The Long Patrol (Battlestar Galactica)
Encyclopedia
"The Long Patrol" is an episode of the original Battlestar Galactica
television series.
has volunteered to test a new prototype Viper
fitted for extended-range reconnaissance, but before embarking on this mission, (and in keeping with his Don Juan
-like persona), he finds himself in a predicament involving both Athena
and Cassiopeia
aboard the luxury ship Rising Star. He attempts to please both women on simultaneous dinner dates, each unbeknown to the other, and at the cost of constant payments to the ship maitre d'. Amid his dates, the Galactica detects human life on long-range scanners and the recon Viper is readied. Starbuck is thus called to duty and must bid Athena and Cassiopeia goodbye by leaving valuable trinkets to both. The two ladies later run into each other and seeing each other's trinkets realize they have been tricked.
Starbuck dons a generic black flight suit/uniform (so as not to be identified as a Colonial warrior by potential Cylon allies) and flies off in the new fighter – which has superior speed and maneuverability, but at the lack of weaponry. The ship is also equipped with a flirtatious computer called CORA.
Running recon ahead of the fleet, Starbuck encounters an old starfighter chasing a small cargo shuttle. Starbuck intervenes by distracting the fighter so that the shuttle can escape. The fighter breaks off and Starbuck follows the shuttle to a nearby world where he discovers the pilot is a smuggler hauling crates of ambrosia – a very expensive beverage and a favorite of Starbucks. While Starbuck admires the drink, the shuttle pilot strikes him from behind and knocks him out. The Smuggler then steals the Viper.
Aboard Galactica, Athena picks up a signal from the prototype Viper, but oddly, it is an unrecognizable code being aimed back at the Colonies. Fearing these signals will alert the Cylons
to their position, Commander Adama
orders Apollo
and Boomer
to intercept and destroy the Viper.
Starbuck regains consciousness, and seeing his Viper gone, takes off in the smuggler's shuttle. Upon reaching orbit, he is attacked by the same fighter he drove off earlier. The fighter pilot calls him "Robber", but Starbuck eventually convinces him that he is not the man he thinks he is. The fighter orders Starbuck to follow him to a nearby planet. Upon landing, guards inspect the shuttle and find the ambrosia. They arrest Starbuck for bootlegging
despite his pleas of innocence.
On Galactica, Cassiopeia learns of Starbuck's situation. She also recognizes the unfamiliar signal as an old Arien merchant code. Adama has Apollo and Boomer spare the Viper and track it to the planet called Aries. Upon landing, they search for the pilot amongst some abandoned buildings. When Boomer finds the Smuggler's wife and child, the man surrenders.
Meanwhile, Starbuck is thrown in a cell and given the new name of "Bootlegger 137". After conversing with other prisoners – who are likewise named for their crime and a number (such as Embezzler 10, Murderer 7 etc.) – Starbuck learns they are actually the descendents of the original inmates and being held for the crimes committed by their ancestors. He then realizes he is on a long forgotten Colonial penal colony
called Proteus. The prison uses penal labor to manufacture munitions and large amounts of ambrosia for the Colonial military, but Colonial government eventually lost contact with the colony and assumed it destroyed. Starbuck also learns that there is a sizable stockpile of ambrosia that has been sitting on the docks for over a century and he dreams of the money it could bring.
Back on Aries, Apollo and Boomer converse with the smuggler and learn of the inhuman conditions on Proteus and that Starbuck has been taken there. They convince the smuggler to help rescue Starbuck and fly the prototype Viper with them to Proteus.
Back on Proteus, Starbuck has an altercation with a guard and realizes the locks on the cell doors haven't worked in ages. The guard runs away and Starbuck convinces the inmates that they are being duped into making ambrosia and unjustly being held as slaves. This causes an uprising and the inmates quickly seize the control of the prison.
