Battlestar Galactica's 15 Biggest Plot Twists And Reveals
7. Starbuck’s Death And Life
A series of revelations, all surrounding the death and return of Lt. Kara “Starbuck” Thrace,
gets underway in Season Three’s Maelstrom, when she experiences some bizarre visions which lead her to
her apparent demise while flying a mission.
Watching this scene, it’s hard to imagine that it is really the end of the
beloved character, and indeed the season closes off just a few episodes later
with her mysterious return, claiming to have found the way to Earth.
Not long afterwards, Kara finds her own dead body (and destroyed fighter) on that same Earth. Even so, she goes on to be instrumental in guiding the Fleet to their eventual home, before finally vanishing without a trace.
The storyline is certainly surprising, and provides lots of dramatic moments, but the lack of any full explanation about what is happening gives it all a random feel, and prevents it from being higher on this list. The implication is that a guiding divine power is behind it all, but any specifics are just conjecture.