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"No Place Like Home"
Battlestar Galactica: Season III #1 (Realm Press)
Written by James A. Kuhoric
Illustrated by Chris Scalf and Robert Scott
Cover by Chris Scalf
June 1999 |
Baltar’s
ship is intercepted by aliens; the Council wants to stop the
fleet’s journey and settle a nearby star system.
Story Summary
It has been six months since the fleet has encountered any
Cylons, but Commander Adama insists on a high state of readiness from
his warriors, scheduling repeated combat simulations for his
Viper pilots.
Meanwhile, in an unknown system, a ship of the alien Apshaidians
has intercepted the Colonial shuttle used by Baltar to escape
the fleet. Now, they awaken him from a strange pod.
Elsewhere, the Imperious Leader reveals that he somehow knows
the location of the human fleet and orders Lucifer to put them
and all basestars in the sector on an intercept course. Lucifer
follows his orders, but secretly plots the time when he will be
in command of the Cylon Empire.
Back in the fleet, the Council votes, against Adama's wishes, to
settle on one of the two habitable planets in the system they have just
entered rather than continue the search for Earth.
Later, in an attempt to renew their relationship, Starbuck goes
on a date with Athena.
CONTINUED IN BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: SEASON III #2
Didja Know?
For their Season III series, Realm Press seemed to have gained
rights to use the
likenesses of actors Richard Hatch (Apollo), Dirk
Benedict (Starbuck), Herbert Jefferson, Jr. (Boomer), and Anne
Lockhart (Sheba), though the other characters are still
depicted differently.
The title of this issue is a common colloquialism in the English
language, originally inspired by the last line of the 1822 song
written by John Howard Payne "Home! Sweet Home!", Be it ever
so humble, there's no place like home.
Didja Notice?
Page 1 of this issue is a slightly modified
version of the longer BSG preamble spoken by actor Patrick
MacNee at the beginning of the pilot episode, the 3-hour
"Saga of a Star World". Notice
that mention of the lost civilization of Lemuria has been
dropped.
During the pyramid game in the officers club
of the Galactica on page 2, Starbuck remarks, "I love it when a
plan comes together!" This is a reference to the same line often
used by the character of Hannibal Smith (George Peppard) on the
1983-1986 TV series The A-Team; actor Dirk Benedict,
who plays Starbuck on BSG, was also the character called
Face (or Faceman)on The A-Team.
Starbuck's bet with Sheba in the pyramid
game is similar to his come-on to her in
"The Living Legend" Part 2.
The image of Viper pilots being rushed to
the launch bay on a stand-up transport on page 4, panel 2 is
essentially a direct borrow from a scene witnessed many times in
TV episodes.
On page 6, Omega tells Commander Adama they
are approaching a star system that is not on any of the charts they
have compiled. Aren't they far enough out now that none of the
systems they come across would be on their charts?
Omega remarks that the new system has two
stars. Later, the narrative on page 8 informs us that the
Apshaidian ship which has intercepted Baltar's shuttle is
"behind the second sun of an unknown system". This may be
an
indication that Baltar and the Apshaidians are in the same
system the fleet is now entering.
On page 6, panel 6, the main viewport on the
bridge of the Galactica seems to be much larger than is
seen in the TV episodes.
The basestar carrying Imperious Leader is
not the super-basestar seen in
"The Law of Volahd" Part 2.
Possibly that basestar was actually a starbase and essentially
non-motile.
On page 10, Imperious Leader makes reference
to the two brains that IL-series Cylons have, just as previously
stated in several of the BSG novelizations. (The Imperious
Leader himself is said to have three brains in these novels.)
Page 12 reveals that the IL-series Cylon in
command of one of the basestars is named Scalv. This does not
seem to fit the usual pattern of IL-series names being a
familiar Earth word or name associated with evil.
Page 12 hints that Imperious Leader may have
had a tracking device implanted in Baltar's body and that may be
how he has recently tracked the human fleet. This seems to later be
confirmed by Lucifer in "Fire in the Sky". (A somewhat similar
trick is used in the later Richard Hatch BSG novels in which the
reformed Baltar's presence on the Galactica gives the
fleet's location away to Imperious Leader.)
Page 12 also suggests that Lucifer is
scheming to replace the Imperious Leader at some point and hints
that he might dismiss the hunt for humanity.
On page 13 Adama records into his log that
it has been nearly half a yahren since the fleet last
encountered the Cylons.
As Adama reminisces on recent events on page
14, we see an image of a Somnian, a Cylon, an unknown hooded man
with glowing red eyes, and someone who appears to be Starbuck
with glowing green eyes. The two "glowing eyes" images must be
from events that were part of Realm Press's plans for Season Two
which were not published.
As Adama hopes to uncover a new clue to lead
the fleet closer to Earth, the image in panel 3 of page 14 is
actually of Earth, as revealed by the shape of the continents
through the clouds.
Pages 16 and 17 introduce some kind of
spider- or crab-like creature which has infiltrated the
Galactica. We never learn what this was as Realm Press folded
before the plotline was picked up again.
Council Security Officer Reese is seen here
for the first time since "Baltar's
Escape".
The first of the habitable planets in the
system is named Domia by the astronavigators. Apollo comments
that "domia" is the Kobolian word for "home". Possibly, writer
James Kuhoric based this word on our own English word "domain"
(Latin dominium).
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