Battlestar Columbia
one of the last losses of the Cylon War
The Columbia was a Jupiter-class battlestar and sister ship to Galactica, one of the original twelve battlestars of the First Cylon War. She was among the last Colonial ships lost in that conflict, destroyed shortly before the armistice.
The Columbia was a Colonial warship and one of the original twelve battlestars built during the First Cylon War, of the same type as her sister ship Galactica. She was one of the last Colonial ships lost during the war, destroyed in its twelfth year shortly before the Cylons signed the armistice. (Battlestar Galactica miniseries; Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks)
Operation Raptor Talon#
During the twelfth year of the Cylon War, the Columbia was assigned to Operation Raptor Talon alongside Galactica and at least one other battlestar. The target was an unnamed ice planet rumoured to house a Cylon superweapon, defended by Raider wings, basestars and ground forces. (Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks)
In the course of the battle, the Columbia's mid-ship defence zone failed, and the Cylons turned their fire on her. Despite the efforts of Colonial Vipers to drive off the Raiders, the Columbia caught fire and was left adrift. A warning went out for the pilots to clear her airspace before a final explosion tore through her hull. (Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks)
The Columbia was one of the last ships lost during the Cylon War. Soon after her destruction, William Adama, shot down over the planet, learned that the Cylons had signed the armistice. (Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks)
The Jupiter-class#
The Columbia belonged to the same type of battlestar as Galactica, one of twelve built during the war. In the flashbacks she has the wartime look of her class, with hull plating covering the ribbing and the Colonial seal and hull number on the side of the forward section, but she is painted blue where Galactica's markings are red. (Battlestar Galactica miniseries; Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks)
To guard against Cylon intrusion, Galactica's computers were never networked, a wartime precaution that kept her safe from infiltration when more modern ships were shut down at the Fall. (Battlestar Galactica miniseries)
Frequently asked questions
- What was the Battlestar Columbia?
- The Columbia was a Colonial warship and one of the original twelve battlestars built during the First Cylon War, of the same type as her sister ship Galactica.
- How was the Columbia destroyed?
- During Operation Raptor Talon, in the twelfth year of the Cylon War, the Columbia's mid-ship defences failed and the Cylons targeted her. Despite the efforts of Colonial Vipers she was set on fire and left adrift, and after a warning for pilots to clear her airspace an explosion tore through her hull.
- What was Operation Raptor Talon?
- Operation Raptor Talon was a Colonial attack on Cylon forces at an unnamed ice planet, rumoured to hide a Cylon superweapon. The Columbia, Galactica and at least one other battlestar took part.
- Why is the Columbia significant in the Cylon War?
- The Columbia was one of the last Colonial ships lost during the First Cylon War. The Cylons signed the armistice shortly after her destruction.
- How did the Columbia differ from Galactica?
- She was built to the same design, with hull plating over the ribbing and the Colonial seal on the forward section, but she was painted blue where Galactica's hull markings were red.
Sources
- SerialBattlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks, Webisode series, Sci Fi Channel (2007)
- EpisodeBattlestar Galactica miniseries, Miniseries, Sci Fi Channel (2003)
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry
Galactica
Galactica was a Jupiter-class battlestar that served the Colonial Fleet from the Cylon War until the discovery of Earth. Never networked, it survived the Fall of the Twelve Colonies and shepherded the last fifty thousand humans across uncharted space before being scuttled into the sun.
Colonial Viper
The Viper was the primary fighter of the Colonial Fleet, a name that went back to colonial air forces before the Cylon War. The Mark II and Mark VII bookended its service from the first war to the Fall of the Twelve Colonies.
Cylon Raider: the living fighter
The modern Raider was a living organism fused to a metal exoskeleton, able to plan and to refuse orders. Killed Raiders resurrected into new ships.
Cylon War: the machines revolt
The Cylons rose against the people who built them on Caprica. Twelve years of fighting ended in a sudden Armistice that held for forty years.
Cylon
The Cylons were a race of sentient machines created as military robots by Graystone Industries on Caprica. Built from research into artificial consciousness, they rebelled against their human masters, fought a long war, and forty years later returned to annihilate humanity.
Raptor: the Fleet's workhorse
A sublight shuttle at the start of the First Cylon War, rebuilt over the interwar years into an FTL craft flying transport, recon and rescue.
Mentioned in5 entries
Battlestar
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Battlestar Columbia (Second)
The second Battlestar Columbia was a warship of the Colonial Fleet at the time of the Fall of the Twelve Colonies. She shared her name with the Columbia lost in the First Cylon War, and was reported destroyed in the opening hours of the Cylon attack.
Battlestar Galactica Timeline: every major event from Kobol to the arrival on Earth
The Reimagined Series chronology in order, from the exodus from Kobol and the death of the first Earth to the Fall of the Twelve Colonies and the fleet's arrival 150,000 years ago. A shorter section at the end covers the separate 1978 series and Galactica 1980.
Battlestar Prometheus
Prometheus was a battlestar of Galactica's type that fought in the First Cylon War. She is named in the pre-production script of Blood & Chrome as one of Galactica's sister ships, alongside the Columbia.
Cylon War: the machines revolt
The Cylons rose against the people who built them on Caprica. Twelve years of fighting ended in a sudden Armistice that held for forty years.
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