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Thursday, February 24, 2005

Ron Moore's Blog: Accepted Error
February 24, 2005 Source: SciFi

Someone recently asked:
"In the mini series, when the Cylon fighters are approaching Colonial One (just before Lee saves the day with the EM pulse), Roslin refuses to run and leave the other civilian ships to their doom... Yet she articulated no alternative plan.What was she hoping to do? It just seemed as though she planned to sit there and hope for the best, refusing to budge from the principle of not leaving defenseless people behind, even if that meant her own virtual suicide.It was an odd moment, she had been so decisive and clear headed up to then, and after that.

What were her motivations, did she even have a plan? I still find this moment a little jarring and hard to explain away.I guess it does serve as a contrast to her later decision to leave Cammy etc behind. Thanks for your insights into this issue."

RDM: Can we talk? Let's be honest here. The show is not perfect. There are compromises made all the time; some for budgetary reasons, some are for political reasons, some are for no reason at all except that the writer could not, or would not, make the changes necessary to resolve a story point.

Such is The Case of Laura Roslin and the Incoming Cylon.

The above writer's observation is absolutely correct. Laura, by all rights and all sensible reasoning, should not obstinately stay when it's known for a fact that a Cylon missile is incoming, probably has a nuclear warhead and oh, by the way, she has no armament aboard her ship that would allow her even the remote chance of a possible last-minute, brilliant tactical move which might theoretically prevent the destruction of her ship and her presidency. Her refusal to leave, to Jump away from the impending, obvious threat can be interpreted as an irrational flaw in her character, a case of emotion trumping intellect, or it can be more correctly interpreted simply as a flaw in the script, an accepted error that the writer chooses to ignore in favor of other competing interests of character and plot which take priority in a given moment.

In this case, I felt that the dramatic moment required that Laura make a committment to staying with her people, and to her nascent fleet, heedless of the consequence and resolute in her decision, even though it meant her certain doom. It was her instinctive response to the situation, her id's judgement, so to speak, that I was interested in, as well as the simpler plot device of having Lee swoop in and save them at the last moment just at the point you'd forgotten he was even there. Neither impulse is wrong, per se, but the error is in my choosing not to expand the moment and its aftermath in order to play out her realization of just how stupid a choice that was.

If, at some point following the resolution of the crisis, Laura realized that she let her emotional reaction to the situation lead her into making a bad decision which was only saved by the providential intervention of Lee, then the scene would've accomplished everything I had hoped for in the moment as well as providing Laura with a character-building scene where the new president's first major decision nearly got them all killed. It would've been a way to both emphasize her fallibility and the fact that she can't afford to lead with her heart any longer. Her subsequent decision to leave the sublight ships behind, abandoning them to their destruction by the Cylons, would've also been informed by this experience and had a richer, even more textured component to it.

In the end, it's not a fatal error in the script, and the moment passes by without comment for the most part, but it is something that nags at me whenever I see the sequence and which, frankly, bothered me at the time. So why didn't I fix it? A variety of answers present themselves, from time pressure to budgets, but the truth is, I knew that the emotional, dramatic moment would carry the audience through the scene and that people would be more invested in watching Lee take out the Cylon missile than in examining Laura's decision-making, so I opted to leave it alone rather than make the necessary page cuts and possible budget cuts needed to accommodate additional beats on this one point. It was probably the correct decision in the end, because the moment works and you move on as you're watching the show. However, being a television writer means not only having to make compromises and less than perfect decisions all the time, but as an additional penalty you get to always be reminded of the errors you've accepted when you watch the final product.

Good catch by an attentive member of the audience.

Damn you.

koenigrules logged this Intel at 10:53 PM

Katee Sackhoff Looks Forward to More Starbuck & Battlestar Galactica

From Julia Houston
Source: About.com



When word first came that our beloved Starbuck was going to be a girl in the SCI FI Channel s Ron Moore-ified remake of Battlestar Galactica, fans from sea to frackin sea were outraged.

Lucky for us, Katee Sackhoff has made Lt. Kara Starbuck Thrace a character whose heroism, complexity and passion are a tribute and complement to the role Dirk Benedict first played. As with the rest of the production, Sackhoff treats the past and present Galactica with a respect and affection that invites the audience to forget about everything but the story being told.

Taking a break from unpacking in her new house (while getting ready to head back to Vancouver next month for the second season shoot), Sackhoff talked about her first big success on TV, the effort it takes to act tough without looking masculine, a love of food, and her Chihuahua/pug companion, Meatball.

JH: Will Meatball be going up to Vancouver with you?

KS: Yes, but I can t take him on the set. He snorts.

JH: Oh dear. Well, congratulations on being renewed for a second season. You re pleased, I m guessing?

KS: Shocked, actually, I don t know why. I knew it was a great show and would be received well. I just never dreamed it would do this well. I guess it s just that I ve been on so many failed TV shows. When success happens, it takes you by surprise.

JH: You said last time we talked that you really enjoy working on the show.

KS: We have a really good cast, very down-to-earth. We all really get along. The six of us who aren t from Vancouver, especially, we ve turned into a family. Eddie s like my father. I mean, it s a great city, but it s nice to see familiar faces.

JH: So you guys actually see each other off the set?

KS: Yeah, we hang out in LA too. Tricia [Helfer], you know when we met, I thought, I m going to hate her. But you can t. She s one of those people who s shockingly beautiful, but doesn t know it. She s so normal. She s become one of my best friends.

JH: That closeness in the cast is up there on the screen, too. Probably my favorite moment of the show yet is when Starbuck tells Adama about Zak and stands there, guilty and grieving, but sort of hoping Adama will forgive her anyway. Both of you are great in that scene.

KS: [Edward James Olmos] is such a great actor, so giving. You can t help but be good next to him. He makes you think about why you re doing things. Mary [McDonnel] too. I ve learned even more from Mary personally than professionally. We get each other.

JH: I gotta say it sounds nice!

KS: You know, it s hard for people who aren t in this business to understand how most of my friends are older than I am. They re my counterparts at work, and I can relate to them. I don t think I have one friend my own age, actually.

JH: It really does translate, that closeness. And you said before that you feel you re part of a creative collaboration.

KS: It s been a dream job. The producers understand that as more time goes on it s the actors who know their characters the best. If there s a scene out of character, they re very open to listening to us talk about that. It really is a team.

JH: Victoria Pratt was talking about that sort of camaraderie on the set of Mutant X and how much it helps the show. And, you know, it s not a great show, but you really can enjoy the actors chemistry when you watch.

KS: Oh, yeah. And that girl, Victoria, what a body. I was watching her, and I went, Holy shit! What a six-pack!

JH: And are you doing your stomach-crunches for your show?

KS: Well, you know. I m one of those people, losing weight for me is not easy. For one thing, I love food. I really like to eat.

I then offer to send her a list of good restaurants if she ever comes down to New Orleans, but it turns out her father s from here, which shows that her family has excellent taste. Anyway, I changed the subject to something a bit more related to the SCI FI Channel, who was, after all, paying for the conference call.

JH: When Mark Hamill first saw the completed Star Wars, he called the experience heaven. And he saw the movie several times, enjoying the work he d done in that magical setting. Any similar reactions when you got to see Galactica on screen the first time?

KS: I think the special effects are just the icing, but it is kind of fun to see the guns fire. My mom made fun of me for calling it poetic, but it is.

I ll watch the episodes once. It s very easy to step back and not see myself. I don t read the whole script when we re shooting, because I don t want to know what s happening in storylines Starbuck isn t in. I don t need to know that as an actor. So I like sitting down and seeing what s going on.

JH: I love that there s nothing butch about Starbuck. You re doing a great job with that confusion you talked about before, taking the natural confusion you feel as a twentysomething woman and making it fit Starbuck s search for her role in life. And I love the thumb ring. What are some touchstones for Starbuck s character beyond being a fighter pilot?

KS: She s got a huge heart. She s really is a team player. It s very easy to say she s insubordinate and a loud mouth pilot and throw her away. But then, why would anyone want to be her wingman? I wanted to make sure people understand that she is good at her job. She wins the fights she s in.

There are scenes coming up, though, where she gets her ass kicked, and it s nice to see that. There s a scene in a future episode with Apollo where she hits him and he hits her back. I really wanted to do that. There was some talk about cutting the scene, but I argued for keeping it. It explains that she s one of the guys and it also does that thing where he realizes, Oh my God, I hit a girl. Lee s got some balls.

JH: You can t mix it up the way she does then hide behind being a girl.

KS: Exactly. We work hard on the military aspect of the show. We ve a great military adviser, Ron Blecker, and he s the first guy on set to say, What are you doing, pussy? You re holding that gun like a girl. And I say, But I am a girl!

On the planet [where Starbuck finds the Cylon ship], he s telling me, You re really not acting tough. That s because this hurts! I was miserable, with a forty-pound pack on my back rolling around and on my hands and knees for a whole day. I was in pain.

JH: I really enjoyed those scenes, though. On TVWithoutPity the recapper objected to the way Starbuck talked to herself.

KS: Well, she was kinda nuts. When you re stuck on a planet by yourself, you just have to keep it together. Actually, I got to the point where I was singing to myself. It ended up on the floor, but I was using it because I didn t have lines. I needed something.

I got sick from working so much, so in those last scenes in the raider I had the ‘flu. I was out in that rock quarry with a fan blowing on me and the pack, so I m sweating and cold and I got really ill.

JH: Yikes.

KS: I think you do your best work when you re sick, though, because it puts you in your head. Some say you want to be out of your head, but I don t agree. You have a conversation with people when you re not acting and you re in your head, so you should be there when you re acting.

JH: I ve gotten the inevitable emails from guys who complain that the men on the show are all weak and the women are all too strong. I don t see it that way, myself. How do you see the gender dynamic on Galactica?

KS: Oh, I disagree. It takes a strong man to stand back and let a woman take control. We haven t seen that much. A man who s very sure of himself can just say, If a woman can do it better, by all means let her do it. The men aren t whiny. The women on the show are in power positions. They work a little bit harder at being strong.

