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Resurrection Ship, Part I

2006-02-04T20:58:06Z

WarCry: /* Questions */

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Resurrection_Ship_pt2-Planning.jpg|300px]]
| Title=Resurrection Ship, Part I
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=2
| Episode=11
| Guests=[[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]]
| Writer=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Story=[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Anne+Cofell Anne Cofell Sanders]
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=2.11 '''(Season 2.5 Premiere)'''
| Rating=
| US Airdate=January 6, 2006
| UK Airdate=
| DVD=
| Population=49,604
| Prev=[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]
| Next=[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]
}}

== Overview ==
:''A military power struggle threatens to escalate into all-out war as the battlestars ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' attempt to join forces to destroy a critical Cylon target: a “Resurrection” ship.''

== Summary ==
*[[Kara Thrace]] flies in behind the Cylon fleet following ''Galactica.'' The stealth features of the [[Blackbird]] allow her to fly to and within the superstructure of the [[Unknown Cylon Ship]], taking pictures along the way. Just before leaving the superstructure, she [[FTL|Jumps]] away to safety and [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]].
*Thrace returns from her unsanctioned reconnaissance of the Cylon fleet in the middle of Adama and Cain's standoff, with recon images of the [[Unknown Cylon Ship]]. Her return appears on [[DRADIS]] as a [[Raider]] and causes Viper squadrons from both ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' and ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' to stop a deadly game of "chicken", with neither side firing unless fired upon.
*Thrace uploads her incredibly detailed pictures of the Unknown Cylon Ship. A closeup shows Cylon bodies, including several inactive copies of [[Number Six|the blonde Cylon agent]] known to the Colonials as "[[Shelly Godfrey]]" and "[[Gina]]".
*After being grilled for their near-disasterous action on ''[[Colonial One]]'' by President [[Laura Roslin]], Adama and Cain agree to a truce while they prepare a joint attack on the Cylon fleet.
*Roslin warns Adama that Cain is a loose cannon, who must be killed in order to save the Fleet from annihilation. Adama is surprised at Roslin's candor, and is reluctant to consider the idea.
*Adama learns that ''Pegasus'' was also shepherding a civilian fleet, which it abandoned months ago, but not before stripping it of anything useful, including FTL drives, spare parts, and people. Cain ordered the execution of the families of individuals she selected who would not leave with ''Pegasus.''
*[[Gaius Baltar]] speaks more with [[Gina]], who wants Baltar to kill her so she can free herself from her torturous existance. He tells her that she cannot die as her consciousness would only download into another [[Humano-Cylon|Cylon body]]. Seeing the copies of reconnaissance photos Baltar is carrying, Gina says she would die if his Fleet destroys the Unknown ship.
*Baltar briefs Adama and Cain: The ship is known as the Resurrection Ship. Its function is to allow Cylon agents a place where their consciousness can download, as an agent in the Fleet would be too far from the Cylon homeworld for their consciousness to return. Cain quickly surmises that, without the Resurrection Ship, the few agents remaining would be permanently gone, perhaps more reluctant to complete their respective missions.
*Laura Roslin's illness is now more visibly apparent. William Adama visits her, and the two have a most unusual, even sentimental talk, with humor about getting a fresh, young Cylon body replacement for Roslin. Adama smiles and says that he couldn't think of her as a blonde, but Roslin smiles and says he'd be surprised.
*Cain finds Thrace's initiative laudable, and promotes her to Captain and [[CAG]] ''Pegasus'' over [[Cole Taylor]]. She initially pulls [[Lee Adama]]'s flight status, but restores it at Thrace's behest and assigns him to her team. Thrace begins plans on an attack on the Resurrection Ship.
*[[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Galen Tyrol]] are pleasantly surprised not to be dead. Lee Adama visits the two and catches them up on events, noting that his father pulled out the stops to ensure Helo's and Tyrol's survival.
*[[Kara_Thrace|Starbuck]] and [[Lee_Adama|Apollo]] brief the battlestar commanders and XO's regarding the plan to disable and destroy the [[Resurrection Ship]]. The plan will involve both battlestars and all available fighters. Both [[Helena_Cain|Admiral Cain]] and [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] approve of the plan, Adama being the more hesitant of the two.
*Colonel Tigh asks if the [[Blackbird]] could be used to sneak up behind the Resurrection Ship with a nuclear missile to destroy the Resurrection Ship outright. Thrace indicates that computer simulations show that the Cylons would pick up the [[Radiological Alarm|radiological signature]] of the bomb (which cannot be hidden by the Blackbird's stealth ability). Such detection would destroy their element of surprise and likely warn the Resurrection Ship to Jump away.
*After the briefing, Adama consults with Thrace privately, asking her to shoot Cain in the head after the attack. Likewise, Cain transfers [[Jack Fisk]] and a squad of Marines loyal to her to ''Galactica'' and instructs Fisk to kill Adama ''and'' his command staff after the attack.

