As can be seen clearly in Act of Contrition, Galactica's combat ability is as limited by her manpower as her mechanical resources. The following is a list of Galactica's current and former Viper pilots, Raptor pilots, and ECOs.
Active[edit]
Vipers[edit]
- Capt. Lee "Apollo" Adama - currently on parole after his mutiny in Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II
- Symes (sp?) - senior pilot after Adama (Fragged)
- Cadet Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza
- Cadet "Kat" Katraine
- 13 others (at least)
Others: As of the Mini-Series, Starbuck informs Cmdr. Adama that "there are 20 of us climbing the walls down in the Ready Room". This is excluding the 20 members of Ripper's wing already sortied, and Apollo, on escort detail, and probably doesn't include ECOs.
After the deaths of Flat Top, 12 other pilots, and the severe injury of 7 more (20 total), there were 11 pilots and ECOs present in the ready room including Apollo, Starbuck, Boomer and Crashdown.
Later, Apollo states that there are 21 pilots remaining. If this number includes Viper pilots as well as Raptor pilots and ECOs, then it is contradicted by the survival of 2 Raptor ECO's by the time of Fragged, two episodes after an 18-Viper strong sortie in Scattered, at a time when there would have been at most 19 total survivors. It is less likely that Sergeant Hadrian made the same distinction when she referred to the seven pilots injured in the incident, but still possible.
Of the 11 present for funeral services, at least one (Crashdown) and possibly two are known to be ECOs. Racetrack and the fourth ECO are clearly not present. Another one (Boomer) is known to be a Raptor pilot. This leaves 8, at most 9 Viper pilots depicted in this scene. Adding the 7 injured pilots, we have a total of 15-16 accounted for, meaning 5-6 surviving and uninjured pilots must not have been present for some reason (perhaps performing a Combat Air Patrol). 8 nuggets were then recruited to fill out the ranks, including Kat, Hot Dog and Chuckles, bringing the total to 29.
| File:Nuggetextra1.jpg | File:Nuggetextra2.jpg | File:Nuggetextra3.jpg | File:Nuggetextra4.jpg | File:Nuggetextra5.jpg |
| Unidentified nuggets from Act of Contrition | ||||
In The Hand of God, a total of 19 vipers and 2 raptors are deployed. Starbuck is inactive at this time due to her knee injury. Fireball, Chuckles, Stepchild and one unidentified pilot are killed in this operation, leaving the total at 25.
In Scattered, Galactica fields 18 vipers. If no other pilots than Flyboy were killed in Valley of Darkness, this means Galactica has at most 24 pilots remaining.
Raptors[edit]
- Unidentified pilot of Raptor 1 in Fragged.
- Two others
Others: Galactica is able to field six raptors simultaneously in Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II. The crews of Raptor 1 and Raptor 3 are accounted for. Boomer pilots a raptor to the Cylon Basestar in orbit of Kobol, while Starbuck is AWOL. This leaves 19 pilots, 18 of whom are shown to be Viper pilots in the following episode and one who we know is an ECO. The three ships sent to board Colonial One probably did not require ECOs, given the target's lack of defensive options, but the question is still raised as to where Galactica procured an additional three Raptor pilots. If Apollo, who accompanied the boarding party, is qualified to fly a Raptor - not entirely unlikely, given his background as a test pilot - then it is difficult to explain why he's shown sitting in the passenger seat of one in Fragged. Furthermore, even if he is, at least two other Viper pilots must also be so qualified. It is very remotely possible that Saul Tigh is qualified - or at least able - to pilot a raptor, if no one else were available.
ECOs[edit]
- "Racetrack"
- Unidentified ECO of Raptor 1 in Fragged. (Was this the same extra listed below who played the ECO of Raptor 3 killed in Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I?)
Note: The survival of two specialist ECOs by the time of Fragged means Apollo's headcount of surviving pilots in Act of Contrition could not have included them.
Note: Cmdr. William "Husker" Adama flew a Viper Mk. II during the Cylon War, and can also pilot a Raptor (as seen in Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down). Col. Saul Tigh was also a Viper pilot of the same vintage, but there is less to suggest he has retained any sort of flight status.
Inactive[edit]
No others - All parties injured in Act of Contrition must be back on flight status by Scattered.
Vipers[edit]
- Lt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace - Stranded on Caprica
Raptors[edit]
- Lt. jg. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii (Galactica Copy) - Jailed for treason
- Lt. jg. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii (Caprica Copy) - Stranded on Caprica
ECOs[edit]
- Lt. jg. Karl "Helo" Agathon - Stranded on Caprica
Deceased[edit]
12 others - Dead Act of Contrition
Vipers[edit]
- Capt. Jackson "Ripper" Spencer - KIA Mini-Series (First sortie)
- Lt. "Jolly" Anders - KIA Mini-Series (First sortie)
- 18 other Viper mk. VII pilots - KIA Mini-Series (First sortie)
- 1 mk. II pilot - KIA Mini-Series (Second sortie)
- 7 mk. II pilots - KIA Mini-Series (Third sortie)
- 1 mk. VII pilot - KIA Mini-Series (Third sortie)
- "Fireball" - KIA The Hand of God
- Unidentified Viper pilot- KIA The Hand of God
- "Stepchild" - KIA The Hand of God
- Cadet "Chuckles" Perry - KIA The Hand of God
- "Flyboy" - KIA Valley of Darkness
Raptors[edit]
- Lt. jg. Dwight "Flat Top" Saunders - Dead Act of Contrition
- Unidentified pilot of Raptor 3. Probably the same person as "Stubbs" from The Hand of God. - KIA Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I
- "Karma" - May be either Unidentified Uninjured Pilot #5 or #7 above. - KIA Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I
ECOs[edit]
- Unidentified ECO of Raptor 3. May be the same person as Unidentified Uninjured Pilot #4 above. KIA Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I
- Lt. "Crashdown" - KIA Fragged
Status Unknown[edit]
Vipers[edit]
- Beehive - Apollo's wingman in Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down. May have been the unidentified Viper pilot killed in The Hand of God, but if not, still alive as of Scattered.
- Stubbs - A Raptor pilot in The Hand of God, but if also qualified to fly a Viper may have been KIA in The Hand of God, or an unseen member of the sortie in Scattered.