The Primus class battle cruiser was a mainstay of the Centauri Republic fleet. The Primus was built by House Tavari Armaments at the Hevaria Orbital Shipyards at Tolonius VII.[1]
A very powerful warship compared to it's contemporaries, the only real weakness of the Primus is it's lack of fighter bay facilities.[1] During the last days of the Narn-Centauri War, several Primus class battle cruisers were outfitted with highly illegal mass drivers and were used in the planetary bombardment of Narn. [2]
The Primus' standard armament of two twin barrell heavy pulse cannons allow it equal ability to deal with capital ships and fighters. Despite this, without fighter support the Primus can be quickly overwhelmed by intense barrages from enemy fighters and a powerful Defence Grid. [3]
Additional characteristics
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The following is based on Babylon 5: Into the Fire. |
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Since the Primus' introduction in the 2150s, the design underwent only one major upgrade. Starting in 2223 and proceeding through 2228, the ships pulse cannon armament was upgraded to 8 Twin Barrell Heavy Centauri Pulse Cannons.
While slightly older than the Vorchan class cruiser it was nevertheless the most powerful warship of the Centauri fleet and in the glory days of the Republic was a symbol of fear for many of the younger races, save of course the Minbari. A fact even the Great Centauri Republic never attempted to challenge.
When the Centauri used all-Primus fleets, they tended to use wedge, diamond or triangular formations that allowed the ships to concentrate firepower on targets directly in front of the fleet while not blocking each other's ability to defend the flanks. Centauri formations are only truly vulnerable to attacks from the rear. In combination with the Vorchan class medium warship, the Centauri adopt tactics reminiscent of the Earth Alliance Nova/Hyperion tactics: The Primus cruisers provide fire support to the Vorchans and fighters who attack specific targets en masse.
Notable Vessels
Behind the Scenes
Ship was designed by John Teska. [4]
Appearances
Babylon 5 TV SeriesThe Coming of ShadowsPoint of No Return
Wheel of Fire
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Notes
- There are some contradictions between informations about crew complement, capability of carrying fighters and weaponry contained in two sources: The Official Guide to Babylon 5 (CD-ROM), a canon source, released by Sierra Entertainment and unreleased computer game (also by Sierra) Babylon 5: Into The Fire, which canon status is not certain. * The Official Guide states the cruiser lacks fighter bays (In fact the cruiser was never seen to launch any fighters), its crew complement is consisting of 212 crewmembers and it's armed with X-Ray Lasers as well as 4 Heavy Laser cannons and 2 Twin Particle beams, while archived website of unreleased PC game Into The Fire states the cruiser is capable of carrying 14 Sentri medium fighters, its crew complement is consisting of 72 officers and 1,352 enlisted personnel and it's armed with 8 twin heavy pulse cannons.
References
Other Sources
 Centauri Republic Ship Classes
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| Capital Ships | ||
| Primus-class Battle Cruiser · Vorchan-class Medium Warship | ||
| Fighters | ||
| Sentri-class Medium Fighter | ||
| Transports | ||
| Primus-class Liner Variant · Liner · Transport · Atmospheric shuttle · Crew Shuttle | ||
| Other | ||
| Space station · Shipyard · Blockade mine · Perimeter mine | ||