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The Waverider, designated WR-2055, is a timeship used as a mobile base of operations by the Legends.

History

After the Time Masters refused to help Rip Hunter in his quest to rid history of Vandal Savage, Rip took his time-ship, travelling to the year 2016 to recruit chosen heroes and villains as part of a team. After they accepted his offer, he took them aboard the ship and they traveled to 1975 to meet Dr. Aldus Boardman. While they were mostly all away from the ship, Chronos, employed by the Time Masters, came to damage and break into the ship. However, they were able to re-enter the ship, Rip taking them in to the temporal zone for safety while repairs could be made to the ship.[1] The team decided to remain in 1975 for the time being; however, they traveled to Norway to confront Savage at a nuclear weapon auction. After Carter Hall was murdered by Savage and Rip "killed" Savage in turn, the team traveled to 1986.[2]

During 1986, the Waverider camouflaged itself upon landing around the perimeter of the Pentagon to intercept files of Savage's whereabouts. After a failed mission, the ship traveled to Moscow to confront renowned scientist Valentina Vostok. Through the Waverider's inventory, Gideon (the ship's AI computer) handed out capsules that enabled the larynx to speak any language to Ray Palmer and Leonard Snart as well as dressed them in nice-looking attire. The Waverider traveled to the laboratory in which Vostok works at to get an insight into Savage's plans but failed once again after three members of the team (Palmer, Mick Rory, and Martin Stein) were captured.[3] The Waverider soon hovered down into an anonymous zone where the team discussed a breakout plan. Within the ship, the Waverider provided Snart the attire of a Russian prison guard in order to rescue Rory and Palmer. After all the captured members are rescued, the ship hovered down to get all remaining members on board and evacuated before a nuclear explosion was released upon the prison. However, the Waverider was attacked by the wandering Chronos and unleashed a missile that knocked the ship out of the timestream.[4]

After arriving in Star City of 2046, Rip ordered Gideon to camouflage the Waverider, very soon confronting a mysterious archer. After facing the archer, they quickly returned to the Waverider to discover that it was burning from the interior after an attack and that its main control, Gideon, was not functioning. The team set to fixing the ship in order to get out of the apocalyptic city while others set out to discover the ruins.[5] After the team assisted both the original Green Arrow and the mysterious archer (revealed to be the son of John Diggle) defeat the new Deathstroke and the Waverider was fixed, Rip instructed Gideon to input the coordinates of an unknown location into the ship.[5]

Acheron approached by Waverider

The Waverider encounters the Acheron

A week later, the Waverider needed an upgrade since all of the information on Vandal Savage has become obsolete. The team was stuck in space until the team rescued a fellow Time Master captain, Eve Baxter. The captain gave the Waverider new intel on Vandal Savage.[6] Later on, the Waverider traveled to 1958 Oregon to investigate Vandal's activities there, but then the ship was attacked by Chronos leaving Kendra, Ray and Sara in 1958.[7] Chronos disabled the Waverider's navigation systems so Gideon returned as close in time as she could to 1958, but ended up in 1960. The team finally rescued their teammates who were left behind for two years. They also defeated Chronos, revealed to be Mick Rory, and put him in the Waverider's brig. After getting the full team back, the team traveled 2147 to stop Vandal's evil protege Per Degaton.[8]

The Waverider brought the team to the Kasnia Conglomerate in 2147. Tor Degaton's army surrounded the ship and brought down its cloaking shield. Rip managed to facilitate an exchange of Per Degaton's life for Sara's so Tor Degaton agreed and they escaped on the ship.[9]

Mick revealed that since he failed to bring them all in, the Time Masters would send the Hunters after them. Rip piloted the Waverider to Salvation to hide in the time fragmentation that existed there in 1871.[10]

After the team defeated the Hunters, the Time Masters initiated Omega Protocol triggering the Pilgrim to go after them. The team used the Waverider to rescue their younger selves and in some cases kidnapped their selves as newborns and transported them all to The Refuge. Having failed to target the Legends themselves, the Pilgrim sent a transmission to the Waverider informing the team that she had captured various loved ones of theirs and would execute them unless they turned themselves in. Rip countered with a proposal to give up his younger 10 year-old self in order to spare the lives of his team. The Waverider touched down at an abandoned Time Masters outpost where the Legends ambushed the Pilgrim and defeated her.[11]

