"Starbuck" Part 2 Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck #2 (Dynamite) Written by Tony Lee Illustrated by Eman Casallos Cover by Sean Chen 2013

Starbuck and Boomer uncover evidence that may lead to the secret behind the Cylon attack on Umbra 24 yahrens ago.

Story Summary

Starbuck learns that his adoptive parents have been killed in a Cylon raid and goes on a drinking and gambling binge and gets into an argument with Apollo. Later, he finds the old corrupted data chip (from "Starbuck" Part 1) in his locker and decides to see if Boomer can un-corrupt it. While Boomer spends the day working on it in the Galactica's computer center, his work is detected on the Aerian administration hub and Council member Osiris and his daughter, Diana, decide to end his attempts, planting a bomb inside as Boomer is working. The bomb goes off, sending Boomer to the medical bay.

Starbuck and Apollo search the wreckage of the computer for clues and are fired upon by an unseen assailant we later learn is Diana. Failing to kill Starbuck, she sends word to her father's Cylon allies to shoot him out of space on his next patrol. This attempt also fails and Osiris and Diana frame him for the murder of his ex-lover, Kandi.

CONTINUED IN BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: STARBUCK #3

Didja Know?

Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck was a four-issue mini-series published by Dynamite Entertainment. 

Didja Notice?  

The scene on the cover of this issue, of Apollo and Starbuck seemingly pulling weapons on each other, never occurs in the story, though they do get into an argument.

This issue opens two yahrens before the Battle of Cimtar, making it the Colonial yahren 7348. Starbuck is still an ensign at this point.

Artist Eman Casallos continues to incorrectly depict Apollo's sidearm on his right hip instead of the left.

In this issue, Starbuck learns his adoptive parents were killed during a Cylon raid on Scorpia in the last week (should probably be "secton" in Colonial terms; defined as equivalent to 10 days in the glossary of Armageddon). His adoptive parents previously lived on Caprica. Why were they on Scorpia? Had they moved there at this time? Just on vacation?

On page 3, with Starbuck having learned of the death of his adoptive parents, Tigh remarks, "He hasn't been this bad since Wyler died," and Apollo responds, "I remember--we found him buck naked in that Piscerian sweatlodge, drinking anything he could get his hands on and claiming he was the 'king of Sagiteria'." Yet, "Starbuck" Part 1 implies that, after learning of Wyler's death, Starbuck simply went to an old hangout, made a killing at a pyramid game (winning many cubits and the data chip seen in this issue) and was back aboard the Galactica the next day, with Apollo asking if he's okay and Starbuck replying he just needed to clear his head. But, I suppose it's feasible to imagine the sweat lodge incident to be included in there, with Apollo just not bringing it up specifically at the time.

Zac appears in this issue and artist Casallos does a nice job of capturing the likeness of Rick Springfield, who played the character in his one appearance on the TV series ("Annihilation").

Starbuck visits a casino called Astral Utopia on Caprica.

Page 4 reveals that Starbuck had previously dated women named Kandi and Desire on Caprica. ("Starbuck" Part 3 reveals Kandi to have a last name, Trieste.)

On page 6, Apollo refers to his father as Colonel Adama, so he's not reached the rank of Commander yet at this point.

On page 7, Starbuck opens the same lockbox in his locker that he had in "Starbuck" Part 1 and looks at the same photograph of his adoptive parents.

Starbuck has Boomer attempt to recover data from the corrupt data chip. Boomer was depicted in a few episodes of the TV series, and a few licensed stories afterward, as being skilled in devising or repairing electronic equipment.

The discussion between Aerian council member Osiris and his daughter Diana on page 9 reveals that Baltar is a tylium trader at this time. Amusingly, Osiris complains that Baltar is almost "humping my leg" for a seat at the table of the Quorum of Twelve.

On page 15, panel 2, notice that Osiris has a Cylon centurion head as a decoration on his desk. Is it the head from an actual centurion or just a sculpture?