Heroes of the Cylon

"Hero of the Cylon" is the honorary title given to Sharon Valerii and Caprica-Six after their successful missions of espionage, sabotage, genocide and attempted murder. Their two missions resulted in the successful destruction and occupation of the Twelve Colonies as well as damage and terrorism strewn through its space-dwelling survivors (Downloaded).

A Number Three congratulates Caprica-Six with this title after her recent download as the occupying Cylons on Caprica continue their clean up of a city for their use.

Later, Caprica-Six and Valerii realize that the moniker has a taint; their status as heroes have marked the two humanoid Cylons as being too individualistic due to their respective romantic involvement with humans Gaius Baltar and Galen Tyrol, respectively (although Tyrol is actually a Cylon, the Significant Seven are unaware of this). Three suggests that, if Valerii (and, by similar implication, Caprica-Six) does not accept her true nature as a Cylon and forget her emotional attachments to humans, her consciousness will eventually be boxed. Caprica-Six is also tipped off to this problem by an image of Gaius Baltar that only she can see and hear.

Caprica-Six and Valerii avoid boxing by succeeding in changing the Cylon plan to replace humans as the citizens of the former worlds of the Twelve Colonies and by seeking out the surviving fragment of humanity to care for them as a parent would a child. After approximately a year, the Cylon fleet detects the radiation signature of a nuclear explosion, which leads their fleet to find most of the Colonials inhabiting a new world.

Accompanied by a Number Five, the heroes of the Cylon demand the surrender of the colony from President Baltar (Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II).

While the former "Boomer" Valerii eventually denounces her emotional ties to humanity, claiming that it was wrong to attempt to unite Cylons and humans, Caprica-Six continues to attempt to balance her duties as a Cylon with her love of Gaius Baltar and the safety and health of the hybrid child Hera Agathon.

Notes

• This is not the only time that the term "Cylon" is used as a mass noun. In "Occupation", a Number Six states that "a majority of the Cylon felt that the slaughter of mankind had been a mistake."
• Demand Peace also uses this phrasing. Royan Jahee says that he wants "Peace with the Cylon", and the suicide bomber on the Daru Mozu declares that "(if) my sacrifice sends a signal to the Cylon that brings peace, then it was worth it." (Epiphanies)