Battlestar Galactica

Scar was another perfect and very entertaining episode of Battlestar Galactica and I really enjoyed watching because the Viper pilots encounter Scar, a crazy Cylon Raider who stalks and destroys. It was fun to watch the action scenes. There was character and plot development. This episode moves every thing along nicely. I certainly look forward to watching the next episode!!!!!!!!!

-Risking being labeled as the the guy with bad taste again, I'm gonna say I liked this one, parts of it anyway. Kind of inevitable since I like Starbuck's character much more than Apollo's, so it stands to reason if I liked his standalone I would like hers as well. Though I will say I hope they're planning something big because one episode like this is character development, two is stalling. And there was even less overall plot development than in Black Market this time around.



-Probably no surprise, but my favorite scenes were dialogue driven dramatic moments. One was Starbuck's scene with Sharon in her cell. I like the idea of Raiders reincarnating just as the humanoid Cylons do and that they would now fear death with no hope of resurrection. Starbuck's looks to Sharon were really good as well, she conveys so much emotion though silent stares. It's one of those small things that really win me over.



-I also enjoyed the scene between Starbuck and Apollo in the mess. Apollo's lines about forgetting the dead pilots' faces were well written and moving, as was Starbuck dealing with the realities of a Viper pilot's life(and lifespan). Though I thought it kind of pushed in to melodrama territory once they were in the bunks.



-I didn't care much for the plot with Cat, as even with the storyline she had in Final Cut, it felt odd to give her so much focus. Just seemed sudden that she's the second best pilot they've got(or potentially the best) when all I really remember about her is that she was a rookie and then couldn't take the pressure and got addicted to stimulants. Granted she's been flying for awhile and she could just be a natural but it would of been nice to showcase that more beforehand. Maybe it's because I'm not crazy about the actress. She does great with scenes in the cockpit, celebrating a kill or that kind of thing, but beyond that she bugs me. It might be me, but it seems like she's always waiting to deliver her next line not really responding to what the other character is saying.



-Scar himself was a somewhat of a disappointment. I absolutely loved the idea of having some one-on-one(or two-on-one) dogfights to provide a nice counterpoint to the large scale battles that are more the norm(not that I don't love those too, but variety is the spice of life after all), but I thought they could have went down better. I think they cut to commercial two or three times on the same scene of Starbuck and Scar playing chicken, so there was definitely a feeling of it getting stretched out. Plus Starbuck yelling taunts took me out of the action/suspense, more the writing I think then the delivery. Starbuck's toast to the dead near the end though was good.



As I said; some good, some bad, but really just making me itch for something "big" to happen.

This is a bit of a funny episode for me. The previous one, "Black Market," i really disliked because i didn't think it felt like the show i'd grown to love. This one brings us back to the things that Galactica does well, ie Character and Beautiful direction, and yet something simply didn't fit for me.



I think the worst thing for me was the character of Kat. She just really annoyed me. I know the writers have been trying to show how she's become the rival to Starbuck in the last few episodes, but it simply didn't scan for me that she would have the kind of relationship with Starbuck that she did, at least not yet. Also, i didn't buy Starbuck's obsession with Anders. That being said, i didn't buy it in "Home" either, and i know that Ron Moore wanted to build it a bit more but didn't have the time. In this ep though, I don't think enough time had been invested into creating that obession.



However, i did enjoy a lot of the ep. I liked the fact that we just had the pilots, and didn't get overdone with other plot devices. I thought it was shot wonderfully, in particular the briefing room scenes with the flight videos.



My only other gripe: Cavatine from "The Deer Hunter?" Honestly guys.

Scar was an excellent episode and much better than Black Market. This episode deals with Scar, a raider who we come to learn is much like the human cylons in the fact when it dies its mind/memories is transferred to another raider.



The Starbuck/Sharon scene was excellent, and I think Starbuck hasnt forgot their friendship. Also, CAT has no room to talk "stem junkie." We always knew Starbuck liked to drink, but that never got in her way. Until now. She cant help but feel she let Anders down by not returning to Caprica and now he is probably dead.



WHile it was a nice story back then, she needs to move on. I think Lee really cares for her and even loves her(I think he even told her this in one episode.)



Next week looks like it will be another great episode cant wait.

Katee Sackoff was brilliant and so was Jamie Bamber even though he had a relatively small part in this one (but then, when aren't they? they're both terrifically talented actors).

