(215) SCAR

Summary:
While the rest of the fleet moves on under the protection of Pegasus, Galactica remains behind guarding The colonial mining ship Majahual which has been working around the clock on extracting much needed metals from an asteroid belt.

Hiding in the asteroids, is a cylon top gun, nicknamed 'Scar', who has been using hit and run attacks decimating the viper pilots ranks. A reincarnation of past raiders, Scar bears an almost human like hatred of humanity.

Tensions rise as Kat ans Starbuck bump heads and egos over top-gun status. Starbuck is emotionally unbalanced, drinking heavily to ease her longing for a man most likely dead. Drunk, she comes onto an equally emotionally drained Lee who stops things at the last moment.

The climax comes after Lee, interrupting a fight between Starbuck and Kat, pairs them up on the next patrol. Chasing after a raider, they fall into Scars trap. Starbuck dogfights with Scar, and ends up going head on with him. Forced to choose life, she ends up awarding the kill to Kat, who earns Top Gun status with this kill.

Review:
Excellent episode showcasing some of the emotional strain the pilots are under, and the challenges they face. The effects on the dogfights were excellent as usual. The addition of the Pegasus to the fleet is allowing for more combat oriented solo missions, which adds some dimension to the series. The Lee-Kara almost tryst showcases both the attraction between the two, as well as each characters daemons. Lee is still hurting from his emotional battle last episode, and Kara is fighting her growing desire to return to Caprica and the love she left behind, as well as realizing that she may not be the top stick much longer.


Unanswered Questions:
- Where is the Kara-Lee relationship going?
- How much resentment does Starbuck hold against Kat now?