Operation Raptor Talon

Operation Raptor Talon
Summary
Conflict:	First Cylon War
Date:	4,571 days into the Cylon War. Approximately 40 years prior to the Fall of the Twelve Colonies
Related Episode(s):
Place:	An unnamed "ice planet in the ass end of nowhere"
Result:	Default Colonial victory, armistice signed
Combatants
Twelve Colonies of Kobol	Cylons
Commanders
Galactica commanding officer, Columbia commanding officer	Unknown
Strength
3 battlestars, numerous Vipers, and Raptors	3 Raider wings, ground forces, at least 2 basestars
Materiel Losses
Columbia	Various Cylon Raiders
Casualties
All Columbia crew (presumed)
[[Colonial battles chronology ({{{series}}})\|Battle Chronology]]

Operation Raptor Talon was a military operation that took place on the 4,571th day of the First Cylon War. The battlestars Galactica and Columbia were among the Colonial vessels taking part in the mission.

The objective was to attack an unnamed "ice planet", that was rumored to house a Cylon superweapon. According to intelligence on hand, the Cylons had three Raider wings, ground forces, defensive batteries and nuclear weapons (Razor Flashbacks, Episode 1). Additionally, the Cylons had at least two basestars defending the planet from orbit (Razor Flashbacks, Episode 3).

Raptors from Raptor Squadron 2 were the first Colonial vessels to be launched in the operation, but were ambushed by Cylon forces soon after. Among the casualties of this skirmish was Jaycie McGavin, who was severely injured when a console exploded on board her Raptor (Razor Flashbacks, Episode 2).

During an orbital engagement with the enemy, Columbia was destroyed by missile salvos from a pair of basestars, presumably killing everyone on board (Razor Flashbacks, Episode 3).

Shortly after Columbia was destroyed, William Adama pursued two Raiders into the atmosphere of the ice planet. He managed to destroy one but suffered a collision with the other, sending him plummeting toward the planet's surface.

On the planet below, Adama discovered a facility where human civilians were imprisoned. After speaking to a survivor on the planet, he discovered that the Cylons were experimenting on humans for reasons then unknown to him. He attempted to free the prisoners, but was forced to leave when the facility began to shake. Exiting this facility, he saw a new kind of basestar leaving the planet. When establishing wireless contact with Galactica, he learned that the Cylons had signed an armistice, thus ushering the end of the first Cylon War (Razor Flashbacks, Episodes 4 through 7).