Movies - Battlestar

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	Movies - Battlestar

Battlestars are capital ships from the science fiction universe of Battlestar Galactica, depicted in the original Battlestar Galactica (1978) movie and series, the Galactica 1980 spinoff, and the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica (2003) series.

Battlestar Galactica (1978-1980)

General information

Battlestars are the premier capital ship in the navy, which is the space equivalent of an aircraft carrier of the Twelve Colonies, and they have fought for at least five hundred yahren in the Thousand Year War against the Cylon Alliance. They are about 1265 meters (4150 feet) in length. The hull is divided into the main hull with the bridge and propulsion systems and winged hangar bays on the port and starboard sides. Each hangar bay typically carries 75 Viper Starfighters and several shuttles, giving a normal Battlestar a complement of 150 fighters. The fuel for a Battlestar and its Vipers is called tylium, a mysterious material that can be found on certain planets. For defense, a Battlestar mounts energy dispersing armor plate and several anti-fighter and anti-ship laser batteries plus anti-ship missiles.

Specifications

Dimensions

Hull:

Length: 1265 metres (4,150ft)
Beam: 519 metres (1,703ft)
Draft: 234 metres (768ft)

Flight Pods:

Length: 617 metres (2,025ft)
Beam: 114 metres (374ft)
Draft: 67 metres (220ft)

Battlestar armament

Laser turrets

The laser turret is basically the same weapon as a Viper's laser cannon based on appearances alone. There are three known types of turret. One, the anti-ship type, is a slow-tracking heavy turret found along the outer edge of both hangar bays. They have longer barrels than other turrets, presumably to focus the shot for more power. Above each anti-ship turret is an anti-fighter turret. They are flatter and thinner in appearance and track much faster. Their barrels are smaller and closer together for superior accuracy against fighter craft, but lack the punch to slug it out with capital ships. The third type, of which there is only one example, is the dorsal turret. It is situated a little forward of the midline on the main hull. The purpose of this turret is harder to decipher, but it appears to be placed almost as an afterthought. The dorsal surface is otherwise devoid of any weapons.

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 a misnomer or a laser simply plays a part in the firing of the actual weapon discharge.

Forward lasers

The forward lasers have only been seen in The Living Legend Pt. 2 and The Hand of God and are often confused with anti-ship missiles (see section below). They are very powerful, orange-beamed weapons solely for capital ship use. They give a Battlestar the offensive firepower to pose somewhat of a threat to a base star. Their use must be a significant drain on ship power because they are typically reserved for close range, knockout blows on base stars. The location of their emitters on the hull is unknown.

Anti-ship missiles

These heavy missiles give a Battlestar enough firepower to utterly destroy at least two base stars. The only example of their use is in The Living Legend, Part 2. Each Battlestar carries a limited supply of these potent missiles, though. They probably carry solenite warheads. They are often confused with the forward lasers because they were fired at the same time in the above-mentioned episode. However, the most likely explanation is that the missiles and lasers were used in conjunction to batter down the base stars' defences quickly.

Battlestar armor

The armor plate of a Battlestar is unique in that it acts like an energy shield would in any other science fiction universe. It disperses the energy from a weapon bolt quickly over a large portion of the hull to ward off damage. However, as the armor is overheated during an engagement, hull breaches and fires will develop where energy leaks through. Both Battlestars and Vipers have this special armor, while Cylon craft either have an energy shield or no defenses at all.

List of Battlestars

It has been believed that five hundred Battlestars were constructed during the duration of the Thousand Year War, and only five were known to survive by the time the original movie took place.

Count Baltar's own was lost at the Peace Conference, it was the Acropolis, Pacifica, or the Triton.

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