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| {{disline|This article is about the basestars as seen in the [[Battlestar Galactica (TRS)|Re-imagined Series]]. For the {{TOS|Battlestar Galactica|Original Series}} version, see [[Basestar (TOS)]].}}
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| A '''basestar''' (known interchangeably as a "baseship") is the most prominent example of the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] military presence. As the capital ship of the Cylons, the basestar appears in four forms in the [[Re-imagined Series]].
| | The Cylon Basestars are by far the most prominent example of Cylon presence in the known universe. They easily dwarf a colonial battlestar and appear to be technologically superior in every way, including being able to release wings of hundreds of Cylon raiders at the same time. |
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| == Cylon War-era basestars ==
| | Beyond this, not much is known. Basestar operations would suggest that they have large crew compliments although there is ample evidence to suggest their operations are largely automated. Indeed, the large compliment of raiders would suggest on board manufacturing facilities (The BSG Bible). |
| The Cylons had deployed three different variants of Basestars during the First [[Cylon War]].
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| === First Variant ===
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| {{Ship Data
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| | image=Tauron.png
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| | title= Basestar, 1st variant
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| | race= [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]]
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| | type= Military
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| | ftl= Yes
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| | propol= Unknown
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| | crew= * [[Cylon War-era Centurion|Cylon Centurion]]s
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| | role= * Command and control <br /> * Carrier / battleship
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| | arm= * Nuclear and conventional missile tubes <br />
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| | def= * Raider screen
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| | aircraft= * 100+ Raider compliment
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| | facilities= * Central hangar deck
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| | status= Presumed retired
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| | img= Y
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| }}
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| The basestars in service during the 12-year Cylon War consisted of two flattened cones connected at the center by a thick pylon, giving them a conical saucer-like appearance.<ref group="footnotes" name="maclaren_razor_basestar_design_homage">This basestar design seen in the [[Miniseries]] and later in "[[Razor]]" is an obvious homage to the {{TOS|Basestar|basestar}} seen in the [[Original Series]]. However, its weaponry (if not also its [[Imperious Leader|command structure]]) is markedly different than its 1978 counterpart per the "realistic" goals of [[Ron Moore]]'s essay on [[Naturalistic science fiction]] in ''Battlestar''.</ref> {{TRS|Razor Flashbacks}}.
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| Much like its modern counterpart, this model utilized chemically-propelled missiles (with both nuclear and conventional warheads) as the main form of offensive weaponry. Raiders were deployed from access points (totaling 8 in number) throughout a basestar's hull to provide defense. This design, as with later iterations, was capable of operating within an atmosphere {{TRS|Blood and Chrome}}.
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| The origins of the initial basestars are unclear. However, as [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons were a creation of man]] in the early days before the war, it is probable that man himself (through the efforts of various [[The Twelve Colonies of Kobol|Colonies]]) designed the various ships and weapons used by the Cylons for the use in intra-Colonial wars prior to the [[Articles of Colonization]].
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| A model of this basestar design is displayed over 40 years later on ''Galactica'', as part of its [[Galactica Museum|planned museum]] {{TRS|Miniseries, Night 1}}.
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| === Gallery ===
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| <gallery perrow="8">
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| File:Basestar 3.png|A first variant Basestar hovering over Caprica City.
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| File:Operation Raptor Talon.jpg|[[Operation Raptor Talon]] at the end of the first Cylon War {{TRS|Razor}}.
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| </gallery>
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| {{clear}}
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| === Second Variant ===
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| {{Ship Data
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| | image=Blood and Chrome Basestar.png
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| | title= Basestar, 2nd variant
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| | race= [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]]
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| | type= Military
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| | ftl= Yes
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| | propol= Unknown
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| | crew= * [[Cylon War-era Centurion|Cylon Centurion]]s
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| | role= * Command and control <br /> * Carrier / battleship
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| | arm= * Nuclear and conventional missile tubes <br />
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| | def= * Raider screen
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| | aircraft= * 100+ Raider compliment
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| | facilities= * Central hangar deck
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| | status= Presumed retired
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| | img= Y
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| }}
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| A second variant Basestar was deployed by Cylon forces sometime before the 10th year of the War. This class represents a small evolutionary step from the 1st variant to the Guardian Basestar, suggesting it wasn't a one-off design. This line of Basestars can then be linked to the modern design seen after the fall of the Colonies.
