List of Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series) locations

The reimagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica presents various locations, spaceborne and planetary.

A

Aerilon

See also: Twelve Colonies

Aerilon is one of three habitable planets in the Helios Delta star system, along with Aquarion and Canceron, and is one of the Twelve Colonies. It is known throughout the Four Systems as "Foodbasket of the Colonies" after large amounts of cultivation. The planet was settled by the Aries tribe of Kobol. Aerilon was primarily an agricultural world, despite poor soil quality. Aerilon and its twin Canceron share an orbit around the sun Helios Delta with the gas giant Hestia, resting at its lagrange points. The climate on Aerilon is mild with reliable seasons. Rains are plentiful enough that fresh water is readily available from wells and catch basins, despite the lack of rivers and lakes. The land masses of Aerilon are in temperate zones. There are few inland waterways, such as the Euclid River, and the shorelines are almost exclusively rocky bluffs, or, near the equator, mangrove swamps. The seas are hostile and it has no useful harbors. The land masses are open and rolling with very little variation. The capital is Gaoth (Irish for "wind"), founded on a prairie on intersecting cattle trails, and is the home of the University of Aerilon. Promethea is a mining town at the edge of the badlands. It is the homeworld of Dr. Gaius Baltar, the most famous scientist in the Twelve Colonies at the time of the Cylon attack; however, Baltar had long since left Aerilon and moved to Caprica, the capital world of the Twelve Colonies. Aerilon is depicted as being one of the poorer, more backward colonies.

Algae Planet

The so-called Algae Planet is a ringed, terrestrial planet located on the far side of a young nebulous star cluster from Kobol and the Twelve Colonies. The planet appears first in the episode "The Passage". It has an abundance of primitive plant life in the form of waterborne algae which the refugee fleet stops to harvest for food. There is also an immense desert region where the fleet sets up a temporary base camp.

The Temple of Five is discovered beneath its surface by Chief Galen Tyrol, who finds himself mysteriously drawn to the location, not knowing that he was a Kobol-era biological Cylon. It is later believed to have been a temporary colony of the Thirteenth Tribe of Kobol on their voyage to Earth, some 4,000 years ago. The Eye of Jupiter artifact is located within the Temple of Five which offers another clue to finding Earth. The planet, temple and artifact are featured in the sacred texts.

The fleet's stay at the planet is cut short when the world is destroyed after the blue giant star the planet is orbiting goes nova. After the nova explosion, the young nebula it creates looks similar to the more distant Ionian Nebula, located 13,000 light years away. Acting on a hunch that the Eye of Jupiter is a "road sign", Admiral William Adama sets course for the Ionian Nebula hoping it will lead to Earth.

• Filming location: Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada (outdoor sequences)

Aquaria

See also: Twelve Colonies

Aquaria is one of the Twelve Colonies, settled by the Aquarius tribe of Kobol, and is one of three habitable planets in the Helios Delta star system, along with Aerilon and Canceron. It is known throughout the Four Systems as "The Ice Colony". Aquaria features brackish, frigid seas and a small research colony on a tiny crescent shaped continent called Kryos (Greek for "cold"), which has volcanoes at each end of the island. Aquaria vegetation consists of moss. At the center of the island is the town of Heim (German for "home") facing a harbor, with a population of 25,000. A few individuals live outside Heim, maintaining solar panels and windmills for power and hydroponic facilities for food. Since there is virtually no wood, most structures are made from tin or stone. The unnamed representative from Aquaria voted for Tom Zarek for vice president during the first election after the holocaust.

Armistice Line

The Armistice Line demarcates the border between Colonial Space of the Twelve Colonies and Cylon Space. It was agreed to at the end of the First Cylon War. Crossing the line by either side is considered an act of war. Commander William Adama of the Battlestar Valkyrie, under orders from Admiral Corman, sent a fighter pilot nicknamed "Bulldog" over the armistice line in a Stealthstar, one year before the Destruction of the Colonies. Bulldog's mission was to spy on the Cylons, but his fighter was detected and Adama chose to destroy Bulldog's fighter and kill his own pilot rather than have the Cylons discover the nature of Bulldog's mission. Adama later came to see this incident as the starting point of the Second Cylon War, and suffers guilty feelings because of it.

Armistice Station

The Armistice Station was a diplomatic space station that appears in the opening of the miniseries. The station was constructed by humans after the Cylon War so that humans and Cylons could meet once a year in a neutral location to continue their peace accords.

Over a period of 40 years the colonies annually sent a representative, while the Cylons never once showed up for the meeting. Their only time to make an appearance was to destroy the station, a prelude to invasion. The station was fired upon by a Basestar, which dwarfed the space station in size. It was the first attack of the Cylon invasion, which lead to the destruction of the Twelve Colonies.

B

Breeders Canyon

Breeders Canyon on New Caprica is a river valley some distance from New Caprica City, chosen by the insurgents as the place to meet Galactica's Raptor team led by Sharon Agathon.

