BSG - Cylon "Family" picture

It begins again!! Season 3 - 2hr episode on October 6th at 9pm Pacific Daylight Saving Time (check your local listings) on Scifi Network!

Battlestar Galactica - Coverstory on EW

Great Space Coasters
''Battlestar Galactica'': Inside TV's next great cult hit. If you're already into this sci-fi series, you know it rivals ''Lost'' and ''24'' among TV's best. If you're not, catch up with our preview of the new season by Jeff Jensen



'BATTLE' STARS (From left) Olmos, McDonnell, Callis, Sackhoff, Helfer, Park, and Bamber, ready for season 3's liftoff

In English, the word ''frak'' means...absolutely nothing. But in the not-so-faraway fantasyverse of Battlestar Galactica — Sci Fi Channel's critically exalted reboot of the 1978–79 TV series about space-faring humans fleeing genocidal robots known as Cylons — ''frak'' is similar to a certain FCC-unfriendly epithet that also begins with f and ends with k. Judging from a recent visit to the show's Vancouver set, the multipurpose word will be heard frequently when Galactica returns for its third season on Oct. 6 at 9 p.m. It will be used to express angst when married military man Lee ''Apollo'' Adama (Jamie Bamber) finds himself yearning for married fighter pilot Kara ''Starbuck'' Thrace (Katee Sackhoff) and mutters ''Frak me.'' It will be used to express awe once chief mechanic Gaelin Tyrol (Aaron Douglas) discovers a secret saloon inside the titular battleship and marvels, ''Holy frak!'' And it will be used to express rage after a high-ranking officer (nope, we ain't tellin') drives a pen into the neck of tortured traitor Gaius Baltar (James Callis) and screams ''MOTHERFRAKKER!''

Yep: There sure is a lot of frakkin' human drama on this sci-fi show. Sometimes there's more of it than there is actual science fiction — and that's exactly how they like it in Galactica's little corner of the cosmos. To be certain, the show has its fair share of far-out bits, like visually stunning F/X, trippy concepts (a half-Cylon/half-human baby whose blood has cancer-curing powers), and, of course, Number Six (Tricia Helfer), an immortal platinum blond Cylon partial to wearing crimson red dresses and high heels. But more than that, the show has distinguished itself as one of television's very best dramas — on a par with 24, The Wire, and Lost — because it so utterly transcends both its genre and its source material.

The original ABC series was a one-season wonder of Star Wars-era escapism that over time has attracted a nostalgic, multigenerational cult following. But this gritty new version has taken the same bleak conceit of its predecessor — the unceremonious obliteration of humanity on the peaceful planet of Caprica by cybernetic invaders — and rewired it with prickly, challenging post-9/11 relevance. No longer are the Cylons chrome-plated toasters with oscillating LED eyes — they've evolved into flesh and blood, which allows them to hide in plain sight, like, say, as a muckraking journalist (D'Anna, played by Lucy Lawless). Moreover, they're now motivated by their radical belief in one God to wipe out their creators from existence. Fortunately, the Capricans are as resilient as cockroaches.

Exactly 50,298 surviving souls soon boarded a fleet of star cruisers — led by the massive battleship Galactica — and embarked on a possibly fruitless quest for a mythical lost colony called Earth. They were led by Adm. William Adama (Edward James Olmos) and President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), along with ace fighter pilots Apollo and Starbuck; once-trusted pilot — and Cylon sleeper agent — Sharon Valerii (Grace Park); and the brilliant but slightly mad scientist Baltar, whose feverish visions of Number Six propelled his unlikely ascension to the presidency in season 2. That disastrous development only led to more problems once the refugees found a home on the barren planet of New Caprica; by the finale, their bid for a new beginning came to an end when the Cylons returned.

For nonviewers, this may induce a massive headache. But the series' sophisticated stories have also attracted a distinctively new breed of fan, one who's not necessarily a sci-fi buff. ''Some of the smartest people I know are addicted to this show,'' says McDonnell. ''All it takes is one or two episodes and you're hooked.'' Though routinely snubbed by the Emmys (yeah, it stings them), Galactica recently won a prestigious Peabody award, and the affirmation has the cast and crew psyched. ''The last thing that I wanted to be doing was science fiction on cable television,'' says Olmos. ''But this, to me, is a real gift. I'll be in science fiction every day of my life if they can give me this kind of drama.''

Now, if only they could give him a bigger audience. Galactica averaged 2.3 million weekly viewers in season 2, and while that's impressive by Sci Fi's standards, conventional wisdom says its ratings could — and should — be much larger. Blame the complicated plots and the genre's fringy rep, a stigma that's only exacerbated by a glut of similar-sounding (and inferior) shows like Stargate Atlantis, Farscape, and Andromeda. Says Callis: ''It's strange to exist in the popular consciousness, but so few people actually watch the show. I can't tell you how many times I've had to tell people, 'No, we're not Stargate. Really.'''

''Our name has always been a blessing and a curse,'' says exec producer Ronald Moore. ''Now it's really a curse. We've done market research. People who would watch Nip/Tuck, The Shield — that's our audience. But the minute you say Battlestar Galactica, you can see the lights go off in their eyes.'' Adds Park: ''I can't even get my agent to watch the show. I appreciate your laughter, but it's true. Sooooo true.''

