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Battlestar Fodder

Battlestar Galactica: Episode 2.15 - "Scar"

by Shannon Nolley, Sci-Fi Fodder Editor

Kara and Anders

Scar
Episode 2.15
3 February 2006

This was a very Starbuck episode! There are some really great moments here (some really HOT moments too!) Going through all my notes of the episode, though, the first thing I'm struck with is how it was presented. It was one of those "told in reverse" episodes. We start off at "the present" then jump all the way back 94 hours, then 88 hours, then so on and so on, back to "the present." They seem to keep doing that. It's getting annoying. Nonetheless, it's a "must see" episode. We get some really good insight into Starbuck and see her grow as a woman and a warrior. If you like Starbuck, you'll love this.

KaraWe open the show with Starbuck (Kara) and Kat hunting a Cylon named "Scar" who has killed a couple of pilots at least. (Yes, I was hoping this episode would be about Starbuck's scar but noooooo.)

Then we start with the back storytelling. Riley is dead (No, I don't remember off the top of my head who Riley was). He couldn't control his fear and Scar got him. They find a picture of Riley's girlfriend, but no one can remember her name. Kat continues to try to remember, but can't. Some new recruits who had been training on the Pegasus join the pilots. They heckle them, saying that they'll be meat for Scar.

Top Gun88 hours ago. Starbuck and Kat begin their sparing. The pilots are in the bar drinking. Starbuck and Kat throw insults about boozing (Starbuck's) and pill popping (Kat's). We can all but hear the claws sharpening. We've seen the tension growing between them the two alpha females for some time, but it peaks in this episode.

AndersWhat's important here is this: (1) Starbuck describes Scar's tactics - he hides behind asteroids, sneaks up on you, attacks, then jumps away before the pilots or their wingmen can return fire. This is war. It's a smart an effective way to take out your enemies; (2) Starbuck can't get Anders (the hot resistance leader on Caprica) out of her head. She sees him over and over again in her mind's eye. How she promised she'd return with help, but couldn't convince Admiral Adama or the President to return to the planet; (3) Starbuck is drinking more than usual and becoming more reckless because of her guilt over Anders. Even Apollo is getting concerned. Kat sees this and is using it to her advantage - to test boundaries and assert herself as "top gun." (There's a beer stein that reads "Top Gun" on it that Starbuck drinks from. It's apparently awarded to the top pilot at the time. Starbuck says that Kat will never drink from it.)

ScarMeanwhile, back in the "present," Starbuck and Kat are hunting Scar. Kat spots a Cylon Raider and thinks its Scar. She pursues. Starbuck suspects that it's not, but follows. Of course, it's not Scar. He's watching from a safe, concealed spot. He pursues after they pass. (He seems to be named Scar for what appears to be battle scars on his "face.")

(The Opening Credits)

Starbuck is antsy and thinks this feels wrong. She decides to check behind them and flips her ship around. After a few moments, Scar comes from out of the sun (or some other bright, blinding star) and gets in a few good hits on Starbuck's ship.

AdamaWe do another flashback. 80 hours ago. We're watching cockpit footage from one of the Vipers that Scar took out. It's all about what the pilot did wrong. How he screwed up. How they should learn from it and not do that. On the bridge, President Roslin is discussing the mining operation on the asteroid with Admiral Adama and Colonel Tigh. They've broken another drill bit and need another 8 days. The colonial mining ship Majahual has been working around the clock for a month extracting essential metals from an asteroid (you know, that stuff they build and fix their ships with). The fleet has moved on with the Pegasus, leaving Galactica behind to guard the miners from persistent Cylon raids. No one is thrilled with staying around the asteroid longer. Scar is taking out Viper pilots left and right. They need to get out of there. They need the metal more, though.

Starbuck is briefing the pilots. Kat argues with her over the orders from the CAG (Apollo - who is seldom seen so far in this episode). Back and forth the ladies go again. Key here - the question is raised "Why have the Cylons stopped coming at us in mass?" Hmmm. That's a good question.

