Colonial battles chronology (TOS)

Chameleon
[show/hide spoilers] Spoilers hidden in infobox by default.
Age
Colony	Apparently Caprica
Birthplace	{{{birthplace}}}
Birth Name
Birth Date	{{{birthdate}}}
Callsign
Nickname	Captain Dmitri
Introduced	The Man with Nine Lives
Last Appearance	[[{{{lastseen}}}]]
Death
Parents
Step-Parents	{{{step_parents}}}
Siblings
Children	Starbuck
Marital Status	Presumably widowed
Family Tree	View
Role	Con artist
Rank
Serial Number	{{{serial}}}
Portrayed by	Fred Astaire
Chameleon is a Cylon
Chameleon is a Final Five Cylon
Chameleon is a Human/Cylon Hybrid
Chameleon is an Original Series Cylon
Additional Information
Chameleon in the separate continuity

A charming and aging con man, Chameleon just happens to be Starbuck's father.

Chameleon was separated by the Cylon raid at the settlement of Umbra on planet Caprica. He had been something of a professional wagerer, apparently, due to his vast knowledge of chancery games (which might explain Starbuck's natural fascination with chanceries). However, Chameleon's current occupation is basically making do with his ability to naturally con people out of money.

Among other false occupations, Chameleon been known to pose as a genetic tracer, a head of Inter-Fleet Broadcasting, and the Livestock Ship's commanding officer. However he crosses three Borellian Nomen—Maga, Bora and Taba—who in return swear a blood trail to exact revenge upon the "jackal, Captain Dmitri". They eventually manage to track him to the Rising Star, courting Siress Blassie who was apparently taken by his charm while attending a type of orchestral symphony.

By an act of self-preservation, Chameleon manages to escape, meeting up with Starbuck and Apollo as Lieutenant Boomer and Flight Sergeant Jolly mince words with the Nomen. Chameleon talks about his past on Caprica and about losing a son, which spoke volumes to Starbuck. Chameleon finds his chance for protection, portraying himself as a genetic tracer and stating that Galactica's equipment would be just the thing needed to do testing to determine if they were indeed father and son.

To play up the lost father/son relationship, he tells Starbuck that Cassiopeia reminds him much of his wife. Starbuck admits to him that Cassiopeia was the only one he ever considered getting sealed to.

Later on, Chameleon attempts to tell Starbuck the truth when in the launch bay when Starbuck admits to thinking of dropping out from the Colonial service to join him in reuniting lost children with their parents. But Chameleon never gets the chance as Maga and Bora trespass into the bay, attacking Starbuck while attempting to discern where "Captain Dmitri" was.

Chameleon manages to save Starbuck from the Nomen by firing the Viper's lasers into the launch tube, throwing Starbuck clear of the tube. Miraculously the Nomen survive and are apprehended.

Chameleon later admits that he deceived them all, explaining the whole story.

The con man also believed that the story of being Starbuck's Caprican father was false, however tests proved positive. Chameleon manages to convince Cassiopeia not to reveal these results to Starbuck, saying that he would rather be his friend, especially since Starbuck wanted to recapture yahrens that could never be recaptured.

The old man did, however, promise that he would tell Starbuck when he had been Sealed to a very dubious Cassiopeia.

Chameleon is remanded to the custody of Siress Blassie, who supports his rehabilitation into society for his actions, but takes it with joy since he and Starbuck were now only friends ^{(TOS: "The Man with Nine Lives")}.

Notes

• The analog for Chameleon in the Re-imagined Series is Dreilide Thrace.