The Fleet (TRS)

The Fleet is the convoy of ships sheltering the human survivors of the renewed Cylon attacks against the Colonies. Alternatively, it can also be used to describe the surviving population.

Overview

Galactica leads the Fleet.

• "The Fleet" originates as a convoy of about 60 commercial and civilian ships in the space surrounding Caprica. Laura Roslin, with the aid of Sharon Valerii, initiates the clustering of stranded vessels in the aftermath of the Cylon invasion of the Twelve Colonies, thus forming the convoy. Around twenty of these ships are abandoned to a squadron of attacking Raiders because they either lack FTL drives, or are damaged, like the sub-light Botanical Cruiser and the un-powered Gemenon Liner 1701.

• The remaining vessels join the battlestar Galactica, the only Colonial warship known at the time to have survived the Cylon attack, in the upper atmosphere of the gas giant Ragnar. From this point on, Galactica shoulders the role of the Fleet's protector ^{(TRS: "Miniseries")}.
  • Petty Officer Anastasia Dualla explains that 53 ships jumped away from an attacking Cylon baseship, with 10 still reporting trouble with their FTL drives. Adding Galactica to this tally, the total number of ships is 64 ^(TRS: "33").
  • Colonel Saul Tigh's first statement that the 24 ships departing with the Laura Roslin faction represent "almost a third of the Fleet" implies that the number of ships in the Fleet is approximately in the mid-70's. However, Tigh later responds to the number of civilians joining Roslin by saying, "That's over a third of the people in the Fleet." Since the term "Fleet" is used interchangeably to describe both the ships and the civilian populace, this could imply that Tigh's previous statement was an estimate of the people who left and not the number of ships lost ^{(TRS: "The Farm", "Home, Part I")}.

• As an indicator of the crew and passengers aboard the ships, the phrase "the Fleet" also represents all of humanity. Usage of the term "the Fleet" has not gained more than an informal acceptance, as can be seen by President Roslin's continued use of the term President of the Twelve Colonies.

• The Fleet is joined by rebel Cylons, after their numbers are devastated in an ambush by forces loyal to the Number One model. The rebel basestar is later admitted into the Fleet, with a Six named Sonja joining the new Quorum comprised of ship captains ^{(TRS: "Someone to Watch Over Me")}.

• The ships of the Fleet would eventually be abandoned by the survivors four years after being forced to flee their homes. By this point the Fleet has fallen into disrepair, with Galactica no longer able to protect them. The stresses of combat - especially the Battle of New Caprica - and years spent in space without proper maintenance have taken their toll. Ultimately, the decision is made to abandon Galactica for the basestar, but it takes part in one last operation against loyal Cylon forces.
• The Fleet is directed to their new home, a lush planet suitable for their needs that is unknown to any remaining loyal Cylons. The survivors agree to abandon the Fleet and it is flown into Earth's star, Sol ^{(TRS: "Daybreak, Part II")}.

