BATTLESTAR GALACTICA 2003

All canon Cylon designs are found on my dedicated Cylon Page. All Battlestar Prometheus drawings have been moved to their own page.

MY CANON COLONIAL Drawings

Re-imagined Battlestar Galactica From the new SciFi channel series. Differs considerably from the original, yet has many similarities. Drawn using plans released by the special effects company that designed her, as well as an incredible set of schematics drawn by Cobywan which provided details not visible in the official plans. XRaiderV1 has modified the drawing to show the missile launch tubes seen in "The Eye of Jupiter". The appear to be hidden behind sliding portions of the upper armor since they are not visible in any previous shots of the Galactica.

Battlestar Columbia (1) The first Battlestar to carry the name, the Columbia was lost in Operation Raptor Talon on the very last day of the Cylon War. Screencaps from Razor show additional armor plates pn the head, pods, and main hull.

Battlestar Pegasus Mercury Class Battlestar Detailed references were finally released at the beginning of 2009, so The Beast has been updated with a new drawing. Some of the changes are subtle, others less so. I decided not to include lighting in this drawing, since the new, more accurate, hull color makes it hard to see and not worth the effort.

Battlestar Valkyrie References are exceedingly hard to find for this ship, but I finally found some good ones in the instructions for a resin model kit from Bad Azz models based on the actual CGI model. A variant was seen in Razor with a "wing" over the engines. Some claim it is just part of the shipyard where it is docked but concept art of Valkyrie shows the wing so I think its real. There is some doubt about the size of Valkyrie, with Razor seeming to show her as much larger. I've drawn all the various ships based on Valkyrie to this new size. Larger Valkyrie Larger Winged Valkyrie

Berzerk Class Escort (Up-armored variant) Seen briefly in Razor, little is known about the design except that it appears heavily armored and has a hanger under the hull. The design is based on an early concept drawing for the Galactica. In Razor a larger version was also seen.

Flattop Repair Ship

Fighters and Small Craft

Viper Mk II Introduced in the Cylon War, the Mk II was seen only in museums by the time the Cylons returned. Pressed into service again, it became the primary fighter type on the Galactica prior to the arrival of the Pegasus.

Mk VII Viper The first version seen in the minseries, and seasons 1 & 2. In Season 3 a new model was used along with the old with a modified nose and other changes.

Colonial Raptor Intended as a recon and Electronic Warfare platform, the Raptor also sees extensive use in the troop transport and shuttle roles, as well as anti-ship strike missions. In season 3 a variant is seen with add-on missile racks and guns. In "The Plan" a Rescue version is seen picking up survivors on Caprica and Picon.

The Mk I Viper, From the New Series (!) This IS canon, since the Viper from the original series is seen in the museum in Galactica's starboard hanger pod, along with the MkII's that were put back into service. The color scheme is designed to resemble the MkII, with an alternate version resembling the MkVII. I added some RCS thrusters to keep it true to the new series which actually pays attention to newtonian physics.

Colonial Shuttle Mk II The primary heavy shuttle of the colonies, seen in military and civilian service.

Colonial Shuttle Mk I The original series shuttle is seen several times during the series. Jim Stevenson's excellent schematics were essential for making this drawing.

Blackbird Built from spare parts and scrapped ships, the Blackbird was a custom built stealth recon ship.

Stealthstar A Colonial stealth fighter, seen in the episode "Hero". The Cylons don't seem to have much trouble seeing it though and it is quickly attacked after crossing the armistice line.

Greystone Phoenix Executive VTOL From Caprica, a VTOL used by the Greystone company.

Landram Seen in a couple episodes, including Razor where it is shown several times too large.

My Non canon colonial Drawings

Battlestars

Battlestar Indra A design of my own creation. The Indra class of Battlestars were completed too late to serve in the Cylon War and were also the last class of Battlestar to have retractable flight pods. Many of her design features would be refined and incorporated into the later and larger Mercury Class.

Battlestar Durga After the introduction of the Mercury class into service, many Indra Class Battlestars underwent an extensive refit to bring them up to a similar level of technology.

