Battlestar Galactica: Death of Apollo 1

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Battlestar Galactica: Death of Apollo #1 An issue of the Dynamite series.
Issue No.	1
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	December 2014
Collects
Collected in	Battlestar Galactica: Death of Apollo
Reprints
Reprinted as
Pages	{{{pages}}}
ISBN	725130224408
Population	0 Survivors
Special	{{{special}}}
Chronology
Previous		Next
Classic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 2 #12	Battlestar Galactica: Death of Apollo #1	Battlestar Galactica: Death of Apollo #2
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Available at BOOKSAMILLION.COM - Purchase
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The shocking new Battlestar Galactica event starts here! The fleet has been travelling for ten years, and at last the human survivors seem to be leaving the war and the Cylons behind them. But the threats never go away. A voice from the past and a bizarre twist of fate leads Galactica into danger once again, and events will take place that will change everything, forever. A milestone in Battlestar continuity, by Guardians of the Galaxy writer Dan Abnett and cosmic superstar artist Dietrich Smith.

Plot

• The issue begins in media res during Major Apollo's attempt to escape the Cylon ambush. After reporting the loss of his two wingmen, Zurel and Neats, his Viper succumbs to damage and falls towards a pitted planetoid, ablaze.
• Three days earlier, Commander Adama makes a grand speech in core command before an assembly of Colonial Warriors, commemorating the endurance of the Fleet and its Warriors over the past ten yahrens.
• During the speech, when Adama reflects on the last encounter with the Cylons being over two yahrens ago, a teenage Boxey (alongside Muffit) pledges to pass his Warrior's exam and hopes that "there had better still be clankies to fight."
• Adama ends his speech with reiterating the same pledge he made ten yahrens earlier, to find Earth and therefore their salvation.
• Everyone celebrates, while Adama orders Tigh to assemble a briefing be held in short order.
• En route, Athena hugs Adama and asks him if he's up for a briefing, and Adama reaffirms that he is not yet an elderly man.
• Apollo and Starbuck make their way to the briefing room. En route, Starbuck comments on Adama's visible fatigue, to which Apollo notes that the journey has been a hard one and arthritis plagues him. Starbuck engages in his dalliance that he will live forever and transcend to be one with the universe, and that Apollo will also live forever as a result of Starbuck's immortality as anything else would result in Starbuck becoming awfully lonely.
• Apollo enters the briefing room, while Starbuck receives a call on his communicator outside from Doctor Salik, who asks if he's coming down to life sciences today. Starbuck replies that he does so every day, but he is urgently called away, and excuses himself.
• Adama reflects that Starbuck is both a boy and "an idiot," and Apollo rebukes the comment. After a briefly heated exchange, Adama instructs Omega to omit the exchange from the log, which the officer already had done.
• Athena proposes psionic divination as a means for finding Earth's location, which raises Tigh's ire. Apollo advises his sister to not push them on any other radical ideas, noting that they are "old school."
• Starbuck reports to life sciences, where he finds Doctor Madusa waiting. She informs him that Salik called her for a consult, and they discuss Xam's condition; Starbuck has visited Xam every day for the past seven yahrens following the event that placed Xam in his coma.
• Madusa believes that Starbuck's friendship with Xam will allow them to reach some rapport with the comatose telepath, as Xam has shown some signs of activity. To Starbuck's astonishment, Xam is able to enter in the name Taurella and a set of numbers (441:334:112:198) into a touch-screen data pad, sight unseen.
• Madusa tells Starbuck that Xam's typed the same message 18 times over the past 2 centars. Starbuck believes the numbers to be grid coordinates.
• Meanwhile, Athena and Tigh continue to argue the merits of psionic divination, with Tigh militantly against such radical methods. Omega attempts to meekly intercede, noting the efficacy of radiotelegraph probes.
• Adama tells Athena to sit down; Apollo tells Athena that the "old man's not listening."
• Adama's hackles are raised over the "old man" name, and Apollo begins to apologize when Starbuck arrives with Xam's data pad and its puzzling content.
• Omega confirms that they are coordinates, and that long-range scanners have picked up something at that location. Tigh also elaborates on Taurella: it was a ship that had been lost in the first yahren of the voyage, and its fate remained a mystery.
• A Viper squadron consisting of Apollo, Starbuck, Boomer and Sheba launches to investigate whatever lays at those coordinates.
• Four centars later, Adama asks Athena for an update. Athena professionally responds that they've received only status updates during scheduled check-ins while they transit en route.
• Adama then apologizes for his earlier behavior in the briefing room, noting that she'll command Galactica one day. Adama confides that she is better suited, as Apollo excels at being a Viper pilot, and reiterates that she has nothing left to prove.
• Apollo contacts Galactica, noting they've found Taurella.
• Taurella's crew gives permission for the Viper flight to land. Sheba remarks that the ship is in ruin, just from the launch deck.
• As the Warriors proceed with care, they are met by Captain Rekort and an entourage of officers. He informs them that they've been chasing the Fleet ever since they've fell behind, and that their survival is due to Countess Sephoni of Scorpion, a well-known psionic. Rekort presents her and her court.
• Sephoni notes that she was not the one to send the psionic message requesting a rescue, even though such a rescue was sorely needed. She then reveals that, after the last ten years of searching and divination, she has found Earth.

