Galactica (TRS)

For the Original Series Galactica, see Galactica (TOS). For the Video Game Galactica, see Galactica (Video Game).

For more general information about this type of ship, see Galactica type battlestar.

Galactica (BS 75)
Race:	Colonial
Type:	Military
FTL:	Yes
Propulsion:
Crew:	Approximately 2,650
Capacity:
CO:	William Adama
XO:	Saul Tigh (resumed position as of "The Passage")
Role:	Carrier / battleship hybrid
Weapons:	As many as 506 point-defense dual Kinetic Energy Weapons, 24 primary dual Kinetic Energy Weapons, at least 12 missile tubes capable of firing conventional and nuclear missiles, Vipers, Raptors
Armaments:	{{{arm}}}
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Fate:	Active
Emblem:	[[Image:{{{patch}}}|175px|Ship's patch]]
Other Images:	Gallery
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Game Information
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Mobility
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Armament
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Additional Information

The veteran battlestar Galactica (BS 75) is the most famous warship in the Colonial Fleet. Built in time to participate in the Cylon War, she remained the only military vessel without integrated computer networks. Without networked computers, Galactica never upgraded to the new integrated defense system software developed by Dr. Gaius Baltar and his team. Because of this and other fortunes, she became one of only two known battlestars to survive the renewed Cylon attack on the Twelve Colonies, some 40 years after the end of the first war. At the time of the attack, she was part of the 75th Battlestar Group (BSG-75).

History

Galactica was one of the twelve first battlestars to be laid down by the Colonials. Initially they built a battlestar to represent each colony, where Galactica represented Caprica. As such, she is some 50 years old. Following the outbreak of Cylon hostilities several more battlestars were built. Galactica's first commander was named Nash.

A dorsal view of Galactica. The starboard flight pod is covered by a window to form the museum area.

The original battlestars were all designed with non-integrated computer systems to avoid the Cylons' demonstrated ability to override or subvert networked command and control systems early in the war (Miniseries). Rather than technological sophistication, the battlestar depended on its sheer bulk and defensive / offensive capabilities to ward off any threats to itself or the Colonies.

Following the armistice with the Cylons, and their withdrawal from Colonial space, Galactica and her sister ships served the Twelve Colonies in a variety of roles. While her surviving sister ships were scrapped or upgraded to match the systems capabilities of newer Colonial vessels, Galactica continued in service without her systems being fully networked or integrated, making her unique among Colonial military vessels. Galactica was relegated to intra-system duties for at least 20 years prior to her decommissioning.

With her active career drawing to a close, a decision was taken to retire Galactica and decommission her from service. Colonial Fleet chose not to scrap her, but to turn her into a combination of living museum to the original Cylon War and an educational center, with her conversion being overseen by her final commander, William Adama.

At the time of her formal decommissioning ceremony, Galactica is stripped of all but one of her operational Viper Mark VII squadrons, her munitions are destroyed, and her starboard landing pod is a pressurized museum which houses (among other things) a full squadron of Mk. II Vipers as well as a Viper model that appears older than the Mark II (Miniseries, also in Deleted Scenes).

With the renewed and unexpected Cylon hostilities, Galactica quickly proves her worthiness as a warship is far from over as she sorties several Mark IIs retrieved from her museum to challenge her first Cylon attack in over 40 years (her last Mark VII squadron was sent to Caprica for reassignment). The old battlestar withstands a direct hit from a tactical nuclear missile while unsuccessfully performing evasive maneuvers, but later jumps successfully to Ragnar Anchorage to retrieve much-needed ammunition stores at this hidden depot.

Galactica finally bares her teeth in this new Cylon war as she single-handedly engages two basestars with her gun batteries, providing covering fire for an assortment of 75 civilian ships containing the last survivors of the Twelve Colonies. All ships, with Galactica last to leave the engagement zone, escape to a destination past the Red Line, never to return to Colonial space (Miniseries).

