24.01.2007 ~ Battlestar Galactica main batteries

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Battlestar galactica main guns (image from wikipedia) Cast your mind back to the exodus part 11 episode of Battlestar Galactica. The Galactica takes a pounding at the feet of three basestars, it's main gun batteries gone, jump-drives and manoeuvring thrusters disabled, a hull breech imminent. At the last minute the Battlestar Pegasus jumps in, guns blazing, ultimately sacrificing itself so a badly battered Galactica could live to fight another day...

But fight with what?

Galactica's main battery, the sixteen heavy guns on it's dorsal area and spine are gone! Laid to waste over New Caprica. Sure, it still has a compliment of vipers and the point-defence guns, but the vessel now seems robbed of it's ability to go toe-to-toe with cylon ~~star-fish~~ basestars. But wait, didn't the Pegasus have both bow and flight pod batteries? Was the Galactica designed to fight solely on it's back?

I decided to do a little digging around. The first port of call being a gander at the original ZOIC designs of our favourite fighting museum. Using the awesome power of the inter-network I came across the following schematic:

Schematic of the battlestar galactica (credit: zoic)

Dorsal/spine guns: check! What else can we see?

On closer inspection...

Sure enough, hanging off the belly, we can spy two clusters of eight main guns grouped in four turrets mounted on the centreline. The old girl isn't looking so offence-less now! But is there more?

The ill-fated Pegasus had an impressive collection of forward firing main guns (the opening volley of fire it spat as it descended to aid the stricken Galactica over New Caprica being a just testament!), does the venerable 'bucket' have a comparable capability?

Bow batteries on the battlestar galactica? (credit: zoic)

And what do you know? Sitting below the 'beak' are a further four turrets...

On-screen verification

Here comes the problem! On the show we have only seen the now defunct dorsal guns being used (often referred to as the 'main battery'). They first appeared in the mini-series, then '33', 'scattered' and 'resurrection-ship part 11' (presumably they got some off-air play in exodus part 11).

Despite fleeting glances at the bow of the ship I've yet to see any indication of the forward guns that appear in the schematics and to the best of my knowledge we've never seen the belly in enough detail to discern if the belly guns exist. Engagements following the New Caprica experience have the Galactica broadside to oncoming basestars, the fighting been carried out by vipers and pimped up raptors.

So we're left with the tantalising idea that the Galactica could possibly have a few more tricks up it's rusting sleeve - after all who knew she boasted ten nuke silos?