That's right kids, you can have the Cylons over for Christmas because Universal has announced that they'll release the second season of Battlestar Galactica on December 20! Universal has released very little information regarding the set; it's 3 discs (single-sided), Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1), and it'll have English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio (with English and Spanish subtitles). They've made a point to call this "Season 2.0," which means it'll be the first part of season 2; 10 episodes.
We don't have any information on bonus features, though we suspect the inclusion of podcasts are a lock, along with some other material. The discs will come in 3 slim cases, along with an outer box, and sell for a suggested price of $49.98. We'll have more information, and artwork, when it's made available to us.

Newshound: Sci-Fi

Battlestars  It's all About The Quality!
by Sheldon A. Wiebe: From Eclipse Magazine
28th September 05

'Battlestar Galactica' is, arguably, one of the two or three best shows on TV right now; 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' remains one of the shining comedy lights in TV history; Michael Mann's 'Crime Story' was far better than his 'Miami Vice' – though it never caught on in a big way…

Battlestar Galactica – Season One

After all the fanboy grousing about the sex change of two beloved characters from the original 'Galactica' died down, and the new version's mini-series aired, it was clear that the new 'Battlestar Galactica' not only surpassed the original in every conceivable way – it was playing in the same league as the best of the network, F/X and HBO original series.

'Battlestar Galactica – Season One' not only includes the thirteen first season episodes of this extremely fine series, it also includes the original mini-series [with the mini-series commentary track, but not the making of featurette]. So, if you haven't picked up the mini-series on DVD, yet – and have become addicted to this engrossing series – now's your chance to glom onto the both.

When 'Galactica – the New Series' premiered, we came in on the characters a scant five days after the conclusion of the mini-series, to find them being hunted by the Cylons – who popped up behind them every thirty-three minutes. The claustrophobic premiere dealt with how real people behave in real combat situations. It was a revelation!

By the end of the episode, when the ragtag fleet had gained a little time, the series shifted into an exploration of what else it takes to survive – politics, discipline, caring. Whether the characters were dealing with the Mandela-like Tom Zarek [Richard Hatch, the original Apollo], or hiding from Cylons on Caprica [Helo, played by Tamoah Penikett], the one thing that became immediately apparent was that the series' drama arose from putting realistic characters into extreme situations.

It doesn't hurt that the cast includes heavyweight talents like Edward James Olmos [Adama] and Mary McDonnell [President Laura Roslin], as well as talented younger actors like Jamie Bamber, Grace Park, Katee Sackhoff and Tricia Helfer...

The first season set, aside from the mini-series, contains commentary tracks for nine of the thirteen episodes [most of them are podcasts from the Sci Fi Channel's website and they are well worth checking out]. There are also eight behind-the-scenes featurettes – 'From Miniseries To Series;' 'Change Is Good – Now They're Babes;' 'The Cylon Centurion;' Future/Past Technology;' 'The Doctor Is Out [Of His Mind];' 'Production;' 'Visual Effects;' and 'Epilogue' – and between them, they give a pretty good idea of the work that went into producing such a high-quality series [though the featurette on Starbuck and Boomer could have used a less glib title].

There are also nine deleted scenes [most of which look important enough to have only been sacrificed for time]; a slideshow of sketches and art that is quite beautiful; and 'Battlestar Galactica: The Series Lowdown' – a Sci Fi behind-the-scenes special that aired prior to the series.

Prior to the release of the first seasons of 'Lost' and 'Desperate Housewives' on DVD, this might have been my choice for best DVD of the season to date. Now that Buena Vista has raised the bar so high, though, 'Battlestar Galactica – Season One' will have to settle for third place – and that's pretty fracking good [and infinitely better than most Universal DVD sets].

Grade: Battlestar Galactica – Season One: A
Grade: Features: A-

Final Grade: A

Newshound: Sci-Fi

Galactica's Science Fiction Renaissance
Season 2 further evolves the groundbreaking series
September 28th 2005 12,38am | Posted by, Robert Falconer HNR Senior Editor

When a story unfolds over months, then years, the daily reports have a tendency to blur, especially when that story is a war. That's the reality of today's media. Perhaps it always has been.

Most nights, television shows you the latest battles, the block,by,block victories, the grief and the terrible images of carnage, eighteen children killed in a suicide bombing as they waited for candy and toys from American troops, the pain of those left behind.

Whether it's war, natural disaster…or even the rape of a prisoner, it seems to be human proclivity that at some point we eventually grow complacent as the responsibilities of our daily lives once again overshadow the outside world.

But in the world of television drama, particularly where art imitates life, there exists the unique opportunity to freeze an issue a moment, a widely held belief, and examine sides we might never have otherwise considered, all under the guise of an hour's worth of "fictional entertainment." And if it's done right, you feel thoughtful without feeling bludgeoned.

You've probably heard it repeated ad nauseam, and it's true, no genre is better equipped for oblique social commentary than science fiction. Tackling the thorny issues of policy and politics, war and religious extremism, life and death, it is, at its best , a way to view the microcosm of our society by journeying into the cosmos of our imaginations.

It's like the old axiom about not seeing the forest for the trees, get back far enough, and you can more clearly see the big picture…all sides of it. Outer space is about as far back as you can get.

The original Star Trek did this in the late 1960s with its subtle and sometimes not so subtle observations on racism, the Vietnam War and other controversial topics. Yet while the series patted itself on the back for championing equality, it also too,often paraded females around in miniskirts and go,go boots.

Fortunately, many things have changed. Extraordinary as it may seem, a re,imagined series from the 1970s is turning the spotlight on the difficult issues of our 21st century, but doing so in a way that simultaneously blends in naturalistic situations and flawed, multidimensional characters. As with the best science fiction series of yesteryear, the thorny issues remain, but now they are rendered with a biting, sometimes even caustic reality devoid of operatic fantasy and decorative epaulets.

Make no mistake, this isn't your father's Battlestar Galactica. But it just may be the Galactica that your father will appreciate, now that he's a little more seasoned. At the end of 40,something minutes you'll not be greeted with a simple, turgid, "everything's right with the world" ending. Not here.
This is science fiction for those who have lived a while and understand that the world isn't a sugarcoated utopia, nor is it ever likely to be. Events have far,reaching consequences and human beings make mistakes…lots of mistakes.

And while fans of the old show cry bollocks and feign righteous indignation, lamenting that the new Battlestar Galactica has traded bell,bottoms for body bags, they miss the point entirely.

