Battlestar Galactica (2003)/Blackbird

History

The Blackbird at its commissioning ceremony

After being forced to declare one of the Galactica's remaining Vipers unrepairable, Chief Galen Tyrol decides to build a new one from scratch. While most of the Galactica's crew are skeptical at first, most come around eventually and by the time the framework for the new fighter is constructed, people from all over Galactica are helping, including some CIC crew - Petty Officer Dualla chips in, helping them set up the new ship's communications system, and Colonel Tigh finds Tyrol a set of engines for the new ship.

Upon completion, Helo suggests that since they can't find any plating to use on the outside, they should use some special coverings of which the fleet can spare -- carbon composite material that also has the side-effect that renders the new fighter, nicknamed the Blackbird, invisible to DRADIS. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace flies the first successful test run in the newly constructed fighter.

The first (and currently only) model was christened "Laura" in honour of President Laura Roslin

The ship was used against the Cylon Resurrection Ship during the fight against the Cylon fleet shadowing the battlestar Galactica. Equipped with missiles, the ship used its stealth capability to get in close and fire a shot directly into the Resurrection Ship's FTL drive, disabling it and trapping the huge Cylon vessel. The Blackbird was subsequently destroyed in a collision that nearly claimed the life of its pilot, Captain Lee Adama.

Features

• Carbon composite skin, affording the Blackbird stealth over DRADIS.
• DDG-62 engines, apparently obsolete yet extremely fast. Saved from scrap by Colonel Tigh, who obtains them from the Fleet ship Baah Pakal.
• (Future) FTL capability