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Hera (disambiguation)
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This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. If an article link referred you here, you might want to go back and fix it to point directly to the intended page. Also, if you wanted to search for the term "Hera (disambiguation)", click here.
For information on the Lord of Kobol of the same name, see Hera, Lord of Kobol.
Hera Agathon is the first successful Human/Cylon hybrid, the culmination of the Cylons' experiments to achieve viable procreation. Being the only known successful progeny of a humanoid Cylon; the Cylons literally consider her a "miracle from God".
Sharon, who at the time was posing as Sharon "Boomer" Valerii, was dispatched by her comrades to take part in a Cylon experiment involving setting up Karl to fall in love with and impregnate her.
Previous and other current attempts to create hybrids; most especially the forced cross-breeding experiments in the Cylon Farms met with complete failure, thus making the experiment necessary. The Cylons theorized that the key element to procreation they were missing was true love (itself an important element to Cylons, because they believe that "God is love").
Some time after the experiment began, Karl and Sharon finally conceived their daughter in a night of passionate sex, following Karl's "rescue" of Sharon (really a deceitful test by the Cylons to test his love for Sharon; which he passed). Immediately following her success, Sharon is ordered to convince Karl to stay in "hiding" on Caprica. Unfortunately for the Cylons, however, Sharon, by this time, had really fallen in love with Karl. To this end, Sharon began helping him to escape the Cylons; her love for Karl and their unborn child eventually leading her to switch her allegiance over to the Colonials.
Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, who arrived earlier on Caprica to retrieve the Arrow of Apollo, leaves with Caprica-Valerii and Agathon in a captured Heavy Raider. Caprica-Valerii is incarcerated in Galactica's brig for the next few months, as her pregnancy continues to advance.
Birth
Agathon is born by emergency surgery one month premature. President Laura Roslin arranges with Doctor Cottle—and without Admiral William Adama's involvement—to fake Agathon's death and secretly gives the child to a woman named Maya under the guise that the child is the daughter of a Pegasus officer. The subterfuge, Roslin presumes, is necessary to keep Agathon safe from humanoid Cylons that may be hiding in the Fleet (TRS: "Downloaded")[1]. Maya, unaware of her new child's past, names the girl Isis (TRS: "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II").
Gaius Baltar's Messenger Six tells him he will someday raise this child, told to him in a vision he had while trapped on the planet Kobol. However, unaware of what President Roslin has done, Baltar, like the rest of the people who knew about her, believes Agathon to be dead.
When the Fleet settles on New Caprica under the rule of newly-elected President Baltar, Roslin begins teaching at a settlement elementary school with Maya. Roslin keeps Agathon and Maya close for observation in a cradle identical to the one Baltar saw in his vision.
Before the Battle of New Caprica, Roslin hides Maya and Agathon in the resistance's underground bunker. She then tasks Samuel Anders to have two of his best men protect them at all costs, and later make sure they get off the planet (TRS: "Exodus, Part I").
Time with the Cylons
In actuality, however, during the civilian evacuation, Maya is killed and Hera left behind. Later, when it is confirmed neither escaped with the Fleet, Roslin assumes Hera died on New Caprica. In actuality, however, Hera was found and rescued by President Baltar, Caprica-Six, and Number Three, and brought aboard a baseship(TRS: "Exodus, Part II"). She remains in the care of the Cylons, who are happy to welcome her.
Later, Hera begins to fall ill, and none of the Cylon physicians (who have no pediatric experience) understand why.
Return
Karl and Sharon finally learn of Roslin's duplicity when Adama reveals the truth (after learning it from Boomer and confronting Roslin with the knowledge). Naturally, Karl and Sharon take it hard, and immediately Sharon desires to see her. Later, she compels her extremely-reluctant husband to shoot her dead, so she can download to the Cylon ships. Later, Adama is convinced by Karl that Sharon will not be captured and forced to convey information on her mission, and when Roslin objects, Karl coldly reminds her if she hadn't lied and stolen Hera from them; the situation would never have developed, and so Roslin immediately capitulates.
