BC-303

The BC-303 is the production model of the X-303, which was introduced in 2003.

History
When the X-303 entered active service, it took the designation "BC-303" and the name Prometheus. It was the first, and for a long time, only deep-space battlecruiser constructed by the Tau'ri. In this capacity, it served as the flagship of the Tau'ri fleet under the auspices of the Office of Homeworld Security.

Though plans were made to construct an entire fleet of BC-303s, the introduction of the Daedalus-class battlecruisers rendered the craft obsolete, leaving the Prometheus as the sole vessel in its class.

It played a major role in both the Tau'ri-Goa'uld war and Ori crusade until the Prometheus was destroyed in a battle over Tegalus in 2006. The BC-303 class has since been out of service.

Airlocks
Several airlocks line the slender mid-section of the ship. Airlocks may be vented through initiating a Venting Sequence controlled through the computer consoles, or performing a manual override to open the door via a control keypad. Maj. Samantha Carter once invoked the use of the computer-controlled Venting Sequence as a way to move the ship, which was stuck in a gaseous cloud. The venting of Airlock 3 failed, however, to break the ship free.

Armory
There are several armories on the Prometheus. It is unknown how many armories existed, but they appear to be small and packed with various weapons and munitions. They are known to contain both Tau'ri and Goa'uld weapons, as well as vests, flashlights, and radios. It is possible to remotely lock and unlock the armory from other parts of the ship, such as the bridge, through the use of a 5-digit access code. One such armory was room NS7-22 on Deck 6.

Bridge
The Prometheus' command center was laid out in a manner more reminiscent of the bridges of naval vessels than the cockpit of an aircraft. It was a fairly large room, with banks of consoles were arranged along the walls; the commanding officer occupied a chair towards the center, flanked by two additional forward-facing consoles. Generally the station to the commander's left was staffed by the ship's pilot, while a senior technician sat to the right. The weapons officer occupied a station farther forward and off to the side; a cluster of windows covered much of the front wall, with a set of small display screens set above them. A large map and plotting table was located toward the back of the room.

Briefing Room
The briefing room in the Prometheus is designed with small groups in mind. There is a large built-in display monitor which serves as a map to the Prometheus itself. Next to this display is a wall-mounted communications phone. This large display is on the same wall as the entrance and is directly opposite of a large, six-paneled window. A large rectangular conference table, able to seat up to twelve individuals comfortably (two at each end and four on each side), sits in the middle of the room. There is room between the end of the conference table and the windowed wall for additional seating and standing room. Various electronic control panels and ventilation covers decorate the walls of the briefing room.

Brig
The brig on Prometheus was a small, unadorned room not dissimilar to the ship's storage compartments; it contained a surveillance camera through which the prisoners could be observed. Though apparently designed for only a single occupant, it has been used to hold up to four people, indicating there may be only one such room on the ship.

Cargo Bay
The cargo bay was in the forward section of the Prometheus. It was, at least, 22 feet high as it was capable of holding a Stargate. This area was labeled in the Venting Sequence display screen as "Fwd Cargo Hangar".

Hanger Bay
There are two hanger bays on the Prometheus, which are designed for a total complement of eight F-302s (four in each bay). Despite being designed for F-302s, they are also capable of holding Goa'uld Death gliders. Col. Jack O'Neill and Teal'c used a death glider from Anubis' crashed ha'tak to secretly board the Prometheus after it was stolen by a rogue cell of the NID. Their approach was possible because the radar systems for the Prometheus were not yet operational as the ship was still under construction when it was stolen.

Crew Quarters
The crew's quarters are located at the rear of the spacecraft, above the two large sublight engines. The appearance of the interior of these compartments is unknown, but likely vary based on the composition of the crew and the mission.

Elevators
Elevators on the Prometheus are called through the use of a keycard which is swiped through a card reader, just like those in the SGC, except that a secondary swipe isn't necessary once inside the elevator. The card reader on the Prometheus also has a keypad, whereas the card readers at the SGC do not. The elevator has the same number of buttons on its panel as the one at the SGC, which is twenty-eight. Some elevators, if not all, have opposing doors (a "front" and a "rear" set). In case the elevators are not operational, personnel may use access passageways equipped with ladders.

Infirmary
The Prometheus infirmary needs to be prepared for any eventuality, from combat injuries, to common illnesses, to exposure to alien issues. It is likely well stocked for the long voyages from Earth. It has a full complement of medications and monitoring equipment and several beds. It would very likely also include a surgical bay.

Mess Hall
The mess hall of Prometheus is furnished with several small cloth covered tables. Most often, the tables are set up next to each other to make long rows of dining areas at which the crew can eat. The condiments displayed and decor is similar to the SGC commissary. The mess hall, kitchen and pantry were presumably some of the last things installed in the Prometheus. When Thor of the Asgard shanghaied the ship and SG-1 for a vital mission, he beamed aboard supplies with no thought

Any mess line has not been visible in parts of the room showed to date, however, there are coolers with sandwiches and fruit available during irregular chow times. Although there was no refrigeration available when the Prometheus was stolen, there are now coolers and fresh fruit available for the crew during their long interstellar voyages. There is at least one exterior window in the room, with a large display screen opposite it.

