Louanne Katraine
Encyclopedia
Louanne Katraine is a fictional character
from the reimagined Battlestar Galactica
television series, portrayed by Luciana Carro
.
pilot aboard the Battlestar Galactica
, part of a group being trained by then Lieutenant
Kara Thrace (Starbuck)
.
Although a rookie, she is very sharp and talented, and quickly becomes a hot-shot pilot, taking part in a vital operation to attack a Cylon
tylium refinery.
As the fatigue and stress of weeks of continuous duty without relief mount, Kat turns to stimulants to keep her senses sharp. Ultimately, she overdoses on stims, becomes hysterical, and finds herself unable to safely land her Viper. She is talked down into a near crash-landing by her former instructor, Starbuck, and is temporarily hospitalized.
After Captain Lee "Apollo" Adama
and Starbuck are transferred to the Battlestar Pegasus
by Admiral
Helena Cain
, Kat becomes Galactica' s senior pilot, leading the Galactica Air Wing in what amounts to a game of "chicken"
with the Pegasus Air Wing.
The rivalry between Kat and Starbuck, arguably the two best pilots on Galactica, intensifies with the passage of time. Kat comes to disdain her former flight instructor on account of her drunken and irresponsible behavior; Starbuck considers Kat to be an upstart with a too-high opinion of her own abilities. Circumstances lead to Starbuck and Kat flying as a pair on a Combat air patrol
during which they encounter the ace
Cylon Raider
nicknamed "Scar". Starbuck is the first to spot "Scar", and comes close to trying to kill "him" in suicidal head-on pass; at the last moment, she breaks away and lures "Scar" into Kat's line of fire. As Kat is the one who fires the killing shots, she earns the title of Galactica' s "Top Gun", thereby also winning a personal bet against Starbuck.
During the settlement of New Caprica, with Commander Lee Adama
in command of Pegasus and Starbuck down on the ground, Kat becomes the CAG of Galactica, leading the decoy attacks that lured the Cylons away from New Caprica, clearing the way for Galactica to jump in and deploy the real strike force. Following the successful recovery of the civilian population from New Caprica and the destruction of the Pegasus, Lee Adama resumes his old post of CAG: however, Kat remains a senior member of Galactica' s Air Wing as a squadron leader.
As the Galactica and its Raptors
guide the civilian fleet in relays through a treacherous stellar cluster, it is revealed the real Louanne Katraine was a woman who died two days prior to the Cylon attack on Caprica. A drug runner by the name of Sasha, seeking to change her life, took the deceased's identity and became the individual known thereafter as Louanne "Kat" Katraine. After Starbuck discovers this, Kat begs her not to inform Admiral William Adama
but instead to allow Kat to do so herself. On the fourth and penultimate relay through the cluster, Kat receives a dose of radiation sufficient to have her removed from flight status, and begins losing hair. She chooses to accept her past and present life: she has a sexual encounter with her former associate Enzo, swaps her radiation badge for that of Captain Karl "Helo" Agathon
, and boards her Raptor for the last time. She stays in the cluster after Admiral Adama issues the jump order in order to see her assigned ship, the Faru Sadin, safely to the other side. In doing so, she receives a fatal dose of radiation. Admiral Adama visits her deathbed. He later promotes her posthumously to CAG on account of her bravery. Kat tries to tell Adama the truth about her past, but Adama, perhaps suspecting what she's going to reveal (in a deleted scene for Exodus Part 2 he indicated he already had some idea), tells her not to tell him, not caring about her past but about what she had done stating that what brought her to that point didn't matter. Although it was not made explicit in the scene, Battlestar Galactica showrunner Ronald D. Moore
made it clear in his podcast
for "The Passage" it was intended that Adama should look on Katraine, like Kara Thrace, as an "adopted daughter" of sorts.
impressed Ronald Moore enough that the role was expanded. Kat is the only such character to have an episode ("The Passage") where she is the primary focus. A deleted scene from the episode "Maelstrom" would have shown the deceased Kat appearing alongside Starbuck's viper, encouraging her to accept her fate by telling her, "I've got your six."
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the reimagined Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson...
television series, portrayed by Luciana Carro
Luciana Carro
Luciana Carro is a Canadian actress best known for her appearance on the television series Battlestar Galactica and in movies such as Two for the Money and Dr. Dolittle 3.-Career:...
.
Character biography
In her first appearance in the series, Kat is a rookie ViperColonial Viper
The Colonial Viper is the primary fighter spacecraft type used by the human protagonists in the Battlestar Galactica fictional universe. Appearing in both the 1978 original series and the 2003 reimagined series, as well as various derivative works, the single-pilot spacecraft are carried aboard...
pilot aboard the Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica TV series in 1978, and was followed by a brief sequel TV series in 1980, a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games...
, part of a group being trained by then Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Kara Thrace (Starbuck)
Kara Thrace
Kara Thrace is a fictional character in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica franchise. Played by Katee Sackhoff, she is a revised version of Lieutenant Starbuck from the 1978 Battlestar Galactica series...
.
Although a rookie, she is very sharp and talented, and quickly becomes a hot-shot pilot, taking part in a vital operation to attack a Cylon
Cylon (Battlestar Galactica)
The Cylons are a cybernetic civilization at war with the Twelve Colonies of humanity in the Battlestar Galactica science fiction franchise, in the original 1978 and 1980 series, the 2004 reimagining, as well as the spin-off prequel series, Caprica...
tylium refinery.
As the fatigue and stress of weeks of continuous duty without relief mount, Kat turns to stimulants to keep her senses sharp. Ultimately, she overdoses on stims, becomes hysterical, and finds herself unable to safely land her Viper. She is talked down into a near crash-landing by her former instructor, Starbuck, and is temporarily hospitalized.
