Apollo builds survival through repeated combat

Apollo enters service into a dense sequence of Pegasus operations rather than a long peacetime workup. It joins the strike on the Asurans and repeatedly reinforces Daedalus against threats in the theater. A hybrid takeover drags the ship out of hyperspace near Wraith forces and forces it to survive by concealment and recovery as well as direct combat. Those crises give its crew repeated experience with damaged systems, unstable alliances, and enemies using unfamiliar technology. That accumulated practice better explains Apollo's durability than simple plot armor.