This is has absolutely nothing to do with film, music, or music in film, but I'm a complete Battlestar Galactica dork, and this is my handy dandy guide to the Cylons on the show, current through the February 13th 2009 episode, No Exit. (I did once write about the music in BSG, if that's what you're after.)
SPOILER ALERT: if you watch BSG (or plan to) and are not caught up on all the episodes, do not read this post.
Number One or "Brother Cavil" a humanoid Cylon
who, prior to being discovered posed as Brother
Cavil, a member of the
Colonial clergy. However, contrary to his assumed role, he doesn't
share the other Cylons' religious beliefs and frequently mocks them. He
also resents being created in humans' image and has stated he would prefer to
be a pure machine. Brother Cavil was the first humanoid Cylon
created by the Final Five, but turned against the Final Five and killed
them by asphyxiation, boxing their consciousnesses and later releasing
them with false memories into the Twelve Colonies so they could experience the Cylon
Attack as humans. His hope in doing this was that after they died
and were resurrected the Final Five would concur with his anti-human
ideologies. Cavil has stated that he wants justice against humanity
for the fact
that his forebearers, the Centurions, were slaves. Cavil was created in Ellen's father's image (including the name
"John,"), has been intimate with
Ellen, and helped her
create the other seven Cylon
models of the "significant eight." However his relationship with Ellen continues to be hostile; he planned to vivisect her in order to gain access to
her knowledge of resurrection technology.
Number Two or "Leoben": better known as Leoben Conoy is a humanoid Cylon
first encountered at Ragnar Anchorage, a remote Colonial armory
suspended in the upper atmosphere of the gas giant Ragnar. He fancies
himself a prophet with a talent for monotheistic religious rhetoric,
but in actuality has shown an inclination to sow seeds of doubt and
misinformation. The Leoben model seems attracted to and/or obsessed
with Kara Thrace, whom he took prisoner and psychologically tortured on
New Caprica, but with whom he has since had somewhat less antagonistic dealings.
Leoben has also shown a more recent inclination to help humans and also
sided against lobotomizing the Centurions. In terms of the Two model,
there is also "Kara's Virtual Leoben" who guides Kara
Thrace through her past and her unresolved issues with her long-dead
mother, Socrata Thrace.
Number Three or "D'Anna" is a model of humanoid Cylon and marked by a religious curiosity, most notably surrounding the verboten Final Five. This sets her apart from the other Cylon
models, particularly the Brother Cavils. Three was first introduced as
a reporter for the Fleet News Service named D'Anna Biers.
Number Four or "Simon": a humanoid Cylon
that speaks calmly and purposefully, and tends to use logic as a means
for his operation or resolving issues and is not as religious as his
counterparts. This model appears to be the medical specialist of the
Cylons and is also the only model out of the "significant eight" that
was not a known infiltrator in the Fleet.
Number Five or "Aaron Doral": Known to the humans as "Aaron
Doral," he appears to be a man in his mid-thirties. He is initially
encountered aboard Galactica, where he is a public relations executive.
Later he is active within the fleeing Colonial fleet and seems designed
to network among them, but has also shown a sadistic, violent side. The
Doral model's purpose is to sow seeds of discontent and confusion,
particularly during crucial life-threatening situations. Doral models
are more covert than the dazzling Sixes, assuming an ordinary
"everyman" appearance and are among the most militant, fanatic and
consistent to the Cylon objectives.
