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Cylon Civil War

the schism among the machines

The Cylon Civil War was the genocidal conflict that split the Humanoid Cylons into two factions over the treatment of their Raiders and Centurions. It shattered Cylon society and drove one faction into an uneasy alliance with the surviving humans.

By Michael

The Cylon Civil War was the conflict that split the Humanoid Cylons into two warring factions in the months after the Exodus from New Caprica. The Number Ones, Fours, and Fives fought the Twos, Sixes, and most of the Eights over the treatment of the Raiders and Centurions, a schism that ended Cylon resurrection and drove the rebels into an uneasy alliance with the human fleet. (Battlestar Galactica, "Six of One"; Battlestar Galactica, "The Hub")

Causes#

The war grew out of divisions that had been building among the Humanoid Cylons since the occupation of New Caprica, under the growing influence of the Number Ones, the model known as John Cavil, who secretly kept the truth about the Final Five from the others. The entire line of Number Threes was boxed after D'Anna Biers kept defying the taboo against seeking the Five. The breaking point came at the Battle of the Ionian Nebula, when the Raiders broke off their attack because one of them sensed Samuel Anders, one of the Five, in the human fleet. Cavil's faction voted to lobotomize the Raiders so that they would keep fighting, and the Eight known as Boomer cast the swing vote. Natalie's faction refused to accept the result and removed the telencephalic inhibitors from the Centurions, who opened fire on the Ones, Fours and Fives in the room. (Battlestar Galactica, "Rapture"; Battlestar Galactica, "He That Believeth in Me"; Battlestar Galactica, "Six of One"; Battlestar Galactica, "No Exit")

The factions#

The conflict divided the seven Humanoid models into two camps. The Number Ones, Fours, and Fives, with Boomer, formed Cavil's loyalist faction, and in the final battle at the Colony they were backed by the old Centurion Model 0005 units. The Number Twos, Sixes, and most of the Eights, together with the freed modern Centurions, formed the rebel faction, led by a Number Six called Natalie until her death, and afterwards by the restored Number Three, D'Anna. (Battlestar Galactica, "Six of One"; Battlestar Galactica, "The Hub"; Battlestar Galactica, "Daybreak, Part II")

The war and its aftermath#

Cavil soon claimed that the other loyalist models had voted to unbox the Threes, and he invited the rebels to a rendezvous to hear what the restored D'Anna had to say. It was a trap: his basestars surrounded the rebel ships and opened fire, leaving Natalie's basestar badly damaged. Through Leoben and Kara Thrace, the rebels offered the humans an alliance, proposing a joint strike on the Resurrection Hub that would end resurrection for Cavil's side and free D'Anna, who had seen the faces of the Final Five, so that the seven and the five might be united. (Battlestar Galactica, "The Road Less Traveled"; Battlestar Galactica, "Faith"; Battlestar Galactica, "Guess What's Coming to Dinner?")

The joint strike destroyed the Resurrection Hub, and with it the ability of any Cylon to resurrect. The surviving Rebel Basestar joined the human fleet as refugees, and the fragile alliance held through the search for Earth and the final assault on the Cylon Colony, which ended with Cavil dead, the Colony destroyed, and the rebels settling the new Earth alongside the humans. The show's full timeline places the war between New Caprica and the arrival at Earth. (Battlestar Galactica, "The Hub"; Battlestar Galactica, "Daybreak, Part II")

Frequently asked questions

What was the Cylon Civil War?
The Cylon Civil War was the conflict that split the Humanoid Cylons into two warring factions in the months after the Exodus from New Caprica. It ended Cylon resurrection and drove the rebel faction into an uneasy alliance with the human fleet.
What caused the Cylon Civil War?
Divisions had been growing since New Caprica, and the Number Threes had been boxed over their search for the Final Five. The breaking point came when the Raiders broke off an attack after sensing Samuel Anders, and Cavil's faction voted, with Boomer's swing vote, to lobotomize them. The rebel faction responded by removing the Centurions' inhibitors, and the freed Centurions gunned down the Ones, Fours and Fives in the room.
Which Cylon models fought on each side?
The Number Ones, Fours, and Fives, along with the Eight known as Boomer, formed Cavil's loyalist faction, later backed by the old war-era Centurions at the Colony. The Number Twos, Sixes, and most of the Eights, together with the freed modern Centurions, formed the rebel faction, led at first by a Number Six called Natalie.
Why did the rebel Cylons ally with the Colonial Fleet?
Cavil lured the rebels to a rendezvous with the promise of hearing the unboxed Number Three, then ambushed them, leaving Natalie's basestar badly damaged. The rebels offered the humans an alliance: a joint strike on the Resurrection Hub, which would end resurrection for Cavil's side and free D'Anna, the Three who had seen the faces of the Final Five.
What was the outcome of the Cylon Civil War?
The joint attack destroyed the Resurrection Hub, so no Cylon could resurrect again. The surviving rebel basestar joined the human fleet as refugees, and the alliance lasted through the attack on the Colony, which ended with the Colony destroyed and the rebels settling the new Earth with the humans.

Sources

  • EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "Rapture", Season 3, Episode 12 (2007)
  • EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "He That Believeth in Me", Season 4, Episode 1 (2008)
  • EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "Six of One", Season 4, Episode 2 (2008)
  • EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "The Road Less Traveled", Season 4, Episode 5 (2008)
  • EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "Faith", Season 4, Episode 6 (2008)
  • EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "Guess What's Coming to Dinner?", Season 4, Episode 7 (2008)
  • EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "The Hub", Season 4, Episode 9 (2008)
  • EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "No Exit", Season 4, Episode 15 (2009)
  • EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "Daybreak, Part II", Season 4, Episode 20 (2009)

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