Sherman Cottle is a fictional character in the reimagined ''

Battlestar Galactica ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. It began with the original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel series, '' Galactica 1980'', a line of book adaptat ...

'' series. Played by

Donnelly Rhodes Donnelly Rhodes Henry (December 4, 1937 – January 8, 2018) was a Canadian actor. He had many American television and film credits, probably best known to American audiences as the hapless escaped convict Dutch Leitner on the soap opera spoof ' ...

, Cottle is the Battlestar ''Galactica'''s Chief Medical Officer.

Character analysis and reception

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". Erica Mongé-Greer describes him: "experienced, a gruff exterior, kind-hearted, and very knowledgeable." Lorna Jowett uses Cottle to highlight the show's commentary on contemporary discussions around women's reproductive care, he along with

Gaius Baltar 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. Personality Gaiu ...

and Cylon Simon show "men are in charge of reproductive science". Later they note how a character escapes her family who is opposed to

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

in hope that Cottle will help her, though ultimately it is President

Laura Roslin 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 ...

who makes the decision. 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." Rikk Mulligan compares Cottle's outraged reaction to the use of

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...

as an

interrogation Interrogation (also called questioning) is interviewing as commonly employed by law enforcement officers, military personnel, intelligence agencies, organized crime syndicates, and terrorist organizations with the goal of eliciting useful informa ...

tactic to Americans' outraged reaction to the treatment of detainees by

coalition A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces. Formation According to ''A G ...

forces in the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

in the mid-2000s. 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". According to Jowett, the character is also used explore stereotypes of science in media. 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 Technobabble (a portmanteau of ''technology'' and ''babble''), also called technospeak, is a type of nonsense that consists of buzzwords, esoteric language, or technical jargon. It is common in science fiction. Use of technobabble in the ''Star T ...

, 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. 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. 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 Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...

's philosophy from

Nicomachean Ethics The ''Nicomachean Ethics'' (; , ) is Aristotle's best-known work on ethics: the science of the good for human life, that which is the goal or end at which all our actions aim. () It consists of ten sections, referred to as books, and is closely ...

to examine the purpose of humanity in an end-of-the-world scenario. 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.

Further characterization

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. 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 Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

diagnosis has just been confirmed.

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cottle, Sherman Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series) characters Fictional physicians Fictional majors Fictional surgeons Fictional health professionals Television characters introduced in 2005