Upon downloading, the sympathetic Caprica-Six brings Sharon to Hera, believing her story of how the humans wouldn't let her see her daughter and so felt it was the only way. Hera immediately recognized her mother despite Boomer being in the same room and Sharon tearfully reunited with her.
Sharon, through her Colonial training and maternal instinct, realizes that only Colonial medical care can save Hera Agathon, who appears to be suffering from an intestinal blockage. She persuades Caprica-Six to help her escape back to Galactica with Hera (TRS: "The Eye of Jupiter", "Rapture").
Agathon appears in several visions seen by Caprica-Six, Laura Roslin, and Sharon as the Fleet approaches the Ionian Nebula. In each vision, the three adults are compelled to save the child for motives not explained (TRS: "Crossroads, Part II").
Two months later, after returning from the Demetrius mission with a rebel Cylon basestar, Sharon discovers that Agathon has a fixation with Number Six, seeing that Hera's various crayon drawings of both the number itself and various depictions of Six, including one that looks like the Virtual Six in the red dress. Agathon then leaves after this discovery, leaving her mother to frantically search around Galactica's corridors for her. After Sharon sees Natalie with Agathon, she has Galen Tyrol take Agathon away before mortally wounding Natalie (TRS: "Guess What's Coming to Dinner?"). As a result of this action, Agathon is briefly taken away from her mother, herself incarcerated in Galactica's brig by Admiral Adama, but he reverses that decision days later (TRS: "Sine Qua Non").
Return to the Cylons, Rescue, and Destiny
Hera remains in the care of her parents, and soon it becomes apparent that she is a critical part of solving the mysteries of the Final Five's history and mankind's destiny. The Agathon family's tranquility is shattered when Boomer, having pretended to defect to the Colonials with Ellen Tigh, executed her mission to kidnap Hera and bring her to John Cavil. To this end, Boomer knocks out Sharon, seduces Karl (in full sight of a hidden and bound Sharon), who thinks she is his wife, and picks up Hera from the ship's daycare. She drugs the child and places her in a supply crate on her Raptor. Boomer is able to escape, as Adama cannot have her shot down without risk to Hera (TRS: "Someone to Watch Over Me").
Hera immediately misses her parents, tearfully and continually calling out for her mother. Boomer nearly forcefully sedates her to keep her quiet, but soon reconsiders, instead choosing to calm her with her projection ability (which Hera is discovered to share). Hera is brought to The Colony and handed over to Cavil (TRS: "Islanded in a Stream of Stars"). Cavil reveals to Boomer, who was reluctant to leave Hera (and vice-versa), that he plans to dissect and study her to discover the secret of her creation and use it to allow the Cylons to have hybrid children on their own and save their species.
Meanwhile, on Galactica, Karl and Sharon are devastated by their child's loss, with Sharon inconsolable and assuming Hera has already been dissected and killed by Cavil, but Karl, becoming increasingly unstable, still holds a shred of hope for seeing her again.
With Galactica dying, Adama assembles the crew for the ship's final mission; rescue Hera from Cavil (TRS: "Daybreak, Part I").
Boomer ultimately decides to kill the Simon operating on Hera and return her to her parents, who have boarded the Colony. Boomer is then killed by Sharon after handing Hera back to her parents. Thrace, Lee "Apollo" Adama, Karl, and Sharon return to Galactica with Hera, but, after her father is shot by a Doral model, they lose track of her. The wounded Karl then pleads with his wife to leave him and go find their daughter. Hera is sheltered by Roslin, and then by Caprica-Six and Baltar, who take her into CIC and protect her from Cavil, fulfilling the Opera House Prophecy.
Hera is among the survivors that settle on the new Earth, where she lives an agrarian and hunter/gatherer lifestyle with her parents in an area of Africa known later as Tanzania. She dies while a young woman. Her fossilized remains are discovered in 150,000 years and she is speculated to be the "Mitochondrial Eve," most recent common ancestress (when only purely female lines of descent are considered) of all living humans, by archaeologists from the Smithsonian Institute in Washington. Messenger Baltar and Messenger Six read an article about the discovery and indicate that the archaeologists' speculation is correct (TRS: "Daybreak, Part II").