Sharon and KaraStarbuck is now in the brig with Sharon. Who better to ask than a Cylon? Sharon says that Scar has probably died and been reborn dozens of times. Over and over that happens. Raiders are like trained animals. Is that the best fighter? A trained soldier who can be reborn into a new body with all the experience and training as before? Death then becomes a learning experience. Yeah. No kidding. Sharon says that since the Resurrection ship was destroyed, they are less inclined to risky attacks - they will die for good. No more being reborn. She asks Starbuck how many pilots have "we" --- she means "you" lost? Starbuck comments that sometimes she forgets what Sharon is - she still sees that "kid" who would screw up her landings and was fraking the Chief and thinking she was getting away with it. Sharon, through tears, says she remembers that. She says something not quite intelligible and reaches for Starbuck, but the guards pull their guns on her. She shrinks back. We don't know what she said. Instead, Starbuck gets up to leave. As she goes, Sharon tells her to be careful. Scar is dangerous and filled with rage. Sharon says that every time Scar dies it's more and more painful of an experience. He hates Starbuck and the other pilots as much as they hate him.

Then, on with more pissing contests between Starbuck and Kat in the gym. Kat beats Starbuck's record in shooting after being spun around in a gyro-chair. More tension between them. Yes. We get it. Just make out already! Heh.

To the "present." Starbuck is hit. Kat has lost visual on her. Starbuck is up against Scar alone. She's ignoring Kat's demands for her position.

Kara and Helo42 hours ago. Starbuck and Helo are training together in the gym. He asks her why she is pushing so hard - Kat is just trying to make her "bones" like Starbuck did before Anders. Helo knows the buttons to push. Anders. Things have changed for Starbuck since then and Helo is the only one in the fleet who was there on Caprica with Starbuck during her time with Anders. He asks if she ever thinks about him. She says no - he's dead. " If you didn't think he had a chance to survive, why’d you promise to return with a rescue party?" he asks. "I thought... I don’t know," she replies. Then, in the pilots' quarters. New recruits (BB) are preparing to go out. Starbuck is gruff with him. Kat goes behind her and gives him more of a pep talk, then the two women bicker about the appropriate level of hand-holding necessary for pilots before they go out and face Scar. Yes, more bickering.

Kara and KatOn the bridge. BB and his wingman are running out of fuel. Need to return. Then, Scar is on them. BB turns into Scar as Starbuck said he should if Scar showed up. But, when you're out of fuel, that's the exception. He doesn't run. The others are too far out to help. They don't make it. Back in the hanger, Kat goes after Starbuck for her "bad" advice to the newbie. "He did what you said!" Starbuck isn't pleased to say the least.

Kara and ApolloApollo and Starbuck are in the bar drinking. Just the two of them. Apollo says that he won't remember BB's face in two weeks. Starbuck says she won't remember his name. She never remembers names. Then she gets more morose. They - Starbuck and Apollo - are risking their lives, saving humanity for a bright shiny future on Earth - one that they'll never see. "A metal mother-fraker is going to get us one day." Apollo dismisses it - "Bright shiny futures are overrated anyway." Starbuck returns "That’s why we gotta get what we can right now. So… why don’t we?" They look at each other for a few seconds then POW! Starbuck kisses Apollo!!!!!!!! YAY!!! How long have we been waiting for this, folks?!?!?!

Kara and Apollo kissJump to their quarters They are taking each other's clothes off. Starbuck is remembering Anders, though. She's rushing. Trying to block Anders out. Apollo tries to slow her down: "This isn't a race!" Starbuck gets defensive and pushes Apollo away. Apollo asks what's wrong? What's going on? What about "us"? "There is no us!!!" Kara yells, "I just wanted a good lay. There’s nothing here! " Uh huh. Nobody really believes that Starbuck. Apollo sees that this isn't about him and asks her what's up. She says "I’m hung up on a dead guy." Anders. Yep. That's him. Apollo - still a bitter from being a pawn in Starbuck's psyche, "You’re fine with the dead guys, it’s the living ones you can’t deal with." She slaps him, then kisses him. Then leaves. She retreats to the training/briefing room where the footage of Scar's kill is playing. She's crying. She's drinking - an entire bottle of something.

KatBack to Scar chasing Starbuck. Kat has a visual on Starbuck now. She's coming. Starbuck has turned in to Scar and is heading right for him. They are playing chicken and firing on each other. Kat screams at Starbuck to pull up - HE’s a machine – he won’t break off.

