Information AboutBattlestar |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT BATTLESTAR | |
| battlestar galactica vehicles | |
| fictional motherships | |
|
Battlestars are Capital Ship s from the Science Fiction universe of '' Battlestar Galactica '', depicted in the original '' Battle Star Galactica '' movie and series, the Galactica 1980 spinoff, and the re-imagined '' Battlestar Galactica '' series. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978-1980) General information Battlestars are the premier capital ship in the Navy , which is the space equivalent of an Aircraft Carrier of the Twelve Colonies , and they have fought for at least five hundred Yahren in the Thousand Year War against the Cylon Alliance. They are about 1265 meters (4150 feet) in length. The hull is divided into the main hull with the bridge and propulsion systems and winged hangar bays on the port and starboard sides. Each hangar bay typically carries 75 Viper Starfighters and several shuttles, giving a normal Battlestar a complement of 150 fighters. The fuel for a Battlestar and its Vipers is called Tylium , a mysterious material that can be found on certain planets. For defense, a Battlestar mounts energy dispersing armor plate and several anti-fighter and anti-ship laser batteries plus anti-ship Missiles . Specifications Dimensions Hull:
Flight Pods:
Battlestar armament Laser turrets The laser Turret is basically the same weapon as a Viper's laser cannon based on appearances alone. There are three known types of turret. One, the anti-ship type, is a slow-tracking heavy turret found along the outer edge of both hangar bays. They have longer barrels than other turrets, presumably to focus the shot for more power. Above each anti-ship turret is an anti-fighter turret. They are flatter and thinner in appearance and track much faster. Their barrels are smaller and closer together for superior accuracy against fighter craft, but lack the punch to slug it out with capital ships. The third type, of which there is only one example, is the dorsal turret. It is situated a little forward of the midline on the main hull. The purpose of this turret is harder to decipher, but it appears to be placed almost as an afterthought. The dorsal surface is otherwise devoid of any weapons. Note: The lasers used in Battlestar Galactica are not true lasers. They move slower than light and are visible in the vacuum of space, which is impossible for real world lasers. The term "laser" is either a misnomer or a laser simply plays a part in the firing of the actual weapon discharge. The "Laser turrnets" section should most likely be changed to "Kinetic Batteries". Most weapons in the series appear to be kinetic based, ie bullets. All other weapons appear to be missiles (normal explosives or nuclear). In the mini-series the hand held side arm, when fired, appears different (more laser like) than the series (more bullet like). Some of the rifles or machine guns are easily recognizable as guns of today. Forward lasers The forward lasers have only been seen in ''The Living Legend Pt. 2'' and ''The Hand of God'' and are often confused with anti-ship missiles (see section below). They are very powerful, orange-beamed weapons solely for capital ship use. They give a Battlestar the offensive firepower to pose somewhat of a threat to a base star. Their use must be a significant drain on ship power because they are typically reserved for close range, knockout blows on base stars. The location of their emitters on the hull is unknown. Anti-ship missiles These heavy missiles give a Battlestar enough firepower to utterly destroy at least two base stars. The only example of their use is in ''The Living Legend, Part 2''. Each Battlestar carries a limited supply of these potent missiles, though. They probably carry solenite warheads. They are often confused with the forward lasers because they were fired at the same time in the above-mentioned episode. However, the most likely explanation is that the missiles and lasers were used in conjunction to batter down the base stars' defences quickly. Battlestar armor The armor plate of a Battlestar is unique in that it acts like an energy shield would in any other science fiction universe. It disperses the energy from a weapon bolt quickly over a large portion of the hull to ward off damage. However, as the armor is overheated during an engagement, hull breaches and fires will develop where energy leaks through. Both Battlestars and Vipers have this special armor, while Cylon craft either have an energy shield or no defenses at all. List of Battlestars It has been believed that five hundred Battlestars were constructed during the duration of the Thousand Year War, and only five were known to survive by the time the original movie took place. Count Baltar 's own was lost at the Peace Conference, it was the Acropolis, Pacifica, or the Triton. NOTE: Most "Battlestar Lists" are purely conjectural; created by fans with no filmed or creative evidence.
:Last surviving Battlestar, built 500 yahren before the close of the Thousand Yahren War. Commanded by Commander Adama. The Galactica has about 150 Vipers aboard, a mixture of its own, some from the other Battlestars at the Peace Conference, and a great amount of fighters from the ''Pegasus''.
