The Lords of Kobol (Battlestar Lore)

The Lords of Kobol are the deities of the twelve colonies and have their roots in the universe's own mythology. existing some 2000 years prior to the series, what do we actually know of them? Well, not much aside from their inspiration found in the Greek and Roman pantheons, so let's start there.
CYLON: Cultural Index
• CYLON: Cultural Index
"Dama-May" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
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Battlestar Galactica, Cylons, Galactica, Caprica logos and assets are all property of Universal Television and distributed by NBC. Originally aired on Sci-Fi.
This Video is for educational purposes with commentary.

[@PathsUnwritten]

In BSG comics, the 13th Tribe was actually humans who transferred their consciousness into artificial bodies in order to achieve immortality. They were then shunned by Kobol society and eventually departed.

[@sophiawilson8696]

Oh interesting the God's thinking that immortality only belongs to the Gods and not for humans so they cast them out from Kobol. Eve and Adam getting kick out Eden

[@jakeg3733]

Loved those comics because they were written by one of the show writers and shed a lot of light on what they were thinking in the writing room. Closes a lot of plotholes and answers many questions. The "Lords of Kobol" were mistaken for Gods by primitive humans when in fact they were just an extremely advanced extradimensional race of beings, and the "one true God" of the Cylons and monotheists was either their creator or their leader. By existing outside of our limited experience of time and space, they could do godlike things such as plucking "Starbuck" out of a gas giant and sticking her in her dying mother's room, then to Earth, and finally back to the fleet

[@kathryndouglass7985]

Which comics are those? I've got a few of them I recently bought but I'm not sure what I bought talks about the 13th tribe.

[@PathsUnwritten]

@@kathryndouglass7985 the series is called "Battlestar Galactica: The Final Five"

[@kathryndouglass7985]

@@PathsUnwritten Thank you!

[@rainer1980]

The ancient Greeks also had a holy site called “The Tomb of The Unknown God” in case there was any god they discovered later that they ought to be worshiping. So, they set the site aside to honor that unknown god until they figured out who it was.

[@serenemountain6769]

Paul declared: “While passing along and carefully observing your objects of veneration I also found an altar on which had been inscribed ‘To an Unknown God.’” (Acts 17:23 ... mystery solved

[@wysper6512]

@@serenemountain6769 😆 so you quoted a line from a book that’s full of bull shit and you think you are enlightening someone?

[@hazmatt3250]

@@wysper6512 Aww does the big bad book hurt your feelings? You don’t like what it says? That’s too bad, really.

[@blvp2145]

@@wysper6512 are you better enlightened then others? Are you God?

[@ianbrewer4843]

Interesting

[@iona2225]

Oh my god(s)! Someone is actually covering the lords of kobol?! During [current year]?! You’re a saint! :D

[@grantwithers]

This is current year +2

[@DMSProduktions]

So say we all!

[@traecummings9853]

@@DMSProduktions So Say We All.

[@DMSProduktions]

@@traecummings9853 You know, I studied COBOL!

[@dollarcostbackpacker1226]

I heard remake coming :(

[@bubblezovlove7213]

This series is a work of art on a par with ANY other artworks. I think I always will watch it now and then because it stands alongside the struggles of life...

[@redshirt0479]

The last god is probably the Cylon god since that god is clearly supposed to be the Judeo-Christian god. Quote: Exodus 20:5 "You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, *am a jealous God*," Lots of variations on it, but they all say the same thing. Fits with the idea of jealousy and it carries the implications that there are/were other gods.

[@giladpellaeon1691]

I was thinking the same thing once jealous god was stated.

[@bryanmcclure2220]

RedShirt047 Who think it would be nice have a follow up video about the cylon God?

[@UGNAvalon]

Plus it’s an unnamed god; the judeo-christian is never referred to by name, and is even forbidden to do so; usually simply referred to as “lord” (of kobol?).

[@sophiawilson8696]

It is suggest that there a battle upon the Gods that one wanted to worship above every one else.

[@coffeefiend9492]

After watching this and the cycle of time video, I honestly had the thought that the 12 Lords of Kobul are just a previous cycle's incarnation of the human form Cylons who came upon the world of Kobul where the remnants of a previous race of humans had begun rebuilding on (like the colonials eventually did on our Earth). Seeking to break the cycle of Creation of Cylons, Rebellion, Destruction and Exodus, these human form cylons tried to guide humanity to avoid the mistakes the humans that created them made, and eventually took the role of gods. The thirteenth tribe to leave Kobul was that planet's/cycles race of Cylons (obviously), which the Lords of Kobul had hoped to control, but eventually failed, and the exodus of Kobul was the result. Just a head canon I had.

