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Religion in the Twelve Colonies (RDM)

2016-05-13T13:59:41Z

KAMiKAZOW:

:''This article discusses the religion of the Colonies as seen in the [[Re-imagined Series]]. For summary information on the Kobollian religion from the [[Original Series]], see [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies (TOS)]].''
:''For information on the various mythologies used in ''Battlestar Galactica'', see [[Mythological references]].''

{{RDM twelve colonies series}}

The dominant '''religion of the Twelve Colonies''', which the various characters of ''Battlestar Galactica'' practice to greater or lesser extent, is a [[Wikipedia:polytheism|polytheistic]] faith<ref>The Colonial deities are very similar to the [[Wikipedia:Greek mythology|Olympic gods]] of Greek mythology on the real-world Earth.</ref> with a strong emphasis on the philosophy of [[Wikipedia:Eternal return|eternal return]]. There are several variants of this faith, in both belief and practice.

==Origin==
[[Image:Pythia.jpg|right|thumb|A portion of the Sacred Scrolls, specifically, a portion of the Book of [[Pythia]].]]
The eternal-return aspect between the peoples of [[Kobol (RDM)|Kobol]] and [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]] suggest a parallel or reverse-origin with humanity as a whole, or the [[Thirteenth Tribe (RDM)|Thirteenth Tribe]] that presumably populated it. See [[History of the Twelve Colonies]] for more analysis.

During the memorial following the [[Battle of Ragnar Anchorage|escape from Ragnar Anchorage]] ([[TRS]]: [[Miniseries, Night 2]]), [[William Adama]] states, "Life here began out there,<ref>This phrase is a homage to the [[Original Series]], where each episode began with this phrase in a voice-over introduction.</ref>" reminding the assembly that this was the first line of the [[Sacred Scrolls]], the principal religious tome of the Colonial faith, told to them by the Lords of Kobol many centuries ago.
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==Belief==
===The Lords of Kobol===
Colonial religion is centered on the Lords of Kobol. In the Re-imagined Series and ''Caprica'', eleven Lords of Kobol have been positively identified:
* [[Zeus]] – The leader of the Lords. [[Tom Zarek]] has twice referred to [[William Adama|Bill Adama]] as "Zeus" ("[[Bastille Day]]", "[[The Farm]]", as a play on [[Lee Adama]]'s callsign).
* [[Aphrodite]] – The lady of love and sexuality. Kara Thrace prays often to this Lord ([[TRS]]: "[[Flesh and Bone]]").
* [[Apollo, Lord of Kobol|Apollo]] – Zeus' son, said to be the lord of the hunt and of healing ([[TRS]]: "[[Bastille Day]]").
* [[Ares]] – The lord of war. The [[Nicholas Tyrol|infant son]] of [[Cally]] and [[Galen Tyrol]] is [[dedication ceremony|dedicated]] to this Lord of Kobol ([[TRS]]: "[[Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance|The Resistance, Episode 10]]").
* [[Artemis]] – Twin sister of Apollo, lady of the hunt. [[Kara Thrace]] prays often to this Lord ([[TRS]]: "[[Flesh and Bone]]").
* [[Asclepius]] – The lord of healing ([[TRS]]: "[[Escape Velocity]]").
* [[Athena, Lord of Kobol|Athena]] – This lord committed suicide "out of despair over the exodus of the thirteen tribes" ([[TRS]]: "[[Home, Part II]]"). Her [[Tomb of Athena|tomb]] holds a map to [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]").
* [[Aurora, Goddess of the Dawn]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Maelstrom]]")<ref>Aurora is the Roman counterpart of the Greek [[w:Eos|Eos]]. Eos is one of the [[w:Titans (mythology)|Titans]]. Since the Lords of Kobol are modeled after the [[w:Twelve Olympians|Twelve Olympians]] however, this could indicate that she is not one of the Lords, but belongs to another group of deities.</ref>.
*[[Hecate]] – Shapechanging goddess of the underworld ([[CAP]]: [[Caprica pilot|''Caprica'' pilot]]).
* [[Hera, Lord of Kobol|Hera]] – Wife of Zeus. A [[Gates of Hera|mountain ridge]] on Kobol is named after her ([[TRS]]: "[[Home, Part II]]"), and the [[Hera Agathon|first Cylon/human hybrid child]] is named for this lord ([[TRS]]: "[[Downloaded]]").
* [[Poseidon]] – [[Gaius Baltar]] mentions this deity in a conversation with [[Tracey Anne]] ([[TRS]]: "[[He That Believeth In Me]]"). Deckhand [[Brooks (RDM)|Brooks]] also prays to this lord. ([[TRS]]: "[[The Face of the Enemy]]")

The Colonials appear to use multiple names for their lords, interchanging "Mars" for "Ares", "Jupiter" for "Zeus", and so on.<ref>Curiously, [[Laura Roslin]] mentions that the 134th day of the Cylon occupation of [[New Caprica]] is Mars Day ([[TRS]]: "[[Occupation]]"), suggesting that Ares may also be called by his alternate Roman pantheon's name. The same happens again in "[[The Passage]]" when Zeus is referred to by the name of his Roman counterpart Jupiter.</ref>

====Afterlife====
Believers think that they will go to [[Fields of Elysium]] after death if they led a good life ([[TRS]]: "[[Faith]]"). <ref>This is clearly a direct parallel to the ancient Greek [[w:Elysium|Elysian Fields]], the part of the [[w:Hades|underworld]] corresponding to "heaven". The visual image of a ferry crossing a river also parallels the river [[w:Styx|Styx]].</ref>

==== Paradise Lost ====
According to the [[Sacred Scrolls]], the gods once shared a paradise-like existence with the people of [[Kobol (RDM)|Kobol]]. Later circumstances forced the exodus of the human population of Kobol to [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|the Twelve Colonies]] and [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]], and lead to Athena's suicide.

The existence of the Lords of Kobol is attested to by the survival of numerous artifacts, including the [[Arrow of Apollo]], the [[Tomb of Athena]] and the [[Gates of Hera]]. However, although she accepts their historic authenticity, [[Sharon Agathon|Caprica-Valerii]], a [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]], questions their actual divinity.<ref>There is a notion in fan circles that there are twelve lords of Kobol, by analogy to the twelve Cylon models, twelve Colonies, and perhaps the [[w:Twelve Olympians|Twelve Olympians]] of Greek mythology. A post from [[Ron D. Moore]]'s blog [http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2005/03/index.html#a000023 on March 12, 2005] loosely alludes on this coincidence, but further official sourcing has not been revealed.</ref>

====The Jealous God====
[[Elosha]] states that the exodus from Kobol was precipitated when "one jealous god began to desire that he be elevated above all the other gods, and the war on Kobol began." This god was eventually separated from the others.<ref>From a [[List of Deleted Scenes - Season 2 (RDM)#Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I|deleted scene]] cut from the episode "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]".</ref> This figure may be related to or identical with "[[The One Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken|the one whose name cannot be spoken]]," whose [[Temple of Five|temple]] is discovered on the [[algae planet]] ([[TRS]]: "[[The Eye of Jupiter]]").

====The Path of Olympus====
[[Tom Zarek]] conveys to [[Laura Roslin]] and her [[Laura Roslin faction|followers]] the news that Commander [[William Adama]] had resumed command of ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' after the attempt on his life by saying: "Zeus has returned to '''Olympus'''" ([[TRS]]: "[[The Farm]]").<ref>In Greek mythology, the home of the gods on Earth resided high atop Greece's highest mountain, Mount Olympus, at a time where access to the mountain summit would be almost impossible with the inhabitants' technology of that age.</ref> By Zarek's comment we can infer that Colonial religion appears to acknowledge the existence of a place called Olympus. It cannot yet be determined, however, if Olympus was thought of as the residence of the gods at a specific physical or ''metaphysical'' location of Kobol, as there has been no mention of Olympus elsewhere. If Olympus is a metaphysical locale, this may contradict [[Elosha]]'s comment that the gods and man lived on Kobol together in harmony.<ref>On the other hand, according to the ancient Greek poem ''[[w:Theogony|Theogony]]'' by Hesiod, the gods lived together with humankind until Prometheus' deception at Mecone, after which they dwelt exclusively on mount Olympus and humans exclusively on Earth. Perhaps, then, some transgression caused the Lords of Kobol and humankind to part paths.</ref>

===Other Mythological Names in Colonial Culture===
Various items have been identified which are apparently named after other gods and legendary figures of their faith, although these have not been explicitly identified as Lords of Kobol.

:''See main article: [[Mythological references]]''

===The Cycle of Time===
''"All this has happened before, and all this will happen again."''<ref>In a short talk he gave before a screening of "[[Flesh and Bone]]", Ron Moore revealed that he "stole" the line from the introduction of the Disney animated version of ''[[w:Peter Pan|Peter Pan]]'' (lecture [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9op6PC03LRA part 1] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w-9NglSNG0 part 2]).</ref>

According to [[Gaius Baltar]], this line from the [[Pythia]]n prophecy is very well known ([[TRS]]: "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]"). [[Laura Roslin]] later expands on it, reminding [[Kara Thrace]],

<blockquote>"If you believe in the gods, then you believe in the cycle of time that we are all playing our parts in a story that is told again, and again, and again throughout eternity" ([[TRS]]: "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]").</blockquote>

Various events have led some people to believe that they are playing out another turn of this cycle<ref>The notion of a circular progression of time (also known as [[w:eternal return|eternal return]] or eternal recurrence) is a common theme in other faiths, particularly [[w:Maya#Religion|Mayan]] mythology and is a cornerstone of the Hindu and Buddhist faiths. Moreover, [[w:Stoic|Stoic]] philosophy did believe in the concept of ''ekpyrosis'', the fire which consumes the old world and signals the birth of a new world, identical to the old, for a recurring cycle of birth, death and rebirth.</ref>. (see [[Sacred Scrolls]] for more detailed analysis).

===Sanctity of Life===
According to the Sacred Scrolls, abortion is "an abomination in the eyes of the Gods". The more fundamentalist [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenese]] strictly adhere to this commandment, however the more secular Colonies such as Caprica apparently do not follow this as strictly: officially, Colonies-wide Federal law guaranteed a woman the right to an abortion, at least at the time of the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] ([[TRS]]: "[[The Captain's Hand]]").

==Individual Practice==
The Colonials display a wide spectrum of religious practice, ranging from [[Billy Keikeya]]'s atheism ([[TRS]]: "[[Home, Part II]]", [[List of Deleted Scenes - Season 2 (RDM)#Home, Part II|cut scene]]) to Corporal [[Venner]]'s literalistic readings of the Sacred Scrolls.

While not fully explained in the Re-imagined Series, it appears, based on the information from a [[dedication ceremony]] for [[Nicholas Tyrol]] and the prayers of [[Kara Thrace]], that each Colonial is paired, or "placed in the service" with one or more of the Lords. Based on the dedication ceremony blessing, Zeus is a considered "almighty" or foremost of the gods, while other Lords are prayed to by Colonials as a proxy to Zeus.<ref>This practice is similar to a Catholic practice of prayer to Mary, mother of Jesus. While Mary is a human, followers believe that, by praying to Mary, she can intercede to aid the acceptance of the prayer by the [[w:Trinity|Trinity]], the godhead of the Catholic faith.</ref>

===Artifacts===
<div style="float:left; margin-right:1em;">[[Image:Bsg-arrow-apollo.jpg|75px]]</div>
Despite Gemenon's fundamentalist climate, the city of [[Delphi]] on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] was apparently of a mind to store an important religious artifact, the [[Arrow of Apollo]], in a [[Delphi Museum of the Colonies|museum]], rather than a devotional institution ([[TRS]]: "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]").

Ancient temples may be also be the repository of special artifacts such as the [[Eye of Jupiter]], believed to be stored inside the legendary [[Temple of Five]] ("[[Rapture]]", "[[The Eye of Jupiter]]").
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===Confession===
At least some sects of the Colonial religion practice the concept of absolution of sins through confession. Brothers, and presumably priests as well, may hear confessions as demonstrated by [[Brother Cavil]] agreeing to hear Anders' confession ([[TRS]]: "[[The Plan]]"). It is not known if this practice is uniform throughout the Colonial religion or limited to certain sects.

A confession begins with the confessor saying, "Bless me, Brother, for I have acted against the example of the Gods." The Brother or Priest will then say, "Proceed in the name of the Gods," and after hearing the confession, they will end by saying, "You are absolved in the example of the Gods."

===Dress===
[[Image:Season 3 - Promo - Epi 1 - 2 - Oracle Selloi.jpg|right|thumb|200px|The robes of [[Dodona Selloi]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Exodus, Part I]]")]]
As seen by the various [[Laura Roslin faction|separatists]] orbiting Kobol ([[TRS]]: "[[Home, Part I]]"), it appears that many Colonials have clothing that suggests a religious deference. In the scene, one older, white-bearded gentleman is dressed in simple colored robes and a round, flat head covering<ref>These robes may remind viewers of the tradition dress of Hasidic Jews, Islamic clerics, or Eastern Orthodox clerics of the real-world Earth.</ref> Other distinctive dress styles of other characters in the scene increase the sense of the dedication of religion in the Gemenese people (which appear to comprise the majority of Roslin's separatists).

The [[oracle]] [[Dodona Selloi]] dresses in a turban and robes, suggesting a special role in Colonial society or its religious hierarchy ([[TRS]]: "[[Exodus, Part I]]").
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===Idols===
<div style="float:right; margin-right:1em;">[[Image:Idols.jpg|100px]]</div>
Kara Thrace, a devotee of Artemis and Aphrodite, prays to them on behalf of [[Leoben Conoy]] using figurines that bear a similarity to classic representations of Artemis and Athena. Artemis is depicted with her bow and arrow, and Athena with her helmet of war ([[TRS]]: "[[Flesh and Bone]]").

When visting the oracle [[Yolanda Brenn]], Thrace receives a figurine of the goddess [[Aurora, Goddess of the Dawn|Aurora]] as a gift ([[TRS]]: "[[Maelstrom]]").
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===Prayer===
<div style="float:left; margin-right:1em;">[[Image:The_Farm-Group_Worship.jpg|100px]]</div>
Some prisoners on the ''[[Astral Queen]]'' seeking rehabilitation have turned to group prayer. They greet Laura Roslin as a prophet and she provides them with a blessing ([[TRS]]: "[[The Farm]]").

Priest [[Elosha]] sings a group prayer in a [[Service for the dead]] after the Fleet escapes from the initial Cylon attack ([[TRS]]: [[Miniseries, Night 2]]).<ref>The language she sings is [[w:Sanskrit|Sanskrit]], a classical language of real-world Earth's Hindu/Indian peoples. More about the verses that she sings and their meaning can be found in the [[Language in the Twelve Colonies#Liturgy|Language in the Twelve Colonies]] article.</ref> The priest also gives a prayer after ''[[Colonial One]]'' is boarded by Commander Adama's troops to remove Roslin from power ([[TRS]]: "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]").

A chaplain delivered a simple prayer at the funeral of [[Zak Adama]], two years prior to the fall of the Colonies ([[TRS]]: "[[Act of Contrition]]")<ref>The prayer's mention of committing a "body to the ground from which we were all made" echoes the Biblical passage of [http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/bible/genesis/genesis3.htm Genesis 3:19]:'''
:"By the sweat of your brow
:you will eat your food
:until you return to the ground,
:since from it you were taken;
:for dust you are
:and to dust you will return."</ref>:

<blockquote>"The burdens of this life are with us but a short time. For Lieutenant Zak Adama, son of [[William Adama|William]] and [[Carolanne Adama]], brother of [[Lee Adama|Lee]], the time was too short, but we take comfort in knowing his life was willingly given in service to all of us. We honor them for that. And thus, it falls upon us to repent our sins and with the help of the Lords of Kobol, make our own lives worthy of that gift. And now, we commit his body to the ground from which we were all made."</blockquote>

Corporal [[Venner]] asks [[Laura Roslin]] to join him in a simple prayer while ''Galactica'' is attacked as it desperately tries to find its Fleet ([[TRS]]: "[[Scattered]]").
<blockquote>''(To Roslin:)'' Will you pray with me? ''(He begins:)'' Help us, Lords of Kobol. Help your prophet Laura guide us to the path of righteousness. That we might – that we might destroy our enemies. Let us walk the path of righteousness and lift our faces unto your goodness. Help us turn away from the calls of the wicked and show us the knowledge of your certain salvation. We offer this prayer.</blockquote>

Prayer is also seen in the [[Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance|Season 3 webisode series]] in a temple (where prayers are written and then burned before an idol), and by [[Kara Thrace]] ([[TRS]]: [[Miniseries]], "[[Flesh and Bone]]").<br clear="all">
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===Rosaries===
<div style="float:left; margin-right:1em;">[[Image:Rosary.jpg|100px]]</div>
As [[Laura Roslin]] begins to suffer from [[chamalla]] withdrawal in ''Galactica'''s brig, Corporal Venner, a [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenese]], anxiously clutches a set of white prayer beads ([[TRS]]: "[[Fragged]]").
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===[[Temple]]===
[[Image:Resistance - Webisode 4.jpg|thumb|[[Nora Farmer|Nora]] and [[Cally Tyrol]] pray in a temple on [[New Caprica]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance#Episode 4|Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance – Episode 4]]").]]

Temples may have been more elaborate places on the Twelve Colonies, but the spaceborne remnants of humanity presumably use any space they can find on their ships to form a basic temple. As seen on [[New Caprica]], a basic temple may consist of a simple altar with candles, idols of the Lords of Kobol, and what meager offerings the Colonials can give as a [[w:tithe|tithe]]. Some prayers are written on paper and burned ([[TRS]]: "[[Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance]]").

The temple on New Caprica was known as the Temple of Artemis ([[TRS]]: "[[Collaborators]]"), suggesting that temples are dedicated to a Lord or Lords, and may be related to the pairing of Colonials to a specific set of Lords at their dedication ceremony.

A similar arrangement to temple is found in an [[Yolanda Brenn|oracle camp]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Maelstrom]]").

A room used for religious services on ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' is referred to as a temple ([[TRS]]: "[[Escape Velocity]]").
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===Sagittaron beliefs===
Orthodox [[Sagittaron#Culture|Sagittaron beliefs]] are more anachronistic than the Gemenese's, believing that the mind and body are myths, and that medicine is "an abomination, a sin against the Gods". Sagittarons also blame physicians for the spread of disease due to their ignorance of the aforementioned "myth" of the body and mind. They traditionally do not believe in violence, even to the point of not aiding the [[New Caprica Resistance]] in their fight against the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] occupation of [[New Caprica]] ([[TRS]]: "[[The Woman King]]").

===Other minority beliefs===
A small minority of the Colonials were secretly [[God (RDM)|monothiests]]. While it is not clear if such worship was still in practice in modern Colonial times up to the Cylon holocaust, an [[Temple of Five|unusual temple]] found on a [[Algae planet|remote planet]] suggests that monotheism was prevalent in the [[Thirteenth Tribe (RDM)|Thirteenth Tribe]].

After the [[Second Exodus]], [[Gaius Baltar]] later founds [[Cult of Baltar|a monotheistic cult]] that finds itself in conflict with the established faiths. Baltar's faith comes into direct, violent conflict with the [[Sons of Ares]] as well as the general Colonial polythiests. [[Mithraism]] is also noted in practice ([[TRS]]: "[[Escape Velocity]]")

==The Clergy==
The religious and government bodies of the Twelve Colonies work together. This association is likely based on the religious homogeneity of the Colonies.<ref>This differs from the United States, whose government is based on religious tolerance through the separation of religious practice and legislature. While the real-world Earth has many, many religions, the Twelve Colonies, as yet, appear to have only one religion and as such does not suffer greatly from schisms or other religious factions, although colonists such as the Gemenese show a different emphasis on how they interpret the religious writings.</ref>

===Priests/Priestesses===
[[Image:Season 3 - Promo - Collaborators - Priest.jpg|right|thumb|A male [[Unnamed characters (RDM)#Priest|priest]]. ([[TRS]]: "[[Collaborators]]").]]
[[Image:Elosha1.jpg|thumb|left|Elosha, priestess and friend of President Roslin. ([[TRS]]: "[[Home, Part I]]")]]
[[Laura Roslin]] [[Case Orange|is sworn into the presidency]] by a priestess<ref>In "[[Blood on the Scales]]", Baltar refers to Elosha as "the ''Priestess'' Elosha", indicating that women priests have a femanine title</ref>, [[Elosha]], who continues on in an advisory capacity within Roslin's administration. Priests also preside over military funerals, without regard for the beliefs of the deceased.

Priests in the Twelve Colonies are apparently not required to practice celibacy, and can be male or female. Chief [[Galen Tyrol]] states that his father was a priest and his mother an oracle ([[TRS]]: "[[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]").<ref>Galen Tyrol's information may be skewed by the revelation that he himself is a Cylon ([[TRS]]: "[[Crossroads, Part II]]").</ref>

According to [[Billy Keikeya]], some priests use [[chamalla]] for its hallucinogenic properties. The prescient dreams it imparted to Laura Roslin may imply the use of something similar by [[Pythia]], an ancient prophet. [[Oracle]]s also use the drug.
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===Brothers===
[[Image:Cyca2.jpg|left|thumb|The false Brother [[Cavil]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]").]]
The term ''Brother'' is used as a title for male members of the clergy, although it is not fully apparent whether this role is similar to that of a [[w:Monk|monk]] or [[w:Deacon|deacon]].

As with priests, a brother offers consultation and leads prayer.

The only instance of this clergy is Brother [[Cavil]], who offers guidance to Chief Tyrol.

Cavil, however, is revealed as a [[humanoid Cylon]] some time later. Because of Cavil's nature, there may be doubt as to whether Cavil is a useful example of the work of a Brother in Colonial religion.

It is probable that Brothers are lay clergy, unlike priests and oracles, who appear to have political status as well as their religious status.
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===Sisters===
[[Image:Tivenan.jpg|right|thumb|Sister Tivenan (right) at a [[dedication ceremony]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance|The Resistance: Episode 10]]")]]
As with Brothers in the clergy, there are ''Sisters'' as well.

Sister [[Tivenan]] is briefly seen tending to business in the temple on [[New Caprica]], guiding prayer and officiating a [[dedication ceremony]] for the [[Nicholas Tyrol|newborn son]] of [[Galen Tyrol|Galen]] and [[Cally Tyrol]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance]]").

It is probable that Sisters, like Brothers, are lay clergy.
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===Oracles===
{{mainarticle|Oracle}}
[[Image:Season 3 - Promo - Epi 1 - 2 - Oracle Selloi.jpg|left|thumb|The oracle [[Dodona Selloi]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Exodus, Part I]]").]]
[[Image:S3 oraclebrenn low.jpg|right|thumb|The oracle [[Yolanda Brenn]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Maelstrom]]").]]
There is little information as to the religious functions of ''oracles''. [[Dodona Selloi]] is one of two oracles seen in the Re-imagined Series. She confirms the dreams of a copy of [[Number Three]] and the existence of [[Hera Agathon|Hera]]. It is not clear if Selloi is sitting in a tent designated as a temple, but there are numerous ornate or curious inscriptions surrounding and inside her tent that suggest the significance of the oracle's tent or her presence. A second oracle, [[Yolanda Brenn]], gives counsel to [[Kara Thrace]] on her strange dreams aboard ''Galactica'' ([[TRS]]: "[[Maelstrom]]").

