Thirteenth Tribe

The Thirteenth Tribe represents a faction of humanity who separate from the twelve other tribes of humanity on Kobol. The Thirteenth Tribe is said to have settled on a planet known as Earth.

In the Original Series

The Thirteenth Tribe is the Thirteenth Colony, separated from their bretheren who form what would be known as the Twelve Colonies of Man. The tribe leaves Kobol after environmental disasters on the planet doom the humans there unless they escape. The tribe settles on Earth, but apparently lose much of their knowledge of their Kobollian past, the knowledge of spaceflight and advanced technology in the thousands of years after their exodus.

During their escape from the Cylons, Captain Apollo discovers transmissions from Earth that appear to be an early spaceflight program (The Hand of God).

In the spin-off series, Galactica 1980, the battlestar and her fleet find Earth. However, the Earthlings are unaware of the Cylon threat and have rudimentary spaceflight ability, forcing Galactica's crew to aid in accelerating Earth's humanity in reaching for the stars and the knowledge above.

In the Re-imagined Series

The Thirteenth Tribe is described by priestess Elosha as leaving Kobol and its sister tribes before the remaining tribes leave to form the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. The tribe left before or at the beginning of the Great Exodus.

"...The Sacred Scrolls tell that the 13th tribe left Kobol in the early days. They travelled far and made their home upon a planet called Earth...which circled a distant and unknown star." (Miniseries)

At least a few of the Lords of Kobol remained to watch the 12 tribes leave Kobol. One of them is Athena, who kills herself in grief over the exodus.

Commander William Adama falsely claims to know the location of Earth, using the lie to give the battered remnants of humanity a cause and reason to hope (Miniseries). Later, through the efforts of President Roslin, Adama and others locate a tomb on Kobol, which reveals a map and sufficient references to point his Fleet to the true general coordinates of the legendary Thirteenth Colony of Earth (Home, Part II).

An ancient probe, possibly the first tangible evidence of the Thirteenth Tribe's existence was recovered by the Cylons in the Lion's Head Nebula. The probe contained a microbial virus that proved particularly virulent to the Cylons on the Baseship that recovered it. The Cylons feared the virus so much that they disabled and abandoned the Baseship. The probe was later destroyed when Sharon Agathon programmed the Baseship to self-destruct after the marine squad sent by Galactica to investigate had evacuated (Torn, A Measure of Salvation).