Starbuck's Space Invader Tattoo
Originally uploaded by Crys.
Season Three of Battlestar Galactica - I won't give anything away, except that Starbuck has done two things: she's got tattooed and she's lost weight.
The former's okay, especially as one of her tattoos is this nod to videogames (the bullet is drowned out by the glare of the tube and the angle of the freezeframe, but it's there).
The latter is a pity. Starbuck was always just this teeny weeny bit chubby (as in, probably tiny and skinny, just filled out by the television which adds ten pounds), and now she's not. She had curves, a tummy, smooth shoulders. Now you can see every muscle, every rib, and her tummy is concave. Which means that in real life she must be a stick.
It's a real pity that. I loved that Starbuck was different from the Hollywood norm. It was one of the (many) things that made Battlestar Galactica brave and beautiful. It's a troublesome thing, this.
Huh, Katee Sackhoff never struck me as the least bit "chubby." Granted, she's more normally height-weight proportional than Tricia Helfer, but then again Helfer appears to be 8 feet tall.
Perhaps the fact that Sackhoff, unlike most Hollywood actresses, doesn't actually have sunken cheeks might have lead to that notion. (The "pounds added" by the camera have to do with the lack of depth perception and how that changes the perceived shape of the face. The same effect makes men appear more square-jawed and masculine and therefore seem "taller" on screen.)
I notice that on American television, any woman who is the least bit chubby is usually presented as "the fat one" of the story (e.g. America Ferrera)... it makes it easy to notice anyone who isn't skinny.
Posted by: bob | December 02, 2006 at 22:30
Agreed. I tried to qualify chubby, but it was a bad word to use. Perhaps *comparatively*, because most TV stars are skeletal.
Katee was soft-looking and normal, which was a breath of fresh air. I hope she doesn't stay this skinny.
Posted by: Alice | December 03, 2006 at 00:16
yeah, but they are on rations and under a lot of stress. so just close your eyes and pretend hollywood has nothing to do with it.
cm
Posted by: money | December 03, 2006 at 03:42
When I saw that tattoo I thought it must have been something to do with Pyramid - the game her hubby played but a space invader reference also makes sense!
Posted by: Jay | December 03, 2006 at 10:21
Ah, the rations thing does explain it, but I've never seen her chubby either. She just looks a bit leaner and meaner to me now. Gotta say, this was one of the best episodes in a series chock full of best episodes.
Posted by: inkgrrl | December 03, 2006 at 23:14
She hasn't lost as much weight as Apollo.
Posted by: Jeff Freeman | December 03, 2006 at 23:36
This post seems a bit out there, especially given her character development. You say the weight loss is a pity; I'd say this entire post is one.
Posted by: Michiel | December 04, 2006 at 08:16
I'm just ploughing my way through season one and two DVDs having totally missed this on TV.
I did notice that in one scene in season two (The Farm, I think) she had a huge square flesh-coloured sticking plaster over that spot on her shoulder. Comic Book Store Guy eat your frackin heart out.
I wonder if she's really got a tattoo there, something obviously out of context with being a space warrior.
My money's on it being Elvis.
Posted by: always_black | December 04, 2006 at 13:14
Starbuck's space invaders tattoo covers Katee's more mundane cross. She's got a couple more that have to be concealed as well (Kanji on her neck; Latin on her arm).
I'm not surprised Sackhoff's lost weight this season, as she gave up smoking before shooting started (apparently after getting fanmail from littel girls who wanted to grow up to be like Starbuck), and she had Starbuck give up her cigars as well. I think weight loss is fitting for the character given the emotional trauma she's been through in season 3.
Posted by: Seb Potter | December 04, 2006 at 17:34
ELVIS on a cross.
Posted by: always_black | December 04, 2006 at 18:46
I'm just relieved she cut all that horrible hair off. I like her all butch and hardassed, and the long hair was too girly.
Posted by: Eliza Gauger | December 05, 2006 at 05:40
Hmm. I never did understand why all men seem to prefer fat women. Me, I think the catwalk "sticks" are just perfect. Since nearly all models are very thin I'm tempted to think that men just think they prefer larger women because this is politically correct. But who do they turn their heads after in real life... the slim girls or the chubby ones?
I also think that if your woman gets a tattoo you should claim her warranty void and get a new one. Having said that... it is just right for the Starbuck character to have a few tattoos.
Posted by: Storm | December 05, 2006 at 17:00
Wow, wimmins gets warranties? That must be my problem. I'm out of warranty. I'll let my husband know so he can order a replacement asap. Thanks!
Posted by: inkgrrl | December 06, 2006 at 03:52
Space Invaders? What?!
Any quick Google image search will show that her tattoo has nothing to do with Space Invaders. Where did you get that idea?
http://www.allegro.cc/depot/screenshots/2351_large.gif
It's OBVIOUSLY a DEVO hat.
http://thursdays.com/pic200/devo5439.jpg
Posted by: ZB | December 06, 2006 at 18:26
LOL!
You're right about the space invader ship thingy, but her tattoo has a wee pellet coming out of the tip.
It's definitely an 8-bit ship, that's for sure. But which game?
Posted by: Alice | December 06, 2006 at 18:34
there was a character in TNG... er... hold on...Deanna Troi, played by Marina Sirtis.
She looked like - you know. a normal woman. It was good, she had curves. She was ordered to lose weight, (I am told by my Star trek obsessed husband) or else she'd have to leave the show.
She came back after 1 season of curvey lovelieness looking very different, and surprise surprise, wearing shorter skirts and tight fitting knocker enhancing tops!
What a surprise, from the apparently enlightened TNG. Hmmmmm.
Posted by: Cait | December 07, 2006 at 21:20
Not only that, but she seems to have had a lip job too. Shame shame. I liked the femme tomboy ethics/aesthetics she displayed during the first two seasons.
Posted by: Javier Candeira | January 07, 2007 at 17:11
A DEVO hat...that would be cool, but no. It is a Space Invaders graphic but not the UFO that floated across the top of the screen, it's the missle launcher the player controls to ward off the Invaders. That's why the "pellet" is coming out the top and not the bottom. Besideds, the UFO would have three "legs" or landing skids along its underbelly.
I love digging through old forums.
Posted by: Cinder | May 27, 2007 at 07:20