Editing Fall of the Twelve Colonies

{{disline|This article details the destruction of the Twelve Colonies in the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]]. For information on the fall of the Twelve Colonies in the Original Series, see [[Battle of Cimtar]].}}

 

|place=[[The Twelve Colonies of Kobol|Twelve Colonies]] of {{RDM|Kobol}}

|result=Cylon victory, Devastation of the Twelve Colonies, <br /> Destruction of the Colonial Fleet, <br /> Forced exodus of ~50,000 survivors

|combatant1=[[The Twelve Colonies of Kobol|Twelve Colonies]] of {{RDM|Kobol}}

|strength1=Approx. 120 [[Battlestar (RDM)|battlestars]] <br /> Numerous fleet [[Berzerk type cruiser|escorts]], Vipers, [[Raptor]]s

|strength2= ~100+ [[Basestar (RDM)|basestars]], [[Raider (RDM)|Raiders]], [[Heavy Raider]]s

|shiploss1=Virtual destruction of the [[Colonial Fleet (TRS)|Colonial Fleet]]

|next=[[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] (concurrent) & [[Battle of Ragnar Anchorage]]

The events leading up to the attacks go back at least a few years, when the Cylons (now in human form) begin infiltrating Colonial society. One such Cylon, a [[Number Six]], is involved with Dr. [[Gaius Baltar]], a famed computer scientist living on {{RDM|Caprica}}. Together, they develop [[Command Navigation Program|system upgrades]] for the [[Colonial Fleet]], which gives Six access to the [[Colonial Defense Mainframe]]. There she is able to covertly install backdoors into the new software which the Cylons will later use to shut down Colonial defenses {{TRS|Miniseries}}.

[[6 BCH|Six years prior]]<ref name="hero_timeline_continuity" group="footnotes">While dialogue from "[[Hero]]" places these events at 1 BCH, this contradicts previously established dates about the time Adama and others served on ''Galactica''. See [[Hero#Analysis]] for a detailed explanation why ''Battlestar Wiki'' chooses to treat this as a continuity error.</ref> to the attacks, Commander [[William Adama]], aboard the battlestar ''[[Valkyrie]]'', is tasked by Colonial admiralty to launch a [[Stealthstar|stealth plane]] across the [[Armistice Line]] into Cylon held space. Piloted by [[Daniel Novacek]], the bird is discovered by an unknown contact, and is shot down by Adama to prevent his pilot from being potentially captured by Cylon forces. The plan fails, and Novacek is captured anyway after he ejects from the Stealthstar, and remains in Cylon custody for at least eight years (including two years post-fall), until he is deliberately released by the Cylons in the hopes that he will kill Adama for his actions. Adama spends the next few years feeling guilt over the incident, which has him thinking it caused the Cylon attacks {{TRS|Hero}}.  

In the final weeks before the attacks, copies of the Cylon [[John Cavil]] visit the Colonies in order to ensure everything is set. One copy meets with the Number Six on Caprica, passing details about the Colonial computer systems from her to the Cylon fleet, while another meets [[Ellen Tigh]] at a bar on [[The_Twelve_Colonies_(RDM)#Picon|Picon]] minutes before the attack begins, to see if she has changed at all. This copy is visibly upset when he discovers she has not {{TRS|The Plan}}.

Prior to the attacks, the Cylon fleet is amassed around the [[The Colony|Colony]], the Cylons' "homeworld." When the command is given, the basestars jump to their targets before striking. It takes the Cylons all but three minutes to access the defense mainframe and shut it down, leaving the Colonies and the Colonial Fleet defenseless {{TRS|The Plan}}. This infiltration of Colonial systems combined with the "complete surprise" that the Cylons achieve enables them to sweep the Colonial Fleet aside with minimal losses, a triumph beyond their most optimistic projections {{TRS|Downloaded}}.

Having received the CNP “upgrades”, the Colonial Fleet is easily shut down by attacking Cylon Raiders. The fleet loses at least 30 battlestars (Among these, ''[[Yashuman]]'' and ''Valkyrie'') in the opening wave, which according to Kara Thrace, is a quarter of the fleet.  After this news is broadcast, Admiral Nagala takes command of the battlestar ''[[Atlantia (RDM)|Atlantia]]'', and begins a counter attack near Virgon’s orbit, as per a system plot by Lt. Gaeta aboard the battlestar ''{{RDM|Galactica}}''. The battle doesn’t last long, and ''Atlantia'' is lost along with the battlestars ''Triton'', ''Solaria'', ''Columbia'', and others, prompting ''Galactica'' commanding officer William Adama to take command of the Fleet, and ordering remaining forces to [[Ragnar Anchorage]] for regrouping.  

