Blackbird
the stealth fighter of Galactica
The Blackbird was a prototype Colonial stealth fighter built aboard Galactica by Chief Galen Tyrol and his deck crews, using a carbon composite hull that made it nearly invisible to DRADIS.
The Blackbird was a prototype Colonial stealth fighter constructed aboard Galactica by Chief Petty Officer Galen Tyrol, his deck crews, and other members of the ship's company. Intended to supplement the Viper as the remaining craft grew harder to maintain, it ended up a far more valuable asset than another Viper would have been, largely because its carbon composite hull rendered it nearly invisible to DRADIS scanning. (Battlestar Galactica, "Flight of the Phoenix")
Origins#
The Blackbird grew out of a practical problem aboard Galactica. With the remaining Vipers increasingly difficult to maintain, Chief Tyrol set out to build a replacement craft. He had originally intended to construct a standard Viper, but the project evolved into something of greater value to the ship. (Battlestar Galactica, "Flight of the Phoenix")
Construction and stealth#
The Blackbird was designed to use the existing Viper launch tubes and therefore shared the same general shape. It was built more for speed than for maneuverability. Because metal was reserved for Viper repairs, the craft did not use metal for its exterior. Instead, on the suggestion of Karl Agathon, it was built from a carbon composite material, which made it largely invisible to DRADIS scanning. It was also FTL-capable, unusual for a craft of its size. The fighter was initially unarmed, carrying no guns, and was later fitted with a single missile hardpoint. (Battlestar Galactica, "Flight of the Phoenix"; Battlestar Galactica, "Resurrection Ship, Part II")
Propulsion#
Along with the usual reaction control systems for directional control, the Blackbird was powered by four obsolete DDG-62 engines. These had come from the flight deck of a Colonial fleet ship named Baah Pakal, and Saul Tigh, who had first dismissed the project as frivolous, helped secure them. (Battlestar Galactica, "Flight of the Phoenix")
Frequently asked questions
- What was the Blackbird?
- The Blackbird was a prototype Colonial stealth fighter constructed aboard Galactica by Chief Petty Officer Galen Tyrol, his deck crews, and other members of the ship's company. Its carbon composite hull rendered it nearly invisible to DRADIS scanning.
- Why was the Blackbird built?
- The Blackbird was intended to supplement the Viper as the remaining craft grew harder to maintain. Chief Tyrol had originally intended to build a standard Viper, but the project evolved into something of greater value to the ship.
- How was the Blackbird made invisible to DRADIS?
- Because metal was reserved for Viper repairs, the Blackbird's exterior was built from a carbon composite material instead, on the suggestion of Karl Agathon. This material made the craft largely invisible to DRADIS scanning.
- What weapons did the Blackbird carry?
- The Blackbird was initially unarmed, carrying no guns. It was later fitted with a single missile hardpoint.
- What engines powered the Blackbird?
- The Blackbird was powered by four obsolete DDG-62 engines that came from the flight deck of a Colonial fleet ship named Baah Pakal, where they had been sitting unused. Colonel Saul Tigh, who had first dismissed the project, helped secure them.
Sources
- EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "Flight of the Phoenix", Season 2, Episode 9 (2005)
- EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "Resurrection Ship, Part II", Season 2, Episode 12 (2006)
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Followed from this entry
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.
Baah Pakal: civilian ship of the refugee Fleet
This civilian ship of the refugee fleet carried two old DDG-62 engines, which were later built into the stealth fighter Blackbird.
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.
Galen Tyrol
Chief Petty Officer Galen Tyrol kept Galactica's flight deck running through the long flight from the Colonies, a respected and fiercely protective deck chief who learned that he was in fact one of the Final Five Cylons, descended from the Thirteenth Tribe.
Karl Agathon
Karl "Helo" Agathon was a Colonial Fleet officer who, stranded on Caprica after the Fall of the Twelve Colonies, fell in love with a Number Eight Cylon he later married. He became the only successful father of a human-Cylon hybrid child, Hera.
Saul Tigh
Colonel Saul Tigh was the executive officer of the battlestar Galactica and William Adama's oldest friend, a hard-drinking and embittered soldier who later discovered he was one of the Final Five Cylons yet never stopped thinking of himself as a Colonial officer.
Mentioned in5 entries
Baah Pakal: civilian ship of the refugee Fleet
This civilian ship of the refugee fleet carried two old DDG-62 engines, which were later built into the stealth fighter Blackbird.
Battle of the Resurrection Ship
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Karl Agathon
Karl "Helo" Agathon was a Colonial Fleet officer who, stranded on Caprica after the Fall of the Twelve Colonies, fell in love with a Number Eight Cylon he later married. He became the only successful father of a human-Cylon hybrid child, Hera.
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