Who chooses and programs the new Imperious Leader?

[Hope It Is The Grog]

Evidently when the Leader is destroyed, some IL-series Cylon is chosen as the new Imperious Leader and gets some sort of programming upgrade. But who gets to do the choosing and programming? Is there a special class of elector/programmer Cylons?

Wondering if there's any good canonical or non-canonical source on this.

[Cylon-Knight]

Great topic! I don't know if there is any standing fan canon... My guess would be that IL Series units have a "point system" of some sorts. Deeds, victories and such each give them a one up in their standing to be next in line.

They are not as cold to assaniate a Leader, have to just wait for him to expire by his own error... Since they are for all intensive purposes immortal machines they don't mind the wait.

When it is time to be reprogrammed I would guess a variant of the civilian Cylon (worker class, non military) would do the work on the Cylon homeworld. It would be a rare occasion! But I think rather ceremonial still... It would be fun to realize it in 3D animation or with a fan film.... SWEET!

[Red Eye]

Great explanation C-K! I guess you nailed it.

Wish they had shown it in the series. But perhaps they will in the continuation, if it will ever happen. But hey, we can dream, can't we?

And don't forget the mysterious third brain the new Leader will receive. But I don't think it has anything to do with the word "brain" as lowly humans would understand it. I rather think it would be some kind of highly sophisticated computer chip which would boost up the promoted IL-Series' processing power and gives him the ability to read minds and such, like it was written in the TOS novels. What do you think?

[Cy]

Or simply the IL series is costructed as the others are, only not as many. Maybe there is one built and programed and not activated till they need a new one due to the old one failing and not deemed repairable. The upon activation another is built and placed in standby mode and not activated.

[Hope It Is The Grog]

I suppose there's no reason to assume that only IL Cylons are eligible. If that were true, why would Lucifer need to boast that he and the Leader were of the same series? It would be obvious.

[Red Eye]

Hm, not so sure about that.

I think only IL-Series Cylons with their advanced programming are capable of being converted to be the next Leader.

Their name also implies it: IL = Imperious Leader

[Hope It Is The Grog]

Yeah, maybe he was just being pompous.

(When I pointed that out to my brother 30 years ago, he said IL could also stand for I'm Lucifer.)

[Hope It Is The Grog]

Anyway, here's what happens in my own personal universe:

After the events of War of the Gods, the Pegasus shows up again and manages to destroy the Imperious Leader's base star with him inside it. Then a raider party from Baltar's old base star, which is now under the command of Lucifer, captures Commander Cain, who was foolhardy enough to be flying the mission in his own Viper. Lucifer is acclaimed a hero and becomes the new Imperious Leader, eventually using Cain and his crew as templates to create the first "skin jobs" for Season 2.


"By my command."

[Cylon-Knight]

You mean skin jobs as in G1980 - still robots... or skin jobs as in nuBSG?

[Hope It Is The Grog]

You mean skin jobs as in G1980 - still robots... or skin jobs as in nuBSG?

Still robots, like they were planning to do in season 2 and did in G1980.

[RavenLX]

I think that some of this brain transplant thing was explained in the novel "The Tombs of Kobol". IRRC, you worked your way up from lowly Centurion to Command Centurion to IL and then if you're good, Leader. Command Centurions have two brains. Then when one or an IL is chosen as leader (I think they said a Command Centurion COULD become leader), they have a third brain of the previous leader implanted into them. However, some don't survive the implant as their bodies and mental state cannot handle it. So they parish on the operating table or something. But the novels were based on reptilian type creatures inside of suits and the IL units were rolling (not walking) computer servants. In the TV series for some reason back in the day they had to make it sound like they were ALL machines built by a long-extinct reptilian race because of not being allowed by the networks to show people actually getting killed on TV or something or another. I forgot how that went.

I always wonder why they can't just regenerate the imperious leader in a new body with the learning experiences and thoughts of the previous leaders. I think I vaguely remember reading about that in Tombs of Kobol or somewhere online... not sure?

Here's what I think so far:

Novel Series: Cylons are cyborg reptilians. Actual brains are implanted and hooked together. Some don't survive the operation even though they are carefully picked by the Imperious Leader's Command Centurions or IL units or whatever picks them based on how well they are mentally and physically able to hold up for the procedure as well as their past accomplishments.

TV Series: IL units are promoted to leader by virtue of how well they have performed and what battles they have won, etc. They had to prove themselves worthy, and wait to get picked. In the mean time they all are competing to outdo one another to be next in line.

[Hope It Is The Grog]

Thanks. Quite complicated with the two parallel realities.