List of terms (TOS)

This is a listing of terms in the Original Series. For terms seen in the Original Series' spin-off, Galactica 1980, see List of terms (1980). For terms used in the Re-imagined Series, see List of terms (RDM).

Acronyms

• CORA: Computer, Oral Response Activated; an artificial intelligence capable of operating a Viper (The Long Patrol)

Military jargon

• "flash inspection": an inspection of military assets that is performed without prior notice by a superior officer (Saga of a Star World)
• "four-point peel off": a maneuver performed with a group of four Vipers (War of the Gods, Part I)
• "free flight jump": an infantry parachute landing, having jumped out of a shuttle (The Living Legend, Part II)
• "maximum G-climb": a maneuver done near a celestial body, which may cause the pilot to blackout; Starbuck orders C.O.R.A. to perform this maeuver, which causes the pursuing Raider to crash into the loading docks on Proteus (The Lost Warrior)
• "stand alert": Colonial term for "attention" (Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I)
• "stripped and moduled": a consequence of severe infractues in military law, likely similar to being stripped of one's rank and thrown in hack; Greenbean expresses a fear of this happening as Giles asks where he got the alcohol from (Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I)
• Warrior: an all purpose term for Colonial soldier and Viper pilot

Sayings

• "By your command": a typical Cylons response to an order (Saga of a Star World, et al.)

• "daggit drivel": a term used to describe someone's lies, similar to "garbage" or "bullshit"; Lucifer uses this term when asking if Baltar believes Specter's false reports (The Young Lords).

• "For the glory of Caprica": saying used by the Colonials, particularly those from Caprica (Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II).

• "Go rust yourself": Colonial equivalent to "go fuck yourself", typically used towards Cylons; Cadet Cree says this to Vulpa while the Cylons interrogate him (The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part I).

• "laser in their side": analogue to "thorn in their side", Starbuck uses this term to describe how the actions of Megan's surviving children have kept their father alive at Cylon hands (The Young Lords).

• "like a daggit on a sunspot": fidgety; Apollo points out that Starbuck acts this way during his pre-flight meeting on destroying the mines in the Straits of Madagon (Saga of a Star World).

Other colloquialisms

• astrum: buttocks (The Living Legend, Part I)
• Barge Lice: a "term of endearment" for prisoners on the Prison Barge
• felgercarb: expletive, similar to "crap"
• frack: expletive, similar to "shit"
• galmonging: an expletive, possibly similiar to "asshole" or "God damned"
• mong-raking: an expletive; after thwarting their attack on Galactica, Cain comments that "those mong-raking Cylons are in a state of shock right now" due to the apperances of Pegasus (The Living Legend, Part II)
• plant vapors: a psychoactive drug familiar to the Colonials; Boomer comments that the Blonde Taurus woman on Carillon was probably "smoking plant vapors" (Saga of a Star World)
• pogees: expletive, similar to "shit" (The Living Legend, Part II)
• socialator: a sex worker, escort, prostitute (Saga of a Star World)

