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Language in the Twelve Colonies

2013-10-18T11:53:04Z

Segway: /* New Zealand Accent */ hanged so all accents are organised by Nations not internal countries or territories

:''This article discusses an aspect of the [[Re-imagined Series]] version of the Twelve Colonies. For information on the [[Original Series]] version, see [[The Twelve Colonies (TOS)]].''

{{RDM twelve colonies series}}

English or a language portrayed in English is the universally understood standard language; in the Twelve Colonies, it is known as [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprican]] ([[CAP]]: "[[Blowback]]"), although other sources state the Colonial language originates from [[Virgon (RDM)|Virgon]]. Loanwords from other languages ("élan," "fascist," "karma," "esprit de corps" etc.) occur with normal frequency, as do chronologically enigmatic borrowings such as the battlestar ''[[Columbia (RDM)|Columbia]]''. Most religious terms are explicitly shared with ancient Greek beliefs; the Colonial terms are antecedent to them. They spread down through the eons and resurfaced through the collective unconsciousness.

==Vocabulary==

===Anachronisms===
''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' uses many terms from modern day naval aviation, which appear somewhat anachronistic but also lend the show a flavor of realistic jargon. These include:
*[[Combat Air Patrol]]
*[[Commander Air Group]]
*Planes
:'''Adama:''' "You keep my planes flying. I need my planes to fly." ([[Litmus]])

===Ersatz===
In contrast to its [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|predecessor]], the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica'' employs relatively little in the way of ersatz vocabulary. It does employ a few terms outside of a normal American English vocabulary, mostly military jargon. These are mixed in haphazardly with the real-life naval aviation terms above.

*[[Dradis]] - [[Wikipedia:RADAR|Radar]]
*[[Fumarella leaf]] - [[Wikipedia:Tobacco|Tobacco]]
*[[Frak]] - A bowdlerized version of "Fuck" (c.f. "[[Wikipedia:Frell|Frell]]" (Farscape), "[[Wikipedia:Frag|Frag]]" (Babylon 5), "[[Wikipedia:Smeg|Smeg]]" (Red Dwarf))
*[[G-4]] - [[Wikipedia: C-4 (explosive)|C-4]]
*[[Krypter]] - [[Wikipedia:Mayday|Mayday]]
*[[Morpha]] - [[Wikipedia:Morphine|Morphine]]
*[[Serisone]] - [[Wikipedia:prednisone|Prednisone]]
*[[Wireless]] - [[Wikipedia:Radio|Radio]]<ref name="wireless">This usage is not entirely unknown in Earth-bound English. As a synonym for radio or radiotelegraphy, it's more common in British usage, according to [http://www.m-w.com/ Merriam-Webster]. Prior to the popularisation of television in the 1950s, it was the preferred term for radio equipment and radio broadcasts amongst the bulk of the British population. It's also the source of the prefix 'Wi' in 'WiFi' and other similar wireless data standards now common.</ref>

===Invented Terminology===
As all science fiction shows must, Battlestar Galactica has a set of vocabulary referring to technologies and other items not shared with the real world.

*[[Ambrosia]] - a bright green alcoholic beverage
*[[Carom]] - the angle above or below the XY plane of a vessel, perpendicular to [[Wikipedia:Bearing (navigation)|bearing]] (c.f. "Mark" (Star Trek))
*[[Chamalla]] - an [[Wikipedia:Entheogen|entheogen]] used by priests
*[[Red Line]]

*'''For a more complete list of acronyms and expressions see:''' [[List of terms (RDM)]]

===Turn of phrase===
The dialect used by the Colonials employs some distinct turn of phrase at times:

*"As of this moment" is used particularly often for seemingly "official" announcements. After the original Cylon attack, then-Commander William Adama announces to his crew, "As of this moment, we are at war." The phrase is used later by Colonel Tigh in his announcement of martial law <ref>"As of this moment, I have declared martial law." — "[[Fragged]]"</ref>, and Gaius Baltar in announcing his candidacy for the presidency<ref>"…I am, as of this moment, a candidate for the Presidency." — "[[The Captain's Hand]]"</ref>.
*"With every fiber of my being" is often used to conclude oaths, particularly the oath of presidency, as taken by Roslin and Baltar at various points.
*"[[So say we all]]" is used to conclude prayers and similar remarks. It is analogous to, and roughly synonymous with, "amen."
*When used as an intensifier or in other instances of profanity, "God" is usually replaced with "Gods," befitting the Colonials' polytheistic faith—"Gods damn it," "Oh my Gods!," etc.
*"In the worlds" is in use prior to the [[Cylon War]], following the same pattern as "in the world" (such as [[Amanda Graystone]]'s exclamation that "You are so lucky and you have everything in the worlds you could possibly want . . .") ([[Caprica pilot]]). The expression is not heard immediately prior to the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] or at any time afterward.

===Enigmas===

Language in ''Battlestar Galactica'' have terms whose origins are a curiosity due to chronology or uniqueness to the real-world Earth that likely wouldn't have a parallel of the same name in the Twelve Colonies. See [[Sacred Scrolls#Earth as the true origin of the human species|an interpretation of the origin of humanity on Kobol]] that could support the derivation of these terms.

* ''[[Columbia (RDM)|Columbia]]'': This battlestar name comes from Christopher Columbus, thus making it an unusual name for the Twelve Colonies. However, it also stems from the Latin word "columba" meaning "dove" together with the suffix "ia" which means "land" (geographical expression) in all languages derived from Indo-European roots (ergo, "Land of the Dove")

* ''[[Cloud Nine]]'': This American expression of bliss comes from a 1890's Earth weather reference on the highest-altitude cloud formation. The expression became popularized in 1950s radio broadcasts.

* ''[[Adriatic]]'': The name of this vessel under the influence of [[Tom Zarek]], much like ''Columbia'' appears to have originated on Earth. On Earth the Adriatic Sea is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, located between Italy and the Balkans.

* ''[[w:Lagoon Nebula|M8]]'': Commander Adama refers to the Lagoon Nebula, which he sees in the display of the [[Tomb of Athena]] as M8. This is curious as it is not a name, but a catalog number from the [[w:Messier Catalog|Messier Catalog]], created by the 18th century astronomer.

===Honorifics===
Although civilians use the honorific "Madam" or its shortened form "ma'am," in the Colonial military all superior officers are referred to as "Sir," regardless of gender.<ref>According to RDM's [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/blogs blog] on January 20th, 2006, the series follows the system established in ''[[MemoryAlpha:Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan|Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan]]'', where the term "sir" has become gender-neutral in military usage. Thus, [[Laura Roslin]] is referred to as "Madam President" or "ma'am" in a civilian context, but in her capacity as Commander-in-Chief, she is always addressed as "sir."</ref>

===Names===
Many characters have names that include one or more components that appear to be a Biblical or Classical reference. It remains an enigma whether, and to what degree, these should be thought of as translations for the audience's benefit.

Some of these apparent allusions may have no intended meaning beyond sounding good. Others are known to have been chosen for a reason, and that's noted where verifiable.

* [[William Adama|William]] and [[Lee Adama]]: "Adama" is Hebrew for "earth" in its literal meaning—ground, dirt—from which "Adam," the Biblical First Man, derives his name. It is also the name of a large city in Ethiopia. Lee's call-sign "Apollo" is of course a reference to the Greek (and apparently, Kobolan) god. Both "Adama" and "Apollo" are carry-overs from the original series, where they were chosen for their mythological significance.
* [[Richard Adar]]: "[[w:Adar|Adar]]" is a month in the Jewish lunar calendar still in use today. It coincides roughly with the Gregorian month of March. It is a carry over from the original series.
* [[Karl Agathon]]: "[[w:Agathon|Agathon]]" was an Athenian poet, a friend of Euripides and Plato.
* [[Gaius Baltar]]: "Gaius" was the ''[[w:Praenomen|praenomen]]'' of the man we commonly call [[w:Julius Caesar|Julius Caesar]] and the noted Roman historian Tactius, among others. "Baltar" was made up by [[Glen A. Larson]] for the original series.
* [[Helena Cain]]: "[[w:Helena|Helena]]" is a common enough name, but is also a possible reference to Helen of Troy. "[[w:Cain|Cain]]" in the Old Testament is the first murderer, and is a carry-over from the original series.
* [[Aaron Doral]]: "[[w:Aaron|Aaron]]" is a Biblical Hebrew name, the older brother of [[w:Moses|Moses]].
* [[Anastasia Dualla]]: The Greek word ''[[w:anastasia|anastasia]]'' translates to "resurrection," and was a deliberate choice by [[Ronald D. Moore|Ron Moore]]. It's also a common Greek and Russian name. Dualla is the name of a region and people in sub-saharan Africa.
* [[Hera Agathon|Hera]]/Isis: "[[w:Hera|Hera]]" was a Greek goddess, the wife of Zeus. "[[w:Isis|Isis]]" an Egyptian goddess, the wife of Horus in early mythology; the wife of Osiris and mother of Horus later. This is one of the few Egyptian references in the new series.
* [[Gina Inviere]]: "Inviere" is Romanian for "resurrection." The word is described in the series as from "Old [[Gemenon (RDM)|Gemenese]]" and is one in a handful of instances where the Re-imagined Series suggests that the standard language viewers hear spoken is not the sole language of all colonies.
* [[Billy Keikeya]]: "Keikeya" is one of the three queens of [[w:Ayodhya|Ayodhya]] in the Hindu epic, ''[[w:Ramayana|Ramayana]]''.
* [[Kara Thrace]]: "[[w:Thrace|Thrace]]" is a region in southeast Europe spanning Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Turkey, and Serbia. It was also the ancient name for the same area. The famous gladiator Spartacus was a Thracian.
* [[Saul Tigh]]: "[[w:Saul|Saul]]" is a Hebrew name (pronounced "Shaul" in Hebrew), which means "borrowed." Biblical references include both the first king of Judah and Israel, and the birth-name of Paul of Tarsus. Originally the character was named "Paul Tigh," but when it was discovered that this could not be used for legal reasons, it was shifted to "''S''aul Tigh," a reverse of the name switch that Saul of Tarsus/St. Paul made. "Tigh" appears to be a reference to the historical figure [[w:Colonel Tye|Colonel Tye]], an African-American military leader who fought for the British in the [[w:American Revolutionary War|American Revolutionary War]] (the original series version of Colonel [[Tigh (TOS)|Tigh]] was of African ethnicity).
* [[Galen Tyrol]]: "[[w:Galen|Galen]]" was a famous Greek-born healer, the source of much Roman and Medieval medical knowledge, and was the first to argue that the mind was in the brain and not the heart; this could be construed as ironic, given that Tyrol followed his heart and maintained a relationship with Boomer even when he shouldn't have. "[[w:Tyrol|Tyrol]]" is a region that spans the border of Austria and Italy.
* [[Sharon Valerii]]: "Sharon" is a name of a geographic area in the center of Israel, although it's also a common English woman's name. The [[w:Valerius|gens Valeria]] is one of the longest-running families in the history of the [[w:Roman Empire|Roman Empire]]. "Valerii" is the masculine genitive plural form, which is used to refer to members of a family collectively.
* [[Tom Zarek]]: "[[w:Thomas|Thomas]]" is a deliberate biblical reference. Originally he was supposed to be called "Peter," but that didn't clear with the legal departement. It's also a common English name. Zarek is a Polish name derived from the Babylonian name Balshazzar meaning "Baal protects the king." According to the writers, they just made up the name "Zarek" because they thought it sounded "strong and futuristic." ([[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]], p.52)

Uncertain references:
* [[Leoben Conoy]]: "[[w:Leoben|Leoben]]" is an Austrian town where a preliminary peace in the Napoleonic wars was signed. "[[w:Conoy|Conoy]]" is a Native American tribe, also known as the Piscataway. Both are pretty obscure.
* [[Laura Roslin]]: "[[w:Roslin Institute|Roslin Institute]]" is where Dolly the Sheep was cloned. A more likely source of the name would be the Scottish village of [[wikipedia:Roslin, Midlothian|Roslin, Midlothian]], where (unsurprisingly perhaps) the Roslin Institute is located.

