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Ancient Kobolian: Galleon
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* Over a month later, and now devoid of their Resurrection Ship, the Cylons deploy basestars in a new tactical fashion. Two Raptors from ''Pegasus'' are lured away from their reconnaissance training mission near a [[Wikipedia:Binary star system|binary star cluster]], the crews killed by carefully venting their crew compartments, and the Raptors set adrift. In his zeal to retrieve the Raptors, newly-promoted [[Barry Garner|Commander Barry Garner]] disregards both [[William Adama|Admiral Adama's]] orders and [[Lee Adama|Major Lee Adama's]] advice and takes ''Pegasus'' to the last known location of the missing craft. ''Pegasus'' deploys two more Raptors to scan the located Raptors. As the rescue Raptors discover the lost Raptors' fate, three basestars pounce upon the Colonials and immediately engage by launching salvos of nuclear missiles — the first time they've done so since the destruction of the Colonies. ''Pegasus'' reels under heavy damage, and only through the heroic self-sacrifice of Commander Garner, the sound direction of Major Adama, and the unwavering support of ''Pegasus's'' Vipers (led by [[Kara Thrace|Captain "Starbuck" Thrace]]) the battlestar survives. As a means of buying time until the disabled FTL drive was repaired, Major Adama directs the battlestar's forward gun batteries to barrage the closest basestar, focusing on the core of it until it is forced to withdraw. ''Pegasus'' indeed survives [[Battle of the Binary Star System|this encounter]], albeit with a substantial amount of damage, but it heralds a less brashly aggressive, more subversively calculative approach by the Cylons ([[The Captain's Hand]]). | * Over a month later, and now devoid of their Resurrection Ship, the Cylons deploy basestars in a new tactical fashion. Two Raptors from ''Pegasus'' are lured away from their reconnaissance training mission near a [[Wikipedia:Binary star system|binary star cluster]], the crews killed by carefully venting their crew compartments, and the Raptors set adrift. In his zeal to retrieve the Raptors, newly-promoted [[Barry Garner|Commander Barry Garner]] disregards both [[William Adama|Admiral Adama's]] orders and [[Lee Adama|Major Lee Adama's]] advice and takes ''Pegasus'' to the last known location of the missing craft. ''Pegasus'' deploys two more Raptors to scan the located Raptors. As the rescue Raptors discover the lost Raptors' fate, three basestars pounce upon the Colonials and immediately engage by launching salvos of nuclear missiles — the first time they've done so since the destruction of the Colonies. ''Pegasus'' reels under heavy damage, and only through the heroic self-sacrifice of Commander Garner, the sound direction of Major Adama, and the unwavering support of ''Pegasus's'' Vipers (led by [[Kara Thrace|Captain "Starbuck" Thrace]]) the battlestar survives. As a means of buying time until the disabled FTL drive was repaired, Major Adama directs the battlestar's forward gun batteries to barrage the closest basestar, focusing on the core of it until it is forced to withdraw. ''Pegasus'' indeed survives [[Battle of the Binary Star System|this encounter]], albeit with a substantial amount of damage, but it heralds a less brashly aggressive, more subversively calculative approach by the Cylons ([[The Captain's Hand]]). | ||
[[Image: | [[Image:baltarsbasestar_305_720p.png|thumb|right|Baltar's baseship]] | ||
* The next appearance of basestars comes at the [[Fall of New Caprica|fall of New Caprica]] to Cylon occupation. Several, approximately six or seven, basestars emerge from the planet's shrouding nebula, and in the face of overwhelming strength and numbers, an understaffed Colonial Fleet makes a reluctant jump away, and the Cylons take the planet without firing a shot. The Cylons then task at least two basestars with guarding the surrounding space of the planet. | * The next appearance of basestars comes at the [[Fall of New Caprica|fall of New Caprica]] to Cylon occupation. Several, approximately six or seven, basestars emerge from the planet's shrouding nebula, and in the face of overwhelming strength and numbers, an understaffed Colonial Fleet makes a reluctant jump away, and the Cylons take the planet without firing a shot. The Cylons then task at least two basestars with guarding the surrounding space of the planet. | ||
Revision as of 22:54, 13 April 2007
- This article is about the basestar as seen in the Re-imagined Series. For the Original Series version, see Basestar (TOS).
