Battlestar Galactica

[TsN|Wildchild|xmen]

So much for the edit button...

[TsN|Wildchild|xmen]

duh... the hell?

[TsN|Wildchild|xmen]

Interestingly enough. I did some research on the Cylons and am getting a lot of different information.

They were originally a reptilian race of beings who built the Cylons to purge the galaxy of imperfections. Different stories are leading to different paths. That they eventually came so perfect they lost all forms of organic nature (hmmm very Borg like). Which seems a tad bit odd that they worked so hard to become perfect by removing their organic nature, to turn around and try to be so human-like to actually concieve offspring again. Or that the Cylons destroyed their makers in their quest to purge the galaxy of imperfections. Kind of a distinct irony if you think of it that way.

Then there is the one where humans built them for multiple reasons, for labor, soldiers, what have you. What they all agree on is Baltor is a bad guy, Adama seriously hates ot loose, and Apollo is one lucky SOB.

I then found an interview with Ron Moore, the Executive Producter of Battlestar Galactica, and he explained a lot about the religious portion of the Cylons but he also said something that had me questioning our society and the makeup of personalities. I had a friend tell me once that there are only 16 different types of physical people. Meaning there are approximately 16 different faces in the world with the addition of different hair, eye color, that make us different. Thats why we can look at someone and say, they look familiar. Because there is only a finete (spelling) amount of human diversity in the world.

Quoted here is his take on why there are 12 different Cylons. Oddly enough there are twelve colonies. But 13 if you count earth into the mix.

The Cylon named Number 6 seems to be suffering from a Madonna/whore complex, talking about sin and redemption while leading Dr. Baltar to bed.

Part of that is who those characters are within the Cylon pantheon. We’ve said that there are only 12 models of Cylons, because the Cylons look at humanity and say there’s only 12 different kinds of human, when you get right down to it.

Here is the whole interview. There is a lot of interesting information there. Ron Moore Interview

[XMENPorsche]

Dude - we get the point. You don't have to post it 3 times. (just kidding)

According to the current BSG series the Cylons were created by humans. I think that the whole "reptiilian" thing was the lore leading up to the original series.

You mentioned the relgious aspects of the show. I've always been struck by how the Cylons seem to have more of a Christian view of God whereas the humans seem to have a more Roman/Greek view - all the way down to the names of their gods.

As for Adm. Caine, I'm not ready to say that she's a Cylon. In fact, I don't think she is. I think she's just one whacked out human who has her own "cult-of-personality" thing going on the Pegasus.

[TimberWolf]

The whole Cylon created by another race is from the original BSG. In that the name Cylon was actually the living race that died out but their machines continued to prosper.

Their religion in the current show is the main driving force to why things happen. The Cylons are following a master plan. The Humans are following the documents in their holy scriptures. But if you listened to some of the Cylons you hear about how this has happened before but the roles were reversed. So it kind of makes you think that they are just repeating mistakes.

[TsN|Wildchild|xmen]

What do the colonies know of why a colony was sent to earth? And how long ago was it?

Also, what does this BSG say about the Cylons? Are they human made, by the 12 colonies? Or by someone else? Is it possible for the 13th colony that was sent to earth is actually coming back and it's the Cylons?

I'm just stretching my creativity.

[TimberWolf]

The Colonies only know of Earth through the sciptures. All I can remember was that it was ages ago. When the 12 tribes left to make the Clolonies the 13th went the other way.

The new BSG says that the Cylons were made by man as their weapons to defend them from outside threat and to help police the stars. But something went wrong, much like in Earthsiege/Starsiege games. The Cylons turned on their human masters and the first Cylon war began. This is when the original series toasters and ships were used. Since then the Cylons had been defeated from the Colonies and had not been heard from since. They had been developing themselfs to better defeat their enemy, based off of some of their original programming to adapt. That is about where the Mini-Searies begins, when the Cylons return home to wipe out their enemy.

The 13th Tribe is us, as in modern day Earth. At least that is what it turned out to be in the Original Series. I believe they kept that part in the new series. It kind of follows along with what the Inca's (spelling?) believed. They thought that they were settlers from a distant world.

[TsN|Wildchild|xmen]

I was more speculating... but thanks man.


Now how about that threat that the Cylons were originally built for? The 12 colonies were settled to get away from war is that correct? Do they know from where they came from? What that original threat was that needed the Cylons to begin with?

Just curious. I love backstory stuff.

[TimberWolf]

From my understanding: They came from Kobal which they have now visited. They know from the scriptures that a threat from a far came and destroyed Kobal, the civilization not the planet. I don't know anything else about this at this time.

Think about the Cylons in relation to whats happening right now in life. We are developing AI robots, such as the UAV that take basic guidelines from Human input and then plans the mission and conducts it on its own. I would think that the invention of Cylons were the natural evolution of battle technology to eliminate human casulties from the front line. Even when a nation is at peace they still develop new weapons.

[XMENPorsche]

TW said:

Since then the Cylons had been defeated from the Colonies and had not been heard from since

Actually, in the miniseries that started the new series they state that the first Cylon War lasted 40 years and was very bloody. A truce was called but it never said who won.

I think you're right, though, when it comes to the history of the colonies. There were 13 colonies that left Kobol. One went to earth and the others 12 went the other direction. Evidently it happened so long ago that the 13th colony is regarded by many as just being a myth.

During one of the episodes of the 2nd season Starbuck, President Rosalyn, both of the Adama's, and (I think) Baltar actually made it to earth. Starbuck put the Arrow of Apollo onto a certain statue and they were all transported back to earth (somehow or another). Not sure how they got back, or why they didn't just start doing mass transportations to earth. The story never really got developed after that.

[XMEN Gambit]

They weren't really transported to Earth. I'm thinking holodeck-style illusion.

[TimberWolf]

I agree with Gambit. If they were really on Earth there would have been more stars than those that made up the constalations of the 12 gods. But they did make it look similar to stone henge. As for getting out of there, do we really need to know?

[XMEN Gambit]

Voice 1: "What is this place?"
Voice 2 (Roslyn?): "The tomb of Athena."
Voice 1 (Apollo?): "I thought we were in the tomb of Athena?"
Voice 4 (Starbuck? stage whisper): "I think that was just the lobby."

That sequence just struck me as hilarious.

[TsN|Wildchild|xmen]

I apparently missed that part.

[TimberWolf]

I remember that scene. It stuck in my mind for a couple of days. It also made sense since they said the Arrow opend the tomb but they were in a room they opened by hand full of bodies. So they could have mistaken the first room until they were sent to the next.