C

Canceron

See also: Twelve Colonies

Canceron was a planet settled by the Cancer tribe of Kobol, and is one of the Twelve Colonies. It is known throughout the Four Systems as "The Largest Democracy", having maintained a constitutional democracy for over 1,000 years. Canceron and its twin Aerilon are two planets that orbit the sun Helios Delta along with the gas giant planet Hestia at Hestia's lagrange points. Canceron has two great landmasses, both with beaches, large cities, fertile plains and in the far north very tall mountain ranges. The climate has warm southern beaches, hot and steamy in the inland south, highly temperate and farming friendly in the north, with the frigid Ruby Ridge mountains with the Kor Yaz (Turkish for "summer corps") high altitude glacier. Canceron is also known for its vast mineral deposits of coal, iron and silver. The capital is Hades in the Great Valley and was the site of growing immigration. Hades has a security zone for powerful people called "New Hades". The third city is Mangala, a former trading port, known for fine art and museums. Mangala is the site of poor settlers who live in makeshift shanties that extend to the very edge of seaside cliffs. The resort town of Psammos is known throughout the colonies for its five-star hotels, casinos and pristine beaches.

Camp Oil Slick

Camp Oil Slick was the codename given to the temporary refugee camp made aboard the Galactica in the unused museum hangar during the episode "The Passage". After the loss of two ships, the Carina and Adriatic, the survivors of those vessels made Camp Oil Slick their permanent home which had been renamed "Dogsville".

Caprica

See also: Twelve Colonies

Caprica is an Earth-like planet settled by the Capricorn tribe of Kobol. Caprica is in the Helios Alpha star system, and has a twin planet called Gemenon that is only 493,000 kilometres (306,336.0 mi) away. The twin planets share a mutual orbit where each planet trades places with the other every 28.2 days. Caprica also shares its star system with Picon and Tauron. It is known throughout the Four Systems as the "Capital of the Colonies"

Caprica City was both a planetary and later a federal capital of the Twelve Colonies after the "Articles of Colonization" were signed soon after the First Cylon War started. The city replaced the previous Colonial Capital, Boskirk on Virgon. As depicted in both the original and re-imagined television series it was a very large city, with a population over seven million. It was also extremely beautiful, with many graceful skyscrapers, and is located on the shores of a large ocean or sea. As a result, Caprica became the cultural, scientific, and technological capital of the Colonies, and was regarded as the first planet of the colonies. The city has two business districts: a highly futuristic one with glittering metal skyscrapers where transportation is by hovercar, called the City Center; and a less futuristic district called the Government Center Plaza, with transportation in cars just like those on Earth. It has a large open space called Orpheus Park and the Caprica Buccaneers play at Atlas Arena. The city was completely destroyed by the Cylons in the Destruction of the Twelve Colonies and then rebuilt by the Cylons. In Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, the effects of the Cylon nuclear attack on Caprica City are briefly seen. Many of the scenes for the television series were filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

• Filming location: Mostly at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia.

The Colony

The Colony was an extremely large space station, many times larger than even a Cylon basestar. It had an organic appearance with at least six radial arms emitting from a large, central hub. The station was built by the Cylons as their base of operations following the conclusion of the First Cylon War. It was here that the mechanical Cylons and the Final Five collaborated on the creation of the other humanoid models. It may be analogous to the occasionally mentioned 'Cylon homeworld'. Cavil moved the Colony just prior to the Cylon Civil War, from its former location to a more secure area located deep inside the accretion disk of a black hole. The gravity well means that the only safe position where a ship could jump into the system is only one kilometer above the Colony. The Colony appeared to be defended by several basestars and Cylon Raiders of both contemporary design and from the First Cylon War. According to Ronald D. Moore's podcast, the Final Five's original, sublight ship was located in the heart of the Colony and the rest of the station was built around it.

Cylon homeworld

The Cylon homeworld was a planet colonized by Cylons following the First Cylon War. It was the location of the Cylon Colony until the Cylon Civil War.

Cyrannus Star System

In the re-imagined series, the Cyrannus Star System is two pairs of binary stars, "Helios Alpha" and "Helios Beta" that orbit a common barycenter at a distance of .16 light year from binary barycenter to binary barycenter. Kobol is located 2000 light years away. The second pair is "Helios Delta" and "Helios Gamma", orbiting the barycenter at 70 astronomical units. The gas giant Ragnar (moon: Sigurd) orbits the binary systems Helios Delta and Helios Gamma about the barycenter at 110 astronomical units.

In the Battlestar Galactica video game, published in 2003, just prior to the release of the reimagined series, the colonies were in one star system called "Cyrannus". The name "Cyrannus" was used in the original series episode "The Long Patrol", but was used by the character Starbuck as the name of the galaxy, not a single star system, although as with most SF shows of that era, much of the terminology used is obscure and self-contradictory. It appears as if the authors were themselves frequently unclear as to what the difference between a solar system and a galaxy was, though "star system" could refer to a cluster of stars that were in relatively close proximity to each other. The name "Cyrannus" has not been used in the reimagined series.

