Centurion (TOS): Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 05:41, 8 September 2024

The Centurion is the workhorse of the Cylon Empire. Acting as infantry, pilots, and even cavalry (as in "The Lost Warrior") the Centurion is as versatile as it is shiny. Used in any front-line encounter, Centurions are the only type of Cylon a Colonial Warrior is likely to ever directly encounter ^{(TOS: "Saga of a Star World")}.

Centurions speak with a mechanical voice, typically responding to orders with the phrase "By your command". Despite their name, they are the Cylons' lowest ranking soldiers, answerable to Command Centurions and the IL-series models.

Centurions are constructed using highly advanced robotics, beyond the capabilities of the Colonials to understand easily. As part of a ruse Dr. Wilker attempts to reconstruct and reprogram a Centurion. The reprogrammed Centurion manages to move stiffly, but lacks the dexterity of a fully functional unit and destroys the controls of the Raider when it is instructed to fly ^{(TOS: "Baltar's Escape")}.

Centurions are commonly armed with bayonet-equipped laser rifles, as well as swords for close combat and execution ^{(TOS: "Saga of a Star World")}.

The inhabitants of Attila refer to Centurions as "tin cans" ^{(TOS: "The Young Lords")}.

Notable Centurions

Serpentine is Flight Leader who is instructed by Imperious Leader ^{(TOS: "Saga of a Star World")}
Red-Eye brutally enforces Lacerta's reign of terror on Equellus until he is destroyed by Apollo ^{(TOS: "The Lost Warrior")}.
Centuri along with his commander Andromus survive a crash and head into New York City ^{(1980: "The Night the Cylons Landed")}.
Cy is rebuilt by Starbuck and (after some persuasion) befriends the Colonial pilot (The Return of Starbuck).

Galactica 1980 Version

Centurions are shown to be vulnerable to microwave radiation, and are slowly being outmoded by an android variant with human-like reflexes and agility ^{(1980: "The Night the Cylons Landed")}.

Further, they are neither equipped with swords nor laser rifles, but with a laser pistol analogous to the Colonial's laser pistol ^{(1980: "The Night the Cylons Landed", "The Return of Starbuck")}.

Notes

Both the Gold Command Cylon Centurions and the Silver Cylon Centurions were voiced with an EMS Vocoder 2000 [1] (verified in the book 'How to Wreck a Nice Beach' by Dave Tompkins) by voice-actor Michael Santiago.
The original Centurion does find its way into the Re-imagined Series canon, with similar features, known there as the Cylon Centurion Model 0005. A shell of this Centurion counterpart appears in the Miniseries in the Galactica Museum, along with other artifacts from the Cylon War.
In "Razor," an operational Centurion is seen (with noticeably mechanical legs to show, cinematically, that these Cylons were mechanical and not merely "guys in suits") in a flashback to the Cylon War. In the same episode Kara Thrace shoots down a Cylon Raider (also based on the Original Series design), where its Centurion version appears again in the wreckage.

