Wednesday, March 07, 2007
I feel obligated to point out that Kara "Starbuck" Thrace/Anders didn't die on Sunday's episode of BSG. The clues all came together this morning. I'd like to say that deep thought went into this but, no. I saw a post on Wired's Table of Malcontents and it all just popped into my head, fully formed.
Kara spoke to an oracle who told her that the cylon Leoben was coming for her. While we did see him in the episode, Kara figured out that he was a figment of her imagination or an aspect of her unconscious. Oracles in BSG have a habit of being accurate in a non-metaphysical sense. Things they've said or seen actually happen. "Spirit-guide Leoben" doesn't satify the statement by the oracle.
But the Heavy Raider does. The episode worked hard to suggest that the Heavy raider was a figment of Kara's delusions, but they continued to toss out the idea that dradis wasn't working well. At one point Apollo loses contact with Starbuck on dradis, lending credence to the idea that Raider might be real. But the kicker is when Lee breaks through the clouds and spots Starbuck's fighter. The POV is from LEE's cockpit. In the distance, there is a Cylon Heavy Raider.
There is the matter of the hole in Starbuck's canopy and the other hole in the back wall of the cockpit. Damage taken when the "imaginary" Heavy Raider took a shot at her. The evidence that the Raider was real is pretty strong, but it could have been director misdirection.
The reason I don't think it was is that it was a Heavy Raider. Why would Starbuck hallucinate a Heavy Raider? The Standard Cylon raider seems much plausible for a fighter jock.
The key thing: Kara reached for her ejection handle. They showed that, but again, didn't really play it up.
See the Heavy Raider doesn't make sense, either as a hallucination or as a production choice until one recalls that the Cylon Heavy Raider is also a Cylon air-mobile troopship. It has a pressurized cabin.
Kara isn't dead. She's a Cylon prisoner. Leoben's prisoner, most likely. Which is actually kind of annoying, because we've been there before.
With all that definite language, you'd think I was certain of my reasoning. I'm not, of course. It's a solid interpretation of events, but television producers like to keep their options open. (SPOILERS TO FOLLOW)....
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Katie Sackhoff won't be credited in the last 3 episode of the season, which suggests that she won't be in those shows. Which also means she might not be seen until next season. Writers work in the off season, and that means they have ample time to play with the plot and develop new twists that still fit all of the evidence they've shown. Right now the evidence suggests that Starbuck ejected and was picked up by the Heavy, but the writers don't have to commit to that. They can make up anything they want.
Without giving much more away, the finale of this season has been described as "mindbending". I expect that has something to do with the mystery of the final five Cylons, but it might be Starbuck related. All I know for certain is that Ron Moore has taken some serious risks to bring the show to this point.
Because I still think BSG is a good show, I hope the mindbending finale is worth it. And I hope I'm right because Starbuck is the bomb, and I doubt I'll be able to watch the show without her in it.
Kara spoke to an oracle who told her that the cylon Leoben was coming for her. While we did see him in the episode, Kara figured out that he was a figment of her imagination or an aspect of her unconscious. Oracles in BSG have a habit of being accurate in a non-metaphysical sense. Things they've said or seen actually happen. "Spirit-guide Leoben" doesn't satify the statement by the oracle.
But the Heavy Raider does. The episode worked hard to suggest that the Heavy raider was a figment of Kara's delusions, but they continued to toss out the idea that dradis wasn't working well. At one point Apollo loses contact with Starbuck on dradis, lending credence to the idea that Raider might be real. But the kicker is when Lee breaks through the clouds and spots Starbuck's fighter. The POV is from LEE's cockpit. In the distance, there is a Cylon Heavy Raider.
There is the matter of the hole in Starbuck's canopy and the other hole in the back wall of the cockpit. Damage taken when the "imaginary" Heavy Raider took a shot at her. The evidence that the Raider was real is pretty strong, but it could have been director misdirection.
The reason I don't think it was is that it was a Heavy Raider. Why would Starbuck hallucinate a Heavy Raider? The Standard Cylon raider seems much plausible for a fighter jock.
The key thing: Kara reached for her ejection handle. They showed that, but again, didn't really play it up.
See the Heavy Raider doesn't make sense, either as a hallucination or as a production choice until one recalls that the Cylon Heavy Raider is also a Cylon air-mobile troopship. It has a pressurized cabin.
Kara isn't dead. She's a Cylon prisoner. Leoben's prisoner, most likely. Which is actually kind of annoying, because we've been there before.
With all that definite language, you'd think I was certain of my reasoning. I'm not, of course. It's a solid interpretation of events, but television producers like to keep their options open. (SPOILERS TO FOLLOW)....
...
...
...
...
Katie Sackhoff won't be credited in the last 3 episode of the season, which suggests that she won't be in those shows. Which also means she might not be seen until next season. Writers work in the off season, and that means they have ample time to play with the plot and develop new twists that still fit all of the evidence they've shown. Right now the evidence suggests that Starbuck ejected and was picked up by the Heavy, but the writers don't have to commit to that. They can make up anything they want.
Without giving much more away, the finale of this season has been described as "mindbending". I expect that has something to do with the mystery of the final five Cylons, but it might be Starbuck related. All I know for certain is that Ron Moore has taken some serious risks to bring the show to this point.
Because I still think BSG is a good show, I hope the mindbending finale is worth it. And I hope I'm right because Starbuck is the bomb, and I doubt I'll be able to watch the show without her in it.
