Editing Life Forms of the Twelve Colonies

{{disline|This article discusses an aspect of the [[Re-imagined Series]] version of the Twelve Colonies. For information on the [[Original Series]] version, see [[The Twelve Colonies of Man]].}}

{{RDM twelve colonies series}}

This article documents '''flora and fauna''' of [[The Twelve Colonies of Kobol|the Twelve Colonies]] as depicted in the [[Re-imagined Series]]. In keeping with [[Ronald D. Moore]]'s [[naturalistic science fiction]] approach, the Colonies feature predominantly Earth-like organisms with minimal fictional species.

== Design Philosophy ==

Series creator Ronald D. Moore initially avoided addressing Colonial animal life to prevent limiting the show's creative flexibility. In the [[Miniseries]] commentary, Moore explained the production's evolving approach:

{{quote|David and I, we had discussed, at an early point; well, do they have dogs and cats and things like that? And we said, "No, no, no," let's not go there, 'cause that locks us into a whole Terrestrial-kind of like thing. We'll just avoid any mention of it. Nobody will even, like, register that we had "Chicken pie" the whole time, and in retrospect "Oh, I guess there are chickens".|[[Ronald D. Moore]]|[[Miniseries]] audio commentary}}

Despite these initial reservations, the series eventually featured live animals prominently, including [[Caesar|two]] [[Jake (New Caprica)|dogs]] and a [[Lance|cat]], along with brief appearances by rats and bats.

== Taxonomic Organization ==

=== Mammals ===

==== Domestic and Companion Animals ====

[[File:Lampkin's cat.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Romo Lampkin]]'s cat, [[Lance]] {{TRS|The Son Also Rises}}.]]

'''Cats'''
* [[Romo Lampkin]] carries a cat named [[Lance]] with him during [[Lee Adama]]'s trial {{TRS|The Son Also Rises}}.
* {{callsign|William Adama}} uses "cat" in radio protocol: [[Nothing but the rain|"...then grab your gun and bring in the cat."]] {{TRS|Miniseries}}

[[File:Jake and bowl.jpg|thumb|200px|right|[[Jake (New Caprica)|Jake]], a [[w:Landseer (dog)|Landseer Newfoundland]], on [[New Caprica]] {{TRS|Precipice}}.]]

'''Dogs'''
* [[Jake (New Caprica)|Jake]], a [[w:Landseer (dog)|Landseer Newfoundland]], appears on [[New Caprica]]. [[Felix Gaeta]] flips Jake's water bowl to signal [[Galen Tyrol]] about intelligence drops {{TRS|Precipice}}. Jake is the first live animal to play a significant role in the series.
* [[Caesar]] is kept at the [[Graystone Estate]] 58 years before the [[Fall of the Colonies]] ([[CAP]]: [[Caprica pilot]], "[[The Imperfections of Memory]]," "[[Ghosts in the Machine]]").
* [[Billy Keikeya]] mentions owning a dog named [[Jake (Billy's dog)|Jake]], described as a "big shaggy thing" that "takes 20 pills a day" ([[TRS]]: "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]," [[List of Deleted Scenes|deleted scene]]).
* The callsign "Bulldog" for [[Daniel Novacek]] implies the existence of Earth's [[Wikipedia:bulldog|bulldog breed]].
* Multiple colloquial references appear throughout the series: Baltar's comment about being "an anointed dog catcher" {{TRS|Epiphanies}}; [[Helena Cain|Cain]]'s remark "you look like I just shot your dog" {{TRS|Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus}}; and Roslin's radio protocol "D, as in dog" {{TRS|Miniseries}}.

==== Livestock and Working Animals ====

'''Bovines'''
* [[Tauron Bulls]] are a sports team in the Twelve Colonies circa {{YR|42}}.
* [[Sam Adama]] has a Tauron bull dashboard ornament in his car {{CAP|Gravedancing}}.
* The presence of meat in the fleet strongly suggests Colonials raised cattle or similar bovines for food.

'''Equines'''
* [[Galen Tyrol]] advises treating a [[Raider (RDM)|Raider]] "like a horse" {{TRS|Six Degrees of Separation}}.
* [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Sharon Valerii]] are shown in what appears to be horse stables {{TRS|The Hand of God (RDM)}}.
* A horse appears on a picture on the [[memorial hallway|memorial wall]] {{TRS|Maelstrom}}.
* [[Daniel Graystone|Daniel]] and [[Amanda Graystone]] ride horses in an altered [[New Cap City]] {{CAP|The Heavens Will Rise|Here Be Dragons}}.