Scar is the jaded Cylon Top Gun Raider that has been 'resurrected' so many times he's a bit fed up with it (as Sharon explains it)

Starbuck on the other hand is unravelling fast as a consequence of the constant stress of imminent death each time she goes out in her vyper, her survival guilt, and her unresolved feelings for Anders (as contrived a relationship as the present animosity with Kat in my opinion-which begs another question - how come Kat was allowed to fly again after her very recent stim abuse? After all, they aren't as strapped for pilots now that they have the Pegasus in the fleet).

Loved the ending though; that was nice.

What I didn't like was all the animosity coming from Kat.

To say I found her annoying is an understatement.

Her incredible unchecked insubordination was unforgivable and she should have been thrown in the brig the first time she interjected during Starbuck's first briefing in the ep. - "eyeball" indeed.

In fact, while I realize the eps are trying to demonstrate more and more how low morale is sinking within the fleet, that is no excuse for discipline to fall apart on Galactica - and Adm Adama seems to overlook it more and more - witness Lee Adama's increasing insubordination toward Tigh. That's the thing about discipline - no matter what you think of your superiors, you have to bury it, follow orders and salute respectfully. In 'civi street', it's called maturity.

Or maybe I just didn't like anyone being mean to Starbuck (well hey! She is an icon after all:).

I was expecting something better after "Black Market "(which i thought was the worse episode of the entire saga). Maybe i was expecting too much from this episode, but i honestly got bored while i was watching it. It has not the suspence, the thrilling we are used to see in Battlestar Galactica episodes. It is surely fine to show the feelings of soldiers and civilians survived among humans, but i like it if nested in a more interesting story than the one in "Scar". There's no story development, only things you could expect from Starbuck and Apollo, nothing interesting to see, but then i guess all my disappointment is caused by the fact BSG has shown until now only splendid episodes, so when i get one i don't like i critizite it harshly. I wouldn't have this episode, i'd have probably showed Starbuck's melancholy for Caprica's resistance (and her fleeting flirt back there), but an entire episode concerning it is quite boring in my humble opinion.

I'm relatively new to the whole BSG thing, and I have to admit that as I feverishly catch up through the episodes, I almost pulled the handle on the ejection seat during season one. I was an eager anticipate to the start of this series when I was totally put off by the shaking camera. There was NO WAY I was going to subject myself to that effect that had ruined countless movies and shows for me.



But as with all things of stability, like riding a small boat at sea with high waves, you find your sea legs, and that is exactly what happened for me. Now the show is completely viewable for me and the quality of writing is much better than I would have ever expected.



With that preface out of the way, as this IS my first review ever in this forum, allow me to comment on this incredible episode.

First off, the realism of the effects. Later I'll touch on the character building that this episode contributes to in a major way.

I am a HUGE effects buff. Realism through effects, both computer-generated AND through stage sets, props, and, mechanics is of paramount importance to me. Space based series and movies that have a ship moving around as if wind is guiding their wings in the vacuum of space is an insult to physics and the dream we all wish could be... command of the physics of inertia in space. Well BSG counters that with small jets that counter-act inertia and embrace the full theory of inertia in space and how to fly in it.



If that wasn't ever-present throughout the series before, and it was, it certainly made a huge statement in this episode.

One of the most prominent moments of "Scar" per this venue is the effects of gravitational force on Starbuck in the cockpit of her Viper. The camera is looking up at her from probably her front panel, with the asteroid field as her backdrop. Add to that the super-sharp savvy of the effects editors to make sure the movement of the background outside her cockpit was very much in sync with those head movements. Either Katee Sackhoff has an amazing ability to fake the effects of inertia, or they had a Viper in a studio on hydraulics to simulate the gravitational forces of turning and maneuvering. All this comes together to offer both the obvious and subtle visual acuities to fool your mind into thinking it is real. Some very nice work went into that short segment and fans of this show should be proud and thankful that the producers made such a big deal of this scene. Starbuck goes on to down-play her Viper's damage to some hydraulic systems but is clearly wounded. This above all shows the class and skill of this gifted pilot. Even with diminished capacity as far as maneuverability, her skills still fill the void and offer a chance at success. It doesn't matter at this point as we are clearly aware that she's either going to take this enemy down, or go down doing it.

