Messenger Baltar

Turnabout is fair play: Messenger Baltar appears to Caprica-Six, but not to Number Three ^{(TRS: "Downloaded")}.

When a messenger with Gaius Baltar's visage appears to Caprica-Six, the notion that the actual Gaius Baltar was part of a Cylon plan to manipulate him via Messenger Six is revealed to be highly unlikely, as other Cylons are unaware of him and do not mention the plan or its effects to Caprica-Six ^{(TRS: "Downloaded")}.

The Messenger Baltar's appearance and demeanor is just as much an extreme opposite of the actual Baltar as the Messenger Six's behavior is to Caprica-Six.

At her resurrection, Messenger Baltar immediately tells Caprica-Six that only she can see and hear him, and not to reveal what she sees to the other Cylons present; she never asks about his origins.

Messenger Baltar confronts Caprica-Six with her guilt in the slaughter of billions of human beings, and with the logical error behind the Cylons's actions. Under Messenger Baltar's influence, Caprica-Six speaks out against the war alongside another resurrected "hero of the Cylon," Sharon "Boomer" Valerii. The two forge a new quasi-benevolent path, albeit temporarily, for the Cylon race.

Messenger Baltar appears irregularly in seasons 2 and 3. After Caprica-Six surrenders herself to the Colonials (having assisted Sharon "Athena" Agathon in her rescue of Hera), Laura Roslin and Tory Foster observe Caprica-Six speaking to and kissing Messenger Baltar—who is invisible to Roslin and Foster ^{(TRS: "The Woman King")}.

While Messenger Six claims to be an angel sent from God, Messenger Baltar is contemptuous of the Cylons' concept of God ^{(TRS: "Downloaded")}. He is also described by Ron Moore as more of a "devil" figure in Six's consciousness.

While Messenger Baltar acts mostly as a conversational foil for Six, in "Crossroads, Part I" he informs her that Saul Tigh has suffered the loss of a woman close to him, to assist Six in dealing with Tigh's interrogation ^{(TRS: "Crossroads, Part I")}.

Baltar encounters his Messenger double.

After his ascension to cult leader, Gaius Baltar encounters his Messenger doppelgänger after running into Tory Foster at the civilian's mess hall. Baltar is initially shocked by Messenger Baltar's sudden appearance, voicing his belief that it is Messenger Six appearing to him as a doppelgänger version of himself, but the Messenger points out that she would have no need to disguise herself from him; Baltar becomes amused by the idea of having himself as a conversational foil for once instead of Six. This Messenger Baltar encourages him to engage in a relationship with Foster, claiming that she is "special," and guides him, after a fashion, through her covert interrogation attempt. This Messenger Baltar does not elaborate on that point, but Gaius Baltar follows the Messenger's lead ^{(TRS: "Six of One")}.

Prior to the conclusion of the Fleet's journey to Earth, Messenger Baltar and Messenger Six appear together, and both Caprica-Six and Baltar can see them, and are each shocked that the other can. He and Messenger Six are representatives of the being that some call God, who Baltar describes to Cavil as a force of nature that is neither good nor evil. Messenger Baltar and Messenger Six make one last visit to Caprica-Six and Baltar to tell them that their role had always been to protect Hera, and now that this has been fulfilled, the two Messengers leave them alone. Messenger Six explains that God's plan is never over, but Messenger Baltar tells the couple that their lives will be much less exciting.

The two Messengers visit Earth 150,000 years later in New York City discussing humanity finding its most recent common ancestor, the human-Cylon hybrid Hera Agathon. The two discuss the cycle of life, and Messenger Baltar chides Messenger Six for calling the being they work for "God," as it apparently does not like being called that. Messenger Baltar has the series' last line, which is a response to Messenger Six's stern look: "silly me... silly, silly me." The two then walk off together into present-day New York City ^{(TRS: "Daybreak, Part II")}.

As with Gaius Baltar himself, Messenger Baltar is portrayed by James Callis.