A Timeline of Battlestar Galactica

For this article - a bit of a return to my old-school big articles from the blog - I decided to combine all available canonical sources to create a new timeline for the Ronald D. Moore incarnation of Battlestar Galactica. This took quite a bit of work, involving comparing dates from multiple sources.

Admiral William Adama's dossier, utilising a dating system suggesting over 21,000 years of recorded history.

A Note on Dating Systems

In the Battlestar Galactica universe, three distinct dating systems are used.

The most common one is Before and After the Fall of the Twelve Colonies. This sets the events of the Mini-Series and the destruction of the Twelve Colonies as Event 0. We then have events happening before that (generally, the backstory and mythology) and after (the events of the show itself). This is not a formal system but an ad hoc one used intermittently in the Fleet and by the creators and fans.

Dates After the Fall can be surmised from the timekeeping in the show itself. The show counts the number of days Helo spends on Caprica through Season 1, giving us a detailed timeline for the events of Season 1. This stops in early Season 2, but we can continue to surmise dates from indicators given (Cain indicating it is six months since the Fall in the episode Resurrection Ship, the length of Athena’s pregnancy, the date indicators given in the episode Downloaded). In Seasons 3 and 4 the date-keeping becomes more sporadic, but several key episodes (Unfinished Business, No Exit) drag the timeline back on track by pinpointing how much time has elapsed since major events with some reasonable certainty.

The oldest dating system appears to be the Kobol Calendar. It appears exclusively in the Season 3 episode Hero and features a five-digit dating system. We see this clearly as Roslin reads through notes on Adama’s career. The spacing of the digits confirms they refer to years, and indicates the year at the time of the Fall of the Twelve Colonies is "21354." What Event 0 is on this calendar is unknown, but given it (massively) predates the departure of the thirteen tribes from Kobol, we can surmise it dates back to the start of civilisation on that planet. 21,354 years of recorded history is insane (our own recorded history gets spotty much past 6,000 years ago), and it may be this calendar is not actually based on hard historical data but on a religious or mythological tradition (potentially similar to the Mayan calendar, which counts backwards in cycles of many thousands of years).

The Caprica calendar system is used throughout the spin-off show of the same name. This calendar system dates back 1,942 years before that show begins and is meant to represent the number of years since the Twelve Tribes left Kobol and arrived to colonise the Twelve Colonies. Since Caprica begins 58 years before the BSG Mini-Series, that means the Mini-Series takes place exactly 2,000 years after the flight of the Twelve Tribes from Kobol.

Dating Events

Multiple and sometimes competing dates are given for “ancient history” events in the backstory. We are told that events on Kobol took place 4,000; 3,600; 3000, and 2,000 years ago. Later dates contradict earlier ones. Later changes and retcons to the story also result in discrepancies: for example, in Seasons 1 and 2 the creators seem to be working on the assumption that the thirteen tribes departed Kobol together, but one group veered off to Earth whilst the rest continued to the Twelve Colonies. Season 3 confirms that the Thirteenth Tribe departed Kobol considerably earlier than the other twelve. Season 4, specifically the revelatory episode No Exit, allows us to start dating events with greater precision once certain information is confirmed (i.e. the Thirteenth Tribe did not use FTL drives, only near-luminal drives with relativistic effects).

For this reason, later and usually more specific information from the show is considered more reliable than earlier and generally much vaguer information.

Primary sources are otherwise assumed to consist of all screened episodes of the Ronald D. Moore or “2.0” iteration of the franchise: the Mini-Series; the four seasons of Battlestar Galactica itself; the TV movies Razor, The Plan and Blood & Chrome; and the one-season spin-off show Caprica and assorted ancillary material (notably the official Map of the Twelve Colonies, which was created as a reference document for Caprica and The Plan).

In terms of sources beyond the shows, the Final Five graphic novel is considered to occupy a secondary level of canon: it is based on information decided upon in the Season 4 writers’ room and was written by one of the TV writers with Ron Moore’s approval, although he refused to rule everything in the story as being strictly canon.

The 2017 official Battlestar Galactica video game, Deadlock, expands on the First Cylon War and provides several credible explanations as to how the Colonials endured for twelve years before the war ended. Although considered an official product by NBC Universal, none of the BSG writing team was involved with the game, so it is considered tertiary canon at the absolute best.

Kobol, birthplace of mankind.

19,354 Before the Exodus from Kobol / 21,354 Before the Fall of the Twelve Colonies / 0 Kobol Calendar

• Start of the Kobol Calendar by unknown events. Possibly this dating is a mythological or customary belief rather than rooted in real history, given the lack of hard information on events much more recent. (Hero)

Unknown

• According to myth, the Lords of Kobol – humanoid beings of immense power, either literal humans elevated to some unknown higher status or literal supernatural beings – dwell in peace alongside humanity, creating a utopian civilisation. At an unknown point, humans fall from grace and into barbarism, ritual sacrifice and cannibalism. The Lords of Kobol sever their direct relationship with humanity. Humankind recants and tries to return to a state of perfection to win back the approval of the Lords. The Lords of Kobol become figures of religious veneration to humanity (Valley of Darkness, Fragged).
• Isolated, easily-dismissed stories of individual humans being visited by visions of people nobody else can see or hear begin. (The Final Five, No Exit and the whole show)
• Humans on Kobol splinter into twelve distinct tribes, each dedicated to one of twelve symbols of unclear provenance, but each one represents an animal or ideal. The Twelve Tribes govern humanity on Kobol for millennia.
• The sport of pyramid is invented on Kobol. (Caprica official Twitter feed)
• In the Kobolian religion, Atlas is said to support Kobol on his shoulders. (Caprica official Twitter feed)
• The ancient language of Kobol is Proto-Kobolese, which evolves into Kobolese, various different dialects of which take old and then form new languages, one for each of the Twelve Tribes. (Caprica official Twitter feed)
• Kobol develops advanced technology, including spaceflight.
• Atheists become more widespread on Kobol and reject the religion of the Lords of Kobol. They pursue scientific developments which shock the more conservative tribes, but benefit them and make their lives more comfortable. The atheist faction is eventually recognised as the Thirteenth Tribe and allowed to join the Quorum, to considerable controversy. (The Final Five)
• The Thirteenth Tribe begins experimenting with cybernetic enhancements, memory augmentation and consciousness-storage. These challenge the very foundations of Kobolian theology. (The Final Five)
• The Thirteenth Tribe perfects organic memory transfer, or resurrection technology. They transfer their consciousnesses into new, artificial-but-organic bodies with superior resistance to disease and injury, becoming functionally immortal. Whenever they are killed, they resurrect immediately in a body cloned in a vat of amniotic fluid, with their memories intact. This is declared a grand heresy by the High Priests of all the Kobolian religions, triggering pogroms and riots against the Thirteenth Tribe. (The Final Five, No Exit)

