Editing Race and Ethnicity in the Twelve Colonies
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:''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 (TOS)]].'' | |||
''At the Battlestar Wiki, we recognize that race is a problematic concept without any concrete biological definition. Nevertheless, the topic of racial identity in the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]] has proven of interest to many fans of the show. Therefore, this page serves to review the information available as best as possible.'' | |||
''In this article, we have chosen to indicate race by apparent region of origin, within the following broadly defined categories: European, (Sub-saharan) African, Middle Eastern, South Asian, East Asian, and Native American / Amerindian. Where bi- or multi-racial individuals are noted, component ethnicities are listed in alphabetical order. Individuals of apparently [[Wikipedia:Hispanic|Hispanic]] appearance are noted as biracial Amerindian/Europeans. Issues relating to the Adama family are briefly discussed in their own section at the end of the article.'' | |||
''In this article, we have chosen to indicate race by apparent region of origin, within the following broadly defined categories: European, (Sub- | |||
{{RDM twelve colonies series}}__TOC__ | {{RDM twelve colonies series}}__TOC__ | ||
==Race and Nationality== | ==Race and Nationality== | ||
In general, no clear associations have been made between particular ethnic groups and individual colonies. Furthermore, there is some evidence within the series that race and colony of origin are not strongly correlated - when Baltar attempts to guess at Boomer's place of origin in "[[Flesh and Bone]], | In general, no clear associations have been made between particular ethnic groups and individual colonies. Thus far, Caprica's population does appear to be substantially of European appearance, and Gemenon's substantially African, but these patterns are not exception-less. Furthermore, there is some evidence within the series that race and colony of origin are not strongly correlated - when Baltar attempts to guess at Boomer's place of origin in "[[Flesh and Bone]]", he comments on her accent, not her physical appearance. For more on this, see the article [[Language in the Twelve Colonies]]. | ||
It is generally accepted that the Colonials originally emigrated from a single planet (i.e. Kobol and/or Earth). This being the case, it is entirely possible that the various apparent races are reasonably homogeneously distributed across all of the Twelve Colonies (i.e. there are both European and African Sagittarons, Gemenese, etc. rather than all of the Europeans coming from one tribe/colony, all the Asians from another, etc). | It is generally accepted that the Colonials originally emigrated from a single planet (i.e. Kobol and/or Earth). This being the case, it is entirely possible that the various apparent races are reasonably homogeneously distributed across all of the Twelve Colonies (i.e. there are both European and African Sagittarons, Gemenese, etc. rather than all of the Europeans coming from one tribe/colony, all the Asians from another, etc). | ||
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What follows is a list of individuals whose colony of origin has been unambiguously identified, along with their apparent ethnicity. | What follows is a list of individuals whose colony of origin has been unambiguously identified, along with their apparent ethnicity. | ||
=== | ===Aerelon=== | ||
*[[Sharon Valerii]] - east Asian (purported, actually a [[ | *[[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon Valerii]] - east Asian (purported, actually a [[Cylon agent]] infiltrator) | ||
*[[Sekou Hamilton]] - African | *[[Sekou Hamilton]] - mixed race, African/European (Based on his skin tone and accent, the actor, Biski Gugushe, would probably be identified as a light-skinned African-American.) | ||
===Canceron=== | ===Canceron=== | ||
*[[Robin Wenutu]] - European | *[[Robin Wenutu]] - European | ||
===Caprica=== | ===Caprica=== | ||
*[[William Adama]] - | *[[William Adama]] - mixed race, Amerindian/European | ||
:''The actor, Edward James Olmos, would probably be identified as "Latino," " | :''The actor, Edward James Olmos, would probably be identified as "Latino", "mestizzo", or "Hispanic". Olmos is a social activist working to help the Hispanic-American community, Olmos has made favorable remarks about having the opportunity to play one of the first significant Latino characters in space.'' | ||
*[[ | *[[Caroline Adama]] - European | ||
**[[Lee Adama|Lee]] and [[Zak Adama]] - their children, see [[#The Adama Brothers|note]] below. | **[[Lee Adama|Lee]] and [[Zak Adama]] - their children, see [[#The Adama Brothers|note]] below. | ||
*[[Laura Roslin]] - European | *[[Laura Roslin]] - European | ||
*[[Kara Thrace]] - European (Born on Picon according to Sky One; nomadic childhood; this info is not confirmed.) | *[[Kara Thrace]] - European (Born on Picon according to Sky One; nomadic childhood; this info is not confirmed.) | ||
*[[Aaron Doral]] - European (purported, actually a [[ | *[[Gaius Baltar]] - European (Born on Sagittaron according to Sky One, but this info is not confirmed. Given that Baltar was elected as the Quorum of Twelve representative for Caprica, this information could be incorrect). | ||
