Whose picture was used for Ila?

[Hope It Is The Grog]

Who posed for the picture of Adama's wife Ila?

There must be someone still alive who knows the answer...

[Red Eye]

Now that's a very good question!

Perhaps Chris will know...

[Red Eye]

Here's what I came up with after doing a quick search at Battlestar Wiki:

"The actress used for the photo of Ila has not been credited in the series."

I know, it's not a great help so the search continues...

[RedaV]

Was it not "Lauretta Spang"????

[Hope It Is The Grog]

Hmmm... various internet sources, including IMDB and Wikipedia, say it was Sophia Loren, though they don't cite a source. I can see a bit of resemblance there, but Sophia seems to have a squarer jaw than Ila and I can't see why they would go to the expense of using the likeness of such a famous person.

[Hope It Is The Grog]

I have to say Adama's line in that scene is very poignant. "I'm sorry, Ila. I was never there when it mattered. Never." It hints at a lot of history we'll never know, but also embodies the feeling of regret in a way everyone can relate to.

[Cylon-Knight]

Yes... It seems that Adama may have picked career over home life too much - I got the same vibe...

[GoldCylon]

I wonder if it is Glen's ex wife, but when they were still married.

[Hope It Is The Grog]

Now, here's an interesting tidbit courtesy of Wikipedia: In Polynesian mythology, Ila is supposed to be the name of the first woman on Tutuila, the main island of American Samoa. Thus, Ila is perhaps named for a proto-woman or Eve figure just as Adama is named for the Biblical patriarch of humanity.

[Red Eye]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing!

[Hope It Is The Grog]

Here's the relevant part of the Samoan creation story, courtesy of the National Park Service:

-- -------------------------------

In the beginning, there were only the heavens and the waters covering the earth. The god Tagaloa looked down from his place in the sky and considered creating a place on the earth where he could stand. So he made a resting place by creating the rock called Manu'atele [Greater Manu'a]. Tagaloa was pleased with his work and said, "It would be - well to have still another resting place." He divided the rock Manu'atele so he would have other places in the sea that would serve as stepping stones. From these pieces of rock, he created Savai'i, Upolu, Tonga, Fiji, and the other islands that lie scattered about the wide ocean.

When Tagaloa had finished fashioning all of these islands, he returned to Samoa. He measured the distance between the islands of Savai'i and Manu'a and found it to be too great. So he placed a rock halfway between and designated it as a place of repose for the chiefs. He called this last island Tutuila.

Tagaloa then sent a sacred vine to spread over the rocks. The leaves of the sacred creeper fell off and decayed and things like worms grew from them. Tagaloa saw that the creeper had given birth to worms that had neither heads, nor legs, nor breath of life. So the god came down and provided these worms with heads, legs, arms, and a beating heart. Thus the worms became men. Tagaloa took a male and a female and placed them on each of the islands that he had created. The man, Sa, and the woman, Vai'i, were placed on one island and the place was called Savai'i. U and Polu were placed on another and it became known as Upolu. The couple Tutu and Ila were the first inhabitants of Tutuila. To and Ga went to a place that Tagaloa named Toga [Tonga], and Fi and Ti were taken to the place to be called Fiti [Fiji].

----------------------------------

I guess the thing with worms becoming men is not quite close enough to warrant comparison with reptiles becoming Cylons, is it?

[Hope It Is The Grog]

Is there anyone on the board who is, even occasionally, in contact with Glen Larson and could ask him who posed for the picture of Ila? It's a factoid that deserves to be known.

[Cylon-Knight]

As far as I know only GoldCylon has worked face-to-face with Glen Larson. Maybe he can get in touch with him/his staff. Hummm maybe Glen Larson or others at Galaction 4 would know.

[Hope It Is The Grog]

Alas, I have small children and can't go jetting off anywhere unless it's work-related. But perhaps one of our intrepid members who goes there could pose the question.

[Proteus]

"Speak."

The question will have to be asked of those who worked with Glen Larson at the time and are still alive, as he himself no longer is alive.
And dead men, women, and children cannot be interrogated.