Season 3 Episode Updates

Source: Battlestar wiki

Bradley Thompson told us the full episode list for Season 3.0 on BattlestarWiki, titles, directors, and writers.

When Ron Moore said that episode 1 "Occupation" and episode 2 "Precipice" were being combined into one "super episode", he meant that more literally: Technically, **ELEVEN hours of Battlestar Galactica will air BEFORE the one-month Christmas break. "Occupation" is now episode 1 and it's aired back to back with "Precipice" which is now referred to as "Episode 1.5"---->There will be 9 episodes IN ADDITION to the 2 hour premiere.

Keep in mind that episode titles are subject to change until they actually air on screen:

Occupation - Episode 1 - Written by Ron Moore, directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan

Precipice - Episode "1.5" - Written by RDM and Sergio (aired back to back with "Occupation" as a super-episode)

Exodus, Part I - Episode 2 - written by Bradley Thompson & David Weddle, director Felix Acala --->The *third* hour of tv that we'll see, the second week that the series airs; Note: all subsequent episodes listed here are following this pattern of considering Occupation and Precipice COMBINED as "Episode One"....what can I say, BSG refuses to be defined by such terms as "two parter", ans is once again breaking the mold)- I asked "But shouldn't Exodus Part I be "episode 3", and Thompson explained: "That's because you're counting Occupation and Precipice as two eps. Which they used to be, but they will air as one massive season premiere."....so, oddly, this isn't like "Resurrection Ship Parts I and II", which was WRITTEN as one episode but split into 2 (or Exodus, which was also split into 2 parts) Occupation and Precipice were originally intended/written to be individual episodes.

Exodus, Part II - Episode 3 - written Thompson & Weddle, director technically unassigned (there's "about eight minutes of material we still need to shoot to make both of them work.", the episode isn't finished filming yet so technically Acala isn't listed as the director yet --Director's Guild of America legallity stuff that will probably get sorted out soon; "Exodus" was originally one episode that got expanded into 2)

Collaborators - Episode 4 - written by Mark Verheiden, Dir by Michael Rymer

Torn - Episode 5 -written by Anne Cofell Saunders, Dir by Jean de Segoznac

A Measure of Salvation - Episode 6 - written by Michael Angeli, Dir by Bill Eagles--->Episodes 5 and 6 (Torn and AMoS) are the two-parter set on a dying Cylon Basestar afflicted by a plague, as previously mentioned by Olmos at Comic-Con)

Hero - Episode 7 written by David Eick, Dir by Michael Rymer

Unfinished Business - Episode 8 - written by **Michael Taylor**, Dir by Robert Young--->Michael Taylor is the former Star Trek: Deep Space Nine writer who's joining the staff this year, who wrote DS9 episodes "The Visitor" and "In the Pale Moonlight", widely held to be DS9's best episodes. This is the dedicated flashback episode to events during the year missed on New Caprica (there will be a few other flashbacks scattered in earlier episodes, but this one is almost entirely flashbacks)

The Passage - Episode 9 - writer **Jane Espenson**, Dir by Michael Nankin --->Espenson is the former Buffy the Vampire Slayer staff writer, who also wrote for Firefly and an episode of Deep Space Nine (Moore talks about her in more detail in the recent blog entry).

The Eye of Jupiter - Episode 10 - Christmas break cliffhanger, part one of a two part episode. written by Mark Verheiden, Dir by Michael Rymer

**One Month Christmas Break, then...***

Rapture - Episode 11 - written by David Weddle & Bradley Thompson, Dir by Michael Rymer (This is the second half of the cliffhanger)

This is followed by four currently unnamed episodes:

Episode 3.12 - written by **Michael Taylor**, Dir by ***Edward James Olmos***
Episode 3.13 - written by Michael Angeli, Dir by Michael Rymer
Episode 3.14 - written by Mark Verheiden
Episode 3.15 - written by Anne Cofell Saunders

****Edward James Olmos will direct another Battlestar Galactica episode! His last was "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down". He couldn't direct one in Season 2 due to scheduling conflicts. ***Roughly episode 11-12 is filming as of now, last week of July.

An incredible amount of information, I appreciate Mr. Thompson's time and interaction on BattlestarWiki. Please check us out for more updates as we get them. 5 by 5.

I remain,

The Merovingian

The ‘Bear' and the Beat

Source: IESB Movie Reporter

Tico drums, morrocan beats, electric fiddles, and pounding washing machines are just a few of the surprising elements that make up the music signature of Battlestar Gallactica. “You gotta be frackin' kinding?!” Fans exclaimed.
IESB movie reporter has given more details over the San Diego Comic Con International . Many fans expressed praise over the new series of Battlestar Galactica " “I'm so impressed with the cinematic quality of the show!” . In attendance also was Richard Hatch who plays Tom Zarek , terrorist turned politician in the show. Hatch praised Bear's work stating “It takes a lot amazing talent and passion” hatch explains. “Bear is going the distance with time, money, and sound effects, revealing the unconscious levels of the story. " Sentiments that all fans of the show will immediately echo. The Event gave fans a unique insight into the show with blooper reals from the show with a parody delcaring Col Tigh as the cylon model 13. Soundtrack CDs for the BG TV series can be found at LaLa records or amazon.com. Mark your calendars, set your TIVOs, DVRs and VCRs as the season 3 premiere of BSG is October 6 2007.

Season 2 Region 4 Boxset

Source: Ezydvd

With the Release of the Second Season on dvd not very long away Australian fans will be treated to a very special battlestar gift indeed. Released on the 16th August the boxset will include all 20 episodes of the second season , deleted scenes and producers commentry. The set will be over 6 disks. However Ezydvd an Australian based online store will offer a free Battlestar Galactica laptop mouse .

Ron Moore's Blog Updated

Source: Ron Moore's Blog

News and Q & A

So, yes it's been forever and a day since I've last blogged. I feel shame.

To catch up on things: we're currently filming episodes 10 & 11, our mid-season cliffhanger episodes, after which we're going to take a four week hiatus from shooting, then resume production on the remaining eight. "Eight?" you ask, perceptively recognizing that would only add up to 19 and our much-publicized order was for 20. "Are you in trouble? Are they cutting back your order? Or did you fail math?"

No, no, and yes, but that's not the issue.

In another of our patented feats of editorial derring-do, we've taken what was to be episode 3, "Exodus" and crafted two episodes from it, thereby obviating the need to shoot one more show. As it currently stands, we will be opening Season Three with a two-hour premiere of what were originally two stand-alone episodes, "Occupation" and "Precipice" ("Occuprice," as it were) then resume airing normal one hours with "Exodus Part One." Confused? Good, that's the way we like it. Gotta keep the audience guessing.

Since I last blogged, the show received the George Foster Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcasting at a ceremony in New York. The entire writing staff attended as well as myself, David Eick, and several members of the cast and a good time was had by all. Terry and I (Mrs.Ron to those of you in the know) did a series of podcasts from the event and they'll be available for download at some point.

Personally, I can tell you that being in that ballroom, alongside of the other recipients of the award was a truly humbling experience. We were watching clips of documentaries dealing with fake pharmaceuticals in Asia, coverage of Katrina, exposes on Army recruiting practices, AIDS issues -- it was an extraordinary gathering of talent and material and to even be considered in the same breath with most of the work on display was a jaw-dropping experience that I'll cherish the rest of my life. It was truly one of the highpoints of my career and I'm grateful to continue to be allowed to do this show with this incredible group of people.

And now, on to your questions:

"Hey Ron, a lot of Buffy fans are very excited that Jane Espenson will be writing an episode of Battlestar Galactica next season. My question is can you please get her to write more than one, or better yet get her to join the staff? Please! "

We were pretty excited to have Jane too. I actually took Jane's first pitch way back in my early days at Star Trek and I had the pleasure of buying what turned out to be her first sale. I hadn't seen her since, but I'd followed her career from afar and was very proud to see her do so well. Turns out that Jane was a huge fan of Galactica and really wanted to do a script for us, so we jumped on the chance. I think we're all hoping that we could get her on staff at some point in the future, but we'll have to wait and see how everything shakes out for Season Four -- and whether she's even available, she's very much in demand these days. Her episode this year is "The Passage" (originally Ep 9) and deals with a harrowing voyage of the rag-tag fleet and focuses on Kat.


"I'm sure you know that BSG has a large following in the gay community. Obviously I'm not saying a show should change because of who watches it, but it has appeared so far that there are no gay characters on Battlestar Galactica. I'm just wondering if it's the case that homosexuality doesn't exist in the world of Battlestar, or it does exist, there are gay characters, and it just hasn't been discussed because it isn't relevant toward the plot. I love the show, and I know you wouldn't want to have a character just be gay to please the audience, or even necessarily to touch on any issues, but couldn't characters be gay and it not be an issue? It seems unlikely that homosexuality completely wouldn't exist."

