List of miscellaneous ships in Battlestar Galactica (2004)

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There have been many appearances of various spaceships in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica science fiction television series, with the primary means of travel being FTL.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Contents

[edit] Adriatic

The Adriatic is one of the only ships in President Laura Roslin's renegade fleet armed with ship-to-ship missiles. It is part of Roslin's fleet that returns to the planet Kobol, and provides defense before the Galactica joins them. The Adriatic appears to have been lost while being escorted by Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza through a star cluster in the episode "The Passage".

[edit] Astral Queen

The Astral Queen prison ship.
The Astral Queen prison ship.

The Astral Queen is a prisoner transport ship. There are currently 1,500 prisoners on board (a figure retconned from 500). The Astral Queen was transporting prisoners to their parole hearings at the time of Cylon attack and was one of the vessels that managed to regroup with President Roslin's refugee fleet. Viewed as another transport ship, albeit one with a slightly undesirable cargo, none of the government personnel that survived the assault knew that it was carrying Tom Zarek, a dangerous political prisoner and anti-government terrorist.

Following an attack on the fleet water supply, Capt. Lee "Apollo" Adama is dispatched to the ship in order to enlist the prisoners so they can help transport water from an icy moon that has been found nearby. After greeting the prisoners' spokesman, Tom Zarek, the prisoners break out of their cells and manage to hijack the ship. They later surrender once Apollo agrees to Zarek's demands, which are to hold a fair election for a new president at the end of Roslin's term. In return, Apollo leaves Zarek's men in control of the Astral Queen, against the wishes of both President Roslin and Commander Adama.

The Astral Queen becomes the focus of several incidents within the fleet. First, repair crews made up of the vessel's ex-convicts begin to operate in competition with those organized by the government. For these efforts, Tom Zarek becomes the Sagittaron representative to the reformed Quorum of Twelve. From there, Zarek makes a failed bid at the vice presidency.

Later, after Laura Roslin is stripped of her presidency by Commander Adama, and martial law is declared in the fleet, the Astral Queen becomes the flagship of a splinter group departing the fleet for Kobol, made up of 24 ships. The crews and passengers of these ships are supporters of Laura Roslin's presidency, and she is aboard the Astral Queen when it jumps away from the fleet. The splinter fleet rejoins Galactica and the fleet after Commander Adama and President Roslin resolve their differences.

The same ship design appears in the original series, where it is known simply as the "Prison Barge" but serves the same basic function as it does in the remake. Count Baltar spends most of the latter part of the series imprisoned on the Prison Barge.

[edit] Atlantia

William Adama served on the Battlestar Atlantia as a Major, where he had an ongoing feud with that ship's landing signal officer that inspired a celebration of his thousandth landing. Chief Galen Tyrol also served on board the Atlantia prior to his assignment to the Galactica.

After the destruction of Colonial Fleet Headquarters on Picon in the first wave of the Cylon attack, Admiral Nagala takes command of the fleet from the Atlantia. Atlantia is one of the first Battlestars to engage the Cylons after the first attack. The Atlantia is newer and more advanced than the Galactica, and has an integrated computer network running Doctor Gaius Baltar's Command Navigation Program, which allows the Cylons to infiltrate the system and cripple the vessel. As a result, Atlantia is easily destroyed by the Cylons over the planet Virgon.

[edit] Baah Pakal

A freighter among the fleet that had a pair of outdated DDG-62 engines that Chief Tyrol acquired to power his Blackbird stealth fighter in "Flight of the Phoenix".

[edit] Botanical Cruiser

Botanical Cruiser
Botanical Cruiser

Also called "Agro Ships", these vessels are nothing more than massive greenhouses filled with all varieties of plants and animals from the colonies. They are covered with numerous biodomes affixed to a large skeletal hull that is covered with transparent windows. Each dome has an "environmental theme" simulating arid deserts to tropical jungles. Two botanical cruisers were part of Roslin's original refugee fleet (during the Cylon attack). One of the botanical cruisers had FTL problems and had to be abandoned when the Cylons discovered the fleet.