Priests and oracles may assume their roles due to an personal, possibly inherited affinity to sense spiritual changes or conditions. [[Galen Tyrol]], [[Final Five|believed to be the son of a priest and oracle]], detects the presence of and finds the [[Temple of Five]] alone, based only on his senses, apparently detecting the hidden temple on the otherwise-unremarkable (and undocumented) [[algae planet]] ([[TRS]]: "[[The Eye of Jupiter]]"). However, it is revealed later that he is in fact a humanoid Cylon, one of the ([[TRS]]: "[[Final Five]]"), and had visited the site before.
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== A Cylon Connection ==
:''Main article: [[Cylon Religion]]''
:''See Also: [[The Destiny]], [[Final Five]], [[Temple of Five]]''

While humanoid Cylons show a strict, firm belief in a monotheistic [[God (RDM)|God]], referring to the Lords of Kobol as "false idols," a connection between the Cylon God and the Lords of Kobol may exist. During the Cylon occupation of New Caprica, an [[Selloi|oracle]] tells [[Number Three]] (who has a ''dream'' of the oracle's tent and of holding the believed-dead hybrid child [[Hera Agathon|Hera]]") that she has a message from the one that Number Three worships ([[TRS]]: "[[Exodus, Part I]]"). This poses the question how an oracle of the Lords of Kobol is able to hear the messages of the Cylon God.

The [[Temple of Five]], which a [[Number Three]] uses to visualize the identities of the [[Final Five]]", was not built for the Cylons (who were not created until 4,000 years later) but for humans. The Temple, according to the Sacred Scrolls, was built for five priests who worshiped "[[The One Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken]]". It is not clear if this was the spurned "jealous god" or another fallen member of the Lords of Kobol.<ref>While the notion of a fallen Lord is speculative in the Re-imagined Series, there is already a parallel series of characters from the [[Original Series]]: The [[Beings of Light]] and their fallen member, [[Iblis]]. [[Ron D. Moore]], however, has stated in several interviews that he was not planning to use this Original Series concept in the Re-imagined Series.</ref>

[[Kara Thrace]] realizes her [[The Destiny|destiny]], first from the words of a [[Leoben Conoy]] model, and later, in a type of dream, through an [[Messenger Leoben|entity that took the likeness of Leoben]], but was not a Cylon. From death, Thrace [[Crossroads, Part II|returns]] to the Fleet, not as an illusion, but resurrected – something that, prior to Thrace, only a humanoid Cylon could do.

== Notes ==
In a podcast, RDM mentioned that it was intended that there would be many sectarian divisions and religious denominations within colonial society, ranging from a Hellenic-style Cult of Athena to more Buddhist and Hindu forms of worship, and including monotheistic minorities. Mithraism is presumably one such minority belief, similar to the real-life minority Mithraic religion of Roman times. This diversity was not fully shown due to time constraints, but would later be made more apparent in ''Caprica''.

It seems that Colonial society protects freedom of worship and encourages religious diversity to some degree. However, certain monotheistic organizations such as the [[Soldiers of the One]] and the [[Cult of Baltar]] are strongly anti-polytheistic, and some devout polytheists such as [[Jordan Duram]] take strong exception to the doctrine of monotheism.

The Tauron funeral rite ([[CAP]]: "[[There Is Another Sky]]") mirrors the Ancient Greek rite of placing a coin on the head of the dead for the Charon, the ferryman who took the souls of the dead across the Rivers Styx and Acheron to The Underworld. The idea of eternal return "all of this has happened before, and will happen again" is strongly present in many forms of Hinduism, which see the universe as cyclical. The use of oracles and icons of deities reflects many historical Indo-European religions from Ancient Greek to Hindu, as well as different shamanistic practices. Additionally the priests of the Lords of Kobol wear different vestments perhaps indicating divisions similar to Protestantism/Catholic/Orthadox in Christianity.

The use of the names of certain real-life pagan Gods as personal names (like the Germanic Odin) as well as the presence of interchangable Greco-Roman names for the same gods (i.e. Jupiter/Zeus or Mars/Ares) may suggest that the worship of the Lords of Kobol uses different names for the same Gods depending on language. Different colonies may call the same Lords of Kobol names like the Germanic Tyr, Roman Jupiter, Greek Zeus Pater, Indian Deus Pita interchangably. Alternatively, it is possible that some polytheists in the colonies worship a different pantheon altogether, or include the worship of other gods along with the 12 Lords of Kobol, just as how there are Titans and Olympians in Greek religion, Asir and Vanir in Germanic religion, or Devas and Asuras in Hindu religion.

The punchline of [[Blood_on_the_Scales#Noteworthy_Dialogue|the joke]] that [[Tom Zarek]] tells [[Racetrack]] as he is escorted from the flight deck in "[[Blood_on_the_Scales#Notes|Blood on the Scales]]" suggests that pedophilia by priests may have been an issue among the clergy of the Twelve Colonies, similar to [[w:Abuse_by_members_of_Roman_Catholic_orders|anecdotes and allegations]] involving the Roman Catholic Church.

==References==
<div style="font-size:85%"><references/></div>

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[[Category:Colonial Religion]]
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[[fr:Religion dans les Douze Colonies (RDM)]]

Religion in the Twelve Colonies (RDM)

2016-05-13T13:54:23Z

KAMiKAZOW:

:''This article discusses the religion of the Colonies as seen in the [[Re-imagined Series]]. For summary information on the Kobollian religion from the [[Original Series]], see [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies (TOS)]].''
:''For information on the various mythologies used in ''Battlestar Galactica'', see [[Mythological references]].''

{{RDM twelve colonies series}}

The dominant '''religion of the Twelve Colonies''', which the various characters of ''Battlestar Galactica'' practice to greater or lesser extent, is a [[Wikipedia:polytheism|polytheistic]] faith<ref>The Colonial deities are very similar to the [[Wikipedia:Greek mythology|Olympic gods]] of Greek mythology on the real-world Earth.</ref> with a strong emphasis on the philosophy of [[Wikipedia:Eternal return|eternal return]]. There are several variants of this faith, in both belief and practice.

==Origin==
[[Image:Pythia.jpg|right|thumb|A portion of the Sacred Scrolls, specifically, a portion of the Book of [[Pythia]].]]
The eternal-return aspect between the peoples of [[Kobol (RDM)|Kobol]] and [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]] suggest a parallel or reverse-origin with humanity as a whole, or the [[Thirteenth Tribe (RDM)|Thirteenth Tribe]] that presumably populated it. See [[History of the Twelve Colonies]] for more analysis.

During the memorial following the [[Battle of Ragnar Anchorage|escape from Ragnar Anchorage]] ([[TRS]]: [[Miniseries, Night 2]]), [[William Adama]] states, "Life here began out there,<ref>This phrase is a homage to the [[Original Series]], where each episode began with this phrase in a voice-over introduction.</ref>" reminding the assembly that this was the first line of the [[Sacred Scrolls]], the principal religious tome of the Colonial faith, told to them by the Lords of Kobol many centuries ago.
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==Belief==
===The Lords of Kobol===
Colonial religion is centered on the Lords of Kobol. In the Re-imagined Series and ''Caprica'', eleven Lords of Kobol have been positively identified:
* [[Zeus]] – The leader of the Lords. [[Tom Zarek]] has twice referred to [[William Adama|Bill Adama]] as "Zeus" ("[[Bastille Day]]", "[[The Farm]]", as a play on [[Lee Adama]]'s callsign).
* [[Aphrodite]] – The lady of love and sexuality. Kara Thrace prays often to this Lord ([[TRS]]: "[[Flesh and Bone]]").
* [[Apollo, Lord of Kobol|Apollo]] – Zeus' son, said to be the lord of the hunt and of healing ([[TRS]]: "[[Bastille Day]]").
* [[Ares]] – The lord of war. The [[Nicholas Tyrol|infant son]] of [[Cally]] and [[Galen Tyrol]] is [[dedication ceremony|dedicated]] to this Lord of Kobol ([[TRS]]: "[[Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance|The Resistance, Episode 10]]").
* [[Artemis]] – Twin sister of Apollo, lady of the hunt. [[Kara Thrace]] prays often to this Lord ([[TRS]]: "[[Flesh and Bone]]").
* [[Asclepius]] – The lord of healing ([[TRS]]: "[[Escape Velocity]]").
* [[Athena, Lord of Kobol|Athena]] – This lord committed suicide "out of despair over the exodus of the thirteen tribes" ([[TRS]]: "[[Home, Part II]]"). Her [[Tomb of Athena|tomb]] holds a map to [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]").
* [[Aurora, Goddess of the Dawn]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Maelstrom]]")<ref>Aurora is the Roman counterpart of the Greek [[w:Eos|Eos]]. Eos is one of the [[w:Titans (mythology)|Titans]]. Since the Lords of Kobol are modeled after the [[w:Twelve Olympians|Twelve Olympians]] however, this could indicate that she is not one of the Lords, but belongs to another group of deities.</ref>.
*[[Hecate]] – Shapechanging goddess of the underworld ([[CAP]]: [[Caprica pilot|''Caprica'' pilot]]).
* [[Hera, Lord of Kobol|Hera]] – Wife of Zeus. A [[Gates of Hera|mountain ridge]] on Kobol is named after her ([[TRS]]: "[[Home, Part II]]"), and the [[Hera Agathon|first Cylon/human hybrid child]] is named for this lord ([[TRS]]: "[[Downloaded]]").
* [[Poseidon]] – [[Gaius Baltar]] mentions this deity in a conversation with [[Tracey Anne]] ([[TRS]]: "[[He That Believeth In Me]]"). Deckhand [[Brooks (RDM)|Brooks]] also prays to this lord. ([[TRS]]: "[[The Face of the Enemy]]")

The Colonials appear to use multiple names for their lords, interchanging "Mars" for "Ares", "Jupiter" for "Zeus", and so on.<ref>Curiously, [[Laura Roslin]] mentions that the 134th day of the Cylon occupation of [[New Caprica]] is Mars Day ([[TRS]]: "[[Occupation]]"), suggesting that Ares may also be called by his alternate Roman pantheon's name. The same happens again in "[[The Passage]]" when Zeus is referred to by the name of his Roman counterpart Jupiter.</ref>

====Afterlife====
Believers think that they will go to [[Fields of Elysium]] after death if they led a good life ([[TRS]]: "[[Faith]]"). <ref>This is clearly a direct parallel to the ancient Greek [[w:Elysium|Elysian Fields]], the part of the [[w:Hades|underworld]] corresponding to "heaven". The visual image of a ferry crossing a river also parallels the river [[w:Styx|Styx]].</ref>

==== Paradise Lost ====
According to the [[Sacred Scrolls]], the gods once shared a paradise-like existence with the people of [[Kobol (RDM)|Kobol]]. Later circumstances forced the exodus of the human population of Kobol to [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|the Twelve Colonies]] and [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]], and lead to Athena's suicide.

The existence of the Lords of Kobol is attested to by the survival of numerous artifacts, including the [[Arrow of Apollo]], the [[Tomb of Athena]] and the [[Gates of Hera]]. However, although she accepts their historic authenticity, [[Sharon Agathon|Caprica-Valerii]], a [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]], questions their actual divinity.<ref>There is a notion in fan circles that there are twelve lords of Kobol, by analogy to the twelve Cylon models, twelve Colonies, and perhaps the [[w:Twelve Olympians|Twelve Olympians]] of Greek mythology. A post from [[Ron D. Moore]]'s blog [http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2005/03/index.html#a000023 on March 12, 2005] loosely alludes on this coincidence, but further official sourcing has not been revealed.</ref>

====The Jealous God====
[[Elosha]] states that the exodus from Kobol was precipitated when "one jealous god began to desire that he be elevated above all the other gods, and the war on Kobol began." This god was eventually separated from the others.<ref>From a [[List of Deleted Scenes - Season 2 (RDM)#Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I|deleted scene]] cut from the episode "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]".</ref> This figure may be related to or identical with "[[The One Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken|the one whose name cannot be spoken]]," whose [[Temple of Five|temple]] is discovered on the [[algae planet]] ([[TRS]]: "[[The Eye of Jupiter]]").

====The Path of Olympus====
[[Tom Zarek]] conveys to [[Laura Roslin]] and her [[Laura Roslin faction|followers]] the news that Commander [[William Adama]] had resumed command of ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' after the attempt on his life by saying: "Zeus has returned to '''Olympus'''" ([[TRS]]: "[[The Farm]]").<ref>In Greek mythology, the home of the gods on Earth resided high atop Greece's highest mountain, Mount Olympus, at a time where access to the mountain summit would be almost impossible with the inhabitants' technology of that age.</ref> By Zarek's comment we can infer that Colonial religion appears to acknowledge the existence of a place called Olympus. It cannot yet be determined, however, if Olympus was thought of as the residence of the gods at a specific physical or ''metaphysical'' location of Kobol, as there has been no mention of Olympus elsewhere. If Olympus is a metaphysical locale, this may contradict [[Elosha]]'s comment that the gods and man lived on Kobol together in harmony.<ref>On the other hand, according to the ancient Greek poem ''[[w:Theogony|Theogony]]'' by Hesiod, the gods lived together with humankind until Prometheus' deception at Mecone, after which they dwelt exclusively on mount Olympus and humans exclusively on Earth. Perhaps, then, some transgression caused the Lords of Kobol and humankind to part paths.</ref>

===Other Mythological Names in Colonial Culture===
Various items have been identified which are apparently named after other gods and legendary figures of their faith, although these have not been explicitly identified as Lords of Kobol.

:''See main article: [[Mythological references]]''

===The Cycle of Time===
''"All this has happened before, and all this will happen again."''<ref>In a short talk he gave before a screening of "[[Flesh and Bone]]", Ron Moore revealed that he "stole" the line from the introduction of the Disney animated version of ''[[w:Peter Pan|Peter Pan]]'' (lecture [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9op6PC03LRA part 1] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w-9NglSNG0 part 2]).</ref>

According to [[Gaius Baltar]], this line from the [[Pythia]]n prophecy is very well known ([[TRS]]: "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]"). [[Laura Roslin]] later expands on it, reminding [[Kara Thrace]],

<blockquote>"If you believe in the gods, then you believe in the cycle of time that we are all playing our parts in a story that is told again, and again, and again throughout eternity" ([[TRS]]: "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]").</blockquote>

Various events have led some people to believe that they are playing out another turn of this cycle<ref>The notion of a circular progression of time (also known as [[w:eternal return|eternal return]] or eternal recurrence) is a common theme in other faiths, particularly [[w:Maya#Religion|Mayan]] mythology and is a cornerstone of the Hindu and Buddhist faiths. Moreover, [[w:Stoic|Stoic]] philosophy did believe in the concept of ''ekpyrosis'', the fire which consumes the old world and signals the birth of a new world, identical to the old, for a recurring cycle of birth, death and rebirth.</ref>. (see [[Sacred Scrolls]] for more detailed analysis).

===Sanctity of Life===
According to the Sacred Scrolls, abortion is "an abomination in the eyes of the Gods". The more fundamentalist [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenese]] strictly adhere to this commandment, however the more secular Colonies such as Caprica apparently do not follow this as strictly: officially, Colonies-wide Federal law guaranteed a woman the right to an abortion, at least at the time of the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] ([[TRS]]: "[[The Captain's Hand]]").

==Individual Practice==
The Colonials display a wide spectrum of religious practice, ranging from [[Billy Keikeya]]'s atheism ([[TRS]]: "[[Home, Part II]]", [[List of Deleted Scenes - Season 2 (RDM)#Home, Part II|cut scene]]) to Corporal [[Venner]]'s literalistic readings of the Sacred Scrolls.

While not fully explained in the Re-imagined Series, it appears, based on the information from a [[dedication ceremony]] for [[Nicholas Tyrol]] and the prayers of [[Kara Thrace]], that each Colonial is paired, or "placed in the service" with one or more of the Lords. Based on the dedication ceremony blessing, Zeus is a considered "almighty" or foremost of the gods, while other Lords are prayed to by Colonials as a proxy to Zeus.<ref>This practice is similar to a Catholic practice of prayer to Mary, mother of Jesus. While Mary is a human, followers believe that, by praying to Mary, she can intercede to aid the acceptance of the prayer by the [[w:Trinity|Trinity]], the godhead of the Catholic faith.</ref>

===Artifacts===
<div style="float:left; margin-right:1em;">[[Image:Bsg-arrow-apollo.jpg|75px]]</div>
Despite Gemenon's fundamentalist climate, the city of [[Delphi]] on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] was apparently of a mind to store an important religious artifact, the [[Arrow of Apollo]], in a [[Delphi Museum of the Colonies|museum]], rather than a devotional institution ([[TRS]]: "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]").

Ancient temples may be also be the repository of special artifacts such as the [[Eye of Jupiter]], believed to be stored inside the legendary [[Temple of Five]] ("[[Rapture]]", "[[The Eye of Jupiter]]").
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===Confession===
At least some sects of the Colonial religion practice the concept of absolution of sins through confession. Brothers, and presumably priests as well, may hear confessions as demonstrated by [[Brother Cavil]] agreeing to hear Anders' confession ([[TRS]]: "[[The Plan]]"). It is not known if this practice is uniform throughout the Colonial religion or limited to certain sects.

A confession begins with the confessor saying, "Bless me, Brother, for I have acted against the example of the Gods." The Brother or Priest will then say, "Proceed in the name of the Gods," and after hearing the confession, they will end by saying, "You are absolved in the example of the Gods."

===Dress===
[[Image:Season 3 - Promo - Epi 1 - 2 - Oracle Selloi.jpg|right|thumb|200px|The robes of [[Dodona Selloi]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Exodus, Part I]]")]]
As seen by the various [[Laura Roslin faction|separatists]] orbiting Kobol ([[TRS]]: "[[Home, Part I]]"), it appears that many Colonials have clothing that suggests a religious deference. In the scene, one older, white-bearded gentleman is dressed in simple colored robes and a round, flat head covering<ref>These robes may remind viewers of the tradition dress of Hasidic Jews, Islamic clerics, or Eastern Orthodox clerics of the real-world Earth.</ref> Other distinctive dress styles of other characters in the scene increase the sense of the dedication of religion in the Gemenese people (which appear to comprise the majority of Roslin's separatists).

The [[oracle]] [[Dodona Selloi]] dresses in a turban and robes, suggesting a special role in Colonial society or its religious hierarchy ([[TRS]]: "[[Exodus, Part I]]").
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===Idols===
<div style="float:right; margin-right:1em;">[[Image:Idols.jpg|100px]]</div>
Kara Thrace, a devotee of Artemis and Aphrodite, prays to them on behalf of [[Leoben Conoy]] using figurines that bear a similarity to classic representations of Artemis and Athena. Artemis is depicted with her bow and arrow, and Athena with her helmet of war ([[TRS]]: "[[Flesh and Bone]]").

When visting the oracle [[Yolanda Brenn]], Thrace receives a figurine of the goddess [[Aurora, Goddess of the Dawn|Aurora]] as a gift ([[TRS]]: "[[Maelstrom]]").
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===Prayer===
<div style="float:left; margin-right:1em;">[[Image:The_Farm-Group_Worship.jpg|100px]]</div>
Some prisoners on the ''[[Astral Queen]]'' seeking rehabilitation have turned to group prayer. They greet Laura Roslin as a prophet and she provides them with a blessing ([[TRS]]: "[[The Farm]]").

Priest [[Elosha]] sings a group prayer in a [[Service for the dead]] after the Fleet escapes from the initial Cylon attack ([[TRS]]: [[Miniseries, Night 2]]).<ref>The language she sings is [[w:Sanskrit|Sanskrit]], a classical language of real-world Earth's Hindu/Indian peoples. More about the verses that she sings and their meaning can be found in the [[Language in the Twelve Colonies#Liturgy|Language in the Twelve Colonies]] article.</ref> The priest also gives a prayer after ''[[Colonial One]]'' is boarded by Commander Adama's troops to remove Roslin from power ([[TRS]]: "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]").

A chaplain delivered a simple prayer at the funeral of [[Zak Adama]], two years prior to the fall of the Colonies ([[TRS]]: "[[Act of Contrition]]")<ref>The prayer's mention of committing a "body to the ground from which we were all made" echoes the Biblical passage of [http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/bible/genesis/genesis3.htm Genesis 3:19]:'''
:"By the sweat of your brow
:you will eat your food
:until you return to the ground,
:since from it you were taken;
:for dust you are
:and to dust you will return."</ref>:

<blockquote>"The burdens of this life are with us but a short time. For Lieutenant Zak Adama, son of [[William Adama|William]] and [[Carolanne Adama]], brother of [[Lee Adama|Lee]], the time was too short, but we take comfort in knowing his life was willingly given in service to all of us. We honor them for that. And thus, it falls upon us to repent our sins and with the help of the Lords of Kobol, make our own lives worthy of that gift. And now, we commit his body to the ground from which we were all made."</blockquote>

Corporal [[Venner]] asks [[Laura Roslin]] to join him in a simple prayer while ''Galactica'' is attacked as it desperately tries to find its Fleet ([[TRS]]: "[[Scattered]]").
<blockquote>''(To Roslin:)'' Will you pray with me? ''(He begins:)'' Help us, Lords of Kobol. Help your prophet Laura guide us to the path of righteousness. That we might-- that we might destroy our enemies. Let us walk the path of righteousness and lift our faces unto your goodness. Help us turn away from the calls of the wicked and show us the knowledge of your certain salvation. We offer this prayer.</blockquote>

Prayer is also seen in the [[Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance|Season 3 webisode series]] in a temple (where prayers are written and then burned before an idol), and by [[Kara Thrace]] ([[TRS]]: [[Miniseries]], "[[Flesh and Bone]]").<br clear="all">
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===Rosaries===
<div style="float:left; margin-right:1em;">[[Image:Rosary.jpg|100px]]</div>
As [[Laura Roslin]] begins to suffer from [[chamalla]] withdrawal in ''Galactica'''s brig, Corporal Venner, a [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenese]], anxiously clutches a set of white prayer beads ([[TRS]]: "[[Fragged]]").
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===[[Temple]]===
[[Image:Resistance - Webisode 4.jpg|thumb|[[Nora Farmer|Nora]] and [[Cally Tyrol]] pray in a temple on [[New Caprica]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance#Episode 4|Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance – Episode 4]]").]]

Temples may have been more elaborate places on the Twelve Colonies, but the spaceborne remnants of humanity presumably use any space they can find on their ships to form a basic temple. As seen on [[New Caprica]], a basic temple may consist of a simple altar with candles, idols of the Lords of Kobol, and what meager offerings the Colonials can give as a [[w:tithe|tithe]]. Some prayers are written on paper and burned ([[TRS]]: "[[Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance]]").

The temple on New Caprica was known as the Temple of Artemis ([[TRS]]: "[[Collaborators]]"), suggesting that temples are dedicated to a Lord or Lords, and may be related to the pairing of Colonials to a specific set of Lords at their dedication ceremony.

A similar arrangement to temple is found in an [[Yolanda Brenn|oracle camp]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Maelstrom]]").

A room used for religious services on ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' is referred to as a temple ([[TRS]]: "[[Escape Velocity]]").
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===Sagittaron beliefs===
Orthodox [[Sagittaron#Culture|Sagittaron beliefs]] are more anachronistic than the Gemenese's, believing that the mind and body are myths, and that medicine is "an abomination, a sin against the Gods". Sagittarons also blame physicians for the spread of disease due to their ignorance of the aforementioned "myth" of the body and mind. They traditionally do not believe in violence, even to the point of not aiding the [[New Caprica Resistance]] in their fight against the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] occupation of [[New Caprica]] ([[TRS]]: "[[The Woman King]]").

===Other minority beliefs===
A small minority of the Colonials were secretly [[God (RDM)|monothiests]]. While it is not clear if such worship was still in practice in modern Colonial times up to the Cylon holocaust, an [[Temple of Five|unusual temple]] found on a [[Algae planet|remote planet]] suggests that monotheism was prevalent in the [[Thirteenth Tribe (RDM)|Thirteenth Tribe]].