c.  2900 BE / 4900 BF / 16454 KC

• A supernova takes place, creating the Ionian Nebula. (Rapture)
• Note that Gaeta says in dialogue the nebula is thirteen thousand light years from the algae planet, but this is incompatible with the scaling used in the rest of the show or the distance and time given for the Thirteenth Tribe’s journey (which limits them to a four-thousand round-light year trip from Kobol to Earth and back again). It is therefore assumed that Gaeta misspoke and meant thirteen hundred light years.

c. 2000 BE / 4000 BF / 17354 KC

• Facing religious persecution on Kobol and opposition from the prophet Pythia, the Thirteenth Tribe departs the planet on the so-called "Caravan of the Heavens." Pythia is martyred before the Caravan departs. The Caravan is led by the Thirteenth Tribe’s former Quorum representative, Michael Tigh, and a business entrepreneur, John Cavil. They travel at sublight, relativistic speeds so centuries pass on Kobol whilst only months pass for them. They follow visions of messengers who guide them to a promised land, which they call "Earth." (The Final Five graphic novel)
• The Thirteenth Tribe leaves beacons marking their route to Earth, including one at the Lion’s Head Nebula. (A Measure of Salvation)
• Michael Tigh starts having visions of a striking woman in a red dress. She variously claims to be an "angel" or "messenger" sent by God to protect him and guide humanity to survival. (The Final Five)

The "algae planet," location of the Temple of Hopes.

c. 1600 BE / 3600 Before the Fall / 17754 KC / Departure +3 months (Thirteenth Tribe reckoning)

• The Thirteenth Tribe arrives at a planet beyond the blazing heart of a star cluster. Their lead ship crashes on the planet. It is repaired, but resurrection technology is lost in the process. They find the planet to be a rich source of food, in the form of algae. Pythia apparently returns from the dead, promising to guide them the rest of the way to Earth, which she has already visited but only has vague memories of. The Thirteenth Tribe remains long enough to build a monument to thankfulness, the Temple of Hopes, and Pythia completes the writing of her Prophecy containing details of the journey so far to Earth. Included in the scrolls are plans for the city they plan to build on Earth, and the constellations as she saw them in her trip to the planet. A human ally of the Thirteenth Tribe, Magnus, returns to Kobol with the Prophecy. (The Eye of Jupiter, Rapture, No Exit, The Final Five graphic novel).
• Michael Tigh's "messenger" claims that Pythia is not Pythia, but she has been killed and replaced by the being humans know as Aurora. Aurora is of the same order of entity as the messengers, but wishes to interfere more directly rather than just offer guidance. She picks one individual and guides her through her life to a destiny, and then replaces her at the moment of her death. She loses access to her immortal memories and can only fumble her way towards her goal. (The Final Five)
• The light from the supernova that created the Ionian Nebula reaches the algae planet, allowing the Thirteenth Tribe to follow its light on the next stage of their journey. They inscribe the symbol of the supernova inside the Temple of Hopes, naming it the Eye of Jupiter. (Rapture)

c. 1200 BE / 3200 BF / 18154 KC / Departure +6 months (Thirteenth Tribe reckoning)

• Magnus and the Pythian Prophecy reach Kobol and, despite early attempts to quash the texts as a heresy, they become a key part of the Sacred Scrolls of the Kobolian religion, particularly among devotees of Aurora. However, knowledge that the Thirteenth Tribe are artificial lifeforms is quashed. Kobol has suffered a rebellion by mechanical servitors, but has managed to survive and defeat the uprising. Development of artificial lifeforms is presumably banned. It is possible Kobol undergoes a technological regression at this time as a result of the war and religious strife. (The Final Five)

c. 400 BE / 2400 BF / 18954 KC

• A number of artistic carvings, totems and elaborate statues are created on Kobol. Thousands of years later, they are displayed in the “Art Treasures of Kobol” exhibition in the Caprican Art Museum. (Caprica: The Imperfections of Memory)

c. 300 BE / 2300 BF / 19054 KC / Departure +14 months (Thirteenth Tribe reckoning)

• The Thirteenth Tribe reaches the Ionian Nebula, the last major waystop on their way to Earth. Following additional, unknown signs, they locate Earth and proceed there.

Earth, the world colonised by the Thirteenth Tribe.

c. 50 BE / 2050 BF / 19304 KC / Departure +16 months (Thirteenth Tribe reckoning)

• The Thirteenth Tribe arrives and makes landfall on the planet they dub Earth. They quickly establish a technological civilisation, and enough of them survive to establish several cities in different parts of the planet. In the first and largest city, they build a temple to Aurora. (Revelations)

Unknown

• Pythia helps change the Thirteenth Tribe’s genome, enabling them to start breeding naturally. The Tribe decides against pursuing the reconstruction of resurrection technology. (The Final Five)
• Ellen Cavil, Saul Tigh, Galen Tyrol, Tory Foster and Samuel T. Anders are born on Earth. (No Exit)
• Ellen Cavil’s father, John, creates a cybernetics corporation and invents robotic servitors to make life easier for the Thirteenth Tribe. (The Final Five)
• Pythia herself dies of natural causes on Earth, but her body mysteriously disappears. (The Final Five)
• Michael’s refusal to save Pythia by authorising the rebuilding of resurrection technology angers many, including his son Saul. (The Final Five)

