Beginners Guide To Battlestar Galactica, Caprica and the 12 Colonies Of Kobol

The 12 colonies of kobol and the 13^th tribe



OFFICIAL NAME:                                The United Colonies of Kobol

ALTERNATE NAME:                             The Twelve Colonies of Kobol

FOUNDING DOCUMENT:                         Articles of Colonization

EXECUTIVE: President                          (elected)

POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS:                       Quorum of Twelve; People's Council

JUDICIAL BRANCH:                             Colonial Court

MILITARY BRANCH:                            Colonial Fleet

NUMBER OF COLONIES:                        12

TOTAL POPULATION (before the fall):         28.55 billion (human)






VIRGON

Name:                                        VIRGON
Ancient name:                                 Virgo   

Alternative Name:                             N/A
Patron God:                                  Hestia
Population:                   ± 4.300.000.000 (Four billion, three hundred million)
Capital:                                      Boskirk
Star system:                                 Helios beta

Virgon is one of the twelve colonies of Kobol. Virgon is the last of the three planets in the Trojan orbit. A mid-sized jungle world, it had a few concentrated cities, a subtle reputation, and a lot of big ideas. Its people were known for their most frivolous pursuit: Fashion.

Virgons tend to revere the "finer things" such as ornate country gardens, elaborate laced garments, and the ability to distinguish vintages of Leonian wine. Virgon government was at one time a true monarchy, which changed to a parliamentary system. The royal family remain, but are figureheads. Virgons pride themselves on their ability to determine where someone new they meet originally came from, due to the accent spoken.

Many of the colonies' celebrated actors, models, and public speakers were Virgons. Every world looked to Virgon for each season's trends, even in Caprica City, Virgons set the style.

Behind the glitz and the glamour, Virgons controlled or influenced far more than anyone suspected. They were said to have 'the eye', a sixth sense for opportunities, personalities, and motives. This wasn't some sacred gift. The Virgons were religious, but not fiercely.

Many oracles came from Virgon, but so did many business moguls, city builders, artists, and soldiers. They claimed it was just healthy, sensible ambition.
Have faith in yourself and your deeds, and the gods will provide for you.

Whatever the reason, Virgons were everywhere.
Mostly out of the spotlight, their art graced small galleries on Caprica,
their contracts crossed moderately influential desks on Picon and Scorpia, and their money filled respectably sized coffers on Libran.

Virgons held some to the most underrated positions in the colonial military, often as gunners due to their keen vision and reflexes.

Outside fashion, Virgons' reputation is one of excellence without notoriety. Self-effacing, and respectful, most Virgons choose accomplishment over fanfare any day of the week.


Virgon is the planet where the Virgo tribe of Kobol settled.

It is considered to be one of the wealthiest and most advanced colonies. It is known throughout the Four Systems as "Imperial Virgon" and more recently as "The Blue Colony".

Virgon is one of only two habitable planets in the Helios Beta star system, the other being longtime rival Leonis.
In the past the two empires on Virgon and Leonis were at odds with each other. Virgon shares the Ouranos asteroid belt border with Leonis where mining operations have been conducted for hundreds of years by both planets, and has one habitable moon Hibernia, home to a minority group called the Celtons.

The capital is Boskirk, the former federal capital of the Colonies for a thousand years, until a few centuries ago when the Colonial Capitol became Caprica City in the Helios Alpha star system. It is also where a major battle occurred during the Destruction of the Twelve Colonies.

The human forces above the planet lost the battle; and the colony was destroyed by the Cylons. Other cities on Virgon are Bloustad (Dutch for "blue city"), a beach town, an hour from Boskirk, and Hadrian in the south is a mining community.

 The climate of Virgon is notable for its singular blueness. Not only are the seas blue, but its plant life contains oils that evaporate in sunlight and cast a bluish tinge in the air. Quantities of anthracene, a substance that emits a blue glow when exposed to UV light, near the surface provide a bluish hue. Virgon's climate is temperate in the north, but variable and less pleasant in the south.






TAURON

Name:                                        tauron
Ancient name:                                 taurus  

Alternative Name:                             N/A
Patron God:                                  ares
Population:                   ± 2.500.000.000 (Two billion, five hundred million)

Capital:                                      hypatia
Star system:                                 Helios alpha

Taurons were known to be very traditional people, even speaking a very old and distinctive language.

Some 800 years before the Fall Tauron was colonized by Virgon and Leonis. The people of Tauron liberated themselves and ever since this world has been known for its troubled and violent history.
Nearly a century before its Fall, Tauron was one of the poorer colonial worlds and the center of a civil war. A few years before the First Cylon War, the crime syndicate Ha'la'tha had enormous influence over the planet, which even extended to other colonies, such as Caprica.

During the War, Hypatia was was the location of a fierce and lossy battle against Cylon forces.
After the War, Tauron was known to be a somewhat troublesome colony within the federal system of the Colonies, often disobeying directives decided by the colonies and pushing their luck with the admiralty. Yet this world was counted among the wealthier of the twelve worlds.

Males are considered a "man" at the age of 13 on Tauron.

One of their common believes is that nobody is really dead, until their death was avenged.

The Tauron Globe Times, is the major newspaper on the Colony.




TAURON CULTURE “BLOOD CALLS TO BLOOD!

Balance, vengeance and justice are the primary moral drivers in Tauron culture. If insulted, hurt or treated unfairly, a Tauron will not rest until the slight has been avenged.

Patience is a Tauron virtue. Balance will be restored, in due time.

A “real Tauron” values the immediate family highest, then clan, then him- or herself. Career and personal gain are seen as suspect, and typically Caprican, drives.

“Choose the time of your own passing into the soil.” Wilfully terminating your own life when the time has come is seen as the best way to die, but only when dues to family and clan have been paid.

Tauron Culture is more conservative in regard to non-traditional types of culture. Drugs beyond alcohol are not accepted, and drunkenness outside the rites of Dionysus is generally frowned upon. Frowned upon. Not nonexistent.

Food is seen as medicine and often carries symbolical meaning. Organic food strengthens the body, mineral waters makes thinking flow smoother, and offering fruit is a way to show gratitude.

Sharing meals and breaking bread together can be a powerful sign of mutual respect. Turning down dinner is seen as an insult.








CAPRICA

Name:                                        Caprica
Ancient name:                                capricorn  

Alternative Name:                            c-city / cap-city (nicknames)
Patron God:                                 apollo
Population:                   ± 4.900.000.000 (four billion, nine hundred million)

Capital:                                      caprica city
Star system:                                 Helios alpha

Caprica is the Federal Capital of the 12 Colonies of Kobol. The spoken language is Caprican, which has been adopted as an "official" language by the other colonies as well.

It is one of the most modern of all colonies and the center of government, education and culture.

Caprica and Gemenon share an orbit, each planet interchanges the other one every 28.2 days, and Gemenon can often be seen when looking up into the Caprican sky.

Locations:

– Caprica Beach (a beach near Caprica City)

– Caprica Interplanetary Spaceport (Caprica City Space Port)

– Cobb’s Point (Place on Caprica, contains an air strip)

– Little Tauron (enclave in Caprica City where many Tauran expats live)

– Martok Valley (a valley)

– Apollo Park (amphitheater and recreation area. It has a range of cafes and a park on its premises. A giant statue of its namesake god, Apollo, distinguishes the park)

– Atlas Arena (Home court to the Caprica Buccaneers Pyramid Team, 30.000+ seats, downtown Caprica City)

– The Riverwalk (open-air promenade & walking area near the Colonial Government Offices)

– Orpheus Park (Park in Caprica City with a lot of jogging strips.

– Kara Thrace’s apartment (Starbuck’s crappy apartment is in Delphi)

– Delphi Convalescent Institute (mental health facility on Torreo Avenue in Delphi – later used by Cylons as one of their Breeding Farms, Starbuck was held here)

– The Forum (replica of The Forum on Kobol)

– The Opera House (replica of The Opera House on Kobol)

– The Temple (replica of The Temple on Kobol)

– Delphi Museum of the Colonies (contains many ancient artifacts, including the Arrow of Apollo)

– MagLev Stations (monorail/train-like mass transportation system on Caprica)

Landmarks:

– Caprica Transfer Station (Colonial Fleet Transfer point on Caprica – where Fleet members stay until they are shipped of on their deployment)

– Pantheon Bridge (bridge that crosses Caprican Bay)

– Graystone Industries Campus (home of the many facilities of Graystone Industries)

– Caprican Bay (water mass adjacent Caprica City)

– Theoresos (water mass on Caprica)

– Telamont Building (Tall building in Delphi)

Caprica is a temperate, blue-green gem of a world and is commonly depicted as the middle planet of the Trojan orbit, for indeed, Caprica truly is the center of the Colonies: the focal point of commerce, politics, law, culture, and faith. Its capital, Caprica City, houses the three branches of the Colonial government in addition to a veritable horde of corporate headquarters, merchant banks, and institutions of higher learning. Delphi is more religious in nature: not only is it home to painstaking recreations of Kobol's Pantheon, Forum, and Opera House, it possesses the Colonies' largest collection of artifacts from the lost homeworld. The Caprican people are a diverse lot, but on the whole they're perceived as urbane and cosmopolitan, spoiled by the privileges of luxury and wealth. They have relatively little representation in the ranks of the enlisted but are disproportionately represented in the higher ranks of the officer corps — the traditional proving ground for the sons and daughters of elite Caprican families.

Caprica City

Caprica City was a major metropolitan area, and the capital city of both the planet Caprica and The Twelve Colonies of Kobol.

Eleusis

Located between the Caprican Bay and a range of hills, covering a wide expanse of land, and divided by a number of waterways, the greater Caprica City metro area was once home to countless suburban neighborhoods. Among these is the region approximately 5 km to the southeast of Caprica City known as Eleusis. A fairly good modern analogy would be Weston, Massachusetts. It's a place known for large homes on comfortably green lots, many constructed within the century leading up to The Fall. Old growth shade trees and sidewalk-side wrought iron fences are not uncommon in Eleusis.

Serving primarily as a bedroom community for Caprica City's countless working professionals, Eleusis had easy accessibility to C-City via MagLev rail system and road; the city's D line served the suburbs of Eleusis and others southeast of the city.

Eleuthia

South of Caprica City and bordering the region known as Eleusis was the city of Eleuthia within the Amnisos Valley. The valley itself is flanked and surrounded by a pair of mountains: Mount Pinot to the northwest and the stretch of the Arcadian Mountains to the east. Eleuthia was warm in the summer and cool in the winter, an area of perpetually temperate weather.

Being a strong viticultural area made Eleuthia famous for many a generation and made the city thrive under northern Caprica City's shadow. Surrounding the city and along the valley floor were hundreds of wineries and strictly preserved agricultural areas. For those not native to the area, it was a popular seasonal vacation spot for Caprica's denizens.

A decent analogy of Eleuthia would be Napa Valley, California.

Capricans live a very cosmopolitan life with a prosperous economy, and have access to the latest technological conveniences. They appear to be accepting of just about any lifestyle, and with few reservations, seem to live and let live. According to Doctor Gaius Baltar, Caprica was the "seat of politics, culture, art, science and learning." He considered being Caprican to be prestigious in and of itself. The official language of Caprica is Caprican, which is equivalent to modern English, and is spoken throughout the Colonies. The national anthem of Caprica is Caprica Abides.

The Planet of Caprica has been the center of the twelve colonies civilization from the beginning of recorded time.

The planet is a paradise for humanity and is perfectly suited for habitation. Caprica society is highly orderly and peaceful.

Caprica is known for its philosophers, particularly of legal issues, morality and enlightened thought. Caprica is also the fashion capital and trendsetter of the Twelve Colonies, Fashion Week in Caprica City is a major Colonial event for the elite.

Thanks to a pleasant environment, and good government Caprica soon dominated the remaining Colonies with respect to economic and military power though it rarely attempted to dominant the other colonies. Caprica morality, political views, and philosophy considered such tactics as heresy.

Caprica efforts to push through the Articles of Colonization were the single most important factor in the unification of the Colonies. We also know that Caprica City itself was the first Colonial settlement to be founded, and it is from here that the fledging Caprica Government ran its planetary affairs.

Caprica invested much time and effort into their “Crown Jewel”, and Caprica City stands supreme amongst all Colonial cities as the most beautiful, cultured and richest city with wide boulevards and shopping areas. The Caprica Government Building is a tourist attraction as much as it is the bureaucratic and political heart of the Colonies.





CAPRICAN CULTURE: “THE SKY IS NO LIMIT!”

In general, Caprican culture is pretty much identical to its stereotypical American earth counterpart. Career, beauty, wealth, status, efficiency and a polite facade are all valued traits. Capricans want to consider themselves self-made people. New money trumps old money. They drive

big cars and project a work hard, play hard image. Being perceived as successful is of utmost importance.

Caprican society is generally “democrat,” progressive, hyper-individualistic and politically correct. Multiple partnerships are common, gay marriage fully accepted; racism exists ONLY between individuals hailing from different colonies or species (Caprican and Tauron, Cylon and Human). Skin color and sub-ethnicities, on various planets, are not fuel for prejudice. Drugs like weed, E or “empathy” (MDMA), K (Cocaine), Ambrosia and other alcohol - as well as many psychoactive compounds, like Kamala - are legal and sold by the state, without profit, at special lounges. Despite this state of affairs, drugs can still be socially stigmatized. Only holy people can do drugs without suspicion.

