Starbuck's Raider: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 19:52, 28 August 2025

Starbuck's Raider^[1] is a confiscated Cylon craft shot down by Lt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace over the red moon during a training exercise with various nuggets ^{(TRS: "Act of Contrition")}. Thrace subsequently recovers the craft by its own power, allowing her to rejoin the Fleet before Commander William Adama is forced by President Laura Roslin (aided by Col. Saul Tigh) to abandon the SAR for Thrace ^{(TRS: "You Can't Go Home Again")}.

Its recovery leads to many discoveries regarding Cylon biological technology, allowing the Colonials to retrofit the ship with Colonial technological instrumentation for future use ^{(TRS: "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down" and "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I")}.

First Insights

After ejecting from Viper 4077, Thrace happens across the relatively intact Raider, discovering the exception of a single impact point at the right "temple" of the Raider's fore that disabled the fighter. Her investigation reveals a large rubber-like button that opens underside, revealing an inner sinewy skin layer that she is able to cut through, allowing her access to the interior.

In relatively short order, Thrace is able to discern the Raider's structure, ripping out its brain mass from the fuselage, discovering its oxygen supply, and effects a repair of the hull breach using a piece of her flight suit. While doing so, she uses the yellow tape from her equipment bag to spell "STAR" and "BUCK" across the underside of its wingspan for identification.

Through trial-and-error, Thrace is able to discern the various ligamenture and organ structures to control the ship from the inside using her hands and feet, thus allowing her return to the Fleet before it jumps away ^{(TRS: "You Can't Go Home Again")}.

Supplemental Insights

Using Thrace's notes, which include imprecise descriptions of its anatomy (e.g. a dog-shaped organ), Chief Galen Tyrol and his deck gang attempt to make sense of the Raider's operation. Some of this understanding crystallizes when Lt. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii, subconsciously communing with her Cylon nature, conveys that the Raider is more of an animal and would best respond if treated accordingly ^{(TRS: "Flesh and Bone")}.

Understanding its FTL Capability

Due to a "wounded bird" appearing to jump intermittently among the Fleet, Galactica's crew are able to record its signals and discern the functionality of the Raider's FTL drive ^{(TRS: "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down")}.

It becomes known that Cylon FTL technology is superior to the Colonial's as Thrace absconds with the Raider, returning to Caprica to recover the Arrow of Apollo from the Delphi Museum of the Colonies ^{(TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II")}.

After Thrace recovers the artifact, she encounters Karl "Helo" Agathon and a Caprica-copy of Sharon "Boomer" Valerii at the museum, realizing that Valerii is a Cylon. Fearful for her safety and that of her unborn child, Valerii absconds with the Raider, forcing Agathon and Thrace to find alternate means off the planet and back to the Fleet ^{(TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II" and "Scattered")}.

This particular Raider's fate thereafter is unstated.

Notes

In-Universe

The Raider demonstrates the bio-mechanical nature of Cylon technology, containing organic elements that allow it to function as a living organism while maintaining mechanical capabilities.
The craft's brain mass can be removed, suggesting a modular organic design that allows for different levels of consciousness or control.
The Raider's oxygen supply is compatible with human physiology, indicating either coincidental compatibility or deliberate design considerations by the Cylons.
The craft's bio-mechanical systems can be controlled through direct physical manipulation of organic structures, requiring no traditional controls or interface systems.

Production and Development

The writing staff carefully debated Thrace's ability to revive and fly a Cylon Raider during the development of "You Can't Go Home Again."^{[development 1]} Bradley Thompson noted they asked themselves what happens if you want to fly a Cylon craft and what the systems would be like, ultimately concluding that Thrace was able to get pitch, roll, yaw and power from the fusion of machine and biology.
In Carla Robinson's first draft of "You Can't Go Home Again," Kara actually communicated with the Cylon Raider while attempting to repair it.^{[development 2]} This concept was ultimately dropped as the writers felt it might have looked "pretty wacky" and didn't provide as much dramatic material as they'd hoped.
The organic elements in the Raider's design reflected the overarching concept that Cylons were machines evolving to become increasingly organic.^{[development 3]} This philosophy extended throughout all Cylon designs, from the mechanical Centurions to the humanoid models.
The inside of the Cylon Raider was custom designed to fit Katee Sackhoff, according to production designer Richard Hudolin.^{[production 1]} Sackhoff was reportedly very excited about working with the set and didn't complain despite getting covered in "goop" during filming. The interior was designed by Ken Rabehl to reflect the craft's bio-mechanical nature.^{[production 2]}

