Vermilion’s Shadow Introduction
Written by JT Norton
This story is set in the Battlestar Galactica universe while expanding it in a few directions of my own. At the center of the story is Mattix Raydeon, a young man rising through the Colonial ranks as the fleet undertakes a massive colonization mission to a new world.
Mattix begins his journey with much more to learn than simply how to become an officer or a pilot. Through his experiences, we will see the Colonial world unfold through his eyes—its people, military, history, and its current state of civilization, which has continued to evolve over many generations.
I have deliberately expanded the familiar Battlestar Galactica setting to make the universe much larger, with new ships, locations, technology, characters, and history. Exactly how everything fits together is something I would rather reveal through the story itself, so you’ll have to keep reading—or listening—to discover where I’m taking it.
My goal is to introduce an entirely new group of characters while keeping the atmosphere and recognizable foundations that longtime Battlestar Galactica fans will appreciate. There will occasionally be references to people, events, and history connected to the original characters, but they are part of the distant past rather than the focus of this story.
This story takes place hundreds of yahren after the events of the original television series. The heroes and adventures we remember have long since passed into Colonial history, and the generations living in Mattix’s time have inherited the civilization that followed.
This is Mattix Raydeon’s story—and through him, we are going to discover just how much the Battlestar Galactica universe may have changed.
A Few Questions You May Have — But Maybe Not the Full Answer
Cylons?
Yes, the Cylons will appear in the story. How, when, and what role they will play is something you’ll have to stay tuned to discover.
What will the Cylons look like?
I have updated their appearance, but the changes are intended to remain faithful to the original Cylon design. I wanted them to feel more modern and formidable without losing the unmistakable look that made the original Cylons so iconic.
Vipers and Raiders?
Yes. Both Vipers and Cylon Raiders remain dominant combat craft in this universe, but I have made some adjustments to their designs to reflect the passage of time.
The goal is evolution rather than complete reinvention. They should still be immediately recognizable as the Vipers and Raiders Battlestar Galactica fans know, while showing the technological advances that would naturally occur over generations.
Throughout the story, my goal is to remain as true as possible to the parts of the original Galactica universe that we love, while still giving myself enough room to introduce new designs, technology, characters, and ideas of my own.
What about the 1980 and 2000s series content?
My story does not recognize the later series as part of its continuity. While I enjoyed much of the newer Battlestar Galactica material, I personally preferred the original Cylon concept and was never a big fan of redesigning the Cylons or introducing the more human elements associated with them.
For this story, the original Battlestar Galactica is the foundation. From there, I am expanding the universe in my own direction.
AI voicing?
For now, I need to use AI-generated voices for the narration because I don’t feel my own speaking voice is clear or consistent enough to carry a full audiobook-style production.
If I eventually find a real narrator with the right voice, that would be fantastic. Until then, we’ll have to work with AI narration—and occasionally forgive it when it decides that a perfectly normal Colonial word should be pronounced in some completely unexpected way.
What are some of the common Colonial time terms?
This is important to remember: the humans in the Battlestar Galactica universe are not from Earth. At this point in the story, Earth is not known to exist.
Because of that, Colonial society uses its own terminology for measuring time. These are also some of the words the AI narration occasionally struggles with, so bear with me while I work on improving that.
- Yahren: A year
- Sectar: A month
- Secton: A week
- Centar: An hour
- Centon: A minute
What about the Battlestar Vermilion?
For now, the Battlestar Vermilion remains largely in the background. It is an important part of the world surrounding Mattix, but I don’t want to reveal too much about it yet.
As Mattix continues his journey, more of the Vermilion, its purpose, its history, and the people who operate it will gradually come into focus.
Are there multiple Battlestars?
The simple answer is yes.
The longer answer?
You’ll have to stay tuned. I have some plans for that.
I hope ya’ll enjoy my take on all this. Jack “JT” Norton 2026
