Humanoid Cylon speculation: Difference between revisions

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(Age is not a qualifer)
(Removing unsubstantiated/redundant notes, concising for length. See Talk.)
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The [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon's]] transformation into [[Cylon agent|humanoid form]] introduces serious problems for the remnant of humanity known as [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]] to identify Cylon operative from human.
The [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon's]] transformation into [[Cylon agent|humanoid form]] introduces serious problems for the remnant of humanity known as [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]] to identify Cylon operative from human.


This article details plausible speculation on central and supporting characters in ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' who, based on their behavior, motive, and background, could be a Cylon agent.
This article details [[Battlestar Wiki:Citation Jihad#Derived content|plausible speculation]] on central and supporting characters in ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' who, based on their behavior, motive, and background, could be a Cylon agent.


=Needed Qualifiers for Speculation=
=Needed Qualifiers for Speculation=
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* '''The suspect must not have any adult children or siblings.''' For purposes of this article, a pregnancy can be generally established as a disqualifier.  With [[Sharon Agathon|one exception]], Cylon agents have extreme difficulty with human sexual reproduction to the point of effectively infertility.<ref>During a discussion of the reproductive intentions of Cylons in [[The Farm#Noteworthy Dialogue|The Farm]]:<br>
* '''The suspect must not have any adult children or siblings.''' For purposes of this article, a pregnancy can be generally established as a disqualifier.  With [[Sharon Agathon|one exception]], Cylon agents have extreme difficulty with human sexual reproduction to the point of effectively infertility.<ref>During a discussion of the reproductive intentions of Cylons in [[The Farm#Noteworthy Dialogue|The Farm]]:<br>
'''Starbuck''': So farms, that’s great. What were they gonna do? Knock me up with some Cylon kid?<br>'''Sharon''': They were gonna try to. We haven’t been successful so far.<br>'''Anders''': Supposedly they can’t reproduce. You know biologically. So they have been trying every which way to produce offspring.</ref> If a character has adult, biological children, it automatically excludes them as being a Cylon agent as the procreation of the child and the age of the child both violate the 2nd qualifier.  Although humanoid Cylons have, eventually, proven to be capable of reproduction with humans, the birth of the hybrid child [[Hera]] was considered such a seminal event by the Cylons that it seems safe to conclude that no Cylon ever had a child before that point.   
'''Starbuck''': So farms, that’s great. What were they gonna do? Knock me up with some Cylon kid?<br>'''Sharon''': They were gonna try to. We haven’t been successful so far.<br>'''Anders''': Supposedly they can’t reproduce. You know biologically. So they have been trying every which way to produce offspring.</ref> If a character has adult, biological children, it automatically excludes them as being a Cylon agent as the procreation of the child and the age of the child both violate the 2nd qualifier.  Although humanoid Cylons have, eventually, proven to be capable of reproduction with humans, the birth of the hybrid child [[Hera]] was considered such a seminal event by the Cylons that it seems safe to conclude that no Cylon ever had a child before that point.   
* '''The suspect must not have a verifiable family history''' (other than marriage).  A parent would known their child from birth (unless otherwise specified), and Cylons are not copies of prexisting humans.   This is an expansion of the "confirmed character history" point below.
* '''The suspect must not have a verifiable family history''' (other than marriage).  A parent would known their child from birth (unless otherwise specified), and Cylons are not copies of prexisting humans. This is an expansion of the "confirmed character history" point below.
* '''The suspect cannot be confirmed to have witnessed or participated in the [[Cylon War]].'''  This is another expansion of the "confirmed character history" point; the Cylons definitely didn't have humanoid models during the First Cylon War{{citation needed}}, so if someone is confirmed to have participated in the war 40 years ago, that person is not a Cylon, e.g. William Adama and Saul Tigh.
* '''The suspect cannot be confirmed to have witnessed or participated in the [[Cylon War]].'''  This is another expansion of the "confirmed character history" point; the Cylons definitely didn't have humanoid models during the First Cylon War{{citation needed}}, so if someone is confirmed to have participated in the war 40 years ago, that person is not a Cylon, e.g. William Adama and Saul Tigh.  Note that apparent age is ''not'' a disqualifer; the Cylon agent model known as [[Cavil]] appears as old as William Adama and Saul Tigh.
* '''The suspect does not have a reliable history''' involving direct association (i.e. working or personal relationship) with a confirmed human character for '''more than 2 years prior''' to the destruction of the Colonies.
* '''The suspect does not have a reliable history''' involving direct association (i.e. working or personal relationship) with a confirmed human character for '''more than 2 years prior''' to the destruction of the Colonies.


Based on information from the [[Miniseries]], the Cylon agents began their infiltration and integration into Colonial society approximately 2 years before the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]. If a character has a direct association with a character that cannot be a Cylon agent, that association excludes them since they are older than the stated time that the agents began to integrate themselves into Colonial society. Note that the 2-year period is based on information given by [[Number Six]] to [[Gaius Baltar]]: Their relationship lasted for 2 years prior to the Cylon attack. There is also supporting information that [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer's]] tour of duty in the Colonial Fleet was also approximately 2 years.
Based on information from the [[Miniseries]], the Cylon agents began their infiltration and integration into Colonial society approximately 2 years before the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]. If a character has a direct association with a character that cannot be a Cylon agent, that association excludes them since they are older than the stated time that the agents began to integrate themselves into Colonial society. Note that the 2-year period is based on information given by [[Number Six]] to [[Gaius Baltar]]: Their relationship lasted for 2 years prior to the Cylon attack. There is also supporting information that [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer's]] tour of duty in the Colonial Fleet was also approximately 2 years.


According to [[Ron D. Moore]], the twelve humanoid models are based on human behavior and personality archetypes distilled into twelve varieties. '''Cylon agents are NOT copies or clones of any pre-existing humans, living or dead:''' In an October 24th, 2005 [http://www.thefandom.com/Article50.phtml podcast interview] Ron Moore stated that:
According to [[Ron D. Moore]], the twelve humanoid models are based on human behavior and personality archetypes distilled into twelve varieties. '''Cylon agents are NOT copies or clones of any pre-existing humans, living or dead'''<ref>In an October 24th, 2005 [http://www.thefandom.com/Article50.phtml podcast interview] Ron Moore stated, "The idea is not there was one like an original human model that they were copied from. The idea was that these were...these models of Cylon were developed out of their own study of us. The Cylons on some level looked at humanity and said, 'Well, you know what, there's really only twelve of you...and these are the twelve.' And then if you look at them, they kind of represent different archetypes of what humanity is."</ref>.


:"The idea is not there was one like an original human model that they were copied from. The idea was that these were...these models of Cylon were developed out of their own study of us. The Cylons on some level looked at humanity and said, 'Well, you know what, there's really only twelve of you...and these are the twelve.' And then if you look at them, they kind of represent different archetypes of what humanity is."
Please note that [[Wikipedia:retcon|retroactive continuity changes]] are possible in the series<ref>Retconning has occurred previously, from as the amount of time remaining in the President's term (between "[[Bastille Day]]" and "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]") or the number of prisoners held aboard the ''[[Astral Queen]]'' (between the [[Miniseries]] and "[[Bastille Day]].").</ref> This article is based on plausible speculation, which is also highly fluid in content and can violate {{tl|NPOV}} policies if taken too far in the extreme.
 
Moore and the writers could always, of course, change their minds about anything not specifically established within the canon if needed. There is even precedent for retconning facts established within the canon itself, such as the amount of time remaining in the President's term (between [[Bastille Day]] and [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]) or the number of prisoners held aboard the [[Astral Queen]] (between the [[Miniseries]] and [[Bastille Day]].) Nonetheless, based on the qualifiers yet established, each assessment below is marked accordingly with their probability of being a Cylon infiltrator.