Now the character building and plot-line repercussions of this episode, in my opinion…

I would have given this episode a 10 as opposed to a 9.5 if it were NOT for a single scene. When Kat strikes Starbuck and then Apollo busts in, Kat retreats like she is wounded, almost frightened as if for her life. Well, there are three explanations for that. Either she really hurt her hand, she's really afraid of Starbuck's retaliation, or she's worried about her flight career striking a superior officer. I felt the reaction was quite a bit overacted. Aside from that though, the friction between Kat and Starbuck is monumental during this episode. Paying homage to the new BSG penance towards depth, realism, and the dark nature these characters are portrayed in, seeing these childhood heroes we had in a more realistically true light is refreshing! Kara Thrace has a drinking problem and real-life repercussions of that vice are exacted on her. I feel them as if she were my best friend. This completely helps identify you with both characters, and then mix in the fact that Kat wants to be all she can be, even better than Starbuck. And then you feel sorrow for Starbuck as if she loses that title as top dog! It's brilliant how that is all woven together! But as with all culinary dishes that are just basic before our Mom tweaks them with more spices, the same happens with this relationship between these two Viper jocks as we see Kara set up a perfect scenario for Kat's kill of Scar. And she sucks it up, not even talking about it, but not without identifying all the pilots Scar has taken out during the celebration. And then again, the writers tie yet another knot in the plotline, coming full circle in a single episode where at first Starbuck could care a less about the name of a fallen pilot's girlfriend to knowing the name of each and every one of them that fell.

And if that isn't enough, we get a feel for what "Scar" is. We already know that the Cylon ships are biological to some point, but then when you identify him much like you would the human models, with the help of whatever version of Sharon is that tells Kara about why he is what he is. At the end of all this character building for what Scar is, we know he is (IT IS) very upset and hates humans as they hate Cylons. "He's filled with rage". Here we are faced with the doors blown WIDE OPEN on how they are self aware, alive, and able to download into another vessel and continue on. And with so many resurrections, so many painful deaths, so many bitter memories, each teaching a lesson as to how to do it better, this Cylon Raider has a purpose like no other in the show.

With his exterior skin pocked and beaten up, he's seen a lot of action in this resurrected life. Labeled a coward, he preys on the weak but we are enlightened via Sharon at the cold hard facts of war. There are no rules, no honor. Take them out one at a time, like sheep! That's what I got from it, and it is BRILLIANT! I mean, the moral gloves came off at the start of this show, with so many deceptive ploys from the Cylons. The promise of peace, here… have some nukes. A distress signal, thanks for coming, here are some rounds in your hull. They have absolutely NO BENEFIT of the morals offered from a developed prefrontal cortex. They are cold, heartless, unfeeling, and lethal. And then we get a Cylon Raider with a definitive developed sense of RAGE against humans. It's oh… so… GOOD!

So the episode has its ups and downs, but the brief period of special effects eye-candy seasoned with some major character development puts me in a position to have no trouble at all giving two solid thumbs-up for this episode.

Thank you for your time!



Hop

***This review details –» this is a "I" perspective, based in what I like and recognize to be good or interesting, this is not a "god" where the guy thinks what he thinks is the true or the "you" perspective where I know what you will like and what you don´t.***



Now it is Starbuck centric episode, after the weak Apollo centric episode, and as everyone can expect, we have good drama. So fast and Kat is already without Starbuck in her way, the best pilot and this was done maybe because the writers tried to create a Storyline and Kat fits very well to be her rival and this show her exactly how she was used to be, because since she left Caprica, she is not the same anymore. This is exactly the structure of this episode from the beginning until the end. The writers decided to mix the Scar in the middle and make us see the side life of the pilots.



Presentation Phase - » (8/10) interesting,

Complication Phase - » (8/10) focused in Starbuck drama,

Climax Phase - » (7/10) the necessary tension and drama,

Ending - » (8/10) great conclusion for Starbuck,



Contrary to the previous episode, the storyline is very good and didn´t notice filler, seems that all the scenes fits well. The progress is the necessary in terms of emotions, reflection and conclusions. The flaw I noticed occurred with her fight with the Scar.



Details/Progress (To point A to B) -» (8/10) the necessary emotional character progress,

Time and Scene Management - » (8/10) filler but fine,

Plot Details/Holes- » (7/10) it is strange how Starbuck without moving to much wasn´t shot by Scar,

Storyline -» (8/10) exactly what I expected from Starbuck drama,



Since this is centered in a character, the drama is high and the tension is good.



Drama - » (9/10) high quality,

Suspense/Tension - » (7/10) not bad,



Another episode centered in a character, better than the previous episode.

So, Starbuck is really messed up and turning the episode we see her really from getting on one point to another - we only have to hope the change is for the better. When Starbuck used to be the best on the square, she has fallen - mostly because she cannot get over the feeling she broke her promise and she cannot let go the things she found in Carpica.. And there is Kat who is ready for competition and has her own fears and problems and they just clash.. on each other..



And ofcourse, there is the Lee thing and somehow this episode is similar to last one - then it was Lee who was really down.. this time Starbuck and I really think they make a good point as Starbuck one moment realized - they won't see the happy ending as they one day just won't come back.. All they have is now.

