Starbuck

Starbuck
Name	{{{name}}}
Age
Colony	Caprica
Birth place	{{{birthplace}}}
Birth Name	Kara Thrace
Birth Date	{{{birthdate}}}
Callsign	Starbuck
Nickname	{{{nickname}}}
Introduced	Miniseries
Death	Viper destroyed near gas giant, crashing on Cylon Earth (Maelstrom/Sometimes a Great Notion);; Mysteriously reappears (TRS: "Crossroads, Part II");; Vanishes in Tanzania on pre-historical 2nd Earth (TRS: "Daybreak, Part II")
Parents	Socrata Thrace† (mother); Dreilide Thrace† (father)
Siblings
Children
Marital Status	Married to Samuel Anders† (formerly engaged to Zak Adama†)
Family Tree	View
Role	Viper pilot;; flight instructor;; Galactica CAG;; "Pegasus" CAG;; angel-prophet;; captain of Demetrius
Rank	Captain
Serial Number	462753
Portrayed by	Katee Sackhoff; Erika-Shaye Gair (child)
	Starbuck is a Cylon
	Starbuck is a Final Five Cylon
	Starbuck is a Human/Cylon Hybrid
	Starbuck is an Original Series Cylon
Related Media
	@ BW Media
Additional Information
	[[Image:\|200px\|Starbuck]]

Starbuck
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	First Lieutenant
Serial Number	{{{serial}}}
Portrayed by	Dirk Benedict
	Starbuck is a Cylon
	Starbuck is a Final Five Cylon
	Starbuck is a Human/Cylon Hybrid
	Starbuck is an Original Series Cylon
Related Media
	@ BW Media
Additional Information
	[[Image:\|200px\|Starbuck]]

Starbuck
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 is a Cylon
	Starbuck is a Final Five Cylon
	Starbuck is a Human/Cylon Hybrid
	Starbuck is an Original Series Cylon
Related Media
	@ BW Media
Additional Information
	[[Image:\|200px\|Starbuck]]

This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title.
If an article link referred you here, you might want to go back and fix it to point directly to the intended page. Also, if you wanted to search for the term "Starbuck", click here.

This article covers the Original Series character. For other subjects that share this name, see: Starbuck.

Lieutenant Starbuck is the fumarello-smoking, womanizing, smart-aleck Colonial Warrior. He's also one of 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 ^{(TOS: "The Man with Nine Lives")}.

Biography

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

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

Apollo volunteers Starbuck (along with Boomer) 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 ^{(TOS: "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 ^{(TOS: "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 ^{(TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II")}.

Starbuck teaches Boxey Pyramid to keep his mind off Apollo ^{(TOS: "The Lost Warrior")}.

Lieutenant 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 ^{(TOS: "The Lost Warrior")}.

Starbuck is the first to test pilot an experimental reconnaissance Viper. Being the test pilot earns him a dining slot on Rising Star where he ends up trying to juggle simultaneous dates with both Athena and Cassieopeia. During his test flight he encounters a Sixth-millennium 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 ^{(TOS: "The Long Patrol")}.

The lieutenant is part of a patrol that encounters the Ravashol 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 ^{(TOS: "The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part I")}. Starbuck helps to destroy the pulsar, rescues Cree, and makes some interesting friends ^{(TOS: "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 ^{(TOS: "The Magnificent Warriors")}.

Damage to his Viper forces Starbuck to force down on the marsh planet of Attila. 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, as well as teach them on how to time an attack by signing verses, as taught by his old flight instructor ^{(TOS: "The Young Lords")}.

Apollo and Starbuck discover Pegasus while out on patrol. Starbuck feels threatened by Commander Cain's past ties with Cassiopeia ^{(TOS: "The Living Legend, Part I")}. Starbuck joins the commando mission that parachutes down onto Gamoray. He manages to make a pass at Sheba while preparing for the drop. He and Boomer destroy the command center for the planetary defense systems. Later he and Apollo break off of their assigned escort duty to help Pegasus by disabling some of the weapons of the basestars. They witness the destruction of the basestars, but are unsure of the fate of Pegasus ^{(TOS: "The Living Legend, Part II")}.

On Viper patrol, Starbuck tries but fails to intercept all of a group of suicidal Raiders. The impact of the Raiders causes a fire aboard Galactica. Starbuck goes on a spacewalk with Apollo, helping to set charges on Galactica. Starbuck saves Apollo as the charges detonate, and the vacuum extinguishes the fire ^{(TOS: "Fire in Space")}.

Starbuck is among those who first encounter Count Iblis ^{(TOS: "War of the Gods, Part I")} and when Iblis kills Apollo. He transports his body back towards Galactica. The shuttle is intercepted by the Beings of Light, and Starbuck has a chance to interact with them. Apollo is resurrected, and they return to Galactica with directions towards Earth ^{(TOS: "War of the Gods, Part II")}.

Starbuck meets Chameleon ^{(TOS: "The Man with Nine Lives")}.

Starbuck meets his father, Chameleon, while gambling aboard Rising Star. Starbuck ends up saving his father from the Borellian Nomen that are pursuing him. Chameleon asks Cassiopeia not to reveal the results of the tests confirming him as Starbuck's father, allowing Starbuck to believe that he is not his father ^{(TOS: "The Man with Nine Lives")}.

After being framed for the murder of a rival Triad player. Apollo and Boomer help prove Starbuck's innocence, implicating the actual murderer ^{(TOS: "Murder on the Rising Star")}.

On the expedition to Paradeen, Starbuck helps Sarah Fowler and Michael reach their destination. Starbuck ends up lost in the catacombs of Paradeen city. After he is rescued he helps to overpower and capture the Eastern Alliance soldiers that had captured Sarah ^{(TOS: "Greetings From Earth")}.

Starbuck helps Apollo with the situation on Terra. Starbuck's warning to Galactica allows her to intercept the Eastern Alliance missiles, preventing the destruction of the Nationalists and countless millions of lives ^{(TOS: "Experiment in Terra")}.

An old love interest prompts Starbuck to make a trip to the Celestra. As luck would have it, part of the crew mutinies while he is onboard, including his old flame. He joins the shuttle mission to transport the mutineers to Galactica when their shuttle is nearly cut off from the fleet. After the mutineers locate the Celestra, Starbuck and company retake the ship and capture the guilty party. Starbuck returns to Galactica and patches things back up with Cassiopeia ^{(TOS: "Take the Celestra")}.

Despite Cassiopeia's misgivings, Starbuck helps Apollo fly Baltar's Raider onto a basestar. After successfully infiltrating the basestar they manage to disable the ship's sensors, and escape. Their sabotage allows Galactica to get the drop on the basestar and destroy it ^{(TOS: "The Hand of God")}.

Notes

The original choice for Starbuck was Don Johnson, Edward James Olmos' 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.
Starbuck is one of only five characters in the Original Series to be featured in every episode, and appears in one episode of Galactica 1980.

Gallery

Starbuck Gallery

First Lieutenant Starbuck is a Colonial Warrior on Galactica.

On his last mission as a Warrior attached to Galactica, he is on patrol with Boomer when they are ambushed by Raiders. Starbuck's Viper is severely damaged, and he is forced to put it down on a small planet, stranding him and separating him from the Fleet.

Out of loneliness, Starbuck repairs a Centurion from one of the Raiders he had downed. He nicknames it Cy, and the two become friends. When Cy senses that Starbuck longs for human companionship, he leaves, returning with a pregnant woman named Angela.

Angela speaks in riddles, but convinces Starbuck to build a ship to transport her and "their baby" back to the Fleet. Starbuck uses parts from his Viper and the downed Raider to construct the ship, but the ship has enough room only for the mother and the child. A Cylon attack forces him to launch the ship. Cy is gunned down fighting off the Cylons, and Starbuck is left alive on the planet, apparently marooned. The child he launches grows up to be Doctor Zee ^{(1980: "The Return of Starbuck")}.

Notes

Over the years since the airing of Galactica 1980, fans tend to consider "The Return of Starbuck" as the only episode of the series with canonical value.
Had the series continued, an episode called "The Wheel of Fire" would reveal that Starbuck was rescued by the Beings of Light to become one of their rank.
A doomed attempt at reviving the Original Series in 2001 would have seen an older Starbuck in the planned series, which would have to explain the inconsistencies and storylines created in Galactica 1980.
Starbuck is one of only five characters in the Original Series to be featured in every episode, and the third character from the Original Series' main cast to be featured in a 1980 episode.

Warning: Default sort key "Thrace, Kara" overrides earlier default sort key "Starbuck".

Kara "Starbuck" Thrace is a gifted Viper pilot, with an attitude that has hindered her career in the Colonial Fleet. However, William Adama has confidence in Thrace's military skills, and she greatly aids the Fleet inside and out of the cockpit. She is the final Commander, Air Group (CAG) of Galactica, and mysteriously vanishes in a region that will later be known as Tanzania on the second Earth shortly after the Fleet's arrival on the planet ^{(TRS: "Daybreak, Part II")}.

Background

A young Kara Thrace in a vision ^{(TRS: "Maelstrom")}.

