Race and Ethnicity in the Twelve Colonies: Difference between revisions
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''At the Battlestar Wiki, we recognize that race is a problematic concept without any concrete biological definition. Nevertheless, the topic of racial identity in the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]] has proven of interest to many fans of the show. Therefore, this page serves to review the information available as best as possible.'' | ''At the Battlestar Wiki, we recognize that race is a problematic concept without any concrete biological definition. Nevertheless, the topic of racial identity in the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]] has proven of interest to many fans of the show. Therefore, this page serves to review the information available as best as possible.'' | ||
''In this article, we have chosen to indicate race by apparent region of origin, within the following broadly defined categories: European, (Sub-saharan) African, Middle Eastern, South Asian, East Asian, and Native American / Amerindian. Where bi- or | ''In this article, we have chosen to indicate race by apparent region of origin, within the following broadly defined categories: European, (Sub-saharan) African, Middle Eastern, South Asian, East Asian, and Native American / Amerindian. Where bi- or multi-racial individuals are noted, component ethnicity's are listed in alphabetical order. Individuals of apparently [[Wikipedia:Hispanic|Hispanic]] appearance are noted as biracial Amerindian/Europeans. Issues relating to the Adama family are briefly discussed in their own section at the end of the article.'' | ||
==Race and Nationality== | ==Race and Nationality== | ||
In general, no clear associations have been made between particular ethnic groups and individual colonies. Thus far, Caprica's population does appear to be substantially of | In general, no clear associations have been made between particular ethnic groups and individual colonies. Thus far, Caprica's population does appear to be substantially of European appearance, and Gemenon's substantially African, but these patterns are not exception-less. Furthermore, there is some evidence within the series that race and colony of origin are not strongly correlated - when Baltar attempts to guess at Boomer's place of origin in "[[Flesh and Bone]]", he comments on her accent, not her physical appearance. For more on this, see the article [[Language in the Twelve Colonies]]. | ||
It is generally accepted that the Colonials originally emigrated from a single planet (i.e. Kobol and/or Earth). This being the case, it is entirely possible that the various apparent races are reasonably homogeneously distributed across all of the Twelve Colonies (i.e. there are both | It is generally accepted that the Colonials originally emigrated from a single planet (i.e. Kobol and/or Earth). This being the case, it is entirely possible that the various apparent races are reasonably homogeneously distributed across all of the Twelve Colonies (i.e. there are both European and African Sagittarons, Gemenons, etc. rather than all of the Europeans coming from one tribe/colony, all the Asians from another, etc). | ||
What follows is a list of individuals whose colony of origin has been unambiguously identified, along with their apparent ethnicity. | What follows is a list of individuals whose colony of origin has been unambiguously identified, along with their apparent ethnicity. | ||
===Aerelon=== | ===Aerelon=== | ||
*[[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon Valerii]] - east | *[[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon Valerii]] - east Asian (purported, actually a [[Cylon agent]] infiltrator) | ||
*[[Sekou Hamilton]] - mixed race, | *[[Sekou Hamilton]] - mixed race, African/European (Based on his skin tone and accent, the actor, Biski Gugushe, would probably be identified as a light-skinned African-American.) | ||
===Canceron=== | ===Canceron=== | ||
*[[Robin Wenutu]] - | *[[Robin Wenutu]] - European | ||
===Caprica=== | ===Caprica=== | ||
*[[William Adama]] - mixed race, | *[[William Adama]] - mixed race, Amerindian/European | ||
:''The actor, Edward James Olmos, would probably be identified as " | :''The actor, Edward James Olmos, would probably be identified as "Latino", "mestizzo", or "Hispanic". Olmos is a social activist working to help the Hispanic-American community, Olmos has made favorable remarks about having the opportunity to play one of the first significant Latino characters in space.'' | ||
*[[Caroline Adama]] - | *[[Caroline Adama]] - European | ||
**[[Lee Adama|Lee]] and [[Zak Adama]] - their children, see [[#The Adama Brothers|note]] below. | **[[Lee Adama|Lee]] and [[Zak Adama]] - their children, see [[#The Adama Brothers|note]] below. | ||
*[[Laura Roslin]] - | *[[Laura Roslin]] - European | ||
