Look-In Magazine: Storyline 4

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[[File:{{{image}}}|250px|Storyline #4]]
Storyline #4 An issue of the Look-In Magazine Press series.
Issue No.	#30 (1980) to #42 (1980)
Writer(s)	Angus P. Allan
Illustrator(s)	{{{illustrator}}}
Penciller(s)	Martin Asbury
Inker(s)	Martin Asbury
Colorist(s)
Letterer(s)
Editor(s)
Collection Design	{{{designer}}}
Cover Artist(s)
Adaptation of
Published	26 July 1980 - 18 October 1980
Collects
Collected in
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Pages	{{{pages}}}
ISBN	[[Special:Booksources/|]]
Population	0 Survivors
Special	{{{special}}}
Chronology
Previous		Next
Storyline 3	Storyline #4	None
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Plot

An exploratory mission to the planet Zaroak goes awry when Apollo, Starbuck, and Athena are shot down and captured, discovering the planet is ruled by a dictator in league with the Cylons and its people are enslaved.

Summary

Strip #1

• On the planet Zaroak, a fugitive is hunted by Centurions. He is killed by a swamp creature before they can capture him.
• A Colonial shuttle carrying Apollo, Starbuck, and Athena descends to the planet to investigate it as a potential new home.

Strip #2

• The shuttle lands. The crew finds no signs of civilization, but they are being monitored from an underground complex.

Strip #3

• As the crew collects soil and vegetation samples, Apollo notes that the local animals' fear of them suggests the presence of primitive humanoids. Starbuck jokes that it's more likely a secret Cylon base.

Strip #4

• In the underground complex, a Centurion informs the planet's dictator, Mendrix, of the Colonials' arrival. Mendrix, an ally of the Cylons, vows to annihilate the intruders.

Strip #5

• The native Zaroakians toil as slaves in Mendrix's mines. Meanwhile, the Colonial shuttle reports positive test results to Galactica.

Strip #6

• Mendrix dispatches a gunship, which attacks and shoots down the Colonial shuttle.

Strip #7

• Apollo, Starbuck, and Athena survive the crash and are captured alive by Mendrix's forces.

Strip #8

• Mendrix decides to put the captured Colonials to work in his mines. Aboard Galactica, Adama loses contact and dispatches Boomer on a solo reconnaissance mission. Boxey and Muffit stow away on Boomer's shuttle.

Strip #9

• The captives are led to the mines. The Cylons agree with Mendrix's plan to use them as slaves but anticipate a rescue attempt.

Strip #10

• Boomer's shuttle arrives on Zaroak and discovers the wreckage of Apollo's shuttle, but Boomer suspects it was planted as a decoy. Boxey is discovered as a stowaway.

Strip #11

• In the mines, Starbuck is whipped by a guard and retaliates, starting a brawl between the Colonials and the guards.

Strip #12

• The fight is broken up by the arrival of Centurions, revealing the Cylon presence to the captives and slaves. One of Mendrix's overseers confirms the alliance.

Strip #13

• A mine overseer named Tubak reveals he is part of a resistance movement and secretly leads the Colonials away from punishment.

Strip #14

• Tubak explains that the resistance knows Mendrix is a fool and that the Cylons will eventually kill everyone to take over. He offers to help the Colonials escape if they will help drive the Cylons from Zaroak. Meanwhile, Boomer lands his shuttle.

Strip #15

• Tubak agrees to show the Colonials the way to the Cylon headquarters. On the surface, Boomer's shuttle is ambushed by one of Mendrix's gunships.

Strip #16

• Boomer, an expert pilot, outmaneuvers and destroys the enemy gunship. He and Boxey notice that one of the Zaroakian soldiers fell clear of the wreckage into a swamp.

Strip #17

• Boomer and Boxey use a grapple to rescue the drowning Zaroakian soldier from the swamp.

Strip #18

• Apollo, Starbuck, and Athena enter the ventilation system to reach the Cylon nerve center. Their guide, Tubak, is discovered to be a traitor by Mendrix and the Cylon commander, and is killed.

Strip #19

• A planet-wide hunt for the fugitives begins. The Cylons activate a "seismosonic detector" and order the entire complex to remain motionless to isolate the fugitives' movements.

Strip #20

• The rescued Zaroakian soldier guides Boomer's party to a secret entrance to the mine complex.

Strip #21

• Boomer reports the situation to Adama, confirming that Apollo and the others are captives and that the Cylons are present on the planet.

Strip #22

• The Cylons pinpoint the Colonials' location in the ventilation shaft. Just as they are about to be discovered, Apollo's group bursts out of the vent and attacks.

Strip #23

• In the ensuing firefight, the Colonials manage to arm themselves with fallen Cylon rifles.

Strip #24

• The Cylon commander, disgusted with Mendrix's cowardice, murders him. Just as Cylon reinforcements arrive, Boomer's party appears and joins the fight.

Strip #25

• The two Colonial parties are reunited. The rescued Zaroakian soldier leads them towards an escape route while he stays behind to hold off the Cylons.

Strip #26

• The Zaroakian soldier uses a loudspeaker to inform his people of Mendrix's death and the Cylons' betrayal, inciting a planet-wide slave revolt. The Colonials escape in Boomer's shuttle. The Zaroakians, now free, inform Galactica that they want no outsiders on their planet, forcing the Fleet to continue its quest.

Notes

• This storyline introduces the planet Zaroak and its humanoid inhabitants, the Zaroakians, who have been enslaved by the dictator Mendrix.
• The Cylons are shown to be engaged in a mining operation on Zaroak, requiring slave labor. This suggests a logistical need for resources beyond simple conquest.
• The story features a Cylon commander who personally executes an ally, demonstrating their ruthless pragmatism.
• A "seismosonic detector" is mentioned as a piece of Cylon surveillance technology.

Analysis

"Storyline #4" is a classic "planetary adventure" that focuses on themes of slavery, rebellion, and uneasy alliances. The plot removes the main characters from the familiar setting of the Fleet and forces them into a desperate ground-based conflict where they are outmatched and outgunned. Their survival depends not on their technology, but on their ability to inspire and collaborate with an oppressed native population.

The story effectively portrays the Cylons as insidious colonizers, not just conquerors. Their alliance with a local tyrant like Mendrix shows a more strategic approach to occupation, using a puppet ruler to exploit a planet's resources and populace. Mendrix's eventual murder at the hands of his Cylon ally is a predictable but effective illustration of the Cylons' ultimate goal: total control, with no room for partners.

The Zaroakian resistance, embodied by Tubak and the unnamed soldier rescued by Boomer, is central to the plot. The Colonials act as a catalyst for the rebellion, but the final victory belongs to the Zaroakians themselves. The ending is bittersweet; while the slaves are freed and the Cylons are (at least temporarily) routed, the newly liberated people want nothing to do with any outsiders, including the Colonials who helped them. This reinforces a recurring theme in the Look-In comics: the Fleet's quest for a home is fraught with disappointment, and even when they do good, they are not always welcomed.

Questions

• What specific metal or resource were the Cylons mining on Zaroak?
• What became of the Cylon forces on Zaroak after the slave revolt began? Were they all destroyed, or did they retreat?
• How did the Zaroakians communicate with Galactica at the end to state their desire for isolation?
• Did the Zaroakian soldier who helped Boomer and later sparked the revolt survive?
• Was the fugitive killed by the swamp creature in the first strip a member of the Zaroakian resistance?