| Dr. Sherman Cottle | |
|---|---|
| Battlestar Galactica character | |
 Doctor Cottle (left) and Medic Layne Ishay assisting a patient | |
| First appearance | "Act of Contrition" |
| Last appearance | "Daybreak" |
| Portrayed by | Donnelly Rhodes |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Title | Major |
| Colony | Unknown |
| Affiliation | Colonial Fleet |
Sherman Cottle is a fictional character in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series. Played by Donnelly Rhodes, Cottle is the Battlestar Galactica's Chief Medical Officer.
Geoff Ryman holds Cottle as an example of Battlestar Galactica's rich but efficient characterization, presented to the audience of mid-2000s America as a "crusty leftover from an earlier age by having him smoke cigarettes". [1] Erica Mongé-Greer describes him: "experienced, a gruff exterior, kind-hearted, and very knowledgeable." [2]
Lorna Jowett uses Cottle to highlight the show's commentary on contemporary discussions around women's reproductive care, he along with Gaius Baltar and Cylon Simon show "men are in charge of reproductive science". [3] Later they note how a character escapes her family who is opposed to abortion in hope that Cottle will help her, though ultimately it is President Laura Roslin who makes the decision. [3] As one example in an examination on whether American television could affect stigma of abortion care in the real-world, Gretchen Sisson and Katrina Kimport note Cottle's matter-of-fact approach to abortion care, also noting that he later advised the character in question to seek political asylum. They say this as an example of "providing a social good, thereby countering provider stigma." [4]
Rikk Mulligan compares Cottle's outraged reaction to the use of rape as an interrogation tactic to Americans' outraged reaction to the treatment of detainees by coalition forces in the Iraq War in the mid-2000s. [5] However, to Lesley Henderson and Simon Carter, while Cottle symbolizes "concerns about the future of humanity, he also presents us with a discourse of hope, an idealised (possibly unrealistic) view of the tensions that the caring health sciences must navigate in a world engaged in a 'war on terror'." They describe his actions in the show "as signifying an ethical resistance to the all-encompassing needs of the military in times of war". [6]
According to Jowett, the character is also used explore stereotypes of science in media. [7] To Jowett, Cottle's portrayal is partly in moral contrast to Baltar who demonstrates science as aloof and amoral. Cottle's constant cigarette smoking is used to distinguish him from Baltar who occasionally smokes fine cigars. Jowett points out that the way Cottle converses with other characters with a down-to-earth manner and acceptance of his nickname, "Doc", distinguishes him from Baltar who relies on technobabble, and angrily rejects being referred to as "Doc". Jowett also describes how the character portrays an alternative to the immoral, represented by the genocidal Dr. Robert, as Cottle's medical ethics and humanity towards patients provide contrast with such behavior. [7]
On the return of Roslin's cancer, Amy Kind explains, Cottle also presents a dilemma that Cylons do not face. Cottle advises Roslin that the treatment "would radically and irreversibly change her psychological makeup and capabilities", and Kind goes on to contrast this with the abilities of Cylons to retain memories upon resurrection, further analyzing the nature of identity and death. [8]
In his essay How To Be Happy After the End of the World, Erik Baldwin compares Doctor Cottle, who fixes humans, to Chief Tyrol, a mechanic who fixes spaceships. Upon this, Baldwin applies Aristotle's philosophy from Nicomachean Ethics to examine the purpose of humanity in an end-of-the-world scenario. [9]
In another analysis of human and Cylon identity, Paul Booth notes that Cottle and his surgical apron demonstrate the lack of difference between human and Cylon blood. [10]
In a scene where several characters allow animosity to lead to a boxing match, Doc Cottle wants to stop the fight, while the President gives advice to a participant. [11]
In The Theology of Battlestar Galactica: American Christianity in the 2004-2009 Television Series, Kevin Wetmore notes that as chief medical officer in the fleet, Cottle suggests prayer to President Roslin, whose cancer diagnosis has just been confirmed. [12]
Dr. Gaius Baltar is a fictional character in the TV series Battlestar Galactica played by James Callis, a reimagining of Lord Baltar from the 1978 Battlestar Galactica series. He is one of the show's primary characters.
Karl C. Agathon is a fictional character on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica TV series, portrayed by Tahmoh Penikett.
Battlestar Galactica (BSG) is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore and executive produced by Moore and David Eick as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson. The pilot for the series first aired as a three-hour miniseries in December 2003 on the Sci-Fi Channel, which was then followed by four regular seasons, ending its run on March 20, 2009. The cast includes Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer, and Grace Park.
John Cavil is a fictional character and the main antagonist from the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series. He is portrayed by Dean Stockwell. In the fourth-season episode "Six of One", Cavil's model number was revealed as Number One.
"Act of Contrition" is the fourth episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series.
"Colonial Day" is the eleventh episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series.
"Valley of Darkness" is the second episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on July 22, 2005.
"Fragged" is the third episode of the second season of the Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on July 29, 2005. It is the first episode in which Starbuck does not appear.
"The Farm" is the fifth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on August 12, 2005. It is the first episode of the series in which the plot is set on Caprica.
"Home" is a two-part episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. Part 1 aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on August 19, 2005, and Part 2 aired on August 26, 2005.
"Pegasus" is the tenth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on September 23, 2005. Following "Pegasus", the series went on hiatus until January 2006.
"Resurrection Ship" is a two-part episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. Part 1 aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on January 6, 2006, and Part 2 aired on January 13, 2006. It was the first episode broadcast after a hiatus following the broadcast of the previous episode, "Pegasus", on September 23, 2005.
"Epiphanies" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on January 20, 2006.
"Lay Down Your Burdens" is the two-part second-season finale of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. Part 1 aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on March 3, 2006; Part 2 aired on March 10, 2006, as a 90-minute special.
The music of the 2004 TV series Battlestar Galactica is a body of work largely credited to the composers Bear McCreary and Richard Gibbs. The music of Battlestar Galactica displays a variety of ethnic influences and generally does not conform to the "orchestral" style of many science fiction scores.
"A Disquiet Follows My Soul" is the twelfth episode in the fourth season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. It aired on television in the United States and Canada on January 23, 2009, in Australia on January 31, 2009, and on Sky One in the UK on January 27, 2009. According to the director, this episode takes place immediately after the webisode series "The Face of the Enemy". The survivor count shown in the title sequence is 39,644. The Region 1 DVD release of Season 4.5 includes an extended version of this episode.
"Daybreak" is the three-part series finale of the reimagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica, and are the 74th and 75th episodes overall. The episodes aired on the U.S. Sci Fi Channel and SPACE in Canada respectively on March 13 and March 20, 2009. The second part is double-length. The episodes were written by Ronald D. Moore, and directed by Michael Rymer. The Season 4.5 DVD and Blu-ray releases for Region 1 feature an extended version of the finale, which not only combines all three parts as a single episode, but also integrates it with new scenes not seen in the aired versions of either part. The survivor count shown in the title sequence for Part 1 is 39,516. The survivor count shown in the title sequence for Part 2 is 39,406. At the end of Part 2, Admiral Adama announces the survivor population at approximately 38,000.
Laura Roslin is a fictional character in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series. Played by Mary McDonnell, she is the President of the colonies and a key character throughout the series. The character is noted in part for a realistic moral complexity and nuance.
This is a bibliography of works about the Battlestar Galactica franchise, it does not include fictional works.
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