BATTLESTAR  GALACTICA

CYLON  CENTURION  PAGE

There are those who believe  -  that life here  -   began out there  -  far across the universe  -  with     Tribes of humans  -  who may have been the forefathers of the Egyptians  -  or the Toltecs  -  or the     Mayans.  That they may have been the architects of the Great Pyramids  -  Or the lost civilizations of the Niria or Atlantis  -   Some believe  -  that there may yet be brothers of man  -  who even now  -  fight to survive  -  some where  Beyond the Heavens.    

Let the word go forth to every man, women and child who survived this holocaust.  Tell them to set sail at once in every assorted vehicle that will carry them...  This other world.   Where is it ? and What is it called?   On a planet called "Earth".  

Fleeing from the Cylon tyranny,  the last battlestar, "Galactica",  leads a rag tag fugitive fleet on a lonely quest  -  a shining planet  -  known as "Earth".

  CYLON  CENTURION  FLIGHT   LEADER  "OBERON"  C1-124    

"BY  YOUR  COMMAND"     

aka  George  Metz  -  13 Post Run   -  Newtown Square  PA  -  19073-3014       

e-mail  -  CYLON C1-124   -   610-353-4982         

Updated   July 12,  2004        

Attention  -  Aft Laser Turrets Report Colonial Vipers approaching in large numbers  -  Prepare to Attack  -  By Your Command  -  Fire Aft Mega Lasers  -   Destroy Destroy  -  Leave No Survivors  -  No Survivors

The final annihilation of the life from known as Man.  Let the attack begin.

The Cylons were actually an extinct alien race of reptilian creatures.   The robot-automatons, called "Cylons" on the TV Show, were actually android like machines constructed by the original Cylon Reptilians on their  Home World  known as "Cylon".  A more detailed explanation of the Cylon's origin is given further on down the page.

On the planet "Carillon" in the premiere episode, "A Saga of a Starworld",  Apollo explains to Boxey the origins of the Cylons, thus:

"You see, they're not like us.  They were machines created by living creatures a long, long time ago. You see, some machines are so advanced they can function better than a lot of living creatures.   They're programmed to think a lot faster than we do.  They were made by a race of reptiles called Cylons.  After a while the Cylons discovered humans were the most practical form of creature in this system.  So they copied our bodies, but they built them bigger and stronger than we are.  And they can exchange parts so they can live forever.  There are no more real Cylons.  They died off thousands of yahrens ago, leaving behind a race of super machines, but we still call them Cylons.

In the episode  "War of the Gods"   there is a dialogue between Count Iblis and Baltar,  which suggests that the real (biological) Cylons  may have made a deal with the  "Devil"   in the guise of  Count Iblis: 

Baltar:  I know you.   I remember that voice.

   Iblis:  Do you ?

Baltar:  The voice of the Cylon Imperious Leader.

   Iblis:  The Cylon is a machine.

Baltar:  Yes, Now.  But once they were a race of beings who allowed themselves to be                 overcome by their own technology.

   Iblis:  And when did this happen ?

Baltar:  A thousand yahrens ago,  at the onset of the thousand yahren war against the                 humans.

   Iblis:  And my voice,  to be the voice of the Imperious Leader,  it would have to have                 been transcribed into machine leader a thousand yahrens ago.  I’d have to be                 a thousand  yahrens old.

      Cylon "Oberon" C1-124  with Herbert Jefferson (Lt. Boomer) and Richard Hatch (Apollo). 

According to the post TV series novel "Armageddon" the Cylons were genetically altered with human DNA.  The modern Cylons are in fact a race of genetically-enhanced, humanoid reptilian cyborgs.   Here's the story as told by Baltar to Apollo and Starbuck:

Obviously, this happened millennia ago, and so the story may be subject to the pitfalls of all ancient history.  Perhaps it's nothing more than a legend.

As I was saying,  many millennia ago, an outsider visited the planet Cylon, which at that time was home to a rather truculent, warlike race of sentient reptilian creatures.  These were the true Cylons.

I've never seen one, but I'm told they still exist on the Cylon Home World.

This outsider was filled with anger and savagery that the Cylons admired.   He also introduced to them technology, which kept them in his debt, and in fear of him, for decades.  During that time, he experimented with them, promising to make them the fiercest, most perfect warriors the universe had ever seen.  He vowed that the Cylons would become conquerors, and because of that promise, they allowed him to do whatever he pleased.

There were, according to the history, or the myth if you prefer, many generations of Cylons before those we are currently familiar with came into being.   But, over time, the Cylon race was artificially evolved into a bipedal form to make better use of the technology this outsider had introduced to them. Human DNA was used for this purpose.

