Editing Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck 1

{{separate continuity|universe=TOS|cont=Dynamite Comics}}

{{Comic Data
| image =Starbuck01CovChen.jpg
| title=Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck #1
| series=Dynamite
| issueno=1
| episode=
| writer= [[Tony Lee]]
| penciller= 
| inker= [[Eman Casallos]]
| colorist= [[Davi Correia]] (pages); [[Adriano Lucas]] (cover)
| letterer= [[Joshua Cozine]]
| editor=
| cover= [[Sean Chen]]
| published=November 2013
| collects=
| collected=[[Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck (Trade Paperback)|Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck]]
| reprints=
| reprinted=
| isbn= 725130209306
| prev=
| next=[[Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck 2]]
}}

: ''Finally, the origin of [[Starbuck (TOS alternate)|Lt. Starbuck]] is told by #1 New York Times best-selling author [[Tony Lee]]! See how Starbuck became a [[Viper (TOS alternate)|Viper]] pilot, his first meeting with {{alt|Apollo|TOS}} and why {{alt|Adama|TOS}} treats him like a son - as he pieces together what really happened the night he was orphaned, and the name of the traitor who ordered it...''<ref>{{cite_web|url=https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/viewProduct.html?PRO=C72513020930600111|title=
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: STARBUCK #1 (OF 4)|date=|accessdate=16 May 2019|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>

== Plot ==

: ''The events depicted in this installment take place between {{alt|7322}} and {{alt|7335}}. Future installments take place in {{alt|7346}}.''

=== [[Yahren]] [[7322]] &mdash; [[Umbra]], [[Caprica (TOS alternate)|Caprica]] ===

* The attack on [[Umbra]], [[Caprica (TOS alternate)|Caprica]] is underway as Captain {{alt|Adama|TOS}} and {{alt|Tigh|TOS}} from [[battlestar (TOS alternate)|battlestar]] ''[[Rylon]]'' engage the [[Cylon (TOS alternate)|Cylon]] [[Raider (TOS alternate)|Raider]]s. While ''Rylon'' has scrambled additional [[Viper (TOS alternate)|Viper]], Adama and Tigh on left to melee with the squadrons of enemy fighters.
* During the engagement, Adama informs Tigh that [[Ila (alternate)|Ila]] ferried {{alt|Apollo|TOS}} and {{alt|Athena|TOS}} to ''Rylon'' the moment the [[basestar (TOS alternate)|basestar]] appeared over Caprica. When Tigh notes Ila's pallor from the week prior, Adama reveals that Ila is pregnant with a boy, but have not yet decided on a name. Ila wants to name their newest son [[Zac (TOS alternate)|Zac]], while Adama prefers {{alt|Starbuck|TOS}}.
* Engaging the phalanx of Raiders at 10-to-1 odds, Adama's fighter is shot down over the [[Thorn forest|Forest of Thorns]]. Before Adama crash-lands, he orders Tigh to return to ''Rylon'' for reinforcements. 
* Adama extricates himself from his burning Viper's cockpit, only to be attacked by a lone, damaged Cylon [[Centurion (TOS alternate)|Centurion]]. 
* Adama goads the Centurion to kill him, but the Cylon is attacked by [[Starbuck (TOS alternate)|a hurt, barefoot boy]] with a large tree limb.
* The Cylon's left arm dangling at its side, Adama brings his {{TOS|laser pistol|laser pistol}} to bear and blows off the Centurion's head.
* Adama recovers his ear piece, replying to Tigh's declarations over the communication channel. Adama informs Tigh that a kid saved him, and requests a med-ship for the kid.

=== Yahren 7322 &mdash; Battlestar ''[[Rylon]]'' ===

* ''Rylon'''s medic speaks to Adama, whose left arm is restrained by a sling, about the boy's condition. Electronic feedback from the Centurion that the boy attacked has affected the boy's frontal lobe. Coupled with the post-traumatic stress, the boy will be an amnesiac at best; a nameless orphan along the three thousand other Umbran children that need homes. 
* Adama gives the boy a name: {{alt|Starbuck|TOS}}. He feels that the boy who saved his life is a fighter, and Adama pledges to find him a home. The doctor signs off on the name and during the conversation Ila's pregnancy comes up, as well as a question of what they'll name his and Ila's boy. Adama has made his decision and agrees with his wife's decision in naming their boy [[Zac (TOS alternate)|Zac]].

