What Was Baltars Motivation?

[Dayton3]

I'm new here, but I've always wondered about Baltars motivation in betraying the Colonies.

In the original movie, it seems that he expected his own colony to be spared destruction and he allowed to rule it backed by the Cylons.

Was Baltar really so evil that he thought allowing 11 heavily populated worlds to be destroyed so he could rule one was a good deal?

[kingfish]

Baltar always believed he should have been put in a position of power(Council of Twelve presidency). When he wasn't recognized this angered him and he decided to betray his people but with the intent of leading them after the initial attack occured. However Imperious Leader had other intentions.

[Artemis]

Originally posted by Dayton3
Was Baltar really so evil that he thought allowing 11 heavily populated worlds to be destroyed so he could rule one was a good deal?

The quest for power isn't logical. With the other worlds gone he would be more able to control one, he probably thought that they would welcome him with open arms as their liberator since their world was spared. He must be like a god to be able to do what the 12 colonies combined couldn't do in 1000 yaerns. His problem was that he was dumb enough to believe his own fantasies.
That's just my interpretation of Baltar's motives. :colwar:

[Titon]

I know one thing he wasn't motivated by sex!

What a concept to betray the human race. If i help destroy the human race can i get laid?

[BST]

Hmmm, Baltar gets laid but, "6" told him only if he's the last man on the planet.

Baltar: OK Tin-Heads!! Start droppin' the nukes!! :p

[Dayton3]

I had another thought.

In the novelization of the original Battlestar:Galactica move/television premier, it was noted that Baltar was a war profiteer.

It was also noted that Baltar always had supplies of tylium to sell even as supplies available to the Colonials were dwindling.

Doesn't that imply that the Cylons were supplying Baltar with tylium to sell for years prior to his betrayal of the colonies?

Just how far back does Baltars collusion go?

And the "Baltar sells out for sex" has some precedence in the Battlestar:Galactica novels. I remember one novel mentioning that Baltars hatred of Adama went all the way back to the Academy when Adama did alot better than Baltar with the ladies thanks to his deep, bass voice in choir compared to Baltars high pitched tenor.

[dru]

Originally posted by Dayton3
I had another thought.

In the novelization of the original Battlestar:Galactica move/television premier, it was noted that Baltar was a war profiteer.

It was also noted that Baltar always had supplies of tylium to sell even as supplies available to the Colonials were dwindling.

Doesn't that imply that the Cylons were supplying Baltar with tylium to sell for years prior to his betrayal of the colonies?

Just how far back does Baltars collusion go?

You may have a point. In the series, it is realized that the mines of the Ovion's were discovered by Baltar's people. IIRC, that tips Adama off that this is a trap. Baltar had made a deal with the IL series Imperious Leader who ordered the attack on Caprica and other colonies which would spare Baltar's world. That IL, of course, was replaced in the series and Baltar was spared. Baltar clearly wanted to be some kind of supreme leader of all humans but first he had to destroy everyone else.

My problem with this theory is that Baltar would've been known as the negotiator of the "Peace" so who would trust him even among his own people? The only possibility is that Baltar was some sort of Hitlerian figure who hoped to use the Cylons to rid humanity of the other 'lesser' colonies perhaps seen as the scapegoats for his own people's troubles. Understanding the Borelian Nomen were also human colonists (from dialog in "Man With Nine Lives") of a different sort, now all colonies were necessarily equal or developed similarly. That theatrical "insanity" which the late John Colicos brought to his portrayal fits what we know of the character and his motivation well.

Eventually, Baltar did seem obsessed with destroying Adama more so than eliminating the human refugees. It seems, perhaps, this "new" Imperious Leader (which spared Baltar) had a different agenda, one of human subjugation rather than annihilation of humanity. In some senses, Baltar's position with the Cylons didn't make sense as the series continued.

How does Count Iblis being recognized by Baltar as having the voice of the Imperious Leader fit into this? When the IL-series Cylon that ascends to the Imperious Leader's throne takes on the guise of the long eradicated organic, reptilian, Cylon people, does it also take on this particular voice? Evidently so.

