Galactica Gals talk success and season 3

Source: Access Hollywood

Sci Fi Channel flew to a Friday night ratings victory as Battlestar Galactica returned to the airwaves with the first two new episodes of it's third season. The one-two punch of "Occupation" and "Precipice" was seen by 2.2 million viewers, which Sci Fi says was the number one rated cable series for the night.

The following evening Access Hollywood caught up with Galactica cast members Tricia Helfer, Grace Park, and Katee Sackhoff for a quick update at Spike TV's Scream Awards. Sackhoff, who plays maverick Viper pilot Lt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, had nothing but excitement to report regarding the show's upcoming season. "Last night was just the beginning. It's gonna be very, very intense. Very dark, very raw. It's by far our best season yet. I've seen the first nine episodes and I'm just so blown away. So it's gonna shock the crap out of people."

Grace Park, who's character Sharon "Boomer" Valerii has been back and forth throughout the show's run by walking a fine line on both sides of the good versus evil struggle as a Cylon sleeper agent, initially and playfully dodged any questions about what is yet to come. "You know I can't tell you that." But when pressed further, she relented soon enough to share some news. "What we have is a lot more humans and Cylons in close quarters with each other. So it's like the rift that comes out of that. It's like an occupation. It's like a trading of places in a way because the Cylons were chasing the humans. Now they're right in each others' faces. They have detentions. You don't even know why people are being stolen in the middle of the night. Things like that. It's getting even darker if you can imagine."

As a lead up to the premiere, Sci Fi Channel appeased, or perhaps teased eager fans by posting ten webisodes of "Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance" on Sci Fi Pulse. These internet based mini installments of the show filled in some of the story that took place between last season's cliffhanger and this year's opening, generating 1.2 million streams in one week for the broadband channel. That number represents more than half the number of streams generated in the entire previous month. Entertainment Weekly reports that since the webisodes started, there have been 1.8 million downloads.

What also never hurts a show's continuing success is critical praise and recognition. This year Galactica took home a prestigious Peabody Award for it's excellence in electronic media and broadcast, a rare distinguished feat for a show in the genre of science fiction. Being singled out with such honors isn't something that escapes Park. "Especially things like the Peabody. Anything it's always like, "What? Our little show? So yeah, it's really nice." Tricia Helfer, who plays the Cylon known only as Number Six adds "It was just a really nice feeling to have such a validation and we are all really proud of the work that everybody on the show does. It's sort of that validation and pat on the back." Katee Sackhoff agrees and concludes, "You know we are just glad people enjoy it. It's getting the recognition it deserves because it's so good."

Battlestar Galactica airs on Sci Fi Channel at 9pm Fridays.