The Return of Starbuck

"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 Lieutenant Starbuck Judith Chapman (Angela) Rex Cutter ("Cy") Gary Owens ("Cy" (voice)) Ellen Gurkin (Girl on bridge)
Production No.	1.10
Nielsen Rating
US airdate	1980-05-04 (Series Finale)
CAN airdate	{{{CAN airdate}}}
UK airdate
DVD release
Population	survivors
Additional Info
Full Credits
Episode Chronology
Previous		Next
Space Croppers	The Return of Starbuck	(Series Cancellation)
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Listing of props for this episode
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Overview

Doctor Zee relates a dream he had about a pilot called Starbuck to Commander Adama; thus revealing Starbuck's fate.

Summary

Starbuck in The Return of Starbuck

• Unable to sleep, Doctor Zee awakens Commander Adama.

• Zee relates to Adama a dream he has had about a great warrior whose name was Lieutenant Starbuck, and the rest of the episode relates this tale.

• Years back, Starbuck and Boomer are on patrol, but are ambushed by Cylon raiders.

• In the battle, Starbuck's Viper is damaged severely, and he realizes he will not be able to make it back to the fleet.

• Starbuck manages to find a small planet in the nick of time, and crash lands his damaged Viper on the surface.

• He comes to, with a blinding headache, most of his ship damaged beyond repair.

• Climbing out of the wreck he discovers nothing but sand and barren rock on this desert planet.

• Exploring the terrain for a while, Starbuck suddenly happens upon the wreckage of a Cylon fighter from the battle.

• Surveying the wreckage, soon Starbuck begins pulling the Cylon ship apart to construct a shelter.

• After a time, Starbuck decides to cannibalize the robot Cylons and try to rebuild one of them into a functioning Centurion.

• 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.

Cy in The Return of Starbuck

• 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 instructs the Cylon on how to play the Colonial card game pyramid.

• Starbuck grows bored with the card games over time, and Cy realizes that Starbuck is cheating.

• Cy deduces that Starbuck is bored with him, and would prefer the company of a human female. 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.

• Starbuck is shocked when Cy arrives the next morning, carrying an unconscious, pregnant woman in his arms.

• Starbuck attempts to talk to the mysterious woman but she does not respond, just stares without speaking.

• This goes on for a few days, then, out of nowhere the woman asks Starbuck a short question: 'Would you die for me?' The woman, named Angela, remains enigmatic and refuses to elaborate on how she came to be on the planet.

• She starts 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.

• 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.

• 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 Angela to the completed hybrid ship and gets her and the baby inside.

• There is no room for Starbuck in the ship; not if the mother and baby are to make it back to the Colonial fleet, and so he makes a sacrifice and decides to stay behind, launching the ship manually and letting Angela and the baby go.

Starbuck cradles Cy

• 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 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.

• Dr Zee's voice grows more disturbed as he recounts the progress of the pod towards the Galactica, containing the 'incredible gift' of a child from the stars.

• He realizes that the dream was referring to him, and that he is the gift.

• Starbuck's ultimate fate remains unknown.

• The fate of the series, however, was defined before this episode: "Galactica 1980" is cancelled as of this episode.

Questions

• Now that the Cylons know about the first crash on planet Starbuck, will they follow up the first rescue mission with a second?
  • The Fleet was also be under attack by the same Cylons, which forced it to escape, leaving Starbuck on his own. (See Noteworthy Dialogue)
• What happened to Starbuck?
  • While Starbuck is a resourceful human, the series' events show that Starbuck is never able to return to the Fleet. He either dies on the planet; becomes marooned in space, unable to make port or catch up with the Fleet; or successfully finds a safe port to live out his life.
• Where is Apollo during this time?
  • As no mention of Apollo is given in this episode, the only conclusions to be made are that (1) Apollo is dead, or (2) Apollo is not yet dead.
• What is the status of the Fleet?
  • Since the Fleet appears mostly intact as it arrives around Earth at the start of the series, the Fleet generally remained intact from the time of Starbuck's disappearance to its Earthly arrival.
• What would have happened next had the series continued?
  • This question will remain a mystery without an official source to answer it, such as a past writer or comments from Glen Larson (see Notes).

Analysis

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.

Notes

• "The Return of Starbuck" is viewed as -- and was -- the last best hope to save Galactica 1980. It failed.
• Had the series been permitted to live, an episode called "The Wheel of Fire" would have seen Starbuck rescued by the Beings of Light to become one of their rank.

Noteworthy Dialogue

Starbuck: I've been in charge of this planet for three days and already I've doubled the population. I 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>

Starbuck: You'd think I'd save you and then let you shoot me? Besides, it doesn't work. Here, try it.

<Starbuck hands weapon back, Cy pulls trigger>

Starbuck: You really did!

<On Galactica's bridge>

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 turns away, suppressing tears>

Boomer: Thank you, sir. I appreciate your honesty.

<Boomer leaves>

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 turns away>

AdamaGoodbye, Starbuck. I love you. We all love you.

Galactica 1980 definition:  the Cylon variant of the automatic beacon; a portable version of this is taken from the A-B Raider and attached to Centuri before Andromus and the Centurion escape the crash (1980: "The Night the Cylons Landed, Part I")