Delphi

This article covers the Caprican city depicted in the Re-imagined Series. For a similar reference in the Original Series, see Delphian Empire.

Geography

A binocular view of Delphi, with the Telamont Building in center.

Delphi is a Colonial city on Caprica featuring a large spaceport and military base.

It is situated in the same general region of the planet as Caprica City, as Lieutenant Karl Agathon is able to trek on foot from the outskirts of Caprica City to Delphi in less than two months.

A Cylon breeding farm near Delphi.

Delphi and the general region around it are apparently fairly close to a series of mountains, as the athletes in the Caprica Buccaneers Pyramid team survive the Cylon attack because they were in the mountains for high-altitude training at the time. The area would later form the core of the human resistance group that operates out of the Delphi Union High School (Resistance). The Cylon Farm that Thrace is held in, was set up in an old mental institution, about 20 kilometers north of Delphi (The Farm). Delphi itself is bordered by hills on at least one side (Colonial Day).

Landmarks and Buildings

One of the tallest structures in the city is the Telamont Building, a towering skyscraper that pierces the skyline by several stories. When he reaches the city, Agathon recognizes it by this building (Colonial Day).

The heavily-damaged Delphi Museum, respository of an important artifact.

One of the city's major landmarks is the Delphi Museum of the Colonies. This massive archaeological complex contains the Arrow of Apollo, an artifact that may be the only clue to the whereabouts of Earth . When Laura Roslin has visions following the discovery of Kobol, she overrides Commander William Adama's plans and persuades Kara "Starbuck" Thrace to take her captured Cylon Raider to Caprica in order to recover the Arrow. Successfully jumping to Caprica, Thrace lands next to the museum in which the Arrow is kept and manages to retrieve it ("Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I" and "Part II").

Thrace's old apartment, complete with a curious painting (Valley of Darkness)

Before the attack, Kara Thrace owned a studio apartment in Delphi. The place is a mess, it overlooks a parking lot, has a broken toilet and the basic services were constantly being cut off because she didn't pay the bills.

The apartment is littered with paintings of her own creation, some on canvas, one particular painting on the wall (complete with a poem) and a tiny cache of her customary cigars. Thrace isn't very enthusiastic about the place, even when she owned it, and the only reason she returns "home" is to collect an old jacket, a personal memento, and to retrieve the keys to her old military truck so she and Agathon won't have to walk anymore (Valley of Darkness).

Cylon Use

Following the Cylon attack, Delphi is used by the Cylons as their primary base of operations. Caprica-Valerii and Karl Agathon make their way across the planet in the hope of being able to find a vehicle they can use to escape off Caprica. Upon reaching the city, they notice heavy Cylon activity in and around it ("Flesh and Bone", "The Hand of God", "Colonial Day").

Centurions serving as landscaping workers (Downloaded)

The Cylons eventually resettle Delphi, and humanoid Cylons actually live there, appropriating apartments, restoring the landscaping and using a restaurant and other facilities. The resurrected Sharon Valerii returns to the apartment she had lived in prior to the Fall of the Colonies for a time. The city is already populated by multiple copies of different Cylon models. The heroes of the Cylon begin to change Cylon philosophy on their treatment of humanity after a bombing incident led by Samuel Anders here.

Delphi, as with the rest of the Colonies, is allegedly abandoned as the Cylons leave to find the last remnants of humanity in order to find a way to co-exist with them (Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II)

Notes

• The location of Delphi is one of many of the series’ influences by ancient Greek mythology and history. In antiquity, the Greek city of Delphi was home to the Delphic Oracle, a Sibyl who made predictions, delivered in song or verse, which may have been inspired or influenced by the breathing of vapors emitted from the ground. The Oracle was originally a Pythian priestess (named for the python, killed by Apollo). Over time, she became known as The Pythia.

• Initially, the Oracle was associated with Gaia, who became the foundation of the Olympian Gods. However, with the founding of a temple to the god Apollo, Delphi became more closely associated with him. This relationship between Delphi and Apollo is reflected in Delphi on Caprica being the home of the Arrow of Apollo.

• The University of British Columbia's Koerner Library was used as the Delphi base on Caprica in the episode "Colonial Day" (Source: The Official Companion).

External Links

• Delphi article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Re-imagined Series definition: initial skills training; can refer to basic military indoctrination, and arms and ground training ^{(TRS: "Fragged")}; and basic flight training ^{(TRS: "Miniseries")}