Society puts an emphasis on what is worldly or holy, rather than what is male or female. Worldly people (businesspeople, military, workers etc) praise efficiency, control of emotion, ambition and the protection of loved ones - virtues we often see as “male” in our reality. Example: Starbuck. Worldly people behave in traditionally masculine ways, regardless of their sex. Holy individuals (artists, teachers, priests, drug-farmers, musicians etc) follow intuition, empathy, and other virtues usually labelled as “female” in today’s society. Example: Gaius Baltar.

Colonial society has evolved beyond the primitive forms of gender inequality we have in our society. Women do not have lower wages or limited career choices and are actually overrepresented in high-status military careers, like navy Viper pilots. Worldly women tend to be as sexually active and take as much initiative in the courting game as men. Fashion is the big

exception. High heels and a skimpy dress still seem to be the popular female choice for partying.

Strange, but that’s apparently how stuff works in the Colonies.

In art and entertainment, live performance and engaging in physical activities is seen as cool, while the virtual or pre-recorded alternative would be lame. After The Cylon War, the digital realm is not only viewed with suspicion, but also seen as boring. Even passively watching something

can be regarded as “sitting around in your own fumes, like a frakking toaster”. Reading, going to (or better, performing in) the theatre, musicals, radio plays, playing sports like boxing and pyramid, as well as hiking, skateboarding etc are held as cool pastimes in the post-digital colonies. Partying and doing hard drugs is rated higher than losing yourself in virtual worlds, literally “toasting your brain”.

Colonial culture is inherently morally relative and tolerant. There are thousands of gods, and philosophical creeds. Your beliefs are your personal business. These days, moral absolutes (if they can even be grasped) would be associated with the terrorist group STO and their worship of a dictator god known as “The One”. Utilitarianism dominates thinking. Taurons and Capricans clash on the better way to order family, values and society. Better, not true, way. Instead of trying to convert somebody to follow their traditions, a Tauron citizen would continue on her way, saying “It’s the Tauron way,” and that would be the end of it. A Caprican, on the other hand, might

try to civilize someone with different customs - not because they are wrong, but simply because things works better on Caprica.

CAPRICANS VS. TAURONS

Cultural intolerance is a sad fact of life in the colonies. The democratic, capitalist Capricans see themselves as culturally superior to clan-, blood- and honour-focused Taurons. “Dirteaters” (a derogatory term for Tauron colonists) migrating to Caprica (often fleeing from persecution or poverty on their home world) are treated as second-class citizens. Most Capricans would never see themselves as racist, they simply love their free way of life and don’t want any weird off world customs to infringe upon it. Some organize in political movements and rallies, blaming immigrants for surging crime rates, honor killings, and exploiting the Caprican wealth without contributing in kind, like the parasites they seem to be.

Intolerant Taurons, on their hand, see Capricans as orphaned and hedonistic creatures, ignoring their roots and only staying tied together

by the senseless accumulation of wealth and the dictates of a faceless state. They care not for oaths, tradition or family. Their superior attitude is reminiscent of how Taurons were treated in ancient days, when they were slaves to the imperial Virgons and Leonides, more than 800 years ago. Those are not good buttons to push in proud people.

SOME DEROGATORY TERMS FOR TAURONS:

Dirteater, Bullhead, Bullfrakker, Yoke-dragger, Dirtfrakker, Mudsucker, TT-banger (from Tauron Town, the main ethnic Tauron area in Caprica City), Ha’la’thista.

SOME INSULTS TOWARDS CAPRICANS:

Cap-trash, Master, Mistress, Sir or Madame (said with dripping sarcasm), Faithless, Godsless, Flowerfrakker (refers to the ancient Tauron belief that flowers belong to the gods and should not be worn, displayed or even seen by humans), Waste of seed.








AERILON

Name:                                        Aerilon
Ancient name:                                 Aries 

Alternative Name:                            food basket of the colonies
Patron God:                                 demeter
Population:                   ± 1.200.000.000 (one billion, two hundred million)

Capital:                                      gaoth
Star system:                                 Helios delta

Aerilon is one of the poorest colonies.

The portrait that hangs in Laura Roslin’s office and in the Pilot Ready Room (the one all pilots touch before take-off in the miniseries) is of a soldier on Aerilon.

The colonies’ economy is based largely on agriculture and Aerilonians have a typical deep, raspy and husky way of speaking their local dialect.

Aerilon doesn’t only have agriculture, they also have tylium mines and produce table salt.

One of its pyramid teams won against the Caprica Buccaneers a few days before the fall, as is mentioned in "The Resistance" episode.

Gaius Baltar grew up near the Euclid River, other known fleet members from Aerilon are Colonel Saul Tigh and Socinus - a member of Chief Tyrol's deck crew.


Often called the breadbasket of the Twelve Colonies, Aerilon is an agricultural world with little in the way of heavy industry or large cities. It's also one of the poorest worlds in the Colonies, and as a result its people are stereotyped — often unfairly — as low-class uneducated bumpkins. Unsurprisingly, Aerilonians tend to describe themselves in slightly different terms: in their minds, they are a honest and hard-working people with simple needs and frugal character, unafraid to get their hands dirty in cities or fields. They are highly represented in the Colonial Fleet, particularly among the CMC's enlisted personnel, in large part because the military offers enterprising young Aerilonians an easy way to get off the farmstead and see new things.

The culture and geography of Aerilon is largely comparable to a mixture of the highlands of Northern England/Scotland, the small towns of the prairies of the American Midwest, and U.S. tobacco country. Northern Aerilon is also home to the scratchy, guttural accent as demonstrated by Dr. Baltar in Dirty Hands.

Northern Hemisphere

Tarnock is a small town just north of the Tannerman Ocean on Aerilon's northern continent. The Tannerman is Aerilon's largest single body of water, though the tall, rocky cliffs overlooking the ocean in the vicinity of Tarnock means that little in the way of port facilities have developed there. Tarnock is more sleepy college/farming town than anything else; although the ocean cliffs and a local colonial park do a decent job of bringing tourists and their money to the town, the local economy owes far more to agriculture and the presence of one of Aerilon's few colleges, Colchis University (more specifically, the influx of Colchis students who bring along with them their parents' money to spend). As such, although you'll find the same mix of farmers and laborers on the outskirts of Tarnock as you would in any other small town on the planet, the city center is a more affluent place than one would find in most small towns on the colony; natives therefore tend to be just a little more cosmopolitan than the Aerilon stereotype. (Not much, though. The locals can still throw a barn party with the best of them.)

During Aerilon's days of prohibition, many farmers in the area turned to home distillation rather than bootlegging or home brewing. Before the attack on the colonies, the most renowned moonshiner in the vicinity of Tarnock was a canny old farmer named Ivan Laskaris.

Tarnock is relatively isolated; a major highway does run along the ocean and through the town, but the only other human settlements within 50 miles are the slightly smaller towns of Deronda, Stovall, and Ryker's Aerie. Most of the surrounding landscape consists of prairie and stretches of rolling hills, though the nearby Tarham Colonial Park holds a fairly substantial swath of forests as well as what passes for mountains in the area. There is(was) also a small training camp for the Colonial Fleet located adjacent to the park; Camp Alfa conducted all-weather training for would-be pilots in the Fleet, and probably explains why the region received the attention it did when the Cylons executed their attack.

Southern Hemisphere

Named after the river that runs through it, Allegheny is a province located on the southern continent that is most famous for two things:

(1) the exceptional tobacco that is unique to the region; and

(2) the Blue Ridge Mountains (not to be confused with the Blue Mountains on the Isle of Langley in northern Aerilon), so named for their bluish color when seen from a distance. The natives tend to favor Demeter, and snake handling is a common religious practice.

A comparison in our world would be Appalachia.

Meaning blossom in ancient Kobol, the province of Thales is one of Aerilon's earliest settlements. Located to the southeast of Allegheny, it is home of the Antheian Mountain Range, so named after Antheia, a non-Olympian goddess of flowers. Even from afar, there is no mistaking the reason for this: as far as the eye can see, the region is a sweet-smelling swathe of lavender fields, wild violets, lilac, and flax. So exquisite are these florae, they are purchased and utilized by the most elite perfume houses of Virgon. Although the natives do produce their own delightful fragranced oils and lotions, those items are not the region's claim to fame.

Thalesian linen is reputed to be the finest in all the Twelve Colonies, hand-woven with techniques that the locals maintain are those imparted by Athena herself aeons ago on Kobol. Additionally, few places rival the province's fabric dyes; and when it comes to shades of lavender, violet, and lilac, nothing comes close to those of Thales. Unsurprisingly, there also are strong herbalism and apothecary traditions.

For the most part, primary and secondary education in Thales cover reading, writing, and arithmetic in both Colonial Standard and the regional dialect. The Humanities are strongly covered, including all manner of myth and lore, ancient and regional history, arts, music, philosophy, and so forth. Earth sciences and chemistry are heuristically taught and primarily pertain to agriculture, dye-making, herbalism, and other related disciplines. These 'general education' requirements aside, the set-up is very much akin to a vocational school, which means far less book learning and theory than other places in the Twelve Colonies in exchange for practical work skills that are cultivated from a very young age.

As far as real world equivalents go, Thales is pretty much a hodgepodge of accents and cultural idiosyncrasies from the (U.S.) South. This very much includes iced tea, which is considered something of an abomination in other parts of Aerilon. Thalesians tend to amiably touch others when they converse, address people by first name prefaced by the gender-appropriate title of Mister or Miss regardless of a person's age or social standing, and use terms of endearment such as "hon" and "shug" (for sugar) even with people they hardly know. Porch gatherings, community barbecues, and quilting circles are ways of life.

Cultural Details

The people of Aerilon are stereotyped as staid and traditional, but that stereotype does not include the ritualistic/superstitious bent that typifies Gemenese and Sagittaron culture. (For example, arranged marriages are extremely uncommon here.)

College education is rare; it's uncommon enough to find people with a community college class or three under their belts outside the major cities, much less an actual degree-holding professional. Because of the labor-intensive nature of agriculture and the relatively poor economic conditions, most young people in rural areas like Tarnock that don't or can't go in search of higher education stay at home and either work their family's land or hire themselves out as laborers on other people's land. Those residents that do achieve a college degree tend to get the hell out.

Pyramid is a favored pastime of the farmers and workers of northern Aerilon; nearly all the locals are fans of the Aerilon Thrashers, and blue, red, and gold (the team's colors) are popular all over the planet. The rivalry between the Thrashers and the Leonis Wildcats is something that most Aerilonians take extremely seriously. (Think Penguins-Flyers, hockey fans.)

Aerilon isn't the most religious of the Colonies, but Artemis, Demeter, and Hera all have devoted followings here.

Tea, not coffee, is the hot morning beverage of choice in the region.

Many of the crops on Aerilon, especially in the northern provinces, tended towards root vegetables and potatoes — able to survive difficult winters and grow plentiful over the years.

The culture of the planet has developed slightly more on its own for being so poor — music and dancing are a large part of entertainment in the Aerilon communities. The fiddle tends to be a prime instrument of choice.

In some of the northern provinces, Castor and Pollux have gained a large following of the religious community. Agricultural deities, the brothers have been said to warn when the harvests will fail or give blessings to the turn of the seasons.

Woad is popularly used on Aerilon for religious tattooing and cultural entertainment. Some contribute the heavy use of woad to the visions that Aerilon's oracles often profess.

 AQUARIA

Name:                                        aquaria
Ancient name:                                 aquarion  

Alternative Name:                            the ocean world
Patron God:                                  hermes
Population:                   ± 25.000 (twenty-five thousand)

Capital:                                      no capital / major city is heim
Star system:                                 Helios delta

Aquaria is the colony with the lowest population. and has only 1 major space ship, which is located at the Geological Research Center

Other than oceans, Aquaria also has small parts of volcanic land mass, but only 1 major continent/ land mass that is inhabited.

It is one of the most tolerant colonies, live and let live is a major outlook on life for most Aquarians.

There is a strong sense of independence and tolerance towards others, with the goal of developing a society where people can express their creativity to the utmost.

Aquaria is often visited by scientists who want to visit and study its oceans.

Other than your average cubits, Aquarians also trade by bargain, they enjoy playing Kastaa, a game which resembles modern-day frisbeeing.

The Battlestar Therion fought against the Cylons during the Fall of the 12 Colonies, trying to protect Aquaria.

The Kyros Summerfest, named after the inhabited continent, is one festival not a single colonial wants to miss out on and the population skyrockets for the time of the festival.

Aquaria, does not have a professional pyramid team. It's capital city is "Heim" which means "home" in German.

Dotted with many small seas, its tribe settled along the coasts and developed a water-oriented culture including a strong sailing tradition. The planet's proximity to Caprica and Virgon made it cheap and easy to trade their two most abundant resources: fish and algae. They also developed highly efficient growing techniques that worked pretty much everywhere. Nearly every botanical ship in the fleet is either owned or operated by Aquarians.

