The Return of Starbuck

"The Return of Starbuck" An episode of the Galactica 1980 series
Episode No.	Season 1, Episode 10
Writer(s)	Glen A. Larson
Story by
Director	Ron Satlof
Assistant Director
Special guest(s)	Dirk Benedict as Starbuck
Production No.	1.10
Nielsen Rating
US airdate	1980-05-04
CAN airdate	{{{CAN airdate}}}
UK airdate
DVD release
Population	survivors
Additional Info	Series Finale
Full Credits
Episode Chronology
Previous		Next
Space Croppers	The Return of Starbuck	(Series Cancellation)
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Doctor Zee relates a dream he had about a pilot called Starbuck to Commander Adama; thus revealing Starbuck's fate.

Summary

Act 1

• Doctor Zee is in Adama's quarters, asking him if he believes that dreams are relevant. Adama replies that some of them are.

• Zee tells Adama that he had a dream that he was neither born aboard Galactica or any of the other ships in the The Fleet. Adama confirms this.

• Zee asks who he is and of his origin; Adama instead asks about his dream.

• Zee relates to Adama that his dream is not about him, but of "a great Warrior" whose name was Starbuck. A shocked Adama stands up and tells Zee to please tell him of the dream.

• Years back, Starbuck and Boomer are on patrol, but are ambushed by Cylon Raiders as part of a "great battle".

• A Raider manages to damage Starbuck's Viper, but is able to execute a reverse thrust and thus the Cylons overshoot him. He then fires on a Raider, destroying one.

• In another, apparently damaged Raider, a Centurion comments that the move is unexpected and that the Warrior is very good; a small consolation, given that they will crash.

• In the battle, Starbuck's Viper is damaged severely, and he realizes he will not be able to make it back to the Fleet, much to Boomer's dismay.

• Boomer offers to stay with Starbuck for as long as he can. Starbuck balks at the offer, noting that the Fleet cannot afford to lose two pilots and their ships. Despite Boomer's insistence that he will get help, Starbuck tells Boomer that his first duty is to warn the Fleet.

• An emotionally distracted Boomer then asks if Starbuck will drift or try to find land; Starbuck affirms the latter. Boomer tells Starbuck to take care of himself, to which Starbuck replies in the affirmative.

• Starbuck tells Boomer to send Cassiopeia and Athena his love; but makes note that "tell them to not sit around waiting, I might like it where I'm going." The conversation is cut short when Starbuck tells Boomer that his support vapors are running low.

• Starbuck tells Boomer that he will be seeing him; Boomer gives his pal a thumb's up, Starbuck returns this gesture.

• Boomer veers off, telling his "dear, dear friend" that "if I could switch places with you, I would".

• Starbuck heads toward a system with three visible planetary bodies.

• Back at Galactica, the battlestar and her Vipers fight off Cylon Raiders.

• In a smoke-filled core command, Boomer tells a clean-shaven Adama that Starbuck is out there and needs their help. An emotional Adama replies that they can't go back for him, and that they would be lucky if they were able to save the Fleet from the Cylon attack.

• In reply to a question to Adama about never coming back, Adama informs Boomer in a raised voice that they can never do so, as there is "no going back, our enemy pushes us on and on and on, and until we're strong enough, or can find Earth and get help, we can never stop, or turn away, or look back!"

• Boomer begins to walk away without a word, but turns around and thanks Adama for his honesty. An officer notifies Adama that the Vipers want permission to pursue the retreating Cylons, but he orders that they land immediately and the Fleet increase to flank speed.

• He says his tearful farewell to Starbuck, telling him both that he loves him and that they all love him.

• Out beyond the Fleet, Starbuck begins landing procedures as he approaches a planet and then crash lands on a sand dune.

• In the crash site, Starbuck's Viper cockpit has become an escape pod and jettisoned from the rest of the fuselage; Starbuck is alive, but is whimpering and has a headache. He then thinks the headache is wonderful. "Pain, I love you," he says, thankful to be alive.