Notes
The series' producers have noted, in a TV Guide interview, that this character will not "hyperage," that is, suddenly become much older than series-elapsed time (see the talk page of this article for more information).
If Hera really is Mitochondrial Eve, then that would imply that all present-day human mitochondria are descended from her, and thus, her mother, a Cylon. So that would mean we all have Cylon mitochondria, though in reality, human mitochondria closely match those of apes and all other Earth life. This is also presumably true in the Battlestar universe, otherwise a difference would have caused major scientific and religious upheaval.
References
↑In a deleted subplot from "Downloaded," Gina Inviere and D'Anna Biers scheme to kidnap Agathon at Gaius Baltar's request. Gina expresses disgust at Agathon being named for a human god. When D'Anna asks Gina what they should call the baby, Gina suggests "Thirteen".
Hera, Lord of Kobol, watched Athena commit suicide by throwing herself from a mountain, in despair over the exodus of the Thirteen Tribes of Man. The point Athena fell from is now referred to as the Gates of Hera. The Gates mark the entrance to the Tomb of Athena on Kobol.
The Twelve Colonies of Kobol are twelve distinct worlds, located in a remote part of our Galaxy. For 2,000 years they were home to the descendants of humans participating in the exodus of Kobol.[1] For most of the two millennia that these worlds were inhabited, the Twelve Colonies consisted of multiple sovereign states, but during the final fifty-two years leading up to the Fall of the Twelve Colonies, all twelve comprised a single state known as the United Colonies of Kobol (TRS: "Colonial Day")[2].
After the settlement, the colonies slowly began to prosper and eventually gave birth to a race of cybernetic lifeforms, known as Cylons. Only a few years after their creation, the Cylons raged a devastating war on their creators' home planets, which ultimately led to the Fall of the Twelve Colonies. Wasted and in ruins, the once prosperous homeworlds of humanity were finally abandoned by both humans and Cylons.
The Twelve Colonies are situated within the star system Cyrannus, located some 2,000 light years from Kobol, where humanity presumedly first evolved. All in all, Cyrannus is a vast and complex system, comprised of four [4] stars: Helios Alpha, Helios Beta, Helios Gamma, and Helios Delta. Each star is orbited by its own family of planets and other astronomical bodies. The stars come together to form two binary systems (Alpha/Beta and Gamma/Delta). Both pairs of stars then orbit each other around a third, central barycenter every 546,892 years. Both binary systems are separated by 0.16 light years or 10,091 Stellar Units, shortened to SU (In this case, 1 SU being equal to the average distance between Helios Alpha and the barycenter of the Caprica-Gemenon binary, roughly 150 million km).
Helios Alpha
Helios Alpha is a main sequence star of spectral class G2V and has a mass of 1.0, and was the first system settled by the Colonials after the exodus from Kobol, having first set foot on Gemenon.
It and Helios Beta orbit a common barycenter maintaining a separation of 63 SU.
Helios Alpha is more massive and is closer to the system's barycenter.
[5]
The pair complete an orbit once every 373 years.
Planets and Other Astronomical Bodies
Icarus - A small planet located close to the star. It has a molten surface which makes mining and exploration impossible.
Caprica and Gemenon - These two colonies form a binary planet.
Tauron - One of only three colonies to feature a moon, named Minos. It is the only moon with a ring, and home to several mining and scientific outposts.
Erebos asteroid belt - This asteroid belt is rich in minerals, which were mined by Tauran prospectors for hundreds of years.
Zeus - A gas giant located at the outer edge of the system. This gas giant is the largest planet in the four systems, with a diameter of 153,000 km at the equator. The planet has 74 moons, the largest of which are Nike and Hebe. Constant upper atmosphere lightning creates an aurora effect that can be seen with the naked eye.
Persephone - Classified as a dwarf planet, Persephone is the outermost planet in the system and features an inclined and eccentric orbit. Colonial scientists believe this planet could be an escaped moon of Zeus.
This system is unique in the fact that Caprica and Gemenon share an orbit around a common barycenter. According to the Colonial map, the planets orbit each other once every 28.2 days, and are separated by a distance of 493,000 km. Based on these numbers, Kepler's Third Law tells us that the combined mass of these colonies is about twice that of Earth.
