Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck 3

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Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck #3 An issue of the Dynamite series.
Issue No.	3
Writer(s)	Tony Lee
Illustrator(s)	{{{illustrator}}}
Penciller(s)
Inker(s)	Eman Casallos
Colorist(s)	Davi Correia (pages); Adriano Lucas (cover)
Letterer(s)	Joshua Cozine
Editor(s)
Collection Design	{{{designer}}}
Cover Artist(s)	Sean Chen
Adaptation of
Published	January 2014
Collects
Collected in	Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck
Reprints
Reprinted as
Pages	{{{pages}}}
ISBN	725130209306
Population	0 Survivors
Special	{{{special}}}
Chronology
Previous		Next
Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck 2	Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck #3	Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck 4
Purchase
Available at BOOKSAMILLION.COM - Purchase
Available at Amazon.com – [[amazon:{{{amazon}}}|Purchase]]
Available at Amazon.co.uk – Purchase
Available at Things From Another World - Purchase

The origin of Lt. Starbuck continues, told by #1 New York Times best-selling author Tony Lee! Framed for a murder he didn't commit, Starbuck is forced on the run with only Apollo by his side, while Adama gains help against Osiris from a trader named Baltar...

Plot

As with the previous installment, this issue is set entirely two yahrens before the attack at Cimtar.

