List of terms (TOS)

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Battlestar Galactica Terminology


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[edit]

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

Honorifics[edit]

Count
a title of nobility (e.g. Count Iblis)
Lord
a title of nobility (e.g. Lord Baltar)
Sire
a title of nobility akin to "Sir," 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[edit]

astrum
buttocks (TOS: "The Living Legend, Part I")
Barge Lice
barge lice
disparaging term for prisoners on the Prison Barge
felgercarb
expletive, similar to "crap" (see: felgercarb)
frack
expletive, similar to "shit" (see: frack)
galmonging
an expletive, possibly similar to "asshole" or "God damned" (see: galmonging)
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[edit]

Agro
agro
products related to agriculture (TOS: "The Magnificent Warriors")
ambrosa
an expensive alcoholic intoxicant (see: ambrosa)
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
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")
chronometers
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
cubits
a form of coined currency (see: cubit)
daggit
a domesticated canine, e.g. dog (see: daggit)
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 (see: fumarello)
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 (see: grog)
Homemade Buzzer
a version of "moonshine" on Equellus, see: Homemade Buzzer (TOS: "The Lost Warrior")
hovermobile
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, see: isoldin (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I")

Technology[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 (TOS: "The Young Lords").


Units of Measure[edit]

Colonial Unit Earth Unit
Time measurements
yahren year[2]
quatron month
secton week
time cycle day
centar hour
millicenton 10 minutes
centon minute[3]
micron second
microcenton second[4]
Distance measurements
parsec 90 Million Miles
hectar 9 Million Miles
sectar 9 Million Miles (?)[5]
metric kilometer
maxim 10 meters
metron meter[6]
Scientific measurements
ergon unknown
megon megaton
radion rad
volton voltage
wavelon wavelength

Table notes[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 As noted from Sheba's scanner readout in "The Living Legend, Part I". Refer to this image.
  2. Yahren may be only about 2/3 of a year; see note.
  3. 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.
  4. 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")
  5. A sectar is an unknown unit of measure, measuring either distance or time.
  6. "Metron" is used in a deleted scene as Serina approaches the starboard landing bay (TOS: "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II"); likely similar to a meter, which is known as a "metric" in other episodes.

See also[edit]