=Suspected Cylon infiltrators=
=Suspected Cylon infiltrators=
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* '''Chances of being a Cylon:''' High   
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:''' High   


[[James Lyman|James "Jammer" Lyman‎]] has exhibited suspicious actions numerous times. Along with [[Cally]] and [[Socinus]], he serves under Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] on the [[hangar deck]].  Jammer consistently makes remarks that seem to be trying to divide the humans against each other. When it was revealed to the Fleet that Cylons now can look like humans in "[[Litmus]]", he kept arguing that everyone should stop trusting each other and that it was "every man for himself now", while Socinus said that if they didn't trust each other they wouldn't survive. Cally even pointed out that Jammer's kind of thinking is ''exactly'' what the Cylons want:  for everyone to become suspicious and paranoid. Jammer keeps doing this through the second season:  when Tyrol is accused of being a Cylon in "[[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]" he immediately yells at Cally that the Chief must be a Cylon. Whenever Jammer appears he seems to be trying to sow mistrust among the crew.  Also, he told the emotionally unstable Cally that she should be angry at "Boomer" (the first Sharon Valerii copy) not himself, for Tyrol's being suspected, and that she should take it up with Boomer. Jammer can then be seen as having manipulated Cally into killing Boomer (Cally need not be a Cylon; Jammer could tell she was suffering from post-traumatic stress after Kobol and that she would go after Boomer if he suggested it to her).   
*Jammer consistently makes remarks that seem to be trying to divide the humans against each other. When it was revealed to the Fleet that Cylons now can look like humans in "[[Litmus]]", he kept arguing that everyone should stop trusting each other and that it was "every man for himself now", while Socinus said that if they didn't trust each other they wouldn't survive.
Cally points out that Jammer's kind of thinking is ''exactly'' what the Cylons want:  for everyone to become suspicious and paranoid.
In the second season, as Tyrol is accused of being a Cylon in "[[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]" he tells Cally that Tyrol must be a Cylon. Whenever Jammer appears he seems to be trying to sow mistrust among the crew.  Also, he told the emotionally unstable Cally that she should be angry at "Boomer" (the first Sharon Valerii copy) not himself, for Tyrol's plight, which infers Jammer manipulates Cally into killing Boomer.   


Two of the biggest pieces of evidence against Jammer appear in the episode, "[[Valley of Darkness]]."
In the episode, "[[Valley of Darkness]]," Jammer is found alone, unharmed, in a small arms locker, but every other human (including some with Jammer in the locker) are dead. He claims to have just hid, then snuck inside the locker.


#Apollo and his group of marines found Jammer hiding in a small arms locker, completely unharmed, although the room was littered with the corpses of crewmen the Cylons had killed.  He claims to have just hid then snuck inside, but perhaps he was already there and the Centurions spared him because they knew he was a Cylon as well. [[Anastasia Dualla]] was also found alive in a room filled with dead crewmen, but she was in the lavatory, which isn't a vital area of the ship, while Jammer was in a small arms locker.  Further, Dualla was wounded; she had a light concussion and presumably a Centurion knocked her unconscious, assumed she was dead, and moved on.  Jammer was just standing around inside of the weapons locker.
Before the fight to protect [[Aft Damage Control]], Captain Adama says a phrase of his [[William Adama|father's]]: "Sometimes you have to roll the hard six." Jammer asks what this means, and Adama explains. To date, no aired episode explains where [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Caprica-Valerii]], a known agent, learns of this phrase, which she uses in a pressing situation in her efforts to defend ''Galactica'' in "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]." Unwittingly, it is plausible that Valerii's knowledge of this phrase (and its origin) came from Jammer via the vague but tangible collective knowledge database of the Cylon agents. However, it is also plausible that [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|"Boomer" Valerii]] heard this phrase sometime prior to her memories being copied into Caprica-Valerii.
#Before the fight to protect [[Aft Damage Control]], Captain Adama says a phrase of his father's: "Sometimes you have to roll the hard six." Jammer asks what this means, and Adama explains. To date, no aired episode explains where [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Caprica-Valerii]], a known agent, learns of this phrase, which she uses in a pressing situation in her efforts to defend ''Galactica'' in "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]." Unwittingly, it is plausible that Valerii's knowledge of this phrase (and its origin) came from Jammer via the vague but tangible collective knowledge database of the Cylon agents. However, it is also plausible that [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Galactica-Valerii]] heard this phrase sometime prior to her memories being copied into Caprica-Valerii.


Jammer continues to exhibit pessimistic, counterproductive, and morale-draining behavior. When Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] was trying to construct the [[Blackbird]], he vocally tried to convince the other deckhands that it couldn't be done and it wasn't worth trying.  He may have done this to undermine the military assets of ''Galactica'':  the Cylons may be hoping to wear down ''Galactica's'' Viper numbers through gradual attrition, while because the Cylons have dedicated manufacturing capabilities for Raiders on the [[Cylon homeworld]] and possibly on basestars, Raiders are easily replaceable.  With this in mind, the last thing the Cylons would want is for ''Galactica'' to start constructing her own replacement fighters ([[Flight of the Phoenix]]).
Jammer's pessimistic, counterproductive, and morale-draining behavior appears during construction of the [[Blackbird]], telling the other deckhands that it couldn't be done and it wasn't worth trying.


Jammer's suspicious behavior extends through the first two [[webisodes]], as he talks with [[Tucker Clellan|Duck]] about the proposed [[New Caprica Police]].  To Duck's disgust, Jammer replies "Some people say it's a good thing...  Get the Centurions off the streets, let us patrol them ourselves," tentatively advocating the Cylons' agenda.  Of course, this statement is ambiguous, as Jammer is ostensibly "feeling out" Duck for recruitment into Tyrol and Tigh's resistance cell, so his pro-Cylon idea could just be a tactic to draw Duck's opinion out further.
In selected [[webisodes]], Jammer talks with [[Tucker Clellan|Duck]] about the proposed [[New Caprica Police]].  To Duck's disgust, Jammer replies "Some people say it's a good thing...  Get the Centurions off the streets, let us patrol them ourselves," tentatively advocating the Cylons' agenda.  The statement is ambiguous, however, as Jammer may have been testing Duck for inclusion in the resistance cell. Jammer later advises Galen Tyrol not to be angry about Duck's refusal to join and to give up on recruiting him.


Jammer also advises Tyrol not to be angry about Duck's refusal to join and to give up on recruiting him. Jammer balks at hiding weapons in the [[temple]] on [[New Caprica]] as well, although he is overruled by Tigh. Later on, he rails against Tigh for his callous attitudes toward the innocents killed at the temple after the Cylons stormed it to seize the weapons. He is brought in for questioning by [[Aaron Doral]] at a Cylon detention center, much to Tigh's concern. However, while in the detention center he exhibits genuine fear and anxiety, indicating that if he is a Cylon agent then he is not aware of it.
Jammer balks at hiding weapons in the [[temple]] on [[New Caprica]] and is overruled by Colonel Tigh. Jammer complains against Tigh for his callous attitudes toward the innocents killed at the temple after the Cylons stormed it to seize the weapons.


Another piece of evidence occurs in "[[Occupation]]." At the [[New Caprica Police]] graduation, Jammer stands behind [[Tucker Clellan|Duck]] as Duck detonates a bomb. Jammer is later seen unharmed.  Ronald Moore goes to great length during his podcast to say that scenes of Jammer pushing his way out of the rubble were cut due to time constraints. However, it seems quite unlikely that any human could have survived the blast.
He is brought in for questioning by [[Aaron Doral]] at a Cylon detention center, much to Tigh's concern. However, while in the detention center he exhibits genuine fear and anxiety. If Jammer is an Cylon agent, he is a "sleeper," unaware of his true nature, as "Boomer" Valerii once was.
 
In "[[Occupation]]" Jammer stands behind [[Tucker Clellan|Duck]] as Duck detonates a bomb at the [[NCP]] graduation. Jammer is later seen unharmed. It seems quite unlikely that any human could have survived the blast at such close proximity<ref> Ron D. Moore goes to great length during the podcast for this episode to say that scenes of Jammer pushing his way out of the rubble were cut due to time constraints.</ref>.


