SOMETIMES, EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE
No other reason other than so she can hook up with Apollo? Really? How about the fact that the original Starbuck character was the biggest example of a TV trope, Gary Stu out there? Let’s face it, the original Battlestar Galactica wasn’t very good, not from a critical stand point. It relied far too much on its Star Wars inspiration and it was very much Mormons in Space (I mean no disrespect to the Mormon religion). It had it’s charms, but from a quality standpoint its only saving grace was its bare bones concept.
Not only is it an incredibly sexist thing to say that the only reason to make Starbuck a woman is so she can hook up with Apollo, it’s also completely inaccurate. I’m going to pretend for a moment that you aren’t a bigoted asshole and explain to you the logic behind a gender swap such as Starbuck’s from a non feminist view point.
Starbuck is an iconic character. Dirk Benedict was Starbuck and there’s no denying that fact. So, from a writer’s view point how do you steer yourself away from blatant impersonations? Starbuck was a Rouge fighter pilot with a heart of gold. That’s great for what the show was, a campy 70’s trip through space, not for what the new show is. We’ve got enough Rogue gentlemen who smoke cigars and are the best at what they do to last a thousand lifetimes thank you very much.
So you don’t want to cast a young actor to just impersonate Dirk. What’s more, you want the show to be something darker, more serious, and relevant. Making Starbuck a woman automatically ensures that A) you won’t have an impersonator and B) you’re now open to exploring issues and topics that weren’t available before.
Okay, that’s enough pretending. I have to get back to what I’m really angry about. It’s fine if you’re unhappy with the fact that Starbuck became a woman. I think you’re a sexist asshole, but that’s fine. What isn’t fine, is the fact that you’ve chosen to voice the idea that Starbuck was made a woman for the sole reason of turning her into a love interest. In one sentence you’ve successfully destroyed all the work that the creators, writers, and actors did to make that character one of the single most complex and multi-faceted characters on television in the past fifteen years. That’s characters, not just female characters.
Kara Thrace is so much more than a love interest.
I also find it incredibly interesting that you’re so offended by Starbuck’s gender swap and yet you say nothing about the fact that Boomer was originally a male as well. Maybe you’re just butthurt that you can’t live vicariously through your favorite character anymore. I don’t know. I think you’re a jackass and I’d like you to please keep your hate and your sexism out of my tags.
It’s okay for you to dislike Ron Moore’s take on BSG and it’s your prerogative if you’d like to hate women. But again, keep it off my tags.
note: 3 am is not the best time to be writing replies to bigoted assholes