This isn't lukewarm farina for the narcotized masses. Season one of the new Galactica demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that war is a truly horrendous proposition and brought the ongoing consequences into our living rooms week after week, raw and unfiltered, as the ragtag fleet fought to survive against not only the Cylons, but their own weaknesses and frailties in the shadow of Armageddon. Moreover, as the human,designed Cylons returned to wreak havoc on their creators, the series' mythology established in unequivocal terms that we humans are too often responsible for our own destiny.

By the same token, you don't have to sleep on a bed of nails, gargle 30,weight or pour bourbon on your cornflakes in the morning to appreciate the series. As producer David Weddle told HNR Genre Editor, Michael Hinman earlier this year, "It is not hard to write light moments in the show. One of the episodes we wrote this season is actually a very upbeat show. We don't go out of our way to make the show dark. We try to keep the show as real as we can, to proceed from the set of circumstances that our characters find themselves in and allow events to unfold much as they would in our world."

"This often means that for every good thing that happens, there is also something painful or traumatic," Weddle adds. "Don't you find that to be true in your life? For every achievement, there is a setback, for every gain there is also a loss. This is not dark or pessimistic, it's life. We all struggle to come to terms with that, some of us more successfully than others, just like the characters of Battlestar."


So there is more here than merely doom and gloom. Courage, bravery , and most importantly, hope , intermix in this broth, and though season two does dip further into the well of humanity proclivity, it also, reassuringly, shows the tender, heroic and spiritual side of our natures, too.

Call it a balanced, unvarnished view of the human condition in the 21st century.

That said, season two opened with a bang. Leaving no quarter, no respite for the audience, episode 201, "Scattered" flung us into a world of physical and aural violence as Colonel Tigh reluctantly took command of the fleet, after the Boomer Cylon shot Adama in the chest at the end of the previous season.

The situation enabled the producers to explore the origins of Tigh's weakness for women and drink, along with his early relationship with William Adama.

Like dominos, Adama's recovery and Tigh's command also set up a chain reaction of events that reverberated throughout the season, and enabled the producers to explore some weighty issues, military vs. civilian power, the accidental killing of innocents and the necessity of trusting potential enemies in the service of the greater good.

Yet that was just the warm up.

From there, Ron Moore, David Eick and the rest of the writing staff were diving headlong into the subject of abortion, the effects of delayed stress, the role and significance of the media, and, in a watershed moment for the series, the issue of prisoner rape in the pursuit of "intelligence," a storyline still being hotly debated on Internet message boards at the time of this writing.

Difficult questions. Uncomfortable answers. Battlestar Galactica has elevated the anxiety of world events above most of its competitors, shows like 24, The Wire, and the presently defunct Star Trek franchise. It is the most unyieldingly post,9/11 series on television, having eschewed humanist soliloquies, putty, headed aliens and planet of the week stories in favor of a context that anyone familiar with current events can grasp.

Altogether, presented as fiction, it makes for compelling television. Here, daily reports don't blur together, wars aren't presented as statistics on a ticker, and those who are left behind must endure the greatest pain of all, survival.

Sci,Fi beats the heat with the best 3rd quarter ever
Released by Sci Fi



#1 Cable Net on Friday Nights

Triple,Digit Increases in Key Demos on Wednesday Nights

Best September on Record

New York, NY (September 27, 2005) – SCI FI blazed a ratings trail this summer, giving the Channel its best third quarter ever. Its 'SCI FI Friday' block of originals cemented the Channel as the #1 cable destination on Friday nights among P18,49 and P25,54 for the entire quarter – averaging more P25,54s than even the WB or UPN. The 'SCI FI Wednesday' block of alternative reality series also scored for SCI FI, delivering double and triple,digit increases among young adults. The Channel's Saturday action movie franchise added to the ratings bonanza with 'Pterodactyl' (August 27), which devoured over 3.1 million viewers and became the highest,rated original movie in SCI FI history.

SCI FI's total day (M,Su 6am,6am) for 3Q05 saw an 11% increase in P25,54, a 12% increase in P18,49 and a 12% jump in P18,34 versus 3Q04.

Other 3Q05 highlights for primetime (M,Su 8pm,11pm) include,

,, Best 3Q delivery of P18,34, P18,49 and P25,54 in SCI FI history

,, +10% among P18,49s vs. 3Q04

,, +6% among P25,54 vs. 3Q04

,, +12% among P18,34 vs. 3Q04

,, +7% among F18,49 – best,ever 3Q performance in the demo

,, 'Pterodactyl' (Aug. 27 @ 9,11pm) becomes the highest,rated SCI FI Channel original movie in history

,, Top 10 among all basic cable networks among P25,54 and P18,49

SCI FI owned Friday nights during 3Q05, becoming the #1 cable network on Fridays among P18,49 and P25,54. The strength of the 'SCI FI Friday' franchise was proven with its recent summer finales. In spite of stiff competition from network premieres, the 'Stargate SG,1' finale (Sept. 16 @ 8,10pm) and a new episode of 'Battlestar' (Sept. 16 @ 10pm) were Top 2 cable entertainment programs among P25,54 that night. A week later, the summer finale of 'Battlestar Galactica' (Sept. 23 @ 10pm) drew 2.3 million viewers and became the #1 entertainment program on cable for the night among P25,54 – it was also the only non,news program to finish within cable's Top 10 among that demo.

Some of SCI FI's greatest third quarter gains were made on Wednesday nights. The 'SCI FI Wednesday' lineup, led by 'Ghost Hunters,' gave the Channel double and triple digit increases in key demos versus the previous year.

,, +83% among P18,34

,, +33% among P18,49

,, +114% among M18,34

,, +34% among F18,34

,, +43% among F25,54

SCI FI also had its best September ever. Averaging a 1.0 HH rating, the Channel was up +17% among P18,49, +12% among P25,54 and +19% among P18,34. SCI FI ranked within the Top 10 cable networks for primetime for both ratings and delivery among P25,54, and P18,49. It also scored double,digit increases among M18,34 (+28%), M18,49 (+20%) and M25,54 (+11%) vs. September '04. During September, 'SCI FI Wednesdays' grew +102% among P18,34, +112% among M18,34 and 90% among F18,34.

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 85 million homes, SCI FI Channel is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies.

New Galactica echoes current events
DVD Reviews
September 27, 2005

Battlestar Galactica,
Season One
Universal DVD box set
***** (out of five)

Star Trek Enterprise,
Season Three
Paramount DVD box set
***

Just as the latest incarnation of the long,lived Star Trek franchise was limping to an early end on TV , putting the future of Trek in doubt for the first time in 20 years , another sci,fi TV series debuted and showed just where Trek could, and probably should, have gone.

The original Battlestar Galactica ran on TV in the decade between the original Trek series and the debut of The Next Generation.

It wasn't Star Trek but Star Wars that inspired this kitschy space opera, with its vision of a future full of shag haircuts and disco balls, like an endless 1978.

