James and Brad, your points are compelling, and I have to say I like James' idea better of them suddenly becoming aware and rebelling instantly, but then I would get even more strongly back to the notion that Joe Adama was fighting for 1978 Cylon clunker rights, it'd be like me fighting for the rights of washing machines. I guess the only way Brad's theory would work would be if they were sentient all along. My own theory at this point is the Cylons were doing work and/or fighting wars for humans, suddenly became aware (but how? don't know) and then saw humans as a different creature, were repulsed by them, and decided to kill them all like we would feel repulsion and kill cockroaches if suddenly we became aware that they were crawling on us. That wouldn't make the Cylons very sympathetic though--but I hope the show stays away from that. The show Dexter actually had me sympathizing with the main character, who is a serial killer, but I doubt BSG will be able to get me to sympathize too much with a robot race that is enslaved and who's idea of justice isn't freedom but total extermination of humanity, while creating a new master race modeled on humanity's worst traits they hate so much.

Here's another question: Would the show have been better off if the Cylons weren't humans, or rather, if there could be Cylon "skin jobs" but they didn't have human emotions and we weren't asked to empathize with them? (Hornets nest opened)