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Season 4 (2008-09)

2007-11-23T04:46:11Z

Czynski: /* Summary */

{{spoiler}}

==Summary==
:''Presently set to air in the United States in "early April 2008"<ref name="latimes">{{cite_web|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2007/10/battlestar-gala.html|title='Battlestar Galactica' news: The show will premiere in early April, Ron Moore will direct an episode|date=25 October 2007|accessdate=25 October 2007|last=Martin|first=Denise|format=|language=}}</ref>, this is the final season of the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]], where the last of the [[Final Five]] is revealed.''

== Story ==

=== General ===

* A two hour television movie, called "[[Razor]]" set during the events of [[Season 2 (2005-06)|Season 2]] is slated to air on November 24, 2007. It has a framing story set after the destruction of ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', but will be largely told via flashbacks to a time prior to "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" during [[Helena Cain]]'s command.
* According to [[Katee Sackhoff]], the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]] will find [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]] <ref name="ign-sackhoff"/>. Ron Moore also says, that Earth will be found and that there is a good chance of finding out in what state the planet is, but is being deliberately vague <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://craveonline.com/filmtv/articles/04648062/battlestar_galactica_ronald_moore_talks_about_earth.html|title=Battlestar Galactica: Ronald Moore talks about Earth|date=13 July 2007|accessdate=13 July 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* Moore indicated that he will make his directorial debut in the second half of this season,<ref name="latimes"/> although this is uncertain in lieu of the Writers Guild of America strike.

=== Character developments ===

* [[Katee Sackhoff]] is signed for this season <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.tvweek.com/news/2007/03/qa_with_battlestar_showrunner.php|title=Q&A with "Battlestar" Showrunner Ron Moore: On the Return of Starbuck, Falling Ratings and 'Caprica' Prequel|date=26 March 2007|accessdate=18 June 2007|last=Hibberd|first=James|format=|language=}}</ref>. Additionally, Sackhoff herself mentions that her character is neither an illusion <ref name="ign-sackhoff">{{cite_web|url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/797/797776p1.html|title=Katee Sackhoff Talks Battlestar and Bionic Woman|date=19 June 2007|accessdate=21 June 2007|last=Goldman|first=Eric|format=|language=}}</ref> nor a Cylon. Although Sackhoff later mentions that Thrace ''believes'' she is a Cylon. Thrace also has a lot of material with [[Laura Roslin]] and the "Cylon ladies".<ref name="roadrunner">{{cite_web|url=http://roadrunnerdm.livejournal.com/84288.html|title=Roadrunner - Newsdump from Burbank convention|date=19 November 2007|accessdate=20 November 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>
* The third episode of season four, "[[The Ties That Bind]]", will feature a "goodbye to another longtime character, though who that is and the manner of his or her departure should come as a surprise."<ref name="thewatcher">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/answers-to-your.html|title=Answers to your 'Razor' questions and clues about 'Battlestar Galactica's' final season|date=16 November 2007|accessdate=16 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>
* [[Mark Sheppard]] has said that he will reprise his role as [[Romo Lampkin]], but not for many episodes <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://community.livejournal.com/battlestar_blog/688838.html|title=Livejournal - Info from Mark Sheppard|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
*[[Nana Visitor]], known to genre viewers as [[MemoryAlpha:Kira Nerys|Kira Nerys]] on ''[[MemoryAlpha:Star Trek: Deep Space Nine|Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'', will appear in the episode "[[Faith]]". She is playing a cancer patient named Emily who meets Laura Roslin in ''Galactica'''s sickbay. The two bond and eventually discuss matters of morality and faith. All of Visitor's scenes are with Mary McDonnell <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/09/battlestar-ga-1.html|title='Battlestar Galactica' gets a Visitor|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
*According to reports from ComicCon and a radio show, Lee Adama will grow a beard and do more civilian things, Chief Tyrol will shave his head, and Admiral Adama will fly a Viper <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.watchingbsg.com/hairy-spoilers-for-bsgs-fourth-season/|title=Hairy Spoilers for BSG’s Fourth Season|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* Despite the Viper scene in "[[Crossroads, Part II]]", Lee Adama will not be returning to ''Galactica'''s ranks, but instead continue his own path as a civilian.<ref name="roadrunner"/>
*According to a Season 4 promo, [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] will return to ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' and try to lead the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Colonials]] to [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]], but she is said to be a Cylon and is not taken seriously.
* Taylor mentions that [[Jake (New Caprica)|Jake the dog]] will make a return this season.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* Taylor assured fans that the romantic polygon between [[Lee Adama]]-[[Anastasia Dualla]]-[[Kara Thrace]]-[[Samuel Anders]] was "pretty thoroughly" put to bed in [[Season 3 (2006-07)|Season 3]] and will not be revisited again.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* As for Dualla, Taylor claimed that: "I think Dee is someone who wears more of her character on the surface. She’s basically a pretty straightforward, upbeat character, someone who says what’s on her mind and is honest about what she’s feeling. And maybe in the context of the show that makes her a bit less dark and tortured, and perhaps less compelling, than a character such as, say, her romantic nemesis in said polygon: Kara. However, I think we may find that even a personality such as Dee’s has its dark side. ‘Nuff said for now."<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* [[Ellen Tigh]] will return this season, but she is not the final Cylon, and most of her scenes will be in the form of flashbacks as [[Saul Tigh]] attempts to deal with his actions on [[New Caprica]] in light of his self-revelation as a member of the [[Final Five]].<ref name="roadrunner"/>
* Sackhoff mentioned that "[[Revelations]]" could act as the series finale were the strike to continue for an inordinate amount of time, if need be.<ref name="roadrunner"/>
* [[Jamie Bamber]] apparently slipped on the fact that Thrace's and [[Leoben Conoy]]'s scenes in "Revelations", which are apparently set in a forest, are set on [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]].<ref name="roadrunner"/>