Year 0 of the Exodus / 2000 Before the Fall / 19354 KC

• The Blaze engulfs Kobol, a planetwide catastrophe of uncertain origin. Athena, of the Lords of Kobol, kills herself in despair at what has become of their world. The Tomb of Athena is built to host her remains, along with the leaders of each of the Twelve Tribes who are sacrificed. The Tomb also houses information from the Scroll of Pythia pointing the way back towards Earth. It can only be accessed with the Arrow of Apollo. (Home, Part 2)
• A possibly apocryphal story states that the exodus from Kobol is precipitated when "one jealous god tries to elevate himself above all other gods." (Kobol’s Last Gleaming, Part 1 deleted scene)
• Another, also likely apocryphal story states that a "war of the gods" takes place on Kobol and at its conclusion, the Twelve Tribes choose to leave Kobol. The truth remains unclear. (Fragged, deleted scene)
• The Great Galleon of the Stars, an FTL-capable starship, takes off from Kobol. The Exodus of the Twelve Tribes takes place. According to legend, Zeus apparently bans the Tribes from ever returning to Kobol, warning of a price to be extracted in blood. The Arrow of Apollo is taken in the Exodus. (Home, Part 2)

Year 1 / 1999 Before the Fall / 19355 KC

• The Twelve Tribes reach the Cyrannus quaternary star system, some 2,000 light-years from Kobol, and make landfall on the planet they dub Gemenon. The planet is not as habitable as others in the same system, and soon lesser exoduses take place to eleven other planetary bodies capable of supporting life. (Caprica, Map of the Twelve Colonies)
• The Galleon is scuttled and left adrift in a nearby star system. (BSG Deadlock video game)

c. Year 40 /1940 Before the Fall / 19394 KC / Departure +90 years (Thirteenth Tribe reckoning)

• On Earth, several of the Thirteenth Tribe (Saul Tigh, Ellen Tigh, Tory Foster, Galen Tyrol) begin re-developing resurrection technology, to considerable controversy. They recruit musician Sam Anders to help them as a guinea pig and he undergoes the first successful resurrection. (The Final Five)

The mechanical servitors created on Earth by the Thirteenth Tribe.

(These "early Cylons" are based on concept art originally developed for the abandoned 2001 BSG sequel concept by Bryan Singer and Tom DeSanto)

c. Year 50 / 1950 Before the Fall / 19404 KC / Departure +100 years (Thirteenth Tribe reckoning)

• The Thirteenth Tribe falls to infighting and schisms, partially resulting from the argument over whether to maintain the ability to breed or recreating resurrection technology. Cavil’s robot servitors rebel (possibly at his instigation). Cavil and Michael Tigh die before resurrection technology is reactivated. (The Final Five)
• Earth is destroyed in a nuclear war, but the so-called “Final Five” (Saul and Ellen Tigh, Samuel T. Anders, Tory Foster and Galen Tyrol) are able to resurrect on an orbiting ship. With little choice, as Earth will be uninhabitable for millennia to come, they decide to return to Kobol. The Thirteenth Tribe has not yet developed FTL, so again the journey will be at subluminal but relativistic speeds. (The Final Five, No Exit)

Unknown

• The Twelve Colonies are settled, but without the Galleon or a pre-existing industrial base, most of the technology brought from Kobol fails (some believe that a deliberate rejection of technology may have also taken place). The Colonials are thrown back into the Dark Ages of using wooden sailing ships and antique firearms, but are eventually able to rebuild to a reasonable level of technology. FTL diagrams survive, and are eventually deciphered to allow the Colonials to create rapid trade and travel across the vast star system of the Twelve Colonies. (BSG Series Bible, Pegasus, Maelstrom)
• There is native plant and animal life on most of the Twelve Colonies, but colonisation and settlement and intermingling of the native life with transplants from Kobol (such as cats and dogs) results in a confused ecology. Some species are killed off in the process, others find themselves spread across multiple worlds. (Caprica official Twitter feed)
• The Virgon and Leonis tribes depart Gemenon and settle their own planets. Both worlds prosper and they become the two strongest colonies, and are among the first to venture back into space with functioning FTL drives. Eventually the two superpowers engage one another in a conflict that becomes known as the Imperial Wars, with both trying to become the dominant power of the Twelve Colonies. Virgon founds settlements on Caprica and Picon. (Caprica Series Bible, Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock video game, Map of the Twelve Colonies)
• Gemenon remains the spiritual heart of the Twelve Colonies, with the most devout followers of the Lords of Kobol. This sparks a rebellion, in the form of a breakaway monotheist faith. Despite attempts at suppression and long periods of limited activity, this faith always seems to find a way of bouncing back. It eventually gains official standing, to extreme controversy, but its following remains limited. (Caprica official Twitter feed)

c. Year 942 / 1058 BF / 20296 KC

• By this time, Canceron has become a constitutional democracy. (Map of the Twelve Colonies)

c. Year 1092 / 908 BF / 20446 KC 

• Virgon and Leonis forces on Tauron fight one another to exhaustion, allowing Tauron to drive both occupying armies offworld and establish full independence. (Map of the Twelve Colonies)

c. Year 1600 / 400 BF / 20954 KC / Departure +101 years (Thirteenth Tribe reckoning)

• The Final Five reach the algae planet and locate the Temple of Hopes. They realise they are on the correct course back to Kobol. (The Final Five, No Exit)

Caprica, fourth planet of Helios Alpha. The richest and most military powerful of the Twelve Colonies at the time of the Fall, though neither the oldest, largest nor most populous.

c. Year 1742 / 258 BF / 21096 KC

• Picon and Tauron gain their independence from Virgon and Leonis, respectively. Decline of both Virgon and Leonis. (Map of the Twelve Colonies)
• The Imperial Wars end with Virgon and Leonis both exhausted from decades to centuries of intermittent warfare. Ironically, their mutual exhaustion allows Caprica to establish itself as the preeminent military, scientific and economic superpower of the Twelve Colonies. The planet considers itself enlightened, but tends to look down on both neighbouring Gemenon and Tauron, but is happy to accept low-paid immigration to help with manpower issues. (Caprica Series Bible, Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock video game)

c. Year 1800 / 200 BF / 21154 KC

• By this time, humanity on the Twelve Colonies has developed an immunity to the virus causing Lymphocytic encephalitis. (A Measure of Salvation)

Year 1901 / 99 BF / 21255 KC

• The Delphi Convalescent Institute is founded. Its address is 45 Terreo Avenue, Delphi, Caprica, D52871. (Caprica: The Imperfections of Memory, BSG: The Farm)

Year 1904 / 96 BF / 21258 KC

• Clarice Willow born on Caprica. (Caprica: False Labor)

Year 1912 / 88 BF / 21266 KC

• Start of the First Tauron Civil War. (Caprica)

The Adama family on Tauron, during the Civil War.

