Language in the Twelve Colonies

This article discusses an aspect of the Re-imagined Series version of the Twelve Colonies. For information on the Original Series version, see The Twelve Colonies (TOS).

Part of the series on The Twelve Colonies of Kobol (Re-imagined Series)

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English, or some language that is universally translated into it (à la Tolkien) is standard. Loanwords from foreign languages ("élan", "fascist", "karma", "esprit de corps" etc.) occur with normal frequency, as do chronologically enigmatic borrowings such as the battlestar Columbia. Most religious terms are explicitly shared with ancient Greek beliefs (either antecedent to or descendant from them).

Vocabulary

Anachronisms

Battlestar Galactica uses many terms from modern day naval aviation, which appear somewhat anachronistic but also lend the show a flavor of realistic jargon. These include:

• Combat Air Patrol
• Commander Air Group
• Avionics
• Planes

Adama: You keep my planes flying. I need my planes to fly. (Litmus)

Ersatz

In contrast to its predecessor, the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica employs relatively little in the way of ersatz vocabulary. It does employ a few terms outside of a normal American English vocabulary, mostly military jargon. These are mixed in haphazardly with the real-life naval aviation terms above.

• Constellation - Charlie (As used in the sense of radio alphabetic code, e.g.: "Alpha, Bravo, Constellation".)
• Dradis - Radar
• Fumarella leaf - Tobacco
• Frak - A bowdlerized version of "Fuck" (c.f. "Frell" (Farscape), "Frag" (Babylon 5), "Smeg" (Red Dwarf))
• G-4 - C-4
• Krypter - Mayday
• Morpha - Morphine
• Serisone - Prednisone
• Wireless - Radio

Invented Terminology

As all science fiction shows must, Battlestar Galactica has a set of vocabulary referring to technologies and other items not shared with the real world.

• Ambrosia - a bright green alcoholic beverage
• Carom - the angle above or below the XY plane of a vessel, perpendicular to bearing (c.f. "Mark" (Star Trek))
• Chamalla - an entheogen used by priests
• Red Line

• For a more complete list of acronyms and expressions see: List of terms (RDM)

Enigmas

Language in Battlestar Galactica have terms whose origins are a curiosity due to chronology or uniqueness to the real-world Earth that likely wouldn't have a parallel of the same name in the Twelve Colonies. See an interpretation of the origin of humanity on Kobol that could support the derivation of these terms.

• Columbia: This battlestar name's origin is strange since its popular Earth derivation comes from Christopher Columbus, a man unlikely to have existed in the Twelve Colonies. It does however appear to stem from the Latin word "columba" meaning "dove" together with the suffix "ia" which means "land" (geographical expression) in all languages derived from Indo-European roots (ergo, "Land of the Dove")

• Cloud Nine: This American expression of bliss comes from a 1890's Earth weather reference on the highest-altitude cloud formation. The expression became popularized in 1950s radio broadcasts.

• Adriatic: The name of this vessel under the influence of Tom Zarek, much like Columbia appears to have originated on Earth. On Earth the Adriatic Sea is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, a large body of water which seperates Europe from Africa and Saudi Arabia.

Honorifics

Although civilians use the honorific "Madam" or it's shortened form "ma'am", in the Colonial military all superior officers are referred to as "Sir", regardless of gender.

Names

Many characters have names that include one or more components that appear to be a Biblical or Classical reference. It remains an enigma whether, and to what degree, these should be thought of as translations for the audience's benefit.

Some of these apparent allusions may have no intended meaning beyond sounding good. Others are known to have been chosen for a reason, and that's noted where verifiable.

