Demetrius
the Fleet ship sent to find Earth
Demetrius was a sewage recycling ship in the refugee fleet that Admiral Adama quietly assigned to Kara Thrace for her mission to find a route back to Earth.
Demetrius was a sewage recycling ship within the refugee fleet that survived the Fall of the Twelve Colonies. It was later secretly appropriated by Admiral William Adama and given over to Kara Thrace for her mission to find a route back to Earth, with Karl Agathon serving as her second-in-command for the voyage. (Battlestar Galactica, "Six of One"; Battlestar Galactica, "The Ties That Bind")
Role in the Fleet#
Demetrius was a sewage recycling ship, one of the many civilian vessels whose unglamorous work kept the refugee fleet functioning during its long flight. Its name appears on Galactica's election tally board a year after the Fall, though the ship itself isn't seen until much later. (Battlestar Galactica, "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II"; Battlestar Galactica, "The Ties That Bind")
The mission to find Earth#
After Kara Thrace returned claiming to have been to Earth, Admiral Adama requisitioned Demetrius and gave it to her for a mission to find the way there, with orders to rejoin the fleet within two months or be presumed lost. The public was told it was a survey mission. The ship carried a small detached crew, with Vipers clamped to the hull and a Raptor docked alongside, under Thrace's command with Karl Agathon as her executive officer. (Battlestar Galactica, "Six of One"; Battlestar Galactica, "The Ties That Bind")
Damage#
Two months into the mission, Gunnery Sergeant Erin Mathias was killed when the reactor of a Cylon Heavy Raider detonated while she was inspecting it outside the ship. The Raider had brought Leoben Conoy, who offered an alliance with the rebel Cylons, and the crew's refusal to follow Thrace to the rebel basestar brought the ship close to mutiny. Demetrius eventually returned to the fleet with the rebel basestar. Like the other remaining ships, it was flown into the sun after the survivors settled the new Earth. (Battlestar Galactica, "The Road Less Traveled"; Battlestar Galactica, "Faith"; Battlestar Galactica, "Guess What's Coming to Dinner?"; Battlestar Galactica, "Daybreak, Part II")
Frequently asked questions
- What was the Demetrius?
- The Demetrius was a Demetrius-type sewage recycling ship within the refugee fleet that survived the Fall of the Twelve Colonies.
- Why did Adama give the Demetrius to Kara Thrace?
- Admiral William Adama secretly appropriated the Demetrius and gave it to Kara Thrace for her mission to find a route back to Earth. Karl Agathon served as her second-in-command for the voyage.
- Who crewed the Demetrius during the mission to find Earth?
- For the voyage the Demetrius carried a small detached crew, with Vipers clamped to the hull and a Raptor docked alongside. Kara Thrace was in command, with Karl Agathon as her executive officer.
- How was the Demetrius damaged?
- Gunnery Sergeant Erin Mathias was killed when the reactor of a Cylon Heavy Raider exploded while she was inspecting it outside the ship.
- What happened to the Demetrius?
- Like the fleet's other remaining ships, the Demetrius was flown into the sun after the survivors settled the new Earth.
Gallery




Images via Battlestar Wiki
Sources
- EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "Six of One", Season 4, Episode 2 (2008)
- EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "The Ties That Bind", Season 4, Episode 3 (2008)
- EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II", Season 2, Episode 20 (2006)
- EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "The Road Less Traveled", Season 4, Episode 5 (2008)
- EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "Faith", Season 4, Episode 6 (2008)
- EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "Guess What's Coming to Dinner?", Season 4, Episode 7 (2008)
- EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "Daybreak, Part II", Season 4, Episodes 20 and 21 (2009)
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry

Heavy Raider
The Heavy Raider was an FTL-capable Cylon craft introduced with the renewed war on humanity, combining the roles of troop transport and gunship. Armored, windowless, and brain-piloted, it ferried Centurions to the colonies and later carried both Cylon assaults and a rebel alliance with the Colonial fleet.

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.

Kara Thrace
Kara "Starbuck" Thrace was the finest Viper pilot in the Colonial Fleet, a gifted and self-destructive officer whose attitude often thwarted her own advancement. After her death over a gas giant, a figure bearing her identity returned to guide humanity to its new home.

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.

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.

William Adama
William "Husker" Adama was a Colonial Fleet officer who commanded the battlestar Galactica through the Fall of the Twelve Colonies. His refusal to network the ship spared it from the Cylon attack, and alongside President Laura Roslin he led the survivors of humanity in search of a new home.
Mentioned in3 entries
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.
Samuel T. Anders
Samuel T. Anders was a citizen of the original Earth and one of the Final Five Cylons. Living for years as a human Pyramid star, he led the resistance on occupied Caprica before awakening to his true nature and becoming, in his final role, the Hybrid of Galactica.
Sharon Agathon
Sharon "Athena" Agathon was a Number Eight humanoid Cylon who fell in love with Karl Agathon on occupied Caprica, defected to the Colonial Fleet, and became the first Cylon to openly serve as a Colonial officer.
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.