List of terms (TOS)

For terms used in separate continuity and unproduced script sources, see: List of terms (TOS alternate).

Part of the series on Battlestar Galactica Terminology

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The Colonials and Cylons employ a distinct nomenclature of military jargon, colloquialisms, sayings, and technical terms to create a culture distinctly "alien" to the audience. This article serves to organize and summarize this terminology, leading to different articles if the term needs to be further expanded upon.

Acronyms

• CORA: Computer, Oral Response Activated; an artificial intelligence capable of operating a Viper (TOS: "The Long Patrol")

Honorifics

• Count, a title of nobility (e.g. Count Iblis)
• Lord, a title of nobility (e.g. Lord Baltar)
• Sire, a title of nobility, typically ascribed to a civilian of the male gender (e.g. Sire Uri, Sire Solon)
• Siress, a title of nobility, typically ascribed to a civilian of the female gender (e.g. Siress Tinia, Siress Blassie)

Colloquialisms

• astrum: buttocks (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part I")
• Barge Lice: a "term of endearment" for prisoners on the Prison Barge
• felgercarb: expletive, similar to "crap"
• frack: expletive, similar to "shit"
• galmonging: an expletive, possibly similar to "asshole" or "God damned"
• Hades hole: hell hole, used to describe the Red planet (TOS: "War of the Gods, Part I")
• mong-raking: an expletive; after thwarting their attack on Galactica, Cain comments that "those mong-raking Cylons are in a state of shock right now" due to the appearance of Pegasus (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part II")
• plant vapors: a psychoactive drug familiar to the Colonials; Boomer comments that the Blonde Taurus woman on Carillon was probably "smoking plant vapors" (TOS: "Saga of a Star World")
• pogees: expletive, similar to "shit" (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part II")
• socialator: a sex worker, escort, prostitute (TOS: "Saga of a Star World")

