Battlestar Wiki - User contributions [en]

User:Scorpion

2008-12-16T16:33:11Z

Scorpion: my page

la!

Agro Ship

2008-12-16T07:02:32Z

Scorpion: fix link

{{Ship Data
| image= AgroShips.jpg
| title= Agro Ship
| race= Colonial
| type= Civilian
| role= Agricultural ship for growing foodstuffs
| status= Almost all destoryed by Cylons ([[The Magnificent Warriors]])
}}
[[Image:Agro crop.jpg|thumb|right|A bountiful crop aboard the Agro Ship ([[War of the Gods, Part I]]).]]
'''Agro Ship''' is the common classification for spacecraft capable of growing any edible [[agro]] foodstuffs needed in a convoy or [[The Fleet (TOS)|Fleet]] for long periods of time. These crafts have translucent hull plates interconnected in a structural enforcement grid, which allow the plants to receive the necessary sunlight from a nearby star or some other stellar formation to achieve the state of [[Wikipedia:photosynthesis|photosynthesis]]. Artificial lighting is, apparently, also an important function of these agro ships. One of the crops grown aboard the agro ships is the [[tallon plant]].

Agro ships are unarmed, but can withstand an assault for some period of time.

''Galactica'''s Fleet has three such agro ships; two of which are destroyed by the [[Cylons (TOS)|Cylons]] and the third, the [[Agro Ship 9]], experiences a hull breach via a destroyed airlock ([[The Magnificent Warriors]]).

Count [[Iblis]] also visits the Agro Ship 9 with Lieutenant [[Sheba]] during his time with the Fleet ([[War of the Gods, Part I]] & [[War of the Gods, Part II|II]]).

== Notes ==

* The agro ships are reuses of the spacecraft from [[http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0067756/ ''Silent Running'']], a Universal/MCA movie that special effects guru [[John Dykstra]] worked on a few years prior to [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|''Battlestar Galactica'']].

* The same shots of the agro ships destructions in "[[The Magnificent Warriors]]" were reused in the ''[[Galactica 1980]]'' episode "[[Space Croppers]]". This continued ''Battlestar'''s regrettable tradition of continued reuse of stock footage, which occurred due to the length of time special effects shots took to prepare for and produce in that television era, in combination with the hectic shooting schedule. As a side effect of this, a continuity error is created as, by the time the Fleet heads to Earth, they should have only one agro ship left.

* The [[Botanical Cruiser]] in the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]] is an homage to this ship.

* ''According to ''[[Encyclopedia Galactica]]'', a non-canonical piece of merchandise published in 1979:''
: Agro ships were created by [[Aeries]] and are capable of converting "artificial sunlight into raw foodstuffs at an average efficiency of eighty-four percent". Converting the food to "add variety and taste appeal" reduces the overall efficiency of food, such as [[hydronic mushies]] to sixty-two percent. Agro ships are capable of recycling and reprocessing nutrients and water.

: To create the artificial sunlight, the ship gets its energy from the "reburning of [[solium]] wastes from the main drive engines of [ships in] the [[The Fleet (TOS)|fleet]]". In addition, agro ships are equipped with foodstuffs that have been created to process the "solium light spectrum" efficiently and grow in the weightlessness of space.<ref>{{cite_book|last=Kraus|first=Bruce|authorlink=|authorlinkurl=|coauthors=|year=1979|title=[[Encyclopedia Galactica]]|publisher=|location=|id=|pages=11-12}}</ref>

== References ==

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

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Colonial]]
[[Category:Colonial Craft]]
[[Category:Colonial Craft (TOS)]]
[[Category:Ships]]
[[Category:Ships (TOS)]]
[[Category:TOS]]

[[de:Agroschiff]]

Helena Cain

2006-08-14T17:51:44Z

Scorpion: /* Cylon attack, and guerilla warfare */ cp

:''For information on this character's [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original Series]] counterpart, see [[Cain (TOS)]].

{{Character Data
|photo=Nelena.jpg
|age=
|colony=[[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Tauron|Tauron]]
|birthname=Helena Cain
|callsign=
|seen= Pegasus (episode)
|death= Shot by [[Gina]] aboard Pegasus, in Cain's quarters. ([[Resurrection Ship, Part II]])
|parents=
|siblings=
|children=
|marital status=
|role=Commanding Officer, [[Battlestar]] ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''
|rank=Admiral
|actor=[[Michelle Forbes]]
|cylon=
|name=
}}

Admiral '''Helena Cain''', hailing from the colony [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Tauron|Tauron]], is commander of the [[Mercury class battlestar]] ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' during the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]. She is a hard woman not afraid of hard decisions and unflinching in her will to do what she sees as right. Sometimes, these traits conspire so that she see that she has been left no choice but to take controversial, unpopular or morally questionable decisions.

==Biography==
===Cylon attack, and guerilla warfare===
At the time of the [[Cylon attack]], Cain's battlestar was stationed at the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] for upgrades and shore leave. As the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] attacked, destroying other battlestars and support ships there, Cain orders a [[Blind jump|blind Jump]], gambling that the result of such an impromptu (and inadvisable) escape would be better than the alternative of destruction.

Despite the impossible odds, Cain intended to sustain a campaign of guerilla warfare against the occupying Cylon forces. Shortly after her escape, however, ''Pegasus'' encountered a small refugee fleet of fifteen ships. Unwilling to be shackled down by the responsibility of protecting them, she stripped the refugee fleet of useful hardware and personnel, and left them stranded without [[FTL]] engines. She then led the battlestar away from the [[Twelve Colonies]], following a Cylon fleet that trailed what they discovered as fellow battlestar ''[[Galactica]]''.

===Galactica===
Upon meeting up with Commander [[William Adama]]'s [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]], she assumes command and transfers personnel from ''Galactica'' to ''Pegasus'', including [[Lee Adama]] and [[Kara Thrace]], indicating that Adama has let military discipline become too lax. Cain is more interested in fighting the Cylons, seemingly oblivious to the point that she and the ships around her are all that was left of the human race, whose survival is more paramount than offensive assaults. While Adama initially welcomes such attacks against a mysterious Cylon force that followed the Fleet (to stop it from following them), his attitude begins to cool about Cain's very strict and unmerciful leadership.
[[image:caingalact.jpg|left|Admiral Cain, meeting up with the crew of Galactica.|thumb]]
Cain's actions also raise concerns with President [[Laura Roslin]]. Cain recognizes Roslin and her former role as Secretary of Education. After the Fleet command transfer from Adama to Cain, Roslin makes several attempts to call Cain to request supplies for the civilian fleet, but all of Roslin's calls are ignored.

Cain may also show brutal behavior when commanding her own staff, according to a conversation over alcohol that Colonel [[Saul Tigh]] has with his ''Pegasus'' counterpart, Colonel [[Jack Fisk]]. Fisk comments that, after ''Pegasus' ''initially escapes, the battlestar once tries to attack a Cylon communications relay -- an easy target. On arrival in the system, however, it turns out the target is a Cylon staging area, filled with 15 squadrons of [[Raider]]s. Admiral Cain ordered her previous Executive Officer, a man she had served with for years, to carry out the attack anyway, but he refused the order in the face of such odds. Admiral Cain asked the XO for his gun, and shot him in the head in front of the crew in the Pegasus [[CIC]]. Cain then turned to Fisk and ordered him to launch the attack, which he did. After relating this story to Col. Tigh, Col. Fisk says he is joking about the incident.

Although the story could be unreliable because Fisk is drunk at the time, Tigh relays the story and his suspicions of his likelihood to Adama. Adama cautions that ''Galactica's'' crew has also made some questionable actions since the attack, and they don't know if the story was taken out of context or not. Even if the story is true, Adama is willing to give Cain the benefit of the doubt and not question the matter further.

===Court-martial, standoff===
After the suspect fatal assault of one of her crew members, Lieutenant [[Alistair Thorne|Thorne]], Cain arrests Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] and Lieutenant Karl "[[Karl Agathon|Helo]]" Agathon and flies them to ''Pegasus'', under Adama's protest, since traditionally a trial is held on the ship where an incident has occurred. Cain uses ''Galactica's'' log against Adama when he asks for a tribunal; Cain notes that Adama dismissed the last council unilaterally when the verdict did not suit him. Cain summarily court-martials the prisoners herself in a matter of hours, sentencing them to death. Commander Adama is far from pleased, and orders an assault crew to head for ''Pegasus'' to bring his men back. Cain responds by deploying her squadrons of advanced Mark VII Vipers against Adama's museum collection of Mark II Vipers in a tense standoff ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]).

The tense game of chicken that begins is ended by Starbuck, flying the [[Blackbird]] as she returns from her unofficial recon mission on the unknown Cylon ship. Starbuck transmits the pictures she took of the [[Resurrection Ship]] back to ''Pegasus'' [[CIC]]. Upon Thrace's return to ''Pegasus'', Cain is so impressed with her performance that she promotes Thrace to Captain and ''Pegasus'' [[CAG]], replacing the competent but uncreative and inflexible Capt. [[Cole Taylor|Taylor]]. Cain tasks Starbuck with planning the joint strike on the Resurrection Ship.
===Attack on the Resurrection Ship, and assassination===
[[Image:Gina-Cain.jpg|thumb|Admiral Cain held at gun-point by [[Gina]].]]

After Captain Thrace briefs both Adama, Apollo, and Cain on her plan to attack the Resurrection Ship, Adama pulls Starbuck aside and outlines a plan to assassinate Cain following the attack. At the same time, Cain instructs [[Jack Fisk]] to lead a detachment of marines to "terminate Adama's command" after the battle ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).

When the moment arrives, neither commander decides to send their execution orders, leaving Thrace and Fisk visibly relieved. Cain survives Adama's plan, ironically, because Adama solicits advice from [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|the second copy of Sharon Valerii]], who reminds him of his decommissioning speech that asked whether humanity asked itself if it deserved to survive ([[Miniseries]]). That is, Adama's actions in assassinating Cain would be a good example of why humanity deserved what the Cylons dealt to them so many months ago.