It's a fair question. I think homosexuality definitely exists in the world of Galactica, but I frankly haven't found a way to portray it yet. It's a texture that I'd like to introduce into the series without doing "the gay episode." It's something that gets talked about internally periodically, but so far there hasn't been a good story or character arc or scene that's seemed like a good way to establish the fact without really hanging a big neon sign out that says, "See, we're doing a gay theme now!" Ultimately, it's probably a failure of imagination on my part and a reflection of the fact that I've never made this a priority for us, so pin the blame on me for not moving this bit of reality into our universe.


"Question: Why were the 'Boomers' naked on that basestar at the end of season one but the cylons on Caprica wear clothes? If the cylons on Caprica are trying to mimic humans so much, why weren't the ones on the basestar?"

First and foremost, the naked Boomers were just a neat idea and that's really why we wanted to do them. But beyond that, the idea was that on the Baseships, the Cylons live closer to their true nature as machines and that certain concepts and social conventions of human society would be less relevant to them than when they were interacting in an inherently human setting like on Caprica.


"Since Roslin's cancer is gone *wink wink* I was just wondering something. She proclaimed herself to be the dying leader of Colonial prophecy and people followed her as a religous leader, but now that she's no longer dying *wink wink* is she still considered to be "The Leader"? Are people in the colonies still looking to her as a sort of Colonial Moses who will lead them to the promise land of Earth? And since she is no longer suffering from her cancer I would assume that she's no longer taking the Chamala, so is she still having visions? Will she be having visions later on? Has the experince on New Caprica taking a toll on her faith? Is the experince on New Caprica mentioned at all in the Pythian Texts? Are you still planning on exploring Roslin's role in Colonial reglion?"

Good questions all. We have had numerous discussions of the fact that since Laura is no longer dying she may not, in fact, be the "dying leader" mentioned in the scriptures. There's also been talk of how that would be reflected throughout the fleet and in particular among the religious community and there will be some follow-up in this area. She isn't taking chamalla any longer, but she will experience some... "experiences" which will indicate that this part of her life isn't necessarily over. Her life on New Caprica will definitely influence her outlook on religion, indeed it will influence her role as president from now on.


"Another question if you don't mind. Is there any significance in the specific model numbers you assigned to some of the known cylons? D'anna is a three, Doral is a five, Six is, well a six and Boomer is an eight? The running fan theory is that each model corresponds with a specific colony and thus a specific astrological sign, but Boomer was supposedly from Aerilon and Aries is the 1st sign of the Zodiac whereas the eighth sign is Scorpio.

So just wondering if you had a reason for assigning the cylon with the model numbers you gave them or did you just make up them up on the spot?"

Number Six was specifically a homage to "The Prisoner," but the rest were assigned their numbers randomly.


"With the amazing lengths you've gone to, to show all of the military detail (many of my friends who were in the service watch the show and remark on this), I'm struggling with a few little things and it's probably just me and the guys at work nitpicking. Is there significance to the props used, like the hummer and thompson automatic on the wall of the pegasus ready room? Is there an implication that these items evolved in a similar way to the way they have on Earth or is there something deeper to look forwards to? LSO Kelly, for another example, we would have thought him to be an integral part of any scene involving the launch or landing of vipers, yet we rarely (3 episodes?) see him. Wasn't he left in charge of the Galactica at some point? I feel like I've just handed the keys to my jaguar to a valet thinking about a character we've barely seen being handed control of the most powerful ship in the human arsenal."

The props are all deliberate choices that imply more than just a passing connection between our world and the world of Galactica and there are deeper connections yet to come.

The appearance/disappearance of Captain Kelly has more to do with the budgeting process on the show than any creative issue. We only have so much money to spend each week and it's not worth it to pay to bring in Kelly (or any other recognizable guest-star for that matter) unless he's integral to the plot. So, we ask you to take the leap with us and assume that characters like Kelly and Kat and Hotdog and so on, are still aboard ship and doing their jobs even when they're not featured on camera, and therefore are ready to step into action the moment we actually need them for a story.

Cally's full name revealed!

Source: Battlestar Wiki

"At Comic-Con, I asked the writer Bradley Thompson what Cally's first name is and he said, "Cally is her first name. Her last name is Henderson." He said he didn't think her last name was ever used in the first two seasons, but he's pretty sure it comes up in Season 3." - Can you confirm this? -The Merovingian (C - E) 15:38, 24 July 2006 (CDT)

I'm not sure when we established Cally's surname as Henderson, but it's been in and out of several scripts. I know we originally had it in a line during the webisodes, but it vanished during a later draft. The art department has been using it to label her clothing, lockers, etc, since Ron christened her. She took Tyrol as her last name when she married the chief. - Ngarenn 15:43, 26 July 2006 (CDT)

Thanks! Yes, the BSGverse is very gender-neutral, and although Caroline Adama, etc. established that many women do take the surname of their husband, I wasn't entirely sure how far the gender-neutrality of everything extended (Indeed, Ron apparently has even toyed with the idea of saying that Admiral Cain's colony, Tauron, was matriarchal). But this is excellent news. --The Merovingian (C - E) 16:33, 26 July 2006 (CDT)

I guess this would make her (as of season 3) "Cally Henderson Tyrol"? Actress Nicki Clyne always felt "Cally" was her first name too. How is this reconciled with how at some points in the series (I'd have to look hard to find them) people have called her "Specialist Cally", as if that were her last name (by including rank)....come to think of it, there is a possibility that no one ever actually called her "Specialist Cally" in dialogue. I will check. (Btw, while I'm on the subject, who is this "Mexichick": she's one of the regulars in Terry Moore's thread on the Scifi board, and seems to have contact with several cast or crew members).

I must say, Cally is one of the best characters on the show. She won Best Supporting Actress in our large-scale online fan awards supported by Ron himself, beating out Dualla, Racetrack, Kat, and Ellen Tigh (it was a landslide victory). Sorry to get so excited, but I'm a card-carrying member of the Nicki Clyne fansite. You see I've actually been watching Trek from Next Gen, through DS9, and then the Voyager and Enterprise years, and I really feal that "lets get ratings fast by inserting Seven of Nine! Put T'Pol in a blatant shower scene!" stuff was a big blow to scifi genre tv, as it took out a lot of seriousness and believability. I viewed Cally as the "Anti-Seven of Nine" and living embodiement of Ron's essay on Naturalistic science fiction: instead of one Lara Croft-esque supersoldier Hot Space Babe [TM] main character surrounded by redshirts, on BSG Cally is a *third tier character* and a *female* who gets incredible development and characterization (note: I AM a male aged 18 to 25, it's just that even WE got sick of 7 of 9 and T'Pol).

A few of use on the messageboards in early 2005 just said "hey, that girl from the Miniseries was cool, we hope we see her more"...then came "Bastille Day" and her popularity exploded. She's the girl next door. And it just became a treat to see she was in and episode, like "Six Degrees of Separation", or "Flight of the Phoenix", or Fragged and Resistance (her standout episodes). It's the same reason we like Kat and Racetrack: they're well rounded, secondary female characters; and like Tyrol and Helo, minor characters can *actually die* in a given episode, increasing the tension. (I.e. Starbuck wouldn't die in Scar, but Kat might have, so I was actually invested in her fate).

And Cally just gradually grew into this really popular character online, from the grassroots up. Some people think it's a joke, but it's because we seriously like the actress and character and think it's one of the elements of scifi genre tv that BSG has fixed.

Btw, have you decided what colony she is from yet? (That is, will it be mentioned in Season 3?)--The Merovingian (C - E) 15:55, 24 July 2006 (CDT)

Not yet. Hasn't been relevant so far in 3, but we've got seven more shows to break. - Ngarenn 15:43, 26 July 2006 (CDT)


Thanks to The Merovingian for the heads up

Battlestar Galactica lands in Kamloops

Source : Kamloops this week

With Filming of the new series under way , Battlestar Galactica will used Kamloops as a filming location for a up and comming episode of the third season. It is seen as a coup by the city " This is a coup for us as television series seldom film outside Vancouver, or they film very close to it because each episode is on a very tight budget" added the Mayor Terry Lake. Mr Lake went onto discuss the types of location that the show might use for the episode backdrop "Our desert look and the city’s infrastructure continues to be a significant enticement to the film industry.” The show will hire local crew and extras , "And with more than 80 crew members staying in the city while they build sets and film the episode, the economic impact is estimated at $100,000. " this shows the direct impact Battlestar Galactica can have on local economies.

SCI-FI to run BSG without mid-season break

Source: Gateworld

Enjoy the summer of all-new episodes of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis while it lasts. SCI FI Channel in the U.S. will take a 6-month hiatus starting in September, with the second half of the current season to begin in March, according to a report from last week's San Diego Comic Con event.

SCI FI's Executive Vice President of Original Programing Mark Stern reportedly stated that the network is making the schedule switch so that it can air original programming year-round. Battlestar Galactica's third season will premiere in October, running 20 episodes without a break into March.

SCI FI recently premiered its new series Eureka to strong ratings, and has several other series in development.

Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis traditionally have returned from the fall break with new episodes in mid-January, airing the season finale in late March before a 3-month hiatus in between seasons. September will leave fans wanting more with a pair of cliffhangers: SG-1's "The Quest, Part 1" and Atlantis's "The Return."

