Sharon Valerii

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This article is about the character from the reimagining of Battlestar Galactica. For the original character, see Lieutenant Boomer.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Sharon Valerii, aka Number Eight, is the name of two characters on the television series Battlestar Galactica, a reimagining of the classic show of the same name. They are portrayed by Grace Park. One of the Sharons is a pilot whose call sign is 'Boomer'. Besides this, she bears no resemblance to the Boomer of the original Galactica series. Sharon is a humanoid Cylon, so there are actually "many copies" of this Cylon model throughout the Cylon Fleet and Cylon forces occupying the defeated Twelve Colonies. However, only two have so far been recurring characters. Although the copy of Sharon on the Battlestar Galactica was the first encountered during the series, she has no more claim to being the "original" Sharon than the other copies.

Contents

1 Galactica-Sharon
2 Caprica-Sharon
3 Number Eight
4 Trivia
5 External links

Galactica-Sharon

Lieutenant Junior Grade Sharon "Boomer" Valerii is a Cylon sleeper agent programmed to believe that she really is human. For example, she has been implanted with false memories of being raised on Troy by her parents Katherine and Abraham Valerii, who died in an accident that killed all members on the mining colony. Boomer and Chief Galen Tyrol are romantically involved, despite the fact that their relationship is against military protocol. Due to her programming, she performs a number of sabotage actions (including bombing the Galactica's water tanks), which she has no conscious memory of, although in time she begins to suspect something may be wrong with her. Tyrol hides evidence that would implicate her in the water bombing, but later suspicious events cause him to break off his relationship with her.

Sharon's programming ultimately takes over and she shoots Commander William Adama, putting him in a coma. She and Tyrol (suspected of being a Cylon because of his relationship with her) are put in the brig, interrogated and brutalized by Colonel Saul Tigh, who has taken command of Galactica in Adama's incapacity. Gaius Baltar ultimately forces her to tell him how many other Cylons were onboard by threatening Tyrol. She is shot and killed by Specialist Cally, who blames her for Tyrol's imprisonment (and is herself in love with Tyrol, as is made clear in later episodes). Sharon dies in Tyrol's arms. Her last words are, "I love you, Chief."

In the episode Downloaded, we discover that Boomer's consciousness was downloaded into a new body yet resisted being identified with the Cylon cause. She is viewed as a hero among the Cylons, but in this episode she and fellow Cylon Number Six, transformed by their love for humans in previous incarnations, decide to try to persuade the Cylons that some of their actions against mankind are wrong.

Caprica-Sharon

Another Cylon avatar of Sharon, who is fully aware of her true nature, also appears in the series. This Sharon also seemed to possess the memories of the other Sharon (at least until the later episodes of the first season, when Caprica-Sharon apparently turned off her connection to whatever means the Cylons use to make updates between copies).

After Lt. Karl 'Helo' Agathon was left on the Cylon-occupied planet Caprica, she pretended to help him when in fact she was working with the other Cylons on an experiment to have him fall in love with her. At the beginning of the experiment she was just as calculating and manipulative of Helo as the other Cylons. However, as time passed she actually did fall in love with him, and tried to help him escape from the other Cylons. Helo later discovered that she was really a Cylon (when he saw another Number Eight copy, who attempted to kill him but was shot by Sharon), but after some confusion and anger she was able to convince him that she really did love him, also revealing that she was pregnant with his child. The Caprica-Sharon's pregnancy is the first successful attempt at a humanoid-Cylon/Human Hybrid, and as a result is of great importance to the Cylons. It is believed that the reason why this pregnancy was successful as opposed to the other attempts was that Helo and Sharon loved each other.

The two later ran into Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace, who realised that this Sharon was not the one from Galactica and thus a Cylon "copy". Starbuck attempted to shoot Sharon, but Helo was able to stop her. In the scuffle between Starbuck and Helo, Sharon fled to protect her unborn child, stealing the Cylon Raider Starbuck had arrived in. She later returned and helped Helo and a human resistance movement rescue Starbuck from a Cylon facility that was attempting to impregnate human women. With the exception of Helo none of the others really trusted her, but they allow her to accompany them as they rejoined President Laura Roslin's portion of the fleet (which had broken away from the main fleet of Galactica after martial law was declared when Tigh assumed command).

