Battlestar Columbia (Second)
the modern namesake
The second Battlestar Columbia was one of the most modern warships in the Colonial Fleet at the time of the Fall of the Twelve Colonies. Named for the original Columbia lost in the First Cylon War, she served as a Viper testbed before being destroyed over Virgon in Admiral Nagala's task force.
The second Battlestar Columbia was a warship of the Colonial Fleet and one of the most modern vessels in service at the time of the Fall of the Twelve Colonies. She was named for the original Columbia, one of the twelve Jupiter-class battlestars destroyed at the end of the First Cylon War during Operation Raptor Talon. The newer Columbia was destroyed over Virgon when the Cylons attacked the Colonies.
Service history#
The second Columbia was in service at least a decade before the Fall of the Twelve Colonies and may have been built during the military expansion of the years preceding the attack. William Adama, then a Colonel, served aboard her for four years before being reassigned to the Valkyrie. The Columbia was used as a testbed for the Viper Mark VII while the fighter was still in its experimental stages.
For some five years her deck chief was Galen Tyrol, who had transferred over from Pegasus. Following a fatal accident in which a Viper's engine prematurely ignited during pre-launch checks, Tyrol was reassigned to the aging Galactica.
The Fall of the Twelve Colonies#
When the Cylons launched their surprise attack at least two years after Tyrol's transfer, the Columbia was ordered to join Admiral Nagala's task force, which included the Atlantia, the Triton, and the Solaria, among others. All of these ships suffered catastrophic hardware failures when the Cylons used a backdoor program to shut down their Command Navigation Programs. The Columbia was destroyed over Virgon along with the rest of the task force, the ships unable to put up a fight.
Name and legacy#
The second Columbia carried the name of the original Columbia, a Jupiter-class battlestar and sister ship to Galactica that had been among the most decorated warships of the First Cylon War before her destruction during Operation Raptor Talon. The reuse of the name placed the modern vessel in a line of distinguished Colonial warships, though she was lost in the opening hours of the second war before she could add to that record.
Frequently asked questions
- What was the second Battlestar Columbia?
- The second Battlestar Columbia was a warship of the Colonial Fleet and one of the most modern vessels in service at the time of the Fall of the Twelve Colonies. She was named for the original Columbia, a Jupiter-class battlestar destroyed at the end of the First Cylon War.
- Who served aboard the second Columbia?
- William Adama, then a Colonel, served aboard the second Columbia for four years before being reassigned to the Valkyrie. Galen Tyrol was her deck chief for some five years after transferring over from Pegasus.
- Why was Galen Tyrol reassigned from the Columbia to Galactica?
- Tyrol was reassigned to the aging Galactica following a fatal accident in which a Viper's engine prematurely ignited during pre-launch checks.
- What was the Columbia used for before the Fall?
- The Columbia was used as a testbed for the Viper Mark VII while the fighter was still in its experimental stages.
- How was the second Columbia destroyed?
- When the Cylons attacked, the Columbia joined Admiral Nagala's task force, which included the Atlantia, the Triton, and the Solaria. The Cylons used a backdoor program to shut down the ships' Command Navigation Programs, and the Columbia was destroyed over Virgon along with the rest of the task force, unable to put up a fight.
Sources
- WikiBattlestar Columbia (Interwar Period) — Battlestar Wiki entry
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Related entries
Battlestar Atlantia
The Atlantia was a Colonial battlestar that became the flagship of the Fleet during the Cylon surprise attack, when Admiral Nagala took personal command aboard her after the loss of Picon Fleet Headquarters. She was disabled by the Cylon Command Navigation Program exploit and destroyed over Virgon.
Battlestar Columbia
The Columbia was a Jupiter-class battlestar and sister ship to Galactica, one of the most decorated warships of the First Cylon War. She was the last known Colonial ship lost in that conflict, destroyed shortly before the armistice.
Battlestar Triton
Triton was a Colonial battlestar that served after the First Cylon War and was destroyed during the opening engagements of the Fall of the Twelve Colonies.
Battlestar Valkyrie
The Valkyrie (BS-41) was a Valkyrie-class battlestar of the Colonial Fleet. A relic of the Cylon War kept in service through repeated upgrades, she was commanded by William Adama and destroyed in the opening hours of the Fall.
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.
Jupiter-class
The Jupiter-class was a line of battlestar that served the Colonial Fleet for nearly its entire history. Uniquely built around un-networked computers, the class was largely immune to Cylon infiltration, and one of its number, Galactica, was the last to survive the Fall of the Twelve Colonies.
Get new articles in your inbox
No spam. New lore drops, canon conflicts, and deep dives only when they’re worth reading.
Some links on Lore Fortress are affiliate links. If you buy through them we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.