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| This configuration features two y-shaped hulls in tandem alignment, with a 1st variant-like top and bottom hull. Missile launchers are located in between the arms of the ship, along the central axis ("[[Blood and Chrome]]").
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| === Gallery ===
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| <gallery perrow="8">
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| File:Basestar 1.png|A second variant Basestar over the ice moon [[Djerba]].
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| File:Basestar 2.png|A second variant Basestar launches Raiders.
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| </gallery>
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| {{clear}}
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| === Third "Guardian" Variant ===
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| {{Ship Data
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| | image= guardian_basestar.jpg
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| | title= Basestar, 3rd "Guardian" variant
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| | race= [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]]
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| | type= Military
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| | ftl= Yes
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| | propol= Unknown
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| | crew= * [[Cylon War-era Centurion|Cylon Centurion]]s <br /> * [[First Hybrid]]
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| | role= * Hybrid research <br /> * Carrier / battleship
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| | arm= * 36 twin nuclear and conventional missile tubes <br />
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| | def= * Raider screen
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| | aircraft= * 100+ Raider compliment
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| | facilities= * Central hangar deck
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| | status= Destroyed, [[Battle of the Guardian Basestar]], circa YR2 (2 ACH)
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| }} {{mainarticle|Guardian basestar}}
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| Towards the end of the first Cylon War, the Cylons built a prototype basestar that had roughly the same shape as the modern basestar. The [[First Hybrid|first hybrids]] were developed for use with this model.
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| It is explained by [[Sharon Agathon|Athena]] that a group of Centurions calling themselves [[Guardians]] fractured from the Cylon majority with such a basestar. The belief is that they escaped to the far reaches of space to avoid being shut-down in favor of their modernized, non-sentient [[Cylon Centurion|successors]] {{TRS|Razor}}. The only basestar of this type known to exist was destroyed by Colonial forces shortly after its discovery.
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| === Gallery ===
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| <gallery perrow="8">
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| File:Gardian basestar.jpg|Escaping the [[ice planet]].
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| </gallery>
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| {{clear}}
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| == Modern basestar ==
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| {{Ship Data
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| | image= Modern Basestar.jpg
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| | title= Modern basestar
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| | race= [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]]
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| | type= Military
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| | ftl= Yes
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| | propol= Unknown
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| | crew= * [[Humanoid Cylon|Humanoid Cylons]] <br /> * [[Cylon Centurion]]s <br /> * The [[Hybrid]]
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| | role= * Command and control <br /> * Carrier / battleship
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| | arm= * 220 nuclear, conventional, and ballistic missile tubes <br />
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| | def= * Raider screen
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| | aircraft= * ~434 Raiders <br /> * Heavy Raider compliment
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| | facilities= * Central hangar deck <br /> * 434 Raider storage bays
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| | status= Unknown
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| | width={{Meters2Feet|1030.69}}<ref group="production" name="stringer_starshipbuilder_basestar_dimensions_width">The following was posted by [[Lee Stringer]] on StarshipBuilder.com forums, which are no longer available: "Width: 1030.69m Length: 856.1m (two arm side) + 1039.87m (single arm side) Height: 132.586m (Each Piece), 265.172m Total". Because of its ratio to the stated width, the overall length must have been measured on one of the three-arm pieces, meaning the full ship is slightly longer.</ref>
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| | height={{Meters2Feet|265.17}}
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| }}
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| === Design ===
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| Modern basestars, built sometime before the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]], are the same size as a Colonial battlestar, but are considered by the Cylons to be weaker than battleships in the Colonial Fleet. The shape of the newer basestar reflects its name, with two offset Y-shaped hulls attached at their centers by a single pylon, the warship has a distinctive "star" shape, which can rotate into a tandem-Y configuration for entry into a planetary atmosphere {{TRS|The Plan}}.<ref group="external" name="youtube_plan_atmospheric_entry_basestar">{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmAEmuwZY5Q#:~:text=From%201%3A49%20to%202%3A04|title=Basestar Atmospheric Entry|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=2025-08-13|archive=Y}}</ref>
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| [[File:Basestar Plans.jpg|thumb|left|General layout of a Cylon basestar.]]
