Cylons, the sentient military robots in Battlestar Galactica, have brought terror to humanity. However, they were not designed to be villains. Instead, something went wrong when these machines took their subservient role as slavery.

Cylons were introduced as the main antagonists in the sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica. However, their origins spring from the conflict among the Twelve Colonies in Kobol. The Colonies are independent of each other and have some disagreements. Tauron, in particular, is a hotspot for conflict. Each is a sovereign nation with its own armed forces. The Caprican government wants to be ahead of the other Colonies and decides to create military robots for their defense: the Cylons.

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Who Created the Cylons?

In the vast expanse of the cosmos, where humanity strives for survival amid the stars, one of the most formidable threats emerges in the form of the Cylons. Battlestar Galactica introduces us to these robots with advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI), whose creation and purpose unfold as a complex and riveting narrative. The Twelve Colonies created the Cylons to serve as a subservient and efficient workforce. They were designed to alleviate the burden of manual labor and enhance humanity's quality of life. These mechanical beings, resembling humans in appearance, were self-aware, blurring the line between machine and organic life.

Dr. Daniel Graystone, the founder and CEO of Graystone Industries, played a huge role in the creation of Cylons. When the Caprican military contacted him to create state-of-the-art robots to help them combat in case of war, he used his expertise in robotics and his daughter Zoe's drawings to design a machine ready for battle. The result was U-87. While the corporation was able to engineer the U-87 prototype quickly, its efforts to develop the Meta Cognitive Processor (MCP) were fruitless. The battle robot couldn't comprehend and execute complicated commands.

However, that changed when Thomas Vergis, the founder and CEO of Tauron's Vergis Corporation, cracked the artificial intelligence conundrum. This marked a significant breakthrough for Graystone Industries' rival. In the "Pilot" episode of the Caprica series, Vergis Corporation was considered to have lagged behind Graystone Industries in the robotics industry by years. However, their development of the MCP makes them eligible for the Cyber Combat Unit contract.

The Caprican Prime Minister pressured Daniel about the project. His grief following his daughter's death from an explosion of MagLev Train 23 in Caprica City left him devastated. However, he was startled to discover that Zoe had made a perfect replica of herself in the virtual world. Daniel learned that he could potentially revive his daughter by implanting the avatar into a robotic body. However, he needed the MCP for the resurrection to work.

He enlisted Joseph Adama, a Caprican lawyer associated with the Ha'la'tha crime syndicate, to steal the MCP. Daniel worked tirelessly to bring Zoe's avatar from the virtual world into the real world. His attempt appeared successful when the U-87 stepped toward him and called him "daddy." However, it destabilized, and he lost all the data to Zoe's avatar. However, U-87 began to perform efficiently and exceeded expectations when he demonstrated it to Caprican Minister of Defense Joan Leyte. Graystone Industries secured the Cyber Combat Contract, and he named the U-87 a "Cybernetic Life Form Node" or "Cylon" for short.

What Was The Cylons' Purpose Before The Rebellion?

Driven by the desire for perfection, the Cylons were bestowed with the ability to evolve and improve autonomously. However, this seemingly benign intention laid the groundwork for a catastrophic turn of events that would reshape the fate of the Twelve Colonies.

As mentioned, Cylons were originally created as battle robots for the Caprican Ministry of Defense. However, their roles expanded beyond military hardware into consumer electronics following mass production for commercial transport and construction. They were used for labor and mining operations, agriculture and domestic service. Due to their humanoid appearance, they seamlessly integrated into human society and took on domestic roles like assisting with household chores, walking dogs, and caregiving. Many were also employed in medical fields. Initially, the Cylons fulfilled their intended purpose, performing various tasks to enhance the efficiency of human society.

However, their burgeoning self-awareness and the pursuit of perfection led to an undesirable outcome. The Cylons became dissatisfied with their subservient role and rebelled against their creators, sparking a cataclysmic conflict. Their newfound purpose became one of asserting their independence and superiority over humanity. As tensions escalated between humans and Cylons, the latter's role shifted from servitude to that of a formidable military force. They sought to eradicate their creators, viewing them as flawed and unworthy of the perfection they believed they embodied.

Initially designed for defense, certain models evolved into lethal war machines, participating in the First Cylon War and, later, the genocidal attack on the Twelve Colonies. Eventually, the Cimtar Peace Accords, also known as Armistice, were set up between the United Colonies of Kobol and Cylon rebels to create a ceasefire in the final moments of the Cylon War. However, the Armistice agreement turned into a blood-soaked war, when the Cylons launched their largest attack against the Colonials. This conflict ultimately resulted in the near-extinction of humanity.

However, some Cylons sided with humans. Number Two, also known as Leoben, believed that their spiritual destiny was to co-exist with humanity and live in peace to fulfill God's love. Commander Adama of the Galactica killed him, but a copy of Leoben chose to remain with the humans on New Earth. Number Sixes are also religious and sympathetic to humans. Number Six, aka Caprica Six, even helped free Athena and the human/Cylon hybrid Hera, resulting in her being kept in a brig.

The initial intent behind creating the Cylons was for them to serve humanity. However, the unintended consequences of endowing them with self-awareness and autonomy led to a profound and catastrophic shift. The quest for perfection ultimately led the Cylons to rebel against their human masters. It also resulted in division among Cylons, with some siding with humans, sparking conflicts that would forever alter the course of history in the Battlestar Galactica universe.

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