Classic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 2 9

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Classic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 2 9 a.k.a. "Dreams of the Thirteenth, Part Three" An issue of the Dynamite series.
Issue No.	9
Writer(s)	Dan Abnett
Illustrator(s)	Cezar Razek
Penciller(s)
Inker(s)	{{{inker}}}
Colorist(s)
Letterer(s)
Editor(s)
Collection Design	{{{designer}}}
Cover Artist(s)	Livio Ramondelli (Main Cover) Chris Eliopoulos (Subscription Cover)
Adaptation of
Published	January 22, 2014
Collects
Collected in
Reprints
Reprinted as
Pages	32
ISBN	725130204622
Population	0 Survivors
Special	{{{special}}}
Chronology
Previous		Next
Classic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 2 #8 a.k.a. "Dreams of the Thirteenth, Part Two"	Classic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 2 9 a.k.a. "Dreams of the Thirteenth, Part Three"	Classic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 2 #10
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Available at Amazon.com – [[amazon:{{{amazon}}}|Purchase]]
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The terrifying story arc concludes. The Galactica has led the fleet into an uncharted storm zone to escape the Cylons, and encountered a vast and mysterious artifact. What is its purpose, and what part will it play in the fate of the human race? And what happens if the Cylons get to it first? The final secrets are revealed in the last part of "Dreams of the Thirteenth"!

Plot

• In core command, Athena tells both Apollo and Starbuck that the results from the deep-probe are originating from Galactica herself. As they discuss the confusing ramifications of this, with Athena becoming more heated during the exchange, Adama's interest in piqued. Apollo runs interference, suggesting to his father that he work on a handshake signal to open up first contact procedures. Adama is convinced that the message should come from him, and Apollo ropes in Dr. Madusa to assist Adama for her psychological insight into first contact protocol.
• As Adama heads to his quarters, Madusa perseverates on her hesitancy on relieving Adama of his command. Apollo assures her that he hopes it won't come to that, noting that the artifact isn't what it seems to be.
• Apollo returns to Starbuck and Athena, and a testy Athena reports that the source is in habitation chamber 13.
• Apollo and Starbuck head there with hand scanners, realizing that the pod is assigned to Xam. Xam opens the door to greet them, and the Warriors begin to do a survey of the messy quarters. As Xam pontificates about having the "dreams of the Thirteenth," Starbuck's scanner uncovers Xam's abilities as a delta-class telepath.
• Adama heads to the Life Science Wards, where Dr. Salik informs Adama of Xam's condition, recapping that he had latent psionic abilities whose powers have activated after being struck by high energon void lightning. These powers have since grown, allowing Xam to unknowingly and unwittingly impress his thoughts, dreams and hopes upon others.
• Adama turns incredulous, disbelieving Salik's declaration that the dreams of the 13th is an "involuntary telepathic lie." Apollo and Adama begin arguing, with Apollo noting that they have not found Earth, and the longer they linger in the storm zone the more likely they'll be annihilated by the closing Cylon task force.
• Contact alarms begin blaring, with Colonel Tigh calling the crew to their battle stations as the Cylon basestar bears down upon the Fleet and begins its assault. Tigh orders the Fleet into full drive in an attempt to flee.
• From the ward, Adama demands that Tigh countermand the order. Apollo attempts to convince his father that their discovery of "Earth" isn't real. Adama turns violent, shoving Apollo aside while declaring that Earth is real.
• Apollo restrains Adama while imploring Xam to tell the truth: Xam admits he doesn't know what reality is.
• Starbuck attempts to talk to his tear-stricken friend, reminiscing about all the old times that Starbuck brought his busted-up Vipers back for Xam to repair. Xam becomes more grounded in those memories, and Starbuck implores upon their friendship to fix the issue the Fleet finds itself in.
• Xam is able to come to grip with reality, that the discovery of Earth was a dream he projected upon others, and that "no one needs lies. It's just stuff I wanted to see. Stuff my head made up."
• Athena reports that the artifact has vanished, while the Cylons press their attack. Tigh ruefully realizes that even if they ran now, they wouldn't stand a chance of survival.
• Xam somehow hears Tigh and projects a new lie for the Cylons—projecting multiple Galacticas for the Cylons to attack while the real Galactica and her rag-tag fugitive fleet continue on their lonely quest.
• The Cylons retreat and Tigh takes advantage of the confusion. The Fleet flees at full speed.
• In the ward, Adama comes to his senses and realizes that Xam fooled the Cylons with his powers. He apologies to his son for his behavior, and his son also apologies.
• Salik reports that Xam's brain has shorted out by what he believes to be telepathic overload. Xam's body remains alive, but his mind is no more. Starbuck mourns his friend's passing, before jokingly wondering "who's gonna fix my stuff now, huh?"

