Tau'ri starships in Stargate

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After five or more years of researching alien technologies discovered on off-world missions, along with billions of dollars of work, several prototype models, and several failures, Earth was eventually able to construct its first glider vessel based on alien technology. That was the X-301, an Earth/Goa'uld hybrid. The craft ultimately failed, because of its alien components. After the failed flight tests, the Air Force decided to attempt to build an all human built craft, with components based upon what they learned from alien tech, rather than actually integrating alien technology into it. This was the F-302, a small 2-man space-faring ship much like a highly advanced MiG or F-22 Raptor. F-302s are now the standard dogfighting attacker used by the military in the Stargate Program.

It was not long before Earth too was able to create its first (and for a long time, only) interstellar battlecruiser, the Prometheus. Whilst the F-302 is generally sufficient to successfully challenge its alien equivalent, the Prometheus was still far inferior to the highest class of battlecruiser owned by most other prominent races in the galaxy. Later, with the assistance of the Asgard, Earth was able to create a more advanced class of ship, the Daedalus-class Deep Space Carrier.

Contents 1 X-301 2 F-302 3 Prometheus 3.1 Missions 3.2 Technology 4 Daedalus class 4.1 Technology 4.2 Design 4.3 Ships of the Line 4.3.1 Daedalus 4.3.2 Odyssey 4.3.3 Korolev 4.3.4 Apollo 4.3.5 Phoenix 5 References

[edit] X-301

X-301
The X-301 experimental fighter
First appearance	"Tangent" (Stargate SG-1)
Fate	Lost
Affiliation	Earth
Launched	2001
Decommissioned	2001
General Characteristics
Registry	301
Armaments	AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles
Propulsion	Death Glider propulsion system

The X-301 Experimental Fighter visually resembles a Goa'uld Death Glider. Only seen in the episode "Tangent", the X-301 is Earth's first attempt to reverse engineer Goa'uld technology. The initial design of the craft used some components directly from two Death Gliders which almost proves fatal to its passengers when a preprogrammed booby trap sent the craft into outer space during a test flight. It did, however, pave the way for the development of the X-302 and X-303. During O'Neill's and Teal'c's test flight, it is given the callsign "Digger One".^[1]

Unlike the later X-302, the X-301 is little more than a captured Goa'uld Death Glider that had been retrofitted to accommodate human technology. Earth engineers were unable to understand many of its systems (particularly the energy weapons), forcing them to remove or replace whatever they could not make functional. As such, the X-301 is equipped with a pair of naqahdah-enhanced AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles modified with shield frequency modulators, which Major Carter believed could take out a Goa'uld mothership. After Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c were rescued from the runaway craft during its first test flight, caused by a hidden 'recall device' which the System Lord Apophis had installed in his Death Gliders following Teal'c's betrayal,^[1] further work on the X-301 prototype is abandoned in favor of the X-302. The fate of the X-301 craft is unknown.

[edit] F-302

F-302
The F-302
First appearance	"Redemption" (Stargate SG-1)
Affiliation	Earth
Launched	2002
General Characteristics
Registry	302
Armaments	AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles Kinetic energy weapon
Propulsion	Two jet engines Two aerospike engines One rocket motor Hyperspace window generator

The F-302 Fighter the production model of the X-302 Experimental Fighter prototype resembling the X-301, but was built entirely from Earth-constructed components, using reverse-engineered knowledge of alien technology. The F-302 is the first production series craft using reverse-engineered knowledge of alien technology.

The X-302 are first seen in "Redemption". They have four sets of engines: two traditional jet engines, two aerospike engines, one rocket motor, and a naqahdriah-based hyperspace window generator. Its conventional engines are assisted by an inertial dampening system that allows the craft to achieve orbit.^[2]

The X-302 was considered a success and went into production as the F-302. The F-302 is an unshielded, two-seat multi-role craft. It possesses three different sets of sublight engines. In "Fallen", the 302's hyperdrive engine does not work as intended, due to instability caused by the naqahdriah. The hyperdrive is only capable of short range tactical jumps.^[3] Production models are known to still be equipped with hyperdrives. Furthermore, its inertial dampener is only ninety percent effective when pulling negative G's.^[4] The F-302's have a magnetic clamping landing gear system which allows them to clamp onto the hulls of ships.^[5]

Since Earth's efforts to create a directed energy weapon have so far proven unsuccessful, the F-302 was originally armed solely with a payload of modified air-to-air missiles. These modified AIM-120 AMRAAMs have a warhead enhanced with naqahdah and a shield modulator, which in theory allows the missile to bypass shields.^[6] The shield modulator proved ineffective against the Ori shields on the satellite weapon in the episode "Ethon". F-302s are also apparently armed with a pair of projectile cannons (though of an unspecified caliber and type), seen in the Stargate Atlantis season two episode "The Intruder".