After the [[Second Exodus]], [[Gaius Baltar]] later founds [[Cult of Baltar|a monotheistic cult]] that finds itself in conflict with the established faiths. Baltar's faith comes into direct, violent conflict with the [[Sons of Ares]] as well as the general Colonial polythiests. [[Mithraism]] is also noted in practice ([[TRS]]: "[[Escape Velocity]]")

==The Clergy==
The religious and government bodies of the Twelve Colonies work together. This association is likely based on the religious homogeneity of the Colonies.<ref>This differs from the United States, whose government is based on religious tolerance through the separation of religious practice and legislature. While the real-world Earth has many, many religions, the Twelve Colonies, as yet, appear to have only one religion and as such does not suffer greatly from schisms or other religious factions, although colonists such as the Gemenese show a different emphasis on how they interpret the religious writings.</ref>

===Priests/Priestesses===
[[Image:Season 3 - Promo - Collaborators - Priest.jpg|right|thumb|A male [[Unnamed characters (RDM)#Priest|priest]]. ([[TRS]]: "[[Collaborators]]").]]
[[Image:Elosha1.jpg|thumb|left|Elosha, priestess and friend of President Roslin. ([[TRS]]: "[[Home, Part I]]")]]
[[Laura Roslin]] [[Case Orange|is sworn into the presidency]] by a priestess<ref>In "[[Blood on the Scales]]", Baltar refers to Elosha as "the ''Priestess'' Elosha", indicating that women priests have a femanine title</ref>, [[Elosha]], who continues on in an advisory capacity within Roslin's administration. Priests also preside over military funerals, without regard for the beliefs of the deceased.

Priests in the Twelve Colonies are apparently not required to practice celibacy, and can be male or female. Chief [[Galen Tyrol]] states that his father was a priest and his mother an oracle ([[TRS]]: "[[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]").<ref>Galen Tyrol's information may be skewed by the revelation that he himself is a Cylon ([[TRS]]: "[[Crossroads, Part II]]").</ref>

According to [[Billy Keikeya]], some priests use [[chamalla]] for its hallucinogenic properties. The prescient dreams it imparted to Laura Roslin may imply the use of something similar by [[Pythia]], an ancient prophet. [[Oracle]]s also use the drug.
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===Brothers===
[[Image:Cyca2.jpg|left|thumb|The false Brother [[Cavil]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]").]]
The term ''Brother'' is used as a title for male members of the clergy, although it is not fully apparent whether this role is similar to that of a [[w:Monk|monk]] or [[w:Deacon|deacon]].

As with priests, a brother offers consultation and leads prayer.

The only instance of this clergy is Brother [[Cavil]], who offers guidance to Chief Tyrol.

Cavil, however, is revealed as a [[humanoid Cylon]] some time later. Because of Cavil's nature, there may be doubt as to whether Cavil is a useful example of the work of a Brother in Colonial religion.

It is probable that Brothers are lay clergy, unlike priests and oracles, who appear to have political status as well as their religious status.
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===Sisters===
[[Image:Tivenan.jpg|right|thumb|Sister Tivenan (right) at a [[dedication ceremony]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance|The Resistance: Episode 10]]")]]
As with Brothers in the clergy, there are ''Sisters'' as well.

Sister [[Tivenan]] is briefly seen tending to business in the temple on [[New Caprica]], guiding prayer and officiating a [[dedication ceremony]] for the [[Nicholas Tyrol|newborn son]] of [[Galen Tyrol|Galen]] and [[Cally Tyrol]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance]]").

It is probable that Sisters, like Brothers, are lay clergy.
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===Oracles===
{{mainarticle|Oracle}}
[[Image:Season 3 - Promo - Epi 1 - 2 - Oracle Selloi.jpg|left|thumb|The oracle [[Dodona Selloi]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Exodus, Part I]]").]]
[[Image:S3 oraclebrenn low.jpg|right|thumb|The oracle [[Yolanda Brenn]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Maelstrom]]").]]
There is little information as to the religious functions of ''oracles''. [[Dodona Selloi]] is one of two oracles seen in the Re-imagined Series. She confirms the dreams of a copy of [[Number Three]] and the existence of [[Hera Agathon|Hera]]. It is not clear if Selloi is sitting in a tent designated as a temple, but there are numerous ornate or curious inscriptions surrounding and inside her tent that suggest the significance of the oracle's tent or her presence. A second oracle, [[Yolanda Brenn]], gives counsel to [[Kara Thrace]] on her strange dreams aboard ''Galactica'' ([[TRS]]: "[[Maelstrom]]").

Priests and oracles may assume their roles due to an personal, possibly inherited affinity to sense spiritual changes or conditions. [[Galen Tyrol]], [[Final Five|believed to be the son of a priest and oracle]], detects the presence of and finds the [[Temple of Five]] alone, based only on his senses, apparently detecting the hidden temple on the otherwise-unremarkable (and undocumented) [[algae planet]] ([[TRS]]: "[[The Eye of Jupiter]]"). However, it is revealed later that he is in fact a humanoid Cylon, one of the ([[TRS]]: "[[Final Five]]"), and had visited the site before.
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== A Cylon Connection ==
:''Main article: [[Cylon Religion]]''
:''See Also: [[The Destiny]], [[Final Five]], [[Temple of Five]]''

While humanoid Cylons show a strict, firm belief in a monotheistic [[God (RDM)|God]], referring to the Lords of Kobol as "false idols," a connection between the Cylon God and the Lords of Kobol may exist. During the Cylon occupation of New Caprica, an [[Selloi|oracle]] tells [[Number Three]] (who has a ''dream'' of the oracle's tent and of holding the believed-dead hybrid child [[Hera Agathon|Hera]]") that she has a message from the one that Number Three worships ([[TRS]]: "[[Exodus, Part I]]"). This poses the question how an oracle of the Lords of Kobol is able to hear the messages of the Cylon God.

The [[Temple of Five]], which a [[Number Three]] uses to visualize the identities of the [[Final Five]]", was not built for the Cylons (who were not created until 4,000 years later) but for humans. The Temple, according to the Sacred Scrolls, was built for five priests who worshiped "[[The One Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken]]". It is not clear if this was the spurned "jealous god" or another fallen member of the Lords of Kobol.<ref>While the notion of a fallen Lord is speculative in the Re-imagined Series, there is already a parallel series of characters from the [[Original Series]]: The [[Beings of Light]] and their fallen member, [[Iblis]]. [[Ron D. Moore]], however, has stated in several interviews that he was not planning to use this Original Series concept in the Re-imagined Series.</ref>

[[Kara Thrace]] realizes her [[The Destiny|destiny]], first from the words of a [[Leoben Conoy]] model, and later, in a type of dream, through an [[Messenger Leoben|entity that took the likeness of Leoben]], but was not a Cylon. From death, Thrace [[Crossroads, Part II|returns]] to the Fleet, not as an illusion, but resurrected -- something that, prior to Thrace, only a humanoid Cylon could do.

== Notes ==
In a podcast, RDM mentioned that it was intended that there would be many sectarian divisions and religious denominations within colonial society, ranging from a Hellenic-style Cult of Athena to more Buddhist and Hindu forms of worship, and including monotheistic minorities. Mithraism is presumably one such minority belief, similar to the real-life minority Mithraic religion of Roman times. This diversity was not fully shown due to time constraints, but would later be made more apparent in ''Caprica''.

It seems that Colonial society protects freedom of worship and encourages religious diversity to some degree. However, certain monotheistic organizations such as the [[Soldiers of the One]] and the [[Cult of Baltar]] are strongly anti-polytheistic, and some devout polytheists such as [[Jordan Duram]] take strong exception to the doctrine of monotheism.

The Tauron funeral rite ([[CAP]]: "[[There Is Another Sky]]") mirrors the Ancient Greek rite of placing a coin on the head of the dead for the Charon, the ferryman who took the souls of the dead across the Rivers Styx and Acheron to The Underworld. The idea of eternal return "all of this has happened before, and will happen again" is strongly present in many forms of Hinduism, which see the universe as cyclical. The use of oracles and icons of deities reflects many historical Indo-European religions from Ancient Greek to Hindu, as well as different shamanistic practices. Additionally the priests of the Lords of Kobol wear different vestments perhaps indicating divisions similar to Protestantism/Catholic/Orthadox in Christianity.

The use of the names of certain real-life pagan Gods as personal names (like the Germanic Odin) as well as the presence of interchangable Greco-Roman names for the same gods (i.e. Jupiter/Zeus or Mars/Ares) may suggest that the worship of the Lords of Kobol uses different names for the same Gods depending on language. Different colonies may call the same Lords of Kobol names like the Germanic Tyr, Roman Jupiter, Greek Zeus Pater, Indian Deus Pita interchangably. Alternatively, it is possible that some polytheists in the colonies worship a different pantheon altogether, or include the worship of other gods along with the 12 Lords of Kobol, just as how there are Titans and Olympians in Greek religion, Asir and Vanir in Germanic religion, or Devas and Asuras in Hindu religion.

The punchline of [[Blood_on_the_Scales#Noteworthy_Dialogue|the joke]] that [[Tom Zarek]] tells [[Racetrack]] as he is escorted from the flight deck in "[[Blood_on_the_Scales#Notes|Blood on the Scales]]" suggests that pedophilia by priests may have been an issue among the clergy of the Twelve Colonies, similar to [[w:Abuse_by_members_of_Roman_Catholic_orders|anecdotes and allegations]] involving the Roman Catholic Church.

==References==
<div style="font-size:85%"><references/></div>

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[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Colonial]]
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[[Category:Colonial Religion]]
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[[Category:Colonial Society]]
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[[fr:Religion dans les Douze Colonies (RDM)]]

Mythological references

2016-05-13T13:53:09Z

KAMiKAZOW:

:''This article lists references to real-world religious references and other mythology in the [[Original Series]] and [[Re-imagined Series]], found in dialogue and from ship, place and character names''.

== The Original Series ==
===Judeo-Christian references===
* In "[[Saga of a Star World]]", [[Adama (TOS)|Adama]] asks God to "take this burden" from him. The burden, of course, is the need to guard the last of humanity after the Twelve Colonies are destroyed. This reference is likely derived from the [[w:New Testament|New Testament]] where Jesus prays to God before he is arrested and later crucified.

===Egyptian references===
* [[Eden]] – The special effects footage that depicts this city in "[[Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II]]" is actually the pyramids of Giza in [[w:Egypt|Egypt]] and the Temple at Karnac.
* Flight gear – In the Original Series, the helmet of the [[Viper (TOS)|Viper pilot]] resembles the ceremonial headdress of the Egyptian pharaohs.
* [[Tomb of the Ninth Lord of Kobol]] – This place is heavily decorated in hieroglyphs and contains a sarcophagus with a prop of a Pharaoh's mummy.

===Islamic references===
* [[Iblis]] – This character's name is derived from "Diabolus" by the writers, but is also the personal name of a fallen servant of [[w:Allah|Allah]]. Commanded to honour the first man, Adam, after Allah endowed him with the knowledge of the names of all things, Iblis defied his lord out of pride. For his rebellion, Allah cast him out of Paradise and named him Shaytan (aka Satan), which literally means accursed. As a consequence, he is the primary devil in Islam, a whisperer who seeks to guide the faithful astray.

== The Re-imagined Series ==

===Judeo-Christian references===

* The [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons of the Re-imagined Series]] are monotheistic, and worship a being they name simply as "God." The Cylons speak of commandments, inferring a parallelism between their deity and the central deity of the Abrahamic religions. They also denounce all other deities as being false.
* The Colonials have a concept of an after-life, particularly Hell and Heaven. In the Miniseries, a woman on the wireless (presumably from one of the sub-light ships) tells ''Colonial One'' that she hopes they'll "rot in hell" for leaving them behind. Also, there have been various other references to hell as well, such as in the episodes "[[Fragged]]", "[[Valley of Darkness]]", and "[[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]".
* The title of the episode "[[Valley of Darkness]]" is from Psalms 23:4.
* [[Joseph Adama]] could be named after either of the two biblical [[Wikipedia:Joseph|Josephs]].
* The title of the episode "[[He That Believeth In Me]]" is a reference to John 11:25-26, which says:
:"Jesus said unto her, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

=== Greek references ===

* ''[[Atlantia (RDM)|Atlantia]]'' – A battlestar lost during the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]. Named after a [[Wikipedia:Hamadryad|hamadryad]], a form of nymph. Could also be a reference to the legend of Atlantis, written by Plato or a reference to the Atlantic Ocean.
*''[[Boreas]]'' – A ship in the Fleet. Named after the god of the north wind.
* ''[[Cassandra]]'' – A ship in the Fleet. According to mythology, the daughter of King Priam of Troy had the ability of prophecy. However Apollo bestowed a curse on her, so that the more accurate the prophesy she made, the less anyone would believe her.
* [[w:Charon (mythology)|Charon]] – The ferryman who guides the dead safely down the [[w:Styx|River Styx]]. Name is a close reference to [[Sharon Agathon|Sharon]]. In seasons [[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]] and [[Season 3 (2006-07)|3]], Sharon guided ''Galactica'' through the void of space.
* ''[[Clymene]]'' – A ship in the Fleet. Several [[w:Clymene|figures]] in Greek mythology share this name.
* [[Delphi]] – A city on Caprica. On real-world Earth an ancient Greek city, which was home to a famous orcale dedicated to Apollo.
* ''[[Demetrius]]'' – A ship in the Fleet. Either a reference to one of [[w:Demetrius|several]] people who lived in antiquity, or to the goddess [[w:Demeter|Demeter]].
* ''[[Diomedes]]'' – A ship in the Fleet. According to legend a [[w:Diomedes|hero]] in the Trojan War.
* ''[[Epheme]]'' – A ship in the Fleet. May be named for a minor character in Greek mythology who was nurse to the Muses.
* ''[[Galatea]]'' – A ship in the Fleet. [[w:Galatea (mythology)|Galatea]] is the name of three figures in Greek mythology.
* ''[[Odysseus]]'' – A ship in the Fleet. [[w:Odysseus|Odysseus]] is the hero of Homer's epic ''The Odyssey''.
* ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' – A legendary flying horse. Admiral [[Helena Cain]]'s [[Mercury class battlestar|Mercury class ]] battlestar was named after the mythical beast.
* ''[[Persephone]]'' – A ship in the Fleet. Named after the queen of the underworld; daughter of Demeter.
* ''[[Prometheus (ship)|Prometheus]]'' – A freighter in Fleet that was a hub of the [[Black market (organization)|black market]]. Named after the titan who stole the fire from the gods to give it to the humans.
* [[Pythia]] – An [[oracle]]. Pythia was the name for head priestress at the Oracle of Delphi in Greece.
* ''[[Scylla]]'' – A ship in [[Helena Cain|Admiral Cain]]'s short-lived civilian fleet. In Homer's ''The Odyssey'' [[w:Scylla|Scylla]] is one of two monsters on either side of a narrow strait of water.
* "The goddess of victory" – Mentioned, but not named, in "[[Torn]]". Nike is the goddess of victory in Greek mythology.
* ''[[Triton]]'' – Son of Poseidon and messenger of the deep. A battlestar lost in the Fall of the Twelve Colonies wasnamed after this mythical figure.
* [[Troy (RDM)|Troy]] – A mining colony. In mythology, Troy was the site of legendary [[w:Trojan War|Trojan War]].
* ''[[Zephyr]]'' – A ship in the Fleet. Named after the Greek god of the west wind [[w:Anemoi#West_wind|Zephyrus]]. "Zephyr" is also a general name for the west wind.
* ''[[Zeusuda]]'' – A ship in the Fleet. Presumably named after the Greek chief god.

=== Roman references ===

*''[[Aurora]]'' – A ship in the Fleet. Named after the [[Aurora, Goddess of the Dawn|goddess of dawn]], who is mentioned by name and role in "[[Maelstrom]]". Her Greek counterpart is [[w:Eos|Eos]].
* ''[[Diana]]'' – A civilian ship in operation during the first Cylon War. Named after the the [[w:Diana (mythology)|goddess of the hunt]]; counterpart of the Greek [[Artemis]]. [[Diana Seelix]] and [[D'Anna Biers]] are also named after the goddess.
* [[Mars Day]] – A weekday or holiday named after the Roman god of war. This corresponds to Earth's Tuesday ("Mardi" in French).
* ''[[Mercury]]'' – The lead ship of the [[Mercury class battlestar|Mercury class]], named after the Roman god of trade, profit and commerce.
* [[Plutonium]] – An element named after Pluto, is the Roman god of the underworld.
* [[Joanne Pollux]] – One of the [[w:Castor and Pollux|twin sons of Jupiter]] along with Castor.
* The [[Eye of Jupiter]] – An ancient artifact named after the chief god of Roman mythology; counterpart of Zeus.
* [[Quotes:02 20|Titania]] – One of the suggested callsigns for [[Sharon Agathon]] in "[[Torn]]". The term was used to refer to the daughters of the Titans in [[w:Ovid|Ovid's]] ''Metamorphoses''. Titania is also the name of the queen of the fairies in William Shakespeare's ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' and later works by various authors.

=== Norse references ===
* ''[[Embla Brokk]]'' – A ship in the Fleet. The name may be derived from two separate figures of mythology: Embla, the first woman, and Brokk, a dwarf who helped create Draupnir (a magical ring) and Mjolnir (Thor's hammer).
* [[Ragnar]] – Ragnar is named in reference to ''[[w:Ragnarok|Ragnarok]]'', the apocalyptic battle between the Norse gods at the end of the world.
* ''[[Valkyrie]]'' – Valkyries are minor Norse deities and [[w:shieldmaiden|shieldmaidens]] who gathered up warriors to fight at Ragnarok.

=== Egyptian references ===
* ''[[Amduatey]]'' – A ship in the Fleet. Named after the [[w:Amduat|Amduat]], an important Ancient Egyptian funerary text inscribed in the tombs of dead pharoahs.
* [[Wikipedia:Isis|Isis]] – The name [[Maya]] gave to [[Hera Agathon]] when she was adopted. Named after an Egyptian goddess who was later adopted by the Greeks and Romans.

=== Other references ===
* ''[[Cybele]]'' – A ship in the Fleet. Named after the Earth mother [[w:Cybele|goddess]] of ancient Asia Minor.
* ''[[Enkidu]]'' – A ship in the Fleet. Named after the [[wikipedia:Enkidu|Enkidu]] of the [[wikipedia:Sumerian mythology|Sumerian mythological]] [[wikipedia:Epic of Gilgamesh|Epic of Gilgamesh]].

* [[Maya]] – The adoptive mother of Hera Agathon. May be named after the Hindu concept of [[Wikipedia:Maya (illusion)|Maya]] or the mother of the historical Buddha, [[Wikipedia:Queen Maya|Queen Maya]].

==Shared references ==
* The [[Adama]] name is probably derived from [[Wikipedia:Adam|Adam]].
* The name [[Cain]] is probably taken from the biblical [[Wikipedia:Cain and Abel|Cain]].
* [[Kobol]] – The name of this planet is based on "Kolob", the name of the "star nearest to God" as told in [[w:The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|Mormon scripture]].
* [[The Twelve Colonies]] – The pilot episode of the Original Series, "[[Saga of a Star World]]", as well as the Re-imagined [[Miniseries]] both show pyramidal buildings on Caprica.
* The Twelve Tribes – Jacob's (aka "Israel") twelve sons fathered the [[Wikipedia:Ten_Lost_Tribes#The_Twelve_Tribes|Twelve Tribes]] of Israel, who wandered the desert for 40 years.
* The names of the Twelve Colonies are derived from the Greek names of the western [[Wikipedia:Zodiac|Zodiac]].

==See also ==
* [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies (TOS)]] – Includes references that are derived from Egyptian and [[w:The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|LDS church]] sources for the [[Original Series]].
* [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies (RDM)]] – Includes references related to the Greco-Roman Olympic pantheon and other mythologies used in the Re-imagined Series.
* [[Language in the Twelve Colonies#Names]] – Information on mostly non-religious and non-mythological ancient influences on character names in the Re-imagined Series.

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:TOS]]
[[Category:RDM]]

Religion in the Twelve Colonies (RDM)

2016-05-13T13:50:07Z

KAMiKAZOW:

:''This article discusses the religion of the Colonies as seen in the [[Re-imagined Series]]. For summary information on the Kobollian religion from the [[Original Series]], see [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies (TOS)]].''
:''For information on the various mythologies used in ''Battlestar Galactica'', see [[Mythological references]].''

{{RDM twelve colonies series}}

The dominant '''religion of the Twelve Colonies''', which the various characters of ''Battlestar Galactica'' practice to greater or lesser extent, is a [[Wikipedia:polytheism|polytheistic]] faith<ref>The Colonial deities are very similar to the [[Wikipedia:Greek mythology|Olympic gods]] of Greek mythology on the real-world Earth.</ref> with a strong emphasis on the philosophy of [[Wikipedia:Eternal return|eternal return]]. There are several variants of this faith, in both belief and practice.
-
==Origin==
[[Image:Pythia.jpg|right|thumb|A portion of the Sacred Scrolls, specifically, a portion of the Book of [[Pythia]].]]
The eternal-return aspect between the peoples of [[Kobol (RDM)|Kobol]] and [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]] suggest a parallel or reverse-origin with humanity as a whole, or the [[Thirteenth Tribe (RDM)|Thirteenth Tribe]] that presumably populated it. See [[History of the Twelve Colonies]] for more analysis.

During the memorial following the [[Battle of Ragnar Anchorage|escape from Ragnar Anchorage]] ([[TRS]]: [[Miniseries, Night 2]]), [[William Adama]] states, "Life here began out there,<ref>This phrase is a homage to the [[Original Series]], where each episode began with this phrase in a voice-over introduction.</ref>" reminding the assembly that this was the first line of the [[Sacred Scrolls]], the principal religious tome of the Colonial faith, told to them by the Lords of Kobol many centuries ago.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Belief==
===The Lords of Kobol===
Colonial religion is centered on the Lords of Kobol. In the Re-imagined Series and ''Caprica'', eleven Lords of Kobol have been positively identified:
* [[Zeus]] – The leader of the Lords. [[Tom Zarek]] has twice referred to [[William Adama|Bill Adama]] as "Zeus" ("[[Bastille Day]]", "[[The Farm]]", as a play on [[Lee Adama]]'s callsign).
* [[Aphrodite]] – The lady of love and sexuality. Kara Thrace prays often to this Lord ([[TRS]]: "[[Flesh and Bone]]").
* [[Apollo, Lord of Kobol|Apollo]] – Zeus' son, said to be the lord of the hunt and of healing ([[TRS]]: "[[Bastille Day]]").
* [[Ares]] – The lord of war. The [[Nicholas Tyrol|infant son]] of [[Cally]] and [[Galen Tyrol]] is [[dedication ceremony|dedicated]] to this Lord of Kobol ([[TRS]]: "[[Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance|The Resistance, Episode 10]]").
* [[Artemis]] – Twin sister of Apollo, lady of the hunt. [[Kara Thrace]] prays often to this Lord ([[TRS]]: "[[Flesh and Bone]]").
* [[Asclepius]] – The lord of healing ([[TRS]]: "[[Escape Velocity]]").
* [[Athena, Lord of Kobol|Athena]] – This lord committed suicide "out of despair over the exodus of the thirteen tribes" ([[TRS]]: "[[Home, Part II]]"). Her [[Tomb of Athena|tomb]] holds a map to [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]").
* [[Aurora, Goddess of the Dawn]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Maelstrom]]")<ref>Aurora is the Roman counterpart of the Greek [[w:Eos|Eos]]. Eos is one of the [[w:Titans (mythology)|Titans]]. Since the Lords of Kobol are modeled after the [[w:Twelve Olympians|Twelve Olympians]] however, this could indicate that she is not one of the Lords, but belongs to another group of deities.</ref>.
*[[Hecate]] – Shapechanging goddess of the underworld ([[CAP]]: [[Caprica pilot|''Caprica'' pilot]]).
* [[Hera, Lord of Kobol|Hera]] – Wife of Zeus. A [[Gates of Hera|mountain ridge]] on Kobol is named after her ([[TRS]]: "[[Home, Part II]]"), and the [[Hera Agathon|first Cylon/human hybrid child]] is named for this lord ([[TRS]]: "[[Downloaded]]").
* [[Poseidon]] – [[Gaius Baltar]] mentions this deity in a conversation with [[Tracey Anne]] ([[TRS]]: "[[He That Believeth In Me]]"). Deckhand [[Brooks (RDM)|Brooks]] also prays to this lord. ([[TRS]]: "[[The Face of the Enemy]]")

The Colonials appear to use multiple names for their lords, interchanging "Mars" for "Ares", "Jupiter" for "Zeus", and so on.<ref>Curiously, [[Laura Roslin]] mentions that the 134th day of the Cylon occupation of [[New Caprica]] is Mars Day ([[TRS]]: "[[Occupation]]"), suggesting that Ares may also be called by his alternate Roman pantheon's name. The same happens again in "[[The Passage]]" when Zeus is referred to by the name of his Roman counterpart Jupiter.</ref>

====Afterlife====
Believers think that they will go to [[Fields of Elysium]] after death if they led a good life ([[TRS]]: "[[Faith]]"). <ref>This is clearly a direct parallel to the ancient Greek [[w:Elysium|Elysian Fields]], the part of the [[w:Hades|underworld]] corresponding to "heaven". The visual image of a ferry crossing a river also parallels the river [[w:Styx|Styx]].</ref>

==== Paradise Lost ====
According to the [[Sacred Scrolls]], the gods once shared a paradise-like existence with the people of [[Kobol (RDM)|Kobol]]. Later circumstances forced the exodus of the human population of Kobol to [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|the Twelve Colonies]] and [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]], and lead to Athena's suicide.

