Starbuck (1980)

Starbuck
[show/hide spoilers] Spoilers hidden in infobox by default only.
Name
Age
Colony	Umbra, Caprica
Birth place	{{{birthplace}}}
Birth Name	Starbuck
Birth Date	{{{birthdate}}}
Callsign
Nickname	{{{nickname}}}
Introduced	[[{{{seen}}}]]
Last Known Appearance	[[{{{lastseen}}}]]
Death
Parents	Chameleon (father)
Siblings
Children
Marital Status	Single
Family Tree	View
Role	Viper pilot, Battlestar Galactica
Rank	First Lieutenant
Serial Number	{{{serial}}}
Portrayed by	Dirk Benedict
Starbuck is a Cylon
Starbuck is a Final Five Cylon
Starbuck is a Human/Cylon Hybrid
Starbuck is an Original Series Cylon
Related Media
Additional Information
[[File:|300px|Starbuck]]

First Lieutenant Starbuck is a Colonial Warrior on Galactica.

On his last mission as a Warrior attached to Galactica, he is on patrol with Boomer when they are ambushed by Raiders. Starbuck's Viper is severely damaged, and he is forced to put it down on a small planet, stranding him and separating him from the Fleet.

Out of loneliness, Starbuck repairs a Centurion from one of the Raiders he had downed. He nicknames it Cy, and the two become friends. When Cy senses that Starbuck longs for human companionship, he leaves, returning with a pregnant woman named Angela.

Angela speaks in riddles, but convinces Starbuck to build a ship to transport her and "their baby" back to the Fleet. Starbuck uses parts from his Viper and the downed Raider to construct the ship, but the ship has enough room only for the mother and the child. A Cylon attack forces him to launch the ship. Cy is gunned down fighting off the Cylons, and Starbuck is left alive on the planet, apparently marooned. The child he launches grows up to be Doctor Zee ^{(1980: "The Return of Starbuck")}.

Notes

Dirk Benedict on 1980

Dirk Benedict declined to return as a series regular for the Galactica 1980 spin-off, stating that he found the new concept "very cheap" and not something he wanted to be a part of.

However, he did return for the final episode, "The Return of Starbuck." The episode, written by Glen A. Larson, is considered by many involved with the production to be the only worthwhile installment of the series. Framed as a dream that Dr. Zee is having, the story chronicles Starbuck's fate after he is stranded on a desolate planet. Desperate for companionship, he reprograms a damaged Cylon, teaches him to play pyramid, and the two form an unlikely friendship reminiscent of the film Enemy Mine. The story takes a mystical turn, revealing that Starbuck is Dr. Zee's father.

Additional Notes

• Over the years since the airing of Galactica 1980, fans tend to consider "The Return of Starbuck" as the only episode of the series with canonical value.
• Had the series continued, an episode called "The Wheel of Fire" would reveal that Starbuck was rescued by the Beings of Light to become one of their rank.
• A doomed attempt at reviving the Original Series in 2001 would have seen an older Starbuck in the planned series, which would have to explain the inconsistencies and storylines created in Galactica 1980.
• Starbuck is the third character from the Original Series to be featured in a 1980 episode.