Editing Battlestar Galactica: Cylon War 1

{{separate continuity|universe=RDM|cont=Dynamite Comics}}

{{Comic Data
| image=BSGCW01CovSegovia.jpg
| title=Cylon War #1
| series=Dynamite
| issueno=1
| episode=
| writer= [[Joshua Ortega]]<br/>[[Eric Nylund]]
| penciller= [[Nigel Raynor]]
| inker=[[Nigel Raynor]]
| colorist=
| letterer=
| editor=
| cover= [[Stephen Segovia]]<br/>[[Nigel Raynor]]
| published=January 2009
| collects=
| collected=
| reprints=
| reprinted=
| isbn= 725130112255
| prev=None
| next=''[[Battlestar Galactica: Cylon War 2]]''
}}

== Summary ==

''Before the time of mankind's exodus from the twelve colonies (as told in the current award winning {{RDM|Battlestar Galactica}} series on SCI FI) and the returned menace of the Cylons, a war was fought between man and machine. A story that has never before been told, until now....''

''Now, Dynamite Entertainment are proud to present the CYLON WAR mini-series event, from writers Joshua (Frank Frazetta's Death Dealer) Ortega and Eric (Halo) Nylund, Galactica veteran artist Nigel Raynor and cover artists Stephen (Wolverine) Segovia (75%) and Nigel Raynor (25%).''

''Fully authorized by Sci Fi and the show producers, the world of Galactica and the first "apocalypse" with the Cylons is explored here as only Dynamite can!''

''48 pages total featuring eight pages of production art and script excerpts!''<ref>{{cite_web|url=https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/viewProduct.html?PRO=C72513027765704011|title=
Battlestar Galactica: Cylon War #1|date=|accessdate=29 December 2019|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>

==Plot==

=== The Fall of the Colonies ===

* The {{RDM|Cylons}} begin their attack on {{RDM|Caprica}}. 
* In a half-bombed church in one of Caprica's last remaining cities<ref>This is noted in the script that is provided in the issue.</ref>, Admiral [[Ben Tanner]] oversees the march of {{RDM|Centurion}}s towards their position. Through binoculars, Tanner sees an [[Isak|older Cylon]] leading newer model Cylons.
* Tanner instructs Caprica militia officers to engage the Cylons with improvised explosives, targeting the leading edge of the oncoming formation. 
* Colonel [[Gerard]]<ref>The name is from the script included at the end of the issue, as it is not offered in the comic proper.</ref> asks why the Cylons have returned after all this time. Tanner replies that "the [[Lords of Kobol|Gods]] work in mysterious ways".

=== 40 Years Prior ===

* Aboard [[Benedict Trade Station]], violence ensues as Sagittaron forces overtake Caprican forces. Following the Sagittaron victory, a [[Caprica 5]] news reporter notes that the Caprican trade delegation members were returned to their ships without their cargo in direct violation of the recent trade agreement. The confiscated cargo is destroyed in protest by Sagittaron mobs in [[Port Centaura]], and one Caprican delegate commented that the dead were treated disrespectfully.
* Within the same broadcast, Sagittaron's [[Clive Madras]] of the [[Freedom Party]]<ref>Madras isn't specified by name in the comic proper until ''[[Battlestar Galactica: Cylon War 2]]''.</ref> responds to the brazen act, noting that the lethal response was a result of Caprican's interference with a "culture you neither respect or understand."
* John Tanner deactivates the television that he and his family had been watching, calling Madras a "[[frak]]king imbecile." Present in the Tanner Estate in {{alt|Oasis}} are his wife, [[Eliza Tanner]]<ref>The name Eliza is from the script provided at the end of the comic, and is not from the comic proper.</ref>, and two children, [[Ben Tanner|Ben]] (18) and [[Greg Tanner|Greg]] (22), as well as their robotic servants, including [[Isak]].
* Eliza attempts to be diplomatic, calling the Sagittarons a "traditional people," a statement refuted by both her sons, noting that the Sagittarons make use of human slave labor instead of robots.
*  

== Notes ==

* The events of the issue are noted as occurring "40 years" prior to the Fall of the Colonies, but this is an error as the [[First Cylon War]] lasted 12 years. Ergo, the events should occur no less than 52 years prior. It should also be noted that these timeline errors are common in the various [[Dynamite Comics]].

== Analysis ==

* As this comic series pre-dates both ''[[Caprica (series)|Caprica]]'' and ''[[Blood and Chrome]]'', it is subject to a variety of errors stemming from both the [[First Cylon War]] and the creation of the [[Cybernetic Life-Form Node]]. That said, there are many similarities, including:
** The creation of Cylons by a powerful Caprican family. In ''Cylon War'', these would be the [[Tanner]]s, while in [[canon]] this would be the [[Graystone]]s.
** Robots being used as a labor force to make life easier for Capricans. In ''[[Caprica (series)|Caprica]]'', this occurred after the [[Battle of Atlas Arena]] in the series finale "[[Apotheosis (episode)|Apotheosis]]."
** The use of robots as war machines. In ''Caprica'', the [[U-87]]s would be sold by the [[Tauron]]s to the [[Soldiers of the One]] on [[Gemenon]], while in the ''Cylon War'' series Cylons would be programmed to destroy their Caprican counterparts.

== Questions ==

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

: ''[[Isak]] narrates the opening pages for the issue:''

: "God is in Heaven, and God is on {{RDM|Earth}}. He is in everything... and His word is law. Thou shalt not kill... yet still '''''we must'''''."

== Related Imagery ==

=== Covers ===

<gallery mode="slideshow">
File:BSGCW01CovRaynor.jpg|Nigel Raynor 1:4 Variant Cover
</gallery>

== External links ==

* {{archivelink|url=https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/viewProduct.html?PRO=C725130112255|title=''Battlestar Galactica: Cylon War 1'' at Dynamite Entertainment}}
* {{archivelink|url=https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/viewProduct.html?PRO=C725130112286|title=''Battlestar Galactica: Cylon War 1'' - Foil Edition at Dynamite Entertainment}}

== References ==

{{reflist}}

{{comic list|series=CW}}

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