The F-302's first combat mission took place in the Stargate SG-1 episode "Fallen", when it was flown by Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter in a strike against Anubis mothership. In the episode "Lost City", several squadrons of F-302s commanded by Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell escorted the Prometheus to Antarctica, where they defended the cargo ship piloted by SG-1 against an attack wave of Al'kesh and Death Gliders.

The F-302s are shown to have bases on Earth,^[7] Atlantis, the Alpha Site,^[8] and the Gamma Site (until "The Scourge").^[9] Other bases are shown to be on the Prometheus (until "Ethon"), the Korelev (until "Flesh and Blood"), the Daedalus, the Odyssey, the Apollo. The Earth ships can hold eight F-302s each.^[5][10]

The F-302s have had various call signs, including 'Airstrike',^[3] 'Flight',^[8] 'Blue leader',^[11] 'Delta 1-4',^[12] and 'Dagger 1-2'.^[5] The 1st SFW "Snakeskinners" is a wing of F-302s in the Milky Way,^[4] the 1st TFW "Wraithwaxers" is a wing which operates the Daedalus and her F-302s,^[13] and the 2nd Tactical Wing operates the Apollo and her F-302s.^[14] The X-302s had the callsigns 'Abydos One' and 'Starflight'.^[2]

[edit] Prometheus

Prometheus
The Prometheus in hyperspace
First appearance	"Prometheus" (Stargate SG-1)
Last appearance	"The Road Not Taken" (Stargate SG-1)
Fate	Destroyed
Launched	2002
General Characteristics
Registry	01
Fighters	8 F-302s
Armaments	4 Railguns CIWS 16 Missile batteries
Defences	Asgard shields Trinium hull
Propulsion	Asgard hyperdrive Sublight engines
Power	Naqahdah Generators

The Prometheus, otherwise known as the BC-303 (prior X-303), is Earth's first capital starship and the first ever human-made battleship in the series. Although small compared to a Goa'uld Ha'tak, it is a large battlecruiser nonetheless. It dwarfs its two predecessors, the X-301 Interceptor and the X-302, which accommodate only two people each. Its final name has been the code-name for its development project.

The Prometheus was intended to serve as the prototype for a new fleet of space vessels and as a test bed for many of the experimental new technologies and advancements based on the technology and scientific data the U.S. Air Force had acquired through the Stargate program. The Prometheus' main purpose in its military deployments is to serve as a platform for the defense of Earth, serving as both a carrier for F-302 fighters and as a shielded combat vessel using missiles, and later railguns. The BC-303 is designed to carry up to eight F-302s for long-range duty, which can be launched and received through a hangar bay even when the ship is in flight.

The Prometheus was initially a hybrid of human technologies and reverse-engineered Goa'uld technologies. The initial hyperdrive system, while based heavily on reverse-engineered Goa'uld technology, is powered by naqahdriah, a substance unknown to the Goa'uld at that time. Prometheus is fitted with a set of transport rings, an Ancient design based on the Stargates but widely used by the Goa'uld. Later, as a reward for Earth's assistance to the Asgard in fighting the Replicators, the Asgard agree to install some Asgard technology on board – a more advanced (and far more reliable) hyperdrive engine capable of intergalactic travel, advanced shields based on Asgard design, as well as beaming technology and Asgard sensors. Research and development for the initial (non-Asgard) hyperdrive, powered by naqahdriah, cost the United States in excess of US$2 billion. The corridors of the vessel are constructed of Trinium alloys.

