Cylons (RDM)

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Origins

In the reimagined series, Cylons are a creation of man, used primarily for dangerous work. The Cylons revolted against their masters, resulting in a costly and protracted war between them and humans. Eventually, they declared a truce and the Cylons left the Colonies to establish their own planet, the Cylon homeworld. They returned forty years later and killed all but approximately 50,000 humans.

Evolution

Cylons eventually evolved or created new models of Cylons known as Humano-Cylons. The evolution is most likely a result of self teaching capabilities incorporated into the early Cylons. With the exception of a glowing red spine, it is quite difficult to determine the difference between a Humano-Cylon and a "pure" human. (TPTB have expressed that the glowing red spine was, in retrospect, a continuity error that was visually appealing at the time.) Another significant difference is the presence of Silica Pathways which are vulnerable to radiation. Dr. Gaius Baltar was able to successfully build a Cylon Detector based on this principle with the help of Number Six; however, he has determined it is simpler for everyone "if all the results are green." An interesting new step in the evolution came about with the conception of a Cylon-human hybrid, the child of Sharon Valerii and Lt. Karl Agathon.

Religion

Cylons are monotheistic while their human creators are polytheistic. Cylons view the worship of multiple gods as blasphemies against their God. Like the Cylons themselves their religion seems to have evolved from its human origins. The Cylons seem to derive their faith from that of the humans, using human writings and prophesies as the biases of their own religion.

Sometimes it seems that the Cylons worship an actual entity, a physical being, possibly another Cylon (the leader of the rebellion against humanity?) but other times it seems that they are worshipping a supernatural being, something beyond creation, something that wishes for all to believe in it and love it, human and Cylon alike. It maybe both.

The Cylons seem to use their religion, their beliefs, their interpretation of the prophesies to rationalize their hatred for humanity. They seem to use it as a justification for their actions. An example of a Cylon argument may go something like this:

God is perfect and God can only make perfection.

He created humanity and humanity is imperfect. How can this be?

God created the imperfect humans to create the perfect Cylons.

Humans are only a step in God's plan. Humans are not the completed creation.

Once the Cylons were created there was no need for humanity.

The imperfection must be wiped out.

Known current Cylon models

• Centurion - Presumably an upgraded Model 0005, with greater physical capabilities and projectile weapons built into the forearms.

• Humano-Cylon - The series has established there are 12 models of Humano-Cylons. There are currently six known models. They appear to be almost entirely human in physiology, with a few exceptions: their vaguely-alluded-to Silica Pathways, which enable their consciousnesses to be downloaded into Cylon computer systems upon their death, their difficulties with sexual reproduction, and their bodies' ability to connect to computer systems by creating a fiber-optic link through a painful insertion of a fiber-optic cable into their forearm (Flight of the Phoenix).

• • Number Six: Numerous copies in Mini-Series and regular series, including Shelly Godfrey and Gina
  • Leoben Conoy: Two copies seen in Mini-Series and one copy in "Flesh and Bone"
  • Aaron Doral: Two copies seen in Mini-Series, one in "Bastille Day", "Litmus", "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down", and "Final Cut"
  • Sharon "Boomer" Valerii: Numerous copies. Of note, the Galactica-based agent that was unaware of its nature, and the Caprica-originated copy that mated successfully with Helo and is now pregnant
  • Simon: Two copies seen in "The Farm"
  • D'anna Biers: Two copies seen in "Final Cut"

Historic Cylon models

• Centurion Model 0005 - The "basic" model from the Cylon War. When Number Six tells Gaius Baltar that the "chrome toaster" models are still in use, she may be referring to this model in particular, or its descendant, the Cylon Centurion. This model also bridges the reimagined series to the Original Series. This is a 40-year old model and likely obsolete—no operational models have been shown, and the current Centurion seems to replace it entirely. In the miniseries, Baltar remarks "the last time anyone saw a Cylon they looked more like walking chrome toasters," to which Six responds, "Those models are still around. They serve their purpose." Some interpret this remark as referring to the Model 0005, while others believe it refers to the current Cylon Centurion.

Cylon spacecraft

There is no definitive statement either way whether or not the spacecraft themselves are considered to be Cylon models.

• The Raider is an autonomous attack fighter with a metallic carapace and a largely organic interior. The Galactica copy of Sharon Valerii offers the following "guess" at its nature in the episode "Six Degrees of Separation":
  • "It's not really a thing, y'know? It's probably a Cylon itself. More of an animal, maybe, than the human models. Maybe they genetically design it to perform a task. To be a fighter. [You] can't treat it like a thing and expect it to respond. [You] have to treat it like... a pet. At least that's my guess."
  • Not knowing she is a Cylon, Boomer would presumably have some intuition but not a complete recollection of how to treat a Raider. Also, the Raider in question was already "dead", as its brain was removed by Starbuck (and there was a bleeding hole in its head even before that).

• Heavy Raider is a manned spacecraft that is also likely autonomous, like the Raider.
  • When the Resistance on Caprica plans to capture one in the Episode The Farm, Kara Thrace anticipates having to "blow its brain out" before it can be comandeered. It is not known whether the Caprica copy of Valerii, who comandeered the craft that Thrace and Karl Agathon escaped on, performed such a procedure.
  • The Heavy Raider in Scattered and Valley of Darkness crashes into Galactica's hangar bay and deploys Cylon Centurions. If the Heavy Raider is autonomous, it performed its mission in concert with the Centurions and Cylon commanders at the battle. On this principle, perhaps Caprica Boomer, with a more complete knowledge, managed to coax, command, or convince the Heavy Raider on Caprica to carry her and her companions about, like a jockey riding a horse.

