Count Iblis

Count Iblis is an alien on the TV series Battlestar Galactica. He was part of the original 1978 series, and was central to the plot of the two-part episode War of the Gods. In that episode, he was played by Patrick Macnee. He is not part of the 2003 re-imagined series.

1978 continuity
When an expedition from the Galactica lands on an unexplored planet, they find Lord Iblis, standing amidst the wreckage of a huge starship which had crashed on the planet some time before. Due to high radiation levels around the crashed ship, the Galactica crew is unable to explore it further.

Iblis is taken back to the Galactica. He proves to be charismatic and likeable, and quickly becomes very popular among the crew. However, several mysteries surround him &mdash; he is very elusive about his background, speaking only vaguely about being pursued by "enemies", he objects to having medical scans taken of him, and when he walks on the bridge nearby instruments go off-line. Nevertheless, Iblis' popularity grows further when he promises to protect the fleet from the mysterious Lights that have been following it recently and to lead them to Earth, which he implies he has visited, if he is given command of the fleet. To prove himself, Iblis moves some objects by psychokinesis and makes food grow on the farm ships, and offers to perform three miracles chosen by the Quorum of Twelve.

The Quorum quickly picks the first two miracles: to have Count Baltar delivered to them and for Iblis to plot a course to Earth. Hours later, Baltar delivers himself to the Colonials.

Baltar is shocked to hear Iblis' voice, which he claims to have heard before. He later realises it is the voice of the Cylon Imperious Leader. But for that to be possible, Iblis must have been on the Cylon homeworld thousands of yahrens ago, when the original biological Cylons were wiped out by the mechanical Cylons, and the robotic Imperious Leader was built to duplicate the biological Imperious Leader it replaced.

Meanwhile, Count Iblis' tricks are being uncovered. Apollo learns that there is a scientific explanation behind the sudden growth of the plants on the farm ships, and Adama remembers that the Colonials have latent psychokinesis abilities. Baltar had come to the fleet to discuss the appearance of the Lights, and that Iblis had nothing to do with it. However, it's too late, as the Quorum of the Twelve is considering giving Iblis the presidency.

Convinced that accepting Iblis' leadership will lead to disaster, Apollo and Starbuck head back to the planet where Iblis' ship was found. They are followed by Sheba, who is still under Iblis' spell, and Iblis himself, who teleports himself to the planet when he senses the plot. Apollo and Starbuck realise that the high radiation levels around the crashed ship were an illusion; they enter the ship and learn Iblis' true identity. Iblis and Sheba try to stop them, and the confrontation leads to Iblis trying to kill Sheba. However, Apollo takes the blow and dies in her place. Moments later, when the Lights appear, Iblis vanishes, swearing to the colonial warriors that he will see them again, in another place and time.

On the flight back to Galactica, Starbuck, Sheba and Apollo's body are taken on-board the Ship of Lights. The beings on-board explain that Iblis used to be one of theirs, but was cast away for trying to rebel. His power is limited to those who freely give him power over them. By killing Apollo, who had rejected him, he had overstepped his rights, and so he must now submit to some form of punishment as payment for his crime. The beings restore Apollo to life, and give the Colonials the coordinates to Earth.

Religious parallels
It is heavily implied that Count Iblis is Satan. To begin with, his name (Arabic إبليس), is the name of the primary devil Iblis in Islam. It is said that he has "no power other than that which others freely give him over them", which is part of the Mormon concepts of Satan. The being on the Ship of Lights (which are associated with angels in Heaven) say that Iblis was originally one of them, but was cast out when he tried to lead a rebellion and get others to follow him. Likewise, Satan used to be the archangel Lucifer, who was cast out of Heaven for trying to lead a rebellion against God. Iblis is referred to by Apollo as the Prince of Darkness, a common title given to Satan. Finally, when he is shot by Starbuck, Iblis takes on his true, demonic appearance.

In addition, a deleted scene in the second part of the episode, some of the dead crewmen in Iblis' crashed ship are shown. They have clear devil-like features, including cloven hoofs and pointed ears.

Trivia
Baltar notes that Iblis has the same voice as the Cylon Imperious Leader. Indeed, Patrick Macnee played both roles.

