Editing New Caprica

{{disline|For information on the video game "New Caprica," see [[New Caprica (2003 Video Game)]]. For information on the [[SDS|failed Singer/DeSanto continuation series]] colony, see [[New Caprica (SDS)]].}}
[[File:NewCaprica.jpg|thumb|right|New Caprica, as seen from space.]]'''New Caprica''' is a cold, barely habitable world discovered and colonized by the [[the Fleet (RDM)|Fleet of human survivors]] escaping the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]. Located within a nebula that significantly hinders [[DRADIS]] abilities, the planet is seen as a safe haven from the marauding [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] enemy. It is only after the luxury liner ''[[Cloud 9]]'' is destroyed in a nuclear explosion that the Cylons detect the resulting radiation signature and track it to New Caprica, where an unprepared military and civilian population awaits.  Four months after the Cylon occupation of New Caprica, the remaining [[Colonial Fleet (TRS)|Colonial military]] attempts to liberate the colony, leading to the [[Battle of New Caprica]].

==Discovery==

Lt. [[Margaret Edmondson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson]] discovers the planet later known as New Caprica after her [[Raptor]] accidentally jumps to the wrong coordinates while on a [[Caprica Resistance|rescue mission]] to {{RDM|Caprica}}. Ground surveys reveal that New Caprica is a cold world with a harsh climate, and that only about twenty percent of the surface - a small temperate band around the equator - is habitable.  The planet is located in a system enshrouded by a dense nebula that renders DRADIS all but useless. This makes the planet strategically appealing; theoretically, it would protect a settlement from Cylon detection indefinitely. 

Excited by her discovery, Racetrack returns to the [[Mercury class battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' with sensor readings she has gathered.  The mere prospect of setting foot on a planet causes great debate within the human Fleet, quickly dividing it into two factions: those who wish to stop running from the Cylons and colonize the planet, and those who want to continue their search for [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]] {{TRS|Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I}}.

==Colonization==

Given the harsh climate of the planet, President [[Laura Roslin]] writes off colonization as unrealistic. However, the discovery of New Caprica happens to coincide with an impending presidential election {{TRS|Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I}}.  Presidential candidate [[Gaius Baltar]] and running mate [[Tom Zarek]] seize upon colonization as their wedge issue, offering the Fleet the prospect of settlement under the presumption that the Cylons will be unable to penetrate the nebula. Roslin disagrees with this assessment, but the majority of the travel- and war-weary survivors of the Fleet find the idea of colonizing the planet favorable. Baltar and Zarek win a decisive mandate, and Roslin is voted out of office.  President Baltar's first executive order is to begin settlement, bringing an end to the Fleet's search for Earth.

Shortly after Baltar's inauguration, a [[Cylon detector|nuclear warhead]] [[Epiphanies|smuggled onto ''Cloud 9'']] is detonated, destroying it and several other ships orbiting New Caprica. The incident proves to have a devastating impact on the human settlers one year later {{TRS|Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II}}.

==One Year Later==

[[File:NewCapricaCity.jpg|thumb|left|New Caprica City, complete with tents and a basic road infrastructure.]]The population of New Caprica is concentrated in a small settlement called [[New Caprica City]]. The climate proves unforgiving, and there are major shortages of medical supplies and basic living materials. Most of the 39,192 settlers continue to live in canvas tents, with the rest using grounded ships for shelter. Many, including [[Galen Tyrol]] and the [[Workers Union|workers' union]] which he leads, blame President Baltar and his lack of leadership for the majority of economic and social problems facing the settlers.

===Settlement Design===

The New Caprica settlement was designed as "Tent City," a deliberately chaotic and poorly organized settlement that reflected President Baltar's character as someone with good plans but poor execution who constantly protected himself and shifted with changing circumstances.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_tent_city_p24">{{cite magazine|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|issue=7|pages=24|date=October/November 2006|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|title=For Decorative Purposes|author=Bryan Cairns}}</ref> Production designer [[Richard Hudolin]] worked with set decorator [[Jonathan Lancaster]], art director [[Douglas McLean]], and construction coordinator Chris Claridge to create a settlement that appeared to have been assembled from materials salvaged from the Fleet's ships.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_collaboration_p24">{{cite magazine|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|issue=7|pages=24|date=October/November 2006|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|title=For Decorative Purposes|author=Bryan Cairns}}</ref>

The design team drew inspiration from Middle Eastern nomadic peoples and desert living, while Hudolin incorporated modern architecture design to create what he called "a more feasible system of housing."<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_research_p24">{{cite magazine|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|issue=7|pages=24|date=October/November 2006|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|title=For Decorative Purposes|author=Bryan Cairns}}</ref> The team specifically researched how people lived in desert environments and how a military organization would run such a settlement, reflecting that despite having a President, ''Galactica'' remained fundamentally a military-run organization.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_research_p24"/>