Notes

Publication Releases

• A version of this issue, the Battlestar Galactica #9 Exclusive Subscription Variant, released in January 2014. Per the publisher:

  A super-special, exclusive Chris Eliopoulos Cute cover, only available to comic shop subscribers and limited to initial orders!

Errata

• The artifact is referred by the English British spelling of "artefact," contrary to the earlier issue.
• Starbuck uses the term frack more as the word "fuck" versus "shit," particularly when exclaiming "What the frack are you talking about?" following Athena's declaration that the data is coming from within Galactica.

Miscellany

• Starbuck's crack about Athena going "nutszoidal" is derived from the slang term "nutzoid," its first noted appearance dating back to 1986 CE's Fat Guy Goes Nutzoid. It has since entered the lexicon as a lesser recurring slang term to describe someone who is deemed "insane" or "crazy."

Analysis

• Athena is demonstratively "testy" in this installment, particularly in her interactions with Starbuck while she performs the sensor probe to pin-point the source of the information Galactica receives. For example:

  Apollo: (returning from his discussion with Adama and Madusa) Anything?

  Starbuck: She's [Athena's] working on it.

  Athena: Who's "she?" The daggit's maternal unit?

In this instance, Athena refers to herself in the third-person as a "bitch," a term for a female dog also doubling as a disparaging vulgarism for a woman.

Questions

Unanswered

• How could telepathic powers affect machinery and electronics?

Noteworthy Dialogue

• After Dr. Salik tells Adama that the dream of Earth is a telepathic lie:

Starbuck: Meaning, Commander, the artefact [sic] is a lie. A dream. All the dreams, they're just dreams!

Apollo: It's all coming from Xam. It's what he wants us to see.

Adama: I have dreamed those dreams myself!

Salik: It feels real because Xam longs for it to be real. Like all of us, he dreams of finding Earth. What he has done is not malicious, neither is it wilful [sic].

Adama: No, I refuse to believe--

Salik: Believe what you must. But what poor Xam is showing you is an involuntary telepathic lie. And it's been gradually infecting the minds of everyone in the Fleet.

Adama: This is nonsense!

• Xam gives the Fleet another chance, allowing Adama and Apollo reconcile:

Adama: He fooled them. He fooled the Cylons with his mind.

Apollo: What did he show them?

Adama: Who knows? Something as credible as the things he showed me. (to Apollo) I'm sorry.

Apollo: So am I. You have no idea.

Related Imagery

Covers

• 
  Main Cover
  Art: Livio Ramondelli
• 
  Subscription Cover "Cute Exclusive"
  Art: Chris Eliopoulos

Preview Pages

Please Note: These are used for promotional purposes by the publisher, and are provided here in the same vein.

• 
  Page 1
• 
  Page 2
• 
  Page 3
• 
  Page 4
• 
  Page 5

External links

• Dynamite.com: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA #8 (web.archive.org backup link)

Original Series definition: interchangeable term for a computer monitor and television set (see: scanner)

Re-imagined Series definition: in military parlance, directive to continue the attack; otherwise used to refer to journalists ^{(TRS: "Maelstrom")}

Galactica 1980 definition: a term meaning "rats" or "shit" (see: frack); it is only used by Starbuck ^{(1980: "The Return of Starbuck")}

Original Series definition: expletive, similar to "shit" (see: frack)