rose_griffes

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Anyone remember why the cylons wanted to find Earth in season three? The Colonial fleet wanted a safe haven from the cylons, but why did the cylons want to go there? Wipe out the rest of the humans? (I don't think that was their motivation. But I don't remember any motivation ever being given.)

This is me frantically trying to come up with a gen female POV fic for the

femgenficathon. Less than two weeks, ACK!

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No motive was ever given, as far as I know. I sort of fanwanked it as they were being led their by God, as it was some fulfillment of their destinies. Also, the thirteenth tribe were there, and perhaps there would be some sort of new start (New Caprica was an old start, after all).

Honestly, I'd always thought the Cylons wanted Earth way more than the fleet, if only to settle there as some sort of Promised Land.

THere was speculation at the time that since the Thirteenth Colony were the only humanss left who didn't have major grduges against them, maybe they hoped for t hat "fresh start" to involve a new approach towards humans. Who wouldn't automatically hate them on sight because of course the Cylons would forget to mention having wiped out the Twelve Colonies and then New Caprica. And the Thirteenth Colony would welcome their outer space benefactors and all would live idyllically together in the Promised Land. At least until the Cavils decided "better safe than sorry" and exterminated the Thirteenth Colony because you just can't trust humans.

I've become less and less convinced that the Cylons even *have* a home world. The hub being i n space rather than at their home world suggests they might have spent the majority of the interwar decades in spaceships.

^^ yeah. that.

They've got Kobol, which is religiously forbidden to them. They lost interest in the Colonies (which are pretty damn irradiated, anyway, so hardly practical for longterm settlement). New Caprica has bad memories, and anyway, the humans know where it is. So basically, they're probably nomads just as much as teh Ragtag Fugitive Fleet. Nomadic three-year-olds with no adult supervision and their finger on the nuclear button.

P.S. With Earth just as irradiated as the Colonies, I wonder if Kobol will turn out to be the Promised Land. I mean, if the Cylon God sends down a new decree that Kobol is now a-okay (and incidentally, you totally misinterpreted me when you blew up twelve planets and said you did it for me), maybe Kobol will become the symbolic Earth.

Heh. I do think it'd be hard to go backwards for the humans... though you might be right, maybe the cylons will get a big revelation to head there next.

Also, the thirteenth tribe were there, and perhaps there would be some sort of new start (New Caprica was an old start, after all).

*nods* New start for the 'Love all the humans (to death)' cylons or finish the job of killing them all (Brother Cavil and company). Cylons are like little kids--any promise of a fun new toy and they're distracted.

Personally I'm amused that 'finding Earth' (for whatever reason) led to:

1) persuade Baltar to figure it out
2) torture Baltar for getting cylons killed
then 3) have sex with Baltar

The only explanation was some vagueness about wanting "a new beginning" and hijacking the humans' worldview some more. It was also never certain whether they would've killed everybody once they got there or tried to set up New Caprica 2.0 or what. (I fanwank that Six at the very least was still hoping for something like that.) The primary reason definitely seemed to be about getting a new home for themselves, not tracking down the rest of humanity.

I think they got very attracted to it for the spiritual reasons (and because the Cylons are fickle like crazy). I always thought it was cool when Cavil said it wouldn't matter if they found Earth now or in 500 years.

I agree that the Sixes were hoping to all be pals on Earth... and I think the Cavils were wanting to finish off the human race entirely. Good thing they didn't find Earth back then. (Not that it matters, since the Earth they found appears uninhabited. Ooh, maybe the monster from 'Lost' is there, and that's why everyone's gone!)

I've never been particularly interested in the Cylon side of things, and I find their philosophy/motivations obscure anyway. I always got the feeling that trying to find Earth had something to do with their religion, but I'm not sure any clear explanation was ever given...

I always got the feeling that trying to find Earth had something to do with their religion, but I'm not sure any clear explanation was ever given...

Yeah. I may have to go look at the episode transcripts, but honestly--nothing was said that I can recall that made their whole 'find Earth' plan make sense.

