Battlestar Galactica: 10 Most Disturbing Episodes

One of the most difficult to understand episodes of the show, Maelstrom is the apparent death of central character Starbuck. At first she is haunted by the memories of her abusive mother and the diagnosis of cancer that she received just after Starbuck had graduated from flight school. She keeps finding that her dreams are betraying her, finding herself back in her long-gone apartment on Caprica, sitting with Leoben Conoy.

While the Galactica and its fleet are attempting to refuel within a gas giant planet, Starbuck's patrol sights a Cylon ship and she gives chase. But nobody else can see it and she has to be convinced to give up the chase. Her dreams start to bleed into reality, she sees her childhood self all around the Galactica and tells Apollo that she can't trust herself. When she goes on her next patrol, Apollo says that he'll fly on her wing.

Endlessly drawn towards a massive central storm, Starbuck sees the phantom Cylon again and again gives chase. Realisation and dreams wash over her as she accepts that this is a moment she can never turn back from and she flies into the storm. Apollo's screams for her to come back are a wrenching truth.

Starbuck's gone.