The existence of the Lords of Kobol is attested to by the survival of numerous artifacts, including the [[Arrow of Apollo]], the [[Tomb of Athena]] and the [[Gates of Hera]]. However, although she accepts their historic authenticity, [[Sharon Agathon|Caprica-Valerii]], a [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]], questions their actual divinity.<ref>There is a notion in fan circles that there are twelve lords of Kobol, by analogy to the twelve Cylon models, twelve Colonies, and perhaps the [[w:Twelve Olympians|Twelve Olympians]] of Greek mythology. A post from [[Ron D. Moore]]'s blog [http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2005/03/index.html#a000023 on March 12, 2005] loosely alludes on this coincidence, but further official sourcing has not been revealed.</ref>

====The Jealous God====
[[Elosha]] states that the exodus from Kobol was precipitated when "one jealous god began to desire that he be elevated above all the other gods, and the war on Kobol began." This god was eventually separated from the others.<ref>From a [[List of Deleted Scenes - Season 2 (RDM)#Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I|deleted scene]] cut from the episode "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]".</ref> This figure may be related to or identical with "[[The One Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken|the one whose name cannot be spoken]]," whose [[Temple of Five|temple]] is discovered on the [[algae planet]] ([[TRS]]: "[[The Eye of Jupiter]]").

====The Path of Olympus====
[[Tom Zarek]] conveys to [[Laura Roslin]] and her [[Laura Roslin faction|followers]] the news that Commander [[William Adama]] had resumed command of ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' after the attempt on his life by saying: "Zeus has returned to '''Olympus'''" ([[TRS]]: "[[The Farm]]").<ref>In Greek mythology, the home of the gods on Earth resided high atop Greece's highest mountain, Mount Olympus, at a time where access to the mountain summit would be almost impossible with the inhabitants' technology of that age.</ref> By Zarek's comment we can infer that Colonial religion appears to acknowledge the existence of a place called Olympus. It cannot yet be determined, however, if Olympus was thought of as the residence of the gods at a specific physical or ''metaphysical'' location of Kobol, as there has been no mention of Olympus elsewhere. If Olympus is a metaphysical locale, this may contradict [[Elosha]]'s comment that the gods and man lived on Kobol together in harmony.<ref>On the other hand, according to the ancient Greek poem ''[[w:Theogony|Theogony]]'' by Hesiod, the gods lived together with humankind until Prometheus' deception at Mecone, after which they dwelt exclusively on mount Olympus and humans exclusively on Earth. Perhaps, then, some transgression caused the Lords of Kobol and humankind to part paths.</ref>

===Other Mythological Names in Colonial Culture===
Various items have been identified which are apparently named after other gods and legendary figures of their faith, although these have not been explicitly identified as Lords of Kobol.

:''See main article: [[Mythological references]]''

===The Cycle of Time===
''"All this has happened before, and all this will happen again."''<ref>In a short talk he gave before a screening of "[[Flesh and Bone]]", Ron Moore revealed that he "stole" the line from the introduction of the Disney animated version of ''[[w:Peter Pan|Peter Pan]]'' (lecture [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9op6PC03LRA part 1] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w-9NglSNG0 part 2]).</ref>

According to [[Gaius Baltar]], this line from the [[Pythia]]n prophecy is very well known ([[TRS]]: "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]"). [[Laura Roslin]] later expands on it, reminding [[Kara Thrace]],

<blockquote>"If you believe in the gods, then you believe in the cycle of time that we are all playing our parts in a story that is told again, and again, and again throughout eternity" ([[TRS]]: "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]").</blockquote>

Various events have led some people to believe that they are playing out another turn of this cycle<ref>The notion of a circular progression of time (also known as [[w:eternal return|eternal return]] or eternal recurrence) is a common theme in other faiths, particularly [[w:Maya#Religion|Mayan]] mythology and is a cornerstone of the Hindu and Buddhist faiths. Moreover, [[w:Stoic|Stoic]] philosophy did believe in the concept of ''ekpyrosis'', the fire which consumes the old world and signals the birth of a new world, identical to the old, for a recurring cycle of birth, death and rebirth.</ref>. (see [[Sacred Scrolls]] for more detailed analysis).

===Sanctity of Life===
According to the Sacred Scrolls, abortion is "an abomination in the eyes of the Gods". The more fundamentalist [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenese]] strictly adhere to this commandment, however the more secular Colonies such as Caprica apparently do not follow this as strictly: officially, Colonies-wide Federal law guaranteed a woman the right to an abortion, at least at the time of the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] ([[TRS]]: "[[The Captain's Hand]]").

==Individual Practice==
The Colonials display a wide spectrum of religious practice, ranging from [[Billy Keikeya]]'s atheism ([[TRS]]: "[[Home, Part II]]", [[List of Deleted Scenes - Season 2 (RDM)#Home, Part II|cut scene]]) to Corporal [[Venner]]'s literalistic readings of the Sacred Scrolls.

While not fully explained in the Re-imagined Series, it appears, based on the information from a [[dedication ceremony]] for [[Nicholas Tyrol]] and the prayers of [[Kara Thrace]], that each Colonial is paired, or "placed in the service" with one or more of the Lords. Based on the dedication ceremony blessing, Zeus is a considered "almighty" or foremost of the gods, while other Lords are prayed to by Colonials as a proxy to Zeus.<ref>This practice is similar to a Catholic practice of prayer to Mary, mother of Jesus. While Mary is a human, followers believe that, by praying to Mary, she can intercede to aid the acceptance of the prayer by the [[w:Trinity|Trinity]], the godhead of the Catholic faith.</ref>

===Artifacts===
<div style="float:left; margin-right:1em;">[[Image:Bsg-arrow-apollo.jpg|75px]]</div>
Despite Gemenon's fundamentalist climate, the city of [[Delphi]] on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] was apparently of a mind to store an important religious artifact, the [[Arrow of Apollo]], in a [[Delphi Museum of the Colonies|museum]], rather than a devotional institution ([[TRS]]: "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]").

Ancient temples may be also be the repository of special artifacts such as the [[Eye of Jupiter]], believed to be stored inside the legendary [[Temple of Five]] ("[[Rapture]]", "[[The Eye of Jupiter]]").
<br clear="all">

===Confession===
At least some sects of the Colonial religion practice the concept of absolution of sins through confession. Brothers, and presumably priests as well, may hear confessions as demonstrated by [[Brother Cavil]] agreeing to hear Anders' confession ([[TRS]]: "[[The Plan]]"). It is not known if this practice is uniform throughout the Colonial religion or limited to certain sects.

A confession begins with the confessor saying, "Bless me, Brother, for I have acted against the example of the Gods." The Brother or Priest will then say, "Proceed in the name of the Gods," and after hearing the confession, they will end by saying, "You are absolved in the example of the Gods."

===Dress===
[[Image:Season 3 - Promo - Epi 1 - 2 - Oracle Selloi.jpg|right|thumb|200px|The robes of [[Dodona Selloi]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Exodus, Part I]]")]]
As seen by the various [[Laura Roslin faction|separatists]] orbiting Kobol ([[TRS]]: "[[Home, Part I]]"), it appears that many Colonials have clothing that suggests a religious deference. In the scene, one older, white-bearded gentleman is dressed in simple colored robes and a round, flat head covering<ref>These robes may remind viewers of the tradition dress of Hasidic Jews, Islamic clerics, or Eastern Orthodox clerics of the real-world Earth.</ref> Other distinctive dress styles of other characters in the scene increase the sense of the dedication of religion in the Gemenese people (which appear to comprise the majority of Roslin's separatists).

The [[oracle]] [[Dodona Selloi]] dresses in a turban and robes, suggesting a special role in Colonial society or its religious hierarchy ([[TRS]]: "[[Exodus, Part I]]").
<br clear="all">

===Idols===
<div style="float:right; margin-right:1em;">[[Image:Idols.jpg|100px]]</div>
Kara Thrace, a devotee of Artemis and Aphrodite, prays to them on behalf of [[Leoben Conoy]] using figurines that bear a similarity to classic representations of Artemis and Athena. Artemis is depicted with her bow and arrow, and Athena with her helmet of war ([[TRS]]: "[[Flesh and Bone]]").

When visting the oracle [[Yolanda Brenn]], Thrace receives a figurine of the goddess [[Aurora, Goddess of the Dawn|Aurora]] as a gift ([[TRS]]: "[[Maelstrom]]").
<br clear="all">

===Prayer===
<div style="float:left; margin-right:1em;">[[Image:The_Farm-Group_Worship.jpg|100px]]</div>
Some prisoners on the ''[[Astral Queen]]'' seeking rehabilitation have turned to group prayer. They greet Laura Roslin as a prophet and she provides them with a blessing ([[TRS]]: "[[The Farm]]").

Priest [[Elosha]] sings a group prayer in a [[Service for the dead]] after the Fleet escapes from the initial Cylon attack ([[TRS]]: [[Miniseries, Night 2]]).<ref>The language she sings is [[w:Sanskrit|Sanskrit]], a classical language of real-world Earth's Hindu/Indian peoples. More about the verses that she sings and their meaning can be found in the [[Language in the Twelve Colonies#Liturgy|Language in the Twelve Colonies]] article.</ref> The priest also gives a prayer after ''[[Colonial One]]'' is boarded by Commander Adama's troops to remove Roslin from power ([[TRS]]: "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]").

A chaplain delivered a simple prayer at the funeral of [[Zak Adama]], two years prior to the fall of the Colonies ([[TRS]]: "[[Act of Contrition]]")<ref>The prayer's mention of committing a "body to the ground from which we were all made" echoes the Biblical passage of [http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/bible/genesis/genesis3.htm Genesis 3:19]:'''
:"By the sweat of your brow
:you will eat your food
:until you return to the ground,
:since from it you were taken;
:for dust you are
:and to dust you will return."</ref>:

<blockquote>"The burdens of this life are with us but a short time. For Lieutenant Zak Adama, son of [[William Adama|William]] and [[Carolanne Adama]], brother of [[Lee Adama|Lee]], the time was too short, but we take comfort in knowing his life was willingly given in service to all of us. We honor them for that. And thus, it falls upon us to repent our sins and with the help of the Lords of Kobol, make our own lives worthy of that gift. And now, we commit his body to the ground from which we were all made."</blockquote>

Corporal [[Venner]] asks [[Laura Roslin]] to join him in a simple prayer while ''Galactica'' is attacked as it desperately tries to find its Fleet ([[TRS]]: "[[Scattered]]").
<blockquote>''(To Roslin:)'' Will you pray with me? ''(He begins:)'' Help us, Lords of Kobol. Help your prophet Laura guide us to the path of righteousness. That we might-- that we might destroy our enemies. Let us walk the path of righteousness and lift our faces unto your goodness. Help us turn away from the calls of the wicked and show us the knowledge of your certain salvation. We offer this prayer.</blockquote>

Prayer is also seen in the [[Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance|Season 3 webisode series]] in a temple (where prayers are written and then burned before an idol), and by [[Kara Thrace]] ([[TRS]]: [[Miniseries]], "[[Flesh and Bone]]").<br clear="all">
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

===Rosaries===
<div style="float:left; margin-right:1em;">[[Image:Rosary.jpg|100px]]</div>
As [[Laura Roslin]] begins to suffer from [[chamalla]] withdrawal in ''Galactica'''s brig, Corporal Venner, a [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenese]], anxiously clutches a set of white prayer beads ([[TRS]]: "[[Fragged]]").
<br clear="all">

===[[Temple]]===
[[Image:Resistance - Webisode 4.jpg|thumb|[[Nora Farmer|Nora]] and [[Cally Tyrol]] pray in a temple on [[New Caprica]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance#Episode 4|Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance – Episode 4]]").]]

Temples may have been more elaborate places on the Twelve Colonies, but the spaceborne remnants of humanity presumably use any space they can find on their ships to form a basic temple. As seen on [[New Caprica]], a basic temple may consist of a simple altar with candles, idols of the Lords of Kobol, and what meager offerings the Colonials can give as a [[w:tithe|tithe]]. Some prayers are written on paper and burned ([[TRS]]: "[[Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance]]").

The temple on New Caprica was known as the Temple of Artemis ([[TRS]]: "[[Collaborators]]"), suggesting that temples are dedicated to a Lord or Lords, and may be related to the pairing of Colonials to a specific set of Lords at their dedication ceremony.

A similar arrangement to temple is found in an [[Yolanda Brenn|oracle camp]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Maelstrom]]").

A room used for religious services on ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' is referred to as a temple ([[TRS]]: "[[Escape Velocity]]").
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===Sagittaron beliefs===
Orthodox [[Sagittaron#Culture|Sagittaron beliefs]] are more anachronistic than the Gemenese's, believing that the mind and body are myths, and that medicine is "an abomination, a sin against the Gods". Sagittarons also blame physicians for the spread of disease due to their ignorance of the aforementioned "myth" of the body and mind. They traditionally do not believe in violence, even to the point of not aiding the [[New Caprica Resistance]] in their fight against the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] occupation of [[New Caprica]] ([[TRS]]: "[[The Woman King]]").

===Other minority beliefs===
A small minority of the Colonials were secretly [[God (RDM)|monothiests]]. While it is not clear if such worship was still in practice in modern Colonial times up to the Cylon holocaust, an [[Temple of Five|unusual temple]] found on a [[Algae planet|remote planet]] suggests that monotheism was prevalent in the [[Thirteenth Tribe (RDM)|Thirteenth Tribe]].

After the [[Second Exodus]], [[Gaius Baltar]] later founds [[Cult of Baltar|a monotheistic cult]] that finds itself in conflict with the established faiths. Baltar's faith comes into direct, violent conflict with the [[Sons of Ares]] as well as the general Colonial polythiests. [[Mithraism]] is also noted in practice ([[TRS]]: "[[Escape Velocity]]")

==The Clergy==
The religious and government bodies of the Twelve Colonies work together. This association is likely based on the religious homogeneity of the Colonies.<ref>This differs from the United States, whose government is based on religious tolerance through the separation of religious practice and legislature. While the real-world Earth has many, many religions, the Twelve Colonies, as yet, appear to have only one religion and as such does not suffer greatly from schisms or other religious factions, although colonists such as the Gemenese show a different emphasis on how they interpret the religious writings.</ref>

===Priests/Priestesses===
[[Image:Season 3 - Promo - Collaborators - Priest.jpg|right|thumb|A male [[Unnamed characters (RDM)#Priest|priest]]. ([[TRS]]: "[[Collaborators]]").]]
[[Image:Elosha1.jpg|thumb|left|Elosha, priestess and friend of President Roslin. ([[TRS]]: "[[Home, Part I]]")]]
[[Laura Roslin]] [[Case Orange|is sworn into the presidency]] by a priestess<ref>In "[[Blood on the Scales]]", Baltar refers to Elosha as "the ''Priestess'' Elosha", indicating that women priests have a femanine title</ref>, [[Elosha]], who continues on in an advisory capacity within Roslin's administration. Priests also preside over military funerals, without regard for the beliefs of the deceased.

Priests in the Twelve Colonies are apparently not required to practice celibacy, and can be male or female. Chief [[Galen Tyrol]] states that his father was a priest and his mother an oracle ([[TRS]]: "[[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]").<ref>Galen Tyrol's information may be skewed by the revelation that he himself is a Cylon ([[TRS]]: "[[Crossroads, Part II]]").</ref>

According to [[Billy Keikeya]], some priests use [[chamalla]] for its hallucinogenic properties. The prescient dreams it imparted to Laura Roslin may imply the use of something similar by [[Pythia]], an ancient prophet. [[Oracle]]s also use the drug.
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===Brothers===
[[Image:Cyca2.jpg|left|thumb|The false Brother [[Cavil]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]").]]
The term ''Brother'' is used as a title for male members of the clergy, although it is not fully apparent whether this role is similar to that of a [[w:Monk|monk]] or [[w:Deacon|deacon]].

As with priests, a brother offers consultation and leads prayer.

The only instance of this clergy is Brother [[Cavil]], who offers guidance to Chief Tyrol.

Cavil, however, is revealed as a [[humanoid Cylon]] some time later. Because of Cavil's nature, there may be doubt as to whether Cavil is a useful example of the work of a Brother in Colonial religion.

It is probable that Brothers are lay clergy, unlike priests and oracles, who appear to have political status as well as their religious status.
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===Sisters===
[[Image:Tivenan.jpg|right|thumb|Sister Tivenan (right) at a [[dedication ceremony]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance|The Resistance: Episode 10]]")]]
As with Brothers in the clergy, there are ''Sisters'' as well.

Sister [[Tivenan]] is briefly seen tending to business in the temple on [[New Caprica]], guiding prayer and officiating a [[dedication ceremony]] for the [[Nicholas Tyrol|newborn son]] of [[Galen Tyrol|Galen]] and [[Cally Tyrol]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance]]").

It is probable that Sisters, like Brothers, are lay clergy.
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===Oracles===
{{mainarticle|Oracle}}
[[Image:Season 3 - Promo - Epi 1 - 2 - Oracle Selloi.jpg|left|thumb|The oracle [[Dodona Selloi]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Exodus, Part I]]").]]
[[Image:S3 oraclebrenn low.jpg|right|thumb|The oracle [[Yolanda Brenn]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Maelstrom]]").]]
There is little information as to the religious functions of ''oracles''. [[Dodona Selloi]] is one of two oracles seen in the Re-imagined Series. She confirms the dreams of a copy of [[Number Three]] and the existence of [[Hera Agathon|Hera]]. It is not clear if Selloi is sitting in a tent designated as a temple, but there are numerous ornate or curious inscriptions surrounding and inside her tent that suggest the significance of the oracle's tent or her presence. A second oracle, [[Yolanda Brenn]], gives counsel to [[Kara Thrace]] on her strange dreams aboard ''Galactica'' ([[TRS]]: "[[Maelstrom]]").

Priests and oracles may assume their roles due to an personal, possibly inherited affinity to sense spiritual changes or conditions. [[Galen Tyrol]], [[Final Five|believed to be the son of a priest and oracle]], detects the presence of and finds the [[Temple of Five]] alone, based only on his senses, apparently detecting the hidden temple on the otherwise-unremarkable (and undocumented) [[algae planet]] ([[TRS]]: "[[The Eye of Jupiter]]"). However, it is revealed later that he is in fact a humanoid Cylon, one of the ([[TRS]]: "[[Final Five]]"), and had visited the site before.
<br clear="all">

== A Cylon Connection ==
:''Main article: [[Cylon Religion]]''
:''See Also: [[The Destiny]], [[Final Five]], [[Temple of Five]]''

While humanoid Cylons show a strict, firm belief in a monotheistic [[God (RDM)|God]], referring to the Lords of Kobol as "false idols," a connection between the Cylon God and the Lords of Kobol may exist. During the Cylon occupation of New Caprica, an [[Selloi|oracle]] tells [[Number Three]] (who has a ''dream'' of the oracle's tent and of holding the believed-dead hybrid child [[Hera Agathon|Hera]]") that she has a message from the one that Number Three worships ([[TRS]]: "[[Exodus, Part I]]"). This poses the question how an oracle of the Lords of Kobol is able to hear the messages of the Cylon God.

The [[Temple of Five]], which a [[Number Three]] uses to visualize the identities of the [[Final Five]]", was not built for the Cylons (who were not created until 4,000 years later) but for humans. The Temple, according to the Sacred Scrolls, was built for five priests who worshiped "[[The One Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken]]". It is not clear if this was the spurned "jealous god" or another fallen member of the Lords of Kobol.<ref>While the notion of a fallen Lord is speculative in the Re-imagined Series, there is already a parallel series of characters from the [[Original Series]]: The [[Beings of Light]] and their fallen member, [[Iblis]]. [[Ron D. Moore]], however, has stated in several interviews that he was not planning to use this Original Series concept in the Re-imagined Series.</ref>

[[Kara Thrace]] realizes her [[The Destiny|destiny]], first from the words of a [[Leoben Conoy]] model, and later, in a type of dream, through an [[Messenger Leoben|entity that took the likeness of Leoben]], but was not a Cylon. From death, Thrace [[Crossroads, Part II|returns]] to the Fleet, not as an illusion, but resurrected -- something that, prior to Thrace, only a humanoid Cylon could do.

== Notes ==
In a podcast, RDM mentioned that it was intended that there would be many sectarian divisions and religious denominations within colonial society, ranging from a Hellenic-style Cult of Athena to more Buddhist and Hindu forms of worship, and including monotheistic minorities. Mithraism is presumably one such minority belief, similar to the real-life minority Mithraic religion of Roman times. This diversity was not fully shown due to time constraints, but would later be made more apparent in ''Caprica''.

It seems that Colonial society protects freedom of worship and encourages religious diversity to some degree. However, certain monotheistic organizations such as the [[Soldiers of the One]] and the [[Cult of Baltar]] are strongly anti-polytheistic, and some devout polytheists such as [[Jordan Duram]] take strong exception to the doctrine of monotheism.

The Tauron funeral rite ([[CAP]]: "[[There Is Another Sky]]") mirrors the Ancient Greek rite of placing a coin on the head of the dead for the Charon, the ferryman who took the souls of the dead across the Rivers Styx and Acheron to The Underworld. The idea of eternal return "all of this has happened before, and will happen again" is strongly present in many forms of Hinduism, which see the universe as cyclical. The use of oracles and icons of deities reflects many historical Indo-European religions from Ancient Greek to Hindu, as well as different shamanistic practices. Additionally the priests of the Lords of Kobol wear different vestments perhaps indicating divisions similar to Protestantism/Catholic/Orthadox in Christianity.