Unfortunately for Cain, shortly after Adama's window to assassinate Cain had passed, [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] helps the Cylon agent [[Gina]] escape from the brig. Gina makes her way to Cain's quarters and shoots Cain at point blank range. A soldier to the last, Cain's final words are "[[Frak]] you."

Cain's funeral is given full military honors, with Fisk and Thrace giving eulogies. Though Thrace only knew Cain briefly, she obviously admired the woman, stating "We were safer with her than we are without." ([[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]).

== Notes ==

*Helena Cain is inspired by the character of Commander [[Cain (TOS)|Cain]] from the original ''[[Battlestar Galactica (1978)|Battlestar Galactica]]'', portrayed by the late [[Lloyd Bridges]].

*Unlike Commander Cain in the Original Series, Admiral Cain is a superior officer to Commander William Adama. The Original Series character of Adama held a higher rank than Cain, relieving him of command for a time in the two part episode, "[[The Living Legend, Part I|The Living Legend]]."

*Actress Michelle Forbes guest starred as Dara Timicin in the ''[[MemoryAlpha:Star Trek: The Next Generation|Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' episode "[[MemoryAlpha:Half a Life|Half a Life]]" and had a recurring role as Ensign [[MemoryAlpha:Ro Laren|Ro Laren]] during the last three seasons of ''Star Trek: The Next Generation''. ''Battlestar Galactica'' executive producer [[Ronald D. Moore]], also a ''TNG'' veteran, wrote for her character in the episodes "[[MemoryAlpha:Disaster|Disaster]]" and "[[MemoryAlpha:The Next Phase|The Next Phase]]".

*Admiral Cain's first name, Helena, was not spoken in dialogue but was posted in episode summaries on Scifi.com

*Cain's habit of expediting meetings by conducting them without chairs is borrowed from UN Ambassador [[Wikipedia:John R. Bolton|John R. Bolton]]. (Source: "Pegasus" podcast)

*Jane Seymour, who portrayed [[Serina]] in the Original Series, was asked to play Cain, but turned down the offer.{{citation needed}}

{{start box}}
{{succession box|before=''(unknown)'' |title=Commanding Officer of the [[Mercury class battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''|after=[[Jack Fisk]]}}
{{end box}}

{{Characters}}

[[Category: A to Z|Cain, Helena]] [[Category: Characters|Cain, Helena]] [[Category:People from Tauron|Cain, Helena]] [[Category: RDM|Cain, Helena]]

Samuel Anders

2006-04-24T03:20:29Z

Scorpion: /* Biography */

{{Character Data|
|photo=[[Image:Anders.PNG|225px]]
|age=
|colony=[[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]
|birthname=Samuel T. Anders
|callsign=
|death=
|parents=
|siblings=
|children=
|marital status=Married to [[Kara Thrace]]
|role=[[resistance (movement)|Resistance]] leader and Professional [[Pyramid (RDM)|Pyramid]] player.
|rank=
|actor=[[Michael Trucco]]
|cylon=
|name=
}}

Leader of the [[resistance (movement)|resistance group]] on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]], '''Samuel T. Anders''' was also the captain of the professional [[Pyramid (RDM)|Pyramid]] team known as the [[Caprica Buccaneers]].

==Biography==
Anders was leading his team in high-altitude training in the mountains outside of [[Delphi]] when the [[Cylon Attack]] occurred and the planet was bombarded with nuclear weapons.

Being in a high-altitude rural area shielded Anders and his team from the blasts and most of the radioactive fallout that followed. He and the Buccaneers became ''ad hoc'' resistance fighters from that point forward, raiding armories and collecting caches of weapons, anti-radiation medication, ammo and supplies in the hopes of staying alive and defending themselves against the Cylons.
[[image:Resistance-Anders_Starbuck.jpg|thumb|left|'''Anders''' and [[Kara Thrace]] play [[Pyramid (RDM)|Pyramid]] at the [[resistance (movement)|Resistance]]'s HQ on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] in "[[Resistance]]".]]
Anders was able to rally upwards of over 100 people, mostly hikers and survivalists, to his resistance against the Cylons and from the former [[Delphi Union High School]] he was able to strike back at the Cylons for about 50 days. Unlike [[Karl Agathon|Helo]], the Caprica-based (and pregnant) [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]], and [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]], Anders seems to be focused more on surviving on Caprica than he is with leaving the planet ([[Resistance]]).

Anders' main focus for a time keeping himself and his resistance movement alive long enough for Starbuck to return to Caprica once again with reinforcements from ''Galactica'' and evacuate them. Starbuck gave him her [[Identification Tags|fleet ID tags]] as a promise that she would come back for him. Aside from surviving and waiting for rescue, Anders planned to locate and destroy as many Cylon hybrid-producing "farms" as possible before Starbuck returns ([[The Farm]]).

Anders and the resistance movement began conducting acts of terrorism against the Cylons after they appropriated Delphi for their own. His aim was to scare the Cylons into believing there is no safe place for them and to kill them in the most gruesome way possible so they remember when they are reborn what it is like to die violently, like in an explosion ([[Downloaded]]).

Anders' physical features vaguely resemble [[Lee Adama|Apollo]], which perhaps explains Starbuck's immediate attraction to him. However, Anders appears much more self-assured than Apollo.

Following the Cylon's reappropriation of Delphi, Anders and his fighters continued their insurgency, and carried out a series of attacks on the Cylons, the most notable of which was the destruction of a café which killed roughly 40 Cylons. Anders, having planted the bomb in a garage, was prevented from leaving when he had to stay and defend the bomb from a Centurion. Hiding behind a car on the other side of the garage, Anders was mostly protected from the blast but buried under some rubble, and was not comforted to be later "rescued" by [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon]] and [[Number Three]]. Anders was spared, as he would be a useful source of information. When [[Caprica-Six]] began talking about genocide and God's love, Anders didn't understand, but used the opening to try and kill Three. Sharon knocked the gun out of his hand, and Three was more than willing to take revenge, but all were astonished when Six suddenly killed her. Heeding Six's orders to get out, Anders fled, still puzzled by what had transpired ([[Downloaded]]).

Anders survived an assault by the Cylons at the resistance's headquarters -- the same morning that the Caprica [[SAR]] team landed nearby. When retreating to the Raptors, the Cylons assaulted them ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]), forcing them to go to higher ground. After the Cylons stopped attacking them, Thrace feared the worst and had Anders promise to kill her -- so that the Cylons would be unable to put her in one of their [[farms]] -- and she promised that she would kill him as well. Fortunately, this was not the case as the Cylons had left the Colonies and that the survivors of their attack were spared.

After Anders had been rescued, he and Thrace had developed a relationship -- eventually forcing a rift to occur between Thrace and Lee Adama. They had married and moved to [[New Caprica]]. During the 380th day of Baltar's presidency, he had developed [[Wikipedia:pneumonia|pneumonia]], forcing Thrace to beg Lee Adama to release some antibiotics reserved for the ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'''s pilots.

Since the Cylons had forced the ''Pegasus'' and the defense fleet away from New Caprica, it is unknown whether or not Anders survives his sickness -- though he is visited by a copy of [[Leoben Conoy]] who inquires on Kara Thrace's whereabouts ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]).

{{spoiltext|Anders likely survives his illness, as he and [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] partake in a plot to bomb a Cylon heavy trasport four months after the beginning of the occupation.}}

==Notes==
*"Ander" is derived from a Greek term meaning "Man" (a well known example would be that "Anderson" means "Son of Man", etc). Fitting, given that Anders is leading the last free humans alive on Caprica in a resistance against the Cylons: it's literally a fight of "Man" versus Machines.

{{characters}}

[[Category: A to Z|Anders, Samuel T.]]
[[Category: Characters|Anders, Samuel T.]]
[[Category: RDM|Anders, Samuel T.]]

Gaius Baltar

2006-04-01T05:20:10Z

Scorpion: /* Gaius as President */

:''This page discusses the unwitting betrayer of humanity in the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]]. For information on the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original Series]] character that intentionally betrays the [[The Twelve Colonies (TOS)|Twelve Colonies of Man]], see [[Baltar (TOS)|Baltar]].''

{{Character Data|
|photo= [[Image:Gaius Baltar promo.jpg|200px]]
|age=
|colony= [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]
|birthname= Gaius Baltar
|callsign=
|death=
|parents=
|siblings=
|children=
|marital status= Single, in a relationship with a [[Cylon-Related_Hallucinations#Baltar.27s_Internal_Six|hallucination of Number Six]]. Previously involved with [[Caprica-Six|the real Number Six]] and [[Gina]].
|role= President of [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|the Twelve Colonies]]
|rank=
|actor= [[James Callis]]
|cylon=
|name=
}}
__TOC__

== Background ==

Dr. '''Gaius Baltar''' was formerly a lead defense systems developer working for the [[Colonial Ministry of Defense]] and was widely considered a genius and celebrity throughout [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|the Twelve Colonies]]. Baltar came to prominence as a computer technology designer having won three [[Magnate Prize]]s. Baltar was born on [[The_Twelve_Colonies_(RDM)#Sagittaron |Sagittaron]] and attracted to [[The_Twelve_Colonies_(RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] by the Defense Ministry{{ref|birthplace}}. He networks with others well, and became personal friends with President [[Adar (RDM)|Adar]]. Baltar becomes responsible for the design of the critical [[Command Navigation Program]] (CNP) used throughout the [[Colonial Fleet]]. Baltar's scientific prowess seems strongest in the medical and biological fields. As a result of his lesser (although still advanced) computer programming skills, he seeks the help (and as a byproduct, the affections of) a young woman named [[Number Six|Natasi]] to aid him with the CNP.