Re-Re-imagined Battlestar Galactica A design of my own creation. This simply takes the "style" of the new series Galactica, and blends it with the original.

Battlestar Olympia From a fanfic by "pinchy417" at the Sci-Fi Meshes Forum In the story, the Olympia is a training ship that survives the Cylon sneak attack. The actual design is simply the original Galactica design "re-textured" with the color scheme of the new Galactica and with some added turrets.

Battlestar Manticore The Manticore and her sisters were slightly smaller than the Galactica and the rear hull was redesigned to allow landings to occur even with the pods retracted. The Manticore drawing using a modified head from Alexzandyr J.'s Zeus Class, as well as his gun turrets. The design is in response to a request from J. Mosher.

Battlestar Atlantia (1) The Atlantia and Rycon were command versions of the original Battlestars, somewhat larger with extra Viper squadrons and additional firepower to compliment their flag facilities and enhanced command abilities. They served with great distinction during the Cylon War, with the Rycon being lost. She was decomissioned prior to the launch of the new Nova Class Battlestar of the same name. XRaiderV1 has modified the drawing to show the missile launch tubes seen in "The Eye of Jupiter". The appear to be hidden behind sliding portions of the upper armor since they are not visible in any previous shots of the Galactica. Here is the Atlantia armored.

Battlestar Andraste Designed as a fleet command ship, the Andraste was a one of a kind warship. And one was all the Council of Twelve was willing to pay for! The FTL system alone cost as much as a small Battlestar, and the advanced communications systems only added to the incredible cost. Her firepower and carrying capacity was unrivaled, with a half-dozen landing bays for several hundred Vipers, three hundred being the planned operational capacity, with ample room for additional squadrons in emergencies as well as extensive manufacturing facilities for both Vipers and Raptors. At the time of the Cylon surprise attack, Andraste was nearing the end of an extended patrol along the Armistice Line. Her fate is unknown, but she is presumed destroyed.

Battlestar Glorious Designed as an escort to the larger Mercury class Battlestars, the Glorious and he sisters lacked the larger ships Viper production capacity, and heavy firepower but cost considerably less to build and man.

Battlestar Terpsichore Armageddon Class Near the end of the first Cylon War, the Colonial Fleet was finding itself very spread out and in need of more battlestars that were being produced my the fleet yards. In an attempt to bring more battlestars on line, they sent the word out to civilian shipbuilders. An independent Caprican company, in need of contracts and money, approached the high command with a proposal. They had all six of their slipways open, but the problem was they weren't long enough to build the Galactica type Battlestars. The Caprican Bridge and Shipbuilding Corp. offered the solution of shortening the Galactica type to fit the slip ways, and they promised to deliver the first of the new "light" battlestars by the end of the year. The company was able to pull off the "miracle" and they delivered the ship 13 days ahead of the promised schedule, and contingent upon payment. She was presented to the fleet for testing. She was the first Battlestar to put to space unnamed. The CB&S, bet the entire company fortune on their private venture. The Fleet was impressed with the company, they had delivered the ship in prime condition. The Fleet only had to work out a few system bugs. In service the unnamed ship performed well on her shakedown cruise. Her smaller size made her more agile then the standard Battlestar, and she was slightly faster. The fleet felt these advantages outweighed her downsized Viper strength. In her first battle, she was able to come to the rescue, and place herself in front of a damaged Battlestar, and back two Cylon Basestars down. She proceeded to pass between the two Basestars, fired all her main batteries and anti ship missiles and at the last second, turned and ran to escape the holocaust. Upon the results of the battle and her first cruise....the Colonial Fleet issued a contract for 12 "Armageddon" class battlestars, all to be built by Caprican Bridge and Ship, who had forced herself in bankruptcy, to deliver the ship fully operational and head of schedule. As the Judge was about to sign a court order to start liquidating the company, the Colonial Fleet announced it was purchasing the 11 other ships. Backstory by CinC Battleforce.

Battlestar Atlas From a design by Ravenstar Studios. A heavy battlestar from the late Cylon War era, designed to be able to accomidate larger vessels than normal in its hanger bays.