===Other Languages===
Real-world languages other than English have made brief appearances in the Re-Imagined Series.
[[Image:Chinese characters.png|thumb|right|180px|The Chinese Characters behind Tyrol in Webisode 7]]
*The bookshelf concealing a fallout shelter in "[[Act of Contrition]]" contains a book titled ''Oberst'', the German word for colonel.
*[[Virtual beings#Baltar's Virtual Six|Number Six]] tells [[Gaius Baltar]] that he speaks with ''élan'' in "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]." ''Élan'' is the French word for ''flair''.
*The opera heard in [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar's]] lab in [[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]] is in Italian. It is titled ''Battlestar Operatica'' and was composed by Battlestar Galactica composer [[Bear McCreary]].
*In ''[[Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance]]'' there are three Chinese characters on a crate behind Tyrol. They are "盐," "油" and "姜," meaning "salt," "oil" and "ginger". Chinese language characters has also been seen on numerous occasions in both ''Batttlestar Galactica'' and ''Caprica''. One example are store signs in [[Little Tauron]] being written in Chinese (note: Vancouver's Chinatown played as Little Tauron during the filming of ''Caprica'').
*In "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]" is French visible on the blackboard of Roslin's school are the French verbs aller, avoir, and être.
[[Image:LDYBSchool.jpg|thumb|right|150px|French visible in blue left of [[Maya]]'s head.]]
*The Latin "sine qua non" ("without which not," "without which it could not be") is spoken and translated by [[Romo Lampkin]] ("[[Sine Qua Non]]").
*In [[Caprica (series)|''Caprica'']], a mixture of Ancient and Modern Greek is used to represent the native language of the [[Tauron]]s. In the episode "[[Blowback]]", Romanian is used to represent the language of [[Gemenon]].

==Accents==

Most characters (or the actors that portray them) speak with a [[Wikipedia:General American|Standard American]] accent, with some exceptions.

===British (Queen's English) Accent===
Three characters speak with the [[Wikipedia:Received Pronunciation|Received Pronunciation]], Dr. [[Gaius Baltar]] from [[Aerilon]] (although he consciously suppresses his native [[#Aerilon Accent|Aerilon accent]]), ''Galactica'' medic [[Layne Ishay]] and ''[[Pyxis]]<nowiki>'</nowiki>'' Captain [[Jules Tarney]].

===Canadian Accent===
The actor playing Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]], especially when shouting or barking orders, exhibits a definite Canadian accent. [[Michael Hogan]] is a noted Canadian actor, and on the show his speech is generally indistinguishable from General American English, but observant listeners can detect the accent in certain situations.

More subtly, [[Leoben Conoy]], portrayed by veteran Canadian actor [[Callum Keith Rennie]], exhibits Canadian patterns discernible to native speakers.

[[Sergeant Hadrian]], played by Canadian actress [[Jill Teed]] also shows Canadian cadences.

Since the series is shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, many of the actors are Canadian character players, for the most part speaking with West/Central Canadian accents.

===American (Puerto Rican) Accent===
[[Giana]], a woman rescued from [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] by [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon Valerii]], speaks with a Puerto Rican accent, and inquires after the whereabouts of her husband, who she states is "stationed on Gemenon." Her place of origin is unclear, but no other characters from either Caprica, [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenon]], or anywhere else have shared this accent. The actress, Lymari Nadal, is from Puerto Rico ([[Miniseries]]).

===New Zealand Accent===
The reporter [[D'Anna Biers]] speaks with a New Zealand accent (this is actually the accent that actress [[Lucy Lawless]] speaks with when off screen, because she is from New Zealand). However, the same episode revealed that D'Anna is actually a [[Humanoid Cylon|Cylon]] (Number Three), and another copy of her model on Cylon-occupied Caprica does ''not'' speak with this accent, but a Standard American one, perhaps to differentiate the two characters. Subsequent appearances by Number Threes in "[[Downloaded]]" and [[Season 3 (2006-07)|Season 3]] have featured the Kiwi accent exclusively.

===Australian Accent===
[[Kendra Shaw]] speaks with an Australian accent. She is portrayed by [[Stephanie Jacobsen]], who was born in Hong Kong but spent most of her life and education in Sydney, Australia. Given that her [[Marta Shaw|mother]] was Caprica's delegate to the Quorum of Twelve, she is likely from Caprica as well. From an in-universe point of view, this probably means that there is not just one accent from one colony, but also regional variations ([[Razor]]).

===British (Yorkshire) Accent===
In "[[Flesh and Bone]]," Baltar notes that Sharon Valerii speaks with a trace of an [[Aerilon]] accent. Valerii tells him that she is not from Aerilon, but rather [[Troy (RDM)|Troy]]. In the episode "[[Dirty Hands]]," Baltar displays his native Aerilon accent. It sounds somewhat raspy, and resembles the English regional accents from Yorkshire and Lancashire. Baltar being from Aerilon explains how he could pick up a faint trace of it in Valerii. However, in her case, the accent appears to be entirely fictional - Canadian actress Grace Park speaks Standard American English without a 'foreign' accent.

===Irish Accent===

In "[[The Son Also Rises]]," [[Romo Lampkin]] speaks with an accent somewhat similar to Baltar's native Aerilon accent. The actor, [[Mark Sheppard]], is Irish.

(Note: The accent of the corresponding '[[Aeries]]' people in the Original Series sounds Irish, as heard in "[[The Long Patrol]]")

==Liturgy==
During the funeral service at the end of the [[Miniseries, Night 2|Miniseries]], Priest [[Elosha]] chants a prayer in a foreign language. It is recognizable as a common Sanskrit prayer, found in Part I, Chapter III, Verse 28 of the [http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/brihadaranyaka.htm Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad].

:{|
| '''Devanāgarī''' || '''Transliteration''' || '''Translation'''
|-
| अस्तो मा सद् गमय || asato mā sad gamaya || Lead us from Falsehood to Truth
|-
| तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय || tamaso mā jyotir gamaya || Lead us from Darkness to Light
|-
| मृत्योर् मा अमृतं गमय || mṛtyor mā amṛtaṃ gamaya || Lead us from Death to Immortality
|}

Although the lyrics are identifiable, it should be noted that the actress's performance is closer to the chanting of biblical Hebrew, and does not resemble the traditional melody.<ref>Viewers can compare Elosha's chant to the same chant found in the soundtrack of the movie ''[[Wikipedia:The Matrix Revolutions|The Matrix Revolutions]]'', by composers Don Davis and the group Juno Reactor. The final track, "Navras," (which plays during the closing credits of the motion picture) begins with this same verse; the track "Neodämmerung" also consists entirely of Sanskrit lyrics taken from the Upaniṣads, including this verse.</ref>

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

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Colonial]]
[[Category:Colonial History]]
[[Category:Colonial History (RDM)]]
[[Category:Colonial Society]]
[[Category:Colonial Society (RDM)]]
[[Category:RDM]]

{{featured article candidate previous}}

Language in the Twelve Colonies

2013-10-18T11:49:19Z

Segway: /* British (Yorkshire) Accent */ hanged so all accents are organised by Nations not internal countries or territories

:''This article discusses an aspect of the [[Re-imagined Series]] version of the Twelve Colonies. For information on the [[Original Series]] version, see [[The Twelve Colonies (TOS)]].''

{{RDM twelve colonies series}}

English or a language portrayed in English is the universally understood standard language; in the Twelve Colonies, it is known as [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprican]] ([[CAP]]: "[[Blowback]]"), although other sources state the Colonial language originates from [[Virgon (RDM)|Virgon]]. Loanwords from other languages ("élan," "fascist," "karma," "esprit de corps" etc.) occur with normal frequency, as do chronologically enigmatic borrowings such as the battlestar ''[[Columbia (RDM)|Columbia]]''. Most religious terms are explicitly shared with ancient Greek beliefs; the Colonial terms are antecedent to them. They spread down through the eons and resurfaced through the collective unconsciousness.

==Vocabulary==

===Anachronisms===
''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' uses many terms from modern day naval aviation, which appear somewhat anachronistic but also lend the show a flavor of realistic jargon. These include:
*[[Combat Air Patrol]]
*[[Commander Air Group]]
*Planes
:'''Adama:''' "You keep my planes flying. I need my planes to fly." ([[Litmus]])

===Ersatz===
In contrast to its [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|predecessor]], the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica'' employs relatively little in the way of ersatz vocabulary. It does employ a few terms outside of a normal American English vocabulary, mostly military jargon. These are mixed in haphazardly with the real-life naval aviation terms above.

*[[Dradis]] - [[Wikipedia:RADAR|Radar]]
*[[Fumarella leaf]] - [[Wikipedia:Tobacco|Tobacco]]
*[[Frak]] - A bowdlerized version of "Fuck" (c.f. "[[Wikipedia:Frell|Frell]]" (Farscape), "[[Wikipedia:Frag|Frag]]" (Babylon 5), "[[Wikipedia:Smeg|Smeg]]" (Red Dwarf))
*[[G-4]] - [[Wikipedia: C-4 (explosive)|C-4]]
*[[Krypter]] - [[Wikipedia:Mayday|Mayday]]
*[[Morpha]] - [[Wikipedia:Morphine|Morphine]]
*[[Serisone]] - [[Wikipedia:prednisone|Prednisone]]
*[[Wireless]] - [[Wikipedia:Radio|Radio]]<ref name="wireless">This usage is not entirely unknown in Earth-bound English. As a synonym for radio or radiotelegraphy, it's more common in British usage, according to [http://www.m-w.com/ Merriam-Webster]. Prior to the popularisation of television in the 1950s, it was the preferred term for radio equipment and radio broadcasts amongst the bulk of the British population. It's also the source of the prefix 'Wi' in 'WiFi' and other similar wireless data standards now common.</ref>

===Invented Terminology===
As all science fiction shows must, Battlestar Galactica has a set of vocabulary referring to technologies and other items not shared with the real world.

*[[Ambrosia]] - a bright green alcoholic beverage
*[[Carom]] - the angle above or below the XY plane of a vessel, perpendicular to [[Wikipedia:Bearing (navigation)|bearing]] (c.f. "Mark" (Star Trek))
*[[Chamalla]] - an [[Wikipedia:Entheogen|entheogen]] used by priests
*[[Red Line]]

*'''For a more complete list of acronyms and expressions see:''' [[List of terms (RDM)]]

===Turn of phrase===
The dialect used by the Colonials employs some distinct turn of phrase at times:

*"As of this moment" is used particularly often for seemingly "official" announcements. After the original Cylon attack, then-Commander William Adama announces to his crew, "As of this moment, we are at war." The phrase is used later by Colonel Tigh in his announcement of martial law <ref>"As of this moment, I have declared martial law." — "[[Fragged]]"</ref>, and Gaius Baltar in announcing his candidacy for the presidency<ref>"…I am, as of this moment, a candidate for the Presidency." — "[[The Captain's Hand]]"</ref>.
*"With every fiber of my being" is often used to conclude oaths, particularly the oath of presidency, as taken by Roslin and Baltar at various points.
*"[[So say we all]]" is used to conclude prayers and similar remarks. It is analogous to, and roughly synonymous with, "amen."
*When used as an intensifier or in other instances of profanity, "God" is usually replaced with "Gods," befitting the Colonials' polytheistic faith—"Gods damn it," "Oh my Gods!," etc.
*"In the worlds" is in use prior to the [[Cylon War]], following the same pattern as "in the world" (such as [[Amanda Graystone]]'s exclamation that "You are so lucky and you have everything in the worlds you could possibly want . . .") ([[Caprica pilot]]). The expression is not heard immediately prior to the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] or at any time afterward.