In the 1978 series, the Colonies were very obviously set in a binary star system, and distinguished between "Inner" and "Outer" colonies. "Inner" colonies orbited the primary star in the system, and "Outer" colonies orbited the other one, though both appeared to be G2 class stars from what little information was visible onscreen. The inner colonies - including Virgon, Sagitaria and Caprica - were attacked first. By the time the Galactica arrived, the Cylons were already launching their first wave against the outer colonies.

In the novelization of the pilot for the 1978 series, the Twelve Colonies are referred to as "The Twelve Colonies of the Three Suns".

D

Delphi

Delphi was a major city on the planet of Caprica. It contains the Museum of the Colonies. This Museum contained the Arrow of Apollo, an ancient artifact which could supposedly point the way to the mythical planet of Earth, home of the lost thirteenth colony. Like Caprica City, Delphi's human population was totally exterminated by the Cylons in their attack on Caprica; however, the Museum building survived the attack, as does the Arrow of Apollo artifact.

• Filming location: Koerner Library, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (Cylon base)

Delphi Museum of the Colonies

Main article: Caprica

The Museum of the Colonies is located in the city of Delphi on the planet Caprica. It contains various artifacts, including the Arrow of Apollo.

Djerba

Introduced in the prequel series Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome as a winter resort planet before the first Cylon War begun, Djerba became a possession of Cylon territory. Djerba then became a location of a Cylon communications station, and a site where Cylons experimented with biological and cybernetic lifeforms, producing a snake-like creature.

Dogsville

Dogsville was the makeshift "town" established aboard Galactica in the unused museum hangar. Formerly "Camp Oil Slick", Dogsville's residents were survivors of the ships Adriatic, and Carina which were lost in the episode "The Passage" as they traversed a dangerous star cluster. Most of Dogsville's residents are refugees from the Colonies of Picon and Sagittaron.

In the episode "The Woman King", a doctor named Michael Robert was discovered murdering the Sagittarons in Dogsville for whom he had a deep hatred.

In the episode "Maelstrom", Starbuck visited Yolanda Breen, an oracle living in Dogsville.

E

Earth

Main article: Earth in fiction § Battlestar Galactica

There are two planets referred to as Earth in the Battlestar Galactica series.

Earth of the Thirteenth Tribe

This Earth, according to the sacred scripture of the Twelve Colonies, is the legendary planet where the "lost" Thirteenth Tribe of Kobol supposedly settled. When Earth is finally reached at the end of the episode "Revelations", the surface is shown briefly as a radioactive wasteland filled with ruins of a destroyed civilization.

In "Sometimes a Great Notion", it is revealed that the Thirteenth Tribe consisted of humanoid and mechanical Cylons of a type previously unknown. It is also revealed that the final five Cylons had lived there 2000 years in the past, when an apparent nuclear war devastated the planet.

Earth of the Colonial Refugees

This Earth is the final destination of the refugees from the Twelve Colonies. In the series finale episode "Daybreak, Part II", it is revealed that the Thirteenth Tribe's "Earth" is a different planet from the Earth that orbits Sol. Head-Baltar refers to the Thirteenth Tribe's Earth as the real Earth. In the series finale, Starbuck eventually leads the fleet to a planet that appears as the true Earth and they first land on the continent of Africa. The Earth of the Colonial Refugees is also home to a race of pre-verbal human beings that evolved independently of Kobol and the Twelve Colonies and are genetically identical to their Colonial human and humanoid Cylon "cousins".

Advancing ahead in time 150,000 years to New York City, a pedestrian (played by Ronald D. Moore) is shown reading a magazine which the cover shows Hera as the Mitochondrial Eve and humanity are her descendants (who are a mixture of native Earth human, Colonial human, and humanoid Cylon due to the Colonial humans and humanoid Cylons interbreeding with the native Earth human population). Head-Six and Head-Baltar discuss the fate of humanity being destroyed by their technology as all having happened before—like it did on Kobol, The Thirteenth Tribe's Earth, and The Twelve Colonies—but Head-Six refutes this grim prophecy for new Earth.

Euclid River

A river possibly located on Aerilon. It was mentioned in "Home, part I" as a place where Gaius Baltar used to sit alone as a boy to watch fish swim upstream.

Eye of Jupiter

The Eye of Jupiter is an alcove inside the Temple of Five, where the mosaic Eye of Jupiter is located. A skylight in the ceiling allowed a natural shaft of light to fall on the mosaic. The design of the mosaic is based on the Eye of Jupiter supernova. The alcove and its contents feature in the The Eye of Jupiter, the eleventh episode of the third season.

G

Gates of Hera

The Gates of Hera is a mountain pass between two peaks on the planet Kobol. It leads the way to the Tomb of Athena. Within the show, it is said that Athena jumped to her death in despair over the exodus of the tribes here. It is also said that the leaders of the Twelve Tribes of Kobol passed the pass on their way off-planet.

• Filming location: The Lions, twin mountain peaks overlooking Vancouver, British Columbia.

Galleon Meadow

Location on Kobol where President Roslin begins her search for the Tomb of Athena in "Home, part I". Named after the departure spot of a great galleon ship which was prophesied in the scriptures as taking the founders of the 13 colonies to their destiny.

