Editing Valkyrie

{{Ship Data
|italic=y
| image= 3x8-Valkyrie-Firing.jpg
| title= Valkyrie
| race= Colonial
| type= Military
| ftl= Yes
| crew=
| status= Destroyed, [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|Zero Hour]], {{BCH|0}}
| patch= Valkyrie Gold.png
| co= Commander [[William Adama]] c. {{BCH|6}}
| xo= Colonel [[Saul Tigh]] c. {{BCH|6}}
| role= Carrier / battleship 
| arm= 20x light batteries <br /> 33x heavy batteries <br /> Tube-launched ship-to-ship missiles
| aircraft= Small Viper compliment <br /> Small Raptor compliment
| facilities= 2x flight pods <br /> 2x flight decks <br /> 6x Viper launch tubes
| img= Y
| sepcon=y
}}

'''''Valkyrie''''' was a veteran [[The Twelve Colonies of Kobol|Colonial]] [[battlestar (RDM)|battlestar]] of an [[Valkyrie Type Battlestar|unnamed class]], built around the start of the [[First Cylon War]]. It played a crucial role in eliminating the Cylon's edge during the [[Ghost Fleet Offensive]] in {{BCH|42}}. Following the [[Cimtar Peace Accord]], it remains in service up until {{BCH|0}}, serving on the Colonial front lines with its sister ships. It is stationed, and is subsequently destroyed, over Caprica during the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]].  

Circa {{BCH|6}}, ''Valkyrie'' was attached to the 41st [[Battlestar Group]] under [[William Adama]]'s command, until his reassignment following the unsuccessful, clandestine mission to probe the [[Armistice Line]] that results in the loss of one of [[Daniel Novacek|his pilots]] {{TRS|Hero}}. 

== History ==

=== First Cylon War ===

Around {{BCH|42}}, approximately ten years into the first [[Cylon War]], ''Valkyrie'' was involved in a battle with Cylons near [[Canceron]] Prime, in which the ship took major damage, and was presumed destroyed. In truth, Colonial Admiralty saw an opportunity to trick the Cylons, and the ship had become part of a secret [[Ghost Fleet|Colonial "ghost fleet"]] hiding in Cylon-held space, where several pilots and their planes were on detachment to the battlestar ''[[Osiris]]''. ''Valkyrie''{{'|s}} crew at the time were made to witness their own death certificates. 

After the Cylons were fed more false information, ''Valkyrie'', along with the rest of the "Ghost Fleet," participated in the successful [[Ghost Fleet Offensive]] campaign against Cylon forces, striking every Cylon base in five sectors {{TRS|Blood and Chrome}}.

=== Inter-War Period ===

Approximately {{BCH|6}}<ref group="footnotes" name="hero_timeline_continuity">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> before the Cylon attack, ''Valkyrie'' had been ordered by Admiral [[Peter Corman]] to deploy a [[Stealthstar|stealth recon ship]] over the [[Armistice Line]] to test [[Cylon (RDM)|Cylon]] resolve and gather intelligence on Cylon activities. During the mission, an unidentified [[DRADIS]] contact (presumed to have been a spacecraft) entered the area of the stealth ship piloted by Lieutenant [[Daniel Novacek]] and damaged the Stealthstar's engines before jumping away.

Two further (presumed Cylon) contacts were detected on an intercept course with the stealth ship. Rather than attempt a rescue of the disabled craft, Commander Adama ordered the stealth ship to be destroyed to prevent its discovery and capture.

In the days and years following the incident at the Armistice Line, and in particular after the Cylon attack on the Colonies, Adama came to believe that his actions had provoked the Cylon assault, having proven to them that humanity was aggressive and not to be trusted ([[TRS]]: "[[Hero]]").

=== Return of the Cylons ===

During the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|initial Cylon assault]] on the [[The Twelve Colonies of Kobol|Twelve Colonies]], battlestars ''Valkyrie'' and ''[[Yashuman]]'' engage the Cylons over {{RDM|Caprica}}. Both battlestars move to weapons-free status, only to be disabled by the [[Command Navigation Program|CNP]]'s backdoors before any shots could be fired. ''Valkyrie'', ''Yashuman'', and a third battlestar of the same class, along with their deployed Viper squadrons and support crafts, are destroyed shortly after {{TRS|The Plan}}<ref group="external" name="youtube_valkyrie_destruction_video">{{cite_web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmAEmuwZY5Q|title=Watch in high definition and pause at 1:18 and 1:43|publisher=YouTube|archive=Y}}</ref>.

== Notes ==

=== Technical Specifications ===

The ship's hull number cannot be seen. It is thus not known if it is identical to its battlestar group.

