During the development of the DeSanto/Singer project, rumors circulated that their production would be a remake of the original Battlestar Galactica story; this rumor was fueled by the release of conceptual artwork of Cylon designs from several sources hoping to participate in that production.  Some of these concepts returned the Cylons to Glen Larson’s original ideas of part organic/part cybernetic reptilian beings led by a fully organic reptilian Imperious Leader, others were derivations of the classic Cylon Centurion design.  (Some of those images are available for viewing on other pages in this section.)

However, as we learned from Mr. DeSanto himself, this production was to be a continuation of the original, not a re-telling of the story.  The Cylon designs that were considered for the production, then, more closely reflected the appearance of the 1978 Centurions – with subtle refinements and details.

One alteration the DeSanto continuation project would have made was to separate the Cylon warriors into different designs, based on the function of the particular model.  This Centurion design had been approved for the production:

In addition to the Centurion, this Cylon pilot would have been a prominent part of the latter half of the film.

Cylon Pilot Design

Global Effects, Inc. completed several sculptures and were in the process of producing a few prototype pieces before production was halted.

Global Effects would have provided the Cylon armor and Viper pilot helmets had the production not been scuttled.  See more from Global Effects HERE.

This production also would have added one additional detail to the Cylon war machine that was not part of the original series: hybrid human-Cylon ‘controllers’.  These would have been humans, captured after the attack on the Colonies and during the flight of the survivors, who had been enslaved through implanted micro-miniature Cylon devices that controlled their thoughts and actions.  It would have been these ‘controllers’ who had taken the lead in the effort to eradicate mankind – and that number would have included one beloved character from the original series.

– written by John Pickard