Viper 7242

Viper N7242C being presented to Commander William Adama after being restored by Deck Crew 5 ^{(TRS: "Miniseries")}.

Viper N7242C is a surviving Viper Mark II spacefighter piloted by William "Husker" Adama during his service in the First Cylon War and throughout both exoduses following the Fall of the Twelve Colonies.

To wit, it was not the only Viper flown by Adama during his time of service after the Ghost Fleet Offensive ^{(TRS: "Blood and Chrome")}, nor the fighter piloted by Adama during Operation Razor Talon, the final conflict of the First Cylon War, identified as Viper Mark II number 1104NC ^{(TRS: "Razor Flashbacks")}.

First Cylon War Service

According to the pre-production script for Blood and Chrome, Viper N7242C was assigned to Ensign William Adama during his service aboard the Battlestar Galactica in the tenth year of the First Cylon War circa 42 BCH (58YR). The script indicates that this was Adama's first assignment to a Viper after initially being assigned to Raptor duty upon his arrival at Galactica. The fighter was described as a "shiny new Viper" when Adama received it, suggesting it was either newly constructed or recently refurbished.

The script shows Adama eventually earning the call sign "Husker" during his service, which was painted on the fighter along with his name. By the end of the war, the script describes how Adama would use this Viper during the final phase of the conflict, establishing the connection between his wartime service and the fighter that would later become so significant to his career.

A New Lease on Life

During the process of decommissioning Galactica, Chief Galen Tyrol finds it "rusting out in a salvage yard on Sagittaron," where he and Deck Crew 5 restores it to operational condition. It is then presented as a token of thanks to their retiring commanding officer, Commander William Adama, prior to the formal decommissioning ceremony.

The fighter is flown by Adama's surviving son, Captain Lee "Apollo" Adama, in a flyby performance during Galactica's decommissioning. The younger Adama is assigned escort duty for Colonial Heavy 798 back to Caprica, sans armament. When the Cylon Attack begins without warning, the fighter's comparably antiquated systems proved impervious to Cylon infiltration attempts, and he uses the craft as a decoy for heat-seeking missiles deployed by a Cylon Raider. Adama lands aboard Colonial Heavy 798, using a set of Galactica's extricated pulse generators to emulate a nuclear explosion, thereby protecting 798 and President Laura Roslin's nascent operation to create a sizable refugee fleet of other stranded civilian ships. This was not to last, however, as 798 (rechristened Colonial One) and FTL-capable ships from this fleet rendezvous with Galactica at Ragnar Anchorage ^{(TRS: "Miniseries, Night 1" and "Miniseries, Night 2")}.

Viper 7242 during intercept of Pegasus ^{(TRS: "Pegasus")}.

Recovered from Colonial One's hangar, 7242 is repaired and readied for combat from stores from Ragnar Anchorage. The subsequent battle to escape a Cylon blockade sees Captain Adama, now Galactica's CAG, commanding a defensive squadrons of Vipers from 7242. The ship is heavily damaged, losing a wing and power after taking a severe hit, but returns to Galactica due to the timely intervention and unconventional flying of Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, who interlocks her fighter with 7242 and combat lands on Galactica before it jumps ^{(TRS: "Miniseries, Night 2")}.

The damage to Viper 7242 is repaired amidst the constant Cylon attacks during the first week after the Fleet's escape from Ragnar ^(TRS: "33").

With Lee Adama piloting Viper 2276, 7242 is flown by Louanne "Kat" Katraine during the battle near Kobol while Galactica computes the location of the lost Fleet ^{(TRS: "Scattered")}.

7242, with the serial number 7242NC, and once again piloted by Lee Adama, is one of the alert fighters scrambled to intercept the unknown craft that turns out to be the battlestar Pegasus ^{(TRS: "Pegasus")}.

Admiral William Adama flies through the Fleet one last time in 7242 ^{(TRS: "Daybreak")}.

After the Fleet's arrival to second Earth, Admiral William Adama ceremonially pilots 7242 off of Galactica as the last Viper and last crewman to depart the ship. For the occasion, the fighter is given a ceremonial refresh to its First Cylon Wartime decoration with N7242C tail number and "Lt. William 'Husker' Adama" nameplates ^{(TRS: "Daybreak, Part II")}.

Script Version Details

The pre-production script for Blood and Chrome provides additional context about the historical significance of Viper N7242C during the First Cylon War. The script shows that this fighter was initially part of a "shiny new" complement of Vipers assigned to promising young pilots, representing the Colonial Fleet's investment in new talent during the ongoing conflict.

The script emphasizes the personal connection between Adama and this particular fighter, showing how he earned his reputation and call sign while flying it. The detailed description of how his name and "Husker" call sign were painted on the fighter helps explain why this specific Viper held such emotional significance that Chief Tyrol would later track it down in a salvage yard for restoration.

The script version also suggests that N7242C may have been one of the newer Viper Mark II models introduced during the later stages of the First Cylon War, rather than an older fighter that had survived from the conflict's beginning. This would explain both its "shiny" condition when first assigned and its eventual survival to the post-war period when it could be recovered from Sagittaron.

Notes

• During the presentation scene, the serial number for this Viper is N7242C. However, during the crash landing, it is 7242NC. In "33", it is back to N7242C and in "Pegasus" it is once more changed to 7242NC. These series of "changes" are best explained as the re-use of CGI models.

• The pre-production script version of Blood and Chrome establishes that this Viper was significant to Adama's career development during the First Cylon War, helping to explain the emotional weight of its restoration and presentation in the Miniseries.