==Moderate probability of being a Cylon==
==Moderate probability of being a Cylon==
===Anastasia "Dee" Dualla?===
===Anastasia "Dee" Dualla?===
* Known siblings or adult children: No
* Known siblings or adult children: No
* Known family members: No
* Known family members: No<ref>While Dualla has mentioned her father in the episode, "[[Final Cut]]," he has not been seen on-screen. The [[Battlestar Wiki:Separate continuity|separate continuity]] character of [[Darrin Dualla]] is not canonical with this qualification.</ref>
* Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: No
* Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: No
* Three-year or longer association with disqualifing character: Unknown
* Three-year or longer association with disqualifing character: Unknown
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  Moderate
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  Moderate


[[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] seems to have a fairly well developed backstory regarding her past; she is a Sagittaron ([[Bastille Day]]), her father disapproved of her joining the military ([[Final Cut]]), but upon closer inspection none of this can be confirmed by a third party:  the only source of information about Dualla's past in the series has been Dualla herself.  Dualla's position in charge of ''Galactica's'' communications puts her in an ideal position for subversion.  In "[[Valley of Darkness]]", Dualla is found in the enlisted head, having suffered a blow to the head from Cylon Centurions that passed through.  The Centurions killed everyone else, and it does seem plausible that one merely swiped her in the head, knocking her out, and thus thought she was dead and moved on. However, it still seems odd that she was the only survivor.  In addition, Number Six later demonstrated in "[[Downloaded]]" how she was willing to physically damage herself in order to manipulate ''Galactica''-Sharon's sympathy:  perhaps Dualla hit ''herself'' in the head, to fake an injury, thus throwing suspicion off of herself. Dualla started a relationship with President Roslin's aide, Billy Keikeya, possibly to gain a foothold in the president's office, and then began a relationship with Lee Adama, CAG of ''Galactica'' and son of the military commander of the entire fleet.  Eventually, Apollo was promoted to ''Pegasus'' commander and Dualla left ''Galactica'' to marry him and become his XO, further insinuating herself into the command structure.
[[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] seems to have a fairly well developed backstory regarding her past; she is a Sagittaron ([[Bastille Day]]), her father disapproved of her joining the military ([[Final Cut]]), but upon closer inspection none of this can be confirmed by a third party:  the only source of information about Dualla's past in the series has been Dualla herself.  Dualla's position in charge of ''Galactica's'' communications puts her in an ideal position for subversion.  In "[[Valley of Darkness]]", Dualla is found in the enlisted head, having suffered a blow to the head from Cylon Centurions that passed through, the only survivor in the compartment. Cylon agents have often demonstrated the ability to physically damage herself for a cause, including self-destruction<ref>There are numerous instances in the series, including [[Sharon Agathon|Caprica-Valerii's]] attack from a copy of Number Six to give plausibilty for [[Helo]], and a suicide-bombing by a [[Number Five]].</ref>. Dualla could've faked an injury to throw suspicion. Dualla's relationships with members of both government and military command ([[Billy Keikeya]] and [[Lee Adama]]) increase her involvement with secrets in the Fleet.


=== Felix Gaeta? ===
=== Felix Gaeta? ===
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* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  Moderate
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  Moderate


Lt. [[Felix Gaeta]] is in a good position for a Cylon—not conspicuous but nonetheless in a position where he can help the Cylons quite a bit. Gaeta arguably seems to hand something to Boomer in "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]" before she shoots Adama (a frame by frame analysis shows that their hands are not in frame dispite the camera intentionally panning down when he shakes her hand, leaving the question unanswered). However, he did not hand her a gun, because pilots always carry sidearms, and she walked into CIC with it.  Gaeta can recognize Cylon devices, and is close to [[Gaius Baltar|Dr. Baltar]]. He admitted to ignoring the Cylon device installed on his console in the [[miniseries]], explaining that he thought it was unimportant. Gaeta has plotted coordinates to a water planet, a Cylon [[tyllium]] base, and [[Kobol]] with uncanny accuracy. He "forgot" to send updated [[emergency jump coordinates]] to the fleet in "[[Scattered]]", leaving ''Galactica'' vulnerable to Cylon electronic attack after having to network the ship [[Computers|computer]] systems together.  In "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]" Gaeta helps the Cylon cause by uncovering the ballot tampering which leads to the election of Gaius.
As tactical officer, [[Felix Gaeta]]. Gaeta, being technically minded, is initially fond of [[Gaius Baltar|Dr. Baltar's work]]. He admitted to ignoring the [[Cylon transponder|Cylon device]] found below the [[DRADIS]] console in the [[Miniseries]], believing it to be part of the new [[Galactica Museum|museum]]. Gaeta neglects an update to [[emergency jump coordinates]] to the Fleet ([[Scattered]]), and proposes creating a [[Computers|computer]] network to fix the matter, leaving the ship vulnerable (and compromised twice).  


Gaeta's recent behavioral changes from the stress of working at evading the Cylons shows by "[[Final Cut]]" as Gaeta is shown in his interview drunk, smoking, and wearing a new tattoo. By the following episode, "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]", Gaeta angrily snaps at Colonel Tigh for giving a difficult order, causing surprise throughout [[CIC]] since Gaeta is normally a calm, reserved officer even under the worst of conditions. Contrast this behavior with Boomer, the ''Galactica'' copy of Sharon Valerii, who still appeared quite alert after 5 continuous days of combat status. Note the following dialogue from the first regular series episode, "[[33]]":
Gaeta's recent behavioral changes from the stress of working at evading the Cylons shows by "[[Final Cut]]" as Gaeta is shown in his interview drunk, smoking, and wearing a new tattoo. By the following episode, "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]", Gaeta angrily snaps at Colonel Tigh for giving a difficult order, causing surprise throughout [[CIC]] as Gaeta is normally a calm, reserved officer even under the worst of conditions. Contrast this behavior with "Boomer" Valerii, who still appeared quite alert after 5 continuous days of combat status. Note the following dialogue from the first regular series episode, "[[33]]":


::'''[[Lee Adama|Apollo]]''': Hey, how about you, Boomer? [[Cottle|Doc]] tells me you're holding up better than anybody in the squadron.
::'''[[Lee Adama|Apollo]]''': Hey, how about you, Boomer? [[Cottle|Doc]] tells me you're holding up better than anybody in the squadron.
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While even Cylon agents develop severe behavioral and physiological issues after extended work and abuse ([[Number Six#Gina|Pegasus]]), Cylon agents appear to be more resilient than humans, which may limit the likelihood of Gaeta's possible Cylon connection. On the other hand, if he were a Cylon, Gaeta's human personality may have finally been overtaxed by that time, suggesting that an actual human might have snapped earlier in their exodus in contrast.
While even Cylon agents develop severe behavioral and physiological issues after extended work and abuse ([[Number Six#Gina|Pegasus]]), Cylon agents appear to be more resilient than humans, which may limit the likelihood of Gaeta's possible Cylon connection. On the other hand, if he were a Cylon, Gaeta's human personality may have finally been overtaxed by that time, suggesting that an actual human might have snapped earlier in their exodus in contrast.


In the end, Gaeta's likelihood as a Cylon operative may be in doubt over one key element: The Cylons appear to have integrated human agents into the Colonies no earlier than 2 years before the events of the Miniseries. Gaeta has served on ''Galactica'' with Commander Adama for three years ([[Miniseries]]). Since humanoid Cylons are not clones of actual humans, the likelihood of Gaeta as a Cylon agent would depend on the start of Cylon agent introduction.
Gaeta's likelihood as a Cylon operative may be in doubt over one key element: The Cylons appear to have integrated human agents into the Colonies no earlier than 2 years before the events of the Miniseries. Gaeta has served on ''Galactica'' with Commander Adama for three years ([[Miniseries]]). Since humanoid Cylons are not clones of actual humans, the likelihood of Gaeta as a Cylon agent would depend on the start of Cylon agent introduction.


=== Ellen Tigh? ===
=== Ellen Tigh? ===
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* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  Low to Moderate  
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  Low to Moderate  


In light of her statistic-defying survival of the Cylon holocaust and her manipulations of her husband during Commander [[William Adama]]'s incapacitation ([[Scattered]] through [[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]), [[Ellen Tigh]]'s actions have demonstrated the possibility that she may be a Cylon agent.  For someone who seems so intelligent and far-sighted, she should be well aware that pushing her husband to strong-arm the rest of the Fleet to conform with his (and her) views would only end in chaos. If she ''is'' a Cylon looking to destroy the Fleet from within, then the best weapon in her arsenal is the man she's married to.  
Ellen Tigh's statistically-defying survival of the Cylon holocaust in "[[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]" raised viewer suspicions (and those of the characters themselves) from her introduction. During Commander [[William Adama]]'s incapacitation ([[Scattered]] through [[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]), [[Ellen Tigh]]'s manipulation of her husband against the needs of the Fleet are frequent. If she ''is'' a Cylon looking to destroy the Fleet from within, then the best weapon in her arsenal is the man she's married to.  


In an October 2005 webcast, [[Ronald D. Moore]] indicated that the likelihood of Ellen Tigh being a Cylon was low.  Essentially, this was due to the feeling that having her be a Cylon agent would not only be convenient, but unrealistic from a story point-of-view as well. Moore's comments don't eliminate Ellen Tigh from consideration, but reduces the likelihood of this speculation.  Some viewers surmise that Moore may have meant that revealing Tigh as a Cylon in her [[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down|debut episode]] in addition to the character's many other complexities, would stretch the overall believability or integrity of the character at that point, but that he was not refering to her actual status as a Cylon or not at the time.
In an October 2005 webcast, [[Ronald D. Moore]] indicated that the likelihood of Ellen Tigh being a Cylon was low.  Essentially, this was due to the feeling that having her be a Cylon agent would not only be convenient, but unrealistic from a story point-of-view as well, given the character's many other complexities, which would stretch the character's believability. Moore's comments don't eliminate Ellen Tigh from consideration, but reduces the likelihood of this speculation.