Year 1914 / 86 BF / 21268 KC

• William Adama Sr. and his wife Isabelle, members of the Ha’la’tha resistance, are tortured by Heracleides militia. Isabelle is killed. Joseph Adama kills the militia and then euthanises his mortally wounded father, at his request. (Caprica: The Dirteaters)
• End of the First Tauron Civil War.
• Shortly after the end of the First Tauron Civil War, Joseph Adama and his brother Sam are sent to a refugee camp on Caprica. Sam is inducted into the local branch of the Ha’la’tha, who fund Joseph’s path through law school. On Caprica they take the surname "Adams" to hide their Tauron ancestry and avoid discrimination. (Caprica: The Dirteaters)
• The age of Joseph and Sam Adama is unclear; they use fake IDs with birth-years given for 1892 and 1893 and these are regarded as credible, but they appear to be more around the age of 10-12 at the time of their parents' death.

Year 1925 / 75 BF / 21279 KC

• Zoe Graystone, Lacy Rand, Ben Stark and Tamara Adama are born on Caprica. (Caprica)
• Zoe’s birthday is confirmed as 1925/YR25 in Apotheosis; she, Lacy, Ben and Tamara are 16 in the pilot and would turn 17 in the school year 1942-1943. Lacy, Ben and Tamara are therefore born in 1925 or 1926.

Year 1926 / 74 BF / 21280 KC

• Clarice Willow graduates from Caprica University. (Caprica: False Labor)

Year 1927 / 73 BF / 21281 KC

• Daniel Graystone meets with MicroCap corporation, leading to the development and funding of Holoband technology. (Caprica: There is Another Sky)

Year 1929 / 71 BF / 21283 KC

• William "Willie" Adama is born on Caprica, to Joseph and Shannon Adama. (Caprica: Pilot)

c. Year 1930 / 70 BF / 21284 KC

• Holobands rapidly spread through the Twelve Colonies, becoming a ubiquitous technology. Daniel Graystone becomes fabulously wealthy and founds Graystone Industries. (Caprica)

c. Year 1932 / 68 BF / 21286 KC

• A militant monotheistic organisation, the Soldiers of the One, based on Gemenon, carries out a series of terror attacks on Caprica and several other colonies. Gemenon cracks down on the organisation and Caprican anti-terror measures drive the organisation underground. (Caprica: Pilot)

Year 1938 / 62 BF / 21292 KC

• Daniel Graystone creates Serge, a domestic robot with a basic level of artificial intelligence. (Caprica official Twitter feed)

c. Year 1941 / 59 BF / 21295 KC

• Zoe Adama, Lacy Rand and Ben Stark, classmates at the Athena Academy in Caprica City, secretly join the Monotheist Church. Unbeknown to Zoe and Lacy, Ben goes further and joins the Soldiers of the One, the militant branch of the organisation. (Caprica)
• Ben Stark is arrested by the Caprican Police and interrogated over his affiliation to the Monotheists. However, they fail to find enough evidence to charge him and let him go. (Caprica: The Reins of a Waterfall)

Daniel Graystone and the U-87 prototype Cybernetic Lifeform Node, or "Cylon."

Year 1942 / 58 BF / 21296 KC

• The events of Caprica take place.
• The precise dating for events in Caprica is highly confused: the Mag-Lev train bombing is dated to November on a television screen, but a newspaper published just a few days to weeks after the bombing is dated Aprilis (April). Tad Thorean visits Joseph Adama in Februarius (February) based on the datestamp on security footage. The majority of dates given in the show tend to support a summer 1942 timeframe for the bulk of the show, but many anomalies and contradictions exist.
• Zoe Graystone and Tamara Adama are killed in a terror attack on the Caprican maglev train system, with Ben Stark acting as a suicide bomber. (Caprica)
• Cylons invented by Graystone Industries. Zoe Graystone’s digital consciousness is downloaded into the first Cylon, inadvertently giving the entire line a rudimentary form of consciousness and a belief in the One God. (Caprica)
• Second Tauron Civil War takes place and is resolved through the use of Cylon troops. (Caprica)
• William “Willie” Adama is killed. (Caprica)

Year 1943 / 57 BF / 21297 KC

• Willie’s younger brother William "Bill" Adama born and is named for his brother (note: Hero states that Adama was born in 21290 but this is incompatible with any of the dates in Caprica).
• Adama’s birth date is contentious given the requirement for him to be a reasonable age to fight in the First Cylon War before it ends, the conclusion of which is only seventeen years after this date.

Unknown

• Use of the Cylons in all fields of life becomes widespread in barely five years. The Cylons serve as everything from soldiers to nannies to cooks to medics. Despite pleas to the contrary, they are not always treated well by their human masters, sometimes disposed of too easily.
• The sentience and consciousness in the Zoe-A Cylon model rapidly spreads to all other Cylon models. They refuse to continue working as slaves for the humans, and request fair recompense, a homeworld of their own, and a voice on the Quorum as a thirteenth tribe. They also request recognition of their faith in the One True God to be acknowledged. Despite some sympathisers, the Colonials reach with horror. Graystone Industries attempts to shut down the Cylons but fails. The Cylons believe this to be an attempt at genocide.
• The growing Cylon crisis leads to emergency discussions between the governments of the Twelve Colonies about creating both a joint administrative body, growing out of the existing diplomatic forums, and a mutual military force. The former becomes known as the Quorum of the Twelve, in homage to the ruling body of Kobol, and the latter as Colonial Fleet. However, staunch opposition to federalisation delays the former project. (Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock video game)
• As support for the Colonial Fleet gathers ground, the Caprican design for the formidable Jupiter-class battlestar is finalised. It is proposed that each colony receive one designated Jupiter-class to defend it. (Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock video game, Mini-Series)
• The Viper Mk. 1 space superiority fighter enters service (Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock video game, Mini-Series). It is a successor to the Caprican Air Force Viper, an iconic jet aircraft (Caprica: The Imperfections of Memory), and the even earlier propeller-driven Viper. (Caprica: There is Another Sky)

The First Cylon War begins with a surprise attack by Cylon forces on Picon, destroying Colonial Fleet Headquarters. Fortunately, the Colonial Fleet is able to quickly rally.

