List of terms (1980)

Part of the series on Battlestar Galactica Terminology

Original Series Separate Continuity and Unproduced Scripts Richard Hatch's Continuation Novels Steampunk Battlestar Galactica 1880 Galactica 1980 Re-imagined Series Separate Continuity (Books, Comics, Video Games, et al.)

This is a list of terms in Galactica 1980. Some of these terms are specific to the Galactica 1980 television series, and not to the Original Series from which it was spun-off, although there may be overlap from the Original Series into this listing.

This list also includes Earth terms that the Colonials have apparently never encountered before.

Earth terms

The following are Earth terms that the Colonials do not immediately understand, thus having to learn about them through experience or by using their wrist computron.

• APB: all points bulletin; Dillon goes to look this term up, but is stopped by Jamie Hamilton, who informs them about the general meaning of the term (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part III").
• A.M.: Troy mispronounces this as the word "am", which is corrected by the desk clerk (1980: "The Night the Cylons Landed, Part I").
• bigshot: after being called this at the police station for asking to speak to Dr. Donald Mortinson, Dillon asks what a bigshot is (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I").
• chauvinist: Dillon is called both a terrorist and a chauvinist by Jamie Hamilton during their phone call from the police station; he asks Troy "what's a terrorist chauvinist?" (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I")
• coffee: Dillon looks up this term after Jamie Hamilton orders a coffee at a diner, upon their return to 1980 Earth (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part III").
• Cuba: When two hijackers first make their demands aboard Flight 2, Dillon looks up this place, but Troy replies they don't have time to go there (1980: "The Night the Cylons Landed, Part I").
• department store: Troy looks this up when attempting to find a place to procure clothing for the Super Scouts (1980: "The Super Scouts, Part I").
• dollar: When Hamilton asks Troy and Dillon for a dollar, Dillon looks the term up and then replies "No, I'm sorry, but we just used our last denomination of currency ourselves." (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I").
• Eagle: Moonstone looks this up after Colonel Jack Sydell mentions that he used to be an Eagle scout; there is subsequent humor over the term as it literally means "a large bird", and does not provide the definition of the Boy Scout level (1980: "The Super Scouts, Part I").
• FBI: After being told by the stewardess that the FBI would want to talk to them regarding their involvement in thwarting the Cuban hijackers, Dillon is told to look up this term (1980: "The Night the Cylons Landed, Part I").
• girlfriend: Dillon looks up this term after Gloria Alonzo asks if he has one (1980: "Space Croppers").
• Halloween: Dillon goes to look up this term when the stewardess announces that the delayed passengers will be at their Halloween parties in plenty of time, but is stopped by Troy who tells him to look up the term FBI (1980: "The Night the Cylons Landed, Part I").
• hijacking: Troy and Dillon look up this word after the desk clerk explains the reasons for the metal detectors. Unsurprisingly, a hijacking by Cuban nationals subsequently occurs on their flight (1980: "The Night the Cylons Landed, Part I").
• horse: When John Steadman asks if the Warriors know anything about these horses, Dillon looks this up (1980: "Space Croppers").
• Martians: After discovering the ineptitude of Dillon and Troy in driving an automobile, she asks if they are Martians. After consulting the computron, Dillon replies: "Close." (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part II")
• phone: Troy attempts to use a phone booth near a gas station prior to their first run-in with Jamie Hamilton (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I").
• terrorist: Dillon is called both a terrorist and a chauvinist by Jamie Hamilton during their phone call from the police station; he asks Troy "what's a terrorist chauvinist?" (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I")

Colonial terms

These are terms directly relating to Galactica 1980, some of which are based from the Original Series. For terms from that series, please refer to List of terms (TOS).