=== Yahren 7328 &mdash; Caprica ===

* At Flight-Major Adama's home, teenagers {{alt|Athena|TOS}} and {{alt|Apollo|TOS}} are playing on the couch. Apollo is reenacting a Viper launch, but Athena claims that first-year cadets don't leave the classroom and asks her father to support that statement. She then states that when she's old enough, she'll join the academy in the aim of outranking Apollo. 
* Adama's house servant informs Adama that a boy is asking to see him: {{alt|Starbuck|TOS}}.
* Adama meets Starbuck at the front door. Starbuck asks Adama to sponsor his application to be a Colonial Pilot, as Starbuck hasn't a biological parent to do so. Starbuck didn't want to tell his foster parents until he had spoken to Adama about it.
* Adama notes that he is honored, but strongly believes that the request should come from his adopted father. Starbuck is displeased, noting that "it's not like you owe me your life or anything," and speeds away on his [[turbocycle]].
* Apollo, having observed the conversation from an upper story window with Athena, tells her to stay behind while he pursues Starbuck.
* Back home in "Lower Caprica" in a run-down domicile, [[Starbuck's foster parents]] react to Starbuck's conversation with Adama. Starbuck's foster father is livid at Starbuck going behind their backs on the request, but Starbuck counters that the request would have been agreed to, and the conversation would then move towards becoming a farmer&mdash;a vocation shared by his foster father's father, and down the line. 
* Starbuck's foster mother asks if this decision is prompted by something they did, but Starbuck is adamant that he always wanted to be a [[Colonial Warrior]] since the night he saved Adama in the [[Thorn forest]].
* Starbuck's foster father suggests that Starbuck to go for a ride, so that he may discuss with his wife. Starbuck agrees and leaves, encountering Apollo waiting outside the domicile. Apollo is displeased that Starbuck had disrespected Adama. In order to teach him a lesson, Apollo agrees to a turobcycle race. If Starbuck wins, Apollo agrees to convince Adama to sponsor Starbuck, but if Starbuck loses then Starbuck agrees to stick to agro farming and never bother Adama or his family again.
* They head for the dirt track up the side of [[Mount Colicos]] for a no holds barred race. 
* During the start of the race, Apollo chides Starbuck for not knowing who his father was. Starbuck is enraged, telling the eldest son that were it not for his actions that fateful night, Apollo wouldn't have a father either. Apollo rebukes the comment, noting that "from what I heard, all you did was hit a [[toaster]] with a stick."
* Apollo speeds ahead, throwing dirt in Starbuck's face. After insulting Apollo by asking if cheating is something taught at the Academy, Starbuck turns his turbocycle and strikes Apollo's cycle. During this act, a rock hits the side wheel rim and strikes Apollo's forehead.
* Apollo is rendered unconscious on the turbocycle, and Starbuck acts quickly by jumping off his cycle and knocking Apollo off from his and onto the dirt path. Both cycles careen over the cliff and burn.
* Meanwhile, Athena and Adama arrive at Mount Colicos, as Athena has informed her father of Apollo's plan to handle Starbuck in a race. Adama assures her that divulging this to him would be the least of Apollo's problems, and notes that the smoke they've seen could be the result of some accident.
* On the dirt path, Apollo and Starbuck come across Athena and Adama. Apollo and Starbuck have since bonded over their experience, which Apollo informs his father about. After meeting Athena for the first time, Starbuck and the rest enter Adama's transport; Adama has been begrudgingly convinced to sign off on sponsoring Starbuck's Warrior application.

=== Yahren 7331 &mdash; Battlestar ''[[Pegasus (TOS alternate)|Pegasus]]'' ===

* Cadet {{alt|Starbuck|TOS}} first meets his flight instructor, Lieutenant [[Wyler]], in {{TOS|battlestar|battlestar}} ''[[Pegasus (TOS alternate)|Pegasus]]'''s hangar bay. Wyler informs Starbuck that it isn't his first time being shadowed by a cadet, and Starbuck shares with Wyler his enthusiasm for flying many [[Viper (TOS alternate)|Viper]]s over many years to come. Wyler's imparts that every pilot only ever flies three Vipers: the one he trains in, the one he escapes from, and the one he dies in.
* Wyler introduces Starbuck to [[fumarello|fumerellos]] for the first time, and imparts various bits of wisdom on the impressionable Starbuck in how to deal with women. When pressed, Starbuck admits to an affection for {{alt|Athena|TOS}}, and that he views her in a different light than other women. Starbuck believes that impressing Athena is in earning more {{TOS|cubit|cubit}}s, to which Wyler introduces Starbuck to gambling via {{TOS|pyramid|pyramid}} to make "cubits work for you." He then pledges to take the young Starbuck under his wing in various rouge vices, believing that a Warrior is more than just fighting and flying: namely drinking, gambling and girls.

