Lords of Kobol (TOS-RH)

This article has a separate continuity. This article is in the Richard Hatch Novelizations separate continuity, which is related to the Original Series. Be sure that your contributions to this article reflect the characters and events specific to this continuity only.

For for the canonical counterpart, see: Lords of Kobol (TOS).

The Lords of Kobol are an evolved form of humanity representing the legendary Thirteenth Tribe, existing in an advanced state beyond normal mortal existence. Descended from the original House of Kobol on the planet Parnassus, these beings operate the Ships of Light and serve as guardians and observers of humanity's development across the cosmos.

Origins and History

The House of Kobol

The Lords of Kobol originated as a family of priests on the planet Parnassus, the font of all humanity. While humanity on Parnassus fought amongst themselves on the basis of regional origins, gender, and flesh tone, the House of Kobol lived in seclusion, taking few acolytes but many followers. The priests who would become the Lords of Kobol spent every moment improving themselves through concentration, meditation, and inner vision.

Over long millennia, they developed mental abilities far superior to those of other humans. Chief among these powers were telepathy—communication mind to mind without spoken words, often across great distances—and clairvoyance, the power to call to mind visions of the future or present, seeing what is impossible to see with normal eyes.

Time seemed irrelevant to the Lords of Kobol, and their private writings discuss an "elevation or evolution," an "advancement to the light" which has never been explained in greater detail. They watched their rival Houses settle colonies on planets orbiting suns hundreds of light years distant, including worlds with sentient life whose evolution could be influenced.

Migration to Kobol

Overpopulation was destroying Parnassus, leading humanity to develop interstellar travel over centuries. The Lords of the House of Kobol were first to realize that their system's star was going to go nova. They had yahren to plan their exodus, and when they finally left, most of the planet's other people had already departed for previously established colonies.

The Lords led their acolytes and many followers to a remote planet which would sustain them well, naming it Kobol after their House. However, mere centuries after settlement, the growing population began to squabble just as the people of Parnassus had done.

Having spent much of their solitude perfecting space travel, the Lords of Kobol made a radical decision: they left, simply and quickly departing the planet and leaving acolytes and followers behind to forever question what had happened to them. Their goal was to improve themselves and humanity as a whole.

The Thirteenth Tribe

The departed Lords of Kobol became the legendary Thirteenth Tribe. When the people of Kobol spread out into space once more, inhabiting the twelve-planet system called "the colonies," the first group to leave—the Lords themselves—became the lost Thirteenth Tribe of Kobol.

Zac confirms this truth to Apollo, revealing telepathically: "We are the lost Thirteenth Tribe, Apollo. We are the Kobollians, the Lords of Kobol." Their disgust with the rest of humanity stemmed from having already evolved far beyond their brethren. While many descendants and followers remained behind, the Lords went out into the universe to contemplate the fabric of reality, create beauty and peace, and aid their less evolved counterparts in whatever way they might.

The wisdom of the Lords has proven invaluable for thousands of years. They are still worshipped, and the Books of the Lords of Kobol remain the philosophy by which humanity wishes it had the fortitude to live. The Lords have long sought the presence humans call God, though this quest has proven fruitless thus far.

Nature of Existence

Physical Reality

The Lords of Kobol exist in a real, physical afterlife—science, not magic. This is not a celestial home for the spirit but an actual dimensional plane where molecular structures are preserved and enhanced.

When pure-blooded Kobollians die, their molecular structure is "accelerated." The Lords of Kobol left an ancestral memory, a genetic imprint, on all those of pure Kobollian blood. Upon death, these individuals are transported to the Ships of Light, where their molecular structure is repaired.

This afterlife is not eternal, but enduring enough that eternity does not seem impossible from the Lords' perspective. The process of joining them involves extensive learning and growing, taking considerable time even by their standards.

Powers and Abilities

The Lords of Kobol possess advanced mental capabilities far beyond normal humans:

Telepathy: Complete mind-to-mind communication without words, functioning across vast distances. Zac demonstrates this ability when speaking telepathically to Apollo aboard a Ship of Light. Telepathy is described as "one of the attributes of all our people," inherent to those of Kobollian descent.

Clairvoyance: The power to perceive visions of the future or present, seeing things impossible to observe with normal vision. This ability allows the Lords to monitor events across the cosmos.

Dimensional Existence: The Lords can manifest as beings of pure energy. In Apollo's vision, he experiences being "a beam of light himself, or at least it feels that way—as though his whole body were nothing but pure energy."

Advanced Technology: The Lords operate technology far beyond Colonial or even Cylon capabilities, including the Ships of Light that use principles similar to but vastly superior to QSE technology.

Descendants and Bloodlines

Pure Kobollian Blood

While many acolytes of the House of Kobol remained on Kobol, others traveled far across space to the Twelve Colonies, specifically to Caprica, where they ruled. The family of Adama, pure-blooded descendants of the House of Kobol, ruled for millennia until the Cylons came.

Apollo, Athena, and Zac all possess this pure Kobollian blood. Troy is also confirmed as one of the handful of pure-blooded Kobollians within the Fleet. The people of Caprica always elected Kobollian leaders because they recognized this inherent wisdom.

Descendants of the House of Kobol possess latent abilities that can be accessed through meditation and concentration. Humans use very little of their brains, but by accessing more of the mind's potential, pure-blooded Kobollians can master mental powers impossible for others.

The Sanctuary

A Sanctuary was built into Galactica's design when the ship was first constructed more than five hundred yahren ago, without the knowledge of the other colonies. This chamber serves as a place of power, spirituality, and focus for the commander, built with the intent that the commander would always be someone of Kobollian blood.

