List of terms (TOS)

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Battlestar Galactica Terminology


The Colonials and Cylons employ terminology that is different or unknown to us. These include military jargon, colloquialisms, sayings, and technical terms. This article serves to organize and summarize them, leading to different articles if the term needs to be further expanded upon.

Acronyms[edit]

Military jargon[edit]

Sayings[edit]

  • "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 (The Young Lords).

Other colloquialisms[edit]

Battlestar Galactica specific terms[edit]

Units of Measure[edit]

BSG Unit Earth Unit
Time measurements
yahren year[1]
quatron month
secton week
time cycle day
centar hour
millicenton 10 minutes
centon minute[2]
micron second
microcenton second[3]
Distance measurements
parsec 90 Million Miles
hectar 9 Million Miles
sectar 9 Million Miles (?)[4]
metric kilometer
maxim 10 meters
metron meter[5]
Scientific measurements
ergon unknown
megon megaton
radion rad
volton voltage
wavelon wavelength

Table notes[edit]

  1. Yahren may be only about 2/3 of a year; see note.
  2. In episodes such as "Saga of a Star World" and "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I", centon is used as the Colonial equivalent of a week before being retconned in later episodes.
  3. Microcenton is likely another term for "micron"; Starbuck uses this term when he says "switching off of you for a microcenton to scan ahead" (Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II)
  4. A sectar is an unknown unit of measure, measuring either distance or time.
  5. "Metron" is used in a deleted scene as Serina approaches the starboard landing bay (Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II); likely similar to a meter, which is known as a "metric" in other episodes.

See also[edit]