=== Cylon developments ===
* Moore indicated that the last of the [[Final Five]] will be revealed this season.<ref name="latimes"/>
* MediaBlvd Magazine reports that an early Season 4 episode will deal with a violent rebellion by [[Centurion]]s against their [[Humanoid Cylon|humanoid masters]], after some Centurions regain the intelligence that they lost through the enslavement by the humanoid models.<ref name="latimes"/><ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.mediablvd.com/magazine/Magazine-Home/mbnews7224329329.html|title=Battlestar Galactica: Secrets from the Set|date=26 March 2007|accessdate=4 July 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* [[Number Three]], played by [[Lucy Lawless]], will return for 2 or 3 episodes around episode 10, as revealed at [[w:Comic-Con International|ComicCon]] <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/808/808978p1.html|title=SDCC 07: Battlestar Galactica Gets Lawless|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>. In addition, she and [[Laura Roslin]] will have a face-to-face scene as "there is a lot more contact" between the Cylons and the humans.<ref name="lawless">{{cite_web|url=http://ifmagazine.com/feature.asp?article=2445|title=Lucy Lawless Teases iF Magazine About Her Return to ''Battlestar Galactica''|date=30 October 2007|accessdate=30 October 2007|last=Elliot|first=Sean|format=|language=}}</ref>
* Additionally [[Sharon Valerii|Boomer]] will, in Taylor's words, "be back, big time!"<ref name="thewatcher"/>

== Notes==
* Moore indicates that this season begins the "third act in the three-act structure where we're all moving towards the finale and the climax of all these different plot lines. In my head there's two chapters to go in the story and those can be of varying lengths." <ref name="mtv">{{cite_web|url=http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1556508/story.jhtml|title=MTV Movie News: 'Battlestar Galactica' Producer Talks Movie(s?), Possible Conclusion|date=6 April 2007|accessdate=8 April 2007|last=Jacks|first=Brian|format=|language=}}</ref>
* On Friday, June 1st 2007 the SciFi Channel issued a statement saying that Season 4 is going to be the final season. Ending the series with the upcoming 22-episode fourth season was a creative decision made by the show's executive producers [[Ronald D. Moore]] and [[David Eick]]. SciFi executive VP of original programming Mark Stern said the channel's brass "respect the producers' decision to end the series." <ref name="bsgending">{{cite_web|url=http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=41709&type=0|title=SciFi Wire: Battlestar Ending Next Season|date=|accessdate=1 June 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>
* According to the [[Soundtrack (Season 3)|press release for the third season soundtrack]] released by [[La-La Land Records]], the fourth season [[He That Believeth In Me|premiere]] was slated to air on Friday, January 11, 2008 on the US SciFi Channel. However, a spokesperson for the SciFi Channel issued a denial regarding the date to SyFy Portal's Michael Hinman, stating only that the show will premiere only in "early 2008" and that it was "not in January".<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.syfyportal.com/news424324.html|title=Still No Date Set For BSG Premiere|date=19 October 2007|accessdate=19 October 2007|last=Hinman|first=Michael|format=|language=}}</ref>
* Season 4 will officially not premiere earlier than April 2008. Furthermore, it is unclear if the season will be split into two halves of 10 episodes each with a hiatus in between. <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.buddytv.com/articles/battlestar-galactica/battlestar-galactica-season-4-13102.aspx|title=Battlestar Galactica Season 4 Not Starting Until April 2008|date=14 November 2007|accessdate=14 November 2007|last=Papel|first=Simon|format=|language=}}
</ref>
* After filming all producible scripts, the production went dark on 16 November 2007 due to the WGA strike.<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i9eeb82f00f69cdfdc26e5f3ae9858546|title=Strike shutters 'Bionic,' 'Battlestar' up north|date=16 November 2007|accessdate=16 November 2007|last=Vlessing|first=Etan|format=|language=}}</ref>

==Cast==
===Stars===
* [[Edward James Olmos]] as [[William Adama]]
* [[Mary McDonnell]] as [[Laura Roslin]]
* [[Katee Sackhoff]] as [[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]]
* [[Jamie Bamber]] as [[Lee Adama|Lee "Apollo" Adama]]
* [[James Callis]] as [[Gaius Baltar|Gaius Baltar]]
* [[Tricia Helfer]] as [[Number Six]]
* [[Grace Park]] as [[Number Eight|Sharon Agathon/Number Eight]]

===Co-stars===


==Production Crew==
===Producers===
* [[Ronald D. Moore]] - Developer / Executive Producer / Writer
* [[David Eick]] - Executive Producer
* [[Toni Graphia]] - Co-Executive Producer / Writer
* [[Harvey Frand]] - Producer
* [[Glen A. Larson]] - Consulting Producer

===Directors & Writing Staff===
: ''To view the list of all the directors and staff, go to the [[Portal:Battlestar Galactica (RDM)/Crew#Directors|Battlestar Galactica Crew Guide]] page.''