Unbelievably, it has a hard core of fans who noisily objected to former Trek writer Ronald D. Moore's radical re,imagining of the show, especially when you see the result.

The new series cast Edward James Olmos as Adama, the role played by Canadian,born Lorne Greene in the original series. Whereas Greene's Adama had an operetta quality with his booming voice and epaulets, Olmos is craggy,faced and grim, delivering his lines with hoarse exhaustion. His Galactica is recognizably military , an aircraft carrier in space , and the conflict between him and Mary McDonnell as President of the human survivors is utterly recognizable.

Galactica is the most adamantly post,9/11 TV series yet, standing head and shoulders, in its handling of current events and anxieties, above its competition , shows like 24, The Wire, E,Ring, and the third season of the now,cancelled Star Trek Enterprise, just released on disc this week.

The new, and perhaps last, Trek tried manfully to update and renew the franchise, but it never managed to shake loose from the flat,footed humanist dramatics and addiction to novelty that went from virtue to vice in the course of Trek's history.

The third season of Enterprise sent its captain and crew out to avenge an attack on earth by an alien race, and when you put it side by side with Galactica, the greatest Trek flaw is obvious , aliens.

A Trek episode rarely goes by without some colourful new race of alien, kitted out in exotic costumes, face paint and prosthetics.

Technology has improved over the decades, but the humanoid aliens of Trek have never been able to transcend corniness, the spectacle of a guy or girl wearing rubber masks.

Eschewing aliens has been, so far, the new Galactica's smartest decision. The Cylons that pursue the humans into space aren't aliens but robots, and in Moore's re,imagining of the show, they've evolved themselves into human form.

Like any historical epic, sci,fi is really about the present, not the past or future, and this simple move redeems the possibility of sci,fi on TV. Both box sets come with generous bonus features, including commentary tracks and behind,the,scenes featurettes.

Rick Mcginnis/Metro Toronto

Newshound , Sci,fi

Battlestar ends summer season at #1
TUESDAY , SEPTEMBER 27, 2005

Battlestar Galactica finished its summer season as The SCI FI Channel's highest,rated series. The mid,season cliffhanger finale, "Pegasus," won the night with a 2.0 average household rating on Friday, September 23.

The first 10 episodes of Galactica's second season averaged a 2.1 rating, with the high,point coming with the highly advertised season premiere, "Scattered" (2.6). The season low to date was shared by "Resistance" and "Flight of the Phoenix" (1.9).

Ratings for the episodes so far this season,

"Scattered" , 2.6
"Valley of Darkness" , 2.0
"Fragged" , 2.0
"Resistance" , 1.9
"The Farm" , 2.0
"Home, Part 1" , 2.1
"Home, Part 2" , 2.1
"Final Cut" , 2.0
"Flight of the Phoenix" , 1.9
"Pegasus" , 2.0

These figures obviously cannot be compared to season one as Galactica did not air last Summer.

Source, Gateworld

Battlestar Galactica Official Companion

Author David Bassom
Publisher Titan Books (UK)
Year 2005
ISBN 1845760972
Format Paperback

Play.com  price, £9.99 Delivered

availability, Out now. Waiting for delivery of stock.
RRP, £12.99 You save, £3.00 (23%)

Review
Battlestar Galactica is back! The brand new, 're,imagined' version of the cult 1980s series has quickly become the most critically acclaimed SF show on TV, with massive viewing figures to match. With its classy ensemble cast, including Edward James Olmos (Miami Vice) and Mary McDonnell (Dances with Wolves, Independence Day), its cutting edge special effects, superb production design and gritty, adult,oriented scripts, the new Battlestar Galactica is being hailed as both a worthy successor to a classic original, and a stunning piece of television in its own right. Titan Books have been on set from the beginning, and now proudly present the official companion, packed with exclusive interviews, photos, behind the scenes secrets, and a complete episode guide to the mini,series and first season.

Sc,Fi Friday Ratings
TUESDAY , SEPTEMBER 27, 2005

The 2,part mid,season finale of Stargate Atlantis tied the show's lowest ratings ever on Friday, September 23. "Aurora" and "The Lost Boys" averaged a 1.7 household rating from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern / Pacific.

This is a drop of only one,tenth of a point from SG,1's 2,hour performance in the same time slot the previous week, and two,tenths of a point from the last Atlantis episode on September 9. It also ties the show's lowest rating in its 14,month history, set by Season One's "Home" last September.

The show faced stiff competition from new episodes on the big broadcast networks, as did SG,1's summer finale. Threshold, Ghost Whisperer, and WWE were among the competition.

Battlestar Galactica built on its lead,in at 10 p.m., with the mid,season finale "Pegasus" earning a 2.0 rating. This is an improvement of one,tenth of a point from the previous week.

More info at Gateworld
 

Brothers in Space, BSG and DS9

Battlestar Galactica has proven to be a runaway success for series developer Ronald D. Moore. With high ratings and a gripping dramatic storyline, BSG is one of the few standout sci,fi shows on TV. While it feels fresh and unique, many of its themes and concepts were already explored on a show that Ronald Moore had previously worked on , Star Trek, Deep Space Nine.

Ronald D. Moore's tenure as a producer on Deep Space Nine began in 1994 when he wrote the teleplay for the third season's premiere, titled "The Search, Part 1." One of his first duties on DS9 was to give a name to the new warship that premiered in the third season. Named after the ship from the TOS episode, "The Tholian Web," the arrival of the aptly named "Defiant" marked the beginning of the Ronald Moore era on Deep Space Nine , which defied the normal happy,go,lucky nothing,bad,ever,happens attitude that previously plagued the Star Trek franchise. Star Trek was about to grow up, and Ronald Moore played a large part in revitalizing the franchise and taking it to the dark and mature places where no Star Trek show had gone before.

With the re,imagining of Battlestar Galactica, he was able to take his ideas even further. Free of the restrictions imposed on him by Rick Berman (and the others who helped destroy the Star Trek franchise), Ronald Moore was finally able to create the sci,fi show that fans have always been asking for. No technobabble, no insulting the intelligence of your audience, compelling storylines with actions that have lasting consequences, moral dilemmas with no right or wrong solution, the human response to fear and facing a nearly invincible adversary, and just plain good storytelling – Battlestar Galactica may be based on the original TV series, but it is really the spiritual successor to Star Trek, Deep Space Nine.

Both shows deliver the above by using several common elements , including the use of religion as a central theme, a Commander who is a father and has his son onboard, a nearly invincible yet invisible enemy that can hide amongst us, and how a leader has to incorporate spirituality and mythology to guide him/her.


