Cylon Raider
Encyclopedia
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.
holds far more Raiders than a Battlestar has Vipers, this advantage is often negated by the human ability to improvise and adapt to changing combat situations. In the episode "The Living Legend", Baltar commissioned a personal fighter to take part in a battle. It is used to transport him (not unlike Colonial shuttles).
, the Cylon Raider is the main attack fighter used by the Cylons, participating in the destruction of the Twelve Colonies
and later actions.
This fighter is very different from the previous, piloted Raider used during the Cylon War (the Raider from the 1978 series). The new Raiders are cybernetic in nature: the ship is actually a living creature. Just like the humanoid Cylons, the Raiders are also capable of being "reborn" into new Raiders after having been destroyed. This is done so that new, replacement Raiders do not have to be trained, meaning that experienced combat "pilots" that have been killed are quickly available for duty again. This provides the Cylons with a distinct tactical advantage in the amount of battle-seasoning a Raider will have over a replacement Viper pilot; in essence, every time a Raider is destroyed, it is reborn slightly improved having "learned" through each Death/Downloading/Rebirth life-cycle it undergoes.. Raiders can also perform riskier, but more devastating attacks on the Colonials, including but not limited to, kamikaze-style
attacks.
The Raiders have many weapons, including conventional and nuclear missiles as well as kinetic energy weapons. They can transmit a computer virus
to a Colonial vessel using the Command Navigation Program (CNP), rendering the Colonial vessel inoperable. When transmitting the virus, its red eye activates and oscillates to the left and right repeatedly.
The Cylon Raider is also capable of making FTL jumps. After a Heavy Raider was captured by the Battlestar Galactica, its FTL drive system was discovered to be more efficient than those on the Colonial vessels. It could travel the distance of Kobol
to Caprica in less than 10 jumps (compared to the estimated 120 jumps the Colonial fleet would take)
It is capable of atmospheric flight, as was its predecessor, and is far more maneuverable in spaceflight than the previous Raider, likely due to upgraded thrust-vectoring systems. It is likely, due to the design, that it would be less maneuverable in atmosphere than the Colonial Viper due to its less conventional lifting body configuration and may have been designed to be unstable in all fight envelopes - with the slack taken up by computer control - as is common with many fictional and non-fictional fighter designs (A good example of this would be the Eurofighter Typhoon).
During battle in the episode "He That Believeth in Me
", a Raider scans a Viper piloted by Samuel T. Anders. The Raider, possibly believing Anders to be one of the Final Five Cylons withdraws, along with the other Raiders who refuse to fight. This act leads the Twos
, the Sixes
, and the Eights to believe the Raiders have developed free will
. The other models believe the Raiders have exceeded their original programming and vote, along with a single Number Eight, Boomer, to have the Raiders reconfigured back to their basic mode. The Twos, Sixes and other Eights protest vehemently and in retribution remove inhibitor modules from the Centurions, effectively giving them independent thought. The Centurions become angered by what the other models have considered the lobotomy
of the Raiders and seek retribution on the models who voted for it.
", Kara "Starbuck" Thrace
shot down a Cylon Raider, but her Viper was damaged in the process and she was forced to eject, landing on a nearby moon. In the course of the following episode
, she located the downed Raider and discovered its biotechnological nature. Experimenting with the various systems, she eventually managed to fly it back to Galactica, having previously written her callsign on the wings using adhesive tape, so that Galacticas fighter patrols wouldn't try to shoot her down - a tactic that was not entirely successful, as a brief dogfight ensued with Lee "Apollo" Adama
before he got close enough to read it. The Raider was brought back to Galactica to be studied by Chief Tyrol
and his team.
In the first season finale, "Kobol's Last Gleaming," Thrace was ordered to use the Raider to transport a nuclear bomb on a mission to destroy a Cylon Basestar in the orbit of Kobol. However, President Roslin asked her to use the Raider's FTL capabilities to return to Caprica to retrieve the Arrow of Apollo instead. Disheartened by the fact that Commander Adama
had lied to her and the rest of the crew about Earth, she pretended to embark on a final test mission, but jumped away to Caprica.
On Cylon-occupied Caprica, Kara fought and killed a copy of Number Six
in the Delphi museum. Kara successfully retrieved the Arrow and met up with the stranded Galactica crewmember Karl "Helo" Agathon
and a copy of her crewmate Sharon "Boomer" Valerii, revealing her to be a Cylon. Sharon (a Number Eight) fled in Kara's Raider. Sharon later returned minus the Raider (its fate is never shown or explained), but later stole a Heavy Raider
, using it in an attack on several Centurions, and then transported all three back to Galactica.