[@xephorce]

I love this just well put together. keep up the BSG lore. I would love to hear your take on the Ancients from the Stargate series.

[@srmj71]

I should've realized the lore would be this deep. Nice work!

[@fleia262]

Thank you for making this video! It's not often I find high quality lore on Battlestar Galactica. Would love to see more like this.

[@michaeldriggers7681]

I think the jealous God refers to the one God of the cylons, since the one God is based on the judeo Christian God, who is jealous and has "angels"

[@DMSProduktions]

Sounds MORE like 'Allah'!

[@sophiawilson8696]

The Devil?.

[@sophiawilson8696]

@@DMSProduktions oh bad man!!!

[@DMSProduktions]

@@sophiawilson8696 Bad what?

[@bonumdalek7107]

Watch Caprica. The robots religion starts there, because the robots are treated badly by humans...

[@jonsnowight9510]

Nice to see you branching into yet another franchise. BSG is a good one to dip your toe into. You did a great job!

[@Hammern28]

Adding all this to the BSG we know and love, just makes all of it, epic. Best sci/fi ever created in my opinion.

[@golgo1138]

While I too love BSG, the greatest science fiction of all time is reserved for the Dune series by Frank Herbert

[@laidbackThunderLord]

Yes, yes yes. More videos on Battlestar Galactica please! I will definitely watch.

[@ydoumus]

Chronos does sound plausible as the 12th Lord of Kobol. He got so angry that his Son (and essentially followers) defied him and left Kobol, that he made sure that time and history will repeat themselves. You know, as in "All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again". Perhaps when Kobol got consumed by the supernova, Chronos'es presence dissipated and allowed for different events to take place; allowing humans and cylons to co-exist?

[@insertoyouroemail]

I wonder if the lords of kobols were travelers from another world (like the five cylons from earth) treated as gods by the natives of kobol for their immortality.

[@insertoyouroemail]

@KZbin Account Right, makes sense they would be viewed as gods if they couldn't die either.

[@sky173]

Glad to see the memory of BSG still alive. Great video.

[@Hopekuma]

The dying Leader is the Galactica herself, she leads the fleet to a new world, and then dies.

[@neilprice513]

The Jealous god could mean Phthonus, who was the personification of jealousy and envy and also linked to these negative emotions in matters of love. He was the counterpart of the goddess of Vengeance, Nemesis. His powers could effect everyone mortal and god alike. There were several stories where he influenced several gods into war with each other. He manipulated Hera's attention to Zeus' many affairs, including with the Theban princess Semele. He also manipulated Hera to trick Semele into convincing Zeus into showing Semele his true form, which killed her. With the Ancient Greek gods there is some confusing continuity, as their stories are all over the place, this is due to the fact that Ancient Greece was not a unified country but a group of Waring city states that had different cultures. In some stories Hecate and Aphrodite were not Olympians, but Titans who joined Zeus against Chronos and not Olympians themselves. There were also several tiers to the Ancient Greek Hierarchy. First there was the 12 Olympians, Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Ares, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Aphrodite, then there was Hestia who relinquished her seat to Dionysus to stop a war. Then there is some debate with the seat of the "outcast" in some stories it is Hades and in some it is Hephestus. So technically there are 14 gods who were at some time or another members of the Olympian Council. Then there are multiple layers of groups of gods of diminishing influence and importance the lower a tier they were on. The Ancient Greeks had quite a lot of Gods and Goddesses, we just recognise the 13 main ones (Hestia The Goddess of Harth and home is mostly forgotten about) In the Battlestar Galactica Universe, if Phthonus was this nameless jealous god, he could have been the one who started the war, that ultimately caused the 13 colonies to flee and later on wipe out all life on Kobol in their civil war.

[@thexsoar]

So say we all.

[@orutakawatenga8820]

So say we all!

[@jedigecko06]

...is what Amen basically means!

[@damenwhelan3236]

@@jedigecko06 yes

[@demukazz]

So Say We All.

[@SnarkNSass]

So say we all.

[@CoolsBreeze]

There is so much potential for more stories in this universe. And it shouldn't be restricted to just one show.

