Clearly, Battlestar heroine Kara “Starbuck” Thrace is able to handle this kind of pressure because she is crazy... in a good way. Scene-stealer Katee Sackhoff has spent four seasons playing the spirited, brilliant, tom-boy fighter pilot who may be the key to finding “Earth” and saving the last remaining humans. We spoke with the actress about how Galactica has changed her, her hopes for Starbuck at the end of the series' run, and her upcoming stint on Nip/Tuck.

TVGuide.com: After four years on this show, how has it changed you, personally?
Katee Sackhoff: I've learned a lot about myself. I've learned that being away from home for five years is hard. I've learned that relationships take work — friendships and romantic relationships. I think I've learned, with the little success that we've had with the show, that everything's relative, that family's more important. And that's an important thing to learn about yourself. I think we all move to California with these grandiose ideas of excelling at out craft and what we do. I learned along the way that what's most important is what I had back home [in Oregon].

TVGuide.com: And do you feel like you've had to make choices between them along the way, and prioritize?
Sackhoff: You do [make choices]. I just turned down my own series in New York because I don't want to be away from my boyfriend again; he's here [in Los Angeles], and this is home for me now. So you do make sacrifices, but at the end of the day, if you take the long route, if you take sidesteps up the ladder, you're a more whole, happy individual when you get there, and you'll better adapt to it. I'd like to have a strong person to hold my hand and not go through all those crazy breakups and s--t. I don't want to let him go, so I'm excited.