Ronald D. Moore (Kinda) Answers Battlestar Galactica’s Biggest Mystery: “What Is Starbuck?”

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It’s been over 15 years since the TV series “Battlestar Galactica” concluded its impressive run on SYFY, and according to actress Katee Sackhoff, this is the query she fields most frequently: “What truly is Starbuck?

The development of Kara “Starbuck” Thrace as a fighter pilot, leader, and eventually a complex metaphysical enigma towards the end of the Battlestar Galactica series is still one of the most intriguing unsolved puzzles in the show’s history. This mystery has sparked countless fan theories and scholarly discussions even years after it went off-air. It’s no surprise that questions about this character often come up, and it’s also understandable why Katee Sackhoff herself wanted to direct these queries to the showrunner, Ronald D. Moore.

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Ronald D. Moore on Starbuck’s mysterious role in Battlestar Galactica

Moore, who now works on successful series such as “Outlander,” recently appeared on Sackhoff’s podcast, “The Sackhoff Show,” to reminisce about their shared work in “BSG” and its lasting impact. During the conversation, Sackhoff posed the question of Starbuck’s true identity directly to Moore. According to Moore, while Starbuck’s final identity at the end of the series remains a mystery, it is not because he and the writers had a definitive solution but chose not to reveal it. Instead, he maintained that the enigma was more compelling than a clear resolution as the primary creator of the narrative.

Moore stated, “I attempted to solve the mystery, but in the end, I chose not to make a decision as all our answers fell short of what I believed she represented. She wasn’t an angel or a resurrected Jesus figure; instead, she was something indescribable – a mysterious, tangible entity that had somehow manifested among us.

As Moore explains, the challenge in deciding not to clarify Starbuck’s nature was that it left an enigma for the series finale. In this finale, Starbuck mysteriously disappears after guiding the colonists to their new home on prehistoric Earth. The question then arose: Did the writers ultimately define Starbuck’s character, or did they choose to keep the mystery alive?

Ultimately, after considering various theories drawn from different religious beliefs worldwide, Moore and the authors concluded that they couldn’t find an explanation for the question at hand.

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Moore expressed that each time we assigned a name to it or declared “This is what it is,” I felt as if the mystery and its unique quality were lost. In the end, he decided to refrain from defining it and instead let the audience ponder its identity.

After more than a dozen years of curiosity from fans, and the odd pang of doubt about his choice, Moore reassured Sackhoff that he remains convinced that not providing an answer was the best decision in retrospect.

Moore expressed that despite some lingering uncertainty, he’s overall content with his decision, and one of his favorite scenes from the finale is when you vanish, leaving Lee to turn around and find you gone – a moment he deeply cherishes.

Here it is, put to rest for good: The true response to the query “who is Starbuck?” lies in the fact that there isn’t one. This ambiguity is simply one of the many intriguing narrative decisions that contribute to Battlestar Galactica being hailed as one of the finest TV series of the 21st century.

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2025-03-24 21:01