In the original series, the botanical ship appeared as a long red-painted scaffold with several domes affixed at one end. This was a reuse of the S.S. Valley Forge model from the 1972 Universal movie Silent Running. The botanical ships in the re-imagined series have been redesigned with domes now covering the entire hull.

[edit] Brenik

The Brenik was a small military vessel, with a crew complement of 75. It was a former posting of Colonel Tigh, who served onboard her as an enlisted gunner's mate (and still a teenager) during the second year of the Cylon War. The Brenik was attacked and boarded by Cylon Centurions, leaving only 20 survivors (Tigh included). The bloody hand-to-hand shipboard combat that ensued left Tigh with mental scars that would last for the rest of his life.[1]

[edit] Carina

The Carina was a civilian transport that appears to have been lost during the dangerous transit of a star cluster in the episode, "The Passage". The ship was being escorted by Louanne "Kat" Katraine.

[edit] Celestra

Celestra is a deep space exploration vessel filled with scientific laboratories, research equipment and advanced sensor systems. It also features a long range FTL drive for distant travel and designed to function for years without resupply of fuel reserves and life support.[2] The Celestra seems to be a carry-over design similar in appearance to the "Electronics Ship" seen in the original series.

[edit] Colonial Movers transport

A Colonial Movers transport
A Colonial Movers transport

Colonial Movers is a transport company that owned at least two cargo ships in the refugee fleet. They appear as long, cylindrical shafts which are affixed several bulk cargo modules of various livery design and nomenclature. The slogan "We Move Anywhere" can sometimes be seen on the side, however because this appears on a cargo module this may or may not be the company's official slogan.

In the episode "The Hand of God", a Colonial Movers ship partook in the sneak attack of the Cylon tylium refinery. A squadron of Vipers was hidden inside a cargo module as reserve and launched against a wing of Raiders that defended the asteroid complex.

In the episode "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II", one of the Colonial Movers ships is destroyed during the explosion of Cloud 9.

The same ship design appears in the original series, and appears to serve the same basic function in the original series as it does in the re-imagining.

[edit] Columbia

Battlestar said to have been lost in the Miniseries along with Battlestars Triton and Solaria. William Adama served on the Columbia as executive officer after his re-instatement in the Colonial Fleet and prior to his taking command of the Valkyrie.

[edit] Cylon tanker

Two ships of this design were seen in the vicinity of a Cylon Basestar in the first season episode "Kobol's Last Gleaming". The design is somewhat obelisk-shaped and visibly possesses at least two engine pods at the rear.

[edit] Daru Mozu

Daru Mozu is featured in the episode "Epiphanies", and is a tylium processing vessel which refines raw tylium ore into fuel vital for the fleet. The Mozu is damaged in a suicide bombing by the terrorist group "Demand Peace" (who want the violence with the Cylons to stop), but later repaired.

[edit] Faru Sadin

The Faru Sadin was a civilian vessel first seen in the episode "The Passage", it was in the last batch of civilian ships being escorted through a star cluster by Galactica Raptor squadrons. Louanne Katraine lost her life due to radiation exposure getting the Faru Sadin through the passage.

Gemenon Traveler
Gemenon Traveler

[edit] Gemenon Traveller

The Gemenon Traveller is a bulk cargo vessel, hull number TR-61482. The Cylon infiltrator Leoben Conoy is found hiding onboard. After interrogation by Lieutenant Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, Conoy is ejected into space from the Gemenon Traveller's airlock on the order of President Laura Roslin.[3]

[edit] Gemini

Gemini container ship
Gemini container ship

A large ship, yet still dwarfed by Galactica, the Gemini appears as a long container transport comprised of a central hull structure affixed with numerous external cargo pods of various livery design and nomenclature. During the Miniseries, Gemini is originally part of Roslin's refugee fleet before joining Galactica. The ship is a carry-over design of the "Ordinance Freighter" from the original series.