Elegantly dressed and aesthetically handsome, with the affected humility of the truly arrogant, Baltar is nonetheless a deeply flawed person and almost pathologically narcissist. Beneath his outstanding abilities lurks a dramatic weakness of character. Self-absorbed, sly, guileful, lecherous and utterly dedicated to his own self-preservation, Baltar has carried on a two-year affair with Natasi-- even to the extent of using code she herself wrote to overcome shortfalls in his CNP -- and thus allows her unrestricted access to some of the most sensitive systems of the Colonial defenses.

Baltar is currently President of the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]], succeeding President [[Laura Roslin]].

== [[Cylon Attack]] ==
[[image:Mini-Baltar_Six.jpg|thumb|left|300px|[[Gaius Baltar]] and [[Caprica-Six|Number Six]] kissing in the [[Mini-Series]]. (C. SciFi Channel)]]
When the Cylons launch their attack, Baltar becomes horrified to learn that his "corporate spy" lover is in fact a new type of Cylon -- a [[Cylon agent|Cylon in human form]], able to mimic human beings down to the smallest detail -- and that she altered his CNP as a gateway to make all integrated Colonial computers and defense systems vulnerable to a Cylon virus that subverts their command and control systems.

Appalled by the fact that his sexual folly has led to the virtual holocaust of humanity, Baltar is nevertheless determined not only to survive but also avoid having his unintended treachery revealed.

Rescued on Caprica following the forced-landing of a Colonial [[Raptor]] -- at the cost of [[Karl Agathon|one of the crew staying behind]] ([[Mini-Series]]) -- he is pleased to find himself treated with the same esteem he enjoyed back on Caprica. His only problem is that [[Number Six]], his former "lover" -- herself ostensibly destroyed in the shock wave of a nuclear blast -- now appears to him in visions, and he cannot be sure whether this is a result of his own guilt at his actions or whether -- as she initially claims -- she is part of a chip that has been implanted in his brain{{ref|chip}}.

Shortly after Baltar's arrival on ''Galactica'', Commander [[William Adama]] learns that Cylons can mimic human form, and Baltar is put to work trying to devise a means of detecting these humanoid Cylons. By an educated guess (and an apparent attempt to distract those who suspected him of treachery), he exposes [[Aaron Doral]] -- a PR executive who co-ordinated the media coverage of ''Galactica's'' decommissioning -- as a Cylon agent ([[Mini-Series]]), using little more than invented [[technobabble]] to convince [[Saul Tigh|Colonel Tigh]]. Despite his protestations of innocence, Doral is marooned at [[Ragnar Anchorage]], but soon a team of Cylon agents appear to pick up the stranded Doral. Baltar's educated guess was correct--Doral was indeed a Cylon agent.

Due to his unique abilities, Baltar is charged with turning his initial "[[Cylon detector]]" into a working machine capable of screening everyone in [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]]. While he at first balks at this task, events such as the sabotaging of ''Galactica's'' water reserves ([[Water]]) force him into a position where he can no longer procrastinate over the detector -- despite his fear that such a device might somehow expose him as the original traitor among humans. Gaining aid from a most unusual source -- his "virtual" Six ([[Bastille Day]]), who gets him to request a nuclear warhead for the detector -- Baltar eventually develops a genuine detector; which functions by exposing cell samples to the warhead's radiation, because it has already been demonstrated ([[Miniseries]]) that Cylons are more susceptible to certain kinds of radiation. This, together with his survival of a foiled attempt to expose him as a traitor ([[Six Degrees of Separation]]), firmly establishes his credentials within the Fleet's hierarchy.

With this new-found trust, and despite his willingness to deliberately conceal vital information, such as [[Sharon Valerii#"Boomer" Valerii|Lieutenant Valerii's]] true status as a [[Cylon agent]] ([[Flesh and Bone]]), Baltar willing enters the realm of political leadership, first as the Representative for [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] on the [[Quorum of Twelve]], and then as the newly-elected Vice President of the Colonies ([[Colonial Day]]).

== Cylon Manipulations ==

The Cylons commenced their direct manipulations of Baltar some two years prior to the attack on the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]], by bringing him into contact with their agent, [[Number Six]], who started a torrid affair with him while at the same time using him to access vital Colonial command and control systems within the Ministry of Defense ([[Mini-Series]]).

This manipulation continues even after the Doctor leaves Caprica behind, with Six appearing to him in sensory perceptions, possibly through an implant in his brain ([[Miniseries]]) or perhaps even through a series of psychotic hallucinations as the doctor struggles to reconcile his guilt and his desire of self-preservation.

Regardless of the cause of her appearances, Six continues to help and hinder Baltar, gradually drawing him to a point of near-open acceptance and participation in Cylon plans and activities ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]). The majority of this manipulation has been through religious intrigue, linked to physical threats to Baltar's well-being or that of other humans. These manipulations include:

* Using the threat of Baltar's former colleague, Dr. [[Amorak]], attempting to contact [[Laura Roslin|President Roslin]] with information on a "traitor" within Colonial circles -- and only "removing" this threat once Baltar has "repented of his sins" ([[33]])
* Using the threat of direct accusation (in the form of "[[Shelly Godfrey]]") coupled with "photographic evidence" -- and only "removing" this threat once Baltar has "accepted" [[God]] into his life ([[Six Degrees of Separation]])
[[image:Scattered-Baltar_Six.jpg|thumb|[[Gaius Baltar]] and [[Number Six]] seeing "the shape of things to come" in "[[Scattered]]". (C. Universal Studios)]]
Baltar's near-acquiescence to the [[God|Cylon religion]] comes when he goes through a process similar to the [[wikipedia:Evangelicalism|evangelical Christian]] belief in "rebirth" through adult baptism. In this, the new believer in the Christian faith is baptized (generally through full immersion in water), symbolizing the "death" of the "old" self and "birth" of the "new" Christian self. In "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]", Baltar apparently undergoes "death" at the hands of his inner Six when she "breaks" his neck -- and is "reborn" in his real life as the "instrument of God", able to point-out precisely where Colonial forces must strike in order to eliminate the Cylon base preventing them from accessing supplies of [[Tylium|tylium]] ([[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]).

This act leaves Baltar ripe for the final revelation of his role within Cylon expectations, when "the future" is revealed to him by Six on [[Kobol]], in the form of the first of "God's new generation of children" ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]). Baltar is not particularly pleased by this, especially when he learns that he is to be the father and that the mother will be Six ([[Scattered]]). Despite this, when he believes Commander Adama is trying to kill the child in one of his dreams, he tries to stop this ([[Valley of Darkness]]).

==Survival on Kobol==
[[Image:Baltarixvalleydarkness.jpg|Number Six showing Baltar the clearing filled with human bones, telling him they were from human sacrifices.|thumb]]
While stranded on Kobol, Baltar "awoke" in a clearing filled with human bones. Number Six tells him the bones were from human sacrifices, and that all of the myths about the gods of Kobol and the paradise on Kobol were a lie to hide the true brutality of man, which increases Baltar's cynical opinion of humanity. Number Six also warns that one of the survivors of Baltar's crash would turn against the others.

The Raptor crash survivors, consisting of Baltar, Chief [[Galen Tyrol]], [[Cally]], [[Seelix]], and ranking crew member [[Crashdown]], a lieutenant, are faced with [[Cylon Centurion]]s building a missile battery that will destroy any rescue ships trying to save them. Crashdown, obsessed with success after the deaths of [[Tarn]] and [[Socinus]], orders the team to make a suicidal attack on the Cylon position. Baltar has never fired a weapon in his life and feels it could not be done. Due to the fact that he was the only non-military member of the survivors, he insists that they put it to a vote before Tyrol shouts him down to follow the chain of command.

On starting the attack, Cally freezes in terror, unable to create the needed diversion. Crashdown points his gun at her head and threatens to kill her if she does not obey the order. Immediately, Tyrol levels his gun at Crashdown. A tense standoff ensues. Just as Crashdown is about to fire, Baltar shoots him in the back, killing him instantly{{ref|killing}}. The group successfully carries out the alternate plan of attacking the Cylon's [[DRADIS]] dish, and are rescued by the Raptors. Baltar tells the [[SAR]] team that Crashdown died a hero in the fight, and Tyrol reluctantly corroborates his story ([[Fragged]]).

==Return to ''Galactica''==

Back on ''Galactica'', Baltar insists that if Roslin's presidency was terminated, as Vice President he should then succeed her in command, but Col. Tigh dismisses the notion because he has instituted martial law in [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]]. Later, Cally blackmails Baltar into making it a priority to prove that Chief Tyrol is not a Cylon, as Col. Tigh suspects, or Cally would reveal to all that it was really Baltar that killed Crashdown. Baltar pushes Cally against the wall and lectures her sternly, but she refuses to back down, telling him to "help the Chief [by] help[ing] [him]self." Incensed at this ingratitude, Baltar heads to the [[brig]] to take a blood sample from Tyrol, located in the same cell as [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer]], but actually injects him with a toxin that will kill him in seconds without an antidote. Baltar uses Tyrol's importance to Boomer to coerce the panicked Cylon agent to disclose how many remaining humanoid Cylons are hiding in the Fleet. He gambles that, even if Valerii was programmed to think she was human, on a subconscious level she truly ''would'' know the answer as a Cylon operative. With time running out, she shouts out "Eight!" Baltar revives Tyrol. Baltar plans to perform a series of experiments on Boomer, but she is soon killed by Cally ([[Resistance]]).
[[image:brainscan.jpg|Baltar recieves his brain scan from Dr. Cottle, as Six watches on in amusement.|thumb]]
Some time later, as Commander Adama attempts to retrieve President Roslin and reunite the Fleet, Baltar yells at his internal Number Six for her increasingly ridiculous random changes in appearance, even questioning her actual existence. She responds by simplifying her appearance and attitude and told him that he truly had gone crazy, claiming there is no "computer chip" in his head with her personality, and that she is indeed a hallucination brought on by his guilt-ridden subconscious. Baltar has a brain scan performed in [[sickbay]] by Dr. [[Cottle]] (despite ''interference'' from Six), which confirms no "foreign objects" are present in his head. Baltar is ready to believe that he is truly insane when he hears [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Caprica-Sharon]] discuss Valerii's pregnancy with a Cylon/Human hybrid child from his observation room. Six told Baltar earlier that "their child" would be born in that cell, and this leads Baltar to realize that Six ''must'' be real because his subconscious couldn't have known that. Number Six says that she is indeed real and not a hallucination. While she still denies the presence of a chip in Baltar's head, she claims to be "an angel of God sent here to protect [Baltar]". Six tells Baltar that by "their" child she is referring to Caprica-Valerii's biological child: Six considers herself the mother, and Baltar the father ([[Home, Part II]]).