And yet. Mounting buzz and fan-generated ardor have raised hopes that a giant leap forward in popularity is at hand. At the same time, the show is about to make some of its riskiest moves yet. In a strategic shift, Galactica will return in early October — not during basic cable's usual summer-launch season — but for the first time against the broadcast networks' big guns. ''Moving to fall isn't going to hurt,'' insists Sci Fi president Bonnie Hammer. ''With the right product, we can go toe-to-toe during network season. And we truly believe Battlestar Galactica can do it.''

But this is its third season, a critical time when even the best TV series start to struggle with maintaining their creative vitality. So Moore and coexec producer David Eick are, ironically enough, ramping up some of those allegedly alienating sci-fi elements for season 3, which features an exploration of Cylon society via an extended stay inside one of their base ships. Eick, naturally, feels compelled to share some jumping-the-shark anxiety here at the moment of Galactica's breakout opportunity. ''We approach season 3 with nothing but terror, insecurity, and sheer liquid horror that we're going to screw it up if we're not really, really careful,'' he says. ''That's our mantra: Don't screw it up.''

Then again, it seems that Battlestar Galactica has actually done pretty well for itself by trying to steer prospective viewers in the other direction. When Sci Fi relaunched the franchise with a 2003 miniseries, there was certainly a ragtag band of enthusiasts — including original star Richard Hatch — clamoring for it. Since 1998, Hatch had led a charge to get Galactica's copyright owners to resume the saga via a new show. He nearly got his wish: In 2001, a concept developed by director Bryan Singer and his X-Men producer Tom DeSanto for Fox focusing on a new generation of Galactica denizens imploded after delays infringed upon Singer's commitment to X-Men United. Enter Sci Fi — and exit the whole ''continuing the saga'' idea. The network instead optioned the property with the intention of ''reimagining'' the franchise — same characters and concept; different actors and aesthetic approach — and hired former USA Cable exec Eick. He, in turn, snagged Moore, well-known in sci-fi circles for his years as an acclaimed writer and producer in Paramount's Star Trek factory. Neither man had any nostalgia for the original series; to this day, Eick still hasn't watched the entire pilot.

The faithful got their first glimpse of Galactica 2.0 at a 25th-anniversary convention organized by Hatch at a Hollywood hotel. Reports of Moore's revisionist plans had already reached and irked fans (Starbuck's now a chick?! Heresy!), so Hatch invited him over to respond to his critics. Moore accepted, and even brought clips from the still-in-production miniseries. The reaction: boos, hisses, even threats of popcorn throwing. ''At one point,'' recalls Moore, ''they asked me, point-blank, 'Will you pledge to make a different show if this goes to series?' And I said, 'No.'''

And you know what? Those angry fans all probably watched anyway: The miniseries garnered promising ratings for Sci Fi, and the series launched in January 2005 (though not until a foreign partner was recruited to help underwrite the costly enterprise). This version still has its dissenters; you can Google ''Galactica in name only'' to sample their vitriol. Most of their fury is still directed at the now-female Starbuck. Her sex change rankled diehards because of affection for original portrayer Dirk Benedict (who reportedly was going to reprise his role in the Singer/DeSanto version), and because it represented the death of a dream: to see a continuation, not a revamp, of the saga. ''At first, it totally sucked,'' says the new Starbuck, Sackhoff, of the derision. ''There were petitions on the Internet to, like, save Starbuck's genitalia. I started becoming obsessed. I'd be up until 2 a.m. after every episode, trying to figure out if I won them over. And because it takes 100 positive remarks to let go of one negative comment, I would be going, 'Okay, one more positive, one more positive… S---! It's a negative!' I was like, I've got to stay off the Internet.''

For his part, Hatch thinks they just need to get over it. ''The miniseries was very hard to watch for the original fans, and for me, not because it wasn't wonderful, but because it was so different,'' says the actor, who has a recurring role on the new Galactica as a political dissident-turned-leader. ''It's the same thing as life: We grudgingly yield to change, and ultimately realize that change is good. This Battlestar has balls. It has guts. It digs more deeply into the premise than the original ever could.'' Under Moore and Eick's watch, Galactica has thus become a TV think piece teeming with politically potent issues. Moore said he felt the very premise — a society is devastated and transformed by a catastrophic terrorist attack — demanded that the show's fiction speak to our post-9/11 environment. Embracing the opportunity, they resolved that Galactica ''was going to be about us,'' says Moore, ''about the experience that we're having right now.'' He and Eick praise Sci Fi for the freedom they've been given, although their penchant for coloring heroes with disturbing moral ambiguity (Starbuck brutally torturing a prisoner; Adama drowning a baby in a dream sequence) has sparked some clashes with network brass. ''They could be a wee bit more hopeful and aspirational,'' says Hammer. ''But it's a huge learning curve, and they're finding the right balance.''

Still, don't expect the bleak skies to clear up completely. The fleshbots may have again found their targets, but they're increasingly conflicted over their genocidal policy: They've set up Baltar as a puppet leader, and are making the New Capricans live under their boot instead of crushing them with it. Galactica's geopolitical touchstone, meanwhile, has shifted from Patriot Act America to occupied Iraq. As such, the rooting interest for viewers has become murkier. In the season premiere, for instance, human insurgents make a shocking choice to employ suicide bombers. For the actors, bringing to life this juicy dilemma was a mixed blessing. ''I was thrilled by the possibility of taking people that we know and love and seeing them put in a circumstance where anyone can become [someone] they don't want to be,'' says McDonnell. ''Shooting that particular episode, everybody looked sad, everybody felt sad. We realized we were all sort of going through the same thing: the hopelessness of an occupied nation.''

