Battlestar Profile 009 : BSG 13 Orion Class Battlestar Merope

Built as a heavy Battlestar from the ground up, the Orion class were a welcome relief for the Colonial Fleet, due to their firepower and twice the standard fighter capacity of the Atlantia class.  The much larger flight pods allowed it to carry nearly twice the standard complement of Vipers and added extended repair facilities and increased storage thanks to the rounded bulges at midship and rear.

Despite being fitted with powerful engines, the Orions were somewhat slow though the problem wasn't as bad as that of the Longbow class.  This did force Orion Commanders to stand off against Cylon Basestars relying on their long range firepower and fighter CAP.  The larger Lightning turrets offered greatly increased firepower over the old Atlantia class.  The turrets were also spaced much further apart than on previous classes, preventing them from being knocked out by a single hit.  The Orions lacked a forward battery though provisions were made for upgrades, but never carried through.  Though they used the then standard retracting pods, the Orions could perform an emergency jump with their pods extended.

The Merope was the last ship of her class to be commissioned.  She served admirably in several major operations and earned a number of commendations for her distinguished service.  But tragedy was to strike on the very day of the sixth anniversary of her commission.  During a routine jump with her Battlegroup, she was seen jumping out, but never arrived at the intended destination.  She had previously suffered some minor damage, but none seemed related to the incident.  Long range listening stations scattered across Colonial space failed to pick up any emergency message since.  There are those who believe that the ship either jumped far behind the red line and was left stranded or simple disintegrated during the jump.  Some still hope that some day a wireless message will reach a Colonial Outpost and reveal her location or her final fate.

Commander : Commander Rich Glaser
XO : Colonel Robert Henderson
CAG : Major Erik Sagis
Complement :  6-8 Viper Squadrons and up to 30 Raptors
Armament : 22 Lightning 40 twin turrets, 780 Tauran-Picon CIWS, 12 missile bays.

Battlestar Profile 008 : BSG 97 Nova Class Battlestar Columbia

The pride and joy of the Colonial Fleet, the Nova class are possibly the most advanced ships in the fleet.  Sleek and smooth of line, they have a reduced Dradis signature.  Designed as fleet flagships they are a much desired assignment for any Colonial crewmember.

The Nova is considered to be the first fourth generation advanced Battlestars and the template for future Battlestar development.
Unlike most current Colonial Ships, she uses the Vulcanus type engines previously used on the Avalon and Valhalla classes.  The Vulcanus engines give superior thrust for a reduced size and mass, but require extensive maintenance and a special enriched Tylium fuel that is more costly to produce than ordinary Tylium used in conventional engines.  These drawbacks forced the Colonial fleet to rely on the cheaper and reliable thruster clusters seen on most ships today.  A number of breakthroughs had been made in the years since, making them once more acceptable for the Colonial Fleet.  Some speculate that future Battlestars and other warships may use these powerful and compact engines once further developments are made.  Design problems caused the original vessel of her class, the Nova, to suffer considerable teething problems which were resolved in the second ship, the Atlantia, which was launched first.  Despite these problems the Novas have performed beyond expectations so far.

The Columbia is named after the Battlestar that was destroyed shortly before the Armistice in recognition of her service.  Most Novas are named after famous Battlestars.  The design is very flexible, allowing the internal space to be reconfigured according to mission needs with features such as Marine troop transport, full hospital facilities, space for up to 12 combat squadrons and a fully equipped Strategic Command Center.  Combining the latest in computers, communications and ECM the Nova is perfectly equipped to command a Colonial Battlefleet and their firepower is only rivaled by the largest Warstars.

Commander : Rear Admiral David Cullen
XO : Colonel Rick Callis
CAG : Major Lillian Rosa
Complement :  10-12 Viper Squadrons and up to 60 Raptors
Armament : 4 Forward Batteries, 6 Thunderbolt Heavy Turrets, 56 Thunderbolt Medium Turrets, 24 missile bays.

Battlestar Profile 007 : TF02 Tiger Class Strikestar Lion

Although Battlestars could engage and destroy Cylon Basestars quite effectively it often took quite a while to batter down enemy defenses, leaving the Battlestars exposed.  Needing extra firepower, the Colonial Fleet looked into building a new class of ships, far more powerful than the old pre-war destroyers.  In order to save time and increase interchangeability with other ships, the Tiger class Strikestars were built on the same hull as the Atlantia Battlestars.  Mounting four Exaction 4096mm KEW in retractable side mounted pods it could deliver punishing damage to Cylon warships.  The front firing configuration meant that the ship was not as exposed to enemy fire as other ships firing the more conventional broadsides.

After some initial success Strikestars became priority targets for the Cylons, even going as far as ignoring Battlestars to destroy the Strikestars first.  Designed initially to escort Battlestars, the Tigers would need an escort of their own, usually CWIS Skirmishstars and Escortstars providing additional CAP.  Later in the War Tigers were paired with a Battlestar, in the Lion's case, the Cybola.


