Twelve Colonies of Kobol
the United Colonies
The United Colonies of Kobol, also called the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, was the interplanetary state that represented humanity from the Cylon War until its dissolution upon the settling of the second Earth.
The United Colonies of Kobol, also known as the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, was an interplanetary state that represented humanity during the Cylon War and was dissolved upon the settling of the second Earth nearly sixty years later. Formed from twelve independent planetary states descended from the lost world of Kobol, it bound the worlds together as a single federation and provided the political framework of human civilization until the Fall of the Twelve Colonies.
Formation#
The United Colonies of Kobol were formed in the year 51 BCH by the Articles of Colonization. In the wake of the First Cylon War, the twelve independent planetary states, dubbed the "Twelve Worlds," unified as a single state to better coordinate military and industry in the fight against the Cylons. Rather than have the planets recognized as colonies of more powerful states such as Caprica, the twelve were regarded as colonies of the mythical planet Kobol. Each planet retained small elements of sovereignty, such as the preservation of its own legal system.
The Armistice and the decades that followed#
In the year 40 BCH, after twelve years of war, the government signed an armistice agreement with the Cylons. The treaty ended the war in a stalemate and established a demilitarized border between human and Cylon-controlled space. Little is known of colonial history over the following forty years.
The era is chiefly remembered for the presidency of Richard Adar, a Caprican whose administration became known for massive-scale militarization driven by fear of a hypothesized Cylon invasion. The government invested in Gaius Baltar's Command Navigation Program, a decision that ultimately led to its downfall. Cylon agents became aware of the research and directly influenced the writing of its algorithms so that it could be infiltrated.
Politics#
The United Colonies operated as a federation. At its head was the President, who presided over the Quorum, a house of twelve delegates each elected by the citizens of their respective colony. Because there were more than twelve inhabited planets, including worlds such as Hibernia, the precise manner in which the Quorum represented all their wishes is unknown.
Member worlds#
The twelve principal worlds were Aerilon, Aquaria, Canceron, Caprica, Gemenon, Leonis, Libran, Picon, Sagittaron, Scorpia, Tauron and Virgon. Beyond the Twelve Worlds, other colonies were associated with the state, including Djerba, Hibernia, and the former colony of Troy.
The Fall#
During the Fall of the Twelve Colonies, the Cylons exploited Baltar's Command Navigation Program to disable nearly the entirety of the Colonial Fleet and its defenses. With colonial forces crippled, the Cylon basestar armadas swiftly annihilated their opponents and carried out the nuclear bombardment of each of the Colonies unhindered.
Frequently asked questions
- What were the Twelve Colonies of Kobol?
- The Twelve Colonies of Kobol, formally the United Colonies of Kobol, were an interplanetary state that represented humanity from the Cylon War until its dissolution upon the settling of the second Earth. Formed from twelve independent planetary states descended from the lost world of Kobol, it bound those worlds together as a single federation.
- When and why were the United Colonies of Kobol formed?
- The United Colonies were formed in 51 BCH by the Articles of Colonization. In the wake of the First Cylon War, the twelve independent planetary states, called the Twelve Worlds, unified to better coordinate military and industry against the Cylons. Rather than be recognized as colonies of more powerful states such as Caprica, the twelve were regarded as colonies of the mythical planet Kobol, each retaining small elements of sovereignty.
- How was the government of the Twelve Colonies structured?
- The United Colonies operated as a federation headed by the President, who presided over the Quorum, a house of twelve delegates each elected by the citizens of their respective colony. Because there were more than twelve inhabited planets, including worlds such as Hibernia, the precise way the Quorum represented all of them is unknown.
- What were the twelve worlds of the Colonies?
- The twelve principal worlds were Aerilon, Aquaria, Canceron, Caprica, Gemenon, Leonis, Libran, Picon, Sagittaron, Scorpia, Tauron, and Virgon. Beyond the Twelve Worlds, other colonies were associated with the state, including Djerba, Hibernia, and the former colony of Troy.
- How were the Twelve Colonies destroyed?
- During the Fall of the Twelve Colonies, the Cylons exploited Gaius Baltar's Cylon-compromised Command Navigation Program to disable nearly the entirety of the Colonial Fleet and its defenses. With colonial forces crippled, the Cylon basestar armadas swiftly annihilated their opponents and carried out the nuclear bombardment of each of the Colonies unhindered.