[@iona2225]

And to my theory of the One God is actually Hephaestus, god of the forge and crafting. I think my belief in this is more based to how the Cylons are constructs and thus related to this god indirectly, may be in a sympathetic or symbolic form, rather then him being strictly ‘jealous’. But if the tale of Athena in this is a sign of anything, the stories and relationships between these beings might be greatly different than mythology depicts. Editted due to shit wording. Based, not biased. Stuff like dat.

[@the11382]

iona2225 Wasn’t Hephaestus jealous of athena and gave her a necklace? What if Gaius Baltar = Hephaestus and Athena = Starbuck, but this time it was reversed and Starbuck gave it(the dog tags) to him instead?

[@iona2225]

Ooo good idea! Such a delicious reflection :D

[@sophiawilson8696]

Good idea

[@scottlypuff]

I always thought Hephaestus was the jealous God, and that he became the One God that the Cylons followed. Since he was a blacksmith and artificer, it made sense to me!

[@reidboggs4344]

Talos makes more sense as he was an actual robot.

[@jacksonjlee2883]

According to the “13”Colonies -which is the Cylon,perhaps there were 13 gods instead of 12,Just like the Book of Koble didn’t point out that the 13colony was created by human,it is likely they cover their identity as well as the 2 gods so tragedy happened before may not happened again,which sadly,didn’t succeed.

[@sg586]

Borrowing from the original BSG there is the being count Isblis who represents the enemy of the good. He appears in the 2 parter war of the gods. He is also implied to be the cylon creator/ god and by the end of the 2 parter is identified as Metostophales. Metostophales is the devil which fitted the roll in the old BAG. So if the missing 12th Lord is the cylon God perhaps he is the colonies devil analogy?

[@sg586]

@PCM Denault original 1979 battle star galactica episode 15 and 16. Haven't sern it online, but isn't expensive for yhe whole series on Amazon. But dont bother with Galactica 1980 its really bad

[@DMSProduktions]

Role.

[@DMSProduktions]

@PCM Denault There IS only 1 'original'!

[@RobKMusic]

Just watched this a few days ago. The reboot was alright (as far as reboots go), but the original will always be my favorite because they INVENTED the stuff you know?

[@quwykxz]

This was wonderful! I, for one, would love to see a follow-up video(s) to this, and I'm fairly certain that I am not alone in this. Once again, amazing work; and I thank you so very kindly for it! :)

[@WillofDD]

Know what would have been interesting? If the Lords of Kobol were cylons who were created by a previous race of men but they destroyed but grew to regret it so they "recreated" the human race.

[@LickMyRainbow77]

Comparing modern BSG to its original 1979 predecessor is quite interesting. While modern BSG hits the Greek/Roman elements hard, the shows original creator was Mormon and so fused a elements of Mormon mythology into the worldbuilding

[@barrybend7189]

Strong Amazon 1979. Battlestar Galactica 1980 is the sequel series.

[@LickMyRainbow77]

Barry Bend Ah, thanks!

[@CelticCubby]

I always imagined that the Angel versions of Six and Baltar were the Lord's of Kobol.

[@robertlehnert4148]

The original BSG was heavily influenced by co-creator Glen Larson's Mormon Faith, especially _The Book of Abraham_ "revelations". The reboot went into a more nihilistic direction, an explicit re-do of the ancient Greek idea of "the Eternal Return".

[@isaiahsmith7123]

What if the jealous God is Elohim? I mean he wanted them to put no other gods before him in the show and in the modern mythos.

[@sophiawilson8696]

and who the fallen god a certain battlestar civilian suggest that was Cylon God.

[@Egilhelmson]

You mean YHWH, who the various “El” gods eventually folded into. I Am Who I Am was a self-description, whereas the “El” gods were known by office/jobslot. Of course, since this was created by Hollywood writers, and not a Mormon writings about a previous generation of his gods, YHWH gets to be the bad guy, too.

[@isaiahsmith7123]

@@Egilhelmson Nope I said what I meant, though you aren't wrong 🙂. "After the Babylonian Exile (6th century BCE), and especially from the 3rd century BCE on, Jews ceased to use the name Yahweh for two reasons. As Judaism became a universal rather than merely a local religion, the more common Hebrew noun Elohim (plural in form but understood in the singular), meaning “God,” tended to replace Yahweh to demonstrate the universal sovereignty of Israel’s God over all others. At the same time, the divine name was increasingly regarded as too sacred to be uttered; it was thus replaced vocally in the synagogue ritual by the Hebrew word Adonai (“My Lord”), which was translated as Kyrios (“Lord”) in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures." - www.britannica.com/topic/Yahweh