:Battlestar of President Adar , lost at the Peace Conference. Shown in The Original Pilot Film .
: Lost at the Peace Conference. ::Referenced in background radio chatter in the original pilot film ("... Battlestars Atlantia and Acropolis losing speed..", "...no response from the Triton and the Pacifica")
: Lost at the Peace Conference. ::Referenced in background radio chatter in the original pilot film ("... Battlestars Atlantia and Acropolis losing speed..", "...no response from the Triton and the Pacifica")
: Lost at the Peace Conference. ::Referenced in background radio chatter in the original pilot film ("... Battlestars Atlantia and Acropolis losing speed..", "...no response from the Triton and the Pacifica")
:The novelization of the pilot movie (a.k.a., "Saga of a Star World") listed the Battlestar Solaria as being destroyed in the Cylon ambush.
:Sole survivor of the Battle of Molecay, 2 yahren before the Destruction of the Colonies. Commanded by Commander Cain. Missing since the Battle of Gamoray.
:Commanded by Commander Kronus. Fought in the Battle of Cosmora Archipelago. Presumed destroyed prior or during the Destruction Of The Colonies .
:In the episode "Gun on Ice Planet Zero," a Cadet Cree claims to be from the Battlestar ''Columbia'' in an attempt to foil the interrogation efforts by the Centurion Vulpa. Vulpa answers back that the ''Columbia'' was lost in the Peace Conference with the rest of the fleet. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (2003) Battlestars ''Galactica'', ''Atlantia'', ''Triton'', ''Solaria'', ''Columbia'' and ''Pegasus'' are named. At the start of the Cylon War, twelve Battlestars were made, one representing each colony (with ''Galactica'' representing Caprica). By the time of the miniseries, there were more than one hundred Battlestars - some 30-34 are lost during the opening wave of the Cylon attack, a loss that is described by Starbuck as "a quarter of the fleet". It is unknown how many of these 120+ Battlestars were constructed before/during/after the war (most likely, Battlestar production was ramped up during the war, due to anticipated heavy losses). Battlestars likely flew with a "support" group of smaller attack ships, repair ships, fuel tankers, and resupply ships. The Battlestars act much like the current day carrier task groups. It is assumed that the Battlestars are the command centers of these task groups. This is seen by the Galactica's "Gidon" or "colours" or more generally, it's flag representing the Galactica's insignia. At the bottom of the bird like insignia, the letters "BSG 75" could be seen. Also on the insignia of the Battlestar Pegasus, the letters "BSG 62" could be seen. Just like the current day Nimitz class carriers, when they are assigned to a task force group, a task force group number is assigned and so it is assumed that the Battlestars are also assigned a "Battle Star Group" number, with each Battlestar being the commanding ship of that group. It is still unknown and unseen in the newer 2003 TV series any of the support military vessels. In the episode, "Pegasus"(2006), Admiral Cain mentions that the Pegasus was in drydock for a three month overhaul along with two other smaller ships. Having said this, the entire Colonial fleet complement could very well be greatly over the said 120 ships mentioned by Starbuck in the pilot episode. Configuration The design common to Galactica and its sister ships can be broken down into two main sections: the main hull, and the twin retractable flight pods. =Main hull This comprises the bulk of a Battlestar, and can be divided into three sections: The brow "Alligator head" contains the primary living space for the crew, recreational facilities, mess halls, shipboard operations centres (such as the CIC and Situation Room); water storage tanks and the forward control thrusters. The midships area contains the pod retraction mechanisms, crossways linking the hangar pods for the transfer of equipment and personnel, as well as all the necessary hoists for such transfers. Main munitions stores and distribution mechanisms to "local" munitions stores for main and secondary batteries; fabrication facilities; etc. The stern section contains sub-light engines, FTL drive coils, Control thrusters, etc. Note that 4 of the sub-light engines are mounted externally in articulated engine pods, with 2 more mounted between the pods, in the stern of the Battlestar's main hull. The 512 smaller projectile weapon turrets, which comprise the bulk of Galactica's ability to defend herself from small craft or missile attack, are sited between the ribs. With the ribs seperating the turrets from one another, these stations are quite well protected against taking mutiple losses to a single hit. Even after being struck by a nuke on the way to Ragnar, all the defensive stations on the Galactica's port flight pod were active and firing. =Flight pods The flight pods are mounted on either side of the hull and contain a Battlestar's offensive Viper force. During normal operations, they are extended away from the main hull. During FTL jumps, the pods are retracted against the hull. Each pod comprises two main decks