The Castells were/are known for their textile arts, cloth manufacturing, weaving, their special Tarham wool, and sewing. Linda Castell, Dana's mother, was a Caprican-born highly skilled seamstress who won honors and awards in Aerilon's Artisan's Fair. Linda loved the rural, rugged beauty of Aerilon, its traditions and people, and was content there. Rumor was that she was the real breadwinner of the family, and not Travers, Dana's father, who managed the textile factory. His heart was just not in the job, but it was a guaranteed one. Few outside their family had left for different pastures, greener or otherwise.
Yet Dana always was closer to her father and always kept an eye out for those evergreen pastures, always feeling she could achieve more than wool and dirt. She attended him on runs when he would deliver goods to other parts of the globe and colonies. Most of her piloting knowledge came from Travers, who, as she grew older, let her take a turn at the controls on long stretches of unoccupied space. Yet any desire to go to college, or even join the military, was squelched by obligations to the family job.
As Dana grew older, her restlessness manifested itself in rebellion. She fell into a wild crowd, seeking something more exciting, more dangerous, but usually it dissolved into drinking, partying, and carousing in the small farming community In order to give her something constructive to do, her mother directed her towards getting her pilot's license. Soon she was full-fledged employee on her family's homestead, taking over Travers' runs, and doing shipments for other farms in the area. When not on runs she'd be trying to get the old bird to do tricks or tinkering with it to go faster.
While Dana expressed interest to go to college, tensions pulled at the small family due to the differing desires of her parents and the revelation that Travers had slowly gambled away whatever funds they had saved in an attempt to send Dana to college. In the heat of an argument with her father, Dana left with their ship and full intentions of never returning. Before blasting off to whichever planet struck her fancy, she stopped over in New Ninean, a mountain village approximately 180 miles north of Deronda, to effectively break up with her boyfriend Hans. No more ties to Aerilon, she hoped. Then the Cylons struck.
Despite the proximity to Camp Alfa, the village survived the attacks well, using the mountains to their advantage. Dana and Hans lived with New Ninean's miniature group of survivors, the primary concern of which was the snow, sleet, and bitter cold waiting for them in the mountainous winter. Fortunately, the Cerberus showed up before things got too chilly.