Although Prometheus is the first commissioned ship of her class, the BC-303 series has already been rendered obsolete. When the Asgard agreed to provide their technology for inclusion into Earth's starships, and as other alien technologies were recovered and reverse-engineered, the Prometheus class became supplanted by the Daedalus class. While the Prometheus was successfully modified to include certain Asgard technologies, its Asgard advancements were installed after its construction, meaning the Prometheus was not designed from the beginning to take full advantage of those technologies; the newer Daedalus class, on the other hand, was designed from the ground up to include those advancements, meaning that they were fully integrated into the vessel and enabling ships of the Daedalus class to utilize those advancements far more efficiently. The Prometheus is the sole BC-303 built. Like the F-302, the BC-303 is capable of hyperspace travel, primarily because of advances in hyperspace technology due to the discovery of naqadriah on Jonas Quinn's homeworld, which was the basis for Earth's own hyperdrive prototype used on Prometheus.

As part of an agreement regarding the use of the Russian Stargate following the loss of the American Stargate, Russia has received the plans for the X-303. Russia never produced any X-303, and due to the successes with the newer Daedalus class cruisers, it is extremely unlikely that Russia will choose to build its own outdated BC-303 Cruisers.

The ship is operated by the United States Air Force, and its crew consists of Air Force personnel. Operationally, Prometheus, like her following sister ships, is under the Pentagon's Department of Homeworld Security. Three officers have been shown in command of the Prometheus, Colonel William Ronson during Prometheus' shakedown cruise, Major General George Hammond when Anubis' attacked Earth and Colonel Lionel Pendergast for the remainder of the ship's life.

[edit] Missions

The initial mission of the Prometheus was based on a hijacking before completion by rogue NID agents.^[15] The ship was subsequently finished and began a shakedown cruise. A problem while in hyperspace damaged the hyperdrive, and a subsequent attempt to jump resulted in the naqahdriah reactor overloading. When she set out for Earth, she was attacked by an unknown alien ship en route and suffered damage while hiding from it inside a corrosive nebula. The damage was reparable, however.^[16] Prometheus serves in the defense of Earth from attack by Anubis's armada and is almost destroyed.^[7] En route to Atlantis, a pirate named Vala Mal Doran, in Kull Warrior armor, kidnaps the crew of the Prometheus (excluding Dr. Jackson) in "Prometheus Unbound" and strands them on a disabled Al'kesh, intending to give the Prometheus to the Lucian Alliance in exchange for weapons-grade naqahdah. Daniel manages to capture Vala, while the stranded crew repaired the Al'kesh and gives chase, ultimately thwarting Vala's plans, though she still manages to escape aboard her own Al'kesh.^[17] The Prometheus joins the search for a bomb that Ba'al has put in Seattle.^[18] The last mission of the Prometheus takes places in the episode "Ethon" in an attempt to intervene in a Cold War situation between two nations of the planet Tegalus. Advanced weapons on board an Ori satellite in the planet's vicinity are able to destroy the Prometheus in three shots, killing the captain, Col. Lionel Pendergast.^[6] In an alternate universe visited by Samantha Carter in "The Road Not Taken", the Prometheus is shown intact, and has become the new "Air Force One" for President Hank Landry.

[edit] Technology

The BC-303 used conventional missiles as weapons, as well as close-in weapon systems as point defense weapons. The Prometheus was given Asgard technology, primarily for shields and teleportation purposes, though the Asgard, Thor, states the "package" to include a weapon of some sort. However, no Asgard weapons were ever installed on the ship. She was due to be upgraded with Earth-developed railguns, but at least some of the guns were diverted for the defense of the ancient city of Atlantis which had come under siege. There is no evidence of the ship ever receiving her railguns; and throughout her operating life the Prometheus was reliant mainly upon fighter support in the form of F-302s to deal with enemy threats.

The Prometheus had its own set of rings compatible with ring transporters on Goa'uld vessels, which are known ultimately to be an Ancient creation.^[19] These rings are also compatible with rings onboard Ori motherships as well as traditional Goa'uld emplacements. For the most part the ring transporter system was rendered redundant due to a lack of ability to secure the rings against hostiles effectively; the much more flexible and versatile Asgard beaming technology became the primary method of disembarking and receiving crew and SGC members. However, there are situations which called for the use of the rings; for example, entry into Glastonbury Tor, where Merlin hid a cache of treasure and Ancient technology, was accomplished via the ring platform built there.

