- This article discusses the living computer of a Re-imagined Series basestar. For information on the Cylon-human hybrid children, see Hera Agathon and Nicholas Tyrol.
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| Birth place | {{{birthplace}}} | |
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| Introduced | Torn | |
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| Family Tree | View | |
| Role | Cylon basestar central computer | |
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| Portrayed by | Tiffany Lyndall-Knight | |
| Hybrid is a Cylon | ||
| Hybrid is a Final Five Cylon | ||
| Hybrid is a Human/Cylon Hybrid | ||
| Hybrid is an Original Series Cylon | ||
| Related Media | ||
| @ BW Media | ||
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| [[Image:|200px|Hybrid]] | ||
A Hybrid is the central computer inside a basestar (Torn).
The Hybrids resemble human beings inside an immersion tank similar to a Cylon rebirthing tank. However, they aren't Humanoid Cylons, but another type of Cylon, similar to the autonomous biomechanical pilots within Raiders [1], specially constructed as living computers that manage the autonomic functions of the basestar, including navigation and FTL jumps, climate control, and the like. The Hybrids are so integrated into the basestar's functionality that they are, for all practical purposes, the basestar.
Only one baseship's Hybrid (with the form of a pale-skinned woman) has been shown so far, so it is currently unknown whether or not all other Hybrids are identical to her.
The Hybrids do not have a completely human body, but rather appear to be more like cyborgs, consisting of conduits and other connectors mated to, or in place of elements of their bodies.
It is unclear whether a Hybrid can take autonomous actions on its own, although they can articulate disagreement with orders. It appears that a unit of seven Humanoid Cylons, located elsewhere in the basestar's command and control center, generate the collective command decisions that are accepted and executed by the Hybrids.
The Hybrids almost continually speak in phrases that makes little sense to the basestar's crew. The utterances appear to be a mixture of system status reports as well as observations of events in and around the basestar that may not be describable in words. The agents known to the Colonials as Leoben Conoy believe that the Hybrids can hear or understand the voice of God. A Number Three notes that the Hybrids have seen the place "between life and death" and have been driven mad as a result (Rapture).
A Hybrid's connectivity to its basestar provides it with a remarkable awareness of the surrounding space. They appear to experience a form of ecstasy, perhaps at an orgasmic level, when accomplishing certain tasks such as jumping.
Hybrids have a conscious state that can converse, if only briefly. When Gaius Baltar reaches into the Hybrid's tank and attempts to grab her hand to ask about the missing five Humanoid Cylons, the Hybrid grabs him from the arm and looks directly at him, recognizing him as a being with intelligence. She coherently tells him a riddle before returning to her usual speech pattern and catatonia (The Passage). The copy of Number Three initially objects to touching the Hybrid, suggesting that Humanoid Cylons may find physical contact with the Hybrid to be distasteful, dangerous, or a type of taboo.
Notes[edit]
- Tiffany Lyndall-Knight is credited as the Hybrid for "A Measure of Salvation" and "Hero" but does not actually appear, which may mean that scenes involving the Hybrid were cut from those episodes.
- The Hybrids are similar to Frank Herbert's Guild Navigators from his Dune series, who, through a combination of technology and mental abilities, can guide starcraft through space in an apparent-FTL process called "folding space." Like the Navigators, the Hybrids seem to be able to utilize precognition to a greater or lesser extent.
- The anime series Outlaw Star also included a character named Melfina, a bio-android, who acted as a navigation CPU for the ship. Melfina navigates the Outlaw Star from within a transparent cylindrical chamber on the bridge which is filled with an unknown liquid-like substance, similar to that of a rebirthing chamber.
- The computer games Homeworld and Homeworld 2 also feature a woman bio-mechanically linked with the core of a spacecraft for command and control purposes. The neuroscientist Karan S'jet has herself integrated with the computer core of the game's mothership in order to expand its processing power by direct interface with a human brain. S'jet undergoes a similar metaphysical experience as the Baseship Hybrid does while she is integrated with the mothership and is suspended in a room filled a liquid substance, much like the Hybrid's tank.
- The incoherent but prophetic speech of the Hyrbids is similar to that of the precogs in the Minority Report short story, while the visual appearance of the Hybrids resembles that of the precogs in the film adaptation.
- Ron D. Moore, in the podcast for this episode, notes that the Hybrid should be considered "Model 0," neither Humanoid Cylon, Raider or Centurion, but an intermediate step between the three, designed for a specific purpose.
References[edit]
- ↑ Despite its humanoid appearance, the Hybrid is not a Humanoid Cylon and should not be counted as one of the 12 Humanoid Cylon varieties.