Battlestar Group: the Colonial Fleet's core formation

A Battlestar Group, commonly abbreviated BSG, was a formation of the Colonial Fleet built around a single battlestar. The group's number appears on the patches worn by a ship's crew, and the term itself shows up on a fleet chart in Galactica's briefing room during the water crisis. (Battlestar Galactica, "Water"; Battlestar Galactica miniseries)

Composition and markings#

At the heart of every Battlestar Group stood a battlestar, the battleship and carrier hybrid that anchored the formation. By the time of the Fall, Galactica carried the group designation BSG 75 on her crew's patches even though she sailed alone, so the number seems to have stayed with the battlestar even without escorts. (Battlestar Galactica miniseries)

The same marking appears on other ships' patches. Alex Quartararo, a survivor from the Triton, wore his old ship's patch with the number 39, and the chart shown during the water crisis uses the term battlestar group in full. (Battlestar Galactica, "33"; Battlestar Galactica, "Water")

Known groups#

Several numbered groups appear across the series and its films. Galactica led BSG 75 during the First Cylon War under Commander Silas Nash, and the Orion-class battlestar Osiris belonged to BSG 54 in the same period. (Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome)

In the years before the Fall, the Valkyrie belonged to BSG 41 under William Adama, and the Triton belonged to BSG 39. Pegasus led BSG 62 under Helena Cain, and when she found Galactica after the Fall, Cain folded Galactica into her own command. (Battlestar Galactica, "Hero"; Battlestar Galactica, "33"; Battlestar Galactica, "Pegasus")

Service against the Cylons#

Battlestar Groups bore much of the weight of the long conflict against the Cylons. In the first war, Galactica's group and the Osiris were both drawn into the covert operations behind the Ghost Fleet Offensive. At the Fall, groups built around modern, networked battlestars such as the Triton were destroyed when the Cylons shut their systems down, leaving Galactica and Pegasus as the only battlestars known to survive. (Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome; Battlestar Galactica miniseries; Battlestar Galactica, "Pegasus")