===Enigmas===

Language in ''Battlestar Galactica'' have terms whose origins are a curiosity due to chronology or uniqueness to the real-world Earth that likely wouldn't have a parallel of the same name in the Twelve Colonies. See [[Sacred Scrolls#Earth as the true origin of the human species|an interpretation of the origin of humanity on Kobol]] that could support the derivation of these terms.

* ''[[Columbia (RDM)|Columbia]]'': This battlestar name comes from Christopher Columbus, thus making it an unusual name for the Twelve Colonies. However, it also stems from the Latin word "columba" meaning "dove" together with the suffix "ia" which means "land" (geographical expression) in all languages derived from Indo-European roots (ergo, "Land of the Dove")

* ''[[Cloud Nine]]'': This American expression of bliss comes from a 1890's Earth weather reference on the highest-altitude cloud formation. The expression became popularized in 1950s radio broadcasts.

* ''[[Adriatic]]'': The name of this vessel under the influence of [[Tom Zarek]], much like ''Columbia'' appears to have originated on Earth. On Earth the Adriatic Sea is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, located between Italy and the Balkans.

* ''[[w:Lagoon Nebula|M8]]'': Commander Adama refers to the Lagoon Nebula, which he sees in the display of the [[Tomb of Athena]] as M8. This is curious as it is not a name, but a catalog number from the [[w:Messier Catalog|Messier Catalog]], created by the 18th century astronomer.

===Honorifics===
Although civilians use the honorific "Madam" or its shortened form "ma'am," in the Colonial military all superior officers are referred to as "Sir," regardless of gender.<ref>According to RDM's [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/blogs blog] on January 20th, 2006, the series follows the system established in ''[[MemoryAlpha:Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan|Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan]]'', where the term "sir" has become gender-neutral in military usage. Thus, [[Laura Roslin]] is referred to as "Madam President" or "ma'am" in a civilian context, but in her capacity as Commander-in-Chief, she is always addressed as "sir."</ref>

===Names===
Many characters have names that include one or more components that appear to be a Biblical or Classical reference. It remains an enigma whether, and to what degree, these should be thought of as translations for the audience's benefit.

Some of these apparent allusions may have no intended meaning beyond sounding good. Others are known to have been chosen for a reason, and that's noted where verifiable.

* [[William Adama|William]] and [[Lee Adama]]: "Adama" is Hebrew for "earth" in its literal meaning—ground, dirt—from which "Adam," the Biblical First Man, derives his name. It is also the name of a large city in Ethiopia. Lee's call-sign "Apollo" is of course a reference to the Greek (and apparently, Kobolan) god. Both "Adama" and "Apollo" are carry-overs from the original series, where they were chosen for their mythological significance.
* [[Richard Adar]]: "[[w:Adar|Adar]]" is a month in the Jewish lunar calendar still in use today. It coincides roughly with the Gregorian month of March. It is a carry over from the original series.
* [[Karl Agathon]]: "[[w:Agathon|Agathon]]" was an Athenian poet, a friend of Euripides and Plato.
* [[Gaius Baltar]]: "Gaius" was the ''[[w:Praenomen|praenomen]]'' of the man we commonly call [[w:Julius Caesar|Julius Caesar]] and the noted Roman historian Tactius, among others. "Baltar" was made up by [[Glen A. Larson]] for the original series.
* [[Helena Cain]]: "[[w:Helena|Helena]]" is a common enough name, but is also a possible reference to Helen of Troy. "[[w:Cain|Cain]]" in the Old Testament is the first murderer, and is a carry-over from the original series.
* [[Aaron Doral]]: "[[w:Aaron|Aaron]]" is a Biblical Hebrew name, the older brother of [[w:Moses|Moses]].
* [[Anastasia Dualla]]: The Greek word ''[[w:anastasia|anastasia]]'' translates to "resurrection," and was a deliberate choice by [[Ronald D. Moore|Ron Moore]]. It's also a common Greek and Russian name. Dualla is the name of a region and people in sub-saharan Africa.
* [[Hera Agathon|Hera]]/Isis: "[[w:Hera|Hera]]" was a Greek goddess, the wife of Zeus. "[[w:Isis|Isis]]" an Egyptian goddess, the wife of Horus in early mythology; the wife of Osiris and mother of Horus later. This is one of the few Egyptian references in the new series.
* [[Gina Inviere]]: "Inviere" is Romanian for "resurrection." The word is described in the series as from "Old [[Gemenon (RDM)|Gemenese]]" and is one in a handful of instances where the Re-imagined Series suggests that the standard language viewers hear spoken is not the sole language of all colonies.
* [[Billy Keikeya]]: "Keikeya" is one of the three queens of [[w:Ayodhya|Ayodhya]] in the Hindu epic, ''[[w:Ramayana|Ramayana]]''.
* [[Kara Thrace]]: "[[w:Thrace|Thrace]]" is a region in southeast Europe spanning Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Turkey, and Serbia. It was also the ancient name for the same area. The famous gladiator Spartacus was a Thracian.
* [[Saul Tigh]]: "[[w:Saul|Saul]]" is a Hebrew name (pronounced "Shaul" in Hebrew), which means "borrowed." Biblical references include both the first king of Judah and Israel, and the birth-name of Paul of Tarsus. Originally the character was named "Paul Tigh," but when it was discovered that this could not be used for legal reasons, it was shifted to "''S''aul Tigh," a reverse of the name switch that Saul of Tarsus/St. Paul made. "Tigh" appears to be a reference to the historical figure [[w:Colonel Tye|Colonel Tye]], an African-American military leader who fought for the British in the [[w:American Revolutionary War|American Revolutionary War]] (the original series version of Colonel [[Tigh (TOS)|Tigh]] was of African ethnicity).
* [[Galen Tyrol]]: "[[w:Galen|Galen]]" was a famous Greek-born healer, the source of much Roman and Medieval medical knowledge, and was the first to argue that the mind was in the brain and not the heart; this could be construed as ironic, given that Tyrol followed his heart and maintained a relationship with Boomer even when he shouldn't have. "[[w:Tyrol|Tyrol]]" is a region that spans the border of Austria and Italy.
* [[Sharon Valerii]]: "Sharon" is a name of a geographic area in the center of Israel, although it's also a common English woman's name. The [[w:Valerius|gens Valeria]] is one of the longest-running families in the history of the [[w:Roman Empire|Roman Empire]]. "Valerii" is the masculine genitive plural form, which is used to refer to members of a family collectively.
* [[Tom Zarek]]: "[[w:Thomas|Thomas]]" is a deliberate biblical reference. Originally he was supposed to be called "Peter," but that didn't clear with the legal departement. It's also a common English name. Zarek is a Polish name derived from the Babylonian name Balshazzar meaning "Baal protects the king." According to the writers, they just made up the name "Zarek" because they thought it sounded "strong and futuristic." ([[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]], p.52)

Uncertain references:
* [[Leoben Conoy]]: "[[w:Leoben|Leoben]]" is an Austrian town where a preliminary peace in the Napoleonic wars was signed. "[[w:Conoy|Conoy]]" is a Native American tribe, also known as the Piscataway. Both are pretty obscure.
* [[Laura Roslin]]: "[[w:Roslin Institute|Roslin Institute]]" is where Dolly the Sheep was cloned. A more likely source of the name would be the Scottish village of [[wikipedia:Roslin, Midlothian|Roslin, Midlothian]], where (unsurprisingly perhaps) the Roslin Institute is located.

===Other Languages===
Real-world languages other than English have made brief appearances in the Re-Imagined Series.
[[Image:Chinese characters.png|thumb|right|180px|The Chinese Characters behind Tyrol in Webisode 7]]
*The bookshelf concealing a fallout shelter in "[[Act of Contrition]]" contains a book titled ''Oberst'', the German word for colonel.
*[[Virtual beings#Baltar's Virtual Six|Number Six]] tells [[Gaius Baltar]] that he speaks with ''élan'' in "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]." ''Élan'' is the French word for ''flair''.
*The opera heard in [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar's]] lab in [[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]] is in Italian. It is titled ''Battlestar Operatica'' and was composed by Battlestar Galactica composer [[Bear McCreary]].
*In ''[[Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance]]'' there are three Chinese characters on a crate behind Tyrol. They are "盐," "油" and "姜," meaning "salt," "oil" and "ginger". Chinese language characters has also been seen on numerous occasions in both ''Batttlestar Galactica'' and ''Caprica''. One example are store signs in [[Little Tauron]] being written in Chinese (note: Vancouver's Chinatown played as Little Tauron during the filming of ''Caprica'').
*In "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]" is French visible on the blackboard of Roslin's school are the French verbs aller, avoir, and être.
[[Image:LDYBSchool.jpg|thumb|right|150px|French visible in blue left of [[Maya]]'s head.]]
*The Latin "sine qua non" ("without which not," "without which it could not be") is spoken and translated by [[Romo Lampkin]] ("[[Sine Qua Non]]").
*In [[Caprica (series)|''Caprica'']], a mixture of Ancient and Modern Greek is used to represent the native language of the [[Tauron]]s. In the episode "[[Blowback]]", Romanian is used to represent the language of [[Gemenon]].

==Accents==

Most characters (or the actors that portray them) speak with a [[Wikipedia:General American|Standard American]] accent, with some exceptions.

===British (Queen's English) Accent===
Three characters speak with the [[Wikipedia:Received Pronunciation|Received Pronunciation]], Dr. [[Gaius Baltar]] from [[Aerilon]] (although he consciously suppresses his native [[#Aerilon Accent|Aerilon accent]]), ''Galactica'' medic [[Layne Ishay]] and ''[[Pyxis]]<nowiki>'</nowiki>'' Captain [[Jules Tarney]].

===Canadian Accent===
The actor playing Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]], especially when shouting or barking orders, exhibits a definite Canadian accent. [[Michael Hogan]] is a noted Canadian actor, and on the show his speech is generally indistinguishable from General American English, but observant listeners can detect the accent in certain situations.

More subtly, [[Leoben Conoy]], portrayed by veteran Canadian actor [[Callum Keith Rennie]], exhibits Canadian patterns discernible to native speakers.

[[Sergeant Hadrian]], played by Canadian actress [[Jill Teed]] also shows Canadian cadences.

Since the series is shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, many of the actors are Canadian character players, for the most part speaking with West/Central Canadian accents.

===American (Puerto Rican) Accent===
[[Giana]], a woman rescued from [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] by [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon Valerii]], speaks with a Puerto Rican accent, and inquires after the whereabouts of her husband, who she states is "stationed on Gemenon." Her place of origin is unclear, but no other characters from either Caprica, [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenon]], or anywhere else have shared this accent. The actress, Lymari Nadal, is from Puerto Rico ([[Miniseries]]).

===Kiwi Accent===
The reporter [[D'Anna Biers]] speaks with a Kiwi/New Zealand accent (this is actually the accent that actress [[Lucy Lawless]] speaks with when off screen, because she is from New Zealand). However, the same episode revealed that D'Anna is actually a [[Humanoid Cylon|Cylon]] (Number Three), and another copy of her model on Cylon-occupied Caprica does ''not'' speak with this accent, but a Standard American one, perhaps to differentiate the two characters. Subsequent appearances by Number Threes in "[[Downloaded]]" and [[Season 3 (2006-07)|Season 3]] have featured the Kiwi accent exclusively.