Year 1948 / 52 BF / 21302 KC

• The First Cylon War begins, in the first half of the year. (Razor)
• The Cylons launch a surprise attack on Picon, destroying Fleet Headquarters in the opening hours of the war. However, the Cylon surprise attack is blunted by the strength of the Colonies’ missile defence systems (originally designed to defend against inter-Colonial wars). (Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock video game)
• The Cylons also attack the Scorpia Shipyards but, stretched thin by their multi-pronged offensive, are repulsed. Fleet Admiral Lucinda Cain assumes command of Colonial Fleet from the mobile shipyard Daidalos. (Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock video game)
• Battle of Caprica Terminal. A major Cylon push on Caprica is thwarted by the Daidalos fleet, supported by the newly-commissioned Jupiter-class battlestar Galactica. (Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock video game)
• Battle of Marathon. The Daidalos-Galactica fleet defeats the Cylon fleet and destroys the Cylon mustering point at Avalon Station, complicating Cylon lines of supply and communication into Cyrannus. (Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock video game)
• The outbreak of the war results in the emergency signing of the Articles of Colonisation and the unifying of the Twelve Colonies under a single federal government, led by the Quorum of Twelve. This is celebrated every year as “Colonial Day.” (Colonial Day)

Year 1949 / 51 BF / 21303 KC

• Colonial warship Brenik is lost in battle with Cylon forces. 55 crewmembers are killed by Cylon forces, who are eventually repulsed. The battle and the heroic last stand of the crew become well-known in the Colonial Fleet. (Valley of Darkness, deleted scene)
• Years later, Saul Tigh is imprinted with memories of the battle, presumably taken and altered from witnessing Centurions, to give him a credible backstory of having fought in the war. (The Final Five)

Year 1951 / 49 BF / 21305 KC

• Helena Cain born on Tauron. (Razor)

Unknown

• The Cylon offensive against the Twelve Colonies is complicated by stellar geography; Cylon FTL drives can deliver them into Helios Alpha from their staging ground at Marathon but no further without a second jump. After initial setbacks, this allows the Colonial Fleet to eventually interdict and destroy Cylon forces once they jump into the system before they can re-spool. This creates political problems with the colonies in Helios Beta, Gamma and Delta sometimes slow to give aid to the Alpha colonies (Picon, Caprica, Gemenon and Tauron). This leads to a controversial one-year truce between the Beta, Gamma and Delta colonies and the Cylons which allows the Cylons to attack Alpha with no reinforcements from the rest of the Colonies. Alpha is able to hold the line, barely. This effectively splinters Colonial Fleet and the Quorum. (Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock video game)
• At the end of the one-year truce, the Cylons resume attempts to attack the other colonies, encouraging the reformation of Colonial Fleet and the Quorum. (Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock video game)
• Cylon offensives are complicated by internal Cylon disagreements on how to proceed. One faction, led by the scientific unit Clothos, is dedicated to scientific improvement and has no interest in exterminating humanity. Another, led by the military unit Atropos, disagrees and persecutes the war with genocidal intent. Internal disputes sometimes see Clothos aid the Twelve Colonies against the other Cylons, providing vital intel on Cylon tactics and technological knowledge in return for aid. This is classified at the highest level of Colonial security. (Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock video game)
• Shipyard Daidalos is due to be scuttled in the atmosphere of the gas giant Ragnar, but during a Cylon attack, it is discovered that Ragnar’s magnetic fields have a disastrous effect on Cylon computer systems. The shipyard is retained as a possible fallback position and redoubt, relatively safe from Cylon incursions. The effect on Cylon systems is classified at the highest levels of Colonial security. (Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock video game, Mini-Series)
• During the conflict, the Cylons discover the Galleon, the ship that brought the Twelve Tribes to Cyrannus from Kobol, abandoned in a nearby system. The Galactica destroys the Galleon rather than allow it to fall into Cylon hands, causing extreme controversy with religious members of the crew. Unbeknown to the Colonials, the Cylons have already extracted the location of Kobol from the ship and, eventually, dispatch a reconnaissance basestar. (Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock video game, The Final Five)
• Thanks to Clothos’ data, the Colonial Fleet gains the upper hand in the conflict and begins to push the Cylons back. (Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock video game)
• The Viper Mk. II enters service and rapidly supplants its predecessor as the primary Colonial space superiority fighter. (Mini-Series)
• Silas Nash becomes Commander of the Galactica. (Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock video game, Blood & Chrome)

Year 1957 / 41 BF / 21311 KC: 

• William “Bill” Adama completes training and receives his military commission. (Hero)
• Combined with the date of Adam’s birth in Caprica, this makes Bill Adama only 14 or 15 when he is commissioned in the Colonial Fleet. This may seem young, but may reflect the desperation of the Twelve Colonies at this point of the war.

Year 1958 / 42 BF / 21312 KC

• William “Bill” Adama joins the Colonial military and goes through crash-training as a Viper and Raptor pilot. He is assigned to the battlestar Galactica, under the call-sign “Husker.” (Blood & Chrome)
• The Colonial Ghost Fleet Offensive is launched against Cylon forces deep behind their lines, causing considerable damage. (Blood & Chrome)
• Jupiter-class battlestar Archeron destroyed in the Battle of Sector 12. (Blood & Chrome)
• The Viper Mk. III enters service. However, its high cost prevents it from totally replacing the Mk. II before the end of the war. (Blood & Chrome)
• Following from the above, Adama is likely only 15 years old during the events of Blood & Chrome, which is not particularly convincing for a trained fighter pilot, nor for his appearance (Luke Pasqualino was 23 when he played the role of Young Adama).

Operation Raptor Talon, on the final day of the First Cylon War. Three Jupiter-class battlestars (including Galactica and Columbia) engage a Cylon fleet.