== Questions ==
* Why doesn't Cain and her crew grasp the concept that survival of the human race supersedes the military way of life?
** Adama had similar ideas in the [[Miniseries]] until Roslin talked him out of it.
* If Dr. [[Cottle]] were to perform a psychological examination on Cain, could Adama strip her of command for medical reasons?
**Adama could have just had Roslin strip her of her rank because she's Commander-in-Chief; it doesn't matter: Cain's hold over Pegasus is so tight it would be fluffed off. Also, Cain is not clinically insane. It's not just "insane" humans who do evil things in wartime. Cain does bad things, and she doesn't have the excuse of not being in command of her mental faculties.
* Has Roslin's illness has brought her to terminally important attitudes on life and death? Unlike the option to kill the prisoners on the ''[[Astral Queen]]'' ([[Miniseries]]), Roslin does not hesitate to suggest to Adama to kill Cain.
**These two issues are not morally equivalent. The prisoners on ''Astral Queen'' were not posing an immediate threat to the safety of the Fleet, as Cain and ''Pegasus'' were.
*Why does Commander Adama rely on gossip from Cally and Tigh, rather than debriefing [[Peter Laird|Laird]] personally?
**Maybe Laird was so scared/broken in by Cain that he would be unwilling to say anything against Cain out of fear; thus Tigh had to ask Fisk.
**Were Laird's wife and possibly children executed on the ''[[Scylla]]'' because he was one of the two who resisted the ''Pegasus'' marine team?
*When originally tested, Apollo and the Galactica lost DRADIS contact with the Blackbird. How then did both Battlestars identify the "Raider" when Starbuck returned from her recon run?
*When did the Resurrection Ship begin following the Fleet? Was it able to rescue [[Aaron Doral#Suicide Bomber Copy|Aaron Doral (Suicide Bomber Copy)]] (killed day 17), [[Shelly Godfrey]] (disappeared day 24), [[Leoben Conoy#Gemenon Traveler Copy|Leoben Conoy (Gemenon Traveler Copy)]] (killed day 25), or [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)]] (killed c. day 54)?
**An answer to the Valerii consciousness viewers knew as "Boomer" may be answered in the episode, "[[Downloaded]]."
* [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] got some pretty close shots of the [[Resurrection Ship]], so much so that [[Helena_Cain|Admiral Cain]] was able to ID the [[Humano-Cylon|Cylon agent]] she knew as [[Gina]]. Could any of the other [[Humano-Cylon]] models be identified, including the ones that the Fleet aren't aware of yet?
**Although logically possible, from a storywriting standpoint they were probably not lucky enough for that.
*Since Lee Adama was ultimately to be included in the mission to assassinate Cain anyway, why didn't his father deign to brief him at the same time as Kara Thrace? Having Thrace fill him in later doubles the chance of their plans being overheard.
**Since Starbuck is the ''Pegasus'' CAG, Adama has an excuse to ask her to stay. If he'd asked for her ''and'' Lee, it likely would have raised suspicions.
*Baltar said that he's tired of the fantasy-world in his head that he retreats into; not of Number Six herself, but of his bachelor pad on Caprica. Is this a further sign that Baltar is shifting closer into the Cylon camp? It could mean that he no longer misses his old life on Caprica and has stopped clinging to it.
*To what extent is the chain of command still in effect? Adama fully intends to have Cain killed, but still stops short of demanding Agathon and Tyrol's return, and Cain believes he will still accept Fisk's transfer to ''Galactica'' as a spy.
*Will Fisk carry out his order to have ''Pegasus'' marines execute ''Galactica's'' entire command staff? He seems to have found a friend in Col. Tigh, someone who he is more than willing to share otherwise privileged information with. He does seem to be Cain's voice of reason.
*Is Admiral Cain telling the truth when she says to Starbuck that their "ultimate goal" is to return to the [[Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]] and liberate them from the Cylons?
**On the one hand, she may be playing on Starbuck's desire to rescue the [[Resistance (movement)|Caprican Resistance]] led by [[Samuel Anders]] in order to lure Starbuck over to her allegiance (Cain was impressed by Starbuck's brazen recon mision, and now views her as a valuable asset).
**On the other hand, this is consistent with Admiral Cain's behavior so far: while ''Galactica's'' crew realizes they had no hope of taking back the Colonies and left to try to find Earth, ''Pegasus'' has actually been engaging Cylon forces on the outskirts of the occupied Twelve Colonies for months. Cain does truly seem to want to "take the fight to the Cylons", as it were, and fight to reclaim the Twelve Colonies.
***Even if she is being honest about that, her comment to Starbuck that Anders' resistance "deserves to be saved" seems almost definitely just to be Cain manipulating Starbuck: As evidenced by Cain's treatment of her own [[Scylla|small civilian fleet]], she has completely prioritized the military assets of ''Pegasus'' over the well-being of any other small group of people.
***Even if Admiral Cain were able to lead the Fleet in successfully forcing the Cylons out of the Twelve Colonies, doesn't she realize that they've ''already'' been nuked and are currently inhospitably irradiated? The few people left on the Colonies need anti-radiation medication to survive there, there's only a finite supply of these and it's doubtful that they have any production facilities they could use.

