Why so many Cylons on Galactica?

[Sionnach Glic]

This is just something that occurred to me a while ago. Why were there so many Cylons on the BSG? It was an outdated, decomissioned antique with no guns and a squadron or two of 40 year old fighters and was in the middle of being converted into a floating museum. I can understand having one infiltrator aboard to report its location to the Cylon fleet to allow it to be destroyed (due to it not having the CNP program that crippled the other BattleStars), but does anyone else think there's a surprising number of them?
There was Cavil, Doral, Boomer, Tyrol and Tigh. Five for just one outdated ship? To be fair, I suppose they didn't know about Tyrol and Tigh already being on it, but that still leaves three assigned to ensure the destruction of just one vessel. Given that there were only 7 models that they could use to infiltrate the Colonies, does anyone else think that it's an unusualy high number?

[kostmayer]

I've had the same thought myself.

Sharon was the only one who was deep in cover, she was a member of the original crew. I can't see another of the same model being used as a sleeper agent in the fleet but with a different identity.

I could be wrong, but I don't think there's any evidence of Doral or Cavil being around on board before the Colonies were destroyed. There might have been others of their model planted on each of the Battlestars. After the attack, they could easily have slipped out of hiding, no one would have any real way of checking on their pasts.

As for the missing 4 models, I can't see how they could get themselves planted on the only Battlestar that would survive. Anders wasn't even part of their crew.

[Sionnach Glic]

Doral was onboard before hand. He was acting as the tour-guide for the people attending Galactica's decommissioning ceremony, and it was him who planted the tracking device in the CIC.
As for Cavil, you're right that we don't know exactly. But his office appears to be on the Galactica, given that Tyrol was able to talk with him numerous times without requesting a shuttle flight. I suppose it's possible that he came on board later and took over the office from whoever was there before him, but I got the impression he had been there for quite a while.

[kostmayer]

Been a while since I saw the pilot, didn't remember Doral being on board.

I suppose even then, its possible there are other Cylons of the same model number as Cavil and Doral with various jobs on other ships.

I still can't figure how they planted Sharon on board. The Cylons must have the ability to plant new identities for their infiltrators, but surely someone joining the fleet would have pretty stringent background checks. Was Sharon a real person who was replaced? Her parents supposedly died in an accident on a mining colony, perhaps they themselves actually existed.

[Sionnach Glic]

Been a while since I saw the pilot, didn't remember Doral being on board.

He was. I watched the Miniseries last night. He was there long before any civilians started showing up, guiding a camera crew around the Galactica and explaining things.

I suppose even then, its possible there are other Cylons of the same model number as Cavil and Doral with various jobs on other ships.

Seems likely. There were at least two models of Leoben working undercover on different assignments.

I still can't figure how they planted Sharon on board. The Cylons must have the ability to plant new identities for their infiltrators, but surely someone joining the fleet would have pretty stringent background checks. Was Sharon a real person who was replaced? Her parents supposedly died in an accident on a mining colony, perhaps they themselves actually existed.

To be honest, I've given up trying to figure out the Cylons.

[Aaron]

To be honest, I've given up trying to figure out the Cylons.

I have my own pet theory that the humanoid Cylons are actually real humans who allied with the Cylons during the war and then buggered off with them after they lost. Of course that doesn't explain the glowing spine (maybe that 6 was just augmented) or all the BS about "it's happened before and it'll happen again". But like Rochey, I abandoned trying to figure them out. I actually bailed on the series about the time the Chief found the temple on the algae planet cause I just couldn't take it anymore.

[Sionnach Glic]

Yeah, it went downhil the moment they got off New Caprica. I'm hoping the last leg of the show will pull it up to its original standard. It's certainly got a lot of possibilities.

Don't think I'll bother tuning in to watch Caprica, though, from what I've heard about it.

[Aaron]

Yeah, it went downhil the moment they got off New Caprica. I'm hoping the last leg of the show will pull it up to its original standard. It's certainly got a lot of possibilities.

Don't think I'll bother tuning in to watch Caprica, though, from what I've heard about it.

Oh I'll pass on Caprica, I've had more than enough of poorly done Grim Dark (tm).

[Deepcrush]

The fact that the Cylons were moving throughout the fleet so easily makes me think that BSG's security now equals that of the UFP. How could they have not seen the same people walking all over the place?

[Sionnach Glic]

Well, we don't know just how many infiltrators were actualy deployed. Also, most seem to have been placed into civillian sectors rather than the military, which probably wouldn't have had very good security. And I'm sure they didn't all use the same name and identity, so unless someone actualy compared two pictures of the same model, there'd be no way of telling.
If we assume that one of each model was dispatched to each planet, that'd be more than enough to assist in the destruction of the Colonies without arousing suspicion.