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Number Three

the Cylon known as D'Anna Biers

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.

By Joe Garratt

Number Three, known by the alias D'Anna Biers, was a model of humanoid Cylon. The model was female and blonde, distinguished from the other models, and notably from the Number Ones, by a religious curiosity that fixed especially on the forbidden subject of the Final Five.

Characteristics#

The Number Three model was female and blonde, marked by a religious curiosity, notably surrounding the forbidden subject of the Final Five, that set her apart from the other Cylon models. Threes were referred to collectively as "D'Annas".

Infiltration as D'Anna Biers#

The model first appeared as an infiltrator within the Fleet under the alias "D'Anna Biers", posing as a reporter for the Fleet News Service. In that guise she leaned toward a tabloid format of rumor and innuendo rather than the conventional reporting of figures such as James McManus. An early copy presented herself as a documentary filmmaker chronicling the so-called Gideon massacre and, later, daily life aboard Galactica. Her report was transmitted back to Cylon-occupied Caprica, along with information on the survival and successful pregnancy of Sharon Agathon, née Valerii. This copy is presumed to have shared the fate of her line, boxed and her consciousness destroyed with the Resurrection Hub.

The Temple of Five#

A later D'Anna was first seen attempting to box Caprica-Six and Sharon "Boomer" Valerii. After the two convinced the other models that the all-out attack on the Colonies had been a mistake, she went on to oversee the occupation of New Caprica, the recovery of Hera Agathon from Colonial hands, and the Cylon search for both Earth and the Final Five. That search, forbidden by a cultural imperative of Cylon society, led her to the Temple of Five, where she received a vision identifying the Five. She died as a result of the vision, only to be resurrected and then immediately boxed in a process overseen by the Number Ones.

Boxing and the last Three#

Because of the line's defiance of the taboo against learning more about the Final Five, the entire model was boxed, its consciousnesses stored at the Cylons' central Resurrection Hub. During the Cylon Civil War, the faction led by Natalie Faust sought to unbox the Three who had visited the Temple of Five, so that the Seven and the Five might be united. The rebels formed a fragile alliance with the Colonials to retrieve her and then destroy the Hub.

She was unboxed by Cavil and Boomer, who hoped she could persuade the rebels to stand down; she answered violently, killing Cavil, before being rescued by Karl Agathon and an Eight. With the destruction of the Resurrection Hub, every other copy was lost, leaving her the last Three in existence and the only one ever to reach Earth. Fallen into despair at the discovery of a dead Earth, this final Three chose to stay and die on the planet, her death marking the extinction of her model.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Number Three in Battlestar Galactica?
Number Three, known by the alias D'Anna Biers, was a model of humanoid Cylon. The model was female and blonde, marked by a religious curiosity that fixed especially on the forbidden subject of the Final Five.
What was D'Anna Biers's cover within the Fleet?
The model first appeared as an infiltrator within the Fleet under the alias D'Anna Biers, posing as a reporter for the Fleet News Service. An early copy presented herself as a documentary filmmaker chronicling the so-called Gideon massacre and, later, daily life aboard Galactica.
Why was the entire Number Three line boxed?
A D'Anna pursued the Cylon search for the Final Five to the Temple of Five, where she received a vision identifying the Five. Because of the line's defiance of the taboo against learning more about the Final Five, the entire model was boxed, its consciousnesses stored at the Cylons' central Resurrection Hub.
How was the last Three unboxed during the Cylon Civil War?
During the Cylon Civil War, the faction led by Natalie Faust sought to unbox the Three who had visited the Temple of Five so that the Seven and the Five might be united. The rebels formed a fragile alliance with the Colonials to retrieve her and then destroy the Hub.
What happened to the last Number Three?
With the destruction of the Resurrection Hub, every other copy was lost, leaving her the last Three in existence and the only one ever to reach Earth. Fallen into despair at the discovery of a dead Earth, this final Three chose to stay and die on the planet, marking the extinction of her model.

Sources

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