The Spirit Of Starbuck Remains Says Sackhoff
Source Sci Fi Pulse
24 September 2003
One of the most controversial decisions which Ron Moore took on his remake of Battlestar Galactica was to write the character of Starbuck originally portrayed by Dirk Benedict as a woman. Subsequently many Galactica fans have been up in arms and written mail after mail protesting to the change. In the new issue of the UK Publication Dreamwatch Katee Sackhoff who has taken on the daunting task of breathing life into the more feminine Starbuck touched on a few of the things that her character will be up to during the four hour mini series.
The new Galactica though based on the original 1978 pilot episode is not what you would call friendly to those that embraced the classic 70s show. Ron Moore in essence has gone for a much more naturalistic approach to the series, and subsequently made changes to the dynamics and interpersonal relationships between the characters on the show. Katee Sackhoff who portrays Starbuck talked a little about some of these changes.
"Adama is the father of my ex - fiancé, Zack, and also Apollo, who is one of my dear friends. Starbuck looks up to Commander Adama. She admires him and looks at him almost as a father figure. I think there are very few people who understand Starbuck, and he's one of them, so that's why she has such a close connection with him.
"Starbuck really doesn't like Tigh. She takes the military extremely seriously, and when someone abuses that, it hits a button. Tigh embodies everything that is bad about the military in her eyes. He may be a very good leader and solder, but his actions when he's not on duty really upset her. So she hates him."
Sackhoff admits to being a huge fan of Science Fiction, but unfortunately had never heard of Battlestar Galactica however she did do her research prior to auditioning for the role which stood her in good stead with the producers of the Mini.
"I watched as many episodes of the original series as I could get hold of. I also watched some movies with strong female characters. I watched things like Terminator and G.I. Jane, and I got an idea from doing that what my physical strength needed to be. And then I just took the approach that this is a woman in a man's world, in a chosen career that is dominated by men. So I figured she needed to be extremely tough. After a while I just picked up who she was and it seemed to come naturally.
"I was really committed, and I think the producers appreciated that during the audition process. I had done a lot of research on Starbuck, and they didn't have to tell me where to go with it - I just went!
"I didn't think I was going to get the role, because the character was [originally] in her thirties. I went in and auditioned for the first time and I knew the casting directors. I had my managers call every single day until they finally said, 'OK, she can meet the producers.' So I went to the producers and auditioned about four more times after that, and just really tried to sell to them that I understood who Starbuck was and what she was doing and what they were trying to accomplish with this series. I just tried to pretend I knew what I was doing! [Laughs]"
Although Sackhoff by her own admission is a huge Sci Fi fan. She came under fire almost immediately by the fan base of the Classic series, and she was not in the least bit phased about it.
"I wasn't at all surprised by the responses and reactions I was getting from the fans. I knew that they would be hurt by it, and basically what I've had to do is pick a position and really stay with it.
"From my point of view, there are a lot of similarities between the two Starbucks. The spirit of the character is still the same. Starbuck still has a smart mouth and a fun - loving spirit. Starbuck still smokes cigars and drinks, and is still the best viper pilot around. But the main difference between the two Starbucks is that my Starbuck is a lot more angry and confused; a lot of things from her past are affecting the way that she acts now.
I'm hoping that the fans can give it a chance, and we might win them over."
The Ron Moore and David Eick Produced Battlestar Galactica will premier December 7 on the American Sci Fi Channel. You can read further comments from Sackhoff on her role as Starbuck in the new issue of Dreamwatch magazine which is out now in all good newsagents.