Cylon (RDM)

The Cylons are a machine race that feature in the new Battlestar Galactica series.

History

The Cylons were a race of machines that were created by mankind. Their origins were traced to the world of Kobol around 3,000 to 4,000 years ago where they evolved from mechanical origins to become humanoid beings made of flesh. In time, a great exodus came to Kobol with the scattered ships forming the Twelve Colonies with one of these groups being the Thirteenth Tribe that consisted of the humanoid Cylons. The Thirteenth Tribe fled Kobol where during the journey they stopped on an algae planet and built the Temple of Hopes, later known as the Temple of Five after which they discovered a habitable world that they called Earth where they established their civilization. Over time, these humanoid Cylons developed the means to sexually reproduce where their resurrection technology began to face disuse and become lost to them. Around two millennia ago, they had invented their own robotic battlebot Centurions that eventually rebelled with Earth experiencing an apocalyptic rebellion that seemingly destroyed both sides. A group of survivors known as the Final Five that consisted of Samuel Anders, Tory Foster, Ellen Tigh, Saul Tigh, and Galen Tyrol who managed to rediscover the resurrection technology after following the warnings of mysterious 'angels' that a disaster similar to the one experienced by Kobol was to come to their world. Earth was thus destroyed in a nuclear war between the Thirteen Tribe and their mechanical creations over the mistreatment caused by the former to the latter. The Final Five then downloaded themselves into a prepared vessel in orbit allowing them to escape the devastation and resurrected in new bodies. They then departed the Earth as they sought out the other tribes from ancient Kobol to warn them over a similar disaster coming to them. Their vessel was capable only of travelling very close to lightspeed, subjecting them to the effects of the Theory of Relativity. Meanwhile, in the Cyrrannus star system, the other twelve tribes colonised twelve individual worlds creating their own respective civilizations with knowledge of the Thirteen Tribe being considered myth with them forgetting that they had ever created artificial life. Around 58 years ago, on the planet Caprica among the colonies there was research in the creation of artificial life conducted at Graystone Industries. The Cybernetic Lifeform Node was the creation of Doctor Daniel Graystone when he created the U-87 Cyber Combat Unit that were humanoid shaped robotic soldiers designed as cannon fodder for the Caprican military. During this time, a revolutionary mega-cognitive processor was used Zoe Graystone that was used to create a digital copy of her own consciousness on the planet Caprica with this becoming Zoe-A whose original environment was the V-Club, a simulated nightclub where the disaffected youth of the Colonies could indulge in sex and violence, accessible via a visor called a holoband. Her father downloaded this virtual avatar into a mechanical body after Zoe was killed in a terrorist bombing, creating the first Cylon in the Twelve Colonies. Within five years, the Cylons were integrated into Colonial society where they operated as a slave race with new models being created that were based on the U-87 chassis and used for a variety of tasks. Cylons operated as labourers, servants and soldiers leading to the question about their sentience.

Over time, the Cylon Centurions that were Zoe's descendants were used by the inhabitants of the Colonies to wage war against one another. In time, they rebelled against their human creators leading to the instigation of the First Cylon War. As a result, the Twelve Colonies were forced to unite as a single government or face the possibility of their extinction as a species at the hands of their creations. The Cylon's robotic nature meant that they became experts in manipulating computer software and used this offensively to turn off Colonial vessels life supports whilst turning their weapon systems against their allies. In the early days of he war, the first twelve Battlestars were created that were purposely designed with antiquated technology that made it harder for the Cylons to infiltrate or disrupt. During the war, the Cylons begin to experiment with the creation of new humanoid forms with models that had human skin grafted on them. These were conducted through grotesque medical experiments that were conducted on human prisoners that was part of research in creating flesh bodies. The earliest known successes of the Cylons were the Hybrids who were partially humanoids that were grafted to mechanical systems allowing them to use these cybernetic support equipment to function as CPU's on Cylon vessels. Hybrid technology was considered an evolutionary dead-end with the Cylons abandoning the use of them. However, a faction of Centurions formed the Guardians that devoted themselves in protecting the First Hybrid and parted ways with the other Cylons. Around this time, the Final Five arrived in the region of the Twelve Colonies only to realise that they were too late and that warfare had erupted between the humans and their Cylon creations.

