View source for Battle of the Resurrection Ship

{{Battle Data
|image=Ep212battle.jpg
|description=Galactica and Pegasus engage a basestar
|conflict=[[Cylon Attack|Second Cylon war]]
|date=[[Timeline (RDM)|6 months]] after the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]], approximately less than 48 hours after events of "[[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]"
|place=Interstellar space, specific location unknown
|result=Destruction of Cylon [[Resurrection Ship]], decisive Colonial victory
|combatant1=Remnants of the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]] 
|combatant2=[[Cylon]]s
|co1=Admiral [[Helena Cain]]<br/>Commander [[William Adama]]
|co2=[[Basestar command]] †
|strength1=[[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Galactica]]''<br/>[[Mercury-class Battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' <br/>
80-90 Vipers, 1 [[Blackbird]], associated [[Raptors]]
|strength2=The [[Resurrection Ship]]<br/> 2 Cylon basestars<br/> Associated [[Raider]]s, [[Heavy Raider]]s
|shiploss1= The [[Blackbird]]<br/> At least 1 [[Raptor]]
|shiploss2=1-2 [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]]s<br/> A [[Resurrection Ship]]
|casualties1=4 
|casualties2=10,000+
|prev=[[Standoff Between Galactica and Pegasus]]
|next=[[Battle of the Binary Star System]]
|rdm=y
}}
The '''Battle of the Resurrection Ship''' is ''Galactica'''s second offensive against the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]]. Aided by a [[Pegasus (RDM)|second battlestar]], they attack the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] [[Resurrection Ship]] in the hopes of causing the Cylons to rethink their plans for chasing [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]].

== Background ==

When the battlestar ''Pegasus'' reunites with the larger remnant of [[The Fleet (RDM)|humanity]] led by ''Galactica'', its commanding officer, Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]] reveals that ''Pegasus'' had been tracking a Cylon fleet, and upon reviewing ''Galactica'''s logs surmises that this same Cylon fleet had been following ''Galactica'' and her [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]], possibly for months.  Earlier long-range reconnaissance missions by ''Pegasus'' revealed that the Cylon fleet consisted of 2 basestars, roughly a dozen support ships, and one unidentifiable vessel, much larger than a [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]], which the Cylon fleet appeared to be protecting.  Admiral Cain and Commander [[William Adama]] realize the probable value of the ship to the Cylons, and begin planning an operation to pool their resources to attack the Cylon fleet.  

[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] returns from an illicit recon mission to the Cylon fleet, using the [[Blackbird]] stealth fighter to take dramatically detailed photos of the unknown ship. The name of the ship, the [[Resurrection Ship]], is discovered by Dr. [[Gaius Baltar]] through the captive [[Humanoid Cylon|Cylon agent]] [[Gina]]. Thrace, Admiral Cain and Commander Adama determine that the Resurrection Ship was a safety net for the Cylons chasing the Fleet and [[Humanoid Cylon|hiding within it]].  With this safety net removed, the Cylons would seriously reconsider pursuing the Fleet as closely. If a Cylon's body were to die without another body to [[Resurrection (RDM)|store their transmitted consciousness]], not only would the Cylons lose vital intelligence on Fleet operations, but the Cylon's consciousness would be permanently lost.

== Battle ==

''Pegasus''' new [[CAG]] Captain Thrace taps [[The Hand of God (RDM)|once more]] into her unconventional military thinking in formulating an effective attack plan, which will draw the Cylons to the battlestars and a trap, rather than the other way around. In the plan, the Fleet, consisting only of ''Galactica'' and her original civilian ships, would congregate near a handful of ships that appeared to be managing mining operations. When the Cylons engaged, the Fleet would jump away, but a few civilian ships would pretend to have problems engaging their FTL drives and attempt to escape at sublight speeds, drawing the Raiders far away from their basestars.  Just before the Raiders would close in, the remaining decoy civilian ships would jump away.  Moments later, ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' will jump to within firing range of both basestars and engage them head-on.  Meanwhile, Lieutenant [[Lee Adama|Lee "Apollo" Adama]] uses the [[Blackbird]] to sneak up upon the Resurrection Ship to surgically destroy its [[FTL]] drive with a missile to prevent its escape, while the entire complement of fighters from both battlestars, led by Thrace, would pummel the Resurrection Ship and destroy it ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).  