When [[D'anna Biers]] films a documentary about life aboard ''Galactica'', Six urges Baltar to give an interview to try to win people over to thinking that he should be running the Fleet. Baltar performs badly as he begins his interview but, fortunately, his interview is interrupted by a Cylon attack that Biers chooses to film instead ([[Final Cut]]).

Baltar aids in trying to overcome the Cylon [[logic bomb]] which devastates ''Galactica's'' [[computers]]. Tigh's dislike of Baltar's involvement in this problem makes the scientist edgy enough to retort, "I'm sorry. Do you want to survive this one or not, Colonel?" ([[Flight of the Phoenix]])
[[image:baltargina.jpg|Baltar with Gina, the Cyclon prisoner from ''Pegasus''.|thumb]]

==Arrival of ''Pegasus''==

When battlestar ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' reunites with the Fleet, Commander Adama requests that Baltar examine ''Pegasus' '' own Cylon prisoner to see what information he could glean from it. Upon arrival in the ''Pegasus'' brig, Baltar is horrified to discover the Cylon was a terribly abused and tortured copy of Number Six named "[[Gina]]". Baltar vows to help her in any way he could, and begins by having her restraints removed and bringing food to her. The inhumane treatment of Gina by the ''Pegasus'' crew likely makes Gaius more critical of humanity's worth ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]).

Over the course of his examination of Gina, he uncovers both her wish to die and the secret of the Cylon [[Resurrection Ship]]. He passes this information to Adama and [[Helena Cain|Admiral Helena Cain]], who develop an [[Attack on the Resurrection Ship|operation to destroy it]] ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).

Baltar continues to spend time with Gina, growing closer to her despite Six's pleas to the contrary and eventually helps Gina escape from the brig. He tells Gina that he can hide her, and also that he loves her. Gina goes on to kill Cain and escapes from the ''Pegasus'' through unexplained means, although it is probable that Baltar had something to do with it ([[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]).

==Serving Everyone, but No One==

To many others, Dr. Baltar's personality appears to exhibit more odd behavior than what may be considered the expected eccentricity of a genius. Crewmembers on ''Galactica'' find him mumbling with himself or discovering him in places they do not expect, such as aboard battlestar ''Pegasus'' to see its new commander, [[Jack Fisk]]. Torn between the "flesh and blood" copy of the [[Number Six]] copy, Gina, the demands of his internal Number Six, and his continuing attempt to cover his own multiple duplicities, Baltar becomes more aggressive and confrontational. With President Roslin's advice to abort the Cylon-hybrid fetus of the incarcerated [[Sharon Valerii]], Baltar reacts to defend it as if it were his own child (as does his internal Six, who threatens him on the problem). Admiral [[William Adama|Adama]] admonishes Baltar, telling him that, on Roslin's death, he will become President and that he needs to behave like one.

Desperate to save Valerii's fetus, Baltar reviews Dr. [[Cottle]]'s medical tests and performs experiments of his own, learning a striking revelation: the blood of the fetus can destroy cancer and repair its damage to human tissue. With Admiral Adama's permission, he injects the dying President Roslin with some of the fetal blood, which works miraculously, saving both Roslin and Valerii's child by circumstance.

After saving Roslin's life, Baltar reads the letter given to him in the event of her death, in which she says he lacks compassion and asks him to open his heart if he becomes president. Furious, and goaded on by Six who tells him that Roslin doesn't trust him, Baltar delivers the nuclear warhead used for the Cylon detector to Gina and her militant [[Demand Peace]] movement. ([[Epiphanies]]).

Baltar keeps his [[fumarello]] supply fresh by trading in the [[black market (organization)|black market]] through new ''Pegasus'' Commander [[Jack Fisk]]. Not realizing that Fisk had been murdered, the scientist visits Fisk's quarters, only to meet Captain [[Lee Adama]], who has starten an investigation on the black market and Fisk's murder. Baltar truthfully tells Adama that he knows nothing of Fisk's murder, but Adama correctly deduces Baltar's association with Fisk and the black market since the "Caprica Imperials" fumarellos are a known favorite of Baltar's.

Baltar is also unaware that his involvement in the destruction of the Colonies is partially revealed. In ''Galactica's'' sickbay, Laura Roslin recalled those final days on Caprica, and remembered Baltar in the company of a woman on Caprica who she knows now is a [[Number Six|Cylon agent]]. Baltar is summoned to ''[[Colonial One]]'', where Roslin offers him, without explanation, the chance to resign from the Vice Presidency to return to his studies. Baltar becomes immediately suspicious (and frightened) in Roslin's succinct and direct vote of no-confidence in her vice president. Realizing that the Vice Presidency now has greater importance (if nothing other than to save his own hide), Baltar turns down what Roslin calls a "one-time offer" to save himself as he saved Roslin on her
deathbed ([[Black Market]]).

== Gaius as President ==

Dr. Baltar will run for President in the coming Colonial Elections. ([[The Captain's Hand]]).

He wins the election despite Roslin's attempt to defraud the election. When on New Caprica once the Cylons do show up, he surrenders New Caprica to the Cylons only after asking a few questions to Cylon models [[Number Six|Six]], [[Number Five|Five]], and [[Number Eight|Eight]]. ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]).

== Speculation: The Real Baltar? ==

There is speculation that Gaius Baltar could be a Cylon agent himself. See the [[Cylon agent speculation#Gaius Baltar?|Cylon Speculation]] article for the pros and cons of this theory.

==Notes==

#{{note|chip}}The idea that Six is an actual chip in Baltar's head was dismissed by Dr. [[Cottle]]'s image scan of Baltar's head. See [[Gaius Baltar#Speculation: The Real Baltar?|the section on alternate reasons for Six's existence]] for more.
#{{note|killing}}The act of killing Crashdown appears to have led to a dramatic change in Baltar's attitude toward hurting anyone directly. When Cally tries to blackmail him after they return from Kobol, Baltar is somewhat rough with her. When he visits Tyrol and Boomer in the brig, he does not hesitate to inject Tyrol with fatal drugs to blackmail Boomer into giving Cylon secrets. Baltar's humanitarian acts to the Six copy known as Gina also suggests Baltar's attitude in the care of Cylons is further changing. More and more, Baltar appears to prefer direct intervention and is less cowardly in his attitude.
#{{note|birthplace}} Baltar's planet of birth and recruitment by the Colonial Defense Ministry to Caprica are according to SkyOne. However, information from SkyOne may not be canonical at all.

Here is SkyOne's summary of Baltar:

:''Scientific genuis Gaius is one of the greatest minds humanity has to offer. Unfortunately, his abundance of intellect is counterbalanced by a complete lack of ethics. His moral weakness allows the Cylons to infiltrate and neutralize the defences of the 12 Colonies.''

:''Gaius Baltar was born on a farm on the colony of Sagittaron.''

:''His family had worked the land for three generations and even as a boy, Gaius hated farm life. Fortunately, his parents owned a large and sprawling agri-business controlling millions of acres across the planet; Gaius found a different use for farm life and used it to study science and maths.''

:''Gaius became more than a good student - he was a genuis at 14.''

:''By the age of 21 he had his first doctorate under his belt. Soon he was being hotly pursued by every major university to set up a research lab.''

:''Gaius' speciality was theoretical physics, but his true passion was computer science. He saw the prevailing anti-technological edicts as short-sighted, and believed in advancing human technology that the Cylons could not infiltrate.''

:''Because of his achievements, Gaius' help was needed by the Defence Ministry on top-secret projects. Gaius soon found himself the keeper of secrets, a position that flattered his already impressive ego.''

:''Still it wasn't enough; he hungered for a chance to work on a true artificial intelligence project. He then meets a smart and beautiful woman who seemed to understand him in a way no other had. She shared his passion of A.I. systems. The relationship lasted for two years and during this time she provided him with new and innovative ideas. Only one thing was missing; Gaius could not find out anything about her. Was it the perfect relationship he once thought it was?''

{{start box}}
{{succession box|before=''(unknown)''|title=Caprican delegate to the [[Quorum of Twelve]]|after=''(unknown)''}}
{{succession box (spoiler-aft)|before=''(unknown)''|title=[[Government|Vice-President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol]]|after=[[Tom Zarek]]}}
{{succession box|before=[[Laura Roslin]]|title=[[Government|President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol]]|after=Incumbent}}
{{end box}}

{{Characters}}

[[Category:A to Z|Baltar, Gaius]]
[[Category:Characters|Baltar, Gaius]]
[[Category:RDM|Baltar, Gaius]]
[[Category:People from Caprica|Baltar, Gaius]]

Kara Thrace

2006-04-01T04:48:28Z

Scorpion: /* Lay Down Your Burdens */

:''This article discusses the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]] character with the pilot callsign of "Starbuck." For more on Kara Thrace's counterpart in the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original Series]], see [[Starbuck (TOS)]].''
{{Character Data|
|photo= [[Image:Kara Thrace.jpg|200px]]
|age=
|colony= [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]
|birthname= Kara Thrace
|callsign= Starbuck
|death=
|parents=
|siblings=
|children=
|marital status= Married to [[Samuel Anders]] (Formerly engaged to [[Zak Adama]])
|role= Unknown, Formerly: Commander Air Group, Battlestar ''Galactica'' ([[The Captain's Hand]])
|rank= Captain
|actor= [[Katee Sackhoff]]
|cylon=
|name=
}}

== Biography ==

=== Background ===

'''Kara "Starbuck" Thrace''', serial number [?]T-462753, is a gifted pilot - and knows it. This has tended to give her an attitude that has at times thwarted her career advancement.