If relating to an oppressed people was rough for the cast, venturing behind the iron curtain of Galactica's oppressors was just plain weird, and not everyone believes that getting to know the Cylons is a good idea. ''My personal jury is still out,'' says Bamber. ''I think where the show really works is in the daily grind aboard the Galactica, trying to run from this unknown and therefore ultimately terrifying enemy.''

The encouraging news is that the creative gambit has been given considerable thought. To prep the Cylon actors, Moore wrote a veritable Cylon manual called ''Life on a Base Ship.'' ''It was like gold,'' says Helfer, who declined to divulge any nuggets. ''But I did share it with other actors who didn't get copies. Not any humans, mind you, just my fellow Cylons.''

For all the hand-wringing, Hammer believes the Cylon plotline enriches the provocative question at the center of season 3's stories: ''How do you know which side you should root for?'' She hopes Galactica's audience can grow this season; if it doesn't, its current ratings and network-enhancing reputation — combined with ancillary revenues from DVD sales and the hugely popular original webisodes that have netted 1.8 million downloads since launching earlier this month — still make it a very valuable asset. Sackhoff puts it in perspective: ''The show is good because we're on a smaller network that allows us the freedom to take chances. I don't know if this show could go mainstream, and if we'll get any bigger than we already are. Let them have their Grey's Anatomy, you know? We'll keep our secret to ourselves until it's time to give it up and move along.''

Like the original Galactica, this version has an implicit conclusion: the eventual discovery of Earth. Moore and Eick say they have an ending in mind, but won't say if it involves the Galactica and its fleet actually reaching our fair planet. Ask the cast, and they'll tell you (after insisting that Galactica is really about the journey, not the end...blah blah blah) about a popular joke on the set: The series' climactic scene will find the fleet being blown to bits by America's president. ''You know it's never going to end happy,'' teases Park. ''They think Earth is this magical Eden, but we all know how we treat each other here. Then again, you know the Cylons are just going to follow them to Earth and bring their little war to our backyard. So maybe it would be better all around if [the American president] ordered a nuclear strike on Galactica. That would be like the biggest 'F--- you.''' Or frak you, as it were.

(Posted:09/21/06)

BSG Webepisode 2 Transcript

Outside - New Caprica - Duck, Jammer, and Galen around what looks to be a small water tower

Duck: Look, part of me would love to kick some chrome plated ass with you guys. But, it?s not gonna happen. I just?.got other plans.
Duck leaves
Jammer sighs
Galen: Other plans. What the frak is that?
Jammer: Nora.
Galen: So what! I?ve got a wife and a kid - you don?t think I worry about them? What kind of a future are we gonna leave them if we just lay down and quit?! That?s just a spineless excuse.
Jammer: Duck?s no coward, Chief. He made his choice, we made ours. Let?s just leave it at that.
Galen: Frak that.
Galen walks away.
Jammer fumbles with the water hose.

Inside - Temple Tent - Jammer, Jean, Tigh, Sister Tivenan

Sister Tivenan walks by with an offering.
Jean: We give thanks for the food you have presented us. May this harvest be spared the blight.
Jammer & Tigh: So say we all.
Jean: So say we all.
Sister Tivenan exits.
Jean: We picked up all the weapons from the other sites. They?re in crates marked ?machine parts?. We?ll smuggle them over here a few at a time.
Jammer: Wait a minute?You want to hide the firearms in the temple?
Jean: Something wrong with that?
Jammer: This is sacred ground. The cylons respect that. Which is why we should leave the temple alone.
Tigh: And that makes it the perfect hiding place.
Jammer: But it?s sacrilege!
Tigh: I?ll tell you what - you say a prayer, ask the Gods to forgive us. We move the guns in tonight.
Tigh and Jean exit.

BSG Webepisode 1 transcript

New Caprica - 67th day of occupation.

The Tyrol's Tent

Cally (handing out jackets to their guests) : Here you go.

Galen (Offering alcohol): One for the road? Keep off the cold and wet?
Duck: Oh, no. Not for me. Curfew?s in twenty minutes, the sun?s goin down even quicker. The last thing I wanna do is spend the night in a Cylon jail cell.
Jammer: Cylon?s show up to help us - first thing they do is build a jail.
Baby Tyrol cries.
Nora (Looking at Baby Tyrol): He?s so beautiful.
Cally: You two should have one!
Duck: We?re working on that!
Jammer: Great work if you can get it!
All laugh
Nora: Thanks! Bye.
Cally: Bye, be safe.

Outside, walking

Duck (to Jammer): We need to find you a lady buddy, you?re starting to walk funny.
Laughing
Jammer: Yeah, if Nora has a sister, I?m there!
Nora: Sorry, I can?t help you!
Jammer: Story of my life!
Jammer offers Duck and Nora a Cigarette.
Duck: Oh, no, no, no, no, no, we quit.
Nora: If we?re gonna have a baby, we gotta clean up our act.
Duck and Nora kiss.
Jammer: You hear about Longo(?)
Duck: No, what?
Jammer: Toasters got him. Found his weapons stash.

