I seem to recall that when Penikett did an interview with a fansite, he was asked re: Sharon calling him Karl in TWK, he at first didn't remember that ever happening, and then responded that maybe it was because Sharon was mad at him. Which makes me think that Penikett's personal canon, at any rate, is that Helo doesn't much care for his given name. See also the fact that I don't think any one person has called him Karl more than once. Sharon in TWK (in the second half of Season 3, when she's always referred to him as Helo before), Kara in the 2nd season premiere, and Lee in AMoS.
I'd definitely say that Helo's incorporated his callsign persona into his identity, whereas both Kara and Lee seem to view Starbuck and Apollo very much as personas, roles they play but can step away from. Mind you, as Helo is an unassuming Raptor pilot rather than a Viper pilot who's supposed to be ego-driven and over-the-top, he probably feels less of a disconnect, because Helo, unlike Starbuck, isn't a larger than life role. I don't know if taking on his callsign as his identity is something that started developing long before the events of the mini (I mean, maybe he just got teased a lot at school, or was named after a relative he disliked, or something. It may not be meaningful), or if it's a response to the end of the worlds.
Incidentally, this show sure loves its lookalike/soundalike names. Karl, Kara, Hera, etc.
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Date: 2008-02-07 01:26 am (UTC)I'd definitely say that Helo's incorporated his callsign persona into his identity, whereas both Kara and Lee seem to view Starbuck and Apollo very much as personas, roles they play but can step away from. Mind you, as Helo is an unassuming Raptor pilot rather than a Viper pilot who's supposed to be ego-driven and over-the-top, he probably feels less of a disconnect, because Helo, unlike Starbuck, isn't a larger than life role. I don't know if taking on his callsign as his identity is something that started developing long before the events of the mini (I mean, maybe he just got teased a lot at school, or was named after a relative he disliked, or something. It may not be meaningful), or if it's a response to the end of the worlds.
Incidentally, this show sure loves its lookalike/soundalike names. Karl, Kara, Hera, etc.