Battlestar Galactica's 15 Biggest Plot Twists And Reveals
10. The Cylon Civil War (Six Of One, The Ties That Bind—Season 4, Episodes 2-3)
Early in the
fourth season of the series, a dispute arises amongst the Cylons about how to
respond to Raiders who had refused to follow orders. This leads to outright
hostilities amongst the different Cylon lines, as seen in a pair of devastating
back-to-back sneak attacks.
First, a discontent Number Six leads a rebellion against the de facto leader of the Cylons, Cavil (Number One), by giving Cylon Centurion soldiers back their free will. Upset at the treatment of the Raiders, the Centurions join Six and her fellow conspirators, murdering Cavil and all his allies who are present.
This victory is short lived though. Under the pretense of making peace, a resurrected Cavil tricks his enemies into going on a journey which separates them from their Resurrection Ship. His vessels then close in on the rebels and ruthlessly destroy them, far away from any hope of downloading into new bodies.
Both of these twists helped make the drama amongst the Cylons as interesting as anything going on in the Colonial Fleet.