Cylons (TOS-RH)

This article has a separate continuity. This article is in the Richard Hatch Novelizations separate continuity, which is related to the Original Series. Be sure that your contributions to this article reflect the characters and events specific to this continuity only.

For the canonical counterpart to this race, see: Cylons (TOS).

The Cylons are a hybrid race of genetically-engineered warriors created through the combination of reptilian alien DNA and human genetic material by Count Iblis, with the primary purpose of exterminating humanity and conquering the universe.

Origins

The Reptilian Ancestors

The original Cylons were a sentient reptilian species native to the planet Cylon. These creatures were warlike, truculent, and savage in nature, possessing intelligence but lacking advanced technology. The reptilian Cylons still exist on the Cylon homeworld, though they remain separate from the hybrid race that bears their name.

Count Iblis and the Creation of the Hybrid Race

Millennia ago, an outsider arrived on Cylon—a human filled with anger and savagery that the native reptilians admired. This individual was Count Iblis, a member of humanity who had split from the House of Kobol and been exiled with his followers to the hostile planet Cylon. Rather than perishing as intended, Iblis chose to nurture the planet's life forms along an evolutionary path, instilling in them an insatiable hatred for humankind.

Iblis was an expert in genetic engineering and advanced biological techniques. He introduced technology to the reptilian Cylons, keeping them indebted to and fearful of him for decades. During this time, he conducted extensive experiments, promising to transform them into the fiercest, most perfect warriors the universe had ever seen. Because of this promise, the Cylons allowed him to do whatever he pleased with their species.

Over many generations, the Cylon race was artificially evolved into bipedal form to better utilize the technology Iblis had introduced. Human DNA—specifically, Iblis's own genetic material—was used for this evolutionary process. Iblis hated all human instincts and attempted to breed those aspects out of his Cylon creations. He established the extermination of humankind as the Cylons' primary directive.

Iblis introduced a cloning process using pure genetic material, which made Cylon females unnecessary; consequently, they died out. He also introduced the cybernetic implants that became part of every Cylon Centurion. Through genetic manipulation, Iblis eventually bred all emotion out of the Cylons—with the exception of hatred.

The terraforming of Cylon created numerous problems, including the activation of long-dead spores that caused breathing difficulties for everyone except Iblis, who developed a cure but chose not to share it with fellow humans. His interest remained almost entirely focused on the hybrid race he was creating.

Cylon Hierarchy

Centurions

Centurions are the most common type of Cylon warrior encountered by the Colonial Fleet. They are viewed by some Cylon factions as pseudo-machines rather than true members of the species. Centurions are manufactured on the Cylon homeworld, which serves as the primary production facility for the Cylon military.

Centurions feature cybernetic implants and heavily armored exteriors made of saligium. Advanced models of Centurions are larger, possess harder armor, and have flesh that is more resistant to heat than earlier versions. Some newer Centurions are equipped with a Human Logic Function brain implant, making them far superior and more deadly than their standard counterparts.

Two-Brained Cylons

Two-brained Cylons represent the upper echelons of Cylon society and are sometimes referred to as Cogitators. These Cylons possess both reptilian and human DNA and are the only Cylons capable of meaningful conversation with humans. When the bio-labs producing two-brained Cylons become depleted, they work overtime to meet required quotas.

Three-Brained Cylons

The creation of three-brained Cylons represents the pinnacle of Cylon evolution and is the most closely guarded secret of the Cylon Empire. The Imperious Leader is always a three-brained Cylon, and a replacement is kept in preparation on the Cylon homeworld should the reigning leader die or be destroyed. The transition process from two-brained candidate to three-brained leader is methodical and deliberately complicated.

The Cylon Civil War

At some point in Cylon history, a damaged genetic program caused a virus that destroyed the Iblis programming in certain two-brained Cylons. These Cylons began to reject the purposes for which Count Iblis had created their race, concluding that the human element in the Cylon genome was a weakness preventing them from conquering the universe.

A clandestine movement developed among these reptilian purists, who preferred purely reptilian Cylons over those with human DNA. They created a new religion to defy the orthodoxy of the Iblis Faith, insisting that not only must pure humans be destroyed, but any human element in the Cylon race must be expunged. Under this doctrine, any two-brained Cylon with human DNA would be treated the same as a full human.

The reptilian faction labored to create their own three-brained leader using stolen technology and equipment. They succeeded in generating Alpha Leader, creating a situation unprecedented in Cylon history—two three-brained Cylons existing simultaneously. The loyalists to Imperious Leader sarcastically referred to him as "Omega Leader," intending him to be the last of his kind.

The civil war between these factions became increasingly brutal. During attacks on Cylon settlements, pale-green pulsating sacs with metal arms would grab two-brained Cylons and extract their human DNA through spinal injections, leaving desiccated mummies behind.

Biology and Technology

Cylon blood is purple in color. Their bodies contain organic components, including spinal cords with small knobs protruding from them. Cylon biological research facilities include tanks containing spinal cords of varying lengths, suggesting plans to create even larger Cylon warriors than standard Centurions.

Advanced Cylon facilities feature biological computers consisting of tanks of floating brains suspended in blue-green liquid, with wires connecting them to control consoles. These biological systems operate at a motor-function level and integrate with surveillance systems featuring living, sentient walls, ceilings, and floors that can see and hear.

Military Capabilities

The Cylons possess vast military resources, with countless warships forming armadas that appear endless as grains of sand. They have developed advanced teleportation or rapid deployment technology that allows them to replace destroyed Raiders with seemingly instantaneous speed, circumventing traditional space travel.

The Cylons have formed alliances with other species, including the Chitain, operating on equal terms rather than in the traditional Cylon xenophobic manner. This represents a significant departure from typical Cylon behavior and suggests strategic adaptation in their conflict with humanity.

Notable Cylons

• Imperious Leader - The three-brained supreme leader of the Cylons
• Alpha Leader - The three-brained leader of the reptilian purist faction
• Lucifer - A Cogitator who served as an advisor