Helios Beta
Helios Beta is a main sequence star of spectral class K1V and has a mass of 0.79. It was the second system settled by the Colonials after the exodus from Kobol.
It and Helios Alpha orbit a common barycenter maintaining a separation of 63 SU.
Helios Beta is less massive and is farther from the system's barycenter.
[5]
The pair complete an orbit once every 373 years.
Planets and Other Astronomical Bodies
Troy - A small, metal-rich planet, mined extensively by Virgon and Leonis since the founding of those two colonies.
Leonis - The largest inhabited planet of the Twelve Colonies.
Pallas - A small world with an inclined orbit once believed to hold a life sustaining atmosphere. It is no longer tectonically active. However, the Colonials have set up several small colonies and a military research station on the planet. Efforts to kobolform the planet have failed.
Ouranos asteroid belt - This dense asteroid belt separates long-time rivals Leonis and Virgon, and has been a source of minerals for both colonies.
Virgon - One of only three colonies to feature a moon, named Hibernia, and the only naturally habitable moon in the 12 Colonies. It was settled several centuries ago by the Celtans, an ethnic group opposed to Virgon rule.
Hera - A gas giant, approximately 75,000 km in diameter, and the third largest planet in the Cyrannus system. It has 29 moons, the largest of which are Iris and Eubora.
Helios Gamma
Helios Gamma is a main sequence star of spectral class G9V and has a mass of 0.89. It was presumably the third system settled by the Colonials.
It and Helios Delta orbit a common barycenter maintaining a separation of 70 SU.
Helios Gamma is more massive and is closer to the system's barycenter.
[6]
It completes an orbit once every 456 years.
Planets and Other Astronomical Bodies
Thanatos - This planet, named after the god of death, has a corrosive 'sulphur' dioxide atmosphere and is tidally locked to its star.
Acheron asteroid belt - A broad asteroid belt, named after Sagittaron's largest river.
Libran - Features two small moons, Herse and Pandrossos, which are thought to be captured asteroids. The moons orbit so close to each other, they periodically swap positions.
Scorpia - Home to the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards. The planet features a half ring, thought to be a moon that broke apart nearly 100,000 years ago.
Ophion - A frigid gas giant with a diameter of 51,000 km, and an inclined orbit. The planet has 14 moons, all smaller than 10 km in diameter. Studies on the planet have Colonial scientists thinking that Ragnar was originally a member of the Helios Gamma system, while Ophion was not. Scientists think that Ophion was a rogue planet that passed close to Ragnar and was caught by the star, pushing Ragnar into its current orbit around the entire Gamma/Delta system.
Helios Delta
Helios Delta is a reddish main sequence star of spectral class K2V and has a mass of 0.74. It was the last of the four systems to be settled by the Colonials.
It and Helios Gamma orbit a common barycenter maintaining a separation of 70 SU.
Helios Delta is less massive and is farther from the system's barycenter.
[6]
It completes an orbit once every 456 years.
Planets and Other Astronomical Bodies
Phoebe - A small world with a high surface temperature and thin atmosphere.
Styx - A planet with a dense, reducing atmosphere of carbon dioxide and sulfides.
Aeolus asteroid belt - This asteroid belt features gaps, likely caused by tidal influences with Hestia and its two orbital companions.
Aerilon, Hestia, and Canceron - These planets share the same orbit.
Hestia - The smallest gas giant in the Cyrannus star system, Hestia only has a diameter of 47,000 km. It has 17 moons, the largest of which, Kronos and Rhea, share the same orbit.
Aquaria - An arctic world, with the most inclined orbit of all the Twelve Colonies.
This system is unique in the fact that Aerilon, Hestia, and Canceron share the same orbit. The two colonies are positioned at Hestia's Lagrangian points, meaning that the gravitational pull of Helios Delta and Hestia are balanced, allowing two smaller bodies (Aerilon and Canceron) to share the same orbit in a "fixed" position, maintaining the same distance apart at all times. Aerilon sits at the (leading) L4 point, and Canceron at the (trailing) L5 point.