Ellen Tigh's celebrated her seventh wedding anniversary with Saul Tigh in a [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/episodes/season01/112/deleted1.html deleted scene] from the episode "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]". If the canonicity of this scene stands, then Ellen's likelihood of being an agent drops dramatically. Else, the establishment of their wedding "date" should aid in increasing or reducing speculation on this intriguing character.
Ellen Tigh celebrated her seventh wedding anniversary with Saul Tigh in a [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/episodes/season01/112/deleted1.html deleted scene] from the episode "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]". If the canonicity of this scene stands, then Tigh's likelihood of being an agent drops dramatically.


In the preview clip for "[[Occupation]]", Ellen is shown having sex with a Cavil, in exchange for her husband's release for captivity. This, on the surface, would seem to be the firmest possible evidence that Ellen is not, in fact, a Cylon. However, it has not firmly been established that Cylons do not have sex amongst themselves for pleasure; and even if they do not, this incident might simply be a ploy to further cement her position (such as it is) among the human population. (Ironically enough, this incident of infidelity is probably the nicest, most-spouselike thing Ellen has done for Tigh since her arrival.)
In the preview clip for "[[Occupation]]", Tigh is shown having sex with a [[Cavil]], in exchange for her husband's release from captivity. While her motivations are implicit, there is no information that suggests that Cylons aren't sexual amongst themselves.


==Low probability of being a Cylon==
==Low probability of being a Cylon==
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* Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: No
* Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: No
* Three-year or longer association with disqualifying character: No
* Three-year or longer association with disqualifying character: No
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:''' Very low  
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:''' Low  


There is very low chance that [[Gaius Baltar]] is actually a Cylon. He has been a prominent public figure for years. Number Six earnestly wanted to have a hybrid child with him as the biological father and her as the biological mother, but had to change her plans to ''considering'' [[Hera]] to be "their child" even though it is not biologically theirs.  Cylons talking amongst themselves in "[[Downloaded]]" continually referred to Baltar as a human.  
[[Gaius Baltar]]'s odds of being a Cylon are low, but not impossible. The miniseries establishes him as a prominent public figure for years. Cylons talking amongst themselves in "[[Downloaded]]" continually referred to Baltar as a human.


To review a detailed breakdown of the whys and whatfors of the possibility of Baltar as a Cylon, see [[Baltar as Cylon speculation]]
{{spoiltext|Recent information from cast members that portray Cylons suggest a season 3 storyline that indicates that the revealed agents may not know the identity of the five remaining Cylon agents.}}
 
For more this character's probability, see the article, [[Baltar as Cylon speculation]].


=== Bell? ===
=== Bell? ===
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Bell's speculation as a Cylon agent is questionable based on some of his actions in "Final Cut." When he is free of D'anna Biers, he doesn't film sensitive, if seemingly trivial, data. He overlooks the carbon dioxide scrubbers (a potential Cylon infiltrator target). In addition, instead of filming the [[hangar deck]] after the destruction of the two [[Raider]]s, Bell focuses on Apollo's post-flight check. Since Bell has not been seen in the series since this episode, the lack of further appearances all but eliminates the likelihood for this character to be a Cylon agent.
Bell's speculation as a Cylon agent is questionable based on some of his actions in "Final Cut." When he is free of D'anna Biers, he doesn't film sensitive, if seemingly trivial, data. He overlooks the carbon dioxide scrubbers (a potential Cylon infiltrator target). In addition, instead of filming the [[hangar deck]] after the destruction of the two [[Raider]]s, Bell focuses on Apollo's post-flight check. Since Bell has not been seen in the series since this episode, the lack of further appearances all but eliminates the likelihood for this character to be a Cylon agent.


===Tory Foster?===
===Cally Tyrol===
* Known siblings or adult children: No
* Known family members: No
* Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: No
* Three-year or longer association with disqualifing character: No
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  Low to Moderate
 
[[Tory Foster]]'s past is unconfirmed, and she seemed eager to work her way into President Roslin's administration.  The odds that another aide with skills like Billy Keikeya would also happen to be alive in the Fleet is also tenuous.
 
===Cally Henderson Tyrol===
* Known siblings or adult children: No
* Known siblings or adult children: No
* Known family members: No
* Known family members: No
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* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  Low to None
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  Low to None


[[Cally Henderson Tyrol|Cally]] shot Boomer in a "Jack Ruby-style" assassination, preventing the Fleet from interrogating her further.  While this might benefit the Cylon agenda, Cally had a perfectly understandable reason for doing it, which she has openly stated: she hated Boomer for what she did to Chief Tyrol, hated her for betraying all of their trust and shooting Adama, and simply because she was a Cylon. Indeed, many other characters in "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]" ''congratulate'' Cally and say they would have done the same given the chance.  Little can be confirmed about Cally's past, but this has not pointed to any Cylon origin.  Finally, Cally has given birth to Tyrol's child [[Nicholas Tyrol|Nicholas]] as of season 3, meaning it is impossible for them both to be Cylons and improbable in the extreme that either of them is.
[[Cally Tyrol|Cally Henderson]] shoots "Boomer" Valerii in a "Jack Ruby-style" assassination, preventing the Fleet from interrogating her further.  While this might benefit the Cylon agenda, Henderson had a perfectly understandable reason for doing it, which she has openly stated: she hates Boomer for her association with Chief Tyrol and for her betrayal in shooting Adama.
 
Henderson is married to Galen Tyrol and has a son, [[Nicholas Tyrol|Nicholas]] as of season 3. Given the magnitude of problems in creating Cylon or Cylon/human offspring, Cally Tyrol's pregnancy is a substantially powerful disqualifier as an agent.


=== Billy Keikeya? ===
=== Billy Keikeya? ===
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* Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: No
* Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: No
* Three-year or longer association with disqualifing character: No
* Three-year or longer association with disqualifing character: No
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  Low
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  None
 
[[Billy Keikeya]] might also be a Cylon due to the relative lack of confirmation surrounding his character.  In a deleted scene in the Miniseries, it is revealed that Roslin met Billy for the first time when she boarded Colonial One to travel to Galactica; thus he presence can only be "confirmed" immediately before the attack, far short of even the 2 years that Number Six and Boomer had infiltrated the Colonies.  Virtually nothing can be confirmed about Billy; although he states in the Miniseries that his parents and siblings were living on Picon when it was nuked, we really only have his word for it and no way to confirm that these were actual facts.  Everyone just takes Billy's word for it.  Billy has also stated (in deleted scenes in "[[Home, Part II]]") that he is an atheist.  Again, he could simply be behaving  based on implanted false memories that form a fake personality crafted by the Cylons, and it would be an ironic twist if an atheist character was revealed to belong to a race of religious zealots.  That being said, the most recently revealed Cylon agent, [[Cavil]], also exhibits atheistic or agnostic tendencies, explicitly stating that "there is no [[God]]" when interrogated by Roslin and Adama.
 
Billy could be a Cylon that was sent to keep tabs on Laura Roslin during the attack; Roslin was a viable target due to her status as a high-ranking government official.  In an interesting deleted scene in "[[Fragged]]" Billy appears in one of Roslin's dreams as a manifestation of her own doubts and fears.  In the dream he antagonistically taunts her for her faith in the [[Sacred Scrolls]] and [[Kara Thrace]] then stabs her in the heart with a knife after which she wakes up screaming in terror.  Given the prophetic connotations of Roslin's previous dreams and visions this could ''possibly'' be taken as evidence for Keikeya being a Cylon, however like most deleted material its canonicity is tentative at best.


