Cylon Civilians...

[Charybdis]

Here's a question for you all:

What did the Cylon empire need Cylon civilians for??? If all Cylons were machines, there would be a need for some type of machines to make all the other centurions and machines of war, but beyond that, what did the Cylons do with all of their conquered territory and cities??

The Cylon civilians in The Living Legend did not seem to be mechanics and industrial robots, they seemed to be posh dignitaries or something like that in a royal court!

Very strange indeed. I would love to hear you all's answers to this...

[Dawg]

I assume you're referring to the base on Gammoray in LL.

Perhaps if we recall that Larson has originally intended the Cylons to be cybernetic (machine and organic), then the concept of Cylon civilians is more easily accepted than if they were actually fully machines.

Regardless, there was supposed to be a Cylon "society"; that kind of presupposes a civilian population in addition to the military population. At least in human definitions of a society.

I am
Dawg

[KJ]

Well being there isn't enough to go on a one season series. We'd have to go on what we know right. As i'd would take it, the Cylons were once Reptillian and were a race of conquerors long before Count Iblis intervention messed around with their natural order and development. Whatever characteristics i.e their backround, warlike behavior and social graces the Cylons had before they became machines. Some of which must have been passed on.

The Imperious leader for example is the only one of their evolved 'machine' race. allowed to look like their original Reptillian Cylon brethren before the race of super-machine Cylons destroyed them. For some odd reason also uses the same voice as Count Iblis.

The motifs with the Cylons are based on the 'Roman Empire' itself. Terms such as "Cylon Garrison", "Centurions" and whatnot. And the number 3 seems to be another pattern Cylons choose to intergrate into their collective themselves. 3 Baseships travel together, 3 centurions per Raider fighter craft, 3 brained Cylons opposed to the I.L. series and the Two and One brained Centurions (should you take into account the novels.).

Below the Imperious Leader are I.L. series Cylons. For some reason or another are the same Cylon use to elect another Imperious Leader. Although they aren't as evolved due to the Cylon's leader using a "Third Brain". I.L.'s also wear clothing. And have some sort of regal stature to themselves. they some across as outpost commanders, leaders, governors etc and do not do any field combat at all. Just like the Roman government of old. I.L. Cylons have a place as dignaries.

So it stands to reason, even a race like the Cylons who are now machines have a underbelly of workers or sub-division of machines that run the empire minor everyday day to day goings on.

To me the Cylons have a class system, similar to the Minbari of Babylon 5.

A regal class of superior Cylons - imperious leader and the I.L. series cylons who are of the same group.

A warrior class. - Centurions

And a civilian class of workers - A sub group of all kinds of Cylons. meant for the backbone maintaince of the empire itself.

KJ

Great answers KingJason and Dawg. That covered most of my thoughts on the question.

I thought it interesting that the cylons at the IL level lied to each other and were concerned with promotion within their system. They had pride and a sense of humor.

Seeing that to some extent part of the cylon structure acted like humans makes it much more believeable that the colonials could have been fooled in the first place.

I would have liked seeing one episode done from the cylon point of view. Maybe like a day in the life of an average cylon. It would have been interesting to see them talking among themselves. I can see some great comedic value in such an episode.

[Ian_W359]

One race I thought was similar to the Cylons, was the 'Dominion' of Star Trek : DS9, employing a command structure along the same lines (although more rigid with no real movement between levels - each level was a different species).

At the top were the changeling 'Founders', worshipped as gods. Next up were the 'Vorta' - command staff & diplomats, etc. and below them were the 'Jem'Hadar' - the frontline troops.

Although they had no civilian class of their own, the population would have been made up of the races that either had joined the the Dominion (eg. Cardassia) or had been conquered by them.

All the best,
Ian W359