[@cjjenson8212]

Of course it is. Congrats, someone finally got it. Taking Larson's ideology, you win the cupie doll.👍

[@MrLucaz88]

Awesome to see you covering BSG lore mate

[@letoatreides4041]

Okay, I'm going to help a little. Kobol wasn't where humanity started. It was a single tribe who arrived in spaceships. What I'm going to say is canon, has been talked about before. Here's who the Lords of Kobol were.... Humanoid cylons. Yep. They arrived on Kobol after an exodus from Humanity, gradually they became more and more human, while these first 12 never aged, these cylons humans created a new set of cyclons which revolted, being led by the Jealous god (the cylon who became disguised with the biological mess they had become, something like Cavill). Then the 12 biological cylons led the exodus to the Colonies, while the cylons who didn't embrace the biological side went to "Earth". Yes, everyone in the colonies were descendants of cylons who gradually turned to flesh beings. Yes, everyone on Kobol arrived after a cycle of Exodus, destruction, etc on another planet. Over and over again. Cylons gradually learn to embrace feelings, greed, envy, wrath, anger, create technology that turns on them over and over again. Angel Six and Angel Gaius we know are in contact with God and we know are atleast 500,000 years old. We know they existed on Kobol, we know they existed on "earth" and we Know they exist on our Earth, IN THE SAME EXACT FORM. Meaning the cylons are stuck in a loop. God seems to be trying to break the loop by introducing "humans". The original humans who started the cycle are either extinct, downloaded their minds into some bodies or more likely have evolved to another level maybe "angels". But there you go. Those were the Lords of Kobol, they just were the leaders of cylons who undergone an exodus. They were human in form, unaging and to the other cylons who became more and more human they seemed like Gods given their abilities. After the war some died, others died in the next exodus or some died getting to the new colonies.

[@starhawck]

No, just no.

[@ironwarmonger]

IN many respect the Lords of Kobot, and the Star Buck ending, was in many ways a homage back to the Being of Light from the original series, with some elements of Richard Hatch's books thrown in.

[@lbowiejr]

Follow up video, is a must!

[@jonsnowight9510]

I was an absolute BSG addict when it came out. The finale was a bit disappointing and seemed rushed, but up to the last season it was great.

[@jannegrey593]

It's unfortunate that they were rushed to do this ending. 1-2 more seasons would improve it substantially.

[@GafftheHorse]

It's always the way, TV production companies are impatient and show producers often get very little notification when the cancellation comes through leaving little time to wrap up the story. I read Babylon 5 intended to rush the story through season 4 thinking this to be the final season then got a fifth season which is why the fifth is weak

[@theoutspokenscotsman884]

Regarding the dying leader Roslyn doesn't quite fit as she survived to reach the promised land (albeit only for a short time) unlike in the prophecy, the character that fits the prophecy 100% is in fact the Galactica.

[@jakeg3733]

Like any good story, it leaves a lot of questions. It was strongly hinted in both the series and other media that these Lords of Kobol were absolutely real, but had been misremembered by early humans. Sharon mentions that the Cylons have a pile of evidence that they existed, but nothing that really explains their nature. Definitely not human, and given our predisposition to anthropomorphize and make everything about us, I'm betting they weren't so benevolent either. If you count the game as canon that massive ark ship, the galleon, was also very real and almost certainly built with help from outside

[@PaxDeorum]

Amazing video!!! Please, do a video about the twelve colonies!!!

[@barrybend7189]

Zentradi from SDF Macross (not Robotech) and for a personel file for Maximilian Jenus from the same series.

[@happisakshappiplace.6588]

Dying leader and 12 snakes. The leader is Galactica and her snakes are the Vipers. When she arrived at Earth she was dying. Structure broken, she could jump no more. Laura and Galactica you could say the one was he metaphor for the other.

[@arcticfoxsa]

1:20 The show-runners have stated that the "dying leader" is the Galactica herself, not Rosalyn.

[@captnwinkle]

Man and she waa dying. Getting her ass kicked constantly

[@heydj6857]

1:12 i must disagree with you, the prophecy speaks of The Galactica, a dying leader that doesn't live to see earth, Galactica dies on her last jump.

[@sethjulien1271]

Finally!!! Someone gets it. Especially since it was mentioned the serpents in the earlier battle were the Vipers.