Technology
As with the X-303 the BC-303 was built using both Earth-based and alien technology, mostly of Asgard or Goa'uld origin.

Communications
Prometheus had a variety of means to communicate within and between ships. There were traditional telephones located in corridors and rooms throughout the ship for intra-ship communications. There was also the capacity to integrate the system to wireless radio headsets. The ship also has an intercom system for ship wide messages. It could be activated on the bridge by one of the stations and could also be triggered directly from the commander's chair.

The Prometheus was equipped for both audio and video communications outside the ship as well. Despite communications satellites being down, Prometheus was able to establish a secure video transmission directly to the Oval Office, which displayed on monitors above the main window/viewer display. A side viewer also displayed video communications that integrated with alien ships, such as the Asgard and Goa'uld. The ship could also broadcast audio-only messages on multiple frequencies, and included the additional feature of translating the broadcast into Goa'uld. The communications, however, couldn't penetrate Ancient shielding, as was evidenced upon the discovery of the caves of Avalon in the Glastonbury Tor. The Prometheus had two communications arrays symmetrically placed on the rear section of the ship.

Inertial Dampeners and Artificial Gravity
The Prometheus had inertial dampeners and artificial gravity technology, which gave its passengers a smooth ride, much like that taken within a fast elevator. When Julia Donovan's filming crew turned out to be rogue NID agents who stole the ship, Carter was trapped on a level which didn't have the artificial gravity systems in place and she experienced zero gravity when the ship was taken into space.

Shields
The BC-303 utilized shields of Asgard origin, which were donated to them in 2003 as thanks for the help the Tau'ri had provided the Asgard in their conflict against the Replicators. Asgard shielding was first equipped to the Prometheus and eventually the Daedalus-class, allowing the Tau'ri to better defend themselves.

These shields are among the most advanced shields known to exist within the known universe.

Asgard transporters
The 303 has Asgard transporters, gifted to the Tau'ri by the Asgard. Lacking the advanced Asgard sensors to accompany the technology, the 303 needs a locator beacon in order to lock on and transport an object. The transporter is shown capable of moving an entire skyscraper.

Escape pods
The BC-303 is also known to possess an unknown number of escape pods in case of emergency. When the Prometheus encountered an Unidentified spaceship, the members of an Unknown race that inhabited the vessel, beamed the entire crew of the Prometheus aboard the vessel, save Samantha Carter. After she awoked, she disvovered that the escape pods of the ship had been jettisoned.

Asgard hyperdrive
The BC-303 used hyperdrive technology engineered by the Asgard. The Prometheus was the first Tau'ri ship granted an Asgard hyperdrive. The hyperdrive engine was given to the Tau'ri in 2003 as a thanks for their help in the fight against the Replicators. All Tau'ri built ships since has been ourfitted with these powerful engines.

The precise speed of a vessel equipped with an Asgard hyperdrive appears to vary based on the ship's available power: the Prometheus needed months to travel between the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies, whereas the Daedalus made the trip in 18 days (or 4 days, using a Zero Point Module).

Anti-Gravity Pod
The Anti-Gravity Pod was housed in the lower portion of the rear of the ship, as labeled on the Venting Sequence display. The Prometheus most likely used this feature in entering and exiting its subterranean bay on Earth, in softening an off-world landing, and in hovering or maintaining a stationary position above the ground as it did in Antarctica in order to protect SG-1's cargo ship during Anubis's attack.

Deceleration Thrusters
Declaration thrusters were used to slow the Prometheus down. They were situated on the front side of the large rectangular hyperdrive engine sections and were seen being used by SG-1 when they landed on the planet Hala.

Sublight Engines
The BC-303 possess relatively powerful sublight engines, which are installed on the Prometheus and the Daedalus-class ships. The sublight engines on the Prometheus were capable of accelerating to 110,000 miles per second, over half the speed of light.

Sublight engines have varying output which is controlled through the ship's helm. One such output was referred to as "emergency thrust" and was used when the Prometheus left Antarctica to meet Anubis's fleet in Earth's orbit. The second time this output was referred to was when the ship needed to get away from the segments of a Supergate which were on collision courses with the ship near the planet Kallana.

Landing Gear
The Prometheus had a tripodal landing gear system with one leg in the front of the ship and two in the rear. The slender mid-section of the ship had no support. The ship needed to engage the deceleration thrusters in order to obtain a stationary point above the planet surface before landing. Most likely, the anti-gravity pod assisted in the landing process. The landing gear operated just like that on a jet airplane and could be retracted back into the body of the ship.

Railguns
The BC-303 is oufitted with several railguns, which have become standard on F-302s and all Daedalus-class vessels for ship-to-ship combat. Just a few shots are able to take out a Death Glider relatively quickly and deal a large amount of damage to Al'kesh and Ha'taks. However, Ori shields are significantly more difficult, practically impossible, to pierce.

Missile Batteries
The 303s have 12 missile batteries and naquadah enhanced nuclear warheads. These missiles are able to take out a Death Glider relatively quickly and deal a large amount of damage to Al'kesh and Ha'taks. Ori shields, however, are far more resistant than of most other races.

Battle Complement
The BC-303 is designed to carry a squadron of eight F-302 space intercept fighters. The fighters are kept in the cargo bay and hangar area at the front of the ship.