Who is a Founder? Who is a Cylon? For the four years of the Dominion War, fans of DS9 were left pondering and fearful of an enemy that could look like anyone and hide amongst the crew, and would use deception and fear as their primary weapons. The Dominion was a group of beings under the leadership of the cunning Founders – the shape,shifting creatures from the Gamma Quadrant that could assume any form. The Dominion consisted of a few key races, including the Jem’Hadar (the warrior/enforcer race), the Vorta (the diplomats and administrators), and the Founders (the masterminds who were revered as gods by the other races). The Founders actually were gods to the Vorta and Jem’Hadar – they created and modified those two races to serve their needs. The Founders also infiltrated the Alpha Quadrant (the section of space where Earth, Vulcan, and Bajor are located) and assumed the form of several key people. With this infiltration, they were able to manipulate and create so much suspicion amongst the people that they ended up fighting themselves.


The Dominion wanted to bring order to a universe where, in their eyes, there was chaos. The Founders were feared by the "solids" of the universe. They were persecuted for being different, and in retaliation, rose to oppose all those who would stand against them. They created the Jem’Hadar and the Vorta as their instruments in bringing order to a chaotic universe that feared and hunted them. The hunted became the hunters, and they became gods that created races and beings as instruments of their will.


In BSG, the Cylons use similar methods and motivation. Although the Cylons do not consider themselves to be gods, they do believe that they are the instruments of God. They are driven by religious zeal and a need to cleanse their misguided human creators. There is an obvious class differentiation amongst the Cylons as well. The robotic Centurions have a similar role to the Jem’Hadar. The human Cylon models come in different varieties, and each one with a different function.

The Cylons were created by man, eventually feared, and they ultimately rose to oppose their creators. They evolved, learned to look and become like humans, and adopted human religion as their own. In human form, they are able to infiltrate human society and create suspicion and carry out their plans.

The Cylons, like the Founders, believe that their cause is just. They believe that humans need guidance and are inferior to them. While the Founders are gods to their creations, Cylons believe that they are instruments of God. Both races use deception and infiltration as methods in inducing fear in their enemy. They believe that humans are masters of self,destruction, and thus use their manipulative ways to bring forth this destruction.

Continue at Sci,Fi Brain

Longer Galactica Means Larger Story Arcs
Season two and beyond...
by Paul Davidson at IGN Filmforce

September 20, 2005 , The impressive success of Battlestar Galactica might have caught series co,creator Ronald D. Moore by surprise, but having a full,length second season has given him room to explore the show's story many arcs in more detail. And with Galactica consistently tying or beating Stargate SG,1 as the Sci Fi Channel's most,watched television series, a third season seems likely.

"Well, we can't quite say that yet. One hopes," Moore said in an interview with Now Playing Magazine. "We're sort of looking into larger story arcs as to where the series is ultimately going, and we are talking about what season three would be. We've had preliminary discussions about conceptually what we want the third season to reflect and how we would approach it."

In the meantime, Moore has been taking key characters from the show, like Starbuck and Captain Adama, and developing them through their adversities and extraordinary circumstances.

"It was interesting taking somebody whose life was defined by that role – that [Starbuck is] a fighter pilot – and then to take that away from her and see what happens," said Moore in reference to Starbuck's injuries that left her off the pilot rotation for several episodes. "There was a definite decision, that we were going to live with our wounds, live with damage, that we were going to play the aftermath of what happens. You know, Adama was shot in the last episode of the [first] season and he [wasn't] back for a few episodes this year. And even when he is, he's a changed man. It has repercussions. He took a very heavy hit and it was touch and go. It changes who the man is. Not in the philosophical way, but in how he experiences life and how he will go through it. It shook him."

Season two comes to its midway point this Friday in the episode "Pegasus", in which the Galactica encounters another Battlestar – commanded by Admiral Cain, who assumes control of the entire fleet. The ending should be something of a cliffhanger, and it'll be left unresolved until the second season resumes in January.

Battlestar Galactica , "Pegasus"
Friday, 23 September 2005
Written by Scott Collura at Now playing  

When the Galactica's draedus picks up an incoming ship, a big incoming ship, the crew immediately prepares for a jump, assuming it's the Cylons. But the signal turns out to not be Cylon at all, but rather the Battlestar Pegasus, previously believed destroyed in the Holocaust along with the rest of the fleet. Commanded by Admiral Cain, the Pegasus' surprise arrival, indeed, it's very existence, gives the people of the Galactica fleet a reason to rejoice. But when Cain assumes military control over the fleet, and the methodology of the Pegasus crew proves questionable, Commander Adama must decide whether this new arrival is actually friend or foe.

Of course, it makes absolute sense that Admiral Cain (promoted, and sex,changed, from her previous incarnation in the original series) and her crew would turn hyper,militaristic, even semi,barbaric, in the aftermath of the war. It's amazing, in fact, that Adama's crew haven't become equally violent as a result of their desperation in the face of such overwhelming odds. With nowhere to go, little or no supplies, and a devastating enemy lurking everywhere, wouldn't there be no choice but to turn into, essentially, space,Nazis in order to survive?

So no fun and games for this battlestar reunion then. Aside from the V,E Day,esque moments when the Pegasus shows up and the crews first meet, the new chain of command that results from Cain's (an excellently cold Michelle Forbes) outranking Adama almost immediately causes mayhem for the Galactica crew. Though the admiral claims to have no wish to interfere with Adama's command, that's exactly what she does, Starbuck and Apollo are transferred to the Pegasus, where Starbuck is grounded and Apollo is kicked down to the "humiliation" of co,piloting a Raptor, the Pegasus XO confides in Tigh, and then recants on his story, that Cain executed her previous second,in,command when he refused to engage in a near,suicidal attack on the Cylons, President Roslin very quickly finds herself out of the loop once Cain takes over, with the admiral "not even taking" Roslin's phone calls, and Baltar, on the Pegasus to study that ship's Cylon prisoner, finds a disturbing scene indeed.

It seems that torture, and rape, are a common methodology for Pegasus' chief interrogator, and the result is that their prisoner, a Number Six model, is now a shell of a woman, traumatized physically and emotionally. And Sharon, the Galactica's Cylon prisoner? She's next to receive the same treatment, leading to a shocking scene that truly drives home how different these two crews are. It also leads to a particularly unfortunate situation for Helo and Tyrol, the unlikely team who will defend Sharon to their dying breath, a notion which very well may come to pass soon enough.