The character of Billy Keikeya dies in the episode, "[[Sacrifice]]." As only Cylon agents can "return from the dead," the argument for Keikeya as a Cylon agent is effectively invalid unless the character appears in a present-time (non-flashback) episode of the series, which would confirm Keikeya's true nature.
The character of Billy Keikeya dies in the episode, "[[Sacrifice]]." As only Cylon agents can "return from the dead," the argument for Keikeya as a Cylon agent is effectively invalid unless the character appears in a present-time (non-flashback) episode of the series, which would confirm Keikeya's true nature.
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* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  Low to None
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  Low to None


Chief [[Galen Tyrol]] was in an illicit relationship with Boomer, and later had recurring nightmares based on his fear that he might also be a Cylon sleeper agent.  However, he has served under William Adama on ''Galactica'' for 5 years, and as Adama put it, had he been a Cylon and they wanted the ship to be destroyed, he more than knew how to do it, and should have ''already'' done it by this point. Tyrol and Cally's child, born as of season 3, all but removes suspicion for this character (love does allow human-Cylon pregnancies to occur, however).
Chief [[Galen Tyrol]] was in an illicit relationship with "Boomer" Valerii, and later has recurring nightmares based on his fear of being a Cylon sleeper agent.  Having served under Commander Adama for 5 years, Adama noted that, if Tyrol was a Cylon, he has had plenty of resources and opportunity to destroy the battlestar.
 
Galen and Cally Tyrol's child, [[Nicholas Tyrol]], all but removes suspicion for this character, given the difficulties in Cylon- or Cylon/human conception.
 
=Characters eliminated from suspicion=


=Characters who cannot possibly be Cylons=
The following characters are disproven from any possibility of being Cylon agents.   
The following characters, for individual reasons below, have been disproven from any possibility of being humanoid Cylon sleeper agents.   


===Lee "Apollo" Adama===
===Lee "Apollo" Adama===
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* Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: No
* Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: No
* Three-year or longer association with disqualifing character: Yes (William Adama)
* Three-year or longer association with disqualifing character: Yes (William Adama)
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  None  
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  None<ref>There are reports of fan fiction with stories involving [[Lee Adama]] as a Cylon. Battlestar Wiki does not post fan fiction (whole or in excerpts), or speculation generated by these stories. An article's content must (with [[Numerology|some]] [[Toaster|silly]], [[The Battlestar Galactica Drinking Game|non-sequitur]] [[Flashlight|exceptions]]) provide sufficient basis in fact or probability based on aired episode information or other official sources as described in the [[Battlestar Wiki:Citation Jihad]] project page.</ref><br />


In "[[Flesh and Bone]]", a copy of [[Leoben Conoy]], a Cylon agent, grabs [[Laura Roslin]] and tells her, "Adama is a Cylon," prior to his execution. If his statement is true, it leaves doubt on which Adama he is talking about, although Roslin's actions in the next episode, "[[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]", indicate that she believes Conoy spoke of Commander Adama.
In "[[Flesh and Bone]]", a copy of [[Leoben Conoy]], a Cylon agent, grabs [[Laura Roslin]] and tells her, "Adama is a Cylon," prior to his execution. If his statement is true, it leaves doubt on which Adama he is talking about, although Roslin's actions in the next episode, "[[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]" indicate that she believes Conoy spoke of Commander Adama.


Cylon agents are not copies (clones) of existing people. Evidence from [[Sharon Valerii]]'s and [[Number Six]]'s conversations indicate that humanoid Cylon infiltration began no earlier than 2 years prior to the events of the [[Miniseries]], although their respective backstories may suggest they have been "alive" for many years. As Lee Adama was alive long before this introduction, and his father knew him since he was born and can thus confirm this, the probability that Lee Adama is a Cylon is as low as that of his father.  
Cylon agents are not copies (clones) of existing people. At the start of the Miniseries, Commander Adama is given a photo of his two young sons from the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Fleet archives]]. The complexity of creating a false family unit is not uncommon with Cylon agents, but Commander Adama's own role in the Cylon War reinforces the high odds against a Cylon ruse using Lee Adama. No information has been given that Cylon agents age as humans do, increasing the probability against a ruse. William Adama has, naturally, known his son since birth.


Information from the episode, "[[Black Market]]" suggests that Adama was to be a father to a child he conceived on Caprica, but he left the unborn child's mother, his lover at the time. Such a pregnancy, if Lee Adama was indeed an agent, would introduce the ability of Cylon ''males'' to sire children (currently, episodes only show that it is possible for a Cylon ''female'' to conceive).
The episode "[[Black Market]]" suggests that Adama was to be a father in events weeks before the Cylon attack. Such a pregnancy goes against the extreme difficulties of Cylon-human conception.
 
''There are reports of fan fiction with stories involving [[Lee Adama]] as a Cylon. ''Battlestar Wiki'' does not post fan fiction (whole or in excerpts), or speculation generated by these stories. An article's content must (with [[Numerology|some]] [[Toaster|silly]], [[The Battlestar Galactica Drinking Game|non-sequitur]] [[Flashlight|exceptions]]) provide sufficient basis in fact or probability based on aired episode information or other official sources as described in the [[Battlestar Wiki:Citation Jihad]] project page.''


===William Adama===
===William Adama===
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Of all the suspected infiltrators, the case against [[William Adama]] appears to be the weakest.
Of all the suspected infiltrators, the case against [[William Adama]] appears to be the weakest.


In the Miniseries, Adama seems to know that the Cylon agents have "silica relays" in their brains, and that they would be affected by the storm around [[Ragnar Anchorage]]. This knowledge is not explained, but the [[Number Five]] copy left on the station showed signs of being affected, whereas Adama did not. In "[[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]", Commander Adama disappears mysteriously and returns with Ellen Tigh. Around the same time, a Cylon Raider shows up. However, this was all explained later in the same episode, when Adama reveals that he was reluctant to openly announce Ellen's sudden appearance because he was afraid she could be a Cylon.
In the Miniseries, Adama knows that the Cylon's "[[Silica Pathways|silica pathways]]" would be affected by the EM discharges around [[Ragnar Anchorage]]. While copies of [[Leoben Conoy]] and [[Number Five]] show signs of being affected after several hours in the cloud, Adama did not show symptoms after hours of exposure.
 
Adama also has exhibited strange behavior, from expressing vague Cylon sympathies (both in his speech in the Miniseries and in his discussion with Tyrol in "[[Home, Part I]]" where he seems to concede that Boomer was more than a machine). While not openly friendly to the Cylons, Adama seems to at least respect them as persons in that he does not treat the Caprica copy of Sharon Valerii inhumanely (despite an attempt at strangling her when they first met), despite what was done to him by the Valerii copy known as "Boomer". While this could indicate a Cylon nature, it's also extremely likely that Adama's strength of character and personality enable him to think that Valerii might actually have changed.
 
William Adama is the father of two children, [[Lee Adama|Lee]] and [[Zak Adama|Zak]]. Before the conception of Valerii's hybrid child the Cylons have been unable to produce children through sexual reproduction. Further, Adama is, by all accounts, a veteran of the well-documented [[Cylon War]], back at a time where Cylons were purely mechanical and not biosynthetic.


When the recent revelation by Ron Moore that Cylon agents are unique beings and not copies of existing humans is added to this, the likelihood of William Adama as a suspected infiltrator could be all but ruled out. This also throws the validity of Leoben Conoy's final words to Roslin accusing Adama as a Cylon in "[[Flesh and Bone]]" into question (which were almost certainly meant to just spread paranoia).
William Adama is the father of two children, [[Lee Adama|Lee]] and [[Zak Adama|Zak]]. Before the conception of [[Sharon Agathon]]'s hybrid child, the Cylons are unable to produce children through sexual reproduction. Further, Adama is, by all accounts, a veteran of the well-documented [[Cylon War]], back at a time where Cylons were purely mechanical and not biosynthetic.


The strongest convincing evidence against Adama as a Cylon is that we have seen flashbacks of Adama and Saul Tigh set 20 years prior to the destruction of the Colonies, after the first Cylon War. Since Cylon agents aren't copies of humans, it is not possible for Adama (or Tigh) to be Cylon operatives (at least of the type used thus far).
The strongest convincing evidence against Adama as a Cylon is that we have seen flashbacks of Adama and Saul Tigh set 20 years prior to the destruction of the Colonies, after the first Cylon War. Since Cylon agents aren't copies of humans, it is not possible for Adama (or Tigh) to be Cylon operatives (at least of the type used thus far).
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* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  None  
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  None  


[[Karl Agathon|Helo]] fathers a Cylon-human hybrid, [[Hera]], with a known Cylon agent, [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]]. As Cylon males cannot sire children with Cylon females (per data from "[[The Farm]]"), Helo cannot realistically be a Cylon himself.
[[Karl Agathon|Helo]] fathers a Cylon-human hybrid, [[Hera]], with a known Cylon agent, [[Sharon Agathon|Sharon Valerii]]. The aired events of season 1 on occupied Caprica that show the Cylon's manipulation of Helo and Caprica-Valerii to foster conception confirms that Helo is human.