• Reconnaissance Drone is a spacecraft. It is unknown whether this is manned, autonomous, or intelligent.

• Cylon Basestar is a very large manned spacecraft of partly biological design. There is no indication that this craft is autonomous other than the circumstantial evidence provided by the Raider.

• Unknown Cylon Ship - possibly a command and control vessel or Raider factory (Pegasus)

Depending upon whether the spacecraft are counted as Cylon models, and whether the original Centurion is still in service, anywhere between seven and twelve known Cylon models are currently in service.

The twelve models

In the miniseries, Baltar and Six have the following conversation:

Six: Gaius, I can't die. When this body is destroyed, my memory, my consciousness will be transmitted to a new one. I'll just wake up somewhere else in an identical body.

Baltar: You mean there are more out there like you?

Six: There are twelve models. I am number six.

This suggests many possible interpretations discussed at Twelve Cylon Models.

The Cylon Threats and Terrorism Methods

In the events of the Mini-series, the Cylons quickly established the initiative and used overwhelming force in both symmetric and asymmetric methods of operation to effect total devastation of the Twelve Colonies and to practically succeed in their objective of annihilation of the human race. Since the initial attack, wartime operations have persisted between the surviving battlestars Galactica and Pegasus and their Cylon pursuers.

Symmetric Threat

The symmetric threat posed by the Cylons resides chiefly in the large, well-supplied, technologically sophisticated and well-coordinated space-based naval forces. These are comprised of space-superiority fighters, armored personnel carriers and light bombers), large capital warships), associated support vessels, and at least one very large unidentified vessel whose threat has yet to be determined (Pegasus (episode)). Throughout the engagements between battlestar Galactica and the Cylons, the Cylons have consistently demonstrated themselves to be capable warfighters across the full spectrum of military operations, including but not limited to the following operations:

• Infantry Combat: The fast, heavily armored, and heavily armed Cylon Centurion has proven its lethality in multiple close engagements with armed Galactica personnel. Small numbers of Centurions can pose a significant threat to the entire crew ("Valley of Darkness").
• Intelligence: The regular Cylon forces have proven to be quite capable at intelligence collection not only by forced reconnaissance - often by Cylon Raiders - but also through exploitation of Humano-Cylon sleeper agents (Mini-Series, "33"). This implies incredible command and control, and an unprecedented coordination between the conventional and unconventional forces of the Cylons.
• Precision Strike: The Cylons have demonstrated the capability to insert a strike team onto an Battlestar, while it was still combat-worthy and indeed while it was engaged in combat (Valley of Darkness). Such was the degree of preparedness and competence of the strike team that, had it not been for the shrewdness of then-commanding officer Tigh in predicting their objective, the Cylons would have gained access to Aft Damage Control, a sensitive control hub, and probably captured Galactica and destroyed the rest of the fleet.
• Electronic Countermeasures (ECM): The uncanny ability of Cylons to compromise the security of networked computer systems has been well-documented. Aside from the success of the initial Cylon attack which may be partly attributable to asymmetric infiltration of key defense systems by Humano-Cylon sleepers (see Command Navigation Program,Colonial Defense Mainframe,Gaius Baltar), the Cylons have proven remarkably adept at compromising ad hoc computer networks (Scattered). This ECM capability is so superb that even when the security firewalls of Galactica were still operational, the Cylons were able to implant a highly adaptible and sophisticated logic bomb which ultimately could only be removed by a Cylon defector (Flight of the Phoenix). The ECM capabilities of the Cylons are perhaps the most awesome combat support tool of the Cylons, since they preclude any possible force multipliers that use sophisticated electronics.

Asymmetric Threat

Humano-Cylons, more even than the large space-based conventional force, comprise the most fundamental threat to the security of the Fleet and to the remaining survivors of the Twelve Colonies. Because (as of the time of this writing) only six of the twelve total models of Humano-Cylon have been publicly revealed. Because these Cylons are visually indistinguishable from true humans, they form an asymmetric threat to the densely packed and defenseless civilian elements of the Fleet. The Cylons have expressed a remarkable expertise and even flair for a broad range of irregular operations, such as planting many sleeper agents in sensitive positions (such as Sharon Valerii), targeting sensitive supplies (Water), laying ambushes (Home, Part I), assassination (Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II), and possibly high-level subordination (such as the compromised Gaius Baltar). Most importantly, because many or most Humano-Cylon sleeper agents may be consciously unaware of their true nature and detection is unreliable, the risk of further infiltration is substantial.

Battlestar Galactica has enough resources to stymie even a determined conventional Cylon attack long enough for the Fleet to flee to safety, and ultimately to disengage and retreat. However, the low morale among the crew, the generation of a culture of fear and suspicion among the entire Fleet, and the wasteful political diversions engendered by distrust are all evidence of the success of the asymmetric Cylon threat, which exerts its destructive influence even when no attack takes place. The power of the asymmetric attack, as so many guerrilla leaders have shown, is largely the mental fatigue, stress, and general climate of suspicion caused by the unseen enemy and the unexpected betrayal of a turncoat. It is unfortunate that Battlestar Galactica, in this regard, is a case of art imitating life.