In a distant part of the universe, on twelve planets known as the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, there lives a civilization of humans who created Cylon robots. The Cylons demanded to be recognized and granted civil rights. Humans refused, and war began. The Cylons managed to attack and occupy all twelve colonies simultaneously, destroying nearly all of their population. Only a few tens of thousands of survivors were able to take to space, escaping death on the attacked planets. The Star Cruiser Galactica and its crew take on the task of leading a fleet with the last remaining representatives of the human race into space in search of a new home, a mythical planet named Earth.