Kat and Starbuck3 hours ago. Starbuck wakes up slowly with a good hangover. Now in the briefing room, she's addressing the pilots. She is describing how in formations of two, Scar picks on one of them and takes him out before the wingman can ever get a shot off. This just happened to JoJo. He's dead. Starbuck was supposed to be on that mission, but Snake subbed in. Kat is livid. She says that if Starbuck hadn't been up drinking all night, then JoJo might still be alive. Starbuck tells everyone else to leave the room. She's gonna talk to Kat one-on-one. After everyone leaves, Kat says Starbuck is a reckless drunk sending other people out to get killed. Starbuck returns that at least she don’t take pills and get in the cockpit. She says, "You’re afraid most of the time Kat. Afraid you’ll be a forgotten picture that no one remembers. That’s why you ride my ass because you don’t want to admit that Scar scares the living shit out of you." Kat hits her. Starbuck looks about ready to rip her throat out. Apollo enters. Starbuck says they were just talking. (you can hear the innocent whistling in the background.) Great. Fine. Apollo assigns Kat as Kara’s wingman. "I want my heavy hitters out there to greet them," he says. As the women leave the room, he asks Starbuck if she's ok. She says nothing. Guess that means no.

Next, we see Kat walking down a hall with pictures of lost loved ones. A memorial. Starbuck is in her Viper gearing up. Kat finds the picture of Riley's girlfriend and gives it a good long stare. Kat gets to her Viper and looks a wee bit nervous. They head out. We're now back to the beginning of the episode.

Kara flightStarbuck is flashing on memories as she runs engages Scar. She is not going to break. She says to herself "I’ve got nothing to lose." She closes her eyes. To Anders: “I’m coming back. I said it. I meant it.” She wakes up and breaks off her engagement and evades Scar. Determined now, she tells Kat that she's going to put Scar right in front of her. "Don't miss him stim junkie!" She runs him towards the blinding star/sun so his vision is impaired. She breaks suddenly and Kat takes a shot. They hit him! He's dead! Maybe our little Starbuck can be a team player after all.

Kat steinBack on Galactica, the pilots are celebrating in the bar. Kat is holding up the "Top Gun" stein. She yells to Starbuck that her cup is empty - rubbing it in that Starbuck had said that she'd never drink from it. There's a very long pause. Starbuck crosses the room. Picks up a bottle of champagne - and grips it initially as if to strike Kat. She fills the mug. Starbuck then turns to the group and toasts to the lost pilots. She begins to name them. One by one, Starbuck lists them all. It's a long list. She apparently lied about forgetting them. Everyone is moved. Tigh and Adama look on approvingly. Starbuck bows her head in tears. Apollo chimes in, "To all of them!" Adama speaks up too, "So say we all!" The room choruses "So say we all!" Not a dry eye in the house.

Kara hopesWe end with Starbuck sparing in gym with Helo. "I could have taking him out," she says. "A few months ago I would have gone for him myself." She admits to using her wingman because of Anders. She hopes that he's alive and maybe... just maybe... Hope. That's something new for her. Helo (the wise soon-to-be-father of a Cylon baby) says "Now you've got something to live for - not just die for." A very cute mock-fighting/wrestling session ensues.

The End.

Phew!! Despite the jumping back and forth along the timeline, this was a good episode. We really see Starbuck evolving. Giving over some of her power to Kat will make her a better pilot and a better leader. We also see how deep her feelings for Anders run. (He's so cute!) I REALLY can't wait for the show to return to Caprica to find him - or for him to somehow find the fleet. Oooh! Maybe he'll show up in the fleet as a Cylon and impregnate Starbuck! A reversal from the Sharon/Helo scenario. Oooh! Ok. That's a stretch, but at least it'd give us a hot male Cylon. That short guy and the thug just don't cut it. I'll take what I can get when it comes to Anders, I guess.

---

Sacrifice PreviewNext week - Episode 2.16 - "Sacrifice." When civilians learn that Galactica is harboring a Cylon spy, they take hostages and demand Sharon's life in exchange for Apollo's. From the preview picture released, it looks like Dana Delany is guest starring!

Note: Copyright to all images is held by SciFi Channel/Universal Pictures


Posted by Shannon on February 10, 2006 6:22 PM
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