Ragnar - A gas giant with a diameter of 138,000 km, orbits the entire Helios Gamma and Delta system in a 899.75 year period. It is about 110 SU away from the central barycenter. The Colonials use the planet as host to Ragnar Anchorage, an orbital refueling station and naval armory that distills hydrocarbons from the planet's upper atmosphere. It has one moon, Sigurd. During the Fall of the Colonies, Ragnar was used as cover by the battlestar Galactica, and later her fleet, after escaping the destruction of Caprica. It would be the last world of the Cyrannian system that most of the surviving Colonials would lay eyes on. Hours after arriving, Galactica took the gathered fleet, and fled the system, never to return.
Notes
The fact that the Colonies are located within one system originates from a blog entry by Ronald D. Moore.
Jane Espenson revealed on Twitter that the Colonies are within a star cluster and share some orbits. The latter fact was finally shown to be true in the TV version of the series premiere of Caprica.
The configuration of the Twelve Colonies was inspired by the real world star system Epsilon Lyrae, a famous "double-double" star system located ~162 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Lyra. [7]
Before the semi-canonical figure mentioned on the map, the original Miniseries script stated a pre-Fall population of about 12 billion. The webisodes "The Resistance" stated the death of 20 billion people caused by the Cylons.
Serge's twitter mentions that the exodus from Kobol is believed to be true by the inhabitants of the Twelve Colonies and it was from them that animals such as cats as well as dogs came to the Colonies. Furthermore, the twelve planets are populated with a few other worlds in the star cluster, with the settled colonies already possessing some animal as well as plant life. Furthermore, Serge states that not all the colonies are democracies, but rather each has their own style of government. (TRS: Serge's Twitter)
The tribes settled on twelve worlds some distance away (TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I"). The tribes' namesakes and icons originally corresponded to the twelve signs of the ancient tribes, although these names drifted over time (TRS: "Home, Part II").[9]
The early Colonies lived (and fought) more as sovereign nations. Some (particularly Caprica) prospered, while others (such as Sagittaron and Aerilon) were often considered lessers. For labor forces as well as wars fought among each other, humanity created the Cylons. When these early models rebelled, the Colonies unified their governments under the Articles of Colonization at some point during the Cylon War into a federal republic known as the Twelve Colonies of Kobol.
The official symbol of the Twelve Colonies was the Colonial seal. The nation also had a distinctive anthem.
40 years after the end of the devastating war, the Cylons return and sow destruction among the worlds of their creators (TRS: "Miniseries", "The Plan"). For some time the Twelve Colonies remain occupied by Cylon forces and a small group of human survivors. After nine months, humanity and the Cylons leave the Cyrannus system forever (TRS: "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II").
Out of all Colonial inhabitants, only about 55,000 survive the first days of the holocaust. Most of them leave the Colonies behind in two small fugitive fleets. The fleet of the battlestarGalactica eventually encounters both Kobol, as well as the original Thirteenth Colony Earth. Some time after that, and after the destruction of the the Cylon home world, they settle on a beautiful, rich world, leaving behind the baggage of their Colonial heritage. (TRS: "Miniseries", "Razor", "Daybreak, Part II")
Fate
The ultimate fate of the Twelve Colonies 150,000 years after The Fall is unknown. Presumably, after several hundred years, their climates and surfaces would degrade until they resemble the original Earth.
It can be presumed that by present-day radiation levels would have lowered to a point where life would be allowed to flourish once again. But few, if any, traces would remain of the human civilizations that once thrived upon them, excluding remains in space, such as the remnants of Scorpion Fleet Shipyards or Ragnar Anchorage.
Attractions: University of Aerilon, Promethea A & M
Pyramid Teams: Aerilon Threshers, Promethea Golden Horns
Aerilon was primarily an agricultural world. It was considered to be the "food basket" of the Twelve Colonies and ranked among its poorest members (TRS: "Dirty Hands"). The planet shares an orbit with the gas giant Hestia and Canceron, sitting in Hestia's leading (L4) libratian point in the Helios Delta system.
