Battlestar Galactica Future from the Marvel Comics paperback adaptation of "Saga" According to legend, the twelve Colonies of Mankind were established thousands of years ago by a parent race from another galaxy. These settlements were situated on a dozen planets that were in the same solar system, and they flourished into teeming societies -- each one different, but always at peace with its neighbors. A single race was situated on every sphere, and they all had world government and little domestic turmoil. A quorum of civilizations -- a sort of United Planets -- was established, consisting of one man from each globe, headed by an elected president who governed wisely. Space travel was improved, and expeditions encountered a variety of lifeforms in other systems -- some of whom were friendly, and some of whom were not. A little over a thousand years ago, the Cylons were discovered (or vice versa), and there was peace between them and humans for a while. However, something went wrong, and war broke out. At the end of 1,000 years of constant conflict, the inhumans nearly succeeded in annihilating their forces, but a ragtag fleet of 221 ships headed towards the thirteenth colony of legend: Earth. So much for the history lesson. Battlestar Galactica begins during the "seventh millennium of time," just before the treacherous Cylon sneak attach that all but wipes out the twelve Colonies. On each of the beautiful, well- developed planets -- within all of the cities, with their oddly-shaped geodesic buildings -- there is a celebration that has been brought about by the impending peace treaty with the Cylons. The civilized areas on each sphere are modern, well-developed metropolises, teeming with people who share in basic luxuries and conveniences. There is three- dimensional television, there are holographic photographs, computerized makeup kits that obey verbal commands, and a variety of other things that we Earthlings don't have yet. People usually dress in brightly-colored, clinging garments that enhance the figure either modestly or revealingly, and there is a definite distinction between genders. On some planets, robots -- or droids, as they are more commonly referred to -- toil for their masters. However, this is not so on Caprica, where they are banned, because the people believe that there should be no substitutes for human effort. On these worlds of the distant future, technological advances are in abundance. Although teleportation has not been perfected yet, hyperdrive is commonplace. With this method, a starship can warp out of one area, and reappear a short time later in normal space as incredible distance away. Naturally, this requires careful computations that are handled by computers. Along these lines, a number of vessels can attain speeds equal to the speed of light. "Tylium" is the fuel that is necessary for both accomplishments, and this is an unstable element that is mixed on alien globes. While most craft cannot be adapted to light speed for a variety of reasons, most can be equipped with hyperdrive. Many people have a great deal of leisure time, so they have their travel agents book them to flights to other worlds both within and without the star system (as in the case of Carillon). They mingle with aliens of various shapes, visages and sizes, yet there is little prejudice among the allied cultures. A prime example of luxury spaceliner is the Rising Star, which survives the Cylon holocaust and comes under the protection of the Galactica. As with our modern passenger jets, it has tourist and "elite" class accommodations. The latter, who of course pay considerably more, are treated to exquisite foods, lodging and other highly desirable benefits. Naturally, wondrous medical improvements have been made through the centuries, and most diseases have been erased from the humans' solar system. Other developments include machines that can painlessly fuse broken bones whole within minutes, making them at least as strong as they ever were. There is little physical suffering among the Colonies. Despite all of the advances and wondrous conditions existing among the Colonies, the people lived in constant fear of attack. Not only were they at war with the Cylons, but there was also danger from other unfriendly aliens, space pirates, and smugglers. Despite this, the Colonies had very little in the way of planetary protection. Most of them lacked defense satellites, elaborate city armaments, and even extensive air forces. Instead, they depended primarily upon the dozen majestic battlestars and the carriers' many short-range fighters. This overconfidence, together with the fact that the Cylon fleets used their popular ambush screen to shield them from detection, led to the destruction of all twelve planets, and the extermination of most of humanity. Prior to, and following, the act of genocide, the humans were pretty much the same as the Earthlings. They had good and bad politicians and bureaucrats, greed ( as with Sire Uri), traitors (like Baltar, the ultimate villain), and come criminals. Gambling was very popular (Starbuck is the best example of this). The pursuit of happiness was