== Analysis ==
This episode fails to skip a beat from the mid-season closer. With ''Galactica's'' and ''Pegasus''' Vipers in a scary game of chicken, the level of tension borders on the "fish in a blender" scenario.

Admiral Cain is clearly showing signs of stress indicative of some kind of sociopathic disorder; her orders and desire to follow the military way overshadow any compassion or understanding of the reality of her situation. She fails to understand that killing Helo and Tyrol worsens the Fleet, as she cannot simply find a suitable replacement.

The star of this show, albeit briefly appearing, is Mary McDonnell's Roslin. Like her namesake Blackbird itself, Roslin shows her toughness in staring down Cain ''and'' Adama, who actually looks ''ashamed'' in his actions while Roslin reads both "the riot act." Were not for the situation, Roslin's second talk with Adama, maybe the first time that Roslin does not appear with Adama in regular clothing, very casual, and obviously ill, seemed more like two old friends. Adama does something viewers have rarely seen with Roslin--his face relaxes and shows humor, sympathy, perhaps even sadness at Roslin's illness and her strength in looking her illness in the face and denying it anyway. He offers his hand and she accepts with a squeeze before she leaves. It seems in this moment that Roslin and Adama exchanged more romantic chemistry than the writer's attempts to do the same with Adama's son and Kara Thrace.

Baltar was generally neutral in this episode, playing both sides, Adama and Cain, Colonial and Cylon, to the advantage of all. His motives in saving Gina are still in doubt, and viewers are likely to see more development here.

Viewers are likely more interested not in the upcoming battle, now a more evenly matched fight between Colonial and Cylon (all things considered--[[Basestar (RDM)|basestars]] generate Raiders like rabbits generate offspring), but in the battle for control of the Fleet, with both Adama and Cain performing similar strategies to kill the other.

*Cain wonders if debating morality is what Roslin and Adama have been doing "for the past six months"; however, as explained in the article [[Timeline (RDM)]], this episode only takes place a little over ''three'' months after the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]. Specifically, the beginning of "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]" took place 30 days after "[[Resistance]]", when the crashed Raptor team returned from Kobol, which took place less than a week after "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]", which explicitly stated to take place 51 days after [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] was stranded on Caprica in the [[Miniseries]]. In "Flight of the Phoenix", Roslin was told that her cancer had advanced aggressively, and she had a month to live "at the outside". The idea that the episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" (the previous episode) took place ''three months'' after "Flight of the Phoenix" thus seems entirely impossible. This line should probably be regarded as exaggeration, or just a goof.