===Australian Accent===
[[Kendra Shaw]] speaks with an Australian accent. She is portrayed by [[Stephanie Jacobsen]], who was born in Hong Kong but spent most of her life and education in Sydney, Australia. Given that her [[Marta Shaw|mother]] was Caprica's delegate to the Quorum of Twelve, she is likely from Caprica as well. From an in-universe point of view, this probably means that there is not just one accent from one colony, but also regional variations ([[Razor]]).

===British (Yorkshire) Accent===
In "[[Flesh and Bone]]," Baltar notes that Sharon Valerii speaks with a trace of an [[Aerilon]] accent. Valerii tells him that she is not from Aerilon, but rather [[Troy (RDM)|Troy]]. In the episode "[[Dirty Hands]]," Baltar displays his native Aerilon accent. It sounds somewhat raspy, and resembles the English regional accents from Yorkshire and Lancashire. Baltar being from Aerilon explains how he could pick up a faint trace of it in Valerii. However, in her case, the accent appears to be entirely fictional - Canadian actress Grace Park speaks Standard American English without a 'foreign' accent.

===Irish Accent===

In "[[The Son Also Rises]]," [[Romo Lampkin]] speaks with an accent somewhat similar to Baltar's native Aerilon accent. The actor, [[Mark Sheppard]], is Irish.

(Note: The accent of the corresponding '[[Aeries]]' people in the Original Series sounds Irish, as heard in "[[The Long Patrol]]")

==Liturgy==
During the funeral service at the end of the [[Miniseries, Night 2|Miniseries]], Priest [[Elosha]] chants a prayer in a foreign language. It is recognizable as a common Sanskrit prayer, found in Part I, Chapter III, Verse 28 of the [http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/brihadaranyaka.htm Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad].

:{|
| '''Devanāgarī''' || '''Transliteration''' || '''Translation'''
|-
| अस्तो मा सद् गमय || asato mā sad gamaya || Lead us from Falsehood to Truth
|-
| तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय || tamaso mā jyotir gamaya || Lead us from Darkness to Light
|-
| मृत्योर् मा अमृतं गमय || mṛtyor mā amṛtaṃ gamaya || Lead us from Death to Immortality
|}

Although the lyrics are identifiable, it should be noted that the actress's performance is closer to the chanting of biblical Hebrew, and does not resemble the traditional melody.<ref>Viewers can compare Elosha's chant to the same chant found in the soundtrack of the movie ''[[Wikipedia:The Matrix Revolutions|The Matrix Revolutions]]'', by composers Don Davis and the group Juno Reactor. The final track, "Navras," (which plays during the closing credits of the motion picture) begins with this same verse; the track "Neodämmerung" also consists entirely of Sanskrit lyrics taken from the Upaniṣads, including this verse.</ref>

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

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Colonial]]
[[Category:Colonial History]]
[[Category:Colonial History (RDM)]]
[[Category:Colonial Society]]
[[Category:Colonial Society (RDM)]]
[[Category:RDM]]

{{featured article candidate previous}}

Language in the Twelve Colonies

2013-10-18T11:47:35Z

Segway: /* American (Puerto Rican) Accent */ changed so all accents are organised by Nations not internal countries or territories

:''This article discusses an aspect of the [[Re-imagined Series]] version of the Twelve Colonies. For information on the [[Original Series]] version, see [[The Twelve Colonies (TOS)]].''

{{RDM twelve colonies series}}

English or a language portrayed in English is the universally understood standard language; in the Twelve Colonies, it is known as [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprican]] ([[CAP]]: "[[Blowback]]"), although other sources state the Colonial language originates from [[Virgon (RDM)|Virgon]]. Loanwords from other languages ("élan," "fascist," "karma," "esprit de corps" etc.) occur with normal frequency, as do chronologically enigmatic borrowings such as the battlestar ''[[Columbia (RDM)|Columbia]]''. Most religious terms are explicitly shared with ancient Greek beliefs; the Colonial terms are antecedent to them. They spread down through the eons and resurfaced through the collective unconsciousness.

==Vocabulary==

===Anachronisms===
''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' uses many terms from modern day naval aviation, which appear somewhat anachronistic but also lend the show a flavor of realistic jargon. These include:
*[[Combat Air Patrol]]
*[[Commander Air Group]]
*Planes
:'''Adama:''' "You keep my planes flying. I need my planes to fly." ([[Litmus]])

===Ersatz===
In contrast to its [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|predecessor]], the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica'' employs relatively little in the way of ersatz vocabulary. It does employ a few terms outside of a normal American English vocabulary, mostly military jargon. These are mixed in haphazardly with the real-life naval aviation terms above.

*[[Dradis]] - [[Wikipedia:RADAR|Radar]]
*[[Fumarella leaf]] - [[Wikipedia:Tobacco|Tobacco]]
*[[Frak]] - A bowdlerized version of "Fuck" (c.f. "[[Wikipedia:Frell|Frell]]" (Farscape), "[[Wikipedia:Frag|Frag]]" (Babylon 5), "[[Wikipedia:Smeg|Smeg]]" (Red Dwarf))
*[[G-4]] - [[Wikipedia: C-4 (explosive)|C-4]]
*[[Krypter]] - [[Wikipedia:Mayday|Mayday]]
*[[Morpha]] - [[Wikipedia:Morphine|Morphine]]
*[[Serisone]] - [[Wikipedia:prednisone|Prednisone]]
*[[Wireless]] - [[Wikipedia:Radio|Radio]]<ref name="wireless">This usage is not entirely unknown in Earth-bound English. As a synonym for radio or radiotelegraphy, it's more common in British usage, according to [http://www.m-w.com/ Merriam-Webster]. Prior to the popularisation of television in the 1950s, it was the preferred term for radio equipment and radio broadcasts amongst the bulk of the British population. It's also the source of the prefix 'Wi' in 'WiFi' and other similar wireless data standards now common.</ref>

===Invented Terminology===
As all science fiction shows must, Battlestar Galactica has a set of vocabulary referring to technologies and other items not shared with the real world.

*[[Ambrosia]] - a bright green alcoholic beverage
*[[Carom]] - the angle above or below the XY plane of a vessel, perpendicular to [[Wikipedia:Bearing (navigation)|bearing]] (c.f. "Mark" (Star Trek))
*[[Chamalla]] - an [[Wikipedia:Entheogen|entheogen]] used by priests
*[[Red Line]]

*'''For a more complete list of acronyms and expressions see:''' [[List of terms (RDM)]]

===Turn of phrase===
The dialect used by the Colonials employs some distinct turn of phrase at times:

*"As of this moment" is used particularly often for seemingly "official" announcements. After the original Cylon attack, then-Commander William Adama announces to his crew, "As of this moment, we are at war." The phrase is used later by Colonel Tigh in his announcement of martial law <ref>"As of this moment, I have declared martial law." — "[[Fragged]]"</ref>, and Gaius Baltar in announcing his candidacy for the presidency<ref>"…I am, as of this moment, a candidate for the Presidency." — "[[The Captain's Hand]]"</ref>.
*"With every fiber of my being" is often used to conclude oaths, particularly the oath of presidency, as taken by Roslin and Baltar at various points.
*"[[So say we all]]" is used to conclude prayers and similar remarks. It is analogous to, and roughly synonymous with, "amen."
*When used as an intensifier or in other instances of profanity, "God" is usually replaced with "Gods," befitting the Colonials' polytheistic faith—"Gods damn it," "Oh my Gods!," etc.
*"In the worlds" is in use prior to the [[Cylon War]], following the same pattern as "in the world" (such as [[Amanda Graystone]]'s exclamation that "You are so lucky and you have everything in the worlds you could possibly want . . .") ([[Caprica pilot]]). The expression is not heard immediately prior to the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] or at any time afterward.

===Enigmas===

Language in ''Battlestar Galactica'' have terms whose origins are a curiosity due to chronology or uniqueness to the real-world Earth that likely wouldn't have a parallel of the same name in the Twelve Colonies. See [[Sacred Scrolls#Earth as the true origin of the human species|an interpretation of the origin of humanity on Kobol]] that could support the derivation of these terms.

* ''[[Columbia (RDM)|Columbia]]'': This battlestar name comes from Christopher Columbus, thus making it an unusual name for the Twelve Colonies. However, it also stems from the Latin word "columba" meaning "dove" together with the suffix "ia" which means "land" (geographical expression) in all languages derived from Indo-European roots (ergo, "Land of the Dove")

* ''[[Cloud Nine]]'': This American expression of bliss comes from a 1890's Earth weather reference on the highest-altitude cloud formation. The expression became popularized in 1950s radio broadcasts.

* ''[[Adriatic]]'': The name of this vessel under the influence of [[Tom Zarek]], much like ''Columbia'' appears to have originated on Earth. On Earth the Adriatic Sea is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, located between Italy and the Balkans.

* ''[[w:Lagoon Nebula|M8]]'': Commander Adama refers to the Lagoon Nebula, which he sees in the display of the [[Tomb of Athena]] as M8. This is curious as it is not a name, but a catalog number from the [[w:Messier Catalog|Messier Catalog]], created by the 18th century astronomer.

===Honorifics===
Although civilians use the honorific "Madam" or its shortened form "ma'am," in the Colonial military all superior officers are referred to as "Sir," regardless of gender.<ref>According to RDM's [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/blogs blog] on January 20th, 2006, the series follows the system established in ''[[MemoryAlpha:Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan|Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan]]'', where the term "sir" has become gender-neutral in military usage. Thus, [[Laura Roslin]] is referred to as "Madam President" or "ma'am" in a civilian context, but in her capacity as Commander-in-Chief, she is always addressed as "sir."</ref>

===Names===
Many characters have names that include one or more components that appear to be a Biblical or Classical reference. It remains an enigma whether, and to what degree, these should be thought of as translations for the audience's benefit.

Some of these apparent allusions may have no intended meaning beyond sounding good. Others are known to have been chosen for a reason, and that's noted where verifiable.

