.gif)
Lucifer (Battlestar Galactica)
Encyclopedia
Lucifer is a fictional character
from the 1978 Battlestar Galactica
television
series. Lucifer is the robot assistant to Count Baltar
, voiced by Jonathan Harris
of Lost in Space
fame.
An IL series Cylon
, Lucifer has a transparent pointed head, often wears red robes, and has two oscillating eyes, in contrast to the single eye of Cylon Centurions. Lucifer views a similar-looking Cylon, Specter
, as an inferior version.
Often sarcastic, Lucifer is assigned to Baltar by the Cylon Imperious Leader
. Initially, Lucifer expresses enthusiasm for his assignment, stating that he could learn much from Baltar. However, as the series progresses, Lucifer begins to see the flaws in Baltar’s military strategy. These themes are expanded in the novelizations of the series by creator Glen A. Larson
, where Lucifer is portrayed as having an overlay personality that he can engage and disengage to better study Baltar; in the novelization of The Living Legend
Lucifer even falsifies a combat report to study Baltar's reaction.
Lucifer is one of the characters from the original Battlestar Galactica series that has no direct analog in the 2003 reimagined Battlestar Galactica
. However, the Cylon mistress Number Six
of the reimagined character Baltar serves a similar part in the saga's structure. Another possible connection is that the introduction of Lucifer established that there was more than one model of Cylon android, which is a major component of the reimagined series.
In a podcast to accompany the reimagined season 4 episodes 21 - 23, daybreak, parts 1-3, in commentary by executive producer Ronald D. Moore, he explains that elements of the plot required changing due to the writers strike. However when explaining the original intentions of the story, he made it clear that the Cylon number One (John Cavil) played by Dean Stockwell was intended to be revealed as an imagining of Lucifer. Indeed, in Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
, John Cavil and Ellen Tigh
are sitting in a bar, and Cavil refers to himself as a Mysterious Stranger
, an oblique reference to Mark Twain
's story of that name and thus to the Devil
. This may be an allusion to his role as the re-imagining of Lucifer
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the 1978 Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series, created by Glen A. Larson. It starred Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict and ran for one season in 1978–79. After cancellation, its story was continued in 1980 as Galactica 1980 with Adama, Lieutenant Boomer and...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series. Lucifer is the robot assistant to Count Baltar
Count Baltar
In the original 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series, Count Baltar was a leading antagonist character who betrayed the human race to its enemy, the robot race of Cylons...
, voiced by Jonathan Harris
Jonathan Harris
Jonathan Harris was an American stage and film character actor. Two of his best-known roles were as the timid accountant Bradford Webster in the TV version of The Third Man, and the comic villain Dr. Zachary Smith, in the 1960s sci-fi television series, Lost in Space...
of Lost in Space
Lost in Space
Lost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, filmed by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS. The show ran for three seasons, with 83 episodes airing between September 15, 1965, and March 6, 1968...
fame.
An IL series Cylon
Cylon (Battlestar Galactica)
The Cylons are a cybernetic civilization at war with the Twelve Colonies of humanity in the Battlestar Galactica science fiction franchise, in the original 1978 and 1980 series, the 2004 reimagining, as well as the spin-off prequel series, Caprica...
, Lucifer has a transparent pointed head, often wears red robes, and has two oscillating eyes, in contrast to the single eye of Cylon Centurions. Lucifer views a similar-looking Cylon, Specter
Specter (Battlestar Galactica)
Specter is a fictional character from the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series. Specter is commander of the Attila Garrison on a Delta class planet in the Omega sector...
, as an inferior version.
Often sarcastic, Lucifer is assigned to Baltar by the Cylon Imperious Leader
Imperious Leader
The Imperious Leader is the ruler of the Cylons as depicted in the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series.The Imperious Leader's body is built to resemble the reptilian race that originally built the Cylons, but is not organic in any way...
. Initially, Lucifer expresses enthusiasm for his assignment, stating that he could learn much from Baltar. However, as the series progresses, Lucifer begins to see the flaws in Baltar’s military strategy. These themes are expanded in the novelizations of the series by creator Glen A. Larson
Glen A. Larson
Glen Albert Larson is an American television producer and writer best known as the creator of Battlestar Galactica, The Fall Guy, Magnum, P.I. and Knight Rider.-Career:...
, where Lucifer is portrayed as having an overlay personality that he can engage and disengage to better study Baltar; in the novelization of The Living Legend
The Living Legend
"The Living Legend" is a two-part episode of the original Battlestar Galactica television series. The episode is often rated as one of the most popular of the original series...
Lucifer even falsifies a combat report to study Baltar's reaction.
Lucifer is one of the characters from the original Battlestar Galactica series that has no direct analog in the 2003 reimagined Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson...
. However, the Cylon mistress Number Six
Number Six (Battlestar Galactica)
Number Six is a family of fictional characters from the reimagined science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica. She is portrayed by Canadian actress and model Tricia Helfer. Of the twelve known Cylon models, she is the sixth of the "Significant Seven"...
of the reimagined character Baltar serves a similar part in the saga's structure. Another possible connection is that the introduction of Lucifer established that there was more than one model of Cylon android, which is a major component of the reimagined series.
In a podcast to accompany the reimagined season 4 episodes 21 - 23, daybreak, parts 1-3, in commentary by executive producer Ronald D. Moore, he explains that elements of the plot required changing due to the writers strike. However when explaining the original intentions of the story, he made it clear that the Cylon number One (John Cavil) played by Dean Stockwell was intended to be revealed as an imagining of Lucifer. Indeed, in Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan is a made for television movie set in the reimagined version of the fictional Battlestar Galactica universe. It consists of newly filmed material as well as a compilation of footage from the TV series and miniseries....
, John Cavil and Ellen Tigh
Ellen Tigh
After she is killed for treason against the resistance on New Caprica, Ellen resurrects aboard a Cylon ship, where John Cavil holds her prisoner. However, by downloading into a new body, she regains the memories that Cavil had blocked decades earlier...
are sitting in a bar, and Cavil refers to himself as a Mysterious Stranger
The Mysterious Stranger
The Mysterious Stranger is the final novel attempted by the American author Mark Twain. It was worked on periodically from roughly 1890 up until 1910...
, an oblique reference to Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
's story of that name and thus to the Devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
. This may be an allusion to his role as the re-imagining of Lucifer
Lucifer
Traditionally, Lucifer is a name that in English generally refers to the devil or Satan before being cast from Heaven, although this is not the original meaning of the term. In Latin, from which the English word is derived, Lucifer means "light-bearer"...
.
External links
- Lucifer on the Battlestar Wiki