Kobol (TOS)

For information on the Kobol of the Re-imagined series, see Kobol (RDM).

Kobol is the ancestral homeworld for humanity in the original Battlestar Galactica saga. An unexplained event or environmental catastrophe causes humanity to leave Kobol and settle on the planets that form their new homeworlds known as the Twelve Colonies.

The tombs of the Lords of Kobol as seen in the Original Series.

Kobol is located in a quadrant of space known to the Colonials as Epsilon Quadrant (Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I), approximately one to three parsecs from its star.

In the Original Series, Kobol was the mother world where mankind originated. An ecological / environmental disaster led to humanity's migration. During the migration, twelve 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 Man, while the Thirteenth Tribe headed for a world called "Earth."

Kobol is rediscovered in the two-part episode, "Lost Planet of the Gods." A team from Galactica arrives among the ruins of Eden, the planet's largest city, seeking to enter the tomb of the Ninth Lord of Kobol in order to find clues as to the route taken by the Thirteeth Tribe. A Cylon attack ultimately prevents them from doing so.

Etymology of "Kobol"

"Kobol" originally appears to have 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.

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
  • Ninth Lord of Kobol - Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I
  • Tomb of Athena - Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I
• Special keys are needed to open or access the secrets of the tomb
  • Adama's Medallion
  • The Arrow of Apollo
• The Colonials encounter Cylons on and around the planet during their quests

Original Series definition: region of space, see also Sector. Usually named after a Greek letter, or (less frequently) a star system or planet.