Notes

Releases

• This comic has three additional Mike Mayhew "Virgin Art" variants: an edition remarked (also known as "remarqued") by Mayhew himself ($150.00 USD), "Silver Elite Edition" featuring Mayhew's signature ($75.00 USD), and the standard version ($50.00 USD).
• An additional exclusive subscription variant cover featuring the work of Ardian Syaf was made available to "comic shop subscribers and limited to initial orders."

General

• This installment transpires a decade (10 yahrens) after the Battle of Cimtar, and 7 yahrens after the events of Classic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 2 #12.
• This is the first instance of a Dynamite comic book series acknowledging other prior comic book installments, likely because of Dan Abnett's involvement. Thus many of the characters and situations introduced in Classic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 2, namely Xam, Breena and Madusa, are carried over.
• In much the same way that count refers to a male aristocrat, e.g. Count Iblis, the term countess is introduced as an honorific for female aristocrats. This suggests that count/countess is a higher rank of nobility than sire/siress.
• Various characters have been promoted, namely: Major Apollo (from Captain), Captain Athena from Lieutenant, and Captain Starbuck from Lieutenant.

Nods

• Jolly appears in this issue, but does not appear in others.
• Greenbean, an early background character, plays a larger part in this story line in the same way that Jolly would have in the past.
• Cassiopeia appears in the assembly during Adama's speech but, like Jolly, has no further appearances in this series.
• Starbuck's intention to ascend to a higher plane of existence is a nod to Starbuck's fate in Galactica 1980, particularly from "The Return of Starbuck" and its unfilmed sequel, "Wheel of Fire."
• The term "old man" is brought up to refer to Commander Adama, but more as a pejorative to describe the deterioration. Conversely, this term is used in the Re-imagined Series as a nickname for William Adama, and is used by his crew with familial admiration.

Errata

• As with other Dynamite installments, visuals from the Re-imagined Series are interposed, including backgrounds for the launch bay and Taurella's ship design.
• A shot of the Fleet features ships from the Re-imagined Series, including Zephyr and various luxury liners. This is a recurring feature.

Analysis

• Despite being a teenager, Boxey wears the same type of clothing (green overalls with a long-sleeved blue shirt) that he did when he was rescued from Caprica. While this may be more of a visual aid for the reader, it does portend resource scarcity in the Fleet.
• Aside from her fleeting appearance during Adama's speech, Cassiopeia is absent from these stories, suggesting that her character is elsewhere and apart from Galactica's "inner circle." This would likely explain Starbuck's continued "Devil may care" inclinations, and his continued use of roguish charms, particularly towards Breena in later issues of the series.
• On the other hand, Starbuck displays great loyalty to his friends, particularly in his vow to Apollo and his continued visitations to Xam in sickbay.
• Adama's deterioration is profound, particularly as the rigors of his geriatric decline become more visible, notably as his visible fatigue, irritation and arthritis. Adama is incensed at being called an "old man" and publicly demonstrates his condensation of various crew members, particularly Starbuck who he calls an "idiot" and "boy" in front of other officers. This seems to be the inevitable result of Adama readjusting his approach to command, given that he had been quick to abdicate it during the storm zone crisis during the latter half of Classic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 2, which is now established as taking place seven yahrens prior in7351.
• Despite Apollo's previous reaction to psionic abilities in the Original Series' "War of the Gods, Part II", it seems that such abilities are well-known given Sephoni's fame by many persons.
• Tigh's rejection of psionic abilities is not a new development. In the Original Series' "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II", Tigh implies that he doesn't share Adama's beliefs. Adama, on the other hand, would share such beliefs given his practice of telekinesis and mental abilities. Thus, Adama's shutting down Athena's line of discussion during the briefing is for different reasons, stemming from his concern about securing Athena's place as Galactica's future commander. This is exemplified by his apology later on.

Segue into 1980

• Despite Glen A. Larson's disowning Galactica 1980 as merely being "Starbuck's bad dream," thus rendering it non-canonical to the Original Series, facets of this storyline are setups to 1980's story beats:
  • The loss of Apollo during Boxey's youth, as reflected in Galactica 1980's "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I".
  • Boxey on the path to becoming a Colonial Warrior, like his adoptive father.
  • Starbuck's future loss from the Fleet in Galactica 1980's "The Return of Starbuck", and the groundwork for his eventual ascension into the Beings of Light's rank in the unfilmed "Wheel of Fire."

