Starbuck's Raider

Starbuck's Raider is a confiscated Cylon craft shot down by Lt. over the red moon during a training exercise with various nuggets . Thrace subsequently recovers the craft by its own power, allowing her to rejoin the Fleet before Commander William Adama is forced by President Laura Roslin (aided by Col. Saul Tigh) to abandon the SAR for Thrace .
Its recovery leads to many discoveries regarding Cylon biological technology, allowing the Colonials to retrofit the ship with Colonial technological instrumentation for future use .
== First Insights ==
After ejecting from Viper 4077, Thrace happens across the relatively intact Raider, discovering the exception of a single impact point at the right "temple" of the Raider's fore that disabled the fighter. Her investigation reveals a large rubber-like button that opens underside, revealing an inner sinewy skin layer that she is able to cut through, allowing her access to the interior.In relatively short order, Thrace is able to discern the Raider's structure, ripping out its brain mass from the fuselage, discovering its oxygen supply, and effects a repair of the hull breach using a piece of her flight suit. While doing so, she uses the yellow tape from her equipment bag to spell "STAR" and "BUCK" across the underside of its wingspan for identification. 
Through trial-and-error, Thrace is able to discern the various ligamenture and organ structures to control the ship from the inside using her hands and feet, thus allowing her return to the Fleet before it jumps away .
== Supplemental Insights ==
Using Thrace's notes, which include imprecise descriptions of its anatomy (e.g. a dog-shaped organ), Chief Galen Tyrol and his deck gang attempt to make sense of the Raider's operation. Some of this understanding crystallizes when Lt. , subconsciously communing with her Cylon nature, conveys that the Raider is more of an animal and would best respond if treated accordingly .
== Understanding its FTL Capability ==
Due to a "wounded bird" appearing to jump intermittently among the Fleet, Galactica's crew are able to record its signals and discern the functionality of the Raider's FTL drive .
It becomes known that Cylon FTL technology is superior to the Colonial's as Thrace absconds with the Raider, returning to Caprica to recover the Arrow of Apollo from the Delphi Museum of the Colonies . 
After Thrace recovers the artifact, she encounters and a Caprica-copy of at the museum, realizing that Valerii is a Cylon. Fearful for her safety and that of her unborn child, Valerii absconds with the Raider, forcing Agathon and Thrace to find alternate means off the planet and back to the Fleet . 
This particular Raider's fate thereafter is unstated. 
== Gallery ==
File:TRS - You Can't Go Home Again - Raider's Underside Hatch.jpg| opens the underbelly hatch .
File:TRS - You Can't Go Home Again - Raider's Underside Hatch Inner Layer.jpg| cuts through a membrane .
File:TRS - You Can't Go Home Again - Raider Brain.jpg|The Raider's brain prior to its removal .
File:TRS - You Can't Go Home Again - Patching the Hole with Flight Suit.jpg| patches the impact hole of her wounded Raider on the red moon with material from from her flight suit .
File:TRS - You Can't Go Home Again - Raider Engine Startup.jpg| ignites the engines of her wounded Raider on the red moon .
File:TRS - You Can't Go Home Again - Raider Hand Controls.jpg| is able to control firing, yaw, pitch, and roll of her wounded Raider on the red moon using a series of wires as hand controls .
File:TRS - You Can't Go Home Again - Starbuck Raider - Left Wing.jpg| sees "" rendered in yellow tape on the underside of a peculiar Raider's wing .
File:TRS - You Can't Go Home Again - Starbuck Raider - Right Wing.jpg| sees "" rendered in yellow tape on the underside of a peculiar Raider's wing .
File:TRS - Six Degrees of Separation - Kara in Raider.jpg| demonstrates her operation to the deckhands .
File:TRS - Six Degrees of Separation - Kara in Raider 2.jpg| demonstrates her operation to the deckhands .
File:TRS - Six Degrees of Separation - Kara in Raider 3.jpg| demonstrates her operation to the deckhands .
== References ==