by John Larocque
First created: July 1, 1996
Last revised: April 1, 1998
Maintained by John Larocque
Special thanks to Larry Mager, Michael Passmore and Chris Pappas
This document is � 2000, John Larocque. All rights
reserved.
This document is copyrighted
material. Placing a copy of this document on your site, in part or in full, is
expressly forbidden. If you wish to provide a link to this document from your
site, please contact the author in advance for permission.
- Acronyms used in this document:
- BG, BSG - Battlestar Galactica
- EG - Encyclopedia Galactica
- CWTM - The Colonial Warriors Technical Manual
How Many Battlestars are There?
Perhaps this is a question best left unanswered. Here is a
transcript of a dialog recorded at the Galactica 15 Yahren Reunion,
between Glen Larson, and an inquiring fan (dressed in Commander Cain garb) (this
fan was actually Larry Mager - SJP):
- Fan: What were the names of the twelve
Battlestars? We�ve seen different lists.
- Larson: They weren�t Battlestars. They were
the names of the planets.
- Fan: You have the Galactica, the Pacifica,
the Atlantia, the Pegasus... the ship names.
- Larson: We never arrived that there were
twelve Battlestars. We only actually shot the Atlantia, the Pegasus,
the Galactica. I can�t think of any others.
- Fan: During the attack by the Cylons on the
fleet, you hear in the background, the Pacifica, the Triton is
moving up alongside the Acropolis. You hear these different names
coming up. And we are trying to decipher what they were.
- Larson: I appreciate the question and we have
reason to want to look into that, and we�ll have to research that.
The Sources of the Battlestar Names
There are five main sources used for the Battlestar names
in this document. The discussion of these sources also raises the question of
what is a reliable Battlestar name source, and what is the correct spelling.
- 1. Battlestar Galactica television episodes
- In the 24 hours of the Battlestar Galactica
series, only five Battlestars are specifically mentioned. These are, in
order of appearance: Galactica, Atlantia, Columbia, Pegasus
and Rycon. There are three more mentioned in background from the
pilot episode: Acropolis, Triton and Pacifica.
- 2. The Battlestar Galactica pocket books
- There were fourteen pocket books published by Berkeley
between 1978 and 1984. Two of them are sources for Battlestar names. The Pacifica
and Solaria are found in the pilot novelization Battlestar
Galactica (Berkley, 1978) by Robert Thurston, and the Battlestar
Cerberus in BG 7: War of the Gods (Berkley, 1982) by Nicolas
Yermakov (aka Simon Hawke.)
- 3. The Official Battlestar Galactica Scrapbook
(Grosset & Dunlap, 1978) by James Neyland.
- On page 14, this publication asserts that there were
five surviving Battlestars before the ambush at Cimtar, of which four were
destroyed by Cylon forces. In addition to the Galactica, it names
three of these four Battlestars, namely, the Atlantia, the Pacifica,
and the Solaria. This publication mentions the Pegasus, which
was presumed to be destroyed prior to Cimtar, only to reemerge in the
two-part episode �The Living Legend.�
- 4. Encyclopedia Galactica: From The Fleet Library
Aboard The Battlestar Galactica (Windmill, 1979) by Bruce Krause
- Under the section �Battlestar,� it is
specifically stated that �only two of the twelve Battlestars are known to
have survived the Final Destruction,� namely the Galactica and the Pegasus.
Elsewhere, under the biography of Colonel Tigh, it says that he previously
served aboard the Bellerephon (note the spelling.) This is
undoubtedly where the idea of �twelve Battlestars� first appeared.
- 5. The Colonial Warriors Technical Manual
(Space Waste, 1988)
- One idea in fandom is that there was one Battlestar
per colony. This is the first known published reference to that theory.
Unfortunately, it is also poorly researched and edited, and the authors
freely made up definitions, flags, and time unit relationships. They provide
a list of twelve Battlestars, each paired with its own colony. Bellerephon,
from EG, is rendered as Bellephon. No mention is made of the Cerberus,
from the novelization War of the Gods. Four new Battlestar names
appear, including theArgo, the Olympia, the Poseidon,
and the Prometheus.
- 6 Larry Mager�s Battlestars article in Anomaly
#15, published by Sue Paxton�s Anomaly
- Larry Mager, a long time Galactica fan,
produced an extremely well researched article on the Battlestar names in Anomaly
#15. In addition to the series episodes, he relied on three other
sources � background dialog in the pilot episode, a list given to Robert
Thurston by the Galactica producers, conversations with someone at
New West Productions, and conversations with personnel from Galactica�s
Costuming Department. All the Battlestar names from the first four
references are present in Mager�s list, although the Acropolis does
not appear in his list as a Battlestar, but a freighter or escort ship to
the Pacifica. Two names from the CWTM also appear, the Olympia
and the Prometheus. Where Mager�s list disagrees from the CWTM is
the inclusion of the Cerberus and the Acropolis instead of the
Argo and the Poseidon. (Larry�s article may be found here)
The CWTM and the EG, continue to have an influence on Galactica
fandom. Recently the CWTM list was printed in one of the Maximum Press comic
books. Prior to July 1996, the Battlestar Galactica Frequently Asked
Questions made use of the CWTM list, and later, Mager�s, before trimming
the list down to the five Battlestars specifically named in the series.