==Episodes==
: ''To view the list of episodes, go to the [[Portal:Battlestar Galactica (RDM)/Episode Guide - Season 4 Guide|Battlestar Galactica Episode Guide]] page.''

== Official Statements ==
*[http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=40133 Official SciFi.com Release]
* ''[[Ronald D. Moore]] discusses planning the season:''
: It will be a serialized show to an extent. I think what we talked about with the network — because their concern is the drop-off in viewers and giving too many hurdles for new viewers to overcome to watch the show — we're always going to try to provide at least an episodic quality to each show. Even though there are plotlines that are ongoing over the course of the whole season, we'll try to give you something in each episode that you can hold on to that starts and stops within that episode.<ref name="ew rdm">{{cite_web|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20036782_20037403_20015932_2,00.html|title=Four-ward, Cylons: RONALD D MOORE|date=|accessdate=31 May 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>
* ''Moore discusses the Final Five:''
: Well, you can see from the end of the third season that they all sort of are still the same people. They're still the same characters. They didn't switch over and become robots suddenly. So essentially you're going to see an extension of that initial moment where they try to figure out what does this mean to them. If they're Cylons, when did that begin? What are their true backstories and what are they meant to do? What are they supposed to do? Are they dangerous to each other? Are they dangerous to the ship? Do they trust any of the people around them? Should they keep the secret only among themselves? That's essentially where their storylines are going to pick up.<ref name="crave">{{cite_web|url=http://www.craveonline.com/filmtv/articles/04648062/battlestar_galactica_ronald_moore_talks_about_earth.html|title=Battlestar Galactica: Ronald Moore talks about Earth|date=13 June 2007|accessdate=15 June 2007|last=Topel|first=Fred|format=|language=}}</ref>
* ''Moore discusses ending the series:''
: Yeah, I mean, the burden [in breaking 20 episodes for this season] then became okay, now we have a great deal to wrap up and bring resolution to and we wanted to pay off a lot of things and we wanted to tie up a lot of loose threads. It felt like we had more than enough to get to where we were going to, whereas usually when you're facing the 20 episode order, it's like, "Okay, whew, we need 20 of these? Where are we going to get 20 of these?" You have to start breaking it down into smaller, bite sized chunks and move yourself along. This time, it was almost like, "Okay, let's make sure we've got enough time to get everywhere we need to go."<ref name="crave"/>
* ''[[Katee Sackhoff]] tells what she can about this final season:''
: We will find [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]]. And [my character, [[Kara Thrace]] is] not a figment of people's imaginations.<ref name="ign-sackhoff"/>
* ''Sackhoff discusses ending the series:''
: I'm happy about it. It is a choice that was made by us. The rug was not pulled out from underneath us. We're going out on a high, with our heads held high. We made the choice and we're going to be able to decide our end and our fate, instead of [having to] wrap it up as fast as we possibly can because we've been cancelled. And it was a smart thing to go out on a high. And you know, this is my fourth series. I think I've done more television than anyone else on the show, except maybe Eddie [James Olmos], because of Miami Vice. He's right there with me! But I've done s**tloads of television, and every single show the rug is pulled from out underneath you, and you're going, "What do I do now?" And this is such a great opportunity to wrap it up, say everything you want to say in your character, and put it to bed.<ref name="ign-sackhoff"/>
* ''[[David Weddle]] on the fourth season:''
: [[Bradley Thompson|Brad]] and I wrote the [[He That Believeth In Me|opening episode]] of year four and we were up in [[w:Vancouver|Vancouver]] for its pre-production and some of the first few days of filming. The revelation at the end of [[Season 3 (2006-07)|last season]] of our [[Final Five#Four Revealed, and their nature|four Cylons]] who didn't know they were Cylons has once again upset all the chess pieces. So the big challenges starting out this season are how do you play those characters going forward and track their emotional development, or unravelling as the case may be, in a way that's organic as well as genuine and not contrived. Also, as most people know, Starbuck reappeared in the final seconds of last year's finale, so there's also the question of how to deal with that character going forward. There are going to be lots of twists and turns this year. You're going to see our characters wrestling with tormenting problems and experiencing, perhaps, some rather jaw-dropping changes and evolutions. All the dynamics that you may have become used to on the Galactica ship itself will be in flux and we think, and hope, that's going to be tremendously fun to watch.<ref name>"Writes of Passage" <u>Cult Times</u> #144. August 26, 2007: 23.</ref>
* ''[[Lucy Lawless]] on the cast and crew reaction behind the scenes:''
: Things seem great actually; far more comfortable than we did on ''[[w:Xena: Warrior Princess|Xena]]'' at this stage, but maybe it hasn’t hit them or maybe it’s an easy adjustment because there are so many of them and several of them are working on ''[[w:Bionic Woman (2007 TV series)|Bionic Woman]]''. The mood is really great. I’m surprised how comfortable they are. Halfway through the last season of ''Xena'', the cast tended to get snappish with one another, and I think it was just anxiety of not knowing where your mortgage payments were coming from. I think the writers’ strike is probably of more significance at this moment; than the end of the show. I don’t think it’s quite real to them yet.<ref name="lawless"/>
* ''[[Michael Taylor]] discusses homosexuality in this season:''
: In Season 4, ''Battlestar'' will be the gayest show on television. Forget [[Final Five|secret Cylons]], all our characters will be revealed to be gay. We will even see gay Centurions and gay [[daggit]]s. Actually, the daggits will object to the use of that term and will insist on simply being called dogs. And Season 4 will indeed see the return of a [[Jake (New Caprica)|favorite dog]], though not necessarily a gay dog… but, um, what was the question again?
: Oh, right: Will we see more gay folks on ''Galactica'' [this] season. Well, to take a more serious tack, I think part of the point about [[Helena Cain|Cain]]’s and [[Gina]]’s relationship is that the fact that they had a same-sex relationship was no big deal. I think we started from the idea of wanting to explore whether Cain’s anger and revulsion at Gina, so evident in her first appearance in [[Season 2 (2005-06)|Season Two]]’s “[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]],” had a personal component. And the idea that Cain had had an intimate relationship with Gina quickly came to mind. It made Gina’s betrayal that much more devastating for her.<ref name="thewatcher"/>

