Lieutenant Starbuck
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Starbuck of the Colonial Service, played by Dirk Benedict
, is a fictional character
in the 1978 science fiction
television series Battlestar Galactica
. Starbuck is a Viper
starfighter pilot, gambler, womanizer and smoker of "fumerellos," or cigars. He is involved with Lieutenant Athena
and Socialator Cassiopeia
, and best friend of Captain Apollo
. Lieutenant Athena
was the younger sister of Captain Apollo
as well as the daughter of Commander Adama
.
, portrayed by Fred Astaire
in the episode "The Man With Nine Lives," is discovered to be Starbuck's father, but Chameleon never reveals this fact to his son, instead trusting only Cassiopeia with this knowledge.
Starbuck is very close to the family of Commander Adama
, who refers to Starbuck as a man "he loves like a son" in Galactica 1980
: "The Return Of Starbuck
."
Starbuck was well liked and had close friendships with some of the other colonial viper pilots such as Lieutenant Jolly, and Lieutenant Boomer.
Starbuck is well renowned as an excellent fighter pilot, but nonetheless manages to crash a Viper four times, in "Saga Of A Star World
," "The Long Patrol," "The Young Warriors," "The Return Of Starbuck
," to crash a shuttle at least once, in "The Gun On Ice Planet Zero
," or get into a difficult situation in a dogfight.
Starbuck returned for one episode, "The Return Of Starbuck
," in Galactica 1980
.
"The Wheel of Fire," an unproduced Galactica 1980
episode, reveals that Starbuck was eventually rescued by the beings from the Ship of Lights and that the entire affair of Starbuck finding Angela, delivering her child, and sending him to the Colonial Fleet was engineered by them, to test whether Starbuck was worthy to join them. Starbuck passes the test and becomes one of the Ship's crew.
The re-imagined Battlestar Galactica
series episode "You Can't Go Home Again
" gives a nod to this episode. In the episode, Lt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace
crashes on a deserted planet and must repair a Cylon Raider
to rejoin the fleet.
Starbuck reappears in Richard Hatch
's original Galactica novels, described as still the best pilot in the fleet, even though over 10 years have passed since the last episode and the start of the novel series. He and Cassiopeia have a daughter named Dalton, who becomes a fighter pilot.
, after his work as Starbuck. In one episode, the second season's "Steel," while on the Universal Studios
film lot, a Cylon walks past Peck, causing him to do a double take. This shot was used on the later second, third and fourth season opening credits for the series.
. In the novel, it is the name of the first mate of the whaling ship where most of the story takes place, the Pequod
.
Dirk Benedict
Dirk Benedict is an American movie, television and stage actor, perhaps best known for playing the characters Lieutenant Templeton "Faceman" Peck in The A-Team television series and Lieutenant Starbuck in the original Battlestar Galactica film and television series.-Early life:Benedict was born...
, is a fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the 1978 science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series, created by Glen A. Larson. It starred Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict and ran for one season in 1978–79. After cancellation, its story was continued in 1980 as Galactica 1980 with Adama, Lieutenant Boomer and...
. Starbuck is a Viper
Colonial Viper
The Colonial Viper is the primary fighter spacecraft type used by the human protagonists in the Battlestar Galactica fictional universe. Appearing in both the 1978 original series and the 2003 reimagined series, as well as various derivative works, the single-pilot spacecraft are carried aboard...
starfighter pilot, gambler, womanizer and smoker of "fumerellos," or cigars. He is involved with Lieutenant Athena
Lieutenant Athena
Lieutenant Athena is a fictional character in the original Battlestar Galactica television series, which ran on ABC from 1978 to 1979. The character was portrayed by Maren Jensen.-Character history:...
and Socialator Cassiopeia
Cassiopeia (Battlestar Galactica)
Cassiopeia is a fictional character in the original Battlestar Galactica which ran on ABC from 1978 to 1979. The role was portrayed by Laurette Spang.-History:...
, and best friend of Captain Apollo
Captain Apollo
Captain Apollo is the name of a fictional character in the Battlestar Galactica franchise. He was first played by Richard Hatch, who would also later appear as the character of Tom Zarek in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series in 2005....
. Lieutenant Athena
Lieutenant Athena
Lieutenant Athena is a fictional character in the original Battlestar Galactica television series, which ran on ABC from 1978 to 1979. The character was portrayed by Maren Jensen.-Character history:...
was the younger sister of Captain Apollo
Captain Apollo
Captain Apollo is the name of a fictional character in the Battlestar Galactica franchise. He was first played by Richard Hatch, who would also later appear as the character of Tom Zarek in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series in 2005....
as well as the daughter of Commander Adama
Commander Adama
Commander Adama is a fictional character in the 1978 movie and subsequent ABC television series Battlestar Galactica and its continuation series, Galactica 1980. Adama is the commander of the great military vessel Battlestar Galactica, commander of the refugee fleet and military commander of the...
.
Fictional character history
Orphaned at a very young age in the Cylon attack on Umbra, a small agro community on Caprica at the edge of the thorn forest in yahren 7322, Starbuck never knew his parents. The man known as ChameleonChameleon (Battlestar Galactica)
Chameleon is a character from the television series Battlestar Galactica, appearing in the installment "The Man With Nine Lives." He was an older gentleman, well versed in the art of flattery and misdirection, which he used to con unsuspecting Colonists out of the things he needed to survive...
