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Description
The Mercury was the first Mercury class Battlestar to be completed. Mercury was one of the so called "Block 0" Mercurys. Mercury was initially built as a prototype intended to allow the fleet to test the class' design concepts, particularly the inverted hangar decks, in practice. Mercury was actually a simplified version of the final design that while comparable with war-period Battlestars still in service was less structurally sound and less efficient than it's sister ships that would follow. The reason for this was twofold, firstly to speed up construction and minimise resources and secondly because it's purpose was to test the practical operation of the class, not the physical performance. Once trials had been completed Mercury was commissioned into the fleet, where it would serve for twenty years before being decommissioned and becoming a training ship.

The other block 0s were:
* Battlestar Stóchos; Built to the intended final physical design but was little more than the propulsion system and frame fitted with a huge number of sensors to evaluate performance. Stóchos was used for a number of tests, including live fire exercises where the ship was pounded with missiles and cannons, climaxing in it's destruction.
* Battlestar Eternal; The first fully realised Mercury. Eternal would serve as a test bed in the fleet for many years, being used to try out new systems and ideas. Notably Eternal was the first ship in the fleet to receive the CNP. By the time of the fall Eternal was increasingly being pushed to the side lines with it's crew anticipating a fate similar to that of the Galactica; a slow fade from utility.
* Battlestar Columbia; Initially the Columbia was physically identical to Eternal. However, while Eternal was extensively modified with experimental features over it's lifetime the Columbia lead a far more routine life, serving as a front line ship in the Fleet just like any other later Mercury and only receiving modifications aimed at modernisation.
* Battlestar Atlantia; Commissioned as the Epsilon Fleet's new flagship. Atlantia would serve in this role until the introduction of it's Athena class replacement, leading a prominent life as the media's favourite example of Colonial Military might.

Description
The Mercury was the first Mercury class Battlestar to be completed. Mercury was one of the so called "Block 0" Mercurys. Mercury was initially built as a prototype intended to allow the fleet to test the class' design concepts, particularly the inverted hangar decks, in practice. Mercury was actually a simplified version of the final design that while comparable with war-period Battlestars still in service was less structurally sound and less efficient than it's sister ships that would follow. The reason for this was twofold, firstly to speed up construction and minimise resources and secondly because it's purpose was to test the practical operation of the class, not the physical performance. Once trials had been completed Mercury was commissioned into the fleet, where it would serve for twenty years before being decommissioned and becoming a training ship.

The other block 0s were:
* Battlestar Stóchos; Built to the intended final physical design but was little more than the propulsion system and frame fitted with a huge number of sensors to evaluate performance. Stóchos was used for a number of tests, including live fire exercises where the ship was pounded with missiles and cannons, climaxing in it's destruction.
* Battlestar Eternal; The first fully realised Mercury. Eternal would serve as a test bed in the fleet for many years, being used to try out new systems and ideas. Notably Eternal was the first ship in the fleet to receive the CNP. By the time of the fall Eternal was increasingly being pushed to the side lines with it's crew anticipating a fate similar to that of the Galactica; a slow fade from utility.
* Battlestar Columbia; Initially the Columbia was physically identical to Eternal. However, while Eternal was extensively modified with experimental features over it's lifetime the Columbia lead a far more routine life, serving as a front line ship in the Fleet just like any other later Mercury and only receiving modifications aimed at modernisation.
* Battlestar Atlantia; Commissioned as the Epsilon Fleet's new flagship. Atlantia would serve in this role until the introduction of it's Athena class replacement, leading a prominent life as the media's favourite example of Colonial Military might.