Cylons (TOS)

This article describes the reptilian race and their robotic creations from the Original Series. For the Cylons of the Re-imagined Series, see Cylons (RDM).

The Cylons are a dying race of reptilian creatures who created an assortment of robotic creatures to maintain their empire throughout the galaxy.

Cylon Centurions crash Sire Uri's party (Saga of a Star World).

Both types of Cylons shared a home, also known as "Cylon", prior to the beginning of the Thousand Yahren War (Saga of a Star World) in the Cyranus Galaxy (The Long Patrol).

Reptillian Cylons

Originally, the Cylons created a race of robots to service their needs (Saga of a Star World). According to Apollo, the Cylons discovered humanity and created robotic creations that mimicked their form (Saga of a Star World).

The reptilian Cylons allowed themselves to be overcome by their own technology (War of the Gods, Part II). The robotic Cylons became an organized war machine bent on exterminating life in the galaxy. Due to the appearance of Count Iblis and his subsequent encounter with Lord Baltar in the Prison Barge's brig, it is hinted at that the Cylons were organized by Iblis over a thousand yahren prior to the Cylon holocaust of the Twelve Colonies (War of the Gods, Part II).

Robotic Cylons

Under the robotic Cylons, they began expanding their sphere of influence, creating what Commander Adama calls "the Alliance" (Saga of a Star World).

Cylon Society

There are five types of Cylons:

• Imperious Leader: controls all Cylon forces and rules the empire. The Imperious Leader is represented by one of very few living members of the reptilian Cylon race.
• IL-series (or the "IL group"): Robots that typically take on the administrative duties of the Cylon Empire.
• Command Centurion: Robots with gold plated armor that are analogous with commanders in the Colonial Military.
• Cylon Centurions: These robots are the chrome plated foot soldiers, pilots, and labor force for the Cylon Empire.
• Cylon "civilians": According to Colonel Tigh, he picks up civilian transmissions of a Cylon nature on Gamoray (The Living Legend, Part I).

Another type of Cylon depicted in Galactica 1980 included an android creature in human form (The Night the Cylons Landed). While many fans found the stories of this short-lived spinoff apocryphal, this is the first appearance of a "human form" Cylon, predating the Re-imagined Series' humanoid Cylon by over 23 years.

Cylon craft

There are three known Cylon spacecraft:

• Basestar: Capitol ships of the Cylon military force, analogous to the Colonial battlestar.
• Raider: The primary fighter of the Cylon forces, manned by two pilots and a ship commander.
• Freighter: Ships used throughout the Cylon sphere of influence to provide fuel. May be used to support an offensive operation, as demonstrated at the Battle of Cimtar (Saga of a Star World).

Cylon history

The Thousand Yahren War

Main Article: Thousand Yahren War

The Thousand Yahren War between the humans of the Twelve Colonies and the Cylons began when the Colonials intervened on Cylon attacks against the Hasari. The Cylons then viewed humanity as a threat to their Empire and proceeded to attack Colonial installations.

The Cylons and the humans fought for roughly one thousand yahren, with losses on both sides.

The final end to the war occurred after Baltar, a member of the Quorum of Twelve, met with the Cylons to propose peace. Instead of proposing peace as he had intended, Baltar sought personal power and that the Colonies be subjugated under his rule.

Instead, they altered the so-called "bargain" that Baltar and the Imperious Leader had struck. The Cylons instead administered the coup de grace to their enemy (Saga of a Star World).

Cylon pursuit of the Colonial Fleet

The "rag-tag, fugitive fleet", being led by the last known surviving Battlestar Galactica, flees their homeworlds, avoiding the Cylon genoicidal attacks.

Sparing Baltar's life, the newly ascended Barkol gives Baltar the command of three basestars and a cogitator, Lucifer (Saga of a Star World, Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I). With Baltar pursuing the Fleet, Galactica and the 220 ships she leads from their aggressors avoid Cylon death traps, such as those on Arcta (the "Ravishol pulsar"), and all out attacks (e.g. Battle of Gamoray and the events of "Fire in Space").

Eventually, a daring, successful attack on a lone basestar leads Adama to believe that they may have outwitted the Cylons -- who have, apparently, spread their resources thin in an attempt to locate the remaining humans (The Hand of God).

In Galactica 1980

While it remains unknown what happened to Baltar (having likely been left on a habitable planet, as promised by Adama in "The Hand of God"), the Cylons still pursue Galactica and her Fleet (Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I). While the Fleet discovers Earth, any landing or approach of the planet would alert the Cylons to Earth's existence, and thus scouts are sent to the planet in order to prepare Earth against the formidable Cylon enemy.

While the Colonials slowly progress Earth's advancements in technology, an attack on Agro Ships by a wave of Cylon raiders leaves the Fleet without a food source. This event forces the Colonials to use the resources of Earth to provide foodstuffs (Space Croppers).

Original Series definition: a title of nobility akin to "Sir," typically ascribed to a civilian of the male gender (e.g. Sire Uri, Sire Solon)

Original Series definition: a title of nobility (e.g. Count Iblis)

Original Series definition: a title of nobility (e.g. Lord Baltar)

Original Series definition: unit of time akin to a "year" (see: Yahren)