• Climbing out of the wreck he discovers nothing but sand and barren rock on this desert planet. He activates his automatic beacon for help he knew would never come, takes a knapsack and begins his trek on the planet, thinking that he may find an oasis, or thousands of primitive people who would worship him like some sort of "winged god from the heavens".

• During his trek, he decides to call the planet "Starbuck", after himself for he discovered it.

• Exploring the terrain for a while, and experiencing some hopelessness, since he only has three days of food rations, Starbuck suddenly happens upon the wreckage of a Cylon fighter from the battle.

• Starbuck surveys the wreckage, asking what he had done to anger the Gods so as to bring Cylons upon the planet Starbuck as well. With his pistol drawn, he surveys the wreckage. None of the Centurions appear to be functional.

• Later, during a wind storm and cold enough to require a parka, Starbuck begins pulling the Cylon ship apart to construct a shelter. He starts a fire with his laser pistol and wonders if his being marooned on the planet is repayment for every selfish act he's ever done.

Act 2

• In the morning, Starbuck talks to the "dead" Cylons to give them his orders of the day. He wants the area whitewashed, boundaries manicured and the uniform of the day will be "polished metallic". They'll dine at dusk in dress silvers, and he'll expect some form of entertainment.

• One of the Cylons falls out of its chair. Starbuck whips around with his pistol drawn, telling the Cylon never to do that again. He adds that they speak only when spoken to and they speak directly to him and never amongst themselves.

• He asks if they have any questions. The Cylons do not reply and Starbuck says he's heading to headquarters. They may continue with their duties.

• Of the Cylons, Starbuck says they are a loose group and it would take some time to whip them into shape.

• On the third day, Starbuck decides to cannibalize the Centurions and try to rebuild one into a functioning unit to deal with his boredom. Starbuck runs a line of wire from the Cylon to the Raider wreck.

• When the task is complete, the Cylon activates and immediately threatens to kill Starbuck. Starbuck manages to win over the huge robot soldier with a combination of persuasion and threats to turn off his power.

Starbuck in The Return of Starbuck

Cy in The Return of Starbuck

• After the Cylon has managed to convince Starbuck not to switch him off for good, he asks why Starbuck reconstructed him.

• Starbuck explains, rather wanly, that after three days alone, he decided he needed a friend. "We are enemies," the Cylon states. "We're cultural dissidents," Starbuck rationalizes, since there are only the two of them on this planet.

• Starbuck offers to teach the Cylon everything he knows about humans, in the process names the hulking machine "Cy." He also asks the Cylon if he's ever heard of a Colonial card game called pyramid. Cy replies in the negative and Starbuck comments that Cy has all the makings of a perfect companion.

• As Cy and Starbuck create a table outside the encampment, Cy and Starbuck discuss the Cylon Empire and its quest for perfection. Starbuck asks how the Cylons can have an empire without love and the two different sexes. Cy notes that in the Cylons' studies of humans, they noted that women were weaker then men. Starbuck replies that they have other strengths and tend to live longer than men.

• Starbuck gets uncomfortable and asks to change the subject. After Cy asks if he's irritated Starbuck, he replies that he just doesn't want to talk about women anymore and proceeds to teach Cy the Pyramid card game. After making sure the Cylon hasn't played the game before, Starbuck asks Cy to cut the deck, which results in a slightly sloppy mess of cards.

• That night, Cy and Starbuck play Pyramid. Starbuck claims to win, however Cy contests this as he had four pyramids while Starbuck only had three. Starbuck tries to weasel his way out of the discussion, with his grammar being corrected in the process, but Cy notes that Starbuck has grown bored with the card games over time and is thus cheating to keep himself interested.

• Cy adds that he is disappointed and leaves. Starbuck asks himself how does one hurt a Cylon's feelings. Starbuck goes outside into the windy dusk and apologizes to Cy, noting that two weeks on the planet have begun to get to him. Cy realizes that Starbuck would prefer the company of a "woo-man". Promising to locate a woman for Starbuck, the Centurion heads out into the bitter cold.

• Feeling guilty, Starbuck searches for the runaway Centurion all night, but is unable to find him. He notes to himself that had anyone asked him if he were capable of feeling sorry for a Cylon, he would have answered in the negative.