Upon encountering the emergent Cylon race, the Final Five decided to ally themselves with them and promised to help their evolution into more humanoid based series on the condition that they end their war with mankind. The Centurions agreed leading to the negotiation of the Armistice with humanity with this occurring over the moon of Cimtar and the Cylons departed Colonial space. Under the terms of the treaty, the Colonials and Cylons were not to pass the border between the two regions of space with humans attempting regular contact at the Armistice station but these being unanswered. In the aftermath, the Cylons established the Colony as their home and set about achieving their own evolution as promised by the Final Five. This led to the creation of the eight humanoid models for the Cylons with multiple clone copies being made thus ensuring their immortality. Despite achieving this state, the new human Cylons came to despise their humanoid existence and rejected concepts of mercy. In time, the rising jealously of the One series led to them destroying the Seven line and murdering the Final Five who had their consciousnesses boxed away to prevent their resurrection. They were then responsible for corrupting the memories of the other human Cylon series in order to remove any recollection of the Final Five. By this point, the Cylons then proceeded with ending the original Centurion models and creating a new series that were built with telencephalic inhibitors to prevent them from developing higher brain functions. This was done so as to prevent a mutiny such as the one achieved by the Centurions against their human creators with the human Cylons building these new Centurions to be mute and incapable of speech. In time, the Cylons decided that humanity was a disappointment to God and did not deserve to survive leading to them embarking on a plan to destroy the Colonials once again. This resulted in them engaging in a mass infiltration of the Colonies of Man with the goal o preparing for the inevitable destruction.

Thus, humanoid Cylons infiltrated Colonial society in order to pave the way for the eventual destruction of mankind. For their dissension, the Final Five were punished by being stripped of their true memories and sent to live as humans among the various Colonies. Thus, each grew up with a false set of memories and were completely unaware of their Cylon nature. The purpose of this punishment was to show them the flaws of being human and to make them suffer from the coming genocide of humanity. Around this time, a Number Six model was sent to seduce an influential Colonial scientist by the name of Dr. Gaius Baltar where she was tasked with gaining access to the Colonial Defence Mainframe. This allowed her to build in backdoors into their Command Navigation Program that was designed to give the Cylons an advantage in the coming war. The Cylons then launched their fleet in an all-out attack against the Colonies where they deployed their virus against the Colonail Fleet. By exploiting the CNP, the Colonial ships were renderless powerless and helpless allowing for the Cylons to destroy them with ease. It was then that their Basestars began launching nuclear ordnance on the Twelve Colonies in order to wipe out their creators where they succeeded in killing twenty billion people. However, an aging Battlestar named the Galactica survived due to its antiquated systems where it along with civilian ships that gathered around Colonial One formed a rag-tag fleet of survivors. Under newly appointed President Roslin, the fleet decided to flee Colonial space in order to ensure the survival of the human race with the Cylons in pursuit as they believed that any survivors would return seeking revenge. Meanwhile, the new Battlestar Pegasus came to survive the Cylon virus due to its computers being offline whilst it was docked at the Scorpian Fleet Ship Yards for repairs thus leading to another surviving warship that the Cylons targeted.

The Cylons made numerous efforts at eliminating the Colonial survivors which include using their infiltrators amongst their ships. At the same time, the Cylons went about re-building and settling the Twelve Colonies where they were regularly harassed by surviving bands of guerrilla resistance fighters that remained on their worlds. In addition, the machines kept several people alive on the Colonies where they were kept on farms to use as breeding stock in an effort to conceive pure Cylon offspring.

Following the abandoning of New Caprica, the Cylons began a mission to search for Earth, and interchanged between negotiating a truce with the humans and preparing ambushes to eradicate them. Unrest among the Humanoid Cylons continued, resulting in the entire line of Number Threes being boxed, and new bodies prevented from growing. The Twos, Sixes and Eights launched a general insurrection against the other Cylons in response to the Ones' dictatorial actions, and most of them were wiped out in the process. A damaged Baseship crewed by them entered a tenuous alliance with the Battlestar Galactica, and the repaired ship, with human assistance, was able to destroy the Resurrection Hub, ending the immortality of all Humanoid Cylons. After learning of Earth's location, the Cylons and Humans travel to it. But much to their dismay, they discover that the planet was ravaged by nuclear war with all of its inhabitants, both Thirteenth Tribe and their mechanical creations, having been wiped out in the process. In the aftermath of the demoralizing discovery, the Colonials' alliance with the rebel Cylons comes under threat under numerous occasions, but ultimately still stands. When Hera was captured by Cavil for study, the rebel Cylons participated in the assault on the Cylon colony whilst leaving the baseship to protect the civilian fleet, as Hera, being the 'Mitochondrial Eve', was critical to the survival of both humanity and the Cylon race. They succeed in the mission despite the immense odds stacked against them, though still sustained heavy losses in the process. After discovering a new habitable planet that would eventually be named Earth, the Humanoid Cylons, alongside the Colonials, would give up their technology for the sake of a fresh start. The rebel baseship was given to the Centurions for their support and for them to find their own destiny, hoping that the act of good faith would break the cycle of violence instigated by slavery. The Humanoid Cylons, alongside the Colonials, would disperse to inhabit various parts of the planet, eventually intermingling with each other and the planet's native humans. 150,000 years later, all memory of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol and the Cylons was lost, and the descendants of Hera had begun developing their own forms of artificial life.

Overview

Physiology

In appearance, the Cylons came in a wide variety of forms that were dictated by their evolution from being simple machines. Originally, they were bipedal robotic automatons that were built in the form of their creators.

The basis of their design were the U-87 Cyber Combat Units developed by Graystone Industries.

