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Hybrid

From Battlestar Wiki, the free, open content Battlestar Galactica encyclopedia and episode guide
Revision as of 20:26, 4 January 2007 by JubalHarshaw (talk | contribs) (Notes formatting, wording)
Hybrid
Hybrid

Name

Age
Colony
Birth place {{{birthplace}}}
Birth Name
Birth Date {{{birthdate}}}
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Nickname {{{nickname}}}
Introduced Torn
Death
Parents
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Family Tree View
Role Cylon basestar central computer
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Serial Number {{{serial}}}
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
Additional Information
[[Image:|200px|Hybrid]]
This article discusses the living computer of a Re-imagined Series basestar. For information on the Cylon-human hybrid child, see Hera.

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 Cylon agents, 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 Cylon agents, located elsewhere in the basestar's command and control center, generate the collective command decisions that are accepted and executed by the Hybrids.

A Hybrid speaking "nonsense".

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 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 it about the missing five Cylon agents, 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 Cylon agents may find physical contact with the Hybrid to be distasteful, dangerous, or a type of taboo.

Notes

  • 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 a apparent-FTL process called "folding space." Like the Navigators, the Hybrids seem to be able to utilize precognition to a greater or lesser extent.
  • Ron D. Moore, in the podcast for this episode, notes that the Hybrid should be considered "Model 0," neither Cylon agent, Raider or Centurion, but an intermediate step between the three, designed for a specific purpose.

References

  1. Despite its humanoid appearance, the Hybrid is not a Cylon agent and should not be counted as one of the 12 Cylon agent varieties.