JH: You told me before that you were a jock until you hurt your knee, and now Starbuck s hurt hers. Did Ron Moore take your life and put it in the script?

KS: No, that was just a coincidence, but I definitely used it. Sometimes I go on the Internet, just to check what some people think about the show. I spotted someone talking on a message board saying that if Starbuck tore her knee up like that she couldn t walk on it and then not be able to walk. I m all, No, that s how it works! I wanted to say something.

JH: Seriously.

KS: Now, both my knees are bad, and I had to wear that brace on my right knee for three episodes. It actually start to hurt. I had that crutch until Episode 12. Six episodes limping around, and it sucked! It was a like a permanent prop attached to my ass. I was playing with it, because the doctor told Starbuck she didn t have to use it all the time, so I m twirling it around to show I don t need it. People will probably say, Oh, she s not using the cane right!

JH: Probably.

You said before that you d like to see an eventual romance between Starbuck and Apollo. Do you still feel that way? Does that explain your reading of Wanna give me a bath?

KS: No! Actually, that was written in the script, and I hated that line. The only way I can say that line is tongue-in-cheek. It s interesting about Apollo and Starbuck. I do believe that she s in love with him, that he s her best friend, the only one who understands her. He is her last real thing that reminds her of Zak. I think it s very fitting for her to love the brother of the man she loved who died. I don t know if she s going to express those feelings. But I say that to myself: You re in love with this guy, now play the scene.

JH: Ron Moore said that between [Starbuck] and Apollo, you wouldn t think it, but he s really the more liberal, while she turned out to be a Republican. You agree?

KS: I totally agree. I feel we re learning more about her every day, and she s got some very strong feelings about her position.

JH: Well, on the other hand, Starbuck s got some very interesting chemistry with Baltar, and it gives me the creeps. How are you having Starbuck approach him? You seem more open to him, which is really oogy.

KS: She s using him, and she understands him. They re both outcasts. She s attracted to his power. She s using him to keep her mind off the guy she s really in love with. It s great for me. I get to hang out with James and Jamie and be like, Whom am I in love with today?

JH: How would you sum up Starbuck s character arc for this first season?

KS: I think we re going to find out what she s really made of -- her experiences so far have been very easy for her. But she s going to get pushed beyond that. We re going to see her break. And a man from her past comes into her life in the last episode.

JH: What would you like to see for next season?

KS: I would like her to tell Lee how she feels. Because I think it s so obvious, and I think he knows, and it would be interesting to see him respond. I think Starbuck has a greater purpose and I think there s a reason the Cylons like her.

JH: They do?

KS: You ll see.

JH: Somewhere in the distant future, what s your dream script for Starbuck?

KS: I have no idea. I write, but I m not writing this show. I like coming to work and being told what to do. I like having my place at work. My job is to come to work and learn my lines.

JH: Is there nothing you d wish for?

KS: Well, I do want Starbuck to have longer hair. I ve had long hair my entire life. It s really hard to chop your hair off and go to work and not feel like a boy.

JH: I like her short hair. How would you get long hair in the helmet?

KS: Same way Grace [Park] does!

JH: I have you got any good stories about sci-fi fans yet?

KS: I get some very nice fan letters. Someone actually sent one to my parents, with another letter inside for me. Kinda weird.

JH: Any stalkers?

KS: There was this guy at the gym -- which is really where you want to be noticed, because you just look sooo great -- and he walked up to me and took a picture with his camera phone.

JH: Lovely.

KS: Yeah. It s like, Oh, thanks, buddy.

JH: Must make you even happier about getting back to work.

KS: Absolutely. That s a main reason I m glad we got another season. I didn t want last season to be the last time I saw Jamie [Bamber] and James[Callis]. Considering where we all live when we re not on set, it s possible I wouldn t see them again.

JH: Well, Stargate s on it s ninth season.

KS: Hmm.

JH: Is that a little too far in the future for you?

KS: We ll have to see. My contract s up in four years. I ll have to think about it then.

Blade Runner logged this Intel at 5:56 PM

'Enterprise' fans, it's time to switch ships to 'Galactica'

From SeattlePI.com
By Melanie Mcfarland
Contributed by Mitch Fernandez

Listen, I'm all for people doing everything they can to save their favorite shows, an annual hobby that tends to pop up near the end of February sweeps. Please, flood networks with food items. Bargain with critics and get other viewers to notice worthy, underappreciated series such as The WB's "Jack & Bobby" and "Arrested Development."
But -- and I cannot stress this enough -- know when to throw in the towel. Some programs are simply lost causes. "Star Trek: Enterprise" fans, I'm peering in your direction.
We professional TV sponges understand your passion. We hope SaveEnterprise.com and TrekUnited.com's rallies, starting with tomorrow's march on Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, attract huge crowds.
But, let's be honest: "Enterprise," which airs on KSTW/11 Fridays at 8, will never achieve mass or even medium appeal. The "Star Trek" universe has had a satisfactory run, with a consistent television presence in some form for the last 18 years. It could use a rest. You know, allow people to miss it again. That includes the movies. Halt the campaigning.
UPN's moving on after May 13.
It's "Battlestar Galactica's" time now.
Nowadays, we're more attuned to the sensibilities embodied in the Sci Fi Channel's new hit, airing at 10 p.m. Fridays, with all of its explosions, sieges of paranoia and existential ruminations. Where "Trek" has always been the domain of a very specific, devoted crowd, "Battlestar Galactica" is among the few unapologetically science-fiction series to appeal to a growing number of viewers who recognize great television, regardless of genre.
Noticing this, Sci Fi has signed off on a second season of "Battlestar," but also announced it has no intention to save "Enterprise."
Can you blame it? "Battlestar" has bestowed a fresh complexity upon TV science fiction: Its future, as reimagined by Ronald D. Moore, suits the world as we currently know it. We're propelled by technology-assisted introversion, fear of dangers that brought enemies within our cities, and divided by stridently clashing religious beliefs. Which makes our Earth-tethered lives very much like those on "Battlestar's" galaxy-hopping fleet.

This kind of a vision makes the original "Star Trek" concept look outdated. Yes, that's a sad thought. But surely Gene Roddenberry couldn't have foreseen our paradigm shift when "Star Trek" first launched in the late '60s. His dream for the future saw humankind moving beyond its racial and cultural differences to work in concert, reaching out and attempting to form bridges between worlds that could be violently different.
Now, the bunker mentality driving Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) seems much more relatable. He's a grim man of few words and little patience for negotiation who lets his deeds do the talking (familiar, no?), occasionally listening to the counsel of President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell).
If that kind of depth is the last thing you want on a Friday night, "Battlestar" has ripping battle sequences. It also has Number Six, an exceedingly intelligent, ruthless fembot played by a former underwear model, Tricia Helfer.
Pulchritude's a plus, but the story line's mind games are a powerful seduction by themselves. Unlike the villains in the first "Battlestar," a "Star Wars" imitation that aired in 1978 (before pathetically transforming into "Galactica 1980"), the new Cylons are mechanical creations made by humans that eventually evolved beyond mankind.
These Cylons look like us -- gorgeous versions of us, we might add -- and are intent on wiping humans out of existence. There are many versions of the same model, some operating within the fleet while others are strewn throughout the galaxy.
A few of these imitation humans don't even know they are Cylons. Raptor fighter pilot Sharon "Boomer" Valerii (Grace Park) exists as two versions, a "sleeper" on Galactica and a fully Cylon-conscious model on the conquered planet Caprica, where she toys with Boomer's partner, Helo (Tahmoh Penikett). Galactica's Boomer has an inkling of what she is, which she finally admits out loud in tomorrow's episode.
This complication enables "Battlestar" to explore sensuality not as a stunt, or a side-effect of alien contact, but as both a celebration of minute-by-minute survival and a tool of manipulation. One regrettable affair with Number Six has brought scientific genius Gaius Baltar (James Callis) to his knees, as she commands his every move and makes his mind flit between reality and illusion. Rarely, if ever, has sex appeal and science fiction melded as convincingly.
She is a strong example of "Battlestar's" superior female characters, all of whom are tougher and possessed of more depth than any on "Enterprise." On "Battlestar," you have Kara "Starbuck" Thrace (Katee Sackhoff), a fighter pilot so fierce she can fly the guts of a living ship to survive. Where "Trek" femmes exist primarily as nods to an egalitarian future, Galactica's women are proactive, bold and ferocious.
At any rate, those unfamiliar with these insiderish references to "Battlestar" shouldn't let the mythology scare you off. Each episode sums up previous developments during the opening credits, and, even if it didn't, it doesn't take much to get it. One good episode -- and they've all been pretty good thus far -- is all it takes to pull you in.

The original article can be read here

Xenu logged this Intel at 5:27 PM

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

Galactica Report: Details for Second Season:
Sci Fi & SKY One order 20 more episodes.
Source: IgnFilmForce

The Sci Fi Channel announced today that it has officially renewed Ron Moore's "re-imagined" Battlestar Galactica for a second season. One of the worst kept secrets in the entertainment industry, Sci Fi confirmed that they would be renewing the series weeks ago but hadn't released any details until now.

Galactica's second season will consist of 20 episodes, 7 more than it had during its first season. The Vancouver, Canada based production is set to start back up in March for a summer premiere on the Sci Fi Channel as part of the network's highly successful Sci Fi Friday lineup of original programming.

Given the short lead time, it is unlikely that SKY One will have the kind of advance start fans saw during the first season. Battlestar Galactica premiered late last year in the UK, prompting fans in other countries to look to the internet to see the episodes. A recent report the the British press listed Battlestar Galactica as one of the top 10 television series traded over the Internet, along with fellow Sci Fi Channel productions Stargate: SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis.

The entire cast will be back for the second season, including Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer and Grace Park. Executive producer and writer Ronald D. Moore and executive producer David Eick are also returning to the jobs they held last season.

Fans have asked about the status of Richard Hatch, star of the original Galactica series who has appeared in a couple of episodes in the first season. No official word has been released on the subject but sources involved with the series have indicated to IGNFF that fans should expect to see Hatch return to the series next season.