The Lion fought in many battles, including First and Third Caprica and the liberation of Tauron.  It suffered heavy damaged and was rammed 29 times by Cylon Raiders, a record that stands to this day.  Still in service nearly a decade after the war, she suffered a critical structural failure during a jump and was converted into a storage hulk until it was scrapped several years later.

Of the seven ships originally built, five were destroyed in combat. Only a single Tiger class survives today.

Commander : Commander Callum Haynes
XO : Colonel "Fighting Joe" Joe Perez
Complement :  Up to two shuttles and 4 raptors
Armament : 4 Exaction 4096mm KEW, 18 Thunderbolt 1 twin turrets, 460 CIWS

Battlestar Profile 006 : BSG 29 Triton Class Battlestar Trident

In the closing days of the Cylon War, a new generation of Battlestars was created in the hope to stem the tide and overwhelm the Cylons with increasingly more powerful ships.  The Triton is one of the most radical and controversial designs in the fleet, attempting to fulfill several different roles in a single Battlestar.

Despite their size and firepower, the Poseidon class were never used as command ships, most admirals using the aging Longbow and Gauntlet Battlestars as their flagships.  The Triton attempted to resolve this by including a Strategic Command Centre (SCC) for use by higher ranking officers, leaving the CIC to handle ship operations without interference.  While highly suitable as command vessels, the Triton class also mounts a fearsome arsenal of heavy guns on her flight pods, rivaling that of the larger Gunstars.

Logistically, this posed several problems.  The presence of so many guns requiring large ammunition supplies reduced the available storage space for fighters in the flight pods.  Designers incorporated storage space inside the ship's main hull, but problems with the cargo elevators meant that the Tritons had a much slower fighter launch and recovery rate than other Battlestars.  Some Commanders have tried to solve this by reducing the ammunition storage to ease the flight pod congestion, their rationale being that command ships should stay out of close combat anyway.  Another problem was the combined recoil of the guns causing structural damage to the flight pods as a result the batteries were fired in sequences to reduce damage.

The Trident was the command ship of Admiral Taris and flew many diplomatic and goodwill missions in the colonies during the troubled and politically unstable  post-war years.  She was considered an unlucky ship, having suffered several fires, an engine explosion and accidental decompression of most of the starboard flight pod.  It was during maneuvers in an attempt to engage a pair of Skirmishstars that she veered off course to simulate her attempt to dodge enemy fire and collided with the Artemis, an Atlas Class Battlestar.  Many hundreds of crewmembers died as the two ships collided and broke up.  The high loss of life as well as commanding officers and Admiral Taris was a serious blow to the image of the Colonial Fleet.

The Triton Class is currently being replaced by the new Nova Class Battlestars as command vessels.  A major overhaul of the design has been suggested, replacing the troublesome flight pods with more conventional ones and foregoing most of the heavy firepower.

The general layout and design of the ship inspired designers of the Mercury class.

Commander : Commander Silas Gale
XO : Colonel Mikael Green (KIA)
CAG : Major Donna "Spitfire" Qassi (KIA)
Complement : Up to 8 squadrons of fighters, up to 40 Raptors
Armament :

Starship classes

Battlestar : Battlestars are the main ships of the line in the Colonial Fleet.  They carry a heavy armament and a large complement of fighter squadrons as well as a full complement of Marines and ground combat vehicles.  As a result Battlestars can act simultaneously as battleships, carriers and mobile operation bases.  Battlestars are designed to operate independently from other ships for extended periods.  Smaller Battlestars are meant for reconnaissance, deep strikes and providing support to other ships.  Larger Battlestars are often fleet command ships and carry one or more wings of fighters and different types of other craft such as assault ships, bombers, attack shuttles and gunships.  The largest Battlestars are sometimes referred to as Warstars.  Flagship Battlestars are sometimes referred to as Novastars.  The term Battlestar is an abbreviation of Battlestarship.

Gunstar : Foregoing fighter facilities for extra guns, they are designed to destroy enemy capital ships using their often formidable firepower.  Lacking fighters they are usually paired with Battlestars and Escortstars or are used to defend shipyards and other facilities.  The largest Gunstars are often referred to as Dreadstars.  There are two main types of Gunstars, the first type is armed with powerful forward guns and engages the enemy head on, while the second type carries its heavy armament along the ship sides to deliver broadside salvoes at the enemy, hence the term "Broadside Gunstar", they can also be referred to as a Meleestar.

Missilestars : While most ships in the fleet have missile bays of some kind, the Missilestar is designed to provide a versatile missile capability to any flotilla.  Missilestars rely on their heavy missiles to engage enemy ships or ground targets.  Warheads vary from conventional Tylium to nuclear anti warship weapons.  They also carry anti-fighter and anti- missile, providing critical extra flak facilities to protect other ships.  The ability of Cylons to jam and hijack missiles has greatly slowed development of missiles in the Colonial Fleet.


Strikestar : Strikestars are smaller than most Battlestars and Gunstars.  Most have a limited fighter capacity, mostly for defensive purposes, and lack the heavy armour of Battlestars.  They are primarily used as Battlestar escorts or for patrolling in areas that do not warrant the deployment of a full sized Battlestar.  Strikestars are the most likely to see service on a day to day basis, reserving Battlestars for major military operations.

