Cylon Basestar
Encyclopedia
The Basestar is the capital ship of the Cylon
s in the 1978 science fiction
television series
and movie Battlestar Galactica
along with its re-imagining in the 2003 miniseries
and 2004 television series
.
The Cylon Basestar is a superior warship to a Colonial Battlestar in a technological respect as it carries stronger weapons in greater quantity and carries a greater fighter complement as well. (Basestars can hold up to 300 Cylon Raider
s.) Because of this, the Galactica
and her crew prefer to avoid combat with them as much as possible. They are propelled by a reactionless drive
that appears to make the ship spin slowly on its axis while engaged.
Basestars are considerably larger than Battlestars.
", the Basestar is revealed to have two of these weapons on the upper saucer. Pulsars are a beam weapon more powerful than the average laser turret and intended to engage other capital ships. They are capable of destroying a Battlestar-sized craft in only a few hits. Battlestars usually attempt to approach Basestars from the lower saucer to avoid these weapons.
Laser Turrets : Like a Battlestar, Basestars have laser turrets that resemble the weapons of their fighters but on a larger scale. The laser turrets on Basestars are located at the tips of the "spokes" on both saucers and are considerably more powerful than the Colonial design.
Missile Turrets : These turrets were seen in the episode "The Living Legend, Part 2
" and they are on the inner surfaces of both saucers. They are meant for close range defense, since a Battlestar's point defense weapons could easily shoot them down at a longer range.
of the Cylons
within the re-imagining of the science fiction mini-series and television series Battlestar Galactica
. They are different in appearance and function from the Basestars of the 1978 TV series
.
Earlier Basestars have a design similar to that of the 1978 series. The following deals with Basestars as they existed during the main events of the series.
and conventional ordnance. Basestars are biomechanical
entities, with fleshy "hangars" to house Raiders. Basestars are capable of carrying other Cylon models as crew within them.
A tactical nuclear weapon
was deployed aboard a base star in orbit over Kobol and the base star was destroyed in the resulting explosion. In the season two episode "Resurrection Ship, Part II", with both sides' fighter groups engaged elsewhere the Battlestars Galactica and Pegasus engage and destroy one Basestar in ship-to-ship combat. The second Basestar is not seen to explode however it takes massive damage. Robbed of their Raider
fleet (which is superior in numbers to a Battlestar's Viper
complement), they appear to be no match for the Battlestars. The Battlestars used the tactic of circling one Basestar while firing upon it until destroyed. A similar tactic is used in the battle of New Caprica in which the Galactica uses diversions to occupy the Cylon Raiders and fights four Basestars simultaneously. With the arrival of the Pegasus, two Basestars are lost - one by crashing Pegasus into it, a second due to collateral damage from the resulting explosion and debris. A third Basestar is heavily damaged by direct fire from the Pegasus' forward main batteries. Another basestar was seen to explode after its crew died from a virus contacted from a recovered artifact that is presumed to have been left behind by the 13th tribe.
The role and performance of the basestars indicate that they are not nearly as well armored or armed as battlestars. Although they possess formidable missile-based offensive weaponry, their defensive capabilities appear limited entirely to their Raiders. Basestars appear to have no kinetic-energy weapons equivalent to those found on Colonial warships. Deprived of their Raiders, basestars are extremely vulnerable to Colonial warships. In contrast, while the Galactica is heavily dependent on its Vipers for defense, it is heavily armored against nuclear and conventional weapons and has several batteries capable of maintaining a much higher volume of fire than a basestar can achieve.
Later episodes establish a basestar's ability to "heal" itself of battle damage. In "Guess What's Coming to Dinner" a severely damaged basestar regenerates its damaged and truncated "spokes" over the course of the episode. It appears nearly fully repaired by the end of the episode. It is not known how the basestar performs this feat without raw materials. It is not known if basestars can regenerate their Raider complements. By Blood on the Scales it is still not fully repaired and bears damage with at least one of its spikes not fully regrown. Despite the damage it took it shows a remarkable tenacity and is able to engage in a major battle not long after its repairs started.
In the add-on to the series, "The Plan", a basestar was shown entering and flying through the upper atmosphere of a colonial planet similar to earth, after rotating it is upper and lower halves into alignment, giving it an apparent "front end" and "swept back wings".
