Murder on the Rising Star
- Episode aired Feb 18, 1979
- 47m
Starbuck is framed for murder of a sports rival. Apollo suspects Baltar but Adama agrees to charge Starbuck and try him for murder until Apollo can come up with some proof that he didn't do ... Read allStarbuck is framed for murder of a sports rival. Apollo suspects Baltar but Adama agrees to charge Starbuck and try him for murder until Apollo can come up with some proof that he didn't do it.Starbuck is framed for murder of a sports rival. Apollo suspects Baltar but Adama agrees to charge Starbuck and try him for murder until Apollo can come up with some proof that he didn't do it.
- Boxey
- (credit only)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThere was no screenplay for the episode until very late into production. Only the title, "Murder on the Rising Star", existed and was used to pitch the series to the executives. A last-minute scramble from the writers resulted in the screenplay that made it to the air.
- GoofsApollo's shuttle indicator shows a loaded weight of 2250. Just before Charybdis climbs aboard, without anything else having been added, the weight shown is 2425. After we see him stepping aboard the shuttle, we cut to the weight indicator changing to indicate his additional weight. It stops at 2425.
- Quotes
Computer voice: There is no profile on anyone named Karibdis, K.a.r.i.b.d.i.s.
Lieutenant Boomer: [to Apollo] Maybe you misspelled it.
Computer voice: Or on anyone who's name is phonetically spelled like Karibdis.
Captain Apollo: [to Boomer] You think Barton lied?
Computer voice: I cannot answer that question without further input. I would have to know what Barton...
Captain Apollo: [interrupting] I wasn't speaking to you.
Computer voice: Sorry.
Captain Apollo: That's all right. I mean, that's all. Thank you.
Computer voice: You're welcome.
- ConnectionsEdited into Remembering 'Battlestar Galactica' (2004)
- SoundtracksExploration/Theme from Battlestar Galactica
(uncredited)
Composed and Conducted by Stu Phillips
Performed by The Los Angeles Philharmonic
Ortega has a long-standing feud going with Starbuck all the way back to their days as cadets and dogs him with late hits throughout the much anticipated and widely viewed match, which is televised live across the fleet.
Starbuck is heard threatening Ortega twice and is separated from attacking Ortega by Apollo on the Triad court and then by Cassiopeia in the area near the locker rooms after Starbuck and Ortega have both been thrown out of the game.
When Ortega is murdered in his locker-room Starbuck is seen fleeing the area. His laser pistol is tested and identified as the murder weapon. Adama confines him to the brig pending trial. Apollo acts as Starbuck's defense lawyer and tries to find out who really killed Ortega.
This episode which crosses the genre of science fiction with murder mystery and courtroom drama happens to be one of the more highly regarded of the original series amongst fans of science fiction. So much so in fact that elements of it seem to have been ripped off for the staging of Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country in which Brock Peters who plays Solon here also co-starred as Admiral Cartwright.
What we see in this particular episode is some sense of what the justice system in the Colonial Fleet is like. Adama is both Chief of police and judge/jury from what we see here in addition to being it's military Commander-in-chief.
We also see a Colonial warrior with uncharacteristically villainous tendencies in the person of Ortega, a pilot with character traits (gambling, womanizing etc) similar to Starbuck but one who consistently takes things too far.
Ortega is a reflection of Starbuck but the differences in the characters emphasize the heroism of Starbuck and expands the depth of personalities aboard the Colonial fleet. On the original series base human instincts were not as pronounced.
Dirk Benedict was hardly the prize choice of producers in casting the show (Lorne Greene was) but by its end he had become its drawing card. The show perhaps revolved around him a little too much at times yet tended to lag in those moments when he was not on screen.
- JasonDanielBaker
- Feb 5, 2015