The most interesting aspect of this episode, beyond the geek,thrill of seeing two battlestars side by side, one new, the other old, is the respective crews' attitude towards the Cylons. Cain clearly sees them as the enemy and as sub,human, but the Galactica crew, despite themselves, have slowly come to a different take on their enemy. And when Helo and Tyrol actually side with a Cylon here against their fellow humans, the line is clearly drawn between the two Colonial ships. The result of that inevitable battle between battlestars? Check back right here in January. A,

When sci,fi and real events collide
Friday, September 23, 2005
BY MATT ZOLLER SEITZ
Star,Ledger Staff

Second,season finale airs tonight at 10 on Sci,Fi Channel.

"BATTLESTAR GALACTICA," which finishes its second season with a strong episode tonight, is not just one of the best series on TV, but one of the boldest. More than any previous science fiction show ,, even landmark series like "The X,Files," "Babylon 5" and various "Star Trek" incarnations ,, it deserves to be judged not as a science fiction show, but simply as a drama.

Its ongoing story of interstellar refugees ,, the last human survivors of a sneak attack by the shape,shifting machine race known as the Cylons ,, rethinks current events, from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib, as metaphor, then populates the metaphor with complex, confounding individuals who challenge our sympathies. There are no obvious good guys and bad guys here, just flawed people who make right or wrong choices, then deal with the fallout.

Tonight's finale picks up with the fleet trying to recover from an internal conflict that pitted followers of Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) against President Roslin (Mary McDonnell), who was losing influence to Adama, but recovered by declaring herself a leader described in an ancient prophecy.

Then comes a joyous event, the appearance of a second battlestar, the Pegasus, that was thought to have been destroyed by the Cylons. The Pegasus is commanded by Adama's old superior officer, Admiral Cain (Michelle Forbes). Cain immediately takes control of Adama's operation and sets about merging a divided military.

Like most "Galactica" episodes, this one is about more than its plot. The Galactica and its ragtag fleet have had to make some ugly decisions in the name of survival. So have the humans on board the Pegasus. But the two groups have responded to an unprecedented challenge in disturbingly different ways.

On the orders of Roslin and Adama, the commander's fighter pilot son destroyed a passenger ship believed to have been hijacked by the Cylons for a suicide run, a choice that probably killed 1,000 innocents. The fleet used prisoners as slave labor to repair damage from a Cylon suicide bomber's attack, this paved the way for the rise to power of jailed revolutionary Tom Zerak (Richard Hatch), a terrorist and political icon who used violence to protest the colonial government's oppression of his people.

Adama's second in command, Col. Tigh (Michael Hogan), ran the fleet while Adama was recovering from an assassination attempt and the president was in jail following an unsuccessful coup. When civilians protested Tigh's rule, he sent Marines to put them down.

Despite these dark events (and many others), the Galactica fleet has continued to question and re,evaluate its assumptions about the right way to live. This might be the result of tension between the military (represented by Adama and Tigh) and the civilian government (represented by Roslin). The fleet is constantly grappling with the question of how much power ,, and cultural influence ,, to give the military during a crisis.

On "Galactica," both the military and civilian governments sometimes make bad choices. (Adama's decision to jail Roslin for opposing him was a terrible one, but Roslin's wrapping herself in religious prophecy might prove worse.) But at least everyone is aware the two forces ought to be balanced.

This isn't the case on the Pegasus, a purely military environment. Everyone under Cain's leadership seems to have absorbed the idea of the enemy as a faceless Other. They've responded to the threat of extinction by giving themselves permission to be as ruthless as their enemy, losing their own humanity in the process.

The episode's images of Cylon prisoners (who look like humans, remember) being abused by Pegasus crew members rank with the most disturbing images in science fiction. The Cylons are a genocidal threat, but their treatment on the Pegasus suggests it is possible to become what you behold.

Dr. Baltar (James Callis), the fleet's vice president and a conflicted Cylon sympathizer, is so shocked by what he sees on board that it cements his sympathy for the enemy and his resentment of human hypocrisy. The tactics used by Pegasus "interrogators" against a jailed pregnant Cylon who looks like Lt. Boomer (Grace Park) will remind viewers that war has often used as an excuse for criminal behavior.

If you think science fiction should be light, escapist fun, you shouldn't watch "Galactica."

The series, which first aired as a four,hour Sci,Fi Channel miniseries in December 2003, is loosely based on the 1979 ABC program of the same title, a "Star Wars" rip,off. The remake's creative team, headed by writer,producers Ronald Moore and David Eick, alienated fans of the original (including this columnist, a child of the '70s) by daring to call it what it was, junk, and describing the remake as an adult drama that just happened to include starships and robots.

But with each passing week, it becomes increasingly obvious how right they were. "Galactica" feels like an outer space version of a dark, philosophically inclined war movie like "Platoon" or "Saving Private Ryan." It shows humanity in a struggle not just to survive but to understand itself, and it consistently challenges viewers to examine and defend their own beliefs. Aside from "Deadwood," it's the least complacent show on TV ,, a reminder that the medium can illuminate as well as entertain.

Lawless Returns To BSG

D'Anna Biers back for two more S2 episodes
September 22nd 2005 01,19pm | Posted by, Robert Falconer HNR Senior Editor

According to a press release from Creation Entertainment, Lucy Lawless, the actress best known for her portrayal of Xena, Warrior Princess will be returning to Battlestar Galactica for another two episodes during the show's second season.

Lawless guest starred as D'Anna Biers, the resourceful Colonial Fleet reporter in the season two episode, "Final Cut."

The airing dates for the two episodes have yet to be announced.

The summer finale for Battlestar Galactica will air in the U.S. on Friday, September 30 at 10 pm ET/PT on SCI FI Channel.

Source, Creation Entertainment

Secrets and lies

Dr Gaius Baltar is not the kind of man you'd trust in a crisis, yet somehow he has become vice president of the Battlestar Galactica fleet. We met actor James Callis to discuss what's next for the conniving Baltar…

Love, or, better still, infatuation, can make a person do strange things, and, on occasion, something bad, very bad. Dr Gaius Baltar knows this only too well. In the 2003 Battlestar Galactica mini,series, the brilliant scientist made the mistake of falling head,over,heels for a sexy blonde, Number Six, who, surprise, surprise, turned out to be a Cylon. He unwittingly gave her access to the defence systems for the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, making possible a Cylon attack. Ironically, Baltar was one of those who survived this cold,blooded massacre, keeping his involvement a secret. In fact, in some small twisted way, he considers himself a victim.

"My character has made an art out of sidestepping the blame that's coming his way," notes actor James Callis, who portrays the wily Baltar. "This is a man who believes, really, that he's only partially responsible, if at all, for the near total genocide of his own race. By that I mean Baltar thinks he could be fingered for the blame, but on a literal level of the way it happened, part of him is thinking, ‘Hey, look, I had no idea that I was going out with a robot'. However, this is the same person who, at the end of last year, tried to convince Boomer to kill herself. That's a big leap for someone to take who's like, ‘Hey, don't look at me, I'm not involved'. Then there was that shocking twist later on in Season One where Baltar ended up as President Roslin's vice president.