Armored Galactica From a design by Ravenstar Studios. A Galactica class ship, fully armored and modernized.

Battlestar Selene Based on Ravenstar's Atlas above, but an older design with retractable pods. By the time of the Cylon holocaust, the Selene was part of the reserve fleet.

Battlestar Heracles The Galactica Class design proved itself during the Cylon War, and several more modified versions were built in the post war years. With advances in FTL technology, the need to retract the flight pods to jump was eliminated and the added space available was used for additional storage to extend its endurance.

Battlestar Columbia (2) (retracted pods) The Bellona Class Battlestars were designed in the latter years of the Cylon War as fleet command ships, larger and more powerfully armed than the Galactica Class. Five were eventually completed, though only the Bellona entered service before the war ended. One, the Battlestar Alcmene, was renamed while under construction to honor the last Battlestar lost in the war, the Columbia. By the time of the Holocaust, all but the Arcas had been retired and she wasscheduled for decommissioning withing the next fiscal year. Arcas was reported destroyed over Tauron by a group of several Baseships and their fighters as she tried to defend the colony.

Battlestar Pegasus (retracted pods) While the Galactica Class Battlestars were the mainstay of the Colonial fleet during the war, there were those in the Colonial Admiralty that clamored for a more powerful Battlestar, better geared towards directly engaging Cylon Baseships. The result was the Pegasus Class of Battlestars. The most obvious change from the Galactica was their sheer size, with far greater firepower and a much larger fighter compliment. Her main punch was provided by a pair of huge railgun turrets in the bow. These weapons were intended to have a wide arc of fire, but their size and recoil often meant that they were kept facing almost directly forward. Huge engines allowed the Pegasus to close rapidly with a target in spite of her tremendous bulk. They were also very fuel hungry, resulting in a shorter endurance than the Galacticas despite their increased size. Six were built and were to see heavy use during the war, with four being lost in combat. This high loss rate was not due to any design flaw, but was rather attributed to the aggressive nature of the Commanders chosen for these ships, ones willing to get in close to slug it out with the enemy. The Pegasus, under the command of Commander Rodney Tolan, exemplified this reputation. Pegasus was responsible for the destruction of nearly a half dozen Baseships and several other Cylon vessels during the war, finally being lost over the Canceron moon of Molecay. The two survivors did not remain in service for long after the armistice. They proved to be far too manpower intensive and expensive to operate. The huge railguns, while capable of tearing through a Baseship with ease, were hard to maintain and the shock generated by their firing would frequently damage systems in the fore part of the ship.

Battlestar Fenris The last Battlestar to enter service, the Fenris was commissioned only weeks before the Cylon attack. Equipped with the latest in computer technology, including powerful firewalls and virtual intelligence computers she was able to resist Cylon computer hacking efforts but fell in battle over Virgon. Other planned ships in the class would have been named after older, famous ships that were recently retired like Galactica.

Battlestar Europa A less than successful design from the First Cylon War, the Aquarion designed Europa had several design faults that doomed it from entering into production and the only ship completed as a combat vessel, the Europa, was lost over her home colony.

Battlestar Poseidon A Ravenstar design for a heavier version of the Mercury, with larger flight pods and a larger hull.

Battlestar Titan Another Ravenstar design for a monstorous design that dwarfs the Prometheus.

Battlestar Columbia (3) and Refit Intended as a follow-on to the Mercury class, the Columbia class Battlestars paved the way for many of the technical innovations seen in the Nova class Command Battlestars. Their advanced systems caused numerous problems and production ended after only five ships in favor of the Cerberus, an updated Mercury. The Columbia's flight group was smaller than a Mercury and while she had two landing decks in each flight pod, her launch tubes were all oriented in the "up" direction, with fighters landing on the lower deck being flipped "right side up" on rotating elevators before arriving on the hanger deck. The enlarged "Raptor's Nest" along each flight pod allowed her to launch large numbers of Raptors or variants at once and made them excellent ships for assaults and Columbia was heavily involved in the suppression of unrest on Aerilon. The flightpods were extensively modified just prior to the Cylon attack. (The recent release of the writer's "Bible" for the series says that Columbia was a new ship when Chief Tyrol served on her, so obviously I needed to change my backstory and have the Bellona Class version be replaced with a new ship.)