General Jargon

• agro: products related to agriculture (TOS: "The Magnificent Warriors")
• ambrosa: an expensive alcoholic intoxicant
• auto-control: auto-pilot; Brie is instructed by Starbuck to activate this after having problems on her first launch from Galactica (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I")
• bio-pulse line: an unspecified body function, possibly an emotional state; Starbuck attempts to use this as an excuse to not join Apollo's mission to clear the Cylon minefield (TOS: "Saga of a Star World")
• boraton: a liquid that extinguishes fires (TOS: "Fire in Space")
• breather: term for a breathing mask, or a life support system supplying air (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I")
• bureautician: bureaucrat, politician (TOS: "Saga of a Star World")
• carbide: a likely term for carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I")
• centura: possibly an expression related to percentages. "If we just let him lie in that life pod he doesn't have a chance in a centura" (TOS: "Fire in Space").
• Chief Opposer: a prosecuting attorney in a trial (TOS: "Murder on the Rising Star").
• chronometer: a time keeping device, essentially a watch (TOS: "Saga of a Star World")
• computape: a video recording; Sire Solon watched computapes of the triad match between Ortega and Starbuck (TOS: "Murder on the Rising Star")
• crawlon: a spider (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I")
• comline: a communication channel between ships
• cubit: a form of coined currency
• daggit: a domesticated canine, e.g. dog
• death stone: tombstone (TOS: "The Long Patrol")
• drone: a term for a robot, such as Muffit II (TOS: "Saga of a Star World")
• ducket: a type of prepaid voucher used on the shuttle Canaris, typically collected at the end of the shuttle trip (TOS: "The Man with Nine Lives")
• flight slumber: unintentionally sleeping while flying a craft, like a Viper; Apollo attempts to write off John and his second visit to the Ship of Lights as being a dream from a flight slumber (TOS: "Experiment in Terra")
• fumarello: a small cigar that Starbuck typically smokes
• furlon: a furlough, or short leave of absence for Warriors in the Colonial Military service (TOS: "The Man with Nine Lives")
• geogram: a diagram; Ravashol shows Apollo a geogram of the pulsar with instructions on how to destroy it (TOS: "The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II")
• glaiders: coined currency on Equellus (TOS: "The Lost Warrior")
• grog: an intoxicating beverage, likely similar to beer
• Homemade Buzzer: a version of "moonshine" on Equellus (TOS: "The Lost Warrior")
• hovermobile: apparently a form of ground transportation that can be hot-wired (TOS: "Fire in Space")
• ion field: a stellar phenomenon, which can cause scanner echoes (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part I")
• ion vapors: likely term referring to the trail of a turbo engine (TOS: "The Long Patrol")
• isoldin: a type of intravenous fluid given to patients (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I")
• leisuron: a vacation or leave of absence, similar to a furlon (TOS: deleted scene, "Saga of a Star World")
• lextrium III: a type of fuel used by the Eastern Alliance destroyer (TOS: "Experiment in Terra")
• life pod: a life support bed used in the life center aboard Galactica (TOS: "Fire in Space")
• lupus: a wolf-like animal
• mega star: a star; in a deleted scene, Omega reports of the "mega star" they detect as they leave the magnetic void (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II")
• mega sun: a star; the Nomen come from the "land of the mega sun" (TOS: "The Man with Nine Lives")
• med tech: a medical technician, such as a nurse or orderly
• meteor fire: meteor storm; Starbuck likens the readouts on his instrument panel "lighting up like a meteor fire" upon coming across the magnetic void (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I")
• modocker: an unknown term, likely of endearment; Cain asks Apollo how Adama is by asking, "Well, how is he? How is that old modocker?" (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part I")
• mushies: a food
• nightflyer: an owl-like creature on Equellus that hoots (TOS: "The Lost Warrior")
• officiator: someone who oversees a triad game (TOS: "Murder on the Rising Star")
• Orion hasher: something that is black and blue; Cassiopeia comments that Starbuck looks like one after his matches with Ortega (TOS: "Murder on the Rising Star")
• oviner: a rancher (TOS: "The Lost Warrior")
• plant vapors: some sort of drug, likely a reference to marijuana (TOS: "Saga of a Star World")
• pluton: a radioactive material whose radiation breaks down food (TOS: "Saga of a Star World")
• pods: a Cylon outpost (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I")
• primaries: basic food groups (TOS: "Saga of a Star World")
• Protector: a defense attorney in a Tribunal (TOS: "Murder on the Rising Star")
• protein: another type of food
• protest: the equivalent of saying "objection" in a Colonial Tribunal (TOS: "Murder on the Rising Star")
• pulse scrambled code: secure method of communication used by the Colonial Fleet (TOS: "The Lost Warrior")
• pyramid: a card game, similar to poker
• quadrant: region of space, see also Sector. Usually named after a Greek letter, or (less frequently) a star system or planet.
• scorpius: likely term for a scorpion; Maga comments that Borellian Nomen have the patience of such a creature, he also comments that the name "Borellian Nomen" strike fear at the hearts of those who hear it like the scorpius (TOS: "The Man with Nine Lives")
• sector: region of space or planet, see also Quadrant. Usually named after a Greek letter (space sectors), or a geographic formation on the surface of a planet (geographic sector, e.g. Sector Hekla on the planet Arcta")
• sleep period: Colonial term for bedtime
• seal: marriage
• sickbed: term for bed rest when one is recovering from an illness (TOS: "The Young Lords")
• skybus: a type of starship (TOS: "Saga of a Star World")
• solium: a type of fuel
• solonite: an explosive used in demolitions (TOS: "The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II")
• spacedrome: a space port (TOS: "Saga of a Star World")
• star speed: a speed which is used by Eastern Alliance (TOS: "Greetings from Earth")
• telecom: an internal communications phone aboard Galactica (TOS: "Fire in Space")
• tinhead: epithet used to describe Cylons (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part I")
• tribunal: a Colonial court hearing
• turboflush: a toilet (TOS: "Baltar's Escape")
• turboram thruster: a type of engine or thruster; in a deleted scene where Serina completes her first landing, Serina turns off this part of the Colonial shuttle as a part of her landing sequence (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I")
• turboshower: a shower (TOS: "Murder on the Rising Star")
• travelator: a travel agent (TOS: "Saga of a Star World")
• triad: a contact sport, similar to football or basketball
• tylium: a fuel source, highly combustible (TOS: "Fire in Space")
• wardaggit: "war dog" (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part I")