The battlestar ''Galactica'', approximately 300 million miles from Caprica at the time<ref>See [[Science in the Re-imagined Series]] for this calculation, based on data from the Miniseries.</ref>, is largely unprepared for the attacks, having just been decommissioned and transformed into a museum. It dumps its munitions as part of the decommissioning ceremony<ref>This event occurs in a deleted scene of the Miniseries.</ref>, and has lost its primary fighter wing. However, as part of the museum, it has a handful of older [[Viper Mk II]]'s aboard, which Commander Adama has put to use, as ''Galactica'' is attacked herself. Here, the attacking Raiders try to shut down ''Galactica'' and her Vipers, but since she has no networks, the shutdown command has no effect. The handful of planes are enough to hold off the attacking Raiders, however, not before a Raider fires off her nuclear tipped missiles in a last ditch attempt to destroy the battlestar. Out of three missiles fired, ''Galactica'' pilot {{callsign|Starbuck}} manages to shoot down two, before the last one strikes the battlestar. ''Galactica'' comes out relatively unscathed, with the ship's armor plating keeping out the hard radiation. After the blast clears, the ship's port stern thrusters get stuck on, pushing the battlestar into an uncontrollable lateral counterclockwise spin. The port flight pod suffers the most damage, with violent decompressions along the forward sections. 85 crew members are lost when damage to the fire suppression system necessitates the venting of the pod's atmosphere to prevent the fuel lines from igniting, thus preventing the destruction of the ship. From here, Adama takes command of the fleet, and orders the ship to prepare for an FTL jump to Ragnar to re-arm {{TRS|Miniseries}}.  

The battlestar ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', under the command of Rear Admiral [[Helena Cain]], is docked at the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] at the onset of the attacks undergoing a system refit, which left its computer networks offline. Most of the crew is about to take shore leave when the Cylons strike the shipyards. The battlestar is heavily damaged in the opening salvo and there are many casualties, however, thanks to DRADIS interference, the Cylons were not able to confirm its destruction, and continued their assault on the other battlestars and support ships docked at the yards. Not wanting to give the Cylons time to realize their mistake, Cain orders a [[blind jump]] away from the combat zone. The ship re-emerges several plotted jumps away from the Colonies. After sending a recon Raptor back to the colonies to confirm their destruction, the crew begins to make repairs, while Cain plots her next move {{TRS|Pegasus (episode)|Razor}}.

* '''Picon''': Picon is struck just as hard as Caprica, with the Cylons completely annihilating [[Picon Fleet Headquarters]] in the first few minutes of the attacks. In a bar, Cavil moves to protect Ellen Tigh from one of the exploding bombs. He moves her to a rescue Raptor, which takes the both of them to the ''[[Rising Star (RDM)|Rising Star]]'', before rendezvousing with ''Galactica'' at Ragnar. Picon's major attraction, its harbors, are the main target of the attacking Cylon forces, and are the first struck upon jumping in orbit of the planet {{TRS|The Plan}}.  

With these Colonies (and presumably all the others) struck, the Colonials are defeated. After losing the Fleet Headquarters, President [[Richard Adar]] offers the Cylons a complete and unconditional surrender. However, the gesture is ignored by the Cylons, and they continue their assault. Adar and his administration are presumed killed a short time later, and Secretary of Education [[Laura Roslin]] is sworn in as successor aboard ''[[Colonial Heavy 798]]'' after [[Case Orange]] is broadcasted.

At the onset of the attacks, there were many civilian transports and passenger liners in the space lanes near Caprica. After the Colonial Government shut down these lanes, these ships became trapped and were attacked as they were found by the Cylons. It's not long before Roslin takes the effort to round up the survivors and form a caravan to help get the civilians out of harm's way, and dispatches {{Callsign|Boomer}} (having ferried a handful of refugees, including Dr. Baltar, to ''Colonial One'') in search of more ships. Valerii is able to recover at least three homeless Vipers, and numerous transports, her last being a [[tylium]] transport, before the Cylons jump in and scan their caravan. At this point, Roslin makes the decision to abandon the sublight only ships, and orders the remaining FTL capable ships to jump to Ragnar to rendezvous with ''Galactica''. Among chaotic comm chatter, prayers, and spite, the fleet jumps away just as a Raider Squadron jumps in. Around 20+ sublight ships, including a ''[[Botanical Cruiser]]'' are left behind, and destroyed {{TRS|Miniseries}}.