To avoid an "Old West" or Civil War tent camp appearance with monotonous rows of identical tents, the construction team built aluminum structures down the main roadway to serve as a central concourse.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_old_west_p24">{{cite magazine|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|issue=7|pages=24|date=October/November 2006|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|title=For Decorative Purposes|author=Bryan Cairns}}</ref> Since the settlement was built from ships made of metal alloy, these structures provided protection from the harsh weather and created a more distinctive visual aesthetic reminiscent of Vancouver's infrastructure with power running through alleyways.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_old_west_p24"/>

All tents used in the settlement were authentic 1940s-era Second World War military tents.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_wwii_tents_p25">{{cite magazine|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|issue=7|pages=25|date=October/November 2006|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|title=For Decorative Purposes|author=Bryan Cairns}}</ref> The main roadway area functioned as a marketplace where settlers could trade for food and supplies.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_marketplace_p25">{{cite magazine|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|issue=7|pages=25|date=October/November 2006|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|title=For Decorative Purposes|author=Bryan Cairns}}</ref> The settlement also included a school tent where President Roslin worked as a teacher (reverting to her pre-apocalypse profession), a union hall, water tank, and even a bath tent harking back to Old West traditions.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_amenities_p25">{{cite magazine|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|issue=7|pages=25|date=October/November 2006|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|title=For Decorative Purposes|author=Bryan Cairns}}</ref>

Three hundred and eighty days after settlement, Cylon forces over a light year away discover New Caprica after detecting the radiation signature of the nuclear warhead detonated on ''Cloud 9'' and tracing it back to its source. The Cylons jump into New Caprica's orbit with a fleet of [[Basestar (RDM)|basestars]] and descend upon the settlement. The battlestars ''[[Galactica (TRS)|Galactica]]'' and ''Pegasus'' are caught by surprise and are vastly outnumbered. With both ships at a fraction of their full crew strength, Commander {{callsign|Lee Adama}} persuades Admiral [[William Adama]] to escape along with two thousand humans {{TRS|Occupation}} aboard the few civilian ships still orbiting the planet.

On New Caprica, President Baltar is confronted by a Cylon delegation in his office aboard ''[[Colonial One]]''. Left with no choice, Baltar surrenders to the Cylons {{TRS|Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II}}.

==Cylon Occupation==

[[File:NCapricaMarch.jpg|thumb|Cylons march into New Caprica City.]]

The Cylon forces are initially led by Caprica-Six and Boomer with the sincere intention of establishing peace between the Cylons and the human race. However, they quickly lose their influence to the more militaristic Cylon models {{TRS|Precipice|Exodus, Part II}}. The Cylons become an occupying force on New Caprica, with President Baltar and his staff reduced to a puppet administration. Vice President Tom Zarek refuses to cooperate from the start of the occupation and is immediately sent to a [[New Caprica Detention Center|detention center]] {{TRS|Precipice}}.

===Infrastructure Development===

In Season 2, the settlement emphasized marketplace activities, with rebellion against Baltar's leadership depicted in the final episodes.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_season_evolution_p24_25">{{cite magazine|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|issue=7|pages=24-25|date=October/November 2006|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|title=For Decorative Purposes|author=Bryan Cairns}}</ref> During the four-to-eight month Cylon occupation depicted in Season 3, the Cylons attempted to create what they considered a perfect society, but their efforts ironically caused heavier rebellion and made conditions actually worse than before their intervention.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_season_evolution_p24_25"/>

The Cylon detention center structure was originally designed to be new housing for New Caprica settlers.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_detention_facility_p25">{{cite magazine|magazine=Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine|issue=7|pages=25|date=October/November 2006|publisher=[[Titan Magazines]]|title=For Decorative Purposes|author=Bryan Cairns}}</ref> The structure was meant to show an accomplishment that both humans and Cylons could view positively—reflecting the Cylons' initial good intentions of trying to coexist with humans and improve living conditions—before it became the detention center seen in the occupation.<ref group="production" name="cairns_bsg_mag_7_lancaster_detention_facility_p25"/>

A band of human [[New Caprica Resistance|resistance]] fighters regarded by the Cylon occupiers as insurgents begin to strike back. 

{{Spoiltext|Ironically the three resistance leaders are three of the [[Final Five]] Cylons.}}

The resistance is significantly aided by an unknown [[Felix Gaeta|inside source]] that passes them classified information from the Cylon government, allowing the resistance to wreak considerable havoc on the occupying force. In turn, the Cylons establish the [[New Caprica Police]] (NCP), a group of human volunteers who work for the Cylon authority to establish order within the colony. Considered to be collaborators, the NCP is regarded with both disgust and disdain by the majority of the New Caprica's human population. This forces members of the NCP to wear black masks that conceal their identity, and protect them and their families from potential reprisals {{TRS|The Resistance|Occupation|Precipice}}.