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| The most unique aspect of a modern baseship is its organic nature. Composed of [[Cylon organic resin|organic resin]], and a large flesh-like interior, the baseship could be considered an individual organism in itself, and just like any other "injured" organism, the basestar is able to heal its wounds (battle damage) over time {{TRS|Guess What's Coming to Dinner?}}. The organics are all connected the the ship's "brain," known as a [[Hybrid]], which can control the ship's functions from firing weapons, down to performing an [[FTL]] jump.
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| They are equipped with a superior [[FTL|jump system]] and no visible means of [[sublight propulsion]], lacking any engine pods or nacelles, but remain capable of chasing down a battlestar {{TRS|Exodus, Part II}}.
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| Baseships possess several conventional rooms and hallways, which are sleek but generally bland. Lighting plays a large role in the aesthetics and some rooms are furnished with clearly human objects, such as beds and couches. Humanoid Cylons [[Projection|project different surroundings]] to navigate ship corridors more easily, and to provide them with an individually pleasing environment (such as a lush forest). Data and other functions (such as analyzing visual information) are handled within a liquid [[Data-font|computer interface]] that resembles a stream of water flowing over a luminous glass surface. Cylons can interact with the main computer by placing their hands in these basins {{TRS|Torn}}.
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| === Hybrid Control Systems ===
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| The [[Hybrid]] serves as the central control system for modern Cylon basestars, functioning as the ship's biological "brain." According to [[Sharon Agathon|Athena]], the Hybrids were originally created by the Cylons as a means to evolve beyond their mechanical origins into biological forms, representing a first attempt at organic development that was later considered a failure by Cylon leadership.<ref group="commentary" name="lyndall_knight_galactica_tv_hybrid_evolutionary_failure">{{cite web|url=http://www.galactica.tv/battlestar-galactica-2003-interviews/tiffany-lyndall-knight-galactica.tv-interview.html#:~:text=the%20Cylons%20considered%20the%20hybrids%20a%20failure|title=Tiffany Lyndall Knight GALACTICA.TV interview|author=Marcel Damen|publisher=Galactica.TV|date=17 August 2008|accessdate=13 August 2025|archive=Y}}</ref>
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| Despite being deemed evolutionary dead ends, enough Hybrids were created to serve as control systems for the basestars before the project was abandoned in favor of the humanoid Cylon models. The Hybrid's immersion in a specialized tank allows it to interface directly with all basestar functions, coordinating everything from navigation to weapons systems through its continuous stream of consciousness dialogue {{TRS|Razor}}.
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| The physical environment surrounding the Hybrid consists of warm water mixed with [[w:Tempera_paint|Tempera paint]] to create the characteristic milky appearance, maintained at carefully controlled temperatures by the crew.<ref group="production" name="lyndall_knight_galactica_tv_hybrid_tank_composition">{{cite web|url=http://www.galactica.tv/battlestar-galactica-2003-interviews/tiffany-lyndall-knight-galactica.tv-interview.html#:~:text=They%20put%20some%20Tempera%20paint%20in%20to%20make%20it%20like%20a%20milky%20opaque%20texture|title=Tiffany Lyndall Knight GALACTICA.TV interview|author=Marcel Damen|publisher=Galactica.TV|date=17 August 2008|accessdate=13 August 2025|archive=Y}}</ref>
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| ===Command and Control===
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| [[File:Basestarcontol_306_720p.png|thumb|Baseship control room.]]
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| A basestar is operated by many [[humanoid Cylon]]s. Up to [[Torn|all seven models]] of them issue commands for the basestar from a central command and control center. Consensus amongst models is the typical procedure, as such the process of deliberation and voting on decisions may cause the basestar to react more slowly than a battlestar's command and control in a [[CIC]].
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| A basestar has a [[datastream]], or computer network, which interfaces with the Hybrid and all aspects of the basestar's operation.