Having run out of options, the Waverider next traveled to London 2166 to stop Savage at the height of his power and encountered anti-air fire from a battle between Savage's troops and the remaining resistance. Later, the Legends discovered Savage's superweapon, The Leviathan. Martin brought dozens of refugees on board to rescue them from the giant robot. During their escape, the Leviathan grabbed hold of the ship and threw it into the ground causing severe damage. The team later destroyed the robot, captured Savage and Scythian Torvil, and left 2166.[12]

Ray Palmer used scans of the robot to determine that the Leviathan was more advanced than 2166's technology meaning Savage was manipulating time. Rip took the Waverider on a course to the Vanishing Point to await a trial before the Time Council. Due to the damage sustained from the Leviathan, the time drive was damaged and leaking temporal radiation. Rip sent Jax to repair the drive knowing the imminent risk of exposure that the radiation would have on Jax. Despite this, Jax brought the time drive online but a surge in radiation hit him causing him to age rapidly. Martin then sent Jax off of the Waverider into the jump ship back to 2016 since the time jump would reverse the side-affects. The Waverider then arrived at the Vanishing Point where Rip brought Savage before Druce and the Time Council. However, the Time Masters and Savage were working together the whole time so the Time Masters took control of the Waverider and boarded the ship, capturing Ray, Kendra, Mick, and Martin.[13]

Sara and Leonard hid in one of the Waverider's compartments underneath the floor panels to avoid detection from the Time Masters. After sabotaging the rest of the Time Fleet, Sara and Leonard escaped the Vanishing Point and fired on space station to distract the Time Masters. After Leonard broke the rest of the team out, they reconvened in the Waverider. The Time Masters locked onto the ship with a tractor beam but they used Chronos’ suit to override the commands and disable the tractor beam.[14]

Vandal Savage ultimate plan was revealed and the Waverider was used to travel 1958, 1976, and 2021 in order to stop Savage in three time periods. Mick Rory decided to let Leonard Snart stay in the present while Hawkman and Hawkgirl also decided to spend time in 2016. Before the team could board the Waverider to protect the timeline, a future version of the Waverider arrived and Rex Tyler revealed that the team can not board without causing their impending deaths.[15]

Sometime after their encounter with Rex, Rip had Jax build a library and make numerous other repairs and upgrades to the time ship. The Waverider ferried the Legends to their mission in 1637 France to protect Louis XIII. After 1637, the Waverider took the team to New York City 1942. The Legends kidnapped Albert Einstein and kept him in the ship's brig. The Legends failed to stop Damien Darhk from acquiring an atomic bomb. While chasing Darhk, Rip had Jax install a time scatter function on the bridge. Rip realized the only way to stop the bomb hitting New York City was to have the Waverider collide with it underwater so he used the emergency time scatter function to evacuate the Legends. He then put Mick into stasis in the medical bay and escaped without a trace before the bomb hit the ship sending it to the bottom of the ocean where it remained until 2016.[16]

In 2016, Nate Heywood contacted Oliver Queen for help and after convincing him of his friends being in trouble, they found the Waverider at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean with Mick Rory in hibernation stasis. They then listened as Mick told them of how the Waverider ended up there and of their adventures in 1637 France and 1942 New York City. Oliver returned to Star City but Nate stayed on board and used his time detective skills to track the rest of the Legends. Mick piloted the Waverider to South Dakota in 70 Million BC to rescue Ray, then to Tintagel 821 to rescue Jax and Martin, and finally to Salem 1693 to rescue Sara. After all the Legends were back aboard the Waverider, Gideon played Rip's farewell message for them telling them all to carry on without him.[16]

The Justice Society of America told the Legends to leave 1942, but they had the Waverider return them to Paris 1942 after Nate discovered his grandfather and the rest of the JSA were going to die. They later brought the JSA onto the ship but they weren't impressed with the futuristic technology. During the mission to retrieve the Askaran Amulet from Baron Krieger, Martin (acting as the newly christened Captain) monitored the Legends and JSA from the Waverider. After the initial mission was unsuccessful, the Legends and JSA reconvened aboard the ship where Martin deferred leadership to Sara. After they rescued Ray and Amaya and retrieved the amulet, the Waverider ferried everyone back to New York City and JSA said their goodbyes to the Legends.[17]

