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Created page with "{{Separate continuity|universe=TOS|cont=Richard Hatch Novelizations}} '''Imperious Leader''' was a three-brained Cylon who served as the supreme commander of the traditional Cylon Empire. A complex and calculating being, Imperious Leader operated through cold logic while pursuing the extermination of humanity, though his interactions with Baltar led to unexpected changes in his consci..."

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{{Separate continuity|universe=TOS|cont=Richard Hatch Novelizations}}

'''Imperious Leader''' was a [[Cylons (TOS-RH)#Three-Brained Cylons|three-brained Cylon]] who served as the supreme commander of the traditional [[Cylon Empire (TOS-RH)|Cylon Empire]]. A complex and calculating being, Imperious Leader operated through cold logic while pursuing the extermination of humanity, though his interactions with [[Baltar (TOS-RH)|Baltar]] led to unexpected changes in his consciousness.<ref name="DES178">{{cite book/RH|6|178}}</ref>

==Biography==

===Rise to Power===

Imperious Leader held his position through a system unique to the Cylon hierarchy. Each Imperious Leader had a specific reign equivalent to three-quarters of a century in human terms, though [[Cylons (TOS-RH)|Cylons]] did not recognize the passage of time in linear terms.<ref name="RES89">{{cite book/RH|3|89}}</ref> Each Imperious Leader personally chose his own successor, as they were the only Cylons possessing a [[Cylons (TOS-RH)#Three-Brained Cylons|third brain]].<ref name="RES89" />

The process by which a [[Cylons (TOS-RH)#Two-Brained Cylons|two-brained Cylon]] was selected for transformation to three-brained status was methodical and deliberately complicated, representing the most closely guarded secret of the Cylon Empire.<ref name="DES89">{{cite book/RH|6|89}}</ref>

===The Cylon Civil War===

Imperious Leader's reign was challenged when a damaged genetic program destroyed the [[Count Iblis (TOS-RH)|Iblis]] programming in certain two-brained Cylons, leading to the emergence of a revolutionary movement that rejected the hybrid nature of traditional Cylons.<ref name="DES88">{{cite book/RH|6|88}}</ref> These revolutionaries created their own three-brained leader, [[Alpha Leader (TOS-RH)|Alpha Leader]], marking the first time in Cylon history that two three-brained Cylons existed simultaneously.<ref name="DES89" />

Imperious Leader experienced frustration and anger when he realized the unprecedented nature of this challenge.<ref name="DES89" /> The [[Cylon civil war (TOS-RH)|civil war]] that followed devastated the [[Cylon (planet) (TOS-RH)|Cylon homeworld]] and reduced Imperious Leader's once-vast empire to a mere handful of followers.<ref name="BSGOS37">{{cite book/RH|7|37}}</ref>

Despite his defeat, Imperious Leader retained his title and continued to command his remaining forces. He refused to panic even as the civil war went against him, demonstrating that no plan in the universe would inspire irrational decisions from any of his three pulsating brains.<ref name="BSGOS41">{{cite book/RH|7|41}}</ref> His approach remained methodical: if a plan failed, he simply abandoned it and developed a new strategy.<ref name="BSGOS41" />

Some enemies sarcastically referred to him as "Omega Leader," signifying their belief that he would be the last of his kind.<ref name="DES90">{{cite book/RH|6|90}}</ref>

===Relationship with Baltar===

Imperious Leader developed an unusually complex relationship with the human traitor [[Baltar (TOS-RH)|Baltar]]. When [[Alpha Leader (TOS-RH)|Alpha Leader]]'s forces were defeated at [[Paradis (TOS-RH)|Paradis]] through Baltar's actions, Imperious Leader experienced something close to an emotion in his three cold brains.<ref name="BSGOS37" /> He found himself wishing he could speak with Baltar, realizing he actually missed the human's company.<ref name="BSGOS37" />

Baltar possessed what Imperious Leader called "a certain flair—an original way of sizing up problems and a happy propensity of sharing his insights with anyone willing to listen."<ref name="BSGOS37" /> The Cylon leader considered it "a crime to remove such a valuable resource from the spacetime continuum."<ref name="BSGOS37" />

During their interactions, Baltar explained human concepts like empathy to Imperious Leader, who hung on every word despite not fully understanding the emotional constructs being described.<ref name="BSGOS38">{{cite book/RH|7|38}}</ref> Baltar taught him that humans "laugh and cry for the same reason—they remember experiences, their own or other people's, then project possible outcomes from rearranging those memories."<ref name="BSGOS38" />

Imperious Leader experienced new sensations that his complex triad of brains had no room for—the impossible breathed itself to life as he felt the ragged edges of internal change.<ref name="DES178" /> He concluded that contact with Baltar must have altered his consciousness, though he rejected this conclusion even as he recognized its truth.<ref name="DES178" /> The mere thought that a contemporary human could influence the leader of what Alpha Leader's forces termed "impure Cylons" would be a propaganda weapon against him, causing him to shudder at the deepest metaphysical level.<ref name="DES178" />

