Unlike similar civilian models, these transport craft include military gear for detecting electronic emissions from other spacecraft[3] and drop chutes for paratroop assaults.

Galactica carries a large number of manually aimed[10] laser batteries, both for anti-aircraft defense against fighters and for engaging other capital ships.

[1] Galactica also has the ability to project a broad cone of energy, wide enough to cover much of one hemisphere of an Earth-sized planet, that is powerful enough to destroy ballistic missiles and their nuclear warheads.

Five of the Battlestars were established in the first episode when the background dialog indicated the Acropolis, Pacifica, and Triton were present along with Atlantia and Galactica during the events of the ambush at Cimtar in the "Saga of a Star World" Pilot.

A ninth Battlestar was named in verified early internal documents within the Universal Studios art department while the series was in pre-production.

Robert Thurston, (the author of the Pilot novelization), has stated he had access to internal materials at the time and obtained the name of Solaria from within those documents.

As the book was released after the series ended, and any licensing restrictions from Universal would have been lifted by that point, there is a question as to whether Cerebus originated from the source material like the prior listed names had or was simply a later creation from the author of Battlestar Galactica 7 War of the Gods novel.

Many editorial elements appeared to be internally created specifically for the book with no connection to the original source material at all, including the new Battle stars listed therein.

Like many of her sister ships that survived the first Cylon War, Galactica underwent refits and upgrades (for example, at the end of her career, she was equipped with the latest Mark VII Viper space superiority fighter).

At the time of the Cylon Attack, Galactica was fifty years old and was undergoing formal decommissioning from the Colonial Fleet following her retirement as an operational vessel.

Since the Cylon attack, in keeping with the concept of the original 1978 series, Galactica became both protector and provider to a small fleet of civilian vessels searching for the legendary planet Earth.

Galactica took heavy damage during its raid against the Cylons on planet New Caprica, and her hull was now clearly darker with burn marks and missile hits, most notably the three large holes on her back where the armor was weakest.

In the episode "The Woman King", 300 more passengers were shown being moved to the starboard hangar deck, and the area was given the name "Dogsville" by the Galactica crew.

Joe's was equipped with a bumper pool table, Pyramid arcade area, and a heavily damaged Mark II Viper hanging over the bar.

In "Blood on the Scales", after disabling the FTL drive, Chief Tyrol noticed a large crack in an interior wall; in the subsequent episode, "No Exit", a more detailed inspection reveals hairline fractures and more obvious structural damage throughout the ship.

Admiral Adama initially refuses the idea, but after finding cracks in the bulkheads of his quarters, he gives Tyrol permission to do whatever it takes to repair Galactica.

At the onset of the series, Galactica's last operational squadron of Mark VII Vipers participated in the decommissioning ceremony before departing the ship for reassignment.

Pegasus possessed construction facilities and flight simulators that allowed it to build and train new Mark VII Vipers and pilots to strengthen the squadrons of both ships.

The further reduction in manpower forces Adama to allow Cylon heavy raiders from the renegade Basestar to assist in CAP duties alongside Galactica's regular pilots.

Due to the ship's age, battle damage, and subpar materials used in her construction, Galactica eventually begins to show severe metal fatigue.

[23] The crew of volunteers is supplemented by Cylon centurions from the rebel Basestar as well as a small number of civilians including Laura Roslin, Gaius Baltar, and Tory Foster.

Galactica jumps to within point-blank firing range of the colony, making it impossible for missiles to be used, and sustains more damage in the exchange of gunfire.

Marine and centurion assault teams from the Raptors and from Galactica rescue Hera, but a counterassault by the remaining Cylon forces in the colony results in a standoff.

The colony is hit by several nukes accidentally fired from a disabled Raptor and begins being pulled into a nearby black hole.

Thrace uses co-ordinates derived from the musical notes of a song that has haunted both her and the Final Five Cylons, resulting in the ship arriving at the planet that will eventually become modern-day Earth.

Admiral Adama flies the last Viper off the ship, and the Battlestar and its fleet are scuttled by Samuel Anders, who pilots them on their last flight directly into the Sun.