== The Battle of New Caprica and the [[Second Exodus]]==

{{mainarticle|Battle of New Caprica}}

[[File:Battle of New Caprica - Initiation.jpg|thumb|left|200px|New Caprica during its liberation.]]
Based on a contingency plan developed prior to colonization by [[Saul Tigh]] and William Adama, a Raptor regularly jumps into the nebula surrounding New Caprica in an attempt to contact the humans left behind. Four months after the start of the occupation, contact with the resistance movement is established. Admiral Adama and his military personnel devise a plan to evacuate the human population. However, the plan's success hinges on the retrieval of the planet-bound ships' [[launch key|launch keys]].  Confiscated by the Cylons, these keys are necessary to activate the FTL drives on the grounded ships.

Admiral Adama deploys a team led by newly commissioned {{callsign|Athena}} that covertly lands on New Caprica in order to coordinate with the resistance. Agathon is also able to locate and retrieve the hidden launch keys. With the evacuation plan under way, ''Galactica'' jumps into the nebula, leaving ''Pegasus'' behind to protect the free civilian fleet and continue the search for Earth if the plan fails.  Raptors launched from ''Galactica'' deploy [[swallow|decoys]], creating illusory targets that trick the Cylons into believing they are chasing two battlestars, scattering the basestars. The admiral takes advantage of the confusion by jumping ''Galactica'' directly into New Caprica's lower atmosphere, deploying [[Blue Squadron (RDM)|Blue Squadron]] and then jumping back into higher orbit. With Blue Squadron providing air cover, resistance fighters who have been attacking Cylon ground forces liberate the [[New Caprica Detention Center]] and escort civilians to their designated ships. One by one, the ships begin to launch and jump to the rendezvous point.   

Back in orbit above New Caprica, a heavily damaged ''Galactica'' is surrounded by four basestars. With its FTL drive offline and without enough time to fix it, the basestars pummel ''Galactica'' - until his son, having ignored his father's order to stay behind, arrives with ''Pegasus'', destroys a basestar, and diverts the remaining Cylon attackers. The crew of ''Galactica'' hurriedly brings their FTL drive back online, gathers the ship's Viper squadron, and jumps away. Having left its own Vipers to guard the civilian ships at the rendezvous point, ''Pegasus'' has no fighter cover and succumbs to the Cylon assault. Commander Adama and his skeleton crew are forced to abandon ship. Seconds after they escape, ''Pegasus'' collides with a second basestar, obliterating both vessels, and inadvertently destroys a third that is struck by debris from the battlestar {{TRS|Exodus, Part I|Exodus, Part II}}.

==Aftermath==

Although the rescue mission is considered a success, approximately two thousand humans die during the escape and the preceding four-month occupation.<ref>This number is calculated from all available population data. See the "Precipice" and "Collaborators" section of [[Survivor count]] for the details. [[Cassidy]] cites over 5000 deaths in "[[Crossroads, Part I]]," but this does not fit with previously established figures.</ref> Among the dead are [[Tucker Clellan|Tucker "Duck" Clellan]], one of ''Galactica''{{'|s}} Viper pilots, who is driven to despair by the murder of [[Nora Farmer|his partner]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance]]") and conducts a suicide attack on the NCP {{TRS|Occupation}}; [[Ellen Tigh]], who is poisoned by her husband Saul Tigh for collaborating with the Cylons; and [[Maya]], who is killed while attempting to board an escape ship with her adopted baby daughter, the human/Cylon hybrid [[Hera Agathon]]. 

Hera survives, but without the protection of her mother, she is left behind and recovered by the Cylons. With the humans gone and the child Hera in their possession, the Cylons see no logical reason to remain on the planet. Knowing he cannot escape with the rest of the human population, President Baltar elects to leave with the Cylons, at the invitation of the [[Number Three]] copy [[D'Anna Biers]]. 

Valuable equipment and supplies are left on the planet in the evacuation, along with several ships. This forces ''Galactica'' to take on civilians to help alleviate cramped conditions within the Fleet. With ''Pegasus'' destroyed, ''Galactica'' once again becomes the Fleet's only protection. The damage endured by ''Galactica'' is only partially repaired, and it is felt for the rest of the ship's life, contributing to the decision to abandon ''Galactica'' a little over eighteen months later.

The Cylons also gain an unexpected prisoner: after being poisoned, Ellen Tigh downloads into a new body on a nearby [[Resurrection Ship]], and regains her memory of being one of the [[Final Five]].

== See also ==

* [[Battle of New Caprica]]
* [[New Caprica City]]
* [[Breeders Canyon]]
* [[Pergamus Flats]]
* [[New Caprica Detention Center]]
* [[New Caprica Police]]
* [[The Mutiny|The Mutiny (TOS)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Production History===
<references group="production" />

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[[de:Neu Caprica]]

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