After Captain Lee "Apollo" Adama
Lee Adama
Leland Joseph "Lee" Adama is a fictional character in the television series Battlestar Galactica. He is portrayed by actor Jamie Bamber. He is one of the main characters in the series.-Early life:...
and Starbuck are transferred to the Battlestar Pegasus
Battlestar Pegasus
Battlestar Pegasus is a fictional spacecraft that appears in the both the original and the reimagined television series Battlestar Galactica.- Battlestar Galactica :...
by Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Helena Cain
Helena Cain
Admiral Helena Cain is a fictional character in the reimagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica, portrayed by Michelle Forbes.-Youth:...
, Kat becomes Galactica
Chicken (game)
The game of chicken, also known as the hawk-dove or snowdrift game, is an influential model of conflict for two players in game theory...
with the Pegasus Air Wing.
The rivalry between Kat and Starbuck, arguably the two best pilots on Galactica, intensifies with the passage of time. Kat comes to disdain her former flight instructor on account of her drunken and irresponsible behavior; Starbuck considers Kat to be an upstart with a too-high opinion of her own abilities. Circumstances lead to Starbuck and Kat flying as a pair on a Combat air patrol
Combat air patrol
Combat air patrol is a type of flying mission for fighter aircraft.A combat air patrol is an aircraft patrol provided over an objective area, over the force protected, over the critical area of a combat zone, or over an air defense area, for the purpose of intercepting and destroying hostile...
during which they encounter the ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
Cylon Raider
Cylon Raider
The Cylon Raider is the standard starfighter used by the Cylons, in the various Battlestar Galactica movies and television series. Cylon raiders are used as the main line of defense for Cylon Basestars.- Original series :...
nicknamed "Scar". Starbuck is the first to spot "Scar", and comes close to trying to kill "him" in suicidal head-on pass; at the last moment, she breaks away and lures "Scar" into Kat's line of fire. As Kat is the one who fires the killing shots, she earns the title of Galactica
During the settlement of New Caprica, with Commander Lee Adama
Lee Adama
Leland Joseph "Lee" Adama is a fictional character in the television series Battlestar Galactica. He is portrayed by actor Jamie Bamber. He is one of the main characters in the series.-Early life:...
in command of Pegasus and Starbuck down on the ground, Kat becomes the CAG of Galactica, leading the decoy attacks that lured the Cylons away from New Caprica, clearing the way for Galactica to jump in and deploy the real strike force. Following the successful recovery of the civilian population from New Caprica and the destruction of the Pegasus, Lee Adama resumes his old post of CAG: however, Kat remains a senior member of Galactica
As the Galactica and its Raptors
Colonial Raptor
The Raptor is a multipurpose military spacecraft featured in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica. According to producer Ronald D. Moore, the Raptor is analogous to the U.S. Navy's EA-6B Prowler.-Description:...
guide the civilian fleet in relays through a treacherous stellar cluster, it is revealed the real Louanne Katraine was a woman who died two days prior to the Cylon attack on Caprica. A drug runner by the name of Sasha, seeking to change her life, took the deceased's identity and became the individual known thereafter as Louanne "Kat" Katraine. After Starbuck discovers this, Kat begs her not to inform Admiral William Adama
William Adama
William "Bill" Adama is a fictional character portrayed by Edward James Olmos in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series...
but instead to allow Kat to do so herself. On the fourth and penultimate relay through the cluster, Kat receives a dose of radiation sufficient to have her removed from flight status, and begins losing hair. She chooses to accept her past and present life: she has a sexual encounter with her former associate Enzo, swaps her radiation badge for that of Captain Karl "Helo" Agathon
Karl Agathon
Karl C. Agathon is a fictional character on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica TV series, portrayed by Tahmoh Penikett.-Background:...
, and boards her Raptor for the last time. She stays in the cluster after Admiral Adama issues the jump order in order to see her assigned ship, the Faru Sadin, safely to the other side. In doing so, she receives a fatal dose of radiation. Admiral Adama visits her deathbed. He later promotes her posthumously to CAG on account of her bravery. Kat tries to tell Adama the truth about her past, but Adama, perhaps suspecting what she's going to reveal (in a deleted scene for Exodus Part 2 he indicated he already had some idea), tells her not to tell him, not caring about her past but about what she had done stating that what brought her to that point didn't matter. Although it was not made explicit in the scene, Battlestar Galactica showrunner Ronald D. Moore
Ronald D. Moore
Ronald Dowl Moore is an American screenwriter and television producer best known for his work on Star Trek and the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica miniseries and television series, for which he won a Peabody Award for creative excellence in 2005 and an Emmy Award in 2008.-Early life and...
made it clear in his podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
for "The Passage" it was intended that Adama should look on Katraine, like Kara Thrace, as an "adopted daughter" of sorts.
Character Development
Like many characters in the series, Kat was originally intended to be a minor character that would appear in only a few episodes, but the performance of Luciana CarroLuciana Carro
Luciana Carro is a Canadian actress best known for her appearance on the television series Battlestar Galactica and in movies such as Two for the Money and Dr. Dolittle 3.-Career:...
impressed Ronald Moore enough that the role was expanded. Kat is the only such character to have an episode ("The Passage") where she is the primary focus. A deleted scene from the episode "Maelstrom" would have shown the deceased Kat appearing alongside Starbuck's viper, encouraging her to accept her fate by telling her, "I've got your six."
External links
- Louanne Katraine at the Battlestar Wiki