Battlestar Galactica has quickly become the ratings anchor of Sci Fi's Friday night lineup, averaging around 3 million viewers per week.

koenigrules logged this Intel at 11:01 PM

Ronald D. Moore's BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Set for Summer Season Two Premiere
BY: STEVE KRUTZLER Source: Trekweb

The Sci-Fi Channel announced today that the second season of former STAR TREK writer Ronald D. Moore's BATTLESTAR GALACTICA will debut this summer. The first season of thirteen episodes is currently airing Friday nights on the cable network.

According to a network release, BATTLESTAR has averaged over 3 million viewers since its January 14th debut in the U.S. The show has become "a ratings juggernaut, catapulting SCI FI to the top spot in cable among P25-54 for five consecutive Fridays," reads the release.

The second season order is for 20 episodes that will begin production in Vancouver, Canada next month. No exact date has been set for the show's summer 2005 premiere. Sci-Fi reports that the entire cast will return to their roles and Moore and producer David Eick will continue on. BATTLESTAR is Sci-Fi's highest-rated original series.

BSG airs Friday nights at 10 PM and season one also features the work of DS9 writers Bradley Thompson and David Weddle.

koenigrules logged this Intel at 3:34 PM

Galactica Returns This Summer
Source:Sci-Fi Wire

SCI FI Channel announced that the second season of its hit original series Battlestar Galactica will premiere this summer, with 20 new episodes. The channel added that the entire ensemble cast will return for season two, including Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer and Grace Park. Also resuming their roles are executive producer and writer Ronald D. Moore and executive producer David Eick.

Galacticar will resume production in Vancouver, B.C., in March and will again anchor the channel's SCI FI Friday block of prime-time original series.

The series, which premiered on January 14, has been averaging over 3 million viewers per episode and has quickly become SCI FI's highest-rated original series and has received unprecedented critical acclaim. Galactica airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET, part of the channel's successful SCI FI Friday lineup, which also includes Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. Galactica ends its first season with a finale episode on April 1.

Blade Runner logged this Intel at 3:01 PM

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Nicki Clyne, Actress - Profile Interview Series Vol. #5
by Jason Whyte
Source: eFilmcritic.com

Nicki Clyne may not be a name you've heard of; in fact, I didn't hear of the young Vancouver native until I met her at one of the many parties at this year’s Vancouver Film Festival where she was promoting one of her films, "Ill Fated,” which is an independently produced Canadian film about quirky small-town life. As I met her, I quickly realized there was more to this girl than just a young, pretty face: Clyne is a successful working actress in the Vancouver; besides “Ill-Fated”, she has appeared in the mini-series “Battlestar Galactica” (due out on DVD later this year) as well as a small part in the recent-on-DVD film “Saved!” along with various TV work such as “Smallville,” “Dead Like Me” and “Stephen King’s Dead Zone.” I had the opportunity to meet up with Nicki to discuss her acting during this year’s VIFF.

Jason Whyte: (Pitching the Profile Interview series idea) I want to know all about you, who you are, things like that.
Nicki Clyne: *laughs* Okay!

JW; Where were you born? Age? Things like that.
NC: (laughs) I was born and raised here in Vancouver. My birthday is on February 11th and I m 21.

JW; Have you been working out of Vancouver this whole time?
NC: Yeah, for work. I was never a child actor. I did school plays and I took acting classes when I was younger because I was interested in it. I also did lots of sports, even though I knew I wasn t going to become a professional ice hockey player, so I knew I wanted to go into acting. (Laughs) The next best thing, you know?

JW; What was the first job you ever had in the industry?
NC: The first thing was either a commercial or it might have been a really small part on a TV series. You know, one of those one-liners.

JW; I was told by someone the other day that you were on Smallville which I like if for no other reason than the fact it features Kristin Kreuk.
NC: Oh yeah, that was a little bit later. That was a really small part that they had originally told me could be a recurring character; that s how they get you of course. But that didn t happen and I disappeared into thin air. (Laughs)

JW; Ill-Fated is your first feature film.
NC: Yeah, it was my first lead in a feature. I did MOW s in the past but this is my first juicy part so it was really fun. And I am so pleased with the support we have received on the film. When we were filming, it was incredibly hard. Everyone was there because they wanted to be there, but everyone was working for free. You re hungry, cold, in the middle of nowhere – in this case Cache Creek outside of Kamloops – and if you looked around you saw hills and cows and horses and that s about it. But the movie itself is about interesting small-town life that is hopeful and I hope more people get to see it.

JW; Do you do anything else right now besides acting?
NC: I ve been lucky to not HAVE to work another job that I think would drain my creative energy. I think that s what happens and you re not able to focus. I also do get really restless so I ve been able to complete two years of University off an on at UBC (University of British Columbia in Vancouver) and SFU (Simon Fraser University in Vancouver). I took one theatre course as an elective but I never really studied acting there.

JW; I know we ve already talked about your favourite movies when we met a few weeks back— (which are Julien Donkey Boy and Gummo by Harmony Korine; this was asked at an earlier time and also mentioned in my wrap-up article for the 2004 VIFF)
NC: Yeah It s hard to say because usually people s favourite movies are ones that they watch over and over again, and I m not really that type of person, but there are some movies that I like to see again because there are things that I may have missed. But the ones that I really appreciate are the ones that I really don t want to see again (laughs) like Julien Donkey Boy or the Larry Clark movies.

JW; Oh for sure, I ve been there. I can see a wonderful movie in the same vein like Larry Clark s Bully which is so well-done and on my Top Ten list for 2001---
NC: Yeah, very well done. But you never know, one day you might sit down and go I m in the mood to watch Bully !

We both laugh.

JW; When you start making a movie or are preparing for a role, everyone has a different process. What do you think best describes how you prepare for each role?
NC: For me it has a lot to do with the writing and it s really breaking it down to core of the story; what the point is. Obviously, as an actor you have to have goals and think of what you want from the other characters that you re working with and things like that, and I really love working with other actors who are into spontaneity and just going with things. If something happens, we go with it and work with it and not always having to stick to the script. We let things happen.

JW; Do you improvise that much while acting? Some people want to do that, others want to follow the script exactly.
NC: Yeah, I m not an actor who wants to rewrite the script myself and change everything. I ve done some personal writing. When I graduated high school I was then enrolled to go to film school and thought at that point that I wanted to do anything involved with film. I was obsessed and didn t care as long as I got to be there. Once I started working and doing acting I thought that this is it, this is where I want to be on this side of the camera. I love this.

JW; Do you have any actor or filmmakers that have influenced you or you admire?
NC: There are people who I admire as actors, but I don t really try to model myself or my work after anybody. I try to do the best that I can. I mean, growing up I watched a lot of TV and movies as everyone did. But I wasn t really one to watch something over-and-over; well, I did watch The Wizard of Oz a lot….

JW; For me it was seeing Pulp Fiction when I was 14-
NC: Wow, really…

(At this point we were politely interrupted by a server. This whole time during the interview we were not served anything. I stopped the tape at this point but we finally ordered our tea.

JW; Actually I should have recorded that so I could transcribe that into the article.
NC: (laughs) I had a peppermint tea! And you had a strawberry tea!

JW; Anyway. What actors or filmmakers would you love to work with in this industry? Directors or actors that you just adore that you would love to work alongside?
NC: I m bad because whenever I see a movie that I like and I fall in love with the actor or director, I don t really take it around with me and then I see another one that just changes everything. (laughs) I just watched Big Fish and I loved it. I think Ewan McGregor is amazing and everything I ve seen him in is wonderful. And Tim Burton seems like an amazing guy as a director and creator of a world. I d love to work with someone who has that much imagination. I m not usually one for fantasy and fairytales, but his characters are so based in reality and I think he treats them in that way, with respect. Even if they are far-out there he treats them like real people.

Directors that I have admired working with are the ones who understand actors and the acting process and writing. I have a lot of respect for directors because they just have to know everything! From how the lighting is going to be set up to exactly where the actors are going to be, everyone has their job on set and the director over-sees all of that. Good directors! Those are the ones that I want to work with!

JW; Do you see yourself as staying as a Vancouver-based Canadian actor or do you ever see yourself going down to L.A. in the future?
NC: I m not really sure how you can differentiate, because they film so many American productions up here in Canada. I don t think Canada has the market to provide an actor with full time work, but for me, I really want to work on good projects. I love Canada, of course, it s my home, but I m not patriotic in that way. I just want to work with people that I can connect with and that have good ideas. I m just playing it by ear.

JW; If you weren t in this industry, what to you think you d be doing?
NC: Ahh, good question. I d probably be finishing University right now, doing something boring like psychology. (laughs) At the same time, I ve always been interested in the arts. I m so lucky that I ve found acting and fallen into it, and who knows if I ll be doing this forever but for now it s hard to imagine doing anything else.

JW; Have you had any interesting run-ins with people who recognize you from your work?
NC: Only recently because of Ill-Fated at the Vancouver Film Festival. A guy was with his friend and came up to me at the Everyone party and said Were you the girl in Ill-Fated ? and it was really funny because the guy was very nervous to talk to me and I ve never experienced that before. People who know me or have worked with me would come up and say congrats, but since I already knew them it was just fine. It was completely out of the blue to have someone come up to you having seen the film the day before and they were kind of uncomfortable. It was really amazing to me to make somebody feel like that without even actually knowing them. It was really cool, really nice.

JW; Yeah, and you haven t had any odd celebrity encounters yet…
NC: Well, I m getting a bit ready for that. I just finished filming the mini-series Battlestar Galactica and I know that sci-fi fans are really unique. They re very committed fans, very devoted. I m not as involved as some of the other actors are. One of my friends on the show goes on the website and posts messages and such so they treat him like royalty there and they send tons of fan-mail to his agent. (Laughs)

JW; What do you love the most about acting?
NC: I just love acting and I love doing this work, and that moment when you re doing a scene and you just know that you nailed it, you got it. That s just the best feeling in the world. But besides that, and the other reason is kind of obvious, but it s just the people. I love working with creative people and meeting people. It s fun. It s an adventure.