Questions

• Will Xam fully recover?
• Will Athena assume command of Galactica in the future?
• Will Boxey become a Colonial Warrior?
• Why wouldn't Tigh assume command of Galactica after Adama?
• Has the Fleet shaken off their Cylon pursuers? (Answer)
• What happened to Apollo and his wingmen? (Answer)
• Has Sephoni truly located Earth? (Answer)

Noteworthy Dialogue

• Starbuck brings up Adama's growing impairments to Apollo.

  Starbuck: Is it me, or is he looking a little... Okay, I'm going to say it again. Old. He doesn't move like he used to. He gets... tired.

  Apollo: It's been a long ten yahrens, Starbuck. And arthritis plagues him. We're all getting older. We're only human. And we have to look after ourselves. Those things will kill you, for instance.

  Starbuck: Well, I know for a fact that you're gonna live forever.

  Apollo: Really?

  Starbuck: Sure. You know why?

  Apollo: Nope, but I know you're going to tell me.

  Starbuck: Because I intend to. I'm gonna transcend. Don't ask, 'cause I haven't figured out the details, but I'm gonna join the immortal light. Be one with the universe.

• Athena and Tigh argue over alternate methods of searching for Earth.

  Athena: Psionic divination is a viable—

  Tigh: Please, Athena! You keep trying to prove your worth by suggesting increasingly radical—

  Athena: Radical? I don't have anything to prove! I'm trying to find Earth!

  Omega: Radiotelegraph probes have been most effective in—

  Athena: Effective? They've found squat! Commander. I'm just trying to explore all our possibilities! Conventional detection isn't finding the Thirteenth Colony.

  Adama: Sit down, Captain Athena.

  Athena: I'm not suggesting we stop radiotelegraph, or deep-pulse, or ranged sensor! I'm just suggesting we embrace other methods as well!

  Adama: Sit down.

  Apollo: Sit, Athena. The old man's not listening.

• Adama apologizes to Athena:

  Adama: I didn't mean to shout. Or diminish you.

  Athena: I never thought so. I'm just trying to explore every—

  Adama: I know. You have nothing to prove. You will command this battlestar one day. I have every faith in you.

  Athena: Command? Before Apollo?

  Adama: He's a Viper pilot. A damn good one. Let him excel at what he does. You're core command. Be there for him when it's your turn to drive this battlestar. I told you... you have nothing left to prove.

Related Imagery

Covers

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  Cover A by Mike Mayhew.

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  Cover B by Dietrich Smith.

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  Cover C by Livio Ramondelli.

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  Cover D by Ardian Syaf.

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  Cover E by Dietrich Smith. (B&W Incentive)

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  Cover F by Ardian Syaf. (B&W Incentive)

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  Cover G by Dietrich Smith. (Red Monochrome Incentive)

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  Cover H by Mike Mayhew. (Rare "Virgin" Cover Incentive)

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  Cover I by Mike Mayhew. (Sketch Board Incentive)

Preview Pages

Please Note: These are used for promotional purposes by the publisher, and are provided here in the same vein.

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  Page 1

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  Page 1 (sans lettering)

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  Page 2

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  Page 2 (sans lettering)

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  Page 3

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  Page 3 (sans lettering)

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  Page 4

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  Page 4 (sans lettering)

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  Page 5

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  Page 5 (sans lettering)

External links

• Dynamite.com - BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE DEATH OF APOLLO #1 (web.archive.org backup link)
• Dynamite.com - BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE DEATH OF APOLLO #1 EXCLUSIVE SUBSCRIPTION VARIANT COVER (web.archive.org backup link)
• Dynamite.com - BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE DEATH OF APOLLO #1 RARE MIKE MAYHEW "VIRGIN ART" EDITION (web.archive.org backup link)
• Dynamite.com - BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE DEATH OF APOLLO #1 RARE MIKE MAYHEW "VIRGIN ART" EDITION FEATURING SILVER ELITE EDITION SIGNATURE BY MIKE MAYHEW (web.archive.org backup link)
• Dynamite.com - BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE DEATH OF APOLLO #1 RARE MIKE MAYHEW "VIRGIN ART" EDITION REMARKED BY MIKE MAYHEW (web.archive.org backup link)

 

Original Series definition: an all-purpose term for Colonial soldier and Viper pilot (see: Warrior)

Original Series definition: unit of time akin to a "year" (see: Yahren)

Original Series definition: a title of nobility (e.g. Count Iblis)