[Z-man]

Greg - fear not - I don't think the remnant of the 12 tribes will remain on New Caprica much longer - the next story arc is titled "Exodus."

BTW: I don't really see that much of a parallel between BSG and the current world events (Afganistan / Iraq, et al). Rather, I see closer parallels to the plight of the Hebrews of ancient times: wandering in the desert for 40 years in search of the promised land = leaving Caprica and searching for EARTH.

There are twelve tribes of Israel, as there are Twelve colonies in the BSG world. (Side note: I wonder if any of the twelve colonies will refuse to continue on to earth - in ancient times, the Hebrew tribes of Reuben, Gad and 1/2 of Manesseh chose to stay on the east banks of the Jordan river, and didn't cross over into the promised land.)

The colony's current stay on New Caprica can be seen as the time when the Jews were slaves in Egypt, with the Cylons being their Egyptian masters. (Note the similaries in the cylon mask and the faces on the Egyptian tombs). Given the title of this week's episode (Exodus), the parallel is pretty tight.

-Z-man.