Starbuck (TOS)

Starbuck (TOS)
[[Image:|200px|Starbuck (TOS)]]
Name	{{{name}}}
Age
Colony	Umbra, Caprica
Birth place	{{{birthplace}}}
Birth Name	Starbuck
Birth Date	{{{birthdate}}}
Callsign
Nickname	{{{nickname}}}
Introduced	[[{{{seen}}}]]
Death
Parents	Chameleon (father)
Siblings
Children
Marital Status	Single
Family Tree	View
Role	Viper pilot, Battlestar Galactica
Rank	Lieutenant
Serial Number	{{{serial}}}
Portrayed by	Dirk Benedict
Starbuck (TOS) is a Cylon
Starbuck (TOS) is a Final Five Cylon
Starbuck (TOS) is a Human/Cylon Hybrid
Starbuck (TOS) is an Original Series Cylon
Related Media
		@ BW Media
Additional Information
[[Image:|200px|Starbuck (TOS)]]

For Starbuck's counterpart in the Re-imagined Series, see Kara Thrace. For the character as depicted in Galactica 1980, see Starbuck (1980).

Biography

Background

Lieutenant Starbuck is a handsome, fumarello-smoking, womanizing, smart-aleck of a human. He's also one of Battlestar Galactica's finest pilots.

Starbuck was born on Caprica in the agro settlement of Umbra. He was orphaned when a Cylon raid destroyed the settlement.

The Peace Conference

En route to the peace conference, Starbuck allows an eager Zac to take his spot on the reconnaissance patrol. His winning hand at the pyramid game amounts to nothing when the alarm sounds, signaling the beginning of the Cylon Ambush. Starbuck is left behind with the other Vipers when Galactica breaks off to attempt to save the colonies. The Vipers manage to hold their own until Galactica returns with the news that the colonies have been destroyed.

Post Cylon-Attack

Starbuck helps to inspect the ships in the Fleet, and process all of the civilians. Aboard the freighter Gemini he helps rescue Cassiopeia.

Starbuck is volunteered (along with Boomer) by Apollo to help lead the Fleet through the minefield of the Straits of Madagon. He is part of the initial landram team that discovers the Ovion resort on Carillon. He is selected to receive the Gold Cluster for his efforts in the Straits, as part of a ploy by Sire Uri to disarm the Fleet. After rescuing Boxey, Muffit, and Cassiopeia from the Ovions Starbuck sets fire to the tylium mines beneath the surface of Carillon. Using deceptive radio communications Starbuck and Apollo force the Imperious Leader's basestar into the atmosphere as the fires in the tylium mine finally detonate the planet (Saga of a Star World).

Starbuck and Apollo discover, and are nearly lost in, a magnetic void. As one of the two Viper pilots not infected by the mysterious illness, Starbuck helps to train the female shuttle pilots to fly Vipers (Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I). Starbuck tries to take over a mission for Apollo and Serina, and ends up being captured by the Cylons. He meets Baltar aboard his basestar. Baltar releases Starbuck, who meets up with the crew down on Kobol. He joins in the ensuing battle, helping to drive off the Cylon Raiders (Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II).

Starbuck desperately wants to help Apollo when he is chased off by Raiders during a recon mission, but is ordered to hold back in order to avoid giving away the Fleet's position. Boomer and Starbuck later pick up Apollo's transmissions and guide him back to Galactica after his ordeal (The Lost Warrior).

Starbuck is the first to test pilot an experimental reconnaissance Viper. Being the test pilot earns him a dining slot on the Rising Star where he ends up trying to juggle simultaneous dates with both Athena and Cassieopeia. During his test flight he encounters a Sixth-millenium starfighter attacking a shuttle and intervenes. The pilot of the shuttle ends up stealing Starbuck's Viper, and Starbuck is captured when he flies off with the shuttle. He is taken to a prison where the prisoners are named for the crimes of their ancestors, and are all descendents of criminals. He incites a prison revolt, just in time for Apollo and Boomer to show up (along with Starbuck's missing Viper). Starbuck helps the two of them defeat their Raider pursuers. In the process of destroying the Raiders Starbuck accidentally destroys the vast stores of ambrosa that the prisoners had made, dashing his dreams of making a fortune off of it (The Long Patrol).

Starbuck is part of a patrol that encounters the Ravishol pulsar. Starbuck is adamant about trying to save Cree, who is captured by the Cylons during their initial encounter with the pulsar. He rigs the computer to include his name on the mission to Arcta (The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part I). Starbuck helps to destroy the pulsar, rescues Cree, and makes some interesting friends (The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II).

Starbuck joins the mission to Serenity, where he ends up accidentally winning the constable's badge (and thus the position) in a game of Pyramid. Rather than following the example of previous constables, Starbuck instead bargains with the Borays. Starbuck's bargain leaves Nogow the constable, Serenity free of attacks, and Siress Belloby free (The Magnificent Warriors).

Damage to his Viper forces Starbuck to force down on the marsh planet of Antilla. Starbuck ends up helping some children defeat a Cylon garrison to free their father. Starbuck manages to find time to flirt with the eldest daughter (The Young Lords).

Relationships

Starbuck is close friends and frequent wingman of Captain Apollo, the son of Galactica's commander, Adama. Starbuck is pals with Boomer and Jolly, and is loyal to the other warriors, for example when he takes place of Cree in the mission to the Ravashol laser.

Starbuck seems attracted to almost any women he comes across. On Galactica, Apollo's sister and Galactica bridge officer Athena finds herself attracted to the young pilot despite his reputation and her brother's warnings. Likewise, medical corpsman Cassiopeia is also enamored with Starbuck. He is also linked romantically with Aurora, and at least two versions of Tenna during the course of the series. He even gives young Miri a kiss and makes a pass at Sheba. Siress Belloby also finds him irresistable.

As a Viper pilot himself, the older Boxey once recounted a lengthy list of Starbuck's female admirers.

Skills

• Starbuck is an amazing gambler and card player, a trait he shares with his father, Chameleon.
• He also enjoys playing Triad competitively.

Missions

• Participated on the assault on the Ravashol laser.
• Rescued Megan on Atilla.
• Parachuted into Gamoray.
• Infiltrated a Cylon base star.

Notes

• The original choice for Starbuck was Don Johnson, Edward James Olmos's Miami Vice co-star. It was the intervention of Glen A. Larson that ultimately had Dirk Benedict cast; Johnson was too short for the role and didn't fit in to the cast as Larson envisioned.
• The ABC Network had warned the show producers that if Benedict had smoked any more of the "small cigars" a.k.a. fumarellos he would be fired. They rapidly reversed the order as female admirers sent in many cigars to the studio and Benedict.