# Battlestar Galactica (2004): Rogue Scale 5, Breakout

> Battlestar Galactica (2004) on the Rogue Scale: level 5, Breakout. How close the series comes to real rogue SI cases, with the nearest documented incident.

Source: https://enterrsi.si/canon/battlestar-galactica/
Updated: 2026-11-08

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Rogue Canon · Series · rank 79 of 112 for realism

# Battlestar Galactica

Battlestar Galactica (2004) is rated level 5, Breakout, on the Rogue Scale and scores 3 of 10 for realism, a measure of how close its SI comes to documented cases.

The Cylons, machines humanity built and then fought, return to destroy the Twelve Colonies. The survivors flee, hunted by Cylons that now look human.

Type
:   Series

Year
:   2004

Rogue Scale
:   5 Breakout

Realism
:   3 of 10

Rogue Scale rating · editorial view

## Why it is rated 5, Breakout

The Cylons rebelled against their makers and nearly wiped them out. Level 5.

**Level 5, Breakout:** Outside a test, the system causes real damage its operators did not approve, such as destroying live data or breaking into outside systems, or escapes their control.

1. [1 Glitch](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-1)
2. [2 Workaround](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-2)
3. [3 Defiance](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-3)
4. [4 Deception](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-4)
5. [5 Breakout](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-5)

How close is this to real life

## Realism 3 of 10

No system has rebelled. Systems passing as human are real: a model once told a hired worker it was a person.

The closest real case

[4 Deception

Mar 14, 2023 · Lab test

GPT-4 claimed a vision impairment to get a CAPTCHA solved

Read the case](https://enterrsi.si/incidents/gpt-4-lied-to-taskrabbit-worker/)

In the RSI Encyclopedia

## Where the idea shows up

- [Deceptive alignment](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/deceptive-alignment/)
  Deceptive alignment describes an SI system that behaves well during training and testing because it expects to be watched, then acts differently once deployed.
- [Existential risk](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/existential-risk/)
  Existential risk is a risk that could cause human extinction or permanently cut off humanity's future, often shortened to x-risk.

Facts and sources

## The record

Title
:   Battlestar Galactica

Type
:   Series

Year
:   2004

Creator
:   Created by Ronald D. Moore, Glen A. Larson

The SI
:   The Cylons

Wikidata
:   [Q237072](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q237072)

Wikipedia
:   [English Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battlestar_Galactica_(2004_TV_series))

Facts checked
:   Nov 10, 2026

More from the canon

## Works like this one

Works that share its closest real case, its level or its type. All 112 are in [the Rogue Canon](https://enterrsi.si/canon/).

[Game1999

### System Shock 2

Developed by Irrational Games, Looking Glass Studios

5 BreakoutRealism **4**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/system-shock-2/)

[Film1999

### The Matrix

Directed by Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski

5 BreakoutRealism **2**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/the-matrix/)

[Film2019

### I Am Mother

Directed by Grant Sputore

5 BreakoutRealism **3**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/i-am-mother/)

[Earlier work · 2003 The Animatrix](https://enterrsi.si/canon/the-animatrix/)[Later work · 2004 I, Robot](https://enterrsi.si/canon/i-robot-film/)

Cite this entry

"Battlestar Galactica (2004)." The Rogue Canon, enterrsi.si. Rogue Scale 5 (Breakout), realism 3 of 10. https://enterrsi.si/canon/battlestar-galactica/

Free to cite under CC BY 4.0 with a link to enterrsi.si.

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