=== Production History ===

The ''Valkyrie'' CIC insignia adorned [[David Eick]]'s production office wall in the Vancouver Film Studios where ''Battlestar Galactica'' was produced.<ref group="production" name="eick_video_blog_valkyrie_insignia">{{cite_web|url=http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/video/index.php?cat=videoBlog&vid=51390|title=Video Blog: Taking A Break From All Your Worries|publisher=Sci Fi Channel|archive=Y}}</ref>

=== Cultural References ===

In Norse mythology, a ''[[Wikipedia:Valkyrie|Valkyrie]]'' is a minor female deity who chooses the most heroic fallen warriors to ascend to Valhalla where they would await [[W:Ragnarok|Ragnarok]]. Valkyrie is the third (second onscreen) instance of Norse mythology being used, the first being [[Ragnar Station]], which is a reference to Ragnarok, the "twilight of the gods."

The story of Ragnarok parallels the career of William Adama, the one-time commander of ''Valkyrie''. Adama, considered a fallen hero by the admiralty, is transferred from the advanced ''Valkyrie'' to command the aging ''Galactica'' about a year before the Cylon attack. Later, with the fall of the Colonies, he finds himself in the [[Battle of Ragnar Anchorage]], the last battle within Colonial space.

=== From Script to Screen ===

Comparing the October 25, 2006 "Full Collated" version of [[David Eick]]'s screenplay to the final aired episode reveals several key differences regarding ''Valkyrie''{{'|s}} role and the covert mission:

* An extensive briefing scene between Admiral [[Peter Corman|Corman]] and [[William Adama|Adama]] in Corman's office does not appear in the aired episode. This sequence establishes the mission's political context, with Corman emphasizing "We may never have an opportunity like this again" and discussing the consequences of discovery.<ref group="production" name="eick_hero_script_corman_briefing">{{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 14, script page 8}}</ref> The aired version references this mission only through dialogue and flashbacks, streamlining the exposition.

* Eick's screenplay describes ''Valkyrie'' as "a battlestar larger and newer than ''[[Galactica (TRS)|Galactica]]'', although unlike [[Pegasus (TRS)|''Pegasus'']] in its leaner, sleeker design, built more for speed."<ref group="production" name="eick_hero_script_valkyrie_description">{{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 35, script page 28}}</ref>

* More detailed flashback scenes in ''Valkyrie''{{'|s}} [[CIC]] appear in the written version, including specific DRADIS contact reports and extended dialogue between Adama and his crew during the crisis.<ref group="production" name="eick_hero_script_valkyrie_cic_extended">{{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 26, script page 19}}</ref> The broadcast episode condenses these sequences significantly for pacing, focusing on the emotional impact rather than technical details.

* While both versions include [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] explicitly describing ''[[Galactica (TRS)|Galactica]]'' as Adama's "graceful retirement" following the failed mission, the screenplay provides additional context about how "that last mission wasn't exactly a boon to the old man's career."<ref group="production" name="eick_hero_script_tigh_graceful_retirement">{{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 31, script page 24}}</ref> This dialogue establishes how the mission's failure led to Adama's reassignment from the modern ''Valkyrie'' to the aging battlestar.

* The production materials contain more extensive exposition about Admiral Corman's post-mission debriefing, showing his insistence that the DRADIS contacts "were Cylons" despite Adama's reluctance to confirm positive identification.<ref group="production" name="eick_hero_script_corman_debriefing">{{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 38, script page 30A}}</ref> The final episode handles this revelation through Adama's confession to [[Lee Adama|Apollo]], eliminating the direct confrontation with Corman.

== Related Imagery ==

<gallery mode="slideshow"> 
Image:Valkyrie close up.jpg|Closeup of a ''Valkyrie'' type battlestar.
Image:Battlestar Valkyrie The Plan.png|''Valkyrie'' among it sister ships above Caprica.
Image:Valkyrie CNP Virus Transmission.png|''Valkyrie'' under attack.
Image:Battlestar Valkyrie CNP Hack.png|''Valkyrie'' after being disabled by the Cylons. 
Image:ValykrieFlightPod.jpg|One of the ship's flight pods.
Image:Valkyrie Missile Tube.png|A closeup of a battery.
Image:Valkyrie bridge.jpg|The CIC.
Image:Valkyrie CIC.jpg|Full view of CIC.
Image:3x8-Adama-and-Valkyrie-insignia.jpg|''Valkyrie'' insignia.
Image:Valkyrie patch.jpg|''Valkyrie'' armpatch.
</gallery>

== References ==

=== Footnotes ===
{{reflist|group=footnotes}}

=== Production History ===
{{reflist|group=production}}

=== External Sources and Reviews ===
{{reflist|group=external}}

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