Tallos

Tallos
[[File:|300px|Tallos]]
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Introduced	(Comics: Battlestar Galactica: Gods & Monsters #1)
Last Known Appearance	(Comics: Battlestar Galactica: Gods & Monsters #5)
Death	Battle Near the Unnamed Planetoid
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Tallos is a Cylon
Tallos is a Final Five Cylon
Tallos is a Human/Cylon Hybrid
Tallos is an Original Series Cylon
Related Media
Additional Information
[[File:|300px|Tallos]]

Tallos is an Cylon Centurion amalgamated and reprogrammed by Dr. Gaius Baltar and Sharon Valerii from the remnants of Centurions destroyed during the boarding of Galactica. Named after the automaton protector created by Zeus in Colonial mythology, Tallos was intended to be a Cylon loyal to the Colonial Fleet, capable of assisting humanity against other Cylons.

Development and Creation

Dr. Gaius Baltar conceived the idea of rebuilding a Cylon Centurion after studying the remains of Centurions that had boarded the Galactica. He believed that a fully functional model could provide invaluable intelligence on Cylon physiology and tactics. Despite initial skepticism and strong opposition from others, including Colonel Saul Tigh and even his internal manifestation of Six, Baltar proceeded with the project.

Baltar constructed Tallos "from scratch" using an "ever-increasing number of helpers" and parts from "a dozen different Centurions." With work done by Sharon Valerii, Tallos's programming was cleaned, removing any sub-routines or hidden commands that might make it turn against the Colonials. However, the unique nature of its construction from disparate parts led to speculation that Tallos might not have a clear path to resurrection, making it as mortal as a human, which Baltar believed would make it want to live and thus be loyal to those who kept it alive.

Tallos was activated eleven days after Baltar began its construction. Upon activation, Baltar asked Tallos to whom it owed its existence, to which Tallos responded, "By. Your. Command." upon kneeling before Sharon Valerii.

Abilities and Characteristics

Tallos possesses several notable abilities and characteristics:

• Physical Prowess: As a Centurion, Tallos is built for battle, possessing enhanced strength and durability. It is capable of taking significant damage and continuing to function.
• High-Speed Computer Mind: Tallos has a "high-speed computer mind," allowing it to process information rapidly.
• Radiation Resistance: Unlike more advanced Cylon models, Centurions are highly resistant to radiation, a trait that proved crucial in a mission involving a radioactive Colonial Heavy Cruiser.
• Mobility Enhancements: Tallos is equipped with a "jet-pack" powered by compressed air that allows for controlled EVA, and "magnetized boots" for traversing metallic surfaces.
• Cylon Detection: Tallos's original programming allows it to recognize other Cylons, a feature that caused immediate concern among the Cylon infiltrators in the Fleet.
• Limited Speech: Baltar programmed Tallos with "limited speech" capabilities, something he noted the Cylons themselves hadn't done.
• Kill Switch: Baltar installed a "kill switch" that can shut down Tallos's mobility, allowing its mind to remain alert to process and reflect on events. Baltar refers to this as a "time out" and a way to "slap its wrist" for misbehavior.

Role and Actions

Tallos's primary role was to serve the Fleet, particularly in dangerous operations where human life would be at risk.

Initial Missions

Tallos's first major mission involved placing a detonator on a highly radioactive Colonial Heavy Cruiser Cyclops, which was on a collision course with a minerally rich planetoid. Due to its radiation resistance, Tallos was uniquely suited for this task. It successfully timed the FTL jump of the cruiser to the same instant as the detonation, dispersing the blast harmlessly throughout hyperspace and decontaminating itself easily. This act earned it some trust from Commander William Adama, who suggested a public profile to get the fleet used to the idea of a Centurion helping them.

Mining Operation and Cylon Infiltration

Tallos was subsequently deployed to assist with soil harvesting on an unstable planetoid. Baltar downloaded the "proper skill set" to Tallos, allowing it to handle the excavation rig "like a pro." During this operation, Tallos unexpectedly detonated a charge to loosen compromised terrain, which also caused the Raptor carrying Helo and Apollo to crash. Baltar argued this was a miner's action, not an attack, and Tallos later saved Helo and Apollo from falling into a chasm by extending a cargo cable.

Another Eight, posing as Sharon Valerii, plants a false message into Tallos's sub-routines, instructing it to help her escape with the first human-Cylon child. This was part of a larger Cylon plan to discredit Tallos and protect the presence of Cylons within the fleet. This fails when Tallos determines that the Eight was not Caprica-Valerii, based on unique and nearly imperceptible differences between the two that Tallos was able to identify.

During a Cylon attack on the planetoid, Tallos commandeered the last evacuation Raptor, seemingly abandoning the humans. However, it was later revealed that Tallos led attacking Centurions on the Galactica to the FTL drive, where the Colonials could use a reverse-polarity pulse to defeat them.

Fate

After the Cylon attack, Tallos was severely damaged. Only a portion of its body remained, which Commander Adama brought back to the Galactica. Dr. Baltar decided not to rebuild Tallos, stating that he no longer had the proper parts and materials, and more importantly, that they had "learned all we could from him." Baltar concluded that Tallos was emblematic of the problem of looking to the past, and that a "new way to deal with the Cylons" was needed, a way that "has yet to be born."

Notes

• In ^{(Comics: Battlestar Galactica: Twilight Command)}, a Cylon Centurion known as Deacon is also reprogrammed to serve humans of the Fleet, notably during the occupation of New Caprica.