But this outsider hated all of humanity.  It was his goal that the Cylons should have, as their primary edict, the extermination of humankind.  He hated all human instincts and tried to breed those aspects out of his Cylons mutants.  He began a cloning process from pure genetic material that made Cylon females unnecessary and, as such, they died out.  And he introduced the cybernetic implants that are now part of every Cylon Centurion.  Eventually, the Cylons could feel no emotions... with the exception of hate.

                       Take Me to Your Leader !!                               Oberon "On Guard"

ORIGIN  OF  THE  CYLONS

The original Cylons were a technologically advanced reptilian race from a far corner of the galaxy.  The Cylons died out a millennia ago and little is known of their society. They must have been warlike and imperialistic since at the time of their extinction they had already conquered hundreds of other worlds.   The key to the success of the early Cylon's conquests was their development, first of sophisticated robots, and then of fully intelligent androids. These machines were built to withstand enormous stress and to have great strength and powerful computational capacity.  Armies of them swept through sector after sector of the galaxy. But ultimately, the machines became the superiors of their creators, and the Cylons themselves were destroyed by their own machines.

The humans proved to be the most formidable foes the Cylons had ever faced.   Lacking imagination to respond to human advances creatively, the Cylons adapted in the only way they could: by imitation.  The Centurions were designed to resemble humans more and more, and their weapons were redesigned accordingly.  Human weapons advances were quickly met by Cylon copies, so that the war remained in stalemate for hundreds of yahren.  The Colonial Unification Movement and the military genius of Commander Cain had pushed the Cylons to the breaking point, when the treachery of Count Baltar led to the near-final destruction of humanity.

The Twelve Colonies of  Man,  which were destroyed in the 1000 year war with the evil reptilian Cylon Empire were:   Aeriana, Aquaria, Canceria, Caprica, Gemoni, Leo, Libra, Piscon, Sagitara, Scorpio, Taura, and Virgon.

Five out of six Battlestars did not survive the Cylon Attack on the planet Carillon.  They were the  Atlantia,  Acropolis, Columbia,   Pacifica  and the Triton.  Ultimately,  only one Battlestar, "Galactica",  carried on to lead and protect a small fleet of ships carrying survivors and supplies.  They fled from the Cylons in search of the thirteenth colony of man on a planet prophesized as "Earth".

                   
It was prophesized.  It was inevitable.  It was bound to happen that the Cylon Empire from "Beyond the Heavens" and the Imperial Empire from a "Galaxy Far Far Away" would come face to face and a battle would ensue.  It finally happened at DragonCon 2001,  when Cylon "Oberon" came to blows with an Imperial Stormtrooper and a Tusken Raider.   Exterminate!  -  Exterminate!  -  Leave No Survivors!  -  No Survivors! 

CYLON  HIERARCHY 

"C0"  DRONES:  The most elementary Cylon automaton.   They have no brains and are hard-programmed to perform only a few defined tasks.   Criminals and rebellious Cylons or others are relegated to the "C0" Drone Class by having their brain removed or being re-programmed to correct their wrongful ways.   It appeared that the Cylons populating the SpaceDrome in the episode "The Living Legend" were "C0" Drones. 

"C1"  SINGLE  BRAIN  CENTURIONS:   The basic Cylon "Tin Head" Soldier in silver-plated armor and with a single traversing eye.  They tend to be slow moving and are capable of only very basic reasoning.  They only know to follow the orders they are given.  They are closely watched throughout their careers and may be tested for potential advancement to the "C2" Commander Class by having a second brain installed.  Cylon Centurions seem to have the ability to know when a person is lying;   possibly a trait obtained from their original reptilian Cylon builders.   

"C2"  TWO  BRAIN  COMMAND   CENTURIONS:  The Cylon Officer Class.  Wearing gold-plated armor and like the "C1" units, having a single traversing eye; they are capable of individual action and initiative and speak in a lower pitched voice than the "C1" Single Brain Centurions.  The "C2's" are generally "C1" Centurions who have been promoted by having a second brain installed to enhance their thinking and reasoning ability.

"DC"  DARK  CENTURIONS:  Also termed "Stealth Centurions";  these later Cylon soldiers utilize a dark armor that is reptilian in appearance.  The armor is more protective and defensive against laser and other weapons,  making them more dangerous and deadly than the earlier Cylon Centurion models.  The DC's are equipped with brains enhanced with "Human Logic Function" (HLF).  This HLF,  which emulates Baltar's mind and reasoning,   enables the Dark Centurions to think and reason more like humans.  Although   HLF  permits the DC's to be faster,  more intelligent and better able to predict human behavior,  the intensive processing of the HLF logic in their brains can also slow them down.

"IL" SERIES:  The "IL" Series models,   with dual counter-scanning eyes and visible working brains,  were constructed to act as advisors and assistants to the "C2" Command Centurions,  Warriors of the Elite Class and the Imperious Leader (IL).  Unlike standard Cylons, they are capable of objective and reasoned analysis.  They therefore tended to be more calculating and devious than the reptilian Cylons who made them and were able to rise to positions of high authority.  Due to their advanced thinking and reasoning abilities,  they were deemed not eligible nor was it desirable for them to become Imperious Leader.  Lucifer and Spectre were of the "IL" Class.