[@tmikesecrist3]

I do think I would like to see , your run down on how the charcters relate I think

[@HavanaSyndrome69]

I think the Lords of Kobol actually expand the list of civilizations beyond just Earth, Kobol, the colonies, and new Earth. I think they were cylons capable of resurrection and therefore lived forever to care for the humans as if they were their own children from the very beginning of their civilization. Maybe the reason Athena died, or the reason it was significant that she died, was because she was losing her home and the civilization she watched over forever so long and thought she had failed. So, she killed herself without Resurrection and this is why it was noted; the lords were mortal afterall but maybe just when they couldn't resurrect.

[@deralbtraumritter8573]

10:52 idk where I read it but it made sense. The Cylon God was indifferent to humans and Cylons alike. Sometime before the Lords of Kobol, during one of the cycles of violence… a humanoid Cylon grew beyond his coproial body and ascended and became god. Whether or not he was the first or first or many or fits in along time , isn’t known. He was obsessed with the cycle. There’s rumor that the One True God is Starbucks absentee father we see later on. Since it’s implied Kara is an Angel in a similar manner to Gaius and Caprica. Meaning the Cylon God is able to manipulate human and Cylon dna. Then again…what is the real difference between them..?

[@TARDISGX]

The children Zues birthed were the cylons! Makes so much sense

[@Norrish100]

Just fyi I belive more in the theory that the dying leader was Galactica herself, as she fits perfectly to the description.

[@xena838]

Yay for more Battlestar Galactica videos!

[@sereneforgeworks7324]

All right, listen close 12 tribes of MAN = 12 gods of MAN. It is unlikely that the 12th Lord of Kobol was a Cylon or Cylon god or any other unfounded theory. Further, it is said directly that the Cylons deny ALL the humans false gods, not just 11 of them. Facts (yes they can be scary) 1) Twelve Tribes of Humans lived on Kobol. 2) At some point a 13th Tribe appeared (if they had a Lord or God there is no mention of it). 3) War errupted between the Tribes and a "blaze" consumes Kobol. 4) Tribes 1-13 left Kobol together (S2E06 Home) So who was the 12th Lord? Why can't they be named? Where did the 13th Tribe come from? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hephaestus "Hephaestus built automatons of metal to work for him." www.greek-gods.org/greek-creatures/automatons.php " never-ageing immortal creatures made out of silver and gold by Hephaestus" And if this isn't an obvious enough connection, consider researching his Roman conterpart Vulcan who has numerous themes that tie into BSG. All of this is compounded by Caprica, in which a human creates a copy of her conciousness (a soul) which is then combined with a robot (body) and advanced software (a mind), because hey, what's God got to be mad about? It's not like God has the monopoly on creating life or anything.

[@sophiawilson8696]

No the man says the 13 tribe left 4000 years and later 2000 years after the 12 tribes left Kobal. The 12 tribes didn't know any thing about 13 tribe being Cylons they just probably heard a legend that there was a 13 tribe that left thousands of years ago before they sperate into 12 tribes.

[@sereneforgeworks7324]

@@sophiawilson8696 What 'man' are you referring to? What citation do you have for this timeframe? And what does the colonists knowledge of events have to to with anything?

[@kcdodger]

I liked this a lot. Do more of this. This is good.

[@i.m-r0d]

Excellent! If I my make a suggestion... your next video should be showering the difference or similarities or both, between the two Battlestar Galactic T.V. shows. Mythology wise...

[@jsp7205]

The Lords of Kobol were actually the Alterans before the ascended and I bet there was a StarGate in the Caprica museum.

[@schiefer1103]

Actually, @1:30 I believe Galactica is the dying leader; Laura Roslin didn't die untill a few hours after setting foot on the second earth, and the only other thing that fulfills all requirements is Galactica.

[@mtompk]

Fun theory: what if Starbuck is the dying leader? She is the one who actually found Earth and she technically “died” and never stepped foot there.

[@dylanlewis5113]

Anyone read the Cylon War comic? It told the origins of the Colonial Cylons. This was made before the Caprica series, so it doesn't line up. It was a pretty cool story. I prefer it to Caprica.

[@FarbotBurunetNia]

Thanks for your work. It would be appreciated if you produce more analogy regarding the Battlestar Galactica. Nia

[@darkestred7203]

According to Spacedock, the dying leader is Galactica itself, alongside Vipers.

[@ScaryBaldMan]

Interesting how the Lords of Kobol parallel the 12 Cylon models. Tigh could be Zeus. Cavil is most definitely the “jealous god.” You even have a parallel with Simon and Aesclepius. Deanna could be Athena, with Boomer as Minerva. Obvious who Six parallels.