Battlestar Galactica specific terms

• ambrosa: an expensive alcoholic intoxicant
• bio-pulse line: an unspecified body function, possibly an emotional state; Starbuck attempts to use this as an excuse to not join Apollo's mission to clear the Cylon minefield (Saga of a Star World)
• boraton: a liquid that extinguishes fires (Fire in Space)
• breather: term for a breathing mask, or a life support system supplying air (Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I)
• bureautician: bureaucrat, politician (Saga of a Star World)
• carbide: a likely term for carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide (Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I)
• centura: possibly an expression related to percentages. "If we just let him lie in that life pod he doesn't have a chance in a centura" (Fire in Space).
• chronometers: a time keeping device, basically a watch (Saga of a Star World)
• crawlon: a spider (Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I)
• cubit: a form of coined currency
• daggit: a dog
• death stone: tombstone (The Long Patrol)
• drone: a term for a robot, such as Muffit II (Saga of a Star World)
• ducket: a type of prepaid voucher used on the shuttle Canaris, typically collected at the end of the shuttle trip (The Man with Nine Lives)
• flight slumber: unintentionally sleeping while flying a craft, like a Viper; Apollo attempts to write off John and his second visit to the Ship of Lights as being a dream from a flight slumber (Experiment in Terra)
• fumarello: a small cigar that Starbuck typically smokes
• furlon: a furlough, or short leave of absence for Warriors in the Colonial Military service (The Man with Nine Lives)
• geogram: a diagram; Ravashol shows Apollo a geogram of the pulsar with instructions on how to destroy it (The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II)
• glaiders: coined currency on Equellus (The Lost Warrior)
• grog: an intoxicating beverage, likely similar to beer
• gyroball: a spherical toy larger than a marble (I Have Seen Earth)
• Homemade Buzzer: a version of "moonshine" on Equellus (The Lost Warrior)
• hovermobile: apparently a form of ground transportation, that can be hotwired Fire in Space
• ion vapors: likely term referring to the trail of a turbo engine (The Long Patrol)
• isoldin: a type of intravenous fluid given to patients (Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I)
• leisuron: a vacation or leave of absence, similar to a furlon (deleted scene, "Saga of a Star World")
• lextrium III: a type of fuel used by the Eastern Alliance destroyer (Experiment in Terra)
• life pod: a life support bed used in the life center aboard Galactica (Fire in Space)
• lupus: a wolf-like animal
• mega star: a star; in a deleted scene, Omega reports of the "mega star" they detect as they leave the magnetic void (Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II)
• mega sun: a star; the Nomen come from the "land of the mega sun" (The Man with Nine Lives)
• med tech: a medical technician, such as a nurse or orderly
• modocker: an unknown term, likely of endearment; Cain asks Apollo how Adama is by asking, "Well, how is he? How is that old modocker?" (The Living Legend, Part I)
• mushies: a food
• nightflyer: an owl-like creature on Equellus that hoots (The Lost Warrior)
• officiator: someone who oversees a triad game
• oviner: a rancher (The Lost Warrior)
• plant vapors: some sort of drug, likely a reference to marijuana (Saga of a Star World)
• pluton: a radioactive material whose radiation breaks down food (Saga of a Star World)
• pods: a Cylon outpost (Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I)
• primaries: basic food groups (Saga of a Star World)
• protein: another type of food
• proton energizers: a type of weapon on an Eastern Alliance destroyer (Experiment in Terra)
• pyramid: a card game, similar to poker
• quadrant: a term for solar system
• scanner: term for a computer monitor and telelvison set
• scorpius: likely term for a scorpion; Maga comments that Borellian Nomen have the patience of such a creature, he also comments that the name "Borellian Nomen" strike fear at the hearts of those who hear it like the scorpius (The Man with Nine Lives)
• sleep period: Colonial term for bedtime
• seal: marriage
• sickbed: term for bed rest when one is recovering from an illness (The Young Lords)
• skybus: a type of starship (Saga of a Star World)
• solium: a type of fuel
• solonite: an explosive used in demolitions (The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II)
• spacedrome: a space port (Saga of a Star World)
• tape coder: a voice recording device; Thane successfully passes off a hand mine as a device (The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II)
• telecom: an internal communications phone aboard Galactica (Fire in Space)
• tinhead: epithet used to describe Cylons (The Living Legend, Part I)
• turboflush: a toilet (Baltar's Escape)
• turboram thruster: a type of engine or thruster; in a deleted scene where Serina completes her first landing, Serina turns off this part of the Colonial shuttle as a part of her landing sequence (Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I)
• turboshower: a shower (Murder on the Rising Star)
• travelator: a travel agent (Saga of a Star World)
• triad: a contact sport, similar to football or basketball
• tylium: a fuel source, highly combustible (Fire in Space)
• wardaggit: "war dog" (The Living Legend, Part I)

Units of Measure

BSG Unit	Earth Unit
Time measurements
yahren	year   †
quatron	month
secton	week
time cycle	day
centar	hour
millicenton	10 minutes
centon	minute   †
micron	second
microcenton	second †
Distance measurements
parsec	90 Million Miles
hectar	9 Million Miles
sectar	9 Million Miles (?) †
metric	kilometer
maxim	10 meters
metron	meter †
Scientific measurements
ergon	unknown
megon	megaton
radion	rad
volton	voltage
wavelon	wavelength

Table notes

1. Yahren may be only about 2/3 of a year; see note.
2. In episodes such as "Saga of a Star World" and "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I", centon is used as the Colonial equivalent of a week before being retconned in later episodes.
3. Microcenton is likely another term for "micron"; Starbuck uses this term when he says "switching off of you for a microcenton to scan ahead" (Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II)
4. A sectar is an unknown unit of measure, measuring either distance or time.
5. "Metron" is used in a deleted scene as Serina approaches the starboard landing bay (Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II); likely similar to a meter, which is known as a "metric" in other episodes.

See also

• Battlestar Galactica - Writers Guide, transcribed by Chris Pappas