Lords of Kobol

The Lords of Kobol are deities featured in the fictional universe of Battlestar Galactica. The Lords of Kobol are worshiped by the humans of the Twelve Colonies. Many centuries ago, emigrants from the planet Kobol settled upon twelve new worlds, (and according to legend, a thirteenth world "Earth"), bringing their religion with them.

Original series

In the original continuity, the Lords of Kobol are not explicitly dealt with. The series characters explicitly mention "God" in tandem with the Lords of Kobol, particularly during the wedding between Apollo and Serina (Lost Planet of the Gods), suggesting that the Lords of Kobol may be more akin to Bodhisattvas or angels. In later episodes, the mental or supernatural abilities of the Lords of Kobol are implied when the occupants of the "Ship of Lights" and Count Iblis appear (War of the Gods). These Lords are called the Seraph (seraphs are angels).

List of deific figures in the original series

Reimagined series

In the reimagined series, the Lords of Kobol play a more pivotal role in the affairs of the characters. The names and positions of the Lords of Kobol mostly parallel the Olympic pantheon, with some differences and additions from the Roman versions of these gods, as well as Norse references.

Unlike their original series version (which have no established religion) the Cylons have a monotheistic religion with minor similarities to the Abrahamic God with regard to prayer and commandments (as noted in the second season episode, "The Farm"). Several Cylon characters persuade the humans they encounter to abandon their pantheon of deities, which the one God denounces. This agenda has been pressed into the mind of Dr. Gaius Baltar by his visions of the Cylon Number Six.

However, Colonial scripture hints that the Cylon God may well be seen as a fallen Lord of Kobol. In a season 1 deleted scene the Priestess Elosha describes that the ancient war on Kobol began when one of the other Gods wanted to be worshiped above all the others, leading to the exodus of Humanity. Also in the season 3 episode, "Exodus", a Number Three Cylon receives a message from both the Lords of Kobol and the Cylon God through a Colonial clergy member, an oracle named Dodona Selloi, who appears to act as a conduit between both the Cylon and Colonial deities. The contact with Selloi, a Colonial citizen, implies that the Cylon God may be a fallen Lord of Kobol.

In the Miniseries, Colonel Tigh exclaims, "Jesus!" on one occasion. This was an unauthorized ad-lib by the actor, Michael Hogan, as Ronald D. Moore noted on his blog, and was not intended as a serious reference to Christianity in the series. The series' Colonial characters are now fairly consistent in the regular series with the pluralization of exclamations such as "Oh my Gods", while Cylon characters are consistent in using "God" in the singular.

In Caprica it was established that Taurons have a four-headed statue depicting strength (symbolized by Mars), order (symbolized by Jupiter), nature (symbolized by Diana), and love (symbolized by Venus) in their homes, with what an individual believes is most important being larger than the others. Tauron theology also seems to involve a stand-in for Charon for the symbolic release of a dead loved one to the afterlife.

List of deities mentioned in the reimagined series

Lords of Kobol

Others

Cylon God

See also

References

  1. Hart, Hugh (2010-01-21). "Alessandra Torresani Gets Inside Caprica’s Prime Cylon". Wired. Retrieved 2010-02-10.

External links

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