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Wraith cruisers are vessels that are used by the Wraith that function as escorts for Hive ships.

Overview[]

Wraith cruiser 1

Hanger doors open to allow Darts to exit.

Wraith cruisers are typically seen to escort Hive ships during assaults or when feeding on a Human world. When their Hive ships are destroyed, the escorting cruisers typically abandon the battlefield by escaping into hyperspace. Beyond this role, they are also seen in the role of patrol ships that are sent to investigate disturbances near Wraith territory. They are also sent alone against Human worlds in order to cull its inhabitants that are incapable of mounting a defense against the vessel. Similar to other Wraith vessels, they apparently do not possess shields and instead rely on their organic hull to protect them from damage. (SGA: "Letters from Pegasus", "The Siege, Part 3", "Condemned", "Aurora", "Travelers") Like hive ships, Wraith cruisers require a Wraith or someone with their DNA to pilot it. (SGA: "The Furies")

When among the company of a Hive ship, cruisers typically are carried into hyperspace even though they are capable of entering it by themselves. They are known to carry Wraith Darts on them which are deployed in combat engagements, though the exact number of Darts remains unknown. (SGA: "The Siege, Part 1", "Travelers", "Search and Rescue")

Wraith cruisers are relatively meager in size and power when compared to equivalent ships of other races. A Daedalus-class ship, for example, has superior energy weapons and shields. As Wraith vessels rely on their regenerative hull for protection, a cruiser can be destroyed by Railgun fire and missiles, and even natural lightning. Additionally, a direct hit from an Asgard plasma beam weapon can tear the cruiser apart; if critical systems are damaged, secondary explosions will destroy it completely. Targeted shots are capable of disabling the hyperdrive without destroying the cruiser as well. (SGA: "Search and Rescue")

While the Atlantis team has mainly encountered larger cruisers, there is a smaller class that do not possess Wraith Darts and serve more of a transport than a combat purpose. They do however have a shuttle bay where Puddle Jumpers or scout ships can land and airlocks that allow them to connect to other Wraith ships directly. (SGA: "Legacy")

Locations[]

Bridge[]

Wraith cruiser 3

A control console on a cruiser.

Cruisers are equipped with a bridge similar in structure to those of Hive ships consisting of numerous consoles where the crew stands. These consoles are used to operate the ship, allowing the crew to fire weapons, enter hyperspace, launch darts, and control repair operations. (SGA: "The Kindred, Part 1", "The Kindred, Part 2", "Search and Rescue")

Dart bay[]

Wraith cruiser 2

A cruiser's Dart bay

Cruisers were capable of carrying a complement of Wraith Darts, which they released for culling and combat engagements. Lt. Colonel John Sheppard used a cloaked Puddle Jumper to enter the Dart bay of Michael Kenmore's cruiser in order to rescue Teyla Emmagan. (SGA: "Search and Rescue")

Whenever a cruiser would face destruction, Darts from the bay are launched in an attempt to board an enemy ship. (SGA: "Travelers")

Presumably, the dart bay contained many of the same features as those on a Hive ship.

Hyperdrive[]

Wraith hyperdrive

A cruiser's Hyperdrive

The Wraith hyperdrive aboard cruisers is unique in that it appears to be suspended from the ceiling of the vessel. Several terminals lay on the ground where crewmen tended to the controls. Typically, three crewmen were all that was required to maintain the hyperdrive.

The hyperdrive of Michael Kenmore's cruiser was disabled by the plasma beam weapons of the Daedalus. However, the repairs were completed quickly until Lt. Colonel John Sheppard used explosives to permanently destroy the hyperdrive. (SGA: "Search and Rescue")

Presumably, a Hive ship contains an exact but larger version of these hyperdrives within their ships.

History[]

Wraith cruiser (Condemned)

A Wraith cruiser on Olesia.

Known cruisers[]

Appearances[]

Appearances for Wraith cruiser

In chronological order:

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Stargate Atlantis: The DVD Collection 76
    Stargate Atlantis: The DVD Collection 76 the gives the Wraith cruiser's length as 2,500 meters and width as 1,500 meters. For comparison, The DVD Collection 70 gives the Daedalus' length as 225 meters and width as 95 meters. The DVD Collection 73 and 76 give the length of the Aurora-class battleship as being upward of 3,000 meters. However, on screen, Wraith cruisers appear to be smaller than the BC-304 (appearing approximately 1/3 the size). Despite this, the DVD Collection magazines describe the Wraith cruiser as being larger than both a BC-304 and an Aurora-class ship, which visual observations clearly dispute. As such, the dimensions of the Wraith cruiser should be considered inaccurate pending future clarification.

    Some issues of The DVD Collection magazine are known to contain errors with respect to the dimensions they provide for spaceships. Dimensions for the same class of ship may vary between issues. The dimensions given in an issue may contradict how the ship visually appears on screen. The dimensions of two ships which appear similarly sized on screen may be given different measurements in The DVD Collection magazines. However, as the DVD Collection Magazines are officially licensed by MGM (and thus considered canon) Stargate Wiki includes them, while noting the apparent discrepancies in instances where they occur. See policy and List of spaceships by size for more information.

Links and navigation[]

v  e
Wraith starship classes
Cruiser · Dart · Escape pod · Hive ship · Scout ship · Supply ship
v  e
Wraith cruisers
Coldamber's cruiser · Eternal · Far-faring · Michael's cruiser
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