Battlestar Galactica: Every Starbuck Episode Ranked Worst To Best

This, to put it mildly, came as a complete shock on first watch. The episode generated a lot of controversy behind the scene as well, with both Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell storming up to Ronald D. Moore to ask, in no uncertain terms, if he was on crack, mate. He assured them he was not on crack, mate, and told them the secret.

Here, Kara Thrace's story comes to a head. She experiences visions of her mother's death, finally confronting the fear of her passing that she had held on to for years. She is guided through this process by Leoben - or at least a messenger who looks just like him.

There is one step that Kara has to take to complete her journey and it requires the greatest sacrifice of all. As Apollo watches in horror, while the crew of Galactica listen over the wireless, Kara pilots her Viper into the hard deck of a gas giant, exploding in a burst of flame.

To say that the audience never saw this coming is an understatement. It was a brave, devastating move for the show to take - proving just how deep the plans had gone from the beginning.