== References ==

<div style="font-size:85%"><references/></div>

==Related Topics==
* [[List of Recurring Character Appearances (RDM)]]

{{episode list (RDM season 4)}}

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Behind the Scenes]]
[[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)|*]]

[[zh:第四季（2008）]]

Kara Thrace

2007-05-18T20:31:53Z

Czynski: /* Notes */

:''This article discusses the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]] character with the pilot callsign of "Starbuck." For information on Kara Thrace's counterpart in the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original Series]], see [[Starbuck (TOS)]].''

{{Character Data
|photo= Starbucks.jpg
|age=
|colony= [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]
|birthname= Kara Thrace
|callsign= Starbuck
|seen= Miniseries
|death=
|parents= [[Socrata Thrace]] (mother)
|siblings=
|children=
|marital status= Married to [[Samuel Anders]] (formerly engaged to [[Zak Adama]]†)
|role= Squadron leader (formerly: Commander Air Group), battlestar ''Galactica''
|rank= Captain
|actor= [[Katee Sackhoff]] <br> [[Erika-Shaye Gair]] (child)
|cylon=
}}
'''Kara "Starbuck" Thrace''', serial number 462753, is a gifted [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] pilot — and knows it. This leaves her with an attitude that has at times thwarted her career advancement. However, thanks to [[William Adama]], Thrace's skills in battle have extended beyond the cockpit to greatly aid the Fleet.

== Background ==
*In an unhappy childhood, Thrace was so frequently beaten by her mother [[Socrata Thrace]], that she came to accept pain as a way of life ([[Flesh and Bone]]).
*Her father was a pianist ([[Valley of Darkness]]).
*Thrace left home to join the [[Colonial Fleet|military]].
*One of her first postings prior to being a flight instructor was aboard the battlestar ''[[Triton (RDM)|Triton]]'' ([[The Son Also Rises]]).
* She was a very talented [[pyramid]] player ([[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]), and received a scholarship to the Fleet Academy to play pyramid. During this time, she injured her knee and was no longer able to play pyramid at a professional level. During that time, however, she discovered a passion and skill at being a fighter pilot ([[Podcast:The Hand of God]]). On graduating from Colonial Flight School, she undertook a period of active duty before returning to flight school as an instructor.
*Thrace fell in love with a young recruit, [[Zak Adama]]. Despite his mediocre performance, she passed him on his final flight examination, despite failing three of the required maneuvers ([[Act of Contrition]]).
*Thrace's engagement to Zak Adama ends when he was killed during a routine mission shortly after graduating. At the time, [[Lee Adama]], Zak's elder brother, blamed their father for Zak Adama's death. In her guilt, Thrace did little to alter this idea. She did, however, meet [[William Adama]] shortly after the accident, and the two struck up such a strong rapport that they stood together at the funeral ([[Act of Contrition]]).
*Thrace resigned from flight school as a instructor and transferred as an operational pilot aboard [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Galactica]]'' under the command of William Adama, where she served for some two years prior to the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|Cylon attack]] on the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]]. Before the Cylon attack, she was second in command of the remaining pilots, subordinate to the [[CAG]], [[Jackson Spencer]].
*At the time of the Cylon attack she has an run-down apartment in [[Delphi]] that overlooks a parking lot and a Colonial version of a [[Wikipedia:Humvee|Humvee]] which she and Helo use to escape the city and get to the country where she meets her husband-to-be Anders. She rarely used the dilapidated apartment. She was also a very avid painter, and her apartment was cluttered with her paintings and a [[Starbuck's Poem|poem]] is written on a wall ([[Valley of Darkness]]).
*Despite her reckless approach to life, Thrace hides the fact that she is deeply spiritual. She frequently prays (or talks) to the [[Lords of Kobol]], particularly [[Aphrodite]] and [[Artemis]] in times of need ([[Miniseries]], "[[Flesh and Bone]]", "[[You Can't Go Home Again]]").

