Timeline (1980)

The timeline below chronicles the events depicted in the classic Battlestar Galactica television program and its spin-off, Galactica 1980.
The timeline is given in "Earth" years, BC and AD, not by Colonial yahren.
==On Kobol==
* 
:The Beings of Light intervene at the beginning of human development on the planet that would come to be known as . refers to these beings as the "Mother Race".
* 
:The beginning of the Colonial calendar.
* 
:The beginning of recorded human history, on the mother world - the planet . At the beginning of "Saga of a Star World," it is mentioned that the peace conference is being held at the beginning of the 7th millennium of human history, which would mean human history was just crossing into its 6,000th year. 6,000 years prior to "Saga of a Star World," which is noted later in this timeline as happening in 1950, would be circa 4,000 BC.
==The Exodus==
* 
:The original 13 tribes leave Kobol and head out into space. Twelve of the tribes settle near each other in the area known as the Twelve Colonies of Man. The remaining Thirteenth Tribe heads to Earth.
==Exodus through 20th Century==
* 
:Life of Cleopatra VII of Egypt.A partially filmed, but never aired episode of Galactica 1980, entitled "The Day They Kidnapped Cleopatra" was partially set in 30 BCE. The announcement of the cancellation of the series by ABC came during the filming, and the episode was never completed. This episode would have brought back the time travel plot device used in the first episode. Additionally, Egyptian themes were used frequently in Battlestar Galactica, such as the city of Eden in "Lost Planet of the Gods".
* 
:The Cylons attack the Hasari, whose territory neighbors the Colonies, who intervene to assist their neighbor. As a result of this intervention, the Thousand Yahren War begins between the Colonies and the Cylon Empire. The Thousand Yahren War begins 1,000 years before "Saga of a Star World" which, as noted later in this timeline, is set around 1950.
* 
:Approximate time that is launched. Back then, the celestial chambers on Galactica were used to confirm navigational headings. A 500 year old celestial chamber is depicted in "The Hand of God".
* 
:Xavier arrives in Revolutionary America and tries to change history. Troy, Dillon and Jamie Hamilton follow him, and thwart his plans, but he apparently escapes to another time frame. The trip to 1776 is referred to at the end of "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part III" but not shown on screen. Xavier's plans are mentioned at the start of "Spaceball".
* 
: is born. Adama reveals he is over a hundred yahrens old in "Lost Planet of the Gods".
==1900-1949==
* : Battle of Caprica.
* : Starbuck is born on Caprica. His father is Chameleon.Based on the age of Dirk Benedict during the filming of the Original Series. Starbuck is revealed to be from Caprica, as well as Chameleon being his father in "The Man with Nine Lives".
* 
** November 11: Earth's World War I officially ends.Jamie Hamilton makes a slight error when she tells the Galacticans that "20 years later, in 1939, World War II broke out" in "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I". However, she was reciting this from memory, so it's an understandable error. 
* : The Attack on Umbra describes a sneak attack by the Cylons. Nearly three thousand children were orphaned, including Starbuck
* 
** September 1: Earth's World War II begins.As confirmed by Jamie Hamilton in her conversation to the Galacticans in Zee's chamber .
* : Boxey is born to Serina on Caprica.This calculation is based on Noah Hathaway's age during the filming of the Original Series. This would make Boxey seven years old in "Saga of a Star World" and 37 years of age in "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I"—which happened to be the age of Kent McCord when he played the role.
* : Xavier arrives in Nazi Germany and poses as a British scientist and Nazi sympathizer. He volunteers to work with the V-2 rocket program and introduces Colonial technology, in hopes of changing history by ensuring a Nazi victory in World War Two.Described in "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part II".
**June 4: Troy, Dillon and Hamilton's time destination.Depicted in "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part II" and "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part III".
**June 5-6: Hamilton, Troy and Dillon arrive in Nazi Germany a day before the D-Day invasion. With the help of a U.S. agent, they locate Xavier and force him to return to 1980.