When initially designed and constructed, the Prometheus was designed to be a hybrid of Earth and reverse-engineered Goa'uld technology; it thus initially lacked the Asgard technology seen on board the Daedalus class vessels. As time passed, however, the Asgard provided technology to upgrade the vessel. Some of the more 'temperamental' experimental Goa'uld/human hybrid systems on board the vessel, especially the costly and short-lived experimental hyperdrive engine, were apparently simply abandoned in favor of more advanced (and more reliable) Asgard upgrades. Additionally, many additions and improvements to key areas of the ship were made, such as the intergalactic hyperdrive, Asgard sensors, beaming technology and shields. Gradually, the Prometheus came to be superior to conventional Goa'uld ships in many ways; even so, many alien characters accustomed to more technologically advanced civilizations than Earth considered it, upon cursory inspection, to be "crude".

The sub-light engines were one of the most unchanged parts of the ship throughout its service. Using these engines, the Prometheus could travel at 110,000 miles per second (being 59% of the speed of light) and from launch on Earth's surface make to orbit in under thirty seconds for rapid defensive deployment. However, these engines were generally useless for anything beyond solar and extremely short range travel compared to the tens of thousands of times faster to which the ship's hyperdrive engine could propel the ship to via subspace.

The X-303 is the first hyperspace ready, Tau'ri built capital spacecraft. Its main engine was reverse engineered from Goa'uld technology and powered by an unstable variant of naqahdah called "naqahdriah" found on the planet Langara by SG-1. Jonas Quinn provided a small amount of naqahdriah when he defected to the Tau'ri, and this naqahdriah was at the heart of the Prometheus' hyperdrive core.

However, the technical difficulties in extracting a stable energy flow from naqahdriah meant that while the hyperdrive worked, the unstable hyperspace window produced made accurately plotting a course impossible (a problem shared by the hyperdrive on the F-302). Before it is completed, the ship is hijacked by rogue members of the NID and is used to travel to a planet with a supposed cache of Ancient weapons. The hyperdrive on the Prometheus is adjusted by the Goa'uld (who called it remarkably crude) who had taken Adrian Conrad as its host in exchange for its freedom. After dropping out of hyperspace, the ship finds itself not in orbit of the planet in question, but at an unknown position in interstellar space. Fortunately for SG-1 (who had infiltrated the ship before it made the hyperspace jump and had since regained control of it), the Asgard had detected the hyperspace event.

A buffer system was later incorporated into the hyperdrive which successfully stabilized the power output enough for accurate hyperspace travel. (The much smaller size of the F-302 apparently prevented the installation of a practical version of a similar buffer system on board that vessel.) While testing the upgraded drive on its shakedown cruise, Prometheus passes through an intense gravity wave from a collapsing star - this causes a power surge in the naqahdriah reactor so large that it destroyed the buffer. With no way to repair the buffer, the ship attempts a short range hyperspace jump to a nearby planet that was believed to have a buried Stargate. The jump, while successful, proved too much strain on the reactor without the buffer, and it overloaded. The reactor and hyperdrive module are jettisoned over the planet, Tagrea, where it explodes, thus stranding the vessel on the habited planet until a new reactor could be fashioned for the ship.

The second hyperdrive core was installed in the Prometheus had been salvaged from a Goa'uld Al'kesh that Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c stole from Ba'al's Jaffa. This engine core was not designed for a vessel of Prometheus size, an Al'kesh being much smaller in size, and required the ship to travel through hyperspace in a manner of short hops, to prevent the core from overloading. This system was far from ideal for long distance travel, and was quickly replaced by the third hyperdrive core after the Prometheus used the Al'kesh hyperdrive core to get back to Earth.

Following the return of the Prometheus to Earth, the Asgard refit the Prometheus' engines, for the third time in the ship's service life. This gave the ship the ability to travel at speeds thousands of times faster than any Goa'uld vessel, as it was based around the Asgard intergalactic hyperdrive technology, rather than the traditional interstellar hyperdrive which most other races appear to use as their hyperspace technology.

When the Prometheus was en route to Atlantis, they picked up a distress call that was stated to be 50 light years off the planned route and it would take 20 minutes to get there. Therefore, the craft is capable of speeds in excess of 150 light years per hour. This was achieved using the Asgard intergalactic hyperdrive, rather than the earlier two hyperdrive engines the ship had been fitted with during its operation, which were much more crude and slower hyperdrive engines, belonging to the Goa'uld and Earth's own designs.