Special thanks to Nicki Clyne for arranging this interview. This is the fifth in a series of interviews where an actor, be it little-seen, under-looked or up-and-coming is interviewed for our website. Coming soon: a profile on Vancouver filmmaker Bill Marchant, writer-director of the recent festival entry Everyone along with input from cast members from the film.

Blade Runner logged this Intel at 2:09 PM

Monday, February 21, 2005

Actress soars in 'Galactica'

By LUAINE LEE
Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - Actress Katee Sackhoff, who plays the moxie female Starbuck on the Sci-Fi Channel's "Battlestar Galactica," thinks the role has helped toughen her up.
Not that she was ever a wimp. Sackhoff, who hails from Portland, Ore., says, "I think I grew up surrounded by men and boys, and so I think my father kind of raised me like he raised my brother - to not have boundaries for yourself. He always taught me I could have whatever I wanted. I think I was raised differently from my other girlfriends. I have a sister who's older, and she was already gone - just one brother. I think I was just a drama queen when I was little."
She may have been a drama queen, but she was inordinately shy. She still is, though you’d never guess it by the buoyant way she bounces into the room, orders a hearty breakfast of eggs and rye toast and plops her miniskirted self into a corner table.
"I, as a person, Katee Sackhoff, am extremely inhibited, extremely shy," she continues. "But when the camera starts rolling...Even during rehearsals I'm very shy, just not comfortable in my own skin yet. But when the camera turns on, I’m fine. I just love it, and can’t imagine doing anything else with my life."
When she was a teenager her life was on a different track. She was a competitive swimmer. She swam before school, after school and on weekends. When she was not swimming, she was watching videos of herself swimming, critiquing her moves. "I did that for years," she says.
But when she was 15 she dislocated her knee, putting an end to her athletic life. "When that happened I lost all my friends. Because my friends were swimmers, and the only time I saw them was swimming because we didn’t go to the same schools or anything. So I started all over again. I think to have that kind of disappointment at such a young age is, I guess, where I got the thick skin because it was kind of like I had an end of a career at 15."
A year later she did her first play and found a new Katee in make-believe. “I get the opportunity to play characters and not be myself,” she says, her short blond hair hastily pulled off her face.
"It’s not that I don’t like myself, not that I’m trying to escape from life, that’s not it. I get an opportunity to be different people. How many people can say they’ve gotten to pretend they’re flying a plane? It’s just the most amazing experience I can possibly imagine. I think I get to be 5 for the rest of my life."
It’s no doubt that Sackhoff, 24, has found her new mission. But it wasn’t easy. When she was 18 her parents agreed to support her in Los Angeles as long as she attended college.
"I knew I was coming down. So for Christmas and birthdays I asked for furniture. So when I moved here, I was almost 18, I had a U-haul full of furniture. I had more furniture than people that were 30 and lived here for, like, 10 years. It was insane how much crap I had accumulated. So my mom drove me down."
She landed a role in a pilot which didn’t sell, and then a regular part in “The Fearing Mind.” She phoned her parents to tell them they could stop supporting her, she’d quit school and was on her way to Vancouver for the show.
When that failed, she began to ping-pong between L.A. and Vancouver for various parts, finally landing the role of the independent daughter on CBS’ "The Education of Max Bickford" which was filmed in New York.
She’d never been to New York before and, with typical Sackhoff gumption, she moved there her very first day. "I got lost. I was trying to find the subway, got on the subway and ended up in Spanish Harlem. It was good. I learned quickly," she nods.
Being a veteran of three failed series added to her determination, she thinks. "It just makes me more thick skinned. It’s a blessing and a curse."
"But the bad side of it is that you become completely jaded. When good things happen — like with this show — it doesn’t faze me. I really don’t get happy about it. I think I’m more surprised than happy because I don’t expect it anymore."
She was more optimistic in the beginning. A three-year high school romance with a hockey player who was pursuing his dream changed her attitude, she says.
"I saw this 17-year-old that already had success. He got drafted when he was 18 and ended up playing professional hockey, and he still is."

Xenu logged this Intel at 9:47 PM

Besides steamy sex, Battlestar Galactica tackles deep questions
BY: DIANE WERTS Source: Sun-Sentinel

Whew. Having just watched the latest two episodes of sci-fi's re-imagining of the post-holocaust saga Battlestar Galactica, I have only one question: Is this the best show on television right now or what?

Actually, this surprisingly introspective hour of nail-biting suspense, philosophical clashes, knuckle-bruising action and steamy sex raises a hundred other questions, too. What does it mean to be human? Is there a God? Where do civil liberties stand in a time of siege? How do we decide who can be trusted in an age of covert terrorism?

Does any other TV drama use female characters this dynamically?

And the biggest question of all. Two socko episodes manage quite disturbingly to make you contemplate this stunner: Are we cheering for the wrong side in this life-and-death struggle between humans and the ruthless, human-looking Cylon cyborgs they've unleashed on the universe?

With all due respect to fans of the 1970s rock-'em sock-'em ABC original Battlestar Galactica, this fresh odyssey, redeveloped by Ronald D. Moore from Glen Larson's promising original concept, is a hundred times smarter and a thousand times more thrilling. This is adult sci-fi for people who don't even like sci-fi.

Those who do, of course, have a head start in any tale filled with spaceships and their accoutrements. But the real fascination of Galactica, even more so than other space-based soul-searchings such as Farscape and Star Trek, lies inside the judgments of the human mind.

In fact, crucial parts of this series do take place inside people's heads. The latest episode, encoring tonight, showcases that beautifully. When it comes to the scientific genius who helped the Cylons nuke this tale's galactic human colonies (in the show-launching miniseries, now available on Universal DVD), he's a reluctant turncoat essentially controlled by a hot blond Cylon babe, who exists only within his brain yet electrifies all parts of his body to keep him under her control.

When James Callis' Baltar decides he's had enough puppeteering, Tricia Helfer's Number Six vacates the mental premises, only to appear in the flesh and accuse Baltar of treason.

What sets them against each other is, of all things, a theological disagreement between Number Six's insistence upon "one true God" and Baltar's science-based scorn. Has this Cylon or the Cylons -- or are they one unified being? -- twisted God to her/their/its own purposes? Or do the Cylons know something we don't?

In the next episode, coming Friday, an even more "manipulative, cunning" Cylon model played by former Due South star Callum Keith Rennie is discovered on another ship in the ragtag Galactica-led fleet housing the 50,000 remaining human refugees. Sent to interrogate him is Katee Sackhoff's top-gun fighter Starbuck, still rehabbing from a near-death downing on a hostile planet. Through physical torture and dueling mind games, their riveting exchange fills us in on the humans' polytheistic faith and the Cylons' yet more devout belief in their own shared soul.

It also reveals that the Cylon reason for attack goes far beyond plain mechanical orneriness. Significantly cited are the "sin, hate, corruption, evil" they say is exemplified by the former masters on whom they've turned.

Too deep for some tastes? No need to go there, then. Galactica is satisfying on many levels. Take sex and violence. If not this week, Galactica does find time for lots of slam-bang adventure and special effects mayhem. Plenty of sensual activity, too. Despite their technical workings, the Cylons "live" like humans, and that visceral existence is heightened in the female characters who provide the richest threads in Moore's dense tapestry.

His stories effectively use female sensuality to deepen the conflict, not exploiting skin or sex, but recognizing the instinctual power of physicality that women traditionally embody. It's no accident, certainly, that Starbuck escaped death by wriggling inside a "living" Cylon fighter craft and becoming one with its blood and tissue to fly safely home. As the Galactica crew now attempts to reverse-engineer the craft, Grace Park's hotshot pilot Boomer indicates a corporeal connection with it, too. She's a Cylon model herself, one who doesn't know she is, but who has come to suspect her own unwitting duplicity. Which leads to the truly mind-bending exploration of the twisted emotions inspired when you can't even trust your own body. Does Boomer have to be who she is? Or can she become "human"?

Battlestar Galactica is that rare space opera with no aliens -- not a bug-eyed monster in sight. Every character is either human or Cylon. Furthermore, the show is filmed like an edgy war movie. Both of these factors enhance the show's realism, visual and emotional.

And we haven't even gotten to the political tugs-of-war between Edward James Olmos' intimidating military commander Adama, Michael Hogan as his resentful second and Mary McDonnell as the minor cabinet member who has suddenly inherited the human presidency amid her own secret battle with cancer. Hogan's precisely nuanced portrayal of a high-functioning alcoholic makes watching the show worthwhile all by itself.

Battlestar Galactica just keeps getting better.

Catch up with the series at www.scifi.com/battlestar.

koenigrules logged this Intel at 7:38 AM

Sunday, February 20, 2005

Official Viper Numbers Aboard the Battlestar Galactica
Source: Sci-Fi BSG's Ship Gallery

This is for you BSG trivia buffs out there:
As of Log 105 (Episode 1.05), there are 26 Vipers in service with another 13 down for repair. Also 21 pilots are on duty. Most of these Vipers are "the older, slower, but still reliable Mark IIs that currently make up the bulk of Galactica's air group...Galactica currently has very few operational Mark VII Vipers."

koenigrules logged this Intel at 10:54 PM

Saturday, February 19, 2005

Ron Moore's Blog: Season Two and Q & A
February 17, 2005 Source: SciFi

RDM: So it's official: we're doing a second season.

To say that this is happy news is to indulge in a display of understatement. The road to television success is a long one, littered with various hurdles, all of which must be vaulted: the studio pitch session, the network pitch, the story outline, the first draft script, the second draft script, the green-light to produce the pilot, casting the pilot, making the pilot, ordering the series, producing the series, getting the reviews, getting an audience, and then... getting a second season. We've managed to clear that hurdle and it feels frakking good.

We've been working on the first six episodes for a couple of months now and we're gearing up to prep them for filming, probably in late March. Season Two will be heavily influenced by the end of Season One, so it's hard to get into anything remotely specific until the last episode has aired in the US. I could say... well... er... not much. Let's just get to the questions and answers.

"Will we ever get any more of the back story to the Cylon Wars?, ie What started them and how did the Colonists drive them away."

RDM: We will see more of this backstory as the series unfolds. Some of the inter-war period will be explored in the first few episodes of Season 2. Other tales of the first Cylon Wars will be filled in eventually.

