Cylon: Greek mythology

[shugotenshi]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylon

Was cruising another bboard when I saw a discussion about cylon of greek mythology.

So I thought I'd create a topic here and get some opinions.

Would like to know if Larson might've used this as for any of his characters.. like Iblis, the imperious leader, the cylons,.. etc..

[Centurion Draco]

I'll bring my reply over as well then
Yes, the story of Cylon and Draco seems to have been in GAL's mind when he wrote the mythos of Galactica and on into Buck Rogers for that matter.
Of course, a lot of events, cultures, and aspects of the ancient world had a heavy influence on BSG.
Here's a potted history of Cylon and Draco.
http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/g...anddraco_2.htm
Draco = Draconian, it's where the expression comes from, and has become a metaphor for something harsh and ruthless.
The big difference with the Cylons in BSG is that their 'coup' was sucessful, and replaced the culture of their masters/creators with their own 'draconian' regime.
BTW, Draco wanted to introduce the death penalty to ancient Greece for the smallest of crimes! A genuine fanatic, obcessed with law and order. It may well be that GAL toyed with the idea of calling the Cylons 'Draconians' first, but thought 'Cylons' more suitable for some of the reasons suggested above (in the other thread) by Langolas and Bryan, only to eventually use the name in Buck Rogers.

[shugotenshi]

Thanks.

I posted this on several board to try to get as many opinions on this subject as I could.

[Senmut]

Excellent stuff, folks! Really great. As to the name "Cylon", and why GL may have chosen it, I asked a Greek friend about the word itself. She said it derives from a verb, kylo, meaning to turn. Now why someone would name their baby Cylon I have no idea, but perhaps GL meant to say something about how the Cylons turned on their creators, and how, over a thousand yahrens later, they also turned on the Humans with whom they had made a false offer of peace. Also, remember how their BaseShips turn all the time?
Thoughts?

[LadyImmortal]

Wow!

That's pretty deep stuff - I love it!

Only GAL knows for sure WHY he chose the name "Cylon" but it makes sense. If it really does mean 'To Turn' then it sounds like it could have a lot of meanings that apply to the Cylons...