===Strategic Philosophy===

Imperious Leader believed firmly in the philosophy established by [[Count Iblis (TOS-RH)|Count Iblis]]: that a true Master Race must be drawn from the best elements available.<ref name="DES179">{{cite book/RH|6|179}}</ref> He held that the necessity of combining disparate elements applied even to conflicts between the technological and organic—machines alone were "articulated stones," while flesh alone was "weak and powerless, only fit to bleed and weep."<ref name="DES179" /> Together, flesh and metal became stronger, just as human and reptilian DNA combined to become more than their constituent parts.<ref name="DES179" />

He recognized that [[Alpha Leader (TOS-RH)|Alpha Leader]]'s forces, driven by the single emotion of hatred, lacked the strategic patience of his own logic-based approach.<ref name="BSGOS40">{{cite book/RH|7|40}}</ref> Imperious Leader analyzed that the reptilian Cylons' headlong rush tactics represented a fundamental weakness, as an enraged opponent lacked patience.<ref name="BSGOS41" /> He believed that the original Cylon approach of cold, remorseless logic remained superior—exterminating the human race was "simply a job," uncontaminated by hatred or other irrelevant emotions.<ref name="BSGOS41" />

Never did he panic, even in defeat, and he experienced the emotion of hope without recognizing it as such.<ref name="BSGOS41" />

===Pursuit of Understanding===

Victory over the Colonials was not enough for Imperious Leader—his three-lobed brain demanded complete understanding of the human enemy.<ref name="DES43">{{cite book/RH|6|43}}</ref> Conflicts among the Cylons forced him to consider a wider range of thought categories than had once seemed optimal.<ref name="DES43" />

Human imperfection no longer outraged his delicate sensibilities; instead, the very flaws of the human enemy provided an endless source of fascination.<ref name="DES43" /> He began contemplating dangerous thoughts: Could there be an entirely different kind of perfection? Was it remotely possible that imperfection at certain moments could itself be a kind of perfection?<ref name="DES43" />

Despite his cold and emotionless nature, Imperious Leader possessed a full and rich memory—a quality he shared with Baltar and all the Colonials.<ref name="BSGOS38" /> For such a mind to have the capacity of drawing on past experience without ever developing genuine feelings was what he recognized as "a cruel irony," as memory enrichment was typically the process by which intelligent living beings developed.<ref name="BSGOS38" />

===Later Development===

Following the Paradis incident, Imperious Leader relocated to a new quadrant.<ref name="BSGOS198">{{cite book/RH|7|198}}</ref> When the deceased Baltar's consciousness encountered him in this new location, the Cylon leader had acquired a fourth brain, which caused him considerable pain.<ref name="BSGOS199">{{cite book/RH|7|199}}</ref> Without looking up from his unimaginable headache, he greeted Baltar with the ominous words: "Welcome back, Baltar. Thanks to your invaluable contribution, we can finish what we started."<ref name="BSGOS199" />

==Physical Appearance and Environment==

Imperious Leader inhabited a dark chamber located at the end of a dark corridor in the exact center of his [[basestar (TOS-RH)|basestar]].<ref name="RES88">{{cite book/RH|3|88}}</ref> The chamber featured a tall platform that stood nine steps high, with the seat of power at its center from which he oversaw all things.<ref name="RES88" />

The sides of the pedestal were marked and studded with hundreds of sharp points that seemed to cut the very light they reflected.<ref name="RES88" /> Torches burned in braziers in the corners of the room, throwing off fitful light and dancing shadows.<ref name="RES88" /> His chair could rotate to face visitors, and his red eyes burned like embers through the darkness.<ref name="WAR84">{{cite book/RH|2|84}}</ref>

On the planet [[Cylon (planet) (TOS-RH)|Cylon]], Imperious Leader occupied the chamber furthest from the murky surface below in the tallest of the metallic spires.<ref name="WAR33">{{cite book/RH|2|33}}</ref> There, he sat upon a broad chair of stone and metal on a dais raised sixteen steps above the chamber floor.<ref name="WAR33" /> He wore long robes to cover the dark, green-black scales beneath and bathed regularly to minimize the brackish smell of his own flesh.<ref name="WAR33" />

Black tentacles snaked down from the ceiling of his throne room, and he could communicate with a swirling, oily black maelstrom that floated in the air—a manifestation of [[Count Iblis (TOS-RH)|Count Iblis]].<ref name="WAR177">{{cite book/RH|2|177}}</ref>

==Mental Capabilities==

Imperious Leader's three brains served distinct functions. The first brain served as the body's guidance system, ensuring efficiency of task.<ref name="RES89" /> The second brain contained necessary skills for Cylon officers, including analyzing and interpreting facts.<ref name="RES89" /> The third brain, unique to Imperious Leaders, allowed him to elevate above mundane matters of fact and deal in abstracts.<ref name="RES89" />