Comic continuity
In the comic series take on Battlestar Galactica, the diabolical Count Iblis is indeed the catalyst of the Cylon empire having been taken over by their mechanical creations. Count Iblis deceived the last organic Imperious Leader into a deal with the promise of power akin to his own. But instead, the Imperious Leader found himself transformed into a half-cybernetic being. Enraged, the Imperious Leader swore revenge upon him, firing at Count Iblis while he vanished away, laughing cruelly. As a result, the succeeding Imperious Leaders all talk exactly like Count Iblis.

Because Count Iblis' actions resulted in the destruction of the organic Cylon race and the creation of mechanical soldiers who would threaten the safety and freedom of the universe, Count Iblis was arrested by his angelic brothers, the Seraphs. As punishment for his grave crime against all creation, he was forced into an amnesiac, non-coporeal existence during which his essence would remain trapped within the pain-wracked lives of others. He would only briefly gain full remembrance of his identity when such painful lives came to an end, suffering death. This punishment he would endure for a thousand yarens &mdash; the exact time length of the initial conflict between the Cylon Empire and the Colonies.

For his deceitful actions on board the Galactica, Count Iblis was most assuredly going to be punished again, as the Seraph that spoke with Starbuck, Sheba, and the resurrected Apollo stated that he would be. However, the diabolical Count escaped, hiding himself "amongst eternity", as he related to Count Baltar. Reunited with the mechanical Cylons, Count Iblis would again wage aggression against the Colonial Fleet.

Count Iblis was now depicted as being bald, and of having supremely enhanced new powers, above the angelic level that he was previously empowered with. During an attack upon Baltar's cylon squadrons by the Seraphs' ships of light, Baltar entreated Count Iblis to stop the Seraphs before the attack wiped out the all of his Basestar's raiders. Iblis agreed, and with a gesture and a distorted depiction of his true, horrible face, he destroyed all of the attacking Seraph ships, proclaiming in the act: "Hear these words, Seraphs, and know them to be true: No one has dominion over me! No one!! Die, my brothers, and writhe in the fires of Damnation!!"

Count Iblis' next act was hypnotizing Apollo into shooting Commander Cain, who had re-united with the Galactica and the Colonial Fleet thanks to the Seraphs. He then hypnotizing Sheba into killing Apollo, and further deceiving her into believing that Apollo lied to her about the true nature of the remains that he and Starbuck discovered within the crashed ship on the planet where Count Iblis was discovered. Iblis told Sheba that the remains were actually those of her father, Commander Cain.

Apollo was soon but reluctantly resurrected by John, a Seraph with whom Apollo has had previous dealings (comic episode "Experiment in Terror"). Apollo explained to John that the remains the he and Starbuck discovered aboard the crashed ship were not human remains, but those of deceased demonic creatures, the followers of Count Iblis who paid the ultimate price for the loyalty to him. Apollo also explained that his second death was now once again the result of Count Iblis' deceitful machinations, and that if he didn't return to life, more lives and souls (especially Sheba's) would be in jeopardy because there would be no one to stop Iblis' rampage, an indirect consequence of which was the death of Commander Adama.

After being returned to the world of the living, Apollo defeated Count Iblis using his father's medallion. This medallion carried a power that magnifies the psychic strength of the individual who wears it. Count Iblis knew this, and tried to entice Apollo into giving it to him. However, Apollo's strength of character and force of will prevailed and Count Iblis was twice wounded by blasts of psychic energy, which was enough to push him into retreating from the fleet. Apollo then used the medallion's power to undo the chaos created by Count Iblis, including restoring to full health the dying Commander Cain.

Another god of evil
During their journey to Earth, the Colonial Fleet stopped at a world that had structures upon its surface similiar to the ancient and decaying ruins found on Kobol. Within one of these structures were the bodies of a human male and female, who were kept in a state of suspended animation. Upon being revived, these two individuals identified themselves as Adam and Eve, members of one of the journeying tribes that left Kobol during its final days. Adam remarked that this expedition found itself under attack by an ancient "god of evil", whom he identified as Anubis.

The relationship between these two gods of evil, Anubis and Iblis, was never explored.

2003 continuity
Count Iblis is not part of the 2003 remake of Battlestar Galactica. Although rumours continue to circulate within fan circles about possible roles Iblis could play, producer Ronald D. Moore, states that it is doubtful given the new theological format that he created for the reimagined show.