William Adama

Exodus, Part 2, when the Galactica makes a rescue run of all of the humans on New Caprica. Various awesomery occurs on the ground, and then a small dot in the sky is revealed to be the Galactica in freefall, which scrambles all of its vipers before jumping back into space just before planetary impact aka The Adama Maneuver

Saul Tigh

Saul Tigh in the new Battlestar Galactica, after realizing that he's a Cylon, tells the other three newly self-discovered Cylons that they're all to going to report to their stations and defend the ships from a Cylon attack.

Saul: My name is Saul Tigh. I'm an officer in the Colonial Fleet. Whatever else I am, whatever else it means, that's the man I want to be. And if I die today, that's the man I'll be.

President Roslin

Laura Roslin gets one with her resolute promise to Zarek after he tries to demoralize her into surrendering with a lie. Namely, that Tigh and Adama had been executed.

Roslin: No. Not now, not ever. Do you hear me? I will use every cannon, every bomb, every bullet, every weapon I have down to my own eye teeth to end you! I swear it! I'M COMING FOR ALL OF YOU!

Cally

Cally is being held hostage after a prison riot. One of the prisoners tries to rape her, and she bites his ear off. Later on while recovering in sickbay, she confesses that "He's lucky that's all I bit off."

Starbuck

Lee Adama has just flown from Colonial One to the Galactica to confirm his father 'release' of Tom Zarek. Upon landing he is captured by mutinous crewmen and marines intent on killing him. One of them, Conner asks him, "Where are your precious Cylons now?" The next sound he hears is Kara Thrace shooting his would be executioner. She doesn't hesitate to wound another mutineer who objects, saying "I can do this all day."

"Follow me. Please.

Romo Lampkin

Romo Lampkin stabbing a Marine in the neck with a pen and killing him and then referring to him as his "pen pal".

Doc Cottle

The love for Doc Cottle as a character occured in "The Pegasus" after the Attempted Rape of Sharon/Athena at the hands of the Pegasus officers. Sharon is recovering in sickbay, and Adama isn't quite sure how to handle it. Cottle, however, has no such problem:

Adama: What happened to you tonight...

Cottle (quietly furious):...was unforgivable.

Helo

Helo, one of the series' quieter characters, has had a few in this troper's eyes, but the one that comes to mind most readily is when he's confronted by President Roslin after "killing" his Cylon wife so that she could rescue their infant daughter Hera from the Cylon fleet. He looks her straight in the eyes and, with restrained but overt rage in his voice, says that he wouldn't have had to do it if she hadn't deceived him about Hera not dying shortly after her birth. The normally stoic Roslin is actually shaken by this.

Apollo

When Apollo flew his Viper through the mining tunnels in The Hand of God to get past all of the defenses and destroy the facility from the inside

William Adama

William Adama in the new Battlestar Galactica had always been pretty Bad Ass, but he will be remembered for an exchange in the third season:

Saul: We just picked up six heavy raiders heading away from the Cylon fleet, definitely heading down towards the planet.

Roslin: I don't get it, they'd have to know we'd see them.

Saul: They're testing us, want to know if we're bluffing about nuking the planet.

Roslin: Well, unfortunately we are bluffing.

Adama Are we?

(Dramatic Pause)

Adama: Mr. Hoshi, order nuclear ground-strike missiles into launch tubes 4 through 10.

Hoshi: (On the intercom) Aye, sir. This is a nuclear mission order...

Apollo

What about Lee Adama's grenade? When Lee and Kara are trying to get past the guards guarding the Cylon prisoners, Lee casually throws a grenade down the hallway. The guards scatter, then he and Kara shoot them down. As Kara ducks behind cover, Lee walks over to the grenade and picks it up. "I never pulled the pin."

-Made all the more awesome when Starbuck scowls at him, to which he replies 'You would have loved it if it was your idea.'

— Also, it may have been inspired by a deleted scene in Serenity.

Helo & Chief

Overcoming their mutual animosity and throwing away their careers, and possibly lives, to rescue the pregnant Athena from a rape in progress. Intense, heavy and somehow totally awesome all the same time.

Saul Tigh

In the midseason break for Season 4, D'Anna is back and being just as much of a bitch as ever. In order to stop the Cylons killing the hostages, Colonel Tigh confesses to Bill that he's a Cylon—and offers himself as a counter-hostage, knowing that even if the Final Five could resurrect normally, the Resurrection Hub is gone and D'Anna wouldn't dare doing it if there was a risk.

Apollo

Lee Adama's would definitely be the Patrick Stewart Speech in the third season finale.

Starbuck

In season one, Starbuck crashes on an barren wasteland planet and, with a busted knee and only a few hours of oxygen with her, fixes and pilots a Cylon raider she had just shot down, and manages to convince everyone to not shoot her with with her name taped on the wings back to Galactica.

Chief Tyrol

Tyrol gets in on the awesome action. Zarek and Gaeta are about to jump away, which would mean even if Adama does succeed in getting his ship back he'll be surrounded by ships disloyal to him and isolated from Roslin and the basestar Chief singlehandedly sabotages the FTL drive, and what makes this all the more awesome is that he hadn't had any communication with Adama. He simply figured out what he needed to do on his own

Starbuck

Exodus Part 2 is crammed with Crowning Moments of Awesome. Another:

Leoben: I'll never forget this moment.

Starbuck: Neither will I. *stab*

Apollo

With prompting from Starbuck, Lee makes possibly the biggest diplomatic breakthrough of the series with the Cylons by offering the way to Earth for both of them...

D'Anna All this has happened before.

Lee: But it doesn't have to happen again.