• Starbuck awakens in the morning, but doesn't have the courage to face the day. He tries to go back to sleep, but is shocked when Cy arrives the next morning, carrying an unconscious, pregnant woman in his arms as his "surprise". Cy sets her down on a makeshift rock-ledge bed.

• Starbuck notes that she's alive. Cy comically replies that he believed that Starbuck would have preferred her that way. Starbuck adds that she's a living breathing human being, believing Cy abducted her. Cy replies that since he feels he's betrayed his beliefs already, what is helping another human to that end.

• Starbuck notes that the woman is different, with Cy replying that there "wasn't much of a selection," and tells the Cylon that she's pregnant. After explaining that she's about to birth a child, Cy notes that he is "rapidly being surrounded" by humans.

• Starbuck asks Cy to fetch some water where Starbuck's laser opened an underground stream. Cy replies "by your command," but notes that Starbuck has no authority over him. Cy goes off to get water.

• Starbuck tends to Angela, who is still unconscious.

• Later, Angela is awake, but has not said anything. Starbuck believes she is in some kind of shock, perhaps the last survivor of an entire race. She stands outside with Cy and Starbuck, the latter of whom splits logs with his pistol.

• Despite her apparent inability to talk, Starbuck relates his life story to her. He speaks of his relationship with women, saying that he found it difficult to commit to any one woman and was afraid of getting hurt.

• After piling up logs, Starbuck notes that she's walked away. Cy comments that while he doesn't find Starbuck's stories fascinating, he doesn't walk away at least.

• Starbuck asks if he said something. Cy replies in the negative, "What could I possibly have to say to you, I'm nothing but a machine." Cy walks off as well.

• At night, Cy is turning a hand-crank generator as Starbuck doles out rations, which he notes are rapidly being depleted as they now have two mouths to feed.

• As Starbuck begins eating, the woman asks Starbuck a short question from out of nowhere: "Would you die for me?" Starbuck finds that question odd, particularly for a first question. Starbuck chastises her for not speaking earlier, which she apologizes for. Starbuck notes he's been babbling for seven days; he says he's not only embarrassed but angry. The woman, named Angela, tells him not to be angry.

• Starbuck tells her that he has questions. She happily replies that he can ask her anything he'd like. Asked where she come, Angela answers that she is from a "dimension beyond" and she came in "the usual way". He then inquires about her ship, but she replies that she was dropped off. Starbuck sarcastically posits that she was dumped on the planet because she couldn't pay for her fair, which she finds amusing.

• She leaves. Starbuck vainly tells her not to go out, saying its minus 50 outside. She exits anyway. Starbuck tells Cy that she can't go out there, but Cy notes that she already did.

• After grabbing his parka, Starbuck caustically praises Cy that the Cylon knows how to pick them, saying that she's as "loony as they come". Cy answers that he doesn't know what this means, adding that it's her turn at the generator.

• Starbuck leaves, giving Angela his parka. She then begins strangely referring to her unborn baby as "our child," referring to her and Starbuck, and indicates a vehicle must be built to transport the baby. She notes that it will not be safe on planet Starbuck for long, noting that the automatic beacon from the Cylon ship will soon bring the Cylons to the planet.

• Starbuck backtracks and asks her about her use of the term "our child". He notes that it would look bad in the Commander's Court, given that they're the only two humans on the planet. She corrects him and mentions that the child is his spiritual child. She asks him if he's ready for progress, asking him if he's spent enough energy and resources on himself.

• Starbuck admits that he was honest in discussing his appetites and bad habits. Angela tells him to put those aside and notes that they must begin making plans at dawn for the ship. If he chooses.

• Angela kisses him on the cheek and heads back toward the shelter.

Act 3

• In the morning, Starbuck makes a hanging cradle out of the rudder of Cy's fighter. After telling Cy this, Cy inquires as to the baby's time of arrival. Starbuck replies that Cy makes it sound like a battle squadron landing, and that babies arrive on the time of their choosing. Cy replies that whenever they need to have a new Cylon, they merely make one. After Starbuck explains the gestation and pregnancy periods to Cy, the Cylon notes that it is a primitive way of doing things.