* [[William Adama|William]] and [[Lee Adama]]: "Adama" is Hebrew for "earth" in its literal meaning—ground, dirt—from which "Adam," the Biblical First Man, derives his name. It is also the name of a large city in Ethiopia. Lee's call-sign "Apollo" is of course a reference to the Greek (and apparently, Kobolan) god. Both "Adama" and "Apollo" are carry-overs from the original series, where they were chosen for their mythological significance.
* [[Richard Adar]]: "[[w:Adar|Adar]]" is a month in the Jewish lunar calendar still in use today. It coincides roughly with the Gregorian month of March. It is a carry over from the original series.
* [[Karl Agathon]]: "[[w:Agathon|Agathon]]" was an Athenian poet, a friend of Euripides and Plato.
* [[Gaius Baltar]]: "Gaius" was the ''[[w:Praenomen|praenomen]]'' of the man we commonly call [[w:Julius Caesar|Julius Caesar]] and the noted Roman historian Tactius, among others. "Baltar" was made up by [[Glen A. Larson]] for the original series.
* [[Helena Cain]]: "[[w:Helena|Helena]]" is a common enough name, but is also a possible reference to Helen of Troy. "[[w:Cain|Cain]]" in the Old Testament is the first murderer, and is a carry-over from the original series.
* [[Aaron Doral]]: "[[w:Aaron|Aaron]]" is a Biblical Hebrew name, the older brother of [[w:Moses|Moses]].
* [[Anastasia Dualla]]: The Greek word ''[[w:anastasia|anastasia]]'' translates to "resurrection," and was a deliberate choice by [[Ronald D. Moore|Ron Moore]]. It's also a common Greek and Russian name. Dualla is the name of a region and people in sub-saharan Africa.
* [[Hera Agathon|Hera]]/Isis: "[[w:Hera|Hera]]" was a Greek goddess, the wife of Zeus. "[[w:Isis|Isis]]" an Egyptian goddess, the wife of Horus in early mythology; the wife of Osiris and mother of Horus later. This is one of the few Egyptian references in the new series.
* [[Gina Inviere]]: "Inviere" is Romanian for "resurrection." The word is described in the series as from "Old [[Gemenon (RDM)|Gemenese]]" and is one in a handful of instances where the Re-imagined Series suggests that the standard language viewers hear spoken is not the sole language of all colonies.
* [[Billy Keikeya]]: "Keikeya" is one of the three queens of [[w:Ayodhya|Ayodhya]] in the Hindu epic, ''[[w:Ramayana|Ramayana]]''.
* [[Kara Thrace]]: "[[w:Thrace|Thrace]]" is a region in southeast Europe spanning Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Turkey, and Serbia. It was also the ancient name for the same area. The famous gladiator Spartacus was a Thracian.
* [[Saul Tigh]]: "[[w:Saul|Saul]]" is a Hebrew name (pronounced "Shaul" in Hebrew), which means "borrowed." Biblical references include both the first king of Judah and Israel, and the birth-name of Paul of Tarsus. Originally the character was named "Paul Tigh," but when it was discovered that this could not be used for legal reasons, it was shifted to "''S''aul Tigh," a reverse of the name switch that Saul of Tarsus/St. Paul made. "Tigh" appears to be a reference to the historical figure [[w:Colonel Tye|Colonel Tye]], an African-American military leader who fought for the British in the [[w:American Revolutionary War|American Revolutionary War]] (the original series version of Colonel [[Tigh (TOS)|Tigh]] was of African ethnicity).
* [[Galen Tyrol]]: "[[w:Galen|Galen]]" was a famous Greek-born healer, the source of much Roman and Medieval medical knowledge, and was the first to argue that the mind was in the brain and not the heart; this could be construed as ironic, given that Tyrol followed his heart and maintained a relationship with Boomer even when he shouldn't have. "[[w:Tyrol|Tyrol]]" is a region that spans the border of Austria and Italy.
* [[Sharon Valerii]]: "Sharon" is a name of a geographic area in the center of Israel, although it's also a common English woman's name. The [[w:Valerius|gens Valeria]] is one of the longest-running families in the history of the [[w:Roman Empire|Roman Empire]]. "Valerii" is the masculine genitive plural form, which is used to refer to members of a family collectively.
* [[Tom Zarek]]: "[[w:Thomas|Thomas]]" is a deliberate biblical reference. Originally he was supposed to be called "Peter," but that didn't clear with the legal departement. It's also a common English name. Zarek is a Polish name derived from the Babylonian name Balshazzar meaning "Baal protects the king." According to the writers, they just made up the name "Zarek" because they thought it sounded "strong and futuristic." ([[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]], p.52)

Uncertain references:
* [[Leoben Conoy]]: "[[w:Leoben|Leoben]]" is an Austrian town where a preliminary peace in the Napoleonic wars was signed. "[[w:Conoy|Conoy]]" is a Native American tribe, also known as the Piscataway. Both are pretty obscure.
* [[Laura Roslin]]: "[[w:Roslin Institute|Roslin Institute]]" is where Dolly the Sheep was cloned. A more likely source of the name would be the Scottish village of [[wikipedia:Roslin, Midlothian|Roslin, Midlothian]], where (unsurprisingly perhaps) the Roslin Institute is located.

===Other Languages===
Real-world languages other than English have made brief appearances in the Re-Imagined Series.
[[Image:Chinese characters.png|thumb|right|180px|The Chinese Characters behind Tyrol in Webisode 7]]
*The bookshelf concealing a fallout shelter in "[[Act of Contrition]]" contains a book titled ''Oberst'', the German word for colonel.
*[[Virtual beings#Baltar's Virtual Six|Number Six]] tells [[Gaius Baltar]] that he speaks with ''élan'' in "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]." ''Élan'' is the French word for ''flair''.
*The opera heard in [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar's]] lab in [[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]] is in Italian. It is titled ''Battlestar Operatica'' and was composed by Battlestar Galactica composer [[Bear McCreary]].
*In ''[[Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance]]'' there are three Chinese characters on a crate behind Tyrol. They are "盐," "油" and "姜," meaning "salt," "oil" and "ginger". Chinese language characters has also been seen on numerous occasions in both ''Batttlestar Galactica'' and ''Caprica''. One example are store signs in [[Little Tauron]] being written in Chinese (note: Vancouver's Chinatown played as Little Tauron during the filming of ''Caprica'').
*In "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]" is French visible on the blackboard of Roslin's school are the French verbs aller, avoir, and être.
[[Image:LDYBSchool.jpg|thumb|right|150px|French visible in blue left of [[Maya]]'s head.]]
*The Latin "sine qua non" ("without which not," "without which it could not be") is spoken and translated by [[Romo Lampkin]] ("[[Sine Qua Non]]").
*In [[Caprica (series)|''Caprica'']], a mixture of Ancient and Modern Greek is used to represent the native language of the [[Tauron]]s. In the episode "[[Blowback]]", Romanian is used to represent the language of [[Gemenon]].

==Accents==

Most characters (or the actors that portray them) speak with a [[Wikipedia:General American|Standard American]] accent, with some exceptions.

===British (Queen's English) Accent===
Three characters speak with the [[Wikipedia:Received Pronunciation|Received Pronunciation]], Dr. [[Gaius Baltar]] from [[Aerilon]] (although he consciously suppresses his native [[#Aerilon Accent|Aerilon accent]]), ''Galactica'' medic [[Layne Ishay]] and ''[[Pyxis]]<nowiki>'</nowiki>'' Captain [[Jules Tarney]].

===Canadian Accent===
The actor playing Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]], especially when shouting or barking orders, exhibits a definite Canadian accent. [[Michael Hogan]] is a noted Canadian actor, and on the show his speech is generally indistinguishable from General American English, but observant listeners can detect the accent in certain situations.

More subtly, [[Leoben Conoy]], portrayed by veteran Canadian actor [[Callum Keith Rennie]], exhibits Canadian patterns discernible to native speakers.

[[Sergeant Hadrian]], played by Canadian actress [[Jill Teed]] also shows Canadian cadences.

Since the series is shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, many of the actors are Canadian character players, for the most part speaking with West/Central Canadian accents.

===American (Puerto Rican) Accent===
[[Giana]], a woman rescued from [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] by [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon Valerii]], speaks with a Puerto Rican accent, and inquires after the whereabouts of her husband, who she states is "stationed on Gemenon." Her place of origin is unclear, but no other characters from either Caprica, [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenon]], or anywhere else have shared this accent. The actress, Lymari Nadal, is from Puerto Rico ([[Miniseries]]).

===Kiwi Accent===
The reporter [[D'Anna Biers]] speaks with a Kiwi/New Zealand accent (this is actually the accent that actress [[Lucy Lawless]] speaks with when off screen, because she is from New Zealand). However, the same episode revealed that D'Anna is actually a [[Humanoid Cylon|Cylon]] (Number Three), and another copy of her model on Cylon-occupied Caprica does ''not'' speak with this accent, but a Standard American one, perhaps to differentiate the two characters. Subsequent appearances by Number Threes in "[[Downloaded]]" and [[Season 3 (2006-07)|Season 3]] have featured the Kiwi accent exclusively.

===Australian Accent===
[[Kendra Shaw]] speaks with an Australian accent. She is portrayed by [[Stephanie Jacobsen]], who was born in Hong Kong but spent most of her life and education in Sydney, Australia. Given that her [[Marta Shaw|mother]] was Caprica's delegate to the Quorum of Twelve, she is likely from Caprica as well. From an in-universe point of view, this probably means that there is not just one accent from one colony, but also regional variations ([[Razor]]).

===English (Yorkshire) Accent===
In "[[Flesh and Bone]]," Baltar notes that Sharon Valerii speaks with a trace of an [[Aerilon]] accent. Valerii tells him that she is not from Aerilon, but rather [[Troy (RDM)|Troy]]. In the episode "[[Dirty Hands]]," Baltar displays his native Aerilon accent. It sounds somewhat raspy, and resembles the English regional accents from Yorkshire and Lancashire. Baltar being from Aerilon explains how he could pick up a faint trace of it in Valerii. However, in her case, the accent appears to be entirely fictional - Canadian actress Grace Park speaks Standard American English without a 'foreign' accent.

===Irish Accent===

In "[[The Son Also Rises]]," [[Romo Lampkin]] speaks with an accent somewhat similar to Baltar's native Aerilon accent. The actor, [[Mark Sheppard]], is Irish.

(Note: The accent of the corresponding '[[Aeries]]' people in the Original Series sounds Irish, as heard in "[[The Long Patrol]]")

==Liturgy==
During the funeral service at the end of the [[Miniseries, Night 2|Miniseries]], Priest [[Elosha]] chants a prayer in a foreign language. It is recognizable as a common Sanskrit prayer, found in Part I, Chapter III, Verse 28 of the [http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/brihadaranyaka.htm Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad].

:{|
| '''Devanāgarī''' || '''Transliteration''' || '''Translation'''
|-
| अस्तो मा सद् गमय || asato mā sad gamaya || Lead us from Falsehood to Truth
|-
| तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय || tamaso mā jyotir gamaya || Lead us from Darkness to Light
|-
| मृत्योर् मा अमृतं गमय || mṛtyor mā amṛtaṃ gamaya || Lead us from Death to Immortality
|}

Although the lyrics are identifiable, it should be noted that the actress's performance is closer to the chanting of biblical Hebrew, and does not resemble the traditional melody.<ref>Viewers can compare Elosha's chant to the same chant found in the soundtrack of the movie ''[[Wikipedia:The Matrix Revolutions|The Matrix Revolutions]]'', by composers Don Davis and the group Juno Reactor. The final track, "Navras," (which plays during the closing credits of the motion picture) begins with this same verse; the track "Neodämmerung" also consists entirely of Sanskrit lyrics taken from the Upaniṣads, including this verse.</ref>

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

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Colonial]]
[[Category:Colonial History]]
[[Category:Colonial History (RDM)]]
[[Category:Colonial Society]]
[[Category:Colonial Society (RDM)]]
[[Category:RDM]]

{{featured article candidate previous}}

Language in the Twelve Colonies

2013-10-18T11:45:43Z

Segway: /* British (Queen's English) Accent */ changed so all accents are organised by Nations

:''This article discusses an aspect of the [[Re-imagined Series]] version of the Twelve Colonies. For information on the [[Original Series]] version, see [[The Twelve Colonies (TOS)]].''

{{RDM twelve colonies series}}

English or a language portrayed in English is the universally understood standard language; in the Twelve Colonies, it is known as [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprican]] ([[CAP]]: "[[Blowback]]"), although other sources state the Colonial language originates from [[Virgon (RDM)|Virgon]]. Loanwords from other languages ("élan," "fascist," "karma," "esprit de corps" etc.) occur with normal frequency, as do chronologically enigmatic borrowings such as the battlestar ''[[Columbia (RDM)|Columbia]]''. Most religious terms are explicitly shared with ancient Greek beliefs; the Colonial terms are antecedent to them. They spread down through the eons and resurfaced through the collective unconsciousness.