| Basestar | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Race: | Cylon | ||
| Type: | Military | ||
| FTL: | Yes | ||
| Propulsion: | |||
| Crew: | Humanoid Cylons, Cylon Centurions, the Hybrid | ||
| Capacity: | |||
| CO: | {{{co}}} | ||
| XO: | {{{xo}}} | ||
| Role: | Carrier / battleship hybrid | ||
| Weapons: | Nuclear and conventional missiles, Raiders, Heavy Raiders | ||
| Armaments: | {{{arm}}} | ||
| Defenses: | {{{def}}} | ||
| Aircraft: | {{{aircraft}}} | ||
| Aviation facilities: | {{{facilities}}} | ||
| Fate: | {{{status}}} | ||
| Emblem: | [[Image:{{{patch}}}|175px|Ship's patch]] | ||
| Other Images: | Gallery | ||
| Length: | {{{length}}} | ||
| Width: | {{{width}}} | ||
| Height: | {{{height}}} | ||
| Weight: | {{{weight}}} | ||
| Wingspan: | {{{wingspan}}} | ||
| Other: | {{{otherdi}}} | ||
| Cost: | {{{construction}}} | ||
| Construction Time: | {{{construction}}} | ||
| Hull Size: | {{{hull size}}} | ||
| Hull: | {{{hull}}} | ||
| FTL Cooldown: | {{{ftl cooldown}}} turns | ||
| Speed: | {{{speed}}} m/s | ||
| Turn Rate: | {{{turn rate}}}°/turn | ||
| 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}}} | ||
| 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 | |||
Overview[edit]
A basestar (known interchangeably as a "baseship") is the most prominent example of the Cylon military presence.
Basestars are approximately the same size as a Colonial battlestar but appear to be more technologically advanced.[1] While basestars may have a somewhat longer "footprint" due to their "Y" shape, their mass is similar to most battlestars. They are equipped with a superior jump system and no visible means of sublight propulsion, lacking any engine pods or nacelles, but remain capable of chasing down a battlestar (Exodus, Part II).
Basestars operate a fleet of small fighters called Raiders and are capable of deploying hundreds of these simultaneously (see Related Imagery). The enormous amount of Raiders serve as a basestar's primary point-defense system.
Basestars possess several rooms and hallways, that are sleek but generally bland; Cylons project different environments to get around the ship more easily. Data and other functions such as analyzing photographs are handled in literal streams of water that go over a lit up computer glass surface. Cylons can interface with the data by simply placing their hands in the basins.
Command and Control[edit]
A basestar is operated by many humanoid Cylons. Up to all seven models of them issue commands for the basestar from a central command and control center. Consensus is typically the normal procedure, although the process of deliberating and voting on decisions may cause the basestar to react more slowly than a battlestar's command and control in a CIC.
A basestar's functions are managed by a partially-humanoid Cylon incorporated into the ship, known as a Hybrid. The Hybrid, for all respects of identity and control, is the basestar. The ship is an extension of her body and she is the ship's mind. The Hybrid, despite its humanoid appearance, is not a considered a fellow Humanoid Cylon and lacks voting power as other agents have in Cylon affairs.
A basestar has a datastream, or computer network, which interfaces with the Hybrid and all aspects of the basestar's operation.
Armaments[edit]
A basestar is capable of launching conventional or nuclear missiles from "turrets" mounted throughout the hubs and central axis that rotate to allow the basestar to fire in any direction[2]. Basestar-launched nuclear strikes against Colonial ships are usually carried out only before Raider deployment. One example of a Cylon nuclear attack involved three Cylon basestars that ambush the battlestar Pegasus. They open their attack firing several nuclear missiles before deploying Raiders and switching to a non-nuclear firing solution (The Captain's Hand).
A basestar's complement of Raiders is estimated as high as 792 fighters[3], not counting fighters in repair or otherwise offline.
This tactic, along with the massive amounts of Raiders that a basestar can unleash, suggest a similarity with the Arsenal ship concept to overwhelm and destroy a foe. It is probable that basestars used nuclear weapons to destroy the bulk of the Colonial Fleet (using their backdoor in the CNP to compromise their defenses first) in the opening wave of their destruction of the Colonies.
After the Colonial commanders draw away their Raider wings, two basestars are torn apart by the kinetic guns of the battlestars Pegasus and Galactica in a joint mission to destroy a Cylon Resurrection Ship. It would seem that that basestars rely heavily on their Raiders for close-range gun defense through sheer numbers of fighters. Since a basestar does not appear to have batteries (the primary offensive/defensive weapons on battlestars), nor any armoring[4], basestars appear quite vulnerable to battlestars in close-range combat without Raider fighter support (Resurrection Ship, Part II).
Encounters with the Colonial Fleet[edit]
- As part of an annual offering of diplomacy, the Colonial Fleet staffs the Armistice Station in the hopes that the Cylons will attend, but it goes unfulfilled for forty years. Suddenly, without any warning or detection, a Cylon basestar arrives over the station, and dispatches a Humanoid Cylon to the station. This agent accosts the Armistice Officer as the basestar launches a salvo of missiles and obliterates the station.