In an unhappy childhood, she was so frequently beaten by her mother that she came to accept pain as a way of life ([[Flesh and Bone]]). Her father was a pianist ([[Valley of Darkness]]), suggesting that her formerly broken finger bones on both hands had been intentionally broken by a parent using her father's piano ([[The Farm]]). Kara left home to join the [[Colonial Fleet|military]]. On graduating from Colonial Flight School, she undertook a period of active duty before returning to flight school as an instructor.

It was in this role that Thrace broke her cardinal rule of flying and fell in love with a young recruit, [[Zak Adama]]. Despite Zak's mediocre performance as a pilot, Thrace's love for him - and the fact that she could see emulating his father was so important to him - caused her to pass him on his final flight examination, despite failing three of the required maneuvers ([[Act of Contrition]]).

Already engaged to Zak at the time she passed him for flight status, she was unable to marry him, as he was killed during a routine mission shortly after graduating. At the time, [[Lee Adama]], Zak's elder brother, blamed their father for Zak's death, and in her guilt, Kara 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 Zak's funeral ([[Act of Contrition]]).

Following the funeral, Kara 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 [[Cylon attack]] on the [[Twelve Colonies]]. Before the Cylon attack, she was second in command of pilots to the [[CAG]], [[Jackson Spencer]].

While she is temporarily in the brig for fighting with Colonel Tigh, Captain Spencer is killed in a Cylon slaughter of ''Galactica's'' last Viper squadron. With her incarceration, Lee Adama, who joins ''Galactica'', is given the senior pilot title. Apparently, she approves of Apollo being assigned the leadership role: "I'm not a big enough dipstick for the job," she says about herself ([[Mini-Series]]).

During her time aboard ''Galactica'', Kara's flying skills proves her as one of finest pilots in the Colonial Fleet, but her attitude quickly runs her afoul of other senior officers on-board ship, notably Colonel [[Saul Tigh]], ''Galactica's'' [[Executive officer]]. Tigh and Thrace take an instant dislike to each other, perhaps each seeing a similar level of failure in the other: Tigh with his drinking problem, and Thrace with the knowledge that she caused [[Zak Adama]]'s death. Their open mutual dislike of one another leads to the point where blows are exchanged, with Thrace ending up in the brig ([[Mini-Series]]).

At the time of the Cylon attack she has an apartment in [[Delphi]]. It overlooks a parking lot and had a broken toilet. She was also a very avid painter, and her flat is cluttered with her paintings ([[Valley of Darkness]]).

=== Post-[[Cylon Attack]] ===

Following the Cylon attack on the Twelve Colonies, Thrace returns to flight status, where she quickly proves her worth as a remarkable pilot - right down to using her own Viper to rescue Lee Adama when his ship is disabled in the [[Battle of Ragnar Anchorage|escape from Ragnar Anchorage]] ([[Mini-Series]]). This action 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.
[[image:Bastille_Day-Starbuck_Boxey.jpg|thumb|left|[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] as acting [[CAG]] with [[Boxey (RDM)|Boxey]] as assistant in [[Bastille Day]]. (C. Sci Fi Channel)]]
After ''Galactica'' suffers a drastic loss of water reserves due to an act of sabotage ([[Water]]), a hostage situation erupts on a [[Astral Queen|prison transport ship]], involving Lee Adama ([[Bastille Day]]). While Captain Adama is being held hostage, Lt. Thrace serves as interim [[CAG]] in the briefing room. Tigh criticizes her behavior as acting [[CAG]].

Thrace aides in assembling a rescue mission on the ''[[Astral Queen]]''. Surprisingly, Thrace gets the backing of Tigh himself and the acknowledgment that she is the best sharpshooter in [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]]. Following the successful mission, Thrace tries to mend fences between herself and the XO 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 this time it is Tigh that rejects Thrace's apology, stating that her flaws are professional, while his flaws were personal ([[Bastille Day]]).

Having partially admitting her role in Zak Adama's death to Lee Adama ([[Mini-Series]]), Thrace must confront her past head-on when a freak accident on ''Galactica's'' [[Hangar Deck|hangar deck]] kills 13 Viper pilots and puts a further seven pilots in [[sickbay]]. Charged with finding and training new pilots ("[[nugget|nuggets]]" in pilot slang), Thrace faces up to past mistakes, and eventually admits her secret to William Adama himself, an act that brings their close friendship almost to the breaking point ([[Act of Contrition]]).

Shortly after, Thrace engages a fight with eight Cylon Raiders while leading a training flight from ''Galactica'', Thrace orders her training cadets to return to ''Galactica'' and engages the enemy fighters. One cadet, [[Brendan Constanza|Hot Dog]], disobeys Thrace and fights as her wingman long enough to distract the Raiders sufficiently to where Thrace's odds of survival are increased. Starbuck's remarkable flying destroys almost all the Raiders, but a final Raider critically damages her Viper just as she shoots the Raider. Both ships lose control and tumble 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]]).

The crash prompts ''Galactica'' to conduct a system-wide search for Starbuck, led by Adama and his son, each reacting to his guilt at his response to her admission about Zak Adama. While the search and rescue operations place [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]] at extreme risk, they nevertheless keep the Fleet in the star system long enough for Thrace (nursing a damaged knee) to repair the downed Cylon Raider and get it flying again before using it to return to ''Galactica'', which provides Adama with vital intelligence on Cylon fighter technology.

Taken off the pilot's active duty roster as a result of her injured leg, Starbuck sees her role become more desk-bound. She is recognized by Commander Adama for her unconventional thinking, and he asks her 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]]).

She also interrogates a Cylon prisoner. The interrogation of [[Leoben Conoy]] is a task Thrace does not particularly wish for, especially when the situation (a nuclear device allegedly hidden on one of the ships in the Fleet) pushes her into some drastic acts to try to extract the information from the Cylon agent ([[Flesh and Bone]]).

Off-duty, Thrace maintains her cocky persona by playing cards and gambling for money. Her devil-may-care attitude brings her to the attention of Doctor [[Gaius Baltar]] ([[Water]]). She becomes quite interested in Baltar at first, but she quickly comes to despise him for reasons not quite clear. 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 ([[Mini-Series]], "[[Flesh and Bone]]", "[[You Can't Go Home Again]]").

=== The Arrow of Apollo ===
[[image:Starbuck-Kobols_Last_Gleaming_pt2.jpg|thumb|right|'''Starbuck''' retrieves the [[Arrow of Apollo]] in [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]].]]
Being the only qualified pilot to fly the Cylon Raider, Thrace is assigned to plant a nuclear device on board a [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]] in orbit around [[Kobol]]. Before the assignment, [[Laura Roslin]] calls a meeting with her and convinces Thrace to jump to [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] to retrieve the [[Arrow of Apollo]]. Disobeying orders, disillusioned after confirming that Commander Adama fabricated that he knew the actual location of [[Earth]], she Jumps to Caprica in the Raider ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]), landing in [[Delphi]]. Upon recovering the unusual Arrow in the [[Delphi Museum of the Colonies]], she is violently attacked by a copy of [[Number Six]]. Despite being heavily outmatched in the fight, Thrace luckily defeats the Cylon, who was mortally wounded after being impaled with a piece of jutting debris as the two women fell to a bombed-out lower level.

At the museum, she discovers [[Karl Agathon|Helo]], whom she thought dead. She also discovers a second copy of [[Sharon Valerii]] and realizes instantly that the woman is a Cylon. Thrace attempts to shoot her, but Helo stops Thrace and reveals to Starbuck that the "Caprica" Valerii is pregnant with his child, adding more to Kara's stress level to the point where she begins to sob ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]). To make matters worse, Valerii, fearing for her child, runs away and steals Thrace's Raider. Starbuck hears the whine of the fighter's engines but is too late to stop the Cylon's escape. 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 is not sympathetic to Helo's love for the Caprica copy of Sharon, and berates him for his stupidity. Thrace makes a pit stop from the fighting and leads Helo to her old apartment in Delphi. There she digs up a stash of [[fumarello]]s, dons an old military fatigue jacket she apparently wore around her home, and starts up a battery-powered music player. The piano music she listens to is something recorded of her father's, a pianist. Throughout the dusty, but intact apartment were paintings Thrace had made, some fascinating, but many eerie in tone. Helo has little luck in finding food, but Thrace finds the keys of her surplus military utility vehicle in her jacket. Thrace has a ride again, if only to move more efficiently about Caprica ([[Valley of Darkness]]).

Thrace and Helo are initially attacked by a [[Resistance (movement)|resistance movement]] on Caprica. In a standoff, ([[Resistance]]) Thrace and the Resistance leader, [[Samuel Anders]], sufficiently convince each other that neither of them are Cylon agents. Thrace and 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.

But Thrace's instincts about her doctor nag her, particularly after some mysterious surgeries by Simon. Her suspicions are confirmed when she discovers that Simon is working with a [[Number Six|known Cylon agent]]. 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 manages to escape to the front of 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.

Simon reappears in front of Thrace at the exit to the hospital just as the Resistance attacks the facility. The second Simon, now revealed as a Cylon agent himself, is immediately killed by the Resistance, but a squad of [[Cylon Centurion]]s appear and pins the Resistance down. Luckily, the [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Caprica 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 return with a rescue mission for the remaining survivors, leaving him her [[Identification Tags|identification tags]] as a promise and friendship token. 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]], Kara is reunited with Lee. He kisses her impulsively, catching Kara by pleasant surprise, but a tense standoff follows when Apollo 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 the protocol of military discipline a few hours before their departure to Kobol's surface, Lee playfully teases Kara by stealing a pyramid ball she took from Caprica. Lee 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 Kara'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.