, Scar was a particularly vicious and elusive raider identified by a gash on the side of its "face". Using highly effective hit-and-run
, ambush
and divide-and-conquer
tactics, Scar repeatedly ambushed and destroyed Colonial viper patrols during mining operations in an asteroid field.
Sharon Valerii
pointed out that given the (previously unknown) ability of Cylon
raiders to "resurrect" like their humanoid counterparts, Scar's remarkable combat skill was likely due to having fought (and/or being destroyed by) Colonial pilots and learning from these previous encounters. Valerii also suggested that due to the lack of a nearby Cylon Resurrection ship, Scar would be more difficult to beat, given its newly added fear of death.
Eventually the raider was hunted down by Starbuck and Louanne 'Kat' Katraine
. Kat destroyed Scar after Starbuck lured the raider into her sights. Kat managed to destroy one of Scar's wings, causing it to crash into an asteroid which destroyed it completely. As the resurrection ship had previously been destroyed, its death was permanent this time.
As a final note, Valerii implied that Scar was Kara Thrace's Raider (see above). This could lead to the notion that Scar had a vendetta against the Colonial pilot. However, the truth of this claim has not been addressed in canon
thus far.
Starfighter
"Starfighter" is a science fiction term used to describe small, fast, usually one-manned craft designed for armed combat .The appearance and use of fictional starfighters is often modeled on fighter aircraft, with little regard for the actual physics of spaceflight...
used by 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...
, in the various Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica TV series in 1978, and was followed by a brief sequel TV series in 1980, a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games...
movies and television series. Cylon raiders are used as the main line of defense for Cylon Basestars.
Original series
The Raider in the original series is an exceptionally powerful fighter/attack craft employed by the Cylon Empire and carries much more formidable armament than the weapons on Colonial Viper fighters (two directed energy weapons and provisions for internal bombs). A Cylon Raider carries a crew of three centurions (commander, pilot and co-pilot). The commander sits on a slightly elevated seat between the two pilots and issues orders. Raiders frequently make suicide attacks on enemy capital ships, typically attacking the fighter launch bays. Although a typical BasestarCylon Basestar
The Basestar is the capital ship of the Cylons in the 1978 science fiction television series and movie Battlestar Galactica along with its re-imagining in the 2003 miniseries and 2004 television series.- Battlestar Galactica :...
holds far more Raiders than a Battlestar has Vipers, this advantage is often negated by the human ability to improvise and adapt to changing combat situations. In the episode "The Living Legend", Baltar commissioned a personal fighter to take part in a battle. It is used to transport him (not unlike Colonial shuttles).
Battlestar Galactica (2003, 2004–2009)
In the 2003 reimagining of Battlestar GalacticaBattlestar 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...
, the Cylon Raider is the main attack fighter used by the Cylons, participating in the destruction of the Twelve Colonies
The Destruction of the Twelve Colonies
The Destruction of the Twelve Colonies is a fictitious interstellar holocaust first depicted in the 1978 motion picture Battlestar Galactica, which set the stage for the subsequent television series...
and later actions.
This fighter is very different from the previous, piloted Raider used during the Cylon War (the Raider from the 1978 series). The new Raiders are cybernetic in nature: the ship is actually a living creature. Just like the humanoid Cylons, the Raiders are also capable of being "reborn" into new Raiders after having been destroyed. This is done so that new, replacement Raiders do not have to be trained, meaning that experienced combat "pilots" that have been killed are quickly available for duty again. This provides the Cylons with a distinct tactical advantage in the amount of battle-seasoning a Raider will have over a replacement Viper pilot; in essence, every time a Raider is destroyed, it is reborn slightly improved having "learned" through each Death/Downloading/Rebirth life-cycle it undergoes.. Raiders can also perform riskier, but more devastating attacks on the Colonials, including but not limited to, kamikaze-style
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
attacks.
The Raiders have many weapons, including conventional and nuclear missiles as well as kinetic energy weapons. They can transmit a computer virus
Computer virus
A computer virus is a computer program that can replicate itself and spread from one computer to another. The term "virus" is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, including but not limited to adware and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability...
to a Colonial vessel using the Command Navigation Program (CNP), rendering the Colonial vessel inoperable. When transmitting the virus, its red eye activates and oscillates to the left and right repeatedly.
