I just got around to watching the latest episode of Battlestar Galactica, Maelstrom. I’d recorded it to my DVR box Sunday night for some reason or another; anyway…
Wow. What an episode. I’m still a bit shocked over what happened at the end, with Starbuck dying (kind of, anyway; see below). It was certainly not something I was expecting. I’d heard rumors about Katee Sackhoff leaving Battlestar Galactica this season, but I figured if she were going to die, it’d be during the season finale.
Now, having said that… about that dying bit. I’m not totally buying it. What with the “destiny” stuff from the Cylon Loeben, coupled with the mandala thing that Starbuck has been drawing her whole life, I’m quickly starting to think that Starbuck is a Cylon. The text on the last page of the episode guide at Scifi.com is also making my internal speaker yell “Danger, Will Robinson!”:
Now, with her body trapped in a doomed Viper and her mind lost in visions, she must overcome that fear if she is to be whole.
I think if Starbuck were really dead, it’d simply say that she perished, or was killed due to the ship imploding, or something along those lines. But “she must overcome that fear if she is to be whole“? I don’t think Starbuck is really gone; I’m thinking she’s one of the final five Cylons.
Of course, I could be totally wrong: she could be dead, and that could be that. But I really don’t think that’s the case. I’m also hoping that’s not the case; Starbuck is one of my favorite characters on the show. I’ve really enjoyed the character, even if she is a bit puzzling at times. She’s not too hard on the eyes, either. 
Yep, I was shocked too.
Wasn’t it possible for her to leave the viper by the ejection seat?
Watch this spoiler: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdmo_KCsutI
She’s saying something about the end of episode 3, though I don’t believe her
Yeah, she could have left the Viper by the ejection seat, but she wanted to die. She wanted to see what was on the other side, like Loeben talked about.
And yeah, I don’t really believe what she said in that gag reel either…
I’m not sure whether she’s a Cylon or there’s another weird explanation, but I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have been showing her drawing for years and making a big deal out of it for the last half-season if her whole destiny was “You’re going to die in a storm that kinda looks like this.” There’s more to this we don’t yet know.
Relatedly, did you hear the crazy story about that model ship Adama destroyed? I can’t give a link since even the place I read a snippet from isn’t letting me connect right now, but apparently that was an ad lib… with a rented prop that was worth tens of thousands of dollars. Oops.
Joshua: Yeah, it may end up having a different explanation, but either way, I’m just not buying it that she’s dead. As you said, there was too much build up for it to end in 15 seconds.
Also, yes, I heard about Olmos destroying the model ship that was on loan from a museum. I saw it at metafilter.com, which, oddly enough, is currently not working. Is that where you read the snippet?
Nope, I read it in an ongoing BSG thread on a forum, but I don’t remember what the source was.
Wow. I hadn’t ever thought of Starbuck as a Cylon. That would suck. Be weird, but suck. There has got to be a catch to all of this. She is a strong character. I would think that if she were planning on leaving the show, there would have been like a press release or something. I know they are having an issue with the current time slot and ratings, but jeeze, this is a bit extreme.
Sarah: Regarding the press release, I think we can assume that Starbuck isn’t gone from the show, *because* there hasn’t been a press release. Besides fan speculation, there hasn’t bit a single word about Starbuck’s “death.”