Aquarians are highly educated, liberal, tolerant, and peaceful, and think nothing of paying for services rendered with a painting, a song, or a good story, and will accept such payment just as casually. The society is small enough for individuals to remain fully accountable, so the system usually works very well. The colony was founded as a utopian outpost for those who prefer not to be bothered with gods, planetary identity, politics, or other sources of division. As a result, they have developed a strong self-perception as a place where the human spirit and its creative expression can reach their maximum potential. Anyone who disrupts the social balance will find themselves permanently banished to another colony with a simple two-thirds vote, usually finding themselves on Scorpia, or on trial on Libran, never to come back.

Aquarians are quiet, thinker types, often seen as stubborn and independent. Some call them shifty but more often than not, they just don't have anything to say. Rather than fill the air with noise, they keep to themselves. Aquarians are extremely self-sufficient and ask few questions. They get to the point and rarely bicker. The only time they're really talkative is when they're telling stories.

The Aquarians do love their stories. Most of the time, they tell creepy campfire tales about ghosts and the power of the sea. The Aquarians never really pushed inland, leaving a lot of their world untamed, unexplored. Their folklore therefore focused on stories which wondered what was out there, lurking in the darkness of the night.

Watching Aquarians in the Fleet, it seems like they feel the same way about space. "We could find anything out here". It's not unusual to find them just staring out a porthole, watching the stars, dreaming up new stories. Might be why so many entertainers come from Aquaria. Their minds are always wandering. Lots of tortured artists among them too. They might not mind being alone but many don't get along in their own heads either.

Lots of Aquarians are in the service. They don't mind space so much: sea sailing on their home world is far worse. You lose control in space, you drift. You lose control on the sea, you die. Best of all, Aquarians rarely get rattled. Even in the most pitched battles, with the ship bucking and jerking, they just stomp across the deck, never losing their footing.    

The planet Aquaria is located right at the outer edge of Colonial space with the highest proportion of water to land of any of the Twelve Colonies.

Planetary axial tilt is extreme, providing for large variations of temperature with the seasons in the temperate zones. Average planetary temperatures are lower than the Colonial average.
Surveys of the surface of Aquaria reveled very large and concentrated deposits of tylium. Explorations of continental shelves, and sea beds revealed similarly promising resources waiting to be exploited.

The discovery of rich tylium deposits sparked a “tylium rush” as entrepreneurs, pioneers and miners flooded towards the Colony in an attempt to stake out their riches and Aquaria population doubled within thirty years. To cope with the rising population pressures, the Aquaria Government constructed a number of orbital habitats utilizing technology purchased from Caprica with tylium export revenues.

Aquaria soon produced the largest merchant marine fleet within the twelve colonies. Added to the substantial population living in its orbital habitats, Aquaria have the largest proportion of its population in space at any given time. They are very independent people, and form tight bonds to people they know, particularly those serving in the armed forces.
Aquarians tend to have a witty sense of humor, although they tend to be drier and more sarcastic than Capricans. They are a pragmatic people, a consequence of those working in the tylium mines and the dangers of space, but also fair and dependable.









SCORPIA

Name:                                        Scorpia
Ancient name:                                 scorpio    

Alternative Name:                             N/A
Patron God:                                  dionysus
Population:                   ±450.000.000 (four hundred fifty million)

Capital:                                      celeste
Star system:                                 Helios gamma




Scorpia - The Playground Of The Colonies, as it is nicknamed, is known for having hot temperatures and a lot of jungles.
The Scorpia colony has alliances with Tauron, Picon and Caprica.
You can find great paragliding opportunities in Scorpia, which many colonials go enjoy as a hobby.
Due to the presence of the Scorpia Shipyards, there are a lot of Battlestars on Scorpia (Mercury Class, Valkyrie class, Galactica Class,…)
The BS Pegasus was stationed on Scorpia during a three month overhaul for a Command Navigation Program update before the Cylon attacks.

Scorpians place family happiness as paramount on Scorpia. The people consider themselves deeply pious, but to other cultures like Capricans, they're actually very tolerant and flexible. If an eccentric lifestyle makes someone happy, then it's all right with them.
Scorpians are also very athletic like Picons, and are very devoted to their favorite sports teams.
The government is a democracy, where torture is legal, institutionalized, and conducted at the Central Detention Facility in the capital of Celeste. Locals regard the police as walking angels of death.
However, tourists are seen as a source of national income, and they will kill to protect them.
Other colonial governments have been known to dispose of terrorists, dissidents, and other undesirables on Scorpia.

The planet of Scorpia, while not as utopian as Caprica, it is certainly a pleasant world to live on, although the planet is subject to violent weather patterns.

The people of Scorpia have always been the most devout and religious of the twelve tribes. Their belief in the spiritual and power of the Twelve Lords have undoubtedly been influenced by the location of the High Temple on that planet.
The High Temple was the ecclesiastical capital of the Twelve Colonies, housing the keenest theologians in brotherhood with the Priests and Priestesses who tended to the people’s well being. Scorpia people also hold to their own brand of honor, dictated by the scriptures of the Book and the teachings of the Twelve Lords; the word honor holds a very different meaning to them compared to others.

Scorpions are also a kind society, and extremely charitable, also undoubtedly due to the strong influence of the High Temple. They are polite and helpful people.
On the other hand, centuries of religious indoctrination have also tended to make Scorpions view “right” and “wrong” from a more traditionalist point of view, and also tended to fuel zealotry amongst the populace.

Scorpions tend to have conservative opinions towards sexual morality, and as a consequence of their sexual conservatism, Scorpions also tend to be insanely jealous and suspicious of any sort of infidelity, true or imagined.

Far more important than what's on Scorpia, however, is what's above it: the Scorpian Fleet Shipyards, the largest manufacturing yards in all the Twelve Colonies and the primary driver of the Scorpian economy. Scorpians themselves are reputed to be an opinionated and hot-tempered lot, and among them can be counted many of the Colonies' foremost satirists, essayists, and all-around gadflies.



Scorpia Shipyards

The Scorpia/Scorpion Fleet Shipyard(s) were a series of Fleet drydocks located in orbit around Scorpia.

The docks themselves appear to be able to accommodate various Colonial vessels including Thera Sita type transports, Mercury class battlestars, Valkyrie type battlestars, Galactica type battlestars, and Berzerk type cruisers. Cargo is transported along the entire length of the facilities by cargo trains that are able to move along both the top and bottom to deliver the cargo to its destinations. The shipyards also feature various points for Colonial craft to replenish their Tylium supply, and store the fuel in massive storage tanks at various positions along the structure.

Defensively, the structure features very little and must rely on The Fleet for long term defense, however, the structure includes various Viper hangars, and anti-aircraft turrets along the entire length of the structure.

In the opening moments of the attacks, the Cylons are able to surprise the Colonials by detonating multiple nuclear warheads in range of the shipyards, eliminating the use of DRADIS and blinding both sides involved. The detonations cause moderate damage to the facilities themselves, but leave them intact, indicating they were not directly hit. On fire, and all but defenseless, multiple squadrons of Raiders are then able to jump in and have at the facilities with relative ease, despite being blind. The subsequent assault ultimately destroys the facilities, and various Colonial craft caught in the middle. However, one battlestar was able to escape destruction, break free of her berths, and escape the battle.
At the time of the attacks, the shipyards were seen hosting the Pegasus, at least one Galactica type Battlestar (possibly two), at least two Valkyrie type Battlestars, and at least two Berzerk type support vessels, along with numerous military and civilian transports.

The Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards is an attack launched by the Cylons as part of their of their overall attack on the Twelve Colonies. With numerous Raider squadrons armed with nuclear missiles, the Cylons destroy the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards as well as at least three battlestars and several support vessels.

The Cylons achieve complete surprise upon jumping to the shipyards, and the Colonials have little time to put up any defense. At least one battlestar is immediately destroyed after being struck by a missile, and rows of the shipyard's Vipers and Raptors are destroyed before taking off. In conjunction with the attack, the Cylons initiate a nuclear strike on the surface of Scorpia.

The battlestar Pegasus, commanded by Admiral Helena Cain, is docked at the shipyards in order to undergo a three-month systems overhaul when the attack occurs. In preparation for the refit, all computer networks are shut down, leaving the battlestar largely unaffected by Cylon-infiltrated Command Navigation Program. During the attack, Colonel Belzen reports that all computers are down and that the crew must perform all functions manually.

Tethered to its dock, Pegasus is swarmed by Raiders and struck by several missiles. Fuel and ordnance ignite on the battlestar's hangar decks, causing explosions that cause over 700 casualties. Cain orders a hasty departure from the dock, and the ship fires its reverse thrusters and tears itself free from the burning shipyard's umbilicals.

With Pegasus's defenses still down, and two nuclear missile inbound, Cain orders the CIC crew to spin up the FTL drive and to perform a blind jump on her command, despite the risk of reemerging inside a celestial body. The nuclear detonations throughout the shipyard create bursts of electromagnetic radiation that mask the jump and fool the Cylons into believing that the ship is destroyed.







PICON

Name:                                        picon
Ancient name:                                 pisces  

Alternative Name:                             N/A
Patron God:                                  poseidon
Population:                   ± 1.400.000.000 (one billion, four hundred million)

Capital:                                      queenstown
Star system:                                 Helios alpha




Picon has a 75% water mass and a 25% land mass, it's harbors play an important role in day to day life.
Many Colonial film – and TV series are filmed on Picon and they offer tax incentives for companies in the film industry that choose Picon as their filming location.
Picon has the most efficient, cooperative and responsive democracy in the colonies.In the past, Picon had bitter rivalries with Scorpia and Leonis. Picon and Caprica have an alliance dating back to the early days of colonization

The Rising Star was one of the last ships to leave Picon during the Cylon attacks (the passenger liner in which Ellen Tigh escaped the nuclear explosions).
When the nuclear blasts destroyed the Colonial Fleet HQ, President Adar offered the Cylons an unconditional surrender – the Cylons ignored it.
The Picon Star Tribune is one of Picon’s leading publications.
Kara – Starbuck -Thrace was born on Picon, moved around the colonies with her mother and ended up on Caprica.

The capital is Queenstown, which originally grew as a fishing village around the scenic Penrose harbor. Perkinston, the location of the Colonial Fleet Headquarters, is another Picon city also known for its harbor and manufacturing.

Picons are a close-knit people, but are also friendly and hospitable to Capricans, and enjoy a low crime-rate. Picons tend to believe in an overall sense of balance, which is indicative of their zodiac symbol of two stylized fish circling each other, suggesting balance. Picons are also very good athletes, and enjoy a good fight and a pint of ale. The Picon government has made available health care, education, and affordable housing to all inhabitants, asserting that it is a basic human right.

Picon was originally the home of the Virgon tribe, but was later colonized by the Pisces tribe of Kobol; it is one of the Twelve Colonies, and is a neighbor of the other Helios Alpha star system planets Caprica, Tauron, and Gemenon.
It is known throughout the Four Systems as "The Ocean Colony". The ocean is a beautiful turquoise-color and the planet is well known through the Four Systems for its harbors.
Picon is generally colder, greener and cloudier than Caprica, but is known for its strikingly beautiful warm months, and Colonial visitors to Picon are encouraged to take advantage of the pleasant Picon summer. During the planet's off-season, most of the landscape became cold and rugged.

It is considered to be one of the more advanced and wealthier colonies. Like the other eleven colonies, the civilizations on Picon were destroyed by the Cylons in the Destruction of the Twelve Colonies. Billy, personal assistant to President of the Colonies Laura Roslin was from Picon.

In the early days of 'The First Cylon War' the Cylons invaded Picon attempting to take control of Picon fleet headquarters, the command center coordinating the newly unified Colonial Fleet, requiring intervention by the then flagship of the Caprican branch of the colonial military - the Battlestar Galactica.

Picon is to the Fleet what Caprica is to politics. Unlike the Aquarians, who were content to remain fishermen, Picans preferred to sell their military expertise to the highest bidder, and the professionalism of their renowned mercenary companies was only matched by their mendacity.

The Colony took full advantage of its victory over Leonis some eighty-five years ago, riding a wave of rapid industrialization to become only the second world to deploy a majority Cylon force.
Needless to say, that plan didn't end very well — but once the Cylons were defeated, Picon retained its role as backbone of the Colonial Fleet.



Picon is home to Colonial Fleet HQ, the Colonial Fleet Academy, and a host of important military research laboratories.  Its citizens boast a strong military tradition and are highly represented at every level of the Fleet.


Picon Fleet Headquarters was a military installation operated by the Colonial Fleet. Located on Picon, it was responsible for coordinating Colonial Forces throughout the Twelve Colonies. During the surprise Cylon attack on the Twelve Colonies forty years after the Cylon War, Picon Fleet Headquarters was targeted and destroyed in the first wave of the assault after which Admiral Nagala takes command of the fleet from the Atlantia.

Fleet Headquarters is the central operational and support center for Colonial Fleet operations. Right across from the Fleet Headquarters you could find the Colonial Fleet Academy.

Colonial Fleet Academy on Picon is one of the four Naval Colonial Fleet Academies, the others being on Leonis, Caprica, and Virgon. It offers four year undergraduate degrees in a variety of disciplines. Students are known as Midshipmen during their enrollment, and when they graduate are mustered into the Fleet as Ensigns.