• Cy opines that they will, at least, have another pair of hands at the generator. Starbuck drops the bombshell that the baby won't be able to be of any use to them for that. In fact, Cy will have to do more work on the generator for at least the first few months.

• Cy comments that the entire operation "sounds like a typical human plan. Impractical and clumsy." He adds that "it is not a wonder you lost the war".

• Angela exits the shelter and asks Starbuck about the ship. Starbuck replies that he's come up with various ideas, but they're not practical. Angela notes that they have no choice as the Cylons are on their way. Starbuck asks her how she knows this, particularly when he ripped out the automatic beacon. She replies that it was working and that they know the course. According to her, everything has already been predestined.

• Starbuck tells her that by taking the Raiders engines and supports, he'll be able to add them to his escape pod. He asks her what they'll do after they fashion the craft, as the Fleet is so far away that they won't be able to reach it. She pleads with him to prepare the craft.

• She begins having contractions. She retreats to the shelter, telling him to begin work on the ship.

• In part to appease Angela, Starbuck enlists Cy's help in building an escape vessel from the combined wreckage of the Viper and the Cylon Raiders. After initially protesting his need for an engine from his ship, Cy willingly helps.

• When Cy asks where they will be going, Starbuck replies that he doesn't have the faintest idea. "Another great human plan heard from," Cy opines.

• Starbuck tells him that he may be humoring her to help her through the pain, saying that pregnancy is a painful process. Cy suggests that the humans should try the Cylons' methods of expanding their numbers. After Starbuck mentions that he'll have to mention it to Adama after they reach the Fleet, Cy asks that Starbuck not mention that the idea came from him, since "you humans are emotional about our having destroyed you".

• Cy and Starbuck begin removing the engine and building the ship. After building the hybrid Galactican/Cylon craft, Cy is proud and mentions that they did it without Angela's help. Starbuck makes a point of mentioning that it was her idea, which reminds Cy that he is outnumbered by humans on planet Starbuck. He falls back on the fact that Cylons cannot be friends with humans and Cy walks off.

• Starbuck hears Angela calling out for him. He rushes back to the shelter where Angela announces it's time.

• Starbuck bucks out of the shelter and calls for Cy, telling him that the baby is coming. Cy runs toward the shelter.

• After the baby is born, Cy, who turns the generator, comments to Starbuck that the Cylon way is better. Starbuck remarks that the baby is beautiful. After complimenting her on it being as beautiful as his mother, she remarks that they have a healthy baby boy.

• Cy stops cranking the generator and hits it. Starbuck assures him that Angela would sure be happy to have him as grandfather. After Starbuck answers the question posed by the Cylon regarding the term, Cy replies that they cannot be friends and leaves.

• Starbuck offers to take the baby off Angela's hands, allowing her to rest. She instead asks if he's willing to sacrifice his life for the child. He replies that everything is going to be all right and that they're going to start their own new world.

• Angela tells him to prepare for what is to come. He tells her that the ship is already done, but she tells him to prepare for the final judgment.

• She tells him that tomorrow is their last day on the planet. However, he puts the baby in the cradle and hopes for the best, believing the pain of childbirth was an emotional and psychological burden for her.

• The morning after the baby's birth, Starbuck is shocked to see another Cylon fighter landed close to the crash site. The Cylons apparently picked up the distress beacon, and are coming to investigate.

• Starbuck hustles back to the shelter to warn Angela about the Cylons' arrival. Cy is also there and, upon hearing this, tells them that he must go.

• With his laser pistol drawn, Starbuck pleads with Cy not to let him shoot. Cy says his goodbyes and leaves, Starbuck not having the heart to shoot him.

• Starbuck believes that Cy cannot help himself from betraying the humans' presence on the planet. Starbuck is ready to escort Angela and baby Zee to the completed hybrid ship, despite not getting a direct answer to his question about her foreknowledge of everything that is about to happens. She only tells him that this is the judgment day she spoke of last night.

• Starbuck helps load Angela and her son inside. He asks her what she meant by judgment day and who would be judging him. She replies that everyone judges themselves. He jokingly replies that he hopes so, because he plans on lenient in certain categories.