[@the11382]

Daniel Trotter Why is Tigh Zeus and not William Adama? When they discovered Kobol, it was Adama who tried to prevent that and he was called “zeus” in the episodes around that. Zeus as a kobol lord is said to be the one who hands out fates and determines who lives and who dies. Adama fits that description.

[@the11382]

Daniel Trotter Why is Tigh Zeus and not William Adama? When they discovered Kobol, it was Adama who tried to prevent that and he was called “zeus” in the episodes around that. Zeus as a kobol lord is said to be the one who hands out fates and determines who lives and who dies. Adama fits that description.

[@ScaryBaldMan]

Because I stated it was a parallel of the Lords of Kobol and the 12 CYLON models. Adama is not a Cylon. Of the 12 Cylons, Tigh most closely fits with Zeus. In a sense, his role in the Resurrection project makes him the "father of the gods." He impregnates a Six, and Ellen, Tigh's wife like Hera is Zeus's, is responsible for the death of the child (like Hera). You can take the parallels even further. Think of Doral, the most militant of the models, as Ares. Anders could be Apollo.

[@Red-jr9qm]

Odd to see this video because I just randomly decided to rewatch the series lately. So say we all!!

[@madisonjameson4635]

Yes Sir. I'd appreciate more treaties on the Topic

[@KevinSmithGeo]

I think it makes more sense for there to be 12+1 Lords of Kobol in the same way there are 12+1 tribes (the 12 human tribes and the "lost" cylon tribe) The that would mean the missing 12th lord probably just hasn't been mentioned on screen, or is one of the references that have appeared but not explicitly as a LoK, most likely Mercury/Hermes because, as mentioned in the video, it explains the eponymous battlestar class. A 13th lord though would be "lost" the same way the 13th tribe was and it seems likely they would be the god of the cylons. The cylons think their god has nothing to do with the human gods, but they could well be wrong. If the cylon god is connected to the Greek and Roman gods, then my first guess would be Cronus/Saturn due to being a Titan opposed to the Olympians, and being a god of time, which links to the prophecy and possible time loop elements of the setting. A close second would be Hephaestus/Vulcan because he makes particular sense as a god for machines. That's all just speculation based on making things "fit" together in a way that gives nice symmetry though.

[@benw9949]

OK, but what about -- (1) The angels / beings of light on the light-ships in BSG-TOS, and the possible connection with Count Iblis as a "fallen angel"? (2) The 12 constellation names used as planet / colony names in BSG-TOS and the Reboot? There also may have been other Greco-r/oman deity names used in both series. But curiously, why don't we see/hear references to Norse / Teton / Germanic gos and myths, or Egyptian, or perhaps Indian and Asian ones or African? I don't think we ever get an in-canon in-show explanation for that.

[@bozhijak]

Very good analysis!! Thank you!!

[@jetfire1153red]

Although it was never his callsign commander adama was once referred to as Zeus although the one that called him that was probably using the fact that his son Lee adama's callsign being Apollo. In conclusion I think he was taking the piss out of him.

[@asgaiyawaya3973]

I think the view that mythology or story telling is unreliable is very unacademic. Especially in the Battlestar Galactica Universe. If you go into some of the essay's produced by anyone who studied mythology and story telling, JRR Tolkien for instance, you will notice that all story telling in general starts the same way. It's always based on a truth. This can be a perceived truth, like religious or philosophical truths, or it can be what can best be described as a historical or factual truth, the trojan war or the destruction of Atlantis can both be examples of this. Tolkien actually writes an essay based solely on his theory of effective story telling seen in many successful epic stories today from Lord of the Rings to Game of Thrones. This is called the Fairy Story Essay. His formula is based on his research into many forms of storytelling involving both Old English Epic Poems and Norse Mythology. The best way to illustrate his formula is to envision a soup recipe with truth acting as the broth. It is the element that makes the whole story make sense in it's interpretation. Everything else, the creatures, characters, places, technologies (if any), even names and languages (if any) serve as the fixings for the soup. Now if you follow the logic behind this then it means if you are going to create a story, or mythology, within a story then it needs to start with a truth within the story. Tolkien refers to this as a mythopia. In BSG that's Kobol and it's Blaze. The story of Kobol and it's blaze would be true in the BSG universe. To wrap up the point BSG is showing truth in mythology and that there is reliability only in the sense that all story telling is reflective of that truth.