It is not yet known how this will affect next season's schedule, should either series be renewed. If SCI FI sticks with a July premiere, the end of the current season would run up against the start of the next with little break in between.

This information has not yet been confirmed, so until then please treat it as you would any rumor. Stick with GateWorld for the latest updates!


Newshound: Reverend J

Rocket Man

Source : Out Magazine

Now that Battlestar Galactica has won over gay sci-fi fans with its gender-blind universe, will the cult hit put gays in space? Jamie Bamber, one of the show’s stars, is ready.
Matthew Breen from out magazine talked to the British Sci fi star Jamie Bamber about life on the show .
David Eick also added his imput to the article , he also talked in depth about the how Sexuality is protrayed on one the Sci Fi channels lead shows. On the topic of gay or Lesbian storylines Eick added " “As we evolve through the series and get further away from that cataclysm, we may feel like it’s less of a stretch to start showing people getting involved with each other. Who’s to say who won’t turn out gay?”
Jamie Bamber’s character, who begins the season married and 30 pounds heavier (thanks to prosthetic makeup), will no doubt return to his fighting form in no time. But Eick issues a warning: “It is a war show first and foremost. The audience should never get too attached to any single character because you never know when they may not be around anymore.”

Sky Full of Starbucks, Katee Sackhoff reflects on Kara

Source: Battlestar Galactica Magazine
Transcript: Sharon Gosling.

Having survived the turmoil of the Battlestar Galactica's second year in flight from the Colonies, the conclusion of season two suggested that perhaps-just perhaps-Kara Thrace had finally found happiness with Samuel Anders. The intervening year had evidently been full of change, heartbreak, love and disaster for every former member of the ship's crew, and discovering the whys and hows has viewers on tenterhooks for the new year of episodes. Early in filming during season three, actress Katee Sackhoff took some time to discuss her own thoughts about the direction Battlestar Galactica has taken, and how the currently groundbound Starbuck is fairing.

SG;Looking back at season two from a slight distance now, what is your overall impression of the year?

It was brilliant. We have such an amazing staff of writers, Ron Moore is brilliant, David Eick is brilliant, and the actors that they get are just brilliant. I feel so fortunate, every day. The story is just so amazing. I think my favorite episode last year was the one that I actually disliked the most to play - Scar. I had a hard time understanding why my character would go from one extreme to the next. Why would she wait - if she's drinking because she's missing Samuel Anders, why did she wait nine episodes, or however many episodes it was, to have this reaction to it> Why didn't it just happen immediately? It took a lot for me to try and figure out why that would happen, and thath was the meat of the episode. I hated that episode, I didn't understand any of it. How can this rookie come in and be better than Starbuck? It's not possible. She's been flying for six months - it's just not possible! So I had problems with it, but I watched the episode and I was so happy with the way that it turned out. That was the episode [where] I was most proud of myself, just because I saw there was so much going on with her in that episode, and I thought that it turned out really well. It was a good episode. I liked it.

SG; Season two ended with a tremendous jump, moving the story a year into the future. What did you think about that?

I thought leaping forward a year was a brilliant idea, because what it allowed us to do was explore completely different storylines, and not really think of why we were doing that. It gives Ron and the writers longer to figure out why things would have happened. It's like [starting] with the ending and working your way back. I'm just having such a great time with it, because I know what the ending is - we've just got to figure out why it happened. Anything is possible, it's great. I'm so excited about where my character ended. I've had no qualms about expressing my interest in Michael Trucco as an actor on the show. I think that he's amazing. He sticks so well with this character. He brings such different storylines for Starbuck, because you know that she's got these feelings for Lee, and she doesn't want to act on them - or she does want to act on them. But to bring in a person that she does fall in love with, or that she thinks she loves, throws a wrench in that plan again. I really do enjoy what he brings to my character, tremendously, so I was really excited about that.

SG; And yet, at the conclusion of season two she's threatened with tragedy again, with the possibility of losing Anders to illness. How did you deal with that?

I treated it the way that I treat everything negative that happens to Starbuck - "Okay then." I've said it so many times, this character takes one step forward and she takes two back. It seems like she's always trying to figure out what she's fighting for, why [she's] fighting. I think what's interesting is that they gave her a happiness, they gave her a reason to fight - or a reason to not fight, whichever way you want to look at it - and it's getting taken away from her again. So it's going to be very interesting to see what she does with that.

SG; What is she going to do in that situation? Is she going to surrender, or fight?

I think she's going to do a little of both. We see in the first couple of episodes, or we saw at the end of last season, [that] she's stopped fighting. There's nothing to fight. She's kind of hung up the gun belt, so to speak, and she's even taken her dogtags off. She was done. But circumstances will come up, as they do, and she will make a choice. The choice is, how do you best protect the ones you love? Do you keep them close to you and jsut sit and protect them at home, or do you go out and fight, and in turn protect everyone? And so I think that she will make that choice and she will go out and fight for them. Of course! It's Starbuck - how can she not fight? It's what she does best!

SG; At the end of season two, it was clear that the whole cast was extremely tired - it had been a very emotional , long year, and it left off in a very emotional place. How difficult was it to come back after a break and have to pick up where you left off?

It wasn't. My friend Greg, who's the sound operator on our show, he said to me one day, "It's so interesting, it feels like someone just hit the pause button." It was like, "Okay, and pause... and we're back for season three, and start again." We have such a great feel to the show, such a camaraderie throughout the cast, crew, writers - everyone involved. it really was just exciting to come back. I was tired. I hadn't stopped working since we wrapped, and I'm still shooting the movie (White Noise 2: The Light) right now, so I'm still excited o come to work, feeling speaks volumes to me about how much I still love this show. Because I'm so tired and I could go home and sleep for a year adn cry probably the entire time - and I can't wait to come to work! I just finished doing episodes one and two, and I read three. I don't work for nine days - and I'm like, but I want to shoot episode three - now! Please, let's just do it now! That's how good it is. I'm just so impressed by this show.

SG; Starting season three, how did you deal with the void left by the year-long gap in the story?

I made it up in my head. I don't know, as an actor, how to play something that I don't have a lead for. I have reasons for everything. So my reason for the rift between Lee and Kara is completely different to the one that is what they have actually decided to play. But it gave me the motivation, to feel guilt, and it was a completely different storyline. So I just made things up! I saw my marriage to Anders in my head, a reason why Tigh and Kara were now friends, the father daughter thing - I made that all up in my head. And none of it is right! [Laughs] But the writers always know best.

SG: Does the caus trouble for you - having a backstory that doesn't match what written?

No, not at all. I think, as an actor, that's what's so great about it. It changes everything. It's very cool. You're never bored because what I thought was reason for Lee and Kara was in my head - I couldn't think of anythng else. And the writers have this amazing thing for me to play, and I'm like, "Thank god we have writers! Because this idea is so much better!" [Laughs.]

SG; At the end of the second season and for part of season three, Kara Thrace is grounded on New Caprica - we usually see her in the air or on Galactica. Does that change her?

It's a different Starbuck when she's on the gorund [and] I think every tieme she's been on a plane, it's been a different Starbuck. When she's on the ship, there's a military side to her. She stands straighter, she walks taller. When she's on a planet, even if you go back to You Can't Go Home Again, you see that when she's on a planet and by herself, she's not as strong. There's things about this character that I'm still figuring out every day, which I think is what makes it more fun. I think, for myself and for the writers, you take it day by day. You don't know everything about this character, and the audience doesn't [either]. So I still don't know every reason why she does things. I know why she's doing it now, but it could be completely different tomorrow.

SG; What is your impression of season three so far?

Amazing! I think that they have found a very good way of explaining the rift between Starbuck adn Apollo that is going to shock fans. It shocked me! But it made complete sense. When I read the flashback scene, I cried. Because it was something that this character would do, and it was something I'm sure a lot of people have done. It goes to show how muchshe loves Apollo, but how terrified she is of that. So I'm so excited about that. I really can't say enough about how excited I am to do this season! The relationship she has with Tigh - there's a reason why they're friends now. It's tied into the Apollo Starbuck storyline, which makes it even more touching. The writers have just done such a great job. Most of my stuff to date has been with Leoben [Callum Keith Rennie] and a little girl named Madeline who plays [a girl who is] suposedly my daughter. And Anders - that relationship is going to be very interesting. It's going to be very interesting because the audience know something that he doesn't. At least, I think that how it's gong to play out - I'm not sure yet. They're going to be sitting on their cauches at home going. "How can you not see that!"

SG; Starbuck as a mother is an interesting thought - can you see her as that?

I think, if there's one thing in the world that could calm this woman down, could bring the softer sid e out of her, that unconditional love, that. "I would do anything for you." it's a child. I think it's the only thing that [she would] - I don't want to say give her life for, becaused we've seen that she would give her life for many people on this show, but give her heart and soul to.

SG: Do you feel that the rift between Kara and Lee can be mended?

