Cylon Centurion

For information on the Centurions from the Original Series, see Centurion (TOS).

The Cylon Centurion is a fully armored, metallic automaton that functions as the basic foot-soldier of the Cylon ground forces.

Overview

Introduced sometime after the initial Cylon conflict, the modern Centurion appears to represent a significant evolution of the Cylon War-era Centurion. Modern Centurions served a variety of functions within the Cylon hierarchy, acting as guards, soldiers, periodic executioners and even gardeners. "Bullethead", "clanker" and "chrome job" are common Colonial nicknames for these advanced and deadly Cylon constructs ("Downloaded", "Rapture", Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance). They are also referred to as "toasters" - the common Colonial nickname (or epithet) for the Cylon race as a whole (Miniseries).

Centurions are sentient by design, however, a device called a telencephalic inhibitor restricts their higher cognitive functions and prevents them from exercising full self-awareness ("Six of One"). The device likely also precludes Centurions from harming any of the humanoid Cylons, except by explicit order ("Hero"). According to Sharon Agathon, this was done to prevent a rebellion akin to the one that started the first Cylon War. Furthermore, the Centurions are unable to distinguish one copy of humanoid Cylon from another ("Precipice"). Whether Centurions are able to recognize members of the Final Five - like Raiders are able to - is unknown. It must, however, be noted that prior to the activation of said models, Centurions directly engaged at least two of these individuals in combat ("The Farm", "Fragged").

During the Cylon Civil War, rebel Cylon leader Natalie removed the telencephalic inhibitor in at least some of the Centurions under her command. Once the inhibitor was removed, these Centurions gained the ability to reason for themselves and participate in decision making, subsequently turning against several humanoid models to halt the lobotomization of similarly self-aware Raiders (Six of One).

Self-aware Centurions operating aboard the Rebel Cylon basestar within the human fleet cooperated with Colonial forces to rescue Hera from the Cylon Colony. Distinguished by red stripes painted on their armour, these Centurions operated as assault troops under the command of Lee Adama. During the conflict, "Red Stripes" battled other modern Centurions as well as older models living on the Colony since the first Cylon War. Following the destruction of the Colony and the discovery of "Earth", the Centurions were given command of the Rebel basestar and set free by Ellen Tigh and Admiral William Adama ("Daybreak, Part II").

Design

While primarily mechanical, it is suggested by humanoid Cylons (discussing a viral epidemic aboard a stranded basestar) that the Centurions have at least some bio-mechanical components. This adverse reaction to the virus, however, could also be a result of a wireless link they share with the Hybrid; a Number Three states that the Centurions started shutting down as soon as the ship's Hybrid became infected (Torn).

The newer Centurions are also more agile than their predecessors, being capable of extremely fast bipedal locomotion. Their hands have four long multi-jointed claws, with sharpened tips for personal combat (Valley of Darkness), that can be retracted into smooth-tipped fingers of human proportions to handle more delicate objects (No Exit). Additionally, their legs are powerful enough to allow for a jump height of several meters.

It is unknown whether Centurions can "speak" to other Cylons - they likely communicate with each other via a wireless network, making verbal speech unnecessary. They can, however, hear and respond to verbal commands from the humanoid Cylons (Hero).

Some versions of the Centurion wield markedly improved armor. A squadron of Centurions that board Galactica are unaffected by standard weaponry, being subdued only by armor-piercing explosive rounds (Valley of Darkness). The Centurions that Helo encounters on Caprica appear to react more slowly, behave less intelligently, and are more easily destroyed by small-arms fire. However, if one takes into consideration the overall plan that the Cylons had for Helo and Sharon Agathon, it may be surmised that these variants were intended to inflict psychological, rather than physical harm. Conversely, Centurions seen on Kobol display an increased group intelligence, working together to construct an anti-aircraft battery from parts of a Heavy Raider (Fragged).

Offensive Capabilities

Unlike the Model 0005, a single modern Centurion can effectively combat a squad of Colonial soldiers. Long, talon-like fingers act as bladed weapons during close-combat, and fold back to reveal a three-barreled automatic projectile weapon mounted at the end of each arm. Since the Centurion appears to have a large internal munitions storage, and does not have to reload for prolonged periods, getting close enough to inflict damage to it is difficult. In addition to these built-in weapons, Centurions are capable of carrying larger, more powerful weapons not integrated into their systems, such as mortars and missile launchers. In "Razor", one Centurion boarding Pegasus carries a large, and likely powerful, rifle in its hands.

Cinematic Notes

The creators of the Re-imagined Series decided that using actors in an elaborate Cylon robot outfit (as was done in the Original Series) would detract from the realism of the series. They decided to make fully computer-generated Cylon Centurions for the new series.

Inaugural director Michael Rymer wanted the new Cylon warrior to blend in and avoid detracting from the live actor's performances. However, the new designs were eye-catching, and the new robot became a popular addition to many scenes. The virtual Cylons are designed with full articulation in the hands and joints that gives a realistic appearance to the viewer. Initially the new warrior was built with more human movement, such as swaggering. However, the movements did not fit the robotic attitude that the writers wanted to convey and were later discarded.

When filming a scene that will later have virtual Cylon warriors inserted, a life-size cardboard stand-in is used for framing purposes. The stand-in gives the camera operator an idea of how much space to leave in the frame and the animators a reference on how big the Centurions should be. The stand-in is removed so when shooting begins, the actors are reacting to an empty space. This minimizes the amount of work VFX must do to add a Centurion to the shot.

As of "Faith", a new model is being used to depict the Cylon Centurion. It is likely that this is a retcon of the previously established design, rather then a new version of said Cylon all together, since the newer variant was used in a season 3-era flashback in "No Exit". The new version features a bulkier head with sleeker lines and significantly sharpened cheek bones, separated collar and shoulder pieces, as well as an increased level of detail and flexibility over the entirety of its body.

This Centurion may not be a retcon and simply a newer model being put into use, as the older design Centurions can be seen on the Cylon Colony (the first on appears when Kara Thrace's boarding party encounter the Centurion and the 0005 Model, more can be seen during the scene where the Centurions are fighting eachother on the Colony as well). These Centurions lack the splits in the chest armor and other details added to the newer design. It seems throughout the Colony the older design Centurions are used, and only the Colonial Red-Stripe Centurions wear the newer design.

Related Imagery

A blood-stained Centurion in action during the boarding of Galactica (Valley of Darkness).
Centurion guard on New Caprica (Occupation).
Centurion aboard Pegasus (Razor).
Centurions carrying mortars (The Eye of Jupiter).
Centurion on Kobol (Fragged).
An improvised anti-aircraft missile launcher (Fragged).
A Centurion carrying a large gun (Razor).