Ships

Seen

Name	Role	Last seen	Notes
Astral Queen	Prisoner transport	The Plan, Daybreak, Part II	Transporting 1,500 prisoners to Caprica for parole hearings at the time of the Cylon attack. Later the lead ship in Laura Roslin's faction.
Botanical Cruiser	Agricultural ship	The Plan, Daybreak, Part II	An FTL-capable agricultural ship. A sublight version of this ship is destroyed in the second night of the Miniseries.
Celestra	Scientific research	The Plan, Daybreak, Part II	Seen in various fleet shoots.
Chrion	Luxury liner	The Passage	Successfully shepherded to the algae planet.
Colonial One	Transport ship, government	The Plan, Daybreak, Part II	Formerly Colonial Heavy 798. Renamed after hosting surviving Colonial Government.
Cybele	Cargo transport	The Plan	A copy of Simon refuses to blow up this ship and airlocks himself instead (TRS: "The Plan"). Escorted by Raptors through a very dense star cluster to the algae planet (TRS: "The Passage").
Daru Mozu	Refinery Ship	Guess What's Coming to Dinner?	Damaged by a suicide bomber (TRS: "Epiphanies").
Demetrius	Sewage recycling	Daybreak, Part II	Given to Kara Thrace and a select crew to try to find Earth. Later returned to the fleet.
Galactica	Battlestar, military	The Plan, Daybreak, Part II	This is the last remaining original battlestar dating back to the Cylon War. It is the main protector and flagship of the Fleet, under direct command of William Adama.
Gemenon Traveler	Freighter	The Plan, Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II	A copy of Leoben Conoy is captured and held here for interrogation and, later, executed (TRS: "Flesh and Bone").
Gemini	Freighter	The Plan, Daybreak, Part II	Used as a decoy in the Battle for the Tylium Asteroid (TRS: "The Hand of God"). Later escorted through the star cluster (TRS: "The Passage").
Gideon	Supply ship	The Son Also Rises	A supply ship involved in an incident where four civilians are killed by Galactica Marines (TRS: "Resistance").
Hitei Kan	Refinery ship	Daybreak, Part II	The ship is the site of the worker's strike (TRS: "Dirty Hands") and a mutiny authorized by Tom Zarek (TRS: "A Disquiet Follows My Soul").
Kimba Huta	Cold storage vessel	Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II	Tom Zarek, Laura Roslin and Lee Adama hide out aboard this ship after Roslin's escape from Galactica (TRS: "The Farm").
Majahual	Mining ship	Scar	Mined crucial metals needed to build Vipers several months after the attacks (TRS: "Scar").
Monarch	Mining ship	Collaborators	A mining ship that joins the Laura Roslin faction (TRS: "Home, Part I").
Prometheus	Freighter	The Plan, Daybreak, Part II	Commanded by Doyle Franks, Prometheus has a reputation as an "off the grid" freighter involved in the black market (TRS: "Black Market").
Rebel basestar	Basestar, military	Daybreak, Part II	Basestar of the Rebel Cylons that joins the Fleet as part of an alliance against Cavil's forces, later officially joining the Fleet after the Quorum of Twelve is dissolved and the Quorum of Ships' Captains is created.
Rising Star	Medical transport	The Plan, Daybreak, Part II	A medical transport vessel in the fleet (TRS: "33," "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down," "Scattered," "The Plan").
Striker	Scientific research	Home, Part II	Damaged in a refueling operation overseen by Captain George Birch (TRS: "Home, Part II").
Thera Sita	Freighter	The Plan, Daybreak, Part II	A ship escorted by Apollo through a dense star cluster (TRS: "The Passage". Later, 301 passengers from the ship were transferred to Galactica while the ship was repaired (TRS: "The Woman King"
Triton	Civilian transport	Sine Qua Non	Home "with a view" of Romo Lampkin (TRS: "Sine Qua Non")
Virgon Express	Salvage and repair	The Plan, Downloaded	Undergoes underway water replenishment from Galactica several days after the attacks (TRS: "Water").
Zephyr	Passenger liner	The Plan, Daybreak, Part II	Arguably the easiest identifiable civilian ship due to its large ring. It is severely damaged during the Battle of the Ionian Nebula (TRS: "He That Believeth in Me".

Mentioned Only

Unless otherwise mentioned, the following ships are only listed on the voting tally board in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".

Many of these ships are mentioned or featured again, as the production generated a master list for reference.