The use of the names of certain real-life pagan Gods as personal names (like the Germanic Odin) as well as the presence of interchangable Greco-Roman names for the same gods (i.e. Jupiter/Zeus or Mars/Ares) may suggest that the worship of the Lords of Kobol uses different names for the same Gods depending on language. Different colonies may call the same Lords of Kobol names like the Germanic Tyr, Roman Jupiter, Greek Zeus Pater, Indian Deus Pita interchangably. Alternatively, it is possible that some polytheists in the colonies worship a different pantheon altogether, or include the worship of other gods along with the 12 Lords of Kobol, just as how there are Titans and Olympians in Greek religion, Asir and Vanir in Germanic religion, or Devas and Asuras in Hindu religion.

The punchline of [[Blood_on_the_Scales#Noteworthy_Dialogue|the joke]] that [[Tom Zarek]] tells [[Racetrack]] as he is escorted from the flight deck in "[[Blood_on_the_Scales#Notes|Blood on the Scales]]" suggests that pedophilia by priests may have been an issue among the clergy of the Twelve Colonies, similar to [[w:Abuse_by_members_of_Roman_Catholic_orders|anecdotes and allegations]] involving the Roman Catholic Church.

==References==
<div style="font-size:85%"><references/></div>

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U-87 Cyber Combat Unit

2010-01-30T19:45:23Z

KAMiKAZOW: /* Research and Development (68-58 Years Before the Fall) */

[[File:CylonPrototype.jpg|300px|thumb|right|The [[Cylon Prototype]] created by [[Daniel Graystone]].]]

The '''Cylon Prototype''' was created by [[Daniel Graystone]] on [[Caprica]].

==Creation==
In the period immediately before the [[First Cylon War]], humans in the [[Twelve Colonies]] – especially the affluent [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprican]]s – were utilizing semi-sentient machines in many capacities: as butlers, couriers, and in other menial domestic roles. Adapting semi-intelligent machines for military use was a seemingly inevitable next step.

=== Research and Development (68–58 Years Before the Fall) ===

Beginning some sixty-eight years before the fall of the Colonies, the Caprican Ministry of Defense commissioned the famed scientist/industrialist Dr. [[Daniel Graystone]] to develop what they called the U-87 cyber combat unit, a semi-sentient bipedal robot that would effectively replace the armed human soldier. Over the next several years, Graystone labored over the project. Designing and building a cybernetic body was a relatively simple affair, but the more important part - the creation of a functioning artificial intelligence capable of driving that body - proved to be far more difficult. This resulted in numerous delays and cost overruns; what had been intended to be a five-year project ended up taking ten years, and costing five hundred million [[cubits]] more than was originally budgeted. The delays caused friction between Graystone and the Caprican government. The Prime Minister began applying pressure on the Defense Minister, [[Val Chambers]], to demand results from Graystone or find someone else to do so.

=== Personal Tragedy and Corporate Espionage (58 Years Before the Fall) ===
Matters reached a head when Graystone's major competitor, [[Tomas Vergis]], founder and CEO of the Vergis Corporation on Tauron, declared that he had developed a functioning [[meta-cognitive processor]] (MCP), and was on Caprica to present it to Defense Minister Chambers. It had been assumed, on the basis of reliable intelligence, that Vergis was years behind Graystone on such research. Now, suddenly, Vergis threatened to race ahead of Graystone; if he had a working brain, all that was needed would be to install it into a robot body. Vergis would steal the cyber combat unit contract, and Graystone would be left out in the cold.

At the same time that Graystone was confronting these challenges, he also suffered a grievous personal blow when he learned that his daughter [[Zoe Graystone|Zoe]] was killed in a suicide bombing of the [[Caprica City]] [[Lev]] tram system. The horror of that loss was alleviated when Graystone learned that, before her death, Zoe had learned to create an online avatar into which she had uploaded her personality, resulting in an artificial personality practically indistinguishable from the original. Graystone decided to recreate his daughter, downloading the avatar into the U-87 prototype as a prelude to creating a physically identical cybernetic body. Now he had more than one reason to need a functioning machine mind, and he didn't have one; only his competitor Vergis did.

Graystone found a way around this by taking advantage of his recently-formed relationship with an attorney, [[Joseph Adams]], who had also lost family in the tragedy. Adams had close connections (though reluctant ones) to a [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Tauron|Tauron]]-based organized crime syndicate, the [[Ha'la'tha]]. Normally, this syndicate would have no reason to act against a fellow Tauron like Vergis, but coincidentally, Defense Minister Chambers was engaging in actions that threatened to upset the syndicate's plans. Intrigued by the possibility that the MCP could be used to restore his lost wife and daughter along with Graystone's daughter, Adams, on behalf of the syndicate, delivered a warning to Chambers to see the error of his ways; in exchange for this service, the syndicate stole the Vergis MCP for Graystone. In the event, Chambers did not exactly see the light; instead, he threatened to gut the organization, threats that came to naught when he was found dead in bed with his throat slit. His successor, [[Joan Leyte]], was far more inclined to continue doing business with Graystone, a Caprican, than to trust Taurons of any stripe. Vergis had lost his trump card, and despite making accusations of theft and espionage, he had no solid proof. Graystone’s position was secure.

[[image:u-87.jpeg | thumb | left | The U-87 ]]
With the MCP in his possession, Graystone labored diligently to adapt it for his secret project: downloading the Zoe avatar. Initially, there was some progress, but while downloading the avatar, the data stream, seemingly corrupted, deteriorated. The download seemed to have failed, and the avatar itself could not be found online either. All his effort seemed to have come to naught: his daughter remained dead. But Graystone's personal failure remained just that: despite the apparent loss of the Zoe personality, the installation of the MCP permitted the U-87 prototype to function perfectly. In a live-fire exercise held by Graystone for Defense Minister Leyte and ranking officers of the Caprican military, the U-87 successfully eliminated all target drones in mere minutes. The cyber combat unit proved itself to be everything wished for. Graystone referred to the U-87 in front of Leyte as a Cybernetic Life-form Node, or [[Cylon (RDM)|Cylon]], and the name stuck.

=== The Shape of Things to Come (58 Years Before the Fall) ===
But the Cylon prototype in fact was distinctive in a way that even its creators and founders could not fully understand: the Zoe simulacrum had in fact successfully downloaded into the U-87 endoskeleton, though it had taken some time to acclimate itself to its new systems. The result would end up having catastrophic consequences for Colonial society: a powerful and practically unstoppable killing machine had been created, driven by the personality of a highly intelligent but immature young person who was confused, frightened and resentful.

Moreover, Zoe had in life been a member, or at least a sympathizer, of the [[Soldiers of the One]] (STO), a terrorist group that rejected the polytheistic beliefs of Caprican society, and instead believed in the concept of a single all-loving, all-powerful God. This belief, that there was such a thing as definable right and wrong, and a God who knew the difference between the two, was seen as a breath of fresh air to young people like Zoe, who had become appalled by the decadence of the society they were born into and sought to change it, in some cases through violence. This fact may account for why the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Cylon Centurion]]s had already developed a monotheistic belief by the time of the [[Cylon War]].

==Appearance==
A close examination of the U-87 reveals that it is in fact nearly identical in construction to the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005]], lacking only the chrome armor plating meant to protect the Centurion's more sensitive internal machinery under field conditions. Additionally, the tracking scanner of the U-87 model is somewhat more crude than the 0005 version; it can change colors depending on the U-87's operating mode and can stop and focus on a single object, where the 0005's is always red and is continually moving side to side.

{{Template:Characters (RDM Cylons)}}

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Resurrection Ship

2006-12-03T21:34:18Z

KAMiKAZOW: /* Second Exodus */

: ''This article discusses the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] spacecraft called the Resurrection Ship. For the episodes of the same name, see "[[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]" and "[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]".''

{{Ship Data
| image= 211 004.jpg
| title= Resurrection Ship
| race= [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]]
| type= Military
| ftl= Yes
| crew= Unknown
| role= Cylon ressurection
| weapons=
| status=
| img=
}}
The '''Resurrection Ship''' is a large vessel specifically dedicated to the "resurrection" of [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] [[Cylon agent|humanoids]] who are killed. Normally, upon death, their consciousnesses are downloaded into new identical bodies on the [[Cylon homeworld]], but for Cylon agents located farther and farther away from home - such as those hidden within the humans' refugee [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]] - this is not possible, as the download range of a humanoid Cylon is limited.

For this reason, when the Cylons began pursuing The Fleet, they incorporated the Resurrection Ship at the center of their pursuit force, to provide their agents with a fallback position; if they were killed, their consciousnesses could be downloaded to new bodies without concern. Without that ship, a killed Cylon would truly die, as their consciousnesses also would be cut off.

It is also apparent that the resurrection process is involuntary in that Cylon Agents cannot chose to die permanently, nor can other Cylons in control of the Resurrection Ship chose to prevent a dead agent from being downloaded. The only way to prevent a dead Cylon from downloading is to move the Resurrection ship out of range of the agent ([[Torn]]).

Based on testimony provided by [[Gina]] and on reconnaisance photos taken by [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] (using the [[Blackbird]]), the ship contains multiple copies of [[Cylon agent]] models, along with all the apparatus necessary for resurrection ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).

[[Image:Bscap243.jpg|thumb|left| ''Pegasus'' reconnaissance photos]]
===Pursuing the Fleet===
When ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' happened upon a Resurrection Ship, later found to be pursuing the Fleet, they discover the ship was escorted by two [[basestar (RDM)|basestar]]s and approximately a dozen support vessels. It is assumed that the ships were following the Fleet since the exodus from the Colonies. ''Pegasus'' located this ship and its escorts sometime after the [[Fall of the Scorpian Fleet Shipyards]] and in turn used the Cylon fleet's movements to locate ''Galactica''.

[[Image:Res Ship Int.jpg|thumb|right|An interior view of the Cylon Resurrection Ship]]
A copy of [[D'anna Biers]] on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] tells of two [[Cylon Raider]]s from this Cylon fleet that are destroyed while relaying a [[Final Cut|documentary on ''Galactica'''s crew]] back to what she called "''the'' fleet," presumably the same Cylon fleet guarding this ship.

Prior to Thrace's recon flight, the function and configuration of the Resurrection Ship was a complete mystery. Admiral Cain speculates that it was a command and control ship, while Adama suggests that it might be a [[Raider]] factory. The two ships begin planning an offensive strike on it, but tension between Admiral [[Helena Cain]] and Commander [[William Adama]] quickly escalate and threatened to derail the operation ("[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]"). Only after Thrace's arrival with data regarding the unknown ship did the standoff end.

===Destruction===

In a [[Battle of the Resurrection Ship|joint operation]] by the both ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'', the Resurrection Ship is disabled and soon destroyed ([[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]) using a number of Colonial civilian transports left to bait the basestar's Raiders away from the Cylon Fleet. The fighters are engaged and kept occupied by the [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]] protecting the "helpless" Colonial ships.

With the Cylon fleet divided, the two battlestars attack the two basestars, their offensive power greatly diminished by the lack of their Raider forces. As the Resurrection Ship attempts to flee, the [[Blackbird]], piloted by Lieutenant [[Lee Adama]], slips within the ship's superstructure and disables the ship's [[FTL]] drive. As the two escort basestars are hacked to pieces by the battlestars' gun [[battery|batteries]], the Resurrection Ship, without any defensive support or offensive guns of its own, is quickly destroyed by another Viper squadron, led by [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]].

After its destruction, the imprisoned Cylon [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]] reveals to Thrace that the Resurrection Ship had also served to ressurrect the consciousnesses of destroyed [[Cylon Raider]]s. The loss of the ship forces the Cylons to change their attack tactics from direct frontal assaults on [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]] ''en masse'' to more cautious hit-and-run [[Scar|Raider strikes]] and [[The Captain's Hand|coy traps]]. In addition, [[Gina]] cannot be resurrected again ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]).

== Second Exodus ==
[[Image:Baseshipandresship.jpg|thumb|left|Another Resurrection Ship amidst the Cylon Fleet.]]
In the Cylon fleet leaving [[New Caprica]] during the [[Second Exodus]], a second Resurrection Ship's existence is confirmed. The Cylons have assigned at least five basestars to guard it as oppossed to only two for the previous ship ([[Collaborators]]).

When a Basestar falls prey to a deadly disease, the Resurrection Ship is ordered to jump to a distance outside the downloading area of the ship in order to halt the spread of the disease, thereby resulting in the permanent deaths of the Basestar's entire contigent of biological Cylons ([[Torn]]).

Later on, this Resurrection Ship nearly falls victim to a plan formulated by Galactica to kill their Cylon prisoners infected with the virus so that the it would spread into the Resurrection Ship, presumably resulting in the infection and death of a great majority, if not the entire, Cylon race ([[A Measure of Salvation]]).

[[Image:ResuChamb.jpg|thumb|right|A Resurrection Chamber within the Ship.]]
After having strange dreams which she believes to be a message from [[God|God]], a [[Number Three|Three]] orders a Centurion to execute her, which results in her being reborn in the Resurrection Ship that is travelling with the Cylon fleet. This is the first instance in which the interior of a Resurrection Ship is seen clearly, and it proves to be nearly identical in design to the Basestars, with the noticeable difference that it does not have the "Cylon Eye" strip of light seen in the Basestars ([[Hero]]).

{{Ships}}

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{{featured article candidate previous}}

Socinus

2006-12-03T21:09:02Z

KAMiKAZOW:

{{Character Data
|photo= Socinus.JPG
|age=
|colony= [[Aerelon]]
|birthname= Socinus
|callsign=
|seen= Miniseries
|death= Died on [[Kobol]] by euthanasia to be spared from an otherwise slow painful death ([[Valley of Darkness]])
|parents=
|siblings=
|children=
|marital status= Single
|role= Viper and Raptor Maintenance, [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''
|rank= Specialist
|actor= [[Alonso Oyarzun]]
|cylon=
|name=
}}

Specialist '''Socinus''' is a deckhand aboard [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' assigned to Chief [[Galen Tyrol]]. Near the time of the [[Cylon Attack]] on the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]], he is attached to [[Deck Crew 5]], and is responsible for [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] and [[Raptor]] maintenance.

Socinus, [[Prosna]], and [[Cally]] are late in wrapping one the flight deck crew’s two surprise gifts for the retiring Commander [[William Adama]] – a photo of young Adama and his two sons, [[Lee Adama|Lee]] and [[Zak Adama|Zak]] found by Prosna in the [[Colonial Fleet]] archives. When Adama runs into them as he worked on the decommissioning ceremony speech, Socinus covers up their nervousness in hastily hiding the gift photo by complaining about the leaks they had to patch on the windows that cover the now-pressurized starboard [[flight pod]], which houses a museum of relics from the [[Cylon War]] ([[Miniseries]]).

In the aftermath of [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet’s]] escape from [[Ragnar Anchorage]], Socinus appears to be located in a records room on ''Galactica'', tasked with gathering contact information from other crewmembers on the battlestar who hope of gaining any information on loved ones missing in the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|nuclear destruction of the Twelve Colonies]]. When [[Anastasia Dualla]], a citizen from Sagittaron, asks how many others from her colony are identified in the Fleet, Socinus, his voice filled with fatigue, tells the petty officer that there are 5,251 Sagittarons alive, but photos can’t be transmitted around the Fleet to aid in locating them yet. He directs her place her photo of her family with his group or in an adjoining hallway-turned-memorial, filled with shrines and pictures of missing or lost friends and family ([[33]]).

In the process of an investigation of a bombing by a copy of [[Aaron Doral]] using stolen ordinance from one of ''Galactica’s'' arms lockers, Socinus is charged with "conspiracy and collusion with a Cylon agent" and arrested by [[Hadrian|Master-At-Arms Sergeant Hadrian]]. Aware that Tyrol and Valerii were having intimate relations at the time, Socinus covers for Tyrol and falsely claims that he left open a hatch combing to causeway C and to the arms locker by accident.

It was likely Valerii’s sleeper [[Cylon agent|Cylon personality]] that entered through that hatch combing, leaving it open so a copy of [[Aaron Doral]] could gain access to the explosives.

[[William Adama|Commander Adama]] doubts Socinus' actions (being aware of Tyrol and Valerii’s relationship). Tyrol confesses to Adama that he was with Valerii at the time of the bombing, with the deck gang covering for him. This did not result in Socinus' release, as he did lie before the tribunal.

Socinus is released on parole for the scout mission to [[Kobol]] ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Pt. I]]) by request of Tyrol due to the extreme short-handedness of experienced crew. He becomes stranded on Kobol with the rest of the survivors of [[Raptor 1]].

Socinus sustains critical injuries including severe smoke inhalation during the crash. He is treated with [[serisone]] to prevent fluid from building up in his lungs. Despite the efforts of [[Tarn]], [[Cally]] and [[Galen Tyrol]] ([[Scattered]]) to acquire another medkit from the crash site to help keep him alive, Socinus' injuries are too severe. In the end, Tyrol euthanizes Socinus by [[morpha]] overdose to save him from a slow and agonizing death ([[Valley of Darkness]]).

[[Image:Socinus Valleyofdarkness.JPG|thumb|left|Socinus dying on Kobol ([[Valley of Darkness]]).]]

==Notes==

Socinus has the zodiac sign for Aries tatooed on his right arm (deleted scene on season 1 DVD)

{{Characters}}

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Characters (RDM)]]
[[Category:People from Aerelon]]
[[Category:RDM]]

Cylon detector

2006-12-03T21:03:10Z

KAMiKAZOW:

A '''Cylon detector''' is a scientific method of determining whether a subject is human or a [[Cylon]]-replicated clone.

Created by Dr. [[Gaius Baltar]], the test is administered by subjecting a person's blood to radioactive material taken from one of ''[[Galactica]]'s'' nuclear warheads, at the suggestion of [[Number Six]] ([[Bastille Day]]). The test results are simple: either "red", indicating Cylon, or "green", indicating human. Yet with a single test cycle lasting approximately eleven hours, Baltar estimates it will take over 60 years (not counting breaks for sleep, food, bathroom, etc.) to test the whole fleet (numbering almost 50,000 people) ([[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]).

Development work on the Cylon detector had previously been halted when Dr. Baltar was accused by [[Shelly Godfrey]] of being a traitor and temporarily thrown in the [[brig]] ([[Six Degrees of Separation]]). Baltar's "innocence" was proven, however, by Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]], who had previously been ordered by Commander [[William Adama]] to assist Baltar in the development of the device ([[Water]]). Although considered a military secret, the Cylon detector is nevertheless the subject of constant rumor and innuendo ([[Act of Contrition]]).

Curiously, the Cylons themselves (in the form of Number Six) are the ones who initially suggest the construction of the Cylon detector by using the nuclear materials. Moreover, Baltar was only put in charge of the project because of his earlier detection of the fleet's first Cylon infiltrator, [[Aaron Doral#PR Executive (Doral #1)|Aaron Doral]], which was also greatly influenced by Number Six. ([[Miniseries]]) So, ironically, the Cylon detector is very much a product of Cylon invention.

The Cylon detector does, in fact, work. It confirmed that [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon Valerii]] was, indeed, a Cylon – a fact that Baltar hid from Valerii, fearing what her Cylon persona would do were he to tell her. ([[Flesh and Bone]]) After discovering that it would be easier for Baltar to make all the results "green", Baltar altered the device to mimic his method of thinking ([[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]).

Presently the Cylon detector is inoperative, as Dr. Baltar "donated" the nuclear warhead component of the device to [[Gina]] and her fellow [[Demand Peace]] operatives ([[Epiphanies]]).

Over a year later, the [[Lymphocytic encephalitis]] virus is accidentally discovered as fatal to Cylon agent physiology but harmless to humans. This revelation could be used as a future detector ([[A Measure of Salvation]]).

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Cylons]]
[[Category:Cylons (RDM)]]
[[Category:Technology]]
[[Category:Technology (RDM)]]
[[Category:RDM]]

Hera, Lord of Kobol

2006-03-11T21:46:48Z

KAMiKAZOW: /* External Links */

:''For the daughter of [[Karl Agathon]] and [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)]], see [[Hera]].''
[[Image:Hera.jpg|thumb|Statue of Hera]]

== Colonial Mythology ==
Hera, Lord of Kobol, watched [[Athena, Lord of Kobol|Athena]] commit suicide by throwing herself from a mountain, in despair over the exodus of the Thirteen Tribes of Man. The point Athena fell from is now referred to as the [[Gates of Hera]]. The Gates mark the entrance to the [[Tomb of Athena]] on [[Kobol]].

== Greek Mythology ==
Hera is the wife and sister of [[Zeus]], and Queen of the Gods. She is the goddess of marriage. Hera hated the great hero [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules Hercules] because he was the son of her husband Zeus and a mortal woman. Hera set in motion the events which led to Hercules' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Labours Twelve Labors].

In Greek mythology, Hera was the reigning female goddess of Olympus because she was Zeus's wife. It has been surmised that her worship is actually far older than that of her husband. It goes back to a time when the creative force we call "God" was conceived of as a woman.

== Internal Links ==
*[[Greek Gods|Olympian Pantheon]]
*[[Lords of Kobol]]
*[[Gates of Hera]]

== External Links ==
* [[Wikipedia:Hera|Hera at Wikipedia]]

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Colonial History]]
[[Category:Colonial Religion]]
[[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:Lords of Kobol]]

Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I

2006-03-04T18:39:04Z

KAMiKAZOW: /* Summary */

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I.jpg|300px]]
| Title= Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I
| Series= [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|The Re-imagined Series]]
| Season= [[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode= 19
| Guests= [[Richard Hatch]] ([[Tom Zarek]])<br>[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] ([[Brother Cavil]]) <br> [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0874001/ Michael Trucco] as ([[Samuel Anders]])
| Writer=[[Ronald D. Moore]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=
| Rating=
| US Airdate=March 3, 2006
| UK Airdate=
| DVD=
| Population= 49,579
| Prev= [[Downloaded]]
| Next= [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]
}}

== Overview ==
''As the presidential election looms just weeks away, the accidental discovery of a habitable planet sparks debate in the Fleet: Colonize? Or keep seeking Earth? Meanwhile, Starbuck leads a rescue mission of Raptors back to Caprica to save Anders and his resistance''.