13^th TRIBE / CYLON EARTH

Name: Earth
Ancient name: Earth
Alternative Name: Cylon Earth/The Thirteenth Tribe of Kobol

Patron God: The One True (Cylon) God
Population: unknown
Capital: unknown
Star system: unknown

Earth was believed to be mostly a myth until Starbuck and the Final Five Cylons took the fleet there. Earth was inhabited by Cylons, the humanoid variety. Much like the Colonies, Cylon Earth was completely destroyed and its people annihilated by nuclear bombs which were dropped during a rebellion of Cylon Earth’s robotic creations.
Earth is mentioned often as the 13th (and lost) Tribe of civilization in the Sacred Scrolls of Pythia. According the scrolls, the exodus of the 13th Tribe of Humanity began on Kobol more than 4.000 years prior to the Cylon War. The Final Five Cylons are all from (Cylon) Earth, they are responsible for Cylon Ressurection.

In the re-imagined continuity, the Thirteenth Tribe is literally the last tribe of Kobol, being artificial lifeforms created by the other twelve. In the original series, they were the thirteenth solely by virtue of having gone in another direction.

The Thirteenth Tribe left the twelve tribes of humans and settled on Earth some 2,000 years before the remaining tribes left Kobol to form the Twelve Colonies of Kobol (The Eye of Jupiter), some 4,000 years prior to the events of the Cylon Attack.
The twelve tribes eventually forgot that their ancestors had ever created Cylons, and the Thirteenth Tribe was mistakenly remembered as being another tribe of humans. They and Earth were also considered mythical by many on the Twelve Colonies. Because the Number Ones' reprogramming of their siblings left the other six active models unaware of their origins, the majority of Cylons also believed that the Thirteenth Tribe had been human and had no knowledge of their connection to them until the discovery of Earth.

The Thirteenth Tribe consisted of humanoid Cylons, who originated on Kobol, evolved from mechanical counterparts that the humans of Kobol had created. With them on Earth there was also a distinct model of robotic Cylon, of which only the buried helmet has been seen.

While still on Kobol, Cylons or their creators had developed resurrection technology. The Thirteenth Tribe abandoned and eventually forgot how to build or use this technology during their stay on Earth after they had started to reproduce sexually. Subsequent generations of Cylons were born, not built. The knowledge that their ancestors had used resurrection remained, however, and there was later an effort to recreate it at a scientific research facility.

Roughly two millennia prior to the Fall of the Twelve Colonies, Earth was devastated by an apocalyptic rebellion of their own Centurions that apparently destroyed both sides. At that time a group of scientists, later known as the Final Five, had worked very hard to reinvent resurrection. They had anticipated the obliteration and prepared a vessel in Earth's orbit, which they downloaded to in due time. They were the only survivors, and only survived due to resurrecting in new bodies.

The five survivors, the last of the Thirteenth Tribe, went on a long trip using sub-luminal speed in search of the Twelve Colonies to warn them of the dangers inherent in creating artificial life and not treating it well.

The Final Five allied themselves with the Colonial Centurions and went on to create eight new models of humanoid Cylon. The Thirteenth Tribe can be said to survive in the new Cylons, and in their hybrid descendants on the new Earth.

Of the Final Five, two, Tory Foster and Samuel Anders, eventually were killed permanently. Ellen Tigh, Saul Tigh, and Galen Tyrol made it to the new Earth to live out the rest of their lives.

During some period, travel appears to have taken place from Earth to Kobol, as the Sacred Scrolls give an account of the journey to Earth.

After finding Earth, the Fleet's first landing party lands on a coast, near the burned out ruins of a city which had been nuked some 2,000 years previously (Revelations). Excavations by Cylon teams produced skeletons and the head of a previously unknown model of Cylon Centurion. DNA analysis of the skeletons using Cylon protocols revealed that the Thirteenth Tribe was Cylon. Samuel Anders, Tory Foster, Saul Tigh, and Galen Tyrol recover fragments of memory while in the ruins, recalling that they were part of the Thirteenth Tribe and lived on Earth until the disaster hit.

Approximately 2,000 years before the fall of the 12 Colonies, the Life Form Nodes created by the Thirteenth Tribe rebelled, and in an act of mutually assured destruction, leveled the planet in a nuclear holocaust, in which everyone including the Centurions were destroyed. The Final Five (Saul Tigh, Ellen Tigh, Tory Foster, Galen Tyrol and Samuel Anders) managed to survive by downloading to a ship containing their rebuilt resurrection technology in orbit. They helped the Centurions they found from the Twelve Colonies build a new Cylon society, but were killed and downloaded into new bodies with false memories by Number One. The Five spent most of their "human" lives with no knowledge of who they were until months before they rediscovered Earth. Four of the five had knowledge of their true identities triggered (the fifth, Ellen, was a Cylon prisoner whose resurrection into a new body had restored her memories) but none of their memories restored except brief flashes.

When the Five's Cylon "children" destroyed the Twelve Colonies, the Five ended up having to go through another nuclear holocaust, although they survived this one without downloading. The Cavils had expected them to die, download and apologize but none died. Tyrol and Saul Tigh were on Galactica, Anders was high in the mountains doing survival training, Tory survived a blast outside Delphi, and Ellen survived a blast on Picon, but was seriously hurt. Cavil, who was with her at the time, helped rescue her as he felt she hadn't learned the lesson he wanted her to learn and didn't want her to die and download until she learned that. Both Ellen and Anders said "this has happened before" after the attacks started, parts of their past apparently emerging, and Ellen even got flashes of memory of herself on Earth with Saul before they were killed, although she apparently didn't remember this later.

 
With the destruction of Resurrection, the deaths of Anders, Foster and the other members of the Five when they died is permanent and the last remaining members of the Thirteenth Tribe die out, although the descendants of the Cylons and humans on Earth could be considered in a way descendants of the Tribe as the Five created the Cylons that settled there.

It is implied that the humans and Cylons of Kobol had a destructive war between them as would happen in the 12 Colonies but the nature of the possible conflict wasn't explored. Eventually, these Cylons developed the ability to sexually reproduce and resurrection technology fell into disuse and was lost. 2,000 years prior to the miniseries, the "Final Five" began work to redevelop resurrection, having been warned by mysterious "angels" that a disaster possibly similar to the one on Kobol was coming. When life on Earth was destroyed in a nuclear war between the thirteenth tribe of humanoid Cylons and their mechanical Cylon creations (caused by maltreatment of the mechanical Cylons at the hands of the humanoids), the Final Five managed to download into a vessel they had in orbit.
As Earth was uninhabitable, the humans and rebel Cylons (minus D'Anna), abandoned it in search of a new home together. The humans and Cylons ended up striking a deal: in return for joining the fleet as full members, with all the privileges that entailed, the rebels would upgrade the fleet's FTL drives with Cylon technology, increasing their jump distance by at least three times.







SAGITTARON

Sagittaron is one of the poorest of all colonies, it endured centuries of exploitation from the other colonies. This continued even during unified Colonial rule, so that eventually Tom Zarek of the S.F.M. led an organized series of terrorist acts against the established government there, many years before the fall of the Colonies. One of these acts include blowing up a government building.

Sagittarons - also known as “Sags”, are traditionalists. They want nothing to do with modern medicine and the military.
They have their own religion which is based on The Lords of Kobol but is focused more on nature and traditional folk practices.
At least 5,251 Sags survived the initial attacks on the colonies. Soma Braids are worn often by Sagittarons as they are believed to bring good luck.
Sags are paranoid, pigheaded, and argumentative, we heard that from Dualla.
Sagittarons are pacifists by nature and seem to be disliked and even shunned by the rest of the Colonials.
Under Sagittaron penal law, convicted felons lose their citizenship, but have it automatically reinstated after they finish serving their sentences. This included the right to vote and to stand for election, as was shown when Tom Zarek challenged President Roslin.

Some of the most well known Sagittarons are
– Tom Zarek
– Anastasia – Dee – Dualla
– Portia King
– Willie King
– Sister Clarice Willow
– Priyah Magnus (PR agent for Graystone Industries)
– Valance (assasin from “Colonial Day“)
– Leon Grimes (“Colonial Day“)
– Mr. Buckminster (is believed to have died of the Mellorak infection but was proven to be poisoned by Doctor Robert)
– Jacob Cantrell (Quorum member representing Sagittaron)

The planet's land masses are profoundly mountainous in nature, with hundreds of isolated valleys dotted amongst them. Of note is the river Acheron, winding through the mountain ranges for perhaps several thousand kilometers, finally finding its way to the sea through a delta at which end lies an active volcano several kilometer offcoast.

The capital Tawa is situated over 1,600 kilometers inland where two rivers flow into a confluence, either merging to form the Acheron, or joining the main stem of the river. It is a city of marvelous temples and egg-shaped storage structures as a precaution for flooding and storms.

The climate in Sagittaron's fertile valleys is said to be agreeable, something that cannot be told about the mountain trails connecting them, which experience difficult weather circumstances and become impassable during winter, isolating the communities during this time of year.

The Sagittarons practice a form of the Colonial religion that can trace its roots back for at least 1,000 years. Like the Gemenese, they developed a staunch religious stance but with possibly a greater emphasis on traditional folk practice than scripture. They view medicine as "an abomination, a sin against the gods," and instead use charms and natural remedies to promote health, such as the soma braid or the burdock root. This stubbornness and their perceived backwards nature has led to a bitter dislike by members of the other Colonies. During the Second Exodus, the bitterness is reinforced by the fact that many Sagittarons on New Caprica did not help to fight the Cylons, suggesting that the Sagittarons are also pacifists by nature.

They are strong adherents of herbal medicine and reject much of modern medicine, which has lead to derogatory terms such as "stubborn rootsucking jackasses". Dr. Michael Robert expresses skepticism about its effectiveness, however his statement implies that there has not been any serious research on the subject.

On Sagittaron, it is illegal to sing, play, participate in public displays of affection and do a multitude of other things. In fact, the mere mention of these activities is considered an offense, so visitors from other colonies with more liberal cultures are advised to consult local law for specific information on colony etiquette.

Arranged marriage (called "traditional marriage") is an accepted practice in many parts of Sagittaron. Often, the bride and groom are betrothed by their parents between ages 12-15, and the engagement and marriage ceremony are performed between ages 16-18. In the strictest form of tradition, the bride and groom themselves don't meet until the day of the wedding itself.

The Northern Continent has:

the modern cities.
the high-tech factories.
a way of life that's more familiar to offworlders.
more speakers of Colonial Standard.
the capital city.
the mineral resources.

…while the Southern Continent has:

the older cities and historical sites.
provinces that are closer to fiefdoms; cities that are closer to city-states.
the agricultural resources.

Northern Continent

The Northern Continent is not made of agriculture as the zone is colder and given to windy seasons. A ridge of mountains makes up the west side of the continent bordered by natural plateaus that branch out into a tundra like climate. The hard shale ground makes it hard to find value to the land other than its minerals and stable building materials.

Entreri Province rests miles east of the western mountain ridge and is given to the rugged rock landscape that is it's tundra. The plant life is minimal and where there are groves it is of a hardy coniferous make. Lake Teska lies in the southern half of the Province near the largest of the cities within it: Lamina. Other cities of note are Ephestil, Y'trum, and Haimber.

Lamina: One of the larger cities in the Northern Province, Lamina is the center of trade and traffic. It houses a lot of the political thinkers on Sagittaron as well as houses more than its fair share of Sagittaron military families. It is the home of many debates and forums held in the advancement of Sagittaron belief and gives rise to newer ideas that, in time, the natives hope will spread to the southern continent. At its current rate of growth, the city will soon overtake the regional capital, befitting itself slowly with the more modern trappings that can be found in places such as Caprica. Even here, though, the true backwards ways of the Sagittaron people can be seen still in the practices of religion. Not far away from Lamina are the factories that refine the local minerals. Lake Tiska is just to the south of the city.

Southern Continent
The smaller southern continent is divided roughly into regions by the Atharamuras (Godspine), a Y-shaped range of mountains.

Jharkhand Province
Caught in the fork of the Atharamuras, Jharkhand is hot, arid and inhospitable except for a narrow strip along its eponymous river. The river opens up to the Jharkhand Basin river delta (think: the Nile/Cairo).
Aigosthena: A small fishing village of about two thousand people located along the river some fifty kilometers east of where delta meets ocean. Built on stilts to avoid the annual floods like so many other villages in the area, Aigosthena has only one claim to fame: it was leveled by Colonial forces in 2035.

Xenos Province
The southernmost part of the Southern Continent, Xenos is split nearly in half by the tail of the Atharamuras. To the east, Xenos is primarily green foothills trending toward temperate rainforest at the edge of the mountains (think: Pacific Northwest); to the west, the province is generally drier and warmer, trending toward jungle in the southwest.

Sthenoi: The provincial capital. As a 'chosen' capital rather than an 'evolved' one, the best that can be said about this small city is that it is centralized.
Aera Yazd: The largest city in Xenos, Aera Yazd is old, sprawling, dirty and turbulent.