I think you have two people that have nothing but respect, love and admiration toward towards each other, regardless of what they do. One of my best friends in Los Angeles is a guy, and we've been best friends for eight years. We've had moments where we've had fights and we haven't talked for three months because I just don't want to talk to him, I hate him. But I also know that if I need him, I can pick up the phone and say, "I need you" and he'd been there in five seconds. Even if he has a girlfriend - which probably isn't a good thing [laughs]. Because he's my best friend, I would jump in front of a bus for him, even if I was mad at him that day. So I think, when you do have that relationship with someone, there's always love there, always. And sometimes you're angry because you do love them and you see in them what they don't see. You see what they could be, or how they should be acting, how they should carry themselves. And when they don't do it you get mad that they aren't living up to their potential.

SG: What are you hoping to see for Starbuck this year?

I have no idea. I'm scared of saying what I'd like to see, because every season I've said, "I'd like see this, I'd like to see tha," and every time I get my own way! And the others are like, "Katee always gets her way!" and it's like, "No, I don't I just guessed right."[Laugh.] I've enjoyed playing the softer sid of her. I love seeing her with her daughter, and seeing the complete look of love and devotion to that little thing that she thinks she created. But I also love it when she pulls a gun and she's ready in a heartbeat to blow somebody's head off. Because I will do that to protect this thing that I love. And Whether it be Tigh, Anders, Lee or Adama, anyone, she will fight, and I love that part of her different sides of the coin but they're driven by the by the same thing. I love both sides of her. I know that the writers will do a masterful job of creating a great storyline, because they've already far exceeded anything that I could have imagined in my wildest dreams, so I'm very excited.

Newshound: Giorgio

Live at the San Diego Comic-Con: Sci Fi's 'Battlestar Galactica'

Source: The Futon Critic

Here is a report on the BSG panel at the San Diego Comic Con, and 5 videos of the event on You Tube. (There are spoilers there.)

2:15 pm: Huzzah! I've made it just in time for the final batch of intros. An elated crowd welcomes Edward James Olmos, James Callis, Lucy Lawless and Aaron Douglas as well as executive producers David Eick and Ronald D. Moore (not to mention network executive Erik Storey). Mary McDonnell had been listed as appearing, but no such luck.

Click the The Futon Critic link to see the rest of the article

To see the videos of the event click You Tube

A few 'Battlestar' bits before I go on vacation

Source: The Chicago Tribune

Without any clever preamble (I'm about to get on a plane and leave the country for two weeks, and boy, do I need the break), here’s my last bit of TCA reporting for you. I spoke last night with Bradley Thompson, one of the writers on “Battlestar Galactica,” and got a few interesting tidbits for fans of the show, which returns in October.

There’s some semi-spoiler-y info here, but don’t fret -- I’ll warn you when that stuff is coming. And trust me, I will have plenty more "Battlestar Galactica" coverage when the show returns in the fall.

One final "Galactica" note before we get down to business: The second half of Season 2 comes out on DVD Sept. 19, and it features an exclusive extended version of "Pegasus."

Anyhow, here goes:

* The first outing of the third season will be a 2-hour episode. Early in the season, there will be two linked episodes as well; episode 3 will end with a “to be continued."
* Thompson and his writing partner, David Weddle, produced 10 2-minute “Battlestar Galactica” Webisodes which could debut online as early as August (when Sci Fi confirms a date on their debut, I’ll let you know). Those Webisodes will concern the birth of the resistance movement on New Caprica (as you’ll recall from the show’s breathtaking finale, the Cylons, after leaving the human survivors alone on New Caprica for months, invaded the planet and took over).

Weddle says the Webisodes will give viewers more information about why certain resistance fighters take certain actions fairly early in Season 3. You don’t need to have seen the Webisodes to enjoy Season 3, but it sounds like you’ll have much more backstory on the resistance fighters if you do happen to see the Web stories. “You find out why they do what they do,” Thompson said.

We’ll meet two new characters in the Webisodes, which take place a few months after the Cylon invasion, and they’ll also feature Tigh, Cally and her baby, Tyrol and other characters we already know.

Thompson said he and Weddle didn’t really view the Webisodes as 10 totally discrete stories, but more “a half-hour episode broken into 10 chunks.”
* Jane Espenson, one of television’s best and most versatile writers (she has a great blog too), is writing an episode called “The Passage.” It’s episode nine of Season 3. “We had a freelance slot,” and Espenson got the call, Thompson said. Just some of the shows that Espenson has worked on: “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel,” “Firefly,” “Gilmore Girls” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” (where Weddle and Thompson were staff writers). So, yeah. I have a strong feeling that her episode is going to rock. (Jane on "Galactica": "It's been a long time since I've seen a show that does such a good job of crafting plot developments that defy prediction without feeling arbitrary." Word.)

Anyhow, Espenson’s episode arose when the show brought in Dr. Kevin Grazier, a scientist from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who talked about how one would navigate through space; how one would figure out how to get from one point in the universe to, for example, Earth. Grazier's talk prompted the story at the heart of Espenson's episode.
* I asked Thompson about Adama’s actions in the finale -- had he let the fleet protecting New Caprica dwindle because he was just tired, because so many folks wanted to head down to the planet and he couldn’t stop them, or because he really thought the Cylons weren’t coming back? “That will be addressed,” he said.
* I also asked about the return of the Cylons. I’d thought that in the finale, Brother Cavil (Dean Stockwell’s character) had said or at least implied that the Cylons were going to leave the humans alone. But Thompson pointed out, quite rightly, that Cavil had only said, “We have other plans.” Hmmmmm.
* Part of the reason Billy died in Season 2 is because the actor got a pilot and things got complicated as far as getting him for certain days/episodes. “To his credit, [Paul Campbell, who played Billy] did a terrific job,” in the episode in which he bit the bullet. (How cool is this? We're going to see Campbell again soon -- now that NBC has picked up Webisodes and prime-time episodes of "Nobody's Watching.")

This is the semi-spoiler-y stuff (everything in quotes is from Thompson):

* The Cylons “will have a bigger presence” in Season 3. And “we’ll learn something new about them.”
* “People will die. They always do,” he said. When I asked about the strong rumors about a high-profile character’s death, Thompson just gave me an enigmatic grin. He wouldn’t elaborate on who dies and how, but he did say that when the writers sketched out the third season, there were originally going to be a lot more deaths. Regarding character deaths, some actors “don’t know how closely they missed it.”
* Baltar is more or less New Caprica’s Marshal Petain in the new episodes. Did Baltar know the Cylons were coming? “That’s a good question, isn’t it?” He asked what I thought. I honestly don’t know. I’d guess Baltar didn’t know, but boy, wouldn't it be interesting if he did?
* In the third season, we will meet someone from Adama’s past.
* Though the third season will begin months after the Cylons begin their occupation of New Caprica, there will be some flashbacks of the “lost time” between the end of the finale and the start of the third season. One of those flashbacks will involve what Adama and Roslin were up to once the Cylons arrived.
* We’ll find out why Kara "Starbuck" Thrace and Lee "Apollo" Adama were really, really grumpy with each other in the Season 2 finale.

Cylon Weekly World News - 2

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Editor in Chief: Son of Joxer

Hail to the Chief: Interview with Aaron Douglas, Battlestar Galactica's Chief Tyrol

Source: Eclipse Magazine:

Aaron Douglas, 'Battlestar Galactica's' Chief Petty Officer Galen Tyrol, is not a fan of remakes. If something is really great to begin with, he thinks they should just leave well enough alone. No doubt that sentiment was echoed by many fans of the original version of the 1970s cult science fiction show. But, as Douglas explains to Carole Gordon, 'Battlestar Galactica' is different.

"I don't think the original 'Battlestar' had the run it deserved," Douglas says. "I certainly don't think the writers brought the story to fruition. And combined with that they were going to re-imagine it, I thought 'Okay, it will be different enough; it will be that in name only'."

Not that he doesn't understand fans' concerns about taking such a beloved show and giving it a new, and in some ways controversial, twist.

"I was a little bit torn," he admits. "I understand people's frustration and anger but, for me, it's like 'Lord of the Rings'. 'Lord of the Rings' was such an amazing series of books, and really to do them justice the movie needed to be 47 hours long! You just have to see that they are two separate entities along the same theme - let them stand on their own and say that they are both great for their own reasons."

Douglas attributes the international success of the re-imagined show to the strength of the writing, the excellence of the acting across the board, and the topicality of the show's storylines.

"It hits a lot of themes of what's going on in the world right now, particularly in the US, and puts a little bit of a spin on them. It reflects what's taking place and people can identify with that. It's sci-fi genre, but it's really a human drama; it just happens to take place on a spaceship or a planet that's not called Earth."

Douglas's character has been in the thick of the action from the start. He has fought the Cylons, fallen in love with one and had nightmares that he was a Cylon. This might not sound much like human drama, but the themes echo those of conflict, relationships and psychological demons that plague characters in most drama, whatever and whenever the setting.