When Sharon and the others boarded Roslin's ship, they encountered Lee 'Apollo' Adama, son of William Adama. A tense standoff ensued after Apollo attempted to kill Sharon and Helo intervened by placing his gun to Apollo's head. Roslin managed to calm the two down, and gave a false assurance of Sharon's safety to Helo. As soon as Helo put his gun down Roslin had him restrained and ordered that Sharon be thrown out the airlock into space. Sharon pleaded for her life and told Roslin that she knew the location of the Tomb of Athena on Kobol, which Roslin and her group had been looking for. Roslin reconsidered and instead had Sharon thrown in the brig. A later discussion had Roslin hesitatingly trusting Sharon, believing that she posed no threat due to her feelings towards both Helo and their child. Nonetheless, when they landed on Kobol, Sharon was chained up as she led the others to the Tomb. During the journey she proved her worth several times, saving the group from ambush and destroying other Cylons. The group later ran into Commander William Adama, who had recovered from the other Sharon's shooting and wanted to reunite Roslin's group with Galactica. When he saw Sharon he attempted to strangle her until he was pulled off by the others. Sharon also had an awkward reunion with Tyrol, who had been in love with Galactica's version of her.

Meier, a follower of the terrorist/politician Tom Zarek, tried to convince Sharon to help him kill Commander and Captain Adama, telling her how Galactica's Sharon was murdered and her killer was only given a slap on the wrist for doing so. After voicing her fears to Helo on how the others viewed her only as an expendable thing, she pretended to take up Meier's proposal to kill Adama and Apollo, but after they all drew their weapons she shot Meier, saving Commander Adama's life. Hoping to prove she was trustworthy, Sharon then told the others: "I'm Sharon, but I'm a different Sharon. I know who I am. I don't have hidden protocols or programs lying in wait to be activated. I make my own choices, I make my own decisions, and I need you to know this is my choice."

Nevertheless, back on Galactica, Sharon was imprisoned in the brig. Despite all she had done for the crew, she continued to be treated like a dangerous enemy prisoner. Tyrol and Helo were the only ones who treated her kindly. The crew viewed Tyrol with sympathy, as they believe Sharon has tricked him, but Helo was ostracised for knowingly being a "Cylon lover."

Number Six tells Baltar that Sharon's baby will be born in her cell. She also considers Sharon and Helo's biological child to be hers; she has said that she will be its "mother" and Baltar will be its "father". The other Cylons have also shown concern over Sharon and Helo's unborn child, believing it must be protected at all costs.

Later, a Cylon virus penetrated the Galactica's computers. This wreaked havoc by creating dangerous power surges, an unscheduled engine ignition and a near-fatal oxygen shut-down. Once the virus was identified as a Cylon "logic bomb", Sharon recognized it as a prelude to a Cylon assault.

More than 200 Cylon Raiders, taking advantage of the ship's weakness closed in on Galactica. However, Sharon was able to turn the computer virus against the attacking Cylon fleet, thus enabling the Galactica's vastly outnumbered Viper squadrons to win the battle without taking any casualties. This inevitably did wonders for crew morale. Roslin confided to Adama that such a victory would have been impossible had they not trusted Sharon. Adama, in turn admitted that he took Roslin's advice and found the only common ground with Sharon - they both wanted to live.

When the Battlestar Pegasus was reunited with Galactica, its "Cylon Interrogator" Lt. Thorne beat Sharon and attempted to rape her. However Helo and Tyrol intervened and in the process killed Thorne. The two were subsequently arrested, court-martialled, found guilty and sentenced to death by the admiral of Pegasus, Helena Cain, on counts of treason. Upon Admiral Cain's death, the two of them were released.

After this, she has been interrogated by various people, such as Starbuck and Adama, and gives a Cylon perspective on issues such as the Cylon Raider Scar, and others. She also nearly had her baby aborted, and has had a few temper tantrums. She possesses the memories of Galactia-Sharon, but the Caprica-Sharon personality is clearly dominant. She likes Helo more than Tyrol, but references events on Galactica.

In Downloaded Caprica-Sharon gives birth to her child prematurely, via an emergency caesarean section. The daughter is named Hera. As the baby is deemed a risk to the Fleet if raised by her Cylon mother, Hera's death is faked by Dr. Cottle.

Number Eight

Other Sharon/Boomers have been seen, and the reborn Galactica-Sharon has replaced Caprica-Sharon as a representative in the Cylon leader group.

Trivia

'Boomer' is an informal term for a ballistic missile submarine, just as 'Helo' means 'helicopter'.
In the anime Bubblegum Crisis, 'Boomer' is an informal term for a cyberdroid (an artificial humanoid with significant parallels to the Cylons).
Sharon Valerii's shooting of William Adama is reminscient of the assassination of U.S. President William McKinley by Leon Czolgosz. Both Adama and McKinley were shot twice in the gut with a pistol, as they were about to shake hands with their attackers.
The scene where Specialist Cally shoots the Galactica-Boomer is reminscient of the assassination of Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby, for the killing of President John F. Kennedy.
The two primary Sharon models, one on Caprica and one on Galactica, have their bangs parted on opposite sides of the forehead.
In "Downloaded", it is revealed that Sharon is model Number Eight. (As opposed to Baltar's Number Six)

External links

Battlestar Galactica (2003)>Battlestar Galactica

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