[edit] Gideon

The Gideon was featured in the episodes "Resistance" and "Final Cut". It was the cargo vessel which became the focus of attention once martial law was imposed upon the fleet. When the Gideon crew refused to resupply Galactica, Col. Tigh ordered the cargo to be taken by force which resulted in bloodshed. The media termed the event "The Gideon Massacre". The ship's name comes from a character in the Holy Bible; Gideon was a judge in the Book of Judges.

[edit] Greenleaf

Mentioned in "Epiphanies", Greenleaf was a freighter that the saboteur Asha Janik worked on before tampering with Galactica's ammunition supplies.

[edit] Intersun

Another civilian transport company that operated among the Twelve Colonies. Intersun owned and operated the liner Colonial Heavy 798 which is renamed Colonial One after President Roslin is sworn in and takes the ship as Office of the President. Intersun may own other ships in the fleet as well.

[edit] Kimba Huta

Supply ship similar in design to the Gemenon Traveller. It stores the last stockpiles of meat in the entire fleet. Zarek temporarily hid President Roslin in one of the ship's freezers (during her escape from a Galatica jail cell) while covertly transporting her to The Astral Queen.

[edit] Majahual

Majahual mining ship
Majahual mining ship

Majahual is featured in the episode "Scar" and is one of the fleet's large mining vessels. It appears as a series of three saucers with four large gripping claws extending downward. The ship can land on asteroids and gather ore vital to the fleet. Living conditions aboard the ship are said to be filthy and deplorable. This is, again, an example of a design from the original series being reused in the re-imagined series.

[edit] Monarch

Monarch is a mining vessel that is reported as having joined Laura Roslin's splinter group in the episode "The Farm" . After Dualla reports its departure to Colonel Tigh, he laments the fact that the fleet could not afford to lose miners.

[edit] Olympic Carrier

The Olympic Carrier viewed from a Raptor.
The Olympic Carrier viewed from a Raptor.

Olympic Carrier was a fish-shaped civilian passenger liner, typical of many such ships used by the people of the Twelve Colonies. She was supposedly carrying 1300 Colonial refugees, one of which was Dr. Amarak, a colleague of Dr. Baltar, who may have known that he was involved with helping the Cylons.

After the Cylon attack, the ship was somehow compromised by the Cylons, who were somehow able to use the ship to pinpoint the fleet's location every time they made FTL jumps. Over the next few days, the fleet was attacked by Cylon Basestars every 33 minutes to the exact second. Later however, the Olympic Carrier fell behind during a jump and didn't return for several hours. In the meantime, the Cylons did not attack. Suddenly, the Olympic Carrier reappeared; the crew claimed they had a problem with their FTL. When asked over radio how they escaped the Cylons, they gave unconvincing excuses that they were "let go" and "just lucky." Exactly 33 minutes after the reappearance of the Olympic Carrier, the Cylons reappeared.

When they failed to follow an order by Commander Adama to stop their engines and not approach the fleet, Adama sent a Colonial Raptor - piloted by Boomer, flanked by Vipers piloted by Starbuck and Apollo - to scan the ship, where they detected the presence of nuclear weapons on board. Adama, with President Roslin's hesitant approval, ordered Apollo and Starbuck to destroy the Olympic Carrier.

[edit] Pan Galactic

Another civilian transport company with ships operating at the time of the Cylon attack on the Twelve Colonies. During the Miniseries, at least one Pan Galactic liner survived the sneak attack and joined the refugee fleet. The ship in particular is of the similar fish-shaped design seen in other liners like Olympic Carrier. Pan Galactic's logo is nearly identical to the now-defunct Pan American World Airways airlines logo.

[edit] Picon 36

Ship not seen visually, but is part of President Roslin's rescue fleet before joining Galactica. Her captain protests Roslin's decision to abandon the sublight ships when the Cylons show up in the Miniseries. It is assumed Picon 36 had FTL capability and jumped with the fleet as ordered.