Related imagery

The guts of a Centurion on a bed in Doctor Wilker's lab.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-:''For the original Centurions likeness in [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]], see [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005]]. For information on the advanced Centurions from the Re-imagined Series, see [[Cylon Centurion]].
+{{disline|For the original Centurions likeness in [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]], see [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005]]. For information on the advanced Centurions from the Re-imagined Series, see [[Cylon Centurion]].}}
 __NOTOC__
-[[Image:PartyCrashers.jpg|thumb|right|Centurions as infantry.]]
+[[File:PartyCrashers.jpg|thumb|right|Centurions as infantry.]]
-The '''Centurion''' is the workhorse of the [[Cylon Empire]]. Acting as infantry, pilots, and even cavalry (as in "[[The Lost Warrior]]") the Centurion is as versatile as it is shiny. Used in any front-line encounter, Centurions are the only type of Cylon a [[Colonial Warrior]] is likely to ever directly encounter ([[Saga of a Star World]]).
+The '''Centurion''' is the workhorse of the [[Cylon Empire]]. Acting as infantry, pilots, and even cavalry (as in "[[The Lost Warrior]]") the Centurion is as versatile as it is shiny. Used in any front-line encounter, Centurions are the only type of Cylon a [[Colonial Warrior]] is likely to ever directly encounter {{OS|Saga of a Star World}}.
-Centurions speak with a mechanical voice, typically responding to orders with the iconic phrase "[[By your command]]". Despite their name, they are the Cylons' lowest ranking soldiers, answerable to [[Command Centurion]]s and the [[IL-series]] models.
+Centurions speak with a mechanical voice, typically responding to orders with the phrase "[[By your command]]". Despite their name, they are the Cylons' lowest ranking soldiers, answerable to [[Command Centurion]]s and the [[IL-series]] models.
-Centurions are constructed using highly advanced robotics, beyond the capabilities of the [[The Twelve Colonies (TOS)|Colonials]] to understand easily. As part of a ruse Dr. [[Wilker]] attempts to reconstruct and reprogram a Centurion. The reprogrammed Centurion manages to move stiffly, but lacks the dexterity of a fully functional unit and destroys the controls of the [[Raider (TOS)|Raider]] when it is instructed to fly ([[Baltar's Escape]]).
+Centurions are constructed using highly advanced robotics, beyond the capabilities of the {{TOS|The Twelve Colonies|Colonials}} to understand easily. As part of a ruse Dr. [[Wilker]] attempts to reconstruct and reprogram a Centurion. The reprogrammed Centurion manages to move stiffly, but lacks the dexterity of a fully functional unit and destroys the controls of the {{TOS|Raider|Raider}} when it is instructed to fly {{OS|Baltar's Escape}}.
-Centurions are commonly armed with bayonet-equipped laser rifles, as well as swords for close combat and execution ([[Saga of a Star World]]).
+Centurions are commonly armed with bayonet-equipped laser rifles, as well as swords for close combat and execution {{OS|Saga of a Star World}}.
-The inhabitants of [[Attila]] refer to Centurions as "tin cans" ([[The Young Lords]]).
+The inhabitants of [[Attila]] refer to Centurions as "tin cans" {{OS|The Young Lords}}.
 ==Notable Centurions==
-*'''[[Red-Eye]]''' brutally enforces [[Lacerta]]'s reign of terror on [[Equellus]] until he is destroyed by [[Apollo (TOS)|Apollo]] ([[The Lost Warrior]]).
+*'''[[Serpentine]]''' is Flight Leader who is instructed by [[Imperious Leader]]  {{OS|Saga of a Star World}}
-*'''[[Centuri]]''' along with his commander [[Andromus]] survive a crash and head into New York City ([[The Night the Cylons Landed]]).
+*'''[[Red-Eye]]''' brutally enforces [[Lacerta]]'s reign of terror on [[Equellus]] until he is destroyed by {{TOS|Apollo}} {{OS|The Lost Warrior}}.
-*'''[[Cy]]''' is rebuilt by [[Starbuck (TOS)|Starbuck]] and (after some persuasion) befriends the Colonial pilot ([[The Return of Starbuck]]).
+*'''[[Centuri]]''' along with his commander [[Andromus]] survive a crash and head into New York City {{G80|The Night the Cylons Landed}}.
+*'''[[Cy]]''' is rebuilt by {{TOS|Starbuck}} and (after some persuasion) befriends the Colonial pilot ([[The Return of Starbuck]]).
 ==''Galactica 1980'' Version==
-Centurions are shown to be vulnerable to microwave radiation ([[The Night the Cylons Landed, Part II]]).
+Centurions are shown to be vulnerable to microwave radiation, and are slowly being outmoded by an android variant with human-like reflexes and agility {{G80|The Night the Cylons Landed}}.
-==Differences with Re-imagined Series==
+Further, they are neither equipped with swords nor laser rifles, but with a [[laser pistol (1980)|laser pistol]] analogous to the Colonial's {{TOS|laser pistol|laser pistol}} {{G80|The Night the Cylons Landed|The Return of Starbuck}}.
-* Unlike its [[Re-imagined Series]] counterpart, the original Cylon Centurion were men in bulky costumes, as computer-generated imagery (by which the re-imagined [[Cylon Centurion]] is derived) did not yet exist.
-* Original Series Centurions are as self-aware and as "alive" as the other models. Re-imagined series Centurions were deliberately designed by the [[Humanoid Cylon|humanoid models]] to lack this facet, such to avoid a rebellion.
+==Notes==
-* Original series Centurions carry weapons (like humans) whilst their re-imagined counterparts primarily utilize built-in blades and guns.
-* Unlike their predecessors, re-imagined Centurions do not speak, though they can understand spoken instructions.
+*Both the Gold Command Cylon Centurions and the Silver Cylon Centurions were voiced with an EMS Vocoder 2000 [http://google.com/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1400&bih=947&q=ems+vocoder+2000&gbv=2&oq=ems+vo&aq=0&aqi=g1g-S4g-sS1g-S1g-sS1g-S2&aql=&gs_sm=c&gs_upl=5517l8139l0l10975l6l6l0l0l0l0l331l1498l0.1.3.2l6l0] (verified in the book 'How to Wreck a Nice Beach' by Dave Tompkins) by voice-actor Michael Santiago.
-* While Centurions of the Original Series are referred to as "tin cans", the [[Cylon Centurion|Centurion]]s in the Re-imagined Series are sometimes referred to as "chrome jobs".
+*The original Centurion does find its way into the [[Re-imagined Series]] canon, with similar features, known there as the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005]]. A shell of this Centurion counterpart appears in the [[Miniseries]] in the [[Galactica Museum]], along with other artifacts from the [[Cylon War]].
+*In "[[Razor]]," an operational Centurion is seen (with noticeably mechanical legs to show, cinematically, that these Cylons were mechanical and not merely "guys in suits") in a [[Razor Flashbacks|flashback to the Cylon War]]. In the same episode [[Kara Thrace]] shoots down a Cylon Raider (also based on the {{TOS|Raider|Original Series}} design), where its Centurion version appears again in the wreckage.
 == Related imagery ==
-<gallery>
+<gallery mode="slideshow">
-Image:Centurion guts.jpg|The guts of a Centurion on a bed in Doctor [[Wilker]]'s lab.
+File:Centurion guts.jpg|The guts of a Centurion on a bed in Doctor [[Wilker]]'s lab.
 </gallery>
@@ Line 41: / Line 43: @@
 [[Category:Cylon Military (TOS)]]
 [[Category:TOS]]
-{{TOS}}
+[[de:Zenturier (TOS)]]