==Character History at a Glance==
*Thrace's attitude quickly runs her afoul of Colonel [[Saul Tigh]], ''Galactica's'' [[Executive officer]]. Their open mutual dislike of one another leads to the point where blows are exchanged, with Thrace ending up in the brig. After the Cylon attack she is released from the brig and returns to duty as ''Galactica's'' Viper pilot.
*Thrace manages to keep two of three nuclear missiles from striking ''Galactica'' in their first Cylon sortie, and saves Captain Adama from doom in an innovative maneuver in the [[Battle of Ragnar Anchorage]].
*Her skills in saving Apollo brings her grudging respect from Colonel Tigh, but she is unable to accept his offer of the olive branch - an act that will have repercussions for her later ([[Miniseries]]).

[[image:Bastille_Day-Starbuck_Boxey.jpg|thumb|left|[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] as acting [[CAG]] with [[Boxey (RDM)|Boxey]] as assistant ([[Bastille Day]]).]]
*Thrace participates in a hostage rescue mission aboard the ''[[Astral Queen]]''. Following the successful mission, Thrace tries to mend fences between herself and Colonel Tigh with a toast (consisting of water), apologizing in much the same way as Tigh himself had tried after their initial escape from [[Ragnar Anchorage]]. But Tigh rejects Thrace's apology, stating that her flaws are professional, while his flaws were personal ([[Bastille Day]]).
*Thrace eventually admits her secret about Zak Adama to William Adama himself, an act that brings their close friendship almost to the breaking point ([[Act of Contrition]]).
*During a surprise encounter with Cylons during [[nugget]] training, Starbuck destroys several Cylon Raiders, but her ship is damaged and tumbles towards a small red moon with an unbreathable atmosphere. With her Viper in a fatal flat-spin, Starbuck is forced to eject from her Viper ([[You Can't Go Home Again]]).
*Thrace (nursing a damaged knee) repairs the downed Cylon Raider found on the inhabitable moon and returns to ''Galactica'', giving the Fleet a vital piece of Cylon fighter technology for study and use.
*The recovering Thrace, off flight status, is asked by Commander Adama to plan a special attack on a Cylon [[tylium]] refinery. The tactical planning role is not something she relishes, and she frequently shows resentment towards others for her condition ([[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]).
*During Thrace's undesired interrogation of a Cylon prisoner, a copy of a known [[Humanoid Cylon]] named [[Leoben Conoy]], she uses some drastic acts to try to extract the information from the Humanoid Cylon ([[Flesh and Bone]]).
[[image:Starbuck-Kobols_Last_Gleaming_pt2.jpg|thumb|right|'''Starbuck''' retrieves the [[Arrow of Apollo]] ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]).]]
*Thrace is assigned to plant a nuclear device on board a [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]] in orbit around [[Kobol (RDM)|Kobol]]. Disobeying orders to retrieve the [[Arrow of Apollo]] by President Roslin's request, disillusioned by Commander Adama, she Jumps to Caprica ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]), landing in [[Delphi]].
*In the [[Delphi Museum of the Colonies]] with the Arrow, she is violently attacked by a copy of [[Number Six]]. Despite being heavily outmatched in the fight, Thrace luckily defeats the Cylon.
*At the museum, she reunites with [[Karl Agathon|Helo]], whom she thought dead, and discovers a second copy of [[Sharon Valerii]], realizing instantly that the woman is a Cylon.
*Valerii, fearing for her child, steals Thrace's Raider. In exasperation, Starbuck could only mutter: "Bitch took my ride" ([[Scattered]]). Like Helo, Starbuck was left with no way to return to the Fleet unless she could find her Raider or another Cylon spacecraft, as enemy FTL engines were the only ones sufficently powerful to reach the Fleet.
*Starbuck berates Helo's love for the Caprica copy of Valerii. Thrace finds the keys of her surplus military utility vehicle in her old jacket in her old apartment. Thrace has a ride again, if only to move more efficiently about Caprica ([[Valley of Darkness]]).
*Thrace and Helo meet a [[Caprica Resistance|resistance movement]] on Caprica. Thrace and [[Samuel Anders]] strike up a rapport as fellow [[pyramid (RDM)|pyramid]] players and end up as lovers.
*During planning to steal a [[Heavy Raider]], Thrace is shot in a military action, waking up in a hospital on Caprica. Thrace is told by her doctor, [[Simon]], that Anders died from wounds he suffered in getting Thrace to safety.
*Thrace discovers that Simon is working with a [[Number Six|known Humanoid Cylon]]. She overhears that the next day he plans to extract her ovaries for use in the Cylon's attempts to study and create a hybrid Cylon/human embryo. Simon also makes the mistake of calling Thrace by her callsign, Starbuck, which she had never revealed.
*Staggering and in pain, Thrace kills Simon and escapes the hospital, but not before clocking a Six copy with a fire extinguisher and destroying the local farm power supply, mercy-killing [[Sue-Shaun]] and several other women in the facility.
*Another Simon copy appears just as the Resistance attacks the facility. The second Simon, now revealed as a Humanoid Cylon himself, is immediately killed by the Resistance, but a squad of [[Cylon Centurion]]s appear and pins the Resistance down. Luckily, Helo's [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|copy of Sharon Valerii]] swoops in with a stolen [[Heavy Raider]], destroys the Centurions and flies the Resistance and Thrace out of harm's way.
*Thrace promises to Anders that she'll [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I|return with a rescue mission]] for the remaining survivors. Anders returns the Arrow of Apollo to Thrace, which he hid on the resistance grounds for safekeeping ([[The Farm]]).
*Thrace, Helo and the pregnant Valerii land on the ''[[Astral Queen]]'' in the Heavy Raider. Finding the [[Laura Roslin faction]] in orbit of [[Kobol (RDM)|Kobol]], Thrace is reunited with Lee Adama. He kisses her impulsively, catching Thrace by pleasant surprise, but a tense standoff follows when Adama discovers that another Valerii copy has returned with them. Roslin helps defuse the situation, and Thrace delivers the Arrow of Apollo to the President.