Thrace's mother Socrata was a former Colonial Marine Corps sergeant major. She beat her daughter so frequently that Thrace came to accept pain as a way of life ^{(TRS: "Flesh and Bone", "Maelstrom")}.
Her father Dreilide was a pianist and composer. Kara seems to have been closer to him than with her mother ^{(TRS: "Valley of Darkness", "Someone to Watch Over Me")} until he left them.
Thrace left home to join the military. During her training, she was disciplined for insubordinate conduct towards superior officers.
She was a talented Pyramid player ^{(TRS: "Resistance")}, and was up for the pros, but an injured knee took her out of contention. However, she discovered a passion and skill for being a fighter pilot (Podcast:The Hand of God).
One of her early posts was aboard the battlestar Triton. While there, she offended Commander Myron Ruth, who initiated court-martial proceedings against her, but the charges were later dropped ^{(TRS: "The Son Also Rises")}.
Thrace eventually returned to flight school as an instructor, where she fell in love with one of her students, Zak Adama. Despite his poor performance, she allowed him to pass his final check flight although he failed three of the required maneuvers ^{(TRS: "Act of Contrition")}.
Thrace lost Zak Adama when he was killed during a routine mission shortly after graduating. Lee Adama ("Apollo"), Zak's elder brother, blamed their father for Zak's death, and Thrace, feeling guilty, kept quiet. She met William Adama shortly after the accident, and the two formed a strong rapport and stood together at the funeral ^{(TRS: "Act of Contrition")}.
Thrace resigned as an instructor and returned to the Fleet as an operational pilot on the battlestar Galactica under the command of William Adama, where she served for some two years prior to the Cylon attack on the Twelve Colonies. Before the Cylon attack, she was second-in-command to the CAG, Jackson Spencer.
She has a rarely-used run-down apartment in Delphi that overlooked a parking lot, and a Colonial version of a Humvee which she and Helo use to escape the city and get to the country where she meets Samuel Anders. She was also an avid painter, and her apartment is cluttered with her paintings and a poem written on a wall ^{(TRS: "Valley of Darkness")}. The apartment was neater when Thrace was with Zak Adama, although her mandala wall painting pre-dates that relationship. ^{(TRS: "Daybreak, Part I")}
Thrace hides the fact that she is deeply spiritual. She frequently prays to the Lords of Kobol, particularly Aphrodite and Artemis, in dire situations ^{(TRS: "Miniseries", "Flesh and Bone", "You Can't Go Home Again")}.

Character History

Galactica and Pre-New Caprica

Thrace's attitude quickly runs her afoul of Colonel Saul Tigh, Galactica's executive officer. Their open mutual dislike of one another leads to the point where blows are exchanged, with Thrace ending up in the brig. After the Cylon attack she is released from the brig and returns to duty as Viper pilot.
Thrace manages to keep two of three nuclear missiles from striking Galactica in their first Cylon sortie, and saves Lee from doom in an innovative maneuver in the Battle of Ragnar Anchorage.
Her skills in saving Lee brings her grudging respect from Colonel Tigh, but she is unable to accept his offer of the olive branch—an act that will have repercussions for her later ^{(TRS: "Miniseries")}.

Thrace participates in a hostage rescue mission aboard Astral Queen. Following the successful mission, Thrace tries to mend fences between herself and Colonel Tigh with a toast (consisting of water), apologizing in much the same way as Tigh himself had tried after their initial escape from Ragnar Anchorage. But Tigh rejects Thrace's apology, stating that her flaws are professional, while his flaws were personal ^{(TRS: "Bastille Day")}.
Thrace eventually admits her secret about Zak Adama to William Adama himself, an act that brings their close friendship almost to the breaking point ^{(TRS: "Act of Contrition")}.
During a surprise encounter with Cylons during nugget training, Thrace destroys several Cylon Raiders, but her ship is damaged and tumbles towards a small red moon with an unbreathable atmosphere. With her Viper in a fatal flat-spin, Thrace is forced to eject from her Viper ^{(TRS: "You Can't Go Home Again")}.
Thrace (nursing a damaged knee) repairs the downed Cylon Raider found on the inhabitable moon and returns to Galactica, giving the Fleet a vital piece of Cylon fighter technology for study and use.
The recovering Thrace, off flight status, is asked by Commander Adama to plan a special attack on a Cylon tylium refinery. The tactical planning role is not something she relishes, and she frequently shows resentment towards others for her condition ^{(TRS: "The Hand of God")}.
During Thrace's undesired interrogation of a Cylon prisoner, a copy of a known Cylon named Leoben Conoy, she uses some drastic acts to try to extract the information from the humanoid Cylon ^{(TRS: "Flesh and Bone")}.

Thrace is assigned to plant a nuclear device on board a basestar in orbit around Kobol. She disobeys orders to retrieve the Arrow of Apollo at the request of President Roslin, since she discovered Commander Adama's speech concerning knowledge of the location of Earth was a lie. She jumps to Caprica ^{(TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I")}, landing in Delphi in the captured Cylon Raider, depriving the Fleet of the valuable military asset.
In the Delphi Museum of the Colonies with the Arrow, she is violently attacked by a copy of Number Six. Despite being heavily outmatched in the fight, Thrace luckily defeats the Cylon.
At the museum, she reunites with Karl Agathon, whom she thought dead, and discovers a second copy of Sharon Valerii, realizing instantly that the woman is a Cylon.
"Caprica Valerii," fearing for her child, steals Thrace's Raider. In exasperation, Thrace only mutters: "Bitch took my ride" ^{(TRS: "Scattered")}. Like Agathon, Thrace is left with no way to return to the Fleet unless she could find her Raider or another Cylon spacecraft, as only Cylon navigational computers are powerful enough to plot jumps over such large distances..
Thrace berates Agathon's love for the Caprica copy of Valerii. Thrace finds the keys of her surplus military utility vehicle in her old jacket in her old apartment. Thrace has a ride again, if only to move more efficiently about Caprica ^{(TRS: "Valley of Darkness")}.

Thrace and Anders playing Pyramid on Caprica ^{(TRS: "Resistance")}.

Thrace and Agathon meet a resistance movement on Caprica. Thrace and Samuel Anders strike up a rapport as fellow Pyramid players and end up having sex.
During planning to steal a Heavy Raider, Thrace is shot in a military action, waking up in a hospital on Caprica. Thrace is told by her doctor, Simon, that Anders died from wounds he suffered in getting Thrace to safety.
Thrace discovers that Simon is working with a known humanoid Cylon. She overhears that the next day he plans to extract her ovaries for use in the Cylon's attempts to study and create a hybrid Cylon/human embryo. Simon also makes the mistake of calling Thrace by her callsign, Starbuck, which she had never revealed.
Staggering and in pain, Thrace kills Simon and escapes the hospital, but not before clocking a Six copy with a fire extinguisher and destroying the local farm power supply, mercy-killing Sue-Shaun and several other women in the facility.
Another Simon copy appears just as the Resistance attacks the facility. The second Simon, now revealed as a humanoid Cylon himself, is immediately killed by the Resistance, but a squad of Cylon Centurions appear and pins the Resistance down. Luckily, Caprica-Valerii swoops in with a stolen Heavy Raider, destroys the Centurions and flies the Resistance and Thrace out of harm's way.
Thrace promises Anders that she'll return with a rescue mission for the remaining survivors. Anders returns the Arrow of Apollo to Thrace, which he hid on the resistance grounds for safekeeping ^{(TRS: "The Farm")}.
Thrace, Agathon and the pregnant "Caprica Valerii" land on Astral Queen in the Heavy Raider. Finding the Laura Roslin faction in orbit of Kobol, Thrace is reunited with Lee. He kisses her impulsively, catching Thrace by pleasant surprise, but a tense standoff follows when Lee discovers that another Sharon copy has returned with them. Roslin helps defuse the situation, and Thrace delivers the Arrow of Apollo to the President.
Temporarily removed from military protocol, Lee playfully teases Thrace by stealing a pyramid ball she took from Caprica. Adama senses her depression about Caprica and tells her that he'd be happy to hear about any problems she had. He also let slip that he loved her, which brightened Thrace's mood to the point where she teased him back about his slip.
With a team led by Laura Roslin, Lee, and, later, joined by the recovered Commander Adama, Thrace enters the Tomb of Athena and successfully uses the Arrow of Apollo to activate a hologram that shows constellations of the Twelve Colonies' ancient symbols.
Thrace realizes that they are on a recreation of Earth. Together with Lee, they locate the Lagoon Nebula, a celestial body known to Commander Adama and Lee, and gather sufficient information to begin an actual course to Earth ^{(TRS: "Home, Part II")}.
Thrace shows off the impressive stealth abilities of the new Blackbird fighter in her maiden flight ^{(TRS: "Flight of the Phoenix")}.
With the arrival of Pegasus, Admiral Helena Cain summarily assigns Thrace (and Lee) to Pegasus after digesting the reports of Galactica's officers.
Pegasus's CAG removes Thrace from the Cylon recon mission. Lee secretly tells her to use the Blackbird to take recon photos of the Cylon Unknown ^{(TRS: "Pegasus")}.
Returning from her very successful mission, the Blackbird's lack of a Colonial transponder is mistaken for a Cylon Raider on DRADIS, and Thrace is nearly confronted and shot at by Vipers from Pegasus and Galactica. After narrowly avoiding certain death by declaring herself a friendly, Thrace transmits her recon photos to Pegasus.
Admiral Cain is very impressed with Thrace's performance and promotes her to Captain and Pegasus CAG.
Thrace is assigned the task of planning the joint attack on the Resurrection Ship, but successfully asks to have Lee on her team, restoring him to flight status.
After she briefs Cain and Commander Adama on her battle plan, Adama asks Thrace privately to assassinate Cain after the battle is complete. Adama fears that if Cain continues to command, the Fleet would be in mortal jeopardy from Cain's draconian command ^{(TRS: "Resurrection Ship, Part I")}.
Thrace's battle planning, as before on the tylium mine, works to near-perfection, with the Resurrection Ship destroyed and its supporting basestars.
As a result of the battle events, Thrace is left without backup as she walks to Pegasus's CIC to shoot Cain, obviously afraid and apprehensive. When Commander Adama calls, Thrace slowly moves her hand to her sidearm but, to her relief, Adama does not give the kill order and cryptically instructs her to stand down ^{(TRS: "Resurrection Ship, Part II")}.
Thrace and Louanne "Kat" Katraine are involved in the protection of a mining operation from periodic Raider attacks. One Raider, nicknamed Scar, fuels an intensive rivalry for the pilot's "top gun" honor. Thrace, still depressed over her inability to convince Fleet command to initiate a rescue for Samuel Anders and his resistance, drinks heavily and obsesses over removing Scar from the sky, even at the cost of her life. Fortunately, Thrace realizes the futility of her actions, and works together with Katraine to destroy the remarkably dangerous Raider ^{(TRS: "Scar")}.
A few weeks later, Thrace takes leave on Cloud 9 when she was dragooned into rescuing Lee and several other Galactica crew and residents after terrorists take them hostage in exchange for the incarcerated Sharon Agathon neé Valerii. Thrace gathers intelligence on the situation, but her cover is blown. In the retreating firefight, Lee is caught in the crossfire. After the situation is resolved, Thrace intended to sit at Lee's bedside, only to discover that Dualla beat her to it ^{(TRS: "Sacrifice")}.
Later, Thrace is assigned to Pegasus as a flight trainer. Though the pilots like her, Commander Barry Garner does not, eventually confining her to quarters for "insubordination." Following the ill-fated rescue and retreat from a Cylon ambush (where Thrace leads the fighters) and after a search, rescue and destroy mission to a Cylon-war era basestar, Thrace informs Lee—now commander of Pegasus—that she was taking over his old CAG post aboard Galactica, joking that she has a problem with her commander wanting to send her off to get killed ("The Captain's Hand," "Razor").
Thrace gets her wish: the Caprica rescue is approved, and she leads a large Raptor squadron to the planet. The group soon met up with Anders, who reports that their HQ had been destroyed and Thrace's timing was just perfect. A squad of Centurions ambush and pin down the group moments later ^{(TRS: "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I")}.
Still pinned down from attack fire, Thrace and Anders agree to kill each other to avoid capture and internment at a farm. But the attack stops, and a man appears, praising the Gods as he announces that the Cylons not only have ceased fire, but are abandoning the Twelve Colonies. Thrace isn't really surprised to discover that the man, known as Brother Cavil, was a Cylon upon their return to the Fleet.
Thrace and Anders proceed to get drunk, and host a disastrous encounter with Lee. This apparently led to a rift between the two comrades.