Name	Notes
Adrasteia	In Greek mythology, Adrasteia (also spelled Adrastia, Adrastea, Adrestea, and Adastreia) was a nymph who was charged by Rhea to raise the infant Zeus in secret to protect him from his father Cronus (Krónos) in the Dictaean cave.
Amduatey	The ship is named after the Ancient Egyptian Amduat, which literally means "That Which is in the Afterworld". It was an important funeral text usually inscribed in the tombs of pharoahs. The Amduat told the story of the sun god Ra, who set in the evening and traveled through the underworld at night, only to rise again in the morning. It was understood that the dead pharaoh was taking the same journey, through the underworld, only to rise again with Ra as an immortal in the morning.
Aether	In Greek mythology, Aether is one of the Protogenos (first-born). He is the personification of the "upper sky," space, and heaven, and the elemental god of the "Bright, Glowing, Upper Air." He is the pure upper air that the gods breathe, as opposed to regular air, the gloomy lower air of the Earth, which mortals breathe.
Argo Navis	Captained by Simpson Markson, who is selected to be a judge at Gaius Baltar's trial . Argo Navis was a large southern constellation representing the Argo, the ship used by Jason and the Argonauts in Greek mythology.
Aurora	A ship in the fleet that was home to a friend of Emily Kowalski (TRS: "Faith"). In Roman mythology, Aurora is the goddess of dawn. This goddess also exists within the series's own mythology.
Azimenarius	Azimenarius is noted on the whiteboard voting tracker on Colonial One, but is not on the master voting tally board on Galactica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
Baah Pakal	The XO of the ship was a friend of Saul Tigh's. They held a pair of DDG-62 engines that would be used in the Blackbird's construction (TRS: "Flight of the Phoenix"). Later appeared on the master voting tally board on Galactica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
Boreas	Named for the god of the north wind in Greek mythology. Boreas is noted on the whiteboard voting tracker on Colonial One, but is absent from the master tally board on Galactica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
Breton	On the voting tally boards on both Colonial One and Galactica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
Carillon Trader	In the Original Series, Carillon is the infamous "casino planet" from "Saga of a Star World".
Cassandra	Named for the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy who had the power of prophecy, but was cursed so that no one believed her.
Coba	Coba is noted on the master tally board on Galactica, but not on the whiteboard voting tracker on Colonial One in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
Clymene	Clymene is noted on the whiteboard voting tracker on Colonial One, but is absent from the master tally board on Galactica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II". Several women and deities in Greek myth are named Clymene.
Dahshur	Dahshur is noted on the master tally board on Galactica, but not on the whiteboard voting tracker on Colonial One in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
Diomedes	Diomedes is noted on the master tally board on Galactica, but not on the whiteboard voting tracker on Colonial One in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II". Presumably named for the ancient hero of the Trojan War of the same name.
Embla Brokk	The name Embla Brokk may be derived from the names of two figures in Norse mythology: Embla, the first woman, and Brokkr, a dwarf who helped create Draupnir (a magical ring) and Mjolnir (Thor's hammer). Embla Brokk is noted on the master tally board on Galactica, but not on the whiteboard voting tracker on Colonial One in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
Enkidu	Among the first ships to navigate the star cluster to the algae planet (TRS: "The Passage"). Named after the Enkidu of the Sumerian mythological epic of Gilgamesh.
Epheme	The Epheme may be named for a minor character in Greek mythology who was nurse to the Muses.
Faru Sadin	Successfully guided through the star cluster to the algae planet by Captain Louanne "Kat" Katraine, who sacrifices her life in the process (The Passage).
Freighter 212	A ship on which Lieutenant (later Captain) Louanne "Kat" Katraine apparently has some "buddies" (TRS: "Final Cut"). Indications are that "Freighter 212" is merely the hull number for the ship, as this name is not written on either tally boards during the election in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
Galatea	Probably named for a main character in the Greek myth of Pygmalion. Pygmalion, a sculptor, creates a statue of a woman, which is so beautiful that he falls in love with it, and the gods reward him by bringing her (Galatea) to life.
Greenleaf	A freighter mentioned several times in the series ("Epiphanies," "Sacrifice," "Crossroads, Part I").
Harrak	On the voting tally boards on both Colonial One and Galactica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
Hexare	On the voting tally boards on both Colonial One and Galactica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
Inchon Velle	When Kara Thrace has disturbing dreams about Leoben and the mandala in her apartment, Karl Agathon suggests that she see a psychiatrist on Inchon Velle (TRS: "Maelstrom"). Also where a brain surgeon was brought over from to oversee Samuel T. Anders' brain surgery (TRS: "No Exit").
Kara Nixal	On the voting tally boards on both Colonial One and Galactica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
Kiya	Kiya is noted on the master tally board on Galactica, but not on the whiteboard voting tracker on Colonial One in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
McConnell	Commander Fisk made runs to this ship in order to build up a stock pile of supplies for the black market (TRS: "Black Market"). The ship is on neither Colonial One nor Galactica's tally boards in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
Mutem Wia	Mutem Wia is noted on the master tally board on Galactica, but not on the whiteboard voting tracker on Colonial One in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
Odysseus	Named for the hero in Greek mythology who fought in the Trojan War and was the subject of Homer's epic The Odyssey.
Persephone	Persephone is noted on the master tally board on Galactica, but not on the whiteboard voting tracker on Colonial One in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II". Persephone is the daughter of the goddess Demeter. She is forced to marry the god of the underworld, Hades, but Demeter works out a compromise where Persephone is allowed to return to the world of the living for a portion of the year.
Picon 36	Presumed to have jumped away with the FTL-capable ships in the Miniseries. Chances are, this is just a hull number for another ship in one of these lists.
Picon Princess	On the voting tally boards on both Colonial One and Galactica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
Rhadamanthys	On the voting tally boards on both Colonial One and Galactica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
Salpica	In the extended cut of "Unfinished Business," Salpica is mentioned as the ship Samuel Anders lives on after the escape from New Caprica and before moving permanently to Galactica.
Sargon	May be named after either Sargon I or Sargon II, ancient Assyrian kings on Earth. Seen only on the voting tally boards in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
Scorpia Traveller	After disembarking from Scorpia Traveller, a copy of the humanoid Cylon Aaron Doral evades security checkpoints, nearly succeeding in the assassination of William Adama in a suicide bombing (TRS: "Litmus"). The ship is not on either tally board in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
Swordfish	On the voting tally boards on both Colonial One and Galactica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
Tarbadek	On the voting tally boards on both Colonial One and Galactica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
Tauranian Traveller	Mentioned in a deleted scene in "33". Later, its name is on the voting tally boards on both Colonial One and Galactica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
Tora Bashiri	"Tora bashiri" is Japanese for "tiger's run." It is a term used in Iaido, a Japanese martial art. The ship's name is on the voting tally boards on both Colonial One and Galactica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
Vena Capa	Vena Capa is on the master tally board on Galactica, but not on the whiteboard voting tracker on Colonial One in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
Virga	Virga is on the voting tally boards on both Colonial One and Galactica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".
Ziusudra	On the voting tally boards on both Colonial One and Galactica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".

