Raider (RDM)

The Raider is the primary air/space superiority fighter used by the Cylons against the peoples of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. There have been at least two designs used since the outbreak of hostilities between the two powers. 
==Cylon War-era Raider==
During the Cylon War, raiders resembled a big "flying wing," and carried a crew of at least three Centurions piloting under the command of a specifically designated model. They are a mainstay in the Cylon arsenal of the time (TRS: "Miniseries," "Razor," Blood and Chrome). 
Deployed en masse by the Cylon basestar, Raiders are used to great effect against Colonial battlestars and are nearly a match in maneuverability against their Colonial counterparts, the Viper Mark II and Mark III. They are also used as drop-ships for deploying ground forces (as seen in the Battle of Tauron) and are capable of vertical take-offs and landings, much like the Colonial Raptor (TRS: "Razor," Blood and Chrome).
In the tenth year of the Cylon War, Viper pilots train for combat using holobands to simulate battles between the Viper Mark IIIs and Cylon Raiders .
During the last days of the Cylon War, Raiders destroy the battlestar Columbia in tandem with basestar missile salvos during Operation Raptor Talon .
Some forty years later, some Cylon War-era Raiders are still in active service. A contingent of Raiders is present aboard a lone Cylon War-era basestar which houses the First Hybrid. When the battlestar Pegasus inadvertently discovers this "Guardian basestar," a squadron of Raiders engages with the battlestar as well as its defending force of Viper Mark VIIs . A small number of original Raiders also appears at the Cylon Colony, shortly before its destruction by Galactica .
==Modern Raider==
The modern Raider, called sparrow in Colonial military jargon , radically redesigned but still resembling its past incarnation as a giant flying wing, is first encountered when the Cylons launch their devastating surprise attack on the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. During this attack, Raiders transmit commands to Colonial vessels utilizing the compromised Command Navigation Program (CNP . 
 
This incarnation of the Raider is initially thought to be wholly mechanical in design, with a high-level AI controlling it. However, from inspection of a damaged Raider forced down in a firefight and recovered by Lieutenant , the craft is found to be bio-mechanical in nature , incorporating a number of large organs in its design, including a central brain. These organs are housed in the center mass, with a sliding hatch access underside of the fuselage, protected by an interior fibrous tissue layer. Raiders require an oxygen-nitrogen mix for their biological functions, and thus an oxygen supply, or the ability to generate said supply, is integrated into the craft .
Though Raiders are self-aware, their intelligence level is less than that of a humanoid Cylon and more like a trained animal . Nonetheless, they are capable of independent thought and action, and can refuse to follow orders if they choose . Much like the humanoids, the bio-mechanical Raider's consciousness resurrects in a new "body" if it is destroyed. While this allows the Raider to "learn" from its previous mistakes and become a more proficient killing machine, it can cause Raiders to develop what can be described as a desire for revenge after repeated deaths . Galactica Viper pilots are regularly outnumbered and survive, indicating that Cylon Raiders are generally not matches for skilled human pilots, which is supported when Humanoid Cylons assume control of their Raiders for later conflicts .
The Raider is equipped with a FTL drive system . Following tests on the Raider captured by Galactica, this FTL system is found to be far more efficient in jump calculations than Colonial FTL systems. The drive aptly demonstrates both accuracy and range when Thrace takes the Raider from a point somewhere near the vicinity of back to in a single jump (TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I").
It is armed with conventional and nuclear missiles carried in internal wing bays and two pairs of kinetic energy weapons of different calibers mounted under the leading edge of the wings. Curiously, the only times the Raiders have been seen using their missiles are during the Fall of the Twelve Colonies and the Battle of The Colony. This may indicate that Raiders are not normally armed with missiles.
Like its counterpart, the Colonial Viper, the Raider is capable of atmospheric operations, and retains an aerodynamic shape . In lieu of landing skids, its wings supports its bulk when landed; for manual conveyance of unpowered Raiders, a wheeled rig or suspension via crane are used, particularly by Galactica's deckhands .
=== Modifications ===
During the Battle of the Ionian Nebula, a Raider identifies one of the Final Five after their activation, causing a sudden about-face with the Cylons retreating from their certain victory against the Fleet . Cavil concludes that the Raiders exceeded their programming, and to regain control over them the humanoid Cylons must reconfigure the Raiders' neural architecture and shave down their heuristic responses, essentially lobotomizing them and "dumbing them down." This decision leads to a violent split among the Cylons . This split further leads to the Battle of the Resurrection Hub, resulting in the destruction of the resurrection technology used by both the Humanoid Cylons and the Raiders .
Heuristically-reconfigured Raiders participate in the Battle of The Colony against Galactica Vipers. For the first time since the Fall of the Colonies, they are observed firing ship-to-ship missiles .
== Notes ==
*In an homage to the Original Series Raider, the weapons fire of the Re-imagined Series Cylon Raiders is blue-white. Given the use of conventional weaponry only in the series, these are muzzle flashes and tracer rounds, and not energy weapons like in the Original Series.
*The design of the Raider has seen modifications since its debut in the Miniseries. Of note, the fore grill is not present until as early as Season 1's "Act of Contrition."
*As of "Razor," a new exterior design is being used for the modern Raider. This version displays a more reflective outer armor, and has a flatter face with a sharper jaw line. Overall, this affords the Raider a closer resemblance to the Centurion foot-soldier.http://www.modelermagic.com/?p=219
*The Cylon War era Raider is based heavily on the Original Series Raider. However, it is not identical as the TRS design has enlarged engines and wings that protrude forward from the main hull. 
** A digital model of the Original Series Raider appears in Galactica museum during the Miniseries.
== Related Imagery ==
*The concept drawings represent the interior of the modern Raider and emphasize the bio-mechanical nature of the craft. They are very close to the fully realized versions seen in the Re-imagined Series. However, there were several changes made and these drawings should not be considered completely canon. 
 
Image:Raider head..jpg|Raider, fore .
Image:Raider, aft.jpg|Raider, aft .
Image:Raider nukes.jpg|Raider missiles (Miniseries).
Image:Baseship - Raiders - Raptor.jpg|Raiders docked within a baseship .
Image:Retcon Raider The Plan.png|Redesigned Raider cockpit
Image:Closeup Redesigned Raider Cockpit The Plan.png|Closeup of the redesigned cockpit
Image:Redesigned Raider Eye The Plan.png|Transmiting CNP Virus in The Plan
Image:bsg-raider-A.jpg|Raider on Galactica's hangar deck .
Image:Old Raider.jpg|Damaged Raider (Razor).
Image:Old Raider landing.jpg|Raider functioning as a drop-ship (Razor).
Image:Old Raider inferior..jpg|Raider fires (Razor).
Image:Brain1.jpg|Internal workings.
Image:Brain3.jpg|The Brain.
Image:Brain4.jpg|Brain - Anterior view.
Image:Brain 2.jpg|Starbuck in brain cavity.
Image:CylonRaiderConcept5.jpg|Unused Raider concept by Chris Bell.
Image:3cylons.jpg|Render based on Chris Bell's concept, aft.
Image:Cylonprobe.jpg|Render based on Chris Bell's concept, fore.
== References ==
Category:A to Z
Category:Cylons
Category:Cylons (RDM)
Category:Cylon Craft
Category:Cylon Craft (RDM)
Category:Cylon Military
Category:Cylon Military (RDM)
Category:Ships
Category:Ships (RDM)
Category:RDM
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