"In many ways I never really knew last year what was going to come next with him. However, I felt his story arc was very fluid and I enjoyed how it unfolded. It wasn't so much that Baltar grew by leaps and bounds during Season One, but rather it was like some dynamic inside him was pushing him apart. As a result, it made his references to people and situations all the more diverse. I've been talking with the show's producers and writers about Baltar becoming, perhaps, a little bit grimmer this season. And the thing is, after episode three [Fragged], he's less inclined to tears. He's cried it all out of his system.

"Baltar did a very bad thing, then a few more bad things, and now he's getting ready to do even more," says Callis, grinning. "This time around, though, it's with a sort of impunity or dissidence."

by Steven Eramo

You will find the full interview in
Starburst #329

Sci, Fi friday Ratings

The SCI FI Channel's 2,hour Stargate SG,1 event wasn't enough to keep the series from falling to its lowest ratings of the season on September 16, as the long,running show faced new competition from network premieres, professional wrestling, and reality TV.

The back,to,back SG,1 episodes "Prototype" and "The Fourth Horseman, Part 1" averaged a 1.8 household rating from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern/Pacific. This is down 10 percent (0.2 points) from the previous week's SG,1 episode and five percent (0.1 points) from last week's episode of Atlantis, but even with the same week a year ago (Season Eight's "Endgame").

Battlestar Galactica finished out the night with "Flight of the Phoenix" at 10 p.m. The episode earned a 1.9 average household rating, down one,tenth of a point from the previous week.
 

More info at Gateworld

Battlestar Galactica , "Flight of the Phoenix"

Written by Scott Collura  at Now Playing
Monday, 19 September 2005

Colonel Tigh's stint as fleet commander continues to haunt the Galactica, though this time around the blame can only be aimed at the Cylons. The Galactica's systems, it seems, have been overrun by a debilitating Cylon computer virus that has been lurking, and building, since the events of the season premiere when the Galactica was separated from the fleet. And while that virus snowballs to a potentially cataclysmic conclusion, Helo and Chief Tyrol continue to attempt to come to grips with their situation now that the original Sharon, the Chief's Sharon, is dead, and the new Sharon, Helo's Sharon, is onboard the Galactica, very much alive.

After the misstep of last week's episode, Galactica returns to fine form with Flight of the Phoenix, an episode that's plot synopsis might sound like a rehash of any number of lame sci,fi show episodes ("A computer virus takes over the ship!"), but is in fact yet another richly realized character piece that just happens to have a cool take on that age,old genre plot as well.

When the episode begins, we see that Helo isn't exactly being warmly accepted by the other members of the crew since his return to the ship, the result of his association with Sharon. And Tyrol is a man stricken since the original Sharon's death, able only to focus on his work it seems, which eventually leads to his taking on the unlikely task of constructing a brand new viper from the ground up. But first, a knock down, drag out fight between him and Helo resolves nothing for either man aside from the release of some long built,up tension, and Tyrol's admission that he and his Sharon had planned on leaving the service and having children of their own. And now it's Helo who is the father,to,be of Sharon's (or, a Sharon's) child.

As for Sharon, she's of course the key to shutting down the virus that has almost crippled the ship. Once the program completes its takeover of the Galactica, it will be able to turn the vessel's weapons against the rest of the fleet, while also suffocating the ship's complement. Starbuck and Apollo get a taste of this firsthand, though luckily the pilots are in the firing range when their air supply is shut down, and a trusty sidearm comes in handy when blowing a hole through a bulkhead window. But as an armada of Cylon raiders approaches the Galactica, following the signal that the computer virus is broadcasting, Sharon, either by force at the barrel of Adama's gun, or by sheer force of will, or both, must turn the virus against her former comrades.

It all makes for a great episode, one which amps up the tension of the virus subplot throughout (which seems to evolve over a period of days or even weeks) while also filling in a lot of the character questions that have lingered in our minds this season. And Tyrol's viper project, his little viper that could, winds up being a truly important motivating force for the burned out crew. As Adama points out, it's been months since the Cylon attack, and it's finally setting in among the group that their current bleak existence could possibly be all their future has to offer them. After all, when Lieutenant Gaeta curses out his XO in the command center, you know tensions are running high. But Tyrol's new viper, dubbed "Laura" by the crew, proves to be more than just a new class of ship, especially for President Roslin, who has learned that she now has only weeks to live.

But first, next week, the long,awaited return of the Battlestar Pegasus in the mid,season finale. Think that'll go smoothly for the gang? A,

The Religion of Galactica

Written by Scott Collura  at Now Playing
Friday, 16 September 2005

If there's one thing that keeps audiences interested in the Sci Fi Channel's hit series Battlestar Galactica, it's the show's ties to our own world. Yes, Galactica has spaceships. And yes, Galactica has evil robots. And yes, Galactica has galactic holocausts. But Galactica also has realistic characters who actually have problems. Galactica has fathers who don't get along with their sons. Galactica has female "heroes" who sleep around. Galactica has bad guys who might not be as bad as they are misunderstood. Sure, we like the space battles and gee,whiz effects of the series, but we watch it for the realism of the show, a rare thing indeed for a genre program.

So that's why it's not surprising that the show's executive producer Ron Moore (read the first part of our chat with him by clicking here) doesn't blink when he's asked about the obvious parallels between our real world president (Bush) and his fictional president (Roslin) on the show.

"Don't tell Mary that," laughs Moore when the comparison is raised. Apparently series star Mary McDonnell, who plays President Laura Roslin, objects to the link. "It's certainly in the air [when we're writing] and it's in my head and it's in our discussions. The show is written in this era, so it's hard for it not to influence us in one way or another. But I think we don't really try to [do] a ripped from the headlines kind of format where you go, ‘O.K., let's do this because Bush just did it, or this is hot,' or something. This president in the show, she starts to have visions and a religious experience, and she believes there's some validity to it. And yeah, there's a parallel to Bush in that sense, but then we don't want it to be a direct parallel, playing her as Bush. So really she's having this experience and she reads these scriptures and goes, ‘You know what? This makes sense. These pieces seem to light up. This is like a big jigsaw puzzle and if you start to put these elements together they start to form a pattern. And I can see that.'"

But whereas Bush is a true believer, or at least seems to be, the character of Roslin has come to religion more through happenstance than anything else. Her terminal cancer has led her to alternative forms of medicine, which in turn have induced her "visions" that have led her to the gods, so to speak.

