Kobol
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Kobol is the ancestral homeworld of humanity that populates the worlds known as the Twelve Colonies in both the Original Series and Re-imagined Series.
- For information on Kobol, original home of mankind in the Original Series, see Kobol (TOS).
- For information on Kobol, original home of mankind in the Re-imagined Series, see Kobol (RDM).
- For the ship or space station with this name, see Star Kobol.
Similarities of Kobol between Original and Re-imagined Series
- It is believed to be the original home of humanity
- It is found by chance by both Fleets
- A world catastrophe or internal strife forces humanity to leave the planet
- A tomb holds the key to the location of Earth
- Special keys are needed to open or access the secrets of the tomb
- Seal of the Lords (Original Series)
- The Arrow of Apollo (Re-imagined Series)
- The Colonials encounter Cylons on and around the planet during their quests
Etymology
- "Kobol" originally appears derived from "Kolob" which, according to the Mormon Book of Abraham is the "star nearest unto God". Glen A. Larson, creator of the Original Series, is a member of the of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As such, he used Mormon imagery within the show, together with elements of Egyptian imagery that tend to reflect the time of Abraham and the Israelites. The Book of Abraham also claims that Abraham taught the Egyptians astronomy and that Kolob is the central star of the universe and thus controls the revolutions of all other stars and planets. The connection seems to come from Kolob/Kobol as the (so to speak) "original starting point".
- Kobol could also have been derived from the Greek word Kobalos, meaning "mine or source." The name may suggest that Kobol was originally a planet with a wealth of natural resources (or, in the case of the Tomb of Athena, information).
- Kobol also shares its pronunciation with COBOL, a relatively ancient programming language (whose programs are reputed to still be widely used.) It is unlikely that this language would have been robust enough for the AI programming that led to the creation of the Cylons, although at the time the Original Series aired, the language still enjoyed wide popularity among programmers.
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