[edit] Prometheus

Prometheus is a cargo vessel that appeared in the episode "Black Market". The ship has an "open port" policy similar to Cloud 9 and became the headquarters for the fleet's black market operations. The black market was allowed to, unofficially, continue operations with the stipulations that there are no killings, that they don't hold back on essential medicines and their child prostitution ring is ended. The ship's name comes from Greek mythology, Prometheus the Titan who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans.

[edit] Refinery Ship

The fleet's Refinery Ship processes raw Tylium ore into fuel for the fleet. Conditions aboard the craft are extremely dangerous and the work is grueling. In the episode "Dirty Hands", Galen Tyrol witnesses the hardship aboard the craft where even children are forced to work. He leads a work stoppage in protest that leaves the fleet short of vital fuel and demands a fleet work rotation where the people are given a change of jobs periodically to retain morale. In response, President Roslin has Tyrol reinstate the labor union that he once led on New Caprica.

In the episode "Crossroads, Part I", the Refinery Ship was discovered to be leaking radiation. The Cylon prisoner, Caprica Six, suggests that the Cylons were possibly tracking the radiation to stay one jump behind the refugee fleet. Repairs are begun to the ship, however Lee Adama comes up with a plan to throw off the Cylons by using the ship as a decoy by sending it along another course. Once repairs are finished, the ship will rejoin the fleet at another designated jump point.

[edit] Refueling Tanker

Also called "Tanker Birds" these ships can link up to Vipers and Raptors for mid-flight refueling. The ships have not been seen on-screen but are believed to be modified Raptors with a fuel transfer boom. They are mentioned in dialog in both "You Can't Go Home Again" and "Occupation". There are also larger tanker ships sized for refueling the fleet's bigger ships. In "Home", Part I, the Striker collides with one during a botched refueling maneuver.

[edit] Rising Star

Rising Star is featured in the episode "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down" as a luxury transport. Col. Tigh's estranged wife Ellen Tigh was discovered alive aboard the vessel. It shares the name with a similar ship from the original series.

It was also briefly mentioned in "33" when the fleet's first child is born on it.

[edit] Scorpia Traveller

Ship that docks with Galactica in the episode "Litmus" to offload civilians and take on supplies. A copy of Cylon agent Aaron Doral disembarks this ship and commits a suicide bombing that nearly kills Commander Adama and Colonel Tigh.

[edit] Space Park

Space Park
Space Park

Space Park is a luxury liner resembling a massive wheel connected to a long slender central hull at the axis. Much like the geodesic dome of Cloud 9, the wheel contains an artificial biosphere and slowly rotates to simulate natural gravity. This unusual design is supposedly very old, when artificial gravity was too expensive on large ships, but the design proved popular and remains in use to this day. [4]

[edit] Solaria

The Solaria is a Colonial Battlestar said in the Miniseries to have been lost along with Battlestars Columbia and Triton.

[edit] Stealthstar

Colonial Stealthstar
Colonial Stealthstar

A Colonial stealth craft, the Stealthstar was used to spy on the Cylons. In a recon mission under Adama's command, Lieutenant Daniel "Bulldog" Novacek piloted her beyond the Armistice Line. He was detected and his ship damaged, presumably by the Cylons, though the DRADIS contact was labeled as "unknown". Commander Adama, under orders not to cross the boundary decided to shoot down Novacek with a missile to avoid capture. Unbeknown to Adama, Novacek had ejected and was captured by the Cylons. The Stealthstar was featured in a flash back sequence in the episode "Hero."

[edit] Striker

A Colonial vessel that collides with a fuel tanker while Captain George "Catman" Birch is performing the role of CAG for the Galactica. Striker's wireless goes silent and they go into an uncontrolled spin after the collision, forcing Galactica to dispatch a repair team to the vessel. The Striker is of the same design as the Celestra from the original series. ("Home", Part I).

