Kara Thrace

Lore & Background

Kara Thrace was born on Picon, but because her mother was in the Colonial Marines, she grew up as a military brat bouncing between bases on different planets. She has no particular attachment to Picon and lived on Caprica for some years before the series begins. As this information is from the series bible but never stated on-screen, it is unknown if Kara is canonically considered a Caprican or a Picon. She intended to be a professional pyramid ballplayer until her knee gave out, then joined the military, finding more acceptance than she had at home as an abused child. Her mother, Socrata Thrace, served as a corporal in the first Cylon war, but Kara was the first in the family to become a commissioned officer. Her father, Dreilide Thrace, was a pianist who left the family when Kara was a child after Socrata forced him to choose between his piano playing and a steadier job. As a flight instructor, Kara met student Zak Adama and became romantically involved with him. Although Zak told her he did not want special treatment, Kara passed him even though he failed basic flight, unable to crush his dreams. This leniency cost Zak his life when he died on his first Viper mission. After his death, Starbuck met his father, William Adama, who realized she and Zak had been engaged and brought her under his command as a lieutenant. Zak's death created a wedge between Adama and his other son, Lee "Apollo" Adama, who blamed his father for creating an expectation that made Zak feel he needed to pursue being a Viper pilot. After the funeral, Lee broke off all contact with his father and Starbuck. Starbuck has a natural talent for flying and is considered Galactica's best pilot, though she is also known as an avid card player and drinker with an eruptive temper. Bill Adama loves Kara despite her flaws and considers her a surrogate daughter. However, Starbuck and Colonel Tigh share a mutual sense of loathing, despite their similarities. At the time of the attack on the Colonies, she was second in command of Galactica's fighter wing.

In Their Own Story

In a card game prior to Galactica's decommissioning ceremony, Starbuck responds to Colonel Tigh's mocking of her call sign and her stint in the brig as a cadet by alluding to Tigh's troubled relationship with his wife. Infuriated, he flips the table over, and she punches him in the face. He sends her to the brig, promising her career is over. However, Adama tells Tigh he is probably overreacting, agreeing to leave Kara in the brig until after the ceremony but saying there is no need to ruin her career. Following the Cylons' attack on the Twelve Colonies, Starbuck is released to join the battle. She keeps her secret about Zak buried inside until after the attack. Soon after, when she fears humanity might be wiped out, she confesses her mistake to Lee. He is devastated. Later, he confronts her when she is chosen to train new Viper pilots after several pilots are killed in a freak accident. The quality of recruits is subpar, but she begins their training, ordering them to call her "God." Blinded by guilt, she washes all the pilots out for relatively minor flaws. She then admits her secret to Adama, who is furious and heartbroken; he orders her to reinstate the trainees. On the next training mission, Starbuck and the trainees are ambushed by a small group of Cylon Raiders. Starbuck engages the Raiders on her own to cover the trainees' escape. With her Viper heavily damaged, she plummets toward the surface of a nearby desert moon and is forced to eject. Starbuck is declared "missing in action," and Adama orders a search and rescue operation. On the surface, she struggles with a broken knee and near asphyxiation as her oxygen runs out. She discovers the Cylon Raider she downed, figures out the Cylon technology, and pilots it back to the fleet. Depressed by her injuries, she initially needs incentive to work on rehabilitation. Even after she can move without a cane, the injury sidelines her from flight for many episodes; when given tactical charge of a mission, she cannot fly the critical role because her knee still can't handle the G-force. During her recovery, a Number Two named Leoben is discovered aboard the Gemenon Traveller and arrested. Adama assigns Starbuck to interrogate Leoben, believing she will be resistant to his mind games. Starbuck brutally interrogates Leoben, and he claims to have hidden a nuclear bomb on a timer somewhere in the fleet. Despite her crude exterior, Starbuck is revealed to have a deep-seated faith in the gods, engaging in a debate about the existence of the Colonial gods vs. the Cylon god with Leoben, and whether the humanoid Cylons are actually "human." Leoben demonstrates he can break free and kill Starbuck at any time but chooses not to, believing it is not God's will. During this period, Starbuck develops respect for Leoben, and he falls in love with her. She is genuinely saddened when President Laura Roslin orders him executed by airlock after he admits there is no bomb. She experiences a brief moment of emotional connection with Leoben when they touch palms through the glass of the airlock before he is executed. Afterwards, she privately prays to the Lords of Kobol, acknowledging that Leoben might not have had a soul, but if he did, asking that they take care of it. Starbuck's religious beliefs later come into play when President Roslin asks her to carry out a dangerous mission: return to Caprica and retrieve the Arrow of Apollo, a religious artifact supposedly pointing the way to Earth. Starbuck is at first reluctant, believing that Adama already knows the way to Earth.