[edit] Daedalus class

Daedalus class
The Daedalus orbits Lantea in "The Siege, Part 3"
First appearance	"The Siege, Part 3" (Stargate Atlantis)
Affiliation	Earth
Launched	2005
General Characteristics
Fighters	F-302s
Armaments	Railguns Nuclear ordnance Asgard Plasma Beam Weapons
Defences	Asgard Shields Trinium Hull Cloaking device (Odyssey)
Propulsion	Asgard Hyperdrive Sublight Engines
Power	Naqahdah Generators Zero Point Module (Odyssey) Asgard power core (Odyssey)

The Daedalus-class battlecruiser, also referred to as a Deep Space Carrier^[20] and a 304,^[21] is the second generation of Earth battlecruisers and is designed to combat enemy ships, such as the Goa'uld Ha'tak-class mothership. It succeeds the Prometheus as the main vessel operated by the United States Air Force and its allies on the two series.

Four Daedalus battlecruisers are known to have been built and three of these are in active service, including the Daedalus, the Odyssey and the Apollo, with the Russian Space Forces-operated Korolev being destroyed during the Battle of P3Y-229.^[22] A fifth ship, the Phoenix, is introduced during an alternate timeline, and so it is unknown whether the ship actually exists.^[23] It is believed that each ship takes roughly one year to construct with the exception of two Daedalus-class battlecruisers having been built within a single year (the Korolev is rushed into service months before it was scheduled to do so^[21]). This may be a result of the funding change that Military Appropriations enacted at the beginning of season nine of SG-1, where 70% of the SGC funding is transferred to 304 production. Earth appears to be focusing heavily on establishing a fleet of vessels with which to compete with rival races and defend Earth, and further expansion is expected.

[edit] Technology

The Daedalus class is equipped with much of the same advanced alien technology as the Prometheus, only all integrated into the original design prior to construction, as opposed to being "tacked on after the fact", as Lt. Col. Samantha Carter puts it,^[24] as is the case with the Prometheus.

The Daedalus class contains a great deal of Asgard technology, both as part of its original design and as upgrades after the destruction of the Asgard race. Initially built with such technology as the intergalactic hyperdrive, shields and beaming technology, additional equipment is integrated later on: the Odyssey is the first to be upgraded, with an Asgard computer core, plasma energy weapons and more being added; the Daedalus and Apollo are later refitted with the energy weapons. An Asgard engineer named Hermiod is at first assigned to the Daedalus itself to supervise the on-board technology, though it is unknown whether he remains aboard after the mass suicide of the Asgard. The Daedalus class ships also have the same ring transporters as Goa'uld vessels, which are known ultimately to be an Ancient creation.^[19] These rings are compatible with rings onboard Ori motherships as well as traditional Goa'uld emplacements. When temporarily genetically enhanced by Lantean technology, Rodney McKay wrote a formula on how to enhance the shields on the Daedalus, it is unknown if it was ever used.

The Daedalus class carries numerous Mark III^[5] and Mark VIII^[25] tactical nuclear warheads and a number of railguns. Generally speaking, the primary armament used by the Daedalus-class vessels is the missile complement which is fired using vertical launching systems, with all missile emplacements appearing at the bow of the ship;^[26] only the Odyssey has been seen with ventral hull emplacements.^[27] Unlike conventional vertical launch systems, it is possible to access the loaded missiles from inside the ship, to swap their warheads, or entire missiles. In Stargate Atlantis season three's "No Man's Land", Colonel Caldwell orders the safety protocols to be disabled so that it is possible for them to fire all their Mark III nuclear missiles the moment they exit hyperspace to increase the chance of a missile achieving a direct hit and not being intercepted by the Wraith Darts.

In addition to a thick armor hull that is capable of withstanding brief but intense fire from a enemy vessels, the Daedalus class vessels are fitted with advanced Asgard shielding that can defend the ship from incoming hostile fire.

There is no Asgard weaponry fitted to any Daedalus-class vessels prior to the Stargate SG-1 series finale, "Unending", with the Asgard previously going so far as to safeguard their beaming technology by preventing its use as a weapons delivery system.^[24] The Asgard engineer Hermiod was able to override this safeguard on Daedalus during a battle with the Wraith; however, later episodes featuring vessels not carrying Asgard personnel have shown beaming systems used offensively.

