Quorum of Twelve (TOS)

This article explains the legislative body in the Original Series. For information on its Re-imagined Series counterpart, see Quorum of Twelve (TRS). For information on this and other facets of the government of the Original Series, see Government of the Twelve Colonies (TOS).

Sire Uri addresses the Quorum (Saga of a Star World).

The Quorum of Twelve, also known as "The Council of Twelve" or "The Council", is a group of politicians who gather together to make up the laws and practices for the people of The Twelve Colonies.

The Quorum consists of one representative from each colony and is presided over by the President. Each representative, as well as the President, is elected to their position.

The Quorum members were usually given a Seal of the Lords as a symbol of their position in the Colonial Government. But the Seals were apparently lost over time, and Commander Adama of battlestar Galactica and Lord Baltar possessed the last two Seals (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I").

After the destruction of the Twelve Colonies and the death of President Adar, Commander Adama, of the planet Caprica, is installed as interim leader of The Council, operating under martial law. The council can still make laws and practices but Adama controls the overall actions of the Council.

The council does try to take control again when The Eastern Alliance prisoners are taken into custody aboard Galactica. But when the Alliance prisoners, along with Baltar and three Borellian Nomen try to escape and use the council as hostages, the council gives control back to Adama (TOS: "Baltar's Escape").

Known Members during the destruction of the Colonies

President Adar
Count Baltar
Commander Adama

Known Members after the destruction of the Colonies

Commander Adama
Sire Uri
Sire Anton
Sire Domra
Sire Geller
Siress Tinia

Before the discovery of earth:
Xavier (from Galactica 1980)

Notes

• The name, "Quorum of Twelve", comes from the ruling body of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka Mormons). Glen A. Larson was raised Mormon and used several ideas and terms from that church in creating Battlestar Galactica. The primary difference between the two groups is that the Twelve in Battlestar Galactica have a mostly political role (with only ceremonial religious duties) whereas the Mormon leadership is unelected and primarily religious in character.
• (Like the original pilot corps) the original Quorum was dominated by male members indicating that the most Colonies favoured a rather patriachal political (and social) system. (One major factor for the failing of the original "battlestar" series was that women did not watch it)

Open Questions

• How is the president elected? How was the president elected before the destruction (by all people / by the council members) ?
• Are all members of the council elected at the same date? Or is the election date tribe-specific?
• Is the that time someone can stay member of the Quorum limited?
• Did the Quorum only meet occasionally or did it stay together all the time?
• What about those who are of tribe A but live in a world of tribe B? For which candidate can they vote? Can a citizen switch the tribe in which (s)he's in; or is this prohibited? What about children of mixed origins?
• How reasonable was the one-member-per-tribe-system after the destruction of the Colonies? Did those tribes with a larger number of survivors question it? Did those with smaller survival rate insist on the one-member-per-tribe-system as some kind of small compensation for the higher losses?
• Did the one-member-per-tribe-system stay in use after the fall of the Colonies?
• How civil were the Colonies after a thousand yahrens of war? (How powerful was the Council against the military? Was Adar the big exception who was strong enough to promote peace? Or was the military always under full civil control?)
• Did the president reside on a war ship since the begin of the 1000 yahrens Cylon War? How much time did the president spend on his battlestar Atlantia? Did he use the Atlantia only as a lift from planet to planet? Or spent he most of his time on the Atlantia even if he was in the orbit around a homeworld? Was the president transportation the only task of the Atlantia?
• Was the Atlantia the flag ship of Adar's tribe or was it the flag ship of all 12 colonies (on what battlestar resided the other presidents of the Colonies)?
• Where did the Quorum reside (before the destruction of the Colonies)? A fix government planet would probably have been mentioned (especially by those who felt underrepresented). A Quorum ship would have been seen in the pilot episode (the 12-headed-council took 5 battlestars as ride to the Cylon capital). If we keep in mind that the battlestar Atlantia was the ship of the president then the idea of one battlestar per council member sounds nice; However isn't it a bit a waste of resources to use battlestars as council member transports (And why didn't they go with twelve battlestars to the armistance conference?).