* : The United States Air Force begins Project Blue Book, a 22 year long investigation into unidentified flying objects.Project Blue Book is mentioned in a disclaimer at the end of every Galactica 1980 episode. Colonel Sydell's new organization within the US Air Force in the series has a similar mandate, and the disclaimer was apparently put in place to assure viewers that Sydell's organization was fictitious, and not to be confused with the real project that had concluded years before.
* : The Fifth Fleet engages the Cylons at the Battle of Molecay. is the only Colonial vessel to survive. Commander Cain, realizing that the Cylons were doubtless lying in wait along the entire route back to the Colonies, orders Pegasus out into deep space towards the Krillian Star System and Gamoray.Two yahrens prior to the events of "The Living Legend, Part I".
==1950==
The destruction of the Colonies, thirty years before Galactica discovers Earth.Officially, Galactica 1980 was set 30 years after the events of the Original Series. This piece of information is never specifically mentioned on screen, but was mentioned in promotional advertising and noted in background material for the program.http://www.tv.com/galactica-1980/show/1252/summary.html
The episodes and events of the Original Series are set during this period.
==1951 - 1979==
: The period between Battlestar Galactica (TOS) and Galactica 1980.
The Cylons, over this 30 year period, develop completely new technologies and evolve considerably - "beyond the wildest fears" of the Colonials, according to Dr. Zee. These new technologies include improved Cylon Raiders and the creation of humanoid Cylons.The increased technological prowess of the Cylons is described in "The Super Scouts, Part I" and "The Night the Cylons Landed, Part I".
Also, during this period, the Imperious Leader is apparently replaced, as his voice is considerably different by 1980.When the Imperious Leader is shown in "Space Croppers," he is no longer voiced by Patrick Macnee, but instead by Dennis Haysbert.
Sometime prior to 1970, Captain Apollo dies.Troy refers to Apollo's death in "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I". This apparently happens before the events depicted in "The Return of Starbuck" as Starbuck does not mention Apollo when relating to Boomer people he wishes to say goodbye to. In addition, Apollo's death is apparently a mystery to the Fleet, or so the script for the unfilmed episode "The Wheel of Fire" indicates.
* : Dillon is born in space aboard a vessel in the Colonial Fleet. Based on the age of Barry Van Dyke at the time of filming.
* : Jamie Hamilton is born in the United States on Earth. Based on the age of actress Robyn Douglass at the time of filming, who portrayed Jamie Hamilton. She identifies herself as an American in "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part III".
* : The last attack by the Cylons on the Colonial fleet until 1980. There has not been a Cylon attack in almost a generation prior to "The Super Scouts, Part I". A generation is typically denoted as 20 years.
* : Starbuck is stranded on a desolate planetoid, where he rebuilds the Centurion named Cyrus (nicknamed "Cy" by Starbuck). Some time later at this same location, Dr. Zee is born to the mysterious woman, Angela. Events of the flashback sequence of "The Return of Starbuck". Dr. Zee is a pre-teen child, who appears to be roughly ten years of age. Reasoning backward, he was born c. 1970.
* :
::Dr. Zee's ship catches up to the Fleet. The voyage of Dr. Zee's ship is shown in "The Return of Starbuck".
::Lt. Boomer is promoted to Colonel.By the time of "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I" Boomer has assumed this rank, while he still held this rank in the flashback scenes in "The Return of Starbuck".
::Commander Adama grows a beard.Adama has a large Moses like beard throughout 1980, but did not have it in the flashback scenes in "The Return of Starbuck".
::Boxey begins to go by the name "Troy" as he grows older.Troy mentions this in "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I," although Adama still refers to him as Boxey in a private conversation before being shown the invisibility field.
* :
::Dr. Donald Mortinson begins work on his nuclear degeneration formula.According to Dorothy Carlyle, Dr. Mortinson had been working on nuclear degeneration for three years as of "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I".