• Onboard Galactica, while Starbuck tells a tall-tale during a pyramid game with Flight Sergeant Jolly, two Council Security officers arrest Starbuck.
• The Council Security officers inform Starbuck that he is charged with not only threatening Councilor Osiris while under the influence, but also with the murder of Kandi Trieste in the Erin Dream's casino.
• Starbuck decries this charge, but is informed that DNA on a whiskey glass and a half-smoked fumerello state otherwise.
• Aboard the Aerian Administration Hub, Apollo visits Starbuck. Starbuck pities himself, blaming himself for being too cocky and being responsible for Kandi's death, even though it was a set-up. Starbuck seeks the only comfort that Osiris hasn't acquired McKintosh's pendant, which he had left aboard his Viper.
• Apollo tells Starbuck to not lose hope, for Adama is speaking to the Quorum of Twelve, aiming to have Starbuck transferred to Galactica's holding cells.
• Starbuck also tells Apollo to not trust Osiris's daughter, claiming that there's something "off about her."
• In Osiris's chambers, Colonel Adama tries to make his case. Osiris sticks to his story that Starbuck threatened him, and then proceeded to kill his ex-girlfriend in a fit of rage.
• Adama fails to get Starbuck transferred to Galactica, and Osiris makes a point to threaten Adama by telling the Quorum how Adama "tried to intimidate a fellow council member."
• Infuriated at the "insufferable fool," Adama leaves and informs Apollo that Starbuck may be in deeper trouble than they realize.
• After Adama departs for Galactica, Apollo is approached by Baltar. Baltar couldn't "help overhearing" their "troubles with Osiris," and claims that he may be of service to ameliorate them.
• Baltar informs Apollo that his profession of tylium dealing lead to recent dealings with Osiris, but noted certain "things that make me think that he's up to no good." Baltar further elaborates that Osiris's friends "are a little more robotic than we'd like," and that because Starbuck's attentions to Osiris's plans, Osiris will likely move Starbuck "somewhere deep, dark... and forgettable."
• Baltar plants the idea that Apollo will need a friend with a container ship "big enough for a couple of Vipers—and a reason to visit Aeries."
• As agro container Penance docks at docking clamp five, Starbuck is taken from his cell for a trip "somewhere dark and off the map," along with Councilor Osiris's regards.
• En route, Starbuck determines that the two guards escorting him have limited to no hand-to-hand combat training. Starbuck dispatches Tycho and the second guard with great aplomb, with Apollo arriving right after the act. Starbuck takes one of the guard's laser pistols and follows Apollo back to Penance, where their Vipers are.
• A security alert goes off, and Starbuck and Apollo are shot at as they make their way to Penance. As they run for their Vipers, Starbuck determines that McKintosh's pendant may link to McKintosh's ship locator beacon.
• Starbuck and Apollo blast away the Penance's hull plates and fly out from the ship, leaving the Aeries Hub behind.
• In the Quorum's chamber, Osiris accosts Adama in front of the assembled Quorum in regards to the recent escape. Adama feigns ignorance, and then questions why Starbuck was being taken from his cell. Osiris deflects this effort by claiming that he was transferring Starbuck to Galactica, per Adama's request—even though no record of such a transfer exists.
• Baltar arrives, also being accosted by Osiris for smuggling the Vipers into the Hub. Baltar rebukes this, claiming to be the aggrieved party, as the Vipers were smuggled aboard his ship without his knowledge.
• President Adar decides to remove Adama from his position on the Quorum, and instructs Councilor Romo to escort Adama from the chambers.
• Romo does so, offering Adama his sympathies in that Adama should not have to pay for Apollo's "crime." Adama replies that, if Apollo did help Starbuck break out, he had good reasons for doing so. He also tells Romo to be wary of Osiris.
• Outside the Quorum chamber, Adama meets with Baltar. Baltar is pleased that he was able to see Osiris's humiliation.
• Adama asks Baltar what his angle is, to which Baltar replies that he is after a seat on the Quorum. Depending on whom wins, either Baltar gets Adama's seat or he gets Osiris's.
• Athena meets up with Adama and is instructed to obtain proof of Starbuck's innocence, by first starting to hack into Erin Dream's security footage.
• Following the Quorum's removal of Adama, Osiris instructs Diana to follow Athena and, if she finds anything, end her.
• Starbuck and Apollo track down McKintosh's ship in deep space. They find the Cylons beat them to the ship, having killed McKintosh some time ago.
• The ship scans the new arrivals, finding the "keylock" pendant around Starbuck's neck. A holographic message of McKintosh begins its playback, informing them that he had been the only person who recorded what transpired the night of the attack on Umbra. Fortunately, a copy of this recording—including Osiris's access codes being used to bring down the defense net—exists in a hidden panel that the keylock had opened.
• Apollo takes the disc, telling Starbuck that he can upload the contents to Galactica from his Viper, and that Osiris would be arrested by the time they reach Galactica. They decide to leave before more Cylons arrive.
• While Apollo was able to upload the file to Galactica, a group of Cylon Raiders arrive along with a Cylon basestar. They elect to flee, knowing that the odds were not in their favor.
• The Raiders interrupt their efforts at flight, during which Starbuck's Viper scanner has gone out.
• Things soon turn to their favor when Jolly and Zac arrive, having just been instructing Zac in a flight training lesson. The other pursing Raiders are taken out in short order, and they head back to Galactica.
• Aboard the Aerian Hub, Athena uncovers footage of Diana's murder of Kandi Trieste. This footage is quickly deleted by Diana, who surprises Athena at gunpoint. As Diana compliments Athena on her computer skills of hacking through a gamma-level security wall, Athena is able to surprise Diana with some hand-to-hand combat, before being stunned by a Centurion. Diana orders the Cylon to carry Athena, and they leave for "ground zero."
• Having received the data, Adama meets with Osiris in the hopes of giving Osiris the opportunity to confess his crimes before being outed. However, Osiris has another surprise in store—Athena, who is under armed Centurion guard. Osiris tells Adama to lose the incriminating data and consider his retirement plans. He also issues the following ultimatum: should Galactica deviate from its current path, Athena dies.
• Meanwhile, Apollo and Starbuck approach Galactica. Colonel Tigh plays "dumb" when Apollo notes that his is the only Viper returning, allowing both Starbuck and Apollo to land.
• They are met by Zac, Jolly and Lieutenant Boomer—Boomer having just released himself from the medical bay, having heard about Starbuck's plight and knowing that "someone had to come save your ass."
• Tigh, Adama and Baltar meet the assembly on the hangar deck. Adama informs them of Athena's capture, and that Baltar's sources have given them a lead to Athena's whereabouts: an abandoned tylium mine on the ice moon Thrace.
• While Galactica herself is being tracked by Osiris, Adama plans to mount a rescue mission using Vipers. The assembled team of Warriors join in Adama's mission and launch from Galactica.

Notes

Nods

• This is the "first" time that Starbuck would be set up for a murder to protect the misdeeds of a Cylon traitor by their aide. The "second" time would occur during the events of "Murder on the Rising Star," wherein Karibdis (yet another aide) set up Starbuck in the hopes of evading detection as a traitor. In both instances, a certain someone would be the one to assist Starbuck in clearing his name.
• The story told by Starbuck at the beginning of this installment is a direct nod to the pivotal scene from the first Star Wars film where Luke Skywalker manually fires proton torpedoes to destroy the Death Star.
• Boomer's rebellious streak on releasing himself from sickbay mirrors the act from "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II," after Boomer and other pilots release themselves from sickbay following their recovery from an illness.
• Adama's removal from the Quorum of Twelve would occur "again" by fellow Quorum members after the arrival of Count Iblis in "War of the Gods, Part II."
• Both Romo's name and appearance are derived from Romo Lampkin of the Re-imagined Series.