for flight operations: the upper landing bay, which extends the full length of the pod; and the lower launch bays, which provide some 40 paired launch tubes per pod. The landing bay serves as a recovery area for incoming Vipers and Raptors. Approaches are made from the stern. The preferred approach is a slow run into the hangar, prior to making a vertical landing on a defined landing area. However, in emergencies, "rolling" combat landings can be made, in which a Viper or Raptor approaches at speed and makes a running landing on its undercarriage. The forward end of the landing bay also serves as a launch area for Raptors and shuttles. Each hangar bay is large enough to accept a variety of other Colonial vessels, at least as large as "heavy" passenger ships such as Colonial Heavy 798. Docking collars are located throughout the upper sections of the landing bay in order to provide a pressurised connection between docked vessels and the Battlestar. The hangar bays in the pods are used as general dispersal areas for Vipers. The hangar bays are used for maintenance & repair of Vipers / Raptors, re-fuelling, re-arming and launch operations. The hangar bay runs the length of the flight pod, but can be divided and sealed off into five sections for damage control purposes. Each hangar bay section has eight launch tubes, two launch control stations, and an elevator that leads to the landing bay above. Viper flight operations are overseen by a Landing Signal Officer, with each launch supervisor being directly responsible for all launch operations for a group of four launch tubes. Specifications =Dimensions Hull:
Flight Pods:
An appreciation of the size of an original Battlestar can be gleaned from the following: A Battlestar is over 4 times longer than a Nimitz-class US Navy Nuclear-powered Aircraft Carrier . The flight pod of an original Battlestar is almost twice the length of a Nimitz class carrier, is some 46 metres (150ft) wider and is approximately as tall as a Nimitz class carrier measured from the waterline to the top of the carrier's communications and ELINT tower. The beam of an original Battlestar's "alligator head" is as broad as a Nimitz-class carrier's flight deck is long. Each of the nacelles of an original Battlestar's outer four sub-light engines is large enough to house a Nimitz-class carrier. It carries a maximum of 8 times as many fighters and support craft. Systems Propulsion
Despite their massive size, Battlestars are extremely maneuverable and can dock with space stations such as the Ragnar Anchorage depot. Battlestars are not designed for atmospheric flight, although their hulls can manage a tenuous upper atmospheric storm like that surrounding the gas giant Ragnar. A Battlestar's FTL systems are capable of very accurate Jumps, able to place them precisely in synchronous orbit above any point on a planet and of placing them in the midst of an asteroid field or dense fleet of ships, without risk of a devastating impact. However, they are grossly inferior to the newer Cylon "organic" systems in range. Endurance Battlestars are intended to operate for long periods without resupply. Their water purification capabilities alone are very efficient, capable of recycling at nearly 90% efficiency, all used water. Indeed, barring an emergency or unforeseen event, a Battlestar can operate without re-tanking "for several years before replenishing". Vegetable stores and canned goods are kept in titanium lockers. Battlestars also appear capable of undertaking large-scale repairs following battle damage, and have manufacturing/fabrication facilities on-board. Specifically, the ability to manufacture new Vipers out of raw materials is mentioned in the episode "Scar". This is consistent with the Battlestar being a much bigger, more independent and more advanced version of a real-world aircraft carrier with its basic repair capabilities. Computer systems The original Battlestar vessels deliberately avoided the use of networked computer systems and wireless devices, as the Cylon enemy were adept at infiltrating and subverting such systems. Although they do employ computers for such functions as FTL calculations, navigation, damage control and fire control, these are not connected with each other. This design is intended to naturally quarantine individual systems in the event that one becomes compromised. Defense Armament
8 of these guns are mounted on the dorsal surface of the main hull and another 8 on the ventral surface and 8 are mounted on the ventral surface of the prow. The two guns on each turret fire explosive flak rounds in tandem at a rate of 2.23 seconds per round. In "Resurrection Ship Part II", it is revealed that these guns appear to have two settings. The first is the commonly seen flak mode, where they fire explosive flak rounds, and a salvo mode where they fire anti-ship rounds. The heavy rounds can be quite devastating, tearing through modern Cylon Basestars' armor with little trouble. Similar weapons on the Pegasus were used by then-Major Lee Adama to drive off one of the three basestars which had ambushed the ship, in the episode "The Captain's Hand", in as little as 2 salvos.