primary, and everyone has his own goals and methods. After the Cylon assault, many things changed. Now, people were crammed into several hundred spaceships, and food and water were scarce at times. Many people carried weapons, and Warriors even wore sidearms with their ornate dress uniforms. The Galactica became not only defender and communications center, but the hub of government as well, and Adama was chosen as president of the new Quorum of the Twelve. Except in the case of military personnel, everyone's lifestyle changed -- the Gemons, Virgos, Scorpios, Leos and other survivors from the Colonies lost almost everything during the attacks and now they fled from the Cylons. Although a camouflaging fore field shielded them, they were always fearful that something else might go wrong. BATTLE TACTICS From the Marvel Comics adaptation of "SAGA" In many ways, Battlestar Galactica is unique when it comes to television shows. Naturally, one of the biggest draws that the program has comes by way of the fantastic special effects. Week after week, viewers witness a variety of intriguing skirmishes between the Colonial heroes and their arch-enemies, the Cylons -- with a few other major problems thrown in along the way, as well. Among the most exciting segments are those that deal with intergalactic combat. Basically, the battle tactics of both the Colonial Warriors and the Cylon centurions are the same, and these are quite reminiscent of the kind that have been used on Earth since World War II. Imagine the short-range combat craft of both sides as jet fighters, except that they have fewer limitations because of their speed and environment (outer space, of course, where there is little or no gravity, depending on where you are flying). The battlestars and base ships are like huge flying aircraft carriers, and they are very similar to ships at sea. While all of these vehicles are formidable, indeed, with their armament and individual forcefields, they have weak points that can easily lead to their destruction. Every one of the craft is most vulnerable from the sides, which is why warships always fly in flanking formations around convoys in order to protect the main body. Despite its size, even a battlestar can be reduced to rubble by the work of a single fighter; should a Cylon Raider be able to fire a massive laser burst amidship, the target will begin to split apart, and this technique was used to annihilate at least one battlestar on the premiere film. Another Colonial juggernaught was finished off by a Cylon "Death Squad," which consisted of a single ship that flew right into one of the launching bays and self-destructed. When the Cylons launched their treacherous assault against the Colonies, they fought on 13 fronts at the same time -- and won. While several long-range base ships, shielded by ambush screens, flew to the solar system of their enemies, 1,000 Raisers traveled to a distance interception point with the help of some fuel tankers. Just before the base ships began their siege, the fighters attacked the battlestar fleet from the side, after they jammed their enemies' scanners. Next, the base ships launched their assault craft; traditionally, these formed a dozen waves of fighters that peeled off, one level after the other, and began strafing the unsuspecting cities on all of the twelve planets below them. Each wave flew around the spheres, firing laser cannon and dropping bombs, bringing more destruction to their helpless victims. Another tactics that the Cylons are famous for is the "pinwheel attack," which is often used against a single enemy fighter. In this, a dozen Raiders surround their target, and each in turn swoops down in an arc and blasts away at the foe until he either escapes, is rescued, or is pulverized (usually, this latter effect is guaranteed). Since the Colonial Warriors are almost always better pilots than the Cylons, their opponents must often depend on outnumbering than destroying them with such maneuvers. Spaceships & Such: Hardware of BSG from the Marvel Comics paperback adaptation of "SAGA" A great many of the vehicles and equipment appearing in Battlestar Galactica are different from anything else to have ever appears on the TV screen. Lets start off with the battlestars themselves. These huge, intricate, and costly starships are like aircraft carriers in space, in that they carry personnel, supplies, and fighter craft. There were only 12 of them in the entire Colonial fleet, and among these only one survives. The usual number of soldiers -- both men and women -- that each one of these holds is close to 500, and about half of these are pilots and infantrymen. The others are command personnel, helmsmen, technicians, security people, flight controllers, emergency crews and so on. They are able to defend entire planets against full-scale assaults, and they are in turn protected by their own artillery -- a umber of laser cannon situated in various locations -- and several flight squadrons. Each battlestar carries a full compliment of 75 short-range "Viper" fighter ships (sometimes referred to as "Starhounds" and six unarmed shuttlecraft, as well as a dozen armored "landrams" (also known as "Scarabs"), and a large assortment of weapons and equipment. All battlestars and their opposite equivalents, the Cylon base ships, have the capacity to jump the hyperspace, and they can also travel at the speed on light. Although most other spaceships cannot normally accomplish either of these feats because of fuel conservation problems, many craft -- except for the Vipers and Raiders -- can be equipped with hyperspace drive in emergencies. Actually, less than one-third of the 220 assorted Colonial ships in the "ragtag fleet" that follows the Galactica were originally equipped with hyperspace capacity, but most of them were eventually converted along the way. Every one of these transports is powered by "Tylium" which is a highly unstable liquid that is mixed with neutralizing fuels. This substance, by the way, is found only on a handful of planets, and it must be mined in large quantities. Because of the huge amount that is usually found on a single world, it is very possible for the element to ignite and cause a chain reaction that will annihilate the entire sphere in a mammoth explosion (which is precisely what happens to Carillon). The Galactica is a standard battlestar, equipped with two enormous carrier deck that are within cylindrical pods located on either side of the ship. These sections contain launching tubes to catapult Vipers into the void, and landing areas for the fighters and other vehicles. They have rows of directional strobes at the twin entry ports, and these also contain emergency force cushions and small disaster trucks. Of course, the multi-level Galactica and Cylon base ships come complete with elevators, living quarters and everything else that one might expect to find on a flying battleship of the future. Predictably, the Cylon command craft are very dissimilar from the gargantuan Colonial craft in design, each resembling a matched pair of squat triangles, but the function of both motherships are the same. The Colonial Vipers are sleek, tri-winged beauties that are designed to accommodate a single pilot. The each contain complicated instruments and a `joystick' that holds several controls for the most essential capabilities -- such as the firing button for the dual turbolaser cannon. Their flyers sit in special gee-chairs to counteract the tremendous shock of being launched, and they wear helmets that are reminiscent of some ancient Egyptian headdress. Stabilizing rockets, boosters, reverse thrust capabilities and superior maneuverability give them distinct advantages over their Cylon opponents. Despite these benefits, though, both Vipers and Raiders can be easily affected by various outside factors. For instance, each can be torn apart by an astralon storm layer, and other elemental annoyances. Furthermore, their on-board scanners, which the pilots have to depend upon so heavily for a variety of reasons, can be jammed electronically. Along similar lines, an enemy ship can be screened out by another, larger, craft, for the purpose of ambush and/or concealment. Naturally, internal problems can also develop -- particularly if a ship is damaged -- and during a heavy battle, a weapons charge can be easily exhausted, leaving the vehicle defenseless. The design of the Cylon Raider is radically different from that of their Colonial counterpart. Resembling large flying wings, with basic structures curved downward, they bring to mind a frightening image of monstrous bats. A laser cannon is situated near the tip of each wing, and the crafts are also equipped with laser-particle torpedoes and a load of devastating bombs (which, among other things, can cause pluton poisoning to develop in canned foodstuffs). Every Raider is manned by three Cylon centurions; two of them sit next to one another, while their Captain, who is elevated somewhat, is situated slightly behind. It is the commander who controls the ship and usually fires the lasers. Since the devoted Cylon race does not spend much time in idle pursuits, it uses only necessary spacecraft -- tankers, long-range reconnaissance ships, troop carriers, aforementioned vehicles, and a few more. However, the humans have transports for every occasion, because of their nature. Within the Galactica's ragtag fleet are a large variety of 220 assorted warships (not counting the Vipers), luxury liners, tankers, research vehicles, exploratory craft, livery ships with livestock, agricultural craft, and whatnot. Despite their physical differences, though, every single one of them is equipped with at least one laser cannon for protection, and an invisible force field to shield it against limited enemy fire. Additionally, all are governed by the same dictate: conserve fuel whenever possible, and do not use turbo engines unless endangered. While on the subject of Tylium, there is a danger that is ever-present within all spacecraft -- Solium leaks. This element is a by-product of the fuel, and while it is generally more stable than Tylium, it is highly dangerous because of the difficulty in detecting it. All Colonial Warriors, and every Cylon centurion, carries a personal communicator -- a sort of walkie-talkie, to