"She doesn't really have the personal experience and connection with God, or her gods, like say Bush does," continues Moore. "Bush believes. Bush is a believer. You can say a lot of things about him, but the man takes his faith seriously. He is a Christian and he believes that. I don't know that Laura really does. I don't know that Laura really believes that there are literal gods, and that they are divine entities that are guiding her and that she is in touch with the divine. I think she just goes, ‘Well, I don't know why this all works but it sure seems to work, so we should do this because it looks like it's going to help us all survive.' She kind of approaches it more practically."

In some ways, Roslin's embracing religion has been a cynical, calculated move on her part. While battling Colonel Tigh earlier this season, she plainly decided to "play the religious card" in order to draw likeminded supporters to her cause. As Moore points out, this move may have helped the president in the short term, but it will have ramifications in future episodes.

"What we want to play out are the problems that go along with that," he says. "Now that the crisis is over, you've also stirred people's passions and you have religious leaders coming and saying, ‘O.K., now this is what we want.' We're sort of intrigued on the show by putting the elements together and playing them. Watching what happens, the conflict, and seeing what's interesting. It's like, ‘The collision of a monotheistic society and a polytheistic society is interesting.' It doesn't necessarily have to be stalking horses for Al Qaeda or stalking horses for the Christian Right. It's not so much about ‘Let's parallel a contemporary storyline because here's a political agenda we're trying to service.' It's more like, ‘Well, these things are all happening in the real world. What if you put them together in this combination? What would happen?'"

Moore also says that while we haven't seen much of it on the show yet, he does believe that there are a multitude of religions that exist among the 12 Colonies. That, of course, is in addition to the two main faiths that have taken such a central role in the show, and are continuously debated by various Galactica characters, the Colonies' polytheistic system and the Cylons' monotheistic one. We will see more gradations of these beliefs as the show moves forward.

"There are probably other religious sects within Colonial society," says Moore. "I think there's an array of religious beliefs within the Colonial tradition. For the sake of the TV show, it's a little easier to just in broad strokes keep it, ‘They're polytheistic as a culture.' To keep that in the audience's mind. But we are starting to differentiate some of the Colonies. Like Geminon, we're starting to say it's more fundamentalist in how it treats and looks at the scriptures. Tyrol comes from Geminon. His father was a priest. His mother was an oracle. That particular colony is much more steeped in and takes the scriptures very literally and seriously. Other colonies do not. So we're starting to draw out those differentiations."

Digital Bits review season 1
Season One , 2005 (2005) , The SciFi Channel (Universal)

Program Rating, A

Disc Ratings (Video/Audio/Extras), B+/B/B+

Picking up roughly five days after the end of the miniseries, Battlestar Galactica, Season One continues the story of some 50,000 surviving colonists who, in a ramshackle fleet of civilian spaceships led by the military "battlestar" Galactica, are desperately attempting to escape the pursuing Cylon forces bent on their destruction.

In the aftermath of the Cylon attack on their homeworlds, the fleet's supplies are running low... and tensions are high. Serious personal and political divisions begin to appear among the survivors. Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) and President Roslin (Mary McDonnell) struggle to balance their respective authority over the fleet, Who should make the decisions that could decide the very fate of Humanity? The military or a democratic government? Meanwhile, the beleaguered crew of the Galactica fights to meet the new challenges that protecting the fleet demands of them. Acts of sabotage aboard the battlestar make matters even more complicated, and word quickly spreads through the fleet that the Cylons have taken Human form. They could be anywhere... or anyone.

Little do the survivors know, the enemy's ambitions run much deeper than just the mere destruction of Humanity. The Cylons, it seems, have found God. And it may be that they've made their new and improved models a little TOO Human...

I have to give Ron Moore and his creative team a lot of credit. For a number of reasons, I was not looking forward to this show. For one thing, The SciFi Channel had just cancelled Farscape and, my other favorite show (Star Trek, Enterprise) was soon to be axed by UPN as well. It seemed as if TV science fiction could do no right, and the idea of seeing yet another cheesy genre series from the 1970s hauled out of mothballs just to die a quick death wasn't all that appealing to me. But Moore, who had been a long,suffering writer on a number of Star Trek film and TV productions over the years, had a plan for reviving the sci,fi genre, Make it real. Make it gritty. Shoot things like a documentary. Focus on the people and not the hardware. And give the audience characters with real problems , with as many flaws as virtues. Against the odds, and virtually all expectations, it worked. Moore's Galactica not only won over most of the original show's skeptical fans... it's earned the respect of television critics as well.

The casting on this series is pitch perfect. I don't know whose idea it was to tap Olmos as the commander of a military space ship, but it's absolutely brilliant. His weary, gutsy sense of determination gives this show exactly the grounding it needs to be believable. Playing opposite him, McDonnell is an equally surprising and effective choice. She brings a reluctant gravitas and vulnerability to her role as a low,level government official who's suddenly had leadership thrust upon her by catastrophe. The rest of the cast is excellent as well, including Michael Hogan as the crusty and deeply flawed Colonel Tigh, Jamie Bamber as the idealistic Lee "Apollo" Adama, and Katee Sackhoff as Kara "Starbuck" Thrace. Other standouts in the season include James Callis (you may remember him from Bridget Jones's Diary) as the schizophrenic Baltar and Aaron Douglas as the Galactica's overworked Chief Petty Officer, who looks out for both the ship and his people. And that's for starters. I haven't even mentioned Richard Hatch (he played Apollo on the original Battlestar TV series), who appears here in a recurring role as a political zealot working to undermine the fleet's leadership. Or Tricia Helfer as the is,she,there,or,isn't,she Number Six, a beautiful Cylon seductress who haunts Baltar's consciousness by day and by night.

Just how good is this new Battlestar Galactica? Let's put it this way, I dare you to watch the first ten minutes of the season's first episode, 33, and not be hooked. It's as taut and riveting a piece of drama as you'll see on ANY series this year. I don't want to tell you any more than I already have. Just watch this show and you'll be glad you did.

The video quality of this series on DVD is quite good. All of the episodes are presented in anamorphic widescreen, which it should be given that the series itself is shot on HD video. Colors are spot on, and even vibrant at times. Contrast is solid too. Overall image clarity is excellent, with only a few instances of the picture being a little too soft or a little too edgy. When this happens, it appears to be a result of the way the footage was original shot and processed digitally, rather than being caused by over,compression for DVD. You'll notice light to moderate film grain, which was obviously added electronically in,camera or in post to give the footage the look of having been shot on film. In any case, artifacting is rarely noticeable. It's a pleasing picture, and the bigger and wider you view it, the more cinematic the experience becomes.