Technology

• gyro capacitors: component of a Viper's stabilizer system (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part I")
• laser controllers: component of a Viper's weapon system (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part I")
• otron extensions: component of a Viper's weapon system (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part I")
• point diverters: component of a Viper's weapon system (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part I")
• proton activators: component of a Viper's weapon system (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part I")
• proton energizers: a type of weapon on an Eastern Alliance destroyer (TOS: "Experiment in Terra")
• scanner: term for a computer monitor and television set
• tape coder: a voice recording device; Thane successfully passes off a hand mine as a device (TOS: "The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II")
• transmit tek: component of a Viper's stabilizer system (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part I")
• zonar modules: component of a Viper's stabilizer system (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part I")

Military Jargon

• "flash inspection": an inspection of military assets that is performed without prior notice by a superior officer (TOS: "Saga of a Star World")
• "four-point peel off": a maneuver performed with a group of four Vipers (TOS: "War of the Gods, Part I")
• "free flight jump": an infantry parachute landing, having jumped out of a shuttle (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part II")
• "life station relief": sick call (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II")
• "maximum G-climb": a maneuver done near a celestial body, which may cause the pilot to blackout; Starbuck orders C.O.R.A. to perform this maneuver, which causes the pursuing Raider to crash into the loading docks on Proteus (TOS: "The Lost Warrior")
• "stand alert": Colonial term for "attention" (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I")
• "stripped and moduled": a consequence of severe infractions in military law, likely similar to being stripped of one's rank and thrown in hack; Greenbean expresses a fear of this happening as Giles asks where he got the alcohol from (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I")
• Warrior: an all-purpose term for Colonial soldier and Viper pilot

Sayings

• "By your command": a typical Cylons response to an order (TOS: "Saga of a Star World", et al.)

• "By your leave": a Colonial response to an order (TOS: "Saga of a Star World", et al.)

• "clear as the Nubian sun": a saying, similar to "as clear as day"; Cain uses this saying when referencing to the non-existent Raiders he allegedly pursued when he made his attack on the Cylon fuel tankers (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part I").

• "daggit drivel": a term used to describe someone's lies, similar to "garbage" or "bullshit"; Lucifer uses this term when asking if Baltar believes Specter's false reports (TOS: "The Young Lords").

• "For the glory of Caprica": saying used by the Colonials, particularly those from Caprica (TOS: "Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II").

• "Go rust yourself": Colonial equivalent to "go fuck yourself", typically used towards Cylons; Cadet Cree says this to Vulpa while the Cylons interrogate him (TOS: "The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part I").

• "laser in their side": analogue to "thorn in their side", Starbuck uses this term to describe how the actions of Megan's surviving children have kept their father alive at Cylon hands (TOS: "The Young Lords").

• "like a daggit on a sunspot": fidgety; Apollo points out that Starbuck acts this way during his pre-flight meeting on destroying the mines in the Straits of Madagon (TOS: "Saga of a Star World").