===Samuel Anders===
===Samuel Anders===
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* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  None
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  None


As the leader of an anti-Cylon resistance movement on Cylon-occupied Caprica, [[Samuel Anders|Anders]] stands small chance of actually being a Cylon.  He was a well known public figure as a sports star, though this might have only happened recently.  In "[[Downloaded]]", while he is unconscious [[Number Three]] and [[Number Six]] refer to him between themselves as a human.
[[Samuel Anders|Anders]] was a well known public figure as a sports star, although the length of his time in [[Pyramid (RDM)|pyramid sport]] is not known.  In "[[Downloaded]]", a copy of [[Number Three]] and [[Caprica-Six]] refer to Anders as human.


===Helena Cain===
===Helena Cain===
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* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  None
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  None


Admiral [[Helena Cain]] may have been ruthless and a danger to the Fleet, but she was a publicly known figure for years.  Cain spent years rapidly rising through the ranks all the way up to Admiral. Adama has personally witnessed this rise, which must have taken longer than the 2 year cutoff for likely Cylon agent infiltration as defined in this article.
Admiral [[Helena Cain]] may have been ruthless and a danger to the Fleet, but she was a publicly known figure for years.  Cain spent years rapidly rising through the ranks all the way up to Admiral. Commander Adama has personally witnessed this rise, which must have taken longer than the 2 year cutoff for likely Cylon agent infiltration as defined in this article.


===Laura Roslin===
===Laura Roslin===
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* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  None
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  None


President [[Laura Roslin]] may have prophetic moments, like [[Number Six]] and [[Leoben Conoy]], but she cannot possibly be a Cylon.  Roslin was a public figure for 20 years ([[Litmus]]), working with later-President Adar and eventually serving as Secretary of Education:  her past is totally confirmed.  Cylon agents appear to be resistant to cancer, and Roslin was dying of cancer until she was cured by a blood transfusion from the Cylon-Human hybrid foetus ([[Epiphanies]]).
Roslin was a public figure for 20 years ([[Litmus]]), working with later-President Adar and eventually serving as Secretary of Education.  Cylon agents appear to be resistant to cancer, and Roslin was dying of cancer until she was cured by a blood transfusion from the Cylon-Human hybrid fetus ([[Epiphanies]]).


===Kara "Starbuck" Thrace===
===Kara "Starbuck" Thrace===
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* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  None
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:'''  None


[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] has been disproven from being a Cylon:  [[Simon]] wanted to use Starbuck's egg cells in Cylon/Human hybrid experiments, and it would be totally illogical for him to need to hold her against her will to obtain her genetic material, if the Cylons already have hundreds of copies of a Starbuck-model Cylon to obtain it from.  Starbuck's incarceration in a Cylon [[Farms|Farm]] disqualifies her from being a Cylon.  Further, reproduction between humanoid Cylons is impossible, and Starbuck would not have been captured for use in human-Cylon hybrid experiments if she was not human.
[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] has been disproven from being a Cylon:  [[Simon]] wanted to use Starbuck's egg cells in Cylon/Human hybrid experiments. It would be illogical to take genetic material from another Cylon agent.


A further disqualification may come from how long she has known Lee or William Adama, based on her relationship with Zak.  She has known them at least two years, the time between the funeral and the Cylon attack ([[Miniseries]]).
Thrace's association with [[Zak Adama]] occurred over two years prior to the Cylon attack ([[Miniseries]]).


===Saul Tigh===
===Saul Tigh===

Revision as of 18:26, 13 October 2006

The Cylon's transformation into humanoid form introduces serious problems for the remnant of humanity known as the Fleet to identify Cylon operative from human.

This article details plausible speculation on central and supporting characters in Battlestar Galactica who, based on their behavior, motive, and background, could be a Cylon agent.

Needed Qualifiers for Speculation

For a character to be logically considered a possible agent, there are a few established parameters to meet:

  • The suspect must not have any adult children or siblings. For purposes of this article, a pregnancy can be generally established as a disqualifier. With one exception, Cylon agents have extreme difficulty with human sexual reproduction to the point of effectively infertility.[1] If a character has adult, biological children, it automatically excludes them as being a Cylon agent as the procreation of the child and the age of the child both violate the 2nd qualifier. Although humanoid Cylons have, eventually, proven to be capable of reproduction with humans, the birth of the hybrid child Hera was considered such a seminal event by the Cylons that it seems safe to conclude that no Cylon ever had a child before that point.
  • The suspect must not have a verifiable family history (other than marriage). A parent would known their child from birth (unless otherwise specified), and Cylons are not copies of prexisting humans. This is an expansion of the "confirmed character history" point below.
  • The suspect cannot be confirmed to have witnessed or participated in the Cylon War. This is another expansion of the "confirmed character history" point; the Cylons definitely didn't have humanoid models during the First Cylon War[citation needed], so if someone is confirmed to have participated in the war 40 years ago, that person is not a Cylon, e.g. William Adama and Saul Tigh. Note that apparent age is not a disqualifer; the Cylon agent model known as Cavil appears as old as William Adama and Saul Tigh.
  • The suspect does not have a reliable history involving direct association (i.e. working or personal relationship) with a confirmed human character for more than 2 years prior to the destruction of the Colonies.

Based on information from the Miniseries, the Cylon agents began their infiltration and integration into Colonial society approximately 2 years before the Fall of the Twelve Colonies. If a character has a direct association with a character that cannot be a Cylon agent, that association excludes them since they are older than the stated time that the agents began to integrate themselves into Colonial society. Note that the 2-year period is based on information given by Number Six to Gaius Baltar: Their relationship lasted for 2 years prior to the Cylon attack. There is also supporting information that Boomer's tour of duty in the Colonial Fleet was also approximately 2 years.

According to Ron D. Moore, the twelve humanoid models are based on human behavior and personality archetypes distilled into twelve varieties. Cylon agents are NOT copies or clones of any pre-existing humans, living or dead[2].

Please note that retroactive continuity changes are possible in the series[3] This article is based on plausible speculation, which is also highly fluid in content and can violate {{NPOV}} policies if taken too far in the extreme.

Suspected Cylon infiltrators

High probability of being a Cylon

James "Jammer" Lyman?

  • Known siblings or adult children: No
  • Known family members: No
  • Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: No
  • Association with known disqualifing character: No
  • Chances of being a Cylon: High
  • Jammer consistently makes remarks that seem to be trying to divide the humans against each other. When it was revealed to the Fleet that Cylons now can look like humans in "Litmus", he kept arguing that everyone should stop trusting each other and that it was "every man for himself now", while Socinus said that if they didn't trust each other they wouldn't survive.

Cally points out that Jammer's kind of thinking is exactly what the Cylons want: for everyone to become suspicious and paranoid. In the second season, as Tyrol is accused of being a Cylon in "Resistance" he tells Cally that Tyrol must be a Cylon. Whenever Jammer appears he seems to be trying to sow mistrust among the crew. Also, he told the emotionally unstable Cally that she should be angry at "Boomer" (the first Sharon Valerii copy) not himself, for Tyrol's plight, which infers Jammer manipulates Cally into killing Boomer.

In the episode, "Valley of Darkness," Jammer is found alone, unharmed, in a small arms locker, but every other human (including some with Jammer in the locker) are dead. He claims to have just hid, then snuck inside the locker.

Before the fight to protect Aft Damage Control, Captain Adama says a phrase of his father's: "Sometimes you have to roll the hard six." Jammer asks what this means, and Adama explains. To date, no aired episode explains where Caprica-Valerii, a known agent, learns of this phrase, which she uses in a pressing situation in her efforts to defend Galactica in "Flight of the Phoenix." Unwittingly, it is plausible that Valerii's knowledge of this phrase (and its origin) came from Jammer via the vague but tangible collective knowledge database of the Cylon agents. However, it is also plausible that "Boomer" Valerii heard this phrase sometime prior to her memories being copied into Caprica-Valerii.

Jammer's pessimistic, counterproductive, and morale-draining behavior appears during construction of the Blackbird, telling the other deckhands that it couldn't be done and it wasn't worth trying.

In selected webisodes, Jammer talks with Duck about the proposed New Caprica Police. To Duck's disgust, Jammer replies "Some people say it's a good thing... Get the Centurions off the streets, let us patrol them ourselves," tentatively advocating the Cylons' agenda. The statement is ambiguous, however, as Jammer may have been testing Duck for inclusion in the resistance cell. Jammer later advises Galen Tyrol not to be angry about Duck's refusal to join and to give up on recruiting him.