Destroyed Before Reaching Earth

Name	Ship type	Last seen	Notes
Adriatic	Unknown	The Passage	A member of the Roslin faction armed with ship-to-ship missiles (TRS: "Home, Part I"). Lost in transit in a star cluster.
Carina	Flattop-type salvage and repair ship	The Passage	Lost in transit in a star cluster.
Cloud 9	Luxury liner, civilian/government	Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II	The ship is destroyed by a nuclear warhead detonated by Gina Inviere, resulting in the destruction of at least three other ships.
Olympic Carrier	Luxury liner	33	Destroyed by Lee Adama and Kara Thrace after an apparent Cylon takeover.
Pegasus	Battlestar, military	Exodus, Part II	Surviving crew and planes absorbed by Galactica.
Pyxis	Luxury liner	He That Believeth in Me	Commanded by Captain Jules Tarney, this ship is successfully shepherded to the algae planet, but later destroyed in the Battle of the Ionian Nebula resulting in 600 deaths.
Unknown	Colonial Movers	Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II	One of three known ships destroyed in the Cloud 9 disaster.
Unknown	Yellow Vessel	Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II	Two of three known ships destroyed in the Cloud 9 disaster.
Unknown	Long-necked Vessel	Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II	Three of three known ships destroyed in the Cloud 9 disaster.