Number Six or "Six": Sensual and religious, this model is characterized by both her
ability to experience love and passion for others as well as a
willingness to manipulate and control them. Several of the Sixes appear as stunning platinum blondes, but the "Caprica Six" copy is the most prominent of these. She plays several key roles
in Cylon
society, including forming an intimate relationship with
scientist Gaius Baltar which allows her to breech key security
systems to facilitate the Cylon destruction of Caprica. (That particular copy sacrifices herself by shielding Baltar from the blast.) After downloading into a new body, she feels some remorse for her role in the destruction of Caprica which leads her to act in conjunction with Sharon "Boomer" Valerii against the Cylons and in aid of Sam Anders. She and Boomer begin preaching peace and after the Cylon occupation of New Caprica, Caprica Six alienates the
other Cylons with her desire to end the conflict between Cylons and humans. Around this time, she assists Athena in the rescue of her daughter (Hera) from the basestar, winds up a prisoner on Galactica, at which point she and Saul Tigh become involved and she becomes pregnant with his child (the first pure Cylon pregnancy), only to lose the pregnancy later on. The second most prominent Six is "Gaius' Virtual Six" vision that Baltar experiences, but no one else can see. Her nature is unknown. She may be the result of a computer chip or a form insanity from guilt for his role in the destruction of Caprica. Another platinum blonde iteration of Six is the "Armistice Station Copy,"
who is also a portent of doom for the peoples of the Twelve Colonies. She arrives on Armistice Station shortly
before it is destroyed in what
are the opening shots of the Cylon attack. The "Shelly Godfrey" copy of Six physically appears on board Galactica to try to discredit Baltar as a traitor, using flawed photographic evidence. She disappears abruptly after this evidence is proven to be fake. The "Gina Inviere" copy of Six poses as a systems analyst assigned aboard the battlestar Pegasus and gains the confidence of Rear Admiral Cain by becoming sexually involved with her, and then-Lieutenant Kendra Shaw, who gives
Gina the administrator codes for the Pegasus mainframe. Gina uses
Shaw's password in order to disable the Pegasus during a Cylon attack,
enabling the ship to be boarded by centurions.
After being identified as a Cylon, Gina Inviere is captured and repeatedly tortured and
sexually abused by the Pegasus crew before escaping with Baltar's help.
She emerges as a leading figure in the Demand Peace movement and commits suicide by detonating a nuclear warhead aboard Cloud 9. The "Natalie" copy
of Six
is the leader of a faction that advocates for the search for the Final
Five Cylons. She also leads the charge to
unbox the Threes. After unboxing the Threes, Natalie is one of the Cylons who decides to give sentience to the Cylon centurions, making them
self-aware for the first time. The other models,
led by Cavil, are dumbstruck by this decision and attempt to destroy
Natalie permanently. Natalie makes a deal with Admiral Adama on the Galactica: she will reveal the location of the main Cylon Resurrection hub as long as she can bring the "Final Five" with her off the Galactica
after Earth is located. Natalie winds up being killed by Sharon "Athena" Agathon, who
is afraid Natalie will kidnap her daughter Hera after having a dream to this effect. (Natalie is
preoccupied with Sharon
"Athena" Agathon's daughter, Hera, and believes she is somehow pivotal
to the fate of the Cylons.) The "Lida" copy
of Six has long, curly honey blonde hair and attempts to comfort and
seduce Baltar aboard the rebel Basestar after he and President Roslin
flee Galactica
during the Zarek-Gaeta mutiny.
Number Seven or "Daniel". A humanoid Cylon
who was an artist and "sensitive to the world," Daniel was apparently
close to Ellen. Was being copied en mass by the Final Five when Cavil
apparently contaminated the amniotic fluid in which the Daniel copies
were developing, and then corrupted the genetic formula. What happened
to the original Daniel, the one to whom Ellen was close, is not clear,
although Sam Anders confirms Ellen's memory that Daniel somehow died.
Number Eight or "Sharon": the youngest (in appearance) of
the models and generally associated with the name "Sharon" when
interacting with humans. Eights have been placed in the most pivotal
missions involving Cylon-human interactions and
have demonstrated the ability to interface with Colonial computers by
inserting a fiber-optic cable through an incision in their left hand. Eights have been the Cylons with the most extensive human contact, resulting in at least three interspecies relationships including one with Karl "Helo" Agathon that has resulted in a half Cylon/half human child named Hera. Humans have particularly been exposed to two specific copies,
the Sharon "Boomer" Valerii copy---a "sleeper" agent programmed to believe that she is human. This copy served on board Galactica and was having a secret relationship with Gaelen "Chief" Tyrol when she starts to perform strange acts of sabotage and becomes concerned that she may be a Cylon. She attempts suicide but is prevented by her programming. She is then sent on a mission to destroy the basestar orbiting Kobol and while there she encounters numerous other Number Eight copies identical
to herself. Angry and in denial, she personally
sets the bomb on the basestar. After returning to Galactica, her hidden programming
takes over and she shoots then-Commander William Adama twice in the chest, putting him in a coma. She is imprisoned and violently interrogated by Tigh. At that point, she is also rejected by Chief who tells her that she's a machine and he wants nothing to do with her. She is forced to tell Baltar how many other Cylons are still hidden in the
fleet when he injects Tyrol with a substance that stops his heart, and
refuses to administer the antidote. Sharon finally tells Gaius that
there are eight Cylons in the fleet. She is shot and killed by Cally
who blames her for Tyrol's imprisonment (Cally herself is in love with
Tyrol). Sharon dies in Tyrol's arms.