The Battlestar Cerberus and Battlestar Rhiannon are "Block II" Mercurys, updated with additional weapons, armor, and a much greater launch capacity. The Cerberus carries a distinctive "Shark's Mouth", in memory of the original Battlestar Cerberus which served with distinction in the First Cylon War. After the difficulties with the Columbia class, the Cerberus became the standard production model, replacing Mercury class production.

Battlestar Atlantia (2) A Mercury Block 0, the second Battlestar Atlantia was one of the first Mercury class Battlestars to enter service. The design was soon upgraded to the Block 1 Pegasus type, with improvements to the flight pods and weapons. Some Block 0's were updated with the dorsal gun turrets of the Block 2, like the Eternal. (see below) The 2nd Atlantia was decomissioned and replaced with the Nova class version just before the final Cylon attack on the Colonies.

Battlestar Sigurd An attempt to make a more powerful version of the Valkyrie, the Sigurd adds two additional engines and larger flight pods. While giving the ship greater firepower it came out as less maneuverable than the Valkyrie, and endurance suffered as well, but several were built and served in the Colonial Fleet. Larger Version

Stealthbattlestar Banshee The desire to gain intell on Cylon intentions lead to the development of a dedicated stealth warship designed to penetrate Cylon space and gather information through a series of passive sensor systems. Great efforts were taken to reduce the ship's DRADIS signature, including hatches over the flight deck enterances, retractable weapons, and baffles on the engine exhausts. Weapons were limited and standard procedure would be to run if detected. The Banshee entered service about a year before the final Cylon attack, but the failure of the Valkyrie's mission and fears of provoking the Cylons meant that the ship was never used for her intended purpose and was presumed lost in the destruction of the main fleet anchorage over Picon.

Battlestar Caprica A small Battlestar based on a concept sketch for the Valkyrie.

Assaultstars

Assaultstar Harrier The Harriers were designed as escorts and as assault transports. They are were one of the largest vessels capable of a planetary landing, though this was done rarely and with much consternation and at least three were lost due to failure of the gravity suppression systems under the strain or outright structural failure. They could carry a maximum of four Viper squadrons though often the Vipers were replaced with specially designed troop carriers that could use the launch tubes for rapid strikes. They had nowhere near the endurance of a Battlestar, and that became a serious issue during the Cylon War when the Cylon tactics targeted fleet supply lines, forcing Assaultstars to sometimes "nurse" from a Battlestar, reducing its endurance in turn.

Assaultstar Aethon Entering service during the 1st Cylon War, the Aethon was intended to transport large numbers of ground troops and their equipment and landers to get them on the surface. Resembling a "squashed" Battlestar, the ships were never intended for ship-to ship battles, though they carried heavy defensive armaments to defend against Cylon fighters. Escorting Battlestars and smaller warships would defend the transport as well as provide orbital fire support for ground troops. The huge flight pods held several large vehicle landers as well as numerous smaller troop carriers, but no Vipers. The main criticism of the design of the design was poor speed and maneuverability. To cut costs, smaller, off-the-shelf engines were used and they could barely move the ship when fully loaded. This was seen as a minor problem since a normal mission profile would have an Aethon jump into close orbit of a target world or space station, disgorge its troops and vehicles, then jump back to a rear area, all the while under escort.

Assaultstar Pyrois Intended to replace the Aethon class Assaultstars which entered service during the Cylon War, the Pyrois was much more heavily armed and save for its small fighter complement and somewhat lighter armor would have been classified as a Battlestar. The bizarre main hull design, taller than it was wide, was intended to compensate for the width of the huge flight pods and reduce the size of the FTL field needed to jump, and the size of the FTL system itself. Capable of carrying an entire Marine regiment and their support vehicles, the Pyrois carried several huge "Phoenix" dropships and numerous smaller craft to quickly put its troops on the ground. Four were built and together they could land an entire Marine Division. While the ships have not seen combat, they have seen service in the rescue efforts after the disaster on Troy as well as after a series of severe earthquakes on Canceron.