"I really like the Chief," Douglas says with enthusiasm. "If somebody said, 'Which character would you like to play?' I would probably pick him. He's a blue-collar guy who just works really hard, is especially loyal to his friends and family and to his workers. He has his flaws and his foibles but they're not borne out of any sort of narcissism. He's not an egomaniac. He's just doing the best he can and he makes mistakes and pays for them and he's repentant."

He finds that the character strikes chords with fans of the show too, particularly those in the military.

"When I run into military people, a lot of them say, 'He's just like a Chief that I've served with, or I am serving with' and they really appreciate the fact that it's so real. That's what I really like about him."

The character's relationship with Cylon Sharon definitely falls into the category of "mistake". But is Tyrol really over her?

"Yes," Douglas says, "in that he is able to function and able to see her without it affecting his day-to-day life so much. No, in that I don't think anyone ever gets over that depth of love and betrayal. I think if he lived another hundred years, he still would have some lingering effects of it. But as time goes on he certainly isn't dealing with it every day; it's sort of at the back of his mind now."

Also at the back of Tyrol's mind is the fear that he might be a Cylon, a storyline explored in the two-part season two finale 'Lay Down Your Burdens'. The episode featured veteran actor Dean Stockwell as a priest, Brother Cavil, in whom Tyrol confides his nightmares. Douglas was thrilled to be working with Stockwell.

"I'm sitting there across the table from a guy who's been doing it for 63 years," he says. "I was just like, 'You've been doing this since you were a kid!'" Douglas's talent for mimicry kicks in and he gives a pitch-perfect impersonation of Stockwell's gravely voice. "'Yep, seven years old! Seen more than you will ever see!'"

Even though Stockwell in his long career has played opposite all the great names in the movie world, Douglas says that he didn't act the big star - and he came in completely prepared.

"He was the nicest guy," Douglas says with admiration. The scenes between Tyrol and Cavil in episode 19 were all shot in one session, but this didn't faze Stockwell.

"It was twelve, thirteen pages of dialogue and he had it all absolutely down, he was totally ready. I said, 'So you have been doing this for ever.' He said, 'There's four people on the planet that have been doing this as long as I have and I'm one of the four. There's me, Mickey Rooney, Elizabeth Taylor and Robert Blake.' I said, 'Wow, that's pretty good company because two of them are completely insane!' He laughed and said, 'Which ones are you talking about?' It's amazing - the guy's just an absolute icon. So, yeah, that was a real treat for me."

At the end of season two, Tyrol is about to become a father and is helping to settle the new colony - until the Cylons turn up yet again to enslave the colonists. Season three picks up the story a few months later.

Without giving too much away, Douglas says, "We're just dealing with the Cylon occupation and Tyrol is really a centrepoint for a lot of that story of dealing with the Cylons and trying to get away from oppressive occupiers."

"This is the best season ever!" is too often the PR refrain going into a new run of any show. Yet Douglas is convinced that, in 'Battlestar Galactica's' case, the writing and storylines really are stronger than ever.

"I was saying last year when we were shooting, those of you who liked season one, wait till season two, because it will blow your mind. Season three so far is just unbelievable. The first two scripts I sat down and I couldn't move. My phone was ringing, people were bugging me and I just completely blocked everything out because I got so involved in reading these first two scripts. It's ridiculous how good these first two scripts are."

At this point, Douglas doesn't know precisely what is planned. But he is confident he can trust the writing team to do right by Tyrol. Well, he trusts them on all but one small matter.

"I don't push them, I don't really bug them. The only thing I ask is 'You're not killing me, right? I don't die do I?'," he says with a laugh. "I have the promise that I'm not going to die until at least episode 17, after that they won't tell us anything!"

Douglas considers this role has enabled him to do his best work so far in his career, because of the quality of the storylines he has been given.

"They've really given me juicy meaty things to do and they let me ad lib and improve and do all the things that are my strengths so I am fiercely, fiercely proud of this show and my work on this show. It's really well received and to be a part of it is an honour, so I'm thrilled."

Douglas also has a small role in the up-coming movie 'Butterfly on a Wheel' as a desk sergeant at a police station. He plays a scene with Gerard Butler and Callum Keith Rennie (Cylon Leoben on 'Battlestar Galactica' ), who Douglas refers to as "one of the most talented guys I've ever met".

Aside from occasional movie roles, Douglas likes to spend his time away from 'Galactica' travelling, playing hockey and golf or reading. He's also a big hit on the convention circuit. What does he get out of attending these events?

"Oh, every convention I go to is a real treat," Douglas says with conviction. "I love going to them. I think I've been to England four or five times for conventions. I love meeting the fans, and then sit around and have a beer and talk about the show or talk about life or whatever. They are the neatest people. They are so sweet and warm and welcoming and yeah, it's an amazing group of people to hang out with. They are all there for a good time and it's just a good laugh. Ask the people that go to the Wolf events, I'm always the last one out of the bar, so I must be having fun!"

That fun - the result of a life-changing decision - started the day he married his (now ex-) wife. At the wedding reception, he announced that he was quitting his job and going back to acting school. An amazing set of coincidences had come together at that event to present him with an omen.

"Here beside me was my wife, Deborah Kerr, and sitting at the head table, there's my father, Michael Douglas, and his girlfriend Linda Hamilton, so I said I have to be an actor! The universe is telling me!"

Sort of his own personal - and very special - remake.

Comic-Con 2006: Superman Returns, Galactica Year Four

Source: Now Playing

It’s Friday night in San Diego and we’ve been talking to a ton of talent – Hollywood types, comics types, amateur types, and hot-girls-in-superhero-costume types – and there is much news to report. We’re trying to get some of this stuff up on the Now Playing Website as soon as we hear it ourselves, but open bars and glamorous parties are cutting into our after-con hours.

In a nutshell, here are a few tidbits we’ve uncovered so far:

Dean Devlin, the producer behind ID4, The Patriot, and the original Stargate film, is in town promoting his cool-looking World War I pic Flyboys. He revealed that he and his Stargate partner Roland Emmerich may be returning to the world of that famous space portal with a second and third feature film in the series that would bring back Kurt Russell and James Spader and be completely separate from the TV series. Nothing solid yet, but Devlin is optimistic that it will happen.

I bumped into Battlestar Galactica’s Chief Tyrol, Aaron Douglas, at the Diamond Select toy party last night, and he let loose with word that the show is currently shooting episodes 11 and 12 of season three, and that, yes, his character and Cally are in fact now the proud parents of a son named Nicholas. He also says that a season four for the show is all but a sure thing, citing the potential of a syndication package that would rely on at least a four-year string of episodes.

The voice of Optimus Prime in Michael Bay’s Transformers film has been announced as Peter Cullen, the performer who provided the character’s voice in the original old-school animated series. Fanboys grow feint with glee.

Bryan Singer and Warner Bros. had the discourtesy to cancel my one-on-one interview with him today, but that disappointment was alleviated a bit by the revelation from Singer in a press conference that he is in fact making a Superman Returns sequel, and that it will hit theaters in 2009. The director says we can expect more action in the sequel, and while story and villain details are being kept quiet of course, Singer did not discount the possibility that Zod and/or Braniac might show up. Kneel before him.

Sam Jackson was pimping Snakes on a Plane today, along with a snake wrangler and a few real live snakes, and he also talked to Now Playing about his Spike TV Afro Samurai cartoon. The man himself says that there’s talk about turning the toon into a live-action feature film as well, muther f---er.

At the Hasbro toy party, the company’s new Spider-Man 3 toys were shown, barely, as were some really nice Marvel Comics pieces. Now that Toy Biz is defunct, Hasbro is handling the Marvel toys, and they look pretty impressive so far. Also glimpsed at the party were a couple of clips from Nicolas Cage’s Ghost Rider, and you know what? They actually got us excited. Or maybe it was just all that Heineken.

MOORE GAMES

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA'S HEAD WRITER/EXECUTIIVE PRODUCER OUTLINES A RECIPE FOR SUCCESSFUL FRANCHISE REINVENTION AT GAME DEVELOPERS CONFERENCE...






SOURCE:Battlestar Galactica Magazine
ISSUE: Aug/Sept

Ronald D. Moore's ever-incresing impact on the modern entertainment industrywas acknowledged in March when Battlestar Galactica's head writer/executive producer was invited to give the keynote address of the 'Vision Track' segment at the 2006 Game Developers Conference (GDC).

Speaking to leading figures from the videogame industry, Moore discussed the various challenges of reviving classic Hollywood properties and turning films like Scarface, Jaws and Dirty Harry into videogames. The award-winning writer/producer expressed his belief that a successful reinvention requires its makers to define what gave the source material its strength and appeal, and recalled how that idea shaped his approach to the development of the new Battlestar Galactica.

"The Challenge for a lot of these existing properties is, how do you translate the experience of watching Scarface into the experience of being Scarface." Moore noted at the event. "What is the fantasy you're trying to evoke?"