Since the exodus of the Colonials from their overrun homeworlds, Galactica becomes both protector and provider for the Fleet. She provides covering fire for the Fleet during Cylon attacks no fewer than 240 times ("33", "Act of Contrition"). The battlestar provides much of the Fleet with recycled water (Water) and she is the primary source of medical care, where groups of civilians are periodically brought aboard for check-ups and treatment (Litmus). Galactica also undertakes internal policing duties within the Fleet ("Water", "Bastille Day").

Galactica successfully goes on the offensive against the Cylons, capturing a tylium fuel mining and processing plant in the process (The Hand of God).

The advanced battlestar Pegasus, commanded by Admiral Helena Cain, joins Galactica approximately 6 months into their exile (See the series timeline for special information about this milestone).

Pegasus and Galactica destroy two basestars as well as a critical Cylon support ship known as the Resurrection Ship. After Admiral Cain's death, President Laura Roslin promotes William Adama to Admiral, restoring him to overall Fleet command, but now with two battlestars at his disposal (Resurrection Ship, Part II).

New Caprica

Following the founding of New Caprica, Galactica is assigned to the Orbital Defense Force that protects the planet. During this time the majority of its crew are sent to the surface in an effort to populate the planet and restore the human race – including most of its senior officers — seemingly convinced that the Cylons would never find New Caprica. The diminished staff inevitably results in basic maintenance becoming overlooked or ignored. Basic military responses, such as the launching of alert fighters and routine training exercises become difficult to execute. One year following the founding of New Caprica, a fleet of Cylon ships jump into orbit of the planet. Severely limited in its abilities, Admiral Adama and the defense fleet jumps away from New Caprica — vowing that they'd return to liberate the planet (Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II).

Battle of New Caprica

Four months after the escape, Galactica's staff is still in the process of developing a rescue strategy with 16 training exercises having been completed and a 17th underway when an accident causes its early ending (Occupation). This forces both a change in strategy and the reformulation of a rescue plan to deal with personnel who have not seen conflict in 16 months. While Galactica fights to liberate the Colonials on-planet, Pegasus is assigned to protect the remaining civilian fleet and continue its search for Earth ("Precipice", "Exodus, Part I").

After coordinating with the New Caprica Resistance, Galactica leaves Pegasus to guard the last group of humanity while it uses a series of feints to misdirect the bulk of the Cylon Raider units and avoid immediate detection by baseships to allow the civilians on the planet to escape to their ships and escape New Caprica.

In the battle, Galactica becomes overtaxed and out-gunned, nearing destruction until Pegasus unexpectedly arrives to initiate a barrage of her own to turn the attention of four baseships away from Galactica. The old battlestar repairs her FTL drives and escapes but Pegasus is sacrificed during the battle (Exodus, Part II).

Galactica bears the scars of the Battle of New Caprica, with significant scorching and dents to the hull. Galactica remains a dangerous ship, holding off a superior Cylon force for a short duration in the Battle of NCD2539 (A Measure of Salvation), and threatening to use its nuclear arsenal twice after New Caprica ("The Eye of Jupiter", "Crossroads, Part II").

Resuming the search for Earth

Galactica takes aboard a significant quantity of civilians following the exodus from New Caprica, as several civilian ships are lost during the escape and after the Cloud 9 incident. Cramped conditions increase as crew and civilians struggle to adapt to life back aboard a ship. Civilians reside in the starboard hangar deck as a refugee camp nicknamed "Camp Oil Slick" and later "Dogsville" ("Torn", "The Woman King").

During a food shortage crisis caused by contamination of the Fleet's food processing systems, Galactica, along with her Raptors acting as pilot ships, guide the civilian Fleet through an area of intense heat, light and radiation caused by a dense star cluster to reach edible resources on the algae planet. Galactica's heavy armor and radiation shielding protect her from the intense effects of the cluster, but the ship still suffers hull damage and decompressions.

The ship barely escapes both a Cylon fleet and a supernova shock wave during the events over the algae planet, jumping out at the last moment after recovering its planet teams and data on a new waypoint to Earth, the Ionian nebula ("Eye of Jupiter", "Rapture").

Equipment

One of Galactica's large cannon turrets

Galactica shares the same overall technical specifications as other original Colonial battlestars of her class, with the following key differences and qualifications:

Available Flight Pods

As part of its decommissioning, Galactica's port flight pod was the only one in service. The starboard flight pod was enclosed and pressurized as the main museum display for her pending decommission. It is violently depressurized after a Heavy Raider crashes into it (Scattered).