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| === Human Prisoners ===
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| Cylon basestars are capable of holding human prisoners for extended periods. According to [[Daniel Novacek|Lieutenant Novacek]]'s account of his six-year<ref name="hero_timeline_continuity_armistice" group="footnotes">While dialogue from "Hero" places these events at 1 BCH, this contradicts previously established dates about the time Adama and others served on ''Galactica''. See [[Hero#Analysis]] for a detailed explanation why ''Battlestar Wiki'' chooses to treat this as a continuity error.</ref> captivity, basestars contain detention facilities with individual cells equipped with basic life support systems.<ref group="production" name="eick_hero_script_novacek_captivity_details">{{cite script|writer=David Eick|title=Hero|series=Battlestar Galactica|season_number=3|episode_number=7|production_code=307-03007|script_date=October 25, 2006|version=Full Collated|page=PDF page 16, script page 11}}</ref><blockquote>The October 25, 2006 "Full Collated" version of Eick's screenplay reveals that the Cylons use human captives for psychological experimentation and intelligence gathering. Novacek describes being subjected to elaborate psychological torture scenarios, including being forced to interact with Cylon models he initially believed were fellow human prisoners.<ref group="production" name="eick_hero_script_psychological_torture_games">{{cite script|writer=David Eick|title=Hero|series=Battlestar Galactica|season_number=3|episode_number=7|production_code=307-03007|script_date=October 25, 2006|version=Full Collated|page=PDF page 17, script page 12}}</ref> These "games" were designed to break down the prisoners' psychological defenses and gather intelligence about Colonial military operations and personnel.</blockquote><blockquote>When asked directly by [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] about other human prisoners, a [[Number Five|Doral]] model confirms that humans "have their uses" aboard basestars, though he provides no specific details about their treatment or numbers.<ref group="production" name="eick_hero_script_doral_human_prisoners_confirmation">{{cite script|writer=David Eick|title=Hero|series=Battlestar Galactica|season_number=3|episode_number=7|production_code=307-03007|script_date=October 25, 2006|version=Full Collated|page=PDF page 41, script page 33}}</ref></blockquote>
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| === Armaments ===
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| A typical Cylon basestar is moderately armed, and relies on unconventional means for military strength. Generally, a basestar is armed with 220<ref group="external" name="galacticabbs_collaborators_basestar_missile_count">{{cite web|url=http://www.galacticabbs.com/index.php?autocom=gallery|title=Season 3 (Collaborators) and onward|publisher=GalacticaBBS|accessdate=2025-08-13|archive=Y}}</ref><ref group="external" name="darthmojo_baseship_wallpaper_analysis">{{cite web|url=http://darthmojo.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/baseship_wallpaper.jpg|title=Baseship Wallpaper|author=DarthMojo|accessdate=2025-08-13|archive=Y}}</ref><ref group="production" name="battlestarwiki_basestar_weapon_module_structure">{{cite web|url=http://media.battlestarwiki.org/images/a/a3/Basestar_Weapon_Mod.JPG|title=Basestar Weapon Module Analysis|publisher=Battlestar Wiki|accessdate=2025-08-13|note=An image of one y structure. Two make up a basestar.}}</ref> missile launchers located on the central spire, and on the arms of the vessel, which are capable of carrying nuclear or conventional tipped ship to ship, or long-range ballistic (with Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle payloads) missiles to their targets. Ballistic missiles are able to strike planetary targets from high orbit {{TRS|The Plan}}. Ship to ship missiles are easily defended against by Colonial electronic countermeasures, which lends the Cylons to rely more on the basestar's Raider compliment for for both offensive and defensive purposes.