Leoben with Kara Thrace ^{(TRS: "Exodus, Part I")}.

The evening of the founding of New Caprica, Kara slept with Lee and proclaimed her love for him as she was uncertain regarding her feelings toward Anders. The following morning she quickly married Anders in a ceremony near the river, despite declaring to Lee just the previous evening that she had no intention of getting married. This caused a rift between Kara and Lee that lasted for well over a year ^{(TRS: "Unfinished Business")}.
Life on New Caprica tempered Thrace, and she often behaved in ways Thrace never would have, including hugging Colonel Tigh and pampering Anders during his bout with an illness.
She watches in horror at the sudden arrival of hundreds of Cylon ships in the sky over New Caprica. A few of Galactica's former crew gather near Thrace, looking to her for guidance. She responds the only way she knows how: "Fight 'em until we can't" ^{(TRS: "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II")}.

The New Caprica Ordeal and Her Death

After Baltar's surrender of New Caprica, Conoy keeps Thrace prisoner in an apartment located within the Cylon-built New Caprica Detention Center in an attempt to convince Thrace that she loves him and also convert her to the Cylon monotheistic religion. She repeatedly kills Conoy a total of five times in an attempt to convince him to let her go ("Occupation," "Precipice").
Conoy introduces Thrace to a small child named Kacey, who appears to be approximately two to three years in age, whom he claims is their biological daughter, created using one of Thrace's extracted ovaries ^{(TRS: "The Farm")} and his genetic material. Conflicted, Thrace leaves the child unattended, which later results in Kacey falling down the apartment's stairs ^{(TRS: "Precipice")}. After the fall, Thrace begins to change her attitude towards the child and begins to offer affection towards Conoy ("Precipice," "Exodus, Part I").
Upon her return to Galactica after Admiral Adama's daring rescue attempt, Thrace heartbreakingly discovers that Kacey was simply another manipulation on Conoy's part; Kacey is merely a human child whom the Cylons had abducted from her mother ^{(TRS: "Exodus, Part II")}.
Bearing the psychological scars of her four month ordeal with Leoben and Kacey, Thrace is recruited by Diana Seelix as a last minute replacement juror in the Circle after Anders' resignation. Thrace's involvement in the Circle precipitates the breakup of her marriage with Anders. Initially wondering about the legality of the tribunal, she is the fifth vote to find Felix Gaeta guilty of treason and collaboration. Later, when Gaeta is about to be killed in one of Galactica's launch tubes, she demands that he beg for his life. Thrace physically assaults him and goes down the litany of "lies" that Gaeta told her earlier about him helping the insurgency. As she does so, Galen Tyrol, one of the Circle's jurors, overhears this and confirms the story. In a sense of confusion after learning that Gaeta was telling the truth, Thrace leaves the launch tube ^{(TRS: "Collaborators")}.
During a combat exercise between Vipers, Thrace breaks formation and collides with another pilot, forcing an end to the war games and causing Lee to revoke her flight status. Later, at her bunk she is met by Kacey and her mother, whom she dismisses, telling Kacey's mother not to visit her again. In the pilots' rec room, Thrace and Colonel Tigh begin to sow dissent between the survivors of New Caprica and the crew that stayed behind on Galactica, insinuating that those who stayed behind did not suffer like those on New Caprica did, and that the crew of Galactica took too long to organize a rescue. Admiral Adama, upon learning of this from Karl Agathon, confronts Thrace and Tigh on their behavior. He challenges them to shoot him, as their constant complaining is tantamount to pulling the trigger. When neither do, Adama throws Thrace off her chair and demands that both she and Tigh shape up and move on with their lives. Spurred by Adama's words, Thrace cuts her hair and returns to duty. Later, in uniform, she visits Kacey and her mother on the converted hangar deck ^{(TRS: "Torn")}.
Thrace enters an affair with Lee, rekindling their romance on New Caprica ^{(TRS: "Unfinished Business")}. Both Anders and Lee's wife, Lieutenant Anastasia Dualla, are more than vaguely aware of the pair's sexual tension. Lee ends the affair and reconciles with his wife despite still being in love with Thrace, but Thrace refuses to give Anders any further attention than a periodic sexual fling.
Thrace is involved with the defense of the incorrectly called "Temple of Five" but is severely injured, leaving her rescuer, Dualla, to return them to Galactica ^{(TRS: "Rapture")}. Agathon recognizes the strange circular mandala in the Temple, created 4,000 years before, and its resemblance to a symbol that Thrace painted in her apartment. When shown the symbol, the recovering Thrace is darkly reminded of Leoben's prophesy.
During refueling operations above a gas giant, Thrace is continually attracted to what she believes is a Cylon contact, which she chases to find a planetary storm that resembles the mandala. She dives into it, almost losing control before coming to her senses and returning.
Command staff and Thrace question her competency to continue flying, but Lee volunteers encouragement and offers to fly as her wingman on her next CAP.
Thrace finds herself attracted by another apparent Cylon contact. As she descended, her Viper is struck by debris and she, while unconscious, experiences a revelation about her mother, Socrata Thrace, and guided through the vision by what looks to be a Leoben copy.
Starbuck regains consciousness but chooses to continue her descent despite Lee's desperate pleas to ascend. "I'll see you on the other side (...) Just let me go" were her last words as her Viper explodes. A grief-stricken Lee tells CIC that he did not see any ejection ^{(TRS: "Maelstrom")}.
While preparing for a Cylon engagement near the Ionian nebula, Lee (who has since left the Colonial Military) detects a bogey on DRADIS. While he searches for the target, Lee finds himself momentarily in a cat-and-mouse chase game with the mysterious target. As Lee attempts to regain sight of the bogey, it positions itself next to his Viper.

Return from the Dead and Suspicion

The pristine Viper Mark II that comes alongside is flown by Thrace herself. A shocked and confused Lee Adama (now a civilian) listens to the apparently-resurrected Kara Thrace, who tells him that she has been to Earth and she has returned to take the Fleet to it ^{(TRS: "Crossroads, Part II")}.
After the battle at the nebula, she returns to Galactica where everyone is astounded to see her alive. While everyone believed her dead for over two months, only several hours have passed for her. She has returned with recon photography of Earth, but no navigational data or knowledge of how she got there. Further complicating her claim is the fact that her Viper is nearly pristine, as if it had just been built. Despite her passing a medical examination by Doctor Sherman Cottle, almost everyone, including Thrace herself, wonders if she could be a Cylon.
When the Fleet jumps further away from the Ionian Nebula, she experiences headaches and says that she is losing the intuitive feeling of the way to Earth. Desperate to lead the Colonials there, she breaks into Adama's quarters and confronts Roslin at gun point ^{(TRS: "He That Believeth in Me")}.
Thrace is eventually subdued by Colonial Marines and imprisoned in the brig. Lee visits Thrace in the brig and tells her that he believes her. Thrace is happy that he does and they share a kiss before Lee leaves for Colonial One. Although not sure what to make of her claims, Admiral Adama releases her later, and gives her command of Demetrius, and a crew including Karl Agathon and Samuel Anders, telling her to try to find Earth ^{(TRS: "Six of One")}.
Thrace irritates her crew by frequent, unexplained course changes and rarely leaving her quarters, where she holes herself up to study star charts. When her husband confronts her about her command style and their marriage, she tells him that she is not the same person he married and tries to throw him out of her cabin. However, when Anders holds her, she tells him that she wants to have sex in order to feel something. Afterwards, she says that she feels distanced from her body and the events around her ^{(TRS: "The Ties That Bind")}.
When a Leoben Conoy copy comes aboard Demetrius with the offer of an alliance with the Cylons, a power struggle among the crew breaks out when Thrace orders to jump to his baseship ^{(TRS: "The Road Less Traveled")}. The fight ends with Gaeta getting shot in the leg by Anders. After standing down, Thrace decides to accompany Conoy with a small team. On his baseship she meets the Cylon Hybrid, who repeats the first Hybrid's prophecy ^{(TRS: "Razor")} and gives her the next task: join the Cylons to unbox Number Three to learn what she knows of the Final Five ^{(TRS: "Faith")}.
After the unboxing, Thrace reacts with shock and disbelief when she learns that her husband is a Cylon. She investigates the Viper she returned in and notices that it receives a strange signal, giving her a direct bearing to Earth. Her discovery stops the imminent execution of Colonel Tigh and leads to a truce with the Cylon rebels. After arriving at Earth, Thrace is part of the first group on the surface, but finds only a destroyed city ^{(TRS: "Revelations")}.

