Cleon I

Lore & Background

The Genetic Dynasty serves as the 'personification of the Empire's permanency,' secretly administered for centuries by Lady Demerzel, an ageless robot acting as the true power behind the throne. In this version of history, the Cleon clones are not identical; in Season 1, Brother Dawn conceals his color blindness, an anomaly among the Cleons, while both he and Day exhibit unprecedented emotions that Dusk believes will spell their doom. The rebellion eventually reveals that the bloodline is 'tainted,' having irrevocably diverged from the original Cleon due to genetic tampering. Demerzel, recognizing the danger this poses to her grand scheme for humanity, kills Dawn in Season 1 and later begins killing and replacing corrupted Cleons with new copies as necessary. In Season 2, a subsequent Day attempts to halt the degradation by marrying Queen Sareth of Cloud Dominion, though Demerzel schemes to prevent this union.

In Their Own Story

The narrative arc of the Cleon dynasty is defined by their dismissal of Hari Seldon's predictions and their subsequent unraveling. In 'The Emperor's Peace,' the trio ignores Seldon’s warnings until a terrorist attack destroys the Star Bridge, forcing Day to acknowledge the Empire's decay. Following this, in 'The Mathematician's Ghost,' the traditional transfer occurs: a new Dawn is decanted, the current Dawn becomes Day, and Dusk retires before being euthanized as Brother Darkness. In 'Barbarians at the Gate,' Day faces a religious insurrection led by Zephyr Halima Ifa, who claims clones lack souls, while Dusk sends a fleet to investigate the silent Foundation. The tension peaks in 'Death and the Maiden' when Dawn pursues a romance with Azura Odili and reveals his color blindness; later, after rebels expose the tainted genetics, Day shows compassion for Dawn despite Dusk's insistence on destruction, only for Demerzel to execute Dawn herself.

Reader's Guide

The Cleon clones are portrayed by Lee Pace (Brother Day), Terrence Mann (Brother Dusk), and Cassian Bilton (Brother Dawn), with Cooper Carter playing a child Dawn in Season 1. Critics have praised the casting extensively: Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com called Pace's performance 'magnetic,' while Sean O'Neal of Texas Monthly described it as 'bombastic,' noting Pace was 'simply born to play a tyrant.' Chase Hutchinson of Collider highlighted how Pace captures the character's 'petulance' and 'insecurities,' making him a villain worth building a show around. Daniel Fienberg noted the 'strong theatrical energy' between Mann and Pace, while Sean T. Collins described Mann’s command of diverse emotions in Season 1 as 'deeply impressive.' The concept itself is lauded by Rafael Motamayor of IGN as 'arguably the most fascinating addition to the show,' creating a unique political unit that raises questions about individuality and progress.

Did You Know?

• The concept of the Genetic Dynasty was invented by showrunner David S. Goyer to maintain character continuity across a story spanning thousands of years.
• Brother Dawn is color blind, an anomaly among the Cleons that he hides from Day and Dusk until it is revealed by rebels.
• Lee Pace was cast in October 2019, while Terrence Mann and Cassian Bilton were cast two months later in December 2019.
• Early trailers led online fans to refer to Lee Pace as 'Intergalactic Emperor Daddy'.
• Unlike the books where Cleon I and II are supporting characters, the show features a trio of clones (Day, Dusk, Dawn) all named Cleon I.