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Lucifer (alternate)

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This article has a separate continuity.
This article is in a separate continuity, which is related to the Original Series. Be sure that your contributions to this article reflect the characters and events specific to this continuity only.
Lucifer as depicted in the Marvel comic, The Memory Machine.

This article covers the various depictions of Lucifer from the tie-in novelizations, comic books, and other media.

Berkley Novelizations

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Background

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Unlike his canonical analogue, Lucifer is not a Cylon but an ambulatory cybernetic sentience that the Cylons created as a result of their developments into war machines, presumably during the Thousand Yahren War. However, unbeknownst to his Cylon masters, he believes he has a soul, since he "created" his own personality.[1] Additionally, he is able to override much of the Cylons' programming, with the exception of the extreme loyalty that is deeply embedded into his programming.

Despite not being a Cylon, Lucifer is afforded both an official name and a secret name; his official name, Lucifer, is an acronym for his secret name.[2] He is also able to create various machines, some of which were used in Baltar's training.[3]

Lucifer rescues Baltar from execution, forcing the human to undergo diet, as well as mental and physical exercises, for the purposes of Lucifer's plan to use Baltar to destroy Adama's Fleet.[4] After Lucifer's plan and Baltar are presented to the Imperious Leader, Baltar is able to have Lucifer reprogrammed to be totally subservient to him.[5]

Although Lucifer is able to negate the program's effects, Lucifer ends up acquiescing to it and saves Baltar from death on Kobol. However, his exposure to Lieutenant Starbuck—previously captured by a Cylon patrol before encountering Kobol—leads him to think favorably of certain humans. Starbuck introduces Lucifer to pyramid and beats him at the game. Lucifer is baffled by the concept of luck as Starbuck describes it.

Lucifer is dismayed by Spectre's flattery of Baltar, despite Lucifer's attempts to convince him of Spectre's duplicitous nature. He is beside himself when Spectre not only manages to fool Baltar into authorizing his retreat from Antila, but also Baltar's assignment of Spectre as Lucifer's aide. It is also revealed that Lucifer has created a system that he believes will enable him to beat Starbuck at Pyramid should they ever have the opportunity to play it again.

Lucifer and Spectre are taken captive by smugglers and are taken to a planet where Lucifer winds up meeting Starbuck after he is also taken prisoner. Starbuck eventually convinces their captors to allow him to play Lucifer at Pyramid for a chance at freedom. But the terms are that if Lucifer loses, he will be deactivated. At the end of the game, Lucifer simply lays his cards face down and congratulates Starbuck. Later, after the aliens are defeated, Lucifer willingly deactivates himself despite Starbuck's protests. Spectre takes the deactivated Lucifer back with him. Spectre examines Lucifer's cards and discovers that Lucifer had a winning hand.

Spectre is made a Cylon commander and has Lucifer reactivated, reprogramming him to be a saboteur and assassin. During the reprogramming process, Spectre tests Lucifer's conditioning by asking him about his feelings toward humans and Cylons. Lucifer responds automatically that humans "are vermin which must be exterminated from the universe" and that Cylons "are destined to bring order to the universe." When Spectre asks if Lucifer has any objection to "fulfilling your role as assassin," Lucifer replies "None at all."[6]

To infiltrate the Fleet, Spectre arranges for Lucifer to be disguised as a Borellian Noman. The disguise involves covering Lucifer with "thick matted hair" and altering his appearance to make him appear "fierce with bestiality." The transformation is so complete that when Spectre examines the disguise, he declares it "accurate in all respects."[7]

Working alongside the disguised Baltar, Lucifer is sent to Galactica as part of an infiltration mission. His primary assignment is to assassinate Commander Adama, while Baltar is tasked with sabotaging the ship's systems. The mission involves infiltrating Dwybolt's theater company, where Lucifer performs as an actor under the stage name "Trogla."[8]

During his time with the theater company, Lucifer proves to be a remarkably gifted performer. His acting becomes so skilled that Dwybolt considers him "an incarnation of the Great Franda." Lucifer's swordplay becomes particularly impressive, leading some actors to fear crossing swords with him even in carefully choreographed battles. His performance opposite Shalheya in romantic scenes draws considerable audience admiration.[9]

However, Lucifer's assassination attempt against Adama is thwarted by Starbuck, who recognizes him and helps restore his true personality by removing Spectre's programming overlay. Galactica's scientists carefully remove his Borellian Noman disguise and restore his original physical structure, working out how to reactivate him by bypassing his shutdown system.[10]

After his restoration, Lucifer experiences doubt about his purpose and asks Starbuck to deactivate him permanently, believing he has "failed as a Cylon" and is "no use to any functioning unit anywhere." However, Starbuck refuses and instead proposes that Lucifer "try our side" by working for the Colonials. Despite sensing "programming resistance, particularly in the circuitry which demanded loyalty to the Cylons," Lucifer admits "I... I think I like you, Starbuck," suggesting his willingness to join the Colonial cause.[11]

Dynamite Entertainment comics

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Battlestar Galactica Classic

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Lucifer leads a Cylon task force in the "education" of the Kiernu following their inability to hinder the Fleet's entrance into the Empyrean Expanse ((ComicsBattlestar Galactica Classic #1)).

