The End Of Oak Street Director Isn't Shy About A Battlestar Galactic Easter Egg

The premise of David Robert Mitchell's new film "The End of Oak Street" recalls the work of TV producers Sid & Marty Krofft. A typical boring American suburb is, seemingly at random, scooped up in its entirety and teleported many millions of years back in time to the Cretaceous period. Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor play a suburban mom and dad of a teenage son and daughter (Christian Convery and Maisy Stella) who have to contend with the dinosaurs that are suddenly walking across their front yard. One might get a very distinct "Land of the Lost" vibe.

But the trailers for "The End of Oak Street" seem to dictate a much more serious tone than anything from the Krofft canon. The film was executive produced by J.J. Abrams, and he is known for mystery box movies and TV shows, as well as slick action and crowd-pleasing adventure. Mitchell, meanwhile, is best known for downbeat, arch genre films like "It Follows" and the kooky noir "Under the Silver Lake." "Oak Street," one might safely assume, will be lacking in sprightly whimsy and will be hefty on the scary violence and emotional extremity. If one listens closely, one of the previews for "The End of Oak Street" reveals that the main characters have a dog named Starbuck. It's Starbuck's barking over an eerie glowing light that initially alerts the central family that something is amiss about their block. 

At a recent Q&A with Mitchell attended by /Film's Bill Bria, he learned the origins of the dog, Starbuck. No, the pup wasn't named after the character from Herman Melville's "Moby-Dick," but the subsequent character from "Battlestar Galactica." It seems that Mitchell is a big "BSG" fan. 

During the Q&A, the moderator straightforwardly asked David Robert Mitchell if he named the dog Starbuck after the "Moby-Dick" character or the "Battlestar Galactica" character, and he answered plainly that "It was 'Battlestar Galactica.'" About the dog character, Mitchell added: 

"I love Starbuck. It's wonderful. Again, it's connecting to this family. I have dogs. I know the way that we see the world and the ways in which they help connect family, and I think that seeing the movie, connecting with Starbuck helps us be drawn in." 

The character of Lieutenant Starbuck was played by Dirk Benedict on the original "Battlestar Galactica," and he was a hotshot pilot and the flashy best friend of Captain Apollo (Richard Hatch) known for his loose demeanor and his fondness for women and gambling. He was clearly modeled from the Han Solo character from "Star Wars," which was released the previous year. 

In 2003, "Battlestar Galactica" was rebooted to much fanfare and success. Starbuck returned for that show, this time played by Katee Sackhoff. It was established in the new series that "Starbuck" was just her pilot callsign, and that her real name was Kara Thrace. That character was still a hotshot pilot, but this time was depicted as having Borderline Personality Disorder; her heavy drinking wasn't fun or whimsical, but a serious problem used to mask deep-seated issues of self-worth. The new Starbuck was very different from the original Starbuck. (Interestingly, Sackhoff unknowingly prompted Starbuck's dark fate.)

Mitchell doesn't say which version of Starbuck he preferred, however. He was born in 1974, so he might have halcyon childhood memories of the original, or was swept up in the dramatic success of the reboot. Either way, the dog in "Oak Street" is a confirmed "BSG" reference.