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| A basestar can carry up to (and maybe even more<ref group="external" name="official_magazine_basestar_raider_capacity_estimates">{{cite magazine|title=Intelligence Debrief: Cylon Basestar|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|date=June/July 2006|page=56|accessdate=2025-08-13}}</ref>) 434 Raiders, launched from storage bays located on each arm of the ship.<ref group="external" name="galacticabbs_raider_bay_larger_section_count">{{cite web|url=http://www.galacticabbs.com/index.php?autocom=gallery&req=si&img=149903|title=Raider Bay Analysis - Larger Section|publisher=GalacticaBBS|accessdate=2025-08-13|note=larger section, multiply by 2: 5 rows of 17 slots, and 2 rows of 7 slots|archive=Y}}</ref><ref group="external" name="galacticabbs_raider_bay_smaller_section_count">{{cite web|url=http://www.galacticabbs.com/index.php?autocom=gallery&req=si&img=131194|title=Raider Bay Analysis - Smaller Section|publisher=GalacticaBBS|accessdate=2025-08-13|note=smaller section, multiply by 4: 59 total slots|archive=Y}}</ref> Upon launch, they set out to swarm the enemy target (almost like insects), while the basestar covers them with an opening salvo of ship to ship missiles. This tactic, suggests a reliance on overwhelming force to destroy a foe, since a basestar does not appear to have point-defense batteries, or heavy armoring.<ref group="external" name="official_magazine_basestar_tactical_doctrine_analysis">{{cite magazine|title=Intelligence Debrief: Cylon Basestar|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|date=June/July 2006|page=57|accessdate=2025-08-13}}</ref> Cylon basestars appear quite vulnerable to Colonial battlestars in close-range combat when fighter support is not prominent {{TRS|Resurrection Ship, Part II}}. From this, it can be theorized that basestars are designed primarily as carriers for the massive fleet of Raiders they carry, rather than as a front-line main battleship. Their reliance on long-distance attacks with missiles and their complement of Raiders, as well as their overall fragility seem to support this {{TRS|Miniseries, Night 1|33|Razor|The Plan}}.
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| === Notes ===
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| * Beginning with the episode "[[Collaborators]]," a [[:File:Change.jpg|new exterior design]] is used for the basestars, bearing a sharper, more mechanical look than they previously had. This was apparently an upgrade by the visual effects crew to make the exterior reflect the interior design, which is seen for the first time in that episode.
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| ** This new design reduces the amount of Raider bays from 792 to 434, and also adds identifiable missile launch platforms.
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| {{clear}}
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| === Gallery ===
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| <gallery perrow="8">
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| File:Baseship, hornet nest.jpg|[[Cylon Raider|Raiders]] being released {{TRS|Scattered}}.
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| File:Baseships over Caprica.jpg|Trio of basestars over Caprica ([[TRS]]: "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]").
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| File:Dyingbasestar_306_720p.png|A basestar infected by a deadly [[Lymphocytic encephalitis|virus]] {{TRS|Torn}}.
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| File:Basestar Interior 1.jpg|Baltar and a Three in a room on a basestar ([[TRS]]: "Torn").
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| File:Basestar Interior 2.jpg|Baltar and a Three in a corridor {{TRS|The Passage}}.
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| File:Basestar Interior 3.jpg|A basestar's hangar bay ([[TRS]]: "Torn").
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| File:Cylon membrane hatch.jpg|A membrane covers a mechanical-looking hatch of a Cylon docking slip {{TRS|Faith}}.
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| File:Basestars Atmospheric Entry Configuration.png|Tandem "Y" formation assumed for atmospheric entries as seen in "[[The Plan]]".
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| File:Basestars Entering Caprica Atmosphere.png|Another view of tandem "Y".
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| File:Basestar Missle Launchers The Plan.jpg|Basestar Weaponary.
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| File:Closeup Basestar Missle Launcher.png|Closeup of missle launcher with MIRV mounted.
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| File:Retconned Basestar Raider Bays.png|Detail of primary raider bays. There are two per ship.
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| File:Cylon Basestar Secondary Raider Bay.png|Detail of the secondary raider bays. There are four per ship.
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| File:Rebel Basestar Arm Closeup.png|Arm detail.
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| File:New Cylon Basestar Zoic Style Shot.png|Angle shot.
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| </gallery>
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| ==References==
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| === Footnotes ===
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| <references group="footnotes" />
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| === Production History ===
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| <references group="production" />
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| === Commentary and Interviews ===
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| <references group="commentary" />
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| === External Sources ===
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| <references group="external" />
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| {{Ships}}
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| [[Category:A to Z]]
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| [[Category:Cylons]]
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| [[Category:Cylons (RDM)]]
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| [[Category:Cylon Craft]]
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| [[Category:Cylon Craft (RDM)]]
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| [[Category:Cylon Military]]
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| [[Category:Cylon Military (RDM)]]
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| [[Category:Ships]]
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| [[Category:Ships (RDM)]]
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| {{indicator|TRS}}[[Category:TRS]]
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| {{featured article candidate previous}}
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| [[de:Basisschiff (RDM)]]
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