"It’s Not Really Science Fiction": Sackhoff on Playing Starbuck

Is Battlestar Galactica “not really” being science fiction something like saying, “I believe in equal rights for women, but I’m not a feminist”?

heh.

In any case, an interview with Sackhoff about the “flak” she’s gotten for playing Starbuck.

And what’s with actresses playing “strong” female characters wanting to get in the whole “I wanted her to strong, yet vulnerable” line. I’ve never heard a male actor say he wanted his character’s “vulnerable” side to come out in a performance.

And why does an interviewer who interviews an actress playing a strong female character feel it’s important to mention that the actress actually has a “delicate physique” and “favors fashion more in the style of Audrey Hepburn than her alter-ego’s flight suits.”

For fuck’s sake. It’s one step forward, two steps back.

I do like that people are fighting over whether or not she’s “hot.” The fact that there’s a debate says a lot about what kind of sex symbols we’re “allowed” to pine after in this culture.

Her response to the original actor’s bashing of her character is probably the best bit, though:

“That’s what I said in rebuttal to that (the bashing by Dirk Benedict of a woman playing “his” character). But I never really tried to match it. But once that started happening, I was like, look, at the end of the day, I’ve now played this character longer. And at the end of the day, it’s a TV show. We’re not curing cancer, people. I wish we were, but we’re not. It’s entertainment. So … tit for tat. Shut up.”

The Latest

Future Artifacts

Brutal. Devastating. Dangerous. Join an investigation into a cruel and heartless leader … crawl through filth and mud to escape biological warfare … team up with time-traveling soldiers faced with potentially life-altering instructions. Kameron Hurley, award-winning author and expert in the future of war and resistance movements, has created eighteen exhilarating tales giving glimpses into […]

Support Kameron

If you’ve read and enjoyed my work for free – whether that’s the musings here on the blog, guest posts elsewhere, or through various free fiction sites, it’s now easier than ever to donate to support this work, either with a one-time contribution via PayPal, or via a monthly Patreon contribution:

Scroll to Top