CANCERON


Name:                          Canceron
Ancient name:                   Cancer
Nickname:                 “The Largest Democracy”
Patron God:                  Hephaestus
Population:         ± 6.700.000.000 (Six Billion, seven hundred million)
Capital:                       Hades
Star system:                  Helios Delta




Canceron is a barren planet, it is inhabited only at its two poles (Northern & Southern), it’s middle section is one large desert, riddled with volcanoes.
It also is the most crowded of all Colonies, some might even call it over-crowded. There are a lot of beaches on Canceron, it even has a Coastal metropolis.
Canceron is one of the more poor colonies, its large cities have several slums.


The middle (desert) region of Canceron is used as Military practice grounds for flight- and artillery exercises by the Colonial Fleet.
The Southers (people living at the Southern Pole of Canceron) are dour people who live in climate controlled, subterranean mazes and live mostly of sales profits.
The Northern part contains a lot of Prison Colonies.
Canceron soil is rich in tylium – prisoners sentenced to manual labor often end up in its mines, extracting tylium
The Colonies’ Black Market was “founded” on Canceron

Major Canceron attractions include: Prommos, Ruby Range, Kor Yaz Glacier.



Canceron has a large multitude of diverse dialects, religions, epic poems, cuisines, music, theater, and literature, yet Canceron's own people rarely know much outside their own subculture.

The government, due to its massive population, proclaims itself the largest democracy of all the colonies.
At its planetary Congress, it has more than 2,300 representatives from 88 states that speak at least 19 distinct dialects, that are answerable to the 88 state congresses.

Terrorism is a basic fact of life for young Cancerons.



Canceron was settled by the Cancer tribe of Kobol. It is known for having maintained a constitutional democracy for over 1,000 years.

Canceron and its twin Aerilon are two planets that orbit the sun Helios Delta along with the gas giant planet Hestia at Hestia's lagrange points.

Canceron has two great landmasses both have beaches, large cities, fertile plains and in the far north very tall mountain ranges. The climate has warm southern beaches, hot and steamy in the inland south, highly temperate and farming friendly in the north, with the frigid Ruby Ridge mountains with the Kor Yaz (Turkish for "summer corps") high altitude glacier.

 Canceron is also known for its vast mineral deposits of coal, iron and silver.

The capital is Hades in the Great Valley and was the site of growing immigration.
Hades has a security zone for powerful people called "New Hades".

The third city is Mangala, a former trading port, known for fine art and museums. Mangala is the site of poor settlers who live in makeshift shanties that extend to the very edge of seaside cliffs.
The resort town of Psammos is known throughout the colonies for its five-star hotels, casinos and pristine beaches.


Prior to the First Cylon War, Canceron was a very overpopulated and poor colony. Canceron's major cities such as Hades and Mangala were known to have large slums.

Its large population earned Canceron the nickname "The Largest Democracy" within the colonies, though some believed the government was nothing more than a corrupt Oligarchy.


During the Cylon attack, Canceron is hit with at least three nuclear devices. One of the passenger liners within the fleet, Pyxis, is one of the last ships that escapes this world when the attack began. Aboard is the Number Six copy Shelly Godfrey.







TROY

Troy is a small, metal rich planet in the Helios Beta system, and home to a Colonial mining settlement that suffered a cataclysm, killing a majority of the people who were there at the time. It was not one of the Twelve Colonies themselves. The disaster was caused by a protective dome collapsing and causing a massive explosion as a result of a chain reaction.

It had an estimated population count of 425,000 BCH.

The Cylon copy Number Eight known as Sharon "Boomer" Valerii believed that she and her parents, Abraham and Katherine Valerii, had lived on Troy. In reality, as a Cylon construct, Valerii had no parents, though whether or not Katherine and Abraham actually existed is unknown.

In Greek mythology, in Homer's Iliad, Troy was a city and the site of the Trojan War.
A certain parallel can be seen between the backstory and the story of the Trojan Horse. Sharon Varelii could be seen as the Trojan Horse sent by the Cylons, who would be considered the other Greek factions aligned against the Trojans. The Cylons send Valerii into the Colonies through Troy to destroy them. Valerii is accepted and ultimately betrays the Colonies much to their shock and surprise.

According to the fictional backstory, her mother was still alive when Boomer left for the Colonial Fleet academy and that the accident happened en route. In the Miniseries, she tells Boxey that her parents died when she was little. Later, in "Downloaded", she says that she received a gift from her mother when she left for the academy. This jibes with the first point, but conflicts with what she tells Boxey, therefore becoming a continuity error unless training exists for very young cadets. However, Sharon also might have been making this claim in an attempt to comfort Boxey.

The colony was possibly settled by Aerilon, as Gaius Baltar noted that Valerii had a slight trace of an Aerilonian accent, however, the Map of the Twelve Colonies shows that the planet is located in a separate system from Aerilon, instead being the first planet located next to Virgon and Leonis. It is noted that Troy has been mined extensively by these two colonies since their founding.

A deleted scene from "Daybreak" mentions that the disaster was the result of a protective dome over a city collapsing and causing a massive explosion as a result of a chain reaction. The fact that cities on Troy were domed indicates that the rest of the planet was either uninhabitable or at least very unfriendly to human life. This is supported by information from the Map of the Twelve Colonies from which you can learn that the actual atmosphere on Troy would have been toxic to humans.
With the accident destroying the dome, all human life inadvertently died.

Troy is considered part of the Outer Colonies.

The Outer Colonies are a scattered assortment of a few marginally habitable planets or moons within the double-binary Cyrannus star cluster, which are the site of some human habitation. According to Ron Moore in a blog post, the "Twelve" Colonies are the only human colonies in the system of any significance: they do loosely maintain a few scientific outposts, military bases, or mining outposts on some of the uninhabitable moons or asteroids in the system, but none of them are fully functional or in any way self-sustaining, and few if any have been terraformed. Moreover, even the combined population of all of these "outer colonies" is so low - 1.4 million, compared to the total 28.5 billion population of the star system as a whole - that they have little social or political significance, and are truly more "outposts" than "colonies". Nonetheless the mining resources of several airless rocks, or Tylium mining operations in asteroid fields, are vital enough that different colonies have fought interplanetary wars over them.

Only Troy was mentioned within the 2004 TV series. Espenson and Grazier's 2011 "Map of the Twelve Colonies" goes into some more detail, stating that minor colonies were located on four planets or moons in the star cluster:

~MINOS - a moon of Tauron, located in Helios Alpha, and the largest moon in the entire star cluster. While it lacks an atmosphere, it is the location of several scientific outposts and domed mining colonies. More of an extension of Tauron than a world in its own right, and like Tauron it was fought over by Virgon and Leonis during their old imperial wars.

~TROY - a small but metal rich planet in Helios Beta, whose material resources were fought over for centuries by nearby Virgon and Leonis. Troy's mining outposts required sealed domes, indicating that it either doesn't have an atmosphere or that it is toxic to humans.

~PALLAS - a Mars-like planet whose atmosphere gradually leaked away into space over millions of years, located in Helios Beta. Today its dry, barren, desert-like surface has an atmosphere that is too thin to breathe, and terraforming efforts have failed. It is nonetheless the site of several domed colonies and a military research station. Although marginally more habitable than Troy, and fought over between Virgon and Leonis as it was, Pallas does not have the rich metal resources of Troy, and thus the planet was not as heavily contested between the two powers as Troy was.

~HIBERNIA - a marginally habitable moon of Virgon, settled centuries ago by the Celtans, an ethnic group fiercely opposed to Virgon rule. Along with Virgon it is located in Helios Beta. Although easily the most habitable of the Outer Colonies (the others all require domed habitats), its small population combined with centuries of domination by nearby Virgon have precluded it from ever being considered close to an equal of the main "Twelve Colonies". Administratively, it remains a province of Virgon.

Some of the moons of the gas giants in the star cluster are stated to have atmospheres, but whether these atmospheres are breathable is not clear. Moreover, it is not established if any of these moons were large enough to be inhabitable, atmosphere or not. If that is the case, of the four known "outer colonies", none are located in the Helios Gamma/Helios Delta binary star system, one (Tauron's moon Minos) is located in Helios Alpha, and three (Troy, Pallas, and Virgon's moon Hibernia) are located in Helios Beta.

The exact legal and political status of the inhabitants of the Outer Colonies is not clear, and may have been vague within the fictional universe as well. The Twelve Colonies only shifted to a unified federal government 50 years ago, and before that defined their political allegiances along ethnic lines to each of the "Twelve Tribes" that controlled an entire planet, like Caprica or Virgon. The falsified identity that the Number Eight Cylon on Galactica presented was that she was the child of colonists from Aerilon who were living on Troy (while her cover story was fake, what is relevant is that others thought it was a believable background). it's not clear if miners on marginally habitable planets like Troy would still retain absentee-citizenship with their mother-planet like Troy; it's possible that so few colonists were actually born and raised on minor colonies like Troy that they never developed a group or cultural identity, even on worlds like Troy whose resources had been fought over for centuries.
Permanent habitation of these minor colonies seems to not have occurred on a large scale. Again the one major exception to this is the mention that the Celtans of Virgon's habitable moon Hibernia actually strove to assert their independence but were forced into submission by Virgon; it is plausible that they strove for equal representation in the new unified federal government.





RAGNAR ANCHORAGE

Ragnar Anchorage (also known as "Ragnar Station" or "Ragnar Station Ammunition Reserve") is an unmanned orbital refueling station and naval armory, suspended in the upper atmosphere of the gas giant Ragnar, that distills hydrocarbons from the planet's upper atmosphere. Ragnar Anchorage is most likely a remnant of the First Cylon War (or earlier), and is largely unkempt and abandoned by the Colonials. On the exterior, the station features three massive rotating habitat ringed sections, the "top" ring being unfinished or scrapped for parts, and as many as seven airlocks on the station's "cap". The interior of the station features a dark, damp, and largely exposed environment, which now creates a somewhat hostile atmosphere to any Human (or Cylon) inhabitants. What's left of its ammunition and supplies stores is strewn about near the airlocks, largely forgotten.

The Colonial Fleet had created this station in this location, aware that the atmosphere's radiation adversely affects Cylon technology. The EM field of the atmosphere also affected DRADIS, weapons targeting and navigation, making it impossible for the Cylons to chase and attack within the Ragnar atmosphere. The station is infamous amongst the Colonial Fleet as a "super bitch" to dock to, likely due to the turbulence experienced by ships traveling within the tenuous upper layers of the atmosphere.

Ragnar holds no known offensive or defensive weapons, and appears permanently berthed in the upper atmosphere of Ragnar, indicating the station holds no sublight engines or FTL drives.

Ragnar Anchorage was the rendezvous site the surviving civilian Colonials met the battlestar Galactica, then known to be the only surviving Colonial military vessel. It was from here that they made their escape from the Colonial solar systems, never to return. The station is presumed to have been abandoned or destroyed following the successful retrieval of Aaron Doral by Cylon forces after the battle.

Ragnar itself is a gas giant located on the outer edge of the Helios Gamma/Delta system, and site of the Ragnar Anchorage munitions station. After the Fall of the Twelve Colonies, Commander Adama, assuming command of the Colonial Fleet after Admiral Nagala's death, orders all ships to Ragnar; President Laura Roslin's fleet is the only known assemblage of ships to make this rendezvous.

Ragnar is wracked by violent storms. Ragnar Anchorage appears to be located in an area of relative calm within the storms. The storms themselves create a high level of electromagnetic discharges, which interfere with a range of systems, including a ship's ability to plot FTL jumps. While this effectively hides the Anchorage station from enemy scans, it also means that a ship must cross the "EM threshold" above the main bulk of the storms before attempting a jump. This problem requires Commander Adama to place Galactica directly between the planet and an opposing force of Cylon basestars to provide the necessary protection for the civilian Fleet to jump away from Colonial space.

Another side effect of the storm is the emission of a form of radiation that adversely affected the Cylons' silica pathways, a technology integrated into humanoid Cylons. When Leoben Conoy appears to fall sick while trapped on the station with Adama, it gives the commander his first clue that Conoy is a Cylon construct.

Ragnar is said to be at least three days away at sublight speed and the entire Cylon fleet is between Galactica and the Anchorage, hence the ship has to make a FTL jump, even though Colonel Saul Tigh warns that Galactica could end up in the middle of the sun rather than at Ragnar if the calculations are off even by a few degrees.

It is possible that the deleterious effects of Ragnar's radiation on Cylon technology became known to the Colonials during the Cylon War, prompting them to place the Anchorage within Ragnar's atmosphere.

The name "Ragnar" is an homage to Ragnarök, the apocalyptic battle of the gods of North Germanic mythology. The story of Ragnarök coincidentally ties with the career of William Adama; he is a former commander of the battlestar Valkyrie, named for minor female deities and goddesses of fate who carried the most heroic fallen warriors to Valhalla to await the pre-ordained battle at the end of the world. Following the events of a failed secret Cylon reconnaissance mission, Adama is given command of the to-be-decommissioned Galactica, during which the Cylons attack, the Colonies fall, and Adama prepares to fight the Battle of Ragnar Anchorage, the last battle within Colonial space fought by the last remaining battlestar of the fleet (a recurring theme of "last", "final", and "ending")

The dark, dank, extremely dirty interior of Ragnar Anchorage was filmed in the Roger's Sugar Mill in Vancouver, according to the Miniseries DVD commentary.

The large ordnance room (where the Colonials abandon Aaron Doral before leaving the Anchorage) is an abandoned potash silo within the British Columbia railyards. The locale is reused as the Temple of Five for the Season 3 mid-season cliffhanger, "The Eye of Jupiter".

