"Scavenge World" Battlestar Galactica #11 (Marvel) Written by Roger McKenzie and Walter Simonson Layouts by Walter Simonson Finishes by Klaus Janson January 1980

Scavenger-Pirates threaten to dismantle the fleet.

Story Summary

On patrol, Starbuck, Boomer, and Athena come across Scavenge World in the middle of the void, a world made up of the hulks of spaceships that got lost there. They discover that the fleet's three missing ships are there, being torn down for parts and scrap. Boomer and Athena suddenly lose control of their own thoughts and guide their Vipers in for a landing in one of Scavenge World's hangars, where a motley assortment of alien beings begins to strip the fighter craft while the two humans are hauled away. Bewildered, Starbuck follows them in and then loses his alien pursuers in the corridors. He stumbles across a card game and joins in, cleaning out the players' pot and even winning an insignia of rank.

Meanwhile a Cylon patrol discovers the fleet and attacks. Tigh and Apollo mop them up for now, but are convinced more are on the way.

Back on Scavenge World, Boomer and Athena are brought before the world's leader, a female pirate named Eurayle. They find Starbuck with her, considered by the inhabitants to be a General since he won the insignia of rank. Eurayle wants the fleet to join them and add to Scavenge World, but Starbuck strikes a deal with her that if she will lead the fleet out of the void, they will deliver a mess of Cylons and their ships to break down into scrap. She agrees.

Shortly, the fleet arrives and when she hears about Commander Adama's entrapment in the memory machine she offers a second deal. She believes her telepathic powers can help free him...in return for Starbuck staying with her on Scavenge World. 

Didja Notice?

Colonel Tigh's log gives what seems to be some kind of date format: 138-14-06. It's hard to say what this "date" means since none of the numbers conform to the year of 7348 given by some sources (see the Battlestar Wiki timeline) as the yahren of the Cylon destruction of the Colonies.

On page 3, Tigh's log reveals it has been a week since Adama became trapped in the memory machine.

Also on page 3, Athena gets a blip on her viper's long range scanner, but it disappears after a micron and she tells Starbuck she is unable to vector E.R.P. I've been unable to determine the meaning of the term in this context.

On page 10, Starbuck suggests that some of the aliens of Scavenge World are wearing Cylon armor.

On page 14, Starbuck recognizes that a small group of aliens is playing a card game known as Plutovarian Three-Spot.

On pages 14-15, Apollo appears to have been left in command of the Galactica while Colonel Tigh is off shift.

On page 15, Sire Uri attempts to retake command of Galactica in his capacity as President of the Council of Twelve.

On page 19, Starbuck announces he has accumulated a perfect plerd in Plutovarian Three-Spot. It's unknown exactly what a "plerd" is, but Starbuck appears to be laying down 5 cards, the top being a 5 of triangles and, possibly, the other four are the same.

Notice that the insignia of rank that Starbuck wins in his card game looks similar, though not exact, to Commander Adama's Kobolian medallion as seen in "A Death in the Family".

Notes from Battlestar Bulletins

Battlestar Bulletins was the letters column of Marvel's BSG comic book. In the column this issue, there is a jokey editorial reply that writer Roger Mckenzie has a theory that the Galactica reached Earth in our past, defeated the Cylons once and for all, and Adama changed his name to Cartwright and settled in Nevada and built the Ponderosa empire. This is a reference to Lorne Green's previous TV series Bonanza, which ran from 1959-1973, about the Cartwright family and their ranch near Virginia City, Nevada in the American old west.