Celestra

NOTE: This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title If an article link referred you here, you might want to go back and fix it to point directly to the intended page.

This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. If an article link referred you here, you might want to go back and fix it to point directly to the intended page. Also, if you wanted to search for the term "Celestra", click here.

 

Celestra
Race:	Colonial
Type:	Civilian
FTL:	No
Propulsion:
Crew:
Capacity:
CO:	{{{co}}}
XO:	{{{xo}}}
Role:	Civilian electronics ship
Weapons:	{{{weapons}}}
Armaments:	{{{arm}}}
Defenses:	{{{def}}}
Aircraft:	{{{aircraft}}}
Aviation facilities:	{{{facilities}}}
Fate:	{{{status}}}
Emblem:	[[Image:{{{patch}}}|175px|Ship's patch]]
Other Images:	Gallery
Dimensions
Length:	{{{length}}}
Width:	{{{width}}}
Height:	{{{height}}}
Weight:	{{{weight}}}
Wingspan:	{{{wingspan}}}
Other:	{{{otherdi}}}
Game Information
Cost:	{{{construction}}}
Construction Time:	{{{construction}}}
Hull Size:	{{{hull size}}}
Hull:	{{{hull}}}
Mobility
FTL Cooldown:	{{{ftl cooldown}}} turns
Speed:	{{{speed}}} m/s
Turn Rate:	{{{turn rate}}}°/turn
Armor Sum
Armor Total:	{{{armor total}}}
Armor Left:	{{{armor left}}}
Armor Right:	{{{armor right}}}
Armor Front:	{{{armor front}}}
Armor Rear:	{{{armor rear}}}
Armor Top:	{{{armor top}}}
Armor Bottom:	{{{armor bottom}}}
Armament
DRADIS Range:	{{{dradis range}}} m
Processing Power:	{{{processing power}}}
Munition Slots:	{{{munitions}}}
Munition Cooldown Period:	{{{munition cooldown}}} turns
Squadron Slots:	{{{squadrons}}}
Squadron Size:	{{{squadron size}}}
Special Abilities:	{{{special abilities}}}
Additional Information

For this ship's Re-imagined Series counterpart, see Celestra (RDM).

Celestra is a civilian electronics ship within the Fleet, primarily responsible for work in the field of electronics, including Viper equipment development and testing.

Celestra has an extensive docking bay, capable of docking numerous Vipers and shuttle craft. The ship has very little in the way of creature comforts, such as recreational facilities; the bridge is accessible only from its aft quarter.

Like all ships in the Fleet, Celestra has a homing beacon to stay with the Fleet.

Celestra was most recently led by Commander Kronus, who captained the vessel from the time of the holocaust until his death (at the helm of Celestra, during an attempted mutiny) (Take the Celestra). The ship's former executive officer was Charka, the orchestrator of the failed mutiny, now presumably imprisoned. The Celestra's current commander structure is unknown.

Crew

A majority of Celestra crewmembers are electronics specialists, while a few are security guards, shuttle pilots and ship operators. To oppose executive officer Charka's abusive practices, such as double-shifting entire families, many crewmembers undertook a mutiny, attempting to steal a shuttle and escape to a remote planet. Their mutiny failed amidst a laser battle in the docking bay. They were captured and being transported to a hearing when they suddenly found themselves stranded in deep space in the Celestra's shuttle. The crewmembers used their electronics expertise to modify the shuttle's scanners to track ions, which pinpointed the Celestra's location, thereby rescuing themselves.

• Damon, electronics specialist, leader of first mutiny
• Aurora, shuttle pilot, former love of Starbuck
• Hermes, helm officer on bridge, participant in second mutiny

It is possible that Celestra was originally designed to be a work ship, with only its captain and a few others to remain permanently aboard; most of its crew would ferry on and off the ship in ten-centar (hour) shifts, for example. However, with the fleet constantly on the run post-holocaust, Celestra may have been forced to accommodate many more full-time crewmembers than its original design intended, hence the uprising.

Notes

• The arm patch worn by Celestra crew is the shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army's 78th Infantry Division.

