The Fleet (TOS-RH)

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A shot of the "rag-tag fugitive fleet".

After the destruction of the Twelve Colonies of Man in a devastating genocidal attack on the Colonial worlds in 7342, Commander Adama orders all survivors to find what operational ships the remain on their shattered worlds and fly them towards battlestar Galactica, the sole surviving battlestar after her sister warships are also destroyed in the Cylons' two-prong attack. With nowhere else to call home, Adama decrees that the remnants of humanity will search for the Thirteenth Tribe on a planet called Earth.

Under the guardianship of Galactica, the Fleet initially comprises of 220 civilian ships. With the exception of Galactica, the ships are not capable of lightspeed flight. The Fleet's overall speed is limited to that of the slowest ship within the group. As all ships in the Fleet were filled to (or over) capacity, removing the slower ships from the caravan is not an option.

Traffic within the Fleet is possible via pre-plotted courses issued by navigational computers, as the Fleet's drag-field allows for intra-fleet travel via smaller ships, shuttles, Vipers, and the like[1].

As to the Fleet's citizenry, the rules of martial law apply thus making crimes extremely rare. Notably, a span of 18 yahren occurs between murders, that of Ortega in 7342 and an unidentifiable individual aboard Agro-3 in 7360[2] (RH: Armageddon).

Notable Events[edit]

Following the Battle at Galaxy's Edge in 7342, the Fleet is able to make a far flung exodus—having slipped the surly bonds of their home galaxy, Cyrannus early on—and beyond (TOS: "The Hand of God").

In 7352, the Fleet discovers a rich planetoid that allows them to shore up their rag-tag, fugitive caravan. During this time, new Agro Ships are built, as other crafts repurposed for military use[3]. By 7354, the Cylons had seemingly gone absent leaving the Fleet to its own devices[4].

By 7360, the Fleet's size held steady at 179 ships[5], excluding support crafts. However, control of the Fleet is contested between various factions in the wake of Adama's death, from the Gemon Matriarchs who back Athena to Ambassador Puck "himself," resulting in acts of various degrees of civil disobedience and, in some extreme cases, sedition.

Ultimately, the Fleet's leadership is assumed by Commander Apollo, with Colonel Athena assuming the commander's responsibilities when Apollo becomes unavailable[6] (RH: Armageddon).

Known Ships[edit]

Note: This list of ships only features those specifically mentioned within Richard Hatch's novels.

Active[edit]

Name Ship type / function Last Seen Notes
Adena Forge, military / passenger, civilian Armageddon Known for its compliment of socialators, and later chosen as the new "Forge" ship following Hephaestus's destruction in 7360.
Agro-3 Agro Ship / food supplier, civilian Armageddon An agro ship of interest where an unidentifiable person is found murdered following the death of Adama in 7360.
Celestra Electronics ship, civilian Armageddon Formerly commanded by Commander Kronus in 7352. This is the "command ship" for a small group of ships Adama assigns him to command. In 7360, protests advocating for Puck's ascendancy to leadership of the Fleet occur, as well as work stoppages[7].
Cerebus Archive ship Armageddon Ship in the Fleet circa 7360[8], ostensively a repository of surviving records and other antiquities from Colonial society.
Delphi Marketplace, freighter Armageddon Ship in the Fleet circa 7360[9], converted from hauling freight to a marketplace. It was known to carry a variety of goods and wares from more than thirty merchants[8]. Protests and unrest transpire aboard following Adama's death[9].
Galactica Colonial battlestar, military escort Redemption Last known surviving battlestar, roughly 500 yahren old.
Icarus Prison ship, civilian Armageddon Operated by members of Council Security, this craft houses the Fleet's prisoners, notably Gar'Tokk, Snie'Goss, and the traitor Baltar following his recapture by Apollo and Starbuck.
Rising Star Luxury liner and chancery, civilian Armageddon Formerly operated by Trans Stellar Spacelines. Used to evacuate children and their caretakers off Caprica during the Cylon attack.
Scorpius Ascendant Passenger, civilian Armageddon Ship where Ambassador Puck held his powerbase, and briefly declared its independence from the Fleet in 7360.
Ursus Passenger, civilian Armageddon A ship of ill-repute, housing the least desirable elements that cannot be imprisoned aboard Icarus.

Destroyed[edit]

Name Ship type / function Last Seen Notes
Hephaestus Forge ship, military/civilian Armageddon Ship rebuilt in 7352 where crafts are maintained and constructed, along with other smaller manufacturing supporting the defense of the Fleet.

Unknown[edit]

Name Ship type / function Last Seen Notes
Peagsus Colonial battlestar, military escort Resurrection Battlestar commanded by the legendary Commander Cain.

Other[edit]

The Fleet is also comprised of shuttles and Colonial Vipers, which are likely not indicated in the "220 ship" figure given in "Saga of a Star World". It is indicated that there are non-military shuttles that ferry people and, possibly, supplies throughout the Fleet. One such craft is the shuttle Canaris (TOS: "The Man with Nine Lives"), in addition to the shuttle piloted by Aurora of Celestra (TOS: "Take the Celestra").

In addition to their ship compliment, the Colonials have at least one Cylon Raider in their possession, as a result of their victory at Galaxy's Edge (TOS: "The Hand of God").

Fleet identification chart. Note that a Cylon mine and an Eastern Alliance warship can be seen in the far distance in a number of late TOS episodes, e.g. "Take the Celestra"...


References[edit]

  1. Hatch, Richard; Christopher Golden (1997). Armageddon. Byron Preiss, p. 131.
  2. Hatch, Richard; Christopher Golden (1997). Armageddon. Byron Preiss, p. 73.
  3. Hatch, Richard; Christopher Golden (1997). Armageddon. Byron Preiss, p. 81.
  4. Hatch, Richard; Christopher Golden (1997). Armageddon. Byron Preiss, p. 7.
  5. Hatch, Richard; Christopher Golden (1997). Armageddon. Byron Preiss, p. 43.
  6. Hatch, Richard; Christopher Golden (1997). Armageddon. Byron Preiss, p. 277.
  7. Hatch, Richard; Christopher Golden (1997). Armageddon. Byron Preiss, p. 224.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Hatch, Richard; Christopher Golden (1997). Armageddon. Byron Preiss, p. 132.
  9. 9.0 9.1 Hatch, Richard; Christopher Golden (1997). Armageddon. Byron Preiss, p. 117.