"EC"  WARRIORS OF THE ELITE CLASS:   "C2" Command Centurions who were Executive Officers to the Imperious Leader.  They had gold armor with black bands to indicate their rank.  Vulpa was of the "EC" Class.  He was banned by the Imperious Leader to the ice planet Arcta for opposing the Leader's views.  He was later killed when the "Ravashal Pulsar Gun" on the Planet "Arcta" was destroyed by a small band of human Colonials in the episode "The Gun on Ice Planet Zero".   

THE  CYLON  IMPERIOUS  LEADER:  The highest ranking and the only Cylon with three brains and an original Cylon body.  He rules the entire Cylon Empire.  He is said to rule for 75 yahrens (years),  at which time he was to abdicate his authority or serve until death.  He had the voice of the Count Iblis and he usually served until his death.  The first Imperious Leader engineered the overthrow of the biological reptilian Cylons.  Today, of all the Cylons, only the Imperious Leader retains reptilian form.  Apparently, no means of orderly succession was ever established and an Imperious Leader could be replaced by any Cylon with the power and influence to depose him.

            Dirk Benedict (Starbuck) and Cylon "Oberon" in the "Canteena" at DragonCon 2001  Photos by Frank Usamanont TK823,501st,CO-ECG  

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CYLON  AND  OTHER  BATTLESTAR  GALACTICA  TRIVIA 

About 35 vacuum-formed plastic Cylon Centurion outfits were used during the run of the series.  In one scene, about a dozen Cylons are seen at one time.  Each costume cost more than  $3000.00 for a total cost of over $110,000.00 for all  + 35 outfits.  All but one or two were silver-chrome vacuum-plated.  A couple were Gold toned bronze plated.  The Gold Cylons represented the two-brain "C2" Officer Class and were first seen in the sixth and seventh 1978 episodes "The Gun on Ice Planet Zero 1 & 2".  They also appeared in "The Living Legend" and "Hand of God".  They had a lower pitched voice than the silver "C1" Centurions.  The Cylons were all stunt men over 6 feet tall and after being fitted-out in the armor, they looked like 7 feet tall.   Many of the Cylon outfits became damaged when Cylons were "killed" or they fell down on or off the set.  Towards the end of the filming, the word came down, "The Prop Department budget is out of money - We can't kill any more Cylons"!  Damaged outfits were cannibalized for parts to make others usable again.

The Cylon's roving-eye consisted of a string of small light bulbs powered by numerous battery packs contained in the bulky waist belt each Cylon wore.   The batteries ran the eye for about 20 minutes per charge and the bulbs generated a lot of heat inside the helmet, limiting the amount of time the actors could spend with the helmet on.  The visibilty from the helmets was quite limited and there are stories of Cylons tripping and falling over objects and other actors on the set  they failed to see.  There were a couple instances of whole rows of Cylons falling one after the other when one of them stumbled and sent the rest cascading to the ground.  It took at least an hour or more for a Cylon to be suited-up.  Also, the body suit worn under the armor was one-piece; meaning the actors had to be sure to visit the "Cylon's Rest Room" before being fitted-out to minimize emergencies of nature during the filming sessions.  Filming was often interrupted so the Cylons could take their stuffy and hot helmets off for a breather, get a drink of water, and then later, to "Go Potty" after having drank so much water to keep cool.  Being a Cylon Extra was an exercise in stamina and certainly not for the weak.  The Cylons were filmed in dim or dark lighting to visually enhance the roving red eyes and gleaming metalized armor.  Also, dim ambient light would minimize reflections on the armor from the cameras, props and other actors on the set. 

Oberon's Cylon outfit, (early 2001) uses 32 red LED's for the roving eye, solid-state control and a two-piece body suit to get around the heat, battery and nature problems experienced by the Cylons of 1978 and 1980.  The visibilty, however, remains very limited; but he still manages to get around pretty well on his missions of extermination. 

A small number of the original Cylon outfits are now prized items in the collections of a few Sci-Fi collectors and  apparently none of them are still being worn in public.  Oberon's costume is one of only about a dozen made (4 gold, 8 silver) and most of those have been mounted on mannequins; leaving only a few Cylons still roaming the Galaxy.  Oberon has yet to meet another Cylon, walking or not.  

At Dragon Con 2003, Cylon "Oberon" met up with other armored warriors - A Roman Legionary soldier of 2000 years ago, from a Shining Planet known as Earth and a 501st "Vader's Fist" Legion Stormtrooper from a Galaxy Far, Far Away.  

In Episode Two, a "C1" Centurion reports to the "Leader" using the name "Serpentine". 