'''Other Livestock'''
* '''Goats''': Mentioned by [[Kara Thrace]] in comparison to horses {{TRS|Six Degrees of Separation}}.
* '''Pigs''': Referenced by [[Phelan]], who calls [[Fisk]] "a pig" {{TRS|Black Market}}.

==== Wildlife ====

'''Bats'''
* Seen flying from an abandoned warehouse {{TRS|Litmus}}.

'''Camels'''
* [[Gaius Baltar]] displays a camel statuette on his [[:Image:Season 3 - Promo - Epi 1 - 2 - Gaius Baltar and Cylons.jpg|desk]] while serving as president {{TRS|Precipice}}.

'''Dolphins'''
* Traditional [[Picon]] engagement necklaces sold by [[CSN]] depict two dolphins {{CAP|Retribution}}.

'''Elephants'''
* [[Messenger Baltar]] points out the elephants on Sharon Valerii's coffee table to [[Caprica-Six]] {{TRS|Downloaded}}.
* William Adama displays a tapestry with two elephants in his quarters.
* [[John Cavil]] uses a carved wooden elephant to activate [[Sharon Valerii]]'s Cylon sleeper personality {{TRS|The Plan}}.

'''Gorillas'''
* Mentioned metaphorically by Starbuck: "I'm gonna need some of those gorillas you call Marines" {{TRS|Sacrifice}}.

'''Jackrabbits'''
* Starbuck compares the [[Viper Mark II]]'s maneuverability to a jackrabbit {{TRS|Act of Contrition}}.
'''Lions'''

* A nebula is named the [[Lion's Head Nebula|Lion's Head]] {{TRS|Torn|A Measure of Salvation}}.

'''Monkeys'''
* Referenced in deleted scene dialogue about "freight monkeys" {{TRS|Scattered|del1=Y}}.

'''Otters'''
* An otter appears on a [[:Image:AdrienBauer.jpg|picture]] on the [[memorial hallway|memorial wall]] {{TRS|Taking a Break From All Your Worries}}.

'''Panthers'''
* Adama identifies as a [[Picon Panthers]] fan {{TRS|Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II}}.

[[File:UnnamedCapricanCities3.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Rats on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] {{TRS|Bastille Day}}.]]

'''Rats'''
* Rats appear on-screen in abandoned areas of Caprica. [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] exclaims "Frakkin' rats!" upon encountering them {{TRS|Bastille Day}}.
* Another rat appears in a [[Galactica (RDM)|''Galactica'']] storage area {{TRS|Litmus}}.

'''Squirrels'''
* [[Xeno Fenner]] describes [[Cabott]] as "squirrelly," though this may be purely figurative {{TRS|Dirty Hands}}.

'''Tigers'''
* [[Felix Gaeta]] has a [[tattoo]] of a tiger on his upper right chest {{TRS|Final Cut}}.

'''Weasels'''
* The [[Raptor]] in ''[[Blood and Chrome]]'' is named "Wild Weasel."

=== Birds ===

'''Birds of Prey'''
* The [[Raptor]] spacecraft is presumably named after [[w:Bird of prey|raptorial birds]].
* A bird of prey is heard and mentioned by [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] and [[Socinus]] on [[Kobol (RDM)|Kobol]] {{TRS|Valley of Darkness}}.

'''Blackbirds'''
* The [[Blackbird]] experimental stealth fighter takes its name from the [[w:Blackbird|blackbird]] {{TRS|Flight of the Phoenix}}.

'''Chickens'''
* [[Cami]] mentions having "chicken pie" for dinner {{TRS|Miniseries}}.
* Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] imitates a chicken while mocking Starbuck's callsign: "Starbuck-buck-buck" {{TRS|Miniseries}}.

'''Ducks'''
* [[Playa Palacios|Palacios]] uses the phrase "like ducks in a Cylon shooting gallery" {{TRS|The Hand of God (RDM)}}.
* "Duck" is the callsign of Lieutenant [[Tucker Clellan]] {{TRS|Flight of the Phoenix|Scar|The Resistance|Occupation|Precipice}}.