The Hybrid is revealed to be capable of having its own opinions and thoughts, but does not have a say in decisions made by the humanoid Cylon models. The humanoid Cylon models control the Basestar via "control panels" in the Basestar's Control Room that are made up of a red flowing substance that seems to take the commands to the Hybrid itself.
The Hybrid speaks strange, seemingly random phrases, which most Cylons interpret as the nonsensical babbling of a deranged mind. However, the Leoben Conoy
model of Cylons believe that every word the Hybrid speaks means something, and that the Cylon god speaks through the Hybrids. The Caprica Model Six Cylon, however, has given an alternate explanation: the Hybrids do not perceive their existence in the same way as normal beings. They possess an expanded awareness of being one entity existing in space as well as perceiving all activity in their basestar's interior. The Hybrid may also express the state of the ship physically, as demonstrated when one has a physical reaction during an FTL jump, similar to an orgasm
.
The Centurions developed the Hybrids on their own while attempting to evolve, but nothing that could live independently. They agreed to cease the war with humanity in exchange for the Final Five building them fully humanoid Cylons with the ability to resurrect.
The Hybrid is played by Tiffany Lyndall-Knight.
When Samuel Anders, after being shot in the back of the head is hooked up to Galactica's main power grid in an effort to reset his neural net, he takes on the role of the ship's Hybrid. He speaks like a Hybrid and acts like one as well and his job as Galactica's Hybrid proves to be critical as he is able to access The Colony's Hybrids in the final battle and shut them down.
, was played by Campbell Lane
. Lieutenant William Adama
witnessed him being "created" in grotesque biological experiments carried out on live human beings before the destruction of the Twelve Colonies. The First Hybrid was protected by a sect of old Cylon Centurions called the "Guardians". The Guardians took off with him in a prototype basestar just before the Armistice was signed and got away with him. He claimed to have the gift of prophecy and is far more lucid than newer models.
There are references in the Cylon databases to this prototype, considered a failed experiment and unaccounted for.
He is housed on a Cylon basestar known as the Guardian Basestar that is a cross between the old model Cylon basestar from the first Cylon war and the modern basestar. However, his basestar does not appear to possess any actual weapons of its own as it does not directly engage the Pegasus and relies on its own Raiders to do the battling for it.
After the First Hybrid's crew kidnapped a science team and his Raiders engaged the Pegasus, the remnants of humanity learned of his existence from Sharon Valerii, a cooperative Cylon prisoner who informed them of the legend surrounding his existence after seeing a crashed Raider on the Pegasus deck. After figuring out where the First Hybrid and his crew were, William Adama, now an Admiral and in charge of what was left of the human military, committed the battlestar Pegasus (last remaining battlestar besides the battlestar Galactica) to a rescue mission of the science team and the elimination of the First Hybrid. The Pegasus, under the command Admiral Adama (who came along in order to get some answers and closure on what he witnessed so many years before) and his son Commander Adama, engage the Guardian Basestar while a rescue team led by Major Shaw and Captain Thrace enter the basestar with a nuke. The science team is rescued, but the mortally wounded Shaw stays behind to detonate the nuke. Shaw encounters the First Hybrid and he offers her forgiveness for her terrible actions and warns her about Starbuck being the Harbinger of Death. Shaw tries and fails to warn Pegasus of this information and detonates her nuke, killing herself and the First Hybrid and destroying the Guardian Basestar and its crew of Guardians. The First Hybrid expresses no fear at his death saying he will be reborn in ways uncertain.
Cylon (Battlestar Galactica)
The Cylons are a cybernetic civilization at war with the Twelve Colonies of humanity in the Battlestar Galactica science fiction franchise, in the original 1978 and 1980 series, the 2004 reimagining, as well as the spin-off prequel series, Caprica...
s in the 1978 science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
and movie Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series, created by Glen A. Larson. It starred Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict and ran for one season in 1978–79. After cancellation, its story was continued in 1980 as Galactica 1980 with Adama, Lieutenant Boomer and...
along with its re-imagining in the 2003 miniseries
Battlestar Galactica (TV miniseries)
Battlestar Galactica is a three-hour miniseries written and produced by Ronald D. Moore and directed by Michael Rymer. It was the first part of the Battlestar Galactica reimagining based on the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series, and served as a backdoor pilot for the 2004 television series...
and 2004 television series
Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson...