STRIKEstars, warstars,and gunstars

Warstar Thanatos Based on a drawing by Starslayer

Eurytion Class Light Strike Star A fast-attack missile boat.

Pandarus Class Light Strike Star A more modern missile escort.

Tiger Class Destroyer/Strikestar Another, different re-imagination of a design by Dexter Smith of the Battlestar Galactica Technical Manual

Warstar Thor A Ravenstar design. Fast and heavily armed, the Thor is designed to slug it out with Cylon Basestars without the added weight and volume of fighter bays.

Warstar Odin A proposed warstar using elements of the Nova class Battlestars.

Warstar Skadi A warstar design based on the Valkyrie. Larger Version

Warstar Tyr A warstar using elements of the Mercury class.

Gunstar Alberio Based on a design by Backstep and Ice Dragon at SciFi Meshes and a drawing by Wolff 6.0 and modified by me.

Gunstar Sterope A Cylon War era warship with heavy tremendous firepower along her flanks.

Titan II Class Gunstar (landed) The replacement for the original Cylon War era Titan, the Titan II has a modular capability with the ability to carry a variety of pods including a fighter pod, cargo/transport pods, or heavy weapons pods.

Defender Class Gunstar A downgraded version of the Guardian Class, lacking the extensive electronics suite and stealth features and intended as a general escort/patrol ship.

Guardsman Class Gunstar/Carrier Intended to supplement the Valkyrie type Battlestars, the Guardsman is a Battlestar in all but name. For political reasons the design retained its Gunstar designation for fear that the Quorum would reduce funding for Mercury class Battlestars.

Escortgunstar Anala A late war design for an escort with heavy anti-fighter defenses.

MISC. Designs

Victory Class ELINT Ship based on a miniature from Ravenstar Studios

Patrolstar Ranger Based on a design by Todd Boyce. A pre-war Scorpian design for a light patrol ship, the Rangers were tasked with patrolling the shipping lanes between most of the various colonies and were purchased by all but the poorest Colonial governments. During the war they were used for convoy escort and local defense but proved no match for even moderately sized Raider formations and many were lost.

Cutter Ranger Based on a design by Todd Boyce. After the war the surviving Rangers were transferred to the new Colonial Guards to once again patrol the inter-Colonial shipping lanes and enforce the myriad of new regulations and tariffs that came with the creation of a unified government.

Replenishment Star Africa The two unfinished Europa Class Battlestars were completed as Fleet Replenishment ships after the Europa design was determined to be a failure. The Africa and Asia could replenish two ships at once and also could carry large cargo shuttles to ferry supplies.

Cormorant Class Cruiser A Pre-Unification design, the Cormorant class was fielded by the Scorpian military and saw brief service in the First Cylon War where its advanced computers proved its undoing and all but a handful were lost. Ill suited to conversion to more labor intensive systems, the survivors were stripped of their FTL's and used as planetary guard ships for the rest of the war.

Glowworm Class Freighter A classic design widely used across the Twelve Colonies. It was especially popular with less savory elements like the Tauron Ha'la'tha who used it for smuggling. This particular sub-model features an enlarged modular cargo bay. (Yes, its a Firefly but one is seen in the BSG miniseries so it exists in the BSG universe.)

Amphilochus Class Scoutstar A dedicated fleet scout/courier resembling the old Ranger class. It is fast and heavily armed, but its hull can not stand up to heavy fire and it is not intended for fleet combat.

Queenstown Bay A Cylon War era emergency carrier design, intended to transport replacement Vipers to the front but soon pressed into service as a carrier.

FIGHTERS and SMALL CRAFT

Two-Seat Viper Mk I A training version of the Mk I Viper from early in the Cylon War.

Two-seat Mk II Viper A training or possibly strike variant of the MkII. Drawing updated 3/10. Shortened the overall length to make it more visually balanced.

Viper Mk II "Space Superiority" color scheme The same grey used on the MkVII

Viper Mk IV The DeSanto revival effort Viper, repainted to the same scheme as the new series MkII.

Two-seat Viper Mk VII and ECM variant Based on drawings by Talos.