==Vocabulary==

===Anachronisms===
''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' uses many terms from modern day naval aviation, which appear somewhat anachronistic but also lend the show a flavor of realistic jargon. These include:
*[[Combat Air Patrol]]
*[[Commander Air Group]]
*Planes
:'''Adama:''' "You keep my planes flying. I need my planes to fly." ([[Litmus]])

===Ersatz===
In contrast to its [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|predecessor]], the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica'' employs relatively little in the way of ersatz vocabulary. It does employ a few terms outside of a normal American English vocabulary, mostly military jargon. These are mixed in haphazardly with the real-life naval aviation terms above.

*[[Dradis]] - [[Wikipedia:RADAR|Radar]]
*[[Fumarella leaf]] - [[Wikipedia:Tobacco|Tobacco]]
*[[Frak]] - A bowdlerized version of "Fuck" (c.f. "[[Wikipedia:Frell|Frell]]" (Farscape), "[[Wikipedia:Frag|Frag]]" (Babylon 5), "[[Wikipedia:Smeg|Smeg]]" (Red Dwarf))
*[[G-4]] - [[Wikipedia: C-4 (explosive)|C-4]]
*[[Krypter]] - [[Wikipedia:Mayday|Mayday]]
*[[Morpha]] - [[Wikipedia:Morphine|Morphine]]
*[[Serisone]] - [[Wikipedia:prednisone|Prednisone]]
*[[Wireless]] - [[Wikipedia:Radio|Radio]]<ref name="wireless">This usage is not entirely unknown in Earth-bound English. As a synonym for radio or radiotelegraphy, it's more common in British usage, according to [http://www.m-w.com/ Merriam-Webster]. Prior to the popularisation of television in the 1950s, it was the preferred term for radio equipment and radio broadcasts amongst the bulk of the British population. It's also the source of the prefix 'Wi' in 'WiFi' and other similar wireless data standards now common.</ref>

===Invented Terminology===
As all science fiction shows must, Battlestar Galactica has a set of vocabulary referring to technologies and other items not shared with the real world.

*[[Ambrosia]] - a bright green alcoholic beverage
*[[Carom]] - the angle above or below the XY plane of a vessel, perpendicular to [[Wikipedia:Bearing (navigation)|bearing]] (c.f. "Mark" (Star Trek))
*[[Chamalla]] - an [[Wikipedia:Entheogen|entheogen]] used by priests
*[[Red Line]]

*'''For a more complete list of acronyms and expressions see:''' [[List of terms (RDM)]]

===Turn of phrase===
The dialect used by the Colonials employs some distinct turn of phrase at times:

*"As of this moment" is used particularly often for seemingly "official" announcements. After the original Cylon attack, then-Commander William Adama announces to his crew, "As of this moment, we are at war." The phrase is used later by Colonel Tigh in his announcement of martial law <ref>"As of this moment, I have declared martial law." — "[[Fragged]]"</ref>, and Gaius Baltar in announcing his candidacy for the presidency<ref>"…I am, as of this moment, a candidate for the Presidency." — "[[The Captain's Hand]]"</ref>.
*"With every fiber of my being" is often used to conclude oaths, particularly the oath of presidency, as taken by Roslin and Baltar at various points.
*"[[So say we all]]" is used to conclude prayers and similar remarks. It is analogous to, and roughly synonymous with, "amen."
*When used as an intensifier or in other instances of profanity, "God" is usually replaced with "Gods," befitting the Colonials' polytheistic faith—"Gods damn it," "Oh my Gods!," etc.
*"In the worlds" is in use prior to the [[Cylon War]], following the same pattern as "in the world" (such as [[Amanda Graystone]]'s exclamation that "You are so lucky and you have everything in the worlds you could possibly want . . .") ([[Caprica pilot]]). The expression is not heard immediately prior to the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] or at any time afterward.

===Enigmas===

Language in ''Battlestar Galactica'' have terms whose origins are a curiosity due to chronology or uniqueness to the real-world Earth that likely wouldn't have a parallel of the same name in the Twelve Colonies. See [[Sacred Scrolls#Earth as the true origin of the human species|an interpretation of the origin of humanity on Kobol]] that could support the derivation of these terms.

* ''[[Columbia (RDM)|Columbia]]'': This battlestar name comes from Christopher Columbus, thus making it an unusual name for the Twelve Colonies. However, it also stems from the Latin word "columba" meaning "dove" together with the suffix "ia" which means "land" (geographical expression) in all languages derived from Indo-European roots (ergo, "Land of the Dove")

* ''[[Cloud Nine]]'': This American expression of bliss comes from a 1890's Earth weather reference on the highest-altitude cloud formation. The expression became popularized in 1950s radio broadcasts.

* ''[[Adriatic]]'': The name of this vessel under the influence of [[Tom Zarek]], much like ''Columbia'' appears to have originated on Earth. On Earth the Adriatic Sea is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, located between Italy and the Balkans.

* ''[[w:Lagoon Nebula|M8]]'': Commander Adama refers to the Lagoon Nebula, which he sees in the display of the [[Tomb of Athena]] as M8. This is curious as it is not a name, but a catalog number from the [[w:Messier Catalog|Messier Catalog]], created by the 18th century astronomer.

===Honorifics===
Although civilians use the honorific "Madam" or its shortened form "ma'am," in the Colonial military all superior officers are referred to as "Sir," regardless of gender.<ref>According to RDM's [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/blogs blog] on January 20th, 2006, the series follows the system established in ''[[MemoryAlpha:Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan|Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan]]'', where the term "sir" has become gender-neutral in military usage. Thus, [[Laura Roslin]] is referred to as "Madam President" or "ma'am" in a civilian context, but in her capacity as Commander-in-Chief, she is always addressed as "sir."</ref>

===Names===
Many characters have names that include one or more components that appear to be a Biblical or Classical reference. It remains an enigma whether, and to what degree, these should be thought of as translations for the audience's benefit.

Some of these apparent allusions may have no intended meaning beyond sounding good. Others are known to have been chosen for a reason, and that's noted where verifiable.

* [[William Adama|William]] and [[Lee Adama]]: "Adama" is Hebrew for "earth" in its literal meaning—ground, dirt—from which "Adam," the Biblical First Man, derives his name. It is also the name of a large city in Ethiopia. Lee's call-sign "Apollo" is of course a reference to the Greek (and apparently, Kobolan) god. Both "Adama" and "Apollo" are carry-overs from the original series, where they were chosen for their mythological significance.
* [[Richard Adar]]: "[[w:Adar|Adar]]" is a month in the Jewish lunar calendar still in use today. It coincides roughly with the Gregorian month of March. It is a carry over from the original series.
* [[Karl Agathon]]: "[[w:Agathon|Agathon]]" was an Athenian poet, a friend of Euripides and Plato.
* [[Gaius Baltar]]: "Gaius" was the ''[[w:Praenomen|praenomen]]'' of the man we commonly call [[w:Julius Caesar|Julius Caesar]] and the noted Roman historian Tactius, among others. "Baltar" was made up by [[Glen A. Larson]] for the original series.
* [[Helena Cain]]: "[[w:Helena|Helena]]" is a common enough name, but is also a possible reference to Helen of Troy. "[[w:Cain|Cain]]" in the Old Testament is the first murderer, and is a carry-over from the original series.
* [[Aaron Doral]]: "[[w:Aaron|Aaron]]" is a Biblical Hebrew name, the older brother of [[w:Moses|Moses]].
* [[Anastasia Dualla]]: The Greek word ''[[w:anastasia|anastasia]]'' translates to "resurrection," and was a deliberate choice by [[Ronald D. Moore|Ron Moore]]. It's also a common Greek and Russian name. Dualla is the name of a region and people in sub-saharan Africa.
* [[Hera Agathon|Hera]]/Isis: "[[w:Hera|Hera]]" was a Greek goddess, the wife of Zeus. "[[w:Isis|Isis]]" an Egyptian goddess, the wife of Horus in early mythology; the wife of Osiris and mother of Horus later. This is one of the few Egyptian references in the new series.
* [[Gina Inviere]]: "Inviere" is Romanian for "resurrection." The word is described in the series as from "Old [[Gemenon (RDM)|Gemenese]]" and is one in a handful of instances where the Re-imagined Series suggests that the standard language viewers hear spoken is not the sole language of all colonies.
* [[Billy Keikeya]]: "Keikeya" is one of the three queens of [[w:Ayodhya|Ayodhya]] in the Hindu epic, ''[[w:Ramayana|Ramayana]]''.
* [[Kara Thrace]]: "[[w:Thrace|Thrace]]" is a region in southeast Europe spanning Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Turkey, and Serbia. It was also the ancient name for the same area. The famous gladiator Spartacus was a Thracian.
* [[Saul Tigh]]: "[[w:Saul|Saul]]" is a Hebrew name (pronounced "Shaul" in Hebrew), which means "borrowed." Biblical references include both the first king of Judah and Israel, and the birth-name of Paul of Tarsus. Originally the character was named "Paul Tigh," but when it was discovered that this could not be used for legal reasons, it was shifted to "''S''aul Tigh," a reverse of the name switch that Saul of Tarsus/St. Paul made. "Tigh" appears to be a reference to the historical figure [[w:Colonel Tye|Colonel Tye]], an African-American military leader who fought for the British in the [[w:American Revolutionary War|American Revolutionary War]] (the original series version of Colonel [[Tigh (TOS)|Tigh]] was of African ethnicity).
* [[Galen Tyrol]]: "[[w:Galen|Galen]]" was a famous Greek-born healer, the source of much Roman and Medieval medical knowledge, and was the first to argue that the mind was in the brain and not the heart; this could be construed as ironic, given that Tyrol followed his heart and maintained a relationship with Boomer even when he shouldn't have. "[[w:Tyrol|Tyrol]]" is a region that spans the border of Austria and Italy.
* [[Sharon Valerii]]: "Sharon" is a name of a geographic area in the center of Israel, although it's also a common English woman's name. The [[w:Valerius|gens Valeria]] is one of the longest-running families in the history of the [[w:Roman Empire|Roman Empire]]. "Valerii" is the masculine genitive plural form, which is used to refer to members of a family collectively.
* [[Tom Zarek]]: "[[w:Thomas|Thomas]]" is a deliberate biblical reference. Originally he was supposed to be called "Peter," but that didn't clear with the legal departement. It's also a common English name. Zarek is a Polish name derived from the Babylonian name Balshazzar meaning "Baal protects the king." According to the writers, they just made up the name "Zarek" because they thought it sounded "strong and futuristic." ([[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]], p.52)

Uncertain references:
* [[Leoben Conoy]]: "[[w:Leoben|Leoben]]" is an Austrian town where a preliminary peace in the Napoleonic wars was signed. "[[w:Conoy|Conoy]]" is a Native American tribe, also known as the Piscataway. Both are pretty obscure.
* [[Laura Roslin]]: "[[w:Roslin Institute|Roslin Institute]]" is where Dolly the Sheep was cloned. A more likely source of the name would be the Scottish village of [[wikipedia:Roslin, Midlothian|Roslin, Midlothian]], where (unsurprisingly perhaps) the Roslin Institute is located.