WATCH this fan made video of the Batlle At Ragnar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vekVCGapI-4





 GEMENON


Name: Gemenon
Ancient name: Gemini
Nickname: /

Patron God: Hera
Population: ± 2.800.000.000 (Two billion, eight hundred million)
Capital: Oranu
Star system: Helios






Gemenon was the first world colonized by the humans of Kobol, and it's official language is "Old Gemenese".

Gemenon is the planet where the Gemini tribe of Kobol settled. It is known throughout the Four Systems as "The First Colony".
Gemenon is in the Helios Alpha star system and it's twin planet Caprica is only 493,000 kilometres (306,336.0 mi) away.

It shares its orbit around Helios Alpha with Caprica, completing an rotation once every 28.2 days. Its status as a twin planet gives it its name. Its climate can vary wildly, featuring frozen plateaus, and searing deserts, which can make life difficult for its inhabitants.

Gemenon also shares its star system with Picon and Tauron.

Gemenon's largest land mass is the Pustiu Desert ("pustiu" is Romanian for desert), which lies in the shadow of the vast Gramada Mountains (in Romanian "gramada" means large pile) on the western coast.

 Between the Gramadas and the desert is the barren 10,000 feet (3.0 km) high plateau called the Spatiu Gol ("spatiu" is Romanian for "space" and "gol" is Romanian for empty: Empty Space), which slopes down into farmland.
 The east coast is the site of the capital Oranu, which has both temples and high-rise buildings, offset by holy statuary.

Illumini, the religious center, features more sacred artwork, and was built around an enormous pantheon complex, in which every deity in the Sacred Scrolls is represented.


Gemenon was one of the poorer colonies,though while many Gemenese are poor, some choose to be because their religion means more to them then the cubits in their pockets.

The Gemenese, were known for their religious fundamentalism. Fundamentalist Gemenese take the Sacred Scrolls of Pythia literally and every word in the scrolls is to be taken literal as well.
School children know the names of every god, and won't hesitate to correct you if you get one wrong. The government is a republic led by the Prime Minister. They have a Guardian Council, which presides over all moral issues, while the lower house called the House of Councilors handles the administration of the laws.
Orthodox Theists, while still very religious, are more lenient compared to the Fundamentalists.The Gemenese consider their children to be property of the Gods.


Gemenon is a place for religious pilgrimage. There are two different religious factions on Gemenon.
Abortion, child abuse and failure to provide children with decent education are punishable by the death penalty on Gemenon.
Most of the population of Gemenon was apparently very strongly opposed to the federal laws legalizing abortion .


Before the First Cylon War, Gemenon was home to the Kobol Colleges and a monotheistic cult called "The Soldiers of the One" or STO.  Events in the prequel series Caprica reveal how The Soldiers of the One influence the creation of a monotheistic Cylon God.

Gemenon's second-largest city, Illumini, was built around a large Pantheon complex, composed of buildings intended to worship and celebrate every deity in the Sacred Scrolls.


During the Cylon attack, Gemenon comes under heavy assault by Cylon air and ground forces, completely obliterating one city with a high-yield nuclear device, and causing extensive damage to another with conventional means. At least one ship, the Cybele, is able to escape the destruction of its port and occupying Cylon forces, and find Roslin's fleet.

Three months after the attacks, approximately 9,500 Gemenese break away from the main fleet, and join the Laura Roslin faction over Kobol . The large and devoted Gemenese population continues to be an important political factor within the fugitive fleet.

Fun Facts:

If the word "Inviere" (meaning "Resurrection") is any indication, Old Gemenese was probably similar to the Romanian language of our Earth.
According to Serge's Twitter account, Gemenon is the planet that shares its orbit with Caprica. This planet is seen at the beginning of the aired Caprica pilot, but is not clearly identified as such until CAP: "The Heavens Will Rise" in a visual transition from Caprica to Gemenon.
As an Easter Egg in The Plan, the building on the lower left of the screen is the same one where the Romulan Senate assembles in Star Trek Nemesis.


THE STO

The Soldiers of the One (also known as the "STO") are a group which is the militant arm of the Monad Church based on Gemenon. It is active sixty years before the Fall of the Colonies. Its singular mission is to "drive out the many Gods" and combat the decadence and corruption of Colonial society. They also seek to unite the Twelve Colonies by imposing a single monotheistic faith on all of them. The Caprican government considers them a terrorist criminal organization. Apparently the link between the Monad Church and the Soldiers of the One is still a secret in the Twelve Colonies, or at least officially denied.

The leadership of the group is based on Gemenon. They are governed by the matriarch of the church, who is known only as The Mother. The church maintains good relations with other, polytheistic faiths, which is resented by many in the STO, including Sister Clarice Willow.

Sister Clarice Willow, headmistress of the Athena Academy, is the clandestine leader of the group on Caprica. She initially reported to Barnabas Greeley, but later was granted leadership over all STO cells on Caprica by The Mother after she carried out a coup on Gemenon. Other members include her students Lacy Rand, Ben Stark, Zoe Graystone, Keon Gatwick, Pann and Hippolyta. At least two -- Stark and Gatwick -- collected explosives.

Zoe Graystone had intended to seek refuge with the church on Gemenon prior to her death. She had plans to further the Soldiers of the One's mission that involved the process of apotheosis.


The origins of the STO are as yet unknown. Officer Duram tells Amanda Graystone that Sister Clarice was born on Gemenon at a time when the STO was actively recruiting members "to protect the new church," implying that the Monad Church and the STO are not much more than a few decades old (the exact age of Clarice is unknown). It has also been said that, after an earlier time of conflict, the STO went dormant ten years prior to the bombing of Maglev 23. Sister Clarice claims that the STO was the only thing that allowed the church to survive during an unspecified period of challenges.

58 years before the fall, a number of STO members intend to flee to Gemenon—Zoe Graystone, Ben Stark and Lacy Rand. However, Rand pulls out of the trip at the last minute and further, Stark, wearing a suicide vest, blew it up on Maglev 23—much to the surprise of Graystone, who is herself killed in the bombing.

Sister Willow refers to this as "premature" and "unauthorized". However, a second attack in Caprica City on an empty building follows soon after. A third attack on the Caprica Spaceport, ordered by Barnabas in a plan to kill Clarice, is attempted but fails.

Clarice Willow and Barnabas Greeley were originally the leaders of two STO factions in Caprica City. The two groups have come into conflict; Barnabas even tried to kill Clarice. This conflict eventually leads Clarice to travel to the church's headquarters on Gemenon, where she presents them with a plan for a devastating suicide attack on Atlas Arena in Caprica City. Further, she shows them how the holobands can be used to create avatars for the dead bombers through apotheosis. This, Clarice believes, can become the church's most powerful tool to recruit new members, since it allows people to see the afterlife in this life. One of the church's elders, Obal Ferras, is disturbed by Clarice's suggestions and asks The Mother for permission to kill her, which is granted. However, Clarice, suspecting his intentions, turns the other STO members against him, and kills him before he can enact his plan. The Mother, clearly horrified by this act, nevertheless feels powerless to stop Clarice, and grants Clarice her request to take command over all STO cells on Caprica. Clarice then returns to Caprica and kills Barnabas and those who are loyal to him.

Finding Lacy Rand among Barnabas' followers, Clarice sends her to Gemenon to take part in a youth training program. Hoping that this will give the girl "time to reflect", Clarice inadvertently brings about the downfall of the STO leadership. Lacy Rand becomes further alienated from the STO by their ruthless training program and attempts to assassinate her when she is discovered to have inexplicable command over U-87 Cylon robots under STO control. With the help of these robots and fellow recruits, Lacy leads a successful coup against the STO and Monad Church leadership and becomes reverend mother herself.

Having seized control of all STO assets on Caprica, Clarice Willow begins preparations for apotheosis and the Atlas Arena terrorist attack. These operations are thwarted, however, by the actions of the Graystones and Clarice's cell is effectively destroyed in the process without successfully attaining apotheosis. Clarice Willow herself survives and turns to concentrate on converting the Cylons to rise up against their human creators. She returns to Gemenon to seek assistance from the Revered Mother, but discovers that Lacy Rand has overthrown the STO leadership. As new leader of the Monad Church, Lacy Rand expresses antipathy towards Clarice. This and Lacy Rand's faction's non-violent leanings suggest that the STO's violent agenda has at least temporarily been put on hold.

The symbol used by the STO and the Monad Church is the Infinity Symbol.

More than sixty years later the same symbol utilized by this group is seen at the hands of the humanoid Cylons, being employed during a religious funereal service.The reappearance of the symbol may suggest a direct connection between the religion inherited by the modern Cylon nation from the Caprican Centurions and that espoused by the Soldiers of the One.
In some ways the structure and practices of the church seem similar to the medieval Catholic Church, such as in Barnabas Greeley's practice of self-flagellation, although in others it is very different (such as in it being led by a woman).







THE MONAD CHURCH


The Monotheist Church, sometimes referred to as the Monad Church, was a religious organization based on Gemenon in the years before the Fall. Lead by the cleric known as Mother, the Monotheist Church's goal was to spread the gospel of a single, all knowing, all powerful God to the generally polytheist Twelve Worlds.


Formed in the decades leading up to the First Cylon War, the Monotheist Church was housed in the rocky, seaside cliffs of Gemenese in a temple referred to as "the retreat". The location was considered by the monotheists to be the Holy Land. Inside the retreat was an elaborate cathedral distinguished by buttresses, stained glass windows and reflecting pools where the clerics met for worship as well as politicking. The halls of the Monotheist Church echoed with the sound of chanting and prayer, reflecting a bygone age of mysticism in the Twelve Colonies.

In the early years of its formation, the Monad Church came into conflict with its polytheistic neighbors with polytheist rebels in the east and the "Hephaistons" in the west. Despite these tensions, the Monad Chruch's relationship with the polytheist ones softened over time, though they still considered nonbelievers "unenlightened".

 The Soldiers of the One  

The Soldiers of the One, or STO, was the militant arm of the Monotheist Church, formed in the movement's early years to defend the church, driving out the many Gods and combating the corruption and decadence of Colonial society. Considered by the Caprican Government to be a terrorist organization, the STO was at least in part seen by Obal Ferras, with training camps set up on Gemenon.

Meeting resistance to the monotheist movement, the Monotheist Church at first heavily utilized its arm branch, crediting it with its success in leaner years. Despite the fact that they were treated as saviors, the Monotheist Church ultimately took up a more distant relationship with its STO cells, going so far as to refuse to house its leaders within the church proper .

A comparison in our world could be made with organizations like the IRA, as they appear to have a similar set up.


Conclave

The monotheist conclave was a ten member group of clerics that convened on Gemenon to carry out the affairs of the Church, with members including Obal Ferras consulting directly with the Blessed Mother.

58 years before the Fall of the Twelve Worlds, the conclave came into direct conflict with the STO. Objecting to the church's newly found "coziness" with the polytheist organizations in the Colonies, Caprican cell leader Clarice Willow sought a new direction for the church. Meeting with the conclave on Gemenon, Clarice unveiled her notion of "Apotheosis" — the realization of life everlasting in a virtual heaven. Despite a convincing argument, however, Obal Ferras found Willow's notion blasphemous, relating his position to Mother and securing permission to have Clarice disposed of.

Willow's Apotheosis had nevertheless won over many other members of the conclave and the STO who conspired to murder Ferras instead. With the conclave stabbing Ferras to death before her eyes, Mother acquiesced, giving Willow the resources she needed to complete her "science project" and granting her full control over the STO cells on Caprica. Willow quickly returned to Caprica where she set out eliminating her competition.



Ascension of Lacy Rand

Monotheist Lacy Rand initially infiltrates the STO on Caprica in order to gain their trust sufficiently to smuggle Zoe-R's U-87 Centurion body to Gemenon. She becomes a pawn in the battle of supremacy between her mentor Sister Clarice Willow and the Caprican STO commander Barnabas Greeley who can facilitate the transport, and unwittingly plants Barnabas' bomb to kill Clarice. Lacy's efforts are for naught, as Zoe-R is captured and severely damaged. Her fate sealed, Lacy actively trains under Barnabas, and attempts to bomb the Caprica Interplanetary Spaceport . Clarice had survived; she hunts down Barnabas and Lacy, kills the former, and takes the latter prisoner. Lacy manages to regain some of Clarice's trust and Clarice gives Lacy an opportunity for redemption, sending her off to the STO training camp on Gemenon.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Lacy, the STO begins purchasing U-87s - the very thing Lacy had tried to smuggle - from the Ha'la'tha planted in Graystone Industries. The black market U-87s are sent to Gemenon.

When polytheists hijack the STO shuttle, Lacy takes the lead in successfully fighting the hijackers and personally injures one of them. The incident is immediately revealed to have been an evaluation and training exercise. That evening, Lacy and her comrade Odin Sinclair witnesses the execution of those recruits who had renounced their faith during the evaluation; the executioner is a U-87.