The Thirteenth Colony and the Search for a New Home

Thrace and Leoben Conoy explore the devastated Earth trying to find the source of the signal. They find pieces of wreckage belonging to a Colonial Viper—the same Viper that Thrace flew into the gas giant. Finally, they come upon the cockpit of the crashed Viper, with its pilot still inside. Thrace is horrified to discover that the carcass inside the cockpit is hers. Thrace reveals to Conoy that the Hybrid aboard the rebel baseship called her the "Harbinger of Death." Conoy has no explanation for any of this and flees the scene, leaving Thrace alone to wonder who or what she really is. Thrace later retrieves the dog tags and wedding ring from the body. She then cremates the body and returns to Galactica. She does not tell anyone what she has discovered ^{(TRS: "Sometimes a Great Notion")}.
After Galactica leaves Earth, Thrace is still trying to come to terms with her discoveries there. Felix Gaeta, who is unhappy about the Fleet's alliance with the Cylons and for the events leading up to that point (including a certain revelation about his role on New Caprica), decides to pick a fight with her. Gaeta accuses Thrace of collaborating with the Cylons: Thrace responds by telling him she isn't afraid to beat up a cripple and storms out ^{(TRS: "A Disquiet Follows My Soul")}.
A withdrawn Thrace later has an altercation with Brendan "Hot Dog" Costanza. She teases him about his unexpected fathering of Nicholas Tyrol. Costanza is unamused, angrily retorting that Thrace slept with half the Fleet herself and has nothing to show for her efforts. This hits a nerve and Thrace throws a bowl of food at a retreating Costanza.
An alarm goes off and Thrace is ordered by Noel "Narcho" Allison to evacuate the area. Thrace is suspicious and when she presses Allison for more information, he snaps that no one even knows what she is any more.
Thrace turns to see a group of marines and civilians led by Charlie Connor run past her, and she follows them. She sees the group break into a weapons locker and arm themselves. She hears Connor giving his men orders to take the hangar deck.
Thrace rushes back to her barracks and grabs her weapons. She then tries to warn the CIC, but Gaeta blocks her calls. Realizing that Gaeta is also involved, Thrace takes off for the hangar deck.
She arrives at the hangar deck just in time to rescue Lee Adama from Connor and his men, who are being assisted by Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson and Hamish "Skulls" McCall. Thrace kills one of the marines and wounds Skulls, forcing the others to back off. She and Lee then hurry away.
Thrace and Lee take refuge inside a storage compartment. Lee doesn't think they can defeat the mutiny alone. Thrace responds by kissing him. She then says that this is the first time in weeks that she feels right.
Thrace and Lee head for the CIC. They find that the mutiny has spread all across the ship. They arrive at Admiral Adama's quarters, where they meet Laura Roslin. After learning of the mutiny, Roslin decides that she must come out and address the Fleet. However, the ship's communications are down, and the only working wireless transmitter on the ship is in Gaius Baltar's possession.
Thrace, Adama, and Roslin make it to Baltar's compartment, where they find Galen Tyrol organizing a defense. Tyrol tells them that Admiral Adama has been arrested and is being escorted to the brig. Tyrol also tells them about a secondary storage airlock they can use to escape the ship. Thrace and Adama head off to rescue the admiral.
At the brig, they find that William Adama and Saul Tigh have already escaped custody. They have also taken the rebel marine, Allan Nowart, prisoner. Thrace tries to kill Nowart, but Adama thwarts her. As Nowart flees, Thrace argues that the mutineers are no longer his men, and as such are the enemy and that they can't afford to take prisoners.
Thrace, Tigh and the Adamas arrive at the secondary storage airlock, where they find Tyrol, Roslin and Baltar waiting. A Raptor piloted by an Eight docks. After Roslin and Baltar board the Raptor, Thrace, Lee and Tyrol head off to continue the fight against Gaeta and Thomas Zarek's forces ^{(TRS: "The Oath")}.
Lee and Thrace head off to free the captives held in the brig, while Tyrol goes to sabotage the ship's FTL drive. They take out the mutineers guarding the brig and free Tigh, Sharon "Athena" Agathon, Karl Agathon, Hera Agathon, Caprica-Six and Samuel Anders.
During the escape, a firefight ensues and Anders is shot in the back of the head by a mutineer. He is not killed but is in dire need of medical attention. Thrace yells at the others to go without her and she starts dragging Anders towards the infirmary.
Thrace eventually exhausts herself trying to carry Anders and she collapses. Marine Parr escorting Romo Lampkin appears; Thrace attempts to shoot Parr, but her gun is empty— however, Lampkin suddenly stabs the marine twice in the neck with a pen, killing him.
Thrace asks Lampkin to help her carry Anders to the infirmary. Lampkin is reluctant but eventually agrees to help ^{(TRS: "Blood on the Scales")}.
In the immediate aftermath of the mutiny, Thrace learns from Doctor Sherman Cottle that the bullet is still stuck in Anders' skull. Anders' suppressed memories of his Cylon life back on Earth are also triggered. To Thrace's disappointment, Anders does not have an explanation as to who she really is or how she apparently came back from the dead.
Cottle manages to remove the bullet, which he gives to Thrace. However, when Thrace goes to speak with Anders, she discovers that he has zero brain activity—which the medical personnel are unable to explain ^{(TRS: "No Exit")}.
Thrace is later part of a joint Cylon-Colonial CAP which escorts a Raptor carrying Ellen Tigh and Sharon "Boomer" Valerii onto Galactica.
Thrace is later seen in Joe's Bar drinking and toying with the bullet removed from Anders' skull. She and Tyrol have a brief discussion about Valerii, who is being held in the brig ^{(TRS: "Deadlock")}.
Thrace gets a drawing of what seems to be stars from Hera and later visits Joe's Bar where she helps piano player Slick with the music he's composing. There she reveals that she used to play piano as a girl with her father until he left and then stopped and she had a song she used to play that made her happy. She realizes that Hera's drawing is of the notes for that song and she and Slick start playing it together. The music turns out to be the same music that activated the memories of the so-called Final Five. Slick, who was a manifestation of her father, disappears and Thrace later goes to Anders in the hope of finding out the reason she knew of the Music and its meaning, but is unsuccessful.
When Admiral Adama comes to see Anders—now acting as Galactica's Hybrid—to find out the location of The Colony, Thrace reveals to him that she has tried to make sense out of the notes by assigning numbers to them, but has had no luck in understanding it. She also tells him that she is dead, that she burned her own dead body on Earth and has no idea what she is. Adama tells her he knows what she is: she's his daughter. Later she and Adama spread red tape down the hanger deck to create a line for people to cross one way or the other to show whether or not they volunteer for the rescue mission for Hera. Thrace flanks the Admiral on the volunteers side of the line and doesn't move the whole time, having made her choice.
During the battle, she leads a strike force that includes both Agathons into The Colony through Raptors. They encounter Sharon Valerii who gives them back Hera before being killed by Sharon Agathon. Thrace's team meets up with Lee's and they retreat to Galactica, which has rammed itself into the Colony as part of the final assault.
Thrace helps defend the ship and after an agreement is reached with Cavil, takes damage reports on their forces alongside Lee. After things go badly and the Colony starts to fall into the black hole with Galactica, Thrace—the nearest person to the FTL console—is ordered to jump them away. Thrace doesn't know the rendezvous coordinates and, after Adama makes it clear that it doesn't matter, is inspired to input the numbers she assigned to The Music's notes as the coordinates and jumps Galactica there. According to Thrace, Thrace jumps them to "the watchtower," which turns out to be the singular moon in orbit around another planet that the Colonials later dub Earth.
Thrace says goodbye to Anders before he flies the Fleet into the sun, destroying Galactica and the other ships, and later says her final goodbye to William Adama. Then she says her final goodbye to Lee Adama, having fulfilled her destiny to bring the Fleet to the second Earth. He fails to comprehend her at first, but realizes what she means as they continue talking. Thrace finally asks Lee what he is going to do now that he is here, and disappears when he turns away momentarily to look at the scenery, surprising him. In a reference to their first ever meeting, after Lee realizes that she is really gone, he says goodbye to her and promises that she will not be forgotten.

Lords of Kobol, Hear My Prayer

Despite her tough, rebellious exterior, Thrace is deeply spiritual and possesses a great deal of faith in the Lords of Kobol. She usually prays in moments of mourning or desperation, such as when she thinks Lee is dead ^{(TRS: "Miniseries")}, when she is trapped on a desolate moon with a broken knee and low oxygen ^{(TRS: "You Can't Go Home Again")}, and when she discovers she's in Cylon captivity ^{(TRS: "The Farm")}. This spirituality is put to the test as a series of events lead her towards a mysterious destiny.

