The fleet has stopped off in an asteroid field so they can mine several of the massive rocks for much-needed minerals. The Pegasus, which is in the process of using these minerals to build new Vipers, has been left behind to guard the fleet while the Galactica protects the mining ship Majahaul as it goes about its tedious task. Yet the massive amount of space debris in the system makes it hard for the dradis (Galactica’s version of radar) to determine where enemy fighters are. This is the perfect hunting ground for Scar--a Cylon raider with a gash carved into its side and a major chip on its electronic shoulder. He’s already killed several of Galactica’s Viper pilot in combat, and Starbuck has decided to go gunning for him.

But that may be easier said than done, for Starbuck learns from the captured Sharon that Cylon Raiders are also reborn into new bodies after death. So Starbuck is essentially facing an experienced Raider who’s a hardened veteran of combat--the Cylon equivalent of a fighter ace. And that’s not all that Starbuck is facing. She’s also got Kat on her tail, looking to make a name for herself as a fighter pilot by snagging Scar for herself. And Starbuck also has her own demons to face, as well. Being ground down by the constant dirge of fighting continous battles with no end in sight, she’s also haunted by the lover whom she left behind on Caprica--a man to whom Starbuck had made a solemn promise that she would return with a rescue team, yet she was forced to break that promise against her will with both Adama and Roslin nixed her plans.

Katee Sackoff is marvelous in Scar, which is really more about the mounting pressures that Starbuck finds herself under--and the danger that she’ll crack at any moment--than the actual confrontation with the Cylon ace. But the major dogfight, told over the course of the episode, with the back-story seen in flashbacks, is still spectacular. It takes place in the asteroid field, with swirling rocks all around them, and the overall effect is visually stunning. Luciana Carro also gives a superb performance in this episode as the aggressive, ambitious Kat.