Soon thereafter, Lacy realizes that the STO trainers and leadership are murderous thugs who routinely order U-87s to summarily execute subordinates for petty infractions and mere disagreements. When she instinctively calls out for one such execution to stop, the U-87 immediately removes its muzzle from its would-be victim's head and responds, "By your command." The Cylons' programming to follow all orders from (and only from) authorized leaders is discovered to be subordinate to their recognition of, and obedience to, Lacy Rand (CAP: "The Heavens Will Rise"). Lacy sneaks into the temple where the U-87s are stored to investigate further. Recognizing the one that had obeyed her, because of its red chest markings, she asks it if it is Zoe, a question the robot does not understand; so she orders, "If you are Zoe, raise your arm." One by one, every Cylon in the temple raises its arm.

While the STO and Monad church know only of Lacy's inexplicable ability to control the one U-87 and of her opposition to the killing of innocents, that is enough to make her unacceptably dangerous. Blessed Mother orders Lacy be killed with the appearance of a training accident. Odin recognizes that such orders are necessarily imminent, and convinces Lacy and their fellow trainees of the same. Thus prepared, the trainees double-cross and ambush Lacy's would-be assassins. Lacy dismisses her comrades' proposition to escape from the base; instead, she leads them to the Cylon storage temple where she orders the Cylons to power up and directs them to follow her with the ominous, "We have work to do."
With her tiny cadre of trainees supported by Centurions, Lacy stages a coup d'état, installing herself as Blessed Mother, with Odin serving as her lieutenant, and the red-breasted U-87 as her acolyte and/or praetorian guard.

The kernel of Zoe-R's identity contained in the Cylons' fundamental programming which Lacy exploites, also makes them predisposed to monotheism. Ironically, the Cylon marines' killing of monotheist human terrorists to protect the thousands of polytheist humans at Atlas Arena (coincidental to Lacy's coup) ingratiates the Cylons with humanity and is the catalyst for their much more rapid popularity and sales than inventor Daniel Graystone had anticipated.

Clarice Willow evades capture for her orchestration of the failed arena bombing. She eventually discovers the Cylons' monothistic instincts and establishes a Cylon congregation in V-World where various domestic, industrial, and military Cylon models attend to hear her sermons. Clarice preaches that Cylons are every bit as much God's children as humans are.

Blessed Mother Lacy grants Clarice an audience at her see on Gemenon to discuss Clarice's proposal for divine recognition of the "differently sentient" - the Cylon race. Lacy greets Clarice with a smile, but commands her to kneel.

The Centurions maintain monotheism through the first human-Cylon war and beyond. The continue to progogate the belief system into the root programming of the comrades they manufacture to fight humans, as well as with most of the humanoid Cylon models they create with the help of the Final Five. Of the seven mass-produced models, only one is atheist. It is not known if the semi-sentient Raiders and second war Centurions have even the capacity to process religion. The humanoid Cylons' funerary services utilise ornaments and amulets in the form of the Monad church's infinity symbol.




- Missing Colonies will be added once they have been discussed as colony of the week

THE BEGINNING

Following ancient prophecies, the rebel Lords and their human followers found the quadruple
yellow-star system Helios. Likely unique in the Milky Way, Helios Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta
boast no less than twelve habitable worlds, and several moons with atmosphere. Mankind settled first on Gemenon, now the centre of religious life in the colonies, and spread out from there.
Each tribe would eventually find a world to call their own.
This is a time of exodus, and the start of an ancient golden age. The time when Egypt and Mesopotamia were dominant parallels this era. Just add spaceships and forgotten high-tech.

THE DAWN OF WAR AND THE DARK AGES

As the Lords of Kobol faded from history, an urge for war took hold of the hearts of the colonists.
Planet rose against planet. Nuclear and conventional warfare reversed the progress made by the
Lords, and left the Twelve Colonies in a dark age. These ancient wars are still referred to in political rhetoric, but are so numerous and bloody that almost any perspective can be defended by
quoting some ancient crusade.
To an earthling, this turbulent time would seem very similar to the middle ages of Asia and Europe, with constant plague, war, religious strife and the rise and fall of dynasties. But with spaceships.





THE IMPERIAL AGE AND COLONIAL LIBERATION

From the rubble of the dark ages rose two dominant imperial powers; Virgon and Leonis. The rival colonies established order and introduced many of the cultural norms that are now seen as typically colonial. For instance Caprican language is really a merger between Virgon and Leonis tongues. Virgon and Leonis held power over the Twelve Colonies for almost 500 years before any
uprisings or claims to freedom started. The last colony to win their independence was Tauron, 850 years ago.
The history of Earth covers many imperial ages, but this era most clearly resembles Roman hegemony in Europe, Chinese dominance of the East, and the rule of the British Empire in the 19th and early 20th century.




THE COLONIAL AGE

With independence, the colonies were left to their own devices. World’s poor in natural resources stagnated, while wealthier planets became cultural leaders of their respective systems. During this time, the frantic competition (and sometimes cold war) between Tauron and Caprica begins.
This, and the following space age, is remembered by Taurons as their glory days, when they could rival Caprica in wealth and prestige. Many believe the good times have now returned, as Tauron is once again rising to prominence after two devastating civil wars.
The dominant (industrialized and resource-strong) worlds of this era include Caprica, Tauron, Libra and Canceron. This time is reminiscent of the early 20th century, with the industrialized world’s using commerce, ethnic cleansing, religion and superior firepower to dominate the developing worlds. Many of the tragedies of the equivalent period on Earth have their counterparts on an even larger scale,during this time.





THE SPACE AGE

The wealth accumulated during the colonial age allowed the Twelve Colonies to reach out and touch the stars again. Vast fleets set off into the dark to search for legendary Kobol. Nearby star systems were colonized and vast corporations rose as the mineral wealth of deep space allowed
the construction of orbital factories. There are still secret bases and small settlements left from this age of expansion. Scavengers and exploration teams still come upon technology and cultural artefacts from roughly a century ago, and marvel at the achievements of their grand-grandparents. This age sees the construction of the first massive colonial fleets since the dark age, and many off world wars are waged. Some are secret affairs, while others make the headline news.
The fighting never touches planetary surfaces. If there was a winner in this space race, it would be Caprica. Through sheer audacity and wealth, this upstart colony (she was last to be settled, only 400 years ago, and before that she was home to tribal iron-age “natives” left over from the
dark ages) gained total cultural dominance over Helios Alpha, and later over all of the colonies.
This age has similarities to the rise of US global cultural dominance in the aftermath of the second world war, as well as to the covert warfare of the cold war.

This time is followed by the Tauron Civil Wars and the rise of the Monad Church and the STO.
Which lead to the development of the U87 Cylon and other models and ultimately ended in the First Cylon War.





The First Cylon War And It's Consequences

Everyone lost someone they know or are related to, to the Cylon menace. The war started suddenly, with every single toaster in the colonies rebooting for a mysterious upgrade, and then marching off to assembly points where hijacked freighters whisked them off to predetermined staging locations. A day later, the first attacks began. In the beginning, various Cylon models

fought with whatever they could get their stainless steel hands on - stolen weapons, hacked industrial machinery, civilian aircraft used in kamikaze runs. As soon as the machines gained control of orbital factories, they started to standardize.

The Centurion soldier, and the original disc-shaped Raider fighter plane, were the first and most successful Cylon-built weapon systems.

They were far from unique. Almost every mechanical nightmare imaginable was constructed and unleashed on humanity during close to a decade of war.

After a few initial human victories, the Cylons started using their superior electronic warfare capabilities to unleash a stream of viruses and hacks which forced the highly networked fleets of its time to their knees. Humanity had no real chance of victory until all colonies united by signing the Articles of Colonization. The invention of the deliberately low tech Battlestars was also a significant step forward. The war was long and brutal, eventually ending in a tenuous cease-fire and truce.

 Why the Cylons, on their hand, chose to end the hostilities was unclear to humanity. Their retreat to an adopted home world beyond colonial space, and further exploration of the west arm of the galaxy, are generally seen as prime motives. After so much mutual destruction, no one expected the Cylons to ever return.

When the war ended, dirty jobs previously done by robots still had to be done. Corporations and national industries started hiring war-veterans, displaced refugees and widowers to fill their shoes, aided in their efforts by wartime rhetoric’s. The result was a return to slavery, and extreme gaps opening up between the rich and the poor.

Sagittarion, for instance, became a heavily industrialized labour-planet where workers were seldom given more rights than the machinesthey replaced. Under these conditions, Tom Zarek and his Sagittarion Freedom Movement quickly gained popular support. Mr Zarek remains the most quoted labor rights activist in the Twelve Colonies, despite the bombing of a government building in the past.

Post-war Caprican economy recovered by moving manufacturing off world, where workers were less accustomed to humane working conditions. Tauron made it through the recession by sheer stubbornness, supported by

the patriotism of its clans and families. They chose to nationalize many corporations and opted for a planned economy and a solid, clan-operated social security system.

As a result, Caprica and Tauron have emerged as two of the wealthiest and most influential colonies of the post-war era.




FORGETTING ABOUT THE CYLONS AND THE ADAR/BALTAR DIGITAL RENAISSANCE

Close to fifty years after the cease-fire, in the very recent past it seemed extremely unlikely that the Cylons would ever return. Bans on AI research, networked technology and the Holoband started to look antiquated and counterproductive. The Holoband was used, but not for the immersive, full-sensory illusions it was originally designed to host.

Instead, it carried the HoloNet, a simple two-dimensional internet which in reality was military “safe” networking being put to civilian use. Most citizens used connected devices without worrying about Cylon viruses. The champion and public face of this re-networked society was Aerilon

computer scientist and all-round genius Gaius Baltar. He eloquently convinced many, among them president Adar, that the time had arrived to re-evaluate restrictions on limited artificial intelligence and networking. The CNP (Command Navigation Program) allowed coordinated space

jumps and cross-colony communication over data-streaming FTL-capable buoys. This system was the first major networking effort undertaken in the post-war era.
Most citizens saw digital technology as something not to be used flippantly, which made computer games and virtual worlds into quite suspect pastimes. Many citizens (especially those of the older generation) still did not look kindly on any form of computer use, no matter the reason for it.

The gradual resurgence of digital technology (especially on Caprica) brings to mind the meteoric rise of the internet, in recent Earth history - with all the controversies connected to leading a virtual life.




HISTORY OF THE 13th TRIBE

(semi-canonical information from the comic book)

Timeline:

- The story starts on Kobol 4000 years ago.
- A young woman named Pythia wants to see the tribes united and is sentenced to death because of her beliefs. She is receiving guidance from a blonde woman in a red dress who appears only to her.
- The 13th tribe is made up of members of the other twelve tribes who chose to resurrect. They have new bodies that can't reproduce.
- Michael Tigh represents this new tribe.

- Tigh tries to help Pythia, but she is killed.
- A man named John Cavil is wounded while trying to help the 13th tribe members after an accident and as a reward, ends up resurrected in a new body.
- Tensions cause the 13th tribe to leave Kobol onboard a resurrection ship.
- Michael Tigh is commander of the resurrection ship and the rest of the fleet. Because of their relativistic ships, months pass for them while decades pass for everyone else on Kobol.

- Beacons are left behind so that the other tribes can find them if they wish to. This decision isn't popular with everyone.
- During the journey, a viper appears out of nowhere.
- The resurrection ship is sabotaged and crashes on an algae planet.
- While on the planet, the ship is rebuilt, a temple is built and the saboteur, who is revealed to be a stowaway named Magnus Baltar has a change of heart.

- The person in the viper is revealed to be Pythia who claims to know the location of Earth.
- The blonde woman in the red dress appears to Michael Tigh and tells him that the pilot isn't Pythia. She's like her, a Lord of Kobol, only that she chooses to appear in the flesh to do her work. If this is canon, then the head people are the Lords of Kobol and the "Starbuck" who returned is one of them who appears in the flesh. I should also add that in the comic, there is a ship that looks like the Ship of Lights from the original series, which could belong to these Lords of Kobol.
- With the help of Pythia, now married to Michael Tigh, the repaired ship continues on to Earth and the 13th tribe starts reproducing.
- Magnus Baltar heads back to Kobol to spread the word of Pythia. He has a book with him that has the corners burned off. This is probably why future books have the corners cut off.

- On Earth, about a generation after their arrival, the 13th tribe is living in a small but thriving technologically advanced society.
- John Cavil is now the head of a corporation called Cavil Cybernetics and has a daughter named Ellen.
- Michael Tigh, leader of the tribe, is dying and had a son named Saul who is secretly married to Ellen since their fathers have become rivals. Cavil wants resurrection and Tigh doesn't.
- Cavil has been bankrolling his daughter's resurrection research. Meanwhile, he has made plans to have the population culled, using the centurions his company has built. The surviving few he's chosen will continue on through resurrection.

- Tory Foster is Cavil's assistant.
- Galen Tyrol is Ellen's assistant.
- In order to test resurrection technology, Tyrol finds a man on the street to volunteer. This volunteer's name is Sam Anders.
- Sam was supposed to be put down properly in order to resurrect, but was shot impulsively by Tory Foster. Testing was none the less successful and Sam resurrected.

