Columbia (TOS)

For information on a battlestar of the same name from the Re-imagined Series, see Columbia (RDM).

Columbia is the name of a destroyed Colonial battlestar.

When Cadet Cree is interrogated by Vulpa, he claims to be from Columbia. Vulpa claims this is impossible, as Columbia had been destroyed at the peace conference. This response appears to confuse Cree, and Vulpa orders a brain probe rather than try to get him to freely cooperate (The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part I).

Notes

• Columbia is perhaps the most unlikely name for a space vessel developed by a wholly "alien" culture, being a derivation of the 15th Century Genoan explorer Christopher Columbus - which pushes the bounds of coincidence to its breaking point. However, much like having the characters speak English, this may be a contrivance. The name may simply derive from the Latin word for "dove" or "pigeon" (columba).

• Columbia is not named as one of the five battlestars present at the Battle of Cimtar, so it is unknown if Vulpa was just referring to the entire ambush (including the actions against the Colonies) as the "peace conference" or if he just had a fried circuit somewhere.