The Destiny

Main article: The Destiny

From early in her life, Kara Thrace has been guided through her mother's actions for a special role in life, a plot point that begins with a Leoben Conoy copy in the Season 1 episode, "Flesh and Bone". In "Maelstrom," the character dies, but reappears as a guide for the Fleet at the end of Season 3.

A Cylon Hybrid, speaking to Major Kendra Shaw moments before their deaths, warns her that Thrace is the herald of the apocalypse and the harbinger of death, that she would lead the human race to its end, and that she is not to be followed ^{(TRS: "Razor")}. Similarly, another Hybrid describes her as the harbinger of death, and she would lead them to salvation and destruction ^{(TRS: "Faith")}.

This becomes the case, as she leads Galactica (and the Fleet) to a second, new planet the Colonials dub "Earth." There, both Colonials and both races of Cylon (the Kobollian-based "Final Five" and the remaining models from the "Significant Seven") are saved. However, as they blend in with the native humans on the new Earth, the distinctive natures of Colonial human and Cylon creations blur and merge. In a sense, the blurring results in the "death" of both races as a new human race begins. Hera Agathon's body, a perfect human/Cylon merging, is later represented as the Mitochondrial Eve for the humans on the New Earth ^{(TRS: "Daybreak, Part II")}.

Notes

On the Sci-Fi Channel's preview for season 2.5 (US), Katee Sackhoff is quoted as saying that Starbuck is "the best Viper pilot...EVER."
Thrace was a region in south-eastern Europe that was heavily influenced by the ancient Greeks and was eventually conquered by Phillip II of Macedonia. Thracians were considered by most to be the most ferocious fighters and were often highly paid mercenaries for Greek kings.
Thrace may have been named after Thrax, the son of Ares, the god of war, who was said to reside on the Thracian plain in Greek mythology.
After auditioning for the role of Dualla, Grace Park was asked by director Michael Rymer to audition for the role of Starbuck, and she was actually one of two finalists up for the role. Ultimately Park was cast as Sharon "Boomer" Valerii.
In a TV Guide photo shoot at the BSG studios, Katee Sackhoff explained that the tattoo that Starbuck bears on her left arm is a wing and a circle and has half of the constellation of Capricorn (a reference to Caprica obviously) and a small symbol of the planet as well. The tattoo on Anders' arm is the other half of the symbol and when they embrace, the tattoos form the whole symbol. According to Sackhoff, Kara and Anders had the tattoos done around the time of their wedding, a fact later confirmed in dialogue during Season 4.5.
The license plate on Thrace's truck on Caprica is "FB 42 E3" ^{(TRS: "Valley of Darkness")}.

References

↑ Confirmed number from QMX dogtags given to them by the studio.

Preceded by: Cole "Stinger" Taylor	Commander, Air Group, Pegasus	Succeeded by: Unknown Ship later destroyed
Preceded by: Lee "Apollo" Adama	Commander, Air Group, Galactica	Succeeded by: Louanne "Kat" Katraine
Preceded by: Karl "Helo" Agathon	Commander, Air Group, Galactica	Succeeded by: None Ship destroyed

"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)
[[IMDB:tt{{{imdb}}}\|IMDb entry]]
Listing of props for this episode
Related Media
Photo Gallery			@ BW Media
Promotional Materials

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iTunes: USA

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.

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.^[1]
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: (listen • help • info)

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

The Cylons react to Starbuck's sudden maneuver: (listen • help • info)

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: (listen • help • info)

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: (listen • help • info)

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: (listen • help • info)

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

Starbuck interacts with his new "friend": (listen • help • info)

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: (listen • help • info)

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: (listen • help • info)

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: (listen • help • info)

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.^[1]

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.^[2]

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.^[3]

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.

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Larocque, John (28 Feburary 2005). Interview with Galactica 1980 story editor Allan Cole (backup available on Archive.org) . Retrieved on 11 August 2007.
↑ Hise, James Van (1980). "GALACTICA 1980: THE STORY EDITORS FOR GALACTICA 1980 DESCRIBE THE DEATH RATTLE OF THE SERIES". SFTV (Unknown): 31.
↑ Galactic Sci-Fi Television Series Revisited. Alpha Control Press, 1995.

Warning: Default sort key "Return of Starbuck, The" overrides earlier default sort key "Thrace, Kara".

Planet Starbuck is a barren, desert-like planet that its sole Colonial occupant, Starbuck, names after himself. During the battle above this planet, both Lieutenant Boomer and Starbuck engage a squadron on Cylon Raiders. With Starbuck's Viper too damaged to make it back to the Fleet, Starbuck makes a one-way trip to the planet and begins to grow lonely on planet. Eventually, he discovers a Raider he had shot down also crash-landed on the planet, using the debris from the Raider to build a shelter, as well as eventually rebuilding a lone Centurion whom he calls Cy (The Return of Starbuck).

This article has a separate continuity.
This article is in a separate continuity, which is related to the Original Series. Be sure that your contributions to this article reflect the characters and events specific to this continuity only.

This article covers the various depictions of Starbuck from the tie-in novelizations, comic books, and other media.

Various Continuities

Berkley Novelizations

In the novelization of Saga of a Star World, in the casino when Cassiopeia storms away from Starbuck, Athena angrily hands him the room key and leaves as well. Later, Athena regrets not having stayed with Starbuck. She believes she could have made him forget about Cassiopeia. During the mass exodus from the surface of Caprica, Starbuck and Cassiopeia pilot a shuttle filled with highly volatile Tylium. They barely evade the attacking Cylons and return to Galactica.

In The Tombs of Kobol novelization, when Starbuck is captured and taken aboard the Cylon basestar, he teaches Lucifer how to play Pyramid and beats him at the card game. Lucifer takes a liking to Starbuck.

In The Long Patrol novelization, the Robber that Starbuck meets is a woman. She later joins Galactica and changes her name to Roberta. In the book's final scene, Starbuck takes Roberta out to Rising Star and meets the same waiter again. Athena and Cassiopea are in a booth next to where their reserved table is, so Starbuck has the waiter take them to another area.

In the 12th novel The Nightmare Machine, the Cylons sneak a device aboard Galactica that causes everyone to feel enormous guilt. Starbuck is affected the worst and feels terrible about how he's treated women. Eventually, he is nearly driven insane and tries to kill Greenbean.

In the 13th novel Die, Chameleon!, after Chameleon is captured by alien smugglers, Cassiopeia tells Starbuck that Chameleon is his father. Starbuck goes after him and is captured by the same aliens. Later, he manages to break free, but Chameleon is taken hostage by one of the aliens who takes him away in a spacecraft. Chameleon eventually gets loose and steals a spaceship, but he has no idea what heading will take him back to Galactica. He plots his course based on the roll of a dice.

Dynamite Comics

Main article: Starbuck (TOS-DE alternate)

In addition to various comics in the Original Series timeline, Dynamite Entertainment gave this character his own 4-issue series depicting the character's origin, development as a warrior, and finding out how he was orphaned.

Marvel Comics

In issue #12, Starbuck, Boomer, and Athena, on recon patrol, stumble across Scavenge World, a planet composed entirely of spare parts and inhabited by alien scavengers. They are captured and brought before the throne of Eurayle, the leader of the scavenger "family." Meanwhile, Galactica is buffeted by an unexpected Cylon attack. The Cylons are momentarily averted, and the Fleet arrives at Scavenge World. Learning of Galactica's situation, Eurayle makes a proposal - she will use her powers of the mind to free Commander Adama from the Memory Machine, if she can receive Lieutenant Starbuck in return. Starbuck eventually agrees to her offer. After the Cylons are defeated, Starbuck stays behind with her while the Colonial fleet moves on.

Starbuck escapes from Scavenge World and returns to the fleet in issue #19. Eurayle pursues the fleet in issue #20, and Starbuck and Apollo meet with her. Starbuck agrees to fight her in a duel to the death. Eurayle wins, but after she leaves it is revealed that Starbuck faked his own death.

The Scavenge World ship that Starbuck used to escape winds up giving the Colonials the coordinates to Earth, and the series ends with the fleet making a hyperjump to their final destination.

Maximum Press comics

Taking place 20 yahrens after the events of the original series, it is revealed that Starbuck feels guilt because Cassiopeia died yahrens earlier on a mission that he was in charge of.

In The Enemy Within, a Cylon humanoid named Ares infiltrated the fleet in order to sabotage it. Once the truth about Ares becomes known, Starbuck fights him and both wind up trapped inside a shuttle that launches and crashes on a desolate planet. Starbuck survives the crash, but no resolution to the story line was ever given because the series was canceled.

Realm Press Comics

Starbuck's mental health is the focus of Fear of Flying, notably his hedonistic and playful approach to life and the pursuits thereof. After yet another counselling session with Doctor Ishtara, he manages to convince her to live a little.

Clean Slate Press

In Alternate Conspiracy, Starbuck and Apollo are transported to an alternate universe where they discover the Colonies about to sign an armistice with the Cylons. Starbuck is embarrassed to find himself occupying the body of a beautiful woman.

In the fan fiction series of novels known as the Pegasus Chronicles, Starbuck and Athena are inadvertently thrown together due to a strange alien that infiltrates Galactica in Second Coming. Also, Starbuck not only learns that Chameleon is his father but that he has a brother and sister as well. In the next novel, Joint Maneuvers, Starbuck and Athena's relationship moves to another level, but Athena has serious doubts that they are meant to be together.

