Nugget

The term nugget is Colonial military slang for a Viper pilot trainee.

The first class of nuggets moments into their first day of training (Act of Contrition).

Kara Thrace is assigned the task of flight instructor to train a batch of potential Viper pilots after 13 (including Flat Top) are killed in a freak accident (Act of Contrition).

This first group of eight nuggets includes Louanne "Kat" Katraine", Brendan "Hotdog" Constanza, and ""Chuckles" Perry".

As Galactica lacks flight simulators, Starbuck trains the first nugget group in actual Viper Mark IIs.

Attrition of the first nugget group begins when Chuckles dies when attacking a Cylon tylium refinery (The Hand of God). Over a year later, Katraine dies from radiation poisoning (The Passage). Of this original nugget group, "Hotdog" Constanza is among the few survivors that are known.

When battlestar Pegasus joins the Fleet, flight simulators are available to train nuggets without risking damage or loss of fighters. Brent Baxton and Jo-Jo are two nuggets that complete their training this way (Scar).

A nugget that passes their flight training becomes a rook.

Notes

• When the first batch of "nuggets" arrive aboard Galactica, they wear the rank insignia of "Petty Officer, 1st Class". This is likely a customing error or simple necessity, since no insignia for the rank of Ensign have been shown yet - and thus likely not created so far.
• The Original Series analogue to this term is "first orbit cadet".

Re-imagined Series definition: student pilot ^{(TRS: "Act of Contrition", "Scar")}