Adapting Starbuck: Dualbunny’s Battlestar Galactica Trilogy

Abstract

What does it mean for a series or f ilm to be adapted to a vid? The final chapter of Fanvids is an analysis of three Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009) vids, designed to examine both the vid’s relationship with adaptation and the central role that songs play in making meaning in vids. Vids rely heavily on their soundtrack to structure meaning, with vocals, lyrics, and instrumentation vital in completing the vid’s reinterpretation of its source text. In this case, the music, voice, and star image of the recording artist Pink are used to appraise Kara ‘Starbuck’ Thrace. Each vid in the trilogy was made at different points during Battlestar’s production; the trilogy reflects the character’s development and memorializes the series’ (frustrated) potential for a particular kind of feminist representation.