It was the guilt of leaving her love Samuel Anders back on Caprica that brought out the demons in Starbuck through the last half of Season 2 of "Battlestar Galactica."

That's according to Katee Sackhoff, the actress who plays the Viper jock on the SciFi Channel series.

"As the latter half of this season unfolds, Starbuck gets knocked off her superstar pedestal," the actress told Starburst magazine.

"In fact, I think she's giving Colonel Tigh, played by Michael Hogan, a run for his money when it comes to the drinking, Sackhoff said. "You know how they say that you inevitably turn into the person you most despise if you don't figure out the reasons why you despise that person. Well, that's what my character is doing. We're talking head-on, full speed ahead, which is fun because it's a completely different side of her.

"At the same time I was a little worried because I wanted to make it believable, she said. I thought, 'How can Starbuck suddenly go from being so capable and on top of her game--at least where her job is concerned--to someone who is everything she despises?'

"The whole thing starts in the episode 'Scar,' and it was one of the biggest challenges I've faced yet on this show, mainly because my ego as Starbuck got in the way," she said. "I kept saying to our producers, 'Starbuck would never do this,' and they'd say, 'Yes, she would. At some point if she can't solve her problems on her own, she's going to turn to drink, drugs, something to numb the pain.'"

"Battlestar Galactica" will begin showing episodes from the series' third season in October.