Ships Not Part of Galactica's Fleet

Name	Role	Last seen	Notes
Botanical Cruiser	Agricultural and transport vessel	Miniseries	A sublight-only vessel that is destroyed by the Cylons after the Fall, before Roslin's fleet rendezvous with Galactica at Ragnar.
Diana	Gemenese civilian transport	Mentioned only	First Cylon War. Ship's crew and passengers were abducted by the Cylons for experimentation.
Gemenon Liner 1701	Civilian transport	Miniseries	Abandoned after the passengers and crew are evacuated to Colonial One, an unnamed flat top, and an unnamed transport.
Scylla	Civilian transport	Razor	One of a small fleet of ships encountered by the battlestar Pegasus.

Population Demographics

A few points of information are available concerning the demographics of the Fleet. In "33," before the destruction of the Olympic Carrier, there are 5,251 survivors from Sagittaron and 49,998 total survivors. In "Home, Part I," the Laura Roslin faction leaves the Fleet with 18,000 individuals, of which 9,500 ware Gemenese and 6,250 were Capricans. At that time the total population of the Fleet is 47,857. This information is sparse, but it gives a general idea of the population breakdown of the Fleet if a few assumptions are made for the sake of argument.

• Note that Gemenon and Caprica have more citizens in the Roslin faction alone than Sagittaron has in the entire Fleet. The Twelve Colonies are clearly not represented in equal proportion.
• Before the destruction of Olympic Carrier, Sagittaron natives make up 10.50% of the Fleet. Solely for the purpose of argument, it is assumed that Olympic Carrier's population breakdown was identical to the rest of the Fleet's and that Sagittaron continues to make up 10.50% of the Fleet's total population.
• The figures from the Roslin faction can be interpreted in several ways:

• ASSUMPTION 1: All Gemenese and Capricans jump to Kobol with the Roslin faction.

• Caprica: 6,250 persons (13%)
• Gemenon: 9,500 persons (20%)
• Sagittaron: 5,026 persons (11%)
• Others: 27,081 (57%)

• ASSUMPTION 2: All Gemenese jump to Kobol with the Roslin faction, lured by the "religion card," but the Caprican portion of the Roslin faction is representative of the Fleet.

• Caprica: 28,204 persons (59%)
• Gemenon: 9,500 persons (20%)
• Sagittaron: 5,026 persons (11%)
• Others: 5,127 persons (11%)

• ASSUMPTION 3: Caprican and Gemenese portions of the Roslin faction are representative of the Fleet.

• Caprica: 16,617 persons (35%)
• Gemenon: 25,258 persons (53%)
• Sagittaron: 5,026 persons (11%)
• Others: 956 (2%)

• Although it is plausible that the Caprican population is substantially larger than the other Colonies, as Colonial Heavy 798 is in the vicinity when the attack begins, and is the nucleus around which the Fleet rallies, it is unlikely that the populations of each colony are grossly unequal, or else the Quorum of Twelve would be a very poor system of government. The likeliest scenario is therefore somewhere in between assumptions 1 and 2, with nearly all of the Gemenon population (drawn by the "religion card") and a large portion of the Caprican population leaving with Roslin.
• Alternatively, it is possible that the population of the Colonies are grossly unequal. Although the structure of the Quorum of Twelve appears to maintain at least a fiction that the Colonies are roughly equal, next to nothing is known about how the governmental system of the Colonies was established or how it evolved over time. Indeed, the United States Senate, for example, by design expressly assumes that the various states constituting it are 'equal' even though this is clearly not the case in terms of their respective populations. Furthermore, the fact that a system of government is 'poor' or else not representatively proportional does not mean it cannot actually be implemented and even survive for long periods of time.
• In the Caprica pilot, it is revealed that Caprica and Gemenon are in very close proximity. Since the Fleet formed up around Colonial One, which was in the vicinity of Caprica at the time of the attack, the over-representation of the Caprican and Gemenese portion of the Fleet is now explained.

