UNSC Sagan Blue

UNSC Sagan Blue (hull classification symbol: FS-803) was a in service with the UNSC Navy.

Service history
In 2554, the Sagan Blue had a deadly encounter with two Kig-Yar s, Mark of Prophecy and Divine Breath near New Carthage.

Production notes
The Gladius-class was first designed by concept artist Isaac Hannaford for the 2017 book Halo: Warfleet – An Illustrated Guide to the Spacecraft of Halo. One of the early drafts posted by Hannaford features a disarmed vessel named the Carl Sagan; when designing the ship, Hannaford envisioned the corvette platform as a highly-versatile ship that could be repurposed for science and exploration efforts. As such, the "UNSC Carl Sagan" featured in such artwork was envisioned by Hannaford as a disarmed explorative ship, rather than a warship. The ship's final name may be a reference to Pale Blue Dot, a photograph taken at Sagan's request by the Voyager 1 space probe in which Earth appears as a tiny dot against the vastness of space. Sagan additionally supplied reflective commentary on the photograph and its implications for Earth, humanity and the cosmos.