It's hard to pick just one favorite character on the reimagined "Battlestar Galactica." One especially beloved member of that ensemble though, is Kara Thrace/Starbuck, the hotshot pilot with a spiritual side and self-doubt to match her strength. She's at the center of the series from the beginning and ultimately becomes the lynchpin in one of its more ... metaphysical storylines.

In the pilot mini-series of "Battlestar Galactica," the android Cylons wipe out the 12 Colonies of Man. So, the eponymous Galactica and a handful of surviving ships set out to find a new home while dodging their Cylon pursuers. The thrust of the series is this makeshift fleet's search for Earth, mythical home of the thirteenth tribe of man. In the end, Starbuck leads them there, sort of.

In season 3 episode "Maelstrom," Kara dies piloting her Viper (a space fighter jet) inside a gas giant. Her comrade/lover Lee Adama (Jamie Bamber) tries to dissuade her,...