Murder on the Rising Star

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"Murder on the Rising Star" An episode of the Re-imagined Series
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Overview

When Starbuck is implicated in a rival triad-player's murder, Apollo and Boomer come to his defense as Protectors. They eventually uncover a plot involving Karibdis, a traitor alongside Baltar in the destruction of the Twelve Colonies.

Summary

• Starbuck and Apollo are squaring off (triangling off?) in a Triad match against Flight Sergeants Barton and Ortega onboard the Rising Star. Ortega's rough play is starting to anger Starbuck.

• Boomer is providing commentary for the Inter-Fleet Broadcasting feed of the event, along with Zed. Boomer comments that Ortega's play can be on the dirty side.

• Cassiopeia and Sheba watch the match from the stands. Cassie is concerned with the escalating tempers in the match.

• Adama and Tigh watch the match from a private lounge aboard the Rising Star. Their bartender asks if the two of them need anything, as his shift is ending soon. Adama is more interested in observing the Triad-mania, Tigh is exhibiting. Tigh tries, but fails, to contain his excitement for the game.

• Ortega's continued fouls nets Starbuck a free shot, allowing the heroes to pull ahead. Apollo takes a second to ask Barton about the rough play of his partner. Barton explains that he has to fly with Ortega because they're assigned together, but he plays Triad with him because Ortega likes to win.

• It isn't long before Ortega unleashes another cheap shot, sending Starbuck over the top and escalating into an all-out brawl between the two. Both players are ejected from the game.

• Outside of the match Starbuck and Ortega continue to scuffle until Cassiopeia breaks it up. After a brief verbal exchange, Ortega leaves to hit the showers. Starbuck is informed that he has ten centons to get to the shuttle if he hopes to continue to see Cassie.

• Ortega finishes cleaning up, and straps on his laser pistol. The door to the locker room opens, and Ortega isn't surprised. "I always knew it would come to this," he quips cynically, before going for his pistol.

• Shortly thereafter, Starbuck rushes down the corridor trying to make it to the shuttle in time to make Cassie's deadline. He runs into a Pyramid dealer named Chella, who mentions that he had money on Starbuck. Starbuck has to run though, if he wants to make it in time.

• Chella discovers Ortega's arm hanging out of a nearby doorway, and reports his discovery of Ortega's body to the authorities.

• Adama orders the Rising Star sealed and questions Chella, who appears to have a solid alibi. Chella does point out his encounter with Starbuck, shifting suspicion onto the warrior.

• Apollo catches up with Starbuck, and lets him know about the murder. Starbuck is shocked, but Apollo needs to check Starbuck's pistol in an attempt to clear him. Apollo is dismayed to discover that Starbuck's pistol had been fired.

• Starbuck explains that he had fired his laser pistol at the range earlier in the day. Sire Solon, the prosecuting attorney, arrives and appears to believe Starbuck is the guilty party.

• Dr. Wilker performs a test to determine if Starbuck's pistol was used for the murder, and it results in a perfect match.

• Adama reluctantly charges Starbuck with murder, sending him to the brig aboard Galactica. Starbuck is faced with the choice of pleading self-defense, or going to trial and facing the possibility of life in prison. Starbuck risks the trial.

• Apollo and Boomer step forward to act as Starbuck's defense, but they only have 10 centars in which to gather and present their evidence.

• Apollo and Boomer first question Ortega's wingman (and Triad partner) Barton. Barton is about to go on patrol, but does manage to let them know that Ortega had mentioned that the only enemy that he had with enough guts to kill him was Karibdis.

• Starbuck's protectors head to the personnel computer to run a query. They have difficulty interacting with the voice interface of the system, prompting Corporal Komma to comment that he too prefers the old-fashioned "keyboard and scanner" to the voice interface systems. Unfortunately, the computer has no entries related to any Karibdis.

• Cassiopeia visits Starbuck in the brig, but he's a bit distracted. He's watching an IFB interview where Sire Solon is all but proclaming Starbuck guilty. Cassie tries to suggest that he take the self-defense plea, but Starbuck protests his innocense. She leaves, and the interview eventually drives him to smash the viewscreen.

• Starbuck calls for the guards to fix the broken equipment, and when one of them enters his cell he grabs the guard and makes an escape.

Questions

• Baltar warns Starbuck he has so many enemies on the prison barge waiting for his arrival he'll be dead before he gets to his cell. How is it Baltar, a willing accomplice in the holocaust, manages to stay alive?

Notes

• Very broadly based on an unshot script by Michael Sloan titled "Fire in Space." According to Jim Carlson and Terry McDonnell, they never saw the original but since Sloan had written a script with a murder, he received story credit.

Guest Stars

Frank Ashmore (Ortega)
Brock Peters (Solon)
W. K. Stratton (Barton)
Luman Ward (Pallon/Karibdis)