Editing Great Cylon Turkey Shoot

{{Battle Data
|image=Stuffsgonnasplode.jpg
|description=Powered down Raider fleet being massacred by ''Galactica's'' Vipers 
|conflict=[[Cylon Attack|Second Cylon war]]
|date=Roughly two weeks after [[Re-Imagined Series Timeline|Day 84]]
|place=Interstellar space, specific location unknown
|result=Decisive [[Colonial]] victory
|combatant1=Remnants of the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]]
|combatant2=[[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]]
|co1=Commander [[William Adama]]
|co2=Unknown (no Basestars present)
|strength1=[[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''<br>34-42 [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]]
|strength2=Over 200 [[Raiders]]<br>Dozens of [[Heavy Raider]]s, exact number unknown<br>
|shiploss1=None
|shiploss2=Complete destruction of entire Cylon force
|casualties1=None
|casualties2=Complete destruction of entire Cylon force
|prev=[[Battle of Kobol (RDM)|Battle of Kobol]]
|next=[[Standoff Between Galactica and Pegasus]]
|rdm=y
}}

The '''Great Cylon Turkey Shoot''' is an initially pitched battle where a compromised ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' turns the Cylons' own computer [[Cylon computer virus|virus]] against them to completely power down a massive fleet of hundreds of [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Raider]]s and [[Heavy Raider]]s.

For several weeks after leaving [[Kobol (RDM)|Kobol]], ''Galactica'' suffers system failures and malfunctions throughout the ship. Watch Officer Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta|Gaeta]] and Dr. [[Gaius Baltar]] determine that the Cylon virus which infected the ship shortly after the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]] reunited ([[Scattered]]) and downed several ship functions for a time ([[Valley of Darkness]]) has returned. Apparently the virus had a latent element that hid itself, slowly emerging throughout ship computers, testing and probing for weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

Lt. [[Karl Agathon]] then shows a printout of the virus to the incarcerated [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Caprica copy of Sharon Valerii]], who determines that this [[logic bomb]] is a prelude to a Cylon attack. Gaeta determines a way to remove the bomb by erasing all ship computer hard drives, then reloading the computers from backups made before the war. However, this will leave the ship completely vulnerable for several minutes. If the logic bomb is "detonated", the virus will likely turn ''Galactica'' against itself and her fleet. Commander Adama elects to use Caprica-Valerii to aid them. She interfaces her body to the ship's [[Computers#Battlestar Computers|mainframe and communication systems]] via a fiber-optic link placed inside her left forearm.

Meanwhile a massive Cylon force arrives to attack, and all functioning Vipers are deployed. As ''Galactica'' erases its hard drives, Valerii seemingly copies the logic bomb code onto herself and manipulates it. She then transmits the altered code back onto the enemy. In a poignant turn of events, the entire Cylon fleet is disabled by the reconfigured virus, much like Colonial ships were shut down during the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]. 

Though many raiders are destroyed by merely crashing into one another, Colonel [[Saul Tigh]] orders ''Galactica's'' Vipers to open fire on the crippled enemy. Apollo jubilantly relays the [[weapons free]] order to his fighter group, and the Vipers proceed to tear through the jumbled Cylon formations, destroying the disproportionately larger Cylon force in its entirety without. Not one Colonial vessel is lost during the course of the engagement ([[Flight of the Phoenix]]).

The presence of numerous Heavy Raiders (troop transport vessels, never before seen in such numbers) suggests that the Cylons intended to board ''Galactica'' and possibly other ships in the Colonial fleet after the virus had rendered the battlestar helpless.

==Notes==
*According to Ronald Moore's [[Podcast:Flight of the Phoenix|podcast]] for "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]", this battle was specifically inspired by the "[[Wikipedia:Great Marianas Turkey Shoot|Great Marianas Turkey Shoot]]" of World War II. This page is named in light of that reference.
*The number of Cylon Raiders present was given on the Scifi.com official site's episode description.
*Visually, there are at least 42 Vipers on screen, but there is a strong possibility that this is a visual effects mistake: Apollo states in "[[Act of Contrition]]" that there are only 40 Vipers left. On top of this, several Vipers have been lost since then (see [[Viper tally]]). The current count leaves only 34 Vipers: 1 lost in "Act of Contrition", 4 lost in "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]", and 1 lost in "[[Final Cut]]". This doesn't take into account Tyrol's  retirement of unserviceable craft, worn down by wear and tear. Furthermore, ''Galactica'' is severely limited by the number of [[List of Pilots|pilots]] they have on hand - in this episode, no more than 22.
**Ron D. Moore admitted in an interview ([[Flight of the Phoenix#Official Statements|Flight of the Phoenix]]) that this was probably a visual effects gaffe. The number of Vipers is more probably no more than 34 at best.  
*Interestingly, the [[Blackbird]] appears in the Great Cylon Turkey Shoot, yet the Blackbird has not been finished by the time the Cylons are disabled. Producer and writer [[Bradley Thompson]] acknowledges this as a [[Battlestar Wiki:Official Communiques|visual effects mix-up]], as the Blackbird's lack of guns or sufficient maneuverability would make it a poor fighter, nor has the ship made its maiden flight before the Cylon fight.


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