In a nod to the hostile reception his reinvention of Battlestar Galactica initially received from some original series fans. Moore also joked that he had been asked to promote a new firstperson shooter game. "You play a television producer trying to get the X/Y balance right while fighting off massive hoards of pissed-off fans." he quipped, to roars of laughter from the crowd.

While attending the conference, Moore was quizzed about Battlestar Galactica videogames. He recalled how he was consulted during the development of the 2003 Battlestar Galactica videogame, to ensure it was consistent with the new show's backstory as well as the original series. Moore also expressed his desire for a new Battlestar Galactica interactive spin-off a complex videogame that was set in the new show's world and pitted players against problems faced by the series characters, like water shortages or plague outbreaks.


Newshound: Giorgio

Monthly Moderator Interview July 2006

Many thanks to CylonGod for being in the hot seat last month. This month we have a Viper lined up to take his turn in the Hot seat. He is known around RA for his blue cookie eating ways with a love for the balti .Phantom Dennis locks and loads in his Viper MkII , collects his cookie supply and sits down for a Q&A .


What made you watch the New Series of BSG?

Was a follower of the old series and was curious to see how it was. In fact negative publicity from fans of the pilot made me even more determined to start watching. I was impressed for the start and am still very appreciative of my friend who loaned me the copy of the pilot epiosde.

What was for you the best moment of the second season?

The meeting up of the Rag Tag Fugitive Fleet with the Battlestar Pegasus.. In particular its the tense start changing to relief and delight when they realise that they are not the sole survivors of the holocaust. Bears music makes this intense emotional moment even more poignant.

Which BSG character do you relate to (if any)?

Not sure if I relate to him, but he is my focal point of the series and that character is Bill Adama. In the pilot he is definately in the twilight of his career, winding down and being "decommisioned" in a similar way as Galactica. However, when the Cylon attack occurred, Bill's weariness and age fall away and he rises to the challenge of saving the remanants of mankind and giving them hope and purpose.

Do you feel that the show could be improved in any way?

Perhaps stretching the episode for an hour.. There is so much plot crammed into each episode. You sometimes need a little time to digest the various threads. It would also enable some backplot to be put in, to show scope beyond the lives of the main characters. The new Doctor Who I feel sometimes also suffers from too much happening too quickly and I believe could be improved in a similar manner. I do like the concentrated number of episodes (20 per season). I would rather have quality over quantity, but an extra 10 minutes or so per episode I would feel would go a long way to improve things, set scenes and fully realise the potential of each script.

What is your favorite BSG episode so far?

End of Season One Kobols Last Gleaming Pt. II... Why is it your favorite?So much happens, its like a roller coaster ride. Tension between Adama and Roslin (and I respect both characters!!) Apollo commiting an act of mutiny or disregarding an illegal order depending upon your take. Raptor crews downed and stranded on Kobol and as for the finale with Boomer shooting Bill, how could it not be anyones favourite?

With Many new writers such as Jane Espenson of Buffy fame pening episodes do you think there will be a new episode style?

I think some change of style is inevitable. All writers can offer their own perspective. As long as it follows the same gritty premise that has been pursued so far, I am confident that the reimagined BSG will run for several series to come.

With the Emmy disappointment that Battlestar Suffered, why do Sci-Fi Shows get such a raw deal from the Emmy’s?

Sci-fi is often lampooned by the popular media and yet when surveys are commissioned of favourite films and TV shows the ones ranking high in the polls are the Sci-fi or cult ones. Although they have a "geeky" reputation many people watch them. The reason is this, Sci-fi offers all the plot devices a conventional show has.. The main difference is that its real people in unreal situations.. Intelligent people can work with that.. Perhaps this says someting about people involved with these award events. They don't "get it" because perhaps they can't see there way out of the mundane box. To quote Starbuck, out of the box is where I live.

There has been much criticism over the DVD releases of the show in the UK; do you feel that UK fans have been Short Changed with the lack of Extras on the DVD sets?

Yes, but what else is new. This is why fandom springs up. Fandom is akin to a fan union and tries tod create a voice to serve the interests of fans in general. If we shout loud enough the powers that be should listen.. We make their shows and merchandising a success, ignore us at your peril.. (or profit)

What would you say is BSG biggest strength as a show and what do you think has contributed to its success?

Its gritty well written scripts. Its well fleshed out characters and its determination not to becomes another "trek" or "stargate" BSG doesnt pull any punches or patronise its audience.

What has been your best Battlesatar Convention Experience?

Meeting briefly Katee Sackoff and James Callis. The actors are charming and are generally happy to reach out to the wider fan community. Im hoping to attend more BSG conventions in the future so watch this space....

Which BSG sound track do you like the most?

The Pegasus Episode sound track, it just works for me. Combination of instruments, tempo and the visuals in the episode that it accompanies. A very moving composition.

What would you like to most see happen in series 3?

Come across more colonial survivors and ships. Although I dont know how this can realistically be intergrated into the current ongoing plot. Perhaps the Cylons dump the humans on New Caprica after finding them hidden from other parts of the colonies. This may create some interesting dynamics, especially if some of them are from the old Pegasus RTF...

Will the Colonials ever reach Earth?

Yes, but I'm a twisted kind of person. Being a fan of dark 70's style British shows (like Survivors) There should be a kind of sting, this would keep the show in the same sort of style that has been presented so far. My ideas about this are not clearly formed yet... But a sweet and rosey ending a definite NO-NO.

How do you feel the Third Season should shape up?

Want to see more of the background characters, in 3rd season episodes. In order to see the reasoning and motives of the more secondary characters. Ie. Who keeps the civvie ships running, what about schools and the little people keeping the RTF up and running.

With the creation of the Web episodes “Caprica” is there a certain area of back-story or a facet of the colonies you would like to be seen explained?

How the cylons get created from initial models to the more advanced models that we see in BSG_TNS. The Hows and whys of the Cylon revolt and what life was like in the colonies before the war.

What is the strongest facet of the Show in your opinion?

Variety of characters, and the fact that no character is immune from death and that each character seems to have flaws in their personnas. This realism gives you something to identify with and gives the whole show a more realistic context and credible feel.

Any further Comments …..?

You want me to talk more??? ... ;-)

Thanks PD , look for another Moderator Interview next month.

BSG Airs 3.1 & 3.2 Back-To-Back

According to Bear McCreary's blog, the first two episodes of Season 3 will air back-to-back. According to Bear, "Hey BG fans, I just thought I'd let you all know that the beginning of Season 3 truly kicks ass. I've started writing music for it and I think it's safe to say you'll be blown away. I won't spoil anything (you have each other for that!) but I will say that the season premiere will air as a two hour movie... more intense than most films you pay to see in the darkened theater." News like this is very welcome to BSG fans who have been waiting for their favorite show to air for some months now!

Newshound: Koenigrules

INTERVIEW WITH KATEE SACKHOFF

SOURCE; SciFi Magazine
Director's Cut.



KATEE SACKHOFF, who plays fighter jock Kara "Starbuck" Thrace on SCI FI Channel's original series Battlestar Galactica, told SCI FI Wire that her character is in for a rough time - and a new haircut - in the show's upcoming third season. Speaking from the set of her new film, White Noise 2; The Light, Sackhoff said: "I just lost a huge battle with the producers as to my hair and what lenght it should and should not be." (Sackhoff's blond hair was streaked with bright red for her role in the supernatural horror sequel.) "So it's going to be gone. Shorter than it was in the miniseries."

Sackhoff said to look for a big change in the fifth episode of the upcoming third season, after four episodes that promise to test the already - battered Starbuck to her limits. "She goes through a lot of turmoil in the first four episodes." she said. "More than we've ever seen [from] her. The depths of despair she finds herself in are pretty deep at the end of episode four. And she kind of reestablishes her commitment to the military in episode five which is the haircut."

Also look for a new love interest for Starbuck in the new season, though Sackhoff remained coy about whether the new relationship will survive those first four episodes. "There is another man that comes into her life." she said. "It's very unlikely man. Everyone is going to be so livid over it."

Sackhoff is doing a string of movies when not shooting Galactica. She said that the workload helps her. "There's three ovelap days on Battlestar and nights on White Noise. I'm thinking that I might get like, two hours of sleep a night. But that's OK, because the scenes are very intense. I called my agent, and I was like , "I'm going to win an Emmy." I'm going to be so good those days, they're going to be saying . "Hey this girl can act."

Newshound: Giorgio

Titan Books goes Galactic

Second Battlestar Galactica Companion Finds Earth in August

Battlestar Galactica, a ‘re-imagined’ version of the cult 1970s television program, has quickly become one of the most critically acclaimed and popular shows on television. Boasting an average of two million viewers per episode, Season 3 of the hit series premiers in October 2006 on SCI FI. Through a licensing agreement with Universal Studios Consumer Products Group, Titan books will publish Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion Season Two, to help fans get caught up on all the action of last season before the new season unfolds.

August marks the release of the second fully-authorized companion guide to Battlestar Galactica. Authored by seasoned sci-fi and fantasy writer David Bassom, Mary McDonnell has written a lovely foreword for the book too. Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion Season Two (Titan Books; August 2006; $14.95 / $19.95CAN; ISBN: 1-84576-221-5), features exclusive interviews with the cast and crew, insider secrets, a complete episode guide to the second season - packed with commentary - and a 16-page color photo supplement.