Soon, just as Adama had feared, a Cylon patrol has intercepted the old merchant signal and traced it back to the advanced Viper, which is now on its way to Proteus. As soon as the Apollo and Boomer arrive, Starbuck is reunited with the Viper just as the Cylons begin attacking the colony. Starbuck, Apollo and Boomer manage to destroy the Cylons, but Starbuck's dreams of riches go up in flames when he sees the Cylons had destroyed all the ambrosia when they attacked the docks.
Once the fleet arrives at Proteus, Starbuck's safe return is celebrated with a dinner aboard the Rising Star. There Boxey presents his father, Apollo, with a drawing of Earth's solar system as described to him by his grandfather Adama. When Starbuck sees the "map" he notices it is similar to a drawing he saw in his cell at the prison. The smuggler friend, who also attends the dinner, says the drawing in the cell was made by "the silent one" – a mysterious prisoner that had long since died. Adama wonders if the man had found Earth.
Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series, created by Glen A. Larson. It starred Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict and ran for one season in 1978–79. After cancellation, its story was continued in 1980 as Galactica 1980 with Adama, Lieutenant Boomer and...
television series.
Plot synopsis
The Galactica leads the fleet through a void of asteroid dust into another galaxy, leaving the galaxy in which the Twelve Colonies once existed. Amid this StarbuckLieutenant Starbuck
Lieutenant Starbuck of the Colonial Service, played by Dirk Benedict, is a fictional character in the 1978 science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. Starbuck is a Viper starfighter pilot, gambler, womanizer and smoker of "fumerellos," or cigars. He is involved with Lieutenant Athena...
has volunteered to test a new prototype Viper
Colonial Viper
The Colonial Viper is the primary fighter spacecraft type used by the human protagonists in the Battlestar Galactica fictional universe. Appearing in both the 1978 original series and the 2003 reimagined series, as well as various derivative works, the single-pilot spacecraft are carried aboard...
fitted for extended-range reconnaissance, but before embarking on this mission, (and in keeping with his Don Juan
Don Juan
Don Juan is a legendary, fictional libertine whose story has been told many times by many authors. El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra by Tirso de Molina is a play set in the fourteenth century that was published in Spain around 1630...
-like persona), he finds himself in a predicament involving both Athena
Lieutenant Athena
Lieutenant Athena is a fictional character in the original Battlestar Galactica television series, which ran on ABC from 1978 to 1979. The character was portrayed by Maren Jensen.-Character history:...
and Cassiopeia
Cassiopeia (Battlestar Galactica)
Cassiopeia is a fictional character in the original Battlestar Galactica which ran on ABC from 1978 to 1979. The role was portrayed by Laurette Spang.-History:...
aboard the luxury ship Rising Star. He attempts to please both women on simultaneous dinner dates, each unbeknown to the other, and at the cost of constant payments to the ship maitre d'. Amid his dates, the Galactica detects human life on long-range scanners and the recon Viper is readied. Starbuck is thus called to duty and must bid Athena and Cassiopeia goodbye by leaving valuable trinkets to both. The two ladies later run into each other and seeing each other's trinkets realize they have been tricked.
Starbuck dons a generic black flight suit/uniform (so as not to be identified as a Colonial warrior by potential Cylon allies) and flies off in the new fighter – which has superior speed and maneuverability, but at the lack of weaponry. The ship is also equipped with a flirtatious computer called CORA.
Running recon ahead of the fleet, Starbuck encounters an old starfighter chasing a small cargo shuttle. Starbuck intervenes by distracting the fighter so that the shuttle can escape. The fighter breaks off and Starbuck follows the shuttle to a nearby world where he discovers the pilot is a smuggler hauling crates of ambrosia – a very expensive beverage and a favorite of Starbucks. While Starbuck admires the drink, the shuttle pilot strikes him from behind and knocks him out. The Smuggler then steals the Viper.