Back to Galen?s Tent

Tigh: You think Duck?ll bite?
Galen: Jammer?s finding out right now.
(opens stash of weapons)
Galen: At least the cylon?s didn?t get um all. Longo had these hidden under his latrine.
Tigh: This is all that?s left? This is frakking pathetic. If this keeps up, we?ll have nothing but rocks left to throw at the bastards.
Galen: Yeah. And nobody to throw um.

Back outside to Jammer, Nora and Duck.

Nora: They shot him in cold blood?
Jammer: Toasters claim when they found his stash, he was reaching for his gun.
Duck: What? Charlie?s not that stupid. Those frakkers murdered him.
Nora: Gods! Poor Charlie. Hiding weapons in his tent? What does he expect.
Duck sees a recruitment poster for the New Caprica Police
Duck: And now they want us to do their dirty work for them? Are you kidding me? New Caprica Police? What a bunch of crap!
Jammer: Some people say it?s a good thing.
Duck laughs
Jammer: Get the centurions off the streets and let us patrol them ourselves? Maybe Charlie would still be still be alive if they had human..
Duck (interrupting): Oh no, no, no, no. No matter how you try to swing this, you work for the toasters, it?s treason.
Duck rips the add off the wall, crumbles it, and throws it away looking suspicious.
Duck: Lets go.
Jammer: Oh hell. Hey! I forgot my hat back at the chiefs. I?ll see you later.
Jammer kisses Nora and shakes Duck?s hand.
Jammer (to Duck): See ya man.
Jammer walks back towards the Chief?s tent.
Duck (to Nora): What do you think about him being a Godfather?
Nora: Yeah.
Duck: Yeah!
Nora: Yeah!
Duck: Haha, Yeah!

Back to The Tyrol's Tent.

Cally (whispering to baby Tyrol): bedtime..
Galen: Adama?s not gonna have a hope in hell of getting us off this rock if we don?t put together an effective fighting force.
Tigh: We?ll have to keep these here until we find a better hiding place.
Cally looks concerned.
Galen: Colonel, I?ve got a wife, a newborn.
Tigh (interrupting): We?ll move them as soon as we can.
Jammer enters.
Galen: Well?
Jammer: Duck hates the toasters, no doubt about that.
Tigh: He?s also an ex Viper jock with forty kills! Talk to him, make him understand that we need him! Throw in some poetic crap about the struggle for liberty against the cylon oppressors, whatever it takes! We need more people or this resistance movement is going to die in it?s crib.

Battlestar on earlier

BSG Moving to 9pm Friday

Source: Futon Critic

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- Sci Fi is expanding its signature Friday lineup with repeats of NBC's newcomer "Heroes" and CBS's short-lived drama "Threshold" while October will see the return of "Ghost Hunters" and the launch of a new weekly newsmagazine "Sci Fi Investigates."

Said moves, along with several other developments, were confirmed today with the release of the network's schedule for October.

"Heroes," which bows Monday, September 25 at 10:00/9:00c on the Peacock, will encore each Friday on Sci Fi at 7:00/6:00c starting September 29 while "Threshold" will take over the Friday, 10:00/9:00c hour starting October 13. The pair join new seasons of "Doctor Who" and "Battlestar Galactica" as well as repeats of ABC's "Night Stalker" revival.

To review, here's a breakdown of Sci Fi's Friday lineup for the fall:

6:00/5:00c - "Night Stalker" (as of September 29)
7:00/6:00c - "Heroes" (as of September 29)
8:00/7:00c - "Doctor Who" (as of September 29)
9:00/8:00c - "Battlestar Galactica" (as of October 6)
10:00/9:00c - "Threshold" (as of October 13)

The delayed starts for "Galactica" and "Threshold" are due to the expanded season premieres of both "Doctor Who" and "Galactica" itself.


Newshound: SciFi
posted by Blade Runner @ 05:11

BSG 3 - A Season of Hope

A Season Of Hope

Source: Sci-Fi Magazine

Primed to breakout into a mainstream hit, Battlestar Galactica is back to explore a new world.
By: Tara Dilullo

FOR MOST TELEVISION EMBARKING on their season, it's enough to have finally found a creative groove and just keep doing the things that got them renewed in the first place. Maybe the writers add a little more action or sex or cast a new, high-profile character or two, but really status quo is the standard key to success in TV?just don't bother telling that to Battlestar Galactica's creator and executive producer Ronald D. Moore.

From the early development of his groundbreaking series, Moore has always made I his goal to "reinvent the modern science-fiction drama" with the new incarnation of Battlestar Galactica. For all intents and purposes, the man is getting it done. The series has won a prestigious Peabody Award and an American Film Institute Award, ranked number one on Time magazine's list Best TV Shows of 2005 and received consistent critical gushing form publications like Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly.

But that's not good enough for trailblazer Moore and his creative team, who decided to turn their show on its creative head and change the entire series dynamic in preparation for season three, which debuts on SCI FI Channel on October. How exactly do you freak out the viewers and your cast and crew in one fell swoop? Well, you take the last act of your season finale, "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2," and fast-forward the entire narrative timeline ahead a calendar year-with no warning.

