Colonial anthem

The Colonial anthem is the official state music of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. The music that became the anthem was originally composed by Stu Nomion at least fifty-eight years prior to the fall of the Twelve Colonies ^{(CAP: "Gravedancing")}. It would eventually be adopted as the official anthem of the Colonies following their unification under the Articles of Colonization.

Examples of usage

• The anthem plays as a fanfare when the television station Caprica 5 announces a live interview with the celebrity scientist, Doctor Gaius Baltar ^{(TRS: "Miniseries, Night 1")}.
• Around the same time, it plays briefly during a fly-by of the last Viper squadron of the battlestar Galactica during its decommissioning ceremonies held in its new museum, shortly before a speech given by Commander William Adama ^{(TRS: "Miniseries, Night 1")}.
• After the fall of the Colonies, the anthem appears in a documentary on the crew of Galactica created by D'Anna Biers. A crewman, Stan Gibson, whistles a part of the anthem while he mops a deck on the ship, then an orchestral version of the anthem bursts into the documentary as several pilots enter a hallway to give the film an uplifting heroic appeal ^{(TRS: "Final Cut")}.

As incidental music

• The Colonial Anthem plays as a young Ensign William Adama sees Galactica for the very first time through a window on a transport ^{(TRS: "Blood and Chrome")}.
• A variation of the anthem is used as incidental music to accompany the departure of the ships of the former refugee fleet from Earth as they fly into the Sun ^{(TRS: "Daybreak, Part II")}.

Series finale treatment

In "Daybreak, Part II," the Colonial Anthem receives its most emotionally resonant and grand treatment in the entire series. As Admiral William Adama's Viper makes a final flyby of Galactica before the battlestar and fleet head into the sun, composer Bear McCreary arranged Stu Phillips' classic theme for duduk and strings, building to a full orchestral statement with percussion and ethnic soloists.

This arrangement was intended as the perfect send-off for Galactica, combining the nostalgia of the Original Series with the musical sensibilities of the Re-imagined Series. The sequence even recreates the Fleet stock shot from the Original Series, making McCreary's tribute to the classic theme even more appropriate. McCreary described this version as grander and more ambitious than even the "Colonial Anthem" arrangement from "Final Cut," updating Phillips' music with taikos and ethnic soloists while re-harmonizing it to fit the new series' sensibilities.

Notes

• The Colonial anthem is a new recording of the Original Series' main theme composed by Stu Phillips, who assisted Bear McCreary in the new arrangement.
• The scene in which the crewman is heard whistling the anthem confirms that the piece of music exists "in-universe" and is not simply part of the "real world" soundtrack (something that is not necessarily made clear in the mini-series, or by the anthem's use at the end of Biers' documentary, both of which could simply have been soundtrack elements for viewers).
• The audio sample in this article is from the Season 2 soundtrack, track 1, a modern arrangement of the original theme for the episode, "Final Cut," by Bear McCreary.
• McCreary had previously featured Phillips' music throughout the series in various forms: as a fanfare during the decommissioning ceremony in the miniseries, in D'Anna Biers' documentary, over the big space battle in Razor, and as snippets in "Someone to Watch Over Me" as "Nomion's Third Sonata, Second Movement."