.
Battlestar Galactica (1978, 1980)
The Basestar is the Cylon counterpart of the Colonial Battlestar. The Basestar has also been called a Baseship and a Cylon Battlestar in one episode but "Basestar" conforms to the Colonial ship naming system.The Cylon Basestar is a superior warship to a Colonial Battlestar in a technological respect as it carries stronger weapons in greater quantity and carries a greater fighter complement as well. (Basestars can hold up to 300 Cylon Raider
Cylon Raider
The Cylon Raider is the standard starfighter used by the Cylons, in the various Battlestar Galactica movies and television series. Cylon raiders are used as the main line of defense for Cylon Basestars.- Original series :...
s.) Because of this, the Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (ship)
The Battlestar Galactica is a space battleship in the original and re-imagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica.The Twelve Colonies of Man in the original television series built a number of Battlestars during their thousand-year war with the Cylons, whose battleships are...
and her crew prefer to avoid combat with them as much as possible. They are propelled by a reactionless drive
Reactionless drive
A reactionless drive is a fictional or theorized method of propulsion where thrust is generated without any need for any outside force or net momentum exchange to produce linear motion...
that appears to make the ship spin slowly on its axis while engaged.
Basestars are considerably larger than Battlestars.
Configuration
A basestar's shape is that of two saucers joined to each other at their axis. The saucers are externally identical and some of the functions that they house are redundant of each other. Each saucer contains a hangar deck at its center, accessible from several large hatches distributed across the top of the cone. Unlike a battlestar, a basestar's hangar is closed with a hatch when not in use. All decks are connected by the Core, which allows access to any deck via a ladder. The Control Center or bridge is at the bottom of the core; the Control Center suite also includes the ship's sensor control computers.Armament
Mega-Pulsars : In the episode "The Hand of GodThe Hand of God (1978 Battlestar Galactica)
"The Hand of God" is an episode of the original Battlestar Galactica television series. This was the last episode of the original Battlestar Galactica TV series...
", the Basestar is revealed to have two of these weapons on the upper saucer. Pulsars are a beam weapon more powerful than the average laser turret and intended to engage other capital ships. They are capable of destroying a Battlestar-sized craft in only a few hits. Battlestars usually attempt to approach Basestars from the lower saucer to avoid these weapons.
Laser Turrets : Like a Battlestar, Basestars have laser turrets that resemble the weapons of their fighters but on a larger scale. The laser turrets on Basestars are located at the tips of the "spokes" on both saucers and are considerably more powerful than the Colonial design.
Missile Turrets : These turrets were seen in the episode "The Living Legend, Part 2
The Living Legend
"The Living Legend" is a two-part episode of the original Battlestar Galactica television series. The episode is often rated as one of the most popular of the original series...
" and they are on the inner surfaces of both saucers. They are meant for close range defense, since a Battlestar's point defense weapons could easily shoot them down at a longer range.
Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009)
The Basestar, or Baseship is the primary capital shipCapital ship
The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they generally possess the heaviest firepower and armor and are traditionally much larger than other naval vessels...
of the Cylons
Cylon (Battlestar Galactica)
The Cylons are a cybernetic civilization at war with the Twelve Colonies of humanity in the Battlestar Galactica science fiction franchise, in the original 1978 and 1980 series, the 2004 reimagining, as well as the spin-off prequel series, Caprica...
within the re-imagining of the science fiction mini-series and television series Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson...
. They are different in appearance and function from the Basestars of the 1978 TV series
Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series, created by Glen A. Larson. It starred Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict and ran for one season in 1978–79. After cancellation, its story was continued in 1980 as Galactica 1980 with Adama, Lieutenant Boomer and...
.
Earlier Basestars have a design similar to that of the 1978 series. The following deals with Basestars as they existed during the main events of the series.
General description
Basestars physically resemble two Y-shaped sections joined at an axis and pointing in opposite directions, although those sections can swivel to direct alignment for atmospheric flight. They are designed to make FTL jumps and are equipped to deploy large-scale strikes with nuclearNuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
and conventional ordnance. Basestars are biomechanical
Biomechanics
Biomechanics is the application of mechanical principles to biological systems, such as humans, animals, plants, organs, and cells. Perhaps one of the best definitions was provided by Herbert Hatze in 1974: "Biomechanics is the study of the structure and function of biological systems by means of...
entities, with fleshy "hangars" to house Raiders. Basestars are capable of carrying other Cylon models as crew within them.