The starboard flight pod is apparently brought back into a usable condition, as Major Lee Adama directs his Raptor boarding team to approach and land in the starboard pod. However, it is possible that this is due to a previously issued quarantine order (A Measure of Salvation).

Nuclear Warheads

Galactica has five nuclear warheads as of "Bastille Day." Commander William Adama uses one warhead to destroy a Cylon basestar (Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II). Dr. Gaius Baltar cannibalizes one to use in his Cylon Detector, which he later gives to Gina, who detonates it aboard Cloud Nine. This leaves Galactica with three warheads (It is unknown how many nuclear warheads Pegasus still has when it encounters Galactica. The two ships pool their nuclear ordnance stockpiles after that, and some warheads are possibly transferred from Pegasus before her final mission). As of "The Eye of Jupiter", Galactica has at least seven warheads (launch tubes 4 through 10) attached to missiles that can be used for ground assault.

The yield of these weapons is unknown. It is likely they are of a "dial a yield" design which is common in real-life nuclear weapons. Because the "physics" of nuclear weapon design is a measurable science, and based on the size of the weapons seen on screen, it is likely the yield of Galactica's weapons are between 5 and 150 kilotons.

Available spacecraft

For information on the fighter squadrons stationed on Galactica see: Squadrons of Galactica

Vipers

File:Mini gal side viper.jpg

A stricken and slowly spinning Galactica after a nuclear missile strike. Starbuck's Viper closes in to survey.

Prior to the arrival of Pegasus, Galactica has at maximum thirty-four Vipers, of which at least six are Mark VIIs (c.f. Viper tally).

Galactica receives additional supplies from Pegasus since her arrival that helps in repair and refurbishment of her original fighter complement; more recently, she receives new Mark VII Vipers built aboard Pegasus using raw materials mined from an asteroid and the advanced battlestar's Viper construction facilities ("Pegasus", "Scar").

Raptors

The number of Raptors available to Galactica is portrayed inconsistently. The current assumption is that the battlestar has at least five Raptors, having left Ragnar Anchorage with at least eight (c.f. Raptor tally).

Other Craft

• Galactica currently possesses two Heavy Raiders. One is hit by Galactica's defensive fire and crashes into the starboard flight pod with unknown damage (Scattered). The other returns in operational status from Caprica (Home, Part I). One of Galactica's Heavy Raiders is relieved of its FTL navigation system for use on the rescue mission to Caprica (Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I).
• A second Raider is in Galactica's possession after Daniel Novacek's "escape" from a basestar, replacing the one retrieved by Kara Thrace and lost during the quest for the Arrow of Apollo (Hero).
• An experimental stealth fighter, the Blackbird, is constructed using spare parts (Flight of the Phoenix) and used in a critically successful reconnaissance mission to explore the nature of what comes to be known as the Resurrection Ship. The Blackbird is later destroyed after completing her last mission during the Battle of the Resurrection Ship (Resurrection Ship, Part II).
• Galactica possesses fuel tankers used to supply fuel to Vipers and Raptors in flight without the need to dock with the ship. These may be dedicated craft or specially fitted shuttles or Raptors (Occupation).

Crew

For information on Senior Staff, see : Senior Staff of Galactica

For a list of pilots, see: List of Pilots

For a list of deckhands, see: List of deckhands

For a list of marines, see: Colonial Marine Corps

Before the attack, Galactica has approximately 2,800 crewmen, while awaiting its decommissioning. By the time of the arrival of Pegasus, attrition has reduced this number to about 2,660. (c.f. Crew tally)

• Between "Act of Contrition" and "Resurrection Ship, Part II" Galactica's offensive capability is also greatly hampered by the number of qualified pilots available, and their lack of flight simulators with which to train more. Since Galactica's reunion with Pegasus, this has ceased to be an issue (Scar).

Related Imagery

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  Galactica - Rendering by Zoic    
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  Galactica - Rendering by Zoic    
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  Galactica's point defense batteries in action