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Description
Two thoughts for here.

First. In my opinion the original Battlestar Galactica "Viper" really looks like a ship Incom might have built. That's surely on purpose; Star Wars was a recent hit when BSG came out and Ralph McQuarrie was the concept artist on both shows. I have no doubt that the producers of BSG wanted Mr. McQuarrie to recapture the Star Wars aesthetic.

Second. I'm a firm believer that a story is better when the background is well developed. I'm also a firm believer that a story is better when one doesn't try to force that background into the narrative. That is, it's very useful to have a lot of details worked out - for example, in my comic "It All Comes Out in the End" I know that the Acheron is one of four cruisers operating with the Redliners, and that she's supposed to have 28 Vipers aboard (2 squadrons each with 12 operational and 2 spare ships) and that she actually has only 16, split between two squadrons and not all in working order. But inserting those details until they're relevant is awkward and boring. So I use them to put boundaries on my writing while resisting the urge to spam them all over the page.

Anyway, this image is a sort of "Jane's Fighting Starships" entry for the Z-97. I'm flattering myself that my comic has some fans, and I figured those fans might be interested in how I saw the Viper fitting into the hierarchy of snubfighters in Star Wars. The short version is: about as tough as an X-Wing, and slightly faster, but with reduced range, much reduced capability (because no astrodroid), and fewer weapons.

The long version follows.

---

The Incom Z-97 “Viper” is a descendant of the ubiquitous Z-95 “Headhunter” and is thus a cousin to the famous T-65 “X-Wing.” Unlike the T-65, the Z-97 abandoned the Z-95’s multi-role capability and is instead a high-speed, high-manoeuvrability interceptor. In this the Z-97 can be seen as part of the post-Clone Wars trend towards fast, nimble fighters that also includes the RZ-2 “A-Wing” and the Sienar TIE series.

The Z-97 departed from the common trend of low calibre, high rate-of-fire weapons and mounts two 30 ml cannons very similar to those found on the BTL-S “Y-Wing.” These weapons fire relatively slowly, although their impact energy is such that only a few hits are needed against most targets. Like the RZ-2, the Z-97 is hyperdrive-equipped and is designed for long-range patrols, fighter sweeps, and escort missions. The ship is operated by a single pilot and there is no provision for an astrodroid, meaning it is dependent on outside support for hyperspace calculations.

Operationally, the Z-97 was moderately successful. The weapons fit proved to be a mistake; the ship’s high velocity meant marksmanship was difficult, but the low ROF meant marksmanship was also very necessary. Commenor Defence Force pilots engaging Separatist holdouts and pirate gangs found they made a large number of ineffectual passes. No-one was unhappy about the speed or the handling, however, and Viper’s Headhunter heritage shows through in the relatively powerful (for the time) shields.

Commercially, the Z-97 was not a success. The ultimate problem was the same that confronted the RZ-2 and the T-65: there was no market. The Imperial Navy opted to standardise on the TIE series. The Imperial Army ceased operating any starfighters in Imperial Year 2. Corporate security fleets had tighter cost-of-operation limits than governments, and as a result generally opted for the tried-and-true Z-95, BTL (in its several variants), or Eta-3 designs. This left system navies and militias as a potential market; but the system governments, as a whole, were looking to reduce military spending in the wake of the Clone Wars. Those that were re-equipping with new starfighters had bad memories of disrupted supply lines and pre-emption by the Republican Navy, and thus were heavily motivated to set up local production. Ultimately, Incom ended up licensing Z-97 production to Commenor, and roughly 80% of all Z-97s produced served with the CoDef Fleet.

Under General Redthorne, the ex-CoDef task group known as the “Redliners” continues to operate the Viper. Here, though, the realities of trying to use a high-performance starfighter for insurrection are becoming apparent. CoDef planners had provided two spare ships to each squadron of twelve, expecting this would be enough for a deployed squadron to maintain full operational readiness. In practice, CoDef Viper squadrons found it not uncommon to be three or even four ships down, giving them only ten or eleven “ready birds.” Now that they are unable to access new parts from Commenor’s factories, the Redliners are unable to maintain even that. At the start of 4th Quarter, IY 17, all Viper squadrons in the Redliners were reduced to 10 ships – two operational flights of four, and two spares.

Even with this reduction, there are not enough birds to go around. A Stygion-class cruiser nominally carries two fighter squadrons, but only Acheron still has both (and only one has a full 10 ships). Rubicon and Tiberon each have only a single Viper squadron embarked, while Vistulon has none at all. Destiny, General Redthorne’s flagship, nominally carries five Viper squadrons, but currently has only one embarked. Of the 63 Vipers aboard Destiny when Task Group Two went rogue, 22 have been lost in accident or combat and 30 have been pushed out to the Stygions to maintain their flight groups. A Viper is an excellent ship, but it is also a needy one, and the Redliners are struggling to keep them flying.