===Other Languages===
Real-world languages other than English have made brief appearances in the Re-Imagined Series.
[[Image:Chinese characters.png|thumb|right|180px|The Chinese Characters behind Tyrol in Webisode 7]]
*The bookshelf concealing a fallout shelter in "[[Act of Contrition]]" contains a book titled ''Oberst'', the German word for colonel.
*[[Virtual beings#Baltar's Virtual Six|Number Six]] tells [[Gaius Baltar]] that he speaks with ''élan'' in "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]." ''Élan'' is the French word for ''flair''.
*The opera heard in [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar's]] lab in [[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]] is in Italian. It is titled ''Battlestar Operatica'' and was composed by Battlestar Galactica composer [[Bear McCreary]].
*In ''[[Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance]]'' there are three Chinese characters on a crate behind Tyrol. They are "盐," "油" and "姜," meaning "salt," "oil" and "ginger". Chinese language characters has also been seen on numerous occasions in both ''Batttlestar Galactica'' and ''Caprica''. One example are store signs in [[Little Tauron]] being written in Chinese (note: Vancouver's Chinatown played as Little Tauron during the filming of ''Caprica'').
*In "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]" is French visible on the blackboard of Roslin's school are the French verbs aller, avoir, and être.
[[Image:LDYBSchool.jpg|thumb|right|150px|French visible in blue left of [[Maya]]'s head.]]
*The Latin "sine qua non" ("without which not," "without which it could not be") is spoken and translated by [[Romo Lampkin]] ("[[Sine Qua Non]]").
*In [[Caprica (series)|''Caprica'']], a mixture of Ancient and Modern Greek is used to represent the native language of the [[Tauron]]s. In the episode "[[Blowback]]", Romanian is used to represent the language of [[Gemenon]].

==Accents==

Most characters (or the actors that portray them) speak with a [[Wikipedia:General American|Standard American]] accent, with some exceptions.

===British (Queen's English) Accent===
Three characters speak with the [[Wikipedia:Received Pronunciation|Received Pronunciation]], Dr. [[Gaius Baltar]] from [[Aerilon]] (although he consciously suppresses his native [[#Aerilon Accent|Aerilon accent]]), ''Galactica'' medic [[Layne Ishay]] and ''[[Pyxis]]<nowiki>'</nowiki>'' Captain [[Jules Tarney]].

===Canadian Accent===
The actor playing Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]], especially when shouting or barking orders, exhibits a definite Canadian accent. [[Michael Hogan]] is a noted Canadian actor, and on the show his speech is generally indistinguishable from General American English, but observant listeners can detect the accent in certain situations.

More subtly, [[Leoben Conoy]], portrayed by veteran Canadian actor [[Callum Keith Rennie]], exhibits Canadian patterns discernible to native speakers.

[[Sergeant Hadrian]], played by Canadian actress [[Jill Teed]] also shows Canadian cadences.

Since the series is shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, many of the actors are Canadian character players, for the most part speaking with West/Central Canadian accents.

===Puerto Rican Accent===
[[Giana]], a woman rescued from [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] by [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon Valerii]], speaks with a Puerto Rican accent, and inquires after the whereabouts of her husband, who she states is "stationed on Gemenon." Her place of origin is unclear, but no other characters from either Caprica, [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenon]], or anywhere else have shared this accent. The actress, Lymari Nadal, is from Puerto Rico ([[Miniseries]]).

===Kiwi Accent===
The reporter [[D'Anna Biers]] speaks with a Kiwi/New Zealand accent (this is actually the accent that actress [[Lucy Lawless]] speaks with when off screen, because she is from New Zealand). However, the same episode revealed that D'Anna is actually a [[Humanoid Cylon|Cylon]] (Number Three), and another copy of her model on Cylon-occupied Caprica does ''not'' speak with this accent, but a Standard American one, perhaps to differentiate the two characters. Subsequent appearances by Number Threes in "[[Downloaded]]" and [[Season 3 (2006-07)|Season 3]] have featured the Kiwi accent exclusively.

===Australian Accent===
[[Kendra Shaw]] speaks with an Australian accent. She is portrayed by [[Stephanie Jacobsen]], who was born in Hong Kong but spent most of her life and education in Sydney, Australia. Given that her [[Marta Shaw|mother]] was Caprica's delegate to the Quorum of Twelve, she is likely from Caprica as well. From an in-universe point of view, this probably means that there is not just one accent from one colony, but also regional variations ([[Razor]]).

===English (Yorkshire) Accent===
In "[[Flesh and Bone]]," Baltar notes that Sharon Valerii speaks with a trace of an [[Aerilon]] accent. Valerii tells him that she is not from Aerilon, but rather [[Troy (RDM)|Troy]]. In the episode "[[Dirty Hands]]," Baltar displays his native Aerilon accent. It sounds somewhat raspy, and resembles the English regional accents from Yorkshire and Lancashire. Baltar being from Aerilon explains how he could pick up a faint trace of it in Valerii. However, in her case, the accent appears to be entirely fictional - Canadian actress Grace Park speaks Standard American English without a 'foreign' accent.

===Irish Accent===

In "[[The Son Also Rises]]," [[Romo Lampkin]] speaks with an accent somewhat similar to Baltar's native Aerilon accent. The actor, [[Mark Sheppard]], is Irish.

(Note: The accent of the corresponding '[[Aeries]]' people in the Original Series sounds Irish, as heard in "[[The Long Patrol]]")

==Liturgy==
During the funeral service at the end of the [[Miniseries, Night 2|Miniseries]], Priest [[Elosha]] chants a prayer in a foreign language. It is recognizable as a common Sanskrit prayer, found in Part I, Chapter III, Verse 28 of the [http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/brihadaranyaka.htm Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad].

:{|
| '''Devanāgarī''' || '''Transliteration''' || '''Translation'''
|-
| अस्तो मा सद् गमय || asato mā sad gamaya || Lead us from Falsehood to Truth
|-
| तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय || tamaso mā jyotir gamaya || Lead us from Darkness to Light
|-
| मृत्योर् मा अमृतं गमय || mṛtyor mā amṛtaṃ gamaya || Lead us from Death to Immortality
|}

Although the lyrics are identifiable, it should be noted that the actress's performance is closer to the chanting of biblical Hebrew, and does not resemble the traditional melody.<ref>Viewers can compare Elosha's chant to the same chant found in the soundtrack of the movie ''[[Wikipedia:The Matrix Revolutions|The Matrix Revolutions]]'', by composers Don Davis and the group Juno Reactor. The final track, "Navras," (which plays during the closing credits of the motion picture) begins with this same verse; the track "Neodämmerung" also consists entirely of Sanskrit lyrics taken from the Upaniṣads, including this verse.</ref>

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

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Colonial]]
[[Category:Colonial History]]
[[Category:Colonial History (RDM)]]
[[Category:Colonial Society]]
[[Category:Colonial Society (RDM)]]
[[Category:RDM]]

{{featured article candidate previous}}

Talk:The Plan/Archive 1

2009-10-24T16:36:02Z

Segway:

==The What?==
So, where did the title come from? From what I gather, the information is about a month old, but it seems this title is new, as in "just today" new. Yet, I have no idea where it came from? Anyone care to share? --[[User:Mars|Mars]] 22:53, 3 September 2008 (UTC)
: It's been the working title for a while now; about a month. -- [[User:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|Joe Beaudoin]] <sup>[[User talk:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|So say we all]] - [[Battlestar Wiki:Site support|Donate]] - [[bsp:|Battlestar Pegasus]]</sup> 23:01, 3 September 2008 (UTC)
::Not exactly the answer I was hoping for, so let me rephrase - can I get a link or something? Because I've looked here and there for it, finding sod-all for my trouble, and it's driving me mad. And don't we usually only name these things when it's been confirmed? --[[User:Mars|Mars]] 13:12, 4 September 2008 (UTC)
:::There's a news item on the Galactica SitRep. The title is actually from the [http://www.bcfilmcommission.com/about_us/film_list.htm?film_type=mow BC Film Commission], which the studios have to register to, so... it's official. Plus I've read the script, and that's the title. -- [[User:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|Joe Beaudoin]] <sup>[[User talk:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|So say we all]] - [[Battlestar Wiki:Site support|Donate]] - [[bsp:|Battlestar Pegasus]]</sup> 13:32, 4 September 2008 (UTC)
::::At the risk of breaching secrecy contracts or any other measures taken against plot-leaks, any thoughts on the script? Do you think it's on par with the series thus far and Razor? [[User:Pentagonal Deception|Pentagonal Deception]] 01:30, 14 September 2008 (UTC)
:::::I'm not going to hazard an opinion, particularly since the version of the script I read was the one that Espenson removed about 30 scenes from. -- [[User:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|Joe Beaudoin]] <sup>[[User talk:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|So say we all]] - [[Battlestar Wiki:Site support|Donate]] - [[bsp:|Battlestar Pegasus]]</sup> 01:37, 14 September 2008 (UTC)

== No Spoilers?! ==

I'm surprised there are no spoilers for '''The Plan''' anywhere on the net or even here. Any reason why? [[User:CoreyDanian|Sr. Lt. Corey "Shadow" Danian]] 04:58, 21 September 2009 (UTC)

: There really hasn't been much talk over "The Plan," everyone is pretty focused on ''Caprica'' at this point it seems. -- [[User:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|Joe Beaudoin]] <sup>[[User talk:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|So say we all]] - [[Battlestar Wiki:Site support|Donate]] - [[bsp:|Battlestar Pegasus]]</sup> 13:40, 21 September 2009 (UTC)

: I could tell you what's known so far. How is spoiler text done? -- [[User:Noneofyourbusiness|Noneofyourbusiness]] 19:51, 21 September 2009 (UTC)

:: [[BW:SPOIL]] has the info you seek. -- [[User:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|Joe Beaudoin]] <sup>[[User talk:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|So say we all]] - [[Battlestar Wiki:Site support|Donate]] - [[bsp:|Battlestar Pegasus]]</sup> 13:02, 22 September 2009 (UTC)

: {{spoiltext|Shelly Godfrey is in it, we see what the plan was for her framing of Baltar and how she escaped. There's another significant Six known only by the script name "Tough Six". She has dark hair and wears a leather-and-chains outfit. No info on her role, but she's coarser and likes to drink. Simon has a significant plotline of some kind. He's the husband of Giana, the woman played by Lymari Nadal (Edward James Olmos' wife) in the Miniseries. Giana also has a kid, apparently. D'Anna, Starbuck, Apollo, and Roslin don't seem to appear, though there is some stock footage they might be in. A lot of it is from the viewpoint of Cavil. Boomer and Anders are also very important. Although the Five aren't awake yet (the movie covers only Seasons One and Two), Cavil makes open reference to his knowledge of them while in private. We see the hidden chamber on the Resurrection Ship with spare bodies for the Five. Cavil gave Boomer her instructions while she was in sleeper mode. We see the "device" used to switch her back and forth. We see the beginning of Anders leading the resistance, and his doubts about his ability to do so. We learn who Caprica Six spoke to in the market before the attacks, who left the "Twelve Models" note for Adama, and why Sixes are the only model with multiple names. Doral, Leoben, Tory, Colonel Tigh, Tyrol, and Ellen all have plotlines to varying degrees. We see setup to things like Leoben hiding on ''Gemenon Traveller'' and Doral suicide bombing. Adama has some new scenes. We see the two Cavils being airlocked. Caprica Six and Boomer are shown after their encounter with Anders in the collapsed garage.}} -- [[User:Noneofyourbusiness|Noneofyourbusiness]] 13:53, 22 September 2009 (UTC)

I was just on propviewer and apparently the ''Aurora'' is gonna appear. It is apparently a Leonis Airfleet passenger ship similar to the ''Colonial One''. How weird. [[User:CoreyDanian|Sr. Lt. Corey "Shadow" Danian]] 02:37, 30 September 2009 (UTC)
:What is propviewer, and is there anything else listed there for The Plan? -- [[User:Noneofyourbusiness|Noneofyourbusiness]] 19:49, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Here is a review with some spoilers: http://www.latinoreview.com/news/battlestar-galactica-the-plan-revealed-blu-ray-dvd-review-8277 -- [[User:Noneofyourbusiness|Noneofyourbusiness]] 20:13, 16 October 2009 (UTC)

I meant propworx sorry. Always seem to screw something up. Anyway, with these new spoilers can we start updating pages now. I'm being very patient myself but I'm reviewing episodes and trying to clean my stuff up as we go along. [[User:CoreyDanian|Sr. Lt. Corey "Shadow" Danian]] 03:00, 18 October 2009 (UTC)

===WHAT? No Editing till 27th?===

This is bullshit..

