Colonial Viper

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The Colonial Viper is the primary fighter spacecraft type used by the human protagonists in the Battlestar Galactica fictional universe. Appearing in both the 1978 original series and the 2003 reimagined series, as well as various derivative works, the single-pilot spacecraft are embarked aboard Battlestar Galactica and are the human's main tools of defence against the fictional universe's antagonists - the cybernetic Cylon race.

The popularity of the original Battlestar Galactica series resulted in United States Air Force pilots nicknaming F-16 Fighting Falcons "Vipers".^[1] When the reimagined series was created, the Viper was one of the elements the designers wanted to carry through with minimal alteration.

Contents 1 Original series (1978, 1980) 1.1 Variants 2 Reimagined series (2003) 2.1 Background 2.2 Armaments 3 Notes 4 External links

[edit] Original series (1978, 1980)

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Viper (1978, 1980)
Vipers in flight.
First appearance	Saga of a Star World
Affiliation	Colonial Fleet
General Characteristics
Armaments	Lasers

In the original run of Battlestar Galactica, the single-seated Colonial Viper is the only known fighter flown by Colonial Pilots, referred to as "Warriors". There is only one known model of Viper seen in the series. Some spin-off materials incorrectly list the Viper as a "Starhound Viper" or "Starhound Class" fighter, an error beginning in the novelisation of "Saga of a Star World", where the fighters carried by Galactica are referred to as "Starhounds" in the front matter, but are called "Vipers" in the novel itself.^[2] A pressure suit is worn under the pilot's uniform to protect them from gravitational forces as seen in "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I". The flight helmet worn by the Warrior pilots resembles an ancient Egyptian headdress, but has no faceplate. Viper pilots from each Battlestar have differing forehead ornamentation on their helmets: Pegasus pilot helmets feature a flying horse, while Galactica pilot helmets have a bird design.

The Vipers are launched from a long tube in one of a Battlestar's landing bays, assisted by a powered catapult mechanism. It appears that a Battlestar can launch three Vipers from each bay at once. Vipers are loaded into the launch tubes atop rails which engage recesses in the bottom of the fuselage between the lower wings. The rail system ensures that the Viper remains on the centerline of the launch tube.

Vipers typically use all three of their engines for powered flight, and can use a "Turbo" boost for greater speed, analogous to a modern fighter plane's afterburner. A pilot can turn on or off each engine by a push button, as seen in the startup sequence anytime a Viper is preparing to take off. Vipers can also reverse thrust for rapid deceleration, a useful tactic when being pursued by enemy ships that would then tend to overshoot the Viper, placing them in a vulnerable position. Vipers are capable of atmospheric as well as space flight, and can land and take off from a planetary surface. Viper engines are designed to collect commonly occurring gases in planetary atmospheres and in space to power the ship's fusion reactor. Vipers are also capable of supporting the pilot for up to two weeks in a form of "suspended animation" for extremely long missions.

The main flight control of a Viper is a three buttoned joystick, similar to a jet fighter. The three buttons are labeled FIRE, TURBO and IM, with the fire button being red. The IM button is the reverse thruster. Notably in "Saga of a Star World" some Vipers have STORES on the joystick instead of FIRE.

Armament consist of two directed energy weapons (referred to as "lasers" in the series), linked together to fire simultaneously. They can also carry fire suppression equipment, as shown in the "Fire In Space" episode where they are used to battle a fire on the Galactica after the Cylons crash explosives-laden fighters into the launch bays.

[edit] Variants

A "Recon Version" was piloted by Starbuck in "The Long Patrol". It possessed "nearly double the speed of a regular fighter", along with improved maneuverability, but lacked any armament due to the removal of the laser pumps. It also possessed C.O.R.A. (Computer, Oral Response Activated), a sultry female voice activated computer which doubled as an autopilot.