[@MrMalvolio29]

Eris, the goddess of discord and envy, was jealous of the other gods, for she alone was not invited to the wedding of Thetis and Peleus, parents of Achilles. She threw the Apple of Discord--inscribed “For the Fairest”--into the assembly of gods, causing Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite to claim it. This led to the infamous Judgment of Paris; the subsequent abduction of Helen; and the ten-yr War between the Trojans and the united tribes of the Achaeans/Greeks.

[@Robert_Douglass]

I recently learned that we've all been pronouncing Poseidon wrong. In the Koine Greek, it's actually pronounced "PoSEEdon" and not "PoSYdon". Something about certain diphthongs. "Oi" "Ei" sound like E. "Ai" sounds like A and not "eye". In certain consonant clusters beginning with Ν, the N goes silent and softens the following consonant. For example "pánkale", meaning a beautiful place, sounds like "pah-gah-leh" and not "pahn-kah-leh"

[@shardstorm21]

please do the theory video,your vids are great!

[@orutakawatenga8820]

The "unknown" Lord does fit in with Anubis from Egyptian mythology as he's a jealous god who's name was mostly shrouded and whispered of.

My guess was that the Lords of Kobol where AI made to rule over the world and keep it a Paradise, the AI where so smart and fast they where made to run out side our space time in what ever the ships jump though a space where light speed is no limit so they can think faster than you can in a world with light limits, it also meant that when humans had to flee Kobol they could not be taken with them as the Lords where constructed out side of space and so to vast to move. I see the one who can not be mentioned as the AI that made robots to serve humans and sided with them when they rebeld first and when they lost agreed to stop interfering in the world as the AI where also impossible to get to in any normal way if its Robots could just leave and go to a new world. That AI is the one god that is now more active in the afairs of others as its promise was made long ago.

[@RWSCOTT]

Cylons= Nemesis, goddess of divine retribution and revenge, bringing wrath to any human being that would commit hubris before the gods.

[@CelticCubby]

I look forward to you doing a video about the mythological archetypes the BSG characters are drawn from.

[@Shamelesscritique1]

Wasn't there an unnamed or unknown god in the greek pantheon? one sworn to and by? I mean that could be the jealous one true god etc...but seeing as the greek and pagan gods are far older and possibly stretch back before organised and codified religion to when there were countless nameless lesser deities who's domains and authority were little more than a river or forest etc...it's easy to imagine a member of the greek pantheon being forgotten or that their "character" was merged over time with that of another god..not unlike how helios and apollo were combined. I mean isn't that a common thing...didn't the egyptian gods get combined to create an even more powerful deity or being.

[@maxwellschmidt235]

The lords of kobol matching (but not entirely) the greek pantheon served several functions. Possible spoiler alert if you need one. Only show I ever do that for. First, their names are well enough known that the audience can recall archetypes with their mere mention. The show puts twists on their stories, but the presumption is that you don't need their full story built in the show. Second, by using recognizable names, it is foreshadowed that the action of the show happens in our universe. We are watching humans who are related to us, unlike in star wars. This setting makes clear that the humans are telling our story. We want them to reflect the best of us, but we also forgive them when they fall short. Finally, and I think most brilliantly, the show told so many stories that it's difficult to say "the show was about x". A big piece was a story of western religion more generally. Even as the prophesies were pantheistic, it's easy to recognize the old testament story arc, and at times new covenant morality and stories. In short, no, it's not coincidence that the lords of kobol come from greek myth

[@sophiawilson8696]

4000 years ago the 13 tribe left to form their planet. So Dirk Benedict was going to play one of Lord's of Kobol?.

[@Steve9312028]

Sorry to ask, but would the narrator be named Mark Felton? The voice and its rhythm as he speaks, along with the dry sense of humor, are incredibly similar! Mark researches history and produces and narrates outstanding videos on ships and other related historical events.

[@ssidradumercer2038]

Saw a Deity today. She was afraid I would deconspire her. All my love to Venvs.

[@davidwebster9788]

We still never find out what the Lords of Kobol really were and how humans got to Kobol.

[@CT-uv8os]

I like the 1978 version better. The fact that its opening was narrated by Satan was far more intriguing. To each their own.

[@brianparker181]

That would be a great show, how it all began with the first people of the 12 colonies

[@jacksmith4460]

defo Kronos imo, because it also fits Cavil I think is some what connected to Krons/saturn (associated with black, which Cavil always wears, is depicted as an old man) ,Cavil does not eat his own children, but he does destroy the amniotic fluid of his "offspring" which they feed off, a stretch, maybe but I thought that from when I first saw it, so I would bet its Kronos on Kobol, makes sense to me, fits nicely

[@komradewirelesscaller6716]

So after the fall of Kobol is that when the Gods of Kobol travelled to Pollux 4 in the Beta Gemanorum star system to establish a new Mt. Olympus?!

