"To Be Human" Battlestar Galactica #11 (Dynamite) Writer: Greg Pak Layouts: Nigel Raynor Finishes: Jonathan Lau Colors: Inlight Studio Letters: Simon Bowland Cover B: Nigel Raynor 2007

The Returner virus evolves to a deadly degree; the Sharons lead Sharon-Prime and the others to the Hybrid chamber of the Cylon city.

Story Summary

Baltar discovers that the Returner virus has mutated in the bodies of the Returners into a version potentially lethal to humans. He develops a toxin that will kill the Returners...if Commander Adama is willing to use it.

Meanwhile, in the Cylon city, Captain Valerii saves Darrin from the point of Number Three's gun and she and Stan and her Number Eight students flee. The Eights lead them to the station's hybrid room and Valerii is given the chance to kill them in order to save themselves through resurrection, but instead she shows the hybrids, and through them all of the Cylons, her human memories and all the beauty and sadness that encompasses being human. But Number Three decrees that Cylons are meant to serve God, not men, and she triggers the station's self-destruct, killing everyone aboard, including herself.

Most, if not all, of the Cylons of the station are reborn, as usual, including Captain Valerii, but with her memories altered into believing her ship was destroyed along with all the antebellum Centurions as soon as they arrived. That was her mission, to bring back antebellum Centurions, who were still loyal to humanity, so the threat could be contained. But the memory alteration wasn't entirely successful, as Valerii recalls a dream of being human and of knowing love.

CONTINUED IN BATTLESTAR GALACTICA #12

Didja Know?

The issues of this series were untitled. I assigned the title "To Be Human" in recognition of the theme that all of the major characters in this issue are struggling with the concept of what it is to be human and do they even want to be.

Characters appearing or mentioned in this story

Commander Adama

Zak (mentioned only, deceased)

Apollo (mentioned only)

Lt. Gaeta (mentioned only)

Baltar

Doc Cottle

Earth Protectorate

Leader of Earth Protectorate (unnamed)

Captain Valerii (aka Sharon Prime)

Zak (Returner, mentioned only, deceased)

Darrin Dualla (Returner, dies in this issue)

Starbuck

Marco Lesa (Returner)

Jenny Lesa

Marchy

Smithton

Philips

Zava

Number Three

Mr. and Mrs. Dualla (mentioned only)

Stan Ohari (dies in this issue)

Several versions of Number Eight

Hybrids

Number Six

Number Five

Helo

Petty Officer Dualla

Didja Notice?

Page 6 identifies the Cylon super-basestar arrived at by Captain Valerii in "Conscience" as First Cylon Imperial City. Number Three triggers the city's self-destruction in this issue in order to stop Captain Valerii's infection of human memories.