MovieChat Forums > Battlestar Galactica (2005) Discussion > Starbuck is an awful person

Starbuck is an awful person

posted 4 years ago by kuatorises (7467)
10 replies | jump to latest

The way she treats Anders - who never actually did anything to her - is inexcusable. She's all about him when they meet, begs the fleet to go back and rescue peope, and then just outright hates and abuses him. Only wants him around if he'll sleep with her and is an awful wife/partner.

But right now, I'm watching the arc where Gaeta slowly descends into madness. It's right before the mutiny. He approaches her and gives her some shit over her husband being a cylon AND the fact she almost killed him in the tribunal. Does she apologize, or at the very least sit there and take it - because DOES deserve it - no. She mocks him being a cripple, which is courtesy of Sam's actions. I can't find a clip of this specific exchange, but it's not the first time she went after him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU-YqkgTtZw. She's a complete and total asshole.

[–] Quasimodo (16388) 4 years ago

Starbuck operates pretty much purely on her animal instincts. That has its upsides and downsides of course. Personally she is the kind of individual I would cross the street to avoid but some people respond to that kind of character.

[–] kuatorises (7467) 4 years ago

She's a great pilot and good in a fire fight, but she's a pretty bad human being. When the show starts off, her worse trait is that she's rebellious and insubordinate. But she morphs into a bad person after the apocalypse and the way she treats people is just atrocious. Her treatment of Gaeta alone is appalling. She's cheats on Sam and treats him like garbage, but the way she speaks to Gaeta is subhuman. Christ, even Lee felt bad about them sleeping together. But Starbuck wanted to continue it.

[–] BKB (9987) a year ago

I can't believe the night & day difference between this Starbuck and Dirk Benedict's Starbuck from the Original Galactica?? I guess this was the studios way of making it opposite his womanizing cigar smoking gambling fighter pilot/Warrior character??

[–] Iffy762 (1334) 4 years ago

yup

[–] snepts (11123) 4 years ago

Spoilers:

This doesn't follow the OP, but I'm a newby to BSG, (beginning of season 2). I like the actress and the script is fun in a lot of ways, but they sure do expect a lot out of ol' Starbuck, don't they? After leading a fire fight, crashing on to a planet she can't survive on, where she manages to fly an alien plane and convince the fleet she's not a hostile fighter - all with a busted leg. Then they more or less immediately put her in charge of interrogating the most dangerous creature in their midst? Crazy, silly, goofy Starbuck? Then Zoom, she's back on another planet doing her hero thing. She doesn't seem made of quite that much Right Stuff.

[–] kuatorises (7467) 4 years ago

Kara Thrace silly and goofy?!

[–] snepts (11123) 4 years ago

I was concerned these words might not capture the character properly. For one thing, I'm still early in the series, (although I have seen scenes that occur later). There is a part of her that seems very impulsive, and that she is encouraged to go with her instinct gives her license to not analyze as much as to go with her emotions. And she certainly has emotions. She laughs a lot and wants to have fun. She's irreverent. She's young which doesn't speak of the sort of hard won wisdom we imagine leaders like the Admiral have.
I know she's also a tortured soul with a lot of baggage. The creators of the show did well in breaking some stereotypes by making Thrace an uber hero while possessing the manner of a free-spirited yet discontented young lady.
This is precisely why I wanted to ask what others think of the character Starbuck, even though I didn't create the OP.

[–] bond998 (1213) 4 years ago

People made out that new Starbuck this bad ass character. But when she wasn't doing space battles, all she did was spending her time feeling sorry for herself and the other half banging random dudes on the ship.

[–] Information-Police (4890) 2 years ago

She was a very complex character and she was played perfectly by Katee Sachoff in one of her first acting roles, which is pretty amazing when you think about it. She's the epitome of a hotshot fighter pilot and you probably wouldn't complain about it if she were a man.

There were a lot of less than admirable characters in these series. Col Tigh had plenty of low moments.
Baltar is the absolute worst but I don't see people dropping his character.

[–] Quasimodo (16388) 2 years ago

Right that's it ! No more Mr Nice Gaius !