Units of Measure

Colonial Unit	Earth Unit
Time measurements
yahren	year
quatron	month
secton	week
time cycle	day
centar	hour
millicenton	10 minutes
centon	minute
micron	second
microcenton	second
Distance measurements
parsec	90 Million Miles
hectar	9 Million Miles
sectar	9 Million Miles (?)
metric	kilometer
maxim	10 meters
metron	meter
Scientific measurements
ergon	unknown
megon	megaton
radion	rad
volton	voltage
wavelon	wavelength

See also

• Battlestar Galactica - Writers Guide, transcribed by Chris Pappas

Original Series definition: a title of nobility (e.g. Count Iblis)

Original Series definition: a title of nobility (e.g. Lord Baltar)

Original Series definition: a title of nobility akin to "Sir," typically ascribed to a civilian of the male gender (e.g. Sire Uri, Sire Solon)

Original Series definition: a title of nobility, typically ascribed to a civilian of the female gender (e.g. Siress Tinia, Siress Blassie)

Original Series definition: buttocks (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part I")

Original Series definition: hell hole; used to describe the Red planet (TOS: "War of the Gods, Part I")

Original Series definition: an expletive; after thwarting their attack on Galactica, Cain comments that "those mong-raking Cylons are in a state of shock right now" due to the appearance of Pegasus (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part II")

Original Series definition: a psychoactive drug familiar to the Colonials; Boomer comments that the Blonde Taurus woman on Carillon was probably "smoking plant vapors" (TOS: "Saga of a Star World")

Original Series definition: agriculture (TOS: "The Magnificent Warriors")

Original Series definition: auto-pilot; Brie is instructed by Starbuck to activate this after having problems on her first launch from Galactica (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I")

Original Series definition: a liquid that extinguishes fires (TOS: "Fire in Space")

Original Series definition: possibly an expression related to percentages; "If we just let him lie in that life pod he doesn't have a chance in a centura" (TOS: "Fire in Space").

Original Series definition: a life support bed used in Galactica's life center (TOS: "Fire in Space")

Original Series definition: a time keeping device, essentially a watch (TOS: "Saga of a Star World")

Original Series definition: a video recording; Sire Solon watched computapes of the triad match between Ortega and Starbuck (TOS: "Murder on the Rising Star")

Original Series definition: a spider (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I")

Original Series definition: tombstone (TOS: "The Long Patrol")

Original Series definition: a term for a robot, such as Muffit II (TOS: "Saga of a Star World")

Original Series definition: a type of prepaid voucher used on the shuttle Canaris, typically collected at the end of the shuttle trip (TOS: "The Man with Nine Lives")

Original Series definition: unintentionally sleeping while flying a craft, like a Viper; Apollo attempts to write off John and his second visit to the Ship of Lights as being a dream from a flight slumber (TOS: "Experiment in Terra")

Original Series definition: a diagram; Ravashol shows Apollo a geogram of the pulsar with instructions on how to destroy it (TOS: "The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II")

Original Series definition: form of ground transportation that can be hot-wired (TOS: "Fire in Space")

Original Series definition: interchangeable term for a computer monitor and television set (see: scanner)

Original Series definition: likely term referring to the trail of a turbo engine (TOS: "The Long Patrol")

Original Series definition: Warrior slang for their Viper's high-velocity booster engines, e.g. "hit your turbos"

Original Series definition: a vacation or leave of absence, similar to a furlon (TOS: deleted scene, "Saga of a Star World")

Note: An alternate spelling, "liesuron," appears in the comic book adaptation.

Original Series definition: a fuel used by the Eastern Alliance destroyer (TOS: "Experiment in Terra")

Original Series definition: a star; in a deleted scene, Omega reports of the "mega star" they detect as they leave the magnetic void (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II")

Original Series definition: a star; the Nomen come from the "land of the mega sun" (TOS: "The Man with Nine Lives")

Original Series definition: a medical technician, such as a nurse or orderly (e.g. Cassiopeia)

Original Series definition: meteor storm; Starbuck likens the readouts on his instrument panel "lighting up like a meteor fire" upon coming across the magnetic void (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I")

Original Series definition: an unknown term, likely of endearment; Cain asks Apollo how Adama is by asking, "Well, how is he? How is that old modocker?" (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part I")

Original Series definition: someone who oversees a triad game (TOS: "Murder on the Rising Star")

Original Series definition: something that is black and blue; Cassiopeia comments that Starbuck looks like one after his matches with Ortega (TOS: "Murder on the Rising Star")

