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 The
development of Colonial culture, the 'back story' of Colonial history,
was inspired by the mythologies of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Asia. The Colonials were a
people with ancient traditions and loyalty to their ancestors. Unlike
their historic inspiration, they lacked belief in ritualistic magic,
although their culture hinted that their ancestors had such practices;
much as the Biblical Old Testament influences our modern culture, the
"Book of the Word" heavily influenced Colonial culture.
The twelve planets that formed the core of the Colonies were named after signs of the Zodiac.
Although never fully detailed in the series, the generally accepted names of the Colonies were Caprica, Aries, Sagitara (Sagittarius), Gemon
(Gemini), Libra, Taura, Virgon, Leonis, Aquarius, Cancer, Pisces, and Scorpia (Scorpius).
Their plant of origin, the planet Kobol, was a lost world, similar to Atlantis, whose influence reached across time and provided the foundations of their society and beliefs. Kobol was the symbol of all Colonial culture. The Colonial capitol city on Caprica showed modern pyramid buildings but Kobol showed their ancient origins. The scenery of Kobol was filmed on the Giza Plateau near Cairo and further south, in the ruins of Thebes in Luxor, Egypt. The Sphinx was prominently featured but Kobol lacked the huge statues famous throughout ancient Egyptian ruins. Colonial symbology was closely modeled from the carvings found in the Valley of the Kings by Howard Carter. The
Colonials in Battlestar Galactica used their own, unique terminology and
measurements. Some of the phrases included profanity that briefly became
popular in young American culture but soon faded away.
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