Battlestar Galactica: Death of Apollo 6

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Battlestar Galactica: Death of Apollo #6 An issue of the Dynamite series.
Issue No.	6
Writer(s)	Dan Abnett
Illustrator(s)	{{{illustrator}}}
Penciller(s)	Dietrich Smith
Inker(s)
Colorist(s)	Fran Gamboa
Letterer(s)	Simon Bowland
Editor(s)
Collection Design	{{{designer}}}
Cover Artist(s)	Mike Mayhew (Cover A) Dietrich Smith (Cover B) Livio Ramondelli (Cover C) Ardian Syaf (Cover D)
Adaptation of
Published	May 2015
Collects
Collected in	Battlestar Galactica: Death of Apollo
Reprints
Reprinted as
Pages	{{{pages}}}
ISBN	725130224408
Population	0 Survivors
Special	{{{special}}}
Chronology
Previous		Next
(Comics: Battlestar Galactica: Death of Apollo #5)	Battlestar Galactica: Death of Apollo #6	(Comics: Classic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 3 #1)
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

Starbuck and Athena have refused to accept that Apollo is gone, and their unsanctioned mission to prove that he survived has led to catastrophic consequences for the Fleet. After years of silence, the Cylons have found humanity again, and are closing in greater numbers than ever before to complete the extinction of mankind.

Plot

• With the ambush in progress, Major Apollo and Captain Athena are directing the deployed Viper screens against the onslaught of the Cylon Raiders. While Apollo orders Atrius Cargo to pull in tighter for better protection, Athena vainly coordinates the defense of the ill-fated Taurus Axillon. With Axillon gone, Athena redirects forces to cover Raxis.
• Colonel Tigh and Commander Adama discuss the situation near the wall map, with Adama reflecting that the Cylons have them cold.
• Captain Starbuck appraises the situation from his Viper: Raiders are pushing down the center of the Fleet, while hybrid missile carriers attack the Fleet's tanker formations.
• Starbuck is told no more Vipers are available, to which he adamantly advocates for an offensive strike against the basestar, otherwise the Fleet will be destroyed.
• Athena relents to the request, advocating moving three Viper screens to attack the basestar to Adama. Adama refuses on the basis of the basestar being virtually impervious, thus making any offensive Viper run futile.
• With their only course of action being purely defensive, Omega informs Tigh that only 16 Vipers of dubious status in reserve. However, with no pilots available, Apollo volunteers for duty but is quickly rebuked by Adama.
• Tigh asks Adama for permission to stand relieved in order to pilot one of the reserve Vipers. Adama reluctantly concedes, ordering Tigh to have two Vipers prepped: he is joining his friend.
• Apollo is reminded that he cannot fight, and Adama instructs his son to "run this war" so that he may "bring us to victory," leaving both his children to run the defensive operation.
• Adama and Tigh, now in brown and beige Colonial Warrior uniforms, enter their Vipers and launch into the fray to take out their first Cylons in a long while.
• The Cylons begin jamming all Colonial transmissions to prevent further coordination. Athena runs countermeasures while Countess Sephoni enters core command. She informs Apollo of her divination of a weak point in the super basestar's shielding: a seam in the shielding overlap that would allow a precise fusion missile strike.
• With the jamming up, this information cannot be shared to the Vipers already aloft, and so Apollo makes the decision to fly one of the reservist Vipers and carry the payload himself.
• He orders the launch bay techs to prep his Viper with the needed ordnance, and launches. After remarking that he's not dead after the acceleration from the tube, Apollo makes a solemn promise to Athena (who cannot hear him) that he won't take any unnecessary risks.
• After making his way through the Raider screens, the jamming is thwarted and Athena communicates the basestar's vulnerability to the fighters in action. Adama expresses his displeasure at Apollo's disobedience, while Starbuck is able to break free of the defense line and lend support to Apollo. With Starbuck's missile payload exhausted, he is forced into a subordinate position of supporting Apollo's attack run, despite expressing concerns about the g-forces aggravating Apollo's injury.
• While Starbuck takes out four Raiders, Apollo makes his way to the target and launches the missile. The super basestar is destroyed and, while Apollo was not caught up in its explosion, his Viper is unable to course-correct from its direct flight-line into the nearby star.
• His friends and family are helpless as Apollo's fate is sealed.
• In Galactica's life sciences bay, the comatose Xam taps "GONE" repeatedly on the digital pad at his hand.
• After the battle, Adama makes a speech before an assembly of Galactica's crew, including Boxey and Muffit, to commemorate the loss of Warriors before a monument to Apollo, consisting of a Warrior's helmet and a Viper model. He promises to find Earth "even if I must search every star in the heavens and live a thousand lives."

Notes

Releases

• An additional exclusive subscription variant cover (Cover D) featuring the work of Ardian Syaf was made available to "comic shop subscribers and limited to initial orders."

Errata

• Tigh uses the word "old dogs" to describe himself when volunteering to pilot one of the reserve Vipers, instead of the proper term "daggit."

Analysis

• As with previous issues written by Dan Abnett, there are direct ties to the events of Galactica 1980, including Apollo's death and Boxey's ascension as a Warrior. A majority of the comics published tend to eschew 1980, ignoring it in the way that creator Glen A. Larson had as "Starbuck's bad dream."

Noteworthy Dialogue

• Dialogue 1

  Speaker 1: Dialogue.

• Dialogue 2

  Speaker 1: Dialogue.

Related Imagery

Covers

• 
  Cover A by Mike Mayhew.
• 
  Cover B by Dietrich Smith.
• 
  Cover C by Livio Ramondelli.
• 
  Cover D by Ardian Syaf.
• 
  Cover E by Dietrich Smith. (B&W Incentive)
• 
  Cover F by Ardian Syaf. (B&W Incentive)
• 
  Cover G by Dietrich Smith. (Red Monochrome Incentive)

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: THE DEATH OF APOLLO #6 (OF 6) (web.archive.org backup link)
• Dynamite.com - BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE DEATH OF APOLLO #6 (OF 6) EXCLUSIVE SUBSCRIPTION VARIANT COVER (web.archive.org backup link)

References

 

Subject: ComicsSubjects: Battlestar Galactica: Death of Apollo