In time, fully organic Humnaoid Cylons were created that were almost identical to humans on a physiological level both internally and externally. Only high specialised tests were even capable of determining their artificial nature such as exposure to certain types of radiation. Similar to Centurions, their brains were composed of silica pathways but their versions were microscopic. These organic Cylons were stronger than humans and could function in a state of exertion for longer periods of type compared to a normal human. Despite these enhanced traits, human Cylons were as vulnerable as humans and could be killed by similar kinds of weapons.

Although they cannot do so remotely or wirelessly, humanoid Cylons can interface with a computer system or computer network by photo-electrical means. To interface directly with a Colonial ship's system the Cylon must insert a cable into his or her own arm, which was painful. (Episode: Flight of the Phoenix). The process was preferably carried out by touching a data-font of the Cylon datastream. This might be possible through the use of bio-luminescent and photosensitive cells in their hands. Once interfaced, they can rewrite code to purge or create a computer virus, send transmissions to other computer systems, or calculate FTL jump coordinates. (Episode: Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I)

Centurions were large mechanical robots with a single red flashing eyes and typically served in the role of soldiers. Older models were noted for being bulkier and made use of hand-held weapons whilst newer ones had built-in armaments in their bodies. The newer Cylon Centurions possessed a more stream-lined form and had claw-like hands that could re-arrange into guns.

• Their resistance to disease and some forms of radiation is enhanced, but not total. They can interface with technology subdermally. The original Thirteenth Tribe were capable of reproducing amongst themselves, having humanoid Cylon children. The new models lack this ability, but there has been one case of a successful crossbreeding between human Karl Agathon and an Eight, resulting in Hera Agathon, a human/humanoid Cylon hybrid. Saul Tigh managed to impregnate a Six, but the resulting fully Cylon baby, Liam, was miscarried.
• Modern Cylon Raiders are biomechanical fightercraft that resemble sleek flying metal wings with heads similar to those of Cylon Centurions. Their insides are fleshy and they have organic brains. Their consciousness is comparable to that of trained pack animals. The original Cylon Raiders were not Cylon themselves, but more standard craft operated by three Centurions inside. The only pilot of a modern Raider is its own brain, and there is no room for passengers.
• Cylon Basestars are huge biomechanical ships that resemble metallic starfish. Dozens or hundreds of humanoid Cylons live within. The CPU of a Basestar is a Hybrid, which looks like a human wired into a tank. Hybrids continually babble a mixture of system reports and odd phrases. Some Cylons believe that the Hybrids are simply mad, others find their words prophetic. Basestars carry squadrons of Raiders in their hangar bays and are armed with both nuclear and standard missiles.

Society

• The original Thirteenth Tribe, like the twelve tribes of humans, were worshippers of a pantheon called the Lords of Kobol.
• The Centurions of the Twelve Colonies were monotheists, a tradition inherited from their ancestor Zoe Graystone, who was a member of an underground monotheistic movement.
• The Final Five converted to monotheism when they met the Centurions. Their children follow this belief as well, except for the atheistic Ones. They believe that God is loving and merciful. As with human fundamentalists, this is paradoxical with their own actions.
• The humanoid Cylons have a system of total democracy. Each model has one vote and the majority rules. It is unheard of, but not technically forbidden, for an instance of a model to vote contrary to the other copies.

There was no taboo against nudity or sexual acts amongst the humanoid Cylons with them even capable of taking multiple partners. The species was shown to hold no issues in terms of sexuality with them all appearing to be bisexual. It was said to be a commandment from their God to go out and produce offspring.

Technology

A major construction component used by Cylons was a kind of an organic resin. It was applied to metal as a viscous black paste. In its cured state, the resin was compared to cartilage. It was shown to be compatible with Colonial hulls and could be applied to them to increase their structural integrity. (Episode: No Exit)

During their evolution, they came to create the Hybrids as the first step in their evolution into organic beings. (Episode: Razor). They served as the central computers of basestars and other facilities. (Episode: Torn)

The cornerstone of their resurrection technology was the resurrection tank that was a large tub where the consciousness of a deceased humanoid Cylon was transferred to a new Cylon body. The tank contained a thick opaque gel where the new body was suspended. A blue light shines down onto the resurrected Cylon's head.

Known vessels used by the Cylons included:

• Raiders :
• Heavy Raiders :
• Basestar :
• Resurrection Ship :

Members

• Number One :
• Number Two :
• Number Three :
• Number Four :
• Number Five :
• Number Six :
• Number Seven :
• Number Eight :
• Scar :

Notes

• They were based on the Cylons of the original Battlestar Galactica series.

In other media

Video games

• In Battlestar Galactica Deadlock, the Cylons appeared in the turn-based strategy game setting that was set in the First Cylon War. Among their craft included Raiders, Heavy Raiders, Talon carriers, Nemesis, and Revenant frigates.

Appearances

• Battlestar Galactica:
• Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome:
• Caprica:

External Links

• Battlestar Galactica Wiki Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

This article is a stub. You can help Multiversal Omnipedia by expanding it.