Kara Thrace: Control Freak?

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

So, the amazing amaliak made me this Kara icon after I said that I needed a "sneaky" Kara icon. (Isn't it awesome?!) But I wanted to open the floor on this subject. On the surface, you'd never expect Kara to be a control freak, right? She's insubordinate, kind of laid back (when she's not punching people out), and yet in Hand of God, we get to see how unsettled she is by not being able to fly the Tylium mission. More than just being restless and wanting to fly, she's quite nervous that the mission will not work if she's not there to lead it.

Did this surprise you about Kara when you first saw the episode? Where else in the series do we see evidence of her inner control freak asserting itself? (I think it's pretty easy to argue that in her personal relationships she prefers to be in control and have a bit more of the power in a relationship? Maybe?)

 

ETA: I wrote a short essay talking about why I love Kara and the challenges of writing Kara in fiction over here at bsg_epics  today. In case you want to check it out and jump in on the discussion. They'll be devoting different days to different characters over the next few weeks.

Comments

[daybreak777.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I didn't think of it as control freak-ness so much as being so sure of her own awesomeness. :-) She knew if she was healthy she could do it. I don't think she was that sure of Lee. I also think she was unsure of her abilities in planning missions. In later seasons, she was all, "I know the plan. I wrote it." But this time she said things like, "I never asked for this." I think Kara wanted to fly under the radar and be awesome but not like really be in charge and stuff. I'm reminded that she was only CAG after Stinger died. I'm honestly not sure how ambitious Kara was before the attacks and she seems really out of her comfort zone here.

But cheers, she does well! And so does Lee! And there is lots of champagne from somewhere. :-)

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

See I didn't read it as aggressively as self-confidence as most people did. I took Adama's words to heart, that she was having trouble with not being able to literally and physically control the mission by flying/leading it. And yes, also, as that she was unwilling to step out of her comfort zone and shoulder the burdens of command (in a different way than she was used to, of course).

I think there's probably more cause to argue that in her personal life, despite her reputation for wildness, she preferred being the one directing a relationship. She didn't like to be pushed to give more than she wanted to give ever. She preferred to control how much/little intimacy there was.

[daybreak777.livejournal.com]

Hmm . . . I don't know if I thought of it as aggressively self-confident. It was so early and the show was telling us a story. Starbuck could do amazing things, Starbuck was the best shot in or out of the cockpit. So I believed it and it was true.

Interesting about her needing physical control sometimes. I never thought about it that way. About control. I saw it more as fear. I guess the Act of Contrition scene loomed forever for me. That she was afraid if she was vulnerable, everything would come spilling out and she'd break down.

Now that you mention it, I think she did keep people at arm's length but I don't know if it was conscious or deliberate. Just blinding fear sending her in the other direction.

Interesting thoughts. I like thinking about Kara. :-)

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

I like thinking about Kara. :-)

Then you're in the right place! :)

I think the control is a way to curb the fear. If you have something to focus on, a mission to complete, then you're not worrying about outcomes and thinking ahead about what might fail. You're just living in the moment doing what you need to do to survive. I think Kara very much wanted to live in the moment at all times and mostly succeeded though occasionally her past dragged her down. She never thought about the future if she could help it. :)

[rose-griffes.livejournal.com]

Part of her plan depended on 'out of the box'-ness. She believes in her own ability to do that, but Lee's... not so much. (That rather underestimates Lee when he has a goal or someone he wants to impress. Kara's perception may not be the entire reality.)

As for the control aspect, it's much easier in some ways to be the pilot than to be the one listening over the comms.

(I think it's pretty easy to argue that in her personal relationships she prefers to be in control and have a bit more of the power in a relationship? Maybe?)

Yeah, because then she can be in control of how intimate the relationship becomes. I don't think she'd push herself to be more open; her lovers are far more likely to want that from her than she is to push for it herself. Which is why I think Zak must've been a lot more brash than Lee most of the time. He made it past her emotional barriers somehow.

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

Yeah I think Zak, what little we see him, certainly is a bit more brash and free-spirited than Lee. (Although... it's not hard to be. Poor Leland.)

[rose-griffes.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the oldest brother almost never gets the breaks.