For Battlestar Galcatica, that meant taking the concept of the series-the last vestiges of humanity stranded in space running from their robotic enemies, the Cylons, who are intent on exterminating them from the universe- and having the beleaguered humans finally find a habitable planet, New Caprica. They settle it, and one year later the Cylons show up to occupy their abject failure of a settlement. "Shocking" and "bold" are words thrown around loosely when describing television, but in the case of the Battlestar finale, audiences and critics agreed wholeheartedly that those terms absolutely applied.

Knee-deep into production on the third season, Battlestar's Moore is currently planning the midseason episodes, but he takes time to look back at the season-two finale. He says changing up the show in such a dramatic way wasn't a desperate stunt, but rather necessary choice to stay to the story goals.

"[The idea] was pretty late developing sort of as we got into the later half of the second season," Moore says. "After we completed the Pegasus arc and we were talking in earnest about what the end of the second season would be, there were some plot threads that were moving that felt like they had to come to resolution , one of them being the election [for the leadership of humanity]. We promised an election, and we already started moving pieces of the puzzle where it seemed clear the [Gaius] Baltar would be the one who would run against [President] Laura [Roslin]. So it wasn't so much about ?Are we going to do an election?', but what it's gong to be about.

"It had to be about something substantive, and we had this other idea kicking around from the first season about "What if they come across another planet that is a potential home? What if there are some people that want to stay and some people who want to go, so what would they do?" That's natural place to centre the election on, and then it became if we are going to have Baltar win-and we all wanted Baltar to win because it's more interesting and delicious as a story turn-well, they move down to the planet, and then what? If the Cylons show up right away, then it was much ado about nothing. All the arguments never mean anything because you never got a chance to see them colonize the planet.

"So we talked about how long it would take to get down there and settle, and we start talking weeks, months or a year. If you are gong to do that, then what's the show? We didn't want to be completely planet bound for a whole season, and it would take the Cylons out of it completely. It didn't seem like a practical alternative. We had discussions about doing a time jump, and it just seemed like the time to do it. The first discussions were about doing the jump in between season, where you see Baltar wins and come back and have season three a year later. But that seemed pedestrian , and the more we talked about it, it came down to doing it in the show. It seemed like a great opportunity to surprise the audience and challenge their expectations of what the show is and where it is going."

Season three is being touted as the "season of hope," which happens to encapsulate many of the issues surrounding the series, not only in terms of story, with humanity on New Caprica desperate for rescue by the leftover fleet that escaped the Cylon occupation, but also in terms of the real-world expectations of many in the industry at to whether this show can finally break out to become a mainstream hit this season.

Addressing the themes for this season, Moore says, "It starts four months into the occupation. Time has moved on, and certain things have had time to develop. There's an insurgency on New Caprica. [Human spaceships] Galactica and Pegasus are off someplace desperately trying to figure out a way to get back and rescue everyone. Baltar is still the president, but he is under the occupation authority. There are humans who are working with the Cylons, but are they collaborators or are they trying to make things better?

"We deal with bombings and a lot of sort of contemporary heavy-duty issues again in the third season. But then there is fallout. Whose side were you on when the chips were down? Who is a collaborator, and what should happen to them? What of Gaius Baltar? We'll also be telling stories on the Cylon side. We're going to do a running Cylon storyline throughout the first 11 episodes, and it cuts over the a [Cylon] Basestar spaceship for the first time."

While "hope" seems a word light in tone, anyone who knows Battlstar understands that suffering and angst are always going to be the path on this series. Hope will have to earned through pain-and plenty of it.

Actress Grace Park, who plays dual roles as humanoid Cylon Lt. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii/Number 8, says reading the first episodes of the season quickly put the season in focus for her.

"When we come back to season three, you will get a sense of what Sharon has been going through with her interactions with humans. There are a lot of unanswered questions, and it's almost like a chess game that is being played, and everything is secretive. Everyone has an agenda, if not two, and it's actually going to get darker." Pausing, she laughs and adds, "When I heard that I said, Darker? How can Battlestar get any darker?"

Actor Edward James Olmos, Adm. William Adama and commander of the exiled warship Battlestar Galactica, concurs with Park in her assessment.

"Basically, it's going to get darker. The problems that face Adm. Adama are just monumental. You won't believe it," he says, a bit bemused himself. With his character desperate to return to New Caprica to save the bulk of humanity still left with the Cylons. Olmos ponders his character's decision of running in the season-two finale.

"I think it was truly a reality. There was no way that we could fight. We had 10,000 people aboard the ships and 39,000 people on the ground, so we must preserve what little we have left. We had to safeguard the people we had on board and try to figure out what to do.

"When we come back, all hell breaks loose, and it becomes very difficult. What happens on New Caprica is monumental. You see things that are going to make sense , and all of a sudden you are going to start to realize how people can do the things they are doing, like suicide bombers and turning your back on humanity . People will be very moved all the way around by what is going to happen. I can't tell you how incredible it is and shocking when you get inside of what we're doing. By the seventh episode, you will be mind-boggled as to what is going on with him and where he's going. I've never seen a show do this to the protagonist on all level. You'll be amazed at what these writers are writing. The third season is jus monumental. People are going to get spun around like crazy."

In structuring season three, Moore says that flashbacks will feature heavily in episodes as the events of the past year are slowly explained.

"Flashbacks work really well if there are big questions in the past that you are desperate to get the answers to, and wanted to utilize that to fill in some of the blanks of what happened in the missing year and get a glimpse of what did happen."