I. The Five Battlestars at Cimtar
Several sources, including the original script, state that
there were only five Battlestars present in the pilot episode, at the Battle of
Cimtar. These are their names.
Galactica
Commander Adama�s Battlestar. Present at Cimtar.
Atlantia
President Adar�s Battlestar. Destroyed at Cimtar. First
and last appearance in the pilot episode.
Acropolis
From background dialog in the pilot episode. Here is the
first transcript from the home video version of the pilot (0:19:53):
- Apollo: Zac?
- Tigh: His ship was destroyed just short of the
the fleet.
- Background: (female) Transferring target
scanners to decks seven and eight.
- Background: (female) Battlestars Atlantia
and Acropolis losing speed.
- Background: (male) Must regain speed three
points to maintain position with Atlantia.
Here is the second transcript from the home video version
of the pilot (0:25:05):
- Adama: We�re withdrawing. Flank speed for
home.
- Background: (male) This is the Acropolis.
We are on fire. Abandon ship. Request shuttles to...
Triton and Pacifica
From background dialog in the pilot episode. The Pacifica
was also referenced in page 14 of The Battlestar Galactica Scrapbook, and
the pilot novelization, Battlestar Galactica on page 11. The latter poses
problems because it asserts that the Pacifica was destroyed prior
to the peace conference. The Triton was also confirmed by Larry Mager�s
contact at New West. Here is the transcript from the home video version of the
pilot (0:23:55):
- Tigh: That puts them well within the range of
the planets Virgon, Sagitarra...
- Adama: and Caprica.
- Background: (male) Request damage reports from
Battlestars Triton and Pacifica.
- Background: (female) No response from the Triton
and Pacifica.
II. Other Battlestar Names from the Series
In addition to the five Battlestars named in the pilot,
there are three other names used throughout the series.
Columbia
According to Centurion Vulpa, it was destroyed at Cimtar.
This, however, contradicts dialog from the pilot episode, which does not name
the Columbia as one of the five Battlestars. Therefore, Vulpa is wrong.
Here is the scene in �Gun on Ice Planet Zero - Part 1�:
- Vulpa: What are the coordinates of the
Battlestar Galactica.
- Cree: I�m from the Columbia.
- Vulpa: The Columbia was destroyed at
the peace conference.
- Cree: Peace conference?
Pegasus
Commander Cain�s Battlestar. Presumed lost at the battle
of Molecay, it reappears and disappears again in �The Living Legend.�
Rycon
Commander Kronus� Battlestar. Perished at the Battle of
the Cosmara Archipelago, and mentioned in the episode �Take the Celestra�.
III. Battlestar Names from Other Sources
These are Battlestar names, from sources other than the
series itself, including publications cited above, a list given to novelist
Robert Thurston, costume department information, and information provided by New
West. Most, if not all, can be considered non-canon.
Solaria
Referenced on page 14 of The Battlestar Galactica
Scrapbook, and page 58 of the pilot novelization Battlestar Galactica.
Both publications place the Solaria at Cimtar. This, however, contradicts
dialog from the pilot episode, which does not name the Solaria as one of
the five Battlestars. Therefore, the books are wrong. The name is also confirmed
from costume department information.
Cerberus
Referenced on page 147 of the War of the Gods
novelization by Nicolas Yermakov: The name is also confirmed by costume
department information.
I [Adama] was assigned to the Bronze Squadron of the
Battlestar Cerberus. My wingmates were Lieutenant Cain, who would later
command the Pegasus, and Lieutenant Apollo. Yahrens later, when my
first son was born, I named him in honor of my friend.
The Maximum Press comic Battlestar Galactica Special
Edition #1, uses this passage from the novelization as the basis for its
story.
Bellerophon
Referenced under the section �Tigh� in Encylopedia
Galactica, as Bellerephon. It is also present in a list given to
Robert Thurston. According to Thurston�s list, Bellerophon is the
correct spelling.
Olympia and Valiant
The Olympia is from Thurston�s list, and is also
referenced in the CWTM. According to Mager, a variant list has the Valiant
in place of the Olympia.
Prometheus, Argo and Poseidon
Three more Battlestar names from the CWTM. The Prometheus
was also confirmed from costume department information.
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