Starbuck’s Return In Battlestar Galactica Has A Simple Explanation (According To Katee Sackhoff)

Over the course of its run, Battlestar Galactica yielded a number of interesting sci-fi mysteries. Among them was the nature of Starbuck’s ambiguous return to the series. Despite the importance of this plot point, the subject was never fully explored in any of Battlestar Galactica’s seasons.

Starbuck dies a few episodes before the end of season 3, but that’s not the end of her story. After Starbuck returns from death during the cliffhanger at the end of the season, how she’s alive or what exactly happened to her is never really explained. The creators of Battlestar Galactica left this as a mystery purposefully, giving the audience space to form their own theories, but fans aren’t the only ones who have thought about it.

Katee Sackhoff Believes Starbuck Was Brought Back As A Spirit To Guide Humanity

Starbuck’s Actress Has A Compelling Theory On Starbuck’s Return

There’s been a lot of debate over different fan theories about the return of Starbuck for season 4 of Battlestar Galactica. Katee Sackhoff, who played Starbuck, had her own response to a fan’s comment on Instagram, explaining that “She was a spirit brought to guide humanity to earth and salvation“ (via Katee Sackhoff on Instagram).

This does line up with a popular fan theory, which is that Kara Thrace is an angel. Kara being a spirit fits a very similar role, and both theories suggest that she was brought back specifically for the sake of humanity. These theories also both line up with the idea that her role as a guide is the reason why she disappears during Battlestar Galactica‘s finale: she only came back because she was needed, but now that her mission has been successful, her time as humanity’s guide is over.

Starbuck being a spirit does provide some degree of an answer, but so many details of Starbuck’s character and her backstory were left secret that it doesn’t feel like it answers everything. In a way, it opens up even more questions. Even if we had known for certain during the show that Starbuck was a spirit, that would still have left open questions about how that came to be the case. Sackhoff’s comment also doesn’t explain whether Starbuck would have always been a spirit, or if she became one only after her death in season 3.

Starbuck Being A Spirit Aligns With The Mythology Of The Show

Battlestar Galactica Uses Fantasy Storytelling Methods In A Science Fiction Setting

Battlestar Galactica is rooted in fantasy as much as it is in science fiction, especially later in the show. As we learn more about the Cylons, it becomes clear that there is more to their existence than what they appear to be at first. While religion and events without scientific explanation have been baked into the show since the beginning, the twist of the Final Five Cylons having once existed on Earth thousands of years ago is a particularly fantastical revelation.

The lack of explanation about some of the series’ biggest plot twists calls back to fantasy storytelling more than science fiction. While the main premise of people living in space and fighting sentient machines is rather typical for a science fiction premise, some of the finer details of Battlestar Galactica have more in common with fantasy stories. Battlestar Galactica‘s take on the sci fi genre is unique because of these fantastical elements.

The plot of Battlestar Galactica hinges on religion and the show’s mythology, in addition to exploring things such as the politics of being the last of your people and what it’s like to keep fighting in such a situation. The audience is expected to take certain things on faith and to be satisfied with the show paying more attention to the consequences of the events that occur in the series rather than the reasons behind them.

Katee Sackhoff’s Explanation Is Only One Possible Theory For Starbuck’s Return

Fans Have Also Theorized About Starbuck Being Half-Cylon

Starbuck’s history (and even her present) being left so ambiguous gave fans a lot of space to form theories about her character, and the lack of official confirmation of Starbuck as a spirit or as anything else means that they can’t be disproven. Another popular fan theory is that Starbuck is half-Cylon, and that this origin story is the reason for her knowledge of the song that woke the Final Five Cylons. The theory suggests that Starbuck’s father might have been the Cylon Daniel, the one Cylon that we never get to see.

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These two theories are not mutually exclusive; it’s very possible that if Kara does have this connection to the Cylons, that’s the reason behind her being chosen to return as a spirit and guide humanity to their new home. It’s likely that we’ll never know the answers to these questions for certain, but the open-ended mysteries that still remain to this day are an example of how unique Battlestar Galactica‘s blend of religion, war, and tragedy remains to this day.