These are smaller two-gun turrets mounted on the flight pods and other surfaces in groups of 4 pairs. Each barrel fires non-explosive rounds in bursts, with a rate of fire of 200 rounds per turret per second (estimate based on one tracer per four rounds). Each flight pod mounts 48 guns, 64 are mounted on each side of the mid-ship, 52 on each side of the prow section and 32 on the port and starboard flight pods. Giving the ship a total of 196 guns on each side (392 total).
Armor ''Galactica'' was shown to have armored "ribs" on the exterior hull. In the miniseries, these ribs were shown to have enough strength to withstand a direct nuclear detonation. The battlestar ''Pegasus'' has full armor plates and has been shown to take at least three nuclear hits. Air group The Battlestar Galactica would originally have been equipped with 80 Viper MK I air/space superiority fighters, these were upgraded to Viper MK II fighters at some point during the Cylon war. In addition to improved maneuverability, the MK II fighters were also equipped with 2 light missile racks. It is also equipped with numerous jump-capable "Raptor" gun ships, used for transportation, reconnaissance, scouting and electronic counter-measures.
Crew Galactica's crew complement prior to her scheduled decommissioning was approximately 2,800. This figure is higher for a fully staffed Battlestar, somewhere are around the 5,000 mark. After the Cylon attack, Galactica's crew complement has been in the 2,600's. The newer model Battlestar's including the Mercury class, appear to rely more on automation, and computer networks possibly requiring far fewer actual crew members. Comparisons between the CIC's of the Pegasus and the Galactica would seem to confirm this as there are definitely fewer crew in the Pegasus CIC, and bridge. Also references to "clumsy manual valves" in the pilot about Galactica would also seem to indicate this is no longer the case in 'current' Ships Of The Line . After the settlement of New Caprica, Galactica's complement was gradually reduced as crew members left the ship and joined the civilians on the planet surface. When the cylons reappear 380 days after the establishment of settlements on New Caprica, Galactica is manned by a skeleton crew that can barely launch a squadron of vipers for training, much less fly an efficent combat air patrol. Based on this evidence, it is likely that Galactica's complement is less than half of what it was before New Caprica was settled. A battlestar's crew, aside from the Marine Corps Component present aboard the vessel, are Colonial Fleet Personnel . As such, the crew falls into a common, hierarchical, military rank structure. This hierarchy is divided into two broad groups: Commissioned Officers, who exercise command oversight; and Enlisted personnel (including Non-Commissioned Officers), who perform technical duties or exercise first-line supervisory authority. List of Battlestars There are estimated at least 120 Battlestars in service at the time of the Cylon sneak attack, with many other Battlestars destroyed or decommissioned at the time. Some 30+, representing roughly 1/4 of the fleet were destroyed in the opening attack of the ''Fall of the Twelve Colonies''. Most of these are likely of more modern type than the Galactica, given the ship's stated age and obsolensence. However, at least one Battlestar wreck seen above Caprica in the miniseries featured a Ribbed hull and overall configuration similar to that of the Galactica, suggesting it could also be a Refit older-style battlestar or an intermediate class. In the opening espisode, when the tour guide is guiding a tour group through the Galactica, the tour guide, the Cylon agent, states that the Galactica was the last ship to be upgraded or retrofitted to the current design. This suggests that the current configuration of the Galactica is the current design for Battlestars of that same class as the Pegasus is of a completely other design. The tour guide also makes comments on the Galactica's systems and how archaic the computer systems are. This suggests that the avionics and computer systems are old, but not necessarily the design configuration of the Galactica itself. It also suggests that the Pegasus and other Battlestars of the same class could be used more for space exploration where on-board production facilities would be more useful and much needed for extended missions. Seeing that the Pegasus is commanded by an "Admiral", it also suggests that the Battlestars of the Pegasus design could be used as flag ships commanded by admirals to control larger task forces.
:Survived Cylon attack on the Colonies. During its service, the ''Galactica'' formed a part of Battlestar Group 75 (BSG 75), a Colonial naval force. At the time of the attack, ''Galactica'' was undergoing formal decommissioning to be turned into a museum.
:The second season midseason cliffhanger revealed that Battlestar ''Pegasus'' also survived the Cylon attack. It is also a more advanced version of a Battlestar (called a Mercury class Battlestar) than the ''Galactica''. The ''Pegasus'' is outfitted with workshops and machinery to produce its own fighters. As of the episode ''Scar'', the ''Pegasus'' has the resources to build two complete squadrons of Vipers. EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|