*[[Aaron Doral]] - European (purported, actually a [[Cylon agent]] infiltrator) | |||
*[[James McManus]] - European | *[[James McManus]] - European | ||
*[[Tory Foster]] - south Asian | *[[Tory Foster]] - south Asian | ||
===Gemenon=== | ===Gemenon=== | ||
*[[Sarah Porter]] - African | *[[Sarah Porter]] - African | ||
*[[Venner]] - | *[[Venner]] - African | ||
*[[Galen Tyrol]] - European | *[[Galen Tyrol]] - European | ||
*[[Rya Kibby]] - European | *[[Rya Kibby]] - European | ||
===Picon=== | ===Picon=== | ||
*[[Safiya Sanne]] - | *[[Safiya Sanne]] - east Asian (but see his article for some debate on origins) | ||
*[[Playa Palacios]] - European | *[[Playa Palacios]] - European | ||
===Sagittaron=== | ===Sagittaron=== | ||
*[[Anastasia Dualla]] - African | *[[Anastasia Dualla]] - African | ||
*[[Leon Grimes]] - | *[[Leon Grimes]] - mixed race, Amerindian/European | ||
*[[Tom Zarek]] - European | *[[Tom Zarek]] - European | ||
===Tauron=== | ===Tauron=== | ||
*[[Helena Cain]] - European | *[[Helena Cain]] - European | ||
===Virgon=== | ===Virgon=== | ||
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==Race and Sexuality== | ==Race and Sexuality== | ||
Interracial couplings seem common to the point of ubiquity, and have never been commented upon. It is interesting that such clearly defined racial groups continue to exist in light of this. Notable interracial couples: | |||
*William and Caroline Adama | |||
*[[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon Valerii]] and [[Galen Tyrol]] | |||
*[[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]] and [[Karl Agathon]] ([[Tahmoh Penikett]], who plays Agathon, is Amerindian/European[http://tahmohpenikett.blogspot.com/2005/03/tahmoh-penikett-biography.html]) | |||
*Dualla and [[Billy Keikeya]] (Keikeya is European) | |||
*Dualla and Lee Adama | |||
That being said, at least one individual, Kara Thrace, has only been shown in sexual relationships with individuals of her own race: [[Gaius Baltar]], [[Samuel Anders]], and the Adama brothers (although see [[#The Adama Brothers|note]] below regarding their ethnicity). | |||
Another aspect of race and sexuality is the dominance of European males over the few non-Europeans seen. There are no instances of non-European males with European females. In fact, there are no instances of non-European males in relationships at all. | |||
==The Adama Brothers== | ==The Adama Brothers== | ||
The | The miniseries received some criticism for casting Edward James Olmos, a dark-skinned Latino, as the father of Jamie Bamber, a pale-skinned Englishman. These points were addressed somewhat in the first season, during which we were briefly introduced to both Caroline and Zak Adama. During a dinner party in "[[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]", [[Ellen Tigh]] offers her opinion that Lee takes after his mother in appearance, while Zak took after his father. Since human skin pigmentation is determined by several genes which can be inherited independently, this scenario is quite plausible. | ||
As such, it is difficult to pigeonhole the Adama brothers as being of either European descent (as Lee appears, and his actor is) or mixed | As such, it is difficult to pigeonhole the Adama brothers as being of either European descent (as Lee appears, and his actor is) or mixed Amerindian/European (as Zak appears, and his actors have been). Where relevant, it's probably best to consider them both of approximately 1/4 Amerindian and 3/4 European descent, regardless of the genetic background of the actors who play them. | ||
In an effort to increase the resemblance between the two characters, Olmos | In an effort to increase the resemblance between the two characters, Olmos wears blue contact eye lenses to show some genetic commonality with Bamber. Jamie Bamber also dies his hair to more closely resemble his on-screen "father". | ||
=="Ethnic" Names== | =="Ethnic" Names== | ||
While some characters have distinctly Indo-European personal names or surnames which span multiple "Earth" languages and their generally associated ethnic origins: these include first names such as James, William, Laura, and Helena, and surnames like Jones, Novacek, Smith, Constanza and McManus. | |||
Other characters have surnames that were made up by the writers, such as Zarek and Keikeiya. | |||
There are also names of apparently non-western origins, which may or may not have been made up by the writers. Examples include Asha Janik, Royan Jahee and Robin Wenutu. | |||
There are also ancient Greek, Roman and Hebrew names. Personal and surnames, names of locations in use, as well as names like Adama which are carry-overs from the original series: Prosna, Socinus, Cally, Playa Palacios, Valerii, Agathon, Thrace, etc. | |||
Often these are combined: Sekou Hamilton, Cally Henderson, Billy Keikeiya, Gaius Baltar and William Adama. | |||
To make matters even more complicated, these names do not correspond to either ethnic or "racial" populations among the surviving Colonial citizens, nor do they align with Colonial nationalism. Not all Sagittarons have an Indo-European personal name like "Tom" and a made-up surname like "Zarek" and not all dark-skinned characters have non-western first names like "Sekou". Daniel Novacek (played by an actor of Jamaican origin), for instance, has an Eastern European surname. | |||
[[Category:A to Z]] | [[Category:A to Z]] | ||