Starbuck's Raider

Starbuck's Raider^[1] is a confiscated Cylon craft shot down by Lt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace over the red moon during a training exercise with various nuggets ^{(TRS: "Act of Contrition")}. Thrace subsequently recovers the craft by its own power, allowing her to rejoin the Fleet before Commander William Adama is forced by President Laura Roslin (aided by Col. Saul Tigh) to abandon the SAR for Thrace ^{(TRS: "You Can't Go Home Again")}.

Its recovery leads to many discoveries regarding Cylon biological technology, allowing the Colonials to retrofit the ship with Colonial technological instrumentation for future use ^{(TRS: "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down", "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I")}.

First Insights

After ejecting from Viper 4077, Thrace happens across the relatively intact Raider, discovering the exception of a single impact point at the right "temple" of the Raider's fore that disabled the fighter. Her investigation reveals a large rubber-like button that opens underside, revealing an inner sinewy skin layer that she is able to cut through, allowing her access to the interior.

In relatively short order, Thrace is able to discern the Raider's structure, ripping out its brain mass from the fuselage, discovering its oxygen supply, and effects a repair of the hull breach using a piece of her flight suit. While doing so, she uses the yellow tape from her equipment bag to spell "STAR" and "BUCK" across the underside of its wingspan for identification.

Through trial-and-error, Thrace is able to discern the various ligamenture and organ structures to control the ship from the inside using her hands and feet, thus allowing her return to the Fleet before it jumps away ^{(TRS: "You Can't Go Home Again")}.

Supplemental Insights

Using Thrace's notes, which include imprecise descriptions of its anatomy (e.g. a dog-shaped organ), Chief Galen Tyrol and his deck gang attempt to make sense of the Raider's operation. Some of this understanding crystallizes when Lt. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii, subconsciously communing with her Cylon nature, conveys that the Raider is more of an animal and would best respond if treated accordingly ^{(TRS: "Flesh and Bone")}.

Understanding its FTL Capability

Due to a "wounded bird" appearing to jump intermittently among the Fleet, Galactica's crew are able to record its signals and discern the functionality of the Raider's FTL drive ^{(TRS: "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down")}.

It becomes known that Cylon FTL technology is superior to the Colonial's as Thrace absconds with the Raider, returning to Caprica to recover the Arrow of Apollo from the Delphi Museum of the Colonies ^{(TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II")}.

After Thrace recovers the artifact, she encounters Karl "Helo" Agathon and a Caprica-copy of Sharon "Boomer" Valerii at the museum, realizing that Valerii is a Cylon. Fearful for her safety and that of her unborn child, Valerii absconds with the Raider, forcing Agathon and Thrace to find alternate means off the planet and back to the Fleet ^{(TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II", "Scattered")}.

This particular Raider's fate thereafter is unstated.