Editing Battlestar Galactica 3

{{separate continuity|universe=RDM|cont=Dynamite Comics}}
{{Comic Data
| image = BSG Comic 3 Lee.jpg
| title=Issue 3
| series=[[Dynamite Comics|Dynamite]] first
| issueno=3
| episode=Between "[[Home, Part II]]" and "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" 
| writer=[[Greg Pak]]
| penciller=[[Nigel Raynor]]
| inker=[[Nigel Raynor]]
| colorist=[[David Curiel]]
| letterer=[[Simon Bowland]]
| editor=
| cover=[[Adriano Batista]], [[Pat Lee]], [[Nigel Raynor]]
| published=August 2006
| collects=
| collected=[[Battlestar Galactica Volume I]]
| reprints=
| reprinted=
| isbn=
| population=47850
| oldpopulation=47853
| prev=[[Battlestar Galactica 2]]
| next=[[Battlestar Galactica 4]]
}}

== Plot ==
: ''With the other pilots incapacitated, Commander [[William Adama]], {{callsign|Starbuck}}, and the potentially dangerous copy of Adama's dead son, [[Zak Adama|Zak]], must destroy an old-era [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] [[basestar (RDM)|basestar]] that has appeared in the debris field near the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]].''

== Summary ==

*All pilots and many crew, excluding Commander [[William Adama]] and the being that appears to be [[Zak Adama (alternate)|Zak Adama]], are infected with something carried by the [[Returners|refugees that escaped their ships]] and boarded battlestar ''{{RDM|Galactica}}''.
*{{callsign|Starbuck}} has powered down ''[[Medivac 12]]'' on Adama's orders after a [[Cylon War]]-era {{TOS|Basestar|baseship}} appears.
*The baseship has not launched any {{TOS|Raider|Raiders}}. The power-down tactic (suggested by Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta|Gaeta]]) appears to be buying the Colonials time to work up a defense plan.
*Starbuck asks how many pilots are available, and the news is not good. The only people able to fly are herself, Commander Adama, and Zak Adama, given that the virus has taken out a majority of his pilots, and the [[Earth Protectorate]] has murdered six unaffected pilots. Commander Adama decides on allowing this "ghost" of his dead son to fly since he has no other options to aid him.
*Starbuck's plan is simple: nuke the baseship. Zak asks his father how long it has been since he has flown a [[Viper Mark II|Viper]]. The Commander answers, "Longer than I care to say."
*[[Gaius Baltar (alternate)|Gaius Baltar]] is aboard ''Medivac 12'', and, with some effort despite the zero-G environment, pushes Starbuck's Viper out of the large airlock.
*Commander Adama assumes his old pilot callsign, "Husker," while Starbuck assigns Zak Adama the ironically-chosen callsign of "Buster," in light of the fact that the original Zak Adama [[Act of Contrition|failed basic flight school]] three times.
*Husker and Buster launch from ''Galactica''. The three Vipers unite and destroy a tanker before they head towards the baseship. Husker's Viper carries the nuclear warhead.
*Meanwhile, [[Billy Keikeya]], who has continued his research into any commonalities between the Returners, has found something. He relays to Dr. Baltar, who is exploring the halls of Medievac 12, that all of the people identified as Returners had died in the air: while in space, airline, or aerial highways. None of the Returners had died while physically on the ground or in buildings.
*Baltar calls for the assistance of his [[Cylon-Related Hallucinations|virtual]] Number Six as he finds a room with a startling history. Baltar finds a series of vats containing humanoid figures suspended inside. The virtual Six explains that these vats and their organic templates, similar to [[Cylon rebirthing tank]]s, were used to capture the memories of dying people to study human nature as part of the process of creating the [[humanoid Cylon]]s.
*Baltar finds it strange that this ship happened to be up and running to fulfill the prophesy known as the "Ark of Fire".
*When asked by Baltar why this vessel happened to be up and running despite all other ships like this being decommissioned long before, the virtual Six cannot answer, but is intrigued by its implications.
*Without the aid of his fighter's [[DRADIS]], Buster warns of an large incoming [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Raider]] group moments before ''Galactica'' and Starbuck confirm the incoming fighters.
*Baltar attempts to notify Husker about the duplicate Zak Adama's origins, but is cut off by both Husker and Starbuck, who attempt to trust Zak long enough to accomplish their mission. Buster denies being a Cylon.
*Husker switches to a closed channel to hear Baltar's report again.
*The Raiders (the current autonomous variety) appear, and the Vipers engage. Buster engages the enemy to prove his worthiness, but is almost shot down were it not for Husker's intercept and destruction of the closing Raider group.
*With some Raiders destroyed, Starbuck notices that the old basestar isn't sending out any fighters, or firing on them. In fact, the baseship is ''hailing'' the Colonials--a distress call. Starbuck is not convinced.
*As another group of modern Raiders engage, Husker makes his way to the old baseship, but Buster blocks his way, asking his father not to launch, warning that the baseship has already been packed with Cylon [[demolition gel]] packs around the ship. Husker doesn't believe him and launches the tactical nuke.
*The baseship explodes in a large fireball that severely damages Starbuck's Viper. Husker and Buster's Vipers are intact, but debris has wrapped around the noses of the fighters.
*When Husker asks how Buster would know what Cylon demolition gel would look like, Buster doesn't know, but acknowledges that he is aware of many things he should not know.
*The duplicate of Zak Adama does believe, however, that he is some kind of Cylon construct, but that his memories are genuine. He fires his fighter's guns to clear the debris and free his fighter to travel to Starbuck's disabled fighter. As her Viper begins to burn, her electrical system shorts and stuns Starbuck into unconsciousness.
*Buster opens his cockpit and moves Starbuck's body into his fighter. A groggy Starbuck, temporarily unable to move, realizes what Buster is doing but cannot stop the transfer.
*After Buster completes the transfer, he closes the Viper's canopy, leaving Buster floating towards Starbuck's old Viper, its explosion imminent.
*Buster is consumed by the exploding Viper's fireball.
*Despite what they know of his origin, both Starbuck and Husker find themselves in grief--again--at the loss of Zak Adama.
*Moments later, the DRADIS on both fighters detect a massive Cylon fighter force estimated at 20 to 30 ships. Starbuck's weapons are offline, but she can still maneuver.
*Time passes. Lieutenant Gaeta attempts to contact the Vipers, to no immediate response.
*Gaeta carries out the Commander's last orders: he issues orders for the Fleet to [[FTL|jump]] to safety.
*Before the order can be executed, however, Husker calls in to cancel the jump, telling the crew that he and Starbuck are returning to the battlestar, but with a few friends in tow.
*The friends that follow Husker and Starbuck in formation are Cylon War-era {{TOS|Raider|Raiders}}. One panel shows a original [[Antebellum Centurion|Cylon Centurion Model 0005]] flying a Raider, confirming Husker's communication with a single phrase: "[[By your command]]."

