Number One: John Cavil
the Cylon called Cavil
Number One, called John, was the first humanoid Cylon the Final Five built. He wiped out the entire Number Seven line and had the Five's memories erased.
The Number Ones were the first model of humanoid Cylon designed by the Final Five following their alliance with the Colonial Cylons. The Five made the model in the image of Ellen Tigh's father and named him "John". Number One's preferred disguise was that of a priest, in which role he most often went by the name "Brother Cavil". (Battlestar Galactica, "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I", "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II", "No Exit")
Origins#
Created first among the seven models, Number One assisted the Final Five in constructing his brothers and sisters. The work gave him insight into resurrection technology and into the creation of humanoid life itself. During the interwar period, while living on The Colony, he grew jealous of the Number Seven model "Daniel", whom he perceived to be the favorite of his mother Ellen. That jealousy drove him to contaminate the amniotic fluid of every Number Seven, an act that killed the entire line. (Battlestar Galactica, "No Exit")
Betrayal of the Final Five#
Increasingly uncomfortable in his humanoid body, Number One began to plot a sequence of events that brought about the deaths of the Final Five, the wiping of their memories, and their implantation among the population of the Twelve Colonies. Drawing on the knowledge he had gained while helping develop the other models, he reprogrammed his own brothers and sisters to wipe their memories of the Five and to keep them from thinking of their creators at all. The full story only comes out in "No Exit", when Ellen confronts Cavil, fifteenth in the season 4 run of episodes. (Battlestar Galactica, "No Exit")
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Number One in Battlestar Galactica?
- Number One was the first model of humanoid Cylon designed by the Final Five following their alliance with the Colonial Cylons. The Five made the model in the image of Ellen Tigh's father and named him John, and his preferred disguise was that of a priest, in which role he most often went by the name Brother Cavil.
- Why is Number One also called Cavil?
- Number One's preferred disguise was that of a priest, and in that role he most often went by the name Brother Cavil.
- Why did Number One destroy the Number Seven model?
- While living on The Colony during the interwar period, Number One grew jealous of the Number Seven model Daniel, whom he perceived to be the favorite of his mother Ellen. That jealousy drove him to contaminate the amniotic fluid of every Number Seven, an act that killed the entire line.
- What did Number One do to the Final Five?
- Increasingly uncomfortable in his humanoid body, Number One orchestrated a sequence of events that brought about the deaths of the Final Five, the wiping of their memories, and their implantation among the population of the Twelve Colonies. Drawing on the knowledge he gained helping develop the other models, he also reprogrammed his own brothers and sisters to wipe their memories of the Five entirely.
Sources
- EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I", Season 2, Episode 19 (2006)
- EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II", Season 2, Episode 20 (2006)
- EpisodeBattlestar Galactica, "No Exit", Season 4, Episode 15 (2009)
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Followed from this entry
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
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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.
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