The Waverider left 1942, but Amaya, believing Mick to be Rex Tyler's killer, managed to sneak onto the ship and incapacitate the most of the crew. She had a knife to Mick's throat but Nate used his newfound steel abilities knock out Amaya and saved Mick. Amaya was put in the brig before being interrogated by Sara. Amaya was released when she agreed not to kill Mick. Later, Ray and Nate tested the steel powers in the cargo bay. Nate punched Ray too hard slamming Ray into the hull and opening a hole to the outside temporal zone. Nate got sucked out and Ray went after him, but the damage caused the ship to lose control and the ship couldn't retrieve them before they fell into feudal Japan in 1641. Jax and Martin later repaired the damage and discovered a secret armory that Rip hid from the rest of the crew containing a message from Barry Allen of 2056.[18]

Features

The Waverider has 36 compartments in total, each varying in use. The ship is equipped with multiple amenities, including personal quarters for the primary crew, an ornate office for the Captain, a fully stocked galley, and a medical bay that can perform an astonishing variety of medicinal and surgical procedures which are typically administered by Gideon. The Waverider is also large enough to house an undisclosed but large number of people aside from its crew in the event of an emergency. A holographic instruction manual for the ship's engines, machinery, and computer operating systems can also be found aboard. The vehicle is capable of protecting its crew from the g-forces that would otherwise wreak havoc on their bodies, though it does not protect them from the side effects of time jumping. Almost all systems on the ship can be accessed directly by Gideon, though there are protocols that prevent her from doing so unless directed by the Captain, and those that Rip Hunter expressly prohibited in order to maintain his secrets. Aside from traveling through time, the Waverider can travel through space, creating tractor beams that can capture and contain other ships or objects, like a Dominator ship. The ship is filled with hidden high resolution security cameras, and can create holographic projections of people or objects. Additionally, the Waverider is capable of communicating with other timeships.

Compartments in the Waverider

The Legends leave feudal Japan

The bridge of the Waverider

  • Bridge: The bridge is where the ship is piloted from, usually from the Captain's chair. Located at the front of the ship, the bridge has viewports that allow the crew to see the outside or view the temporal zone. It also has a central console where Gideon can talk to the crew in a holographic form as well as for accessing information needed for their various missions. The bridge has multiple passenger chairs to fit additional crew members. These passenger chairs can change configuration to suit different amounts of crew members such as an 8-person semicircular pattern around the central console or a conglomerate between the captain's chair and the console. At some point before the Legends' mission to 1942, Rip had Jax install a time scattering function on the bridge in case of emergency evacuation that transports all of the crew to different times and places and is to be used only as a last resort. The bridge was also upgraded, with a new control console for the captain's chair and the seats moved to be right behind it.
Rip Hunter's team in the Waverider's office

The Legends in the captain's office

  • Captain's quarters/Office: The office is where many of the Legend's missions are discussed. Paper maps, documents, and other antique decorations are stored in here. The office is adorned with many different artifacts such as Sgt. Rock's helmet, a bucket helmet, and various others. Rip Hunter could often be found in here when contemplating his mission or reflecting on memories of Miranda and Jonas. Holographic projections can be created as well. The office has an old feel, and is paneled in fine wood with unique antique lighting. The office is now Sara's, with Rip away.
  • Library: After the Legends defeated Vandal Savage, Rip Hunter had Jax build a library in the Waverider. It is equipped with computer screens and is sometimes where planning for missions is done. Sara privately used the library repeatedly so as to keep tabs on Damien Darhk should the opportunity arise to exact revenge. Like the office, the Library is adorned with various artifacts from many different time periods including hundreds of books, stone busts, fossils, and pottery. Nate Heywood keeps his time seismograph in the library to pinpoint time quakes.
Ray Palmer in his quarters on the Waverider

Ray Palmer in his quarters.