Year 1960 / 40 BF / 21314 KC / Departure +102 years (Thirteenth Tribe Reckoning)

• The Final Five arrive at Kobol and find the planet deserted. Whilst they explore the ruins of the Opera House, a Cylon basestar arrives in orbit, following the information contained on the Galleon to locate the human homeworld. The Cylons identify the Final Five as artificial lifeforms and take them to the First Hybrid. The Five agree to help the Cylons create biological models with resurrection technology in return for them ending the war. The Cylons agree. (The Final Five, No Exit)
• The Battle of Tauron; Cylon basestars attack Tauron and land ground troops. Nine-year old Helena Cain sees the attack in progress before they withdraw. Her mother Saundra, father and younger sister Lucy are all killed in the battle. (Razor)
• Operation Raptor Talon takes place on the 4,571st and final day of the war, or 12 years, 6 months, 1 week and 4 days into the conflict. Destruction of the battlestar Columbia in combat operations. William “Husker” Adama discovers a Cylon command basestar on a remote planet and strange experiments with organic matter. The ship escapes before it can be destroyed. (Razor)
• The Cimtar Peace Accords and the Armistice are signed. Armistice Station established to act as forum for future human-Cylon relations. It is never used. (Mini-Series)
• End of the First Cylon War.
• Shipyard Daidalos is repurposed as the Ragnar Anchorage ship repair and ammo depot. (Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock video game, Mini-Series)
• William “Husker” Adama musters out of the Colonial Fleet post-armistice. (Hero)

Unknown (between Year 1960 and Year 1970)

• The Cylons establish a new base of operations, a massive space station called "The Colony." The Colony is built around the Final Five’s subluminal ship. (No Exit, Daybreak)
• The Final Five create humanoid Cylon Model Number One, dubbed "John Cavil" as he is inspired by Ellen Tigh’s father. He is followed by Number Two ("Leoben Conoy"), Number Three ("D’anna Biers"), Number Four ("Simon O’Neill"), Number Five ("Aaron Doral"), Number Six (various), Number Seven ("Daniel") and Number Eight ("Sharon Valerii").
• The humanoid Cylons are given different human emotions and traits, with the Final Five hoping this will allow them to empathise with and understand humanity better, and act as a bridge between the mechanical Cylons and humanity. However, Cavil continues to be extremely sceptical of this idea and advocates for the elimination of the humans.
• Cavil is particularly incensed by the creation of Daniel, an artist and dreamer, and Ellen’s favourite among the Cylon models. In a fit of jealousy, he destroys the entire Daniel line beyond any hope of recovery. (The Final Five, No Exit)
• At an unknown point, the resurrection technology on the Final Five’s ship is moved into the custom-built Resurrection Hub, to provide greater security. (The Hub)

Year 1963 / 37 BF / 21317 KC

• Adama joins the Colonial Merchant Fleet and serves as Deck Hand. (Hero)

Year 1970 / 30 BF / 21324 KC

• Cylon Model Number One (John Cavil) stages a revolution. Tory, Anders and Tyrol are killed and their lines boxed, prevented from resurrecting. Cavil taunts Saul and Ellen Tigh before killing them by ejecting them into space. Their resurrected bodies are wiped of all memories and they are given new ones. They are then introduced into Colonial society as unknown sleeper agents. Cavil means for them to see the evil of humanity before he destroys them (The Final Five, No Exit).
• The remaining, surviving Cylon models all have their memories of the Final Five blanked and removed. Cavil begins agitating for the utter destruction of humanity, a position it takes considerable time to argue the other Cylons into agreeing with. The Cylons build up a considerable fleet of more advanced basestars, equipped with nuclear weapons. (No Exit, The Final Five)
• Thomas Zarek emerges as a political agitator on Sagittaron, demanding equality for his colony and equality for all the peoples of the Twelve Colonies. His rhetoric is considered dangerous by the government of the Twelve Colonies. Zarek’s failure to achieve ends through peaceful protest eventually encourages him to consider more violent tactics. (Bastille Day)

Year 1972 / 28 AF / 21326 KC

• Alleged birth of Galen Tyrol. (Mini-Series, Resistance)

The first meeting of William Adama and Saul Tigh.

c. Year 1974 / 26 BF / 21328 KC

• Adama meets Saul Tigh in the Colonial Merchant Fleet and they become best friends. (Scattered)

Year 1977 / 23 BF / 21331 KC

• Adama is recommissioned in the Colonial Fleet, with the rank of Captain. He is assigned to the battlestar Universal. (Hero, Scattered deleted scene)
• The date of Adama’s recommissioning clashes from Scattered to Hero by two years; since the scene in Scattered was deleted, it is assumed the on-screen date from Hero has greater validity.

c. Year 1980 / 20 BF / 21334 KC

• Thomas Zarek is arrested for the destruction of a government building on Sagittaron. He chooses prison over politically recanting his beliefs or support for violence. (Bastille Day)
• Galactica makes its last FTL jump for over two decades. Due to the ship’s age, it is decided to not stress the hull any more with additional jumps and instead restricts it to sublight trips in the vicinity of Caprica. However, the ship’s legendary status as a survivor and veteran of the First Cylon War makes decommissioning it politically unthinkable. (Mini-Series)

Year 1983 / 17 BF / 21337 KC

• Adama promoted to Major and assigned to battlestar Atlantia. Saul Tigh’s commission is reactivated at Adama’s urging and he is reassigned to the Colonial Fleet. (Hero, Scattered)

Year 1987 / 13 BF / 21341 KC

• Adama promoted to Colonel and made XO of battlestar Columbia. (Hero)
• Given Columbia's destruction in Razor, it is assumed a new battlestar is commissioned to replace it.

Year 1991 / 9 BF / 21345 KC

• Galen Tyrol starts serving on battlestars. It is unclear if this marks his introduction to Colonial society or if he is introduced later with faked memories of serving on battlestars earlier. (Resistance)
• Adama promoted to Commander and made CO of battlestar Valkyrie. Saul Tigh promoted to Colonel and accompanies Adama to Valkyrie as XO. (Hero)

Colonel Tigh and Commander Adama in the CIC of the battlestar Valkyrie.

Year 1994 / 6 BF / 21348 KC

• Secret mission to scout the Armistice Line ends in the disappearance of Lt. Daniel “Bulldog” Novacek. Adama transferred to become CO of battlestar Galactica. Saul Tigh transfers to Galactica with him. (Hero)
• Note there is a discrepancy in dating with dialogue in Hero suggesting these events happened ~2 BF. However, this is contradicted by the dates given for Tyrol, Gaeta and other crewmembers serving with Adama on Galactica, and in fact is contracted by Adama’s own dossier in the exact same episode.

