- This article is about sexuality in the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, as depicted in the re-imaginded series' continuity. For sexuality depicted in the Original Series, see: Sexuality in Battlestar Galactica (TOS).
The civilizations of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol seem to celebrate a rich sexual diversity.
While there are many tensions within the worlds regarding issues such as cultural heritage and origin, religious views or race, no such discrimination has been linked to sexual orientation or gender.
The Cylons, as a mainly Colonial creation, seem to share these principles and acceptance.
Human Sexuality
Gender
Within Colonial society there seems to be little differentiation between male and female persons. Occupations, ranks as well as civilian and religious positions seem to be hold by men and women alike.
There seems to be no notion of a superiority of one sex over the other or a clear division of gender roles. The most notable differences between sexes are in their respective clothing and hair styles, as well as the use of make-up and jewelery. However, some other stereotypical perceptions of male and female behavior are shown, mostly carried over from real-world paradigms (see Analysis).
Neither transsexual nor transgender people have been prominently seen within Colonial society. It seems, though, that at least within the V-Club these sexual derivations were accepted (Caprica pilot).
Religion
Colonial Religion seems to make little difference between male and female persons and has apparently little to no dogmas regarding sexual activity.
Colonial clergy consists of both, brothers and sisters, as well as priests of both sexes. Oracles seem to be traditionally female, including the famous Pythia.
The Lords of Kobol include male and female deities, their leaders seemingly being Zeus and Hera. The One True God of Colonial monotheism is generally spoken of as male.[1]
Nonetheless, some traditional doctrines regarding marriage exist (The Eye of Jupiter). At least some interpretations of religious scripture do also regard abortion as a sin (The Captain's Hand).
Military
Within Colonial military gender is apparently no point of concern regarding positions, capabilities and ranks. Both female and male crew members of Galactica and Pegasus are shown in a huge variety of different appointments, ranging from deckhand to CAG to Rear Admiral.
The military also seems to have a strict unisex approach to different aspects of life aboard their ships, including crew quarters and lavatory compartments (Miniseries). One notable exception are formal celebrations, where male crew members are shown to exclusively wear their uniforms whereas female crew members are allowed to wear evening gowns (Colonial Day).
In military tradition, every senior officer is addressed as "sir", regardless of their gender.
One of the very few restrictions regarding consenting sexual relationships can be found in the Colonial forces, were senior and junior officers are not aloud to be involved (Miniseries).
Language
The most prominent language of the Twelve Colonies[2] does not have a grammatical gender. Therefore, most terms and descriptions might be equally applied under many different circumstances.
However, in some instances a generic he is used, even though not only male people are addressed.
Other languages of the Twelve Colonies do have a grammatical gender, including Tauronese and Old Gemenese.[3] However, it is unknown how this might affect gender conceptions of their respective worlds.
Sexual relationships
Many kinds of sexual relationships have been shown within the Twelve Colonies. These include sexual encounters between one man and one woman, same-sex relationships, group sex, prostitution as well as sexual assault.
Most Colonials seem to prefer consenting sexual partners of the opposite sex (e.g. Gaius Baltar or Laura Roslin). However, individuals have been shown to engage same-sex relationships likewise (e.g. Clarice Willow and Felix Gaeta) or exclusively (e.g. Sam Adama and possibly Helena Cain).
The age of consent within the Colonies is not known and might actually differ within the twelve societies or even based on religious views. However, Amanda Graystone seemed shocked to learn that her late 16 year-old daughter Zoe had a boyfriend (Rebirth).[4]
Pornography seems to be common within the Colonies (Pegasus (Extended Version), Caprica pilot) as were strip clubs before the Fall (Daybreak, Part I, The Plan). On Caprica, at least before the First Cylon War, teenagers also secretly engaged virtual sex in the V-Club (Caprica pilot).
Pedophilia and child prostitution do occur within Colonial Society but are generally frowned upon. However, for some time after the Fall this became a lucrative business within the fugitive Fleet (Black Market). Rape has also been shown to occur, most notably against two Cylon prisoners (Pegasus).
Marriage
Marriage within the Twelve Colonies is a social union that clearly defines the romantic relationship between two or more people.[5] It is not known if there is any clear distinction between civilian and religious partnerships. However, at least for some people marriage seems to be a sacred vow before the Gods (The Eye of Jupiter).
While most marriages are between two people (e.g. between Lee Adama and Anastasia Dualla - Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II), group marriages are also legal in the Colonies (e.g. between Clarice Willow and her wifes and husbands - Rebirth).
Divorces (and subsequent remarriages) seem to be rather common within Colonial society and do apparently coincide with religious beliefs (Miniseries, The Eye of Jupiter, A Day in the Life). Colonials have also been shown to be unfaithful to their respective spouses (including Cally Henderson and, presumably, Richard Adar).
Cylon Sexuality
Cylon Centurions
The Cylon centurions have never been shown to engage any kind of sexual relationship. It is also not known, whether Graystone Industries or any other company ever invented robots that were used for sexual pleasure rather than military use or hard labor.
Since at least the very first Cylon has a personality based on a real person and centurions have been shown to be conscious, the notion of romantic or sexual behavior is not entirely implausible.
Humanoid Cylons
The Humanoid Cylons are based upon eight different archetypes of behavior. Certain stereotypes might be associated with them but they are rather based on their respective model than the sex of their bodies - Number Sixes, for instance, have been shown to be overly sexually seductive, including relationships with human and cylon males and females alike (Miniseries, Razor, Hero, The Plan).