"Apart from the fleet is there any chance that there are other survivers. Clearly Colonial One would not have gotten to every ship that was in transit and those that had FTL could have escaped as well."

RDM: We are talking about shows that deal with other survivors right now. Don't ask about the Pegasus -- I haven't made up my mind yet.

"Will we see any of the original cast apart from Richard Hatch. "

RDM: It's possible, but not yet on the board.

"Why "frak"? Where did the idea come from to make this the new F-word? Not that I don't like it, I find it amusing."

It's straight out of the original series. I dropped many other terms from the old show like "centon" (a unit of measurement) and "yahren" (year) because I felt they distracted from the mood I was trying to create and they sounded a bit silly to my ear. There was something elegantly lovely about "frak," however. There's nothing like being able to say my favorite four letter word on TV over and over again and I salute Glen Larson for giving the joys of frakking up, frakking off, not giving a frak, and frakking-A to the masses.

"I love the smoking doctor! Does he have a name? Isn't sickbay a little small considering the size of Galactica?"

RDM: I love the doctor too. The character's name is Major Cottle and I think we're only seeing one part of one Sickbay on the ship. It's worth keeping in mind that while Galactica is an enormous ship and was built to be manned by a very large crew, that she had only a skeleton complement on board at the time of the Cylon attack. That explains in large part why we see so few officers and why people like Kara are pressed into service in roles other than their primary one. There are probably several (unused) Pilot Ready Rooms aboard Galactica and possibly other Sickbay facilities as well. Dr. Cottle is our only physician onboard, but if she were fully staffed, Galactica would probably have a large medical staff and would have a sizable hospital facility.

"Why does the doctor smoke?"

RDM: Because smoking is cool. Don't let anyone tell you different, kid.

Seriously, we're showing people doing what people really do and not all of their choices are smart ones. We smoke, we drink, we have sex with the wrong partners -- we make lots of bad choices and some of them we do knowingly and in full cognizance of the risks and consequences. Dr. Cottle obviously knows the risks associated with smoking and he elects to do it anyway -- that's his choice.

I'm also frankly tired of all the anti-smoking p.c. crap that we're bombarded with these days and I decided that this was a world without all that. Call it my one sop to the idea of an idealized society, the notion that adults can make informed choices and not be nagged to death or run out of public spaces for making choices that others may not like or agree with.

Read more Q-and-As with RDM here.


koenigrules logged this Intel at 11:55 PM

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Galactica To See 20 Episodes In Second Season
BY: MICHAEL HINMAN Sources: SyFyPortal & Koenigrules at LV Rocks

Think 13 episodes of "Battlestar Galactica" just aren't enough? Apparently the people at NBC Universal agree with you.

The second season order of Sci-Fi Channel's hit new series will have 20 episodes, according to a report during the Subject2Discussion online radio show at LV Rocks.

Subject2Discussion also reports that ratings for "Battlestar Galactica" remain steady, with only a 1 percent drop last week from the previous week.

Read more of the story here.

koenigrules logged this Intel at 9:02 AM

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

GLUED TO THE TUBE

Space at its deepest point
From Newsday.com


Whew. Having just watched the next two episodes of Sci Fi's re-imagining of the post- holocaust saga "Battlestar Galactica," I have only one question:

Is this the best show on television right now or what?

Actually, this surprisingly introspective hour of nail- biting suspense, philosophical clashes, knuckle-bruising action and steamy, interspecies sex raises a hundred other questions, too. What does it mean to be human? Is there a God? Where do civil liberties stand in a time of siege? When does cautious suspicion morph into obsessive witch-hunting? Who gets to define justice and morality? How do we decide who can be trusted in an age of covert terrorism? Does any other TV drama use female characters this dynamically?

And the biggest question of all. Two socko episodes this Friday (at 10 p.m.) and next (Feb. 25 at 10) manage quite disturbingly to make you contemplate this stunner: Are we cheering for the wrong side in this life-and-death struggle between humans and the ruthless, human-looking Cylon cyborgs they've unleashed on the universe?

With all due respect to fans of the 1970s rock-'em sock-'em ABC original "Battlestar Galactica," this fresh odyssey, redeveloped by Ronald D. Moore from Glen Larson's promising original concept, is a hundred times smarter and a thousand times more thrilling. This is truly adult sci-fi for people who don't even like sci-fi.

Those who do have a head start, of course, in any tale filled with spaceships and their accoutrements. But the real fascination of "Galactica," even more so than other space-based soul-searchings such as "Farscape" and "Star Trek," lies inside the judgments of the human mind.

In fact, crucial parts of this series do take place inside people's heads. This Friday's midway-through-the-season episode showcases that beautifully. When it comes to the scientific genius who helped the Cylons nuke this tale's galactic human colonies (in the show-launching miniseries, now available on Universal DVD), he's a reluctant turncoat essentially controlled by a hot blond Cylon babe, who exists only within his brain yet electrifies all parts of his body to keep him under her control. When James Callis' Baltar decides he's had enough puppeteering, Tricia Helfer's Number Six vacates the mental premises. And an identical-looking copy of the same Cylon model appears in the flesh, so to speak, as a human aboard the fleeing Battlestar Galactica who charges Baltar with treason.

What sets them against each other is, of all things, a theological disagreement between Number Six's insistence upon "one true God" and Baltar's science-based scorn. Has this Cylon or the Cylons - or are they one unified being? - twisted God to her/their/its own purposes? Or do the Cylons know something we don't? Once the issue of Baltar's "guilt" is at least temporarily resolved, next week's meaty script further raises the stakes.

An even more "manipulative, cunning" Cylon model played by former "Due South" star Callum Keith Rennie is discovered on another ship in the ragtag Galactica-led fleet housing the 50,000 remaining human refugees. Sent to interrogate him is Katee Sackhoff's top-gun fighter Starbuck, still rehabbing from last week's near-death downing on a hostile planet. Through physical torture and dueling mind games, their riveting exchange fills us in on the humans' polytheistic faith and the Cylons' yet more devout belief in their own shared soul.

It also reveals that the Cylon reason for attack goes far beyond plain mechanical orneriness. Significantly cited are the "sin, hate, corruption, evil" they say is exemplified by the former masters on whom they've turned.

Too deep for some tastes? No need to go there, then. "Galactica" is satisfying on many levels. Take sex and violence. If not this week or next, "Galactica" does find time for lots of slam-bang adventure and special effects mayhem. Plenty of sensual activity, too. Despite their technical workings, the Cylons "live" like humans, and that visceral existence is heightened in the female characters who provide the richest threads in Moore's dense tapestry.

His stories effectively use female sensuality to deepen the conflict, not exploiting skin or sex, but recognizing the instinctual power of physicality that women traditionally embody. It's no accident, certainly, that Starbuck escaped death last week by wriggling inside a "living" Cylon fighter craft and becoming one with its blood and tissue to fly safely home. As the Galactica crew now attempts to reverse-engineer the craft, Grace Park's hotshot pilot Boomer indicates a corporeal connection with it, too. She's a Cylon model herself, one who doesn't know she is, but who has come to suspect her own unwitting duplicity. Which leads to the truly mind-bending exploration of the twisted emotions inspired when you can't even trust your own body. Does Boomer have to be who she is? Or can she become "human"?

And we haven't even gotten to the political tugs-of-war between Edward James Olmos' intimidating military commander Adama, Michael Hogan as his resentful second and Mary McDonnell as the minor cabinet member who has suddenly inherited the human presidency amid her own secret battle with cancer. If these details sound like they're piling on, they're not. They've each got a role to play in this ever-widening yet always tightening tale. When next week's Cylon troublemaker extols life after death, ramifications hit home all over the place. Then he drops an astounding shocker. "Battlestar Galactica" just keeps getting better.

Contributed by Michael Sperl
The original article can be read HERE

Xenu logged this Intel at 9:26 PM

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

The Women of Battlestar Galactica

John Soltes talks with Mary McDonnell, Tricia Helfer, and Katee Sackhoff
From the Daily Targum

The SCI-FI Network recently premiered their new original series Battlestar Galactica, with record numbers for the cable station. After the success of the first five episodes, which have already aired, SCI-FI has optioned a second season to the hit series as well.Galactica was originally a cult series during the 1970s, then remade into a TV mini-series in 2003 by executive producer Ronald D. Moore (Roswell). Due to the success of that two-part series, SCI-FI decided to go ahead with a 13 episode weekly series.

The story of the show revolves around Cylons - human-made robots who've learned to take on human form - and have just destroyed billions of people. The only survivors from this devastation are a ragtag fleet of ships, which were getting ready to retire and call it quits. Now, these ships and the people they house have been thrust into the position of being the sole opportunity to advance the human race into the future.

Mary McDonnell (Donnie Darko) plays Laura Roslin, a woman suffering from breast cancer, who was the Secretary of Education until she inherited the role of President. "Pres. Roslin is a middle-aged woman who has power thrust upon her," McDonnell said in a phone interview. McDonnell is no stranger to the acting field, garnering two Academy Award nominations for Dances with Wolves and Passion Fish. However, the idea of a weekly character-driven series enticed her. "When you're my age," McDonnell said, "and this type of storytelling is possible, you crave it."

Katee Sackhoff plays Starbuck, a tomboyish fighter pilot with a sordid history. Sackhoff, a 24-year old actress, is extremely happy this series has made it to a second season. "I'm the queen of cancelled TV shows," Sackhoff said about her career, which has included the short-lived series, The Education of Max Bickford. Already a sci-fi fan before receiving the role of Starbuck, Sackhoff says that the reason she was drawn to Battlestar Galactica was because it was so "character-driven...and it's not stereotypically sci-fi."

Tricia Helfer (former Victoria Secret's model) plays Number Six, a Cylon who has taken the form of a sultry blonde female. Helfer echoes Sackhoff's comments about Galactica not being your run-of-the-mill sci-fi series. "I think this was not your typical science fiction," Helfer said, "I didn't want to play just a fantasy chick; I'm much more into realism...it's much more a human piece set in space."