Audio is available in Dolby Digital 5.1. The surround sound isn't going to make your head turn , this is a more subtly atmospheric surround mix. You'll hear light use of the rear channels for ambient effects and music, but there's not a great deal of front,to,back panning. Still, the front soundstage is big and wide, and there's adequate bass in the mix. Most critically, the dialogue and music sound just fine, making the audio a good match to the visuals.

There's a surprisingly nice batch of extras on these five discs, but there's also a disappointment. Back to that in a minute. First, the good. The set includes the same full,length audio commentary track (with producers Moore and David Eick, along with director David Rymer) that was found on the previous miniseries DVD. Of the thirteen additional episodes in this set, nine of them feature audio commentary as well. Some of these are new, but you'll be pleased to know that all of Moore's "podcast" commentaries from SciFi.com are here as well. Disc Five contains the remaining bonus features, which include about 48 minutes of deleted scenes from the season's various episodes (identical to those offered on the Best Buy Season One (U.K. Version) exclusive , the only extra on that set), seven behind,the,scenes featurettes (63 minutes worth in all, including From Miniseries to Series, Change is Good , Now They're Babes, The Cylon Centurion, Future/Past Technology, The Doctor Is Out (Of His Mind), Production, Visual Effects and Epilogue), a short video of production artwork and set photos set to music, and the 20,minute Battlestar Galactica, The Series , The Lowdown documentary that aired on SciFi at the start of the season.

All of the commentaries are fascinating and worth your time if you're a fan of the show, and surprisingly all of the featurettes and the documentary are interesting as well (together the video features total over two hours in all, all of it full frame or letterboxed). So what's disappointing you might ask? Well... first of all, the behind,the,scenes featurettes are the same ones that have been available for viewing on SciFi.com for months. That's not bad in and of itself, but the thing is that four of the featurettes from the website were left out (specifically, Writing a Dark, Sexy, Political Sci,Fi Show, Women in Pivotal Roles, Like Father, Like Son and Director's Cut are all missing). While we're talking about things being left out, here's my biggest complaint about this set, Save for the audio commentary, NONE of the extras that were included on the previous miniseries DVD release are here. Missing is the original 40,minute Battlestar Galactica, The Lowdown documentary that focused specifically on the miniseries (which many of you may recall featured Sackhoff and Dirk Benedict talking about the character of Starbuck). Missing also are all 20 minutes worth of deleted scenes from the miniseries. So if you want ALL of the extras that are available on DVD, you have to buy the miniseries twice. It's little details like this , little omissions and oversights , that really make fans want to pull their hair out. Universal should have gone the extra mile and added another disc to this set (or just made Disc One, which contains the miniseries, double,sided like most copies of the previous DVD edition were in the first place).

Those issues with the extras aside, what you do get is quite good. Add in the very nice picture and sound quality, and this is a damn good DVD presentation of Battlestar's first season. If you've enjoyed this show on SciFi, you'll love it even more on disc. And if you haven't checked it out yet, this is the perfect way to do so. Ron Moore's re,imagined Battlestar Galactica has made a believer out of me. It's breathed new life into the TV sci,fi genre. Better yet, at long last it's that rare science fiction show that even people who hate science fiction can enjoy (and when was the last time you saw one of those?). Color me surprised, but Battlestar Galactica is must,see television.

Hatch on Subject2Discussion
Spolier to Episode 211 & Unofficial Pickup of BSG Season 3
September 14th 2005 07,07pm | Posted by, Jim Iaccino, HNR Associate Editor




Over the last two weeks of Shaunomac's internet radio show, Subject2Discussion on lvrocks, more Battlestar Galactica series news has been revealed.

First up, a major spoiler to Episode 211 ("Resurrection Ship") is that Commander Adama is promoted to Admiral status and is now in charge of the Battlestars Galactica & Pegasus.

Secondly, SCI FI sources have indicated that Battlestar Galactica is a "go" for Season 3. While the official word has yet to be reported, producer and writer Ron Moore is already discussing story ideas to future episodes. According to Moore, "We're looking into larger story arcs as to where the series is ultimately going...We've had preliminary discussions about conceptually what we want the third season to reflect and how we would approach it." See more of Moore's latest interview at NowPlayingMagazine .

Finally, original Battlestar, Galactica actor Richard Hatch made a special appearance on Shaunomac's show this past Wednesday night, September 14th, and had this to say about the new series,

"When the miniseries first aired, the first 4 hours, it was very difficult for me. It was so different that I found it hard to relate to the show. Once the crew got into space [however], they got into the core of what the original series was all about...[And] they have created a dynamic, intricate show in such a short period of time."

Hatch is not surprised by the show's popularity and believes that Universal is fully commited the new series. When asked whether a continuation series would work at this point in time, Hatch indicated "it's unlikely. Maybe a continuation movie or series of movies, or animated movies [is possible]."

The issue of recasting Starbuck and Boomer as women was raised in the course of the interview. Hatch replied that those changes "did not upset me. They've made these characters so uniquely their own you can't compare them...I was upset by not having the original series [and characters] updated."

Speaking about his portrayal of Tom Zarek, Hatch indicated that he was notified a little over a week ago that Zarek would be appearing in Episode 213 and filming of that story has already started. According to Richard, "Tom has lost his way due to his idealism. He ended up in prison because of it, like many good men gone bad. And now he's struggling to make his way back up out of the darkness. He's very heroic, but with a dark side."

Hatch does not know how many more episodes he will be guest,starring in. Clearly, he is enjoying himself, working with such noted actors as Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell. He has nothing but praise for the show and is glad that the reimaged version of Galactica is a hit on the SCI FI Channel.

So Say We All, Richard! Be sure to catch the Battlestar Galactica midseason cliffhanger, "Pegasus," which airs on Friday, September 23. It will be a blast!

Close ratings for September 9 SCI FI Friday
WEDNESDAY , SEPTEMBER 14, 2005

Only fractions of a ratings point separated The SCI FI Channel's three original series on Friday, September 9. Rounded off to typical tenths of a point, SG,1 and Galactica held a slight lead over Stargate Atlantis.

Stargate SG,1 kicked off the night at 8 p.m. Eastern/Pacific with "Babylon." The episode earned a 2.0 average household rating, up from the 1.9 rating earned by the last new episode two weeks previous.

Stargate Atlantis followed at 9 p.m. with "Conversion." The episode lost a few viewers with a 1.9 rating, a significant drop from the 2.2 earned by "Instinct" two weeks ago.

Battlestar Galactica finished out the night with "Final Cut," which earned a 2.0 rating in the 10 p.m. time slot. This is down one,tenth of a point from the previous new episode.

Continue at Gateworld