The Final Five
the hidden Cylons
The Final Five were five humanoid Cylon models hidden from the rest of their kind, descendants of the Thirteenth Tribe and the creators of the Significant Seven.
The Final Five was the collective term for five of the thirteen humanoid Cylon models, whose identities were unknown to the majority of the Cylon population. These five were descendants of the Thirteenth Tribe, a group of ancient humanoid artificial life forms created by humans on Kobol thousands of years before. They were also the creators of the so-called Significant Seven Cylons, as well as the entirely wiped-out line of Number Seven. Their place in that long history, from Kobol to the second Earth, is mapped on the Battlestar Galactica timeline. (Battlestar Galactica, "Sometimes a Great Notion"; Battlestar Galactica, "No Exit")
Identity#
The Final Five comprised five humanoid Cylon models: Samuel Anders, Tory Foster, Ellen Tigh, Saul Tigh and Galen Tyrol. Unlike the other models, their identities were kept hidden from the broader Cylon population. The fifth, Ellen Tigh, was only revealed later. (Battlestar Galactica, "Crossroads, Part II"; Battlestar Galactica, "Revelations"; Battlestar Galactica, "No Exit")
The D'Anna inquisition#
After the Fall of the Twelve Colonies and the escape from New Caprica, a Number Three had herself killed and downloaded many times over in an effort to catch glimpses of five mysterious figures dressed in white robes, whom she believed to represent the Final Five. Despite her efforts she struggled to depict accurately what she had witnessed. Gaius Baltar, suspicious of his own ability to perceive the messengers and burdened by guilt over his role in the near extinction of humankind, came to suspect he might be one of the remaining Five, and joined Number Three in a personal search for his identity. (Battlestar Galactica, "Hero"; Battlestar Galactica, "The Eye of Jupiter")
The pair eventually reached the Algae planet, where they discovered a pre-Colonial structure known as the Temple of Five. As the system's star neared its end and exploded into a supernova, the temple's mechanisms emitted a beam of light. Stepping into the light, Number Three was transported back to a vision of the Opera House, facing the same image of the Five. On recognizing them she expressed surprise and apologized, saying "You... forgive me... I had no idea," before being pulled back to reality, collapsing in Baltar's arms and dying with the words "You were right," without revealing what she had seen. After downloading, she informed Cavil, who, unwilling to let the knowledge spread, placed her entire line in cold storage in the Resurrection Hub. (Battlestar Galactica, "The Eye of Jupiter"; Battlestar Galactica, "Rapture")
Realization#
As the Fleet approached the Ionian Nebula, Saul Tigh, Galen Tyrol, Samuel Anders and Tory Foster each heard a strange melody. For Tyrol and Anders the tune recalled their early childhood, while Tigh found it increasingly irritating as it seemed to follow him throughout the Galactica. When the fleet reached the nebula the melody grew clearer to all four, drawing them to the same compartment, where they realized that they were all Cylons, four of the hidden models. Coming to terms with this identity was a struggle, but they resolved to continue their lives as the humans they had always believed themselves to be, with Tigh in particular determined to uphold his oath to the Colonial Fleet. The scene closes season 3 in "Crossroads, Part II", listed with every episode in broadcast order. (Battlestar Galactica, "Crossroads, Part II")
In the battle that followed in the nebula, a Cylon Raider scanned Samuel Anders's Viper and his eye flashed red in response. The Raider broke off, the other Raiders withdrew to their basestars, and the Cylon fleet jumped away. (Battlestar Galactica, "He That Believeth in Me")
Frequently asked questions
- Who were the Final Five?
- The Final Five was the collective term for five of the thirteen humanoid Cylon models, whose identities were unknown to the majority of the Cylon population. They were descendants of the Thirteenth Tribe and the creators of the so-called Significant Seven Cylons, as well as the entirely wiped-out line of Number Seven.
- Who were the members of the Final Five?
- The Final Five comprised five humanoid Cylon models: Samuel Anders, Tory Foster, Ellen Tigh, Saul Tigh and Galen Tyrol. Unlike the other models, their identities were kept hidden from the broader Cylon population.
- How did the Number Three try to identify the Final Five?
- After the Exodus from New Caprica, a Number Three repeatedly had herself killed and downloaded herself many times over in an effort to catch glimpses of five mysterious figures dressed in white robes. She finally recognized them at the Temple of Five, but collapsed and died with the words "You were right," without revealing what she had seen.
- What happened to the Number Three after she recognized the Final Five?
- After downloading, the Number Three informed Cavil of what she had witnessed. Unwilling to let the knowledge spread, Cavil placed her entire line in cold storage in the Resurrection Hub.
- How did four of the Final Five realize they were Cylons?
- As the Fleet approached the Ionian Nebula, Saul Tigh, Galen Tyrol, Samuel Anders and Tory Foster each heard a strange melody that drew them together, and they realized they were all Cylons. They resolved to continue their lives as the humans they had always believed themselves to be, with Tigh determined to uphold his oath to the Colonial Fleet.
Sources
- EpisodeHero, Season 3, Episode 8 (2006)
- EpisodeThe Eye of Jupiter, Season 3, Episode 11 (2006)
- EpisodeRapture, Season 3, Episode 12 (2007)
- EpisodeCrossroads, Part II, Season 3, Episode 20 (2007)
- EpisodeHe That Believeth in Me, Season 4, Episode 1 (2008)
- EpisodeRevelations, Season 4, Episode 10 (2008)
- EpisodeSometimes a Great Notion, Season 4, Episode 11 (2009)
- EpisodeNo Exit, Season 4, Episode 15 (2009)
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry
Cylon Raider: the living fighter
The modern Raider was a living organism fused to a metal exoskeleton, able to plan and to refuse orders. Killed Raiders resurrected into new ships.
Cylon
The Cylons were a race of sentient machines created as military robots by Graystone Industries on Caprica. Built from research into artificial consciousness, they rebelled against their human masters, fought a long war, and forty years later returned to annihilate humanity.
Ellen Tigh
Ellen Tigh was the wife of Colonel Saul Tigh, a scientist of the original Earth, and the eldest of the Final Five Cylons. She led the work that rediscovered Resurrection and created the humanoid Cylon models, and was the only one of the Five to fully regain her memories.
Galen Tyrol
Chief Petty Officer Galen Tyrol kept Galactica's flight deck running through the long flight from the Colonies, a respected and fiercely protective deck chief who learned that he was in fact one of the Final Five Cylons, descended from the Thirteenth Tribe.
Number Seven
Number Seven was a humanoid Cylon model series created by the Final Five and named Daniel by Ellen Tigh. The line was destroyed before the Fall of the Twelve Colonies when the Number Ones poisoned the fluid used to mature their bodies and corrupted their genetic code.
Number Three
Number Three, known by the alias D'Anna Biers, was a humanoid Cylon model marked by a forbidden curiosity about the Final Five. That defiance led to the entire line being boxed, and the last surviving Three chose to die on the ruins of Earth.
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Cylon
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