Viper Mark VIIb
the late-generation Colonial fighter
The Viper Mark VIIb was a space-superiority fighter flown by the Colonial Fleet in the years before the Fall of the Twelve Colonies. The seventh generation of Viper, it refined the earlier Mark VIIa with a reshaped, more oval nose.
The Viper Mark VIIb was a Viper space-superiority fighter flown by the Colonial Fleet in the years prior to the Fall of the Twelve Colonies. It was the seventh generation in the Viper line, a series that had been in production since before the First Cylon War. "Mark VIIb" is a fan label for the reworked exterior seen from "Maelstrom" onwards, with angular air intakes, a compressed forward fuselage and a more oval nose; on screen both versions are simply the Mark VII. (Battlestar Galactica miniseries; Battlestar Galactica, "Maelstrom"; Battlestar Galactica: Razor)
Design#
The reworked Mark VII keeps the broad layout of the original but changes its look: the air intakes are angular, with three on the underside instead of one, the forward fuselage is more compressed, and the nose is more oval. The new design appears in the Mark VII shots from "Maelstrom" onwards. (Battlestar Galactica, "Maelstrom")
Production and service#
In Razor both versions are seen in action together: Kara Thrace, then air group commander of Pegasus, flies the reworked design while another pilot flies the original. Because Pegasus had been building new Vipers since "Scar", some viewers take the reworked fighters to be its products, but the series never confirms it. (Battlestar Galactica: Razor; Battlestar Galactica, "Scar")
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Viper Mark VIIb?
- It's the fan name for the reworked Viper Mark VII seen from "Maelstrom" onwards. On screen it's simply a Mark VII.
- How is the Viper Mark VIIb different from the Mark VIIa?
- The reworked design has angular air intakes, three of them under the fuselage instead of one, a more compressed forward fuselage and a more oval nose.
- Where were the Viper Mark VIIb fighters built?
- The series doesn't say. Pegasus was building new Vipers from "Scar" onwards, which has led some viewers to link the two, but it's never confirmed.
- Who flew the Viper Mark VIIb?
- In Razor, Kara Thrace flies the reworked design as Pegasus CAG, while another pilot flies the original beside her.
Sources
- EpisodeBattlestar Galactica miniseries, Two-part miniseries, Sci Fi Channel (2003)
- EpisodeMaelstrom, Season 3, Episode 17 (2007)
- FilmBattlestar Galactica: Razor, Television film (2007)
- EpisodeScar, 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
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.
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 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.
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.
Pegasus: Helena Cain's battlestar
Pegasus survived the Fall because an overhaul had taken parts of its Command Navigation Program offline. It was lost ramming a basestar to cover Galactica's escape from New Caprica.
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.