Blackbird

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Blackbird
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Series:	RDM
RDM Episodes	Flight of the Phoenix Pegasus Resurrection Ship, Part I Resurrection Ship, Part II Hero
TOS Episodes
1980 Episodes
Caprica Episodes
Last Appearance	Hero
Location
Battlestar Props blog entry
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The Blackbird is a one-of-a-kind, prototype stealth ship built by Galen Tyrol and various Galactica crew members. It is introduced in Season 2, and is destroyed three episodes after its introduction.

Series appearances

The Blackbird makes its appearance in the Season 2 episode "Flight of the Phoenix", where Galen Tyrol decides to build a ship to offset Galactica's losses in terms of fighter craft. Initially conceived as a replacement Viper, Tyrol draws up plans for this ship, and begins building it, despite the doubts of his fellow crew mates. However, the project ends up boosting morale amidst the deteriorating conditions, and the ship becomes not a Viper replacement, but instead something completely different: a stealth ship. After a suspenseful test-fight by Kara Thrace, the ship is christened the Laura in honor of Laura Roslin.

It is pivotal to the Pegasus and resurrection ship arc in the middle of the second season.

After the introduction of a second, surviving battlestar named Pegasus, Peter Laird—the engineer who built the DDG-62 engines and survivor of the Fall of the Twelve Colonies forcibly pressed into service by Admiral—inspects the Blackbird, declaring it the ugliest thing he'd ever seen.

After Admiral Cain and Commander Adama agree to attack a then-unknown ship in the Cylon fleet trailing Galactica's Fleet, Kara Thrace uses the Blackbird and, equipped with a surveillance package, is able to take stunning recon photos of the resurrection ship. Upon returning from this mission in "Resurrection Ship, Part I", she discovers that the Viper squadrons from both battlestars are nearly ready to wipe the other out. Discovering that things have nearly gone to hell between Cain and Adama over Galen Tyrol and Karl "Helo" Agathon, who assaulted—and killed—Alastair Thorne as he was raping Sharon Agathon neé Valerii as an "interrogation" technique. As Thorne was a Pegasus crew member, Cain exercised her authority and sought to execute Tyrol and Helo, itself placed on hold after Thrace transmits pictures from her recon mission to Pegasus.

After both sides agree to a truce, the two battlestars lead an offensive against the pursuing Cylon fleet in "Resurrection Ship, Part II". During this battle, Lee "Apollo" Adama pilots the Blackbird—armed with a missile—and is able to take out the resurrection ship's FTL drive, thereby allowing the Vipers to destroy the resurrection ship with near impunity. However, Apollo himself is unable to participate further in the battle as the Blackbird collides with a Raptor. Apollo is able to eject, but his flight suit is punctured by debris, leading to his near death—he is rescued by a SAR bird after the battle and resuscitated. (The effects of Lee Adama's close call with death during this operation manifest themselves in "Black Market".)

Notes

• The Stealthstar seen in Season 3's "Hero" is a redress of this full-scale set piece.^[1]

Extended gallery

References