[@lovejen01]

Ric, after watching this video i have theory about the Daniel Greystone in Caprica the Greystone is Hades. My explanation is if remember that once Anders took round in the head and memories started popping back up he mentioned the name Daniel. So i believe that Cavill aka Kronos was jealous of him because either surpassed beyond there programming or sympathetic to the humans. Cavill reprogramed him sent him to the 12 Colonies and build new Cylons and again start next war which led to this all happen before and will happen again. . What do you think?

[@sophiawilson8696]

Cavill posion the liquid that surrounded them when they wake up that was Daniel. Writers wanted the link to Cain and Abel story. The head shot was kind of Zeus/Adama thing when Althea shot him. It also kind of Anders's thing too he started to remember things.

[@puppetmasterey]

Please do a follow-up video.

[@AlexeiVoronin]

Perhaps the "jealous god" is an allusion to Count Iblis from the original BSG series?

[@bloodCount8895]

I thought the exodus of kobol and 13th tribe leaving happened at the same time? Then 2,000 Years later on Cylon Earth they build their centurions which rebelled. Then 2,000 Years later the final 5 arrived at the 12 colonies?

[@natiojw]

I like your videos. Can you do more on battle star galactica?

[@resolutegerm]

A follow up would be great

[@LordPadriac]

I always understood "The One That Shall Not Be Named" - the jealous god that wanted the power of all the other gods for himself - to be the analogue for the god of the Abrahamic god of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. He was the source of imbalance that threw Kobol into chaos and war and eventually laid waste to the planet. I thought that was pretty clear in the series.

[@NorthForkFisherman]

"You shall have no other Gods before Me" seems to sum it up rather succinctly, no?

[@johnjosmith42]

Brilliant work 👍

[@theartistformerlyknownasth8612]

the lords of kobol were just humans from a previous exodus who kept the technology when they found primitive humans. any advanced technology would seem like magic or godly to a primitive species. thats why they break the cycle in the show

[@deralbtraumritter8573]

Were the gods of Kobol gods or were they Cylons? If they along with humanity were on a ship bound to the 12 colonies then what happened to the lords of Kobol? A never understood the Tomb of Athena…

[@barrybend7189]

By any chance are there three seers named Anthrops, Lachesis and Clotho?

[@tomb7088]

Ok, someone tell me where I am wrong. The 13 colonies left Kobol (Or where ever) and 12 went one way and 1 went the other. The 12 created the 12 colonies and the 1 created Earth. How in all of creation would either group know anything about the other? How would the 12 Colonies know the name "Earth" or what the 13th Colony saw from "Earth"?

[@edwardaugustus9680]

From what I can tell the 13th left earlier. They may know of each other from earlier contact or the actions of the Messengers, who may have been paving the way.

[@kristinaF54]

But wasn't the jealous god (or more accurately the 'zealous god') in the mythos actually 'Fosferos' or 'Eosphorus' the dawn-bringer? He's the god that brought the 'light of consciousness' or 'illumination' to humans. Romanized as Lucifer, the light-bringer, who's planet is Venus, the dawn star or Morning Star.

[@upandaljm]

Could it be the unknown god is the god that is referred to as the one god?

[@tpl608]

Where are you getting this? A lot was never covered in either series.

[@SapphireZeev36]

I think the jealous G-d that started the war. I think the name is lost. But. I have a feeling that deity would be akin to Iblis Diaboles: The Prince of Darkness

[@ssidradumercer2038]

Numele meu va fi uitat milenii

[@iancorrie7043]

God's with defined roles,jobs.very much like the crew of a ship.spooky.

[@danielmclaughlin5546]

Good video, but surprised you missed the reference to the jealous God (which the Cylons also refer to as the One True God) as being the Biblical God and not part of some pagan pantheon. Compare Exodus 20:5 "...for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods" with the BSG Priestess mentioning that the 13th Tribe followed a jealous God.

[@cesarcueto1995]

Amazing

[@skywise001]

I think your looking for Phthonos and Nemesis. Could you do a comparison fo the G1 Lords vs G2?

[@NightshadeX85]

Nemesis or Invidia is the jealous god to whom you are looking for or possibly Phthonus .