:'''[[Billy Keikeya]]''': Uh... where the hell are we?<br/>
:'''Laura Roslin''': I don't know. Tomb of Athena, I think.<br/>
:'''Commander Adama''': I thought we were already in the tomb.<br/>
:'''Kara Thrace''': I think that was the lobby.<br/>

Thrace realizes that they are on a recreation of Earth, and realizes they are seeing, in a sense, what their brothers would see in Earth's sky. 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 and Lee Adama continue to appear more and more comfortable in their working and off-duty friendship. They compliment each other often when in live-fire encounters ([[Home, Part II]]) as well as off-duty practice ([[Flight of the Phoenix]]). Thrace never fails to playfully tease Lee when she can, showing off the impressive stealth abilities and her flying skills of the new [[Blackbird]] fighter in her maiden flight ([[Flight of the Phoenix]]).

=== Enter ''Pegasus'' ===

With the initially welcome discovery of another Colonial battlestar, ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', Admiral [[Helena Cain]] summarily assigns Thrace (and Lee Adama) to ''Pegasus'' after digesting the reports of ''Galactica'''s officers, which is a source of irritation for Commander [[William Adama]].

After critically commenting against ''Pegasus'' [[CAG]] Captain [[Cole Taylor]]'s plan to recon the [[Resurrection Ship]] tracking [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]], Taylor removes Thrace from the mission. Lee Adama, also miffed by Thrace's and his change in seniority, secretly tells her to use the newly built [[Blackbird]] stealth craft to take recon photos of the Cylon Unknown. Adama believes that the stealth craft has a better chance of taking reconnaissance photos due to its stealth abilities; like Thrace, he believes that Vipers and a Raptor wouldn't be an effective recon force. ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]])

Thrace is away on her covert recon mission, unaware of the showdown between Commander Adama and Admiral Cain over Cain's totalitarian command style in her quick conviction of [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Galen Tyrol]] for the accidental death of "Cylon interrogator" Lt. [[Alistair Thorne]].

Upon return 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'' and Admiral Cain.

Cain is so impressed with Starbuck's performance that Cain promotes Thrace to Captain and ''Pegasus'' CAG. Cain initially wanted to place Lee Adama in the brig for his part in the unauthorized recon operation, but she chose to take Adama off of flight status. Thrace is assigned the task of planning the joint attack on the Resurrection Ship, but successfully asks to have Adama on her team, restoring him to flight status. Cain hears of Thrace's desire to return to Caprica to rescue members of the [[Resistance (movement)|Resistance]] there, but Cain suggests the idea of returning to the Colonies in an effort to beat the Cylons and win their homeworlds back. Thrace indicates approval, but her card face might have been showing. Later, Lee Adama meets with Thrace as she works on the battle plan. He complains that she appears to be working as if nothing has happened, as if the tensions between Commander Adama and Cain didn't exist. Thrace replies that while Cain was in command, there is nothing to do about the situation.

After she briefs Cain and Commander Adama on her battle plan, Adama asks her to stay behind to discuss more of the plan. In reality, he asks Thrace to assassinate Cain after the battle is complete and her fighters are accounted for. Adama fears that if Cain continues to command, he will be killed, leaving no one to stop Cain from inflicting the same fate on his Fleet as she did to a civilian fleet that ''Pegasus'' stripped or resources and left for dead in space ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).

Before the attack, Thrace meets with Lee Adama, who comforts her on the task that Commander Adama asks of her.

Thrace's battle planning, as before on the tylium mine, works to near-perfection, with the Resurrection Ship destroyed and its supporting basestars. However, the plan to kill Cain is left with a serious hitch; Lieutenant Adama, who takes the [[Blackbird]] out to destroy the FTL drive on the Resurrection Ship, is missing in action, in need of rescue in space after a collision destroys the Blackbird. As such, Thrace is left without backup as she walks to the ''Pegasus'' CIC, 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.

Thrace visits Lee Adama in pilot's quarters on ''Galactica'' after his rescue. He appears dazed and impassive. She dismisses his apology on not being able to back up Thrace on her aborted kill mission, saying that it was good for both of them just to make it back alive once more. But young Adama surprises her by saying that he didn't want to make it back alive. Nearby, [[Anastasia Dualla]], who has shown more than a passing interest in Lee Adama in the past, eavesdrops on the conversation and leaves equally worried.

A few weeks later, Thrace was taking leave on [[Cloud 9]] when she was dragooned into a rescue operation after over a dozen people, including Ellen Tigh, Billy, Dee, and Apollo were held hostage by terrorists demanding Adama turn over [[Sharon Valerii]]. Thrace attempted gather intel on the situation, but Mrs. Tigh inadvertantly blew her cover. Thrace and her marines laid down some fire, removing two terrorists from the equation, but Apollo was caught in the crossfire. After the situation was resolved, Thrace intended to sit at Lee's bedside, only to discover that Dualla beat her there. ([[Sacrifice]])

About a month after the Cloud 9 incident, Thrace was assigned to Pegasus as a flight trainer. Though the pilots liked her, the ship's commander began to find fault with everything she did, eventually confining her to quarters for "insubordination" after she attempted to inform him of the Cylon ambush tactic using distress beacons. Maj. Adama covertly overruled the Commander, ordering Thrace to fly in the battle. Following the [[Battle of the Binary Star System]], when Lee was promoted to Commander and given command of ''Pegasus'', Thrace informed him that she was taking over his CAG post aboard ''Galactica''. Apparently, Adm. Adama thought it best he keep an eye on her personally ([[The Captain's Hand]]).

===Lay Down Your Burdens===
[[Image:Karanew.jpg|150px|thumb|right|Kara Thrace one year later]]
Shortly before the presidential election, Thrace took a squad of 20 raptors back to Caprica to rescue [[Samuel Anders|Anders]] and the [[Resistance]], as she promised. With permission from the president and the admiral, and with the aid of [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Caprica-Sharon]], Starbuck and Helo were able to return to Caprica with the loss of only two Raptors. The group soon met up with Anders, who reported that their HQ had been destroyed and Thrace's timing was just perfect. A squad of Centurions fired on their position shortly thereafter. ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]])

While waiting it out under Cylon attack, Starbuck and Anders agreed that they would kill each other rather than go back to one of the [[Farms]]. When the attack stopped, Thrace, naturally suspicous, ordered the group to "fight until we can't fight anymore." But the Centurions had vanished. Brother [[Cavil]] then appeared and praised the [[Lords of Kobol|Gods]] over the Cylons' abandonment of Caprica. Starbuck wasn't really surpised to discover he was a Cylon upon their return to the Fleet.

Starbuck and Anders proceeded to get drunk, and received a disasterous visitation from Apollo while doing it. This apparently led to a rift between the two comrades, such that Kara thought Lee wouldn't provide antibiotics for Anders, even a year later (either that, or something happened between the two during the year that was jumped).

Thrace married Anders, and the two moved to [[New Caprica City]]. Kara was deeply distressed when he developed pneumonia, and did her best to care for him. Life on New Caprica tempered Thrace, and she often behaved in ways Starbuck never would have. She was horrified by the sudden arrival of hundreds of Cylon ships in the sky of New Caprica. As squad after squad of Centurions marched through the city streets, a few of Galactica's former crew gathered near Thrace, looking to her for guidance. Kara responded the only way she knew how: "We fight 'till we can't fight anymore." ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]])

==Notes==

According to SkyOne, Thrace was born on Picon but raised all over the Twelve Colonies. Her mother was a Sergeant Major in the Colonial [[Marines]] and a decorated veteran of the [[First Cylon War]]. Her father was named Dreilide, and is described as a "frustrated" musician.

Here is SkyOne's summary of Thrace:

:''Starbuck is Commander Adama's best pilot, as well as flight partner and closest comrade to Apollo, Adama's estranged son.''

:''Kara Thrace was born on the Picon Colony, but raised all over the 12 Colonies. Her childhood was spent bouncing from one military outpost to another. Her mother was a sergeant major in the Colonial Marines, and a decorated veteran of the Cylon war. Her father, Dreilide, was a frustrated musician.''

:''Kara was a tough minded-child who dreamed of playing Pyramid in the big leagues someday. her mother wanted her to pursue a career in the military...Kara did not want this, so signed up to the academy to pursue her love of sports.''

:''Her future as a sports star ended when she was seriously injured, shattering her right knee. Most surgeons felt her knee would never be the same. Depressed, Kara applied to various post-graduate posts, but doubted she would be accepted. To her surprise, she scored the highest academic record for a flight-training exam. Kara soon discovered a love of flying.''

:''She would be a pilot for life - unless she got kicked out first, as Kara hated taking orders and military protocol. If that wasn't enough, Kara drank and gambled too much. While her academic and personal life was not first class, it couldn't be disputed that she was destined to fly.''

:''Kara served her first tour aboard the Battlestar Triton, but she was not admired by all, and soon found herself shipped back to where she started.''

:''This is where she met Zak Adama, and fell in love. Tragedy struck when Zak failed a key flight test and his plane crashed. Kara was devestated. She then spent two years on the Galactica - concentrating on her flying.''

As this information has not appeared on the Scifi.com series website or on screen, it has yet to be confirmed.

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."
=== Additional Notes ===

*[[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.

