Number Six (Battlestar Galactica)

:This article is about the character from the 2003 television miniseries and the 2004 television series Battlestar Galactica; for other meanings, see Number Six.

Related Topics:
Television miniseries - Television series - Number Six

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Number Six is a gynoid Cylon agent portrayed by Canadian actress Tricia Helfer in the television remake of Battlestar Galactica which first aired as a mini-series in 2003 and continued as a weekly series aired in the United Kingdom in the fall of 2004 and in North America in early 2005.

Related Topics:
Gynoid - Cylon - Canadian - Tricia Helfer - Battlestar Galactica - United Kingdom - 2004 - North America - 2005

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Number Six is a seductive, blonde, statuesque Cylon infiltrator. She represents a new sequence ("six of twelve") of Cylons capable of adapting to human form and emotions. Placed on the human planet Caprica as a "sleeper" agent, she became an assistant to a scientist who is later killed onboard the ship, the Olympic Carrier. Little else is known of her earlier years. Her affair as "Shelly" with another scientist Dr. Gaius Baltar on Caprica almost brings about the destruction of humanity. Six constantly remains in the memory of Dr. Baltar; so far unexplained, Number Six suggests the possibility of a computer chip implant or insanity. (A second season brain scan revealed no chip.) In one later episode entitled "Six Degrees of Separation", a copy of Number Six appears as "Miss Shelly Godfrey" and is visible to everyone.

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Number Six can, at will, turn off all pain, retain memories and be downloaded into another body if the original body is damaged. The Cylons designed Six to mimic the human body at cellular level making them almost undetectable to testing procedures. Number Six has expressed sympathy and regret over the destruction of the colonies, and has also claimed to be in love with Baltar; it is not known as yet, however, if these feelings are genuine, subterfuge, or if they are simply a case of her programming mimicking human behavior.

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The name "Number Six" is apparently a tribute to the character Number Six who appeared in the 1960s British cult classic series The Prisoner (with also featured spies, mind implants, illusionary experiences, valuable secrets and sabotage).

Related Topics:
Number Six - 1960s - British - Cult classic - The Prisoner

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Number Six often appears suddenly, without warning; usually only Baltar is aware of her presence. She advises and gives instructions to him; occasionally he is also "pulled" into a world within his mind where he interacts with her. In this, Number Six resembles the character of Harvey from Farscape (who in turn was based on the "imaginary" character from the Jimmy Stewart film Harvey.) So strong are these apparent illusions that Baltar can be physically affected by them - for example, in one episode an unusually violent Number Six throws Baltar into a bulkhead and grabs him by the throat and passersby see his physical reaction to this. (This has also created rather awkward moments for Baltar on occasions when the illusory Number Six decides to do something sexual with him.)

Related Topics:
Harvey - Farscape - Jimmy Stewart - Harvey

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In the episode Pegasus, we learn that another copy of Number Six had hidden aboard the battlestar Pegasus, posing as a civilian dockworker. After 'Gina' (this Six's identity) was exposed as a Cylon, she was imprisoned and subjected to torture and gang rape by members of the Pegasus crew. By the time we meet her, Gina appears to be catatonic from the severe trauma of her abuse.

Related Topics:
Pegasus - Battlestar - Pegasus - Catatonic

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