*Temporarily removed from miltary protocol, Lee Adama playfully teases Thrace by stealing a pyramid ball she took from Caprica. Adama senses her depression about Caprica and tells her that he'd be happy to hear about any problems she had. He also let slip that he loved her, which brightened Thrace's mood to the point where she teased him back about his slip.
*With a team led by Laura Roslin, Lee Adama, and, later, joined by the recovered Commander Adama, Thrace enters the [[Tomb of Athena]] and successfully uses the Arrow of Apollo to activate a hologram that shows constellations of the Twelve Colonies' ancient symbols.
*Thrace realizes that they are on a recreation of Earth. Together with Lee Adama, they locate the Lagoon Nebula, a celestial body known to Commander Adama and Lee Adama, and gather sufficient information to begin an actual course to Earth ([[Home, Part II]]).
*Thrace shows off the impressive stealth abilities in the new [[Blackbird]] fighter in her maiden flight ([[Flight of the Phoenix]]).
*With the arrival of ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', Admiral [[Helena Cain]] summarily assigns Thrace (and Lee Adama) to ''Pegasus'' after digesting the reports of ''Galactica'''s officers.
*[[Cole Taylor|The ''Pegasus'' CAG]] removes Thrace from the Cylon recon mission. Lee Adama secretly tells her to use the [[Blackbird]] to take recon photos of the Cylon Unknown ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]).
*Returning from her very successful mission, the [[Blackbird]]'s lack of a Colonial transponder is mistaken for a Cylon [[Raider]] on [[DRADIS]], and Starbuck is nearly confronted and shot at by Vipers from ''Pegasus'' and ''Galactica''. After narrowly avoiding certain death by declaring herself a friendly, Thrace transmits her recon photos to ''Pegasus''.
*Admiral Cain is very impressed with Starbuck's performance and promotes her to Captain and ''Pegasus'' CAG.
*Thrace is assigned the task of planning the joint attack on the Resurrection Ship, but successfully asks to have Lee Adama on her team, restoring him to flight status.
*After she briefs Cain and Commander Adama on her battle plan, Adama asks Thrace privately to assassinate Cain after the battle is complete. Adama fears that if Cain continues to command, the Fleet would be in mortal jeopardy from Cain's draconian command ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).
*Thrace's battle planning, as before on the [[tylium]] [[The Hand of God (RDM)|mine]], works to near-perfection, with the Resurrection Ship destroyed and its supporting basestars.
*As a result of the battle events, Thrace is left without backup as she walks to the ''Pegasus'' CIC to shoot Cain, obviously afraid and apprehensive. When Commander Adama calls, Thrace slowly moves her hand to her sidearm but, to her relief, Adama does not give the kill order and cryptically instructs her to stand down ([[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]).
*Starbuck and [[Kat]] are involved in the protection of a mining operation from periodic Raider attacks. One Raider, nicknamed [[Scar (Raider)|Scar]], fuels an intensive rivalry for the pilot's "top gun" honor. Thrace, still depressed over her inability to convince Fleet command to initiate a rescue for Samuel Anders and his resistance, drinks heavily and obsesses over removing Scar from the sky, even at the cost of her life. Fortunately, Starbuck realizes the futility of her actions, and works together with Kat to destroy the remarkably dangerous Raider ([[Scar]]).
*A few weeks later, Thrace takes leave on ''[[Cloud Nine]]'' when she was dragooned into rescuing Lee Adama and several other ''Galactica'' crew and residents after terrorists take them hostage in exchange for the incarcerated [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]]. Thrace gathers intel on the situation, but her cover is blown. In the retreating firefight, Lee Adama is caught in the crossfire. After the situation is resolved, Thrace intended to sit at Adama's bedside, only to discover that Dualla beat her there ([[Sacrifice]]).
*Later, Thrace is assigned to ''Pegasus'' as a flight trainer. Though the pilots like her, Commander [[Barry Garner]] does not, eventually confining her to quarters for "insubordination." Following the [[Battle of the Binary Star System|ill-fated rescue and retreat]] from a Cylon ambush (where Thrace leads the fighters), Thrace informs new ''Pegasus'' Commander Lee Adama that she was taking over his old CAG post aboard ''Galactica'' ([[The Captain's Hand]]).
*Thrace gets her wish: The Caprica rescue is approved, and she leads a large Raptor squadron to the planet. The group soon met up with Anders, who reports that their HQ had been destroyed and Thrace's timing was just perfect. A squad of Centurions ambush and pin down the group moments later ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]).
*Still pinned down from attack fire, Starbuck and Anders agree to kill each other to avoid capture and interrment at a [[Farms|farm]]. But the attack stops, and a [[Cavil|man]] appears, praising the [[Lords of Kobol|Gods]] as he announces that the Cylons not only have ceased fire, but are abandoning the Twelve Colonies. Starbuck isn't really surprised to discover that the man, known as Brother [[Cavil]], was a Cylon upon their return to the Fleet.
*Starbuck and Anders proceed to get drunk, and host a disastrous visitation with Lee Adama. This apparently led to a rift between the two comrades.
[[Image:Leobenkara.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Leoben with Kara.]]
*The evening of the founding of [[New Caprica]], Thrace slept with Lee Adama and proclaimed her love for him as she was uncertain regarding her feelings toward Anders. The following morning she quickly married Anders in a ceremonry near the river. This caused a rift between Kara and Lee that lasted for over a year.