Errata

• As with other entries in the Dynamite Entertainment comics, a mix of Re-Imagined Series and Original Series terminologies occurs:
  • The backgrounds of the Viper bay on battlestar Galactica are those of the hangar deck from the Re-imagined Series.
  • The Warrior uniforms feature shoulder patches on both shoulders, but it should only appear on the right shoulder on Warrior uniforms.
  • The Vipers depicted are visually more in line with the Re-imagined Series Mark II Viper than the Original Series counterpart.
  • Civilians wear contemporary clothing (modern suits with ties, vests, tank tops, red dresses, t-shirts) as opposed to the distinct Egyptian-esque clothing designed by Jean-Pierre Dorleac.
• When the blackshirts arrest Starbuck, he is drawn with McKintosh's pendant around his neck. However, following his incarceration in the Aeries detention cells, he tells Apollo that he left the pendant in his Viper—even though it is still around his neck in the last panel of page 3.
• As established in "Murder on the Rising Star," murder trials are to be held 10 centars following the entry of the accused's plea. This does not occur here.
• Regarding the location of Kandi Trieste's murder: Erin Dream is a casino ship, and not on a planet. Furthermore, Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck 1 establishes that she worked at the Astral Utopia on Caprica.
• Timeline disparities, specifically:
  • McKintosh notes that he's known the information about the Umbra attack for over 30 yahrens, although only 24 yahrens have passed.
  • On the video surveillance footage Athena recovers, a date of "10/11/2079" is seen on the lower right hand corner. The date should specify the year 7346.
• Terminology issues abound, specifically:
  • In Jolly's reply to Starbuck's "tall-tale" at the pyramid game, he should have said "felgercarb" instead of "crap."
  • The use of "ass" by Boomer upon meeting Starbuck is incorrect. As established in "The Living Legend, Part I," the term "astrum" should have been used.

Analysis

• Starbuck's drunken bouts of self-pity and gregarious womanizing recur many times in the course of this comic, which only serve to cause problems for him later on. This is in keeping with the character's depiction in the series proper, including "Murder on the Rising Star" (where Starbuck is framed for the murder of a rival) and "Take the Celestra" (where Starbuck is foiled by a mutinous ex-girlfriend).
• The Colonial Military continues its poor discipline standards, and nepotism abounds with the same family unit serving aboard one battlestar—Zac, Apollo, and Athena, all under the command of their father, Adama.
• Apollo and Adama's preferential treatment of Starbuck—particularly when other pilots would have been drummed out of the service for similar derelictions of duty—clearly lead to degradation of operational discipline and military effectiveness.
• The treasonous motives of both Osiris and Diana are not in any way fleshed out, in keeping with the tradition of established story telling in the series proper. There is a vague insinuation of power acquisition, and perhaps it could be argued that the Cylons also agreed to spare Osiris' colony of Aeries (assuming that the Cylons gave them the same deal as the one they gave Baltar), but this is paper-thin as motivation.
• McKintosh's data chip and corresponding pendant, first featured in Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck 1, serve as either a continual McGuffin or a Chekhov's Gun. In fact, one could say that the name of "McKintosh" is a nod to that particular point.

Questions

• Why would anyone betray their homeworlds to the Cylons?
• Were either Osiris or Diana involved with future sneak attacks, such as those that took the lives of Starbuck's foster parents?
• Why does Baltar agree to help Apollo against Osiris?
• Has Baltar yet allied himself with the Cylons?

Noteworthy Dialogue

• Starbuck tells a group of pyramid players a tall-tale during a game:

  Starbuck: And then I was yelling "Fire the Missiles!" but their target system was fracked—so ol' Starbuck here had to fire it into the exhaust vent himself—

  Jolly: You're so full of crap, Starbuck!

Gallery

• 
  Colorized cover.
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  Page 1
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  Page 2
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  Page 3
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  Page 4
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  Page 5

External links

• Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck #3 at Dynamite Entertainment