*[[Kara Thrace]] - | *[[Kara Thrace]] - European (Born on Picon according to Sky One; nomadic childhood; this info is not confirmed.) | ||
*[[Gaius Baltar]] - | *[[Gaius Baltar]] - European (Born on Sagittaron according to Sky One, but this info is not confirmed. Given that Baltar was elected as Quorum of 12 representative for Caprica, this information from Sky One seems unreliable). | ||
*[[Aaron Doral]] - | *[[Aaron Doral]] - European (purported, actually a [[Cylon agent]] infiltrator) | ||
*[[James McManus]] - | *[[James McManus]] - European | ||
*[[Tory Foster]] - south | *[[Tory Foster]] - south Asian | ||
===Gemenon=== | ===Gemenon=== | ||
*[[Sarah Porter]] - | *[[Sarah Porter]] - African | ||
*[[Venner]] - | *[[Venner]] - African | ||
*[[Galen Tyrol]] - | *[[Galen Tyrol]] - European | ||
*[[Rya Kibby]] - | *[[Rya Kibby]] - European | ||
===Picon=== | ===Picon=== | ||
*[[Safiya Sanne]] - east | *[[Safiya Sanne]] - east Asian (but see his article for some debate on origins) | ||
*[[Playa Palacios]] - | *[[Playa Palacios]] - European | ||
===Sagittaron=== | ===Sagittaron=== | ||
*[[Anastasia Dualla]] - | *[[Anastasia Dualla]] - African | ||
*[[Tom Zarek]] - | *[[Tom Zarek]] - European | ||
===Tauron=== | ===Tauron=== | ||
*[[Helena Cain]] - | *[[Helena Cain]] - European | ||
===Virgon=== | ===Virgon=== | ||
*[[Marshall Bagot]] - | *[[Marshall Bagot]] - European | ||
==Race and Sexuality== | ==Race and Sexuality== | ||
| Line 54: | Line 54: | ||
*Dualla and Lee Adama | *Dualla and Lee Adama | ||
That being said, some individuals - particularly Gaius Baltar and Kara Thrace - have demonstrated a preference for individuals of their own race. Again, these are not | That being said, some individuals - particularly Gaius Baltar and Kara Thrace - have demonstrated a preference for individuals of their own race. Again, these are not exception-less. | ||
===Kara Thrace=== | ===Kara Thrace=== | ||
*Kara Thrace and Gaius Baltar | *Kara Thrace and Gaius Baltar | ||
| Line 67: | Line 67: | ||
*Gaius Baltar and Kara Thrace | *Gaius Baltar and Kara Thrace | ||
Exceptions: | Exceptions: | ||
*Baltar was found in bed with an east | *Baltar was found in bed with an east Asian woman shortly before the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] in the [[Miniseries]]. | ||
*Number Six intimated that he found Sharon Valerii attractive in "[[Flesh and Bone]]" | *Number Six intimated that he found Sharon Valerii attractive in "[[Flesh and Bone]]" | ||
==The Adama Brothers== | ==The Adama Brothers== | ||
The miniseries received some criticism for casting Edward James Olmos, a dark-skinned Latino, as the father of Jamie Bamber, a pale-skinned Englishman. These points were | The miniseries received some criticism for casting Edward James Olmos, a dark-skinned Latino, as the father of Jamie Bamber, a pale-skinned Englishman. These points were addressed somewhat in the first season, during which we were briefly introduced to both Caroline and Zak Adama. During a dinner party in "[[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]", [[Ellen Tigh]] offers her opinion that Lee takes after his mother in appearance, while Zak took after his father. Since human skin pigmentation is determined by several genes which can be inherited independently, this scenario is quite plausible. | ||
As such, it is difficult to pigeonhole the Adama brothers as being of either European descent (as Lee appears, and his actor is) or mixed Amerindian/European (as Zak appears, and his actors have been). Where relevant, it's probably best to consider them both of approximately 1/4 Amerindian and 3/4 European descent, regardless of the genetic background of the actors who play them. | As such, it is difficult to pigeonhole the Adama brothers as being of either European descent (as Lee appears, and his actor is) or mixed Amerindian/European (as Zak appears, and his actors have been). Where relevant, it's probably best to consider them both of approximately 1/4 Amerindian and 3/4 European descent, regardless of the genetic background of the actors who play them. | ||
Revision as of 15:00, 7 April 2006
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You have found a link that leads nowhere... deliberately.
Reasons?
The reason for this is to clean up the Special:Wantedpages, thus making our lives easier behind the scenes.
So, what links lead here?
There are too many to bother wasting our time listing. So here's a list of pages that link here. At the Battlestar Wiki, we recognize that race is a problematic concept without any concrete biological definition. Nevertheless, the topic of racial identity in the Twelve Colonies has proven of interest to many fans of the show. Therefore, this page serves to review the information available as best as possible.