The Cylon Raider is also capable of making FTL jumps. After a Heavy Raider was captured by the Battlestar Galactica, its FTL drive system was discovered to be more efficient than those on the Colonial vessels. It could travel the distance of Kobol
Kobol
Kobol is the name of a planet in the fictional Battlestar Galactica universe.Within the context of both Battlestar Galactica stories, Kobol is the birthplace and original home of humanity, from which the civilization departed and formed the Twelve Colonies on other worlds...
to Caprica in less than 10 jumps (compared to the estimated 120 jumps the Colonial fleet would take)
It is capable of atmospheric flight, as was its predecessor, and is far more maneuverable in spaceflight than the previous Raider, likely due to upgraded thrust-vectoring systems. It is likely, due to the design, that it would be less maneuverable in atmosphere than the Colonial Viper due to its less conventional lifting body configuration and may have been designed to be unstable in all fight envelopes - with the slack taken up by computer control - as is common with many fictional and non-fictional fighter designs (A good example of this would be the Eurofighter Typhoon).
Evolution
Sharon Valerii has stated that the Cylon Raiders are very much like trained animals with basic thought and survival instincts. They also feel pain and trauma in the experience of death.During battle in the episode "He That Believeth in Me
He That Believeth in Me
"He That Believeth in Me" is the third episode in the fourth season of the reimagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica...
", a Raider scans a Viper piloted by Samuel T. Anders. The Raider, possibly believing Anders to be one of the Final Five Cylons withdraws, along with the other Raiders who refuse to fight. This act leads the Twos
Leoben Conoy
Leoben Conoy is a fictional character portrayed by Callum Keith Rennie appearing in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series....
, the Sixes
Number Six (Battlestar Galactica)
Number Six is a family of fictional characters from the reimagined science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica. She is portrayed by Canadian actress and model Tricia Helfer. Of the twelve known Cylon models, she is the sixth of the "Significant Seven"...
, and the Eights to believe the Raiders have developed free will
Free will
"To make my own decisions whether I am successful or not due to uncontrollable forces" -Troy MorrisonA pragmatic definition of free willFree will is the ability of agents to make choices free from certain kinds of constraints. The existence of free will and its exact nature and definition have long...
. The other models believe the Raiders have exceeded their original programming and vote, along with a single Number Eight, Boomer, to have the Raiders reconfigured back to their basic mode. The Twos, Sixes and other Eights protest vehemently and in retribution remove inhibitor modules from the Centurions, effectively giving them independent thought. The Centurions become angered by what the other models have considered the lobotomy
Lobotomy
Lobotomy "; τομή – tomē: "cut/slice") is a neurosurgical procedure, a form of psychosurgery, also known as a leukotomy or leucotomy . It consists of cutting the connections to and from the prefrontal cortex, the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain...
of the Raiders and seek retribution on the models who voted for it.
Kara Thrace's Cylon Raider
In the episode "Act of ContritionAct of Contrition (Battlestar Galactica)
"Act of Contrition" is the fourth episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series.-Plot:After a fatal accident on the hangar deck in which thirteen pilots are killed by an accidentally launched recon drone, Starbuck is assigned to quickly train replacements...
", Kara "Starbuck" Thrace
Kara Thrace
Kara Thrace is a fictional character in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica franchise. Played by Katee Sackhoff, she is a revised version of Lieutenant Starbuck from the 1978 Battlestar Galactica series...
shot down a Cylon Raider, but her Viper was damaged in the process and she was forced to eject, landing on a nearby moon. In the course of the following episode
You Can't Go Home Again (Battlestar Galactica)
"You Can't Go Home Again" is the fifth episode of the first season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series.-Plot:Starbuck is forced to bail out over an inhospitable planet after her Viper was badly damaged during a dog fight with a Cylon Raider. On Galactica, one of the pilots...
, she located the downed Raider and discovered its biotechnological nature. Experimenting with the various systems, she eventually managed to fly it back to Galactica, having previously written her callsign on the wings using adhesive tape, so that Galacticas fighter patrols wouldn't try to shoot her down - a tactic that was not entirely successful, as a brief dogfight ensued with Lee "Apollo" Adama
Lee Adama
Leland Joseph "Lee" Adama is a fictional character in the television series Battlestar Galactica. He is portrayed by actor Jamie Bamber. He is one of the main characters in the series.-Early life:...
before he got close enough to read it. The Raider was brought back to Galactica to be studied by Chief Tyrol
Galen Tyrol
Galen Tyrol is a character on the television series Battlestar Galactica. Tyrol is responsible for the maintenance of the Vipers and Raptors aboard Battlestar Galactica...
and his team.
