Propulsion (TOS)

For the propulsion counterparts in the Re-imagined Series, see Propulsion in the Re-imagined Series.

In the Original Series, the Fleet moves seemingly only at sublight speeds. There are inferences to FTL use though, even if sporadic and uncertain.

Lightspeed is the term for a Colonial battlestar accelerating to the speed of light or faster. Galactica is one of the few ships in the rag-tag Fleet that have lightspeed ability, so normally the battlestar moves no faster than the slowest ship in the Fleet during its exodus from the destroyed Twelve Colonies (Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I).

It is rarely mentioned, but beyond the following references, FTL is inferred several times in the original Battlestar Galactica. Even just the mention of leaving star systems (possibly mentioned inaccurately as 'galaxies') and showing up in other star systems within short periods of time, lead one to suspect that some form of superluminal propulsion is employed.

• Commander Cain brings Pegasus to lightspeed in order to outflank Baltar's attack force, though Cain earlier commented that such a maneuver would result in using half of Pegasus's fuel (The Living Legend, Part I).

• Commander Adama orders Colonel Tigh to take Galactica to lightspeed, despite Tigh's objections that suggest that it had been some time since the battlestar was ordered to accelerate that fast (Experiment in Terra).

• Baltar and Lucifer have a conversation in which Lucifer states that the Cylons could easily catch up to the slowly moving rag-tag Fleet if they used lightspeed (Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I).

• Starbuck's Viper "Recon 1" could be inferred to be able attain this lightspeed as well, as it has to drop to sub-light when it detects a freighter and fighter (The Long Patrol).

Other than these oblique references, there is nothing that would substantiate how the ships achieve this form of propulsion other than by just accelerating until they reach their top speed.

Novelizations

In the Galactica Discovers Earth novelization, FTL technology is described as being driven by tachyon particles..

Re-imagined Series definition: technology enabling travel across distances faster than the speed of light would permit, see: FTL