• In the event something is to befall him, Starbuck tells her how to launch the ship, informing her that he's programmed the Fleet's secret heading into the computer. He tells her that the ship will automatically lower their body temperatures so that life can be sustained for a maximum period of time.

• She tells him that he is a good man, knowing that Starbuck has no intent of coming with her, seeing as their fuel would last twice as long if he did not come along. "Who says I'm not coming along?" Starbuck replies with his maverick bravado. Angela bids her goodbye to Starbuck, saying that she truly loves him.

• He closes the canopy "just in case" and, using an external control panel, begins the launch of the ship.

• As the ship disappears into the sky, Starbuck is suddenly pinned down by the Cylon laser fire, but is surprised to see Cy appear, carrying his own laser. Cy admits to having repaired the laser and tells Starbuck to wait behind the rock.

• Cy goes to meet the trio of Centurions, informing them of who he is and instructing them to lower their weapons. They ask where the human went off to. He replies, "I extend my weapon that I may perform the following function." Cy guns down two of the approaching Cylons, but the third gets off a crippling shot before Starbuck drops him, and Cy sinks to the ground, mortally damaged.

• In his dying minutes, Cy describes his relationship with Starbuck as that of friends.

• Angela is standing on a rock ledge, saying that her mission is done and she's ready to return home. She judges Starbuck as good.

• Dr Zee's voice grows more disturbed as he recounts the progress of the pod towards Galactica, with its weak distress signal and carrying the child in its near frozen state. He reads a report that the recovery team brought the pod aboard Galactica, taking every precaution, lest it be some act of Cylon treachery. At the end, he notes that the ship carries an "incredible gift" from the stars.

• Zee is astonished that the tale is true and asks how he can know these things. Adama reveals that Zee was the child from the stars and, as he was there, knew of Starbuck's story. Zee asks if he could be Starbuck's son and asks about his mother, but Adama does not have these answers, noting that the answer is still out there, amongst the stars.

• Starbuck is sitting alone on the planet, his ultimate fate unknown.

Notes

Production

• This remains the most popular episode of Galactica 1980.
• The episode was originally titled "Starbuck's Greatest Journey". Then it was changed to "Starbuck's Last Journey".
• By the time the episode aired, Galactica 1980 had already been cancelled by ABC.
• The events leading up to Starbuck's landing on "Planet Starbuck" nearly mirror the events of the teaser for "The Young Lords". This is because the majority of the scenes concerning Starbuck and Boomer's battle with Cylons in the first act of this episode are taken from "The Young Lords," spliced with new scenes. A telltale sign that differentiates these scenes is the use of the two-seater Viper canopy in the scenes specifically shot for this episode.
• Had the series been permitted to live on, an episode called "The Wheel of Fire" would reveal that Starbuck was rescued by the Beings of Light to become one of their rank.
• Much of "The Return of Starbuck" was filmed in Red Rock Canyon State Park, 25 miles northeast of Mojave, California on Highway 14, near Cantil.

Characters and Events

• Who Angela is we are never really told, but she gives a hint at the end when she calls Starbuck a "mortal." She belongs to the mysterious "angels" on the Ship of Lights from the Original Series.
• There is no mention of Apollo in this episode; it seems to give the impression that he is already dead.
• For all his vaunted knowledge, Zee did not know of his origins, at least until these were confirmed by Adama.
• Starbuck's use of the word frack during the battle scene is the first and only instance that the word is used in a Galactica 1980 episode. The milder Galactican vulgarism felgercarb (also from the Original Series) is used sparingly in 1980 episodes, mainly by Lieutenant Dillon, himself patterned after Starbuck.
• The episode is deliberately patterned after "Hell in the Pacific," a story Glen Larson very much admired according to story editor Allan Cole.
• This story cleverly manages to insert the required educational dialogue in a way that is relevant to the plot.