It took me a while to figure out where I had seen this episode before being a TV buff but I finally found it. It was VERY unoriginal. Not up to BSG standards. There is an episode called the "Iceman" from Baa, Baa Blacksheep. Capt. Gutterman is basically Starbuck. The Iceman is Scar. They changed some of the personal aspects of the characters but it is the exact same episode. Including the talking about fallen pilots. Very disappointing.



Chief Tyrol is Sgt. Micklin, it is such a blantant rip off it is not even close to being original on any level. Even Starbuck drinking and challenging Cat in the fighter break room. The same thing when a young pilot (on Baa, Baa Blacksheep) is drinking and talking about "Dutch" who was killed by the Iceman in the opening of the episode. The pilot goes on, just like Starbuck and Cat, commenting on how good the ICEMAN/SCAR is. Starbuck/Capt. Gutterman loses his nerve and is very depressed just like Starbuck at the possibility of facing SCAR/ICEMAN. Scenes where the show the Iceman about go after a respective victim are the same as the scenes of Scar swooping out of the asteroid belt to get unsuspecting Viper pilots.



They even stole it from another GREAT Sci Fi Space Show with Fighters. Space Above and Beyond. The episode is called The Angriest Angel. There is Enemy fighter that has been shooting down pilots and is seemingly invincible. They call him "Chiggy von Richthofen" after Baron Von Richthofen aka The Red Baron. Again this episode may be good to some but it is not original in the least. They should have just copy and pasted it from a word doc!!!

This is one of those flash back episodes. Even thou it does flash back too much on past episodes it just little meaningful events that lead up into the dogfighting sequences with scar. The writers make Scar to almost like a terminator , predator and the red baron all rolled into only mean butt kicking cylon. Starbuck put it best. If you see Scar your dead. The tactics used by Scar are like world war I Aces using not only their superior aircraft but their surroundings also. In this one you can tell if you’re a rookie pilot your dead. The top pilot mug is awesome. If it was available as a collectible I would certainly buy it.

there are a few sides to this episode. First of all it is the fact that you jump back to moments before the event with scar'face'.

It shows that plenty of the stresses are getting to the pilots, and this is clearly the part that gives strength to it all. It is also about Starbuck and her chaser for the hot seat. It seems that they keep each other on the edge and even though we are rooting for one, we can clearly see that there is frition. No matter the outcome, but it is not the one we suspect and that always makes for a good moment. The way that this chase is sop much more then just hunting a cylon on an asteroid field makes this all better and better.

another cool addition to this new reimagining of galactica is the cylon raiders. they have a brain of their own, they learn, and learn from their mistakes including their deaths. the bsg pilots have nicknamed an ace cylon raider scar. because it's got scarring from viper bullets. starbuck deals with her personal issues in this episode, she's got to do something humble in order to defeat the cylon raider. her former student pilots is now her wingman, and they make a good pair hunting down enemy drones. this is another great episode. i enjoyed watching the space battle, it's not a grandiose confrontation but it's a good one.

Despite my 10 rating, this episode wasn't completely perfect. I mean sure it was a good episode and enjoyable enough, it's just there are a few elements that are starting to bother me and have been for the past few episodes.

In this episode, as in past ones, I feel that an element or character is just invented and inserted into our characters' lives without any introduction or build-up and we are meant to assume that they have been there all along, and accept that they are here. In this case, the Scar 'character'. I get that they wanted to introduce something for Starbuck to become obsessed over to further her development, but it just seemed too sudden. Perhaps if we had had some references to it in the previous episode, or even an ending with the Cylon raider attacking, and them realising that it was stronger than the others. But as it goes, there was none and the insertion of this character just seemed a little filler. The fact that all the characters new about it, and had supposedly been talking about it for a while, almost gave off the sense that you had missed out, and for a second I actually thought I might have missed an episode. It was as if, this big event was happening in these characters lives and we hadnt seen it.

Another annoying thing about this episode, was the character of Kat. In this episode, she comes across as a definite hardass rebel, with an attitude to rival Starbuck's, whereas the last time we saw her, she was a wreck what with taking steroids and trying to be a good pilot, but finding it hard amongst the war with the Cylons. Suddenly she is this uber-bitch who publicly puts Starbuck down at any oppurtunity. And more still, Starbuck takes it. Not only is this out of character for Starbuck, but I really can't see any of the others letting Kat do this either. Also, Starbuck's drinking! Where did that come from? I mean, we've seen her drink before, but never has it been hinted at that she may have a problem a la Tigh. It just all seems a little thrown together too quickly. The sad thing is, if this had all been built up to and had been brewing for at least a few episodes, then it would have been a great story, but as it is, it just seems hollow.

