The Basestar, or Baseship is the primary capital ship of the Cylons within the re-imagining of the science fiction mini-series and television series Battlestar Galactica. They are different in appearance to the original Basestars of the original 1978 television series.
| Basestar | |
|---|---|
| File:Battlestar Galactica 2003 - Basestar.jpg Cylon Basestars, one firing nuclear missiles | |
| First appearance | Mini Series, Part 1 |
| Information | |
| Affiliation | Cylons |
| Combat vehicles | Cylon Raiders Cylon Heavy Raiders |
| General characteristics | |
| Armaments | Conventional Long-ranged Missiles, Nuclear missiles |
General description
Template:Spoiler The Basestar is designed to make FTL jumps and is equipped to deploy large-scale strikes with high-yield nuclear and conventional ordnance. Basestars are biomechanical entities, with fleshy "hangars" to house Raiders.[1] Basestars are, however, capable of carrying other Cylon models within them.
The presence of a Basestar is generally enough to make the Galactica decline battle; however, in the Season 2 episode "Resurrection Ship, Part 2", with both sides' fighter fleets engaged elsewhere, the Battlestars Galactica and Pegasus were able to engage and destroy at least one Basestar in ship-to-ship combat. Robbed of their Raider fleet (which is much larger than a Battlestar's Viper complement), they appeared 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 was used in in the battle of New Caprica in which the Galactica used diversions to occupy the Cylon Raiders elsewhere, and fought four Basestars simultaneously. With the arrival of the Pegasus, three Basestars were lost - one by direct ramming, and a second due to collateral damage from the resulting explosion and debris. Another Basestar was destroyed by direct fire from the Pegasus' main cannon batteries to the central hub.[2]
The Hybrid
The Basestars' 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 rebirthing tank and attached to the mechanical part of the Basestar computers by umbilicals.[3] 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 effectively further bridges the gap from fully mechanical Centurion, to partially biomechanical Raider, to Hybrid, to humanoid Cylon. They 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.[3]
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 we perceive ourselves as one being perceiving our surroundings) as well as perceiving all activity in their interior.[3] The hybrid may also express the state of the ship physically, as seen during an FTL jump when the Hybrid has a physical reaction, similar to an orgasm.[3]
Defense
Visually, Basestars lack the armor of Colonial Battlestars and have no visible means of propulsion. In contrast, Mercury-class Battlestars, such as the Pegasus, have been shown to sustain at least three hits from nuclear weapons and still maintain the ability to devastate Basestars with offensive batteries at close range.[4]
References
- ^ "Kobol's Last Gleaming". Battlestar Galactica, 2004 series.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|serieslink=ignored (|series-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "Exodus". Battlestar Galactica, 2004 series.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|serieslink=ignored (|series-link=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d "Torn". Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series).
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Captain's Hand". Battlestar Galactica, 2004 series.
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External links
- Basestar at the BattlestarWiki, a Battlestar Galactica wiki.