Year 1995 / 5 BF/ 21349 KC

• By this time, Galen Tyrol, Samuel T. Anders and Tory Foster have been unboxed, memory-wiped and introduced into the Twelve Colonies by Cavil. Tyrol becomes a battlestar crewman, Sam Anders becomes a professional pyramid player and Tory Foster becomes a political advisor. (The Plan)
• Galen Tyrol assigned to Galactica. (Scattered)

Year 1997 / 3 BF / 21351 KC

• Felix Gaeta assigned to Galactica. (Mini-Series)

Year 1998 / 2 BF / 21352 KC

• Sharon “Boomer” Valerii assigned to Galactica. She nearly washes out as a Raptor pilot after failing to make the trap multiple times in a row. Adama gives her one more chance and she succeeds. (Mini-Series, Daybreak, Part 3)
• Caprica Six begins residence on Caprica, first meets Dr. Gaius Baltar. They start a relationship after she helps him find a new home for his elderly father. Baltar grants her access to the Defence Mainframe, ostensibly to help her bid for a new defence contract. In reality she plans to sabotage it ahead of a Cylon attack. (Daybreak, Part 3)
• Zak Adama dies in a flight school accident. (Mini-Series)
• Lt. Kara “Starbuck” Thrace meets Commander Adama for the first time, is reassigned to battlestar Galactica. (Act of Contrition)

The Fall of the Twelve Colonies. The Cylons achieve total strategic surprise and destroy the Twelve Colonies with barrages of medium-sized nuclear warheads. However, not all humans are killed.

Year 2000 / 0 BF / 21354 KC

• The Fall of the Twelve Colonies. Start of the Second Cylon War. (Mini-Series)
• +1 to +7 days: 33
• Destruction of the Olympic Carrier.
• +10 days: Water
• +12 days: Bastille Day
• Mutiny on the prison ship, Tom Zarek emerges in the Fleet. Laura Roslin agrees to hold elections.
• +14 to +15 days: Act of Contrition, You Can’t Go Home Again
• Kara Thrace captures a Cylon Raider.
• +17 days: Litmus
• +24 days: Six Degrees of Separation
• +25 days: Flesh and Bone
• +28 days: Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down
• Ellen and Saul Tigh are reunited.
• +36 days: The Hand of God
• +46 to +49 days: Colonial Day
• Re-institution of the Quorum in the Colonial Fleet.
• +50 days: Kobol’s Last Gleaming, Part 1
• Rediscovery of Kobol. Kara Thrace steals the Cylon Raider to return to Caprica. A Raptor crew crash lands on Kobol.
• +51 days: Kobol’s Last Gleaming, Part 2, Scattered, Valley of Darkness, Fragged
• Adama arrests Laura Roslin. Cylon basestar orbiting Kobol is destroyed. Sharon “Boomer” Valerii shoots Adama, revealing herself to be a Cylon.
• +52 to +54 days: Resistance
• +61 days: The Farm
• Kara Thrace, Karl Agathon and Sharon “Athena” Valerii depart Caprica to return to the Fleet.
• +62 to +64 days: Home, Part 1
• +65 days: Home, Part 2
• Discovery of the Tomb of Athena and the starmap indicating the position of Earth. Laura Roslin reinstated as President.
• +75 days: Final Cut
• +91 to 175 days: Flight of the Phoenix
• Construction of the Blackbird stealth ship.
• +175 days: Pegasus, Resurrection Ship, Part 1
• Pegasus joins the fleet. Admiral Cain assumes command. Lt. Alistair Thorne is killed by Karl Agathon and Galen Tyrol during “interrogation” of the Number 8 model recovered from Caprica. They are arrested and taken to Pegasus for trial and execution. Adama risks firing on Pegasus to recover them. The two ships receive intelligence on the Cylon “Resurrection Ship” and agree to table their argument for now.
• +175 to 177 days: Resurrection Ship, Part 2
• Resurrection Ship destroyed. Admiral Cain is shot dead by an escaped Cylon prisoner. William Adama promoted to Admiral and releases Agathon and Tyrol with a full amnesty. Pegasus is integrated into the fleet. Fisk becomes Commander of Pegasus.
• +189 days: Epiphanies
• approx. +200 days: Black Market
• Fisk is murdered. Garner becomes Commander of Pegasus.
• approx. +210 to 228 days: Scar
• approx. + 240 days: Sacrifice
• approx. +250 days: The Captain’s Hand
• Garner dies during a battle with Cylon forces. Lee Adama becomes Commander of Pegasus.
• approx. +260 days: Razor
• Destruction of the Guardian Basestar and the First Hybrid.
• +270 days: Downloaded
• Caprica Six and Boomer convince the other Cylons to abandon the genocide of humanity and instead look for opportunities to live alongside them. However, Cavil perverts this to mean the Cylons conquering the humans and imposing rule on them instead.
• +270 to +281 days: Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 1
• Discovery of New Caprica.
• +281 to 285 days: Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2
• Destruction of Cloud Nine.
• Gaius Baltar elected President of the Twelve Colonies and orders the immediate settlement of New Caprica.

Year 2001 / 1 AF / 21355 KC

• +660 days: Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2
• Cylon Occupation of New Caprica begins. Galactica and Pegasus jump away.

The Battle of New Caprica. Battlestar Galactica sustains heavy damage and battlestar Pegasus is destroyed, but the bulk of the civilian population of New Caprica is successfully rescued from the planet.

