So, in rereading this thread, I find that I am actually okay with up to 12 (
maybe 13) Battlestars at Cimtar, based not only on the on-screen views, but on the number of councilors present. Also, there is a symbolic element to having one Battlestar representing each Colony be present at the signing of the peace agreement that ended a long and brutal war.
That said, there is simply no way for there to have been
only 5-12 Battlestars in the
entire Colonial Fleet -- as Cimtar itself demonstrates, as tough as Battlestars may be, they are not bullet-/bomb-proof...and because of this, they would have taken steady losses all throughout the war.
A total "in service" fleet of 40-50 Battlestars seems far more likely to me, since ships would be constantly in port, repairing battle damage and refitting/rebuilding squadrons. With each Colony's "flagship" at Cimtar, most of the others would have been "riding at anchor", so to speak, above their "home port" worlds...ripe for destruction "at anchor", since most pilots and crews would have been on furlon.....
.....Of course, that number of other Battlestars can easily allow for other escapee's -- who just hadn't caught up to the Gal by the end of HoG.....