Viper Mk VII Strike Fighter Based on a design by Starslayer for an attack version of the Mk VII.

Colonial Landing Craft A small Marine landing craft designed to be launched from Viper launch tubes.

Viper Mk V Based on a design from the BSG video game for the XBox.

Viper Mk VI A major change from the traditional Viper design, the Mk VI was soon replaced with the more advanced Mk VII but many survived in reserve forces up to the time of the Cylon attack.

Viper Mk IB Based on a design by Maui Williams

Viper Based on a design by Larson

Python Mk II Based on Larson's Viper above, the Python is a Colonial FTL capable attack craft.

Viper Mk VIII Based on the Mk VII. Only a few were in service at the time of the Cylon attack.

Viper Mk III Based on a design by Starslayer. A radical new design which entered service near the end of the Cylon War, but was produced in relatively limited numbers.

Viper Mk I "Scarlet Viper" The fighter from Richard Hatch's attempted continuation modified for the new universe.

Colonial Heavy Landing Craft Designed to ferry combat vehicles like Landram Mk II's to a planet's surface, the LCV (Landing Craft: Vehicle) was a modification of the standard Colonial shuttlecraft. It was unarmed, but was equipped with decoy and smoke launchers for defense.

Raptor Mk V Just entering service at the time of the Cylon attack that wiped out the Colonies, the Mk V Raptor was a complete redesign of the aging support craft, with larger engines, more cargo and troop capacity and weapons.

Heavy Raptor An enlarged Raptor used for cargo and also capable of carrying more troops than the standard Raptor, but lacking the extensive electronics suite of its smaller sister. It could be fitted with missile racks to provide supressive fire before landing its troops.

Thunderbird Marine Dropship (Landed) A recent design introduced by the Colonial Marines to compliment the modified shuttles used to land troops and light vehicles, the Thunderbird can carry two Landram Mk II AFV's or two platoons of troops and is heavily armed with a nose mounted gatling gun and numerous mounts for missiles and rockets. Colonial Special Forces use a modified version for covert insertion missions. (Obviously she's the Marine dropship from Aliens, heavily modified)

Condor Heavy Dropship The Condor is the largest landing craft operated by the Colonial Marines. A veteran of the Cylon War, the Condor is one of the largest craft capable of operating from most Battlestar and Assaultstars. Folding wingtips and vertical stabilizers allow it to squeeze its way onto most flightdecks, though only the Aethon and Pyrois have hanger room for these giants. Her huge, double-decked, cargo bay can carry the full pantheon of Colonial combat vehicles, from two dozen Landrams to a variety of heavy tanks and artillery. A frequent Cylon target during the war, the Condor has several defensive gun turrets and missile batteries as well as strong armor that made it extremely hard to kill and many losses during the war were caused by Cylon suicide attacks after their guns proved ineffective. (A heavily reworked Thunderbird 2 from the 1960's TV show)

Stealthstar Mk I The first "Stealthstar" fielded by the Colonial fleet about fifteen years after the end of the Cylon War saw limited service, primarily as a recon and covert strike fighter. While not as agile as Vipers from the era, the Mk I remains the only Stealthstar to officially have seen combat. Soon after entering service a squadron of Stealthstars were used to eliminate air defenses in the province of Hypatia on Gemenon after a general uprising in the region after a popular but radical religious leader was killed by police. Stealthstars from the Battlestar Indra destroyed the air defense network before Vipers and Raptors dealt with enemy fighters and troop concentrations. The combination of Colonial and local Gemonese forces then overwhelmed the rebels and many chose ritual suicide over surrender. The uprising on Gemenon remains one of the deadliest incidents in the Colonies since the end of the Cylon War.

Stealthstar Mk III Intended as a genuine "Stealth Viper", the Mk III Stealthstar has twin retractable cannons and two internal missile bays holding a total of four missiles. It suffers a slight loss in stealth capability compared to the Mk II but its performance is considerably enhanced and in it has proved lethal to Mk VII Vipers in combat simulations. One major disadvantage that will severely limit its production is its tremendous cost, four times that of a Mk VII.