Other Notes

• Starbuck uses Earth time instead of Colonial time when he tells Cy he has "the mentality of a two-year old." The correct term should have been "a two-yahren old."
• One of the reasons this episode has achieved such a classic status is because for many years it was unavailable as it rarely if ever aired in reruns. Around 1990, it was released by Good Times Home Video.
• This story may have inspire to Re-imagined Series episode of "You Can't Go Home Again"

Analysis

Continuity

• While not explicitly stated, this episode takes place between "The Hand of God" and "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I". Assuming Doctor Zee is ten years of age in Galactica 1980, this episode is set around 1970.
  • This also slightly contradicts Dillon's comment in "The Super Scouts, Part I," where he says that the Cylons haven't attacked in a generation. However, Galacticans may consider a generation to be as little as 10 years, not the 20 or 30, which is an average timespan for a generation.
• Both Athena and Cassiopeia are still alive during the events of this episode, though unseen. The whereabouts of other Original Series regulars, such as Sheba, Jolly, Salik and even Muffit remain unstated.

The Cylons

• Despite the Battle at Galaxy's Edge depicted in "The Hand of God," the Cylons still pursue the Fleet ruthlessly and seem to have only extended their sphere of influence.
• As Starbuck discovers in his talks with Cy, Centurions have major flaws:
  • They are incapable of acting independently. According to Cy, the Cylons were reviewing a manual and voting to determine the next steps in avoiding a dangerous crash before the crash finally occurred.
  • Centurions work as a team, each one equal to the other.
    • This is a slight contradiction of information provided in "The Hand of God," where Apollo explains that one Cylon acts as a gunner, another as a pilot, and another as the Raider's commander. However it should be noted that the Cylons voted on what to do, thus the third Cylon would be needed to avoid a 50/50 split in voting.
  • The Cylons have very limited knowledge of humanity, aside from their study of human women, who they found to be "weaker than man, less durable".
• In addition to their flaws, the Cylon Centurions are much more developed in this episode than previous episodes. From dialogue between Starbuck and Cy, the viewer discovers that:
  • Cylons view humanity as, in their words, "evil".
  • Despite their analytical thinking, the Cylons can either exhibit or merely emulate actionable emotions. Cy's emotion of being "disappointed" at Starbuck's cheating at pyramid and previous conversations with Starbuck pertaining to "woo-man" lead Cy to recover Angela, who appears to be a human woman.
  • Cy claims that "eternal perfection and order is the goal of the Cylon Empire". However, once this objective is achieved, Cy indicates that they haven't thought much (or at all) beyond that.
  • Cylons are capable of loyalty to those outside of their own race, as exemplified by Cy's defending Starbuck from a Cylon rescue party at the end.

Questions

• Now that the Cylons know about the first crash on planet Starbuck, will they follow up the first rescue mission with a second?
• What happened to Starbuck?
• Where is Apollo during this time?
• What is the status of the Fleet?
• What would have happened next had the series continued?
• Will the Cylons be defeated?
• How did Starbuck's Viper and the Cylon Raider crash so close to each other?
• How is Starbuck, who is not a technician, able to repair a Cylon Centurion? Furthermore, how are Starbuck and Cy able to build a ship without any real tools?
  • One possible explanation is that perhaps Angela, who appeared to have god-like powers, was helping all of these events along.

Deleted Scenes

• Click here to read deleted scenes from the original script.

Noteworthy Dialogue

• Starbuck's comment after reversing thrust, thus allowing the Cylons to shoot past him:

Starbuck: Goodbye. Thought I was going to give up and die, huh?

• The Cylons react to Starbuck's sudden maneuver:

Centurion #1: That was an unexpected move. He is a very good Warrior.

Centurion Commander: That is a small consolation. We are going to crash.

• Adama is forced to leave Starbuck behind:

Boomer: But sir, we can't just leave him there!

Adama: Boomer, don't you think I want to go back for him? You think I want to leave someone I love like a son, knowing we'll never see him again? Take a look out there!

Adama gestures at screen:

Adama: We'll be lucky if we can save our Fleet!

Boomer: You mean we can never go back?

Adama: That is correct! There is no going back! Our enemy pushes us on and on and on! And until we're strong enough or can find Earth and get help, we can never stop or turn away or look back!

Boomer: Thank you, sir. I appreciate your honesty.