Editing the wiki doesent stop other people who (Gods knows why) would actually buy the horrid film from doign so?
Agree Anyone?

(At no point am i suggesting anyone edit the page. Just discuss the wiki's policy)

The Music

2009-05-25T18:47:37Z

Segway: removed uncited info, there is no knowledge of other composers where in the BSGverse

The Music recurs again and again throughout history. [[Samuel Anders]], [[Dreilide Thrace]] and [[Hera Agathon]] have all drawn versions of it from the same cosmic source of inspiration.

As the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]] approaches the [[Ionian nebula]], four people, [[Saul Tigh]], [[Samuel Anders]], [[Tory Foster]] and [[Galen Tyrol]], begin hearing fragments of strange music that only they can hear. The music becomes more distinct and distracting as the Fleet gets closer to the nebula.

Once the Fleet arrives at the Ionian nebula, '''the music'''<ref>{{bsgwiki term}}</ref> reaches a piercing shrill. The Colonials affected not only hear the music complete, but begin to add lyrics as well. As the Fleet plunges into darkness, losing electrical power for reasons unknown, the music compels the four to meet in an isolated room.

The four are able to assemble the lyric fragments with the intact music to form a strange song. The musical experience is associated with a "switch going off" in the minds of the four, who suddenly become aware that they are [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]]. The source or cause of the music is not known, but [[Final Five]] Cylon [[Samuel Anders]] recalls that in a past life on [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]], he wrote the song<ref>In the commentary podcast for "Sometimes a Great Notion", Ronald D. Moore explains that Anders wrote the song in the Galactica universe, and acknowledges that he and the writers & editors failed to adequately get that across to the audience.</ref> and used to play it for the woman he loved and his friends ([[Crossroads, Part II]], [[Sometimes a Great Notion]]).

At the end of the episode the song starts playing as background music for the viewers to hear. These are the complete lyrics that are sung:

:''There must be some way out of here''
:''Said the joker to the thief''
:''There's too much confusion''
:''I can't get no relief''
:''Businessmen they drink my wine''
:''Plowmen dig my earth''
:''None of them along the line''
:''Know what any of it is worth''

:''No reason to get excited''
:''The thief he kindly spoke''
:''There are many here among us''
:''Who feel that life is but a joke''
:''But you and I, we've been through that''
:''And this is not our fate''
:''So let us not talk falsely now''
:''The hour is getting late''

:''All along the watchtower''
:''All along the watchtower''

Several of the lines appear in dialogue throughout the episode:

:Anders: That song you're hummin'. What is that?
:Tyrol: Oh, uh. Ah you know I don't even know, it's just something I can't get outta my head. '''Some way outta here'''.

:Racetrack: Yo, Anders! Do you need a frakking invitation? Move it!
:Anders: Alright. '''No reason to get excited'''.

:Saul Tigh: You'll look into it? You'll look into it? I am here telling you there is Cylon sabotage aboard our ship.
:William Adama: Sabotage? With music?
:Saul Tigh: I know, I know. I can't quite understand it myself. '''There's too much confusion'''.

:Saul Tigh (to self, after Adama exits): '''There must be some kinda way out of here.'''

:Tory Foster (while washing her hands): '''I can't get no relief.'''

Since their awakening was precipitated by hearing this music, Anders, Foster, Tigh, and Tyrol become sensitive to mentions of music by others, believing they may be clues to the identity of the then-unknown member of the Final Five. These include [[Gaius Baltar]] using music as a metaphor for spiritual awareness ([[Six of One]]), an idea [[Virtual Six]] told Baltar of in his first vision of the [[Opera House]] ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]), [[Number Two]]'s description of a subtle music underscoring reality that only a few individuals, including [[Kara Thrace]] could hear ([[Faith]]) and [[Felix Gaeta]] singing to distract himself from the pain of his amputated leg ([[Guess What's Coming To Dinner?]]).

The music is heard again during a standoff between ''Galactica'' and the rebel [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]]. It draws Tigh, Tyrol and Anders to [[Viper 8757|Kara Thrace's Viper]], which causes the three to believe there's something special about it. Thrace investigates their claim, and discovers a clue that ultimately leads the Fleet to [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]]: a Colonial emergency locator beacon signal. Upon the Fleet's arrival at Earth, they land and survey a radiated wasteland of crumbled skyscrapers and a collapsed bridge <ref>with which many viewers perceived a [http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/913/bsgbrooklynbridgeyx0.jpg similarity to real-world New York City], as viewed from near the east tower of the Brooklyn Bridge, [http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&q=watchtower&near=Brooklyn,+NY&fb=1&t=h&ll=40.702879,-73.994551&spn=0.003221,0.00559&z=17 specifically the site] of the [[w:Jehovah's Witnesses|Jehovah's Witnesses]] office building known as "[http://www.kelebekler.com/cesnur/txt/sedewts.jpg The Watchtower]"</ref> ([[Revelations]]).

Later Kara starts playing a song with [[Slick|the composer]] at the piano in [[Joe's Bar]]. It was a song that when she was little made her happy and sad. [[Hera Agathon|Hera]] drew a picture of some dots and gave it to her. Thrace realizes that the dots represent notes. She and the composer play the notes and they turn out to be The Music. Ellen, Saul, and Tory hear it and are shocked especially at the fact that Hera was able to draw the notes to it. The significance of this is unknown, but the composer disappeared during the song and it is indicated that he was some kind of vision of [[Dreilide Thrace|Kara's father]]. Though she is present to hear the song, and has regained her memories of her former life, Final Five member [[Ellen Tigh]] seems not to understand fully the implications of the song either and if she knows when they last heard it and in what context, she does not say.

After being fatally injured by a hull breach, a dying Eight's last words are "too much confusion". ([[Islanded in a Stream of Stars]])

Later Kara tries to get answers from Anders, but fails and attempts to figure out some kind of meaning for it by assigning numbers to the notes, but that fails as well. Later, when she is ordered to jump ''Galactica'' away from the Colony and has no idea where the Fleet is, she gets an idea and uses the numbers from The Music (with The Music playing over the scene) as the coordinants to jump to, saying "there must be some kind of way out of here." She jumps ''Galactica'' there and they find a habitable planet for the Fleet to settle on that they name Earth.

150,000 years later, a new rendition of the song is heard on a radio on contemporary Earth. It is Jimi Hendrix's version of "All Along The Watchtower".

==Notes==
*The music is, indeed, a version of [[w:Bob Dylan|Bob Dylan]]'s song, "[[w:All Along The Watchtower|All Along the Watchtower]]," specially arranged by series composer [[Bear McCreary]], the lyrics sung by his brother, [[Brendan McCreary]] (known professionally as Bt4) <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/?p=164|title=Bear McCreary's Blog|date=March 25, 2007|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=English}}</ref>. The song is available on the [[Soundtrack (Season 3)|Season 3 soundtrack]].
**The song is apocalyptic in nature.
**Christopher Ricks has commented that "All Along the Watchtower" is an example of Dylan's audacity at manipulating chronological time: "at the conclusion of the last verse, it is as if the song [[Pythia|bizarrely begins at last, and as if the myth began again]]."
**Several people have pointed out that Dylan's lyrics echo lines in the [[w:Book of Isaiah|Book of Isaiah]], Chapter 21, verses 5-9:
**:''Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise ye princes, and prepare the shield.''
**:''For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.''
**:''And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed.''
**:''...And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.''"
*The song is ''not'' intended to indicate that the Colonials have picked up an Earth communication. Series executive producer [[Ron D. Moore]] considers the song to be an invention created by a Colonial citizen in a curious parallel to what had or will develop on Earth. The series creators had intentionally avoided citing whether ''Battlestar Galactica'' occured in the series' [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]]'s past, present, or future. Moore offers that "things that happened on ''Galactica'' were tied into our reality here on Earth in some way, in the past or the future, or some other connection"<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.avclub.com/content/interview/ronald_d_moore|title=AV Club interview with Ronald D. Moore|date=|accessdate=April 22, 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=English}}</ref>. In the series finale, it's revealed the events of the series transpired 150,000 years ago.
*Over 25 notable bands have performed cover versions of "All Along The Watchtower"; the definitive cover was performed by [[w:The Jimi Hendrix Experience|The Jimi Hendrix Experience]]. Many people are unaware that his version was not the original <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.dmbalmanac.com/SongStats.aspx?sid=96|title=Song Stats for ''All Along the Watchtower'' at DMBAlmanac.com|date=|accessdate=April 22, 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=English}}</ref>.
*Bob Dylan has indicated that the events in the song's lyrics are "in a rather reverse order", beginning logically in time with the "All Along The Watchtower" verse and ending with the now-famous opening lines, "'There must be some way out of here,' said the Joker to the Thief." <ref name="dylanlyrics">http://bobdylan.com/songs/watchtower.html</ref>
*The version used in the series omits the final stanza, though the full song (including this stanza) is included in the season soundtrack:
*: ''All along the watchtower, princes kept the view''
*: ''While all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too.''
*: ''Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl,''
*: ''Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl''
*The rhythm of the Colonial emergency locator beacon's signal matches the rhythm of the Music.
*Coincidentally, the Jimi Hendrix version of the song -- which is heard at the end of "[[Daybreak, Part II]]" -- is also featured in the 2009 film version of the Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons graphic novel ''Watchmen'', which was released only a few weeks prior to the broadcast of "Daybreak". The song also plays a role in the original graphic novel. The soundtrack for the movie has technically, 3 Bob Dylan songs. (All Along The Watchtower, Desolation Row, and The Times They Are a-Changin'.)
*The jump coordinates that Kara Thrace deduces from the music, 1123,6536,5321. If treated as the notes of a Phrygian mode scale, with "1" representing the root note, a tune is played identical to that which is heard as Thrace keys in the jump coordinates.

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

==External links==
{{wikifrakr|All Inside the Bong Water}} 
*[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UZ4C4A/ref=s9_asin_title_1/103-7723281-5296603?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=142PG250BG9FW5010JP2&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=278240301&pf_rd_i=507846 Season 3 OST at Amazon, including "All Along the Watchtower"]
*[http://www.reasontorock.com/tracks/watchtower.html An analysis of "All Along the Watchtower" at Reason to Rock]
*[http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=VWbyALbmqZY&offerid=78941&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fphobos.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D91218865%2526id%253D91218823%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30 "All Along the Watchtower"], sung by [[w:Bob Dylan|Bob Dylan]], at iTunes
*[http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=VWbyALbmqZY&offerid=78941&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fphobos.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D79674825%2526id%253D79674801%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30 "All Along the Watchtower"], sung by [[w:Jimi Hendrix|Jimi Hendrix]], at iTunes
{{ext-wikipedia-name|article=All Along the Watchtower|name=All Along the Watchtower}}
* Analysis and commentary in [http://www.amazon.com/Cylons-America-Critical-Battlestar-Galactica/dp/0826428487/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235253480&sr=8-1 “Of Duduks and Dylan: Negotiating Music and the Aural Space,” by Eftychia Papanikolaou.] In ''Cylons in America: Critical Studies of Battlestar Galactica''. Edited by Tiffany Potter and C. W. Marshall, Continuum, 2007.

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Colonial History]]
[[Category:Colonial History (RDM)]]
[[Category:Cylons]]
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