'''Geese'''
* Colonel Tigh mentions "big goose eggs" {{TRS|Water}}.

'''Parakeets'''
* [[Jammer]] references "a giant parakeet" {{TRS|Resistance}}.

'''Pigeons'''
* {{callsign|Lee Adama}} chases a pigeon in his apartment {{TRS|Daybreak, Part I}}.

'''Sparrows'''
* Colonial pilot jargon for a Cylon [[Raider (RDM)|Raider]] {{TRS|Maelstrom}}.

'''Swallows'''
* The Colonial drone weapon [[Swallow]] is named after the [[w:Swallow|bird]] {{TRS|Occupation}}.

'''Turkeys'''
* Colonial pilot jargon for a Cylon [[Heavy Raider]] {{TRS|Maelstrom}}.

'''Vultures'''
* In a [[List of Deleted Scenes (RDM)#Downloaded|deleted scene]] from "[[Downloaded]]," {{callsign|Karl Agathon}} calls [[D'Anna Biers]] a "stupid frakking vulture."

=== Reptiles ===

'''Pythons'''
* Adama uses a python as metaphor: "Betrayal has such a powerful grip on the mind. It's almost like a python. You can squeeze out the thought, suffocate all other emotion until everything is dead except for the rage" {{TRS|Home, Part I}}.

[[File:TRS - Act of Contrition - Snakes on a Plane.jpg|thumb|[[Laura Roslin]] sees snakes during a [[chamalla]]-induced vision {{TRS|The Hand of God (RDM)}}.]]

'''Vipers (Serpents)'''
* [[Laura Roslin]] experiences a vision of "serpents two and ten" as [[Pythia|prophesied]], which she and [[Elosha]] interpret as representing the [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] fighter craft {{TRS|The Hand of God (RDM)}}.
* Roslin sees snakes on her podium during a press conference, believed to be a side effect of her [[chamalla]] treatment {{TRS|The Hand of God (RDM)}}.

=== Fish and Aquatic Life ===

'''Betta or Guppy'''
* When [[Number Six]] visits Baltar's house, three glasses containing small, long-finned, black fish are visible—a display method typical for [[Wikipedia:Siamese fighting fish|Siamese fighting fish]] {{TRS|Miniseries}}.

'''Salmon'''
* Baltar recalls watching [[W:Anadromous|anadromous]] fish (almost certainly salmon) attempt to swim upstream in the [[Euclid River]] during his childhood {{TRS|Home, Part I}}.

'''Sharks'''
* ECO [[Lyla Ellway|Lyla "Shark" Ellway]] presumably takes her callsign from these predators {{TRS|The Captain's Hand}}.

=== Invertebrates ===

'''Ants'''
* [[Crashdown]] complains of feeling "like they have ants crawling behind their frakking eyeballs" {{TRS|33}}.

'''Cockroaches'''
* Starbuck notes that "even a cockroach needs to breathe" {{TRS|You Can't Go Home Again}}.

'''Oysters'''
* [[Sharon Valerii|Caprica-Sharon]] recalls Starbuck "puking your guts out in the head after you ate some bad oysters" {{TRS|Scattered}}.

=== Plants ===

==== Fictional Flora ====

'''[[Chamalla]]'''
* A medicinal plant with pain-killing and hallucinogenic properties. [[Laura Roslin]] explores it as alternative cancer treatment {{TRS|Act of Contrition}}.
* Effects resemble herbal [[Wikipedia:Cannabinoids|cannabinoids]] and [[Wikipedia:Opioids|opioids]] found in [[Wikipedia:Cannabis|cannabis]] and [[Wikipedia:Opium Poppy|opium poppy]], respectively.

'''[[Fumarella leaf]]'''
* [[Gaius Baltar]] describes it as "hand-rolled from some of the finest Fumarella leaf on Caprica. It's also one of the last left in the universe" {{TRS|Water}}.
* An homage to the [[TOS|original series]], where {{TOS|Starbuck}}'s [[Wikipedia:Cigar|cigars]] are called "[[Fumarello|fumarellos]]." This plant may be similar or identical to [[Wikipedia:Tobacco|tobacco]].

