By Jonathan Klotz | Published
Battlestar Galactica is one of the best sci-fi shows ever made, with incredible performances and memorable moments, and decades after its cancellation, it’s still attracting new fans. Considering the lack of planning and flying by the seat of their pants the writers room did when making the series, it’s a miracle it became an all-time classic . An example is the “boxing” of the Cylons to prevent them from resurrecting, which was only created as a concept because Lucy Lawless was leaving the series and creator Ronald D. Moore had to explain why all the Cylons number 3 were now missing.
The boxing of number 3
Boxing a Cylon is quite literal, with the newly uploaded consciousness diverted from the waiting Cylon body to a small metal box attached to the resurrection tank. The digital consciousness is trapped inside the box in a punishment reserved for individual models who might pose a danger to their society, normally by becoming too friendly towards humans. In Battlestar Galactica Season 3, Episode 12, “Rapture”, John Cavil/Number One (Dean Stockwell) takes on board the entire line of Number 3 models due to his fanatical quest to uncover the secret of the Final Five, on the verge of unraveling his plans, a dramatic exit for Lucy. Lawless, this ended up becoming a crucial plot point later.
Number 3, introduced as D’Anne Biers, an investigative journalist in Season 2’s “Final Cut”, was the only Cylon fascinated by religion. Battlestar Galactica has always had religious connotations, but with the quest for number three for the legendary Final Five, Lucy Lawless was able to delve deeper into the role, and her performance helped make The evolution of number 3 is credible. Just before being boxed by John Cavil, she has a look in her eyes that she accepts her fate like a true believer, confident that she will see the Five one day.
During his race, Battlestar Galactica did not have many casting changes during its run, with the departure of Lucy Lawless remaining the most high-profile. The human characters could be killed, well, five of them couldn’t be, but the rest were fair game, which is why leaving a Cylon required a creative solution. The first time boxing is mentioned is in Season 2’s “Uploaded”, by Number 3 threatening Number Six (Tricia Helfer) and Number Eight (Grace Park), but behind the scenes, the writing was already on the wall for Lawless to move away from, which gives the scene a touch of irony when viewed again.
Battlestar Galactica never had a plan
Battlestar Galactica lack of planning from day one is not uncommon, in fact, Babylon 5written entirely from start to finish before filming begins, is the exception among sci-fi shows and not the rule, which is why no trapdoor was planned for Lucy Lawless issue #3. It’s also why the reveal of the Five introduced enough plot holes to fuel a generation of YouTube explainer videos. The revival series providing insight into the workings of Cylon society helped humanize cybernetic lifeforms, but as fans learned after the fact, there was never a plan.
Both Battlestar Galactica and Lucy Lawless are still beloved by thousands, if not millions, of science fiction fans around the world, lack of planning or not. The rough-around-the-edges writing and plotting work well with the dark tone of the series, sometimes making it seem like horrible things are happening, reflecting what life trapped on spaceships trying to outrun a relentless enemy would really be like . The concept of Cylon boxing ended up working out for the best and presented a brilliant counter to their digital immortality, as nothing is more horrifying to a race that has conquered death than the existential fear of eternal nothingness.