Gemenon

See also: Twelve Colonies

Gemenon is the planet where the Gemini tribe of Kobol settled, it is one of the Twelve Colonies. It is known throughout the Four Systems as "The First Colony". Gemenon is in the Helios Alpha star system, has a twin planet called Caprica that is only 493,000 kilometres (306,336.0 mi) away and together share a mutual orbit where each planet trades places with the other every 28.2 days. Gemenon also shares its star system with Picon and Tauron. Gemenon's largest land mass is the Pustiu Desert ("pustiu" is Romanian for desert), which lies in the shadow of the vast Gramada Mountains (in Romanian "gramada" means large pile) on the western coast. Between the Gramadas and the desert is the barren 10,000 feet (3.0 km) high plateau called the Spatiu Gol ("spatiu" is Romanian for "space" and "gol" is Romanian for empty: Empty Space), which slopes down into farmland. The east coast is the site of the capital Oranu, which has both temples and high-rise buildings, offset by holy statuary. Illumini, the religious center, features more sacred artwork, and was built around an enormous pantheon complex, in which every deity in the Sacred Scrolls is represented. Gemenon was one of the poorer colonies. The Gemenese were religious fundamentalist known for their literal interpretations of the Sacred Scrolls. Most of the population of Gemenon were apparently very strongly opposed to the federal laws legalizing abortion, as it was seen as "an abomination in the eyes of the gods". Before the First Cylon War, Gemenon was also home to the Kobol Colleges and a monotheistic cult called "The Soldiers of the One". Events in the prequel series Caprica reveal how The Soldiers of the One influence the creation of a monotheistic Cylon God.

H

Helios Alpha

Spectral Class G2V, Mass 1.0. Planets: Icarus, Picon, Caprica & Gemenon (binary planets orbiting a barycenter), Tauron (moon: Minos), the Erebos asteroid belt, the gas giant Zeus (74 moons, including Hebe and Nike), and Persephone.

Helios Beta

Spectral Class K1V, Mass 0.79. Planets: Troy, Leonis, the Ouranos asteroid belt, Virgon (moon: Hibernia), the gas giant Hera (29 moons, including Iris and Euboea), and Pallas.

Helios Delta

Spectral Class K2V, Mass 0.74. Planets: Phoebe, the Aeolus asteroid belt, the gas giant Hestia (17 moons, including binaries Rhea and Kronos) with Canceron & Aerilon at Hestia's L4 and L5, Aquaria, and Styx.

Helios Gamma

Spectral Class G9V, Mass 0.89. Planets: Thanatos, the Acheron asteroid belt, Scorpia, Saggitaron, Libran (moons: Herse and Pandrossos), and the gas giant Ophion (14 moons).

Hera

Hera is the third largest planet of all the Twelve Colonies and is a gas giant in the Helios Beta star system. It measures 75,000 km at its equator and has 29 moons, the largest being Isis and Euboea.

Hestia

A ringed gas giant in the Helios Delta Star system. Hestia has a planetary diameter of 42,000 kilometres (26,097.6 mi) and it is the smallest gas giant in all of the colonies. It has 17 moons, the largest of which are Athea and Kronos which share an orbit.

I

Ionian Nebula

The Ionian Nebula is a supernova remnant recorded by the people of Kobol 4000 years ago. The nebula closely resembles the Eye of Jupiter supernova event in the episode "Rapture" that resulted when the star the Algae Planet orbited exploded. Felix Gaeta noted similarities in the remnant patterns and believes the Eye of Jupiter is a marker that points toward the Ionian Nebula; another clue to finding Earth.

A massive battle takes place inside the Nebula between the Battlestar Galactica and 4 Cylon Basestars. 1,700 civilians are killed when the civilian ship Pyxis is destroyed, with Space Park and Astral Queen heavily damaged (episode "He That Believeth in Me").

The Ionian Nebula is 13,000 light years from the Algae Planet.

NGC 2440 resembles the Ionian Nebula and is 4000 light-years from Earth.

It is the fourth and last nebula (of major importance, for being/containing markers or pauses on the way to Earth) seen in the series, following:

• M8;
• the nebula surrounding New Caprica (causing interference on DRADIS, thus hiding the planet from the Cylons, becomes the reason for humanity settling on the planet - temporarily for a year peacefully, and four months with Cylons);
• and the Lion's Head Nebula.

J

Joe's Bar

A makeshift tavern constructed in Galactica's hangar bay and run by a civilian bartender named Joe. Joe's Bar made its first appearance in the episode "Taking a Break from All Your Worries".

K

Kimiko

Kimiko was the name given in passing dialog to an icy planet in the episode "Water", by Raptor ECO Lt. Crashdown. His pilot, Boomer discovers water here, however she had to fight her Cylon programming before she could divulge the find. Crashdown gets the name from a former girlfriend who was killed during the Second Cylon War attack, however Boomer disregards the name in her official report to Galactica.