*Life on New Caprica tempered Thrace, and she often behaved in ways Starbuck never would have, including hugging Colonel Tigh and pampering Anders during his bout with an illness.
*She watches in horror at the sudden arrival of hundreds of Cylon ships in the sky over New Caprica. A few of ''Galactica's'' former crew gather near Thrace, looking to her for guidance. Starbuck responds the only way she knows how: "Fight 'em until we can't" ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]).
*After Baltar's surrender of New Caprica, Conoy keeps Thrace prisoner in an apartment located within the Cylon-built [[New Caprica Detention Center]] in an attempt to convince Thrace that she loves him and also convert her to the [[Cylon Religion|Cylon monotheistic religion]]. She repeatedly kills Conoy a total of five times in an attempt to convince him to let her go ([[Occupation]], [[Precipice]]).
*Conoy introduces Thrace to a small child named [[Kacey]], who appears to be approximately two to three years in age, whom he claims is their biological daughter. He explains that the child was created using one of Thrace's extracted ovaries ([[The Farm]]) and his genetic material. Conflicted, Thrace leaves the child unattended, which later results in Kacey falling down the apartment's stairs ([[Precipice]]). After the fall, Thrace begins to change her attitude towards the child and begins to offer affection towards Conoy ([[Precipice]], [[Exodus, Part I]]).
*Upon her return to ''Galactica'' after Admiral Adama's daring rescue attempt, Thrace heartbreakingly discovers that Kacey was simply another manipulation on Conoy's part — Kacey is merely a human child whom the Cylons had abducted months ago ([[Exodus, Part II]]).
*Bearing the psychological scars of her four month ordeal with Leoben and Kacey, Thrace is recruited by [[Seelix]] as a last minute replacement juror in the [[Circle]] after [[Samuel Anders]]' resignation. She is the fifth vote to find Gaeta of treason and collaboration. Thrace's involvement in the Circle precipitates the breakup of her marriage with Anders. Later, when Gaeta is about to be sentenced and executed in one of ''Galactica's'' [[launch tubes (RDM)|launch tubes]], she demands him to beg for his life. Thrace physically assaults him and goes down the litany of "lies" that Gaeta told her earlier about him helping the [[New Caprica Resistance|insurgency]]. As she does so, [[Galen Tyrol]], one of the Circle's jurors and the sixth vote to convict, overhears this and confirms the story. In a sense of confusion after learning that Gaeta was telling the truth, Thrace leaves the launch tube ([[Collaborators]]).
*During a combat exercise between Vipers, Thrace breaks formation and collides with another pilot, forcing an end to the war games and causing Apollo to revoke her flight status. Later, at her bunk she is met by Kacey and her mother, whom she dismisses, telling Kacey's mother not to visit her again. In the pilots' rec room, Thrace and Colonel Tigh begin to sow dissent between the survivors of New Caprica and the crew that stayed behind on ''Galactica'', insinuating that those who stayed behind did not suffer like those on New Caprica did, and that the crew of ''Galactica'' took too long to organize a rescue. Admiral Adama, upon learning of this from [[Karl Agathon]], confronts Thrace and Tigh on their behavior. He challenges them to shoot him, as their constant complaining is tantamount to pulling the trigger. When neither do, Adama throws Thrace off her chair and demands that both she and Tigh shape up and move on with their lives. Spurred by Adama's words, Thrace cuts her hair and returns to duty. Later, in uniform, she visits Kacey and her mother on the [[Camp Oil Slick|converted hangar deck]] ([[Torn]]).
*Thrace enters an illicit affair with Lee Adama, rekindling their romance on New Caprica ([[Unfinished Business]]). Both Anders and Adama's wife, Lieutenant [[Dualla]], are more than vaguely aware of the pair's sexual tension. Major Adama soon ends the affair and reconciles, but Thrace refuses to give Anders any further attention than a periodic sexual fling.
*Starbuck is involved with the defense of the [[Temple of Five]] but is severely injured, leaving her rescuer, Dualla, to return them to ''Galactica'' ([[Rapture]]). Helo recognizes the strange circular [[Eye of Jupiter|mandala]] (created 4,000 years before) in the Temple and its resemblance to a symbol that Thrace painted in her apartment. When shown the symbol, the recovering Thrace is darkly reminded of Leoben's prophesy.
*During refueling operations above a gas giant, Starbuck is continually attracted to what she believes is a Cylon contact, which she chases to find a planetary storm that resembles the mandala. She dives into it, almost losing control before coming to her senses and returning.
*Command staff and Thrace question her competency to continue flying, but Major Adama volunteers encouragement and offers to fly as her wingman on her next [[CAP]].
*Starbuck finds herself attracted by another apparent Cylon contact. As she descended, her Viper is struck by debris and she, while unconscious, experiences a revelation about her mother, [[Socrata Thrace]], and guided through the vision by what looks to be a Leoben copy.
*Starbuck regains consciousness but chooses to continue her descent despite Apollo's desperate pleas to ascend. "I'll see you on the other side (...) Just let me go" were her last words as her Viper explodes. A grief-stricken Apollo tells [[CIC]] that he did not see any ejection ([[Maelstrom]]).
*While preparing for a Cylon engagement near the [[Ionian nebula]], Apollo detects a bogey on [[DRADIS]]. While he searches for the target, Apollo finds himself momentarily in a cat-and-mouse chase game with the mysterious target. As Apollo attempts to regain a visual on the bogey, it positions itself next to his Viper.
*The Viper Mark II that comes alongside is flown by Starbuck herself. A shocked and confused Apollo listens to the apparently-resurrected Kara Thrace, who tells him that she has been to [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]] and she has returned to take the Fleet to it ([[Crossroads, Part II]]).

