Overview
Kobol is said to be the original home of mankind, once shared with the Lords of Kobol.
Kobol is a verdant world of seas and continents, the latter having large swaythes of woodland, grassland and forests (Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I).
Kobl was a place where humans and the god dwelt in harmony, the seat of power being the City of the Gods, itself dominated by the Forum and Opera House (Kobol's Last Gleaming Part I).
Great Exodus
The Great Exodus from Kobol took place some 2,000 years prior to the events of the new Battestar Galactica. At that time, the 12 tribes departed Kobol for the Cyrannus system (Video Game).
It is unclear whether the gods themselves departed Kobol at this time. However, given their presence is not seen amoung the 12 colonies, it is possible they remained on Kobol. This may be the reason why not everyone departed Kobol at the time of the Great Exodus.
Certainly, it is known that the Thirteen Tribe departed Kobol some time after the main exodus (Mini-Series), to seek a planet known as "(Earth)". The gods may also have abandoned Kobol at this time to travel with the Thirteenth Tribe.
Religious Texts
During the time humans lived on Kobol, many texts were written, some of which have survived through time, and are regarded by some as religious artefacts, and by others the documenting of myths and legends. Chief among these writings are those of Pythia, who wrote some 1,600 years prior to the Great Exodus, fortelling of another exodus featuring a "caravan of the heavens" lead by someone dying of a "wasting disease" (The Hand of God. This exodus would lead humanity to a new home, although the leader would die before he/she could enter the new home.
Some of the writings of Pythia have apparently come true: President Laura Roslin, the civil leader of the Colonial fleet is dying of cancer - which can be considered a wasting disease. Fuether, she has several visions, including one of 12 snakes (The Hand of God) that is specifically foretold by Pythia.
Rediscovering Kobol
Kobol In the Original Series
In the original series Kobol was also the mother world from which humanity originated. In that series, it was an ecological / environmental disaster that lead to the migration. During the migration, 12 tribes set out for the stars, but became lost in a starless void before stumbling into the worlds that would become the new twelve colonies of mankind, while the 13th again headed for a world called "Earth".
Kobol is rediscovered in the episode Lost Planet of the Gods Part I, which sees a team from the Galactica arrive among the ruins of Eden, the planet's largest city. Here they seek to enter the tomb of the Ninth Lord of Kobol in order to find clues as to the route taken by the Thirteeth Tribe (Lost Planet of the Gods Part II. A Cylon attack prevents them from doing so.
Similarities with the New Galactica
Both series of Galactica utilise Kobol in similar ways:
- It is the original home of mankind
More to be added