Six Degrees of SeparationBattlestar Galactica Part 1

As many will know, the 7th episode of the first season of the Battlestar Galactica TV series was named Six Degrees of Separation. In this first post of my story arc I want to set the background to this.

In the classic Galactica movie and later released TV series, the cybernetic civilization know as the Cylons are at war with the last surviving humans from the Twelve Colonies of humanity. Like refugees fleeing mass genocide, the survivors led by President Laura Roslin and Commander William Adama are in a fleet of ships headed by the massive warship, the Battlestar Galactica, and travelling across the galaxy looking for the believed-mythical world and original home of humanity, known as Earth. The survivors are being pursued by the Cylons who are intent on wiping out the remnants of the human race.

The war between the two species is stated in the episode "Saga of a Star World" as being started when the Cylon empire sought to expand into the territory of a species allied with the colonies, that species being the Hasaries. The Cylons [sic] intentions were transparent: conquest, subjugation, and enslavement or obliteration. so their original intentions are only half-genocidal. Intervening on behalf of the Hasaries, the human colonies helped their besieged neighbors win back their freedom, but at a terrible cost: the cylons empire now veiwed [sic] the human race as their prime-most nemesis. Because of humanity's most endearing traits; self-sacrifice, nobility, honor, loyalty, our desire to question, and to resist oppression, the Cylon empire veiws [sic] mankind as a threat. To the Cylon mind, such behavior is alien and a dangerous threat to their empire's dominion. Source: Wikipedia

The Cylons were originally created by man as simple labour-saving robots however they rebelled and retreated from the 12 Colonies. During their 40-year retreat they evolved and developed bio-mechanical models which were effectively indistinguishable from humans, to the point where they are even able to reproduce sexually with them! Some are programmed to think they are human. Their minds can easily be downloaded into other copies of these bio-models. The Cylons also developed their own concept of a soul and religion. They worship the one God and believe that their God is the God of everyone, that all beings must develop a relationship with God or lose their immortal souls. It is from this that they believe that their God has ordered them on a religious crusade to eradicate the unworthy humans.

In the beginning of the TV miniseries, we see the genius, but emotionally unstable scientist, Dr Gaius Baltar (played by Englishman James Callis) in an intense sexual relationship with a beautiful blond woman (played by the Canadian actress Tricia Helfer). She makes out to be an employee of a rival computer corporation (the sting), but in fact is the Cylon agent and infiltrator, Number Six, who was designed for seduction and as well as being capable of adapting to human form, is able to adapt to human emotions. Swayed by her beauty and charm Dr Baltar slips her computer secrets from his defense work. Number Six, reveals to him that she is in fact a humanoid and that the Cylons will use the computer secrets that he had given her to infiltrate the Colonial defense systems, disable the Colonial military and attack the Twelve Colonies which they did and in turn, destroyed most of humanity.

Dr. Baltar was amongst the group of survivors on planet Caprica devastated during the Cylons' surprise attack. With the help of Lieutenant Karl "Helo" Agathon (played by Canadian Tahmoh Penikett), Baltar managed to flee Caprica, finding refuge with the Galactica and its refugee fleet of civilian ships. However, troubled mentally by his fear of anyone discovering his betrayal and the guilt that he feels over his unwitting role in the genocide of humanity, Baltar continues to be haunted by visions of Number Six, with whom he converses often.

In the next post we'll move straight into the Six Degrees of Separation arc.