==The Destiny==

From early in her life, Kara Thrace has been guided through her mother's actions for a special role in life, a plot point that begins with a [[Leoben Conoy]] copy in the Season 1 episode, "[[Flesh and Bone]]". In "[[Maelstrom]]", the character dies, but reappears as a possible herald at the end of Season 3. For more information, see [[The Destiny]].

==Notes==
*On the Sci-Fi Channel's preview for season 2.5 (US), Katee Sackoff is quoted as saying that Starbuck is "the best Viper pilot...EVER."
*[[Wikipedia:Thrace|Thrace]] was a region in south-eastern Europe that was heavily influenced by the ancient Greeks and was eventually conquered by [[Wikipedia:Philip_II_of_Macedonia|Phillip II of Macedonia]]. Thracians were considered by most to be the most ferocious fighters and were often highly paid mercenaries for Greek kings.
*Thrace was named for Thrax, the son of Ares, the god of war, who was said to reside on the Thracian plain.
*After auditioning for the role of [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]], [[Grace Park]] was asked by director [[Michael Rymer]] to audition for the role of Starbuck, and she was actually one of two finalists up for the role (the other being Katee Sackhoff, who got the part). Ultimately Park was cast as [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon "Boomer" Valerii]].
*In a TV Guide [http://online.tvguide.com/newsearch/detail.aspx?id=4371595&sourcetype=S&progseriesparentid=4371595&tvobjectid=191395&keyword=Battlestar+Galactica&referrer=search1 photo shoot] at the BSG studios, Katee Sackhoff explained that the [[tattoo]] that Starbuck bears on her left arm is a wing and a circle and has half of the constellation of Capricorn (a reference to [[Caprica]] obviously) and a small symbol of the planet as well. It matches a mirror image of the tattoo on Anders' right arm. When the two of them hold each other with their respective arms crossing, the 2 tattoos come together to form an image of a single ring with 2 wings that is supposed to represent their union. According to Sackhoff, Kara and Anders had the tattoos done around the time of their wedding.
*The license plate on Thrace's truck on Caprica is "FB 42 E3" ([[Valley of Darkness]]).
*In a [http://community.tvguide.com/thread.jspa?threadID=800009378 TV Guid interview], David Eick stated that ..."the events in episodes 16 and 19 will greatly impact the nature of their romance" when asked about the Starbuck/Apollo romance, which appears to support the theory that Starbuck somehow survived "Maelstrom".
*In a [http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07085/770732-352.stm Post-Gazette Journal interview], [[Ronald D. Moore]] stated that [[Katee Sackhoff]] is signed for season four, but declined to answer the question of whether [[Lee Adama]] was hallucinating or really saw Starbuck in [[Crossroads, Part II|season 3 finale]].
*In a recent [http://www.vh1.com/movies/news/articles/1556508/20070405/story.jhtml interview with VH1], Ronald D. Moore stated that [[Lee Adama]] was not hallucinating when he saw Kara Thrace in [[Crossroads, Part II]], and implied that Kara may have actually died in [[Maelstrom]].

==References==
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