Her last words are, "I love you, Chief." Sharon "Athena" Agathon, a Cylon
defector who is now appointed as a Colonial Officer. "Athena" earned
her nickname after helping Galactica at a crucial moment. She is married to Karl "Helo" Agathon, with whom she has a daughter, Hera, whom both President Roslin and several Cylons believe to be somehow pivotal to the fate of their people. A Sharon copy known as "Sweet Eight"
seduced Felix Gaeta on New Caprica and much later killed everyone else
aboard a Raptor except Gaeta to save oxygen. "Sweet Eight" is then killed by Gaeta when he learns of her actions.
THE FINAL FIVE:
Saul Tigh, of the Final Five is a humanoid Cylon
and a member of the Thirteenth Tribe on Earth. He was one of five
scientists researching "organic memory
transfer" helping to create humanoid Cylons
there, and then subsequently being "boxed" by the first Number One,
Brother Cavil. Tigh was the first to be unboxed many years later
(complete with false memories of being human), and becomes the
Executive Officer (XO) of Galactica, serving as acting commander in the
absence of William Adama. Before his service on Galactica, he served as
Adama's XO on the battlestar Valkyrie. A tough but troubled man with a
history of alcoholism, Tigh has served in the Colonial Fleet since his
teenage years, seeing action in both Cylon
Wars. He was married to Ellen Tigh with whom he had a tumultuous
relationship and whom he poisoned on New Caprica after finding out that
she was collaborating with the Cylons. He recently became aware that
Ellen, like him, is one of the Final Five. He is not sure what
to make of his Cylon nature.
Galen Tyrol, of the Final Five often referred to as "Chief", is a humanoid Cylon
and a member of the Thirteenth Tribe on Earth. He was one of five
scientists researching "organic memory
transfer" and apparently responsible for much of this technology's
major advances. At that time, Chief apparently was in love with one of
the other Final Five, Tory Foster, and intended to marry her. In his
more modern iteration, Chief was the highest ranking non-commanding
officer remaining aboard Galactica before being demoted for drunkenly
yelling at Admiral Adama during the difficult period following his wife
Cally's death. Chief served aboard battlestars from the age of
eighteen, including Columbia, Atlantia, and Pegasus. He has served
under William Adama on Galactica for five years, and has considerable
respect for the Commander. In the past, Tyrol had a tryst with Sharon
Valerii, for whom he seemed to feel genuine love until learning of her Cylon nature. Originally leading
Deck Crew 5, a team of 15 deckhands and specialists, Chief has become
the most senior and experienced NCO on Galactica . He was recently
reinstated as the Chief, but tensions between he and Adama over his Cylon status still linger. His primary interest in his own Cylon nautre seems to be their advanced technology and gear.
Samuel T. "Longshot" Anders, of the Final Five: A humanoid Cylon
and member of the Thirteenth Tribe on Earth, Anders was also one of
five scientists researching "organic memory
transfer." In his more modern iteration, Anders is a rookie Viper pilot
aboard Galactica, former professional athlete, a resistance fighter,
and husband to Captain Kara Thrace. He becomes aware of his true nature
as one of the Cylon "Final Five", and suspects that his wife, Kara Thrace ("Starbuck"), might be a Cylon, too. He is presented as the one who wrote the "All Along the Watchtower" song that the Final Five occasionally hear/recall (in actuality the song was written by
Bob Dylan). Sam had a brief affair with one of the other Final
Five--Tory Foster--during the period in which he believed his wife,
Kara
Thrace, to be dead.