, portrayed by Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
in the episode "The Man With Nine Lives," is discovered to be Starbuck's father, but Chameleon never reveals this fact to his son, instead trusting only Cassiopeia with this knowledge.
Starbuck is very close to the family of Commander Adama
Commander Adama
Commander Adama is a fictional character in the 1978 movie and subsequent ABC television series Battlestar Galactica and its continuation series, Galactica 1980. Adama is the commander of the great military vessel Battlestar Galactica, commander of the refugee fleet and military commander of the...
, who refers to Starbuck as a man "he loves like a son" in Galactica 1980
Galactica 1980
Galactica 1980 is a science fiction television series, and a spin-off from the 1978–1979 series Battlestar Galactica. It was first broadcast on the ABC network in the United States from January 27 to May 4, 1980.-Development:...
: "The Return Of Starbuck
The Return of Starbuck
"The Return of Starbuck" is the tenth and final episode of the television series Galactica 1980, a spin-off of the earlier ABC science fiction series Battlestar Galactica....
."
Starbuck was well liked and had close friendships with some of the other colonial viper pilots such as Lieutenant Jolly, and Lieutenant Boomer.
Starbuck is well renowned as an excellent fighter pilot, but nonetheless manages to crash a Viper four times, in "Saga Of A Star World
Saga of a Star World
"Saga of a Star World" is the pilot for the American science fiction television series of Battlestar Galactica which was produced in 1978 by Glen A. Larson...
," "The Long Patrol," "The Young Warriors," "The Return Of Starbuck
The Return of Starbuck
"The Return of Starbuck" is the tenth and final episode of the television series Galactica 1980, a spin-off of the earlier ABC science fiction series Battlestar Galactica....
," to crash a shuttle at least once, in "The Gun On Ice Planet Zero
Gun on Ice Planet Zero
"Gun on Ice Planet Zero" is a two-part episode of the original Battlestar Galactica television series. Robert Thurston adapted the screenplay into a novel he titled The Cylon Death Machine.-Summary:...
," or get into a difficult situation in a dogfight.
Starbuck returned for one episode, "The Return Of Starbuck
The Return of Starbuck
"The Return of Starbuck" is the tenth and final episode of the television series Galactica 1980, a spin-off of the earlier ABC science fiction series Battlestar Galactica....
," in Galactica 1980
Galactica 1980
Galactica 1980 is a science fiction television series, and a spin-off from the 1978–1979 series Battlestar Galactica. It was first broadcast on the ABC network in the United States from January 27 to May 4, 1980.-Development:...
.
"The Wheel of Fire," an unproduced Galactica 1980
Galactica 1980
Galactica 1980 is a science fiction television series, and a spin-off from the 1978–1979 series Battlestar Galactica. It was first broadcast on the ABC network in the United States from January 27 to May 4, 1980.-Development:...
episode, reveals that Starbuck was eventually rescued by the beings from the Ship of Lights and that the entire affair of Starbuck finding Angela, delivering her child, and sending him to the Colonial Fleet was engineered by them, to test whether Starbuck was worthy to join them. Starbuck passes the test and becomes one of the Ship's crew.
The re-imagined Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson...
series episode "You Can't Go Home Again
You Can't Go Home Again (Battlestar Galactica)
"You Can't Go Home Again" is the fifth episode of the first season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series.-Plot:Starbuck is forced to bail out over an inhospitable planet after her Viper was badly damaged during a dog fight with a Cylon Raider. On Galactica, one of the pilots...
" gives a nod to this episode. In the episode, Lt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace
Kara Thrace
Kara Thrace is a fictional character in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica franchise. Played by Katee Sackhoff, she is a revised version of Lieutenant Starbuck from the 1978 Battlestar Galactica series...
crashes on a deserted planet and must repair a Cylon Raider
Cylon Raider
The Cylon Raider is the standard starfighter used by the Cylons, in the various Battlestar Galactica movies and television series. Cylon raiders are used as the main line of defense for Cylon Basestars.- Original series :...
to rejoin the fleet.
Starbuck reappears in Richard Hatch
Richard Hatch
Richard Hatch is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Captain Apollo in the original Battlestar Galactica television series, and also as Tom Zarek in the remake of Battlestar Galactica....
's original Galactica novels, described as still the best pilot in the fleet, even though over 10 years have passed since the last episode and the start of the novel series. He and Cassiopeia have a daughter named Dalton, who becomes a fighter pilot.
In other media
Dirk Benedict was cast in the somewhat similar role of Lieutenant Templeton "The Face-Man" Peck on the NBC television series The A-TeamThe A-Team
The A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
, after his work as Starbuck. In one episode, the second season's "Steel," while on the Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
film lot, a Cylon walks past Peck, causing him to do a double take. This shot was used on the later second, third and fourth season opening credits for the series.
Origins of name
The name of the character Starbuck is derived from the story of Moby DickMoby-Dick
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, was written by American author Herman Melville and first published in 1851. It is considered by some to be a Great American Novel and a treasure of world literature. The story tells the adventures of wandering sailor Ishmael, and his voyage on the whaleship Pequod,...
. In the novel, it is the name of the first mate of the whaling ship where most of the story takes place, the Pequod
Pequod (Moby-Dick)
The Pequod is a fictitious 19th century Nantucket whaleship that appears in the 1851 novel Moby-Dick by American author Herman Melville. The Pequod and her crew, commanded by Captain Ahab, are central to the story, which, after the initial chapters, takes place almost entirely aboard the ship...
.
External links
- Starbuck at the Battlestar Wiki