According to Cylon belief, the third brain granted the capacity for limitless knowledge, though in practice this proved more aspirational than actual.<ref name="RES89" /> Nevertheless, Imperious Leader's computational abilities far exceeded those of lesser Cylons, allowing him to run statistics and calculate probabilities with extraordinary precision.<ref name="BSGOS45">{{cite book/RH|7|45}}</ref>

His three-lobed brain constantly processed information, seeking to understand the senseless aspects of human behavior that both fascinated and frustrated him.<ref name="DES43" />

==Personality and Psychology==

Despite claiming to operate purely through logic, Imperious Leader exhibited what could be interpreted as emotional responses. He experienced something approaching satisfaction when learning of Alpha Leader's defeat at Paradis.<ref name="BSGOS37" /> He knew frustration and anger when realizing the unprecedented challenge posed by Alpha Leader's existence.<ref name="DES89" /> Most notably, he felt what might be described as loneliness or loss after Baltar's death, missing their conversations.<ref name="BSGOS37" />

He possessed what humans would recognize as arrogance, insisting that his followers address him appropriately even when reduced to commanding only a handful of forces.<ref name="BSGOS37" /> His voice could produce laughter, though this sound was rarely heard among the cold-blooded Cylon race.<ref name="RES90">{{cite book/RH|3|90}}</ref>

Imperious Leader recognized his own superiority over all other Cylons as simply a fact, comparable to his assessment of [[Baltar (TOS-RH)|Baltar]]'s superiority over most humans.<ref name="DES43" /> This clinical self-awareness extended to his understanding of power: unity only mattered in a superior brain that guided all aspects of an Empire into an unstoppable juggernaut, and such a mind justified itself through power alone.<ref name="DES179" />

==Relationship with Count Iblis==

Imperious Leader maintained contact with [[Count Iblis (TOS-RH)|Count Iblis]], who could manifest as a swirling black maelstrom in his chamber.<ref name="WAR177" /> He occasionally wondered why Iblis had not contacted the Cylons, and sometimes decided this was "not necessarily a bad thing."<ref name="RES208">{{cite book/RH|3|208}}</ref>

He believed it was time for the Cylons to go their own way, free of Iblis's meddling and interference, writing their destiny "in flame and blood across the stars."<ref name="RES208" /> His third brain moved in abstracts as he considered this challenge, and he suspected the answer might be simpler than anyone thought.<ref name="RES208" />

Yet Iblis could appear in Imperious Leader's dream communications with [[Baltar (TOS-RH)|Baltar]], reinforcing the Cylon philosophy and defending their "perfect morality."<ref name="DES21">{{cite book/RH|6|21}}</ref>

==Strategic Goals==

Imperious Leader's overarching goal remained the complete extermination of humanity, a mission inherited from Count Iblis.<ref name="DES178" /> The existence of the Colonials provided a constant reminder that all breeds of Cylons owed their existence to human intervention in the evolutionary process.<ref name="BSGOS37" />

He desired not merely to destroy the Colonial fleet but to find them when they reached [[Earth (TOS-RH)|Earth]], using them to lead the Cylons to humanity's legendary homeworld and the Thirteenth Tribe.<ref name="DES143">{{cite book/RH|6|143}}</ref> This strategy demonstrated his patient, long-term approach to problem-solving.

Imperious Leader also sought victory over [[Alpha Leader (TOS-RH)|Alpha Leader]]'s reptilian Cylon faction, recognizing that their hatred-driven approach, while emotionally intense, lacked the strategic sophistication of his logical methods.<ref name="BSGOS40" />
==Command Structure==

Imperious Leader commanded through a hierarchical system with [[cogitator (TOS-RH)|cogitators]] like [[Lucifer (TOS-RH)|Lucifer]] serving as his chief advisors and [[Centurion (TOS-RH)|Centurions]] as his warrior class.<ref name="WAR84" /> He maintained strict protocols, requiring formal petition from visitors with the traditional phrase "By your command."<ref name="RES89" />

He granted certain privileges to favored cogitators, allowing [[Lucifer (TOS-RH)|Lucifer]] freedom of movement aboard his basestar while restricting other cogitators and all Centurions unless specifically summoned.<ref name="WAR83">{{cite book/RH|2|83}}</ref>

Imperious Leader sometimes demonstrated omniscient knowledge that surprised even his closest advisors, such as knowing the location of the Colonial fleet without sharing how he obtained this information.<ref name="WAR85">{{cite book/RH|2|85}}</ref> He warned Lucifer that "some things, it is better not to know," demonstrating his understanding of the psychological value of maintaining mystery around his capabilities.<ref name="WAR178">{{cite book/RH|2|178}}</ref>
==References==
<references />

[[Category:Cylons (TOS alternate)]]
[[Category:Cylon leaders (TOS alternate)]]
[[Category:Three-brained Cylons (TOS alternate)]]
[[Category:Richard Hatch novelizations]]

Imperious Leader (TOS-RH) - Revision history