- Days later, the Cylons begin their genocidal campaign against the Twelve Colonies. In all likelihood, several basestars and their support craft arrived at each Colonial world and deploy nuclear missiles, airbursting them to annihilate the populace. Several basestars orbit the ruined planet of Caprica as Lt. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii guides her Raptor to an emergency landing on the planet during the attack. Boomer's Raptor guides by debris of destroyed Colonial units, including the shattered hulk of a battlestar (Miniseries).
- A substantial Cylon force consisting of no less than two basestars and several hundred fighters and other small craft converge on Ragnar Anchorage in an attempt to flush out and destroy the fugitive ships led by the battlestar Galactica. After transferring as many armaments and supplies as possible from the munitions depot, Galactica departs the station's surrounding EM storm and presents itself as a shield, allowing the Fleet to slip out and make jumps away. The entire contingent of civilian ships escape, as does Galactica after she and her Vipers endure a thorough pounding (Miniseries).
- Basestars pursue Galactica and the Colonial Fleet for five full days after the escape from Ragnar. Galactica spurs the Fleet to stay on the move, executing FTL jump after jump, only to see the Cylons reappear at each location 33 minutes later (33). The Cylons had apparently infiltrated the Olympic Carrier, a civilian starliner, and are able to track it through each successive jump. Following the 239th jump, the Olympic Carrier doesn't immediately rendevous at the jump coordinates, and it is feared the ship is lost. She reappears later, but several indications hint that she has been overtaken by Cylon forces, and the Colonials have no recourse but to destroy the liner. As soon as Galactica's Vipers destroy the liner, the basestars arrive on the scene, and the Colonial Fleet executes their 240th jump. The Cylons do not immediately follow, ending the pursuit.
- The Fleet eludes further contact with the Cylon forces for several weeks. The planet Kobol is discovered by a single Raptor on a probing reconnaissance mission, and a follow-up mission is planned. The reconnaissance team of three Raptors is surprised by a basestar now in orbit over Kobol, and screening Cylon Raiders obliterate one Raptor while shooting down another and forcing it to crash land on the planet below. The remaining Raptor escapes back to battlestar Galactica, relaying the shocking news. Commander Adama devises a plan to eliminate the basestar, using a Raptor fitted with a Cylon transponder to deploy a nuclear warhead inside. Lt. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii is later tasked to the mission, accompanied by new ECO Lt. Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson. En route, the transponder works exactly as planned. Despite their anxiety, the Raptor infiltrates the basestar. The interior view of the basestar that Boomer and Racetrack are afforded is overwhelming – a vast, cavernous void of bio-mechanical components lacking a distinctive floor or ceiling. Surfaces appear organic – fleshy if they were to be touched – resembling the interiors of a Raider. During the deployment of the nuclear warhead, Boomer exits the Raptor and removes her helmet, indicating that the interior space is indeed pressurized and oxygenated, more than likely controlled by ventricle-like airlocks evident during the Raptor's entrance. The pair extricate themselves from inside the basestar, and once outside, detonate the warhead. The annihilation of this basestar represents the first aired instance in the series that Colonial forces successfully destroy a basestar (Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II).
- Scant moments after this victory, another basestar ambushes Galactica, causing the crew to perform yet another immediate FTL jump. This haphazard jump (due to mishandled coordinate updates) separates the battlestar from the rest of the Fleet, and a few hours are spent developing a course of action. The decision is made to jump back to her previous location to recalculate the jump coordinates, and upon doing so, the battlestar and the basestar square off in a vicious engagement. During the recalculation, a Cylon Heavy Raider manages to crash-land on Galactica's starboard flight pod (Scattered). After the battlestar jumps away, the basestar too departs the area after sending a detachment of Centurions to Kobol.
- Upon the reunion of the Colonial Fleet with the assumed-lost battlestar Pegasus, Admiral Helena Cain reveals that a Cylon fleet, consisting of two basestars and a mysterious unknown ship, has been following Galactica (Pegasus). By way of a bold reconnaissance mission in the Colonial Blackbird, the commanding officers discover the identity of the mysterious vessel to be the Cylon Resurrection Ship (Resurrection Ship, Part I). The Colonials concoct an aggressive, intricate plan using stealth, deception, and sheer brute force to eradicate the Resurrection Ship, as well as its escorting basestars. In a brilliant display of firepower, the two battlestars make short work of the two basestars, suffering minimal damage in return (Resurrection Ship, Part II).