In this article, we have chosen to indicate race by apparent region of origin, within the following broadly defined categories: European, (Sub-saharan) African, Middle Eastern, South Asian, East Asian, and Native American / Amerindian. Where bi- or multi-racial individuals are noted, component ethnicity's are listed in alphabetical order. Individuals of apparently Hispanic appearance are noted as biracial Amerindian/Europeans. Issues relating to the Adama family are briefly discussed in their own section at the end of the article.
Race and Nationality
In general, no clear associations have been made between particular ethnic groups and individual colonies. Thus far, Caprica's population does appear to be substantially of European appearance, and Gemenon's substantially African, but these patterns are not exception-less. Furthermore, there is some evidence within the series that race and colony of origin are not strongly correlated - when Baltar attempts to guess at Boomer's place of origin in "Flesh and Bone", he comments on her accent, not her physical appearance. For more on this, see the article Language in the Twelve Colonies.
It is generally accepted that the Colonials originally emigrated from a single planet (i.e. Kobol and/or Earth). This being the case, it is entirely possible that the various apparent races are reasonably homogeneously distributed across all of the Twelve Colonies (i.e. there are both European and African Sagittarons, Gemenons, etc. rather than all of the Europeans coming from one tribe/colony, all the Asians from another, etc).
What follows is a list of individuals whose colony of origin has been unambiguously identified, along with their apparent ethnicity.
Aerelon
- Sharon Valerii - east Asian (purported, actually a Cylon agent infiltrator)
- Sekou Hamilton - mixed race, African/European (Based on his skin tone and accent, the actor, Biski Gugushe, would probably be identified as a light-skinned African-American.)
Canceron
- Robin Wenutu - European
Caprica
- William Adama - mixed race, Amerindian/European
- The actor, Edward James Olmos, would probably be identified as "Latino", "mestizzo", or "Hispanic". Olmos is a social activist working to help the Hispanic-American community, Olmos has made favorable remarks about having the opportunity to play one of the first significant Latino characters in space.
- Caroline Adama - European
- Laura Roslin - European
- Kara Thrace - European (Born on Picon according to Sky One; nomadic childhood; this info is not confirmed.)
- Gaius Baltar - European (Born on Sagittaron according to Sky One, but this info is not confirmed. Given that Baltar was elected as Quorum of 12 representative for Caprica, this information from Sky One seems unreliable).
- Aaron Doral - European (purported, actually a Cylon agent infiltrator)
- James McManus - European
- Tory Foster - south Asian
Gemenon
- Sarah Porter - African
- Venner - African
- Galen Tyrol - European
- Rya Kibby - European
Picon
- Safiya Sanne - east Asian (but see his article for some debate on origins)
- Playa Palacios - European
Sagittaron
- Anastasia Dualla - African
- Tom Zarek - European
Tauron
- Helena Cain - European
Virgon
- Marshall Bagot - European
Race and Sexuality
Interracial couplings seem common to the point of ubiquity, and have never been commented upon. It is interesting that such clearly defined racial groups continue to exist in light of this. Notable interracial couples:
- William and Caroline Adama
- Sharon Valerii and Galen Tyrol
- Sharon Valerii and Karl Agathon
- Dualla and Billy Keikeya
- Dualla and Lee Adama
That being said, some individuals - particularly Gaius Baltar and Kara Thrace - have demonstrated a preference for individuals of their own race. Again, these are not exception-less.
Kara Thrace
- Kara Thrace and Gaius Baltar
- Kara Thrace and Samuel Anders
Possible exceptions:
- Kara Thrace and Zak Adama
- Kara Thrace and Lee Adama (see note below regarding the Adama brothers' ethnicity)
Gaius Baltar
- Gaius Baltar and Number Six
- Gaius Baltar and Playa Palacios
- Gaius Baltar and Kara Thrace
Exceptions:
- Baltar was found in bed with an east Asian woman shortly before the Fall of the Twelve Colonies in the Miniseries.
- Number Six intimated that he found Sharon Valerii attractive in "Flesh and Bone"
The Adama Brothers
The miniseries received some criticism for casting Edward James Olmos, a dark-skinned Latino, as the father of Jamie Bamber, a pale-skinned Englishman. These points were addressed somewhat in the first season, during which we were briefly introduced to both Caroline and Zak Adama. During a dinner party in "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down", Ellen Tigh offers her opinion that Lee takes after his mother in appearance, while Zak took after his father. Since human skin pigmentation is determined by several genes which can be inherited independently, this scenario is quite plausible.
As such, it is difficult to pigeonhole the Adama brothers as being of either European descent (as Lee appears, and his actor is) or mixed Amerindian/European (as Zak appears, and his actors have been). Where relevant, it's probably best to consider them both of approximately 1/4 Amerindian and 3/4 European descent, regardless of the genetic background of the actors who play them.