Portrait of A Cylon Centurion, c.1978, acrylic painting

Cylon Centurion, c.1978
acrylic on paper by Heather Castles

This series of three portraits is of my favourite bad guys, the Cylons of Battlestar Galactica. It was a pleasure studying in paint the classic and new models of Cylon centurions, as well as the notorious Cylon raider, Scar. 

I painted these intending them to go in these pretty, ornate vintage frames. Looking at history, it's interesting to remember that without cameras, drawings and painted portraits were the only way of capturing one's image. It was common to have portraits painted of family members to document their life. So in the spirit of the era of painted family portraits, I chose to capture these members of the Cylon family.

The big brother, Cylon Centurion c. 1978, was menacing and built for combat… does it remind you of any other helmets you may have seen? Beyond our recent sci-fi universe (Mandalorian, Darth Vader), this style of helmet with a dark visor and dark strip down the middle is inspired by the armour of the intimidating Crusaders of medieval times. 

The little brother, Cylon Centurion c. 2003, came into the picture with the good looks, sleek physique and elegant weaponry. The episode where a small group board Galactica and hunt down the crew was absolutely terrifying!  

The family pet, Scar, was only featured in one episode of BSG2003, but was memorable in that he was a raider with a vendetta agains the human race. He remembered every time he had been shot down and painfully resurrected, and wanted revenge! He was cunning, and preferred to hide in plain site and then ambush passing vipers. Out of range of a resurrection ship, his last battle was truly his last… so this painting is in loving memory. 

The original painting has been framed in a pretty vintage metal frame with domed glass. 

Cylon Centurion c.1978
acrylic painting by Heather Castles
30 x 37cm (12 x 14.5 inch) vintage metal frame