Despite these shortcomings, there were a few things I liked about this episode. Firstly, I liked the fact that they decided to go back and explore the storyline with Anders, Kara's love interest back on Caprica. I was happy to see them do this, as after those episodes on Caprica, he was kind of forgotten about, and after barely accepting the fact that Kara would fall for someone that fast in the first place, it seemed like she had forgotten him just as fast. It was nice to have her pining after him, and it gave a new depth to her character. That said, this element too seemed a little abrupt in the episode. Never before had there been any indication that Starbuck was thinking about Anders, and then suddenly it is so bad that she is becoming depressed and erratic?! I understand that the writers were trying to pull off a 'she has been hiding these feelings all along but now she cant hold them any longer and they are driving her crazy' type thing, but we the viewers should have been let in on her struggle earlier on, so that when it was revealed to the other characters, it would have had more emotional resonance. As it lies, we didnt really have time to process the news, and therefore couldnt really feel as much for Kara as we would undoubtedly have done, had it been a building problem for her.

The scene where Kara and Lee almost sleep together was great, as it's something we have all been waiting to happen for so long. Here, the abruptness of the development was fitting to the storyline, as Kara just wants Lee as a quick fix, and to feel close to someone. Although there have been hints at a developing relationship between them in the past, I dont think this scene was directly related to this aspect and was more to convey Starbuck's loneliness. I do however feel, that this will have repercussions on both of them, particularly Lee who definitely viewed the encounter as more than just a quick release.

This episode features a lot of great character development, but it does seem to happen a bit too quickly. The scene where Starbuck toasts all the lost Viper pilots after previously claiming to not even remember their names was very touching, and almost made up for the shortcomings of the rest of the episode. It gave us an insight into yet another aspect of her personality and highlighted the struggle that the whole crew are going through in this war, whilst losing people they work alongside.

Overall, this episode was a good one, it just seemed too rushed. They did manage to fit a lot into the time, but I feel that a large amount of it could have been weaved into a longer arc. A lot of the storylines could have been developed longer before coming to a head, as would have been done previously, as is evident by the quality of the first season, and the second up to this point. This episode, though enjoyable, seemed to bring the previously unmentioned issues of the characters to the table, had them clash over yet another convenient plot piece, and then resolved them all, all within 42 minutes. I guess I must give kudos to the writers for managing this, but the thing is, we dont want this. The thing which attracts me most to Battlestar Galactica is the fact that beneath all the space battles and killer robots, it is essentially a character piece and the ongoing character struggles are what makes it what it is. These standalone episodes, (being the only name I can think of for them) whilst still being enjoyable enough, seem to draw from the overall enjoyment of the series as a whole, and this whole flashback idea that they have going on at the moment was interesting once in a while, but seems overused now, and quite frankly I'm not sure if it suits this show. To conclude, this episode wasn't the worst that Battlestar has offered us so far, but it definitely wasn't the best. It is another in a recent string of average episodes, and this being a rare thing for this show, I can only hope that this is the calm before the storm, and that the show will get back on track soon.

Neither a filler nor a stagnant episode be - that should be the watchword of a good series. Season One of BSG stood by this rule and delivered a riveting show driven in equal parts by intrigue, excitement, excellent pacing, character-edged stories, action, and mystery.



So why is Season 2 bombing? Of 15 episodes (the measure of Season 1) it is fair to say three have matched the strength of Season 1 (Resurrection Ship 1 & 2 and Pegasus), and some have delivered the kind of Colonial / Cylon intrigues we love (The Final Cut being one). The rest have either been...fillers or stagnant.



The first five were certainly in the former. Truth be told, the entire drawn-out Caprica cobblers cwould have been dealt with in one - two at most - episodes in Season 1. But with Olmos/Adama out of the picture, the series lost its dramatic anchor and had to wallow around until Adama could return. Ho hum.



Of the last three episodes (Epiphanies, Black Market and particularly Scar) we have evidence of stagnation in the writing. You can tell when a series is going wrong when much of the pivotal action takes place off-screen.



In Epiphanies we had it with the \"critical\" studies of Sharron\'s hybrid foetus. Baltar nor Cottle nor anyone else has been shown to be studying the foetus or it\'s mother then suddenly, ZAP!! another principal character on her deathbed and The Miracle occurs, and we\'re expected to believe (in a show that has been careful to reveal all things of import) that Baltar & co have been carrying out extensive research.



In Black Market we suddenly have a massively-coordinated black market operating throughout the fleet in the space of just 189 days following the Cylon attack. Not once has HARD evidence been shown of its development - and we\'r expected to believe that the Pegasus has gone from martial rule to racketeering in a single bound...