Gallery

Kara "Starbuck" Thrace opens the underbelly hatch ^{(TRS: "You Can't Go Home Again")}.
Kara "Starbuck" Thrace cuts through a membrane ^{(TRS: "You Can't Go Home Again")}.
The Raider's brain prior to its removal ^{(TRS: "You Can't Go Home Again")}.
Kara "Starbuck" Thrace patches the impact hole of her wounded Raider on the red moon with material from from her flight suit ^{(TRS: "You Can't Go Home Again")}.
Kara "Starbuck" Thrace ignites the engines of her wounded Raider on the red moon ^{(TRS: "You Can't Go Home Again")}.
Kara "Starbuck" Thrace is able to control firing, yaw, pitch, and roll of her wounded Raider on the red moon using a series of wires as hand controls ^{(TRS: "You Can't Go Home Again")}.
Lee "Apollo" Adama sees "Kara "Starbuck" Thrace" rendered in yellow tape on the underside of a peculiar Raider's wing ^{(TRS: "You Can't Go Home Again")}.
Lee "Apollo" Adama sees "Kara "Starbuck" Thrace" rendered in yellow tape on the underside of a peculiar Raider's wing ^{(TRS: "You Can't Go Home Again")}.
Kara "Starbuck" Thrace demonstrates her operation to the deckhands ^{(TRS: "Six Degrees of Separation")}.
Kara "Starbuck" Thrace demonstrates her operation to the deckhands ^{(TRS: "Six Degrees of Separation")}.
Kara "Starbuck" Thrace demonstrates her operation to the deckhands ^{(TRS: "Six Degrees of Separation")}.

References

Development and Creative Process

↑ David Bassom. Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion, p. 61.
↑ David Bassom. Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion, p. 61.
↑ David Bassom. Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion, p. 141.

Production History

↑ David Bassom. Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion, p. 61.
↑ David Bassom. Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion, p. Concept art.

↑ This is a Battlestar Wiki descriptive term.

[bassom_companion_thompson_raider_systems_debate-2] David Bassom. Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion, p. 61.

[bassom_companion_robinson_raider_communication_draft-3] David Bassom. Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion, p. 61.

[bassom_companion_cylon_evolution_concept-4] David Bassom. Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion, p. 141.

[bassom_companion_hudolin_raider_custom_design-5] David Bassom. Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion, p. 61.

[bassom_companion_rabehl_interior_concept-6] David Bassom. Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion, p. Concept art.

[1] This is a Battlestar Wiki descriptive term.

[1]

[development 1]

[development 2]

[development 3]

[production 1]

[production 2]

@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 === Production and Development ===
-* The writing staff carefully debated Kara's ability to revive and fly a Cylon Raider during the development of "You Can't Go Home Again."<ref group="development" name="bassom_companion_thompson_raider_systems_debate">{{cite book |author=[[David Bassom]] |title=[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]] |pages=61}}</ref> [[Bradley Thompson]] noted they asked themselves what happens if you want to fly a Cylon craft and what the systems would be like, ultimately concluding that Kara was able to get pitch, roll, yaw and power from the fusion of machine and biology.
+* The writing staff carefully debated Thrace's ability to revive and fly a Cylon Raider during the development of "You Can't Go Home Again."<ref group="development" name="bassom_companion_thompson_raider_systems_debate">{{cite book |author=[[David Bassom]] |title=[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]] |pages=61}}</ref> [[Bradley Thompson]] noted they asked themselves what happens if you want to fly a Cylon craft and what the systems would be like, ultimately concluding that Thrace was able to get pitch, roll, yaw and power from the fusion of machine and biology.
 * In [[Carla Robinson]]'s first draft of "You Can't Go Home Again," Kara actually communicated with the Cylon Raider while attempting to repair it.<ref group="development" name="bassom_companion_robinson_raider_communication_draft">{{cite book |author=[[David Bassom]] |title=[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]] |pages=61}}</ref> This concept was ultimately dropped as the writers felt it might have looked "pretty wacky" and didn't provide as much dramatic material as they'd hoped.
 * The organic elements in the Raider's design reflected the overarching concept that Cylons were machines evolving to become increasingly organic.<ref group="development" name="bassom_companion_cylon_evolution_concept">{{cite book |author=[[David Bassom]] |title=[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]] |pages=141}}</ref> This philosophy extended throughout all Cylon designs, from the mechanical Centurions to the humanoid models.