Cylon Spacecraft (RDM)

For information on the Cylon spacecraft from the Original Series, see Cylon Spacecraft (TOS).

Part of the series on The Cylons (Re-imagined Series)

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The Cylons have a series of spacecraft with specific roles and tactical needs.

Raider

Main article: Cylon Raider (RDM)

The Raider is an autonomous attack fighter with a metallic carapace and a largely organic interior; it is the successor to the Piloted Raider dating from the Cylon War.

Sharon Valerii describes the Raider's nature to Galen Tyrol as she examines the exterior of a captured Raider, unaware that she is, in fact, a sleeper Humanoid Cylon with innate knowledge of the Raider (Six Degrees of Separation):

"It's not really a thing, y'know? It's probably a Cylon itself. More of an animal, maybe, than the human models. Maybe they genetically design it to perform a task. To be a fighter. [You] can't treat it like a thing and expect it to respond. [You] have to treat it like... a pet. At least that's my guess."

Two Raiders are captured by the Colonials. The first is found and returned to the Fleet by Kara Thrace (Act of Contrition) and is later lost (Scattered). A second is used by Daniel Novacek to escape the Cylons and is currently in Colonial possession (Hero).

Heavy Raider

Main article: Cylon Heavy Raider

The Heavy Raider is a troop carrier spacecraft. It contains a crew compartment with life support sufficient for human comfort and room for at least ten Cylon Centurions ("The Farm", "Scattered").

When the Caprica Resistance plans to capture a Heavy Raider in the episode "The Farm", Kara Thrace anticipates having to "blow its brain out" before it can be commandeered. No information has been provided in an episode (as of April 14, 2007) whether a Heavy Raider has autonomous components, or whether the Caprica copy of Valerii, who commandeers a Heavy Raider for herself, Thrace and Karl Agathon, performs any procedure to disable any autonomous elements in the spacecraft or "persuade" the organics of the Heavy Raider to fly.

A Heavy Raider crashes into Galactica's starboard flight pod and deploys Cylon Centurions. If the Heavy Raider is autonomous, it performed its mission in concert with the Centurions at the battle ("Scattered", "Valley of Darkness").

Reconnaissance Drone

Main article: Cylon Reconnaissance Drone

No information has been given in any episode (as of January, 2006) on whether the Reconnaissance Drone is manned, autonomous, or intelligent.

Freighter

Main article: Cylon freighter (RDM)

These cargo or troop carriers are seen briefly in "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II".

Basestar

Main article: Cylon Basestar

A basestar (also called a baseship) is the Cylon's capital warship, counterpart to the Colonial's battlestar, but partly of biological design. Basestars are commanded by Humanoid Cylons in a collaborative manner. It contains a landing bay large enough to accompany a Raptor with life support capable of sustaining Humanoid Cylons. Basestars can pummel a target with missiles but do not have gun batteries, leaving them vulnerable to close-fire from a prepared battlestar.

Resurrection Ship

Main article: Resurrection Ship

Resurrection ships are large vessels containing the full apparatus necessary for resurrecting Humanoid Cylons once their consciousness has left a destroyed body. The ship is created to allow humanoid Cylons to be reborn in new bodies when they are out of range from the Cylon homeworld (Resurrection Ship, Part I). A second Resurrection Ship resides with a Cylon fleet that leaves New Caprica (Torn).