Aboard Galactica, Athena picks up a signal from the prototype Viper, but oddly, it is an unrecognizable code being aimed back at the Colonies. Fearing these signals will alert the Cylons
Cylon (Battlestar Galactica)
The Cylons are a cybernetic civilization at war with the Twelve Colonies of humanity in the Battlestar Galactica science fiction franchise, in the original 1978 and 1980 series, the 2004 reimagining, as well as the spin-off prequel series, Caprica...
to their position, Commander Adama
Commander Adama
Commander Adama is a fictional character in the 1978 movie and subsequent ABC television series Battlestar Galactica and its continuation series, Galactica 1980. Adama is the commander of the great military vessel Battlestar Galactica, commander of the refugee fleet and military commander of the...
orders Apollo
Captain Apollo
Captain Apollo is the name of a fictional character in the Battlestar Galactica franchise. He was first played by Richard Hatch, who would also later appear as the character of Tom Zarek in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series in 2005....
and Boomer
Lieutenant Boomer
Lieutenant Boomer, later known as Colonel Boomer, was a character on the 1978-1979 television series Battlestar Galactica and its spin-off series Galactica 1980. He was portrayed on both series by Herbert Jefferson, Jr. Boomer was a lieutenant in the Colonial Service, an officer with a background...
to intercept and destroy the Viper.
Starbuck regains consciousness, and seeing his Viper gone, takes off in the smuggler's shuttle. Upon reaching orbit, he is attacked by the same fighter he drove off earlier. The fighter pilot calls him "Robber", but Starbuck eventually convinces him that he is not the man he thinks he is. The fighter orders Starbuck to follow him to a nearby planet. Upon landing, guards inspect the shuttle and find the ambrosia. They arrest Starbuck for bootlegging
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
despite his pleas of innocence.
On Galactica, Cassiopeia learns of Starbuck's situation. She also recognizes the unfamiliar signal as an old Arien merchant code. Adama has Apollo and Boomer spare the Viper and track it to the planet called Aries. Upon landing, they search for the pilot amongst some abandoned buildings. When Boomer finds the Smuggler's wife and child, the man surrenders.
Meanwhile, Starbuck is thrown in a cell and given the new name of "Bootlegger 137". After conversing with other prisoners – who are likewise named for their crime and a number (such as Embezzler 10, Murderer 7 etc.) – Starbuck learns they are actually the descendents of the original inmates and being held for the crimes committed by their ancestors. He then realizes he is on a long forgotten Colonial penal colony
Penal colony
A penal colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general populace by placing them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory...
called Proteus. The prison uses penal labor to manufacture munitions and large amounts of ambrosia for the Colonial military, but Colonial government eventually lost contact with the colony and assumed it destroyed. Starbuck also learns that there is a sizable stockpile of ambrosia that has been sitting on the docks for over a century and he dreams of the money it could bring.
Back on Aries, Apollo and Boomer converse with the smuggler and learn of the inhuman conditions on Proteus and that Starbuck has been taken there. They convince the smuggler to help rescue Starbuck and fly the prototype Viper with them to Proteus.
Back on Proteus, Starbuck has an altercation with a guard and realizes the locks on the cell doors haven't worked in ages. The guard runs away and Starbuck convinces the inmates that they are being duped into making ambrosia and unjustly being held as slaves. This causes an uprising and the inmates quickly seize the control of the prison.
Soon, just as Adama had feared, a Cylon patrol has intercepted the old merchant signal and traced it back to the advanced Viper, which is now on its way to Proteus. As soon as the Apollo and Boomer arrive, Starbuck is reunited with the Viper just as the Cylons begin attacking the colony. Starbuck, Apollo and Boomer manage to destroy the Cylons, but Starbuck's dreams of riches go up in flames when he sees the Cylons had destroyed all the ambrosia when they attacked the docks.
Once the fleet arrives at Proteus, Starbuck's safe return is celebrated with a dinner aboard the Rising Star. There Boxey presents his father, Apollo, with a drawing of Earth's solar system as described to him by his grandfather Adama. When Starbuck sees the "map" he notices it is similar to a drawing he saw in his cell at the prison. The smuggler friend, who also attends the dinner, says the drawing in the cell was made by "the silent one" – a mysterious prisoner that had long since died. Adama wonders if the man had found Earth.
External links
- The Long Patrol at the Battlestar Wiki