== Summary ==
*[[William Adama|Adama]] has finally given [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] the go-ahead to plan a rescue mission to [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Caprica]]. On [[Pegasus (RDM)|''Pegasus'']], she lays out their plan: they will use ''all'' of their remaining [[Raptor|Raptors]] — 20 in all — and use the navigation computer/organ from one of the captured [[Heavy Raider]]s to calculate the Jumps back to Caprica. Using this, they can make it back to Caprica in a series of 10 Jumps. They will go undetected when they reach Caprica by making a risky jump to just a few klicks above the surface, within the atmosphere itself, below [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] [[DRADIS]]. Their biggest obstacle to doing this was actually interfacing with the Heavy Raider's navigation "computer", but now they will take [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|''Caprica''-Sharon]] along in Starbuck's Raptor with it; Sharon will directly interface with the computer (by inserting a fiber-optic cable into her arm, like she did in "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]").
*The presidential election is two weeks away, and [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] is ahead in the polls. The only real arguments that [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] has against her that give him any ground are when he accuses her of pandering to the religious fundamentalists (i.e. her recent policy switch on abortion) and guiding the Fleet based on the scriptures alone. Conferring with his campaign manager [[Tom Zarek]] in his lab, Baltar realizes he'll need more than this to turn the fleet againt Roslin. Meanwhile, Roslin is doing a little rehearsal ritual for the presidential debate with Adama in his quarters.
*On the hangar deck, [[Galen Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] is sleeping on the floor and twitching convulsively, having a nightmare. [[Cally]] searches around the deck to find him, and is confused by the sight when she finds him. Cally tried to wake Tyrol up, but snapping right out of his nightmare he attacks Cally, punching her in the face until she is a bloody pulp and unconscious. Realizing where he is and what's going on, Tyrol is horrified, and carries Cally in his arms to sickbay.
*[[Lee Adama|Apollo]], now commander of ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', has conflicting feelings about Starbuck's mission to rescue Anders, but wishes her good luck in finding him.
*[[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and ''Caprica''-Sharon travel in Starbuck's Raptor. Sharon is still deeply depressed about her daughter [[Hera]]'s seeming death, and has been shutting herself out. Helo tells her that he won't let her do that and won't give up on her. Sharon tells him that she has the feeling that something bad will happen in the future; not on the mission to Caprica, but something else.
*On the very first jump out of the series of ten, [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]]'s Raptor jumps to the wrong set of coordinates. Starbuck's orders were to keep going ahead until they lose 3 Raptors, so they go on ahead, while Racetrack prepares to follow her orders to return to [[Galactica (RDM)|''Galactica'']] if separated. Her Raptor jumped into the middle of a gas cloud with a lot of interference, and upon clearing it, a new planet is found. Scanners indicate that it is a human-habitable planet. She returns to ''Galactica'' with news of the discovery.
*The crew goes over the scans from the planet; it can sustain human life and subsequent scouting shows that in contains animal and vegetative life; they could indeed settle here. However, it is a cold world and somewhat harsh; only a temperate band around the equator covering about 20% of the surface would be habitable. After some prodding from [[Six]], Baltar and Zarek realize that they can use this as their wedge issue to turn the people against Roslin: offer them permament colonization on this planet.
*[[Tory Foster|Tory]] goes over new poll numbers with Roslin on [[Colonial One]]: Baltar has been gaining ground with his new offer to stop running from the Cylons and stay here. The planet is hidden by interference from the gas clouds, and many people want to just stop their constant chase in the refugee fleet. Roslin points out that if the Colonials could find the planet, the Cylons could just as easily. Also, life on the planet would be harsh. Tory points out that Baltar is pandering to the people's hopes, giving them false ones that they greatly desire, while Roslin is pointing out justifiable fears that they simply don't want to hear; people will vote their hopes.
*Shocked by his attack on Cally, Chief Tyrol has asked for religious counselling, and meets with a priest named [[Brother Cavil]]. Tyrol explains that it is because he doesn't believe that psychoanalysis works, but is himself a very [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies|religious]] man. Cavil is somewhat loose and sarcastic in his counseling, leaving Tyrol a little pertubed and confused. Cavil tells Tryol that he must look for the problem in himself and questions Tyrol, and when Tyrol denies that he has been having disturbing dreams, Cavil can see through it, so Tyrol relents.
*For weeks, Tyrol has been having the recurring dream that he walks onto the upper level of the hangar deck, climbs over the railing and kills himself by jumping to his death. Cavil says it is because Tyrol has a subconscious desire to kill himself. Tyrol explains that he has had the gnawing worry since [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|''Galactica''-Sharon]] died that he might himself be a [[Humano-Cylon|Cylon]]. ''Galactica''-Sharon never really knew she was a Cylon, even up to the point that she died, but reported strange fears that something bad was going to happen and she had to stop herself: how would Tyrol, or anyone else, really ''know'' if they were a Cylon sleeper agent or not? Tyrol is frightened by the prospect.
*Cavil assured Tyrol that he is not a Cylon, sarcastically quipping that he knows because he is a Cylon himself, and hasn't seen Tyrol at any of the meetings. Tyrol feels ashamed to go back to the hangar deck crew after the accident, but Cavil assures him that they're the only family he has left, and they love him. Cally most of all.
*At the final presidential debate, Baltar's charisma and hopes of finally giving up their run from the Cylons starts to pull him ahead in the polls, and Roslin's warnings that this planet is not safe and determination to keep searching for Earth do not gain wide support. Baltar apparently wins the final debate. Roslin tells him to go frak himself.
*The Raptors rescuse mission makes the final jump to Caprica. [[Raptor 612]] is lost because it jumps right into the middle of a mountain. The remaining Raptors continue on, then Starbuck, Helo, Sharon and the marines continue on foot.
*One klick away from the resistance's base camp, they see movement, and find [[Samuel Anders|Anders]] and his whole group. Starbuck is overjoyed to see him, but Anders warns that the Cylons are right behind them; the resistance's base was ambushed that morning, and half of Anders' men are dead.
*The [[Colonial Marine Corps|marines]] and [[Resistance (movement)|resistance]] members start coming under Cylon artillery fire. After running briefly, they reach a point where the arc of the artillery shells is right above them, and cannot hit them. However, the artillery's killzone is now between them and retreat back to the Raptors. To be continued...

== Questions ==
*If [[Raptor 612]] was destroyed by jumping into a mountain, how was their transponder still operational?
*Does the fleet have the resources to sustain long term settlements on the newly found planet?
**Shelter could be taken care of by canabalizing the ships of the fleet for building materials. But the question of how many homes can be made for how many of the 49,000+ survivors simply by recycling the materials availible still remains. Even if ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' themselves were recycled, would there be enough materials, or would the Battlestars still be necessary for orbital defence?

== Analysis ==
*Timeline:
**Zarek states that the people of the fleet have been "cooped up in metal boxes for nine months", putting this episode not long after "[[Downloaded]]".
**At the beginning of the episode, the election is still "two weeks away".
**At the conclusion of the debates, the polls will open in three days.
*[[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]] is apparently assigned to ''Pegasus'' at present, since Dualla refers to her mission as the "Pegasus survey team".
*[[Lee Adama]] is now wearing a wristwatch, perhaps [[Barry Garner]]'s from "[[The Captain's Hand]]".

== Notes ==
*When Baltar sarcastically quips that Zarek (and Six) expect him to just sit around and wait for "The Hand of God" to deliver them something they can use to their advantage against Roslin, he is of course referencing the previous episode titled "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]".
*When Lt. Gaeta takes his shirt off in the head, he can be seen to still be sporting the tiger tatoo that we first saw in "[[Final Cut]]".
*The combined Colonial fleet had 20 Raptors in this episode, of which 2 were destroyed before the end. Previously, ''Galactica'' was confirmed to have only at least 5 left (stated in "[[The Farm]]"). Doubtlessly, ''Pegasus'' brought at least an equal number of Raptors with it when it joined the Fleet, but 20 is still a high number for this. Perhaps a disproportionately large number of Raptors escaped to [[Ragnar Anchorage]] during the [[Miniseries]]; unlike Vipers, Raptors do have FTL drives. We actually saw Boomer and Helo escaping the destruction of their Viper squadron, because Raptors do not engage in frontline combat, and because they have an extenstive ECM suite which Helo was trying to jam the Cylon virus signal with, slowing down it's progress (though not stopping it). Perhaps this type of event happened in several places around the Twelve Colonies; Raptors, pulling back away from combat behind the Vipers to provide ECM support, were able to Jump away when they realized their Vipers were being slaughtered. Because they had FTL drive, like Boomer when she left Caprica, they could then have jumped to Ragnar, resulting in a high-number of refugee Raptors. Indeed, [[Crashdown]] was a Raptor ECO, but Boomer stated that he was not from ''Galactica'', but a refugee "from Triton" (either a battlestar or a planet).
*When Cavil is consoling Tyrol's fears that he might unknowingly be a Cylon sleeper agent, just like Boomer was, Tyrol asks him how he can know for sure. Cavil sarcastically answers that it's because he's a Cylon, and he hasn't seen Tyrol at any of the meetings: Number Six also sarcastically remarked to Baltar in the Miniseries that [[Aaron Doral]] could not be a Cylon, because she hadn't "seen him at any of the good Cylon parties"...but of course, Doral actually ''was'' a Cylon, implying that Cavil is truly more than he seems.
*Tory actually speaks the title of this episode aloud, saying that the new planet offers people in the Fleet the hope that they can "lay down their burdens" and stop running.
*During the premiere airing of this episode on the Sci-Fi Channel, before the Teaser segment a "Parental Discretion Is Advised" black and white message was inserted. At the end of the Teaser, Tyrol beats Cally to a bloody pulp.
*Lee Adama is now wearing a new uniform as Commander of ''Pegasus'': it is a Commander's uniform, denoted by the new red trim (with gold inner trim), and it has a white "''Pegasus'' BSG-62" patch, replacing his old gold "''Galactica'' BSG-75" patch.
*Dualla's photo of Adama is the left half of a group shot with Kara Thrace and his brother Zak Adama. The original belongs to Thrace, and she has kept it in her locker on ''Galactica'' since the miniseries.
*Dualla refers to "rivers of milk and honey" on the newly discovered planet. The phrase "land of milk and honey" is a common epithet for the promised land in the Torah, appearing in Exodus 3:8, 3:17, 13:5, 33:3, Leviticus 20:24, Number 13:27, 14:8, 16:13-14, and Deuteronomy 6:3.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

== Official Statements ==

*''In an interview in issue #197 of TV Zone, James Callis (Dr. [[Gaius Baltar]]) said:'' "the arrival of the Pegasus has helped galvanize our characters into who they are and who they’re trying to be. These later episodes [in Season 2] also further drive home the fact that the Galactica’s crew could be exterminated by its own kind, meaning that Humans are potentially far more terrifying an enemy than perhaps the Cylons."

== Guest Stars ==

*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0874001/ Michael Trucco] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] as [[Brother Cavil]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Aaron+Douglas Aaron Douglas] as CPO [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Nicki+Clyne Nicki Clyne] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Leah+Cairns Leah Cairns] [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]]
*Rekha Sharma as [[Tory Foster]]
*Alisen Down as Jean Barclay
*Colin Lawrence as "Skulls" McCall
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0443286/ David Kaye] as [[James McManus]]

{{Episode List}}

[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category: RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Ronald D. Moore]]

Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I

2006-03-04T18:37:29Z

KAMiKAZOW: /* Summary */

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I.jpg|300px]]
| Title= Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I
| Series= [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|The Re-imagined Series]]
| Season= [[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode= 19
| Guests= [[Richard Hatch]] ([[Tom Zarek]])<br>[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] ([[Brother Cavil]]) <br> [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0874001/ Michael Trucco] as ([[Samuel Anders]])
| Writer=[[Ronald D. Moore]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=
| Rating=
| US Airdate=March 3, 2006
| UK Airdate=
| DVD=
| Population= 49,579
| Prev= [[Downloaded]]
| Next= [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]
}}

== Overview ==
''As the presidential election looms just weeks away, the accidental discovery of a habitable planet sparks debate in the Fleet: Colonize? Or keep seeking Earth? Meanwhile, Starbuck leads a rescue mission of Raptors back to Caprica to save Anders and his resistance''.

== Summary ==
*[[William Adama|Adama]] has finally given [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] the go-ahead to plan a rescue mission to [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Caprica]]. On [[Pegasus (RDM)|''Pegasus'']], she lays out their plan: they will use ''all'' of their remaining [[Raptor|Raptors]] -- 20 in all -- and use the navigation computer/organ from one of the captured [[Heavy Raider]]s to calculate the Jumps back to Caprica. Using this, they can make it back to Caprica in a series of 10 Jumps. They will go undetected when they reach Caprica by making a risky jump to just a few klicks above the surface, within the atmosphere itself, below [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] [[DRADIS]]. Their biggest obstacle to doing this was actually interfacing with the Heavy Raider's navigation "computer", but now they will take [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|''Caprica''-Sharon]] along in Starbuck's Raptor with it; Sharon will directly interface with the computer (by inserting a fiber-optic cable into her arm, like she did in "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]").
*The presidential election is two weeks away, and [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] is ahead in the polls. The only real arguments that [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] has against her that give him any ground are when he accuses her of pandering to the religious fundamentalists (i.e. her recent policy switch on abortion) and guiding the Fleet based on the scriptures alone. Conferring with his campaign manager [[Tom Zarek]] in his lab, Baltar realizes he'll need more than this to turn the fleet againt Roslin. Meanwhile, Roslin is doing a little rehearsal ritual for the presidential debate with Adama in his quarters.
*On the hangar deck, [[Galen Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] is sleeping on the floor and twitching convulsively, having a nightmare. [[Cally]] searches around the deck to find him, and is confused by the sight when she finds him. Cally tried to wake Tyrol up, but snapping right out of his nightmare he attacks Cally, punching her in the face until she is a bloody pulp and unconscious. Realizing where he is and what's going on, Tyrol is horrified, and carries Cally in his arms to sickbay.
*[[Lee Adama|Apollo]], now commander of ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', has conflicting feelings about Starbuck's mission to rescue Anders, but wishes her good luck in finding him.
*[[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and ''Caprica''-Sharon travel in Starbuck's Raptor. Sharon is still deeply depressed about her daughter [[Hera]]'s seeming death, and has been shutting herself out. Helo tells her that he won't let her do that and won't give up on her. Sharon tells him that she has the feeling that something bad will happen in the future; not on the mission to Caprica, but something else.
*On the very first jump out of the series of ten, [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]]'s Raptor jumps to the wrong set of coordinates. Starbuck's orders were to keep going ahead until they lose 3 Raptors, so they go on ahead, while Racetrack prepares to follow her orders to return to [[Galactica (RDM)|''Galactica'']] if separated. Her Raptor jumped into the middle of a gas cloud with a lot of interference, and upon clearing it, a new planet is found. Scanners indicate that it is a human-habitable planet. She returns to ''Galactica'' with news of the discovery.
*The crew goes over the scans from the planet; it can sustain human life and subsequent scouting shows that in contains animal and vegetative life; they could indeed settle here. However, it is a cold world and somewhat harsh; only a temperate band around the equator covering about 20% of the surface would be habitable. After some prodding from [[Six]], Baltar and Zarek realize that they can use this as their wedge issue to turn the people against Roslin: offer them permament colonization on this planet.
*[[Tory Foster|Tory]] goes over new poll numbers with Roslin on [[Colonial One]]: Baltar has been gaining ground with his new offer to stop running from the Cylons and stay here. The planet is hidden by interference from the gas clouds, and many people want to just stop their constant chase in the refugee fleet. Roslin points out that if the Colonials could find the planet, the Cylons could just as easily. Also, life on the planet would be harsh. Tory points out that Baltar is pandering to the people's hopes, giving them false ones that they greatly desire, while Roslin is pointing out justifiable fears that they simply don't want to hear; people will vote their hopes.
*Shocked by his attack on Cally, Chief Tyrol has asked for religious counselling, and meets with a priest named [[Brother Cavil]]. Tyrol explains that it is because he doesn't believe that psychoanalysis works, but is himself a very [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies|religious]] man. Cavil is somewhat loose and sarcastic in his counseling, leaving Tyrol a little pertubed and confused. Cavil tells Tryol that he must look for the problem in himself and questions Tyrol, and when Tyrol denies that he has been having disturbing dreams, Cavil can see through it, so Tyrol relents.
*For weeks, Tyrol has been having the recurring dream that he walks onto the upper level of the hangar deck, climbs over the railing and kills himself by jumping to his death. Cavil says it is because Tyrol has a subconscious desire to kill himself. Tyrol explains that he has had the gnawing worry since [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|''Galactica''-Sharon]] died that he might himself be a [[Humano-Cylon|Cylon]]. ''Galactica''-Sharon never really knew she was a Cylon, even up to the point that she died, but reported strange fears that something bad was going to happen and she had to stop herself: how would Tyrol, or anyone else, really ''know'' if they were a Cylon sleeper agent or not? Tyrol is frightened by the prospect.
*Cavil assured Tyrol that he is not a Cylon, sarcastically quipping that he knows because he is a Cylon himself, and hasn't seen Tyrol at any of the meetings. Tyrol feels ashamed to go back to the hangar deck crew after the accident, but Cavil assures him that they're the only family he has left, and they love him. Cally most of all.
*At the final presidential debate, Baltar's charisma and hopes of finally giving up their run from the Cylons starts to pull him ahead in the polls, and Roslin's warnings that this planet is not safe and determination to keep searching for Earth do not gain wide support. Baltar apparently wins the final debate. Roslin tells him to go frak himself.
*The Raptors rescuse mission makes the final jump to Caprica. [[Raptor 612]] is lost because it jumps right into the middle of a mountain. The remaining Raptors continue on, then Starbuck, Helo, Sharon and the marines continue on foot.
*One klick away from the resistance's base camp, they see movement, and find [[Samuel Anders|Anders]] and his whole group. Starbuck is overjoyed to see him, but Anders warns that the Cylons are right behind them; the resistance's base was ambushed that morning, and half of Anders' men are dead.
*The [[Colonial Marine Corps|marines]] and [[Resistance (movement)|resistance]] members start coming under Cylon artillery fire. After running briefly, they reach a point where the arc of the artillery shells is right above them, and cannot hit them. However, the artillery's killzone is now between them and retreat back to the Raptors. To be continued...

== Questions ==
*If [[Raptor 612]] was destroyed by jumping into a mountain, how was their transponder still operational?
*Does the fleet have the resources to sustain long term settlements on the newly found planet?
**Shelter could be taken care of by canabalizing the ships of the fleet for building materials. But the question of how many homes can be made for how many of the 49,000+ survivors simply by recycling the materials availible still remains. Even if ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' themselves were recycled, would there be enough materials, or would the Battlestars still be necessary for orbital defence?

== Analysis ==
*Timeline:
**Zarek states that the people of the fleet have been "cooped up in metal boxes for nine months", putting this episode not long after "[[Downloaded]]".
**At the beginning of the episode, the election is still "two weeks away".
**At the conclusion of the debates, the polls will open in three days.
*[[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]] is apparently assigned to ''Pegasus'' at present, since Dualla refers to her mission as the "Pegasus survey team".
*[[Lee Adama]] is now wearing a wristwatch, perhaps [[Barry Garner]]'s from "[[The Captain's Hand]]".

== Notes ==
*When Baltar sarcastically quips that Zarek (and Six) expect him to just sit around and wait for "The Hand of God" to deliver them something they can use to their advantage against Roslin, he is of course referencing the previous episode titled "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]".
*When Lt. Gaeta takes his shirt off in the head, he can be seen to still be sporting the tiger tatoo that we first saw in "[[Final Cut]]".
*The combined Colonial fleet had 20 Raptors in this episode, of which 2 were destroyed before the end. Previously, ''Galactica'' was confirmed to have only at least 5 left (stated in "[[The Farm]]"). Doubtlessly, ''Pegasus'' brought at least an equal number of Raptors with it when it joined the Fleet, but 20 is still a high number for this. Perhaps a disproportionately large number of Raptors escaped to [[Ragnar Anchorage]] during the [[Miniseries]]; unlike Vipers, Raptors do have FTL drives. We actually saw Boomer and Helo escaping the destruction of their Viper squadron, because Raptors do not engage in frontline combat, and because they have an extenstive ECM suite which Helo was trying to jam the Cylon virus signal with, slowing down it's progress (though not stopping it). Perhaps this type of event happened in several places around the Twelve Colonies; Raptors, pulling back away from combat behind the Vipers to provide ECM support, were able to Jump away when they realized their Vipers were being slaughtered. Because they had FTL drive, like Boomer when she left Caprica, they could then have jumped to Ragnar, resulting in a high-number of refugee Raptors. Indeed, [[Crashdown]] was a Raptor ECO, but Boomer stated that he was not from ''Galactica'', but a refugee "from Triton" (either a battlestar or a planet).
*When Cavil is consoling Tyrol's fears that he might unknowingly be a Cylon sleeper agent, just like Boomer was, Tyrol asks him how he can know for sure. Cavil sarcastically answers that it's because he's a Cylon, and he hasn't seen Tyrol at any of the meetings: Number Six also sarcastically remarked to Baltar in the Miniseries that [[Aaron Doral]] could not be a Cylon, because she hadn't "seen him at any of the good Cylon parties"...but of course, Doral actually ''was'' a Cylon, implying that Cavil is truly more than he seems.
*Tory actually speaks the title of this episode aloud, saying that the new planet offers people in the Fleet the hope that they can "lay down their burdens" and stop running.
*During the premiere airing of this episode on the Sci-Fi Channel, before the Teaser segment a "Parental Discretion Is Advised" black and white message was inserted. At the end of the Teaser, Tyrol beats Cally to a bloody pulp.
*Lee Adama is now wearing a new uniform as Commander of ''Pegasus'': it is a Commander's uniform, denoted by the new red trim (with gold inner trim), and it has a white "''Pegasus'' BSG-62" patch, replacing his old gold "''Galactica'' BSG-75" patch.
*Dualla's photo of Adama is the left half of a group shot with Kara Thrace and his brother Zak Adama. The original belongs to Thrace, and she has kept it in her locker on ''Galactica'' since the miniseries.
*Dualla refers to "rivers of milk and honey" on the newly discovered planet. The phrase "land of milk and honey" is a common epithet for the promised land in the Torah, appearing in Exodus 3:8, 3:17, 13:5, 33:3, Leviticus 20:24, Number 13:27, 14:8, 16:13-14, and Deuteronomy 6:3.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

== Official Statements ==

*''In an interview in issue #197 of TV Zone, James Callis (Dr. [[Gaius Baltar]]) said:'' "the arrival of the Pegasus has helped galvanize our characters into who they are and who they’re trying to be. These later episodes [in Season 2] also further drive home the fact that the Galactica’s crew could be exterminated by its own kind, meaning that Humans are potentially far more terrifying an enemy than perhaps the Cylons."

