Editing Yahren

A '''yahren''' is a Colonial measurement of time, analogous to an Earth '''[[Wikipedia:Year|year]]'''. The plural form is usually the same as the singular, "yahren", although "yahrens" is also used for the Colonial equivalent of "years" in some episodes.

== Year vs. Yahren Interchangeability ==
There are times where Colonials (and their descendants from disconnected settlements) tend to use the word "year" in lieu of "yahren," such as:

# Adar uses the term year in his discussions with Adama, prior to the commencement of the [[Battle of Cimtar]] {{OS|Saga of a Star World}}.
#* '''Adama:''' Sir, did Count [[Baltar (TOS)|Baltar]] suggest that our forces sit here totally defenseless?<br/>'''Adar:''' My friend, we are on a peace mission – the first peace man has known in a thousand years.
# Starbuck uses the term after being chastised by Boomer for his disparaging comments regarding [[Beta company|Beta Company]] on ''[[Gemini (TOS)|Gemini]]'' {{OS|Saga of a Star World}}.
#* Ten thousand light-years from nowhere, our planet shot to pieces, people starving, and ''I’m'' gonna get us in trouble? 
# When [[Cassiopeia]] informs [[Starbuck (TOS)|Starbuck]] about the reason she was mistreated by members of the [[Otori Sect]] on ''Gemini'' {{OS|Saga of a Star World}}.
#* I’m designated a [[socialator]].  It’s an honorable profession, practiced with the blessings of the elders for over four thousand years.
#* They don’t believe in physical contact between genders except when sanctified by the priests during [[High Worship of the Sunstorm]], which comes once only every seven years!
# When [[Serina]] reacts to [[Apollo (TOS)|Apollo]]'s concern about the ersatz [[Colonial Warrior|Warriors]] wearing ill-fitting uniforms during a shuttle ride to [[Carillon]] {{OS|Saga of a Star World}}.
#* He probably hasn’t worn that in years.  Besides, the guest of honor looks absolutely delicious.
# [[Robber]] uses the term when discussing the [[Silent One]] {{OS|The Long Patrol}}.
#* It’s a prisoner my father told me about years ago.  The [[Proteus enforcers|Enforcers]] found him driftin’ in space.  He never said a word.  He just spent all his time drawin’ those pictures.  Why, [[Earth (TOS)|is it important]]?
# Siress [[Belloby]] uses the term when declaring her terms for her energizer, making it the last known use of the word in the [[Original Series]] {{OS|The Magnificent Warriors}}.
#* Oh, Adama.  After all these years, I think that should be obvious.  ''I want you.''

As the series progressed, "yahren" became consistently used instead of "year." As such, it is the default term to denote the Colonial's unit of time in ''Battlestar Wiki''<nowiki/>'s [[Original Series]] articles.

==Notes==
* Within some fan circles, a yahren is considered to be around two-thirds (2/3) the length of an Earth year, thus helping to explain the relative longevity of Colonial people compared to Terran humans; in "[[War of the Gods, Part II]]", [[Adama (TOS)|Adama]] claims that the average human lifespan, "Cylons permitting," is about 200 yahren.  This reasoning is picked up in [[Richard Hatch]]'s sequel novels. The glossary of terms in the first novel, ''[[Armaggedon]]'', reads "yahren--equivalent to a year; two hundred fifty days."
*Yahren ''might'' be based on the German word Jahren, which is pronounced the same, though it means "Years." Jahr would be the singular form.
* The original script for "[[Greetings From Earth]]" has a key that says a [[centon]] is a minute, a [[centar]] is an hour, a [[secton]] is a week, and a yahren is a year.
* ''[[Galactica 1980]]'' eschews the term yahren, opting for "year" in conversation.

==Usage in the Re-imagined Series ==

* In the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]], time appears to be measured by the Colonials as is done on Earth with the term ''year''. Since a year is considered the time it takes for the real-world Earth to revolve once around the sun, the use of "year" is confusing, given that the Twelve Colonies consist of several Earth-type worlds that may orbit a sun or series of suns, or even exist in adjacent solar systems and so have revolution times that may differ dramatically. The Fleet stays on New Caprica for 380 "days" before the Cylon fleet arrives, and this is deemed to be approximately a year.
* Curiously, a brief mention of "yahren" appears in the documents visible at [[Armistice Station]] in the [[Miniseries]]. This should be treated as an homage to the Original Series, and not be taken too seriously, as the prop department has produced errors in some other documents shown on screen.

==See also==
*[[Thousand Yahren War]]
*[[List of terms (TOS)]]



[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Colonial]]
[[Category:Colonial Society]]
[[Category:Colonial Society (TOS)]]
[[Category:Figures of Speech]]
[[Category:Terminology]]
[[Category:Terminology (TOS)]]
[[Category:Units of Time]]
[[Category:Units of Measure]]
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