Jackson Spencer
the CAG called Dipper
Major Jackson "Dipper" Spencer was a Colonial Fleet officer who served as Galactica's Commander, Air Group on the eve of her decommissioning, and who was killed leading his Vipers away from the ship when the Cylon attack began.
Major Jackson "Dipper" Spencer was an officer in the Colonial Fleet who served as Commander, Air Group aboard the battlestar Galactica in the period leading up to her decommissioning. He commanded the ship's Viper wing during the ceremonial fly-past that marked the occasion, and was killed in the opening moments of the Cylon assault on the Twelve Colonies when his squadron lost power within weapons range of the enemy. (Battlestar Galactica (2003 miniseries))
Service aboard Galactica#
Spencer held the rank of Major and served as Galactica's Commander, Air Group, the officer responsible for the battlestar's complement of fighter pilots, as the aging warship was being prepared for decommissioning and conversion into a museum. Off duty he played cards with his pilots. (Battlestar Galactica (2003 miniseries))
In the last days before the decommissioning, Spencer found himself stepping between his own people. When Colonel Saul Tigh flipped the table and went for Lieutenant Kara Thrace after losing a Triad game to her, Spencer held the colonel back before it could escalate. Tigh still had Thrace thrown in the brig. (Battlestar Galactica (2003 miniseries))
The fly-past and the Fall#
At the decommissioning ceremony, Spencer stepped aside so that Captain Lee Adama could fly the restored Mark II Viper his father had flown in the Cylon War, alongside Spencer's Mark VII squadron. Once the ceremony was over, Spencer led the Mark VIIs, the last fully operational squadron aboard, away from the ship towards Caprica. (Battlestar Galactica (2003 miniseries))
During the transit, Galactica alerted the squadron to a massive Cylon strike against the Colonies, the beginning of the Fall of the Twelve Colonies. Spencer located two Cylon Raiders, sent the accompanying Raptor clear, and ordered his squadron weapons free. The Cylons had cracked the Command Navigation Program, software installed in the Mark VII Vipers, and as the Raiders closed every Viper in the squadron suffered a complete system failure. Defenceless, the squadron was destroyed by the Raiders' missiles, and Spencer was among the first killed. Thrace later named "Dipper" among the fallen pilots in her toast after the Raider ace Scar was destroyed. (Battlestar Galactica (2003 miniseries); Battlestar Galactica, "Scar")
Frequently asked questions
- Who was Jackson Spencer?
- Major Jackson "Dipper" Spencer was a Colonial Fleet officer who served as Commander, Air Group aboard the battlestar Galactica in the period leading up to her decommissioning. He was responsible for the battlestar's complement of fighter pilots.
- What was Jackson Spencer's call sign and rank?
- Spencer held the rank of Major and used the call sign "Dipper". He served as Galactica's CAG, the Commander, Air Group.
- What did Jackson Spencer do during the Triad brawl?
- When Colonel Saul Tigh came to blows with Lieutenant Kara Thrace over a Triad game, Spencer held the colonel back. Tigh still had Thrace thrown in the brig, so she missed the decommissioning ceremony.
- How did Jackson Spencer die?
- After leading the Mark VII Vipers away from Galactica towards Caprica, Spencer's squadron moved to engage Cylon Raiders during the Fall. The Cylons had cracked the Command Navigation Program installed in the Mark VII Vipers, so every Viper lost power before reaching weapons range, and Spencer was killed by a missile impact.
Sources
- FilmBattlestar Galactica (2003 miniseries), Sci Fi Channel miniseries, 2003
- EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "Scar", Season 2, Episode 15 (2006)
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry
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.
Lee Adama: Leland Adama, callsign Apollo
Commander Leland "Apollo" Adama was a Colonial Fleet officer, the sole surviving son of William Adama, who served as Galactica's CAG before turning to politics as the Caprican delegate to the Quorum and, in time, interim President of the Twelve Colonies.
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.
Caprica: the Colonial capital
Caprica was the richest of the Twelve Colonies, seat of the Colonial government, and the world where the Cylons were built. The Cylon attack destroyed it.
Colonial Fleet: 120 battlestars
The navy of the Twelve Colonies, which fought the Cylon War. One software exploit cut it to two surviving battlestars on the day of the Fall.
Cylon Raider: the living fighter
The modern Raider was a living organism fused to a metal exoskeleton, able to plan and to refuse orders. Killed Raiders resurrected into new ships.
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