=== Yahren 7335 &mdash; Caprica ===

* {{alt|Starbuck|TOS}} celebrates becoming a Colonial [[Warrior]] following a ceremony witnessed by {{alt|Adama|TOS}}, {{alt|Athena|TOS}}, and {{alt|Apollo|TOS}}. Apollo wryly notes that while he never doubted that Starbuck would become a warrior, he had doubted that [[Boomer (TOS alternate)|Boomer]] and [[Jolly (TOS alternate)|Jolly]] would have made it as well. 
* As Starbuck begins talking to Athena&mdash;noting that they haven't spoken in a while&mdash;Boomer interrupts and asks Starbuck if he had received his orders yet, noting that Jolly was assigned to ''[[Galactica (TOS alternate)|Galactica]]''. Starbuck replies that all three of the newly minted Warriors have, commenting that it's Apollo's plan to keep them on the straight and narrow. 
* Asking after Captain Wyler, Starbuck is informed by Adama about some sorrowful news: Wyler's patrol was ambushed by Cylon Raiders yesterday and no one had survived.
* Starbuck leaves the ceremony to deal with his grief in the only way he knows how: gambling. 
* At a [[chancery]] frequented by both himself and the late Wyler, Starbuck plays with a man called [[McKintosh]]. In the course of the game, McKintosh learns of Starbuck's past, and taunts Starbuck with a tall tale that conflicts with the official story of that night. Claiming to be a truck driver ferrying agro goods from Umbra that night, McKintosh bets a data chip worn around his neck. This data chip is said to contain data that the [[defense net]] was disabled, thus allowing the Cylons to attack. 
* Despite fellow player [[Tycho]]'s sentiments about Starbuck being played, Starbuck shows off his winning hand of [[full pyramid]] and wins the chip. He shares the remaining {{TOS|cubit|cubit}}s from the pot by buying a round for the house, "courtesy of the late Captain Wyler."

=== Yahren 7335 &mdash; Battlestar ''[[Galactica (TOS alternate)|Galactica]]'' ===

* Returning to ''Galactica'' a day later, {{alt|Starbuck|TOS}} attempts to access the chip, only to find it corrupted. 
* Lieutenant {{alt|Apollo|TOS}} meets up with Starbuck, checking to see if he is all right. Starbuck replies in the affirmative, placing the data chip in a box, under the lid to which features a photo of [[Starbuck's foster parents|his foster parent]]s&mdash;he notes that it was a shame that his foster parents couldn't make it due to harvest season. 
* Apollo offers to take Starbuck on his first patrol and, after gentle ribbing about Starbuck having changed his mind to become a farmer&mdash;Starbuck's idea of a nightmare&mdash;Starbuck gladly accepts the offer.
* Launching from ''Galactica'', Apollo offers his condolences on Wyler. Starbuck notes that [[Wyler]] died exactly as he had expected: in his third of the three [[Viper (TOS alternate)|Viper]] that all pilots will ever fly. They then race to the nearby binary star.

== Notes ==

=== Nods ===

* Mount Colicos is a nod to [[John Colicos]], the actor who portrayed {{TOS|Baltar}} in the [[Original Series]].
* Wyler's "three Vipers a pilot flies in" axiom is noted (and originates from) Starbuck's comment in a piece of dialogue from "[[The_Young_Lords#Noteworthy_Dialogue|The Young Lords]]."
* While the cover of this issue depicts [[Brie]], {{alt|Athena|TOS}}, [[Cassiopea (TOS alternate)|Cassiopea]] and one of the [[Tucana singers]], only Athena appears in this installment.

