The game is set 40 years before the Sci-Fi Channel's 2004 Battlestar Galactica miniseries and acts as a prequel to the events in the new series. Players control Captain William Adama as he participates in 15 missions leading up to the end of the First Cylon War.
Missions are tightly scripted, with players controlling three varieties of Viper fighters, as well as captured Cylon raiders, depending on the needs of the mission. The player also mans the stationary defense turrets on board the Galactica . Missions have clear goals, often with time limits, and are expressed and tracked through voiced radio chatter between wingmen and Galactica 's war room.
Players control their craft from either a first or third person view. Fighters have unlimited ammo, missiles, and auto-repair any damage taken, but only if enough recharging energy is available. Firing weapons and using afterburners drain energy, and the fighter only repairs itself when the energy level is full.
Missiles on every craft can also be configured on the fly through an option in the pause menu. Pilots can program missiles to have increased power at the cost of speed, or increase maneuverability at the cost of blast radius.
The game's art and design are pulled from the original 1978 Battlestar Galactica , with the intro from the original series used. Cylons Raiders, Colonial Vipers, and the Galactica itself use the original designs, while Cylons themselves look like the original chrome toasters. The reptilian race that created them also make appearances.