Richard Hatch as Tom "Captain Apollo" Zarek

Tom Zarek is portrayed by Richard Hatch on the television series, Battlestar Galactica. Prior to the Cylon Holocaust, Tom was involved in numerous terrorist activities, which included planting explosives in a government facility. Also, he had been known for his subversive behavior. When the Twelve Colonies were destroyed, Tom and several of his inmates were stranded aboard the prison barge, Astral Queen. Inside the Astral Queen, Tom rallied the others and led a protest regarding the harsh living conditions of the prison barge. He created trouble for then-Commander Adama President Roslin when he facilitated a hostage situation during a water supply crisis.

In pursuit of his political career, Tom ran for office and was voted the Sagittaron representative on the new Quorum of Twelve. Following that position, he ran for the Vice Presidency, but lost when Roslin helped Dr. Gaius Baltar win the Vice Presidency. When martial law was imposed by Colonel Saul Tigh, Tom helped Lee Adama, son of Commander Adama, to hide Roslin from the military. His lieutenant, Meier, planned to kill Lee, but Tom tried his best to persuade Meier to do otherwise. However, Meier was unconvinced and subsequently med his demise when his assassination plan failed. Lee then approached Tom regarding his connections with the black market, and Tom ended up telling Lee about a gangster named Phelan, whom Lee later killed.

Following Phelan’s death, Tom assumed the responsibilities of Baltar’s campaign manager when the doctor ran against Roslin. Tom helped Baltar win the presidency with his proposal to move the fleet to a planet they dubbed, New Caprica. With Baltar as the president, Tom was free to take over the Vice Presidency. Some time later, when the Cylons forced Baltar into giving up his administration, Tom was put in confinement because he refused to cooperate with the Cylons. They were saved later on by the human resistance movement, and when Roslin regained the presidency, she appointed Tom as her Vice President.



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