In The Race For Earth, which occurs five yahrens after the events of the original series, Starbuck finally proposes to Cassiopeia.

In the V crossover novel Survive the Alliance, Starbuck journeys to Earth and meets both Knight Rider and Face/Templeton Peck of the A-Team.

External Links

Clean Slate Press fan fiction stories - now downloadable as epub files for ereaders.

This article has a separate continuity.
This article is in the Dynamite Comics separate continuity, which is related to the Original Series. Be sure that your contributions to this article reflect the characters and events specific to this continuity only.

Starbuck

Name	Starbuck^[1]
Age	{{{age}}}
Colony	{{{colony}}}
Birth place	{{{birthplace}}}
Birth Name	{{{birthname}}}
Birth Date	{{{birthdate}}}
Callsign	{{{callsign}}}
Nickname	{{{nickname}}}
Introduced	[[]]
Death
Parents	{{{parents}}}
Siblings	{{{siblings}}}
Children
Marital Status	Single
Family Tree	View
Role	Warrior, Galactica
Rank	Lieutenant
Serial Number	{{{serial}}}
Portrayed by	{{{actor}}}
Starbuck is a Cylon
Starbuck is a Final Five Cylon
Starbuck is a Human/Cylon Hybrid
Starbuck is an Original Series Cylon
Related Media
		@ BW Media
Additional Information
Starbuck in the separate continuity
Starbuck in the primary continuity
[[Image:\|200px\|Starbuck]]

Starbuck is a Caprican serving in the Colonial Military during the last stages of the Thousand Yahren War as a Viper pilot aboard the last surviving battlestar, Galactica.

7322 — Umbra, Caprica

As a young boy, the later re-named Starbuck flees into the Forest of Thorns as a result of the Cylon's attack on Umbra. During the defense by Rylon Viper pilots Adama and Tigh, Adama is shot down and crashes into the forest.

What seems to be a certain demise by a damaged Centurion is thwarted by Starbuck, who attacks the Cylon with a tree branch before it can kill Adama. Adama is able to blow off the distracted Centurion's head and radio for medical assistance, as Starbuck is rendered unconscious as a result of his being electrocuted upon damaging the Centurion (Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck 1).

As a result of amnesia and other post-traumatic trauma diagnosed by a medic onboard Rycon, Adama names the boy "Starbuck" in appreciation of being saved.

7322-7328 — Growing Up An Orphan

One of over three thousand children orphaned in 7322, Starbuck found himself raised by two foster parents in Lower Caprica, who had designs on helping their new son become an agro farmer.

In 7328, Starbuck arrives at Adama's home and asks Adama to sponsor his application to become a Colonial Warrior, despite the fact that Starbuck's foster parents could have done so—but wouldn't have. Adama initially rebukes this, leading to Apollo—a first-yahren flight cadet—to challenge Starbuck to a turbocycle race down Mount Colicos. This race leads to bonding between the two, particularly as the race goes wrong and results in the destruction of both participants' cycles, as well as Adama being pressured into sponsoring Starbuck as a Warrior (Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck 1).

7328-7335 — Becoming a Warrior

Sometime after entering the Academy, Starbuck quits after Apollo is reported dead during a training exercise gone wrong. Upon Apollo's return, Starbuck punches Apollo in the nose, forcing Zac to intercede by pulling Starbuck away from Apollo. After calming down, Starbuck and Apollo promise each other that, were they to both become Warriors, they would not mourn each other if the worst transpired. As this promise was extracted, Starbuck returns to the Academy (Classic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 1 #2)

In 7331, Starbuck is assigned to shadow his flight instructor, Lieutenant Wyler, aboard battlestar Pegasus. The impressionable Starbuck is taken under Wyler's wing, and taught an unorthodox curriculum of womanizing, gambling, and other roguish behaviors.

During this time, Starbuck befriends fellow classmates Boomer and Jolly. He also vies for the affections of Adama's daughter, Athena, but this fails even though they reconcile by the time Starbuck graduates the Academy in 7335 (Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck 1).

7335 — A Father Figure's Demise and Assignment to Galactica

With the death of Wyler a day prior to Starbuck's graduation (but told by Adama during the post-graduation celebrations), Starbuck enters a period of grieving the only way he knew how: gambling.

In the course of this, he happens across McKintosh during a game of pyramid at one of his and Wyler's frequent chanceries. In the course of the game, McKintosh learns that Starbuck was at Umbra, and recalls that he too was there that day as he freighted agro from the Umbra factory. He makes a grandiose claim that the defense net went down, contrary to the official story that it had been destroyed, and that he had information on a chip to prove it. As McKintosh lost the wager, he gives the chip to Starbuck—only for Starbuck to discover that it was corrupted (Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck 1).

Post-Exodus

Following the Battle at Galaxy's Edge, Starbuck is one of four Warriors, part of Apollo's patrol into the mysterious realm following an unlikely trip through a black hole. Upon discovering an unknown planet, he participates in the discovery of truths of Iblis' actual origin, and uses himself and Boomer as bait to draw out Meclons from their ships so that they can escape to The Fleet (Classic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 3 #1—Classic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 3 #3).

Following his return, he assists in warding off the Meclon attack against the Fleet (Classic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 3 #5).

References

↑ This is not his birth name.

This article has a separate continuity.
This article is in the Dynamite Comics separate continuity, which is related to the Original Series. Be sure that your contributions to this article reflect the characters and events specific to this continuity only.

Starbuck

Name	{{{name}}}
Age	{{{age}}}
Colony	{{{colony}}}
Birth place	{{{birthplace}}}
Birth Name	{{{birthname}}}
Birth Date	{{{birthdate}}}
Callsign	{{{callsign}}}
Nickname	{{{nickname}}}
Introduced	Steampunk Battlestar Galactica 1880 1
Death
Parents
Siblings
Children
Marital Status	Married to Lady Athena
Family Tree	View
Role	Former Warrior of the Colonial Empire
Rank	Former Flight-Lieutenant, but re-instated as Major following the battle at Gamoray
Serial Number	{{{serial}}}
Portrayed by	{{{actor}}}
Starbuck is a Cylon
Starbuck is a Final Five Cylon
Starbuck is a Human/Cylon Hybrid
Starbuck is an Original Series Cylon
Related Media
		@ BW Media
Additional Information


Concept Art Incentive Cover for Steampunk Battlestar Galactica 1880 1. Art: Sergio Fernandez Davila

For the canonical character from whom this depiction is based, see: Starbuck (TOS).

For other separate continuities from other comics and novelization sources, see: Starbuck (TOS alternate).

Starbuck is a former Warrior of the Colonial Empire, serving under Crown Prince Apollo to whom Starbuck owes a life debt.

Ovion Wars and Desertion

Following the end of the Ovion Wars, he leaves the service of the Colonial Empire under mysterious circumstances, of which there are many rumors given he leaves the fleet following the Battle of Carillion. One such story told by Starbuck to Athena notes of his warning Adama that Baltar has his own designs of power, and that the Quorum itself is not to be trusted given the summary disappearance of two Warriors saved by Baltar following Carillion: Boomer and Jolly (Steampunk Battlestar Galactica 1880 2).

However, the ultimate reason for his departure is his love for Athena and Adama's ultimatum: forget about Athena or leave (Steampunk Battlestar Galactica 1880 4).

Pirate Life

Following his departure from Colonial life, he becomes a trader of ill-repute around the border world of Rising Star, alongside of whom is a co-pilot Daggit by the name of Muffit.

After the disappearance of Apollo during the Cylonic suicide attack on Caprica, Fleet Admiral Tigh informs Lady Athena about Starbuck's location there, believing that Starbuck would be the only person who could find Apollo.

Starbuck, in the meantime, places himself as a target for the dueling Queens of Rising Star: Cassiopeia and Sheba. This is due to his penchant for romancing and playing both sides against the middle.

As a result of taking money for a job that he did not complete, he is able to make special modifications to his aethership Starchaser (Steampunk Battlestar Galactica 1880 1).

Search for Apollo

Following recruitment by Athena to search for Apollo, Starbuck finds himself fleeing Rising Star and his ship damaged, setting down on the remains of Carillion and the discovery that the Ovions had survived. Much to his consternation, Athena offers herself to the Ovions in order to secure their assistance against Baltar and the Cylonics (Steampunk Battlestar Galactica 1880 3).

Starbuck later saves the life of Apollo following Apollo and the prisoners' escape from Helia, and reconciles with Apollo immediately following (Steampunk Battlestar Galactica 1880 3).

Redemption

Starbuck lends assistance on the assault upon Gamoray by selling himself into bonded servitude to Cassiopeia and Sheba, thereby securing the pirates' assistance.

After Starbuck delivers Athena to the surface of Gamoray in the attempt to stop Iblis from assuming control of the Cylonics, he tells a wounded Apollo the truth on why he left, and how it related to his true feelings about Athena.

Following the victory against the Cylonics, Starbuck convinces the Queens to release him from servitude and reveals his true feelings for Athena, which lead into their marriage and his re-instatement as Major in the Colonial Empire (Steampunk Battlestar Galactica 1880 4).

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This article has a separate continuity.
This article is in the Maximum Press separate continuity, which is related to the Original Series. Be sure that your contributions to this article reflect the characters and events specific to this continuity only.

Starbuck #1 An issue of the Maximum Press series.