Titan editor Adam Newell: “Where the first season of Battlestar Galactica raised the expectations of fans and critics, the second season surpassed and subverted them, creating some gripping, powerful and truly groundbreaking television in the process.”

Pre-order your copy from Amazon.com

Pre-Order your copy from Amazon.co.uk

Variety interviews Katee Sackhoff on Yoga

Source: Variety

Katee Sackhoff was practicing yoga before it was trendy, but not because she wanted to.

As a teenager growing up in Oregon, swimming was her first love until she injured both her knees. Part of the physiotherapy required Sackhoff to do yoga stretches.

"I didn't want to sit in a room and have to focus," says the "Battlestar Galactica" co-star. "I wanted to be out playing in a soccer game or doing something crazy, and I was inside doing yoga with a bunch of old women."

Despite an unpleasant introduction to the ancient Hindu spiritual practice, Sackhoff kept with it. When she was 19 and living in New York, she started doing the style of yoga called Bikram, which consists of 26 postures and two breathing exercises that are performed at sauna-room temperatures.

"To me it's actually working out. I feel it. Your muscles shake hard, and your heart rate is going a million miles a minute," Sackhoff says.

She attributes the breathing techniques learned in the intense heat to helping her push harder on her 10-mile runs every Sunday. Bikram also keeps her limber, which helps her in her role as Captain Kara "Starbuck" Thrace on "Galactica." She is able to perform stunts without pulling a hamstring, as one of her co-stars recently did.

So where does this passion for yoga come from?

"I'm really competitive, and the thing with yoga is that no matter how long you go, there's always a new challenge to it because you can always push yourself a little bit farther," Sackhoff explains.

Besides the physical health benefits, there are mental health ones Sackhoff derives from her yoga practice that help her to deal with the sometimes insane nature of the entertainment industry.

"It forces you to center yourself and be present," says Sackhoff. "I think that anything that helps people be more present in Hollywood is probably a good thing."

Executive Producer David Eick Talks Galactica Year Three – and Caprica

Source:Now Playing

Battlestar Galactica may not have gotten any major Emmy nominations last week, but that doesn’t mean that many of us aren’t dying for season three of the series to debut. That won’t happen until the fall, but in the meantime I recently had the chance to talk to David Eick, executive producer of the show. What follows is a portion of that chat (subscribe to our print magazine for the rest of the interview), including a glimpse of what’s to come for Galactica, as well as its spin-off series, Caprica.

Now Playing: You took a step forward at the end of last season, and I hear you’re planning on doing it again at the beginning of season three. Why did you choose to make that jump?

David Eick: It seemed that much of that year was being spent under a pretense of a detente between the Cylons and the humans. And there’s little drama to be gotten out of that truce. In other words, one would presume that they made nice for a period of time. Basically, there is a lot of start-up that would have to take place within that society. The building of that society, the organization of it and then the beginning of the fraying of the relationships with the Cylons. And it just seemed like the more interesting part of the drama to cut to would be the point at which the world had undergone a year of having been built, the relationships had changed to some degree and the beginning of the friction with the Cylons was really beginning, so that was the reason for it.

NP: I understand that you’re setting up a government similar to Vichy, France, is that right?

DE: Yeah, exactly. That’s exactly my point. Versus what felt like rather dull society building, which just didn’t seem that terribly compelling.

NP: Have you planned out the arc for the season already?

DE: Not for the entirety of the season, but certainly for the first 12 or so, we’re pretty clear where we’re going.

NP: Seems like you just went back to work.

DE: I know. It’s going fast.

NP: Are we going to see a splintering of the Galactica characters?

DE: For the first three episodes of the new season, the skeleton crew that’s left on the Galactica is in space sort of working as the lighthouse holding a vigil to protect against any sudden Cylon attack or anything going wrong. And the rest of the society is down on the planet.

NP: Is there a risk in making big changes to the show?

DE: I realize there’s stuff we’ve got in the works that you aren’t aware of yet, which is why things seem a little more different. But I do think you’re correct that the formula so to speak has changed in that we had in the first season, for example, episodes like “33,” “Bastille Day,” “Hand of God,” these were episodes that were more or less self-contained, they involved a specific agenda that resulted in some kind of clash or conflict and by the end of that episode, the conflict was resolved. We probably have fewer of those. I know there are some that are more in that direction. There’s one that involves a human POW who’s been trapped on the Cylon base ship for the last four years, and when we meet him we realize it’s a great homecoming for him because he was one of Adama’s pilots. But by the middle of the episode you realize the reason why this guy was taken prisoner was because Adama shot his ship down. And it becomes sort of an episode about why such a thing would have happened and how Adama begins to believe that on some level he might have been responsible for provoking the Cylon attack on the 12 Colonies. That’s a very intense sort of tour de force episode for an actor like Eddie Olmos and for whoever we get to play this pilot. And it’s also really an episode that brings Adama and Tigh, who have been a little bit at odds for the first handful of episodes of season three, bringing them back together. Through this very tumultuous and agonizing process for Adama, those two old friends are brought together. So that kind of episode is still possible. We will still do episodes like that. They still affect some of the arc, like I said, the Adama-Tigh arc is sort of resolved in this, but it’s more of a standalone. That being said, the first three episodes are serialized. Episode four is pretty much a standalone. Five and six is a two-parter about the discovery of a dying base ship and a plague that has befallen the Cylons. And seven is standalone. Eight is a memory episode that goes back to that lost year and some of the things that took place. So in a way, that’s sort of a standalone episode because it’s not the continuation of an arc, but it’s still serialized because it’s going back and exploring an old story. And then nine is basically teeing up - it’s not quite a standalone, it’s not quite serialized - it’s teeing up where we’re going in the season finale, which is discovering the next big clue on the road to Earth. And that is the centerpiece of the next episodes, the 10 and 11 two-parter.

NP: So you’re dividing the season into two halves again, with a mid-season finale?

DE: Exactly, although the breaking between the two halves is much shorter. I think it was four months last year and it’s only going to be a month this year.

NP: How many episodes total this season?

DE: Twenty.

NP: In the past you and Ron have been very involved in doing podcasts and v-casts and additional material for the fans. Are you continuing that?

DE: Yeah. I was shooting my video blog yesterday with Lucy Lawless. So that stuff’s continuing.

NP: How has it been working with Lucy?

DE: She’s magnificent. She really is. And the audience that might be coming to see her because they were a fan of Xena are going to be dumbfounded.

NP: She’s been great so far as a guest star.

DE: Yeah. I think she’s reached a completely new level now. It’s almost like she’s not the same character. I just think in that [first] episode she was sort of in disguise. She was pretending to be this character named D'Anna who was a journalist. So she was affecting certain characteristics that would be consistent with that kind of person, but that’s not her personality. The nature of the character’s real personality is, I think, much darker, much more interesting and threatening. But in a very, very quiet, understated, powerful way. Which is a little different from the Xena character, which was obviously more fun, more in your face. It was a broader tone than this.

NP: Are you bringing back any of the other guest stars, like Richard Hatch or Dean Stockwell?

DE: Oh, yes. They will all be back, absolutely. Although not everyone survives, they will all be back. For the time being anyway. Some in flashbacks, some as we proceed.

NP: So what happened to Richard’s character in the interim year?

DE: You’ll have to wait and see. Initially, he is basically banished. And imprisoned. And you’ll have to wait and see what happens.

NP: Are you looking at parallels with current events? Does that enter your mind in the writing or story development process?

DE: I think it does to the extent that we’re all kind of political junkies and we all watch and read and consume a lot of material regarding what’s going on in the world. Both Ron and I were poli-sci majors in school and it remains a sort of natural interest for us. So it informs what we do. It informs our conversations. It informs what we write. It informs how we play things editorially. It’s not, however, a contrived, forced agenda. It is not the kind of thing where we sift through like they do in Law & Order, where they literally go through the papers and find their story. For example, when we did the prison torture episode “Flesh and Bone” in season one, I don't ever recall a conversation where we said, “Hey, did you see what’s going on in Cuba? Let’s do that.” It was just a natural outcropping of what we were all kind of thinking and talking about, but it wasn’t like we sat down with that agenda.

NP: In the coming season, are you splitting your time on this and the development of Caprica?

DE: No, because we spent a handful of days in a room with Remi Aubuchon, the writer, breaking the story, and we spent a day or so working on the outline with him. But really, that’s in such an embryonic stage that it hasn’t pulled us away. I mean, we should be so lucky to be sitting here going, “Gee, what do we do today, Caprica or Galactica?” It’s not at that stage yet. Right now, it’s just a script that none of us have even read yet because it’s being written.

NP: It’s something that will take place in the past, right?

DE: Yes. Exactly. It takes place about 50 years ago. It’s in the Galactica universe, only 50 years before the events of Battlestar.

NP: Will we see any familiar characters, then?