• William and Lee Adama: "Adama" is Hebrew for "earth" in its literal meaning—ground, dirt—from which "Adam", the Biblical First Man, derives his name. It is also the name of a large city in Ethiopia. Lee's call-sign "Apollo" is of course a reference to the Greek (and apparently, Kobolan) god. Both "Adama" and "Apollo" are carry-overs from the original series, where they were chosen for their mythological significance.
• Richard Adar: "Adar" is a month in the Jewish lunar calendar still in use today. It coincides roughly with the Gregorian month of March. It is a carry over from the original series.
• Karl Agathon: "Agathon" was an Athenian poet, a friend of Euripides and Plato.
• Gaius Baltar: "Gaius" was the praenomen of the man we commonly call Julius Caesar. "Baltar" was made up by Glen A. Larson for the original series.
• Helena Cain: "Helena" is a common enough name, but is also a possible reference to Helen of Troy. "Cain" in the Old Testament is the first murderer, and is a carry-over from the original series.
• Aaron Doral: "Aaron" is a Biblical Hebrew name, the older brother of Moses.
• Anastasia Dualla: The Greek word anastasia translates to "resurrection", and was a deliberate choice by Ron Moore. It's also not an uncommon Greek and Russian name. Dualla is the name of a region and people in sub-saharan Africa.
• Hera/Isis: "Hera" was a Greek goddess, the wife of Zeus. "Isis" an Egyptian goddess, the wife of Horus in early mythology; the wife of Osiris and mother of Horus later. This is one of the few Egyptian references in the new series.
• Kara Thrace: "Thrace" is a region in southeast Europe spanning Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Turkey, and Serbia. It was also the ancient name for the same area. The famous gladiator Spartacus was a Thracian.
• Saul Tigh: "Saul" is a Hebrew name, which means "borrowed". Biblical references include both the first king of Judah and Israel, and the birth-name of Paul of Tarsus. "Tigh" appears to have been made up by Glen A. Larson, but it is also Scottish Gaelic for "house." Originally the character was named "Paul Tigh", but when it was discovered that this could not be used for legal reasons, it was shifted to "Saul Tigh", a reverse of the name switch that Saul of Tarsus/St. Paul made.
• Galen Tyrol: "Galen" was a famous Greek healer, the source of much Medieval medical knowledge, and was the first to argue that the mind was in the brain and not the heart; this could be construed as ironic, given that Tyrol followed his heart and maintained a relationship with Boomer even when he shouldn't have. "Tyrol" is a region that spans the border of Austria and Italy.
• Sharon Valerii: "Sharon" is Hebrew for forest, although it's also a common English woman's name. The gens Valeria is one of the longest-running families in the history of the Roman Empire. Curiously, "valerii" is the masculine plural form.
• Tom Zarek: "Thomas" is a deliberate biblical reference, after the doubting apostle, although strictly speaking that apostle's name was Jude the Twin, "Tau'ma" being Aramaic for "twin". It's also a common English name. Zarek is a Polish name derived from the Babylonian name Balshazzar meaning "Baal protects the king." According to the writers, they just made up the name "Zarek" because they thought it sounded "spacey".

Uncertain references:

• Leoben Conoy: "Leoben" is an Austrian town where a preliminary peace in the Napoleonic wars was signed. "Conoy" is a Native American tribe, also known as the Piscataway. Both are pretty obscure.
• Billy Keikeya: "Keikeya" appears to be made up.
• Laura Roslin: "Roslin Institute" is where Dolly the Sheep was cloned. A more likely source of the name would be the Scottish village of Roslin, Midlothian, where the Roslin Institute is located.

Accents

Most characters speak with a Standard American accent, with some exceptions.

English Accent

Two characters speak with the Received Pronunciation, Dr. Gaius Baltar of Caprica and ship's medic Layne Ishay. Other characters from Caprica do not share this accent.

Canadian Accent

Occassionally when Col. Saul Tigh is shouting or barking out orders, he exhibits a faint Canadian accent. Michael Hogan is a noted Canadian actor, and on the show his speech is usually indistinguishable from Standard American English, but observant fans can occassionally detect a trace of an accent.

Spanish Accent

Giana, a woman rescued from Caprica by Sharon Valerii, spoke with a Spanish accent, and inquired after the whereabouts of her husband, who she stated was "stationed on Gemenon". Her place of origin is unclear, but no other characters from either Caprica, Gemenon, or anywhere else have shared this accent. The actress, Lymari Nadal, is from Puerto Rico.

Kiwi Accent

The reporter D'anna Biers speaks with a Kiwi/New Zealand accent (this is actually the accent that actress Lucy Lawless speaks with when off screen, because she is from New Zealand). However, the same episode revealed that D'anna is actually a Cylon agent, and another copy of D'anna on Cylon-occupied Caprica does not speak with this accent, but a Standard American one, perhaps to differentiate the two characters. Subsequent appearances in Downloaded and the third season have featured the Kiwi accent exclusively.

Aerelon Accent

In the episode "Flesh and Bone", Baltar noted that Sharon Valerii spoke with a trace of an Aerelon accent. This accent appears to be entirely fictional - the Canadian actress who portrays her, Grace Park, is fluent in both English and Korean, but speaks Standard American English without a foreign accent.

Liturgy

During the funeral service at the end of the Mini-series, Priest Elosha chants a prayer in a foreign language. It is recognizable as a common Sanskrit prayer, found in Part I, Chapter III, Verse 28 of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad.

Devanāgarī	Transliteration	Translation
अस्तो मा सद् गमय	asato mā sad gamaya	Lead us from Falsehood to Truth
तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय	tamaso mā jyotir gamaya	Lead us from Darkness to Light
मृत्योर् मा अमृतं गमय	mṛtyor mā amṛtaṃ gamaya	Lead us from Death to Immortality

Although the lyrics are identifiable, it should be noted that the actress's performance is closer to the chanting of biblical Hebrew, and does not resemble the traditional melody.