Issue No.	1
Writer(s)
Illustrator(s)	{{{illustrator}}}
Penciller(s)	Hector Gomez
Inker(s)	Hector Gomez
Colorist(s)	Scott Rockwell
Letterer(s)	Kurt Hathaway
Editor(s)	Matt Hawkins
Collection Design	{{{designer}}}
Cover Artist(s)	Rob Liefeld
Adaptation of
Published	10 January 1996
Collects
Collected in
Reprints
Reprinted as
Pages	{{{pages}}}
ISBN	[[Special:Booksources/\|]]
Population	0 Survivors
Special	{{{special}}}
Chronology
Previous		Next
None	Starbuck #1	Starbuck #2
Purchase
Available at BOOKSAMILLION.COM - Purchase
Available at Amazon.com – [[amazon:{{{amazon}}}\|Purchase]]
Available at Amazon.co.uk – Purchase
Available at Things From Another World - Purchase

Plot Synopsis

Eastern Alliance Destroyers attack the Galactica. In the battle, Starbuck's ship is disabled and he ends up on the Lunar One Prison Colony. He is found by Justine and Colonel Charlie Watts of the Western Nationalists. Starbuck agrees to help on a mission to free a Nationalist, Joseph, who is being held prisoner on the moon, but in the attempt, Starbuck is captured by Eastern Alliance soldiers.

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Please improve this entry (Starbuck) in accordance to the guidelines on requests for expansion and in any notations on the article's talk page. Once the requested improvements have been completed, you may remove this notice.

This article has a separate continuity.
This article is in the Maximum Press separate continuity, which is related to the Original Series. Be sure that your contributions to this article reflect the characters and events specific to this continuity only.

Starbuck #2 An issue of the Maximum Press series.

Issue No.	2
Writer(s)	Rob Liefeld
Illustrator(s)	{{{illustrator}}}
Penciller(s)	Hector Gomez
Inker(s)	Hector Gomez
Colorist(s)	Heroic Age, Scott Rockwell
Letterer(s)	Kurt Hathaway
Editor(s)	Matt Hawkins
Collection Design	{{{designer}}}
Cover Artist(s)	Rob Liefeld
Adaptation of
Published	7 February 1996
Collects
Collected in
Reprints
Reprinted as
Pages	{{{pages}}}
ISBN	[[Special:Booksources/\|]]
Population	0 Survivors
Special	{{{special}}}
Chronology
Previous		Next
Starbuck #1	Starbuck #2	Starbuck #3
Purchase
Available at BOOKSAMILLION.COM - Purchase
Available at Amazon.com – [[amazon:{{{amazon}}}\|Purchase]]
Available at Amazon.co.uk – Purchase
Available at Things From Another World - Purchase

Plot Synopsis

Starbuck and Joseph escape, and Galactica wards off the attack by Commandant Lieter's Destroyers. Furious with his defeat, and news of the troubles on Lunar One, Lieter orders his Destroyers to blast the entire Lunar One Labor Camp out of existence.

Gallery

This article is a stub. You can help Battlestar Wiki by expanding it.

This article has a separate continuity.
This article is in the Maximum Press separate continuity, which is related to the Original Series. Be sure that your contributions to this article reflect the characters and events specific to this continuity only.

Starbuck #3 An issue of the Maximum Press series.

Issue No.	3
Writer(s)	Rob Liefeld
Illustrator(s)	{{{illustrator}}}
Penciller(s)	Hector Gomez
Inker(s)	Hector Gomez
Colorist(s)	Heroic Age, Scott Rockwell
Letterer(s)	Kurt Hathaway
Editor(s)	Matt Hawkins
Collection Design	{{{designer}}}
Cover Artist(s)	Hector Gomez
Adaptation of
Published	20 March 1996
Collects
Collected in
Reprints
Reprinted as
Pages	{{{pages}}}
ISBN	[[Special:Booksources/\|]]
Population	0 Survivors
Special	{{{special}}}
Chronology
Previous		Next
Starbuck #2	Starbuck #3	(End of Comic Series)
Purchase
Available at BOOKSAMILLION.COM - Purchase
Available at Amazon.com – [[amazon:{{{amazon}}}\|Purchase]]
Available at Amazon.co.uk – Purchase
Available at Things From Another World - Purchase

Plot Synopsis

Vipers pursue the Destroyers, and all but Leiter's are wiped out, ending the attack. Starbuck and the Western Nationalists free the prisoners, Starbuck kisses the girl, then heads back to Galactica to be reunited with Chameleon and Cassiopeia.

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This article has a separate continuity.
This article is in the Dynamite Comics separate continuity, which is related to the Original Series. Be sure that your contributions to this article reflect the characters and events specific to this continuity only.

Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck #1 An issue of the Dynamite series.

Issue No.	1
Writer(s)	Tony Lee
Illustrator(s)	{{{illustrator}}}
Penciller(s)
Inker(s)	Eman Casallos
Colorist(s)	Davi Correia (pages); Adriano Lucas (cover)
Letterer(s)	Joshua Cozine
Editor(s)
Collection Design	{{{designer}}}
Cover Artist(s)	Sean Chen
Adaptation of
Published	November 2013
Collects
Collected in	Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck
Reprints
Reprinted as
Pages	{{{pages}}}
ISBN	725130209306
Population	0 Survivors
Special	{{{special}}}
Chronology
Previous		Next
	Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck #1	Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck 2
Purchase
Available at BOOKSAMILLION.COM - Purchase
Available at Amazon.com – [[amazon:{{{amazon}}}\|Purchase]]
Available at Amazon.co.uk – Purchase
Available at Things From Another World - Purchase

Finally, the origin of Lt. Starbuck is told by #1 New York Times best-selling author Tony Lee! See how Starbuck became a Viper pilot, his first meeting with Apollo and why Adama treats him like a son - as he pieces together what really happened the night he was orphaned, and the name of the traitor who ordered it...^[1]

Plot

The events depicted in this installment take place between 7322 and 7335. Future installments take place in 7346.

Yahren 7322 — Umbra, Caprica

The attack on Umbra, Caprica is underway as Captain Adama and Tigh from battlestar Rylon engage the Cylon Raiders. While Rylon has scrambled additional Viper, Adama and Tigh on left to melee with the squadrons of enemy fighters.
During the engagement, Adama informs Tigh that Ila ferried Apollo and Athena to Rylon the moment the basestar appeared over Caprica. When Tigh notes Ila's pallor from the week prior, Adama reveals that Ila is pregnant with a boy, but have not yet decided on a name. Ila wants to name their newest son Zac, while Adama prefers Starbuck.
Engaging the phalanx of Raiders at 10-to-1 odds, Adama's fighter is shot down over the Forest of Thorns. Before Adama crash-lands, he orders Tigh to return to Rylon for reinforcements.
Adama extricates himself from his burning Viper's cockpit, only to be attacked by a lone, damaged Cylon Centurion.
Adama goads the Centurion to kill him, but the Cylon is attacked by a hurt, barefoot boy with a large tree limb.
The Cylon's left arm dangling at its side, Adama brings his laser pistol to bear and blows off the Centurion's head.
Adama recovers his ear piece, replying to Tigh's declarations over the communication channel. Adama informs Tigh that a kid saved him, and requests a med-ship for the kid.

Yahren 7322 — Battlestar Rylon

Rylon's medic speaks to Adama, whose left arm is restrained by a sling, about the boy's condition. Electronic feedback from the Centurion that the boy attacked has affected the boy's frontal lobe. Coupled with the post-traumatic stress, the boy will be an amnesiac at best; a nameless orphan along the three thousand other Umbran children that need homes.
Adama gives the boy a name: Starbuck. He feels that the boy who saved his life is a fighter, and Adama pledges to find him a home. The doctor signs off on the name and during the conversation Ila's pregnancy comes up, as well as a question of what they'll name his and Ila's boy. Adama has made his decision and agrees with his wife's decision in naming their boy Zac.

Yahren 7328 — Caprica

At Flight-Major Adama's home, teenagers Athena and Apollo are playing on the couch. Apollo is reenacting a Viper launch, but Athena claims that first-year cadets don't leave the classroom and asks her father to support that statement. She then states that when she's old enough, she'll join the academy in the aim of outranking Apollo.
Adama's house servant informs Adama that a boy is asking to see him: Starbuck.
Adama meets Starbuck at the front door. Starbuck asks Adama to sponsor his application to be a Colonial Pilot, as Starbuck hasn't a biological parent to do so. Starbuck didn't want to tell his foster parents until he had spoken to Adama about it.
Adama notes that he is honored, but strongly believes that the request should come from his adopted father. Starbuck is displeased, noting that "it's not like you owe me your life or anything," and speeds away on his turbocycle.
Apollo, having observed the conversation from an upper story window with Athena, tells her to stay behind while he pursues Starbuck.
Back home in "Lower Caprica" in a run-down domicile, Starbuck's foster parents react to Starbuck's conversation with Adama. Starbuck's foster father is livid at Starbuck going behind their backs on the request, but Starbuck counters that the request would have been agreed to, and the conversation would then move towards becoming a farmer—a vocation shared by his foster father's father, and down the line.
Starbuck's foster mother asks if this decision is prompted by something they did, but Starbuck is adamant that he always wanted to be a Colonial Warrior since the night he saved Adama in the Thorn forest.
Starbuck's foster father suggests that Starbuck to go for a ride, so that he may discuss with his wife. Starbuck agrees and leaves, encountering Apollo waiting outside the domicile. Apollo is displeased that Starbuck had disrespected Adama. In order to teach him a lesson, Apollo agrees to a turobcycle race. If Starbuck wins, Apollo agrees to convince Adama to sponsor Starbuck, but if Starbuck loses then Starbuck agrees to stick to agro farming and never bother Adama or his family again.
They head for the dirt track up the side of Mount Colicos for a no holds barred race.
During the start of the race, Apollo chides Starbuck for not knowing who his father was. Starbuck is enraged, telling the eldest son that were it not for his actions that fateful night, Apollo wouldn't have a father either. Apollo rebukes the comment, noting that "from what I heard, all you did was hit a toaster with a stick."
Apollo speeds ahead, throwing dirt in Starbuck's face. After insulting Apollo by asking if cheating is something taught at the Academy, Starbuck turns his turbocycle and strikes Apollo's cycle. During this act, a rock hits the side wheel rim and strikes Apollo's forehead.
Apollo is rendered unconscious on the turbocycle, and Starbuck acts quickly by jumping off his cycle and knocking Apollo off from his and onto the dirt path. Both cycles careen over the cliff and burn.
Meanwhile, Athena and Adama arrive at Mount Colicos, as Athena has informed her father of Apollo's plan to handle Starbuck in a race. Adama assures her that divulging this to him would be the least of Apollo's problems, and notes that the smoke they've seen could be the result of some accident.
On the dirt path, Apollo and Starbuck come across Athena and Adama. Apollo and Starbuck have since bonded over their experience, which Apollo informs his father about. After meeting Athena for the first time, Starbuck and the rest enter Adama's transport; Adama has been begrudgingly convinced to sign off on sponsoring Starbuck's Warrior application.