The Sanctuary contains ancient records and teachings, serving as the center of Galactica in many ways. Adama trained Apollo there for more than ten yahren, developing his mental skills through concentration, meditation, and inner vision. Apollo later brings Athena into the Sanctuary, believing she has just as much right to its knowledge.

The chamber appears to function as "a blind spot to any kind of scan, electronic or telepathic," making it "the only truly private place in the fleet."

Role and Purpose

Seeding Humanity

The Lords of Kobol have planted or nurtured many seeds of humanity across the universe. Some civilizations wither and die, while others thrive, but the Lords watch over all these seeds to ensure humanity achieves its destiny.

In a vision, Apollo sees the entire journey of the Thirteenth Tribe laid out before him: "stars and nebulae and suns and constellations; all of these things appeared and fell away, replaced by another universe, faster and faster, images overlaying images." He witnesses the numerous planets the Thirteenth Tribe colonized or populated, scattering the seeds of humankind everywhere.

Earth is one such planet where the Lords influenced evolution of existing sentient life. The location is never specifically detailed, with no coordinates given, but the Lords clearly knew of its existence and importance.

Observation and Non-Intervention

The Lords maintain a policy of observation rather than direct intervention in mortal affairs. During a major battle between the Fleet and Cylons, ten Kobollian Lightships position themselves beyond the combat area, immobile and watching. They observe the conflict that will decide the final fate of the human race but do not participate.

This non-interventionist stance frustrates some, like Starbuck, who mutters "Lousy slaggers. We'll win without your help." Yet the Lords have their reasons. Adama explains: "The Lords of Light have led you back here, but that does not mean you are guaranteed victory. The Lords give us free will because they aren't here to guide us. We must clean up our own mistakes—the House of Kobol must be put in order once more."

Rewards and Judgment

Despite their non-intervention policy, the Lords do provide assistance when humanity proves worthy. After the Fleet's return to Kobol, they are "judged worthy by the Lords of Light" and "rewarded by the ancient Kobollians with modified QSE technology."

The colonials are "sorely tested, by the powers of darkness and the forces of light," and only after passing both tests do they receive the technological assistance essential for their journey. The Lords understand that without this modified QSE technology, the Fleet could travel at the speed of light and still never reach their distant destination.

The House of Iblis

Ancient Schism

Within the Lords of Kobol, there was a man who lacked the purity of his brothers—a spiteful, bitter, angry man who wanted power more than wisdom. When censured by the other Lords, this man broke ranks and founded his own dynasty. While the pure remained the House of Kobol, a portion of the population fell prey to his sharp tongue and devious wit, and with them as followers, he founded the House of Iblis.

Generations later, on Kobol itself, the Kobollian forefathers cast Iblis and his followers out of the House of Kobol. They were exiled to "the most hostile and uninhabitable planet in the galaxy"—Cylon—and left to die.

Iblis's Corruption

What Iblis did after his exile "constituted such horrors that we are forbidden to discuss it." Instead of dying, he and his followers nurtured the planet's life forms along the evolutionary path, instilling in the reptilian inhabitants an insatiable hatred for humankind.

When Iblis died, he was accelerated just as all the Lords of Kobol were. Yet his soul was so twisted, so horrible and filled with hatred of his human brothers, that he did not become one of them. In all the universe, Count Iblis is totally unique—a leech sucking the fear and death of countless planets into himself for sustenance.

Iblis himself admits: "I vowed never again to be at the mercy of humans. Humans are weak, destined for extinction. I've known this for millennia, and on Kobol began my experiments, culminating at last with the Cylons, a perfect race, a species truly worthy of inheriting the universe."

Apollo's Quest

Apollo's knowledge of the Lords of Kobol and his destiny to join them creates a personal conflict. While he is safe—"death was only another stage of life for Apollo, son of Adama"—he feels with agonizing clarity that this gift should not be only for pure-blooded Kobollians. It should be for all of humanity, all descendants of the race that began on Parnassus.

Apollo believes that by following the path of the Thirteenth Tribe, he might somehow extend the advancement to all humanity. Looking down at the injured Starbuck, Apollo determines to pursue this idea further: "Perhaps one day all of humanity would be able to expand their minds to prepare for the acceleration of their spirits at the end of corporeal life."

The concept of selective acceleration based on bloodline strikes Apollo as illogical at best, elitist at worst. He begins to question why those not directly descended from the Lords cannot achieve that level of advancement, making this quest central to his mission as commander.

Apollo also harbors anger toward the Lords. Unlike his father, Apollo feels the Lords "had given their descendants much, but they had then abandoned them to the vagaries of time, and to the predators of space. They were, he had decided, the scientists of the galaxy." He vows to find the truth about the Lords of Kobol and then demand that they explain themselves.

Legacy and Influence

The Lords of Kobol represent humanity's ultimate evolutionary potential and serve as both guardians and distant overseers of their descendants' journey through the cosmos. Their technology, philosophy, and genetic legacy shape the Fleet's quest for Earth and humanity's broader destiny.

The ancient Kobollians built a mirror city deep beneath Kobol's surface to "house the last generation of its people and preserve their sacred records." All the information and wisdom of the ancients can be found preserved in this crystalline city.

Their influence extends beyond technology and knowledge. The Lords' books remain foundational texts for Colonial society, embodying ideals humanity strives toward even millennia after the Lords' departure. As living proof that evolution beyond mortal existence is possible, the Lords of Kobol represent hope that humanity itself may one day transcend its current limitations and join them among the stars.

See Also

• House of Kobol
• Thirteenth Tribe
• Ships of Light
• Quantum Shift-Effect Generator
• Sanctuary
• House of Iblis
• Count Iblis
• Parnassus
• Kobol