=== Errata ===

* As with other entries in the [[Dynamite Entertainment]] comics, a mix of [[Re-Imagined Series]] and [[Original Series]] [[terminology|terminologies]] occurs:
** This includes the use of the word "[[toaster]]" to describe a Cylon.
** The backgrounds of the Viper bay on battlestar ''[[Pegasus (TOS alternate)|Pegasus]]'' are those of the [[hangar deck]] from the [[TRS|Re-imagined Series]].
** The left shoulder patches on ''Rycon'' and ''Pegasus'' {{TOS|Uniforms|Warrior uniforms}} are ''Galactica'' emblems; they should be different. This is a common error in most comic book depictions depicting officers and Warriors from other battlestars.
** The Vipers depicted are visually more in line with the Re-imagined Series [[Mark II Viper]] than the {{TOS|Viper|Original Series counterpart}}.
** Civilians wear contemporary clothing (modern suits with ties, vests, tank tops, red dresses, t-shirts) as opposed to the distinct Egyptian-esque clothing designed by [[Jean-Pierre Dorleac]].  
* In dialogue between {{alt|Starbuck|TOS}} and [[McKintosh]], Starbuck erroneously states that the attack on Umbra was 15 [[yahren|yahrens]] ago. However, it was only 13 yahrens ago by that point in the story.

== Analysis ==

* The battlestar ''[[Rylon]]'' may be a misspelling of the battlestar ''[[Rycon]]'', which had been commanded by [[Commander]] [[Kronus]], as noted in "[[Take the Celestra]]."
* This issue features misogynistic acts of note, including:
** A comment about Tigh needing to "stop being a girl" from Adama, after Adama destroys a pursuing raider that Tigh couldn't shake over [[Umbra]].
** Comments from Starbuck's flight instructor, [[Wyler]], on how to be a ladies' man. Wyler believes that women like rogues and money, and that [[Fumarello|fumerello]]s (sic) are supposed to burn in order to "make your voice all grown up and manly."
* Such misogyny appears to be the author's way of reconciling the male-centric behaviors in the [[Original Series]], notably {{TOS|Starbuck}}'s "roguish" behaviors.

== Questions ==

* Relating to [[Umbra]]:
** Why did the Cylons attack [[Umbra]]?
** Were there other such attacks by the Cylons in the vein of the Umbra attack? 
** How were the Cylons able to bypass Colonial patrols to reach Caprica?
** Are [[McKintosh]]'s claims about the [[defense net]] being deliberately disabled true?
** Did McKintosh know that the data chip he wagered, and won by {{alt|Starbuck|TOS}}, had been corrupted?
* How did the [[Thorn forest|forest of Thorns]] get its name?
* Who were the Commanders of ''[[Pegasus (TOS alternate)|Pegasus]]'' and ''[[Rylon]]'' during the time periods depicted in the story?
* Were there no birth records that could have assisted in identifying Starbuck?
* What happened to Starbuck's biological parents? Were they indeed killed in the attack? ([[The Man With Nine Lives|Answer]])

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* ''[[Wyler]] imparts advice upon a young Cadet {{alt|Starbuck|TOS}}:''
*: '''Wyler:''' Starbuck, a Viper pilot only flies in three Vipers. The one he ''trains'' in, the one he ''escapes'' from, and the one he ''dies'' in. Remember that.

* ''Wyler on being a Colonial [[Warrior]]:''
*: '''Wyler:''' Oh, Starbuck&mdash;I'm going to teach you ''everything'' about being a warrior. Not just the ''flying''&mdash;any fool can do that. I mean, the ''drinking'', the ''gambling'', the ''girls''!

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="slideshow">
Starbuck01CovChen.jpg|Colorized cover.
Starbuck01CovReOrder.jpg|Inked cover variant.
BSGStarbuck0101.jpg|Inked Page #1
BSGStarbuck011.jpg|Colorized & Lettered Page #1
BSGStarbuck0102.jpg|Inked Page #2
BSGStarbuck012.jpg|Colorized & Lettered Page #2
BSGStarbuck0103.jpg|Inked Page #3
BSGStarbuck013.jpg|Colorized & Lettered Page #3
BSGStarbuck0104.jpg|Inked Page #4
BSGStarbuck014.jpg|Colorized & Lettered Page #4
BSGStarbuck015.jpg|Colorized & Lettered Page #5
</gallery>

== External links ==

* [http://www.dynamiteentertainment.com/htmlfiles/viewProduct.html?PRO=C72513020930600111 ''Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck #1''] at Dynamite Entertainment

==References==
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