About all of the planet's landmasses are situated in the temperate zones, featuring open and rolling landscapes offering little variation in altitude. There are few inland waterways, and the shorelines consist mostly of rocky bluffs with only mangrove swamps breaking the monotony near the equator. To top it the planet offers hostile seas with no useful harbors at its coasts.
Aerilon has a mild climate and reliable seasons, with plentiful rain, so catch basins and wells are sufficiently filled and fresh water is readily available despite the lack of rivers and lakes.
Aquaria, the outermost planet in the Helios Delta system, follows a highly inclined orbit around its sun, establishing an arctic climate on this world. The planet's summer lasts only a few pleasant weeks around the time of closest approach to Helios Delta.
The planet surface is about entirely covered by vast, frigid oceans, punctuated with violently erupting volcanoes breaking through the sea surface. Only one land mass, named Kyros, is large enough to sustain human habitation. Volcanoes occupy each end of this crescent-shaped continent, which consist mostly of volcanic tephra covered in moss and dotted by exotic native plantlife.
Most people live in Heim, a town at the centre of the island facing what would be the harbor if the seas weren't so frigid. Only a few people live outside the town, tending the infrastructure needed for survival, like windmills, hydroponics, and solar panels. Due to the lack of wood, most structures are made of tin or stone.
Canceron is the most populous planet in the twelve worlds. It is located in the Helios Delta system, sharing its orbit with two other planets, one of them being Aerilon. The planet was well known for its beaches, such as those in Brachyura City (B.C.), and had at least one large coastal metropolis (TRS: "The Plan"). The capital was Hades.[10]
Caprica was a lush blue-green planet, covered by large oceans and continents. It shares its orbit with Gemenon around a common barycenter, and can often be seen in the skies above the Caprican landscape. Depending on its orbit, the Caprican night can almost be negated by intense planetshine from Gemenon, although not as bright as the Caprican sun, there is enough light reflected back to effectively turn night into day (TRS: You Can't Go Home Again, Litmus). Of curious note, Caprica features landmasses similar to a world the Colonials would eventually settle and come to call Earth.
Caprica was regarded as the center of Colonial civilization, even long before the First Cylon War. Graystone Industries was one of the Colonies' most influential technology developers and had a hand in creating the very first Cylons. Some 60 years before the Fall, Caprica was also plagued by religiously motivated terrorism (CAP: "Pilot"). After the war, the planet was once again the seat of politics, culture, art, science, learning and even the Colonial government. It was also one of the wealthiest colonies (TRS: "Epiphanies", "Dirty Hands").
During the Cylon attack, Caprica and it's surrounding airspace, played host to numerous skirmishes, one of which would eventually determine the outcome of the war. Caprica herself, comes under heavy attack from Cylon forces right from the start. With numerous basestars jumping directly into orbit, they are quickly able to gain the upper hand. At least four battlestars, including the Yashuman and Valkyrie, are quickly dispatched, and numerous targets, including the once proud Caprica City, are annihilated from orbit by nuclear weapons (TRS: "Miniseries", "The Plan"). The attacks leave the civilian shipping lanes in the vicinity of Caprica/Gemenon shut down, but the civilian ships are relatively ignored in the opening moments of the attack, in favor of military targets. This gives them time to gather and flee the area, picking up other survivors along the way. Eventually the fleet amasses over 100 ships of all kinds, both civilian and homeless military support craft. However, only 75 FTL capable ships are able to flee Caprican airspace, leaving the sub-lights, and their passengers, at the hands of the Cylons.
At the time of the attack, Galactica was positioned 3 hours away, and was not able to partake in the defense of its home planet. It wasn't long, however, before the Cylons located its position, and attempted to take it out. After being struck by a nuclear warhead, suffering major damage, and not having anything to shoot with, but still in one piece, Galactica had no choice but to retreat to the relative safety of the gas giant, Ragnar(TRS: "Miniseries"), leaving Caprica, and the remaining survivors, completely defenseless and on their own.