Escortstar : Early Battlestars lacked extensive fighter repair facilities.  Light carriers and tenders were used to provide a fresh supply of fighters and other craft to keep the Battlestar fully operational.  With the advent of larger, more advanced Battlestars with their own fighter production capacity, the need for Escortstars has somewhat diminished, but they are still vital to replenish stocks in times of war when losses may exceed a Battlestar's repair facilities.  In times of peace Escortstars are sometimes used as patrol ships relying on their fighter squadrons to survey a sector.  Escortstars were not meant to engage other capital ships and only have limited defensive weaponry.

Skirmishstars : These light support craft are the mainstay of the Colonial Fleet and the Orbital Guard.  They are the most likely to deal with pirates, smugglers and other problems.  They also escort convoys and supply vessels as well as Battlestars.  Most Battlestar Groups will have several of these ships providing escort and recon duties in some cases up to dozens of craft.

Stealthstar : The term is applied to both small craft and larger ships.  Stealthstars are designed to have a minimal dradis signature and rely on passive data acquisition.  They are meant for infiltration and information gathering rather than combat.  Some smaller Battlestars such as the Valhalla and Nightstar class have limited Stealth capability.  Small craft Stealthstars are used in a similar manner, while their size allows them to pass off as space debris.

Other, sometimes older terms have been used in an informal manner over the years in and outside of the Service.  This was more prevalent in the early days of the Colonial Fleet and the Cylon War when many older vessels were still in service and new Colonial ships with a similar profile would be named as such.

Battlestar Profile 005 : BSG 8 Atlantia Class Battlestar Athena

The Athena is one of the most famous of the early Battlestars.  During the first Battle for Caprica, the Athena jumped into the middle of a furious melee involving several Battlestars and a massive Cylon assault force.  Her sudden appearance shocked the Cylons long enough for Colonial forces to regroup and defeat the Cylon armada.  After her tour on the line, she was sent to drydock and completely upgraded to a Columbia Class configuration with full hull plating, improved FTL engines and refurbished armament.

A highly decorated ship, she accompanied Admiral Murata's fleet for the assault on the main Cylon shipyards.  Unfortunately Murata fell into a Cylon trap.  The loss of 9 Battlestars is still remembered as the Blackest Day of the Fleet.  The destruction of the Athena could not be confirmed and she remains listed as Missing in Action, presumed destroyed.  Some have suggested that she was captured by the Cylons and used to work out new methods to destroy Colonial Battlestars.  The loss of the Columbia in the final hours of the war is seen as possible proof.

The name of Athena is still used by some in the Colonial Fleet as a rallying cry, much in the same way as the Kobol.  In honour of her heroic past a newly laid down Mercury Class will bear the name and carry on her tradition.

The Athena follows the design patterns of the Atlantia and Columbia classes.  Several improvements made to the Athena were retrofitted to older Battlestars.

Commander : Commander Maximilian Brenner
XO : Colonel Lara Ithares
CAG : Major Ferenc Draco
Complement : Up to 6 squadrons of fighters, up to 25 Raptors
Armament : 24 Thunderbolt 2 twin turrets, 514 Balista CIWS, 12 missile bays.

Battlestar Profile 004 : BSG 107 Valhalla Class Battlestar Aegir

The Aegir is the 17th and final vessel of her class.  Designed as an advanced light Battlestar, suitable for reconnaissance and deep strike operations, stealth, speed, range and sophisticated electronics were put before firepower and fighter capacity.

The Valhalla came at a time where every new Battlestar class was bigger than the previous one.  The enormous cost of running such leviathans began to weigh heavily on the Colonial budget, especially when memories of the war began to fade and politicians turned their attention to areas neglected during the conflict with the Cylons.  The Valhalla was a radical change of design policy and allowed new, carefully selected electronics, protected by the latest in firewall technology, giving this class capabilities not seen since before the Cylon War.  Lower maintenance costs appealed to beancounting bureaucrats overseeing the Fleet budget, while new weapons and design gave good results for the military.  One notable feature of the Valhalla are her dual purpose guns, capable of firing conventional ship to ship missiles or class A tactical nukes.

The Aegir is the last of her class to be commissioned, she set the final standard to which most Valhalla will be upgraded in the coming years.  Many improvements are now used in the latest Nightstar Battlestars.  She was one of the first ships to receive the new CNP program, resulting in significant navigational improvements.  Other improvements include a redesigned ammunition storage, simplified engine maintenance and better fuel efficiency.  The advanced technology makes the Aegir a deadly ship, without having to rely on raw firepower.  This well-rounded package has made it a popular ship only third to the Mercury and Nova Class.

Commander : Commander Julius Donner
XO : Lieutenant-Colonel Armand Di Lorenzo
CAG : Captain Paul Bathory
Complement : 4-6 squadrons of fighters, up to 10 Raptors
Armament : 35 Harpoon-series K dual purpose twin turrets, 14 Avenger light twin turrets, 120 Phalanx B CIWS, 6 missile bays.