Meh. There is no reason. I chalk it up to their continued fascination with all things human and their desire to either wipe them out or interbreed them out of existence...

Anyway, it's not you, it's the show. (If that's any reassurance!)

Anyway, it's not you, it's the show. (If that's any reassurance!)

I mentioned to someone else that at least I can feel justified with whatever I choose for a motivation. 'Cause who's going to disagree with me?!

If I recall, it was never totally explained but the feeling seemed to be "so we can kill all humans".

Unfortunately why the Cylons do anything has NEVER been particularly well thought out.

I say it was "kill all humans" because honestly New Caprica would have been a great time to live and let live and the Cylons all seemed pretty miffed.

And lets just ignore how they were subjacating the survivors on Old Caprica in rape farms and essentially rebuilding the humans world for themselves complete with coffee bars. Yeah they had a real incentive to completely chase the humans. Yes, I am gripy because the Cylons were a LOT more interesting when we weren't treated to random bits of crazy that when put together make no sense at all. Oh, and HUB my ass. The fucking HUB that is the most important thing ever that SHaron "I am all about being on the human side!" Agathon never once mentioned during her many tea times with Bill Adama. The hub was pulled out of their ass because they needed something similar to, but different than a reserrection ship since they had already nonsensically explained the reserrection ship.

I love BSG but I am not going to praise the "added for shock value" plots of season three and four.

Edited 2008-09-18 13:04 (UTC)

I'm sorry - this was a little ranty. :(

Hee! Personally I totally agree about the cylons in coffee bars rant. They really were more intimidating when we knew less about them. I'm more reconciled than before to the direction of the show, but it doesn't mean I think the show is better with more information about cylons.

Eh, while I agree they pulled the hub from tehir posterior, I actually bought that Athena would've "forgotten" to mention it. I mean, she lied to Thorne in 2.10 about the resurrection ship. Granted, she's become much more "rah rah humans" since then, but still, I doubt she'd go out of her way to give the humans a way of wiping out her entire species. On the grounds of, "Well, it's impossible to ever find out where the hub is anyway, so it's not useful information" she could just not bring it up. Eights tend to be pretty passive. i.e. Athena going along with the attempted genocide in 3.07, and BOomer doing the same in 4.03. Someone else has a bright and murderous idea, they'll get swept up in it, but they're not the kind of people to get that bright idea in the first place. They're joiners, not leaders. Even killing Natalie wasn't planned, just wrong place wrong time (from Natalie's point of view).

Ok, so I really don't have anything beneficial to add here because the Cylons don't make a lot of sense to me. They seem to change their minds on every episode. But, I do have to say that I LOVE your icon--it's hilarious. And...I'm positive I have some of those Daleks are living in my house.

Don't mind rap--she's obviously bitter that the Cylons are soooo mystical there's no way we can fully understand them or their motives. And the Hub was quite important, it's just that tea time with Sharon and Adama was spent discussing the more important issue of whether the human race was really fit to survive and how the Cylons were obviously the ones to make a judgment call on that.

The icon is snaggable. It says who made it in my userpics, so feel free to get a copy!

the Cylons don't make a lot of sense to me. They seem to change their minds on every episode.

Yes. *nods emphatically* I guess that means that I can justify whatever I write from the cylon POV, eh? Heh.

I guess that means that I can justify whatever I write from the cylon POV, eh? Heh.

Oh absotutely. Just make sure you include them spewing something about "their" god, and make it sound really obtuse, of course. Then readers will nod sagely and think "wow, that's deep." Actually, we'll probably just nod and think "yep, she really nailed the Cylon mentality with that one."

It'll help if what you write contradicts everything else the Cylons said during the show previously (even better if you have them contradict themselves during your story) or bring in some previously unknown but unbelievably important bit of information that will actually the change the course of Cylon-human interaction completely. :D

I have to say that I'm feeling a little snarky tonight, just in case you hadn't noticed.

Oops, forgot to say thanks for the icon :D

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