*Pilot [[Louanne Katraine]] has apparently got her groove back from "[[Final Cut]]", and has become the lead pilot on ''Galactica'' following the transfer of Lee Adama and Kara Thrace to ''Pegasus''. Given that the ungifted [[George Birch]] was apparently the best to be found within ''Galactica's'' regular chain of command ([[Home, Part I]]), it's unsurprising that a talented nugget has risen to the top.
**In hindsight, her abuse of stims is actually in line with the single-minded zeal she approaches her job with. She has apparently learned to channel her perfectionism into a more constructive outlet.

*Both Adama and Cain's assassination plans (taking advantage of a victory celebration in CIC) are exactly the same as the one used by Galactica-Boomer in Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II.

== Notes ==

*Fleet population is down to 49,604 to account for the death of [[Alistair Thorne]], Cylon Interrogator.
* Admiral Cain promotes Kara Thrace to the rank of captain. She replaces Stinger as ''Pegasus's'' CAG.
* The Cylon fleet containing the [[Resurrection Ship]] has been following [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]]. It was speculated that the Resurrection Ship was a safety net for any Cylons who died in the Fleet.
* During the closing R&D production company animation, in which David Eick is sliced in two by a bolt of lightning, House Resolution 2995 of the 109th Congress is mentioned in a news ticker. The resolution, introduced June 27, 2005, involves the creation of a "Weather Modification Operations and Research Board." Source: [http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h109-2995 GovTrack]
*In case there was any doubt, by this point the ''Galactica'' crew definitely knows that the blonde woman they first met as "Shelley Godfrey" is a humanoid Cylon, to the point that Roslin cracks a joke that she wouldn't mind waking up inside a gorgeous ''blonde''-haired body.
*Number Six likes [[pyramid (RDM)|pyramid]]. She went to live games often while she was on Caprica. She said it was because she loved the rush of raw emotions that would sweep over the crowd.
*Thrace still intends to recover Anders' [[Resistance (movement)|Resistance]] fighters from Caprica. Timeline wise, they have a little over a month of anti-radiation meds left.
*Tigh and Fisk have continued their status as drinking buddies.
*Roslin has developed a bad cough, perhaps evidence that her cancer has spread to her lungs, or that she has begun to suffer from opportunistic infections.
*Although Commander Adama does a good job of trying to "hide" it, when Adama leaves the sick Roslin he quickly wipes away a tear.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*'''Starbuck''': Starbuck to all vipers-- do not fire... repeat, do not fire! I am a friendly, okay? We're all friendlies. So, let's just...be friendly.

*'''Col. Tigh''': Ahh, another of <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]]'s] crazy ass stunts... thank the Gods!
:'''Commander Adama''': You can say that again!

*'''President Roslin''': The spirit of the law requires something more here than summary executions.
:'''Admiral Cain''': Is this what the two of you have been doing for the past six months? Debating the finer points of Colonial law? Well, guess what, we're at war! And we don't have the luxury of academic debate over these issues.

*'''President Roslin''': You have ''Pegasus'', he has ''Galactica''. Two heavily armed, very powerful warships. Now, I am sure that ''Pegasus'' would prevail in any fight--
:'''Commander Adama''': --I wouldn't count on that--
:'''President Roslin''': --But certainly, there'd be heavy damage and you'd take significant casualties. So you can go out there and fight it out with Galactica or you can compromise. And those are the only two options on the table, period.
:'''Admiral Cain''': ...How the two of you have survived this long, I will never know.

*''Discussing Admiral Cain:''
:'''President Roslin''': I afraid this can only end one way. You've got to kill her.
:'''Commander Adama''': What the hell are you talking about?
:'''President Roslin''': Like she said, let's cut through it. The two of you were willing to go to war today. Do you think she's going to step down from that? She's going to bide her time and hit you the first chance she gets. That's a given. I hate to lay this on you Bill, but she is dangerous and the only thing that you can do is to hit her before she hits you.
:'''Commander Adama''': I'm not an assassin.

*''First thing Gina speaks:''
'''Gina''': I want to die. Will you help me do that? Will you kill me, please?