  • Crew quarters: Crew members each have their own living areas that vary in size, space, and look. Ray and Kendra's quarters were generally clean and left basic, with computer screens that could show various background scenes like beach vistas or forests. Mick's quarters are darker lit, piled around with junk and various objects like the case containing the Cold Gun and presumably loot that Mick and Leonard stole from various time periods. At times, quarters can have force-fields activated to keep people inside. Leonard used this function so that he could talk to Mick after he was forcibly taken from 2046.
The Waverider's fabrication room produces a stetson for Nate Heywood

The Waverider's fabrication room produces a stetson for Nate Heywood.

  • Fabrication room: The fabrication room is where the Legends obtain clothing specific to the era they are in. Additionally, it isn't limited and can produce clothing from any era. This allows the Legends to blend in while fixing aberrations. As well as clothing the fabricator can create weapons and future items like ingestable translators. It's possible that the period clothing may be made of future materials, so as not to be uncomfortable.
  • Galley: The Galley is equipped with food and drinks for the crew. Additionally, the galley has a fridge containing beer that was able to survive and remain functional even after 74 years underwater. Mick could often be found in the galley eating or sometimes reflecting on Leonard's demise or the missions at hand. Mick and Leonard were disappointed by the amount of sugar-free foods that the galley contained. The galley also has its own food fabricator capable of making food and drinks for the crew. Mick has noted that he dislikes the food, as "it tastes fake."
  • Medical bay: The medical bay is where the crew and any passengers go to receive medical treatments for injuries or illnesses. The med bay has a futuristic 3-D printer-like device that can construct new limbs, which gave Leonard a new hand after he froze and broke his hand off to escape Chronos. It is equipped with various sedatives and futuristic medicines that Gideon often administers to mend injuries. For simple knife wounds, Gideon can quarterize them, but leave a scar. It is also capable of keeping passengers in stasis for extended periods of time. Rip used this function to keep Mick in stasis for 74 years after the Waverider crashed off the coast of New York City. There are two black chairs at a 180 degree angle, electronic displays, and extremely advanced future medical technology. Gideon monitors patient vital signs
Sara Lance talks to the younger versions of herself and Mick Rory

Younger Mick and two Saras in the cargo hold.

  • Cargo bay: The cargo bay is a room that is often used to store various equipment, such as Sara's weaponry and Ray's exosuit. It is often times used as a lounge space for Sara, Leonard, and Mick. Sara and Leonard would often play card games here. The bay was also used at times for training. Sara and Kendra held many of their combat training sessions in here; Ray and Nate used the hold to test out Nate's steel abilities, blowing a hole to the outside temporal zone in the process. The bay also has a door hatch that is used for entering and exiting the ship.
  • Engine room: The engine room is where the Waverider's engines and time drive are kept. The room has two large spherical/cylindrical orbs that fill much of the center of the room. Repairing the time drive can be dangerous due to the accelerated aging that can occur when hit with the time drive's radiation. In his down time, Jax studied the Waverider's manual so that he could effectively repair the Waverider and is often found in here whenever the ship needs tuning up.
  • Brig: This room houses a chamber used to keep prisoners aboard the Waverider. It is a simple rectangular room with a cell in the middle with three transparent walls that can only be opened by the crew. According to Rip, the brig is not suitable for long term containment.
  • Secret armory: For reasons unknown, Rip kept this room a secret from the rest of the Legends. This room wasn’t discovered until Jefferson Jackson and Martin Stein investigated a 36th compartment of the timeship that Gideon had mentioned. This room contains dozens of weapons on display and a console containing a voice message from Barry Allen of 2056.

Known occupants

Crew

Former crew

Future

Former passengers

Former inmates

Appearances

DC's Legends of Tomorrow


The Flash

Season 3

Arrow

Season 5

Behind the scenes

  • The Waverider is named after Matthew Ryder aka Waverider, who in the comics is a superhero with the ability to travel through time.
  • Rip Hunter stealing the Waverider is reminiscent to the Doctor stealing a TARDIS from the British television series, Doctor Who. Arthur Darvill, who portrays Rip, had previously starred in Doctor Who as the Eleventh Doctor's companion Rory Williams.
  • In addition, the console on the bridge bears a strong resemblance, especially in having six sides, to the TARDIS console, albeit without the central 'time rotor'.

References

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