Speculative comment/question on BSG
Mar. 20th, 2005 12:12 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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13thcolonyConcerning Kara Thrace and the men in her life - no spoilers past 'Colonial Day.'
Okay, trying to suss out the influences on Kara's life, and who she was and who she is becoming. What I really want to know is not exactly about Kara, but about Zack, and what she saw in Zack.
(The last thing I want to do here is get into a bashing contest on any of the characters. Let's take as given that all characters have their flaws and virtues, and accept that Kara really loved Zack.)
Lee, as we have seen already, is just a bit tightly wound, and tightly reserved. Someone else made the observation that (esp compared to Kara) Lee is a prude. Or - inhibited enough by his (new) command position and (on-going) position as the son of the great William Adama so that tumbling into the rack with any gal who walked by is just not in the cards. I tend to think that if their positions were reversed that Lee would not have put the moves on a superior officer/training instructor, even if he felt deeply for her.
(I'm going to default to him/her and het relationships. If, for the purposes of this discussion, it pleases the reader to assume the possibility of a same-sex relationship in this universe for Kara or Lee or, hell, Col Tigh - feel free.)
We've had a hint that Zack took after his father a bit more than Lee did, but also a broader indication that Lee and Kara are friends from way back.
So what I'm wondering what was the difference, that made a spark between Kara and Zach but not Lee and Kara?
Lee is (obviously at this point) a highly gifted pilot, if a far more cerebral one than Starbuck (or his father?) I think it's possible that Zack inherited the attitude but not the skills to back it up. Or that Zack (as younger sons sometimes do) faced less scrutiny growing up, and so was more self-confident than his older brother. I could certainly see a cocky young pilot propositioning his flight instructor on a bet, or just to try his luck.
On the other hand, it could be that Kara was the aggressor, even though that kind of unprofessional behavior - oh, what the hell am I saying? This is Kara Thrace, born to not toe the line. It probably *was* her, and quite possibly after she got a wave-off from Lee. (Or maybe not the instant "Sure, how bout right now?" that she was expecting in response to her "Hey, good-looking, wanna frack?") So little brother comes along, with much of what she likes about Lee, but hey! A bit more aggressive, if sloppy around the edges. And willing to take her up on the offer.
And then, of course, there maybe no telling what made her go from thinking "hot stick, fun frack" to "I want to spend the rest of my life married to this man." Love is strange.
Of course, I have *completely* let alone the relationship between Kara and Adama, and Kara and Tigh. I'm pretty sure both are strongly affected by the aftermath of Zack's death, but I feel pretty confident that neither is (much) a romantic/friendship relationship - in other words, the niches Lee and Zack fill/filled in Kara's life are very different than those filled by Adama or Tigh, while Lee's and Zack's positions re: Kara are similar.
Your thoughts?
Update - via![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kerlin, there was a discussion of the same topic a few weeks back in another lj. No spoilers after "Colonial Day", but watch the comments, as more could have been added. (Downloaders. I swear. *shakes head*)
Update to update - comments [in the discussion linked above] do have spoilers for the whole season thus far. (not huge, more character building than plot, if that makes a diff. Frack.) (edited for clarification
Okay, trying to suss out the influences on Kara's life, and who she was and who she is becoming. What I really want to know is not exactly about Kara, but about Zack, and what she saw in Zack.
(The last thing I want to do here is get into a bashing contest on any of the characters. Let's take as given that all characters have their flaws and virtues, and accept that Kara really loved Zack.)
Lee, as we have seen already, is just a bit tightly wound, and tightly reserved. Someone else made the observation that (esp compared to Kara) Lee is a prude. Or - inhibited enough by his (new) command position and (on-going) position as the son of the great William Adama so that tumbling into the rack with any gal who walked by is just not in the cards. I tend to think that if their positions were reversed that Lee would not have put the moves on a superior officer/training instructor, even if he felt deeply for her.
(I'm going to default to him/her and het relationships. If, for the purposes of this discussion, it pleases the reader to assume the possibility of a same-sex relationship in this universe for Kara or Lee or, hell, Col Tigh - feel free.)
We've had a hint that Zack took after his father a bit more than Lee did, but also a broader indication that Lee and Kara are friends from way back.
So what I'm wondering what was the difference, that made a spark between Kara and Zach but not Lee and Kara?
Lee is (obviously at this point) a highly gifted pilot, if a far more cerebral one than Starbuck (or his father?) I think it's possible that Zack inherited the attitude but not the skills to back it up. Or that Zack (as younger sons sometimes do) faced less scrutiny growing up, and so was more self-confident than his older brother. I could certainly see a cocky young pilot propositioning his flight instructor on a bet, or just to try his luck.
On the other hand, it could be that Kara was the aggressor, even though that kind of unprofessional behavior - oh, what the hell am I saying? This is Kara Thrace, born to not toe the line. It probably *was* her, and quite possibly after she got a wave-off from Lee. (Or maybe not the instant "Sure, how bout right now?" that she was expecting in response to her "Hey, good-looking, wanna frack?") So little brother comes along, with much of what she likes about Lee, but hey! A bit more aggressive, if sloppy around the edges. And willing to take her up on the offer.
And then, of course, there maybe no telling what made her go from thinking "hot stick, fun frack" to "I want to spend the rest of my life married to this man." Love is strange.
Of course, I have *completely* let alone the relationship between Kara and Adama, and Kara and Tigh. I'm pretty sure both are strongly affected by the aftermath of Zack's death, but I feel pretty confident that neither is (much) a romantic/friendship relationship - in other words, the niches Lee and Zack fill/filled in Kara's life are very different than those filled by Adama or Tigh, while Lee's and Zack's positions re: Kara are similar.
Your thoughts?
Update - via
kerlin, there was a discussion of the same topic a few weeks back in another lj. No spoilers after "Colonial Day", but watch the comments, as more could have been added. (Downloaders. I swear. *shakes head*)Update to update - comments [in the discussion linked above] do have spoilers for the whole season thus far. (not huge, more character building than plot, if that makes a diff. Frack.) (edited for clarification
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no subject
Date: 2005-03-20 08:16 am (UTC)They didn't have the fate of humanity riding on their shoulders; they weren't as grown up. In a nutshell, I see them as being more idealistic back then - and it seems like Zak, with his pursuit of a profession that he wasn't really suited for, embodied that idealism most perfectly of the three. I think Kara would have been drawn to that, particularly given her childhood.
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Date: 2005-03-20 02:16 pm (UTC)Interesting thoughts - I like this image of Zack as the dreamer, especially compared to Lee, who likely over thought things back then, too.
- hg
no subject
Date: 2005-03-20 06:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-03-21 11:07 pm (UTC)I won't discuss the fic plot so much here (I did like it). But thank you for the link!
- hg