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FOREWORD
Battlestar Galactica holds a special place in the history of science fiction. It was the first television series to truly capitalize on the success of Star Wars, and years later when it was revived, it became one of the most critically admired sci-fi shows ever made.
The ships were always at the center of that. In 1978 nobody had ever dared to put so many different spaceships on screen at one time, and what’s more, most of them were designed by the legendary Ralph McQuarrie. Sadly, we haven’t been able to document the entire Ragtag Fleet from the original series, but all the principal ships from Galactica itself to the Cylon Raider are here, all carefully recreated in CG.
When the show returned in 2004, the designs were lovingly updated, and Adama and Galactica had a new fleet to shepherd to safety. We’ve worked with members of the VFX team to bring those to you in the kind of detail that has rarely – if ever – been seen before. Similarly, we’ve included the re-imagined versions from the prequel series, Blood & Chrome.
Our goal has always been to provide the most extensive guide possible to the ships of different science fiction universes, and we are particularly proud of this volume, and hope that it will take its place on many shelves around the world.
VIPER MARK III
An upgraded version of the battle-proven Mark II Viper, the Mark III saw combat in the later years of the First Cylon War.
Introduced toward the end of the First Cylon War as the successor to the Mark II, the third-generation Viper was a single-pilot, multi-role strike ship. Its design inspired subsequent iterations of multi-role Vipers in the years following the Armistice, culminating in the highly advanced Mark VII.
A slightly larger craft than the Mark II, the Mark III featured several functional and cosmetic alterations. The angular forward fuselage contrasted with the rounded profile of the Mark II, while segmented hull plating allowed for ease of access to the ship’s systems for maintenance. Control surfaces were fitted to stabilizer fins for improved atmospheric handling. In addition, the dimensions of the atmospheric intake ports were marginally increased, with a more squared- off shape. Conversely, the single-pilot cockpit canopy was slightly curved in comparison to the previous model’s hard- edged contours.
The Mark III’s three sublight engines differed from the Mark II in that the thruster cowlings tapered inwards. The new ship also featured cantilevered landing gear for improved stability on planetary touchdowns. The three landing skids retracted flush to the ventral fuselage, eliminating the need for gear bay doors. The fighter was equipped with internally mounted missile launchers; hardpoints on the underside of the fuselage allowed additional munition pods to be fitted. The ship’s primary dogfighting and strafing armaments were twin kinetic energy weapons which were installed on fore-mounted port and starboard fin struts.
The Mark III was painted gunmetal grey, with red stripes bordered by white trim running along the upper fuselage and stabilizer fins. Inside the cockpit, a central screen displayed DRADIS (Direction, Range And DIStance) scans, system status read-outs and targeting information. Advanced RCS thrusters gave the Mark III improved maneuverability, while tylium fuel powered the Mark III’s sublight engines.
In the final years of the First Cylon War, a virtual-reality Mark III Viper training program was utilized to hone rookie pilots’ combat skills. Newly graduated Ensign William Adama undertook a mission simulation using the Mark III program on his holoband device. Engaging in combat with two Cylon Raiders, Adama shot down one of his adversaries, but was hit by debris. The impact shattered his cockpit canopy, making it impossible to see through. With the surviving Raider in pursuit, Adama ejected his canopy. Though he was protected by his pressurized helmet and environment suit, radiation exposure would kill him if he didn’t swiftly return to base. He also faced another problem: his kinetic energy weapons were jammed. In a daring move, Adama inverted his Mark III and flew alongside the Raider. Pulling out his sidearm, he blasted the Cylon ship through his open cockpit, destroying it. Adama had successfully completed the top-tier Level 6.
An over-confident Adama was disappointed to be assigned as a Raptor pilot instead of being selected to join the Galactica’s Viper squadrons. Sent on a secret mission, Adama rendezvoused with the Battlestar Osiris, part of a “Ghost Fleet” hiding out in Cylon territory. Equipped with 10 new Mark IIIs, the Osiris jumped into orbit around the ice planet Djerba, a former Colonial resort seized by the Cylons. Escorted by two Vipers, Adama piloted the Raptor Wild Weasel down to the surface. The Osiris and the Wild Weasel both came under attack from a Cylon Basestar. One escort Mark III was destroyed, while the other held off the Raiders before being forced to retreat. Adama destroyed the final pursuer, dumping fuel in the Raider’s path and igniting it. In orbit, the crippled Osiris detonated its nuclear warheads as it rammed the Cylon Basestar, destroying both ships.
