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Both Colonials and Cylonics employ a distinct nomenclature of military jargon, colloquialisms, sayings, and technical terms to create a culture distinctly "alien" to the audience, but transposing a "steampunk" flavor and sensibility.
This article serves to organize and summarize this terminology, leading to different articles if the term needs to be further expanded upon.
Honorifics and Ranks[edit]
- Honorifics and titles are organized based on rank position, and not alphabetically. Some ranks and honorifics may be equal under certain conditions.
- Colonial Empire
- Archduke: A title of nobility, just a step or two beneath the top-most level of leadership nobility. Example: Adama.[1]
- Crown Prince/Prince: A title of nobility, ascribed typically to the son of an archduke. Example: Apollo.[1]
- Fleet Admiral: A military title of someone who leads a fleet. Example: Tigh.[1]
- Lady: A title of nobility, subordinate to an archduke. Example: Athena.[1]
- Admiral: A military rank. The commanding officer aboard the aethership Atlantia held this rank.[1]
- Lord: A title of nobility. Example: Lord Cain of Pegasus.[1]
- Count: A title of nobility. Example: Count Iblis.[1]
- Flight-Commander: Military rank of a flier.[1]
- Flight-Lieutenant: A military rank of a flier. Example: Starbuck.[1]
- Lieutenant: A military rank. Example: Jolly.[1]
- Cylonic Empire
Colloquialisms[edit]
- felgercarb: Expletive, similar to "crap."
- frack: Expletive, similar to "shit."
- galmonging: Expletive, possibly similar to "asshole" or "God damned."
- Hades: Hell. Used in an exclamatory manner, e.g. "The Hades I am."[2]
General Jargon[edit]
- aether: Outer space.[1]
- aetherdrive: Interstellar drive.[2]
- aether message: Transmission sent through the aether.[3]
- aetherprison: Prison transport, e.g. Proteus.[1]
- aethership: Vessel operating in the aether.[1]
- aetherspace/aethervoid: A form of hyperspace, allowing travel over vast distances. Phasing out of the aethervoid leads ships into the aether.[2] Also known as aeptherspace.[3]
- babbage: Computer. One such babbage is Lu-c-fer.[4][1]
- basestar: Capital ship of the Cylonic fleet.[3]
- bubble memory: Form of computer memory.[5][6]
- bubbleship: Vessel that operates in the aether. Lady Athena has such a ship.[1]
- cavorite: Material used in the hulls of aetherships, as well as thrusters.[2][7]
- clockwork: Used to describe the mechanical operation of Cylonic Knights, as dictated by the use of springs, gear trains, like that of a clock.[1] (See: Clockwork.)
- Colonial Army: Armed forces of the Twelve Colonial Empires.[2]
- credits: Currency used on Rising Star.[2]
- Cylonic: Name of the robotic creations of Professor Baltar.[1]
- hivemind: Network for Cylonic communications.[3]
- plexi-crystal: Transparent material used in the creation of Viper canopies.[1]
- punchcard: Means to program instructions into machinery, typically featuring holes that are punched into a card. (See: Punchcard.)[1]
- punchcode: The language recorded on punchcards.[2]
- Quorum: Leadership body of the Twelve Colonies.[1]
- Raider: Fighter ship of the Cylonic fleet.[3]
- retroblaster: An energy-based weapon effective against Cylonic Knights.[2]
- solium: Fuel used by aetherships.[1]
- solium core: Reactor of aetherships.[1]
- solium drive: Engine of aetherships.[2]
- tylium: Fuel used by the "hearts" of the Cylonic Knights.[1]
- Viper: One-man fighter ship of the Colonial Empire.[1]
- Warrior: Soldier of the Colonial Empire.[1]
Sayings[edit]
- "By whrrr command": A Cylonic response to accepting an order.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 Term introduced in Steampunk Battlestar Galactica 1880 1.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Term introduced in Steampunk Battlestar Galactica 1880 2.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Term introduced in Steampunk Battlestar Galactica 1880 3.
- ↑ "Babbage" is named after Charles Babbage, whose designs for the Analytical Engine were the first instance of a computer, even though it was not built until much later.
- ↑ Term introduced in Steampunk Battlestar Galactica 1880 4.
- ↑ Bubble memory is a form of non-volatile computer memory that was rendered quickly obsolete by the mid 1980s.
- ↑ "Cavorite" is the fictional substance with effects that defy gravity, named for the material created by the fictional Mr. Cavor from H. G. Wells The First Men in the Moon. See: gravitational shielding.