Another central character in the series is Captain Adama played by the accomplished actor Edward James Olmos. McDonnell defines Adama as the exact opposite of her role of Pres. Roslin. "She's anti-military, [an] educator, and no respect for war. It is built into her culturally," McDonnell said. This is in sharp contrast to Capt. Adama who is the military leader of the fleet, and is constantly having to get in predicaments with Pres. Roslin.

One notion that McDonnell, Sackhoff, and Helfer all share is that this sci-fi series speaks for today's society. "It is poignant to today," Helfer said. Sackhoff agrees saying that, "for young people right now the emotions are true and pure. It is relative to what is going on today." Modern issues of the inhumane treatment of prisoners, suicide bombers, and human slavery are all themes within the first season of Battlestar Galactica.At this point, with a second season guaranteed, the actresses of Battlestar Galactica appear excited to get started exploring their characters even more. Sackhoff sums it up saying, "I want to know what the hell is going to happen."

The original article can be found HERE

Xenu logged this Intel at 4:01 PM

Monday, February 14, 2005

The "Reimaged" Battlestar Galactica - Light Years Beyond the Original

From Blogcritics
by Randy Reichardt

A few weeks ago at practice, a fellow band member mentioned the revived, or as it is being called, reimaged Battlestar Galactica series, speaking favourably of the new version. (Canadian site here.) I was vaguely aware that a mini-series version had aired in 2003, but paid no attention to it at the time. When the original series first aired in the late 70s, I detested it, with the exception of having a major crush on Maren Jensen at the time, which caused me to watch more episodes than I care to admit. The show was pure camp, featuring characters with horrid names like Starbuck, Apollo, Athena, Adama, Boomer, and Cassiopeia, combined with bad acting and writing.

I decided to dial up the new series, and much to my surprise, found myself hooked in a very short time, albeit confused from the outset because I hadn't seen the three hour miniseries. I did remember the show's premise from the original series, still in place for this one. From the episodes page:
It had been more than 40 years since the humans of the 12 Colonies of Kobol battled with the Cylons, the sentient robots that turned on their creators with deadly results. The robots had observed the armistice that ended the Cylon War, but the promised diplomatic relations between man and machine never materialized. The Cylons remained quiet for years and soon their threat was all but forgotten.

When the robot Cylons infiltrated the human defense system, they launched a surprise nuclear attack that decimated humanity and all of civilization, leaving a ragtag fleet of humans as the sole survivors. Faced with an un-winnable battle against a deadly enemy, they were forced to flee under the protection of their one remaining warship, the outdated Battlestar Galactica. Pursued by the Cylons -- some of whom have now taken human form -- Commander Adama and President Roslin lead these last remnants of humanity in search of a new home - a planet called Earth.After watching the first four episodes and remaining in the dark about major plot lines, I found the miniseries, and watched it this weekend. Needless to say, major story gaps were immediately filled, and the show makes much more sense.

What makes the "reimaged" series better? For starters, an outstanding cast led by Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell, rock solid character actors with long pedigrees, cast as Commander Adama and President Roslin. Olmos gives immediate credibility to Adama, a natural leader whose presence bleeds authority and leadership. McDonnell's Roslin is also tough, dealing with not only being made President on short notice, but also with advanced cancer, known only to her and two others. As Education Secretary, she was 43rd in line of succession to the presidency. The only remaining member of cabinet known to the Galactica and the ships surviving with it, she is sworn in as President, and must govern the 49,000 remaining members of humanity. A two-time Oscar nominee, McDonnell breathes life into Roslin, facing personal challenges on many levels that most couldn't handle on the best of days.

The ridiculous names used in the original series have been reduced to what appear to be nicknames or handles for the pilots, although the names are used prominently in each episode. The characters of Starbuck and Boomer have been replaced by ballsy women, strongly portrayed by Katee Sackhoff and Grace Park.

Canadian übermodel (and fellow Albertan!) Tricia Helfer is Number Six, one of twelve Cylon human models, some of which apparently don't even know they are Cylons. Six (not too far from Seven-of...never mind) spends two years seducing James Callis's Dr Baltar into revealing everything about the defense system of humanity while planting a chip in his brain, so that she appears in the flesh to him, and no one else, constantly teasing and annoying him whenever it moves her to do so. The seduction leads to the near total destruction of humanity, as the Cyclons lay waste to the twelve colonies in a swiftly executed nuclear holocaust. (I can only imagine how tough it must be for Callis, having to play a character that is constantly being smothered and suffocated by Tricia Helfer. Such a cross to bear...)

In 2005, it is expected that special effects in a show like this would be state-of-the-art, and such is the case here. What is unexpected is the darkness and grit of the show. Emphasis is placed on character and story. With survival of humanity hanging by a thread, there is never a moment in the show when you feel any ease or relief. The characters bring enormous baggage. Jamie Bamber is Apollo, Adama's son, estranged from and blaming him for the death two years earlier of his brother Zack, with which neither man has come to terms. The XO, Tigh, portrayed by Michael Hogan, is an alcoholic, and at odds with Starbuck, Zack's fiancé before his death.

Production values on the show have not been ignored. The strong fx are matched by production design and cinematography. Planet-based scenes are shot with colour filters, adding a realistic feel to images of alien territory. The docking bays, housing the fighter ships and maintenance crews, are shot in very bright light, in contrast to the command centre and various housing quarters throughout the Galactica, which are shot in darker, contrasting tones.

All we know about the Cylons is that they were created by man decades ago, and eventually turned on humanity, destroying them for reasons unknown. The new show's creators (or reimagers?) chose to maintain the look of the original robotic creatures, which I felt from day one looked altogether rather silly, with the red beam of light pulsating back and forth where normally one would find eyes. A small price to pay in exchange for a show of such high quality. Another smart choice: the elimination, at least so far, of the annoying child character, Boxey, who appeared in the miniseries, but is nowhere to be seen in the episodes broadcast to date.

In his Dec 2004 review, Michael King described the new version as "not your father's Galactica", and Matt Shafer followed earlier this month, calling it "the best show you're probably not watching", adding "In only five episodes Battlestar Galactica established itself as not only the best Science Fiction show on television but one of the best shows on television bar none." Both are accurate descriptions of the most pleasant surprise of the 2004-2005 television season. The good news is that after five aired episodes, the Sci-Fi Channel has ordered a second set of 13 episodes. The bad news is, I've lost another hour during the week when I could be doing something else besides watching television!

The original article can be read HERE

Xenu logged this Intel at 2:53 AM

Saturday, February 12, 2005

'Galactica' extends orbit: SCI-FI averages 3 mil viewers
By DENISE MARTIN Source: Variety

After just five episodes have aired, Sci Fi Channel has renewed fresh drama "Battlestar Galactica" for a second season.

They have already locked up the entire cast for the next cycle; air date is still to be determined.

SCI-FI has averaged more than 3 million total viewers in its Friday at 10 p.m. timeslot.

"Battlestar" has also ranked No. 1 among cable shows in adults 25-54 and men 25-54 for every week the show has been on the air.

"We all really felt there was something special about this show, that the creators delivered on their promise to take a new approach to space opera. But we honestly weren't sure if the show was going to be embraced," said exec VP of programming Mark Stern. "The show is dark and gritty and sexy and, first and foremost, a character drama. Yes, there is a lot of action, but it certainly wasn't the typical space opera our viewers expected. Thankfully, they get it and they keep showing up in big numbers."

Execs haven't determined the exact number of episodes they will order, but Stern says he'll greenlight a minimum of 13.

Most recent ratings wrangled a series-best 3.2 million viewers.

R&D TV produces "Battlestar" in association with NBC Universal Television. Ronald D. Moore and David Eick exec produce.

koenigrules logged this Intel at 2:08 PM

Friday, February 11, 2005

Galactica Talk Radio Archives Online

Our good friends over at Subject To Discussion have, for the past three weeks, been featuring Battlestar Galactica as the subject of their weekly Wednesday-night radio show. This past week's show was a particularly informative one, with our very own Koenigrules joining actor Alonso "Socinus" Oyarsun to discuss the 2nd-season renewal & reveal who Dirk Benedict was pegged to play in the season finale cameo that never was. The 54 meg .MP3 archive of the show can be found HERE. For those who missed them last weeks show featuring actor Aaron "Chief Tyrol" Douglas can be found HERE and the previous week's introductory Galactica hour, featuring your's truly, Xenu, can be found HERE. Be sure to check out the show at www.LVROCKS.com every Wednesday night at 8 p.m. PST, 11 Eastern!

Xenu logged this Intel at 7:28 AM

A Worthy Battlestar

From Tech Central Station

The new Battlestar Galactica television series has enjoyed a fair amount of critical and commercial success, yet it is disdained by enthusiasts of the 1970s series on which it is loosely based. Having watched the original series during my junior-high-school years, I am somewhat mystified to learn that there are such enthusiasts, although this may partly reflect my overall lack of 1970s nostalgia. In any event, I acknowledge the original series was better than its awful, short-lived sequel Galactica 1980.
The new Battlestar Galactica is an intelligent and thought-provoking contribution to the annals of televised science fiction. As such, it is particularly welcome at a time when the pickings in that field have become increasingly sparse. The recent cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise means the venerable Star Trek franchise will cease producing new shows for the first time in 18 years. The offbeat, imaginative series Farscape was cancelled in 2002, with some loose ends tied up in an October 2004 miniseries (in which the lead characters insistently and uncharacteristically proclaimed the importance of peace, making the cosmic story's denouement seem like some kind of anti-Bush campaign ad).

The premise of the new Battlestar Galactica is similar to that of the original series, although there have been notable changes in characters and plot elements. As in the original, humans aboard a fleet of spaceships are fleeing from their robot enemies, the Cylons. The robots have attacked and essentially destroyed humanity's home worlds, the 12 Colonies of Kobol. Now, in their desperation, the surviving humans hope to find refuge on a distant, perhaps mythical, 13th colony -- the Earth.