*'''Baltar''': Were you aware of your true nature as a Cylon when you boarded the ship? Or would you describe you as a sleeper agent?
:'''Gina''': I knew what I was. I was a soldier. I-I had a mission, I carried it out. I thought that when it was done I was going to die. That you would kill me. Then I-- then I would download into a new body...be reborn. But you didn't kill me. The things you did to me.
:'''Baltar''': What they did to you was evil. But I'm not one of them. You have to believe me. Things are going to get better for you. From this moment on. I promise.
:'''Gina''': I don't want things to get better. I want to die.

*''President Roslin is bedridden, dying of cancer, and coughing profusely:''
:'''Commander Adama''': What can I get you?
:'''President Roslin''': A new body. Perhaps, one of those young Cylon models from the Resurrection Ship.
:'''Commander Adama''': I can't see you as a blonde.
:'''President Roslin''': You'd be surprised. (''Laughs'')

*''Scene intercuts between Commander Adama telling Starbuck to assasinate Admiral Cain, while at the same time Cain is ordering Col. Jack Fisk to assasinate Adama'':
:'''Admiral Cain''': Jack, I want to transfer a detachment of marines to Galactica. And I want you to handpick them. Completely reliable. Completely loyal. Razors.
:'''Commander Adama''': I have a mission for you, Kara.
:'''Starbuck''': Anything for you, you know that.
:'''Commander Adama''': Don't accept too quickly. You won't like this one. I don't like it. But I've decided that it has to be done.
:'''Admiral Cain''': I'm transferring you to Galactica, as well. I'll tell Adama that you're there to be my eyes and ears. He'll hate it. He'll think you're my spy and try to freeze you out of decision-making. But he'll accept it. Now I want you to stay in throughout the attack. Stay with Adama.
:'''Commander Adama''': After the attack is completed and you've accounted for your pilots I want you to land your bird on the Pegasus to report directly to CIC. You'll take Lee with you. He'll watch your back.
:'''Admiral Cain''': Position marines in key positions throughout the ship and keep a squad posted just outside CIC--
:'''Commander Adama''': --There'll the normal chaos emotional high after the attack--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --They'll be slapping each other on the back, celebrating the victory--
:'''Commander Adama''': --They'll keep their guard down--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --Security will be lax--
:'''Commander Adama''': --I will ask for you over the wireless--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --I will call you directly, and when I have you on the line and you hear me give the command, "execute Case Orange"--
:'''Commander Adama''': --When you hear me say "Downfall"--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --You are to signal the marines to terminate Adama's command...''starting'' with Adama--
:'''Commander Adama''': --I want you to pull out your weapon...and shoot Admiral Cain in the head. (''Starbuck is shocked'')

== Official Statements ==

== Guest stars ==
[[Michelle Forbes]] ([[Helena Cain]]) Graham Beckel ([[Jack Fisk]]) Sebastian Spence ([[Whiplash]]) John Pyper-Ferguson ([[Cole Taylor|Cole "Stinger" Taylor]]) Vincent Gale ([[Peter Laird]]) [http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Aaron+Douglas Aaron Douglas] ([[Galen Tyrol]]) [http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Nicki+Clyne Nicki Clyne] ([[Cally]]) [[Bodie Olmos]] ([[Brendan Constanza|Hot Dog]]) [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm1382781/ Luciana Carro] ([[Louanne Katraine]])

==Statistics==

* USA [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]]: 2.1 household rating

{{Episode List}}

[[Category: Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category: A to Z]]

Kara Thrace

2006-02-04T20:51:20Z

WarCry: /* Notes */

{{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= Single (Formerly engaged to [[Zak Adama]])
|role= Commander Air Group, Battlestar ''Galactica'' ([[Scar]])
|rank= Captain
|actor= [[Katee Sackhoff]]
|cylon=
}}

''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)]].''

== Biography ==

=== Background ===

'''Kara Thrace''' 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 [[Original battlestar (RDM)|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]]).

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? 
:'''Laura Roslin''': I don't know. Tomb of Athena, I think. 
:'''Commander Adama''': I thought we were already in the tomb. 
:'''Kara Thrace''': I think that was the lobby. 

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 a 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.

==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]].

{{Characters}}

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