In the first season finale, "Kobol's Last Gleaming," Thrace was ordered to use the Raider to transport a nuclear bomb on a mission to destroy a Cylon Basestar in the orbit of Kobol. However, President Roslin asked her to use the Raider's FTL capabilities to return to Caprica to retrieve the Arrow of Apollo instead. Disheartened by the fact that Commander Adama
William Adama
William "Bill" Adama is a fictional character portrayed by Edward James Olmos in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series...
had lied to her and the rest of the crew about Earth, she pretended to embark on a final test mission, but jumped away to Caprica.
On Cylon-occupied Caprica, Kara fought and killed a copy of Number Six
Number Six (Battlestar Galactica)
Number Six is a family of fictional characters from the reimagined science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica. She is portrayed by Canadian actress and model Tricia Helfer. Of the twelve known Cylon models, she is the sixth of the "Significant Seven"...
in the Delphi museum. Kara successfully retrieved the Arrow and met up with the stranded Galactica crewmember Karl "Helo" Agathon
Karl Agathon
Karl C. Agathon is a fictional character on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica TV series, portrayed by Tahmoh Penikett.-Background:...
and a copy of her crewmate Sharon "Boomer" Valerii, revealing her to be a Cylon. Sharon (a Number Eight) fled in Kara's Raider. Sharon later returned minus the Raider (its fate is never shown or explained), but later stole a Heavy Raider
Cylon Heavy Raider
The Cylon Heavy Raider is a heavy fighter used by the Cylons, in the television series Battlestar Galactica.- History :The first Heavy Raider encountered by the Fleet crash landed into Galacticas non-operational starboard hangar bay, and a boarding party of Cylon Centurions exited the wreck to...
, using it in an attack on several Centurions, and then transported all three back to Galactica.
Scar
Appearing in the episode of the same nameScar (Battlestar Galactica)
"Scar" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on February 3, 2006....
, Scar was a particularly vicious and elusive raider identified by a gash on the side of its "face". Using highly effective hit-and-run
Hit-and-run tactics
Hit-and-run tactics is a tactical doctrine where the purpose of the combat involved is not to seize control of territory, but to inflict damage on a target and immediately exit the area to avoid the enemy's defense and/or retaliation.-History:...
, ambush
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
and divide-and-conquer
Divide and rule
In politics and sociology, divide and rule is a combination of political, military and economic strategy of gaining and maintaining power by breaking up larger concentrations of power into chunks that individually have less power than the one implementing the strategy...
tactics, Scar repeatedly ambushed and destroyed Colonial viper patrols during mining operations in an asteroid field.
Sharon Valerii
Sharon Valerii
Number Eight is a female humanoid Cylon model on the television series Battlestar Galactica, a reimagining of the classic show of the same name. She is portrayed by Grace Park...
pointed out that given the (previously unknown) ability of Cylon
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...
raiders to "resurrect" like their humanoid counterparts, Scar's remarkable combat skill was likely due to having fought (and/or being destroyed by) Colonial pilots and learning from these previous encounters. Valerii also suggested that due to the lack of a nearby Cylon Resurrection ship, Scar would be more difficult to beat, given its newly added fear of death.
Eventually the raider was hunted down by Starbuck and Louanne 'Kat' Katraine
Louanne Katraine
Louanne Katraine is a fictional character from the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series, portrayed by Luciana Carro.- Character biography :...
. Kat destroyed Scar after Starbuck lured the raider into her sights. Kat managed to destroy one of Scar's wings, causing it to crash into an asteroid which destroyed it completely. As the resurrection ship had previously been destroyed, its death was permanent this time.
As a final note, Valerii implied that Scar was Kara Thrace's Raider (see above). This could lead to the notion that Scar had a vendetta against the Colonial pilot. However, the truth of this claim has not been addressed in canon
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
thus far.
External links
- Re-imagined Cylon Raider on the Battlestar Wiki
- Original Cylon Raider on the Battlestar Wiki
- Cylon Raider War-era Original Series 3D model of Original Cylon Raider
- Re-imagined Cylon Raider 3D model of Re-imagined Cylon Raider