By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Some fans of Ronald D. Moore’s Battlestar Galactica are still annoyed at the sex scene in “Kobol’s Last Gleaming.” That’s because fan-favorite character Starbuck hooks up with skeezy tech con man Gaius Baltar rather than Captain Adama, a character that many saw as her soul mate. However, this controversial scene is secretly brilliant for a reason most overlook: Adama actor Jamie Bamber was actually performing in this sensual scene until Starbuck called out his character’s first name and it switched to Jamie Callis, which was the show’s way of showing audiences who she really wanted to knock combat boots with.
The Battlestar Galactica Sex Scenes Fans Still Hate
If you don’t remember seeing Jamie Bamber in this Battlestar Galactica sex scene, you’re not going crazy. His face is never actually shown, and the only way that you can tell it’s him is through his body shape, which is subtly different from Baltar actor James Callis. When a fan wrote to Ronald Moore to ask about this scene, the showrunner confirmed that this secret switcheroo was done “to establish who Starbuck would rather be with.”
It may be worth contextualizing these characters and their relationships so that you can better understand the significance of Battlestar Galactica’s sneakiest sex scene. You see, Starbuck’s first real love was Captain Lee Adama’s brother Zak, who tragically died in his first tour of duty due to pilot error while flying his Viper. Before that, she and Zak were engaged, which is one of the reasons she is so tight with Commander Adama, father to both Zak and Lee Adama.
Starbuck always had great chemistry with Captain Adama, something we saw onscreen thanks to the sizzling performances of Katee Sackhoff and Jamie Bamber. They quickly became the show’s big “will they or won’t they” couple, and as early as the first season, fans were frantically wanting the two of them to hook up. Therefore, when that Battlestar Galactica Season 1 finale featured a surprise sex scene between Starbuck and the loathsome Dr. Baltar, it felt like a slap in the face to all those who were rooting for Captain Adama and Starbuck to go make the Viper with two backs.
However, Battlestar Galactica showrunner Ronald Moore confirmed back in 2005 that the Adama/Baltar switcheroo during this sex scene was designed to show us who Starbuck really wanted to hook up with. This is perfectly in line with her personality as we see the hotshot pilot constantly making personal and professional mistakes throughout the show. Outside of the cockpit, she’s almost as messed up as her enemy-turned-friend Colonel Tigh, so having her bang the show’s worst character while secretly wanting to have a relationship with its best one is, frankly, par for the course.
Because we’re huge Battlestar Galactica fans, Moore’s words about this sex scene were fairly reassuring. It drives home the idea that Starbuck never really desired Baltar; she wanted the comparatively wholesome Lee Adama but sublimated her desires so much that she hooked up with the ship’s resident mad scientist. She later made life difficult for Baltar, which shouldn’t have surprised him. After all, he knew more than anyone else just how dangerous a badass blonde can really be.