Really, there seems to be a huge amount of depth and background for Baltar and the Cylon race that could be / could have been explored over time.

Considering the actions of the IL which spared Baltar, on some level it makes sense for cybernetic slaves to be made of the remaining colonists left behind by the ragtag fleet. That connects with what DeSanto wanted to do, and allegedly what was going to happen with the Pegasus crew in the "lost" BSG Season 2.

I'd love to see this depth explored in an *epic* series of mini-series or films. And it could be even in a continuation. Heaven knows that Lucas pissed away whatever opportunity he had to explore the Star Wars prequels, the Republic, Jedi and rise of the Empire into an epic with depth.

Really, Moore's setup can't do this since the Colonies created the Cylons.

[Dayton3]

Good points all around. I actually outlined my ideas for how I would remake the Battlestar:Galactica series. In it, I included a flashback episode to 35 years or so before the annihilation and how Baltar began turning against his fellow humans.

My thoughts were that Baltar began with simple greed. That he was caught selling sensitive military information to private businesses and that caused him to be tossed out of the Colonial Military Academy (or whatever it was called) with Adama handling the prosecution.

After that, representatives of the Cylons made contact with him and offered to make him extremely wealthy.

In my own BG history, the "Peace Ploy" by the Cylons actually went back more than 50 years. And that Baltar became a welcome opportunity for the Cylons to get an agent into the inner workings of the Colonial government. Helped by money of course.

In "The Living Legend" Baltar raves about welcoming parades on Gomoray after his defeat of the Galactica. In his warped way, I think Baltar wanted to be an important man who was acclaimed and celebrated. He wanted to be venerated but on his own ruthless terms. His dreams of parades on Gomoray always seemed strange to me though. We are talking about Cylons here. I do not picture them cheering and throwing a ticker-tape parade for anyone. I think that the original series established that Baltar and Adama had some type of history together, Baltar wanted to rule his colony and he had a lust for power and acclaim. Unfortunately, we will never know where Baltar's story would have gone since the show ended so abruptly.

[thomas7g]

I think Baltar had no real motivation but to just be evil.

I think he was your standard twirl your moustache kinda villian. It was more of a light hearted approach than we do today. Basically less serious, more fun.

Mr. Colicos's performance was certainly larger than life. Very memorable, A Classic!

[Muffit]

Welcome to Colonial Fleets, Dayton3!

[shiningstar]

Bijou you are so right! I think you gave the best point of all
.........not that the other points weren't good too. They were
great. But without Jon Colicos playing Baltar .......I don't
think it would have been the same.

[thomas7g]

I find it amazing how John Colicos could play a villian tat is completely evil, yet he does so in a way that shows you the actor himself must be a good-hearted person.

I miss Mr Colicos.

[Muffit]

And what was the motivation of TPTB, waiting for this man tp pass into history before finally reviving BSG...

I thought he sadi it in the pilot episode.

Something to the effect of when Imperious Leader told him that all humans must be exterminated Blatar said something like he wanted them to be subjugated under his rule.

[dru]

Originally posted by Bijou88
In "The Living Legend" Baltar raves about welcoming parades on Gomoray after his defeat of the Galactica. In his warped way, I think Baltar wanted to be an important man who was acclaimed and celebrated. He wanted to be venerated but on his own ruthless terms. His dreams of parades on Gomoray always seemed strange to me though. We are talking about Cylons here. I do not picture them cheering and throwing a ticker-tape parade for anyone.

You do have a good point. He wanted to be adored and even feared (look how he treated Scepter in Young Lords). However, on Gomoray we saw Cylon civilians. Who would've imagined that!? I think Baltar had dreams of someday ruling a civilization and by the time "Living Legend" came around he didn't care if it could've been Cylon or human.

The history between Baltar and Cain must of been a wild one on the past! as seen in the "Living legend"

[shiningstar]

I think you're right Dru. I think you made a very valid point.

I forgot that Baltar and Kane had a backstory together too. It seemed that Kane wanted Baltar's head for more reasons than betraying the colonies to the Cylons. Baltar clearly realized that Kane was coming to settle old scores with him. This is what I love about Battlestar Galactica, the story was much bigger than the canvas it was painted on.