An additional small caravan of civilian ships, led by the transport ''[[Scylla]]'', are able to survive on their own for a few weeks after the attacks. The Cylons are the first to find them, and attack. The ''Scylla'' and a handful of others are able to escape the attack, and survive on their own until being found by the wandering ''Pegasus''. The civilians are thrilled to see friendly forces, however, their joy is short lived. After taking the fleet by force, Admiral Cain strips the ships of crucial parts (including [[FTL]] drives), abducts many of the civilians for service aboard ''Pegasus'', and leaves the rest to their fates {{TRS|Razor}}.

''Galactica'' successfully completes its jump to Ragnar, despite not having made an FTL jump in over 20 years. ''Galactica''{{'|s}} crew immediately sets out to re-arm the ship, not wasting time. However, the specialists run into a sickly looking man pointing a rifle at them. As the CO is questioning him, a fallen charge detonates, trapping the two behind a now fused hatch. As the two seek an alternate route back to the ship, Adama's First War experiences, and the man's remarks reveal his true nature: he is a Cylon. The radiation surrounding the station has affected his silica pathways which leave him dying a slow and permanent death, however, Adama soon finishes the job after the Cylon, [[Number Two|Leoben]], is able to throw Adama to the ground. Conoy's body is transferred to ''Galactica'' for further study.  

Meanwhile, the civilian fleet arrives in orbit of Ragnar, giving the crew of ''Galactica'' a slight scare as they move down through the cloud layers. President Roslin comes aboard and asks for ''Galactica''{{'|s}} protection, a notion Adama later strikes down, still hoping and preferring to take the battlestar into combat, until he realizes the Cylons followed them to Ragnar, and are now waiting for them to re-emerge from the gas giant. After deliberating with the President and his executive officer, [[Saul Tigh]], Adama orders the fleet to prep for a jump to the [[Prolmar Sector]], far beyond the [[Red Line]], where he hopes the civilians will be safe.

''Galactica'' is able to emerge from the cover of Ragnar's atmosphere long enough to calculate a jump, [[Battle of Ragnar Anchorage|and defend the fleet as they jump away]]. Just as the Cylons are sending in a new wave of Raiders, the battlestar recovers its birds, and jumps to join the fleet {{TRS|Miniseries}}.

While ''Galactica'' and its fleet are momentarily able to escape the Anchorage, they are hounded by the Cylons, who jump to the fleet's location every thirty-three minutes. This incurs a cat and mouse game that lasts for days after the fall, until the [[Olympic Carrier|passenger vessel]] being tracked by the Cylons is destroyed {{TRS|33}}.   

The Cylons occupy the Colonies for up to nine months after the attacks. During that time, they start removing the bodies of the dead, and attempt to capture healthy females for experimentation in [[farm]]s. Other models choose to replant cities and live life much as the Colonials did before the attacks. During the occupation, a few surviving Colonials wage a resistance movement on Caprica, led by [[Samuel Anders]] of the [[Caprica Buccaneers]] and unknowingly one of the [[Final Five]] Cylons. The Cylon experiment fails, and they abandon the Colonies. The surviving members of the resistance are evacuated to ''Galactica'' shortly afterward {{TRS|The Plan|Resistance|The Farm|Downloaded|Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II}}.  

Overall, the attack is a success and a failure at the same time; as a Cavil later remarked, the Cylons "had their foot on the throat of humanity" but "failed to step down hard enough." None of the Final Five are killed, and are all reunited in the Fleet. One particular Cavil comes to look upon the attacks as a mistake. Four years later, the surviving Colonials [[Battle of the Colony|launch an assault]] that seals the fate of the Cylon race, settle a [[Earth (RDM)|newly discovered planet]], and eventually abandon the last vestiges of Colonial civilization {{TRS|Daybreak, Part II}}.

{{indicator|TRS}}{{featured article}}