A tactical nuclear weapon
Tactical nuclear weapon
A tactical nuclear weapon refers to a nuclear weapon which is designed to be used on a battlefield in military situations. This is as opposed to strategic nuclear weapons which are designed to menace large populations, to damage the enemy's ability to wage war, or for general deterrence...
was deployed aboard a base star in orbit over Kobol and the base star was destroyed in the resulting explosion. In the season two episode "Resurrection Ship, Part II", with both sides' fighter groups engaged elsewhere the Battlestars Galactica and Pegasus engage and destroy one Basestar in ship-to-ship combat. The second Basestar is not seen to explode however it takes massive damage. Robbed of their Raider
Cylon Raider
The Cylon Raider is the standard starfighter used by the Cylons, in the various Battlestar Galactica movies and television series. Cylon raiders are used as the main line of defense for Cylon Basestars.- Original series :...
fleet (which is superior in numbers to a Battlestar's Viper
Colonial Viper
The Colonial Viper is the primary fighter spacecraft type used by the human protagonists in the Battlestar Galactica fictional universe. Appearing in both the 1978 original series and the 2003 reimagined series, as well as various derivative works, the single-pilot spacecraft are carried aboard...
complement), they appear to be no match for the Battlestars. The Battlestars used the tactic of circling one Basestar while firing upon it until destroyed. A similar tactic is used in the battle of New Caprica in which the Galactica uses diversions to occupy the Cylon Raiders and fights four Basestars simultaneously. With the arrival of the Pegasus, two Basestars are lost - one by crashing Pegasus into it, a second due to collateral damage from the resulting explosion and debris. A third Basestar is heavily damaged by direct fire from the Pegasus
The role and performance of the basestars indicate that they are not nearly as well armored or armed as battlestars. Although they possess formidable missile-based offensive weaponry, their defensive capabilities appear limited entirely to their Raiders. Basestars appear to have no kinetic-energy weapons equivalent to those found on Colonial warships. Deprived of their Raiders, basestars are extremely vulnerable to Colonial warships. In contrast, while the Galactica is heavily dependent on its Vipers for defense, it is heavily armored against nuclear and conventional weapons and has several batteries capable of maintaining a much higher volume of fire than a basestar can achieve.
Later episodes establish a basestar's ability to "heal" itself of battle damage. In "Guess What's Coming to Dinner" a severely damaged basestar regenerates its damaged and truncated "spokes" over the course of the episode. It appears nearly fully repaired by the end of the episode. It is not known how the basestar performs this feat without raw materials. It is not known if basestars can regenerate their Raider complements. By Blood on the Scales it is still not fully repaired and bears damage with at least one of its spikes not fully regrown. Despite the damage it took it shows a remarkable tenacity and is able to engage in a major battle not long after its repairs started.
In the add-on to the series, "The Plan", a basestar was shown entering and flying through the upper atmosphere of a colonial planet similar to earth, after rotating it is upper and lower halves into alignment, giving it an apparent "front end" and "swept back wings".
The Hybrid
The Basestar's internal functions are controlled by a part-biological, part-machine central computer system known as the Hybrid. The biological part of the Hybrid is a female humanoid Cylon-like being, housed inside an immersion tank similar to a Cylon re-birthing tank and attached to the mechanical part of the Basestar computers by umbilicals. The Hybrids do not have a completely human body, but rather appear to be more like cyborgs, consisting of conduits and other connectors mated to, or in place of elements of their bodies. The Hybrid is not one of the "twelve models" of humanoid Cylon, but is a separate model that is essentially another stage in "evolution" from fully mechanical Centurion, to partially biomechanical Raider, to humanoid Cylon. Hybrids are similar to the autonomous biomechanical pilots within Raiders, specially constructed as living computers that manage the autonomic functions of the Basestar, including navigation and FTL jumps, climate control, and the like. The Hybrids are so integrated into the Basestar's functionality that they are, for all practical purposes, the Basestar.The Hybrid is revealed to be capable of having its own opinions and thoughts, but does not have a say in decisions made by the humanoid Cylon models. The humanoid Cylon models control the Basestar via "control panels" in the Basestar's Control Room that are made up of a red flowing substance that seems to take the commands to the Hybrid itself.