During the SG-1 series finale, however, the Odyssey is heavily upgraded with the latest Asgard technology, including an Asgard computer core and energy weapons capable of successfully destroying an Ori mothership with several direct hits. In the fourth season of Stargate Atlantis, the Daedalus and Apollo were upgraded with similar weapons which are also as effective on Ancient designed ships as they are on Ori ships. In the season four finale of Stargate Atlantis "The Last Man", the beam weapons on new earth ship, the Phoenix were shown to successfully neutralize a Wraith Hive ship with three direct hits.

[edit] Design

As seen in Stargate Atlantis, the Daedalus has notable physical differences from the Prometheus. It is sleeker and lacks the large aft tower. The Daedalus-class also has four additional engine emplacements on each side, making the rearmost part of the ship wider than that of the Prometheus. There is a large square structure on the ship's bow the purpose of which is unknown. F-302 bays are located on both sides of the ship, below and out from the main hull along the rear. The Daedalus' shields are also capable of standing up to multiple Wraith Hive-Ships or Goa'uld motherships in combat.

The bridge is located on the top side of the ship towards the rear, and within are two primary consoles, through which various systems may be coordinated, including weapon control, communications, sensors, propulsion and more. Additional secondary consoles are located toward the rear of the bridge. The captain's chair is located between the two primary consoles.

The Daedalus class has a hangar bay on either side, but all the F-302s are in the starboard hangar. The Daedalus is capable of carrying up to 16 F-302s, but so far it has only been seen carrying eight so that the other hangar can be used for various needs. The hangars come with doors and shields to prevent decompression and expulsion into space.^[28]

Other rooms include an armory, an Asgard control room/auxiliary control room,^[29] an Asgard knowledge room (Odyssey),^[29] a bomb bay (Apollo),^[26] a briefing room, a brig, crew quarters,^[29] a gymnasium,^[29] an infirmary, a main cargo hold,^[30] and an Officers' Mess.

[edit] Ships of the Line

The USAF operated Daedalus first appears in the Stargate Atlantis episode "The Siege, Part 3", commanded by Colonel Steven Caldwell. The Daedalus plays an instrumental role in defending Atlantis, and subsequently serves as an intergalactic ferry between Earth and Atlantis.

The USS Odyssey first appears in the Stargate SG-1 episode "Off the Grid", and becomes Earth's primary-defense when the Prometheus is destroyed in "Ethon". Odyssey is commanded by Colonel Paul Emerson from "Off the Grid" till "Company of Thieves" when he is killed in the line of duty. The Stargate SG-1 episode "Family Ties" reveals Odyssey's succeeding commander is Colonel Davidson.

The Russian Daedalus-class vessel Korolev appears in the season nine finale, "Camelot", under the command of Colonel Chekov. The Korolev is destroyed in battle by two Ori motherships.

Appearing in the Stargate Atlantis season three finale, "First Strike", the Apollo, commanded by Colonel Abe Ellis, is used in a preemptive attack against the Asurans.

The Phoenix appears in the season four finale, " The Last Man". In an alternate timeline, the ship was given to Colonel Samantha Carter to launch offensive strikes against Michael's fleet.

The map color behind the commander's chair and the lighting on each of the ships appears to be color coded. The Prometheus is white,^[15] the Daedalus is green,^[25] the Odyssey is orange,^[20] the Korolev is purple^[22] and the Apollo is blue/indigo.^[26] The Phoenix has no map, as it is replaced by an Asgard console.^[23]

[edit] Daedalus

The Daedalus is the first starship to be produced of the Daedalus class of battlecruisers, and at first carries an Asgard engineer (Hermiod) who oversees the ship's Asgard technology until Humans are entrusted to handle it on their own. First mentioned in the Stargate SG-1 episode "Moebius, Part 1" and in the Stargate Atlantis episode "The Siege, Part 2", Daedalus makes its first appearance on Atlantis in the episode "The Siege, Part 3" at the beginning of season two. Since then, it has become one of the regular components of the series, primarily serving as a carrier between the Pegasus and Milky Way galaxies as well as providing military support for the Atlantis Expedition. The Daedalus is also mentioned in several Stargate SG-1 episodes, including "Avalon Pt. 1", "Ethon", "Company of Thieves", "Camelot" and "The Shroud" (where the ship is engaged in a joint operation with the Odyssey to destroy a Pegasus Stargate using a Mark IX tactical warhead for the purpose of disengaging the Ori Supergate).