Now Scar. Starbuck goes from start pain-in-the-ass hardass to weepy insecure boozer and the reflection of the very man she dispises: Tigh (but by the end of the episode, all appears well with her world); Kat goes from junkie hyper wreck (in Epiphanies only Starbuck kept her from panicking) to Top Gun hot bitch. Lee Adama goes from Captain to Major (oh, and Starbuck jumps from Lieutenant to Captain & Galactica CAG), and no-one mentions it.



Then the Cylon Raiders go from being \"pets\", \"instinctive machines\", to cold, calculating, resentful killers.



And what does that leave is with? A go-nowhere episode, heavy on clumsy dialogue, bending characters out of shape for the sake of \"story\" with a pay-off that amounts to \"Viper pilots are a dying breed, and gods, it scares us\". What, in Season 1 would have been handled with skill and aplomb through a scene of dialogue that forms a link to a wider story here becomes the story itself - and it is a story written with a trowl for a pen.



I\'ve been a supporter of BSG since it started. But the last three episodes have left a very bad taste in my mouth - in the case of Black Market, something not even the reemergence of Hatch/Zarek could remove - but \"scar\" is the first episode where I\'ve seriously considered switching off the DVD recorder.

This wasn’t the best episode. It wasn’t the most climactic, the most pivotal or the most active episode. However, it was, in fact, a strong episode.



“Scar” is an episode that anyone who’s ever fought for anything will be moved by. Its greater appreciated by those who’ve become worn of any fighting, yet find away to push themselves to their feet. Before this, the character of Starbuck was simply complicated. She’s a gun hoe fighter, a proud rebel fighting because it’s the only thing she knows how to do. She has unresolved angst from her past she can only vent by climbing into a cockpit and blowing a bunch of toasters. It’s the fact that she doesn’t care if she lives or dies that makes her so strong, so willing and so determined not only to go on supposedly suicidal missions, but to complete them.

However, she falls in love. Now distracted by recent events, and the constant tick in the back of her head that this man may still be alive, her ego is being attacked by a talented new comer who seems to constantly beat her at ever turn, while verbally attacking her strength and forcing the bruised pilot to hear what she doesn’t want to hear.



The true defining point of this episode comes at the very end when Starbuck puts her pride beside, and goes against her earlier words and recites the names of every pilot Scar shot out of the sky.



It’s an episode that proves, that despite her hard-as-nails aura, she’s a much deeper and complicated character than led to believe. It shows more of the human side of Starbuck, as apposed to her soldier side.

This was a great galactica episode. I don't really like the jumping back and forth, however. It's being used over much. But it's your classic "lets get the red baron" story line. Starbuck does well in this episode. The actor really drives the character and players her well, revealing what kind of makes her tick. She has demons. She drinks a lot and she has other issues. Can she handle the pressure? This episode proves out she can. She can handle it. She's Starbuck! Through Starbuck you see how the Galactica operates, what motivates the other pilots. It's not just about killing cylons. You know? It's about being men (or women as the case may be).



The special effects (fx) are not bad and we're do for a good timely action episode. The strength of this series is of course that it's a "think piece". And the "tin can" episodes are great for that. Politics, religion, loyalty, what is it to be human? These are all issues. But sometimes you need to see Starbuck just blow something up real good. Yi ha! Well, this episode delivers. We can rest easy, I think, for the next think piece. Eh?

Frankly, I found Starbuck's character badly written in this episode. It was just too much to the extreme, the drinking, the competition,...



This felt like a filler that was improvised late one night. I was watching this episode and I kept thinking that Starbuck was really acting not herself, I kept waiting for the discovery that she was drugged or something.

Trying to develop character...Starbuck gets an episode where you don't see Baltar, barely see Roslin, and where Admiral Adama and Tigh get

only a couple lines of dialogue. "Scar" showed the grind of war, and the toll it takes on pilots especially who have to go out facing enemy fire at any moment.

The story reflected back on Starbucks time on Caprica. Although we haven't seen a what's going on there episode since Helo rejoined the fleet.

I hope we catch up with the resistance at some point.

There was nothing groundbreaking about this episode. I guess we can't expect that every week.

All-in-all it told a realistic story of war and what individuals grab hold of to retain their humanity during the fight.

My biggest complaint: The show had a jumping around timeline aspect. I just wished they had kept it in a straight timeline. Any one for a re-cut version???

My first thougths: deja vu. I really thought they tooked the concept of a double episode of space: above and beyond (the one with the chick's super bomber) and transfered it to BSG. To much things reminded me of this. But it was still entertaining and much character development for Starbuck. Like to see how it continues with Apollo and Dee.