The Hybrid speaks strange, seemingly random phrases, which most Cylons interpret as the nonsensical babbling of a deranged mind. However, the Leoben Conoy
Leoben Conoy
Leoben Conoy is a fictional character portrayed by Callum Keith Rennie appearing in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series....
model of Cylons believe that every word the Hybrid speaks means something, and that the Cylon god speaks through the Hybrids. The Caprica Model Six Cylon, however, has given an alternate explanation: the Hybrids do not perceive their existence in the same way as normal beings. They possess an expanded awareness of being one entity existing in space as well as perceiving all activity in their basestar's interior. The Hybrid may also express the state of the ship physically, as demonstrated when one has a physical reaction during an FTL jump, similar to an orgasm
Orgasm
Orgasm is the peak of the plateau phase of the sexual response cycle, characterized by an intense sensation of pleasure...
.
The Centurions developed the Hybrids on their own while attempting to evolve, but nothing that could live independently. They agreed to cease the war with humanity in exchange for the Final Five building them fully humanoid Cylons with the ability to resurrect.
The Hybrid is played by Tiffany Lyndall-Knight.
When Samuel Anders, after being shot in the back of the head is hooked up to Galactica's main power grid in an effort to reset his neural net, he takes on the role of the ship's Hybrid. He speaks like a Hybrid and acts like one as well and his job as Galactica's Hybrid proves to be critical as he is able to access The Colony's Hybrids in the final battle and shut them down.
The First Hybrid
The First Hybrid, an old Hybrid which first appeared in Battlestar Galactica: RazorBattlestar Galactica: Razor
Battlestar Galactica: Razor is a television film of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It premiered in the United States on Sci Fi Channel, in Canada on the Space channel and in the United Kingdom on Sky One.-Production:...
, was played by Campbell Lane
Campbell Lane
Campbell Lane is a Canadian actor who primarily does work in Vancouver. He has appeared in many television shows produced there, and has done some voice acting for anime as well.- Television Roles :...
. Lieutenant William Adama
William Adama
William "Bill" Adama is a fictional character portrayed by Edward James Olmos in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series...
witnessed him being "created" in grotesque biological experiments carried out on live human beings before the destruction of the Twelve Colonies. The First Hybrid was protected by a sect of old Cylon Centurions called the "Guardians". The Guardians took off with him in a prototype basestar just before the Armistice was signed and got away with him. He claimed to have the gift of prophecy and is far more lucid than newer models.
There are references in the Cylon databases to this prototype, considered a failed experiment and unaccounted for.
He is housed on a Cylon basestar known as the Guardian Basestar that is a cross between the old model Cylon basestar from the first Cylon war and the modern basestar. However, his basestar does not appear to possess any actual weapons of its own as it does not directly engage the Pegasus and relies on its own Raiders to do the battling for it.
After the First Hybrid's crew kidnapped a science team and his Raiders engaged the Pegasus, the remnants of humanity learned of his existence from Sharon Valerii, a cooperative Cylon prisoner who informed them of the legend surrounding his existence after seeing a crashed Raider on the Pegasus deck. After figuring out where the First Hybrid and his crew were, William Adama, now an Admiral and in charge of what was left of the human military, committed the battlestar Pegasus (last remaining battlestar besides the battlestar Galactica) to a rescue mission of the science team and the elimination of the First Hybrid. The Pegasus, under the command Admiral Adama (who came along in order to get some answers and closure on what he witnessed so many years before) and his son Commander Adama, engage the Guardian Basestar while a rescue team led by Major Shaw and Captain Thrace enter the basestar with a nuke. The science team is rescued, but the mortally wounded Shaw stays behind to detonate the nuke. Shaw encounters the First Hybrid and he offers her forgiveness for her terrible actions and warns her about Starbuck being the Harbinger of Death. Shaw tries and fails to warn Pegasus of this information and detonates her nuke, killing herself and the First Hybrid and destroying the Guardian Basestar and its crew of Guardians. The First Hybrid expresses no fear at his death saying he will be reborn in ways uncertain.
External links
- Original series Basestar at the Battlestar Wiki
- Re-imagined series Basestar at the Battlestar Wiki