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{{succession box|before=[[Lee Adama|Lee "Apollo" Adama]]|title=Commander, Air Group of the [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''|after=''(unknown)''}}
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{{Characters}}

[[Category:A to Z|Thrace, Kara]]
[[Category:Characters|Thrace, Kara]]
[[Category:RDM|Thrace, Kara]]
[[Category:People from Caprica|Thrace, Kara]]

Kara Thrace

2006-04-01T04:45:55Z

Scorpion: /* Enter ''Pegasus'' */ spelling

:''This article discusses the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]] character with the pilot callsign of "Starbuck." For more on Kara Thrace's counterpart in the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original Series]], see [[Starbuck (TOS)]].''
{{Character Data|
|photo= [[Image:Kara Thrace.jpg|200px]]
|age=
|colony= [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]
|birthname= Kara Thrace
|callsign= Starbuck
|death=
|parents=
|siblings=
|children=
|marital status= Married to [[Samuel Anders]] (Formerly engaged to [[Zak Adama]])
|role= Unknown, Formerly: Commander Air Group, Battlestar ''Galactica'' ([[The Captain's Hand]])
|rank= Captain
|actor= [[Katee Sackhoff]]
|cylon=
|name=
}}

== Biography ==

=== Background ===

'''Kara "Starbuck" Thrace''', serial number [?]T-462753, is a gifted pilot - and knows it. This has tended to give her an attitude that has at times thwarted her career advancement.

In an unhappy childhood, she was so frequently beaten by her mother that she came to accept pain as a way of life ([[Flesh and Bone]]). Her father was a pianist ([[Valley of Darkness]]), suggesting that her formerly broken finger bones on both hands had been intentionally broken by a parent using her father's piano ([[The Farm]]). Kara left home to join the [[Colonial Fleet|military]]. On graduating from Colonial Flight School, she undertook a period of active duty before returning to flight school as an instructor.

It was in this role that Thrace broke her cardinal rule of flying and fell in love with a young recruit, [[Zak Adama]]. Despite Zak's mediocre performance as a pilot, Thrace's love for him - and the fact that she could see emulating his father was so important to him - caused her to pass him on his final flight examination, despite failing three of the required maneuvers ([[Act of Contrition]]).

Already engaged to Zak at the time she passed him for flight status, she was unable to marry him, as he was killed during a routine mission shortly after graduating. At the time, [[Lee Adama]], Zak's elder brother, blamed their father for Zak's death, and in her guilt, Kara 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 Zak's funeral ([[Act of Contrition]]).

Following the funeral, Kara 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 [[Cylon attack]] on the [[Twelve Colonies]]. Before the Cylon attack, she was second in command of pilots to the [[CAG]], [[Jackson Spencer]].

While she is temporarily in the brig for fighting with Colonel Tigh, Captain Spencer is killed in a Cylon slaughter of ''Galactica's'' last Viper squadron. With her incarceration, Lee Adama, who joins ''Galactica'', is given the senior pilot title. Apparently, she approves of Apollo being assigned the leadership role: "I'm not a big enough dipstick for the job," she says about herself ([[Mini-Series]]).

During her time aboard ''Galactica'', Kara's flying skills proves her as one of finest pilots in the Colonial Fleet, but her attitude quickly runs her afoul of other senior officers on-board ship, notably Colonel [[Saul Tigh]], ''Galactica's'' [[Executive officer]]. Tigh and Thrace take an instant dislike to each other, perhaps each seeing a similar level of failure in the other: Tigh with his drinking problem, and Thrace with the knowledge that she caused [[Zak Adama]]'s death. Their open mutual dislike of one another leads to the point where blows are exchanged, with Thrace ending up in the brig ([[Mini-Series]]).

At the time of the Cylon attack she has an apartment in [[Delphi]]. It overlooks a parking lot and had a broken toilet. She was also a very avid painter, and her flat is cluttered with her paintings ([[Valley of Darkness]]).

=== Post-[[Cylon Attack]] ===

Following the Cylon attack on the Twelve Colonies, Thrace returns to flight status, where she quickly proves her worth as a remarkable pilot - right down to using her own Viper to rescue Lee Adama when his ship is disabled in the [[Battle of Ragnar Anchorage|escape from Ragnar Anchorage]] ([[Mini-Series]]). This action 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.
[[image:Bastille_Day-Starbuck_Boxey.jpg|thumb|left|[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] as acting [[CAG]] with [[Boxey (RDM)|Boxey]] as assistant in [[Bastille Day]]. (C. Sci Fi Channel)]]
After ''Galactica'' suffers a drastic loss of water reserves due to an act of sabotage ([[Water]]), a hostage situation erupts on a [[Astral Queen|prison transport ship]], involving Lee Adama ([[Bastille Day]]). While Captain Adama is being held hostage, Lt. Thrace serves as interim [[CAG]] in the briefing room. Tigh criticizes her behavior as acting [[CAG]].

Thrace aides in assembling a rescue mission on the ''[[Astral Queen]]''. Surprisingly, Thrace gets the backing of Tigh himself and the acknowledgment that she is the best sharpshooter in [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]]. Following the successful mission, Thrace tries to mend fences between herself and the XO 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 this time it is Tigh that rejects Thrace's apology, stating that her flaws are professional, while his flaws were personal ([[Bastille Day]]).

Having partially admitting her role in Zak Adama's death to Lee Adama ([[Mini-Series]]), Thrace must confront her past head-on when a freak accident on ''Galactica's'' [[Hangar Deck|hangar deck]] kills 13 Viper pilots and puts a further seven pilots in [[sickbay]]. Charged with finding and training new pilots ("[[nugget|nuggets]]" in pilot slang), Thrace faces up to past mistakes, and eventually admits her secret to William Adama himself, an act that brings their close friendship almost to the breaking point ([[Act of Contrition]]).

Shortly after, Thrace engages a fight with eight Cylon Raiders while leading a training flight from ''Galactica'', Thrace orders her training cadets to return to ''Galactica'' and engages the enemy fighters. One cadet, [[Brendan Constanza|Hot Dog]], disobeys Thrace and fights as her wingman long enough to distract the Raiders sufficiently to where Thrace's odds of survival are increased. Starbuck's remarkable flying destroys almost all the Raiders, but a final Raider critically damages her Viper just as she shoots the Raider. Both ships lose control and tumble 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]]).

The crash prompts ''Galactica'' to conduct a system-wide search for Starbuck, led by Adama and his son, each reacting to his guilt at his response to her admission about Zak Adama. While the search and rescue operations place [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]] at extreme risk, they nevertheless keep the Fleet in the star system long enough for Thrace (nursing a damaged knee) to repair the downed Cylon Raider and get it flying again before using it to return to ''Galactica'', which provides Adama with vital intelligence on Cylon fighter technology.

Taken off the pilot's active duty roster as a result of her injured leg, Starbuck sees her role become more desk-bound. She is recognized by Commander Adama for her unconventional thinking, and he asks her 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]]).

She also interrogates a Cylon prisoner. The interrogation of [[Leoben Conoy]] is a task Thrace does not particularly wish for, especially when the situation (a nuclear device allegedly hidden on one of the ships in the Fleet) pushes her into some drastic acts to try to extract the information from the Cylon agent ([[Flesh and Bone]]).

Off-duty, Thrace maintains her cocky persona by playing cards and gambling for money. Her devil-may-care attitude brings her to the attention of Doctor [[Gaius Baltar]] ([[Water]]). She becomes quite interested in Baltar at first, but she quickly comes to despise him for reasons not quite clear. 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 ([[Mini-Series]], "[[Flesh and Bone]]", "[[You Can't Go Home Again]]").

=== The Arrow of Apollo ===
[[image:Starbuck-Kobols_Last_Gleaming_pt2.jpg|thumb|right|'''Starbuck''' retrieves the [[Arrow of Apollo]] in [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]].]]
Being the only qualified pilot to fly the Cylon Raider, Thrace is assigned to plant a nuclear device on board a [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]] in orbit around [[Kobol]]. Before the assignment, [[Laura Roslin]] calls a meeting with her and convinces Thrace to jump to [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] to retrieve the [[Arrow of Apollo]]. Disobeying orders, disillusioned after confirming that Commander Adama fabricated that he knew the actual location of [[Earth]], she Jumps to Caprica in the Raider ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]), landing in [[Delphi]]. Upon recovering the unusual Arrow in the [[Delphi Museum of the Colonies]], she is violently attacked by a copy of [[Number Six]]. Despite being heavily outmatched in the fight, Thrace luckily defeats the Cylon, who was mortally wounded after being impaled with a piece of jutting debris as the two women fell to a bombed-out lower level.

At the museum, she discovers [[Karl Agathon|Helo]], whom she thought dead. She also discovers a second copy of [[Sharon Valerii]] and realizes instantly that the woman is a Cylon. Thrace attempts to shoot her, but Helo stops Thrace and reveals to Starbuck that the "Caprica" Valerii is pregnant with his child, adding more to Kara's stress level to the point where she begins to sob ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]). To make matters worse, Valerii, fearing for her child, runs away and steals Thrace's Raider. Starbuck hears the whine of the fighter's engines but is too late to stop the Cylon's escape. 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 is not sympathetic to Helo's love for the Caprica copy of Sharon, and berates him for his stupidity. Thrace makes a pit stop from the fighting and leads Helo to her old apartment in Delphi. There she digs up a stash of [[fumarello]]s, dons an old military fatigue jacket she apparently wore around her home, and starts up a battery-powered music player. The piano music she listens to is something recorded of her father's, a pianist. Throughout the dusty, but intact apartment were paintings Thrace had made, some fascinating, but many eerie in tone. Helo has little luck in finding food, but Thrace finds the keys of her surplus military utility vehicle in her jacket. Thrace has a ride again, if only to move more efficiently about Caprica ([[Valley of Darkness]]).

Thrace and Helo are initially attacked by a [[Resistance (movement)|resistance movement]] on Caprica. In a standoff, ([[Resistance]]) Thrace and the Resistance leader, [[Samuel Anders]], sufficiently convince each other that neither of them are Cylon agents. Thrace and 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.

But Thrace's instincts about her doctor nag her, particularly after some mysterious surgeries by Simon. Her suspicions are confirmed when she discovers that Simon is working with a [[Number Six|known Cylon agent]]. 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 manages to escape to the front of 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.