In particular, some of those flashbacks revolve around Cmdr Lee "Apollo" Adama, the son of Adm. Adama and former lover of fighter pilot Capt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace. Actor James Bamber, who plays Apollo, says those glimpses back will help fill in the blanks for fans and answer lingering questions even the actors were curious about.

"There are tons of surprises," he says. "At the end of the second season, there is an implication that me and Kara fall out in a substantial way, and we're not told why that is. During the new episodes, you really do find out why they absolutely have no time for each other. It's always surprising to find out what the missing pieces of the jigsaw has been that has led to this place. We are shooting an episode now that sees a change in their relationship, and there is an absolutely huge episode in which there is a revelation about [Admiral] Adama that changes everything about the way that we perceive him. Only a couple of characters have been let in on the secret, me being one of them. It's my favorite scene that I've ever played on the show, just listening to something that will change the character completely and the way he sees his dad completely and the way he is."

Another of the most pressing and juicy storylines is that of President Baltar, a pawn of the Cylons who has fulfilled his potential by governing New Caprica into such a hole of inefficiency that the Cylons are able to just walk in and overtake the settlement. Actor James Callis, who recently won a Saturn Award for best supporting actor for his layered twist on the character, says he loves the direction this season is taking Baltar.

"In a strange way the fact that he's become Caligula-esque shows in some fashion an intelligence, like the whole world has gone to screw and so have I, and he's revelling in it," he says, laughing. "Initially, in flashbacks though, you see that he tried. What I think is interesting is that in so many points along the way, nearly all of the characters have given up at different points? ?Please just shoot me through the bleeding head right now, because I can't take it anymore.' He chuckles. "Then something happens and it doesn't end up happening that way.

"Most of the cast has faced death a lot of times, and it looks like they are going to be facing it a lot more, and on some secret level. I think Baltar particularly has a death wish. In some fashion , if he could muster the courage to kill himself, he would. He's not afraid of death, per se, because everybody [on this show] has looked it in the eye.

"This idea of going forward a year and all of the things that went with it is so inspired." He continues. "If we hadn't done that jump, I think this season would have begun to look tired. This device, which I think very few shows could pull off, has taken us into another realm, and we all feel it. It's an exciting place to be. I believe this season will again reinvent itself. The story takes such drastic turns in Episodes 10 and 11, which are looking spectacular."

This season will also continue to explore the sordid, complicated connection between Baltar and his sultry Cylon instigator, Six, played by Tricia Helfer.

"The Baltar/Six dynamic is still there." Callis says. "These two are tied to one another in more ways than one. Baltar is trying to work out what their relationship is-if he's in love and if he's really on some kind of spiritual, messianic quest. At the same time of working out the relationship, he's also asking questions about himself. Even I'm slightly confused jumping from Caprica Six to Number Six. I never know which way to look."

Tricia Helfer, who does multiple duties as the various Sixes, says, "The firs couple of episodes are on New Caprica, and we do see Caprica Six with Baltar, and the relationship has sort of gone back to a comfortable relationship. I think Baltar relies on Caprica Six for protection, but a little bit for guidance."

The actress is even more excited this season to delve deeper into her Cylon brethren. "One of the things for my character, and the Cylons in general, and for those fans interested in more details on the Cylons in general, and for those fans interested in more details on the Cylon world and what life on a baseship is really like.

With the Cylon stories oftentimes exploring the deeper religious issues of the show, many of which reflect modern-day theological debates. Helfer says she feels the weight even more this year with the intensity of the storylines.

"Sometimes it almost gets a little overwhelming, and I'm thinking, ?Wow I really want to do this justice, and it's so intricate.' When we get on the baseship, we start to realize there is some dissension within the humanoid Cylons themselves, and, in an odd way, it makes them disagree for the first time. We got hints of it in ?Downloaded,' with different points of view from those Cylons who have more contact with humans, Boomer and Caprica Six. We really start to see the Cylons get a little rattled for the first time. With the religious issues, you see certain Cylons are bigger believers than others and what it does to them."

Religion, politics, the inconsistencies of was: all subjects Battlestar tackles head-on every season with challenging twists and disarming clarity. It's another reason the show has been embraced by critics, as it's the only show dealing with issues that reflect contemporary global issues. Moore says their genre label actually allows them to get away with more than the typical drama ever could.

"We get a lot more freedom to play around with things than we would if we were just telling it as a straight drama. I'd rather do it his way because it's not so much that we want to tell the exact story of what is happening today. Even though the show has a lot of allegorical elements and metaphors and what have you, it's not a straight analogy. Laura [Roslin] is not Bush, and the Cylons are not Al-Qaeda. But what the show provides is a way to twist all those things around and have you look at them from different perspectives and really mix up the motivations of the players and get to the underlying truths of what is going on. If you are all dealing with them all by their proper names, and dealing with all the pieces exactly as you see them every day, you are trapped into certain modes of thinking and you can't really break out of that the way that science fiction can by presenting it through a different prism and making you see it with different eyes."
Others inside the creative, such as Carol Barbee, executive of CBS new post-apocalyptic themed drama Jericho, explains Battlestar's far-reaching influence. "It's referenced so many times in our writer's room, and people are going home and studying Battlestar Galactica. Jon Turteltaub is the creator of our show, and he's never seen Battlestar Galactica. The first couple weeks in the writer's room he would hop in and out, and every time he was in there, BSG would get referenced. Coincidentally, he had to go to an awards dinner and he was seated with Joss Whedon [creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly]. He said to Whedom, ?All right, I have to ask you something. I have heard Battlestar Galactica referenced in my writer's room like four time in 20 minutes, why is everybody talking about it? Joss said. Because it's just the best television show on."