Where to start; a whole show wasted on Starbuck's poor aching heart and a small skirmish between two pilots. A Cylon semi-live ship waiting in ambush?! OK, I love retro, out-of-the-ordinary horror in this show, like in the "human farm" on Caprica - but this one simply doesn't deliver. Carpenter buffs, take two steps back.

I didn't feel for anyone, there was no actual real sense of danger although the producers went to great lengths to get that response - and as in many Hollywood movies, they failed miserably.

I remember watching the Dead Zone and remembering how the show actually divided into three fractions: first was the main story of the apocalypse, the second the cases Johnny solved, and the third were the sob stories of his not-to-be family. Well, as you can imagine, I started turning off the sobs because they went nowhere and were meant for soccer moms. This is how I felt in this episode of BSG.

Hopefully, they get back on track with the Cylon.human baby...

This episode is not only about Starbuck bad and immature tendancies. While we were watching Starbuck suddenly becomes a grown up person. The self destructive and fatalistic qualities that make her a great fighter pilot shift when she finally has a reason to live.

On the 'shipper front Ron Moore has solved the problem od UST without making all he Starbuck/Apollo shipper give up hope.

Starbukc is slowly deterating in the mental department. As this season goes on how will she be able hold it together. The loss of her lover, the promise she made to return, Lee's spurning her as a lover, all of these things have been building up to her loosing it in some episode in the future.



Once again I give hats off to the writers for portraying real life events in this fantasy world. If you look at the similarities of Iraq and the fleet druring this episode. The fleet has one a major battle in destroying the Resurrection ship (US taking Iraq), The high tensions between the military and the civilain fleet (US troops in Iraq) and finally this episode Scar coming in and taking out Viper pilots (The insurgents fighting against the US Troops). The similarites make for a compelling and fitting homage.



Besides the parrelles in this story you must look into the striking visuals and timing of the story. I makes for some of the most ribiting TV in years. Forget Lost, Survivor or andything else Battlestar Galactica rules the airwaves.

This was a very interesting episode for galactica. It follows the same formula sort of as act of contrition, in which the story jumps back and forth between the end and the middle points and yet again it was a starbuck episode. I wanted to say at first that this was going to be very similar but it was a great character development episode for Starbuck. We learn of starbucks inability to fight her demons in anyway worth while. She drinks and even tries to frack lee just for one in an occasion over her feelings of anders. She's lost and most of her fellow pilots can see it including kat who being a former junkie who couldn't handle the pressure of continuous combat runs earlier tries throws much emotions at her former training officer. The tension that runs between them seems rather genuine and real at some points. This was a great episode overall that got to kind of show exactly how the pilots of the galactica deal with their problems and a little bit more about the relationship between her and lee and her feelings about anders



The special effects in this episode are my favorite for the series so far and it also brings to the limelight Kat who is one of the more interesting extras I've seen on the show. This episode is a very nice homage to old dogfighting movies and shouldn't be missed by anyone who likes pilot drama. There are so many great suttleties from the cleaning of the bunk at the beginning to ending with starbucks reciting of the names of pilots lost even though she claims that she couldn't remember any of them. This was a great episode for Katie Sachoff and will be interesting to watch if she becomes less fraked up or even more so from what happens later. In the words of kat... That's the way its done

Just as Black Market was an exploration of Lee's interior life, Scar was an examination of the stuff which makes Kara Starbuck... but with one major difference: This episode was great.



I felt some of the scene cuts were a little jarring, but overall I was riveted. This was a wonderful blend of action and drama.



We really got to see the wounded side of Starbuck that she used to hide so well. This was a welcome addition to the series, because now we can really feel for Starbuck. There were times, in the past, when I was annoyed by her smug indifference to life.



I loved the scene where she had to pour a pint for Kat. Starbuck's pride was hurt, but she learned a lot through her recent experiences. She was able to take her eyes off herself and put the focus where it belonged: on all the fallen pilots.



As she begins naming them one by one, we see that she in fact does remember them, and their names! This is not the Starbuck who told Apollo she doesn't think about them. This is the REAL Starbuck!

'Scar', like this week's Lost 'The Long Con', was a great Character development episode.

In this case, we finally see the internal struggle that has taken Kara off her game. At the same time we "meet" Scar, the cylon ace Raider.

In Moby Dick-esc fashion, Kara continues to spiral out of control haunted by the man she left behind and the machine hunting her pilots. On top of all this, or perhaps because of all this, Starbucks status as “Top Gun” is challenged more and more by former junkie, now up and comer, Kat.