        Centurion:   "Flight Leader Serpentine,  By Your Command"

             Leader:   "Report Centurion   on the final assault" 

The Imperious Leader was always filmed in darkness and with his face turned away from the camera because, it is said, that the producers did not like the appearance of the costume.  Despite this,  the impression and unknown vague appearance of the IL was quite effective.  The Imperious Leader costume is reported to have cost  $50,000, although we saw very little of it in the Series.  

Originally, Baltar was only going to be in the pilot episode.  In fact, a movie version was released in Canada & Europe before the pilot premiered on ABC; and in that movie, Baltar was beheaded!  The producer, Glen Larson,  decided to retain the Baltar character for the television series and redirected the final scene himself.   This time the Cylon Centurion is stopped as he draws his sword, when Baltar agrees to help the Cylons destroy the rest of the human race!

The Battlestar Galactica TV show won an Emmy in 1979 for Outstanding Costume Design for a Series.

The names of the Twelve Colonies of Man which left "Kubal" were:  Aeriana - Aquaria - Canceria - Caprica - Gemoni - Leo - Libra - Piscon - Sagitara - Scorpio - Taura - Virgon,  based on the names for the twelve constellations of the Zodiac. 

A re-naming of our familiar terms for time and dates was instituted:  A "micron" was a second  -  a "centon" was a minute; "centar" an hour; "secton" a week; "sectar" was a month; "yahren" became a year.

The five battlestars that were destroyed during the Cylon's attack on Carillon were the  Atlantia - Acropolis - Columbia - Pacifica and Triton. 

The "ragtag" fleet of fugative ships being lead by the Galactica from the Cylon tyranny numbered about 220, which included "Gemina" class transports, a "Colonial Movers" ship, mineral ships, a botanical agricultural ship and a prison barge.  Commander's Cain's Battlestar Pegasus is seen in the episodes "The Living Legend 1 & 2".

Some of the props from the Battlestar Galactica TV Series were also used in the series "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century".

Lorne Greene (Adama) had a  #1 hit in the U.S. with his 1960's recording "Ringo".  He was also the star of the TV series "Bonanza", that ran from 1959 to 1973 with 430 episodes!

 

                        CAST  -  First Season  -  1978-1979

ADAMA ................. Lorne Greene           APOLLO .................. Richard Hatch 

   1       9-17-78    Saga Of A Star World
   2       9-24-78    Lost Planet of the Gods - Part 1
   3     10-01-78    Lost Planet of the Gods - Part 2
   4     10-08-78    The Lost Warrior  
   5     10-15-78    The Long Patrol 
   6     10-22-78    The Gun on Ice Planet Zero - Part 1
   7     10-29-78    The Gun on Ice Planet Zero - Part 2
   8     11-12-78    The Magnificent Warriors
   9     11-19-78    The Young Lords
10     11-26-78    The Living Legend - Part 1  -   Parts 1 & 2 combined into a 108 minute
11     12-03-78    The Living Legend - Part 2  -   movie version  "The Cylon Attack" 1990
12     12-17-78     Fire in Space
13       1-14-79     War Of The Gods - Part 1
14       1-21-79     War Of The Gods - Part 2
15       1-28-79     The Man With Nine Lives
16       2-18-79     Murder on the Rising Star
17       2-25-79     Greetings From Earth - Part 1
18       2-25-79     Greetings From Earth - Part 2
19       3-11-79     Baltar's Escape
20       3-18-79     Experiment In Terra
21       4-01-79     Take The Celestra
22       4-29-79     The Hand Of God

                                CAST  1980  Series

    1    1-27-80    Galactica Discovers Earth - Part 1  
    2    2-03-80    Galactica Discovers Earth - Part 2 
    3    2-10-80    Galactica Discovers Earth - Part 3 
    4    3-16-80    The Superscouts - Part 1 
    5    3-23-80    The Superscouts - Part 2 
    6    3-30-80    Spaceball 
    7    4-13-80    The Night The Cylons Landed - Part 1 
    8    4-20-80    The Night The Cylons Landed - Part 2 
    9    4-20-80    Space Croppers 
  10    5-04-80    The Return Of Starbuck  

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COUNT  BALTAR

Baltar is without a doubt the most hated human in Colonial history. His greed and lust for power led him to deceive his fellow Councilors into relaxing their defenses, opening the door to the massive Cylon offensive in which at least seventy billion humans perished. The Cylon Imperious Leader promised Baltar safety for his own Colony, and personal rulership over the rest of humankind. Baltar, in return, persuaded the Quorum of the Twelve that the Cylons were sincerely interested in peace, and that they had already shut down most of their attack forces in a gesture of friendship. The humans then disabled most of their weapons.

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By Your Command !   You are the

to visit with Cylon "Oberon" C1-124 since September 10,  2001