Basestar (TOS)

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This article is about the Original Series basestar. For the re-imagined version, see Cylon Basestar.

Basestars are considerably larger than battlestars. They are about 5100 feet in diameter, which is roughly 1 mile. They can hold 300 Cylon raiders each and are able to enter the lower atmosphere of a planet. They are propelled by a reactionless drive that appears to make the ship spin slowly on its axis while engaged.

The basestar has also been called a "baseship" and a "Cylon battlestar" in one episode, but "basestar" conforms to the Colonial ship naming system. Unlike a combat-oriented battlestar, a basestar is intended to be a roving Cylon base that can perform planetary assault missions along with carrying fighters and ship-to-ship combat.

Armament

Cylons use the idea of quantity over quality in their dealings with the Colonies. The basestar's considerable array of weapons reflects this design philosophy.

Pulsars

In the episode "The Hand of God", the basestar is revealed to have two of these fearsome weapons on the north saucer. Pulsars are a beam weapon considerably more powerful than the average laser turret and meant purely for capital ship slugging matches. Battlestars usually attempt to approach basestars from the south saucer to avoid these weapons.

Laser Turrets

Like a battlestar, basestars have laser turrets that resemble the weapons of their fighters but on a larger scale. The laser turrets on basestars are located at the tips of the "spokes" on both saucers and are considerably more powerful than the Colonial design.

Note: The lasers used in Battlestar Galactica are not true lasers. They move slower than light and are visible in the vacuum of space, which is impossible for real world lasers. The term "laser" is either an anachronism or a laser simply plays a part in the firing of the actual weapon discharge.

Missile Turrets

These turrets were mentioned in "The Living Legend, Part II" and they are located on the inner surfaces of both saucers. They are meant for close range work only, because the point defense weaponry on battlestars would make quick work of missiles at a longer range.