DE: No. At least, not for the most part.

NP: Will we see Cylons like we know them now?

DE: It is about the birth of the artificial intelligence technology that will one day lead to the Cylon race. So on that level, it deals with the Cylons. But certainly not in the same way that we deal with them on our show.

NP: Is there anything more you can say?

DE: The script is still being written.

NP: O.K. Anything else on Galactica you wanted to say?

DE: No, other than if you really love the characters, prepare yourself to say goodbye [evil laugh].

NP: That can be taken many different ways.

DE: Exactly. And that’s why I’m going to leave it at that.

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Editor in Chief: Son of Joxer

New Season 3 Preview

Watch the two-hour series premiere of Eureka on Tuesday, July 18, at 9/8C to see an exclusive, extended first look at the new season of Battlestar Galactica.

Newshound: Gougef

Your most popular Cylon publication



Editor in Chief: Son of Joxer

New rules result in same old snubs

Source: Chigago Tribune

The annual Emmy nominations are designed to break the hearts of serious television fans, and this year the awards fest has done its duty again. The disappointments have a little more sting this year, because many observers thought things were going to be different this time around.For the 2006 voting process, the Emmy bigwigs instituted new rules designed to allow critically acclaimed underdogs and a less predictable roster of actors and programs into the nomination process. Well, so much for that.
Battlestar Galactica picked up only 3 nominations in non performance catagories:
Outstanding Costumes For A Series: Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2-
Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing For A Series: Scattered-
Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Series: Resurrection Ship, Part 2

With new rules from the Academy being brought into effect , Shows like Battlestar were hopeful of more nominations . In spite of this the cast , crew and Production team have been very dissapointed. The lack of BSG nominations has come as a surprise to some industry insiders who have praised the re-imagined version of the Cult Show. The Chigago Tribune was quick to point out the lack of nominations for the show."Still, the Emmy nomination list is most notable for its omissions. There were no acting or writing nominations for Sci Fi's "Battlestar Galactica" or FX's "The Shield"--my two personal nominees for the best programs on television ("Galactica's" technical staff did snag three well-deserved nods)."
The critism over the nominations did not halt there Maureen Ryan from the tribune was quick to question lack of performance awards for the show. "And where are Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell's acting nominations for "Battlestar Galactica"? Where are the writing and other acting nominations for "Veronica Mars," "Battlestar Galactica."
The Critics have praised the performances from the lead actors from the show since the Mini series. The lack of nominations in key catagories has fuled the argument that shows on less well known or prominent channels are not been represented fully in award nominations.

Newshound : Reverend J

BSG receives 3 Emmy nods

Source: Academy of Television

The Emmy 2006 nominations are out and it looks like Battlestar Galactica gets 3 nods for the technical and artistics side of things but no recognition for the great acting or writing. As reported earlier at Galactica Station the Emmy nominations have recently undergone some restructuring to include genre programming but no signs of BSG for their achievement in introducing gripping drama into a Sc-Fi series.

Outstanding Costumes For A Series

Battlestar Galactica • Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2 •
Sci Fi Channel • R&D Television in association with NBC
Universal Television Studios
Glenne Campbell, Costume Designer
Glenna Owen, Assistant Costume Designer
Cali Newcomen, Assistant Costume Designer


Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing For A Series

Battlestar Galactica • Scattered • Sci Fi Channel • R&D
Television in association with NBC Universal Television
Studios
Kenneth Kobett, C.A.S., Supervising Re-Recording Mixer
Michael Olman, C.A.S., Supervising Re-Recording Mixer
Rick Bal, Production Mixer

Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Series

Battlestar Galactica • Resurrection Ship (Part 2) • Sci Fi
Channel • R&D Television in association with NBC
Universal Television Studios
Gary Hutzel, Visual Effects Supervisor
Michael Gibson, Senior Visual Effects Coordinator
Doug Drexler, Digital Supervisor
Steve Kullback, Visual Effects Coordinator
Mark Shimer, Lead Visual Effects Animator
Chris Zapara, CGI Supervisor
Lane Jolly, Lead Visual Effects Compositor
Kyle Toucher, Visual Effects Animator
Daniel Osaki, Lead CGI Model Maker

Kandyse McClure interview

Source: Cult Times Special #40 via Live Journal

She was interviewed while filming Unfinished Business , and starts off going into how her character has changed and developed over the last two years.

Playing Dee has not been straight-forward, as she is not "always clearly defined", and that she is discovering more and more who Dee is with each new script. She feels that Dee "grew up more in Season Two. My character got a stronger sense of herself, and what she did and did not want in a relationship. Dualla was also better able to stand up to authority figures,and in general just set some boundaries and definitions on how she wanted to live her life and what she would and wouldn't tolerate. I think her relationship with Lee Adama (Jamie Bamber) speaks to that as he would not look at a childish woman. I also see Dee as being a worthy adversary of sorts for Lee, and by that I meant she pokes fun at him a little bit. She rarely skips a beat in telling him whats on her mind, and we're seeing more of that this (third) season."

She discusses Dee's relationship with Billy and how sad it was to see Paul Campbell leave, and how she really did cry at his death scene.

In regards to the Lee/Dee romance, she has "to admit that at fist I felt the Lee and Dualla romance was rather sudden. I asked myself "is this going to work?". After all, she had been this indecisive, hot and cold type of girl, but in fact their relationship worked out. It's sort of fed itself......".

She also describes the relationship with "There had to be playfulness as well as a sexuality and a passion. That spaRk didn't really exist with Billy but it does with Lee".

At the end of season two the interview confirms that she is his wife and the Pegasus XO. "My character is at the helm as opposed to monitoring communications, wearing a new uniform as well as a new hairdo and a bit of an attitude, "she jokes." And that Lee "has become somewhat distracted (personally and professionally) so Dualla has taken over insofar as making sure things on board are running smoothly."

However there will be some conflict between the two of them, and at of season 3, there is "this terrific scene in the season opener where my character is giving Lee what for."

However it is "just about two people who have been together for a while, and Dualla wanting to stand up for Lee because he has not been doing it for himself."

She goes on to say that this idea is a real "throughline for what their relationship is...."

She sums up her relationship with Lee in season three.
"Dualla knows all these things about Lee, including his flaws, his history with Starbuck, as well as the tension between him and his father....... and it doesn't matter. She's the one person he can count on to give it to him straight, stand up for him, fight for him, and love him even when he doesn't love himself enough. That's a concrete feeling Dualla will always have for him, irrespective of what happens in their relationship."



The Full interview is in Cult Times Special #40.

Jamie Bamber: Battle-Tested

Source: The Trades

As one of the stars of the popular sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica, receiving praise is nothing new for Jamie Bamber. Some of the nation’s top publications have hailed the series as one of the best shows on television.

Bamber, who plays fighter pilot Lee Adama (code named "Apollo") on the show, says Battlestar Galactica’s critical acclaim puts both more and less pressure on the cast. “There’s nothing as good as knowing that people are appreciating the work you’re doing,” he tells me. “In a way, that lessens the pressure, because there’s relief there. You know what you’re doing is good, and you know the people around you are doing a good job. There’s also more pressure, because there are going to be more people watching. There are viewers that wouldn’t ordinarily watch sci-fi who are going to come to our show, and we can’t let them down.”

Bamber credits much of the success to the show’s elemental storyline and well-written characters. “It’s a bunch of people running for their lives,” he says. “A lot has been written about 9/11 and the parallels of people being attacked from nowhere and catching everyone by surprise.”

He adds, “[The show] has really good characters in really claustrophobic situations. That makes for good drama. You can’t help but have good stories when people are fighting for their lives day in and day out.”

Despite the positive media attention and increasing fan base Battlestar Galactica continues to generate, Bamber says his job involves more work and less glamour than many people think. “It’s not the glitz and the glamour everyone thinks it is,” he says. “About 99.9 percent of it is the working life like what everyone else does…I can count on one hand how many red carpets I’ve walked down. My total time spent walking down red carpets is probably under 30 minutes of my life.”

While Bamber is best known for his work on Battlestar Galactica, this British-born performer has been acting from a young age. His first role came when his actress mother selected him to play the Wicked Witch of the West in “The Wizard of Oz.” Yet, he insists his mother was not a stage mom who pushed him into the profession. “When it became time to make acting a career choice, my parents weren’t encouraging me to make that choice,” he explains, “but once I made it, they were encouraging. I think my dad was a little more skeptical about it, because he’d lived the life of an actress via my mum and he’d seen how difficult and frustrating and unrewarding it can be along the way. So I entered into the career with very real expectations.”

Bamber says his acceptance to the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts gave him the confidence to pursue acting full-time. “I was considering what to do with my life, so I took the responsibility out of my hands,” he recalls. “I said, ‘I’ll apply to some of the best drama schools in the country. If get into them, I’ll pursue it.’ If I hadn’t gotten in, I honestly think I would have given up acting and pursued something else.”

There seems little doubt that Bamber made the right choice, because the high-flying career of this TV fighter pilot shows no signs of coming down any time soon.