Number Six

Battlestar Galactica 2004 Continuity
(Battlestar Galactica 2004, Caprica and Blood & Chrome)

Number Six is a model of Humanoid Cylon created by the Final Five following the Cylon War. Like all Humanoid Cylons, there are millions of clones of the Number Six prototype "template". Each share the same basic personality, and upon death the memories are uploaded to a cloud server which other Sixes can access.

Description

Number Sixes take the form of a tall woman, typically blonde-haired. Sixes that infiltrated human society ahead of the Fall of the Twelve Colonies are noted as being more individualist than the other models, and often customised their appearances and came up with their own names. In comparison, all Number Eights were identical and went by the name "Sharon".

History

In the lead-up to the Fall of the Twelve Colonies, individuals from all seven Humanoid Cylon models crossed over into the Cyrannus star system with the mission of infiltrating Colonial society and interfering with their defence planning. The operation had mixed successes, with many individuals failing to enter sensitive job roles and simply living out their life waiting for the attacks. Caprica Six was the most successful of the Sixes; by posing as a representative of a rival defence contractor, she was able to seduce Dr. Gaius Baltar and both re-write and secretly copy his Command Navigation Program so the Cylon strike force would be able to remotely shut-down Colonial vessels. Another successful infiltrator was Natalie Faust, who's role as a Gemenese anti-corruption activist helped determine the human capabilities of holding out. Gina Inviere gained employment with Integral Systems Engineering, a defense contractor which provided tech support during battlestar refits; this position allowed her to sabotage battlestars which may be impervious to the CNP exploit. Other infiltrators include Tough Six, who was a prostitute, and Shelly Godfrey who claimed to have been an aide to Dr. Amarak in the Ministry of Defense though may have lied.

The Numbers Sixes were, in the aftermath of the holocaust, a leading element in a revolution within Cylon culture. With Caprica-Six's romantic relationship with Baltar available to other Sixes, it became the common Six view that the destruction of humanity was a mistake. The starting of this revolution included the first instance of intentional Cylon-on-Cylon violence with the killing of a Number Three. They were ultimately successful in the Cylons abandoning their occupation of the Twelve Colonies, though attempts to rescue surviving human survivors were sabotaged by the Number Ones.

Almost two years after the fall, the Cylons determined the location of a colony of humans set up by refugees; this was detected due to the radiation signature of a nuclear detonation triggered by Godfrey while committing suicide. The Sixes agreed to set-up their own colony on the planet, New Caprica, and provide help to the human population through the building of infrastructure. Though the occupation was brutal, the Sixes genuinely believed they were helping. The Sixes became disillusioned by their experiences on New Caprica, and almost voted in favour of executing Baltar after he was recovered from the surface. Nonetheless, Caprica-Six aided the Colonial Fleet in the rescue of Hera Agathon and became a willing prisoner; though offered amnesty for finding evidence that would allow Baltar to be executed for treason, she refused.

Following the Cylon confirmation of the Final Five's presence within Galactica's refugee convoy, the Sixes were once more drawn into a political upheaval in Cylon society. They, the Twos and Eights believed the Final Five should be welcomed back into their society, and objected to the lobotomisation of the Raiders which were deemed defective by the Ones, Fours and Fives who believed the Final Five were an irrelevance. This political dispute culminated with the removal of the teloncephalic inhibitors from the Centurions, who began massacring the opposing three models. This cleansing resulted in the Cylon fleet being divided between basestars controlled by Faust's faction, and those controlled by the Ones, Fours and Fives who had cleansed their own basestars accordingly. Due to poor planning on Faust's part, her faction suffered considerable losses at the start of the Cylon Civil War, and it is uncertain if any Sixes outside her basestar survived. Under Natalie's leadership, a truce was brokered between these rebels and the Colonial Fleet where Faust planned a join-strike on the Resurrection Hub and allow the rescue of a Number Three who could help identify the Five. Though this operation was ultimately successful, Faust herself was murdered and the Three reluctantly accepted a continued truce following the public outing of the Five before heading out to Earth.

In the aftermath of Earth's discovery as a nuclear wasteland, the rebel Cylon society went through yet another political dilemma. No longer having a world to live and protect with the humans, the Sixes considered leaving the fleet entirely and finding their own destiny with Caprica-Six, who had become pregnant after an illicit relationship with Galactica XO Colonel Saul Tigh, himself one of the Five. The Sixes were willing to leave behind the Five if necessary, but their plans were abandoned when Caprica-Six miscarried. Following this, the Sixes as a whole became protected citizens of the fleet and had political representation like anyone else, bringing them closer together.

During the Battle of the Colony, most of the remaining Sixes remained on board the basestar under the command of Admiral Hoshi, though formally transferred command of their Centurion army to Galactica. Upon the discovery of a new habitable planet populated by a rich alien ecosystem, the Sixes voted in favour of settlement and lived out their days without technology.

Further notes

• Number Sixes are played by Tricia Helfer.
• Number Six appeared in all 73 episodes.