President Roslin

Roslin has a crowning moment of awesome too when everyone is evacuating New Caprica...

Laura Roslin: Tom, you go that way. Head to the shipyard.

Tom Zarek: You're coming, right?

Laura Roslin: [points to Colonial One] My ship's up there.

William Adama/ Saul Tigh

Adama and Tigh running around the ship, dual-wielding guns (an assault rifle and pistol), shooting down anyone who gets in their way as they take back Galactica.

'Gina 6

Gina, killing Cain.

Cain: Frak you.

Gina: You're not my type.

This is even more awesome if you've seen Razor and know that Cain and Gina had been lovers.

Admiral Cain/ William Adama

The last scene of Pegasus is a CMOA for both Cain and Adama.

Gaius Baltar

Baltar evangelizing a Centurion (note that this is after the Centurions gain sentience).

The Colonial Fleet

Apollo, having just ejected from the destroyed Black Bird stealthfighter, discovers a rip in his suit. After seeing this, the camera pans back to reveal Galactica and Pegasus beating the absolute crap out of two Basestars, whilst the Vipers blow the Resurrection Ship to hell. Totally. Freaking. Awesome.

• Awesome in the background, emo in the foreground. As awesome as it was, it was still so much less awesome than it should have been.

In the miniseries, the Colonial fleet is ambushed by the Cylons. Galactica is an undermanned, antiquated ship two days from being turned into a museum. Adama is outnumbered, outgunned, he has no ammunition, no backup, no information, and one of his flight decks has been turned into a frakking gift shop. What's his response? Stand and fight! Get me some bullets!

William Adama

Beating the crap out of a Cylon with a flashlight from back in the miniseries.

Saul Tigh

"Which side are we on? We're on the side of the demons, chief. We're evil men in the gardens of paradise, sent by the forces of death to spread devastation and destruction wherever we go."

The death of Pegasus. Saves the bucket and manages to annihilate two basestars in her death throes.

Battlestar Pegasus

Under the command of Apollo, the Pegasus jumps into New Caprica, guns-a-blazin, destroys two basestars and damages a third, before going nuclear WITH ALL HANDS STILL ALIVE.

William Adama

There's the moment in "Pegasus" where Roslin is attempting to cool tensions between Adama and Admiral Cain and points out that the Pegasus would have the advantage in a fight. Adama's response? A distainful snort and a muttered "wouldn't count on it.".

Saul Tigh

Tigh has an early one when trying to motivate Starbuck to get back to work after her knee injury.

Tigh: The chief wanted me to kick your ass out of bed so you could help figure out that Raider of yours but, clearly, you still need the rest. So take your time, no rush.

Starbuck: Do you actually think that reverse psychology crap is gonna work o­n me?

Tigh: I really don't care what you think, Lieutenant. All I know is that every day you spend in that bed is another day that I have my opinion of you confirmed. As you were.

Caprica Six

Clubbing D'Anna over the head with a rock.

D'Anna: "God loves me." Caprica Six: "He'll see you again soon."

From "Exodus, Part Two", the last run of the Pegasus. Lee Adama sets it on a collision course with all the automated systems running as he and the crew make a run for it. As they escape, we're treated to a shot of the Pegasus plowing through space, everything on it firing at the Cylons attempting to stop it. Then it rams into a Basestar, explodes, then a flying engine takes out a second Basestar.

Gaius Baltar

After being nearly killed by Gaeta, he testifies against him in the trial

Gaius Baltar: "We all know that this man tried to stab me. And you missed! BUTTERFINGERS!"

Chief At the end of the episode "Lay Down Your Burdens Part II" the occupying Cylons march past the colonials. After a year of civilian life, Chief simple turns to Starbuck and says "What'd we do now, Captain?" Absolutely perfect Chief moment.

William Adama

The movie BSG: Razor the flashbacks show a young Adama beating the crap out of a Cylon in free fall. ''Awesome

Gaius Baltar

his true crowning moment for a noble action was in the season 4 mid season finale, talking D'Anna down from nuking the civilian fleet, convincing her to at least try and work with the humans. It saved the fleet and was something no other person could have achieved thanks to his personal history with D'Anna and his extraordinary charisma, as well as highlighting his path towards redemption (though whether his crimes can ever really be balanced out is another matter).

'William Adama and Saul Tigh

During the mutiny, they beat the crap out of their armed guard. Standard action fare until you remember that these are supposed to be two pudgy old guys.

• Supposed to but actually not if you do not discount the scenes of old guy Adama beating the shit out of young Adama in the boxing ring.

Battlestar Pegasus - The moment when the Galactica and Pegasus meet is like a dream. No, actually, it is a dream. With Crowning Music of Awesome to match.

Original Adama to the Quorum of the Twelve after they vote to order Dr Cottle to open the Terran cryotubes regardless of the risk to the Terrans. Cottle refuses and leaves.

Adama says that he will remember this day that has "restored my faith that the human race is indeed worth saving."

Original Adama to Original Tigh just before the Ambush at Cimtar begins: "We cannot launch Colonel, it has been expressly forbidden...However, this might be an excellent time for 'battlestations drill'...Sound the alert, Colonel!"

The Great Cylon Turkey Shoot. That is all.

Saul Tigh

The episode "The Woman King" might not be a fan favorite, but it does contain a CMoA for Tigh. Four words: "SHUT THE FRAK UP!"

Original Adama to the Quorum of the Twelve at Carrilon:

"If you've come here to turn your backs on the principles of our fathers and of the Lords of Kobol from whom all colonies evolved, you do so with my utter CONTEMPT!"