== Notes ==

* The population at the beginning of this issue is 47,850. Commander Adama notes that six pilots were killed by the [[Earth Protectorate]] terrorists in the [[Battlestar Galactica 2|previous issue]], which reduces the count to 47,844.
* Kara Thrace gives [[Zak Adama]] the callsign "Buster". Presumably, he did not have a callsign during his training.

== Analysis ==

* Commander Adama's callsign, "Husker," is explained as a result of his having a sore throat the day "they handed out nicknames". However, in "[[Razor]]" and the [[Razor Flashbacks]], young William Adama has a deep, graveled voice. 
* The use of Viper Mark IIs is prevalent throughout, nearly indicating that the Viper Mark VIIs aren't available to ''Galctica'', when this is not the case.
* The Cylons experimented on real humans in order to create the [[humanoid Cylon]] models, albeit in a different matter than depicted in "Razor". 

== Questions ==
*Why were the old-model Cylons calling for help? ([[Battlestar Galactica 4|Answer]])
*Why does Adama escort a massive Raider group to his vulnerable civilian Fleet? Moreover, why are they obeying his commands? ([[Battlestar Galactica 4|Answer]])
*How long were these Cylon experimental cloning ships in operation, and when?
*Where did an old-era basestar come from? ([[Battlestar Galactica 4|Answer]])
*Why was the old baseship rigged for destruction?
*Why doesn't Zak know his own father's call-sign or the story behind it?

== Alternate covers ==

<gallery mode="slideshow">
File:BSG3-Batista-Cover.jpg|[[Adriano Batista]] cover.
File:BSG Comic 3 Lee.jpg|[[Pat Lee]] cover.
File:BSG3LeeAlternateIncCover.jpg|Pat Lee variant cover.
File:BSG Comic 3 Negative Variant Cover.jpg|Pat Lee negative cover.
File:BSG3RaynorCover.jpg|[[Nigel Raynor]] cover
File:BSG3PhotoCover.jpg|Photo cover with [[Number Six]] and [[Number Eight]].
</gallery>

== External links ==

* [http://dynamiteentertainment.com/htmlfiles/p-C105313.html ''Battletar Galactica 3'' - Regular Edition] at Dynamite Comics

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