Kobol

Main article: Kobol

Kobol is the "mother planet" where all humans supposedly developed. At one time the planet was wealthy and advanced; it was ruled over by the Lords of Kobol, and were said to live with the Gods. At some point, however, the people of Kobol became corrupt, decadent, and brutal, even practicing human sacrifice rituals. As a result, the Gods of Kobol cast out the thirteen human tribes living with them. Twelve of the tribes settled on the Twelve Colonies, the thirteenth tribe went in another direction and settled on Earth.

• Filming location: Widgeon Slough, the largest freshwater marsh in the Pinecone Burke Provincial Park, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia

Kobol College

Kobol College is a college on Gemenon, and is the claimed educational background of Aaron Doral.

L

Leonis

See also: Twelve Colonies

Leonis is one of the Twelve Colonies. The planet was settled by the Leo tribe of Kobol. It is known throughout the Four Systems as "The Heart of the Colonies". Leonis is the largest planet of all the colonies, and is one of only two habitable planets in the Helios Beta star system, the other being longtime rival Virgon. In the past the two empires on Virgon and Leonis were at odds with each other. Virgon shares the Ouranos asteroid belt border with Leonis where mining operations have been conducted for hundreds of years by both planets. Leonis has always been a center of education and industry, and despite colonial integration has managed to retain its traditional language, Leonese and cultural traditions. Due to a near-vertical planetary axis, seasonal changes on Leonis are mild and predictable. The beaches are predictably sunny, with cool mornings and evenings year-round. The two major land masses are entirely in temperate zones both north and south of the equator. Leonis has verdant, rolling plains which are the site of farming and winemaking. Leonis has ski resorts that are the envy of the colonies as well as equally luxurious sandy beaches. The capital is Luminere (French for "light"), located inland on one of the major rivers, and is the site of massive castles and churches. The second city is Hedon, home to the most exclusive beach resort on Leonis, and is the site of the Grand Casino and the Hedon Film Festival.

Libran

See also: Twelve Colonies

Libran is one of the Twelve Colonies. The planet was settled by the Libra tribe of Kobol. It is known throughout the Four Systems as "The Colony of Justice". It is located in the Helios Gamma star system, along with Sagittaron and Scorpia, and has two moons Herse and Pandrosus. Libran is a tropical planet that is either raining or cloudy, similar to Scorpia. The clouds shield Libran's inhabitants from the sun Helios Gamma, which Libran orbits a little too closely, and when the skies are clear, Librans go inside to minimize their risk of contracting skin cancer. Libran is described as a teeming green ball of life due to its landmasses consisting of hundreds of small marshy islands, with larger islands having impenetrable bogs and impassible jungles. The main landmass is a dense and spectacular rainforest ringed by mangroves and swamps at its edges. In the center of the continent is the capital Themis, home of the Supreme Hall of Justice. It was home to the Inter-colonial court and was known for its courthouses and lawyers.

Lion's Head Nebula

A beacon was left by the thirteenth tribe here, near a pair of pulsars, one red, one blue. The beacon was accidentally contaminated by a virus, causing fatal illnesses in the Cylons.

NGC 6992 (Veil Nebula, particularly Eastern Veil) resembles a lion's head, but not the one depicted in the TV series.

It is the third nebula (of major importance, for being/containing markers or pauses on the way to Earth) seen in the series, following:

• M8;
• and the nebula surrounding New Caprica (causing interference on DRADIS, thus hiding the planet from the Cylons, becomes the reason for humanity settling on the planet - temporarily for a year peacefully, and four months with Cylons);

and before:

• the Ionian Nebula.

M

M8

Lagoon Nebula, astro-number M8, is seen in the skymap for the home of the thirteenth tribe, as depicted in the Tomb of Athena.

It is the first nebula (of major importance, for being/containing markers or pauses on the way to Earth) seen in the series, before:

• the nebula surrounding New Caprica (causing interference on DRADIS, thus hiding the planet from the Cylons, becomes the reason for humanity settling on the planet — temporarily for a year peacefully, and four months under Cylon occupation);
• the Lion's Head Nebula;
• and the Ionian Nebula.

Memorial Hallway

Memorial Hallway is the name given to the length of corridor aboard Galactica that is filled with thousands of photos of people lost during the Cylon sneak attack on the Twelve Colonies.

N

New Caprica

New Caprica is a barely habitable planet in the midst of a nebula. It was briefly settled by humans of the refugee fleet of the Twelve Colonies. After a year, the Cylons discovered the settlement and dominated it for a few months. The human settlers on New Caprica built their new homes in a dry river bed near the equator; the planet's wet, damp, and dreary climate caused the river bed to turn to mud. Additionally, the damp and chilly climate led some colonists to develop flu and pneumonia type illnesses.

New Caprica City, New Caprica

New Caprica City is the capital of the planet New Caprica; it is not to be confused with the violent V-world game "New Cap City" from Caprica.

• Filming location: Richmond, British Columbia, Canada

O

Oasis

Main article: Caprica

Oasis is a city outside Caprica City. It is Aaron Doral's claimed birthplace.

