Battlestar Galactica Season Three, Episode "Maelstrom", Page 7
The scene, briefly switches back to the Battlestar Galactica CIC and Gaeta reports, "60 seconds, to hard deck! Dee? Vector red section to Apollo's last known. Set Alert Vipers, to Ready One." Dee gets on the radio and says, "Hotdog, Hecks? Divert to seven point five." and the scene switches back to the action.
The camera is in Apollo's pursuit as he finally catches up to her. He gasps the words, "Visual! Visual! Ok! Kara? I'm coming to get you!" and Starbuck FINALLY radios, but it is with a grave reply, "Lee? I'll see you on the other side." Apollo desperately tries to change her mind, "Kara? Please! Listen, to me. Come Back!" and Kara whispers her reply, "Just let me go." Apollo pleads, "Gods Damn it, Kara! YOU COME BACK!!! COME BACK!!!" Kara whispers, "It's ok. Just let me go ...They're waiting for me." As she says her last words, she sees an image of her young self, happy for the first time, since she can remember. There is an angelic light surrounding her aura, as she fades away, then something hits her Viper, which starts a fire in the nose of the ship and it ends with a huge explosion. Apollo, witnesses his friend, his confidant, his lover, his family -- vanish in a huge ball of flame. You can see the remorse on his face, as he screams with so much pain "Nooooo!! NOOOOOO!!!!"
The scene, quickly, switches to the CIC, where Admiral Adama yells the order over the radio, "Apollo!!! Get out of there!!! Abort!!! Abort!!!"
The scene switches back to Apollo's cockpit, where he is struggling with all the energy he has left, to pull the nose of his Viper up, then switches back to the CIC, where Admiral Adama yells, "Lee!!? Do you have her in sight!!? Can you see her!!??" There is a long pause as the camera pans around the room to show nothing but worried faces. Finally, Apollo replies, "Negative. She uh ..." He can barely utter the words, but continues, "She went in.", his voice sounds deep with exhausted emotion, "She went in." The scene switches, back to the CIC and the camera pans around the room to show each crewman is looking to the other for an answer, but they all know too well, what he meant. Admiral Adama is unwilling to believe it, so he radios, "We're sending in the search and rescue birds, right now. We'll find her", but Apollo replies with a voice of no hope, "No, dad! It's no use. Her ship's in pieces." The camera pans around the room to show jaws drop in disbelief at the incredible loss and Apollo repeats, "Her ship's in pieces. Her ship ...." and Apollo breaks down to cry the last words, "...We lost her." After hearing those words, Admiral Adama's expression is that of spirit-crushing pain and sorrow, as the camera pans overhead to show that no one can even move, because of the unbelievable shock.
Maelstrom Recap: Final Scene
Admiral Adama is in his quarters grieving, as the camera pans over to show the figurine that Starbuck gifted to him, before she died. The camera slowly pans up to show the model ship and then down the starboard side to end at the bow, where he will affix the statuette of the goddess Aurora. The camera pans over to show Admiral Adama holding the figurine in his hand, in memory of his lost loved one. He slowly mounts the statuette to the bow and as soon as it is in place, the camera pans over to show the admiral's tears, as he looks to the sky in desperation. Suddenly, in a fit of rage and sorrow, Admiral Adama grabs the ship and tears it to pieces, then slams it to the floor. He tries to breath, but it hurts, as a river of tears roll down the strong man's eyes.
Read some theories and conjecture about this episode.
Bonus Scene:
Onboard the Battlestar Galactica, down in the hangar bay, Chief Tyrol says, "Something wrong, captain? Captain?", as Starbuck is using a flashlight to discover leaking fluid coming from her Viper and says, "What the Frack is this, chief?" The chief bends down to take a look and says, "Just a little hydraulic fluid. Nothing to worry about." Starbuck angrily looks up at him and says, "No? While you're in the tool room, suckin back moonshine, I'll be up in this bird! If that gear buckles, when I trap, I'll be splattered like Fracken road kill!" Chief Tyrol replies with, "A lot of these ships, leak hydraulic fluid. The seals are broke, we don't have any new ones, to replace them." Starbuck replies, "Chief!? I'm not interested in, lazy assed excuses! I want the seals replaced!" As Starbuck walks away, Apollo calls to her, "Hey! Kara? Hey! Come on."
End of Battlestar Galactica Season Three, Episode "Maelstrom" Recap