The Twelve Colonies of Kobol

This article discusses the Twelve Colonies of the Re-imagined Series. See The Twelve Colonies of Man for information on the Colonies of the Original Series.

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. 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").

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.

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Star System

Note: A portion of the information listed below is taken from the official, "quasi-canon" Battlestar Galactica Map of the 12 Colonies .

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 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 shares its orbit with Helios Beta at a distance of 63 SU. 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.
  • Picon - This colony has an inclined orbit.
  • 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 learns 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 shares its orbit with Helios Alpha at a distance of 63 SU. 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. Helios Gamma shares its orbit with Helios Delta at a distance of 70 SU, and 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.
  • Sagittaron - A barren, mountainous world.
  • 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. Helios Delta shares its orbit with Helios Gamma at a distance of 70 SU, and 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.
• 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)

History

Main article: History of the Twelve Colonies

Kobol, the ancient homeworld of humanity.

About 2,000 years prior to the Fall of the Twelve Colonies, the last twelve tribes of Kobol left their planet over conflicts with their gods, as well as some sort of calamity (TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I").

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").

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.

Downfall

Main article: Fall of the Twelve Colonies

Caprica, shortly before its downfall.

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 battlestar Galactica 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.

Aerilon

Main article: Aerilon

Ancient Name: Aries

Alternative Name: Aerelon

Population: 1.2 billion

Patron God: Demeter

Capital: Gaoth

Major Cities: Gaoth, Promethea

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

Main article: Aquaria (RDM)

Ancient Name: Aquarius

Alternative Name: Aquarion

Population: 25,000

Patron God: Hermes

Capital: None

Major Cities: Heim

Attractions: Kyros Summerfest

Pyramid Teams: None

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

Canceron from orbit.

Ancient Name: Cancer

Population: 6.7 billion

Patron God: Hephaestus

Capital: Hades

Major Cities: Hades, Prommos, Mangala

Attractions: Prommos, Ruby Range, Kor Yaz Glacier

Pyramid Teams: Canceron Hydras, Hades Vice, Mangala Krill

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 and had at least one large coastal metropolis (TRS: "The Plan"). The capital was Hades.

Prior to the First Cylon War, Canceron was a very overpopulated and poor colony. Canceron's major cities such as Hades and Mangala were known to have large slums. Its large population earned Canceron the nickname "The Largest Democracy" within the colonies, though some believed the government was nothing more than a corrupt Oligarchy.

During the Cylon attack, Canceron is hit with at least three nuclear devices. One of the passenger liners within the fleet, Pyxis, is one of the last ships that escapes this world when the attack began. Aboard is the Number Six copy Shelly Godfrey (TRS: "The Plan").

Robin Wenutu is the Canceron delegate to the first Quorum of Twelve after the Fall.

Natives

• Lexon

Caprica

Main article: Caprica (RDM)

Caprica from orbit.

Caprica City.

The view of Gemenon from Caprica City.

Ancient Name: Capricorn

Population: 4.9 billion

Patron God: Apollo

Official Language: Caprican

Capital: Caprica City

Major Cities: Caprica City, Delphi, Phoebus

Attractions: Delphi Museum of the Colonies, Atlas Arena, Caprica Interplanetary Spaceport, Graystone Industries, Apollo University, Pantheon Bridge, Ionian Islands, Orpheus Park

Pyramid Teams: Caprica City Buccaneers, Delphi Legion, Phoebus Suns

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, the 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, the 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").

6,250 people from Caprica join the Laura Roslin faction over Kobol (TRS: "Home, Part I"). The overall Caprican survivor population, possibly significantly greater, is unknown (see analysis here). An attempted settlement by the survivors of the holocaust is named New Caprica in honor of the original colony (TRS: "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II").

The first Quorum of Twelve delegate after the Fall is Gaius Baltar. Years later this spot is taken by Lee Adama, the last Quroum delegate from that colony before Delegate Adama establishes the Quorum of Ship's Captains in the wake of the mass-execution of the Quorum during Gaeta's Mutiny (TRS: "Islanded in a Stream of Stars").

Natives

• William, Tamara, Zak and Lee Adama
• Richard Adar, presumed as he was also the mayor of Caprica City at one point
• Daniel, Amanda and Zoe Graystone
• Lacy Rand and her family
• Laura, Cheryl and Sandra Roslin, as well as their parents
• Ben Stark and his mother, Natalie
• Kara, Socrata and (presumably) Dreilide Thrace

Notes

• 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

Ancient Name: Gemini

Population: 2.8 billion

Patron God: Hera

Official Language: Old Gemenese

Capital: Oranu

Major Cities: Oranu, Illumini

Attractions: Kobol Colleges, Illumini Pantheon, Gramada Mountains, Spatiu Gol Plateau, Pustiu Desert

Pyramid Teams: Gemenon Twins, Illumini Vipers

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. 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").

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.

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").

Natives

• Adrien Bauer
• Jurgen Belzen and his family
• Rya Kibby
• Romo Lampkin
• Sarah Porter, former delegate to the Quorum of Twelve
• Corporal Venner

Notes

• 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

A Leonan thoroughfare under Cylon assault.

Ancient Name: Leo

Population: 2.6 billion

Patron God: Artemis

Official Language: Leonese

Capital: Luminere

Major Cities: Luminere, Hedon

Attractions: Royal Palace of Leonis, Hedon Grand Casino

Pyramid Teams: Leonis Wildcats, Hedon Suns

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, was able to maintain its own language and culture.