Opera house

The opera house is an ancient ruin on the planet Kobol (See above). Although physically seen only once, in the expedition to the Tomb of Athena, it has since featured prominently in the dreams and visions of several characters. These visions of the opera house are closely tied to the fate of Hera Agathon, a child of great religious significance to the Cylons. In the series finale, the events taking place in the Opera House repeat themselves in the CIC of the Galactica.

• Filming location: The Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Ophion

Ophion is a gas giant planet with a 51,000 km planetary diameter, with three planetary rings and 14 moons. It is believed to be a former rogue planet that dislodged former Helios Gamma resident Ragnar from its orbit. It is located in the Helios Gamma star system, along with Sagittaron, Scorpia and Libran.

P

Pallas

Pallas was once a habitable planet in the Helios Beta star system that is the site of a Colonial military research station. Efforts to kobolform the dry planet, which lost its atmosphere into space, have been unsuccessful.

Persephone

A dwarf planet in the Helios Alpha star system with a planetary diameter of 1,100 km, Persephone is believed to be an escaped moon of the gas giant Zeus, and had a thin atmosphere of nitrogen, methane and carbon monoxide, and is the smallest planet in the four star systems.

Pergamus Flats

Pergamus Flats on New Caprica is the site chosen by the Cylons for the mass execution of 200 suspected insurgents.

Picon

See also: Twelve Colonies

Picon was originally the home of the Virgon tribe, but was later colonized by the Pisces tribe of Kobol; it is one of the Twelve Colonies, and is a neighbor of other Helios Alpha star system planets Caprica, Tauron, and Gemenon. It is known throughout the Four Systems as "The Ocean Colony" The surface of Picon is 75% covered by a turquoise-colored ocean and is well known through the Four Systems for its harbors. Picon is generally colder, greener and cloudier than Caprica, but is known for its strikingly beautiful warm months, and Colonial visitors to Picon are encouraged to take advantage of the pleasant Picon summer. The capitol is Queenstown, which originally grew as a fishing village around the scenic Penrose harbor. Perkinston, the location of the Colonial Fleet Headquarters, is another Picon city also known for its harbor and manufacturing. It is considered to be one of the more advanced and wealthier colonies. Like the other eleven colonies, the civilizations on Picon were destroyed by the Cylons in the Destruction of the Twelve Colonies. Billy Keikeya personal assistant to President of the Colonies Laura Roslin was from Picon.

Prolmar Sector

The Prolmar Sector is far beyond the Red Line and outside the Home Star System. It is the first jump destination that the refugee fleet runs to.

R

Ragnar

Ragnar is the second largest planet in all of the Twelve Colonies' star systems and is a gas giant that orbits both the Helios Gamma and Helios Delta star systems, having been dislodged from its former orbit in the Helios Gamma system by the planet Ophion. During the "Miniseries", then-Commander Adama takes the Galactica there for supplies and weapons from the Ragnar Anchorage, which was in low orbit around the planet. Ragnar's natural radiation was discovered to be damaging to the Cylons, who avoided the planet and allowed the refugee fleet to hide here temporarily before fleeing the system. Ragnar's atmosphere is mined for its plentiful hydrocarbons that are used at the weapons depot that orbits it.

Ragnar Anchorage

Ragnar Anchorage is a Colonial munitions depot suspended in the upper atmosphere of the gas giant Ragnar. The Colonial Fleet learned that the atmosphere of the planet Ragnar emitted a kind of radiation that adversely affected Cylon technology and cloaked ships residing within the storm. When the Cylons launch their attack on the Twelve Colonies, the Battlestar Galactica was without any munitions for her main and point-defence batteries, having dumped them as part of her decommissioning ceremonies prior to the battle. Colonel Saul Tigh determined that Ragnar Anchorage offers the best opportunity for re-arming the ship, based on its listing in an old directory of military supply depots.

While at Ragnar Anchorage, Galactica obtained enough munitions to completely re-arm her guns, and she also collected a number of Class-D warheads (the capabilities of which are not described but presumably are very powerful weapons, possibly nuclear). Her crew also encountered the Leoben Conoy Cylon model, posing as an arms trader, who eventually gave the Colonials their first discovery of humanoid Cylon infiltrators. Galactica is joined by a civilian convoy of survivors gathered by President Laura Roslin. When they arrive, then-Commander William Adama was persuaded to alter his original plan to send Galactica into a suicidal fight against the Cylons into one of exodus from the Colonies to save the last of humanity.

Galactica protected the civilian fleet as they made an FTL jumps from Ragnar towards the Promar Sector, well beyond the "Red Line" of charted space, never to return to the systems of the Colonies in an effort to escape the Cylons. Soon after the battle, the Cylons dock at the station to retrieve the Cylon agent Aaron Doral, who was exiled at the station on the orders of XO Saul Tigh.

Red Line

The Red Line is the safety limit of FTL travel for the Twelve Colonies. A ship jumping beyond this line risks running into unknown navigational hazards or going off course due to compound errors in its jump calculation.

Riverwalk Market

Riverwalk Market is an open-air market in Caprica City on the colony of Caprica. It appears in the mini-series, and is the location where Caprica Six kills a baby.