Lucifer, at the order of the Imperious Leader, integrates Baltar's consciousness into a cybernetic construct built by himself and at least one other IL-series unit. In completing this task, he is able to fool Baltar into the belief that his execution was spared by the new post-Carillon Imperious Leader (ComicsBattlestar Galactica Annual 2014). Believing that this was important, Lucifer perpetuates the ruse that Baltar is his superior, and fully human, during their pursuit of the rag-tag, fugitive fleet.

Lucifer, in a lone basestar, pursues the Fleet through a black hole and into a realm created by Iblis (ComicsClassic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 3 #1). After being quickly attacked by an overwhelming force of Meclon Raiders, Lucifer orders an immediate retreat and seeks sanctuary within the very Fleet they once hunted (ComicsClassic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 3 #2).

Re-united with Baltar, Lucifer assists the Fleet in defending against the Meclon forces (ComicsClassic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 3 #4) and, with the Seraphs help, brokers a true peace with the surviving humans following the incident (ComicsClassic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 3 #5).

Following the Fleet's entry into the Empyrean Expanse, Lucifer leads the "education" of the Kiernu following their failure to impede the Fleet's travels (ComicsBattlestar Galactica Classic #1). Prior to this, Baltar recruits the Okaati to assist in capturing the Fleet, which has some degree of success were it not for Baltar's betrayal at Gehenna Prime over mere tylium, despite Lucifer's advisement otherwise (ComicsBattlestar Galactica Classic #45).

Caveat: It should be noted that the events depicted in various Dynamite Comic books are incongruent across its story ranges, resulting in contradictions that cannot be resolved.

Main article: Lucifer (1980)

Some 30 years after the events of "The Hand of God," Baltar returns to the Cylons and, with Lucifer, executes a plan whereby they silently pursue the Fleet until they locate Earth. This plan is successful (ComicsGalactica 1980 #2) and they begin their attack on Earth. In the final battle, Lucifer meets his end when his Cylon basestar is destroyed. (ComicsGalactica 1980 #34).

Marvel comics

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Lucifer lands on Kobol and discovers Baltar still alive. Baltar pleads with Lucifer, saying that he can lead the Cylons to the Fleet, a claim that Lucifer sinisterly agrees with (The Memory Machine). Lucifer later leads an attack on Galactica and the Fleet near the scavanger world, in the middle of the magnetic void, without success (The Trap!, Collision Course!).

Maximum Press

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The re-imagined Lucifer from the Maximum Press comic book series.
  • Taking place 20 yahrens after the events of the original series, Lucifer once again serves as Baltar's aid in a quest to destroy the Colonial fleet, but the character is not given a story arc.

Realm Press

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  • In issue (#2) of the Realm Press Galactica comic, Lucifer attempts to destroy the Colonials, but his plan fails when his Cylon basestar crashes into the alien city of Salis. Lucifer survives the explosion and later directly serves as an aid to the Imperious Leader.

References

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  1. Larson, Glen A.; Thurston, Robert (September 1979). Battlestar Galactica 3: The Tombs of Kobol. Berkley Books, p. 6.
  2. Larson, Glen A.; Thurston, Robert (September 1979). Battlestar Galactica 3: The Tombs of Kobol. Berkley Books, p. 4.
  3. Larson, Glen A.; Thurston, Robert (September 1979). Battlestar Galactica 3: The Tombs of Kobol. Berkley Books, p. 7.
  4. Larson, Glen A.; Thurston, Robert (September 1979). Battlestar Galactica 3: The Tombs of Kobol. Berkley Books, p. 7-10.
  5. Larson, Glen A.; Thurston, Robert (September 1979). Battlestar Galactica 3: The Tombs of Kobol. Berkley Books, p. 10-12.
  6. Larson, Glen A.; Thurston, Robert (1988). Surrender the Galactica!. Ace Books, p. 60.
  7. Larson, Glen A.; Thurston, Robert (1988). Surrender the Galactica!. Ace Books, p. 84.
  8. Larson, Glen A.; Thurston, Robert (1988). Surrender the Galactica!. Ace Books, p. 63.
  9. Larson, Glen A.; Thurston, Robert (1988). Surrender the Galactica!. Ace Books, p. 120-121.
  10. Larson, Glen A.; Thurston, Robert (1988). Surrender the Galactica!. Ace Books, p. 212.
  11. Larson, Glen A.; Thurston, Robert (1988). Surrender the Galactica!. Ace Books, p. 212-213.