==== Food Crops and Produce ====

'''Fruits'''
* '''Apples''': Roslin uses "A as in apple" in radio protocol {{TRS|Miniseries}}. [[Number One|Cavil]] cuts an apple for [[John (RDM)|a young boy]] {{TRS|The Plan}}.
* '''Blueberries''': Starbuck tells Tyrol, "You look like a blueberry" {{TRS|Flight of the Phoenix}}.
[[File:Grapes.PNG|thumb|A bowl of virtual grapes in a holoband simulation {{CAP|False Labor}}]]
* '''Grapes''': Amanda-A sets down a bowl of grapes in [[Daniel Graystone]]'s [[holoband]] simulation {{CAP|False Labor}}.
* '''Lemons''': Colonel Tigh mentions "A couple of lemons, we could make lemonade" {{TRS|Bastille Day}}.
* '''Oranges''': The Adama family drinks orange juice {{CAP|False Labor}}.

'''Vegetables'''
* '''Beans''': Mentioned in fleet food supplies.
* '''Carrots''': Baltar uses "stick and carrot" metaphor {{TRS|Pegasus (episode)}}. Daniel Graystone cuts carrots {{CAP|End of Line}}.
* '''Celery''': Appears in resistance supplies {{TRS|The Resistance}}.
* '''Chili peppers''': Decorates Lee Adama's drink {{TRS|Sacrifice}}.
* '''Maize (Corn)''': Available in survival rations {{TRS|The Hand of God (RDM)}}.
* '''Peanuts''': Helo finds peanut butter in survival supplies {{TRS|The Hand of God (RDM)}}.
* '''Potatoes''': [[Kendra Shaw]] is threatened with demotion to "peeling potatoes in the ship's galley" {{TRS|Razor}}.

'''Nuts and Other Plants'''
* '''Walnuts''': Adama cracks walnuts while reviewing potential CAG candidates {{TRS|Home, Part I}}.

==== Medicinal and Flavoring Plants ====

'''Algae'''
* Mentioned as a potential food source. Tyrol references finding a "hot [[w:fudge|fudge]] planet" as alternative to algae-based meals {{TRS|The Eye of Jupiter}}.

'''Burdock'''
* Used by Sagittarons as a calmative {{TRS|The Woman King}}.

'''Cocoa'''
* Tyrol's reference to "fudge" implies the existence of cocoa plants {{TRS|The Eye of Jupiter}}.

'''Coffee'''
* [[Felix Gaeta|Gaeta]] mentions container ships refusing to release "Food, medicine, even coffee" {{TRS|Resistance (episode)}}.
* [[Evelyn]] discusses coffee availability {{CAP|False Labor}}.

'''Licorice'''
* Roslin offers "Chamalla and licorice" {{TRS|Resistance (episode)}}.

== Narrative and Production Significance ==

The gradual introduction of terrestrial animals and plants served multiple narrative functions throughout the series. Dogs, particularly Jake on New Caprica, provided emotional grounding and normalcy to resistance operations. [[Lance]] the cat humanized the enigmatic attorney [[Romo Lampkin]], while the presence of familiar foods connected Colonial culture to Earth despite their separate origins.

Moore's initial hesitation proved prescient—the appearance of Earth-identical species raised questions about parallel evolution that the series never fully addressed. However, the naturalistic approach ultimately enhanced the show's accessibility and emotional resonance, allowing viewers to connect with Colonial society through familiar touchstones.

== Official Statements ==

In a December 28, 2005 interview with BattlestarGalactica.com, Ronald D. Moore addressed the potential for expanded animal appearances:

{{quote|The presence of animals in the [[The Fleet (RDM)|rag-tag fleet]] was something that came up in early discussions, but we kinda dropped it from the conversation as the year went on. I don't know if we'll ever get around to doing something in this area or not. It mostly depends on finding a story that supports it in some interesting fashion other than [[Felix Gaeta|Gaeta]] finds a kitty. I don't think the Cylons are creating animals as we would define them, but they certainly see the Raiders and other craft as animals vis a vis their relationship with the [[humanoid Cylon]]s.|[[Ronald D. Moore]]|BattlestarGalactica.com interview}}

In an ironic footnote to Moore's comment, Felix Gaeta eventually encounters not a cat, but [[Jake (New Caprica)|a dog and his water dish]] that becomes integral to resistance intelligence operations.

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