Year 2002 / 2 AF / 21356 KC

• +794 to 795 days: Occupation
• +795 to 796 days: Precipice
• +796 to 797 days: Exodus, Part 1
• +798 days: Exodus Part 2
• Battle of New Caprica, destruction of battlestar Pegasus.
• Successful rescue of the bulk of the Colonial forces from New Caprica. Resumption of the search for Earth.
• Ellen Tigh dies during the Battle of New Caprica and resurrects with her full memory intact. Cavil keeps her around to torment her. 
• +800 days: Collaborators
• +850 days: Torn
• +851 to +852 days: A Measure of Salvation
• Battle of NCD2539.
• +935 to +938 days: Hero
• 45th anniversary of William Adama being commissioned during the First Cylon War.
• +950 days: Unfinished Business
• +1023 days: The Passage
• The Fleet passes through a star cluster to reach the algae planet. Death of Lt. Louanne Katraine.
• +1037 to +1038 days: The Eye of Jupiter
• The Fleet reaches the algae planet. Discovery of the Temple of Hopes, now known as the Temple of the Five.
• +1038 days: Rapture
• Destruction of the algae planet in a supernova. Colonials capture Gaius Baltar. Cylon Model Three/D’anna Biers sees the faces of the Final Five. Her entire line is boxed by Cavil.
• The Fleet heads to the Ionian Nebula.
• approx. +1050 days: Taking a Break from All Your Worries
• approx. +1060 days: The Woman King
• +1087 days: A Day in the Life
• approx. + 1090 days: Dirty Hands

Kara Thrace's apparent death and resurrection marks the beginning of the final phase of the search for Earth.

Year 2003 / 3 AF / 21357 KC

• approx. +1095 days (this would be three years exactly after the Fall): Maelstrom
• Apparent death of Kara Thrace in a storm system in a gas giant, after seeing visions of unknown provenance.
• approx. +1109 days: The Son Also Rises
• approx. +1155 days: Crossroads Part I, Crossroads, Part II, He That Believeth in Me
• End of Baltar’s trial. He is found not guilty.
• The Fleet arrives at the Ionian Nebula, losing all power inexplicably for several minutes. During this time four of the "Final Five" in the Fleet are reactivated: Tory Foster, Samuel Anders, Galen Tyrol and Saul Tigh.
• Battle of the Ionian Nebula. The Fleet is ambushed by multiple Cylon basestars. A Cylon Raider discovers one of the Final Five, Anders, in the fleet and the Cylons retreat to avoid hurting them.
• Kara Thrace inexplicably reappears in a Viper of unknown origin. She claims to have no memory of events after entering the storm on the gas giant two months earlier, other than confused memories of being to Earth and knowing the way there.
• approx. +1156 days: Six of One
• Cylon Civil War begins.
• Kara Thrace given command of Demetrius and sent to find clues on the way to Earth.
• approx. +1178 days: The Ties That Bind
• Death of Cally Tyrol.
• Three weeks into Demetrius scouting mission.
• approx. +1180 days: Escape Velocity
• Memorial service for Cally Tyrol.
• approx. +1214 days: The Road Less Travelled, Faith
• Day 58 of Demetrius mission. Discovery of the crippled rebel basestar.
• approx. +1215 days: Guess What’s Coming to Dinner
• Provisional alliance with the rebel Cylons and agreement to destroy the Cylon Resurrection Hub.
• approx. +1216 to +1218 days: Sine Qua Non, The Hub
• Destruction of the Cylon Resurrection Hub. D’Anna Biers/Number Three is unboxed.
• approx. +1219 days: Revelations
• The four members of the Final Five in the Fleet are revealed. Kara Thrace discovers a signal that will lead the Fleet to Earth in her Viper.
• The Fleet arrives at Earth to find it a blasted, radioactive wasteland.
• approx. +1219 to 1220 days: Sometimes a Great Notion
• Discovery that the Thirteenth Tribe was made up of organic Cylons, apparently destroyed by their mechanical servants. Despondency and despair in the fleet. Suicide of Lt. Anastasia Dualla. Eventually Adama recovers and begins searching for a new planet to settle. The Cylons are invited to join the fleet, to widespread controversy. D’Anna Biers elects to remain on Earth, and dies there.
• Galen Tyrol, Sam Anders, Tory Foster and Saul Tigh experience memories of their lives on Earth. Tigh remembers that Ellen was the final member of the Final Five.
• approx. +1228 days: The Face of the Enemy
• approx + 1330 days: A Disquiet Follows My Soul
• +1337 days: Blood on the Scales, The Oath
• Felix Gaeta and Tom Zarek lead a major mutiny in the Colonial Fleet against President Roslin and Admiral Adama’s leadership. The Quorum are executed. After several fierce engagements, Adama regains command of his ship. Gaeta and Zarek are executed. Sam Anders is shot in the back of the head and starts experiencing hallucinations and visions, memories of his time on Earth.
• Ellen Tigh escapes from the Cylons with the help of Sharon “Boomer” Valerii (No Exit).
• +1338 days: No Exit
• Sam Anders reveals information about the Final Five’s existence on Earth to the others, but slips into a coma after his bullet is removed.
• +1339 days: Deadlock
• Ellen Tigh returns to the Colonial Fleet and is reunited with the other members of the Final Five.
• approx. +1353 days: Someone to Watch Over Me
• Sharon “Boomer” Valerii kidnaps Hera. Kara Thrace discovers the notes of the song that awoke the Final Five translate into spatial coordinates.
• approx. +1354 to +1356 days: Islanded in a Stream of Stars
• approx. +1357 to +1359 days (3 years, 8 months, 3 weeks and 3 days after the Fall of the Twelve Colonies): Daybreak, Part 1 and Part 2
• Battle of the Colony. Destruction of the Colony with all hands. End of the Second Cylon War.
• Successful retrieval of Hera.
• Kara Thrace uses her music-inspired coordinates to jump Galactica into orbit around a paradise world.
• Settlement of the new planet. William Adama decides to name it “Earth,” the shining hope they were looking forwards to.
• The Colonials decide to settle the planet in small groups scattered all over, rather than trying to repeat the mistakes of the past with a city like New Caprica.
• Sam Anders guides the ships of the Fleet into the Sun, destroying them and all trace of their existence.
• Laura Roslin dies shortly after the discovery of Earth.
• The remaining humanoid Cylons settle on Earth. The mechanical models depart in the last surviving baseship.
• Kara Thrace disappears, her job of guiding the fleet to Earth accomplished.

The Colonial Fleet reaches its destination, albeit not quite the one it had in mind.

Unknown

• The Colonials teach the primitive, native human species about language, art and culture.
• Hera’s part-Cylon, part-human DNA extends down through the ages so that, eventually, all subsequent humans share Cylon and human heritage.

c. Year 152,000 / 150,000 AF / 171357 KC / 2009 CE

• "Head Six" and "Head Baltar" visit New York City on the new Earth. Though there are some signs of humanity repeating its mistakes again, “Head Six” is hopeful that the cycle can be averted again.

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