After the space-faring Colonials flee, Caprica is occupied by Cylon forces, attempting to undo the damage they've done, and colonize the planet themselves. They often clash with human survivors within the Colonies, and fight on this world for several weeks. The occupation and resistance both end roughly nine months after the attack and the planet is left for good (TRS: "33", "Resistance", "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II", "The Plan").
Caprica was and continues to be the world most prominently depicted in the re-imagined series continuity. Until "Razor," none of the other eleven Colonies was verifiably depicted on screen.
Serge's Twitter account states that Caprica had a number of unique lifeforms on its surface, though transplantation by early Colonists spread them to the other planets.
Serge's Twitter account also notes that Caprica spends the most on Colonial defense in the years prior to the First Cylon War.
Gemenon and the distant Helios Delta seen from orbit.
Gemenon was the first world colonized by the humans of Kobol. 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[12]. Its climate can vary wildly, featuring frozen plateaus, and searing deserts, which can make life difficult for its inhabitants.
It was one of the poorer colonies and its people, the Gemenese, were known for their religious fundamentalism (TRS: "Scattered", "Dirty Hands").[13]
Before the First Cylon War, Gemenon was home to the Kobol Colleges and a monotheistic cult called "The Soldiers of the One" (TRS: Miniseries, Night 2; (CAP: "Pilot")). 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.[14]
The Gemenese were known for their literal interpretations of the Scrolls(TRS: "Fragged"). Most of the population of Gemenon was apparently very strongly opposed to the federal laws legalizing abortion (TRS: "The Captain's Hand").
The planet also had either an old or disused language, known as Old Gemenese(TRS: "Razor").
A city on Gemenon.
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 (TRS: "The Plan").
Three months after the attacks, approximately 9,500 Gemenese break away from the main fleet, and join the Laura Roslin faction over Kobol(TRS: "Home, Part I"). The large and devoted Gemenese population continues to be an important political factor within the fugitive fleet(TRS: "The Captain's Hand").
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. A detailed picture of this building is available here.
Leonis is the second planet in the Helios Beta system, and was geographically known for its open plains (TRS: "The Plan"). The planet itself has no axial tilt, which supports a mild and predictable climate. It was a major hub for both education and industry, and despite Colonial unification, it was able to maintain its own language and culture.
In the era prior to the First Cylon War circa YR42, it was known for its opulence in the form of the Hedon Grand Casino, which hosted a well-known event, Hedon Film Festival.
During the aforesaid attack, Leonis is struck with at least one low-yield nuclear device, that was able to stun its residents and disable any means of escape. Those who survived the blast, are then seen being systematically eliminated by both ground and air forces (TRS: "The Plan"). It is unknown if any are collected and used in the Four's various farms.
A major city on Libran was called Themis which had a large, modern pyramid arena built sometime before the First Cylon War. Yet at this time Libran had no official pyramid team.[16]
Zephyr, a passenger liner in the Fleet, is of Libran registry.[17]
Notes
The Colony's actual name, Libran, was not heard on screen until "The Plan" but could already be seen on a name plate in "The Ties That Bind" and "A Disquiet Follows My Soul". Before that it was often called Libris in secondary publications.
The city that is seen when Libran is mentioned in the "Caprica is burning" monologue in "The Plan," bears a striking resemblance to Tauron City, as seen in "Know Thy Enemy".
Serge's twitter account says that the Libran court system served as a body through which trade disputes and legal matters were capable of being sorted amongst the colonies. He also states that it is a high earning colony but is not regarded as a desirable place to live, and he states that the planet is "largely a wildlife reserve".
Picon was a turquoise planet, containing 75% water, and famous for its harbors (TRS: "The Plan"). The capital city was Queenstown, which started as a relatively small fishing village.[18][19]
During the planet's off-season, most of the landscape became cold and rugged.[18] The planet was often used as a substitute for Caprica City in Caprican films and TV series.[14]
Pre-First Cylon War
In a monologue prior to an interview with Daniel Graystone circa YR42, Baxter Sarno notes that Picon demands Caprica apologize for "raising the ambient level of terror in the Colonies" in the aftermath of the Maglev 23 bombing. As part of the monologue's punchline, Sarno joked that that Caprica would agree only if Picon "apologies for being a prick." Sarno later notes that he makes fun of Picon because they are "barely a planet" (CAP: "Gravedancing" deleted scene).