S

Sagittaron

See also: Twelve Colonies

Sagittaron is one of the Twelve Colonies. The planet was settled by the Sagittarius tribe of Kobol. It is known throughout the Four Systems as "The Lone Colony" due to the territorial wars between the old empires of Virgon and Leonis, having been dominated and exploited by both empires separately. It is located in the Helios Gamma star system, along with Scorpia and Libran. The climate of Sagittaron is agreeable in the valleys, but difficult in most of the mountain trails, which often become impassible in the winter. Isolation is therefore an accepted part of life in much of Sagittaron. Sagittaron is a mountainous planet with hundreds of isolated fertile valleys. It has one very large river, called the Acheron, which runs through the capital Tawa (Native American name for Puebloan sun god), which is 1,000 miles inland near the confluence of two tributaries which flow into the Acheron. A few miles offshore from the Acheron river delta is an active volcano. It is the homeworld of Petty Officer Anastasia Dualla, Sister Clarice Willow and Tom Zarek, who was elected Vice President of the remaining colonial survivors after the Second Cylon War on the planet "New Caprica". Zarek, who had been imprisoned for twenty years after he blew up a government building, would be able to regain citizenship once the sentence was completed under Sagittaron law. In the reimagined series Sagittaron is depicted as being one of the poorer, more backward colonies. The citizens are religious traditionalists, therefore they do not believe in medicine, distrust doctors and instead use prayer and herbal remedies. Due to hostility from the other colonies, Sagittarons have chosen not to serve in the Colonial Military with some exceptions. On Sagittaron, it is illegal to sing, play, participate in public displays of affection and do a multitude of other things. In fact, the mere mention of these activities is considered an offense, so visitors from other colonies with more liberal cultures are advised to consult local law for specific information on colony etiquette. Sagittarons are also known to wear soma braids which they believe bring them good health.

Scorpia

See also: Twelve Colonies

Scorpia is one of the Twelve Colonies. It is known throughout the Four Systems as the "Playground of the Colonies". The planet was settled by the Scorpio tribe of Kobol. Scorpia has tropical weather complete with hurricanes, similar to the planet Libran. It is located in the Helios Gamma star system, along with Sagittaron and Libran. Due to its close proximity to the Acheron asteroid belt, it is the site of the Colonial Military Scorpia Shipyards. The temperate areas are hotter than they should be due to the heat that remains trapped in Scorpia's cities. The capital city is Celeste, Spanish for "sky blue", which is a mile high in a bowl shaped valley in the Guardian Mountains, and is cooler than other Scorpian cities, such as Argentum (Latin for "silver"). Celeste is also the location of the Colonial Stock Market. Scorpia has a half ring that surrounds the planet, resembling a coiled scorpions tail. As mentioned in Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, Scorpia has jungles; these are near the equator and gradually rise into rugged mountains that progress both north and south of the equator, with unexplored polar regions. Scorpia has a rather low class reputation as being a planet with loose morals, with prostitution widely practiced and has a low priced tourism destination called Argentum Bay, catering to 18- to 22-year-olds seeking to celebrate Vernal Break.

Scorpia Fleet Shipyards

The Scorpia Fleet Shipyards was one of the Colonial Fleet's shipyards, where ships are overhauled. The shipyard was destroyed in the attack on the 12 Colonies. It is here that the Battlestar Pegasus was berthed for refit and overhaul. Five other ships also berthed at the shipyard were destroyed as well, including two Battlestars. It was an enormous complex in orbit around Scorpia, with restaurants and a live performance theater in the complex.

T

Tauron

See also: Twelve Colonies

Tauron is one of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. It is known throughout the Four Systems as "The Old Colony". The climate of Tauron is dry and mostly arid. Tauron is in the Helios Alpha star system, and shares its star system with Picon, Caprica, and Gemenon. The surface of Tauron is rocky, with reddish land and is often subject to the baking heat of the sun, violent storms, or clouds from wildfires. No forests or mountains, just blue water, red soil and massive grasslands. The oldest city on Tauron is Minos near the Great Tauron Plain. The capital is Hypathia, a coastal city and the largest on Tauron. Olympia is a wealthy suburb of Hypathia, located in a lush fern forest above the sea. The high tech economy on Tauron is largely fueled by mining the Erebos asteroid belt, where mining operations have been conducted for hundreds of years. Tauron is the ancestral home of the Adama family. It was also the home of Helena Cain. Approximately thirty years before the First Cylon War, a civil war occurs on Tauron between the resistance fighters, called the Ha'la'tha and the governing body called the Heraclitus, and Taurons had gained their independence from Virgon and Leonian domination 850 years earlier still. Tauron society is portrayed as more interested in justice than mercy, and the use of tattoos publicly displays the identity and adversity the individual has experienced. Duty to ethnic identity is seen as an admirable trait and that all Taurons have a duty to other Taurons. The Taurons are heard occasionally speaking a separate language resembling Ancient Greek.

In pre-war Caprican society, Taurons are victims of racism on nearly every level, and are often referred to by the pejorative “dirt-eater”.