Sources
- WikiTwelve Colonies of Kobol — Battlestar Wiki entry
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Related entries
Colonial Fleet
The Colonial Fleet was the naval arm of the military of the United Colonies of Kobol, founded during the Cylon War to unite the forces of the Twelve Worlds. At its height it numbered some 120 battlestars, yet a single Cylon exploit reduced it to two ships in the opening minutes of the Fall.
Hibernia
Hibernia was the only moon of the colony Virgon, orbiting the star Helios Beta in the Cyrannus star system. Though only marginally habitable, it was settled a few centuries before the Fall by Virgon dissidents known as the Celtans.
Aerilon
Aerilon was a temperate agricultural world in the Cyrannus star system and one of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. Known as the "Food Basket of the Colonies", it was a rugged, working-class farming world and the birthplace of Gaius Baltar.
Aquaria
Aquaria was a cold, sparsely populated world in the Cyrannus star system and one of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. Known as "The Ice Colony", it grew from a research outpost into a frontier colony governed by direct democracy.
Canceron
Canceron was a planet of the Cyrannus star system orbiting Helios Delta, the most populous of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. A long-standing democracy of vast cities and sprawling slums, it shared an orbit with Aerilon and Hestia.
Caprica
Caprica was a planet in the Cyrannus star system and the cultural, economic and military center of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. Birthplace of the first Cylons, it became the capital of the United Colonies and was devastated in the Cylon assault that ended colonial civilization.
Mentioned in46 entries
Aerilon
Aerilon was a temperate agricultural world in the Cyrannus star system and one of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. Known as the "Food Basket of the Colonies", it was a rugged, working-class farming world and the birthplace of Gaius Baltar.
Aether: civilian ship of the ragtag fleet
Aether was a civilian ship that escaped the Fall of the Twelve Colonies as part of the ragtag fleet of survivors that gathered under the protection of Galactica.
Aquaria
Aquaria was a cold, sparsely populated world in the Cyrannus star system and one of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. Known as "The Ice Colony", it grew from a research outpost into a frontier colony governed by direct democracy.
Atlas: Lord of Kobol who bore the sky
Atlas was one of the Lords of Kobol worshipped in the Colonial polytheist faith. In myth he was a giant said to bear the sky of Kobol upon his shoulders, and he gave his name to Caprica City's Atlas Arena, where a great statue of him stood watch.
Aurora: civilian ship of the Fleet
Aurora was an FTL-capable civilian vessel that survived the Fall of the Twelve Colonies and joined the refugee fleet led by Galactica. It carried roughly 439 people and shared its name with the Lord of Kobol associated with the dawn.
Baah Pakal: civilian ship of the refugee Fleet
Baah Pakal was a civilian ship that escaped the Fall of the Twelve Colonies in the refugee fleet. Its passengers took part in the Colonial presidential election, and a pair of unused DDG-62 engines aboard it were later given over to the stealth fighter Blackbird.
Battlestar Group: the Colonial Fleet's core formation
A Battlestar Group was a naval formation of the Colonial Fleet built around a battlestar and its escorting warships. Battlestars rarely transferred between groups, and the most storied groups carried a prestige comparable to that of a historic infantry unit.
Battlestar Triton
Triton was a Colonial battlestar that served after the First Cylon War and was destroyed during the opening engagements of the Fall of the Twelve Colonies.
Billy Keikeya
Billy Keikeya was an aide to Laura Roslin who continued in her service after she became President of the Twelve Colonies, and who was killed protecting Petty Officer Anastasia Dualla.
Canceron
Canceron was a planet of the Cyrannus star system orbiting Helios Delta, the most populous of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. A long-standing democracy of vast cities and sprawling slums, it shared an orbit with Aerilon and Hestia.
Caprica
Caprica was a planet in the Cyrannus star system and the cultural, economic and military center of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. Birthplace of the first Cylons, it became the capital of the United Colonies and was devastated in the Cylon assault that ended colonial civilization.
Carillon Trader: civilian ship of the refugee Fleet
Carillon Trader was a civilian ship that escaped the Fall of the Twelve Colonies as part of the refugee fleet. It carried roughly two hundred and eighty two crew and passengers into deep space.
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