Jammer balks at hiding weapons in the temple on New Caprica and is overruled by Colonel Tigh. Jammer complains against Tigh for his callous attitudes toward the innocents killed at the temple after the Cylons stormed it to seize the weapons.

He is brought in for questioning by Aaron Doral at a Cylon detention center, much to Tigh's concern. However, while in the detention center he exhibits genuine fear and anxiety. If Jammer is an Cylon agent, he is a "sleeper," unaware of his true nature, as "Boomer" Valerii once was.

In "Occupation" Jammer stands behind Duck as Duck detonates a bomb at the NCP graduation. Jammer is later seen unharmed. It seems quite unlikely that any human could have survived the blast at such close proximity[4].

Moderate probability of being a Cylon

Anastasia "Dee" Dualla?

  • Known siblings or adult children: No
  • Known family members: No[5]
  • Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: No
  • Three-year or longer association with disqualifing character: Unknown
  • Chances of being a Cylon: Moderate

Dualla seems to have a fairly well developed backstory regarding her past; she is a Sagittaron (Bastille Day), her father disapproved of her joining the military (Final Cut), but upon closer inspection none of this can be confirmed by a third party: the only source of information about Dualla's past in the series has been Dualla herself. Dualla's position in charge of Galactica's communications puts her in an ideal position for subversion. In "Valley of Darkness", Dualla is found in the enlisted head, having suffered a blow to the head from Cylon Centurions that passed through, the only survivor in the compartment. Cylon agents have often demonstrated the ability to physically damage herself for a cause, including self-destruction[6]. Dualla could've faked an injury to throw suspicion. Dualla's relationships with members of both government and military command (Billy Keikeya and Lee Adama) increase her involvement with secrets in the Fleet.

Felix Gaeta?

  • Known siblings or adult children: No
  • Known family members: No
  • Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: No
  • Association with known disqualifing character: Yes (William Adama)
  • Chances of being a Cylon: Moderate

As tactical officer, Felix Gaeta. Gaeta, being technically minded, is initially fond of Dr. Baltar's work. He admitted to ignoring the Cylon device found below the DRADIS console in the Miniseries, believing it to be part of the new museum. Gaeta neglects an update to emergency jump coordinates to the Fleet (Scattered), and proposes creating a computer network to fix the matter, leaving the ship vulnerable (and compromised twice).

Gaeta's recent behavioral changes from the stress of working at evading the Cylons shows by "Final Cut" as Gaeta is shown in his interview drunk, smoking, and wearing a new tattoo. By the following episode, "Flight of the Phoenix", Gaeta angrily snaps at Colonel Tigh for giving a difficult order, causing surprise throughout CIC as Gaeta is normally a calm, reserved officer even under the worst of conditions. Contrast this behavior with "Boomer" Valerii, who still appeared quite alert after 5 continuous days of combat status. Note the following dialogue from the first regular series episode, "33":

Apollo: Hey, how about you, Boomer? Doc tells me you're holding up better than anybody in the squadron.
Boomer: I'm tired, like everybody else.
Apollo: You never seem it.
Starbuck: 'Cause she's a Cylon.
Boomer: You're just gonna make me come over there and kick your ass, aren't you?

While even Cylon agents develop severe behavioral and physiological issues after extended work and abuse (Pegasus), Cylon agents appear to be more resilient than humans, which may limit the likelihood of Gaeta's possible Cylon connection. On the other hand, if he were a Cylon, Gaeta's human personality may have finally been overtaxed by that time, suggesting that an actual human might have snapped earlier in their exodus in contrast.

Gaeta's likelihood as a Cylon operative may be in doubt over one key element: The Cylons appear to have integrated human agents into the Colonies no earlier than 2 years before the events of the Miniseries. Gaeta has served on Galactica with Commander Adama for three years (Miniseries). Since humanoid Cylons are not clones of actual humans, the likelihood of Gaeta as a Cylon agent would depend on the start of Cylon agent introduction.

Ellen Tigh?

  • Known siblings or adult children: None
  • Known family members: None
  • Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: Yes (character over age 40)
  • Three-year or longer association with disqualifing character: Seven-year marriage to Saul Tigh
  • Chances of being a Cylon: Low to Moderate

Ellen Tigh's statistically-defying survival of the Cylon holocaust in "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down" raised viewer suspicions (and those of the characters themselves) from her introduction. During Commander William Adama's incapacitation (Scattered through Resistance), Ellen Tigh's manipulation of her husband against the needs of the Fleet are frequent. If she is a Cylon looking to destroy the Fleet from within, then the best weapon in her arsenal is the man she's married to.

In an October 2005 webcast, Ronald D. Moore indicated that the likelihood of Ellen Tigh being a Cylon was low. Essentially, this was due to the feeling that having her be a Cylon agent would not only be convenient, but unrealistic from a story point-of-view as well, given the character's many other complexities, which would stretch the character's believability. Moore's comments don't eliminate Ellen Tigh from consideration, but reduces the likelihood of this speculation.

Ellen Tigh celebrated her seventh wedding anniversary with Saul Tigh in a deleted scene from the episode "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I". If the canonicity of this scene stands, then Tigh's likelihood of being an agent drops dramatically.

In the preview clip for "Occupation", Tigh is shown having sex with a Cavil, in exchange for her husband's release from captivity. While her motivations are implicit, there is no information that suggests that Cylons aren't sexual amongst themselves.

Low probability of being a Cylon

Gaius Baltar?

  • Known siblings or adult children: None
  • Known family members: None
  • Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: No
  • Three-year or longer association with disqualifying character: No
  • Chances of being a Cylon: Low

Gaius Baltar's odds of being a Cylon are low, but not impossible. The miniseries establishes him as a prominent public figure for years. Cylons talking amongst themselves in "Downloaded" continually referred to Baltar as a human.

Spoiler follows, highlight to read.
Recent information from cast members that portray Cylons suggest a season 3 storyline that indicates that the revealed agents may not know the identity of the five remaining Cylon agents.


For more this character's probability, see the article, Baltar as Cylon speculation.

Bell?

  • Known siblings or adult children: No
  • Known family members: No
  • Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: No
  • Association with known disqualifing character: No
  • Chances of being a Cylon: Low

D'anna Biers' cameraman/assistant is another possible candidate for a Cylon infiltrator, as he has been shown willingly taking part in the same devious and manipulative activities as D'anna Biers (Final Cut). Whether he is a Cylon working in tandem with Biers, or just a nosy human journalist following his superior’s equally devious wishes has yet to be determined.

Bell's speculation as a Cylon agent is questionable based on some of his actions in "Final Cut." When he is free of D'anna Biers, he doesn't film sensitive, if seemingly trivial, data. He overlooks the carbon dioxide scrubbers (a potential Cylon infiltrator target). In addition, instead of filming the hangar deck after the destruction of the two Raiders, Bell focuses on Apollo's post-flight check. Since Bell has not been seen in the series since this episode, the lack of further appearances all but eliminates the likelihood for this character to be a Cylon agent.

Cally Tyrol

  • Known siblings or adult children: No
  • Known family members: No
  • Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: No
  • Three-year or longer association with disqualifing character: Unknown
  • Chances of being a Cylon: Low to None

Cally Henderson shoots "Boomer" Valerii in a "Jack Ruby-style" assassination, preventing the Fleet from interrogating her further. While this might benefit the Cylon agenda, Henderson had a perfectly understandable reason for doing it, which she has openly stated: she hates Boomer for her association with Chief Tyrol and for her betrayal in shooting Adama.

Henderson is married to Galen Tyrol and has a son, Nicholas as of season 3. Given the magnitude of problems in creating Cylon or Cylon/human offspring, Cally Tyrol's pregnancy is a substantially powerful disqualifier as an agent.

Billy Keikeya?

  • Known siblings or adult children: No
  • Known family members: No
  • Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: No
  • Three-year or longer association with disqualifing character: No
  • Chances of being a Cylon: None

The character of Billy Keikeya dies in the episode, "Sacrifice." As only Cylon agents can "return from the dead," the argument for Keikeya as a Cylon agent is effectively invalid unless the character appears in a present-time (non-flashback) episode of the series, which would confirm Keikeya's true nature.

Galen Tyrol?

  • Known siblings or adult children: No
  • Known family members: No
  • Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: No
  • Three-year or longer association with disqualifing character: Yes (William Adama)
  • Chances of being a Cylon: Low to None

Chief Galen Tyrol was in an illicit relationship with "Boomer" Valerii, and later has recurring nightmares based on his fear of being a Cylon sleeper agent. Having served under Commander Adama for 5 years, Adama noted that, if Tyrol was a Cylon, he has had plenty of resources and opportunity to destroy the battlestar.