Temple of Five

The Temple of Five is a place mentioned in the sacred texts. It contains the Eye of Jupiter, and is located on an algae covered planet (Algae Planet) in orbit around a giant blue star on the far side of a young nebulous star cluster from Kobol and the Twelve Colonies. The temple is destroyed by a supernova explosion, revealing that the "eye" is actually the star itself as it goes nova. The machinery inside the temple is actually to create a holographic interface with "the chosen one" as the star goes nova.

The Temple of Five was originally called the Temple of Hopes, as stated by Ellen Tigh in the episode "No Exit". According to Ellen, it was a place of worship and rest, built by the thirteenth tribe, on its way to Earth. The 5 original Cylon models found it on their way back from earth to the twelve colonies. The appearance of the final five Cylons in visions by the number 3 D'Anna Biers has been as yet unexplained. Even Ellen Tigh did not know why this occurred but believes it to be by the hand of God.

The temple was constructed 4000 years prior to the supernova by the five priests of "Him whose name must not be spoken", a "heretical" sect of the colonial religion.

Thanatos

Thanatos is a planet in the Helios Gamma star system, along with Sagittaron, Scorpia and Libran. It is uninhabitable due to its sulphur dioxide atmosphere.

Tomb of Athena

File:Tomb of Athena - Battlestar Galactica.jpg

Tomb of Athena

Athena is a deity among the Lords of Kobol whose tomb is located on the mythical planet Kobol, which is the world where the ancient scriptures say mankind originated. According to legend within the series, Athena threw herself off a mountain due to sorrow about mankind's departure from Kobol aboard the galleon.

Once the refugee fleet discovers a planet containing ancient ruins, President Roslin declares they have found Kobol. She leads an expedition to find the legendary tomb along with the Arrow of Apollo artifact, which according to scriptures, will "point" the way to Earth, the "lost" 13th colony of mankind.

The tomb is eventually found in the side of a mountain where numerous artifacts are discovered. Inside, the group finds the statue of Sagittarius and places the arrow in his bow. This sets off a chain of events that seals the tomb's door, and seemingly "transports" the expedition to a grassy hill surrounded by megaliths engraved with zodiac symbols representing each world of the Twelve Colonies. The group realizes the room is a starmap which gives the positions of celestial objects from the viewpoint of someone actually standing on Earth itself.

Upon recognizing the distant nebula cloud, M8, Commander Adama gets his bearings and believes by navigating toward the cloud, the fleet should eventually find Earth.

The original series analogue of the Tomb of Athena is the Tomb of the Ninth Lord of Kobol.

Troy

Troy is a small planet in the Helios Beta star system, mined by the inhabitants of the planets Virgon and Leonis. Troy is not identified as a colony but rather a mining possession. According to dialog in "Flesh and Bone", before learning she is a biological Cylon, Sharon "Boomer" Valerii claims that she was from Troy, as opposed to being from Aerilon (indicating it was another planet), and that her family was lost in an unspecified disaster that happened there. Gaius Baltar says in the same episode that Valerii has a slight trace of an Aerilon accent, and he was familiar with the "disaster" which destroyed the mining colony. Boomer repeats in denial that she is human and was born "on" Troy when she goes to the Cylon Basestar in "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part 2" and finds the Cylon copies of herself.

V

Virgon

See also: Twelve Colonies

Virgon is the planet where the Virgo tribe of Kobol settled. It is considered to be one of the wealthiest and most advanced colonies. It is known throughout the Four Systems as "Imperial Virgon" and more recently as "The Blue Colony". Virgon is one of only two habitable planets in the Helios Beta star system, the other being longtime rival Leonis. In the past the two empires on Virgon and Leonis were at odds with each other. Virgon shares the Ouranos asteroid belt border with Leonis where mining operations have been conducted for hundreds of years by both planets, and has one habitable moon Hibernia, home to a minority group called the Celtons. The capital is Boskirk, the former federal capital of the Colonies for a thousand years, until a few centuries ago when the Colonial Capitol became Caprica City in the Helios Alpha star system. It is also where a major battle occurred during the Destruction of the Twelve Colonies. The human forces above the planet lost the battle; and the colony was destroyed by the Cylons. Other cities on Virgon are Bloustad (Dutch for "blue city"), a beach town, an hour from Boskirk, and Hadrian in the south is a mining community. The climate of Virgon is notable for its singular blueness. Not only are the seas blue, but its plant life contains oils that evaporate in sunlight and cast a bluish tinge in the air. Quantities of anthracene, a substance that emits a blue glow when exposed to UV light, near the surface provide a bluish hue. Virgon's climate is temperate in the north, but variable and less pleasant in the south.

Z

Zeus

Zeus is the largest planet in all of the Four Systems, and is a gas giant measuring more than 153,000 km at its equator. It has 74 moons, including Nike and Hebe which both have atmospheres. Constant electrical storms in the upper atmosphere on the dark side creates a rippling aurora effect that can be seen with the naked eye. It is in the Helios Alpha star system.

See also

• List of Battlestar Galactica (1978, 1980) locations