Twelve Colonies

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Lore & Background

Originating from the ancient planet Kobol, early human settlers spread across twelve habitable worlds to form a unified society. Over millennia, each colony developed unique cultural identities, religious practices, and political leanings, yet they remained bound together under the Colonial Assembly. Prosperity was high, with advanced technology ranging from Vipers to FTL drives, though this peace was shadowed by the lingering threat of their creations, the Cylons. The First Cylon War devastated the infrastructure but left the colonies standing, followed by a lengthy war with the Cylons, a cybernetic race whose goal is the extermination of the human species. The Cylons offered peace to the humans, which proved to be a ruse. With the aid of a human named Baltar, the Cylons carried out a massive nuclear attack on the Twelve Colonies and the Colonial Fleet of starships that protect them, devastating the fleet, laying waste to the Colonies, and destroying all but a small remnant population. Survivors fled into outer space aboard a motley fleet of spaceworthy ships. Of the Colonial battle fleet, only the Battlestar Galactica, a gigantic battleship and spacecraft carrier, appears to have survived the attack.

In Their Own Story

The sky above Caprica City turned a bruised purple as the first warning sirens wailed. Admiral Adama stood on the balcony of his home, watching the horizon glow with unnatural heat. Below, families ran toward shelters that would offer no protection from what was coming. He knew the truth before the comms crackled: the Cylons had returned. There was nowhere left to run within the system. The stars above seemed indifferent as the first nuclear fireball bloomed over the capital, silencing a world of billions in seconds.

Reader's Guide

The Twelve Colonies functioned as a federal democracy where each planet held representation in the Colonial Assembly on Caprica. While unified under one flag and military command, regional tensions often arose between worlds like Gemenon, known for its religious conservatism, and Picon, which prioritized industry. Society was heavily stratified by class, with access to FTL travel reserved mostly for the wealthy or those serving in the Fleet. Religion played a central role in daily life, with most citizens worshipping the Twelve Gods of Kobol. Temples were common landmarks, and religious holidays dictated much of the social calendar. However, the Cylon War had introduced skepticism among the populace regarding artificial intelligence and robotics, leading to strict regulations on synthetic life forms. Defense was paramount. The Colonial Fleet maintained bases across the system, including orbital platforms and forward operating stations. Despite their technological superiority, complacency set in after the truce with the Cylons. When the Fall occurred, the lack of immediate readiness contributed to the catastrophic loss of life. Today, the Colonies exist only as a memory for the survivors aboard the Colonial Fleet, who search for Earth while carrying the weight of their lost home.

Did You Know?

• The ancestral homeworld Kobol is an anagram of Kolob, a celestial body in Mormon scripture, reflecting creator Glen A. Larson's membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• The original 1978 series pilot broadcast was interrupted for nearly an hour by the signing of the Egyptian–Israeli Camp David Accords.
• The re-imagined 2003 miniseries was commissioned by the Sci-Fi Channel and starred two-time Academy Award nominee Mary McDonnell as President Laura Roslin.
• The 1980 sequel series Galactica 1980 recycled footage from the 1974 Universal Studios movie Earthquake during a Cylon attack sequence due to its low budget.
• The re-imagined series won a Peabody Award for overall excellence and was named one of Time magazine's 100 Best TV Shows of All Time.

Origins and Theological Foundations

Glen A. Larson conceived the core premise, originally titled Adam's Ark, during the late 1960s but struggled to secure financial backing for years. The project finally gained traction following the massive success of Star Wars in 1977. Larson, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, wove significant Mormon theological themes into the narrative fabric. These included concepts such as marriage for eternity, a council of twelve leaders, and the mythos of a lost thirteenth tribe. The ancestral homeworld, Kobol, serves as an anagram for Kolob, a celestial body in LDS scripture. While Larson initially envisioned the property as a series of made-for-television movies, ABC opted to commission a weekly one-hour drama instead. This shift transformed the production into a standard television season comprising 17 episodes, some structured as two-part stories, before the network canceled the show in April 1979 due to declining ratings and escalating costs.

The Cylon War and Colonial Devastation

Across all iterations of the franchise, the central conflict remains a protracted war between humanity and the Cylons, a cybernetic race dedicated to human extermination. The narrative premise establishes that humans migrated from their ancestral home, Kobol, to settle on twelve distinct planets known as the Twelve Colonies. Tensions escalate when the Cylons offer peace, which is revealed to be a deceptive ruse. With assistance from a traitorous human named Baltar, the Cylons execute a coordinated nuclear assault that lays waste to the Colonies and decimates the Colonial Fleet. This catastrophic event destroys nearly the entire human population, leaving only a small remnant of survivors. These refugees flee into deep space aboard a motley collection of civilian vessels, with their survival hinging on the Battlestar Galactica, the sole surviving warship from the original fleet.

The Fugitive Fleet and Search for Earth

Following the near-total annihilation of their civilization, the surviving humans are forced to live as fugitives in outer space. The massive battleship, Battlestar Galactica, becomes the cornerstone of this desperate exodus, carrying a carrier complement of Viper fighter pilots essential for defense against pursuing Cylon forces. Under the command of Commander Adama, this makeshift fleet navigates the dangers of deep space while protecting vulnerable civilian ships. Their primary objective is to locate Earth, a fabled thirteenth colony that has been lost to history but is believed to be humanity's final sanctuary. This journey defines the core narrative arc of both the original 1978 series and the re-imagined continuity, where the search for this mythical planet drives the plot forward amidst constant threats from their relentless robotic enemies.

Production History and Media Expansion

The franchise has evolved significantly since its inception in 1978, expanding far beyond television into a diverse multimedia empire. Following the original series and its short-lived sequel, Galactica 1980, which attempted to bring the fleet to contemporary Earth but failed due to budget constraints and strict content regulations, the property saw a major resurgence. In 2003, Ronald D. Moore and David Eick developed a re-imagined miniseries that revitalized the brand, leading to a successful television series running from 2004 to 2009. This new continuity was followed by a prequel series titled Caprica in 2010. Throughout its history, the franchise has generated numerous book adaptations, original novels, comic books, board games, and video games, cementing its status as a long-standing science fiction phenomenon despite the cancellation of several television attempts.