Also in this episode we learn that Raiders were previously immortal just like the Cylons. As Sharon explains, when they were blown out of the sky the pilot’s memory survives, ‘death becomes a learning experience.” But dying is not all that pleasant and Scar may be carrying a grudge. This was an interesting twist in the idea of man and machine. How much do these ‘machines’ have to lose now that rebirth is not an option? How much will it continue to change the way they fight.

I thought Sackhoff was great this week. In a weird way, Starbuck is bottoming out because she is finally thinking with her heart, instead of her trigger finger. The episode begs the question, how can one remain human and still fight better than a machine?



-side bar: a friend suggested, what if Scare was the Raider Starbuck had flown off Caprica. No real evidence of that, just a thought.

I love the way the show is going, Kara's spiral into more destructive behavior is fascinating. I love the tension between her and LT whatsiwhosit. I've been wanting Kara and Lee to get together for a while ... obviously it's going to be a struggle for that to happen, but i'd like to see them end up together. All in all, I found this was an exciting episode and really went far in furthering the character developement. :)

Starbuck's return to Viper piloting, not counting a brief stint in the destruction of the Resurrection Ship, is anything but smooth as her erstwhile apprentice criticizes her every move and seeks to supplant her as Alpha Female of the squadron. While nameless rookie pilots fall to an ace Cylon Raider ala The Big Red One, these two hot heads stay on each other's cases for their tactical flaws, substance addictions, and interpersonal skills. While viewers could reasonably ask why two grown-ups couldn't just sit down and work out their differences, such logic would deprive us of a battle of wills tumbling towards its inevitable conclusion. Until, of course, our plucky heroes learn to work together to save the day. While we didn't get much to drive the larger story arc forward, there were hints that this slow stretch would soon be coming to an end with a return to Caprica. Can't wait.

To date from all other episodes this episode revealed alot of the Raiders. They are also resurected, thus producing a more effective Raider, Because it retains its experiences and can learn from its mistakes every time it is resurected. And it seems like it was the most effective Raider. This episode reminded me of a Space Above and Beyond Episode called The Angriest Angel 1-16 In which they were facing Chiggy Von Richter some ace Flyer in a new alien craft that wasnt detected in their gravis displays like the older alien craft were. And in both The Humans Prevailed. Ya gotta love a happy Ending.

There are a lot of similarities between this episode and the previous installment, but I thought there were some fundamental differences that made this episode work. Despite the use of a writing device that has become an annoying bad habit (that “XX hours earlier” thing), events proceed according to a logical extension of what has come before in previous episodes this season.



That was the big difference for me. In the previous episode, Lee was taken into territory that qualifies as character development on a certain level, but didn’t match what had come before in an organic fashion. It makes sense that Lee would find himself in a dark place after his near-death experience, but the episode relied too much on retroactive continuity changes.



This episode, on the other hand, was the logical extension of several character threads. Starbuck in particular has been on this path for quite a while, and she created each and every one of her problems in this episode. All of her self-righteousness against Tigh earlier in the series comes back to haunt her, she creates her own worst nightmare in Kat, and she can’t seem to handle the fact that she’s still in love with a man who’s probably dead.



That’s what Lee was supposedly dealing with in the previous episode, but unlike that situation, we’ve seen Kara with Anders, and we know that she’s taken steps to attempt a rescue as recently as “Resurrection Ship”. It gives her actions and emotions in this episode context. In short, it builds on elements already present.



One of the similarities that I appreciated was the change in perspective. The previous episode delved into the ugly side of the civilian world, which hasn’t been seen very much, and this episode takes us into the world of the Viper pilots. A listen to the podcast for this episode reveals the amount of research that was applied to that depiction, which is why a number of elements ring true.



This provides Kara’s downward spiral with a strong context. Add to that a number of nuanced performances, and this episode shines all around. More than once, I was struck by how well the characters’ emotions were communicated without dialogue. I actually felt like I learned more about Lee’s recent descent from his few scenes in this episode than in the entire hour devoted to his psychology.



As I’ve said in reviews for other series, whenever an episode focuses on a single character, enjoyment of that episode is often predicated on a person’s like or dislike for that character. I’ll admit that I’m more interested in Kara than Lee, but that certainly wasn’t the only difference between the two episodes. For me, it came down to the fact that this episode was better the second time around, whereas the previous episode actually seemed worse on the second viewing.



While they aren’t necessary for an episode to be strong, the effects during the battle sequences were quite impressive and truly enhanced the gritty side of the Viper pilot lifestyle. The scene between Kara and Sharon was also quite good (and Sharon looked incredible, as always!). Likewise, the ultra-awkward Kara/Lee scene was something to behold. Those were just a few of the highlights, and for that reason, this was one of the better episodes of the season.