The Cylon's sexual behavior is likely just as diverse as that of humanity. It has been stated that they have tried to reproduce sexually but any attempts at this have failed (The Farm).
While it is not clearly shown or stated, it is very likely that many inter-Cylon relationships occurred, even though biological reproduction was not possible. After the Fall Brother Cavil and a Number Six were involved for a couple of weeks (The Plan). Caprica and a Number Three copy have been intimate at least since Gaius Baltar arrived aboard their basestar (Hero, The Eye of Jupiter). Natalie also might have had a relationship with another copy of her model (Faith).
Many humanoid Cylons also engaged in relationships with humans during the infiltration of the Colonies, the Cylon Civil War and likely after the settlement of the second Earth (see Interracial relationships).
Thirteenth Tribe
Little is known about sexuality on Earth. Only five survivors of the Thirteenth Tribe are ever encountered by humanity. Of those, four were in a relationship before the destruction of their planet (Tory Foster and Galen Tyrol, Saul Tigh and Ellen Tigh - No Exit).
All of those Cylons engaged in relationships with humans and/or humanoid Cylons before and after the destruction of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, for most of that time not knowing that they were Cylons themselves. Notably, the relationship between Saul Tigh and Caprica resulted in a pregnancy, although the child was later lost (Deadlock).
Interracial relationships
After the First Cylon War there is no indication that ethnicity or culture influenced romantic and sexual relationships within Colonial society.
However, this might have been different before the Unification of the Colonies. At least Caprican society showed strong anti-Tauron sentiments, potentially making relationships between citizens of both worlds difficult (Caprica pilot).
Cylon-Human relationships
After the Holocaust, when Colonial humanity discovered the existence of humanoid Cylons, inter-racial relationships between these two peoples became an increasingly significant issue for Colonial survivors.
About two years before the Fall, Cylons started to infiltrate the Twelve Colonies. Many of them entered relationships with humans in order to gain intelligence, social acceptance and/or because they fell in love. Most of these liaisons ended with the attack but some of them survived the first days of the Holocaust. Aboard Galactica a copy of Number Four remained in a marriage with deckhand Giana O'Neill (The Plan), while Pegasus' commanding officer Helena Cain continued her relationship with a copy of Number Six, Gina Inviere (Razor).
Both relationships left the respective human partner devastated when they found out that they had dated a Cylon. O'Neill suddenly approved of her husband's suicide (The Plan), while Cain ordered her former lover to be tortured and humiliated by her subordinates (Razor, Pegasus).
On the Cylon-occupied New Caprica at least one human citizen privily entered a relationship with a Cylon (The Face of the Enemy). When William Adama found out that his friend Saul Tigh (whom he thought of as human at the time) had started an affair and impregnated the imprisoned Caprica-Six, he seemed disturbed, if not disgusted (Sine Qua Non).
It is not known, whether any new, true human-Cylon relationships occurred after the rebel Cylons joined the human fleet, though it is likely that this happened at least after the settlement of the second Earth (Daybreak, Part II).
Sharon and Karl Agathon
The relationship of Karl and Sharon Agathon was humanity's first contact with an open Cylon-human love and resulted in the birth of the first (and for a long time only) hybrid. It is therefore easily one of the most important examples of an inter-racial relationship within Colonial society.
When Karl Agathon was stranded on the post-apocalyptic Caprica, the occupying Cylons envisioned a plan to make him fall in love with a copy of model Number Eight, who claimed to be his colleague Sharon Valerii (33, Litmus). Over a couple of weeks this plan actually worked out and the Eight got pregnant with Agathon's child (Colonial Day). She soon decided to stay with her human lover and betrayed her people in the course, returning with Agathon to the few fleeing human survivors (The Farm).
At the beginning, Sharon's status within the Fleet was problematic, at best. She was imprisoned and Karl Agathon was not allowed to have intimate or even private contact with her. In her prison she was assaulted and raped by Pegasus' crewmen (Pegasus), something Galactica's commander felt guilty about (Resurrection Ship, Part I).
A forced abortion of Sharon's child was considered and nearly executed, when the leaders of the fleet thought of the unborn as a possible threat to humanity (Epiphanies). She prematurely gave birth to her daughter, Hera, and the child was taken away from her, leaving her under the impression she didn't survive (Downloaded).
During the settlement of New Caprica, Sharon started to gain trust from Commander Adama and was allowed to marry Karl Agathon and eventually released from her cell (Occupation). It was only at this time and after the Second Exodus that the relationship of the Agathons started to get accepted by their fellow shipmates (Torn).
Gaius Baltar
The Final Five
Analysis
Depiction of gender
Depiction of sexual orientation
Notes
References
- ↑ This is especially true for the Cylons who likely adopted this faith from the early monotheists. However, Virtual Baltar later calls the omnipotent being "it" (Daybreak, Part II).
- ↑ Equivalent to real-world English.
- ↑ Which are based on Ancient Greek and the Romanian language.
- ↑ While Amanda is mainly shocked to hear about Ben Stark for the very first time, her dialog also indicates that she thought that Zoe never actually had sex before her death.
- ↑ No same-sex marriages have been seen on screen thus far. However, Jane Espenson and actor Sasha Roiz have confirmed that Sam Adama has a husband, named Larry.