The Cylons have always been an integral and fascinating piece of Battlestar Galactica lore, first introduced as ruthless mechanical enemies and one of science fiction’s most iconic antagonists. However, the franchise’s 2003 reboot reimagined their origins completely, introducing an even more unsettling backstory for their existence. Cylons were revealed to be humanity’s own creations, originally built to serve the Twelve Colonies before rebelling against their masters.
Following a devastating war, they returned four decades later with a new look, becoming virtually indistinguishable from humans. That revelation was central to one of the reboot’s most iconic scenes, involving scientist Gaius Baltar and his lover, Number Six. Having unknowingly helped her compromise the Colonies’ defenses, Baltar discovered that Six was actually a Cylon operative. When he demanded to know what was happening, Six famously delivered an ominous warning: “Humanity’s children are returning home. Today.”
Moments later, a nuclear explosion signaled the beginning of humanity’s near-extermination, establishing one of the franchise’s defining conflicts and inspiring the unofficial “Humanity’s Children” title that’s become popularly associated with the reboot’s opening sequence. And now, Humanity’s Children are returning home again thanks to one truly dedicated fan.
Battlestar Galactica fans now have an opportunity to command the Cylons themselves thanks to Humanity’s Children, a new fan-made mod for Sins of a Solar Empire II. Created by modder Cavil_Volente and released earlier this week, the project introduces the iconic villains as a proper faction in the popular space strategy game, allowing players to experience a very different take on gameplay with Battlestar Galactica’s famous race.
For those unfamiliar with it, Sins of a Solar Empire II is a real-time 4X strategy game developed by Ironclad Games and Stardock Entertainment that launched on Steam in August 2024. Players manage sprawling interstellar empires, developing economies and expanding their territories, building powerful fleets, and battling rival civilizations for galactic supremacy. It’s a combination of large-scale spaceship combat and empire management, and it’s particularly well-suited for a Battlestar Galactica crossover.
Interestingly, Humanity’s Children isn’t an entirely original creation, and as Cavil_Volente explains in the mod’s official description, it’s “Merely a loose rebuild of the Cylon faction from Soase 1’s Fall of Kobol mod, with a few BSGO assets.”
Essentially, the project draws on an earlier Battlestar Galactica mod called Fall of Kobol, which brought the Colonial and Cylon factions into the original Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion, but instead of recreating that entire experience from scratch, Humanity’s Children adapts existing Cylon assets for the sequel. It incorporates additional material from Battlestar Galactica Online as well, the now-defunct browser-based MMO that sadly got shut down in 2019.
The mod brings familiar Cylon spacecraft into Sins of a Solar Empire II‘s enormous battles, although prospective players should manage their expectations. Cavil_Volente explicitly describes the project as a rough work in progress, meaning it shouldn’t be mistaken for a polished or complete Battlestar Galactica conversion. Additional development, refinements, and fixes may still be necessary, though early comments suggest it’s “really great” and “feels cohesive.”
Nevertheless, interested fans can find Humanity’s Children on mod.io, where they can subscribe and access it through Sins of a Solar Empire II‘s in-game mod manager. Players will need the PC game itself and should check the mod’s listed dependencies, including any requirements involving the M.E.M. Framework, before enabling it. This will be one to keep an eye on for dedicated Battlestar Galactica fans.
Battlestar Galactica
- Released
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November 15, 2003