In the Galactica 1980 series, some Vipers are shown to be capable of invisibility when on the ground, seen particularly in the episode "Galactica Discovers Earth". Other 1980 episodes indicate that a Colonial Warrior's uniform is meant to protect against the crushing effects of gravity, similar to an inertial dampener. A 2-seat version of the Viper is also seen in the Galactica 1980 series, and hinted at in the first episode of the TV series.

[edit] Reimagined series (2003)

Colonial Viper
A Mark II Viper in space.
First appearance	Mini Series, Part 1
Affiliation	Colonial Fleet
General Characteristics
Armaments	Kinetic energy weapons Conventional missiles

In the 2003 remake of Battlestar Galactica, the Viper series of starfighters are the Colonial Defense Force's primary space superiority fighter/attack craft. Capable of atmospheric flight, the Viper is a single-seat craft mounting two kinetic energy weapons, as well as having hardpoints beneath the wings for mounting missiles, munitions pods and other ordnance. There are at least seven versions of the Viper design at the point in history depicted by the reimagined miniseries.

Richard Hudolin, the production designer for the miniseries, has stated that "The only things that we wanted to carry through (from the original film and series) were the Mark II ships." ^[3]

The Colonial Viper has only sublight engines, which means it is incapable of FTL travel.

[edit] Background

The Viper was introduced into Colonial service shortly before the outbreak of the Cylon War. However, it was the Mark II Viper series, designed specifically for use with the new Colonial Battlestars, that is best remembered. The Mark II was used during the Cylon War, proving a capable fighting vehicle. It is regarded as one of the reasons the Twelve Colonies did not suffer defeat at the hands of the Cylons. The Mark II remained in service after the end of the war, with William Adama commenting that he last saw 'his own' Mark II Viper (N7242C), likely one of the last of its type, roughly twenty years after the end of the war.

The Mark II was subsequently superseded by newer models, with the Mark VII serving in front-line duties forty years after the end of the Cylon War, as seen in Battlestar Galactica: The Miniseries. By this time the Viper design had been progressively evolved, retaining the basic structural configuration (essential for use with Colonial battlestars), but with variations in length, equipment, and capability. No information is provided about the intervening designs, but by the time the Mark VII was introduced the Viper design incorporated software-based controls and fully networked systems; providing superior agility, battle management, and flight information for the pilot.

The Mark VII was later upgraded to include Dr. Gaius Baltar's navigational software. Along with the majority of the Colonial Fleet, this software allowed the Cylons to remotely disable the Vipers during the renewed attack on the Twelve Colonies, forty years after the original war ended. The few Mark VIIs that survived the disaster were later stripped of this software.

The older Mark II fighters, not equipped with the "fly by wire" systems of newer Vipers, were unaffected by the Cylon modifications to Dr. Baltar's program. Two squadrons of Mark IIs were present in the Galactica's starboard flight pod in preparation for the Battlestar's new role as a museum ship, and after the Galactica's Mark VII squadron was destroyed by the Cylons, the display of Mark II's were refitted for combat by Galactica's deck crew. They made up the majority of Galactica's fighter wing during the Cylon sneak attack, the Battle of Ragnar Anchorage, and most of the Galactica's action prior to the arrival of Battlestar Pegasus in Season 2 episode "Pegasus", adding her ability to manufacture more Mark VIIs to the fleet. When the Pegasus was destroyed in Season 3 episode "Exodus: Part 2", her nearly intact squadrons, all of them composed of Mark VII's, were transferred to the Galactica.

[edit] Armaments

The Viper is armed with multiple kinetic energy weapons, both have weapon hard points for mounting missiles under the wings.

Mark II ^[4] 

2 x forward-firing Thorsen 30mm mass accelerator cannons mounted in the wing roots, each with an 800 round ammunition capacity and a 20 round-per-second fire rate

1 x forward-firing Lightning Javelin missile launcher in the belly, with an eight-round ammunition capacity

Mark VII 

3 x forward-firing "Kinetic energy weapons" (2 mounted on wingtips, 1 mounted on vertical stabilizer)

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• 1978 Viper (Battlestar Wiki)
• Reimagined Viper (MkII and MkVII) (Battlestar Wiki)

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