I see Cain as more of a Montgomery-type character than a Patton or a Macarthur (the other US general he has been likened to, and one that fits better if you buy into it having to be an American). He is loved and adored as a hero by his men and his country, completely convinced in his military brilliance, and is a really mediocre military leader that just happens to be very lucky.
He totally believes in his own press, and is therefore convinced of his own invincibility. Given his luck, it is also possible that he did survive the clash with the two basestars…and then escaped the attack that was sure to come from the third (we always seem to forget Baltar’s basestar was in striking range at the beginning of the encounter, and could probably easily gotten back to within strike range once the Pegasus was damaged by the other two).
The end of the episode also shows both the two-dimensional thinking of the writers/directors/producers, and by extension the tactical stupidity of the Cylons. The baseships would have only had to maneuver just slightly out of alignment to free their firing arcs of the possibility of hitting each other.
Given that, this is an excellent episode, with only a few continuity errors. It gives gear-heads like me some great new information on Colonial and Cylon technology, gives us some information and background on the organization of the Colonial military and its branches, introduces us to great new characters, and provides for some really incredible character interplay.
While not my favorite, it ranks high on my list.
Bill
