Celestra
research ship of the refugee fleet
Celestra was a Colonial deep space research vessel that carried human refugees away from the Cyrannus star system after the Fall of the Twelve Colonies.
Celestra was a Colonial research ship that carried human refugees away from the Cyrannus star system following the Fall of the Twelve Colonies. A deep space exploration vessel built around scientific laboratories and advanced sensors, it was a veteran of the First Cylon War and one of the surviving civilian ships of the Fleet. (Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome; Battlestar Galactica (2003 miniseries))
Design and capabilities#
Celestra was an extended-duration research ship. In the game Battlestar Galactica Deadlock it is described as a deep space exploration vessel filled with laboratories, research equipment and advanced sensors, with a long-range FTL drive and the ability to run for years without resupply of fuel or life support. Its name and design echo the Celestra of the original 1978 series. (Battlestar Galactica Deadlock; Battlestar Galactica (1978), "Take the Celestra")
Service and the exodus#
Celestra was a veteran of the First Cylon War: in its tenth year, a crewman aboard the ship, then under Virgon registry, could be heard calling Galactica's CIC. Following the Fall of the Twelve Colonies it carried human refugees away from the Cyrannus star system as one of the civilian vessels of the Fleet. It came out of Ragnar Anchorage under Galactica's covering fire, appeared on the vote tally boards at the presidential election, and was seen in fleet shots throughout the series without ever being the focus of a central event. It survived the voyage, and after the survivors settled the new Earth it was flown into the Sun with the rest of the Fleet. (Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome; Battlestar Galactica (2003 miniseries); Battlestar Galactica, "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II"; Battlestar Galactica, "Daybreak, Part II")
Frequently asked questions
- What was the Celestra?
- Celestra was a Colonial deep space research vessel. It was already in service during the First Cylon War, and forty years later it was one of the surviving civilian ships of the Fleet.
- What were the Celestra's capabilities?
- Celestra was FTL-capable and escaped Ragnar Anchorage with the Fleet. The game Battlestar Galactica Deadlock describes it as a long-range research vessel built to run for years without resupply.
- What role did the Celestra play after the Fall of the Twelve Colonies?
- Following the Fall of the Twelve Colonies, Celestra carried human refugees away from the Cyrannus star system as one of the civilian vessels of the Fleet.
- What happened to the Celestra?
- Celestra appeared among the ships of the Fleet on a number of occasions but was never the focus of a central event. It survived the whole voyage, and after the survivors settled the new Earth it was flown into the Sun with the rest of the Fleet.
Gallery
Images via Battlestar Wiki
Sources
- FilmBattlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome, Syfy, 2012
- EpisodeBattlestar Galactica (2003 miniseries), Sci Fi Channel, 2003
- EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II", Season 2, Episode 20 (2006)
- EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "Daybreak, Part II", Season 4, Episode 20 (2009)
- GameBattlestar Galactica Deadlock, Black Lab Games, 2017
- EpisodeBattlestar Galactica (1978), "Take the Celestra", Original series (1979)
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Followed from this entry
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.
Cyrannus: the Colonies' four suns
Four stars in a double binary, Helios Alpha through Delta, holding all Twelve Colonies. Refugees from Kobol settled them two thousand years back.
Fall of the Twelve Colonies
A single day of Cylon attack killed billions of people across Colonial space. Barely fifty thousand escaped in a refugee fleet.
FTL drive: spool up and jump
Human and Cylon ships jumped instantly between points in space once the drive was spooled. Precise sums kept Galactica ahead of its pursuers.
Also in Reimagined Series
Battlestar Solaria: the networked warship lost in the opening hours of the Fall
Solaria was a Colonial battlestar fitted with integrated command and control and Gaius Baltar's Command Navigation Program. It was reported destroyed alongside Columbia and Triton during the Cylon attack, in the news of the Fleet's losses that reached Galactica.
Brenik: the Cylon War boarding action Saul Tigh remembered but never lived
Brenik was a Colonial ship boarded by Cylons in the second year of the Cylon War, where 55 of 75 crew died fighting hand to hand over the ammunition magazines. Saul Tigh told the story as his own, and the memory had been written into him by Cavil before his resurrection.
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