For the man labouring behind the creative scenes, Moore is candid about the realities of the industry and the limitations of the genre he's embraced as his storytelling medium of choice. "It's frustrating at time," he admits. "The series title is both a blessing and a curse at this point. It's the thing that got the show made, and certainly people gravitate to it because of the name. People don't really know what to expect because it is on the SCI FI Channel, and with a name like that it's not getting all the people who may enjoy it, that watch Nip/Tuck or The Shield or The Sopranos, who would probably genuinely enjoy our show. We are still getting over the leap of faith that it takes to tune in to SCI FI and watch a show called Battlestar Galactica."

Regardless, Moore and his cast and crew march on, telling the stories they are compelled to tell in the way they need to tell them. I'm very pleased with the opening arc on New Caprica and the occupation and all the players and what happened to people. All of that really is interesting and challenging and some of the best things we've done. There are some real heavy hits that the characters that we love and know take in those first few episodes. There are some familiar beloved characters that meet untimely ends in various ways. People make choices, some good and some bad , and I think it's really interesting, provocative stuff. This experience has been incredibly gratifying for me. I am very surprised and happy at the way it's been received by the critics and the press, and the fan base has been tremendous. It's just a great production. The cast is a dream, and we have one of the best production crews I've ever worked with, and you're able to really push the boundaries of what televisions is."

"I think it can be breakout show, and it's breaking out now," says Edward James Olmos. "It's just not breaking out in respects in how most people think for commercial pieces. At the same time, it is showing itself to be intellectually stimulating, and people that are finding it are really grateful that are being exposed to the material. I think there will be more people that will see this as the years go on."

posted by Blade Runner @ 05:19
Newshound : Giorgio

New BSG Webisodes begins Sept 5th

Saturday, September 2

BSG webisodes set to begin Sept 5th

According to commercials and trailers seen on the Sci-Fi Channel, the long awaited "webisodes" for Battlestar Galactica start on September 5th. These mini-episodes will be shown via streaming video on Sci-Fi's Pulse Network, and will be online exclusives. These web episodes will chronicle some of the adventures of the season 3 New Caprica resistance that is led by Samuel T. Anders (Michael Trucco), Col. Tigh (Michael Hogan), and Tyrol (Aaron Douglas). The 10 web episodes will be 2-3 minute shorts, that will run approximately twice a week up to the premiere of Season 3 on October 6th.

For more details, check out: Scifi.com.

Newshound: Sic Sic Heretic of Fleet Ops Command
posted by Phantom Dennis @ 10:54

BSG Season 3 updates (3 articles)

Thursday, August 31
Season three - an early look

Source: TV Squad

Battlestar Galactica season three -- an early look

When I returned home last night, a package awaited me that I later knew would most definitely define a good portion of the near midnight hours of my night; a large, thin, hard bound book containing beautiful pictures, text and DVDs for the first four episodes of Battlestar Galactica's third season.

It's extremely difficult to tell you too much about the new season and the episodes I watched without spoiling things for you, especially when I'm such a hardcore member of Spoilers Anonymous as it is. Sorry in advance if I'm giving too little or too much away, but I think this will be a good start to get you even more excited for the new season, which starts Friday, October 6.

Let me start by saying that you won't be disappointed. I admit I was afraid things were going to be pretty sketchy this season, with the show's creators taking a leap of faith by transplanting the series a year into the future. I'm extremely pleased at how well it's working, and there are lots of hints of promise for what's to come.

The opening scenes of the two-hour premiere (called "Occupation / Precipice") are almost poetic, and they definitely give you that excited feeling that "holy crap, BSG is back!" That haunting, ethereal music, teasing shots of people we've come to know on the show. It only keeps getting better.

The opening credit scenes, though they looked a little unfinished, are a bit different than last season. In the opening "they have a plan" intro, they've thrown in a few scenes from last season. During the opening credits scene, they've stuck with the format of teasing us with future scenes from the episode, while also changing the scenes prior to those teases. Nothing major, but they're there.

My tired eyes only allowed me to watch the two-hour premiere, the following episode and about ten minutes of the next. Oh, you can bet your ass I'll be finishing up the last two episodes tonight. But here's some teases I can give you from what I did see without giving anything too spoilery away:

We start about 134 days later than we last left the show. I'm reasonably sure this isn't news, but I can now confirm it. The colonials have been living amongst the Cylons for all this time, and you'll see all that's changed because of it. And I think there are things that will surprise you.

Someone who many suspected to be a Cylon last season looks not to be one. It's not explicitly stated, but when you see just the opening minutes of the two-hour season premiere, you'll likely come to the same conclusion.

Starbuck's situation will surprise you. Not only will her whereabouts surprise you, but when Starbuck meets someone named Casey, you may be surprised at her reactions toward her.