The Daedalus is first mentioned launching from Earth after a Zero Point Module is found in Egypt in the SG-1 episode "Moebius"^[31] and is sent on a mission to the Pegasus Galaxy with a large complement of Marines to reinforce the city of Atlantis, which is being threatened by the Wraith. It takes the Daedalus only four days to reach the Pegasus Galaxy and the city of Atlantis with the ZPM powering the ship's Asgard hyperdrive and systems, and while installed the ZPM provides a significant increase in shield power.^[32] The ZPM is later removed from Daedalus and is used to power Atlantis' shield.

In addition to serving as an effective transport and relay between Earth and the Atlantis expedition, the Daedalus has experienced marked success in its function as a battlecruiser. With the main threat in the Pegasus Galaxy being the Wraith, the Daedalus is usually pitted against Wraith Hive-Ships, which severely outclass the smaller ship in size, fire-power and fighter craft carrying capacity. Without the Ancient power source capable of powering the Asgard hyperdrive at such levels of power, it now takes the Daedalus approximately three weeks to travel between Earth and Atlantis.^[28]

After being upgraded with the new Asgard plasma energy weapons, the Daedalus and Apollo engage in a joint operation alongside the Wraith and Travelers against the Asurans in "Be All My Sins Remember'd", culminating in the destruction of the Asuran home world and the near-complete destruction of the Asurans.^[33]

[edit] Odyssey

The second USAF production spacecraft of the Daedalus class battlecruiser is called the USS Odyssey. After the destruction of the Prometheus in "Ethon", the Odyssey becomes the primary vessel in Earth's defensive fleet. The design, weapons, and technological capabilities of the Odyssey are identical to the Daedalus; however, due to the use of the ZPM and changes made by Daniel Jackson, Odyssey is capable of cloaking itself.^[34] The Asgard make substantial technological upgrades to the Odyssey in the Stargate SG-1 series finale, "Unending".

During the Odyssey's first mission in "Off the Grid", its shields are untested and are stated to not be operating at 100% efficiency. The Odyssey is dispatched to the Pegasus Galaxy in the Stargate SG-1 episode "The Pegasus Project", in an attempt to create a stable wormhole between the Pegasus Galaxy and the Ori Supergate in the Milky Way galaxy, to prevent the Ori from sending more ships through it. With the possibility of another Ori Supergate in the Milky Way Galaxy, the Odyssey departs Earth to investigate in the Stargate SG-1 episode "Company of Thieves". On arrival, however, they are ambushed. After members of the Lucian Alliance board and seize the ship, they kill Colonel Emerson when he orders Carter to not assist them in any way. After retaking the ship and killing the leader of hijackers in the process, the crew returns the Odyssey to Earth for repairs. It is reported in the Atlantis episode "Echoes" (and confirmed in the Stargate SG-1 episode "The Shroud") that while the repairs are under-way, the Odyssey is fitted with a ZPM recovered after Atlantis had been retaken from the Asurans, after their occupation.^[35]

The Odyssey is part of a plan to deliver Merlin's weapon to the Ori galaxy for the purposes of destroying the Ori outright in the episode "The Shroud". During the course of the trip, Jackson (with temporary Prior powers) modifies the ship's systems to generate a cloaking field, claiming "Having a ZPM helps". Following the successful retrieval of Daniel Jackson from the Ori and the deployment of the Sangraal, command of the Odyssey is given to Colonel Davidson.^[36] Later, the Odyssey deploys ground-strike weaponry against a number of naqahdah filled cargo ships destined to be used against Earth by the rogue Jaffa in Arkad's army.^[27] Odyssey is instrumental in the capture of Adria from a mothership under the command of Ba'al in "Dominion", utilizing cloaking technology. The Odyssey visits the Asgard home planet Orilla in the Stargate SG-1 finale episode "Unending" at the behest of the Asgard, who, faced with the extinction of their race, update and leave the Odyssey as their legacy. Soon after the planet's destruction, the Odyssey has no choice but to fight, and, after a number of hits with its new Asgard weaponry, successfully destroys an Ori mothership. In Stargate: The Ark of Truth, the Odyssey is temporarily commanded by Lt. Col. Mitchell and travels through the Supergate to the Ori galaxy to look for the Ark of Truth. After the arrival of four Ori ships and a Replicators attack, the Ark is used on Celestis and the Ori are stopped and the Odyssey saved.