• airfoil deflection: a piece of equipment on a Viper that reduces air drag in an atmosphere (1980: "The Return of Starbuck").
• alpha waves: type of signals used in correcting disturbed brainwave patterns (1980: "Space Croppers").
• ascension tube: elevator; Dillon refers to the elevators at the WQSL radio station building as these (1980: "The Night the Cylons Landed, Part II").
• astral wind: wind; Starbuck experiences these on planet Starbuck (1980: "The Return of Starbuck").
• auric: gold; this is the substance that cubits are made from (1980: "The Super Scouts, Part I")
• auto flight: automatic piloting system aboard a Viper, which can be loaded with coordinates (1980: "Spaceball").
• automatic beacon: an electronic device that automatically transmits a distress signal (1980: "The Return of Starbuck").
• automatic detonator: a self destruct mechanism; such a mechanism is inside the A-B Raider and is activated by Andromus upon crash landing outside of New York City (1980: "The Night the Cylons Landed, Part I").
• battle urgent: a term for high military alert, particularly in relation to crisis condition (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part II").
• brace: a personal safety device on shuttles; in short, safety belts (1980: "The Super Scouts, Part I").
• breaking skip: a maneuver done in an atmosphere; three of these are used by the Cylon A-B Raider to reduce speed to ensure a non-fatal landing (1980: "The Night the Cylons Landed, Part I").
• cerebral mutation: Adama describes Doctor Zee as being this in his log when touching upon the topic of Zee's advanced intelligence, as well as scientific expertise that is far in advance of the Colonials (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I").
• chromosome count: a result from a remote scan that can discern a person's gender; Galactica's sensors indicated that one of the Viper carries a female occupant (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part II").
• chronic: a unit of temperature; 2000 degrees chronic would be the skin temperature of the A-B Raider at maximum upon entering Earth's atmosphere (1980: "The Night the Cylons Landed, Part I").
• Commander's Court: a court of law, probably over civil disputes (1980: "The Return of Starbuck").
• communication media: Colonial term for anything relating to journalism (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part II").
• computron: computer (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I").
• Crisis condition: a high-military alert; Adama uses this in light of Xaviar's escape into Earth's past to Nazi Germany circa 1944 (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part II").
• distress beacon: the Cylon variant of the automatic beacon; a portable version of this is taken from the A-B Raider and attached to Centuri before Andromus and the Centurion escape the crash (1980: "The Night the Cylons Landed, Part I").
• energizer: a power source; Dillon voices his concern that the energizer feeding power to the invisibility field hiding their Vipers needs to be recharged before the ships are rendered visible (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I").
• epidermal transformation: a process of changing one's outward appearance to look like someone else; Xaviar used this process to make himself look (and sound) like Lieutenant Nash (1980: "Spaceball").
• felgercarb: vulgarism equivalent to "shit"; Dillon uses this when discovering that his laser pistol wasn't set to stun (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part II").
• force field: a safety device that restrains the Viper pilot in their seat (1980: "The Return of Starbuck"), Troy and Dillon refer to the invisibility field as thus (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I").
• frack: a term meaning "rats" or "shit"; it is only used by Starbuck in "The Return of Starbuck".
• frimp: mild derogatory term, essentially equivalent "dummy" or "idiot" ("The Super Scouts, Part II", "The Night the Cylons Landed, Part I").
• function guard mechanism: a mechanism in a Viper that transfers control from automatic to manual should automatic functions malfunction (1980: "Spaceball").
• Galactican: a member of the Fleet; Hamilton first uses the term when replying to Stockwell's question regarding Xavier's affiliation (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part II").
• Galactican fleet: Cylons' term for the Fleet (1980: "Space Croppers").
• Galactic war: a Cylon term for the war with the humans, which may refer to either (or both) the Thousand-Yahren War or their pursuit of Galactican fleet (1980: "The Night the Cylons Landed, Part I").
• kils: a unit of measuring distance; the Earth's radius measures 6,378 of these (1980: "The Night the Cylons Landed, Part I").
• limiter: a device that limits the energy sent to a Viper's turbo charger (1980: "Space Croppers").
• navigational computron: navigational computer; Adama says that coordinates to uninhabited landing zones on Earth are programmed in these (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I").
• neuro-transmitter anogram: a medical testing technique meant to test some aspects of neuro-transmitters; Troy requests Dr. Spencer run such a test, but he is unfamiliar with it (1980: "The Super Scouts, Part I").
• nutrient monitor: a device capable of monitoring the growth of plants (1980: "Space Croppers").
• Priority Red: High priority (1980: "Spaceball"); Captain Kanon tells Britton to contact the Galactica with a Priority Red message regarding the A-B Raider (1980: "The Night the Cylons Landed, Part I").
• pulse jet: a rocket; Dillon sees the V-1 flying bombs launching and calls them this (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part II").
• respiratory readout: a result from a remote scan that can discern the number of people inside a ship; Colonel Boomer discerns from this readout that two people occupy one of the incoming Vipers (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part II").
• six-carbon-chain supplement: a term for glucose, introduced intravenously (1980: "The Super Scouts, Part I").
• sleep mode: sleep (1980: "Spaceball").
• study period: a time where children are instructed, similar to instruction period in the Original Series (1980: "The Super Scouts, Part I").
• support vapors: air produced by a life support system (1980: "The Return of Starbuck").
• time warp synthesizer: a device of Doctor Zee's that allows travel back and forth in time (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part II").
• tractor gear: the landing gear of a Viper (1980: "The Return of Starbuck").
• turbine: the flying motorcycles used by Troy and Dillon (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I").
• turbo charger: a powered component of a Viper (1980: "Space Croppers").
• transmission band: Colonial equivalent to "television channel" (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I").
• wrist computron: wrist computer, a device with a multitude of different capabilities (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I").

Measurement

• acron ions: unit of measurement in determining signal strength (1980: "The Night the Cylons Landed, Part II").
• Mega-Kay: a unit of astral distance; Boomer tells Troy that the Fleet is 30,000 Mega-Kays from Alpha Centauri (1980: "The Super Scouts, Part I"). Coincidentally, the term is also used as a measure of astronomical distance in the Buck Rogers in the 25th Century episode "Twiki is Missing." Of particular note, the term is used in relation to measuring the distance between Twiki and a star called Alpha Centari: that number, 33,000 Mega-Kays.
• metron: a unit equivalent to 1 hectometer

Sayings

• "May God go with you": a salutation used upon departure to a serious mission; Adama uses this after Zee's presentation on the invisibility field (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I").
• "The glory of the universe is intelligence.": a saying Dillon imparts on Stockton when encouraging him to enter the anti-gravity ship (1980: "The Super Scouts, Part II")

Terms from the scripts

• voicescriber: the log-keeping device Adama users to dictate his journals, basically a form of voice recognition speech-to-text technology