Celestra
Race:	Colonial
Type:	Civilian
FTL:	Yes
Propulsion:
Crew:
Capacity:
CO:	{{{co}}}
XO:	{{{xo}}}
Role:	Civilian scientific research ship
Weapons:	{{{weapons}}}
Armaments:	{{{arm}}}
Defenses:	{{{def}}}
Aircraft:	{{{aircraft}}}
Aviation facilities:	{{{facilities}}}
Fate:	Abandoned. Flown into a sun with the rest of the Fleet (TRS: "Daybreak, Part II")
Emblem:	[[Image:{{{patch}}}|175px|Ship's patch]]
Other Images:	Gallery
Dimensions
Length:	{{{length}}}
Width:	{{{width}}}
Height:	{{{height}}}
Weight:	{{{weight}}}
Wingspan:	{{{wingspan}}}
Other:	{{{otherdi}}}
Game Information
Cost:	{{{construction}}}
Construction Time:	{{{construction}}}
Hull Size:	{{{hull size}}}
Hull:	{{{hull}}}
Mobility
FTL Cooldown:	{{{ftl cooldown}}} turns
Speed:	{{{speed}}} m/s
Turn Rate:	{{{turn rate}}}°/turn
Armor Sum
Armor Total:	{{{armor total}}}
Armor Left:	{{{armor left}}}
Armor Right:	{{{armor right}}}
Armor Front:	{{{armor front}}}
Armor Rear:	{{{armor rear}}}
Armor Top:	{{{armor top}}}
Armor Bottom:	{{{armor bottom}}}
Armament
DRADIS Range:	{{{dradis range}}} m
Processing Power:	{{{processing power}}}
Munition Slots:	{{{munitions}}}
Munition Cooldown Period:	{{{munition cooldown}}} turns
Squadron Slots:	{{{squadrons}}}
Squadron Size:	{{{squadron size}}}
Special Abilities:	{{{special abilities}}}
Additional Information

For this ship's Original Series counterpart, see Celestra (TOS).

Celestra is an extended-duration research ship, in service with the Colonials by the tenth year of the First Cylon War. Prior to William Adama and Coker Fasjovik receiving their orders for a "milk run," a crewman on the Celestra can be heard contacting the Galactica's CIC. The ship was then operating under Virgon registry ^{(TRS: "Blood and Chrome")}.

40 years later, Celestra is still in service, and part of the fleet that escaped from Ragnar immediately after the fall of the Twelve Colonies ^{(TRS: "Miniseries, Night 2")}.

It is listed on the Roslin/Baltar presidential election tally boards, along with the names of other ships in the fleet ^{(TRS: "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II")}.

Celestra survives the fleet's four-year voyage from the the Twelve Colonies to the unknown planet where the last surviving humans and rebel Cylons eventually settle. After the population of the fleet votes to abandon its advanced technology, Celestra is remotely piloted into the planet's sun along with the remaining ships ^{(TRS: "Daybreak, Part II")}.

Notes

• Celestra is first seen near the end of Part II of the Miniseries, emerging from the Ragnar Anchorage vortex under covering fire from Galactica during the Cylon assault, as well as in the first-season episode "Water." Part of it is visible to the left of Colonial One in the shot before Roslin speaks to Lee Adama.
• The special effects company for the Re-imagined Series created the SFX rendering of Celestra in this article.
• The ship was mentioned on the official Battlestar Galactica web site hosted by the Sci Fi Channel.
• Striker appears to be of the same configuration as Celestra.
• The ship's name and design is an homage to the Original Series ship from the episode "Take the Celestra".
• Ships of this class were in use by the Colonial military during the First Cylon war (Blood and Chrome).

This article has a separate continuity. This article is in the Richard Hatch continuation separate continuity, which is related to the Original Series. Be sure that your contributions to this article reflect the characters and events specific to this continuity only.

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.

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 (RH: Armageddon).

Notable Events

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. By 7354, the Cylons had seemingly gone absent leaving the Fleet to its own devices.

By 7360, the Fleet's size held steady at 179 ships, 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 (RH: Armageddon).

Known Ships

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

Active

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.
Cerebus	Archive ship	Armageddon	Ship in the Fleet circa 7360, ostensively a repository of surviving records and other antiquities from Colonial society.
Delphi	Marketplace, freighter	Armageddon	Ship in the Fleet circa 7360, converted from hauling freight to a marketplace. It was known to carry a variety of goods and wares from more than thirty merchants. Protests and unrest transpire aboard following Adama's death.
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

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

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

Other

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

For direct navigation sans the tabbed navigational aid above, please select one of the following article links:

• Celestra (TOS)
• Celestra (RDM)
• Celestra (TOS-RH)

Re-imagined Series definition: Commanding Officer; e.g. William Adama

Re-imagined Series definition: Executive Officer, e.g. Saul Tigh

Re-imagined Series definition: technology enabling travel across distances faster than the speed of light would permit, see: FTL

Re-imagined Series definition: abbreviation of tally-ho; the sighting of an enemy target, such as a craft, landmark, or position ^{(TRS: "The Hand of God", "Scattered", "Maelstrom")}

Original Series definition: agriculture ^{(TOS: "The Magnificent Warriors")}