[edit] Triton

Battlestar Triton is said to have been lost in the Miniseries along with Battlestars Columbia and Solaria. Lt. Alex "Crashdown" Quartararo served on the Triton prior to its destruction: Boomer refers to him as a "refugee from Triton" in the episode "33", and Crashdown's flight suit still bears a Battlestar Triton crew patch.[1]

[edit] Valkyrie

Battlestar Valkyrie

Battlestar Valkyrie launches a ship-to-ship missile
First appearance Hero
Affiliation Colonial Fleet
General Characteristics
Fighters Colonial Vipers
Auxiliary craft Colonial Raptors
Stealthstar
Armaments Ship-to-ship missiles
Kinetic energy weapons

A Battlestar, part of Battlestar Group 41, which was under Commander Adama's command prior to his command of Galactica. The Valkyrie was involved in a Black Ops recon mission to spy on the Cylons a year before their sneak attack on the colonies. The Valkyrie makes an appearance in a flashback sequence in the episode "Hero".

The Valkyrie is stated as being a newer and more prestigious ship than the Galactica,[5] and was also a different type of Battlestar than the Pegasus. The eventual fate of the Valkyrie is not known, but she is presumed to have been destroyed along with the rest of the Colonial Fleet (except the Galactica and the Pegasus) during the Cylon assault on the Twelve Colonies.

History

Approximately one year prior to the actual Cylon assault on the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, Commander Adama was ordered by the Admiralty to approach the Armistice Line and send over a stealth fighter (piloted by Lt. Daniel "Bulldog" Novacek) to test Cylon defenses and determine whether or not the Cylons were preparing to attack the Colonies. After the stealth fighter was disabled on the Cylon side of the Armistice Line, and two other (presumably Cylon) vessels entered the area, Adama ordered the Stealthstar shot down with a ship-to-ship missile. Unknown to Adama, "Bulldog" ejected from the stealth fighter before it was destroyed and was captured by the Cylon forces. Bulldog eventually escaped from the Basestar where he was being held and hijacked a Cylon Raider back to the Galactica. However, it is later revealed that the Cylons let Bulldog escape, hoping that he would discover the true circumstances surrounding his capture and kill Adama in revenge.[5]

Based on conversations in the episode "Hero", the Valkyrie was a more modern and desirable command than the soon to be retired Galactica. Per Colonel Tigh's comments, the admiralty was displeased with the results of the stealth fighter mission and transferred both Adama and Tigh to the Galactica as their way of "greasing" both of them, along with the ship, into retirement. Tigh, a high-functioning alcoholic, relied on Adama to "cover his rear" for him in order to retain his commission.

Behind the scenes
  • In Norse mythology, a valkyrie is a minor female deity whose purpose is to choose the most heroic of those who have died in battle and to carry them off to Valhalla. The Valkyrie constitutes the second reference to Norse mythology in the re-imagined series, the first being Ragnar Anchorage in the 2003 miniseries.
  • Series creator Ronald D. Moore confirmed in his podcast for "Hero" that the Valkyrie CIC was a redress of the Battlestar Pegasus CIC.

[edit] Virgon Express

The Virgon Express is a maintenance vessel that appeared in the episode "Water". Like many ships its size, the Express is too small to recycle its own water supply and must replenish it from larger vessels like the Battlestar Galactica. The Express was taking on water when an explosion occurs in the Galactica water tanks.

[edit] Zephyr

The Zephyr is a civilian vessel in the fleet. During the presidential elections shown in "Lay Down Your Burdens", Part II, it was one of the last five ships in the fleet to dispatch its ballot results to the Galactica counting room. Petty officer Dualla intercepted the Zephyr's ballots and replaced them with forged ones in an attempt to swing the election in Roslin's favor.

[edit] References

[edit] External links


Battlestar Galactica spaceships
Colonial Military
Battlestar (Original | Re-imagined) Military Vessels
Galactica | Pegasus | Valkyrie Viper | Raptor | Blackbird | Stealthstar
"The Fleet"
Astral Queen | Colonial One | Cloud 9 | other..
Cylon Vessels
Basestar | Raider | Heavy Raider | Resurrection Ship
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