Original Series definition: basic food groups (TOS: "Saga of a Star World")

Re-imagined Series definition: initial skills training; can refer to basic military indoctrination, and arms and ground training (TRS: "Fragged"); and basic flight training (TRS: "Miniseries")

Original Series definition: another type of food

Original Series definition: the equivalent of saying "objection" in a Colonial Tribunal (TOS: "Murder on the Rising Star")

Original Series definition: secure method of communication used by the Colonial Fleet (TOS: "The Lost Warrior")

Original Series definition: scorpion; Maga comments that Borellian Nomen have the patience of such a creature, he also comments that the name "Borellian Nomen" strike fear at the hearts of those who hear it like the scorpius (TOS: "The Man with Nine Lives")

Original Series definition: region of space or planet, see also Quadrant. Usually named after a Greek letter (space sectors), or a geographic formation on the surface of a planet (geographic sector, e.g. Sector Hekla on the planet Arcta")

Original Series definition: bedtime

Original Series definition: term for bed rest when one is recovering from an illness (TOS: "The Young Lords")

Original Series definition: a type of starship (TOS: "Saga of a Star World")

Original Series definition: a speed which is used by Eastern Alliance (TOS: "Greetings From Earth")

Original Series definition: internal communications phone aboard Galactica (TOS: "Fire in Space")

Galactica 1980 definition:  Troy attempts to use a phone booth near a gas station prior to their first run-in with Jamie Hamilton (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I").

Original Series definition: epithet used to describe Cylons (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part I")

Original Series definition: a toilet (TOS: "Baltar's Escape")

Original Series definition: a type of engine or thruster; in a deleted scene where Serina completes her first landing, Serina turns off this part of the Colonial shuttle as a part of her landing sequence (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I")

Original Series definition: a shower (TOS: "Murder on the Rising Star")

Original Series definition: a travel agent (TOS: "Saga of a Star World")

Original Series definition: component of a Viper's stabilizer system (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part I")

Original Series definition: component of a Viper's weapon system (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part I")

Original Series definition: a voice recording device; Thane successfully passes off a hand mine as a device (TOS: "The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II")

Original Series definition: component of a Viper's stabilizer system (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part I")

Original Series definition: component of a Viper's stabilizer system (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part I")

Original Series definition: an inspection of military assets that is performed without prior notice by a superior officer (TOS: "Saga of a Star World")

Original Series definition: a maneuver performed with a group of four Vipers (TOS: "War of the Gods, Part I")

Original Series definition: an infantry parachute landing, having jumped out of a shuttle (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part II")

Original Series definition: sick call (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II")

Original Series definition: a maneuver done near a celestial body, which may cause the pilot to blackout; Starbuck orders C.O.R.A. to perform this maneuver, which causes the pursuing Raider to crash into the loading docks on Proteus (TOS: "The Lost Warrior")

Original Series definition: Colonial term for "attention" (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I")

Original Series definition: a consequence of severe infractions in military law, likely similar to being stripped of one's rank and thrown in hack; Greenbean expresses a fear of this happening as Giles asks where he got the alcohol from (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I")

Re-imagined Series definition: the brig

Original Series definition: Colonial equivalent to "go fuck yourself," typically used towards Cylons; Cadet Cree says this to Vulpa while the Cylons interrogate him (TOS: "The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part I")

Original Series definition: a unit of time akin to a "minute"; in earlier episodes (e.g. "Saga of a Star World," "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I"), centon is used as the Colonial equivalent of a week before being retconned in later episodes

Original Series definition: unit of time akin to a "second"; Microcenton is likely another term for "micron"; Starbuck uses this term when he says "switching off of you for a microcenton to scan ahead" (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II")

Original Series definition: unit of time akin to a "second"; Microcenton is likely another term for "micron"; Starbuck uses this term when he says "switching off of you for a microcenton to scan ahead" (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II")

Original Series definition: a unit of distance, the Earth measurement being equivalent to a kilometer