As for the population distribution, the population of several ships is known: Galactica (2,693 as of "Water"), Olympic Carrier (1,345 as of "33"), Astral Queen (1,500 as of "Bastille Day," retconned up from 500 in the Miniseries) and Pyxis (600 when destroyed in "He That Believeth in Me"). There are 176 civilians in the cargo hold of Colonial One in "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II". The Fleet is stated at about 75 ships in "Resistance," retconned up from 40 in the Miniseries.

• Going by the 75 ship count, the remaining ships besides Galactica and Astral Queen each carry about 600 persons on average.
• The 23 ships that leave with the Laura Roslin faction, apart from Astral Queen, would have an average population of about 720 persons per ship.

The Fleet's population has declined by about 8,000 since the above.

Analysis

• By the time of Felix Gaeta's and Tom Zarek's mutiny aboard Galactica ^{(TRS: "Blood on the Scales")}, dialogue indicates that the Fleet is down to the very low figure of 35 civilian ships, a surprising loss of about half the initial ships from "33". Most of these losses remain unaccounted for, as very few civilian ships have been seen or heard to be actually lost on screen. Given that the human population has only declined by about one fifth at this point rather than a similar half, this could be a continuity error or retcon, or the remaining ships would have had to nearly double the number of civilians aboard to compensate. It is possible in the context of the dialogue in the episode that the figure of 35 referred only to the number of ships initially loyal to the mutineers.
• The political and social troubles befalling the Fleet as it wanders through space, serve as a metaphor for all of humanity, since the Fleet literally is what is left of humanity in the television series.

See Also

• Gemon Liners
• Pan Galactic
• Sagitarrian Spaceways
• Five-engined vessel
• Wedge-shaped vessel
• Tubed vessel
• Two-engine cargo vessel
• "Kodiak" - The ship itself is unnamed, but clearly identifiable as Kodiak, the command ship of the GDI faction from Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun.

Notes

• Unofficially, many viewers refer to the Fleet as the "RTF"; "Rag-Tag Fleet," or more fully, "RTFF." These nicknames come from the term "Rag-Tag Fugitive Fleet," a name used in the closing credits voice over of the Original Series (performed by series star Lorne Greene), describing the civilian refugee fleet.
• In the Miniseries, astute viewers may recognize three spacecraft with notable resemblances of ships from other SF universes. The first two of these ships aren't considered a canonical part of the series or the Fleet, but their appearance adds a bit of humor, and pays homage to other notable science fiction and their creative staff.
  • Serenity, the central ship from the TV series Firefly and the motion picture Serenity, appears briefly in the sky outside the window of a doctor's office where viewers first see Laura Roslin. The ship does not appear in the Fleet.
  • The original USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) from the original Star Trek TV series makes a cameo in the last shot of the Fleet as Elosha chants a prayer in the memorial service near the end of the Miniseries. Look to the upper right corner for the ship in a still frame. All Season 1 opening credits use this shot, so Enterprise makes a very quick appearance with each of the first 13 episodes (This is best viewed from the Season 1 DVD set).
  • The ill-fated Botanical Cruiser in the Miniseries was added in homage to the Agro Ship from the Original Series, which in turn were the re-used models from the SF film Silent Running, a Universal/MCA movie that special effects guru John Dykstra worked on a few years prior. At least one FTL-capable version of this ship survives and exists in the Fleet ^{(TRS: "The Passage")}.
• It is worth noting that inconsistencies of fleet numbers and on-screen visual representing. While dialogue in Season 1 and through to mid-Season 2, indicates between 64 and 75 ships, a count of every background ship until the end of the series will give you at least 101 ships, even accounting for losses in earlier episodes. This discrepancy was never addressed throughout the run of the series.
• A list of blueprints of ships in the Fleet is available.
  • These are considered non-canon.
• In a deleted scene from Litmus, the Coronis, as a ship carrying people who are unhappy about being last in food ration distribution, is mentioned. However, it is not present on either the master tally board on Galactica or the whiteboard tracker on Colonial One in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II". As Coronis has not been mentioned in any canonical capacity, it is considered totally abandoned by the producers.
  • In Greek mythology Coronis is the name of several figures.