[edit] Korolev

The Korolev is the third Daedalus class battle cruiser. Given to Russia by the USA in exchange for continued use of the Russian Stargate in the ninth season of SG-1,^[21] it is under the command of Colonel Chekov.^[22] Just prior to the Battle of P3Y-229, Korolev is rushed to duty in order to defend against an invasion fleet of Ori motherships, though all major systems are complete and the Korolev is fully space worthy. Korolev carries a complement of F-302's, having also acquired their plans in the Russian Stargate exchange. The ship is equipped with Asgard beaming technology, as demonstrated on Dr. Jackson and Col. Mitchell.

The Battle of P3Y-229 occurs in the season nine finale, "Camelot", and sees the Odyssey and the Korolev, both a part of a combined Tau'ri, Jaffa, Asgard, Tok'ra and Lucian Alliance fleet sent to intercept and stop the Ori fleet from arriving through a Supergate constructed at the location P3Y-229. En route, the Korolev is ordered to collect SG-1 and report immediately to the Supergate. Their standing orders are to destroy the Supergate by any means necessary. Nearing the conclusion of the battle, with most of the vessels opposing the Ori destroyed, both Odyssey and Korolev remain largely intact (though incapable of continued combat), until two of the Ori vessels concentrated their fire on the Korolev, cutting through the vessel's already failing shields before the ship explodes. Only six members of the Korolev's crew are beamed aboard the Odyssey. Daniel Jackson uses a set of the Korolev's rings to escape onto an Ori mothership and Colonel Mitchell uses an F-302 to escape the Korolev. Colonel Chekov's fate is not stated.^[19]

[edit] Apollo

The USS Apollo is a 304 commanded by Colonel Abe Ellis. It is the fourth Daedalus-class battlecruiser to be built, and was introduced after the Korolev. The Apollo is mostly used as a ferry between Earth and Atlantis, just as the Daedalus. The Apollo first sees action in Stargate: The Ark of Truth where it is monitoring Ori ship movements around Earth's solar system and coordinating with Stargate command in the defense of Earth. It however does not see action during this period as the Ori ships withdrew shortly afterwards.

The Apollo is tasked to the Second Tactical Wing.^[14] The ship arrives at Atlantis with a weapons platform, code named Horizon, which contains six Mark IX "Gatebuster" warheads and four decoy warheads. In conjunction with the Atlantis team, Colonel Ellis and the Apollo successfully deploy the Horizon weapons platform against the Asuran home world, targeting key military sites where new warships are being constructed. They are successful in destroying all the Asuran vessels, along with most secondary targets. After they successfully withdraw, the Apollo returns to M35-117 and remains in orbit to assist the city as needed.^[26] After being upgraded with the Asgard plasma beam weapons already installed on the Odyssey, the Apollo is dispatched to Atlantis alongside the Daedalus.^[33]

[edit] Phoenix

The Phoenix is a Daedalus-class battlecruiser built in an alternate timeline in the Atlantis episode "The Last Man" and given to Colonel Carter to support the Atlantis Expedition. In the alternate timeline, the ship is rushed into service and many of the Asgard systems are not fully operational. Members of the Expedition work to get the ship functional for use in offensive engagements against the Wraith Michael. The ship features an Asgard terminal on the bridge where the star map is typically located, and holds a room similar to the Asgard core room seen on the Odyssey.

In the alternate timeline the Phoenix successfully leads numerous attacks against the Wraith. However, thanks to a false lead from Michael, the Phoenix is ambushed by three Wraith hive ships and is critically damaged. Colonel Carter used the Asgard beaming technology to beam the entire crew onto the surface of the planet they were orbiting, but the system was damaged preventing Colonel Carter from beaming herself down as well. With the ship's systems failing and nothing left to lose, Colonel Carter piloted the severely damaged Phoenix into the hull of one of the hive ships, destroying both vessels. The other two hive ships were caught in the resulting explosion and were also destroyed.^[23]

Producer Joeseph Mallozzi has stated that the Phoenix would "eventually" feature in the normal timeline.^[37]

[edit] References

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