The attack plan is successfully implemented with minimal losses on the Colonial side. Without their fighter complements and with no gun batteries of their own, the basestars are no match for the combined gun batteries of ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'', which tear through the basestars, destroying one and crippling (probably destroying) the other.

Moments after disabling the Resurrection Ship's FTL drive, the Blackbird collides with a downed [[Raptor]] after Adama's attack, destroying the fragile stealth fighter. Lee Adama manages to eject and, in the process, suffers a puncture in his [[flight suit]].  Apollo drifts freely in the middle of space, viewing the battle from a unique angle as he begins to succumb to [[Wikipedia:hypoxia|hypoxia]].  He is rescued by [[Margaret Edmondson|Racetrack]]'s [[SAR]] [[Raptor]] from ''Galactica''.

Shortly after the destruction of the Resurrection Ship and at least one basestar, the surviving Cylon forces jump away, marking a significant Colonial victory ([[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]).

==Strategic impact==

The strategic impact of the Battle of the Resurrection Ship marked the first time since the beginning of the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|Second Cylon War]] that multiple Colonial battlestars engaged multiple Cylon basestars in battle.  The Fall of the Twelve Colonies had been less a battle and more a one-sided slaughter of the Colonials by the Cylons.  The ensuing attempts by ''Galactica'' to beat off the Cylons chasing the civilian refugee fleet it was shepherding and ''Pegasus<nowiki>'</nowiki>'' hit-and-run guerrilla attacks on Cylon assets had never reached the level of decisively defeating a major Cylon fleet and forcing them from the battlefield (''Galactica'''s previous [[Battle of Kobol (RDM)|destruction of a basestar]] was the result of sneaking a nuke inside through subterfuge, and not open combat).  

Following this defeat to the Colonial Fleet, the Cylons lose the combat initiative they had maintained since their opening attack six months previously.  After this battle, the Cylons became afraid to commit their forces to major strikes, and stop attacking the Fleet ''en masse''.  While before, a single basestar would confidently Jump in and wade into ''Galactica'' and her air wing (as in the second half of the [[Battle of Kobol (RDM)|Battle of Kobol]]), the Cylons are aware that such an attack now would result in their ''permanent'' deaths, and for a time stop actively chasing the Fleet for months following the destruction of the Resurrection Ship.  The entire Cylon strategy in the war changes.  Instead of constantly trying to destroy the entire [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]] guarded by ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'', the Cylons focused on smaller, low-risk goals, achieved by hit-and-run attacks on targets of opportunity.  For a full month, while the Colonials conduct mining operations in an asteroid belt, a squadron of Cylon Raiders, including the ace Raider nicknamed [[Scar (Raider)|Scar]], wreaks havoc on the Colonial's Viper squadrons using hit-and-run strikes. Even two months after the battle, in the [[Battle of the Binary Star System]], the Cylons resort to a trap and disproportionate numbers rather than trying to directly engage the Colonial Fleet as they had in the past ([[The Captain's Hand]]).

==Notes==
* The Battle of the Resurrection Ship has many similarities to the [[Wikipedia:Battle of Midway|Battle of Midway]].  In both, the strategic tide of the war changed with a decisive battle.  At Midway, the Japanese fleet was caught off guard when the USS ''Yorktown'', which they had presumed was destroyed or crippled, appeared during the battle and increased the forces available to the Americans.  In this battle, the Cylons were surprised by the appearance of ''Pegasus'', long presumed destroyed in the initial Cylon attack, appeared and doubled the forces available to the Colonials.  Finally, Apollo's experience of ejecting in the middle of the battle and watching it unfold around him is based on the real life experience of Ensign [[Wikipedia:George H. Gay, Jr.|George Gay]] during the Battle of Midway.  George Gay's plane was shot down and he witnessed the entire battle while floating in the ocean.
*The Battle of the Resurrection Ship did change Cylon tactics for a time, until the Cylons discover the new human colony on [[New Caprica]], arriving in force, complete with a ''second'' Resurrection Ship ([[Torn]]). 


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