Caprica

Caprica, known as the "Capital of the Colonies" and originally named Capricorn, was a planet in the quaternary Cyrannus star system, orbiting the star Helios Alpha in a shared orbit with Gemenon. It was one of twelve worlds in the system colonized by humans native to the distant planet Kobol, founded by those of the Capricorn tribe. Though it remained underdeveloped for centuries, Caprica eventually became the focal point of technological and societal advancement among the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, as well as the birthplace of the first Cylons.

Origins and rise to power#

Caprica was possibly the first planet colonized by the Twelve Tribes after the settlement of Gemenon, founded by people of the Capricorn tribe. In the first centuries of expansion it lagged behind Virgon and Leonis, which held colonial empires that dominated the region. When those two empires exhausted one another in a protracted interplanetary war, Caprica began its rise as the new dominant power.

On the eve of the Cylon War, Caprica had become the undisputed center for culture, art and education. It was the richest and most economically and technologically developed of the Twelve Colonies, the most powerful militarily, and saw heavy migration from people of various planets seeking to start a new life.

Society and government#

As an independent colony, Caprica was led by a Prime Minister. Its society was perceived by some as decadent, and the colony was plagued by terrorist attacks orchestrated by monotheistic groups opposed to that perceived decadence. Caprica was also the birthplace of the first Cylons, which were created to serve in the Caprican military.

At the start of the Cylon War, Caprica was federated into the United Colonies of Kobol and hosted the colonial president in Delphi. After the end of the war the planet thrived as a beacon of learning and the arts among the Twelve Colonies.

Geography and landmarks#

Caprica was a blue-green world with a temperate climate, marked by rolling hills, lakes and deep forests. Its cities were heavily populated yet never seemed crowded, with glittering silver towers rising above open-air markets and plazas, and parks, rivers and waterfalls throughout. So comfortable were its cities that people rarely noticed the steady lines of vehicles passing overhead.

The capital, Caprica City, was the planet's principal metropolis. The city of Delphi housed all three branches of government and hosted the largest corporations and universities in the system, including replicas of the Forum, Temple and Opera House meant to stand in for the originals left behind on Kobol. Delphi's Museum of the Colonies displayed original artefacts from the lost homeworld. Other major cities included Phoebus and Qualai, the latter being the site of Qualai University.

The Fall and occupation#

Forty years after the Armistice, a second Cylon war began with a coordinated strike on all twelve planets by orbiting Cylon basestars. Caprica City was destroyed by a MIRV strike, though other prominent cities such as Delphi were left intact as Cylon landing parties wiped out retreating civilians.

For the following several months the Cylons carried out colonization efforts and cleared debris in an attempt to restore the cities to their pre-war state. Caprican resistance fighters, more vulnerable to the lingering radiation, spent much of their time looting isolated facilities for medical supplies. The few surviving fighters were evacuated by marines as part of a Raptor mission ordered by Admiral William Adama. This evacuation coincided with the abandonment of the Cylon colonization effort, leaving Caprica uninhabited.