Among the changes in the new series: The Cylons now are human creations who rebelled, not the products of reptilian aliens; indeed, it is unclear if aliens exist or have been discovered in the revamped Galactica universe. The Cylons no longer necessarily appear as metallic entities; rather, some of them now have the look and feel of humans. Starbuck, the hotshot fighter pilot, is now a woman, as is another character named Boomer. The fleet is still protected by the Galactica itself, but the battlestar now is an aging vessel that was about to be consigned to museum status when the Cylons attacked; its lack of advanced computers is why the robots were unable to gain control of the ship.

Among the show's strong points are the psychological realism and complexity of its characters. Whereas Star Trek long tended to present an idealized version of humanity, Battlestar Galactica gives us people with personal liabilities as well as assets. The battlestar's top officer, Commander William Odama (played by Edward James Olmos) is a capable but dour figure who has a troubled relationship with his son, Capt. James Adama (Jamie St. John Bamber Griffith), who's known by the call sign Apollo. Lt. Kara Thrace (Katee Sackhoff), a.k.a. Starbuck, is a formidable pilot with a volatile personality. She has contempt for the ship's number two officer, Col. Saul Tigh (Michael Hogan), who is an alcoholic. Unlike on a typical Star Trek ship, the crew do not all like each other or engage in good-natured banter. Nor can the humans all be trusted. Dr. Gaius Baltar (James Callis) is a brilliant scientist whose personal weaknesses have left him vulnerable to Cylon influences and deeply implicated in the disaster that has befallen humanity.

The series also portrays political situations with an interesting complexity. Commander Adama shares power uneasily with President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), formerly the education secretary. Having been 43rd in line of succession to the presidency, she was sworn in after all the more senior officials were killed in the initial Cylon attack. In the emergency, civilian control of the military has frayed, and the civilian government itself sometimes operates with less-than-perfect accountability; Roslin is concealing her severe cancer, and only under pressure agrees to a regular schedule of elections. Nor does the society that has been destroyed seem to have been an idyllic one. One ship is filled with terrorist prisoners who fought to overthrow the political order on one of the 12 Colonies.

By contrast, the various Star Trek series often presented far less ambiguous moral and political messages, as when aliens would be confronted for engaging in clearly unjustified discrimination against their own ethnic and sexual minorities. Such messages had some novelty during the original Star Trek of the 1960s, but took on the tone of vapid public-service announcements in more recent decades. The new Battlestar Galactica emphasizes that moral and political decisions often are difficult, with real pitfalls and tradeoffs involved. One interesting theme that looks likely to be developed, moreover, is how religion fits into the Galactica universe. There are indications that at least some of the humans are polytheistic -- they say things like "thank gods" -- while one Cylon has been heard speaking cryptically about "God's plan."

The series has yet to portray technological possibilities in as interesting a manner as it delves into personal, political and ethical scenarios. The fleet's relatively low-tech quality makes some sense in the context of the plot, and its use of nuclear weapons and guns with bullets contributes to the show's gritty appeal. Still, this is a society that has developed interstellar flight, intelligent robots, and other advanced technologies, and how those technologies play out in the conflict between humans and Cylons offers considerable storytelling potential. One positive sign is that the series avoids the common sci-fi fallacy of audible explosions in the vacuum of space. Rather, its space battles feature a creepy silence that seems to symbolize the doom against which the humans are struggling.

The original article can be read HERE

Xenu logged this Intel at 7:09 AM

Thursday, February 10, 2005

Battlestar Galactica Renewed for Season Two:
SCI FI orders minimum 13 episodes of the smash series!
BY: ROBERT FALCONER Source: HollywoodNorthReport

The ascending ratings made it a practical inevitability; steadily increasing with each episode, Battlestar Galactica has quickly distinguished itself as the new standard for television science fiction. The most recent episode, "You Can't Go Home Again," scored the series' best ratings yet, with 3.2 million viewers.

Sources for HNR tell us that the major cast members--including Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell--re contracted to return, though additional casting details were still being ironed out at the time of the official announcement. We can also tell you that SCI FI Channel has committed to 13 episodes, and is actually considering a 20 episode order!

Information has not yet been released regarding premiere dates, nor is there any word yet as to whether Britain's Sky One Channel will be involved in co-financing a second season.

With the network's announcement comes much anticipation for where the series will go next creatively. Galactica canon is rich with possibilities, to be sure, but creator/executive producer Ronald D. Moore first hopes to resolve the multiple cliffhangers that will end season one, as well as delve deeper into the show's religious themes, including a look inside Cylon society.

Once production dates are announced, we'll let you know.

koenigrules logged this Intel at 1:20 PM

'Battlestar Galactica' Earns Second Season
BY: MICHAEL HINMAN Source: SyFyPortal

Coming in a week before the cast is called back to the set to start working, Sci-Fi Channel officially greenlighted "Battlestar Galactica" to a second season, adding another 13-episodes to its highest-rated series.

It is unclear who will return for a second season, but SyFy Portal sources state that all the principle actors -- including stars Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell -- have contract options to return. It also seems that both Moore and fellow executive producer David Eick will return as well.

Read more of the story here.

koenigrules logged this Intel at 8:25 AM

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Scientific Principle Takes Galactica Name

From CNET Hardware news

Will the Cell processor be the new Itanium?

At the International Solid-State Circuits Conference on Monday, the joint developers of the long-awaited processor--Sony, Toshiba and IBM--unveiled a number of the details about it amid a surge of dramatic speculation. The New York Times said the chip could create "a new digital computing ecosystem that includes Hollywood, the living room and high-performance scientific and engineering markets."

Others speculated that the chip could drive everything from cell phones to servers, tying them into a grand computing grid.

"We believe a 10x performance over the PC, at the same power envelope, can be achieved," said IBM's Dac Pham, one of the designers of Cell. "It will usher in a new era of media-centered computing."

Similarly, feelings ran high about the Emotion Engine, the microprocessor inside the original PlayStation 2 game console. Analysts said it could undercut chips from Intel and Advanced Micro Devices in PCs, and become the nerve center for DVD players and other home electronics. Toshiba even created a company, Artile, to license the Emotion.

But the Emotion Engine never migrated outside the PlayStation, and Toshiba snuffed out Artile in 2003. The PlayStation 2, meanwhile, didn't live up to the suggestion that it would serve as a conduit for movies, TV, e-mail and the Internet.

This sort of excitement and speculation about chips is driven by what I call the "Battlestar Galactica" principle. It goes as follows: If the domination of the universe isn't contested on a weekly basis, ratings will go down. Analysts, reporters, consumers and even executives need a gladiatorial contest to keep the job interesting.

The high-public profile of Sun Microsystems can partly be attributed to its role as the William Shatner of computing--donning a new uniform every three seasons to battle a new nemesis.
Put in that perspective, the Cell story starts to look different.

The rest of the article can be found HERE

Xenu logged this Intel at 9:21 PM

Season 2 is a Go! TV Guide & SCiFi Wire Confirm Galactica Renewal!

That's right, true believers...the news we've been waiting for has finally broken; Sci-Fi has ordered a second season of Battlestar Galactica. Details on the number of episodes & the exact returning cast have not been finalized as of yet, but we expect an announcement on these matters shortly. for now, raise a glass of ambrosia and toast to another year of BSG!

The original reports can be found at TV Guide and SciFi Wire.

Xenu logged this Intel at 1:39 PM

BBFC Rates Galactica DVD Extras

Contributed by Atavus

The British Board of Film Classification has rated what appears to be the first batch of extras for the DVD release of Battlestar Galactica (currently due 28 March in the UK.)The set will include 46 minutes of deleted scenes from 12 of the Season 1 episodes and the international opening credits.Ron Moore mentioned in his blog a few weeks ago that Water ran long by a whole act, it seems that the act has been added to the DVD. But the biggest batch by far is from Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part 1 with over 12 minutes of scenes being on the DVD.The list with the run times can be found here.

Xenu logged this Intel at 1:38 PM

Monday, February 07, 2005

Another Jump For 'Galactica' Audience
BY: Michael Hinman Source: SyFyPortal

Ratings for the fourth week have had strong returns for the late Friday night show, as an estimated 3.2 million viewers tuned in to see the conclusion of "Act of Contrition."

NBC Universal still has not made a decision on the fate of the series, although a Canadian newspaper reported this week that the show has been picked up for a second 13-episode season.

SyFy Portal sources are saying that the show is getting a pickup, but there seems to be some kind of tie-up between officials from Sci-Fi Channel and NBC Universal. It is unclear what the tie-up is about, but some are speculating that it might be over NBC rebroadcast rights. One source has speculated it might actually be over NBC's desire to air the series on a first-run basis.

Read more of the story here.

koenigrules logged this Intel at 8:11 PM

SCI FI Friday holds steady on February 4
Source: GateWorld

The ratings are in for The SCI FI Channel's third week of its new SCI FI Friday programming line-up (February 4), showing that Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica are continuing their momentum from the January premiere.

Stargate SG-1 drew 2.5 million viewers at 8 p.m. Eastern/Pacific, with "It's Good To Be King" scoring a 2.1 household rating. This is even with the previous week, and up one-tenth of a point from the mid-season premiere.

Stargate Atlantis once again improved on its predecessor's performance, with 2.7 million viewers at 9 p.m. "Hot Zone" earned a 2.2 household rating, down two-tenths of a point from the previous week.

Finally, Battlestar Galactica improved on the previous week with 3.2 million viewers. Though the episode "You Can't Go Home Again" logged the same 2.5 rating (rounded off), SCI FI reports that the viewership was up six percent.

SCI FI was the highest-rated cable network of the night among viewers age 25 to 54 and men 25 to 54, bringing its winning streak to four weeks. SCI FI Friday also boasted the top three programs on cable among men 25 to 54.New episodes of SG-1, Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica continue this Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern/Pacific on SCI FI!

koenigrules logged this Intel at 6:04 PM

You go, Gilmore girls
BY: ROB SALEM Source: Toronto Star

BOLDLY GONE ... There will be no wedding - no birth, no bar mitzvah, not even a good 'ol Klingon Rite of Ascension - to mark the 100th episode of Star Trek: Enterprise. In fact, there will be no 100th episode at all.

It'll be all over on May 13th, just two episodes shy of that magic number, with the end of an already truncated fourth season of the ratings-challenged Star Trek prequel series...