Reader's Guide

Kara Thrace begins as a Viper pilot second in command of Galactica's fighter wing, known for her exceptional flying skill, gambling, drinking, and eruptive temper. After the Cylon attack, she is released from the brig to join the battle. Her secret about passing Zak Adama despite his failure haunts her; she confesses to Lee and later to Adama, who orders her to reinstate washed-out trainees. She survives a crash on a desert moon, pilots a captured Cylon Raider back to the fleet, and recovers from a broken knee that sidelines her from flying. She interrogates Leoben, a Number Two, and develops a complex respect for him before his execution. She is then tasked by President Roslin to retrieve the Arrow of Apollo from Caprica. Throughout, she struggles with guilt, faith, and relationships with the Adama family, while remaining Galactica's best pilot.

Did You Know?

• Kara Thrace was originally intended to be a professional pyramid ballplayer until her knee gave out.
• She passed Zak Adama in flight school even though he failed basic flight, unable to crush his dreams, which led to his death.
• Starbuck once ordered her trainees to call her 'God' during flight training.
• She piloted a captured Cylon Raider back to the fleet after crashing on a desert moon.
• A psychologist has described Starbuck as showing many borderline traits, including unstable emotions, self-destructive behaviors, and identity confusion.

Character Evolution and Psychological Depth

Described by a critic as "one of television's most complex, ever-evolving characters," Starbuck's role changed over the run of the series. According to Sackhoff, Starbuck originally "didn't value her own life," and this attitude inspired her readiness to die for her shipmates. By the end of the series, however, she is prepared to sacrifice herself for others because she respects all life. A psychologist who specializes in treating Borderline Personality Disorder has described Starbuck's character as showing "many borderline traits, including unstable emotions, behaviors and relationships, self-destructive behaviors, boundary diffusion, identity confusion, impulsivity, and intense attachments." USA Today described her as "the broken warrior, a young, idealistic soldier who has been fighting for all the right reasons, but has lost something along the way."

Origins and Family Dynamics

The series bible states that Kara Thrace was born on Picon, but because her mother was in the Colonial Marines, she grew up as a military brat bouncing between different military bases on different planets during her entire childhood. She has no particular attachment to Picon and lived on Caprica for some years before the series begins. As this information is from the series bible but never stated on-screen, it is unknown if Kara is canonically considered a Caprican or a Picon. Her mother, Socrata Thrace, served as a corporal in the first Cylon war, but Kara was the first person in the family to become a commissioned officer. Socrata was not content with her daughter's military record, claiming she was not disciplined enough and was wasting her natural talent for flying. Kara's father, Dreilide Thrace, was a pianist who left the family when Kara was a child, as Socrata had forced him to choose between his beloved piano playing and a steadier job to support the family. Kara had intended to be a professional pyramid ballplayer until her knee gave out. She eventually joined the military, where she found more acceptance than she had felt at home as an abused child.

Tragic Romance and Fleet Relationships

As a flight instructor at the Colonial flight school, Kara met and became romantically involved with one of her students, Zak Adama. Although Zak told her he did not want any special treatment from her, Kara passed him even though he failed basic flight, as she could not bring herself to crush his dreams. Her leniency cost Zak his life when he died on his first Viper mission. After his death, Starbuck met his father, William Adama. He realized Starbuck and Zak had been engaged and brought her under his command as a lieutenant. Zak's death created a wedge between Adama and his other son, Lee "Apollo" Adama, who blamed his father for Zak's death. After the funeral, Lee broke off all contact with his father and Starbuck. Bill Adama loves Kara despite her flaws and considers her something of a surrogate daughter. However, Starbuck and Colonel Tigh share a mutual sense of loathing, despite - or perhaps because of - their similarities. At the time of the attack on the Colonies, she was second in command of Galactica's fighter wing.

Legacy and Thematic Parallels

Kara Thrace bears some parallels to the original 1978 Starbuck character: both are portrayed as hot-headed and arrogant fighter pilots, considered the best in the fleet, but with a tendency to challenge authorities and get into trouble. Both are avid gamblers and enjoy drinking, smoking cigars, and having sex. Both have crashed and been marooned on a deserted planet, using a downed Cylon ship to make an escape. Both are best friends with Apollo. Kara had a relationship with Apollo's late brother Zak (mirroring the original Starbuck's on-and-off relationship with Apollo's sister Athena), affecting her relationship with Apollo and Zak's father, William Adama. Whereas the original Starbuck, played by Dirk Benedict, was a slick, well-groomed ladies' man, Kara appears more rugged and grimy. The characters differ not only in respect of their gender – complicating Kara's relationships with other characters – but also in outward appearance.