Lucifer and Starbuck
Who are they?
Lucifer is an artifical intelligence, a creation of cylon scientist, which outgrew the maker's potential and became a self-improving person, capable of emotions, own motivations – Lucifer even made a soul for himself. He works as Baltar's aid, who is a traiterous human used by the Cylons.
Starbuck on the other hand is a human warrior from the Battlestar Galactica, the last battlestar not destroyed by the alien race. He is a bit reckless, a gambler, but also very caring and a loyal friend – just tight family affairs scare him a bit, but he is anyway a lady's man.
What is it about them?
Both meet for the first time in the book "The Tombs of Kobol" which is basically consistant with the double Episode "Lost Planet of the Gods."
Starbuck was captured on Baltar's orders, an opportunity used by Lucifer to interrogate the human. Due to Baltar's plan it was a friendly talk that had a relevation for the artifical being: Starbuck possessed a delightful sense of humor, something Lucifer thought only very few advanced computers were capable off.
The lieutanant couldn't help also feeling amused by Lucifer, especially his comment about striking a blow for their computers's rights once they had conquered them.
Then Baltar demands to see Starbuck, with little success of convincing the prisoner of his role as a victim. After Starbuck is returned to his cell Lucifer argues with Baltar that he thinks his plan is madness and will never work, but naturally, his superior isn't listening. Lucifer practically flees to Starbuck, since talking to him, is like an antidote for him against Baltar.
Starbuck begins to teach Lucifer Pyramids. A game not unlike Poker, but here one tries to build a pyramid with the cards who represent certain parts of a pyramid and the one with the most complete set wins.
Lucifer's fascination rises as he loses again and again, despite Starbuck's odds to win being astronomically low. Luck becomes something new the AI intends of exploring, naturally that makes Starbuck all the more fascination for Lucifer as the Lieutenant is blessed with luck. But not long and the lieutenant is released accourding to Baltar's plan. And I may quotet he book:
Lucifer missed Starbuck. The brash young lieutenant had brightened up an otherwise dreary mission, with his wonderful jokes and his marvelously competive card-playing.
The meeting with Starbuck also inspired more autonomous acting on Lucifer's behalf and he orders the attack against Baltar's plans. Still something makes Lucifer go and try to rescue Baltar who also went down to the planet of Kobol.
Down there Starbuck and Lucifer had a very unfortunate almost meeting. Because the Cylons who surprise Starbuck and his friends, killing Apollo's wife, are the honor guard Lucifer took along. But hiding close by, Lucifer has the most intersting thought, just before his inprogrammed loyalty breaks through and let me quote again, because it is so beautifully put:
Imagining a whole race of Starbucks, he wondered briefly if he were on the wrong side."
Is that all?
"The young warriors" is a very intersting piece in the complicated fabric of this relationship. Which of course weren't noticable during the "The young Lords" which is the tv episode the books is based on.
They two don't meet, but we learn that Lucifer hasn't forgotten about him, quite the opposite, he think often about him and especially about a better pyramid strategy to beat the human. When Starbuck is reported to be dead, Lucifer can't believe Starbuck would just terminate like that, even hopes that he misheard. He had counted on testing his newly developed strategy on Starbuck?
Do they meet again?
Yes, in the second book not based on a tvshow episode "Die, Cameleon!" both are stranded by chance on the same planet. There the Image Lords rule, using television like devices to control the subconcious of the humans, making them slaves. But they also need to tell a story while they are broadcasting and the story is that of the unbeatable hero Starbuck. It makes quite the impact when the real not so invincible Starbuck appears.When the Image Lords suggests a card-game between the two, Lucifer is delighted by the idea, also he tries not to show it. Having the chance to chat, he explains Starbuck how the technology of the Image Lords works. As the Image Lords annouce that he game is set for the same night, Starbuck declines, says he won't gamble for nothing, that the stakes must be right.
So he demands that if he wins everyone will be freed from their control. While the Image Lords discuss this option, the following scene takes place:
"What about me?" Lucifer asked quietly.
"What about you?" Starbuck said.
"I risk nothing in this game."
"Don't let it worry you, Lucifer. It is not important for you to ---"
"You may turn me off, deactivate me, disconnect me. Take away my conciousness. If you win, I will show you how to do it."
"Lucifer, I don't want ---"
"But there must be stakes, you said so yourself."
Starbuck rubbed his hands together nervously. His face reddened slightly.
"But I kind of like you, Lucifer. I wouldn't want to ... disconnect you."
"But you will." Lucifer's voice sounded firm. "You will."
Starbuck nodded.
"All right. I will."
Behind Lucifer, Spectre made a strange sound that Starbuck could make no sense of. Lucifer glanced at him. He figured that Spectre would probably like to see him lose. Well, he did not want to give Spectre that satisfaction. He would win.
The game is actually set, but Starbuck's father Chameleon who is the dealer is caught cheating and thus set for personality reprogramming, so Starbuck offers to make another card game, if he loses, he is the one becoming reprogrammed and if he wins he and his father are free.
Lucifer wins the first game, but much to his surprise he doesn't enjoy winning this game at all. First because he won due to luck not skill and second because Starbuck is so crushed by losing this particular game that he realises that the game itself is meaningless.
The second game however, takes a different turn, Lucifer sees Starbuck's cards and throws his face down on the table and congratulates him on the victory. Shortly afterwards Apollo and the others storm the scene and save the day.
But after everything calmed down Lucifer insists on seeing Starbuck, because he feels that his deactivation is a consequence of honor. But the human refuses, he tells Lucifer, whom he tends to call Lucy every now and then, that he would fight him as an enemy if he had to, but that he would not kill him like that.
Lucifer doesn't want to step down, he tells Starbuck that he can easily deactivate himself and shortly before he does so, he says:
Lieutnant Starbuck, I do wish you to know that, of all humans, you were the one I most liked and respected.
Starbuck is shocked by this action and demands of the bystanding Spectre, another IL Series model like Lucifer, to re-activate him, several times and very emotional. But Spectre confirms quite thorough that re-activation is entirely impossible. Realising that Lucifer is really gone, Starbuck is crushed and can't do anything for a while, before he becomes angry and yells helplessly at the lifeless shell.
I can't help it, but despite the sadness I love this scene, because it shows, how much the two liked each others, which is astounishing if you consider that they are deadly enemies
The end?
No, not by far in the last book "Surrender the Galactica" Lucifer is reactivated, his programming adjusted by Spectre. He is then sent in disguise as an assassin on the Galactica. But there is something Spectre hadn't accounted for: Lucifer's selfmade soul.
While Lucifer follows his new programming and attacks Commander Adama in order to kill him, Starbuck comes along and unmasks Lucifer. Somehow being adressed by Starbuck knowing that he liked this human, Lucifer can overcome his new programming. Thus resulting in him staying as a guest on the Galactica.
It's a little bit too happily ever after, but actually I did not mind, for me it was the perfect ending!