Battlestar Galactica Week: Cylons

Four of the Final Five. Do you know what they'll do next?

Another Regular Feature for Look Again.

What is a Cylon?

Is it metal and bolts strung together by electrical wires and screws, or merely flesh and bone, disguised to be human, yet sometimes more humane than it's doppelganger?

In this, the final article before tonight's Battlestar Galactica premiere, it's time to look at the Cylons. Machines that were made to look, feel, and act like humans, but as it turns out, the human race ended up with much more than what they bargained for.

Beware, here there be spoilers.

The Initial Seven

When we're first introduced to the Cylons through 6, we learn a few but fundamental things:

1. There are many copies of the same model

2. When their bodies are destroyed they're consciousness are downloaded into a new body, so they cannot die unless they're too far away from a resurrection ship.

3. They believe in one god.

• Number 6: Caprica, Inner 6, Gina - Blond, buxom, and passive-aggressive, her model first appears as a curious creature, wondering whether humans are "alive" when she encounters them, yet she has no qualms about killing them either. As Caprica 6 she infiltrates the colonial defenses unbeknownst to Gaius Baltar who has given her access. She's also fallen in love with him, and saves him from the coming nuclear blast. Inner 6, a manifestation of Caprica or maybe hallucination, you be the judge, and guides Baltar and teaches him about the Cylon god. Another model, Gina, is found on Pegasus and was Cain's lover. Unlike the other 6's, she chooses to die rather than download into a new body.
• Number 5: Aaron Doral – The 5 models tend to be cold in their demeanor, and have been accused by their Cylon brethren of barely believing in god. Aaron appears in the miniseries as a public relations liaison, giving tours to visitors of the soon to be decommissioned Battlestar Galactica. Baltar is able to identify him as a Cylon thanks to Inner 6, and he's abandoned at Ragnor. It's there where Aaron's demeanor changes from open and inviting to cold. It's also the first glimpse at more than just one copy of a Cylon model.
• Leoben Canoy: His model number is unknown, but Leoben is quite an enigma. At Ragnor he poses as a smuggler, but the radiation exposes his true nature. He later appears again, this time with visions of the future. By season three, Starbuck is his prisoner. and their destinies are supposedly intertwined. She kills him six more times. The intriguing thing about Leoben is that though there are many copies, they are supposed to be unique in their own way. What happened?
• Number 8: Sharon "Boomer" Valerii, Sharon "Athena" Agathon - Boomer was a sleeper agent who slowly came to the realization of what she was, and tried to kill herself, but her programming kicked in and she almost killed Commander Adama instead. She was later killed and downloaded back to Caprica. Athena fell in love with Helo, and now they have the first human-Cylon hybrid child, Hera. Her loyalty lies with Adama for now.
• Simon: Another model whose number is unknown, Simon was introduced as a doctor taking care of an ailing Starbuck, who was shot in the abdomen. In reality, he was also doing things to her ovary. Simon's model also shows up briefly on New Caprica and on the ailing basestar.
• Number 3: D'Anna Biers - As a reporter, D'Anna uses the opportunity to spy on Sharon and discover the existence of the pregnancy. The 3's are curious, always seeking knowledge and answers to that which they don't understand. It leads one 3 to seek out an oracle, leading her to Hera, while an other one takes advantage of the download process to find the Final 5. Ultimately, their quest for knowledge gets them all boxed.
• Brother Cavil: The funniest of Cylons and also the cruelest, Cavil believes in no god yet he poses as a priest. He takes pleasure in seeing humanity suffer, and is responsible for Saul losing his eye. He boxed the 3's, so even Cylons can't escape him. He is also one of the oldest looking models.

And then there were four

• Galen Tyrol: Plagued with dreams Tyrol consulted Brother Cavil, unknown at the time to be a Cylon, whether he could be a Cylon. Cavil merely quipped, "I've never seen you at any of the meetings." The Chief was convinced, but the dreams were never touched upon again. Until Galactica finds the algae planet and he's drawn to the Temple of Five. Then the rest is history, and the question is, what happens now? Tyrol has a kind soul, but he's intensely loyal, and when he believes in something, he'll fight for it to the end.
• Saul Tigh: Poor Tigh. He killed his wife for collaborating with the Cylons. Now he's a Cylon. Were the signs there? D'Anna asked for forgiveness right before she died. But other than that Saul Tigh has shown himself to be a loyal friend with a fondness for alcohol, and a tendency to go to the extreme. His oldest friend is Adama, and there's no telling how this new situation will affect him.
• Samuel Anders: First introduced as a known athlete and resistance fighter, he aids Starbuck and Helo on Caprica. He falls in love with Starbuck and they eventually marry on New Caprica. After her "death" he starts flight training until he's activated. Now he's a Cylon, and chances are his wife might be one too.
• Tory Foster: Tory takes over Billy's role as 1st aid to President Roslin. Both confident and smart, she rarely question Roslin's decisions, and largely takes an active role in helping pursue the President's objectives, even if it means stealing an election. When she's activated, Tory begins to lose her mind, and Roslin is the first to notice.

The Final Cylon

So who is the Final Cylon? That remains a mystery. Recently, a photograph was released with the main characters positioned much in the same way as Da Vinci's The Last Supper. Eleven characters are there. The one missing is supposed to be the Final Cylon, but this still leaves a many number of candidates. Among the remaining cast of characters - Callie Tyrol, Anastasia "Dee" Adama, or Tom Zarek. And how does Hera, Sharon and Carl's baby, factor into all of this? So many questions and only twenty episodes to go.

Season 4 of Battlestar Galactica premieres tonight, or see it early today at 11AM C/ 12PM E on SCI-FI.COM.

For an in depth look at the main characters, go here.

For a look at the religion, politics, and other themes, go here.

Don't know what the frak I'm talking about, here's a recap of the last three seasons.

And don't forget to watchlist nvbsg for more articles on Battlestar Galactica including season 4 recaps.

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