Galen and Cally Tyrol's child, Nicholas Tyrol, all but removes suspicion for this character, given the difficulties in Cylon- or Cylon/human conception.

Characters eliminated from suspicion

The following characters are disproven from any possibility of being Cylon agents.

Lee "Apollo" Adama

  • Known siblings or adult children: Yes, with qualifier (See "Black Market")
  • Known family members: Yes (William Adama, Zak Adama)
  • Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: No
  • Three-year or longer association with disqualifing character: Yes (William Adama)
  • Chances of being a Cylon: None[7]

In "Flesh and Bone", a copy of Leoben Conoy, a Cylon agent, grabs Laura Roslin and tells her, "Adama is a Cylon," prior to his execution. If his statement is true, it leaves doubt on which Adama he is talking about, although Roslin's actions in the next episode, "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down" indicate that she believes Conoy spoke of Commander Adama.

Cylon agents are not copies (clones) of existing people. At the start of the Miniseries, Commander Adama is given a photo of his two young sons from the Fleet archives. The complexity of creating a false family unit is not uncommon with Cylon agents, but Commander Adama's own role in the Cylon War reinforces the high odds against a Cylon ruse using Lee Adama. No information has been given that Cylon agents age as humans do, increasing the probability against a ruse. William Adama has, naturally, known his son since birth.

The episode "Black Market" suggests that Adama was to be a father in events weeks before the Cylon attack. Such a pregnancy goes against the extreme difficulties of Cylon-human conception.

William Adama

  • Known siblings or adult children: Yes (Lee Adama and Zak Adama)
  • Known family members: Yes (Caroline Adama and Anne Adama)
  • Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: Yes (widely-known Veteran)
  • Three-year or longer association with disqualifing character: Yes (Saul Tigh)
  • Chances of being a Cylon: None

Of all the suspected infiltrators, the case against William Adama appears to be the weakest.

In the Miniseries, Adama knows that the Cylon's "silica pathways" would be affected by the EM discharges around Ragnar Anchorage. While copies of Leoben Conoy and Number Five show signs of being affected after several hours in the cloud, Adama did not show symptoms after hours of exposure.

William Adama is the father of two children, Lee and Zak. Before the conception of Sharon Agathon's hybrid child, the Cylons are unable to produce children through sexual reproduction. Further, Adama is, by all accounts, a veteran of the well-documented Cylon War, back at a time where Cylons were purely mechanical and not biosynthetic.

The strongest convincing evidence against Adama as a Cylon is that we have seen flashbacks of Adama and Saul Tigh set 20 years prior to the destruction of the Colonies, after the first Cylon War. Since Cylon agents aren't copies of humans, it is not possible for Adama (or Tigh) to be Cylon operatives (at least of the type used thus far).

Karl "Helo" Agathon

  • Known siblings or adult or hybrid children: Yes (Hera)
  • Known family members: No
  • Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: No
  • Three-year or longer association with disqualifing character: Unknown
  • Chances of being a Cylon: None

Helo fathers a Cylon-human hybrid, Hera, with a known Cylon agent, Sharon Valerii. The aired events of season 1 on occupied Caprica that show the Cylon's manipulation of Helo and Caprica-Valerii to foster conception confirms that Helo is human.

Samuel Anders

  • Known siblings or adult children: No
  • Known family members: No
  • Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: No
  • Three-year or longer association with disqualifing character: Unknown (Was Pyramid Ball player but not known for how long)
  • Chances of being a Cylon: None

Anders was a well known public figure as a sports star, although the length of his time in pyramid sport is not known. In "Downloaded", a copy of Number Three and Caprica-Six refer to Anders as human.

Helena Cain

  • Known siblings or adult children: No
  • Known family members: No
  • Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: No
  • Three-year or longer association with disqualifing character: Yes (William Adama)
  • Chances of being a Cylon: None

Admiral Helena Cain may have been ruthless and a danger to the Fleet, but she was a publicly known figure for years. Cain spent years rapidly rising through the ranks all the way up to Admiral. Commander Adama has personally witnessed this rise, which must have taken longer than the 2 year cutoff for likely Cylon agent infiltration as defined in this article.

Laura Roslin

  • Known siblings or adult children: No
  • Known family members: No
  • Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: Yes (character over age 40)
  • Three-year or longer association with disqualifing character: Yes (President Richard Adar)
  • Chances of being a Cylon: None

Roslin was a public figure for 20 years (Litmus), working with later-President Adar and eventually serving as Secretary of Education. Cylon agents appear to be resistant to cancer, and Roslin was dying of cancer until she was cured by a blood transfusion from the Cylon-Human hybrid fetus (Epiphanies).

Kara "Starbuck" Thrace

  • Known siblings or adult children: No
  • Known family members: Yes (alluded to in "The Farm" by Simon)
  • Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: No
  • Three-year or longer association with disqualifing character: Yes, with qualifier (the Adama family)
  • Chances of being a Cylon: None

Starbuck has been disproven from being a Cylon: Simon wanted to use Starbuck's egg cells in Cylon/Human hybrid experiments. It would be illogical to take genetic material from another Cylon agent.

Thrace's association with Zak Adama occurred over two years prior to the Cylon attack (Miniseries).

Saul Tigh

  • Known siblings or adult children: No
  • Known family members: None
  • Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: Yes (widely-known Veteran)
  • Three-year or longer association with disqualifing character: Yes (William Adama)
  • Chances of being a Cylon: None

Saul Tigh is well known as a veteran of the first Cylon War, and has served as a non-obscure officer in the Fleet for decades. In many respects the case against Saul Tigh being a Cylon is similar to that of William Adama's (above).

The strongest convincing evidence against Tigh as a Cylon is that we have seen flashbacks of Tigh and William Adama set 20 years prior to the destruction of the Colonies, after the first Cylon War. Since Cylon agents aren't copies of humans, it is not possible for Tigh or Adama to be Cylon operatives (at least of the type used thus far).

Tom Zarek

  • Known siblings or adult children: No
  • Known family members: No
  • Confirmed to have lived during the Cylon War: Yes (character over age 40)
  • Three-year or longer association with disqualifing character: Yes (President Adar, publicly known to be held in prison for 20 years)
  • Chances of being a Cylon: None

Tom Zarek may seem subversive to the status quo of the Fleet and opposed to President Roslin's administration, but he can't be a Cylon. Zarek has been a well-known terrorist/political dissident for decades. He is widely known for blowing up a government building on Sagittaron, leading to his arrest 20 years ago, and he was presumably a prominent Sagittaron leader for years beforehand. President Adar publicly offered him amnesty if he would renounce his campaign of violence to free Sagittaron and Zarek refused. Due to being such a publicly known figure for so many decades before the Cylon Attack, Zarek could not be a Cylon.

References

  1. During a discussion of the reproductive intentions of Cylons in The Farm:
    Starbuck: So farms, that’s great. What were they gonna do? Knock me up with some Cylon kid?
    Sharon: They were gonna try to. We haven’t been successful so far.
    Anders: Supposedly they can’t reproduce. You know biologically. So they have been trying every which way to produce offspring.
  2. In an October 24th, 2005 podcast interview Ron Moore stated, "The idea is not there was one like an original human model that they were copied from. The idea was that these were...these models of Cylon were developed out of their own study of us. The Cylons on some level looked at humanity and said, 'Well, you know what, there's really only twelve of you...and these are the twelve.' And then if you look at them, they kind of represent different archetypes of what humanity is."
  3. Retconning has occurred previously, from as the amount of time remaining in the President's term (between "Bastille Day" and "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I") or the number of prisoners held aboard the Astral Queen (between the Miniseries and "Bastille Day.").
  4. Ron D. Moore goes to great length during the podcast for this episode to say that scenes of Jammer pushing his way out of the rubble were cut due to time constraints.
  5. While Dualla has mentioned her father in the episode, "Final Cut," he has not been seen on-screen. The separate continuity character of Darrin Dualla is not canonical with this qualification.
  6. There are numerous instances in the series, including Caprica-Valerii's attack from a copy of Number Six to give plausibilty for Helo, and a suicide-bombing by a Number Five.
  7. There are reports of fan fiction with stories involving Lee Adama as a Cylon. Battlestar Wiki does not post fan fiction (whole or in excerpts), or speculation generated by these stories. An article's content must (with some silly, non-sequitur exceptions) provide sufficient basis in fact or probability based on aired episode information or other official sources as described in the Battlestar Wiki:Citation Jihad project page.