The colony came under heavy attack during the early stages of the Cylon attack. One of the last ships to leave the planet was Rising Star, carrying many wounded people including an unconscious Ellen Tigh(TRS: "The Plan").
The destruction of Picon's Fleet Headquarters caused President Richard Adar to offer a complete and unconditional surrender to the Cylons. This offer was ignored by the invading forces (TRS: "Miniseries").
Picon's destination as a substitute for Caprica in films and series is likely a reference to Canada, and particularly Vancouver, where both the Re-Imagined Series and Caprica were filmed.
According to Serge's twitter account, Picon has the most efficient, cooperative and responsive democracy in the colonies.
In one post, it's said that Picon offers tax incentives for production of TV programs on the planet though Caprica remains the leading producer of such shows.
Sagittaron was one of the poorest worlds of the Twelve Colonies (TRS: "Bastille Day"). The capital of this planet was Tawa.[10]
The Sagittarons were traditionalists who practiced a different form of religion from the other Colonials. They distrusted modern medicine and were generally unsupportive of the military (TRS: "The Woman King").
The Planet endured centuries of exploitation at the hands of the other Colonies. Eventually, Tom Zarek led an organized series of terrorist acts against the established government there, many years before the Fall of the Colonies(TRS: "Bastille Day").
A few days after the Cylon attack, 5,251 people from this world reside within the Fleet(TRS: "33").
During the initial Cylon attack, Scorpia falls victim to numerous massive nuclear attacks, destroying much of the population. Cylon forces also focus on the orbiting ship yards, obliterating the structure, destroying numerous Battlestars and support ships, and causing another one to risk a blind jump in order to escape (TRS: "Razor", "The Plan").
Attractions: Minos, Olympia Hippadrome, Great Tauron Plains
Pyramid Teams: Olympia Stallions, Tauron Bulls
Tauron was a barren, arid planet that lacked any kind of flowers. However, it was well-known for its agriculture (CAP: "Pilot"). Its capital was Hypatia[19], another large city was Tauron City. The planet shared its orbit with another ringed world (CAP: "Know Thy Enemy" - see notes).
Taurons were known to be very traditional people, even speaking a very old and distinctive language(CAP: "Pilot").
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.[20]
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(CAP: "Pilot").
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 (TRS: "Hero"). Yet this world was counted among the wealthier of the twelve worlds (TRS: "Dirty Hands").
Virgon was well-known for its forests (TRS: "The Plan") and considered to be one of the wealthier colonies (TRS: "Dirty Hands"). The capital of Virgon was Boskirk.[10]
Virgon had a declining monarchy and a strong national parliament, at least 58 years before the Fall of the Colonies.[21]
Virgon Brew was a beer produced on the planet and exported to other Colonies (TRS: "Maelstrom").
Soon after the beginning of the Cylon attack, the Colonials launch a counter-attack over Virgon. The battle ends with the destruction of the flagship battlestar Atlantia and the resulting death of Fleet Admiral Nagala(TRS: "Miniseries").
Serge's Twitter Account states that Virgon has a declining monarchy with a strong parliament.
Virgon draws many parallels with present-day Earth's Britain; a declining monarchy, birthplace of Colonial language, coloniser of other planets (comparable to countries) and 'Virgon United' and 'Boskirk All Reds' are similar to Manchester United, a prominent English football team, also known as the Red Devils.
↑According to dialogue from "Torn," "A Measure of Salvation" and "The Eye of Jupiter," the Thirteenth Tribe left Kobol some 2,000 years before the twelve tribes. The Scroll of Pythia is dated as written 3,600 years before the last exodus of Kobol, and chronicles the Thirteenth Tribe's exodus.
↑ Despite this fundamentalist approach to the polytheistic Colonial religion, the Gemenese were known to be tolerant of all forms of worship, including monotheism. In fact, the monotheist movement is said to have begun on Gemenon.
The people of Gemenon are consistently referred to as "Gemenese" in both the Re-imagined Series and Caprica.