==1980==
Galactica long range probes arrive in the Solar System. They positively identify the third planet as Earth. Galactica and the Colonial Fleet reach Earth. "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I".
Galactica 1980 episodes "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I" through "Part III"
:Troy, Dillon and Jamie head back in time to World War II and then to the American Revolution to find Xavier. Troy, Dillon and Jamie are about to head off on this mission at the end of "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part III" The team is apparently successful in stopping Xavier, as there are no apparent changes to Earth's history.No reference to Xavier having achieved his goals is made in the subsequent episodes. Xavier escapes being brought into custody, however, and remains in Earth's past. While there, he perfects a process of cellular transformation which can allow him to assume the appearance of others. Xavier's activities are related in "Spaceball".
:Jamie returns to Earth, and back to the job she was offered with the United Broadcasting Corporation. As of "The Super Scouts, Part I," Jamie is back at work at UBC.
:In light of the unknown aircraft violating U.S. airspace, which are in reality Colonial Vipers, the United States Air Force dedicates new funds to the tracking of U.F.O.s.
:Dr. Zee leads a project to build a new saucer-shaped fighter craft, designed to thwart the Cylons.The saucer project is revealed in "The Super Scouts, Part II" and shown again in "Space Croppers".
:The Cylons determine to test some of their new technologies on the Colonial refugees. They plan to first attack the freighter Delphi, a straggling vessel in the Colonial Fleet, which happens to function as the Fleet' school.Just prior to "The Super Scouts, Part I"
Galactica 1980 episodes "The Super Scouts, Part I" and "Part II"
:Troy and Dillon spend a few days away from the children on an unknown mission.Briefly mentioned in "[Spaceball]]".
:Having spent an inordinate amount of money investigating the Super Scouts, Colonel Sydell's budget is questioned by his superiors in the United States Air Force.Just prior to "Spaceball"
:Xavier returns to the present time from Earth's past, and assumes the form of Lt. Nash of Galactica. Just prior to "Spaceball"
Galactica 1980 episode "Spaceball."
:Xavier remains at large on Earth, without a Viper, stranded in the present and on the ground.
:In another test of their new technologies, the Cylons send out new, advanced fighters, manned by Centurions and humanoid Cylons, to search for the elusive Colonial fleet.Just prior to "The Night the Cylons Landed, Part I"
:October 31 - November 1, 1980
::Galactica 1980 episode "The Night the Cylons Landed, Part I" "The Night the Cylons Landed" is specifically noted to occur on Halloween.
::Galactica 1980 episode "The Night the Cylons Landed, Part II"Episode ends in the early hours of November 1.
:Late 1980
::The Imperious Leader and his three base ships, catch up to Galactica and the Fleet, but the location of Earth remains elusive. Just prior to "Space Croppers"
::Galactica 1980 episode "Space Croppers".
::Galactica maintains its first colony on Earth, and the Super Scouts remain there, relocating from the baseball camp where they had been staying.
::Galactica 1980 episode "The Return of Starbuck".
::The scripted but only partially shot episode "The Day They Kidnapped Cleopatra" would have taken place here.
==1981==
:The planned but never filmed Starbuck episode "The Wheel of Fire" would have taken place at this time.
==1990==
In Dr. Zee's projection of what could have happened in the future, environmental damage and population expansion has rendered Paradise Valley polluted and crowded. If Dr. Zee's warning was in fact heeded by the people of Paradise Valley, however, these events may not have come to pass.Possible future revealed in "The Super Scouts, Part II".
==Notes==
The central year of this timeline is 1980, the year when the series is set. In promotional material and subsequent interviews, it has been noted that Galactica 1980 was set 30 years after the events of the Original Series. This was done in large part to explain the cast changes, and is chiefly supported on screen by the aging of Troy, who was a child in the first series. 
== References ==
Category:A to Z
Category:Behind the Scenes
Category:Colonial History
Category:1980
fr:Chronologie (1980)