Description
Two thoughts for here.

First. In my opinion the original Battlestar Galactica "Viper" really looks like a ship Incom might have built. That's surely on purpose; Star Wars was a recent hit when BSG came out and Ralph McQuarrie was the concept artist on both shows. I have no doubt that the producers of BSG wanted Mr. McQuarrie to recapture the Star Wars aesthetic.

Second. I'm a firm believer that a story is better when the background is well developed. I'm also a firm believer that a story is better when one doesn't try to force that background into the narrative. That is, it's very useful to have a lot of details worked out - for example, in my comic "It All Comes Out in the End" I know that the Acheron is one of four cruisers operating with the Redliners, and that she's supposed to have 28 Vipers aboard (2 squadrons each with 12 operational and 2 spare ships) and that she actually has only 16, split between two squadrons and not all in working order. But inserting those details until they're relevant is awkward and boring. So I use them to put boundaries on my writing while resisting the urge to spam them all over the page.

Anyway, this image is a sort of "Jane's Fighting Starships" entry for the Z-97. I'm flattering myself that my comic has some fans, and I figured those fans might be interested in how I saw the Viper fitting into the hierarchy of snubfighters in Star Wars. The short version is: about as tough as an X-Wing, and slightly faster, but with reduced range, much reduced capability (because no astrodroid), and fewer weapons.

The long version follows.

---

The Incom Z-97 “Viper” is a descendant of the ubiquitous Z-95 “Headhunter” and is thus a cousin to the famous T-65 “X-Wing.” Unlike the T-65, the Z-97 abandoned the Z-95’s multi-role capability and is instead a high-speed, high-manoeuvrability interceptor. In this the Z-97 can be seen as part of the post-Clone Wars trend towards fast, nimble fighters that also includes the RZ-2 “A-Wing” and the Sienar TIE series.

The Z-97 departed from the common trend of low calibre, high rate-of-fire weapons and mounts two 30 ml cannons very similar to those found on the BTL-S “Y-Wing.” These weapons fire relatively slowly, although their impact energy is such that only a few hits are needed against most targets. Like the RZ-2, the Z-97 is hyperdrive-equipped and is designed for long-range patrols, fighter sweeps, and escort missions. The ship is operated by a single pilot and there is no provision for an astrodroid, meaning it is dependent on outside support for hyperspace calculations.

Operationally, the Z-97 was moderately successful. The weapons fit proved to be a mistake; the ship’s high velocity meant marksmanship was difficult, but the low ROF meant marksmanship was also very necessary. Commenor Defence Force pilots engaging Separatist holdouts and pirate gangs found they made a large number of ineffectual passes. No-one was unhappy about the speed or the handling, however, and Viper’s Headhunter heritage shows through in the relatively powerful (for the time) shields.

Commercially, the Z-97 was not a success. The ultimate problem was the same that confronted the RZ-2 and the T-65: there was no market. The Imperial Navy opted to standardise on the TIE series. The Imperial Army ceased operating any starfighters in Imperial Year 2. Corporate security fleets had tighter cost-of-operation limits than governments, and as a result generally opted for the tried-and-true Z-95, BTL (in its several variants), or Eta-3 designs. This left system navies and militias as a potential market; but the system governments, as a whole, were looking to reduce military spending in the wake of the Clone Wars. Those that were re-equipping with new starfighters had bad memories of disrupted supply lines and pre-emption by the Republican Navy, and thus were heavily motivated to set up local production. Ultimately, Incom ended up licensing Z-97 production to Commenor, and roughly 80% of all Z-97s produced served with the CoDef Fleet.

Under General Redthorne, the ex-CoDef task group known as the “Redliners” continues to operate the Viper. Here, though, the realities of trying to use a high-performance starfighter for insurrection are becoming apparent. CoDef planners had provided two spare ships to each squadron of twelve, expecting this would be enough for a deployed squadron to maintain full operational readiness. In practice, CoDef Viper squadrons found it not uncommon to be three or even four ships down, giving them only ten or eleven “ready birds.” Now that they are unable to access new parts from Commenor’s factories, the Redliners are unable to maintain even that. At the start of 4th Quarter, IY 17, all Viper squadrons in the Redliners were reduced to 10 ships – two operational flights of four, and two spares.

Even with this reduction, there are not enough birds to go around. A Stygion-class cruiser nominally carries two fighter squadrons, but only Acheron still has both (and only one has a full 10 ships). Rubicon and Tiberon each have only a single Viper squadron embarked, while Vistulon has none at all. Destiny, General Redthorne’s flagship, nominally carries five Viper squadrons, but currently has only one embarked. Of the 63 Vipers aboard Destiny when Task Group Two went rogue, 22 have been lost in accident or combat and 30 have been pushed out to the Stygions to maintain their flight groups. A Viper is an excellent ship, but it is also a needy one, and the Redliners are struggling to keep them flying.