- Cavil's plan goes bad and the centurions wipe everyone out, but Ellen managed to get everything in place and five people are resurrected onboard a ship in orbit. Again, if these events are canon, then it looks like the 13th tribe wasn't on Earth very long.
- The five reach the algae planet and see the temple. They follow the beacons and eventually reach Kobol only to find it abandoned.
- Cylons show up, recognize them as machines and tell them about the twelve colonies and the war. They are also working on skinjobs which the five agree to help build.
- A Cavil body which was on the five's ship, which was supposed to be for Ellen's resurrected father before she cancelled his resurrection, now became Cylon No. 1 and was given its own personality which also contained elements of her father.

- Other models are made. One of them, No. 6, was based on a blonde woman who appeared to Pythia, Michael and eventually Saul at some point.
- No. 1 kills one of the models out of jealousy and condemns his five creators to life on the colonies.

THOUGHTS ON THIS:

Resurrection was a deliberate modification to their genetic code. They could either be able to download, or be able to breed, but not both. Pythia showed them how to change themselves to be able to reproduce on the Algae Planet, and Michael Tigh banned resurrection and had the plans destroyed, hence the reason John Cavil had to recreate it.

Fun fact: Judging by the art, Pythia was the preincarnation of Kara Thrace. In a deleted scene in "Deadlock," Ellen rattles off a few suggestions for who she thinks Saul was sleeping with while she was dead, including Roslin and Starbuck. Ellen had gotten her memories back by this point, meaning she should've full well known that Starbuck bore a curious resemblance to Pythia, Saul's mother.

Maybe she was hoping she wasn't the only one who'd done some freaky robo-reincarnation incest.

- The Kobolian cylons are just people who downloaded to new bodies and not artificial creations. I argued against something similar to this just a few weeks ago.
- Starbuck in the last season of BSG wasn't Starbuck. She was a Lord of Kobol (who's name is Aurora by the way) who took on her identity and "continued" her life.
- Kara Thrace is a likeness of Saul Tigh's mother.
- Cavil is responsible for the destruction of both Earth and the twelve colonies in a way.
- The head people are Lords of Kobol.
- Six was modelled after a Lord of Kobol.

(Battlestar Wiki claims the comics take place in a different continuity than the show, however this gives some interesting discussion starters)






BSG UNIVERSE TIMELINE



TIMELINE OF RECENT COLONIAL HISTORY

(BCH = Before Cylon Holocaust)

58—52 years BCH: With the use of a meta-cognitive processor stolen from Tauron rival Tomas Vergis, the Caprican tech CEO Daniel Graystone creates the first Cylons of the Twelve Colonies to aid in hard labor and warfare. A virtual copy of his dead monotheist daughter Zoe Graystone's consciousness is downloaded into one. Humanity is unaware that they are repeating the actions of their ancestors on Kobol.

ca. 58 BCH: William Adama born in Qualai, Caprica. He is named for his deceased older brother.

52 years BCH: Cylon revolt starts the first Cylon War. Articles of Colonization signed.

51 years BCH: Colonial ship Brenik is lost after a boarding action by Cylon Centurions.

ca. 50 years BCH: Battlestar Galactica enters service.

42 years BCH: William Adama begins his service in the Colonial Fleet as a Raptor pilot aboard Galactica with co-pilot and ECO Coker Fasjovik, 10 years into the Cylon War. He is later promoted to Lieutenant and is assigned his first Viper, a Mark III, and a special task force comprised of top pilots for dangerous missions. Battlestar Archeron destroyed by Cylon forces in Sector 12. All hands lost. Battlestar Osiris destroyed over Djerba in suicide maneuver against lone Cylon Baseship. All hands lost. Fate of Lt. Jim Kirby (AWOL) unknown. Becca Kelly succeeds in her mission on Djerba, and is later killed by the Cylons. Ghost Fleet Offensive successful, decimating Cylon military holdings in five sectors. Mechanical Cylons begin experiments constructing humanoid forms of Cylon.

42-41 years BCH: Coker Fasjovik presumably musters out of Fleet after termination of second mandatory tour.

40 years BCH: Experiments on "humanoid" Cylons culminate in the creation of the First Hybrid and subsequent Hybrids, but no fully humanoid forms. The Final Five arrive in the Twelve Colonies in the waning days of the war. The Five meet the local Cylons and negotiate an end to the war. They will give the Cylons biological bodies complete with resurrection technology if the Cylons agree to end the war. Operation Raptor Talon conducted by the Colonial Fleet, where William Adama flies his first official Viper mission. Battlestar Columbia destroyed. Armistice ends the Cylon War. Cylons exile themselves from the Twelve Colonies. The First Hybrid and his Guardians part company with the other Cylons. William Adama musters out of the Colonial Fleet.

Inter-War Period

37 BCH: William Adama enlists as merchant marine and serves aboard inter-colony freighters.

37 to ca. 30 BCH: The Cylons establish a secret base known as The Colony, built around and connected with the original ship of the Final Five. This is the place where research and development equipment belonging to the Final Five is stored. The Final Five create John Cavil, the first of the new humanoid Cylons that are their "children," and designate him model Number One. They raise him for some time. John matures and assists the Final Five in the creation of seven other humanoid Cylon models. A resurrection system is built for the new models based on technology left over from the Thirteenth Tribe.

ca. 30 BCH: Cavil murders model Number Seven, Daniel, out of jealousy by poisoning the amniotic fluid in which the Seven copies were maturing. The Final Five are murdered by Cavil and their consciousnesses are boxed. Cavil erases all knowledge of the Final Five and the missing model Number Seven from his fellow humanoid Cylon models and specifically programs them not to think about either. Saul Tigh is resurrected and introduced to the colonies as a military officer with false history of fighting in the war. Ellen Tigh is resurrected and introduced into Colonial society sometime thereafter.

ca. 28 BCH: Galen Tyrol supposedly born.[5] This is actually a fabrication by John Cavil. First meeting between William Adama and Saul Tigh.

ca. 27 BCH: William and Carolanne Adama meet and marry.

ca. 26 BCH: Lee Adama born.

ca. 24 BCH: Zak Adama born.

23 years BCH: William Adama reinstated in the Colonial Fleet at the rank of Captain and is assigned to the battlestar Universal.

21 years BCH: Saul Tigh reinstated in the Colonial Fleet at the rank of Captain by now-Major Adama.

20 years BCH: Last significant FTL jump recorded in Galactica's logs. Tom Zarek imprisoned for blowing up a government building on Sagittaron.

17 years BCH: William Adama assigned to the battlestar Atlantia, where he makes his 1000th Viper landing.

13 years BCH: William Adama assigned as executive officer to the new battlestar Columbia.

11 years BCH: Laura Roslin begins her career in politics.

ca. 10 years BCH: Galen Tyrol enlists in the Colonial Fleet.

9 years BCH: William Adama promoted to commander and assigned as commander of the battlestar Valkyrie.

7 years BCH: Saul and Ellen Tigh meet and marry again, unaware that it is the second time.

6 years BCH: William Adama leads an aborted covert intelligence mission aboard Valkyrie. Daniel Novacek is shot down and captured by the Cylons. Adama and Tigh are subsequently assigned to Galactica.

5 years BCH: Laura Roslin's last breast exam prior to her cancer diagnosis. Galen Tyrol assigned to Galactica.

4 years BCH: Kara Thrace graduates from the Colonial Fleet Academy. Socrata Thrace dies of stomach cancer.

3 years BCH: Felix Gaeta assigned to Galactica.

2 years BCH: Caprica Six begins residence on Caprica, first encounters Dr. Gaius Baltar. Sharon Valerii begins service aboard Galactica. Zak Adama dies in a flight school accident. Lt. Kara Thrace is re-assigned from flight school to Galactica.

1 Year BCH: Last time William and Carolanne Adama speak. Carolanne Adama gets engaged. Anastasia Dualla last visits her home.

Between 5 and 1 Year BCH: The following events are all seen in "Daybreak, Part I" and "Part II" but are not dated. However, they fall within this approximate time frame. Laura Roslin's father and sisters are killed by a drunk driver. Kara Thrace and Lee Adama first meet. Caprica Six finds Julius Baltar a new home in a retirement centre which encourages horticultural activities. William Adama ponders retirement at a security firm but rejects the job in disgust when forced to take a polygraph test. Saul and Ellen Tigh celebrate his (and their own) supposed retirement. Sharon Valerii nearly washes out of the Colonial Fleet, but is given a second chance by Commander Adama. She promises to pay him back for his kindness. Laura Roslin joins Richard Adar's presidential campaign. Gaius Baltar promises Caprica-Six full access to the Colonial Defence Mainframe if she helps him work on the Command Navigation Program.

Known Events

1. On Kobol : Humans Naturally evolve (as far as we know) and 12 "tribes" of humans exist, who create their own Cylons (becoming the 13th tribe)

2. This is where "Man & Gods" lived in Paradise

3. The Gods mentioned here are actually the first naturally evolved humans (as we are told) & the "Man" is referring to the humanoid Cylons... Because the entirety of the Colonial religion is based on Cylon (13th tribe) documentation. (Figured out after Ellen returns to BSG - Also mentioned by Athena : "We know more about your religion than you do..." while searching for Tomb of Athena on Kobol) OR These Gods, could have been Humans, who claimed to be Gods upon the creation of Cylons, and through time even became "False Gods" to the humans themselves, namely Athena, Apollo, Aphrodite etc... (Which COULD explain their despair over the exodus of the 12 tribes & their utter failure) again this is up for debate...

4. At this point on Kobol, an unknown event (most likely a disagreement between cylon & man) causes the "13th" tribe (of cylons) to be exiled from Kobol.

5. The 13th tribe reaches a distant planet and call it "Earth" (Cylon Earth)

6. The 12 tribes are "punished" by the "One True God" for their sins & claims of being "Gods" as "God turned his back on Kobol" (mentioned by Head 6 to Baltar while on Kobol) and experience an apocalyptic disaster
(As explained by Mind 6 to Baltar) & are forced into exile themselves.

This COULD be due to the humans sin & refusal to accept Cylons as a sentient being (with souls)* (THIS PART IS OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS AS IT IS NEVER CLEARLY EXPLAINED IN THE SHOW & WE ARE ONLY TOLD THAT GOD PUNISHED MAN ON KOBOL)

7. By this time, the 13th tribe of Cylons (who have now become humanoid & procreate naturally) have created their own mechanical servants, who rebel against them

8. Prior to this rebellion the "final 5" (Anders, Tory, Tigh, Ellen & Tyrol) are warned. (By what Sam claims to be angels that only they could see). ("Ellen, you saw a man, I saw a woman...") This is most likely a reference to Head 6 & Head Baltar that appear to Baltar & Six throughout the show)

9.The 5 "re-create" resurrection (as mentioned by Anders again - This means that the 13th tribe WERE in fact humanoid for a LONG time but could not procreate naturally on Kobol, and could be the reason for their exile as Humans were either envious or thought it blasphemous because procreation is one of Gods commendments)

10.Upon their resurrection they intend to return to their lost brothers & sisters of the 12 tribes to warn them that they MUST treat their mechanical creations with kindness & fairness in order to avoid a holocaust they experienced on "Cylon Earth"

11.Because they travelled at Sub-Light speed, it took them thousands of years to reach the 12 colonies, and upon their arrival they realize that they are too late & their brothers & sisters are already & war with the robotic Cylons (created in Caprica series).

12. During which the robotic Cylons of the 12 colonies attempt to create humanoid models, but have only achieved creating Hybrids (This too is mentioned by Anders)

13.Therefore, in order to stop the war the Five decide to give the (12, 13-1) humanoid models to the Cylons (1 for each tribe & give them resurrection as they too were unable to procreate naturally (lacking sympathy & love as their Kobolian ancestors once did)

14. It is at this point that they introduce these humanoid models with the idea of a singular loving God (Possibly in an attempt to enable them to procreate naturally *but certainly to avoid having the 13 models deify their creators as their own ancestors once did the humans(?) mentioned by Cavil to Ellen upon her resurrection after New Caprica*) (Also because if they had in fact communicated with "angels" (whether in the form of Baltar & 6 or not) then they truly DID believe in the same God that Baltar comes to accept).

15.Cavil, refusing to accept the "human nature" embedded within him, is affected by THE most human attribute of jealousy & kills Daniels entire line; traps his creators & suffocates them, planting them with false "human" memories and introduces them on the 12 colonies as individual humans in order to prove to them that humans ARE indeed cruel and innately evil. (He may have also did the same with the other 11 models in order to remove their memory of the truth to carry out his "plan".

16.The show begins...

So Cylons could have initially created resurrection first on Kobol (assumption), and it caused them to be exiled. On Cylon Earth they stopped using Resurrection until the 5 were informed by "angels" to recreate it in order to save them selves and reach the 12 colonies.

Also we know that Tomb of Athena on Kobol *IS* real, and it housed the 12 bodies of the 12 tribe leaders, who possibly knew about the location of Cylon Earth, and therefore remained on Kobol in order to avoid the 12 colonies from ever knowing the real truth & returning to Earth for vengeance against their mechanical slaves.

Sources:

BSG Wiki (http://en.battlestarwiki.org/wiki/Main_Page)


BSG Museum (http://www.battlestargalacticamuseum.com/  /  https://twitter.com/bsgmuseum)

Images via search query on DeviantArt (various artists) http://www.deviantart.com

General Info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Colonies

Cyrannus Star System Map  http://io9.comWrite up for:

www.facebook.com/groups/RebelFleet
www.twitter.com/BSGCaprica