• Adama and the Fleet flee:

Scan Officer: First enemy wave has been taken back. They're running with our fighters in pursuit.

Adama: Order our fighters to break off and let them run! Fleet is to proceed ahead at flank speed!

• Adama's goodbye to Starbuck:

Adama: Goodbye, Starbuck. I love you. We all love you.

• Starbuck interacts with his new "friend":

Starbuck: Well, this is a grand day! Only been in charge of this planet for three days and already I've doubled the population! I do hereby declare myself president-elect, if that's all right with you.

Cy: Die, human.

Starbuck: Don't be ridiculous.

• Starbuck takes gun from Cy:

Starbuck: You'd think I'd save you and then let you shoot me? Besides, it doesn't work. See. (pulls trigger, seizing sound) Here, try it.

(Starbuck hands weapon back, Cy pulls trigger)

Starbuck: You really did!

• Starbuck chides Cy over the Raider's landing:

Starbuck: So, what happened during the landing?

Cy: The situation did not compute.

Starbuck: So you didn't know what to do. What happened next? (jokingly) Someone whip out the manual.

Cy: Yes. The Manual did not help.

Starbuck: (gives Cy an odd look) What'd you do when it came time for a little personal initiative?

Cy: We were taking a vote when the ground came up and hit us.

• Starbuck introduces himself to Cy:

Starbuck: Starbuck. Just call me Starbuck. Just like this planet your on. This planet is called Starbuck.

Cy: What an interesting coincidence.

Official Statements

• Allan Cole discusses how this episode came to be:

Allan Cole: Basically, GL [Glen Larson] was tired and pissed off. [Galactica 1980] was never the show he wanted to do. And he and Dirk Benedict were always pretty tight. He talked Dirk into coming back to do one last episode. Which was basically a two-man radio play. Personally, I think it was the only decent episode in the series and showed what GL could have done if they had let him alone.

• Chris Bunch and Allan Cole discuss Kent McCord's (Troy) reaction to this episode:

Allan Cole: If the series hadn't been cancelled, there would have been a strike over it.

Chris Bunch: Larson decided that he was going to describe how Starbuck eats it. What he didn't do was pass the word along to his cohorts and say, "Oh, by the way, one episode is going to be a flashback."

So here's Kent McCord, who's desperately unhappy with the show. He's been coming down and crying the blues to us. Then all of a sudden he's told that he doesn't have to work next week because they're doing something with Dirk Benedict, the former star of the series. Well, that wasn't the most polite way to deal with it because all actors have an ego.

Cole: And he's been putting his ass on the line, making a fool of himself every week with these rotten scripts. By suddenly bringing back Dirk Benedict in without advance warning or kind words, it's sort of like trying to put the blame on Kent for how the show was going. He was pretty angry about it and in fact the two actors [McCord and co-star Barry Van Dyke] were going to refuse to shoot the next episode, which would have been "[The Day They Kidnapped] Cleopatra". They were supposed to shoot the next day but Kent and his costar were refusing to show up. As it turned out, it was an empty threat because that afternoon the network pulled the plug on the series.

• Galactica 1980 story editors Allan Cole and Chris Bunch on the cancellation of the series:

Q: Do you think the cast realized they were on a sinking ship?

Bunch: Everybody knew.

Cole: Actors never really believe it's over until they close the theater door. They started shooting The Day They Kidnapped Cleopatra and then the word came down that the show was cancelled. ABC pulled the plug right there.

Bunch: So we had an impromptu wrap party. These actors are now on unemployment and we were trying not to break into hysterical laughter!

Q: Where did the excellent final episode The Return Of Starbuck come from?

Cole: That was actually a good piece of television because it was written like a radio play. The show had already been cancelled when the episode aired.

Guest stars

• Patrick Stuart as Doctor Zee
• Judith Chapman as Angela
• Herbert Jefferson Jr. as Boomer
• Rex Cutter as "Cy"
• Ellen Gerken (as "Ellen Gurkin") as Girl
• Gary Owens as "Cy" (voice, uncredited)

Get The Script

• To download a free PDF file of this script, click here.