== Guest Stars ==

*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0874001/ Michael Trucco] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] as [[Brother Cavil]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Aaron+Douglas Aaron Douglas] as CPO [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Nicki+Clyne Nicki Clyne] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Leah+Cairns Leah Cairns] [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]]
*Rekha Sharma as [[Tory Foster]]
*Alisen Down as Jean Barclay
*Colin Lawrence as "Skulls" McCall
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0443286/ David Kaye] as [[James McManus]]

{{Episode List}}

[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category: RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Ronald D. Moore]]

Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II

2006-03-04T17:52:45Z

KAMiKAZOW: /* Summary */

{{spoiler}}
{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Burdens2.jpg|300px]]
| Title= Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II
| Series= [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|The Re-imagined Series]]
| Season= [[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode= 20
| Guests= [[Richard Hatch]] ([[Tom Zarek]])<br>[[Kate Vernon]] ([[Ellen Tigh]])<br>[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] ([[Brother Cavil]])
| Writer=
| Story=
| Director=
| Production=
| Rating=
| US Airdate= March 10, 2006
| UK Airdate=
| DVD=
| Population=
| Prev= [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]
| Next= TBA
}}

== Overview ==

== Summary ==
Part two of a two-part season finale. This episode will see copies of [[Sharon Valerii|Boomer]] and [[Number Six|Six]] appearing to the fleet with a dubious peace proposal which had ominous strings attached. In order to derail any chance of the questionable peace accord going through, President [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] has put the matter to a referendum vote and called on long-time rival/ally [[Tom Zarek]] for political support. This episode will no doubt feature the resolution of the issues presented in part one and may well end in yet another infamous ''Galactica'' cliff-hanger. ''[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096684/ Quantum Leap]'''s [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] is rumored to appear as [[Brother Cavil]], a [[Humano-Cylon]] priest. Source: [http://www.patriotresource.com/bg/insights/spoilers.html The Patriot Resource]

The season finale, "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II", will be a '''90 minute special''' according to a release from Scifi Channel (which was previously attempted for "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]", but dropped). The Scifi release goes on to describe the episode:
:"With the '''presidential campaigning in full swing''', the election's outcome hinges upon a core debate -- whether or not to abandon the search for Earth when the Galactica crew discovers a '''habitable planet'''. When the election begins to swing in favor of Baltar (James Callis) -- a man whom Roslin is convinced is a Cylon collaborator -- the incumbent president must decide whether or not to take drastic measures for the greater good.
:Things become even further complicated when the Cylons, led by Caprica Six (Tricia Helfer) and Sharon (Grace Park), find the planet and offer humanity a '''stunning proposal of peace'''." [http://gateworld.net/galactica/news/2006/02/seasontwofinaleexpandedto9.shtml Gateworld]

== Questions ==

== Analysis ==

== Notes ==
* Ron Moore's podcast for episode 13, [[Epiphanies]], states that the Nuke given to Gina will come back in this episode, to the benefit of the Cylons.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

== Official Statements ==

== Statistics ==

=== Guest Stars ===
*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] as [[Brother Cavil]]

=== Writing & Direction ===


=== Production Notes ===

*Series 2 (2005 / 2006)
*Production Number: 2.20
*Airdate Order: 20 (of 20)

=== First Run Air Dates & Releases ===

*UK Airdate: Date
*US Airdate: Date
*DVD Release (UK): Date
*DVD Release (US): Date
*[[Wikipedia:Nielsen Rating|Nielsen Rating]]: X.X million households, XXX share

{{Episode List}}

[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category: RDM]]

Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II

2006-03-04T09:19:11Z

KAMiKAZOW:

{{spoiler}}
{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Burdens2.jpg|300px]]
| Title= Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II
| Series= [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|The Re-imagined Series]]
| Season= [[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode= 20
| Guests= [[Richard Hatch]] ([[Tom Zarek]])<br>[[Kate Vernon]] ([[Ellen Tigh]])<br>[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] ([[Brother Cavil]])
| Writer=
| Story=
| Director=
| Production=
| Rating=
| US Airdate= March 10, 2006
| UK Airdate=
| DVD=
| Population=
| Prev= [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]
| Next= TBA
}}

== Overview ==

== Summary ==
Part two of a two-part season finale. The previous episode saw copies of [[Sharon Valerii|Boomer]] and [[Number Six|Six]] appearing to the fleet with a dubious peace proposal which had ominous strings attached. In order to derail any chance of the questionable peace accord going through, President [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] has put the matter to a referendum vote and called on long-time rival/ally [[Tom Zarek]] for political support. This episode will no doubt feature the resolution of the issues presented in part one and may well end in yet another infamous ''Galactica'' cliff-hanger. ''[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096684/ Quantum Leap]'''s [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] is rumored to appear as [[Brother Cavil]], a [[Humano-Cylon]] priest. Source: [http://www.patriotresource.com/bg/insights/spoilers.html The Patriot Resource]

The season finale, "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II", will be a '''90 minute special''' according to a release from Scifi Channel (which was previously attempted for "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]", but dropped). The Scifi release goes on to describe the episode:
:"With the '''presidential campaigning in full swing''', the election's outcome hinges upon a core debate -- whether or not to abandon the search for Earth when the Galactica crew discovers a '''habitable planet'''. When the election begins to swing in favor of Baltar (James Callis) -- a man whom Roslin is convinced is a Cylon collaborator -- the incumbent president must decide whether or not to take drastic measures for the greater good.
:Things become even further complicated when the Cylons, led by Caprica Six (Tricia Helfer) and Sharon (Grace Park), find the planet and offer humanity a '''stunning proposal of peace'''." [http://gateworld.net/galactica/news/2006/02/seasontwofinaleexpandedto9.shtml Gateworld]

== Questions ==

== Analysis ==

== Notes ==
* Ron Moore's podcast for episode 13, [[Epiphanies]], states that the Nuke given to Gina will come back in this episode, to the benefit of the Cylons.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

== Official Statements ==

== Statistics ==

=== Guest Stars ===
*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] as [[Brother Cavil]]

=== Writing & Direction ===


=== Production Notes ===

*Series 2 (2005 / 2006)
*Production Number: 2.20
*Airdate Order: 20 (of 20)

=== First Run Air Dates & Releases ===

*UK Airdate: Date
*US Airdate: Date
*DVD Release (UK): Date
*DVD Release (US): Date
*[[Wikipedia:Nielsen Rating|Nielsen Rating]]: X.X million households, XXX share

{{Episode List}}

[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category: RDM]]

Downloaded

2006-03-03T19:07:44Z

KAMiKAZOW: /* Questions */

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Cylon_resurrection.jpg|300px]]
| Title= Downloaded
| Series= [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|The Re-imagined Series]]
| Season= [[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode= 18
| Guests= [[Lucy Lawless]] ([[Number Three]])
| Writer= [[Bradley Thompson]] and [[David Weddle]]
| Story=
| Director=[[IMDB:nm0941276|Jeff Woolnough]]
| Production=
| Rating=
| US Airdate= 24 February 2006
| UK Airdate=
| DVD=
| Population=
| Prev= [[The Captain's Hand]]
| Next= [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]
}}

== Overview ==
: ''[[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] society is revealed when a [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Cylon's consciousness]] is downloaded into a new body following her death. The conquerors of occupied [[Caprica]] hail two "heroes of the Cylon," who both resist their new celebrity status.''

== Summary ==

===On Caprica===
*Episode begins with a flashback to "Nine months ago - Caprica" showing [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]]'s house being destroyed in the [[Miniseries]]. The copy of Number Six who had a relationship dies... and then we follow from her point of view as her consciousness is downloaded and reborn into another body in a [[Cylon rebirthing tank]]. She fell so deeply in love with Gaius Baltar that ''she'' starts having hallucinations of ''Baltar'', because the emotional impact of falling in love affected her so much. We then cut to "Ten weeks ago" on ''Galactica'' when [[Cally]] shoots [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Galactica-Sharon]]... and follow from her point of view as she is downloaded (no doubt aided by the [[Resurrection Ship]] at the time) and wakes up totally disoriented in a new body in another rebirthing vat. A copy of the same model of Cylon known to humans as [[D'anna Biers]] tells her she'll be fine, but upon seeing another Sharon-model, Galactica-Sharon starts screaming uncontrollably.
*On Caprica in the present day, the Cylons are rebuilding [[Delphi]] for their own use, even making gardens. A D'anna-copy sits down to talk with the Number Six copy that seduced Baltar. She has never told anyone that she fell truly in love with Baltar, and to this day hallucinates him as a result, because she thinks the others would destroy her for being defective. The D'anna-copy asks if she will go and see another Cylon who was recently downloaded into a new body, and is still having trouble adapting: ''Galactica''-Sharon, who is also something of a celebrity and war hero for her acts of sabotage and attempted assassintation on Adama. She points out that she even still calls herself "Sharon". She warns that if she cannot be fixed, there is talk of "[[boxing]]" her: putting her consciousness in cold storage and never loading it into a new body again.
*This copy of Number Six is considered a war-hero; she was personally responsible for gaining the information that allowed the near-total sabotage of the Colonial Fleet, and has actually become something of a celebrity to the Cylons. They even refer to her specifically as "'''Caprica-Six'''".
*In a short conversation while walking to ''Galactica''-Sharon's old apartment (which she moved back into), the D'anna-copy quickly lists off the Numbers of several Cylon models: "[[D'anna Biers]]" is '''[[Number Three]]''', "[[Aaron Doral]]" is '''[[Number Five]]''', and "[[Sharon Valerii]]" is '''[[Number Eight]]'''.
*Caprica-Six goes to ''Galactica''-Sharon's apartment, where she proclaims that she doesn't believe in the Cylon God or his "love" and that the only real love she had was with the ''Galactica'' crew. She expresses intense guilt at betraying them. Caprica-Six starts to manipulate her by trying to empathize with her, saying that she loved a man too — Gaius Baltar. Startled, ''Galactica''-Sharon says that Baltar is not dead, but is the new Vice President of the Colonies, on board ''Galactica''.
*Moving their conversation to a cafe on the ground floor of Sharon's apartment, Caprica-Six and Sharon wonder why Number Three never told Caprica-Six that Baltar was alive. Caprica-Six (through conversation with her hallucinated Baltar) realizes that Number Three manipulated her. Sending her to Sharon, and letting her find out that the man she loved was alive, might make her go crazy. Number Three could then use this as an excuse to have them ''both'' boxed.
*Meanwhile, [[Samuel Anders]] and two other members of the human [[Resistance (movement)|resistance]] are planning to plant a bomb in the garage underneath the cafe, and blow it up. They know the Cylons will all just download into other bodies, but Anders points out that from Caprica-Sharon, they know that Cylons remember dying, and it must be horrifically painful — they're going to show them that nowhere is safe, and they should leave Caprica if they want to stop painfully dying and being reborn over and over again.
*Number Three shows up at the cafe, and asks how things are doing. Having realized her plan, Caprica-Six lies and says emphatically that Galactica-Sharon will move out of her apartment and start adapting back to Cylon life. Galactica-Sharon takes the hint and goes along with the lie. Disappointed, Number Three offers to help her move out right now, and they leave the cafe and start going up the stairs to Sharon's apartment.
*The resistance members set up the bomb and all but Anders leave, but just before he can get out a Cylon Centurion starts snooping around, and he can't get back to the exit. It sees the bomb and Anders shoots it then ducks behind a car as the bomb goes off.
*All three Cylons survived the blast, because the stairwell protected them on the higher floor. Caprica-Six is buried under some rubble, and Number Three insists that she is dead and they should leave her (subtly trying to kill her so Three can have her boxed). However, Caprica-Six then moves and asks for help and they uncover her. Her knee is dislocated, and Three again suggests that it would be easier, if Six wants, to just kill her so she'll be reborn. Realizing Three is trying to have her boxed, she insists on not doing that.
*They see someone else moving around under some rubble, and Number Three clears it off only to find that it is Anders. She takes his gun away and prepares to kill him, but Galactica-Sharon protests. Caprica-Six agrees, but to avoid suspicion from Number Three, claims pragmatically that they shouldn't kill him to he can be interrogated. Sharon sees that he has Starbuck's dogtags, and Number Three explains that she was on the planet a few weeks ago. Sharon realizes he's someone important to her.
*Number Three cruelly toys with Anders, putting his gun on the ground and daring him to take it. Sharon tells her to stop, and Number Three retorts that Sharon is a broken machine that thinks she's human, but she's not. Sharon says that at least she has a conscience, and Number Three says she's a murderer. Caprica-Six realizes that's exactly what the Cylons have been doing: murder and the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|genocide of the human race]] cannot be the [[Cylon Religion|path of their loving God]].
*Caprica-Six realizes why Number Three wanted her and ''Galactica''-Sharon boxed: they are celebrities in a culture based on unity. Three realized that based on their love of two human beings, they have different perspective on the War, and due to their celebrity status as Cylon heros they could actually cause a change in the way many other Cylons think about their conflict with the humans, upsetting the ''status quo'' which Number Three upholds.
*Number Three says they've been corrupted by their experiences, and are a waste. Caprica-Six explains to Sharon that that is why Three wanted to get rid of them: because both of them now know the murder, vengeance, and genocide are sins in the eyes of God, and Sharon realizes that letting them tell the other Cylons this would make them all consider that the slaughter of mankind was a mistake.
*The rubble of the building shifts as Cylons outside are trying to clear their way to the survivors inside, and Anders makes a run for it and grabs his gun, shooting at Number Three before Galactica-Sharon knocks the gun out of his hands... which then lands near Number Three, who takes the gun. She stands up and just as Number Three is about to execute Anders, Caprica-Six hits her over the head with a large rock of stone from the rubble, then bashes it into her head again, killing her.
*Caprica-Six tells Anders to leave, and gives him back Starbuck's dogtags. Galactica-Sharon gives him back his gun as he leaves. Six realizes that with all of the Cylons dead in the cafe, it should be at least 36 hours before Number Three gets resurrected and tells the others what happened.
*Caprica-Six tells Galactica-Sharon that this is enough time to start changing things, start a new beginning for the Cylons: A way to live in God's love, without hate or lies. Together, these two Heroes of the Cylons can show them the way. Sharon says that she is with her, and they are dug out of the ruins of the building.

===On ''Galactica''===
*[[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Caprica-Sharon]] has gone into labor; she passed out and her placenta detached, and Dr. [[Cottle]] delivers the baby by C-section. It is premature and its lungs aren't fully developed as a result, so it has to be put in an oxygen-incubator. As Caprica-Sharon predicted, it is a girl. Helo and Caprica-Sharon adore it together, and name her "[[Hera]]".
*Meanwhile, President [[Roslin]], Baltar, [[William Adama|Admiral Adama]], and Col. [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] debate what to do with it. Baltar points out that it is half-human. Adama realizes the Cylons want it, and that the Cylons still hiding in the Fleet will try to make a move for it if they know about it.
*President Roslin has decided to hide Hera to protect her, so she has Cottle convince Helo and Caprica-Sharon that their baby has died (using a fake). Caprica-Sharon goes into hysterics and nearly chokes Cottle before breaking down, sobbing.
*In fact, Roslin has given her to a woman named [[Maya]], who lost her baby in the Cylon attack. Maya adopts Hera, thinking she is a normal human child from a Pegasus officer.
*Helo, helped by Chief Tyrol, spreads the "ashes" of Hera (actually faked) out the back of a Raptor into open space.
*Number Six is devastated that Baltar "let" this happen and could not protect "their baby", though he says he did all he could. Number Six says that God's will was that Hera survive, that God's will was that "she would lead the next generation of God's children". In a rage, she says that Gaius has committed a sin, and his entire race will suffer God's vengeance.

== Questions ==
*What will Number Three do when she is re-embodied?
*Who is Number One?
*Based on reports of Lucy Lawless being asked if she wanted to "be God" and her current command behavior, could Number Three be based on a [[Iblis|Count Iblis]] type character?
**No. Number Three is a just a physical Cylon which will ''claim'' to be a God, Count Iblis was actually a metaphysical being.
**Ron D. Moore has also stated in [[Iblis#In the Re-Imagined Series|interviews]] that he does not intend to bring a Count Iblis character onto the Re-Imagined Series at this time.
* What model numbers are "[[Simon]]" and "[[Leoben Conoy]]" ?
* Based on information mentioned in the Analysis, could the Cylons be patterning a [[Wikipedia: gerontocracy|gerontocratic]] form of leadership structure?
*Given that Baltar's home was destroyed and Caprica-Six "died" in a nuclear explosion, how did Baltar survive?
**In the [[Miniseries]] novelization, this is expanded upon; his house wasn't entirely destroyed (that is, not reduced to pebbles) and when Caprica-Six blocked the blast with her body it shielded him enough; he was thrown through the house against a wall and slightly hurt but did not die. (Note that novelizations are not typically considered [[canon]]ical.)
***You only see shock wave (ie a force) destroying the house, rather than nuclear fall out of any sort. Given the gap between the flash and shock wave (and Baltar's survival), the distance from detonation probable was far enough that he was not engulfed by the fireball (one would presume a remote house over a lake is not considered a target). Similarly or in contrast the survival of Delphi may be attributed to a Neutron bomb, designed to kill via radiation while leaving most infrastructure intact.
* This episode raises new questions about the nature of Baltar-Six. Is she (merely) a projection from Baltar's subconscious mind, has she somehow been implanted into his psyche by the Cylons, or is she actually an angel (as she claims) or a demoness (as befits her personality)? It has already been established by the brainscan performed by Dr. Cottle that there is no cybernetic implant in Baltar's brain, at least none that is detectable by human technology. Also, in Ron Moore's podcast he seems to indicate that she is no more than a hallucination, produced by Baltar's subconsciousness. Her actions, however, do seem to be aimed at advancing a Cylon agenda.
**Is it possible that in shielding Baltar from that blast, parts of each other's consciousness got imprinted on one another? That would not show in a scan, and would help explain why she has an imaginary Baltar.
**It is perhaps interesting to note that Baltar's Six is subtly different in personality from the actual Six that he knew, while Six's Baltar is different in personality than the actual Baltar. This suggests that Six's Baltar is based upon her own perception of Baltar more than the man himself, and vice versa.
* Does death hold any meaning to the Cylons? If they can just be reborn then perhaps they don't truly understand murder and genocide?
**When they can't be resurrected their behavior changes ([[Scar]], [[The Captain's Hand]]), indicating that ''permanent'' death is something they avoid. On board the Pegasus, Gina's desire for death so that she can escape her memories indicates that, for some of them at least, they have some concept of death that coincides with the human understanding of it.

== Analysis ==
*Apparently the documentary broadcast from [[the Fleet]] in "[[Final Cut]]" was not made widely available, since if Caprica-Six had seen it, she would have already known about Baltar's survival.
*In the scene where ''Galactica''-Sharon is downloaded into her new body, when another Sharon smiles and says "we love you Sharon", this mirrors how another Sharon said the same thing to her on the basestar in "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]", at which point she also freaked out.
*There does not appear to be any pattern to the numbering scheme of the 12 Cylon models: Three (D'anna), Five (Doral), Six (Shelley Godfrey/Gina), Eight (Sharon), i.e. not all females are an even number, males an odd number.
**However, these models do seem to get progressively younger the higher (perhaps, "most recent") their Number is: Three is eldest and has the number closest to one, while Eight is youngest and has the highest number out of these four. The older models also tend to have more authority.
**Following that pattern, would Numbers Nine through Twelve be modeled after teenagers or children?
*Cylon society on Caprica appears to consist of mostly mimicking human behavior — clothing, apartments, cafés, parks for relaxation, etc. In essence, the Cylons are merely trying to be what they have just exterminated — humans.
**They have established previously that they consider humans to be more "real" and closer to God than they are ("this form brings us closer to God..."); they think that humans are more "real" and that if they wish to be real, they should adopt ''some'' aspects of what humanity is, but this doesn't necessarily stop them from being quite different from humanity.
*Cylons appear to lead asexual lives — no Cylon "couples" were observed, or even any obvious signs of friendship between Cylons. While frequently talking about, and concerned with, love, Cylons are celibate except when interacting with humans.
*As Caprica-Six and ''Galactica''-Sharon pointed out, the Cylons' claim that they are superior to humans because humans still kill because of greed and jealousy, etc. is hypocritical. They point out the logical disconnect of conducting genocide and murder in the name of an all-loving God. Further, Number Three's plan to "box" Caprica-Six and ''Galactica''-Sharon, which would ''in effect'' be murdering them, also makes her a murderer like the humans she claims to be better than.
*At various points in the series, Baltar's internal Number Six has been seen manipulating physical objects: a test-tube in "[[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]", a chair in "[[Home, Part II]]", etc., which has led to the question of whether this is a continuity error, or if she is more real than she claims to be. In this episode, we seem to get an answer to this: Caprica-Six's hallucinatory Baltar makes a drink while in ''Galactica''-Boomer's apartment and hands it to her...only for the camera to shift angles, the hallucination-Baltar to be gone, and to show that Caprica-Six is actually grasping at air. Thus it can be inferred that this is just a stylistic choice by the production team: whenever Number Six ''appears'' to be manipulating a physical object on ''Galactica'', Baltar is hallucinating that she is doing this, and the camera is showing things that aren't "really" happening, from Baltar's perspective.
*The Cylons did not expect their initial attack to be anywhere near as successful as it was. This would explain the apparently large number of Cylon military vessels showing up everywhere as the Cylons expected to fight a more protracted war against a larger surviving human military force.
**That the Cylons felt it so necessary to sabotage the Colonial Fleet through Caprica-Six implies that they felt attacking without that advantage would have at best cost them many ships, and at worst resulted in defeat. The placing of the backdoor in the [[CNP]] was high risk; if the Colonials had discovered it before the Cylons attacked, they would have been forewarned of the coming assault, and could even have surprised the Cylons by acting as if they were unaware of the problem while secretly disabling the backdoor on all military spacecraft.
*Hera's being hidden away soon after her birth in order to protect her fits her messiah-status, as other messiah figures have often also been hidden after their birth in similar fashion, such as [[Wikipedia:Jesus|Jesus]], [[Wikipedia:Moses|Moses]], [[Wikipedia:Harry Potter|Harry Potter]], [[Wikipedia:Superman|Superman]], [[Wikipedia:Aragorn|Aragorn]], [[Wikipedia:Luke Skywalker|Luke Skywalker]], etc.
**This is also a common theme with tragic characters such as [[Wikipedia:Oedipus|Oedipus]], [[Wikipedia:Aegisthus|Aegisthus]], and [[Wikipedia:Paris (mythology)|Paris]].
*It's strange that Roslin included Colonel Saul Tigh in the conversation about Hera's fate, but not Commander Lee Adama, who now outranks him.
**It is likely that Commander Lee Adama was busy adjusting to his duties as the new CO of ''Pegasus'' and was briefed separately.
*"At least forty" humano-Cylons were killed in the cafe bombing. When Three was killed by Caprica-Six, she said it would take "at least 36 hours" for Three's consciousness to be downloaded to a new body. This implies perhaps a sequential (as opposed to parallel) processing of the download process. Why can't they handle more at the same time? Is it a technical limitation, or perhaps a religious one (i.e. they always try to treat the process with reverence)? That seems kind of inefficient though. In any case, it appears to take a little less than an hour per download assuming sequential downloading.
**It is likely that additional forty downloads exceeds the short term capability of the hardware that was emplaced on Caprica. Resources are not infinite, and the current hardware is most likely what is deemed sufficient for routine work based on normal usage.
**There has to be some kind of buffer system in place to hold the Cylons' consciousnesses in their layover been their physical death and rebirth if a large number of them die all at once.