In the era prior to the First Cylon War, Leonis produced and exported a popular energy drink named "Leonis Red". Leonis Estates Sparkling Wine was a type of alcohol produced on this colony (TRS: "Flight of the Phoenix").

During the final Cylon 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.

Safiya Sanne is the Leonan representative on the first Quorum of Twelve after the Fall.

Libran

The courthouses of Libran.

Ancient Name: Libra

Alternative Name: Libris

Population: 2.1 million

Patron God: Athena

Capital: None

Major Cities: Themis

Attractions: Supreme Hall of Justice, Themis Arena

Pyramid Teams: None

Libran was known for its courthouses and lawyers (TRS: "The Plan"), and was the home of the Inter-Colonial Court (CAP: "Gravedancing"). The planet had no official capital.

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.

After the Fall of the Twelve Colonies, Oswin Eriku is chosen to be this colony's representative to the Quorum of Twelve.

Zephyr, a passenger liner in the Fleet, is of Libran registry.

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

Picon from orbit.

Ancient Name: Pisces

Population: 1.4 billion

Patron God: Poseidon

Capital: Queenstown

Major Cities: Perkinston, Queenstown, Pailyn

Attractions: Colonial Fleet Headquarters, Penrose Harbor

Pyramid Teams: Picon Panthers

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.

During the planet's off-season, most of the landscape became cold and rugged. The planet was often used as a substitute for Caprica City in Caprican films and TV series.

After the Unification of the Twelve Colonies this world was the location of the Colonial Fleet Headquarters (TRS: Miniseries). Picon was also the home of Picon Laboratories, located in Pailyn, Muritolan (TRS: "Faith").

The colony came under heavy attack during the early stages of the Cylon attack. One of the last ships to leave the planet was the 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).

Natives

• Asha Janik
• Billy Keikeya's family
• Playa Palacios

Publications

• Picon Star Tribune

Notes

• 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

Main article: Sagittaron

Ancient Name: Sagittarius

Alternative Name: Sagittarion

Population: 1.7 billion

Patron God: Zeus

Capital: Tawa

Attractions: Acheron River

Pyramid Teams: Sagittaron Archers

Sagittaron was one of the poorest worlds of the Twelve Colonies (TRS: "Bastille Day"). The capital of this planet was Tawa.

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").

Natives

• Jacob Cantrell
• Anastasia Dualla
• Portia and Willie King
• Clarice Willow
• Tom Zarek

Notes

• The colony's name was originally spelled as "Sagittarion" in the Miniseries, but this changed to Sagittaron when the regular series began.

Scorpia

Scorpia and its shipyards from orbit.

Ancient Name: Scorpio

Population: 450 million

Patron God: Dionysus

Capital: Celeste

Major Cities: Celeste, Argentum

Attractions: Argentum Bay, Guardian Mountains, Scorpia Shipyards

Pyramid Teams: Scorpia Stingers, Celeste Storms, Celeste Lightning, Argentum Bay Silverstars

Scorpia was known for its lush jungles and hot temperatures (TRS: "The Plan"). Scorpia's capital was Celeste.

Before the First Cylon War one of the major leisure spots of the world was Argentum Bay, despite the colony's trashy reputation.. The Planet was also apparently well-known for its Paragliding (TRS: "Razor").

After the Unification, Scorpia was home to the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards.

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").

Eladio Puasha serves as the planet's delegate to the first Quorum of Twelve assembled after the Fall.

Notes

• In an LA Times article, Scorpia is described as having a "scorpion tail-like half-ring".

Tauron

Main article: Tauron (RDM)

Tauron from orbit, and under Cylon assault.

Pre-Cylon War Minos (Tauron City).

Tauron's moon, Minos, in the evening sky.

Ancient Name: Taurus

Population: 2.5 billion

Patron God: Ares

Official Language: Tauron

Capital: Hypatia

Major Cities: Hypatia, Tauron City (Minos)

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, 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.

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).

During the War, Hypatia was was the location of a fierce and lossy battle against Cylon forces (TRS: "Razor", extended Edition).

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").

Natives

• Joseph and Sam Adama
• Shannon Adama and her mother, Ruth
• Helena Cain and her murdered family
• Tomas Vergis

Notes

• The language of Tauron is remarkably similar to Ancient Greek that, thousands of years later, was spoken on a planet on the other side of the galaxy.
• According to Serge's Twitter Account Tauron only has a moon.
• Serge's Twitter account also stated Tauron's capital to be Hypatia.

Virgon

Ancient Name: Virgo

Population: 4.3 billion

Patron God: Hestia

Capital: Boskirk

Major Cities: Boskirk, Blaustad, Hadrian

Attractions: House of Parliament, Tower of Virgon, Petrus Palace, Virgon Universities

Pyramid Teams: Virgon United, Boskirk All Reds

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.

Virgon had a declining monarchy and a strong national parliament, at least 58 years before the Fall of the Colonies.

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).

Marshall Bagot is the Virgon delegate to the first Quorum of Twelve. He nominates Tom Zarek for the vice-presidency (TRS: "Colonial Day"). In public ceremonies, the Virgon delegate wears a light blue sash.

Notes

• 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.

See Also

• Ithaca