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Permalink Reply by Paul "Iceworm" Oakley on January 15, 2014 at 11:33am

Hi John, 

Popular discussions refer to it as the "Phoenix". Following is from BSG Wiki:

Colonial Seal

The Colonial seal ^[1] is the official governmental emblem of the Twelve Colonies, used by both civilian and military authorities.

It consists of a stylized bird with outstretched wings enclosed by a circle. The names of the governmental offices, agencies, and military organization and formations are often incorporated.

Civilian use

Caprican flag.

The seal is present on all Colonial flags.

President Richard Adar's office was adorned by a large seal entitled "Office of the President" (Epiphanies).

The seal is printed on the seats of Colonial One. It is also present on the hull of the vessel^[2].

The emblem of the Caprica City police also contained the Colonial seal^[3] (Maelstrom).

It is used by the Colonial government on official documents, for example on the execution order PresidentBaltar is forced to sign in "Precipice".

After the exodus from New Caprica, a text-less version of this seal hangs over the blue-colored backdrop cloth partition located in the Quorum meeting room on Colonial One (The Ties That Bind).

Military use

Galactica's version of the Colonial seal.

Military vessels have emblems with the seal along with their names and battlestar groups. These are also worn as a patch on all uniforms, as a clasp for dress uniforms and on flags. Onbattlestars the seal is present in the CIC as metal plaque on one of the walls and etched into the glass of the doors. Galactica and Pegasus also sport the seal on their dorsal hulls. The emblem can also be found in several other places all over the ships, such as podiums inmeeting and briefing rooms.

On the Viper Mark VII, the seal is printed in white on the upper forward portion of the wings. Some Mark IIs sport the seal near the wingtips.

Like other government agencies, the Colonial Forces used the seal on official documents and correspondence, for example by the Caprican Colonial Forces Veteran's Hospital and other institutions of the Fleet.

The Medal of Distinction and the Medal of Valor both feature the bird symbol as their central element.

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Permalink Reply by Paul "Iceworm" Oakley on January 15, 2014 at 11:45am

More Wiki:

Notes

• The bird shown in the Colonial seal highly resembles the Phoenix; a mythical sacred firebird in ancient Greek mythology.
• The seal is displayed at the end the opening credits of Season 1, but replaced with the normal Battlestar Galactica logo in all subsequent seasons.

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Permalink Reply by Paul "Iceworm" Oakley on January 15, 2014 at 12:12pm

Has happened before and will happen again

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Permalink Reply by John David "Buzzsaw" Feagin on January 15, 2014 at 3:08pm

Great research! Yes! This makes PERFECT since! It ties in completely with the use of mythology in both versions of Battlestar Galactica and the theme of the cycles of human civilization, their creative destruction, repeated over and over again, and the constant haunting eeeeeerie reminder that "All of this has happened before, and will happen again...and again...and again...and again..."

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Permalink Reply by John David "Buzzsaw" Feagin on January 15, 2014 at 3:16pm

ALSO...One of the most famous civilian ships in the fleet was the Rising Star!

:o)

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