== Notes ==
*Anders refers to humanoid Cylons as "Skin Jobs" in this episode, another reference to [[Wikipedia:Blade_Runner|Blade Runner]] by the Re-Imagined Series. The Cylon Centurions are being referred to as "Bullet Heads".
*The vision of [[Number Six]] that Baltar sees all the time is ''not'' the same person as the woman he was sleeping with on Caprica who used him to lower Colonial defenses: [[Caprica-Six]]'s consciousness was downloaded into a new body. Chip-Six might be a duplicate, or something else.
*[[Lee Adama]] is visible in a photograph in [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon Valerii]]'s apartment in [[Delphi]]. However, Adama and Valerii had never served together prior to the events of the [[miniseries]]. This is probably a continuity error.
*Apollo and Starbuck do not appear in this episode. This is the first episode of the season in which Apollo has not appeared, and the third episode of the season in which Starbuck has not appeared (after "[[Fragged]]" and "[[Black Market]]").
**In the first season, Apollo did not appear in "[[Litmus]]".
**As of this episode, the only characters that have appeared in every episode of the Re-Imagined Series are President [[Laura Roslin]], Admiral [[William Adama]], and Colonel [[Saul Tigh]]. Michael Hogan (Col. Tigh) is actually not one of the seven "regular" cast members, but he has still been in every episode to date.
*Ricky Worthy (Cylon "[[Simon]]") and Callum Keith Rennie (Cylon "[[Leoben Conoy]]") do not actually appear in this episode. In several brief shots, body doubles dressed as their characters are seen from behind or in the distance, but these actors did not return for the episode.
*We learn a lot of Cylon names in this episode: out of the 12 [[Cylon agent|humanoid models]] of Cylon, besides the already-known "[[Number Six]]", the one who posed as human reporter "[[D'anna Biers]]" is model '''Number Three''', the one who posed as PR representative "[[Aaron Doral]]" is model '''Number Five''', and the one who infiltrated ''Galactica'' posing as the pilot "Sharon 'Boomer' Valerii" is model '''Number Eight'''.
*A longstanding question has been answered: What do the Cylons call each other amongst themselves? They actually don't use the names of any human personas they might have infiltrated the Colonies with. "Number Six" is actually called "Number Six" in dialog for the first time in this episode (in the [[Miniseries]], we were left with the cryptic "There are twelve models, I am number six"). It is revealed that Cylons just call and think of themselves as "Number Three" or "Three", etc. It was speculated that individual copies might be distinguished by using a serial number or other ID, but apparently Cylon society is based so much on the idea of unity and lack of individuality that they simply ''do not have'' designations for individual units. When Number Three refers to ''Galactica''-Sharon, she just refers to her as "an Eight", etc. "Caprica-Six" is a makeshift nickname that was made up for the individual "celebrity" Number Six (probably because the Cylons had never developed a formal convention for naming individual units). Caprica-Six is sometimes called "Caprica" for short.
*This gets a little confusing, because even though all of the Number Six copies on Caprica look and dress identically, copies that Caprica-Six walks by still recognize who she is.
*"Caprica-Six" appears to be a take on the ''ad hoc'' naming convention developed by fans for telling the different Cylon copies apart: review sites and message boards over time started distinguishing the copy of Boomer on ''Galactica'' and the copy of Boomer on Caprica as "''Galactica''-Sharon" and "Caprica-Sharon" for convenience. This loosely developed system then spread to other Cylons as they appeared ("[[Gina|''Pegasus''-Six]]", "Caprica-Doral", "Caprica-D'anna", etc.), though it isn't based on any official material (''BattlestarWiki'' eventually adopted these terms of convenience as well). When Number Three remarks to "Caprica-Six" that her nickname is a little funny, because she's only one of hundreds of copies of "Number Six" on Caprica, this might be a small joke by the writers at the expense of fans.
*Sharon showed difficulty in performing chin ups, but later showed no problem in moving pieces of concrete weighing at least 100 pounds.
**She could have just been angry, and not actually appearing strained because it was physically hard.
**One of the consistent features of both ''Galactica''-Sharon and Caprica-Sharon has been the conflict between her "natural" Cylon Number Eight personality and her human Sharon personality. While probably intended that the two personalities should remain separate, with the Number Eight personality primary, it never worked out that way. In "[[Water]]", for example, Sharon reasserts herself before Number Eight can finish planting the charges. At this point, both ''Galactica''-Sharon/Eight and Caprica-Sharon/Eight have their personalities all jumbled up, with the Sharon personality exerting the stronger influence but retaining knowledge of being a Cylon and being Number Eight. Anyway: the Sharon "code" would have to include imposed limitations on what she believes her own strength and physical abilities to be, or she'd be found out much, much more easily. Inconsistencies in her apparent physical abilities can therefore be explained along with inconsistencies of her mixed but not really integrated personalities.
*Number Three appears to have some command functions based on her actions and behavior. These apparently include determining final disposition of other Cylon personalities.
*Lucy Lawless once again uses her native New Zealand accent for [[D'anna Biers]], even though at the end of "[[Final Cut#notes|Final Cut]]" it was implied that her character normally doesn't.
*Galactica-Sharon's old apartment number on Caprica was "502"
*Much of the dialog in the episode recap is entirely new, and dubbed in to better summarize the segment.
*According to RDM's podcast, there was an entire subplot in this episode in which Lucy Lawless's character "D'anna Biers" would interview President Roslin about rumors that the pregnant Cylon prisoner's baby had been born. Then "''Galactica''-Three" would try to kidnap the baby off of ''Galactica'' in collusion with [[Gina]] (''Pegasus''-Six). The subplot was cut for time (they wanted to spend more time focusing on events on Caprica), and also because they felt it made the episode very confusing; cutting between many different Cylon copies both on Caprica and ''Galactica''. These scenes apparently ''were'' filmed, then cut, because promotional photos for this episode show pictures of D'anna Biers on Galactica (with her new hairstyle), so it will probably appear in deleted scenes released in the next DVD set.
*Sharon has a pair of hand carved, wood or stone, decorative elephants in her apartment. Caprica-Six asks her if they are from "[[Ithaca]]", which on Earth is an island off the coast of Greece and is the home of Odysseus in Homer's [[Wikipedia:Odyssey|Odyssey]]. She states that they were a gift from her mother for her graduation.
**''Galactica''-Sharon said that her mother gave her the carved elephant statues when she left for fleet academy: this directly contradicts her statement in the [[Miniseries]] that her parents died (in the [[Troy]] mining colony accident) when she was little. Of course, either way none of it really happened.
*[[Caprica-Six]] assumed residence on Caprica two years prior to the cylon attack, which matches both the beginning of her relationship with Baltar ([[Miniseries]]) and the date that [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)]] was assigned to ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' ([[The Farm]]).
*There are three cars in the underground garage. One clearly visible is a Citroën DS. When the Cylon enters the garage, the car on the right appears to be a Rover P6. The car on the left with a central headlamp appears to be a 1950s Citroën prototype.
** The license plate on the front of the car crushed in Anders' bomb attack reads '''SEXYMOM''', and has a "Go C-Bucs" bumper sticker (For the [[Caprica Buccaneers]], the core of Ander's resistance group).
* Whenever Baltar's internal (possibly hallucinatory) Number Six appears on ''Galactica'' during the series, Number Six's distinct soundtrack theme is played (plunking staccato notes on a xylophone, accompanied by violins). There is a subtle twist on this for this episode with Caprica-Six's internal Baltar (who is definitely a hallucination): whenever Six's hallucinatory Baltar appears, the normal "Number Six theme" is played ''in reverse''. The xylophone notes are played in reverse order, though the violin overlay is still played "forwards".

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*''Caprica-Sharon has gone into premature labor with her Hybrid baby:''
:'''Cottle:''' I find it absolutely amazing you people went to all the trouble to appear human, and didn't upgrade the plumbing.

*''"Caprica-Six" and a [[Number Three]]-copy walk past a crowd of other Cylons of various models, and they all keep turning their heads to look at Caprica-Six:''
:'''Caprica-Six:''' I still can't get used to this.
:'''Three:''' Well you're a Hero of the Cylon now. You're our first celebrity!
:'''Caprica-Six:''' Oh, I'm just another Six.
:'''Three:''' You're too modest. I'm just another Three... and they're Fives (''motions at a Doral-model'')... and Eights (''motions at a Sharon-model''). But you, everyone calls you "Caprica-Six"... like you're the only Six on the planet!

*''President Roslin, Baltar, Admiral Adama and Col. Tigh discuss what to do with the Hybrid baby:''
:'''Roslin:''' If [[Hera|the baby]] does survive, the question is — what do we do with it?
:'''Baltar:''' Do? What are you suggesting? That we throw it out of an airlock?
:'''Roslin:''' I don't make suggestions Mr. Baltar, if I want to toss a baby out of an airlock, I'd say so.

*''[[Number Three]] prepares to execute [[Samuel Anders]]:''
:'''Three:''' Humans don't respect life the way we do. ''[loads pistol]''

*''Anders' gun is knocked out of his hands, and it miraculously lands near Number Three, who picks it up, stands over Anders and gets ready to execute him:''
:'''Number Three''': God loves me. (''Caprica-Six pops up behind Number Three and bashes her over the head with a big rock of debris'')
:'''Caprica-Six''': See you again soon! (''Caprica-Six bashes her head with the rock a second time, killing her current body, while her consciousness will soon download into another'')

== Official Statements ==
*David Eick's video blog shows the crew preparation for filming a Cylon rebirthing scene, most likely for this episode.

== Statistics ==

=== Guest Stars ===
*[[Lucy Lawless]] as [[Number Three]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0722413/ Donnelly Rhodes] as Dr. [[Cottle]]
*Kerry Norton as Paramedic [[Layne Ishay]]
*[[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Aaron Doral]]
*[[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*Rekha Sharma as [[Tory Foster]]
*Alisen Down as Jean Barclay
*Erica Cerra as [[Maya]]
*Diego Diablo Del Mar as Hillard

{{Episode List}}

[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category: RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Bradley Thompson]]
[[Category:Episodes written by David Weddle]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Jeff Woolnough]]

User:KAMiKAZOW

2006-02-20T17:59:09Z

KAMiKAZOW:

== Legal ==
In addition to the standard licensing terms of Battlestarwiki.org all content created by me is licensed under the following licenses:

* Creative Commons Attribution License, Version 1.0 or any later version.
* GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.0 or any later version.
* MIT License aka X11 License

If you want to include my work elsewhere, you may choose any of the above mentioned licenses.

=== Links ===
* Creative Commons Attribution License: [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/1.0/legalcode Version 1.0] – [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/legalcode Version 2.5] (currently the latest version)
* GNU Free Documentation License: [http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html Version 1.2] (currently the latest version)
* MIT License aka X11 License: [http://opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php Standard version]

User:KAMiKAZOW

2006-02-20T04:24:49Z

KAMiKAZOW:

== Legal ==
In addition to the standard licensing terms of Battlestarwiki.org all content created by me is licensed under the following licenses:

* Creative Commons Attribution License, Version 1.0 or any later version.
* GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.0 or any later version.
* MIT License aka X11 License

=== Links ===
* Creative Commons Attribution License: [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/1.0/legalcode Version 1.0] – [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/legalcode Version 2.5] (currently the latest version)
* GNU Free Documentation License: [http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html Version 1.2] (currently the latest version)
* MIT License aka X11 License: [http://opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php Standard version]

Tory Foster

2006-02-20T03:12:27Z

KAMiKAZOW:

{{stub}}
{{Character Data|
|photo= [[Image:Tory Foster.jpg|200px]]
|age=
|colony=
|birthname= Tory Foster
|callsign=
|death=
|parents=
|siblings=
|children=
|marital status=
|role= Presidential Aide to [[Laura Roslin]]
|rank=
|actor= Rekha Sharma
|cylon=
}}

'''Tory Foster''' is President [[Laura Roslin]]'s new aide following [[Billy Keikeya]]'s death.

Prior to the Cylon attack, she was precinct captain for the [[Federalist Party]] in Delphi for five years, where she became good at taking polls. ([[The Captain's Hand]])

== Biography ==

{{Characters}}

[[Category: A to Z|Foster, Tory]] [[Category: Characters|Foster, Tory]] [[Category: RDM|Foster, Tory]]

Commander Air Group

2006-02-19T22:30:23Z

KAMiKAZOW:

{{shortcut|CAG}}
The most senior pilot aboard a [[Battlestar]], responsible for all "air" operations.

==Battlestar ''Galactica''==
* The current CAG of the [[Battlestar]] ''Galactica'' is Captain [[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]]. She followed [[Lee Adama| Lee "Apollo" Adama]], who has been promoted to Commander of [[Battlestar]] ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''. Apollo assumed the position as CAG following the death of Captain [[Jackson Spencer|Jackson "Ripper" Spencer]]. Spencer was killed in the opening minutes of the [[Cylon Attack]] on the [[Twelve Colonies]].
*During Lee Adama's brief defection, the role of CAG was temporarily given to Captain [[George Birch|George "Catman" Birch]]. Adama resumed the position upon his return. ([[Home, Part I]])

==Battlestar ''Pegasus''==
*The Current CAG of the [[Battlestar]] ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' is Captain [[Cole Taylor|Cole "Stinger" Taylor]]. For a while [[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]] was CAG on Pegasus, when Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]] promoted her from Lieutenant to Captain and made her the new ''Pegasus'' CAG after witnessing her daring reconnoiter of the Cylon [[Resurrection Ship]]. ("[[Resurrection Ship, Part I]])

== Note ==

''"CAG" is a US Navy term that has gained widespread recognition through films such as Top Gun and television series such as JAG. The term CAG is technically obsolete in the modern US Navy as Air Groups are now know as Air Wings, it is still used though, especially on an informal level.''

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:Terminology]]

Downloaded

2006-02-18T18:41:40Z

KAMiKAZOW:

{{spoiler}}
{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Cylon_resurrection.jpg|300px]]
| Title= Downloaded
| Series= [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|The Re-imagined Series]]
| Season= [[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode= 18
| Guests= [[Lucy Lawless]] ([[D'anna Biers]])
| Writer=
| Story=
| Director=
| Production=
| Rating=
| US Airdate= 24 February 2006
| UK Airdate=
| DVD=
| Population=
| Prev= [[The Captain's Hand]]
| Next= [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]
}}

== Overview ==

== Summary ==
The episode is purported to be the "Cylon point of view" episode mentioned by producer Ron Moore in several interviews and blog postings. It is rumored to show what happened to the soul of [[Sharon Valerii|Galactica Boomer]] after she was killed by [[Cally]]. This episode suposedly gives new insight to the Cylon religion and the basic structure of Cylon society. [[Lucy Lawless]] makes a return appearance as reporter/[[Humano-Cylon]] [[D'anna Biers]]. Source: [http://www.patriotresource.com/bg/insights/spoilers.html The Patriot Resource]

Caprica-Sharon's Cylon-Human Hybrid daughter is born prematurely in this episode. Galactica-D'anna may try to gain access to it. We will see an extended flashback of Galactica-Sharon's consciousness being reborn in a new body immediatelly following the end of "[[Resistance]]" (thanks to the [[Resurrection Ship]], which wasn't destroyed until eight episodes later in "[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]").

"On Caprica, the reincarnated Number Six (Tricia Helfer) and Sharon (Grace Park) are hailed as Heroes of the Cylon for the key roles they played in the near-destruction of the human race. But these are tortured heroes. Number Six’s thoughts are haunted by Baltar (James Callis), just as she haunts his thoughts on Galactica. And Sharon has so fervently embraced her love for Tyrol (Aaron Douglas) and the fake human life the Cylons created for her undercover mission that the Cylon leadership – D’Anna (Lucy Lawless) and Doral (Matthew Bennett) – are thinking of ‘boxing’ her (putting her consciousness into cold storage). Meanwhile, the human resistance – under the leadership of Kara’s lover, Samuel Anders (Michael Trucco) – is preparing to strike a savage blow, however futile, against the Cylon occupation.

On Galactica, the captive Sharon gives premature birth to Hera, the child she conceived with Helo (Tahmoh Penikett). As the infant fights for life, she becomes the focus of intrigue, as President Roslin (Mary McDonnell) and the Cylons hidden amongst the fleet fight to gain control of this newborn symbol of hope… or harbinger of human extinction." Source: [http://www.nowplayingmag.com/content/view/3170/2/ Now Playing Magazine]

== Questions ==

== Analysis ==
Recent rumours have suggested that this episode has been removed from Season Two's schedule in favor of extending "[[Resurrection Ship, Part I|Resurrection Ship]]" into a two-part episode. Conflicting rumours state that it will air at the end of the season as an extra episode, or in season 3, while others say it will not be shown at all.

However, there are still more rumors that the scrapped "Cylon POV episode" was a ''different'' episode from this one, which would mean that this episode involving the ultimate fate of Galactica-Boomer ''may'' still air in Season 2.5.

Another clue came in an interview with Ron D. Moore in [http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2006/01/president_rosli.html the Chicago Tribune on January 4th, 2006], in which he speaks of the Cylon POV episode as if it will, indeed, still take place ''and'' in season 2:

:“There’s an episode down the line that we’re really excited about, the entire episode is told from the Cylon point of view: what their society is like, what they go through during reincarnation and when they’re born again. We really get inside the Cylon [society] and get to view that for the first time. [In another story in this episode, something really important happens, but I’m not going to give it away, dear readers. It’s just too good]"

It is fairly certain that ''an'' episode was scrapped, because "[[Resurrection Ship]]" was originally just one episode, but was allowed to expand into two when another was removed (not that Resurrection Ship needed padding to do this; the episodes tend to run long already in such important episodes, such as the situation with the Pegasus Director's Cut, etc.). However, it was never "confirmed" that the "Cylon POV episode" was scrapped.

Also, it is not entirely certain if there was "just one" Cylon POV episode, or if there were two separate episodes which focused on the Cylons someone (one more than another, though). However, RDM's recent comments seem to suggest that "Downloaded" is, indeed, the "Cylon POV episode" which has been promised since Season 1.

On January 5th, 2006, Scifi Channel released the schedule for the rest of season 2 [http://www.gateworld.net/galactica/news/2006/01/scifirevealsfebruaryschedu.shtml as reported by Gateworld.net], and it is now confirmed that "Downloaded" itself will air in February 2006. Was it definitely the "original" Cylon POV episode? RDM's statement makes it seem probable. Still, which episode was scrapped (we know ''something'' was), was it what RDM complained about in his blog, and what exactly was it about? We await further behind the scenes information on these questions.

Finally, in his [http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/ blog] on the [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/ official Battlestar Galactica website], [[Ronald D. Moore| Ron Moore]] has confirmed that the episode will be broadcast as episode 18:

:"I've seen some speculation out there that we dropped the Cylon POV episode from the lineup this season, but I'm happy to report that it's untrue. The episode, "Downloaded" will be broadcast as number 18 and I just watched it last night. It's a good show and a very different spin on our story thus far, in that we're telling the A-story entirely through the eyes of the Cylons for the first time."

Moore goes on to explain that the episode which was canceled was just a "clip show" episode, meant to save money because of budgetary constraints on the show. However, this "clip show" was canceled, so that "Resurrection Ship" could be expanded into a two-part episode.

== Notes ==

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

== Official Statements ==
*David Eick's video blog shows the crew preparation for filming a Cylon rebirthing scene, most likely for this episode.
*In a video interview at [http://www.hollywood.com/content/trailer_detail_step1.aspx?id=3474558&FromPlayerPage=1 Hollywood.com], [[Lucy Lawless]] ([[D'anna Biers]]) stated that:
{{spoiltext|"I was on Battlestar last week and Trisha who plays Number Six on the show, she whacks me on the head with a rock, repeatedly..." (Tricia Helfer had previously stated in the Season 2.5 primer that Number Six kills another Cylon at one point).}}

== Statistics ==

=== Guest Stars ===
*[[Lucy Lawless]] as [[D'anna Biers]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0722413/ Donnelly Rhodes] as Dr. [[Cottle]]
*Kerry Norton as Paramedic [[Layne Ishay]]
*[[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Aaron Doral]]

=== Writing & Direction ===


=== Production Notes ===

*Series 2 (2005 / 2006)
*Production Number: 2.18
*Airdate Order: 18 (of 20)

=== First Run Air Dates & Releases ===

*UK Airdate: Date
*US Airdate: 24 February 2006
*DVD Release (UK): Date
*DVD Release (US): Date
*[[Wikipedia:Nielsen Rating|Nielsen Rating]]: X.X million households, XXX share

{{Episode List}}

[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category: RDM]]

Battle of the Binary Star System

2006-02-18T18:24:53Z

KAMiKAZOW:

{| border=1 width=300 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 align=right style="margin-left:1em;margin-bottom:1em"
|+ Battle before: [[Battle of the Resurrection Ship]] <br>Battle after: ''Unknown''
|colspan=2|
|-
|colspan=2|[[image:BinaryStar.jpg|center|300px|]]
|-
!colspan=2 bgcolor=#aaaaee|Battle of the Binary Star System
|-
|Conflict||[[Cylon Attack|Second Cylon war]]
|-
|Date|| Unknown
|-
|Place||unnamed binary star system
|-
|Result||Tactical Cylon victory
|-
|colspan=2|
{| border=1 width=300 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0
|-
!colspan=2 bgcolor=#aaaaee|Combatants
|-
| width=50%|Remnants of the [[Colonial Fleet]]
| width=50%|[[Cylon]]s
|-
!colspan=2|Commanders
|-
|Commander [[Barry Garner]]†, Major [[Lee Adama]]
|Unknown
|-
!colspan=2|Strength
|-
|[[Mercury-class Battlestar]] ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' <br/>
associated [[Viper]]s, associated [[Raptors]]
|Three Cylon Basestars, associated [[Raider]]s, [[Heavy Raider]]s
|-
!colspan=2|Casualties
|-
|At least two [[Raptor]]s, heavy damage to ''Pegasus'', additional unknown losses.
|One Basestar heavily damaged
|}
|}

Engagement in which ''Pegasus'' was lured into a trap by three Cylon basestars. The Cylons had lured two of ''Pegasus's'' Raptors out into a shroud of electro-magnetic interference generated by a binary star system. Once the Raptors were there, the crews were killed and the craft left intact and adrift at the edge of the Colonials' DRADIS range. By all accounts, the craft appeared to be disabled, albeit non-responsive, and ''Pegasus'' went underway to retrieve them.

Once ''Pegasus'' had taken the bait, three Cylon basestars jumped in and promptly launched a full salvo of tactical nuclear missiles, scoring two hits on the battlestar. ''Pegasus's'' air wing, already spaceborne under the command of [[Kara Thrace|Captain "Starbuck" Thrace]], immediately engaged the Cylons and began to return fire. Virtually ignoring the Vipers, the Cylon basestars focused their efforts on ''Pegasus'', and produced a third nuclear missile hit on the battlestar's underbelly.

''Pegasus's'' newest commanding officer, [[Barry Garner|Commander Barry Garner]], had recently been promoted from an engineering position, and was not experienced in combat command leadership. Furthermore, the heavy barrage dealt by the Cylons had knocked the FTL drive off-line, putting ''Pegasus's'' survival in peril. If the great battlestar was to escape this trap, the FTL drive would have to be restored; thus, Garner voluntarily abdicated command to [[Lee Adama|Major Lee Adama]], and dashed below to Engineering.

Major Adama promptly ordered Starbuck and the rest of the Vipers to defend the compromised portions of ''Pegasus'' from further damage while the battlestar's foward batteries fired on the closest of the three basestars, inflicting severe damage and buying ''Pegasus'' more time.

The crux of the problem with repairing the FTL drive was an oxygen leak that blocked technicians from making repairs to the damaged FTL drive components. Commander Garner heroically sacrificed himself to repair the leak and allow his engineers to address the FTL drive. Soon, they had it back operational.

With the FTL drive restored, Major Adama ordered all fighters to be recovered and an immediate evacuation jump.

From a tactical standpoint, this was a marginal Cylon victory — if their ultimate goal had been the destruction of ''Pegasus'', this attempt came up empty, thanks to the quick reactions of the Colonial crew. However, ''Pegasus'' suffered substantial damage and lost a number of casualties, among them another command officer. The battlestar did return to the relative safety of the Fleet, and while the damage incurred appears grave at first examination, there isn't an implication of anything that cannot be repaired in the coming weeks. ([[The Captain's Hand]])
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Cylon History

2006-01-16T23:24:50Z

KAMiKAZOW:

{{Cylons Series}}
The humans of the [[Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]] reveled in their technology and used it not only for good, but for war between themselves. The Cylons, a group of machines designed for hard labor and warfare, were built. Over time, the humans specialized the design, giving the machines a form of artificial intelligence.

The Cylons rebelled against their masters, and the [[Cylon War]] began. Humans responded by building [[Original battlestar (RDM)|battlestars]] and fighter craft named [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]] to combat the Cylons.

The war lasted nearly 12 years, with the Colonies close to a fall. But an armistice was declared, and the Cylons departed the Colonial worlds in search of a home of their own.

While absent from human observation during the armistice, Cylons eventually evolved or created new models of Cylons that were [[Humano-Cylon|organic in nature and essentially identical to humans]]. The evolution is most likely a result of learning capabilities incorporated into the early Cylons. With the exception of a glowing red spine, it is quite difficult to determine the difference between a humanoid Cylon and an actual human ([[Miniseries]]).

Another significant difference is the presence of [[Silica Pathways|silica pathways]], a technology used in Cylon design, which are vulnerable to a specific type of radiation found at [[Ragnar Anchorage]] ([[Miniseries]]). Dr. [[Gaius Baltar]] is able to successfully build a [[Cylon detector]] based on the subtle differences between Cylon and human tissue with the help of his virtual [[Number Six]]. however, he has determined it is simpler for everyone "if all the results are green."

An interesting new step in the evolution came about with the conception of a Cylon-human hybrid, the child of [[Sharon Valerii]] and [[Karl Agathon|Lt. Karl Agathon]].

==Note==
The show's creators expressed that the glowing red spine was, in retrospect, a continuity error that was visually appealing at the time, as viewers have rarely seen the glowing-spine effect in later shows since it was first introduced in the Miniseries.

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[[Category:Cylons]]
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