Battlestar

The Reimagined Series
(The Reimagined series, Caprica and Blood & Chrome)

Battlestars Valkyrie and Yashuman in orbit over Caprica.

Battlestars were a class of armoured carrier in service in the Colonial Fleet. They emerged during the Cylon War as a solution to Cylon hacking, which had destroyed numerous cruisers. The first Battlestars were specifically designed to use primitive, unnetworked computers that could not be hacked. Further, they were armoured to withstand nuclear blasts, and carried dozens to hundreds of Vipers to defend its anti-ship weaponry. By the time of the Fall of the Twelve Colonies, the Colonial Fleet had approximately 120 Battlestars in service, divided into several Divisions and Groups.

Armament

Battlestars are armed with a considerable amount of railguns scattered throughout the ship, each capable of firing large incendiary or explosive shells at any given target; usually enemy vessels. Battlestars also carry CIWS point-defense weapons scattered throughout the ship to defend themselves against incoming ordinance, as well as a large array of both regular (explosive) and nuclear-tipped missiles for launch at an enemy target, ground or space based.

Battlestars also serve as fighter carriers. They carry Vipers, small and manoeuvrable one-man space superiority fighters designed for dogfights, as well as Raptors, larger multipurpose craft that can serve either as missile carriers, transport craft or electronic warfare platforms.

Battlestar classes

Jupiter-class

For the main article, see: Jupiter-class

Galactica, one of the initial order of twelve of this class. When constructed, however, Galactica appeared white and had more armour.

Jupiter-class was the first to be produced, and were designed and constructed during the Cylon War. Twelve of these Battlestars were initially produced, though there is evidence of later manufacturing. These ships took over the functions of other warships which had proven vulnerable to Cylon hacking and, in doing so, became a major propaganda tool. In the twenty years after the war's end, these ships became antiquated and were removed from border patrol. In the next twenty years the survivors of the original twelve were decommissioned with the exception of Galactica, which was intended to be converted into a war museum. Due to the lack of networking, Galactica escaped the Fall of the Twelve Colonies. Due to the hasty construction of the original twelve, it is known that Galactica's superstructure used impure metals and, in fact, may have been a design flaw in all ships of this class. This however, only became a serious issue when the ship was close to 50 years old.

Mercury class

For the main article, see: Mercury-class

Pegasus, a Mercury-class

At the time of the Fall of the Twelve Colonies, the Mercury-class were the most advanced Battlestars in the Colonial Fleet. Designed at a time where networking was slowly being allowed in military service, the Mercury-class was reinforced by advanced, automated weapons systems, and possessed manufacturing warehouses to replace lost Vipers in a war. The Battlestar Pegasus was the only survivor of the Fall of the Twelve Colonies, having had its CNP disabled during a refit.

Valkyrie-type

For the main article, see: Valkyrie-type

The Valkyrie-type Battlestar is a class of battlestar operated by the Colonial Fleet. Being much smaller than the Jupiter-class; she is presumably used as a light strike and reconnaissance ship. First pushed into service during the Cylon War, the Valkyrie class has proven to be quite versatile, with many remaining in active service (presumably with multiple upgrades/refits) up until the Fall of the Twelve Colonies.

Orion-class

For the main article, see: Orion-Class

The Orion-class Battlestar was a class of Battlestar used by the Colonial Fleet. It was developed and launched either before the First Cylon War. Nicknamed a 'pocket battlestar', the Orion class was much smaller than most battlestars, being unable to handle an extended direct engagement with another capital ship; it is shown as serving mainly as a light espionage or reconnaissance ship.

Known Battlestars

• Archeron
• Athena
• Atlantia
• Bellerophon
• Columbia
• Columbia 2nd
• Erasmus
• Galactica
• Night Flight
• Osiris
• Pegasus
• Ramses
• Solaria
• Triton
• Uned
• Universal
• Valkyrie
• Yashuman