Does the future have a future? Trek exec Rick Berman, while acknowledging that "you can just squeeze so many eggs out of the old golden goose," allowed that there is already talk of re-investing in the Star Trek film franchise - though more than likely independent of any of the pre-existing television characters or scenarios.

And to all my geek brothers and sisters out there, wondering where they're going to get their weekly sci-fi fix: Count your lucky stars. I have it on very good (if unofficial) authority that the already announced six-episode pick-up of the re-invented Battlestar Galactica has now been extended to an entire, 13-episode second season.

koenigrules logged this Intel at 10:03 AM

Friday, February 04, 2005

'Star Trek' is marooned
BY: GARY LEVIN Source: USA Today

The venerable Star Trek franchise is entering an unfamiliar galaxy: cancellation.

Enterprise, the fifth installment in the TV space saga, will end its run May 13 after 98 episodes and four seasons on UPN, the network announced Wednesday.

With no immediate plans for a replacement series, next season will mark the first in 18 years with no new Trek episodes.

But that doesn't mean the mother ship has made its last voyage. Producer Paramount Television views the change as a rest, not a retirement. Trek generates big revenue from merchandise and overseas sales.

"It's probably good to lay fallow for a while to rejuvenate," Berman says, though he expects that will mean a minimum three-year hiatus, with cable or syndication the most likely future home.

Other outlets have lured Trekkies away: Sci-Fi Channel's Battlestar Galactica scored more viewers than Enterprise on recent Fridays.

"When Next Generation went on the air (in 1987), there was no science-fiction on television," Berman says. "Now there are dozens of shows."

Enterprise will live on in reruns, along with the original Star Trek (1966-69), Next Generation (1987-94), Deep Space 9 (1993-99) and Voyager (1995-2001). Though the death knell had been sounding, UPN waited until Enterprise was sold into syndication last week to pull the plug; reruns will air this fall on local stations.

You can read more of the story here.

koenigrules logged this Intel at 1:03 AM

Thursday, February 03, 2005

Ronald D. Moore on ENTERPRISE Cancellation
BY: STEVE KRUTZLER Source: TrekWeb

In the wake of STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE's cancellation yesterday, the Boston Globe talks with former TREK writer/producer and BATTLESTAR GALACTIC executive producer Ronald D. Moore today.

"The franchise is a strong idea," Moore tells the paper. "The character concepts are great. It just isn't being written in a fashion that is grabbing the audience anymore," he said. ''In some ways, the continuity of the show is starting to work against it. There is such a complete universe with so many characters that it's a bit daunting for new audiences."

Moore says he's certain Paramount will resurrect STAR TREK in the future."....Paramount Pictures will eventually sit up and say, 'Hey, don't we still own 'STAR TREK?' You can count on Paramount's greed to bring it back."

koenigrules logged this Intel at 11:14 PM

Tom Zarek Will Return Says Hatch
Source: Now playing

CONTAINS SPOILERS

Original Battlestar Galactica star Richard Hatch appeared in the Sci Fi Channel’s reimagined version of the show this past Friday night, and early reports are indicating that the episode had even higher ratings than the previous week’s season premiere. Hatch recently talked with Now Playing about his spin on the new show, and he also gave us some details on what to expect when he returns to Galactica on another episode later this season.

“[In] the second episode, because we went out and took on the challenge of getting the ice to the ship, many of us have earned our freedom,” Hatch says of his character Tom Zarek. “So I’ve earned my freedom and then basically I get nominated by Sagitarian to be their representative to the government when they’re going to have the elections. They’re trying to rebuild the Quorum of the Twelve… and I get not only nominated, but I raise the issue that we don’t have a vice-president, and what happens if the President dies? And of course all of a sudden it becomes this adversarial, very challenging relationship between the President, Mary McDonnell, and me. She does not want me to be her vice-president, and so it gets into a very political entanglement of her trying to stop me from having any political power at all. I go from being a prisoner onboard the ship to actually being a political adversary.”

The episode, “Colonial Day,” which is the eleventh segment of season one, will allow the actor to play opposite more of the cast this time out.

“I play scenes, because we’re at the Quorum, with multiple characters,” says Hatch. “I get involved with Mary McDonnell, Edward Olmos, I deal with Jamie Bamber still. I also get [time] with the new Baltar character. He’s starting to deal with him, because Baltar actually runs against me for vice-president.”

Hatch also has a sense of the events that led Zarek to where we find him in the show – as a controversial political prisoner.

“Essentially, the political leadership on Sagitarian was almost a dictatorship,” the actor explains. “They were oppressing the people, they were torturing the people. I liken it to Iraq. And this man decided that he wasn’t going to take it, and he first politically stood against them and tried to run against them. But they wouldn’t allow fair elections. Ultimately, he began to realize that there was only one way. Step by step, he was moved to acts of terrorism in order to challenge the government, which was not listening. And basically, as a result of that, he was arrested. And then, this is not quite clear and it’s something that I’d like to sit and talk to [creator] Ron Moore about, once he did that, he was given an opportunity for immunity. He chose to go to jail rather than take the immunity, and therefore he went to jail for his political beliefs.”

For Hatch, who played Apollo in the original show, Zarek is an actor’s dream come true. He says that the complexities of the character have made working on Galactica one of the most satisfying jobs he’s ever had as an actor.

“It’s interesting. People who watched it are like, ‘Oh man, you play such a bad buy,’” he says of the first episode. “And I go, ‘What are you talking about?’ I played him as a good guy. Everything I was doing I believed in. Many times people may be motivated by ideals that lead them to doing bad things for good reasons. I think you get into a very interesting area there.”

As for season two – if a season two does get greenlit, that is – Hatch has high hopes for another return as Zarek.

“I haven’t talked to [Moore] yet, but the way the second show ends, you’ll see it’s set up very clearly to bring me back,” he says. “The adversarial relationship between the President, Adama, and Tom Zarek - you see that this character is now going to present a major challenge to her. There’s still the elections ahead of us, which is basically what I say at the end of the episode: ‘I’ll see you in six months.’”

Blade Runner logged this Intel at 10:26 AM

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

SCI FI IS #1 -- 3RD FRIDAY IN A ROW:
'SCI FI Friday' Line-up Gains Momentum Source: thefutoncritic

New York, NY (February 1, 2005) - 'SCI FI Friday,' the biggest night of sci-fi on television, continues to dominate the cable airwaves. On January 28, SCI FI Channel took the #1 spot in cable for the 3rd consecutive Friday night (8-11pm) among P25-54 and M25-54. SCI FI also had the Top 3 programs of the day in cable for M25-54: 'Battlestar Galactica'(1.5 million), 'Stargate Atlantis' (1.3 million) and 'Stargate SG-1' (1.1 million).

The new and improved 'SCI FI Friday' gives SCI FI, for the first time in its history, three original series averaging over a 2.0 rating, with more than 2.5 million viewers tuning in each week.

Following is a breakdown of the night.

8pm 'STARGATE SG-1' Boosted by the appearance of special guest star Claudia Black ('Farscape'), 'SG-1' beat UPN's 'Star Trek Enterprise' in head-to-head competition, with more viewers P2+, more M25-54 and more P25-54. 'SG-1' delivered:

--2.1 HH rating
--2.5 million P2+
--1.7 million P25-54
--1.3 million P18-49

Versus its January 21 premiere, SG-1 is up +6% in HH ratings, +3% in P2+, +10% in P25-54 and +2% in P18-49.

9pm 'STARGATE ATLANTIS' In head-to-head competition, 'Stargate Atlantis' delivered more M25-54 than Fox's 'Jonny Zero.'

--2.4 HH rating
--2.9 million P2+
--1.9 million P25-54
--1.4 million P18-49

Versus its January 21 premiere, 'Atlantis' is up +12% in HH ratings and +10% in P25-54.

10pm 'BATTLESTAR GALACTICA' 'Battlestar Galactica' outdelivered all but two primetime entertainment programs on the broadcast nets amongst M25-54.

--2.5 HH rating
--3.0 million P2+
--2.1 million P25-54
--1.7 million P18-49

Versus its January 21 airing, 'Battlestar' is up +8% in HH ratings, +6% in P2+ and +2% in P25-54.

SCI FI Channel is a television network where "what if" is what's on. SCI FI fuels the imagination of viewers with original series and events, blockbuster movies and classic science fiction and fantasy programming, as well as a dynamic Web site (www.scifi.com) and magazine. Launched in 1992, and currently in 84 million homes, SCI FI Channel is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies.

koenigrules logged this Intel at 4:38 PM

Ratings Box: What's Hot/What's Not- Sci-Fi Channel Scores on Friday
BY: MARC BERMAN Source: Mediaweek

Sci Fi Channel was the top-rated cable network for the third consecutive Friday in persons 25-54 and men 25-54, with the top three programs of the day among men 25-54 (Battlestar Galactica, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate SG-1) also on cable. Stargate SG-1 opened the evening at 8 p.m. last Friday with 2.5 million total viewers, followed by Stargate Atlantis with 1.9 million at 9 p.m., and Battlestar Galactica at a hefty 3.0 million viewers at 10 p.m. Compared to one week earlier, growth for the three series ranged from 6 to 12 percent in households and 2 to 10 percent among adults 25-54.

koenigrules logged this Intel at 3:20 AM

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

'Battlestar Galactica' Sees Another Ratings Increase!
BY: MICHAEL HINMAN Source: SyFyPortal

Sources from SyFy Portal had reported that a pickup was almost guaranteed as long as ratings for the fourth episode -- "Act of Contrition" -- didn't plummet last Friday. The episode didn't plummet ... in fact, the ratings actually are up over the previous week's episode, "Bastille Day."

A decision on whether or not to renew "Galactica" for a second season is expected to be announced sometime Tuesday or Wednesday. The first season has 13 episodes, and six scripts for a second season already have been ordered by NBC Universal. Some rumor reports still have NBC itself interested in adding the show to its schedule, even if it's rerunning the first season over the summer.

Read more of the story here.

koenigrules logged this Intel at 9:39 AM

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