympathetic.

Saul Tigh's Ending Cements Him As One Of Battlestar Galactica's Best Characters

Tigh Has A Strong Sense Of Identity Which Redeems Him

Tigh has to come to terms with his Cylon identity in season 4, and he emerges from that experience an even better person as he clings to his humanity. I was afraid history would repeat itself like the wider cyclical narrative when Tigh was having visions of shooting Adama, just like Boomer (Grace Park) did, but my fears were unfounded. One of the best quotes in Battlestar Galacticawas Tigh's defiant proclamation of his identity and where his loyalties lie:

"My name is Saul Tigh. I'm an officer in the Colonial Fleet. Whatever else I am, whatever else it means, that's the man I want to be. And if I die today, that's the man I'll be."

As one of the characters who most vehemently hate the Cylons, it is a display of resilience and humanity when Tigh makes this statement. He reinforces it by even offering his own life as leverage against the Cylons in good faith. Whereas the showcould easily have been an overwhelmingly pessimistic story where nothing is sacred, Tigh is a personification of order, loyalty, and friendshipin the chaos. His ending on Earth and starting a new life with Ellen was the Battlestar Galactica conclusion he deserved.