Lee Adama's state of body and mind is a bit shocking. Remember, he's back on Galactica and Pegasus with his father and a paltry skeleton crew. He hasn't had a whole lot of motivation, to say the least.

Colonel Tigh isn't taking things laying down. Maybe it's just me, but I've always felt Tigh acted very much like an old seasoned sea captain, who'd take no crap from the bad elements thrown at him. I was disappointed when we saw a lot of his weak side on Galactica in the past two seasons, especially when he couldn't do a whole lot without Adama around. He's acting more like that seasoned sea captain now, along with the battle scars to earn it. Put it this way -- the promo pictures for season three showing Saul aren't quite accurate (yet, at least).

There are dogs on New Caprica. Not really a spoiler, but I found it odd that there was a domesticated dog on the planet, when they've only been there less than two years. Did they really have dogs on Galactica?

I'll leave you with that for now. I'm sure there will be more to mention once I watch the two-parter I've already started (and then the following episode after that). I'll leave those for my next Spoilers Anonymous entry, though I'll be just as cryptic if not moreso.

So yes, be excited for season three. Very excited.

posted by Blade Runner @ 15:02

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Wednesday, August 30
Season 3 promotion Images

The marketing department of Sci-Fi have released 33 very high resolution promotional images of the main cast of Battlestar Galactica ready for the Season 3 premiere on October 6th.

To view all these images please visit the Season 3 Gallery of Galactica Station and be prepared to wait for them to load

posted by Blade Runner @ 05:45
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Ron Moore's Blog Updated

August 29, 2006

Source: Sci-Fi.com

Big Scary Disasters and You

It was a year ago, as I watched the Katrina coverage, that I first thought about doing this blog entry. Now that we're on the first anniversary of that catastrophe, it seems like as good a time as any to at least talk about this subject.

The subject is the one most likely to inspire yawns and rolling of eyes, so ready your mouse to click onto something else: Disaster Preparedness.

Still awake?

Okay, look, I'm not writing this because I've been sentenced to doing PSA's off some DUI conviction or something, but I do work on a show that's premised on the idea of an apocalyptic event actually happening to group of people and their struggle to survive in its aftermath, and so the idea of being ready for the unexpected does actually occur to me on occasion.

I won't make this a rant or a sermon, but I will ask anyone reading this blog to take at least a moment to think about the idea that maybe, just maybe, something really bad can happen to you and the people in your life that you care about. Your life can be upended by any one of a litany of disasters and in that moment of maximum peril, the one thought that should NOT be going through your head is, "I wish I had thought about this ahead of time."

And don't think for a moment that just because you don't live in a hurricane area or an earthquake zone or next to a potential terrorist target that something bad can't happen to you. It can. Houses burn, cars crash, and sometimes things just fall out of the frakking sky. That's life and it sucks, but you can at least help yourself by waking up to the idea that bad things happen to good people all the time and that means YOU.

Get some supplies. Get a plan. Get a clue.

There are plenty of websites out there to help you, I'm not going to hold your hand and give you a list of things to do. Battlestar Galactica is all about the precious few survivors of a holocaust and how they cope with the reality of their lives in its aftermath. Give yourself a fighting chance to be a survivor.

Get some supplies. Get a plan. Get a clue.

Thank you. This site will now return to its regularly (or intermittently) scheduled programming.

posted by Blade Runner @ 05:03


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Death comes to BSG
August 29, 2006

Source: Sci-Fi Wire

Ronald D. Moore, executive producer of SCI FI Channel's original series Battlestar Galactica, told fans that the upcoming third season of the hit SF series could see some fatalities among the characters. "Oh, there're some changes in the air," Moore said at the 64th World Science Fiction Convention, or WorldCon, in Anaheim, Calif., over the weekend. "We're going to lose some people this year. Not all of our friends are going to make it all the way." Moore declined to be specific, but said that the show's writers have finished breaking the story arc for the end of the upcoming third season.

Moore added that the upcoming season 2.5 DVD set will include a special 90-minute version of the episode "Pegasus," which ran only 60 minutes in the original broadcast. In addition, fresh material in the form of specially filmed "webisodes," Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance, will air on SCIFI.COM's SCI FI Pulse broadband network twice weekly, starting Sept. 5. The two- or three-minute shorts will serve as a lead-in to the new season and, although not essential to the plot, will enhance the viewing experience.

Moore was joined at WorldCon by executive producer Mark Verheiden, supervising producer Michael Taylor, story editor Anne Cofell Saunders, producers David Weddle and Bradley Thompson and SCIFI.COM senior vice president Craig Engler in screening a trailer for and talking about the upcoming season.

When asked whether the show was still true to his initial vision, Moore said he felt it was on track, but that there had been surprises along the way, from both writers and actors, that made both the storyline and the characters richer.

"One of the great things about writing for Ron is you do feel empowered to try things, and it doesn't have to be ... what was in the story outline," Weddle said. "I'm sure many of you remember in season two, where Callie shoots Boomer. That was never in an outline. That wasn't a planned moment. ... [Writer] Toni Graphia called Brad [Thompson] and [me] one day and said, 'You know, I think I want Callie to shoot Boomer.'"

Moore agreed: "There's nothing like reading a script and being surprised," he said of his reaction to the change. "It's the experience of watching the show." Season three of Battlestar Galactica begins airing Oct. 6. Galactica will air Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT

posted by Blade Runner @ 17:25