keep in contact with his allies. Additionally, the humans are armed with laser pistols that they wear in loose holsters, while their armored opposites are each equipped with an energy-destroying rifle and a sword. Colonial infantrymen are transported and aided by landrams, or Scarabs, which are the equivalent of modern-day armored personnel carriers, and these come complete with twin laser cannon mounted on revolving turrets. The Cylons, on the other hand, do not appear to have such vehicles, but they do manage to develop sinister things like orbiting satellite mines. These come in various shapes, sizes and functions, such as regular explosive ones that can destroy any ship within a radius of a kilometer, those that can jam all electronic equipment within twice that range, and some which blind flyers with intense light that can also melt a nearby fightercraft. These mines can work equally well against the enveloping camouflage force field that the Galactica fleet uses to hide itself from their enemies. Aliens Excerpt from Marvel Comics paperback adaptation of "SAGA" The Cylons are a deadly-mechanical race of giants (average height 7 feet) who are determined to a) bring order to their chaotic universe, and b) exterminate all forms of human life in order to accomplish their first goal. Unfortunately, their way of establishing peace and harmony is to conquer everybody and enslave other races, thereby forcing the losers to conform to the Cylon way of thinking. While this is an interesting ideology, practiced by such notables as Adolph Hitler, it doesn't sit too well with the humans of the Colonies. These aliens hate Homo Sapiens because the latter love freedom, independence, and so forth, and also because we are an irrational lot. The Cylon Alliance or Federation, is determined to institute a totally technological universe of being, and they can't accomplish this while humans are around to gum up the works. The Cylons are partly mechanical. Every member of their race is a cyborg -- or cybernetic organism. This is to say, in this particular case, that metal parts are transplanted into their bodies shortly after birth in order to insure that they always remain strong -- particularly the Centurion soldiers, who are mostly robot -- and easily controllable. Because of electronic implants in their brains, they never rebel against authority, follow orders blindly, are difficult to kill and are fearless fighters. Thus, we have here a semi-living being that is extremely devoted to his leaders: to the Cylon, the supreme commander is known as Imperious Leader. This guy sits almost motionless on a throne all day and night, assimilating information and making supreme decisions; he is the most treacherous of all his race. At times, he stations himself at the exact center of the main base ship atop a huge pedestal, and zips around the universe, surrounded by an army of his loyaler-than-loyal, semi-zombie soldiers. He, most of all, believes that humans are a pestilence that must be eliminated -- they have infected the perfect unity of the universe, and they must die if peace is to be restored. True, the Cylons struck first, 1,000 years ago, but that was because the Colonies had interfered with the Cylon subjugation of another race. The humans so dared, and now they are paying the ultimate price. Unlike most of his race, Impy keeps a pet lizard, which he often allows to rest on his left hand. Speaking of lizards, the Cylons happen to be a reptilian species that is generally taller than normal humans. They have knobby heads, are serpentine and gray in color, and are scaly and cold-blooded. Although they don't care much for other forms of life, they are not so merciless that they want to exterminate everyone else in the cosmos. Besides, fear-ridden slaves make things a lot easier on the whole. The Centurion are an expendable bunch that walk slowly and are terrible shots. It takes three of them to fly a small fighter, and they still have to depend on surprise and vastly superior numbers in order to beat the Warriors. All Cylon troops wear a highly polished armor that covers their entire body, and they each come complete with futuristic rifle, a sword, a communicator, and assorted sundries. All of their helmets contain rectangular apertures at eye level, which have red lights inside that bounce back and forth. On the plus side, this illumination somehow increases their vision at all times, but the bad news is that at night, while on a planet's surface, they stick out like sore thumbs, and their enemies can try to pick them off by firing at the brilliant beams. This is not as easy as it might seem, though, because their armor is able to deflect a laser beam that does not strike head-on. Not much information is given about the robots of the human survivors, except that none are ever made to exactly resemble anyone. Several airborn droid maintenance laboratories periodically churn out and repair robots for work on spaceships, and on planets where the atmosphere is toxic, but the metal workers do not exist in abundance. Actually, certain people, like the Capricans, discourage the use of mechanical constructs. -0-