Basestar (TRS)
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- This article is about the basestar as seen in the Re-imagined Series. For the Original Series version, see Basestar (TOS).
| Basestar | |||
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| Race: | Cylon | ||
| Type: | Military | ||
| FTL: | Yes | ||
| Propulsion: | |||
| Crew: | Humanoid Cylons, Cylon Centurions, the Hybrid | ||
| Capacity: | |||
| CO: | {{{co}}} | ||
| XO: | {{{xo}}} | ||
| Role: | Carrier / battleship hybrid | ||
| Weapons: | Nuclear and conventional missiles, Raiders, Heavy Raiders | ||
| Armaments: | {{{arm}}} | ||
| Defenses: | {{{def}}} | ||
| Aircraft: | {{{aircraft}}} | ||
| Aviation facilities: | {{{facilities}}} | ||
| Fate: | {{{status}}} | ||
| Emblem: | [[Image:{{{patch}}}|175px|Ship's patch]] | ||
| Other Images: | Gallery | ||
| Length: | {{{length}}} | ||
| Width: | {{{width}}} | ||
| Height: | {{{height}}} | ||
| Weight: | {{{weight}}} | ||
| Wingspan: | {{{wingspan}}} | ||
| Other: | {{{otherdi}}} | ||
| Cost: | {{{construction}}} | ||
| Construction Time: | {{{construction}}} | ||
| Hull Size: | {{{hull size}}} | ||
| Hull: | {{{hull}}} | ||
| FTL Cooldown: | {{{ftl cooldown}}} turns | ||
| Speed: | {{{speed}}} m/s | ||
| Turn Rate: | {{{turn rate}}}°/turn | ||
| Armor Total: | {{{armor total}}} | ||
| Armor Left: | {{{armor left}}} | ||
| Armor Right: | {{{armor right}}} | ||
| Armor Front: | {{{armor front}}} | ||
| Armor Rear: | {{{armor rear}}} | ||
| Armor Top: | {{{armor top}}} | ||
| Armor Bottom: | {{{armor bottom}}} | ||
| DRADIS Range: | {{{dradis range}}} m | ||
| Processing Power: | {{{processing power}}} | ||
| Munition Slots: | {{{munitions}}} | ||
| Munition Cooldown Period: | {{{munition cooldown}}} turns | ||
| Squadron Slots: | {{{squadrons}}} | ||
| Squadron Size: | {{{squadron size}}} | ||
| Special Abilities: | {{{special abilities}}} | ||
| Additional Information | |||
Overview
A basestar (known interchangeably as a "baseship") is the most prominent example of the Cylon military presence.
Basestars are approximately the same size as a Colonial battlestar but appear to be more technologically advanced.[1] While basestars may have a somewhat longer "footprint" due to their "Y" shape, their mass is similar to most battlestars. They are equipped with a superior jump system and no visible means of sublight propulsion, lacking any engine pods or nacelles, but remain capable of chasing down a battlestar (Exodus, Part II).
Basestars operate a fleet of small fighters called Raiders and are capable of deploying hundreds of these simultaneously (see Related Imagery). The enormous amount of Raiders serve as a basestar's primary point-defense system.
Basestars possess several rooms and hallways, that are sleek but generally bland; Cylons project different environments to get around the ship more easily. Data and other functions such as analyzing photographs are handled in literal streams of water that go over a lit up computer glass surface. Cylons can interface with the data by simply placing their hands in the basins.
Command and Control
A basestar is operated by many humanoid Cylons. Up to all seven models of them issue commands for the basestar from a central command and control center. Consensus is typically the normal procedure, although the process of deliberating and voting on decisions may cause the basestar to react more slowly than a battlestar's command and control in a CIC.
A basestar's functions are managed by a partially-humanoid Cylon incorporated into the ship, known as a Hybrid. The Hybrid, for all respects of identity and control, is the basestar. The ship is an extension of her body and she is the ship's mind. The Hybrid, despite its humanoid appearance, is not a considered a fellow Humanoid Cylon and lacks voting power as other agents have in Cylon affairs.
A basestar has a datastream, or computer network, which interfaces with the Hybrid and all aspects of the basestar's operation.
Armaments
A basestar is capable of launching conventional or nuclear missiles from "turrets" mounted throughout the hubs and central axis that rotate to allow the basestar to fire in any direction[2]. Basestar-launched nuclear strikes against Colonial ships are usually carried out only before Raider deployment. One example of a Cylon nuclear attack involved three Cylon basestars that ambush the battlestar Pegasus. They open their attack firing several nuclear missiles before deploying Raiders and switching to a non-nuclear salvo (The Captain's Hand).
A basestar's complement of Raiders is estimated as high as 792 fighters[3], not counting fighters in repair or otherwise offline.
This tactic, along with the massive amounts of Raiders that a basestar can unleash, suggest a reliance on overwhelming force to destroy a foe. It is probable that basestars use nuclear weapons to destroy the bulk of the Colonial Fleet (using their backdoor in the CNP to compromise their defenses first) in the opening wave of their destruction of the Colonies.
After the Colonial commanders draw away their Raider wings, two basestars are torn apart by the kinetic guns of the battlestars Pegasus and Galactica in a joint mission to destroy a Cylon Resurrection Ship. It would seem that that basestars rely heavily on their Raiders for close-range gun defense through sheer numbers of fighters. Since a basestar does not appear to have batteries (the primary offensive/defensive weapons on battlestars), nor any armoring[4], basestars appear quite vulnerable to battlestars in close-range combat without Raider fighter support (Resurrection Ship, Part II).
Notes
- In the Miniseries, Galactica's new museum displays a model of the Cylon basestar used in the Cylon War. As it happens, this design is identical to the basestars seen in the Original Series. However, despite the identical use of the ship design, the universe of the Re-imagined Series does not use the same weapons as that of the Original Series. As shown in the third episode of the Razor Flashbacks these basestars were armed with missile batteries. The museum also displays a deactivated Cylon Centurion Model 0005 from the first Cylon War - again, the same design of Cylon warrior as used in the Original Series.
- Beginning with the episode "Collaborators", a new exterior design is used for the basestars, bearing a sharper, more mechanical look than they previously had. This was apparently an upgrade by the visual effects crew to make the exterior mirror more the interior design, which is seen for the first time in that episode.
Related Imagery
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Raiders being released (Miniseries)
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Raiders being released (Miniseries)
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Basestar launching missiles (Miniseries)
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A basestar above the Armistice Station (Miniseries)
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Basestar being destroyed during the Battle of the Binary Star System (The Captain's Hand)
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Galactica surrounded by basestars during the Battle of New Caprica (Exodus, Part II)
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References
- ↑ The official SciFi.com website indicates that basestars "dwarf" a battlestar. However, aired information in season 3, which shows Galactica and Pegasus in close proximity to a basestar, contradict SciFi.com's information.
- ↑ Intelligence Debrief: Cylon Basestar, "Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine", June/July 2006, page 56.
- ↑ Intelligence Debrief: Cylon Basestar, "Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine", June/July 2006, page 56.
- ↑ Intelligence Debrief: Cylon Basestar, "Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine", June/July 2006, page 57.