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A Colonial Viper is the name of the primary fighter spacecraft type used by the Colonial Fleet in the fictional Battlestar Galactica universe.
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Original series (1978, 1980)
In the original run of Battlestar Galactica, the single-seated Colonial Viper is the only known fighter flown by Colonial Pilots, referred to as "Warriors." There is only one known variant of Viper seen in the series, likely due to limitations caused by the need to reuse a great deal of stock footage of Vipers in action. The flight helmet worn by the Warrior pilots resembles an ancient Egyptian headdress, however the symbolism of this helmet is never explained.
The Vipers are launched from a long tube, apparently assisted by some sort of catapult mechanism. In flight, the Vipers typically use all three of their engines for powered flight, and can use a "Turbo" boost for greater speed, analogous to a modern fighter plane's afterburner. They can also reverse thrust for rapid deceleration, a useful tactic when being pursued by enemy ships who would then tend to overshoot the Viper, placing them in a vulnerable position. Vipers are capable of atmospheric as well as space flight, and can land and take off from a planetary surface.
Armament consist of two energy beam weapons, linked together to fire simultaneously. They can also carry fire suppression equipment, shown in one episode where they are used to battle a fire on the Galactica after action against the Cylons.
Some Vipers are known to be capable of invisibility when on the ground, as seen in the Galactica 1980 series. (In other 1980 episodes, we learn that a Colonial Warrior's uniform is meant to protect against the crushing effects of gravity, similar to an inertial dampener.) A 2-seat version of the Viper is also seen in the Galactica 1980 series, and hinted at in the first episode of the TV series.
The US Air Force gave the F-16 Fighting Falcon the unofficial nickname of "Viper" in homage to the fictional starfighter, and pilots in the Japan Self-Defense Forces call their own variant of the F-16 the Viper Zero.
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Re-imagined series (2003)
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In the 2003 remake of Battlestar Galactica, the Viper series of starfighters are the Colonial Defense Force's primary space superiority fighter/attack craft. Capable of atmospheric flight, the Viper is a single-seat craft mounting two kinetic energy weapons, as well as having hardpoints beneath the wings for mounting missiles, munitions pods and other ordnance. There are at least seven versions of the Viper design at the point in history depicted by the reimaged miniseries.
Richard Hudolin, the production designer for the miniseries, has stated that "The only things that we wanted to carry through (from the original film and series) were the Mark II ships."
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History
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The Viper was introduced into Colonial service shortly before the outbreak of the Cylon War. However, it was the Mark II Viper series, designed specifically for use with the new Colonial battlestars, that is best remembered.
The Mark II was used during the Cylon War, proving a capable fighting vehicle. It is regarded as one of the reasons the Twelve Colonies did not suffer defeat at the hands of the Cylons.
The Mark II remained in service after the end of the war, with William Adama commenting that he last flew his 'own' Mark II Viper (N7242C), likely one of the last of its type, roughly twenty years after the end of the war.
The Mark II was subsequently superseded by newer models, with the Mark VII serving in front-line duties forty years after the end of the Cylon War, as seen in . By this time the Viper design had been progressively evolved, retaining the basic structural configuration (essential for use with Colonial battlestars), but with variations in length, equipment, and capability. Very little is known to fans about the intervening designs, but by the time the Mark VII was introduced the Viper design incorporated software-based controls and fully networked systems; providing superior agility, battle management, and fight information for the pilot.
The Mark VII was later upgraded to include Dr. Gaius Baltar's navigational software. Along with the majority of the Colonial Fleet, this software allowed the Cylons to remotely disable the Vipers during the renewed attack on the Twelve Colonies, forty years after the original war ended. The few Mark VIIs that survived the disaster were later stripped of this software, and retrofitted for manual control.
The older Mark II fighters, not equipped with the "fly by wire" systems of newer Vipers, were unaffected by the Cylon modifications to Dr. Baltar's program. Two squadrons of Mark IIs were present in the Galactica's starboard flight pod in preparation for the battlestar's new role as a museum, and after the Galactica's Mark VII squadrons were destroyed by the Cylons, the display of Mark II's were refitted for combat by Galactica's deck crew. They made up the majority of Galactica's fighter corps during the Cylon sneak attack, the Battle of Ragnar Anchorage, and most of the Galacticas action prior to the arrival of Battlestar ''Pegasus'', adding her ability to manufacture more Mark VIIs to the fleet.
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Dimensions
Mark II
Height: 2.7247 m (in flight, without landing gear. Landing gear adds approximately 0.5m)
Mark VII
Height: 2.9508 m (in flight, without landing gear)
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Propulsion
Mark II: 1x Voram VM2-D15 upper turbothrust engine, 2x Voram VM3-D22 turbothrust engines; 2x reverse thrust motors; RCS points
Mark VII: 3x turbothrust engines mounted aft; RCS points; angular exhaust nozzle design suggest possible thrust-vectoring.
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Armaments
Mark II: 2x MEC-A6 30mm Thraxon forward-firing 'kinetic energy weapons', mounted in the wing roots with 800 round magazine; dorsal storage bay for 8x HD-70 Lightning Javelin missiles (optional nuclear warhead)
Mark VII: 3x forward-firing 'kinetic energy weapons', 2 mounted towards the outboard sections of the wings, 1 mounted in the vertical stabiliser
Both: Weapon hardpoints for mounting missiles / munitions pods, etc. under the wings
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Notes
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