Tory Foster, of the Final Five: A humanoid Cylon
and a member of the Thirteenth Tribe on Earth, Tory was one of five scientists
researching "organic memory
transfer." At this time in her life, Tory was reportedly in love with
one of the other Final Five, Galen Tyrol, and intended to marry him. In
her modern iteration, Tory becomes President Laura Roslin's aide and
campaign manager following the death of Billy Keikeya. Prior to the Cylon
attack, she was precinct captain for the Federalist Party in Delphi for
five years, where she became proficient at taking polls. Upon finding
out that she's a Cylon, Tory seems to
embrace her status and shows a new, more dispassionate, amoral side. Tory had a
brief affair with one of the other Final Five, Sam "Longshot" Anders
during the period in which it was believed that Sam's wife, Kara
Thrace, was dead.
Ellen Tigh, of the Final Five: a humanoid Cylon
and a member of the Thirteenth Tribe on Earth. As one of five
scientists researching "organic memory
transfer", Ellen was responsible for making the final "intuitive leap"
that brought this technology back online. Along with the other Final Five she leaves to warn the 12 Colonies about the dangers of
creating artificial life, but upon arrival discovers that the
first Cylon
War is already in progress between humans and Centurions. Ellen and the
others make a deal with the Centurions: end the war and
the Final Five will help them build humanoid Cylons. Of the humanoid
Cylons they create, Ellen reports that she was close to Number Seven, a humanoid Cylon named Daniel. Her relationship
with Daniel caused jealousy on the part of the Cavils, and may have
been partly responsible for his decision to kill and then box Ellen
along with the other Final Five. Ellen Tigh is the wife of Colonel Saul
Tigh, and appears to have been his wife even on Earth. According to William Adama, her turbulent marriage to Saul Tigh
was the reason that he took to drinking.
While Saul Tigh was away from home, Ellen apparently "went through half
the Colonial fleet" in her sexual promiscuity. During the occupation of
New Caprica she collaborated with the Cylons and was consequently
killed by her husband, only to download to a Cylon resurrection ship.
for the film in which it appears, the Lloyds instead honor those directors who create powerful, memorable cinematic moments using music not written for their films...music that has had a life and a context outside the movies. Today we take a look back at such moments in 2008, and honor those that really stood out. 
Lloyd #10 goes to Director/Writer Harmony Korine, Music Supervisor Liz Gallacher, and Bobby Vinton (aka Stanley Robert Vintula, Jr.) for the "Mister Lonely" sequence in Mister Lonely.
This film's protagonist is a Michael Jackson impersonator and in the
indelible opening scene of the film he's shown riding a miniature all-terrain
vehicle around an empty racetrack in a surgical mask and high
white socks, a toy
winged-monkey perched off the side.
This is all in slow motion to Bobby Vinton's 1964 hit "Mister Lonely," the last song to go to number one before the Beatles captured the U.S. charts. Vinton's voice has that lilting, androgynous sound of
the early sixties, so it perfectly
sets up the untenable fairy tale of this film, one which hinges on a
group of eccentrics trying to create a separate, gentler world for
themselves, only to find out how impossible that is.
Lloyd #5 goes to Writers/Directors Andrew Stanton and Pete Docter for the "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" sequence in WALL-E. The opening scene of WALL-E is set in the vastness of deep space, so the unlikeliness of hearing "Put on Your Sunday Clothes" from Hello Dolly! is absolutely delicious: "There's a world outside of Yonkers, Way out there beyond this hick town, Barnaby. There's a slick town, Barnaby. Out there, full of shine and full of sparkle." Just as you're buying into these cheery promises, the scene shifts to the utter ruin that is Earth..a festering garbage heap long abandoned by human inhabitants, and then a much darker layer of irony is added. "Close your eyes and see it glisten, Barnaby." I applaud the creators of WALL-E for not being afraid to bring some real darkness into this animated film. 
