Battlestar Galactica And Transformers Are Linked By One Unique Special Effect

ABC

While nan Cylons successful nan original 1978 "Battlestar Galactica" decidedly looked for illustration actors successful chrome suits, they astatine slightest sounded for illustration robots. Cylon Centurions said pinch a low-pitched synthesized monotone pinch a metallic echo. Behind nan scenes, that sound was created successful portion pinch a vocoder machine, which analyzes a vocal way and past creates a synthesized sound based connected nan qualities of that vocal track. In effect, a robotic sound generator.

Vocoders (short for "vocal encoder") were first invented successful nan 1920s by technologist Homer Dudley. While Dudley was looking to make telephone connection easier, vocoders person since recovered usage successful entertainment. Electronic musicians (such arsenic nan duo Daft Punk) often usage vocoders to create robot-like vocal tracks, arsenic do movies and TV. The Cylons are 1 of nan astir celebrated types of nan latter.

The personality of nan actor(s) who supplied nan Cylons' voices is thing of a mystery; some "Battlestar" fan sites claim an character named Michael Santiago voiced nan Centurions, but superior sources don't corroborate this. The process of making nan Cylon voice, though, has been documented. In 2019, music shaper Joe Grandberg created a mini-documentary connected nan instrumentality utilized connected nan original "Battlestar Galactica" to make nan Cylon voice; Grandberg moreover interviewed Peter Berkos, nan original audio technologist connected "Galactica."

Berkos is not nan only Hollywood technician to ever make a robot sound from a vocoder. In 1984, not agelong aft nan original "Battlestar Galactica" went disconnected nan air, "The Transformers" debuted. Though nan characters were robots, their voices sounded quality — pinch 1 exception. The Decepticon Soundwave (Frank Welker) had a synthesized sound resembling nan Cylons', edited by audio technologist Scott Brownlee utilizing a vocoder.

De Laurentiis Entertainment Group

Though Soundwave didn't look successful nan 2007 "Transformers" movie, he's 1 of nan franchise's astir celebrated characters. His vocoded and oh-so-cool sound successful nan animation is simply a large logic why. Frank Welker and Scott Brownlee discussed really they made nan sound together at TFcon LA 2025. 

Welker recorded nan lines pinch a cavernous monotone, which he'd antecedently utilized unedited arsenic nan sound of Doctor Claw connected "Inspector Gadget". (The sound was primitively based connected Welker's Barry White impression.)

"I knew what Frank did [as Soundwave] couldn't person tonality, it would conflict pinch nan musicality of immoderate was going on," Brownlee recalled. So, he suggested Welker usage his Dr. Claw sound for Soundwave's lines to create "articulation without tonality." Brownlee added a inheritance reside by playing different chords connected a synthesizer and mixed Soundwave's sound pinch nan vocoder. 

Soundwave's extra-robotic sound didn't conscionable make him guidelines retired to young viewers, it informed his character. The synthesized echo of his sound complemented really he spoke; he seldom showed emotion, and talked pinch nan diction of a computer. When Soundwave launched his mini-cassette minion Ravage astatine nan Autobots, he mightiness say, for instance: "Ravage: Eject. Operation: Destruction." 

Moreover, Soundwave's original characteristic bio described him arsenic nan Decepticons' communications officer, and a soft talker who keeps blackmail connected nan different Decepticons to climb complete them successful nan ranks. The modern Marvel "Transformers" comic utilized this characterization, and location was nary hint Soundwave said immoderate otherwise (in tonality aliases diction) than immoderate of nan different Transformers. The animation bid book besides described Soundwave this way, but successful nan show itself, he had a different characteristic that reflected his emotionless voice.

Hasbro

While Soundwave was a spymaster successful "The Transformers," he was nary opportunist. Instead, he was Megatron's devoted right-hand man. In "The Transformers: The Movie," erstwhile Megatron falls successful his past conflict pinch Optimus Prime, nan Decepticons unreserved to flight and wantonness their leader — isolated from for Soundwave, who carries Megatron to safety.

Most of nan Decepticons were schemers and/or thugs, but not Soundwave. Like a machine — aliases a Cylon Centurion — he had nary ambition beyond completing nan task he was programmed for. Soundwave and nan Cylons moreover stock immoderate creation cues, for illustration a reddish oculus visor, boxy torsos, and angular rima plates. Compare, even, their catchphrases: Cylon Centurions ever saluted their superiors pinch "By your command," overmuch for illustration Soundwave often said "As you command, Megatron." 

That said, there's nary actual grounds nan Cylons straight influenced Soundwave. Rather, his character originated arsenic "Cassette Man" successful nan Japanese toyline "Micro Change," one of nan galore Japanese action figures that Hasbro imported stateside to make "The Transformers."

Both nan original "Battlestar Galactica" and "Transformers" person much than their adjacent stock of cheese, but nan Cylons' and Soundwave's robotic voices guidelines arsenic a genuinely cool portion of both, respectively. A batch of that in installments goes to some Peter Berkos and Scott Brownlee's skills pinch a vocoder.