Yahren 7331 — Battlestar Pegasus

Cadet Starbuck first meets his flight instructor, Lieutenant Wyler, in battlestar Pegasus's hangar bay. Wyler informs Starbuck that it isn't his first time being shadowed by a cadet, and Starbuck shares with Wyler his enthusiasm for flying many Vipers over many years to come. Wyler's imparts that every pilot only ever flies three Vipers: the one he trains in, the one he escapes from, and the one he dies in.
Wyler introduces Starbuck to fumerellos for the first time, and imparts various bits of wisdom on the impressionable Starbuck in how to deal with women. When pressed, Starbuck admits to an affection for Athena, and that he views her in a different light than other women. Starbuck believes that impressing Athena is in earning more cubits, to which Wyler introduces Starbuck to gambling via pyramid to make "cubits work for you." He then pledges to take the young Starbuck under his wing in various rouge vices, believing that a Warrior is more than just fighting and flying: namely drinking, gambling and girls.

Yahren 7335 — Caprica

Starbuck celebrates becoming a Colonial Warrior following a ceremony witnessed by Adama, Athena, and Apollo. Apollo wryly notes that while he never doubted that Starbuck would become a warrior, he had doubted that Boomer and Jolly would have made it as well.
As Starbuck begins talking to Athena—noting that they haven't spoken in a while—Boomer interrupts and asks Starbuck if he had received his orders yet, noting that Jolly was assigned to Galactica. Starbuck replies that all three of the newly minted Warriors have, commenting that it's Apollo's plan to keep them on the straight and narrow.
Asking after Captain Wyler, Starbuck is informed by Adama about some sorrowful news: Wyler's patrol was ambushed by Cylon Raiders yesterday and no one had survived.
Starbuck leaves the ceremony to deal with his grief in the only way he knows how: gambling.
At a chancery frequented by both himself and the late Wyler, Starbuck plays with a man called McKintosh. In the course of the game, McKintosh learns of Starbuck's past, and taunts Starbuck with a tall tale that conflicts with the official story of that night. Claiming to be a truck driver ferrying agro goods from Umbra that night, McKintosh bets a data chip worn around his neck. This data chip is said to contain data that the defense net was disabled, thus allowing the Cylons to attack.
Despite fellow player Tycho's sentiments about Starbuck being played, Starbuck shows off his winning hand of full pyramid and wins the chip. He shares the remaining cubits from the pot by buying a round for the house, "courtesy of the late Captain Wyler."

Yahren 7335 — Battlestar Galactica

Returning to Galactica a day later, Starbuck attempts to access the chip, only to find it corrupted.
Lieutenant Apollo meets up with Starbuck, checking to see if he is all right. Starbuck replies in the affirmative, placing the data chip in a box, under the lid to which features a photo of his foster parents—he notes that it was a shame that his foster parents couldn't make it due to harvest season.
Apollo offers to take Starbuck on his first patrol and, after gentle ribbing about Starbuck having changed his mind to become a farmer—Starbuck's idea of a nightmare—Starbuck gladly accepts the offer.
Launching from Galactica, Apollo offers his condolences on Wyler. Starbuck notes that Wyler died exactly as he had expected: in his third of the three Viper that all pilots will ever fly. They then race to the nearby binary star.

Notes

Nods

Mount Colicos is a nod to John Colicos, the actor who portrayed Baltar in the Original Series.
Wyler's "three Vipers a pilot flies in" axiom is noted (and originates from) Starbuck's comment in a piece of dialogue from "The Young Lords."
While the cover of this issue depicts Brie, Athena, Cassiopeia and one of the Tucana singers, only Athena appears in this installment.

Errata

As with other entries in the Dynamite Entertainment comics, a mix of Re-Imagined Series and Original Series terminologies occurs:
- This includes the use of the word "toaster" to describe a Cylon.
- The backgrounds of the Viper bay on battlestar Pegasus are those of the hangar deck from the Re-imagined Series.
- The left shoulder patches on Rycon and Pegasus Warrior uniforms are Galactica emblems; they should be different. This is a common error in most comic book depictions depicting officers and Warriors from other battlestars.
- The Vipers depicted are visually more in line with the Re-imagined Series Mark II Viper than the Original Series counterpart.
- Civilians wear contemporary clothing (modern suits with ties, vests, tank tops, red dresses, t-shirts) as opposed to the distinct Egyptian-esque clothing designed by Jean-Pierre Dorleac.
In dialogue between Starbuck and McKintosh, Starbuck erroneously states that the attack on Umbra was 15 yahrens ago. However, it was only 13 yahrens ago by that point in the story.

Analysis

The battlestar Rylon may be a misspelling of the battlestar Rycon, which had been commanded by Commander Kronus, as noted in "Take the Celestra."
This issue features misogynistic acts of note, including:
- A comment about Tigh needing to "stop being a girl" from Adama, after Adama destroys a pursuing raider that Tigh couldn't shake over Umbra.
- Comments from Starbuck's flight instructor, Wyler, on how to be a ladies' man. Wyler believes that women like rogues and money, and that fumerellos (sic) are supposed to burn in order to "make your voice all grown up and manly."
Such misogyny appears to be the author's way of reconciling the male-centric behaviors in the Original Series, notably Starbuck's "roguish" behaviors.

Questions

Relating to Umbra:
- Why did the Cylons attack Umbra?
- Were there other such attacks by the Cylons in the vein of the Umbra attack?
- How were the Cylons able to bypass Colonial patrols to reach Caprica?
- Are McKintosh's claims about the defense net being deliberately disabled true?
- Did McKintosh know that the data chip he wagered, and won by Starbuck, had been corrupted?
How did the forest of Thorns get its name?
Who were the Commanders of Pegasus and Rylon during the time periods depicted in the story?
Were there no birth records that could have assisted in identifying Starbuck?
What happened to Starbuck's biological parents? Were they indeed killed in the attack? (Answer)

Noteworthy Dialogue

Wyler imparts advice upon a young Cadet Starbuck:
Wyler: Starbuck, a Viper pilot only flies in three Vipers. The one he trains in, the one he escapes from, and the one he dies in. Remember that.

Wyler on being a Colonial Warrior:
Wyler: Oh, Starbuck—I'm going to teach you everything about being a warrior. Not just the flying—any fool can do that. I mean, the drinking, the gambling, the girls!

Gallery

Colorized cover.
Inked cover variant.
Inked Page #1
Colorized & Lettered Page #1
Inked Page #2
Colorized & Lettered Page #2
Inked Page #3
Colorized & Lettered Page #3
Inked Page #4
Colorized & Lettered Page #4
Colorized & Lettered Page #5

External links

Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck #1 at Dynamite Entertainment

References

↑ BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: STARBUCK #1 (OF 4) (backup available on Archive.org) (in ). Retrieved on 16 May 2019.

For direct navigation sans the tabbed navigational aid above, please select one of the following article links:

[serial-1] Confirmed number from QMX dogtags given to them by the studio.

[cole-2] 1.0 ^1.1 Larocque, John (28 Feburary 2005). Interview with Galactica 1980 story editor Allan Cole (backup available on Archive.org) . Retrieved on 11 August 2007.

[3] Hise, James Van (1980). "GALACTICA 1980: THE STORY EDITORS FOR GALACTICA 1980 DESCRIBE THE DEATH RATTLE OF THE SERIES". SFTV (Unknown): 31.

[4] Galactic Sci-Fi Television Series Revisited. Alpha Control Press, 1995.

[5] This is not his birth name.

[6] BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: STARBUCK #1 (OF 4) (backup available on Archive.org) (in ). Retrieved on 16 May 2019.

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	Dynamite Entertainment Comics Based on the Original Series
Volume 1 Issue #1 \| Issue #2 \| Issue #3 \| Issue #4 \| Issue #5
Volume 2 Issue #1 \| Issue #2 \| Issue #3 \| Issue #4 \| Issue #5 \| Issue #6 \| Issue #7 \| Issue #8 \| Issue #9 \| Issue #10 \| Issue #11 \| Issue #12
Volume 3 Issue #1 \| Issue #2 \| Issue #3 \| Issue #4 \| Issue #5
Battlestar Galactica Classic: Counterstrike Issue #0 \| Issue #1 \| Issue #2 \| Issue #3 \| Issue #4 \| Issue #5
Cylon Apocalypse Issue 1 \| Issue 2 \| Issue 3 \| Issue 4
Death of Apollo Issue 1 \| Issue 2 \| Issue 3 \| Issue 4 \| Issue 5 \| Issue 6
Starbuck Issue 1 \| Issue 2 \| Issue 3 \| Issue 4