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Thursday, May 29, 2008

12 Cylon Models, 12 Kobol gods, 12 Greek Olympians.

Are the twelve models of Cylon in Battlestar Galactica also the twelve Kobollian gods, themselves seemingly the same as the twelve Olympians gods of pagan Greece?

If so, here's a breakdown of which model seems to correspond to which Greek Olympian:

The Seven Revealed Cylons


  • Cavil1: Zeus
    Although not as clear as Caprica and Aphrodite, Cavil is often seen as taking a command and leading position among the twelve Cylons. Furthermore, as with Zeus, he seems to be the most vulgar of the Cylon men.

  • Leoben2: Apollo
    Leoben most closely corresponds with the greek deity Apollo, who is the pagan god of prophecy. Leoben definitely makes a few prophecies and also tries to help Starbuck.

  • D'Anna3: Athena
    The D'Annas seem to be linked to the pagan deity Athena, although the tendency might be to link the Sharons with this Olympian (Sharon Agathon's call sign is 'Athena,' after all). However, D'Anna demonstrates the the cool-headedness of Athena, along with strategy, and appears to be the closest match of the eleven Cylons as of yet revealed. An alternative deity would be Hestia, who lost status as an Olympian, whereas the D'Annas were boxed.

  • Simon4: Poseidon
    This Cylon/god pairing is difficult, not least because Simons' appearances are so limited. However, Poseidon was the deity associated with psychology and neurology (such as epilepsy), which could tie in with Simon's biggest appearance as a doctor.

  • Aaron5: Hermes
    Introduced as a reporter, and later depicted as negotiator, the Aarons are a fairly close match for the Greek messenger deity of invention, commerce, and cunning.

  • Caprica6: Aphrodite
    The originally most obvious of the Cylon/gods analogy, the sixes correspond to Aphrodite, Greek deity of beauty, lust, and fertility.

  • Sharon8: Artemis
    The Sharons could be either Artemis or Hestia, depending on whether or not Starbuck is a Cylon. Artemis is the Olympian associated with birthing, raising children, hunting, and can suddenly kill. Sharon has given birth, has a child, and killed suddenly. Supporting the Hestia hypothesis, Hestia is the deity of the family and domesticity.



The Final Five Cylon Models


  • Chief Tyrol: Hephaestus
    The clearest along with Caprica (potentially even clearer), chief mechanic and union leader Tyrol aligns closely with Hephaestus, Greek deity of metallurgy and workers.

  • Anders: none apparent.
    As with Hera, Anders is loyal to Starbuck, and is married. Anders is a man.

  • Colonel Tigh: Ares
    Somewhat tricky, warrior Tigh seems to correspond with Ares, the Olympian of war and violence. Tigh's alcoholism could tie him to Dionysis, but that's tenuous.

  • Tory: Hestia
    Hestia, deity of the hearth and ordered family, corresponds to Tory, who helps to order the government, and the Colonial family.



All of these ideas are imperfect, for various reasons, including, but not exclusive to, the ambiguity of the fifth final Cylon model, who, according to the scenario set out above, should be somewhat related to agriculture.

To make your own decisions, here is a link to a website about Greek Olympians.
--------
Found this article interesting? Check out:
The Vegetarian Diaries.

Or:
The Roadmap to the Future.
The Roadmap to the Future--Africa.
The Roadmap to the Future--Asia.
The Roadmap to the Future--Europe.
The Roadmap to the Future--Latin America.

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Found this article interesting? Check out:
History: The Roadmap to the Future.
History: The Roadmap to the Future--Africa.
History: The Roadmap to the Future--Asia.
History: The Roadmap to the Future--Europe.
History: The Roadmap to the Future--Latin America.

Or:
The Science Fiction Channel + Technorium.
The Vegetarian Diaries + Biologeel.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

**SPOILERS**

Cavil: Zeus
Leoben: Apollo
D'Anna: Artemis (In Roman Artemis was called Diana, can't make it more obvious really)
Simon: Poseidon
Aaron: Hermes
Caprica: Aphrodite
Sharon: Athena
Tyrol: Hephaestus
Anders: Dionysus (God of music, he literally was the one that created the song that woke up the 5)
Tigh: Ares
Tory: Demeter
Ellen: Hera

Anonymous said...

Daniel, the missing cylon would be Hades.