Orion-class

The Orion-class was a class of small warships used by the Colonial Fleet during the First Cylon War, first developed and deployed sometime before or during that war. Because it carried real battlestar weaponry on a hull roughly a quarter the size of a full battlestar like Galactica, the Orion-class was nicknamed the "pocket battlestar", and it could not survive an extended direct engagement with a capital ship. Instead it was built for special operations and covert missions, carrying the latest stealth technology the Colonial Fleet had. No ship of the class is seen in the reimagined series' present day, by the time of the Fall of the Twelve Colonies. (Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome)

Role and reputation#

Though it shared the gunnery of a battlestar, the Orion-class was never intended to stand in a line of battle. Its crews knew the class as the "pocket battlestar" or the "half-pint", and more grimly as "one-way wonders", because the ships were sent on missions judged too dangerous for larger, more valuable battlestars. Its true value lay in covert work deep in Cylon space, for which it was equipped with the best stealth technology then available. (Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome)

Armament#

Ships of the class were moderately armed, with twelve primary gun turrets, at least thirty-two point defence batteries and nuclear missile launchers. That was enough to threaten smaller Cylon ships and incoming fighters, but not to slug it out with a basestar: Osiris lasted only a few minutes against one before taking critical damage. (Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome)

Defenses#

The point defence batteries could throw up flak screens against incoming Cylon fighters. The class's real protection, though, was not to be seen at all. (Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome)

Osiris was fitted with a reflective, DRADIS-absorbent hull that let it run in stealth mode within detection range of a Cylon basestar for a short time. As soon as the ship powered its weapons or launched its fighters, the Cylons could pick it up, and whether the stealth hull was standard for the class or unique to Osiris is never made clear. (Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome)

Fighter complement#

The class could carry a handful of Viper fighters along with some Raptor craft, usually taken on from other battlestars for a mission. For the Djerba operation, Osiris carried ten Mark III Vipers prepared for atmospheric insertion, launched through forward tubes in the bow. Lacking flight pods, pilots had to land on a short deck set directly behind the engines, where coming in too slow or too fast could be fatal. (Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome)

Crew and systems#

The Orion-class needed a crew of only about 150, excluding pilots on detachment. Its accommodation reflected its purpose rather than its crew's comfort: the ship was dark, cramped and humid, its halls lined with exposed pipes, more akin to a submarine than to the larger battlestars of the war. Even the CIC was dim, lit by cool blue lights. (Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome)

Propulsion#

Ships of the class were driven by four main sublight engines at the stern, two of them housed in separate cowlings, supported by thrusters along the hull. Osiris was fitted out for a twelve-league FTL jump for the Djerba mission. (Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome)

Known ships#

The only named ship of the class on record was Osiris (0913), which was destroyed over the ice moon Djerba. There, with her missile bay doors jammed and her Vipers heavily outnumbered, Osiris charged the Cylon basestar and Commander Ozar detonated her nuclear warheads by hand, destroying both ships. (Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome)

A point of contention#

Whether the Orion-class counts as a true battlestar is a matter of taste. The show itself calls Osiris a battlestar, but its small size, submarine-like design and special operations role set it well apart from full battlestars like Galactica. (Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome)