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Fun fact: the Omega class destroyers from Babylon five were actually intended to launch their fighters by centrifugal force as well. The person who designed the models intended for the outside of the rotating carousel section to open up and drop an entire squad of fighters all at once. (the whole carousel was not a fighter Bay just the bottom couple decks.) fighters would return through the big hanger at the front and then be lowered back into their bays by elevator, pretty much the same way it happens on the b5 station itself. unfortunately, by the time they had a chance to actually use this on screen, the guy who designed the Omega had long moved onto another project, and the people left behind simply didn’t know about this ability. So instead, the fighters come out the bay in the front in boring fashion rather than 40 or so being dropped simultaneously.

In general, ships are in the most danger when moving slowly. As such some method of accelerating the small lightly armed fighters to their operating speed makes sense.

I really like the idea of a space carrier launching atmospheric fighters. Like ODSTs, but with planes.

Opens some great storytelling potential with the carrier destroyed or unable to pick up their fighters, and they are left fighting a sort of guerilla war from make-shift air bases.

In Starsector, there's a mod that introduces a faction that uses wormhole technology to bring fighters from dedicated planet-side facilities into battles without having to have dedicated hangers and facilities in the hull itself. A more niche callout but figured I'd add it to the list of mentioned fighter launch methods if no one else has already. ScalarTech is the mod iirc.

It's kinda just a rail drop method but Space Battleship Yamato has the really cool revolving launch system with the underside hatch on the ship which the cosmo falcons are dropped out of, then the pads the fighters are stored on rotate to cycle a new fighter into place.

Plus they has actual seaplane catapults like irl yamato for launching cosmo zeros.

Im glad Knights of Sidonia got a mention at least :3

The Last Starlighter, Babylon 5, AND Space: Above and Beyond?? You, sir, are a Gentleman and a Scholar!

5:00 the venator from the prequels kinda operates a runway for fighters to build up speed on with the massive doors opening up. Always love seeing fighters like the v-19 fold their wings like real carrier aircraft to save space

I personally love the Y.E.E.T system (Yonder Explosive Expulsion Technology). Short tube, small explosive charge, sacrificial launch plate, and a spaceship.

Not sure what this falls under, but a mech launch system I remember seeing in at least Gundam SEED was having a mobile suit launched to the end of a tether or power cable, and then releasing the mech once it was at max thrust. There was something incredibly satisfying about seeing the cable snap back as the mech itself launched forward into space.

In the B5 Wars miniature game, the shadow cruisers extruded fighters from their own hull, so launching fighters actually reduced the health of the controlling vessel.

IIRC this was based on design notes from JMS.

In the series space above and beyond.....pilots enter the cockpit, then the cockpit is transported and fused with awaiting space fighter (with necessary mission payload) and catapulted out of an airless hangar.....maintenance, repairs and changing weapon configuration of fighter is done under vacuum too. The idea is since they have a limited amount of pilots and air, to reduce any potential loss. So much that aces have their personalized cockpits, where the hammerhead fighters are not. I think space dock should cover this pearl of the 90s too

2199 Yamato has multiple systems with a pair of external catapults at the back much like the original boat, and then there's the internal bay which has a large revolver setup (because the engine is in the way) which loads the fighters onto a rail and throws them out backwards via a rail, compared to the live action film as seen at the end of the video

Was hoping for some Macross series shots.  Launch arms, magnetic accelerators, vertical launch tubes, they have it all.  lol

1:45 At least until someone decides to rip all the EM catapults out of the modern carriers and go back to 1950s tech lol

That shadow deployment weapon looks like the Sword of the Stars "Complex Ordinance Launcher" fighter option, essentially firing a projectile that is a bunch of fighters.

If the projectile offers some defence or something there might be a reason for it, but really it would probably be easier to just use rail launches for a bunch of fighters at once.

The Cylon raiders in the Basestars look like slices of toast in a toaster, which I doubt is coincidence, so I always imagined them being ejected by a spring.

5:57 Yeah Babylon 5 Starfury launches!

You forgot Gundam Seed launches. Those had some seriously awesome vibe to it

In a hard Sci Fi scenario where fighters are delta V limited, launch tubes actually make a ton of sense to accelerate fighters towards their target without using up their limited fuel reserves.