Simon reappears in front of Thrace at the exit to the hospital just as the Resistance attacks the facility. The second Simon, now revealed as a Cylon agent himself, is immediately killed by the Resistance, but a squad of [[Cylon Centurion]]s appear and pins the Resistance down. Luckily, the [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Caprica 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 return with a rescue mission for the remaining survivors, leaving him her [[Identification Tags|identification tags]] as a promise and friendship token. 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]], Kara is reunited with Lee. He kisses her impulsively, catching Kara by pleasant surprise, but a tense standoff follows when Apollo 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 the protocol of military discipline a few hours before their departure to Kobol's surface, Lee playfully teases Kara by stealing a pyramid ball she took from Caprica. Lee 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 Kara'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.

:'''[[Billy Keikeya]]''': Uh... where the hell are we?<br/>
:'''Laura Roslin''': I don't know. Tomb of Athena, I think.<br/>
:'''Commander Adama''': I thought we were already in the tomb.<br/>
:'''Kara Thrace''': I think that was the lobby.<br/>

Thrace realizes that they are on a recreation of Earth, and realizes they are seeing, in a sense, what their brothers would see in Earth's sky. 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 and Lee Adama continue to appear more and more comfortable in their working and off-duty friendship. They compliment each other often when in live-fire encounters ([[Home, Part II]]) as well as off-duty practice ([[Flight of the Phoenix]]). Thrace never fails to playfully tease Lee when she can, showing off the impressive stealth abilities and her flying skills of the new [[Blackbird]] fighter in her maiden flight ([[Flight of the Phoenix]]).

=== Enter ''Pegasus'' ===

With the initially welcome discovery of another Colonial battlestar, ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', Admiral [[Helena Cain]] summarily assigns Thrace (and Lee Adama) to ''Pegasus'' after digesting the reports of ''Galactica'''s officers, which is a source of irritation for Commander [[William Adama]].

After critically commenting against ''Pegasus'' [[CAG]] Captain [[Cole Taylor]]'s plan to recon the [[Resurrection Ship]] tracking [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]], Taylor removes Thrace from the mission. Lee Adama, also miffed by Thrace's and his change in seniority, secretly tells her to use the newly built [[Blackbird]] stealth craft to take recon photos of the Cylon Unknown. Adama believes that the stealth craft has a better chance of taking reconnaissance photos due to its stealth abilities; like Thrace, he believes that Vipers and a Raptor wouldn't be an effective recon force. ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]])

Thrace is away on her covert recon mission, unaware of the showdown between Commander Adama and Admiral Cain over Cain's totalitarian command style in her quick conviction of [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Galen Tyrol]] for the accidental death of "Cylon interrogator" Lt. [[Alistair Thorne]].

Upon return 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'' and Admiral Cain.

Cain is so impressed with Starbuck's performance that Cain promotes Thrace to Captain and ''Pegasus'' CAG. Cain initially wanted to place Lee Adama in the brig for his part in the unauthorized recon operation, but she chose to take Adama off of flight status. Thrace is assigned the task of planning the joint attack on the Resurrection Ship, but successfully asks to have Adama on her team, restoring him to flight status. Cain hears of Thrace's desire to return to Caprica to rescue members of the [[Resistance (movement)|Resistance]] there, but Cain suggests the idea of returning to the Colonies in an effort to beat the Cylons and win their homeworlds back. Thrace indicates approval, but her card face might have been showing. Later, Lee Adama meets with Thrace as she works on the battle plan. He complains that she appears to be working as if nothing has happened, as if the tensions between Commander Adama and Cain didn't exist. Thrace replies that while Cain was in command, there is nothing to do about the situation.

After she briefs Cain and Commander Adama on her battle plan, Adama asks her to stay behind to discuss more of the plan. In reality, he asks Thrace to assassinate Cain after the battle is complete and her fighters are accounted for. Adama fears that if Cain continues to command, he will be killed, leaving no one to stop Cain from inflicting the same fate on his Fleet as she did to a civilian fleet that ''Pegasus'' stripped or resources and left for dead in space ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).

Before the attack, Thrace meets with Lee Adama, who comforts her on the task that Commander Adama asks of her.

Thrace's battle planning, as before on the tylium mine, works to near-perfection, with the Resurrection Ship destroyed and its supporting basestars. However, the plan to kill Cain is left with a serious hitch; Lieutenant Adama, who takes the [[Blackbird]] out to destroy the FTL drive on the Resurrection Ship, is missing in action, in need of rescue in space after a collision destroys the Blackbird. As such, Thrace is left without backup as she walks to the ''Pegasus'' CIC, 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.

Thrace visits Lee Adama in pilot's quarters on ''Galactica'' after his rescue. He appears dazed and impassive. She dismisses his apology on not being able to back up Thrace on her aborted kill mission, saying that it was good for both of them just to make it back alive once more. But young Adama surprises her by saying that he didn't want to make it back alive. Nearby, [[Anastasia Dualla]], who has shown more than a passing interest in Lee Adama in the past, eavesdrops on the conversation and leaves equally worried.

A few weeks later, Thrace was taking leave on [[Cloud 9]] when she was dragooned into a rescue operation after over a dozen people, including Ellen Tigh, Billy, Dee, and Apollo were held hostage by terrorists demanding Adama turn over [[Sharon Valerii]]. Thrace attempted gather intel on the situation, but Mrs. Tigh inadvertantly blew her cover. Thrace and her marines laid down some fire, removing two terrorists from the equation, but Apollo was caught in the crossfire. After the situation was resolved, Thrace intended to sit at Lee's bedside, only to discover that Dualla beat her there. ([[Sacrifice]])

About a month after the Cloud 9 incident, Thrace was assigned to Pegasus as a flight trainer. Though the pilots liked her, the ship's commander began to find fault with everything she did, eventually confining her to quarters for "insubordination" after she attempted to inform him of the Cylon ambush tactic using distress beacons. Maj. Adama covertly overruled the Commander, ordering Thrace to fly in the battle. Following the [[Battle of the Binary Star System]], when Lee was promoted to Commander and given command of ''Pegasus'', Thrace informed him that she was taking over his CAG post aboard ''Galactica''. Apparently, Adm. Adama thought it best he keep an eye on her personally ([[The Captain's Hand]]).

===Lay Down Your Burdens===
[[Image:Karanew.jpg|150px|thumb|right|Kara Thrace one year later]]
Shortly before the presidential election, Thrace took a squad of 20 raptors back to Caprica to rescue [[Samuel Anders|Anders]] and the [[Resistance]], as she promised. With permission from the president and the admiral, and with the aid of [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Caprica-Sharon]], Starbuck and Helo were able to return to Caprica with the loss of only two Raptors. The group soon met up with Anders, who reported that their HQ had been destroyed and Thrace's timing was just perfect. A squad of Centurions fired on their position shortly thereafter. ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]])

While waiting it out under Cylon attack, Starbuck and Anders agreed that they would kill each other rather than go back to one of the [[Farms]]. When the attack stopped, Thrace, naturally suspicous, ordered the group to "fight until we can't fight anymore." But the Centurions had vanished. Brother [[Cavil]] then appeared and praised the [[Lords of Kobol|Gods]] over the Cylons' abandonment of Caprica. Starbuck wasn't really surpised to discover he was a Cylon upon their return to the Fleet.

Starbuck and Anders proceeded to get drunk, and recieved a disasterous visitation from Apollo while doing it. This apparently led to a rift between the two comrades, such that Kara thought Lee wouldn't provide antibiotics for Anders, even a year later (either that, or something happened between the two during the year that was jumped).

Thrace married Anders, and the two moved to [[New Caprica City]]. Kara was deeply distressed when he developed pneumonia, and did her best to care for him. Life on New Caprica tempered Thrace, and she often behaved in ways Starbuck never would have. She was horrified by the sudden arrival of hundreds of Cylon ships in the sky of New Caprica. As squad after squad of Centurions marched through the city streets, a few of Galactica's former crew gathered near Thrace, looking to her for guidance. Kara responded the only way she knew how: "We fight 'till we can't fight anymore." ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]])

==Notes==

According to SkyOne, Thrace was born on Picon but raised all over the Twelve Colonies. Her mother was a Sergeant Major in the Colonial [[Marines]] and a decorated veteran of the [[First Cylon War]]. Her father was named Dreilide, and is described as a "frustrated" musician.

Here is SkyOne's summary of Thrace:

:''Starbuck is Commander Adama's best pilot, as well as flight partner and closest comrade to Apollo, Adama's estranged son.''

:''Kara Thrace was born on the Picon Colony, but raised all over the 12 Colonies. Her childhood was spent bouncing from one military outpost to another. Her mother was a sergeant major in the Colonial Marines, and a decorated veteran of the Cylon war. Her father, Dreilide, was a frustrated musician.''

:''Kara was a tough minded-child who dreamed of playing Pyramid in the big leagues someday. her mother wanted her to pursue a career in the military...Kara did not want this, so signed up to the academy to pursue her love of sports.''

:''Her future as a sports star ended when she was seriously injured, shattering her right knee. Most surgeons felt her knee would never be the same. Depressed, Kara applied to various post-graduate posts, but doubted she would be accepted. To her surprise, she scored the highest academic record for a flight-training exam. Kara soon discovered a love of flying.''

:''She would be a pilot for life - unless she got kicked out first, as Kara hated taking orders and military protocol. If that wasn't enough, Kara drank and gambled too much. While her academic and personal life was not first class, it couldn't be disputed that she was destined to fly.''

:''Kara served her first tour aboard the Battlestar Triton, but she was not admired by all, and soon found herself shipped back to where she started.''

:''This is where she met Zak Adama, and fell in love. Tragedy struck when Zak failed a key flight test and his plane crashed. Kara was devestated. She then spent two years on the Galactica - concentrating on her flying.''

As this information has not appeared on the Scifi.com series website or on screen, it has yet to be confirmed.

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."
=== Additional Notes ===

*[[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.

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[[Category:A to Z|Thrace, Kara]]
[[Category:Characters|Thrace, Kara]]
[[Category:RDM|Thrace, Kara]]
[[Category:People from Caprica|Thrace, Kara]]