The Twelve Colonies of Man

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This article discusses the Twelve Colonies of the Original Series. See The Twelve Colonies (RDM) for information on the Colonies of the Re-imagined Series.
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The Twelve Colonies of Man[1] are located in an unnamed multi-star system within the Cyranus Galaxy.

The Twelve Colonies of Man included the colonies of:

Four colonies, ostensibly similar to the astrological names of "Cancer," "Leo," "Libra" and "Aquarius," are never formally named in Original Series episodes.

History

The government of the Twelve Colonies first encountered the Cylons after the Colonials intervened to protect the Cylons against an alien race known as the Hasari. As a result, the Colonies have been at war with the alien Cylons for 1,000 yahren.

Colonial battlestars.

First Exodus

According to the Book of the Word, a religious text of the Kobollian faith, humanity began on a planet called Kobol.

After an ecological disaster purported to be created by technology, the tribes of humanity fled outward to the stars. Twelve tribes of Man eventually passed through a magnetic void and settled on a star system of 12 worlds, which would be later known as the Twelve Colonies of Man (Lost Planet of the Gods).

A thirteenth tribe made another exodus to a planet known as Earth.

War

The destruction of the last Colonial fleet at the Battle of Cimtar. Galactica was already in alert posture, but her sister ships were not.
Cylon Raiders begin their attack on Caprica. A reporter, Serina, is seen in the foreground.

Recent battles in the Thousand Yahren War included the Battle of Cosmora Archipelago (with Commander Kronus, battlestar Rycon and the Fourth Fleet), the Battle of Caprica, and the Battle of Molecay (with the Fifth Fleet and battlestar Pegasus).

The Thousand Yahren War brutally ended with an elaborate Cylon sneak attack at the Battle of Cimtar, which destroys the last battlestar fleet, led by President Adar (Saga of a Star World).

One surviving battlestar, Galactica, escapes destruction and is unable to ward off a simultaneous bombardment of the Twelve Colonies and its populace. Millions, perhaps billions of humans are killed. The survivors escape their worlds to follow Galactica in search of a safer haven.

Colonization

The planet of Paradeen, one of many worlds that may have had contact with the Thirteenth Tribe.

Several planets, moons and asteroid colonies throughout the portion of the galaxy familiar to the Colonials boasted small croppings of Colonials. Some who were well aware of the Colonies and the war with the Cylons, others knew nothing of them, such as Equellus and the tyrannical Eastern Alliance.

Culture

Each of the Twelve Colonies boasted its own race and dialect as to distinguish itself from the others.

Holidays

The Colonies

Aeries

In "The Long Patrol", Robber and his family are from Aeries, and there is some suggestion other prisoners on Proteus may be Aerian as well, given their raspy Irish sounding accents which mirror that of Robbers'. Cassiopeia is familiar with the Aerian merchant code as her father was a trader fluent in such things, and may perhaps have been an Aeries himself.[2]

The non-canonical Encyclopedia Galactica describes Aeries as a small, crowded world. Due to the population surpassing the ability of the planet herself, the Aerians created orbital space stations that were capable of handling the food needs for the colony. From this, they were able to develop special crops adapted to growth in weightless space. A subsquent technology was in the form of the Agro Ships, which were used to provide food for deep-space missions, prior to the invention of the lightspeed drives.[3]

Caprica

Caprica was said to be the world that led the technological renaissance among the Twelve Colonies of Man, rediscovering space flight along the way.[4]

Gemoni

Many of the passengers about the freighter Gemini are from Gemoni[5]. The language of Gemoni is Gemonese (which Boomer can translate and Cassiopeia is able to speak fluently). Gemoni is home to the Otori Sect (Saga of a Star World).

Taura

Starbuck and Boomer run across a blonde Taurus woman.[6] (Saga of a Star World).

References

  1. In the Original Series, the formal name of the unified worlds is the "Twelve Colonies of Man. Its Re-imagined Series counterpart is known as the "Twelve Colonies of Kobol".
  2. This would be revisited in the Re-imagined Series, where natives of Aerelon are depicted as speaking with a raspy north English Yorkshire accent.
  3. Kraus, Bruce (1979). Encyclopedia Galactica, p. 11.
  4. The attack on Caprica in the first episode of the series, was filmed at California's Long Beach City Hall, which had been completed in 1976. The pyramids seen don't actually exist — they were added by special effects to appear behind the city hall building.
  5. This is the correct Original Series spelling. The Re-imagined Series counterpart is spelled "Gemenon".
  6. Judging by Starbuck's reaction to the Taurus' question on how he knew she was a Taurus, and from his taste in women, it can be inferred (despite the claim of recognizing "the dialect") that Taura women may be known for their beauty.