- Over a month later, and now devoid of their Resurrection Ship, the Cylons deploy basestars in a new tactical fashion. Two Raptors from Pegasus are lured away from their reconnaissance training mission near a binary star cluster, the crews killed by carefully venting their crew compartments, and the Raptors set adrift. In his zeal to retrieve the Raptors, newly-promoted Commander Barry Garner disregards both Admiral Adama's orders and Major Lee Adama's advice and takes Pegasus to the last known location of the missing craft. Pegasus deploys two more Raptors to scan the located Raptors. As the rescue Raptors discover the lost Raptors' fate, three basestars pounce upon the Colonials and immediately engage by launching salvos of nuclear missiles — the first time they've done so since the destruction of the Colonies. Pegasus reels under heavy damage, and only through the heroic self-sacrifice of Commander Garner, the sound direction of Major Adama, and the unwavering support of Pegasus's Vipers (led by Captain "Starbuck" Thrace) the battlestar survives. As a means of buying time until the disabled FTL drive was repaired, Major Adama directs the battlestar's forward gun batteries to barrage the closest basestar, focusing on the core of it until it is forced to withdraw. Pegasus indeed survives this encounter, albeit with a substantial amount of damage, but it heralds a less brashly aggressive, more subversively calculative approach by the Cylons (The Captain's Hand).
- The next appearance of basestars comes at the fall of New Caprica to Cylon occupation. Several, approximately six or seven, basestars emerge from the planet's shrouding nebula, and in the face of overwhelming strength and numbers, an understaffed Colonial Fleet makes a reluctant jump away, and the Cylons take the planet without firing a shot. The Cylons then task at least two basestars with guarding the surrounding space of the planet.
- Four months later during the Battle of New Caprica, Galactica launches its rescue operation of the humans of New Caprica, two basestars move to combat it without any fighter support as the raiders are otherwise occupied. Soon two more basestars jump and move to engage bringing the total to four. Before long, Galactica's FTL drives and maneuvering thrusters are disabled, and the port side of the ship reaches its structural limits. Battlestar Pegasus then arrives with its forward batteries blazing, scoring several hits that destroy one basestar. Commander Lee Adama orders his battlestar towards the basestars to give Galactica time to repair its FTL drive and escape. Later with Pegasus taking phenomenal damage, Commander Adama orders all hands to abandon ship, using standby Raptors to jump away from the battle. He ensures that the weapons are set to autofire and that the ship is on a collision course with one of the basestars before departing. The damaged, unmanned Pegasus collides into one basestar, destroying both. The remnants of Pegasus’s starboard flight pod collide with another of the remaining basestars, destroying it (Exodus, Part II).
- A basestar is disabled and presumed dead after it encounters a beacon left near a nebula that marked the way to Earth. The probe apparently contained a pathogen that infects and kills Cylons of all kinds, be it Raider, Centurion, or agent. The Resurrection Ship is ordered to jump away from the area and thus resulting in the permanent deaths of the ship's contingent of biological Cylons. It later presumably self-destructs soon after the Galactica investigation team leaves (Torn).
Casualties[edit]
By the end of "Exodus, Part II," a total of five basestars are confirmed as destroyed by Colonial forces.
- "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II" - 1
- "Resurrection Ship, Part II" - 1
- "Exodus, Part II" - 3
One basestar was heavily damaged and possibly destroyed in "Resurrection Ship, Part II," and another in "The Captain's Hand."
A further basestar self-destructed or succumbed to a virus and is destroyed in "A Measure of Salvation".
Notes[edit]
- In the Miniseries, Galactica's new museum displays a model of the Cylon basestar used in the Cylon War. As it happens, this design is identical to the basestars seen in the Original Series. However, despite the identical use of the ship design, the universe of the Re-imagined Series does not use the same weapons as that of the Original Series, so viewers are left to ponder what armed the Re-imagined incarnations of the Original Series Cylon warships. The museum also displays a deactivated Cylon Centurion Model 0005--again, the same design of Cylon warrior as used in the Original Series, and indicated in the episodes as the Cylons seen in the Cylon War of the Re-imagined Series continuity.
- Beginning with the episode "Collaborators", a new exterior design [1] was implemented for the basestars, bearing a sharper, more mechanical look than they previously had. This was apparently an upgrade by the VFX crew to make the exterior mirror more the interior design, which we saw for the first time in that episode.
Related Imagery[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ The official SciFi.com website indicates that basestars "dwarf" a battlestar. However, aired information in season 3, which shows Galactica and Pegasus in close proximity to a basestar, contradict SciFi.com's information.
- ↑ Intelligence Debrief: Cylon Basestar, "Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine", June/July 2006, page 56.
- ↑ Intelligence Debrief: Cylon Basestar, "Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine", June/July 2006, page 56.
- ↑ Intelligence Debrief: Cylon Basestar, "Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine", June/July 2006, page 57.