So say we all...

Source: Nicki Clyne's Blog


*spoiler alert for anyone who hasn't seen the most up to date episodes. ps. what's wrong with you??*

wow, where to begin. it's been an interesting journey. from the beginning of the series, to the growth and increasing depth of Cally, to finding out she would be killed, to now the whole world finding out! i am of course saddened, but relieved to finally be able to talk about it, and also excited because "when the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window." (you'll have to excuse me, i just watched the Sound of Music on the plane home from Germany.) but yes, the emotional journey i have experienced in the last year has been intense. starting with a phone call.. the producers, david and ron, kindly broke the news to me personally. when their assistant called me to set up the call, my thoughts were: well, they're either calling because they want to congratulate me on becoming one of the leading characters of the upcoming season, or... it was Cally's turn for a dramatic exit into space. my spidey senses hinted at the latter, but still denial is a wonderful thing. for a while after i found out, i tried to play it cool, as if it was no big thing, a great opportunity, blah blah blah.. but after enough people asked me with sad eyes how i felt about it, i started to really think about what it meant to me that this part of my life was coming to an end.

in a very real sense, i did experience a death - of a part of my life that was very special to me. and in some ways i feel fortunate to have experienced it as such a literal transition off the show, opposed to one day simply being finished. the actual shooting of my final episode was very moving for me. i explored parts of myself i hadn't before on film and was able to draw very real parallels between how i was feeling about leaving the show and what Cally was going through in her loss (pill popping and suicide aside, of course.) tribute to michael nankin, the director of 'the ties that bind,' who generously invested so much of his artistic talent and theatrical vision, and worked with me closely in making Cally's swan song a struggle to remember. i feel very proud of the work we did and to have had the privilege of collaborating in a way that is rather unusual in tv land. i think what i found the most moving though, was the support and sensitivity of the people surrounding me. from Eddie and Mary giving me gifts and cards, to the whole crew sharing their condolences, to the professionalism and dedication of everyone to making quality television. i don't know that i had such an appreciation of what we share on Battlestar before that experience, and i am grateful for it.

i would also like to express that it has been HELL trying to keep it a secret for so long! i was starting to feel like a fugitive! the writer's strike was somewhat of a saving grace when people were asking me what i was up to. you see, the trouble with being on such a successful show is even your friends are fans, so i had to be very careful who i spoke to and about what. my most common strategy was just to be vague and pretend like i didn't really know what was going on, but that gets tiresome and a little weird. even still there are some of my friends who haven't caught up and i'm like, "just watch the first 3 episodes already! then we can talk." some casting directors even got a little flustered when i'd tell them i was available for work on other projects. but now that it's all out in the open, i feel like we can all be friends again :-)

anyway, i want to thank all of you for your tremendous support and thoughtful messages. i am the luckiest sci fi star in the universe!

Curse of the Podcast

Source: Ron Moore's Blog



Now we’re dealing with server issues at SciFi.com.


What can I tell you?


The good news is there will be a bunch of podcasts waiting for you when they resolve the tech problems, the bad news is, I have no idea when that will be.


I’ll do this week’s and just keep chugging along and hope you guys can catch up eventually.


Thanks for being patient.

Battlestar's Helfer Gives Notice

Source: Ausiello's Report

Tricia Helfer's post-Cylon career is heating up.

Sources confirm to me exclusively that the Battlestar Galactica babe has landed a multi-episode arc on USA Network's fraktastic Burn Notice, which launches its second season on July 10. Helfer will play Carla, Michael's sleek, sexy and lethal "handler," who often comes across as unaffected and slightly amused by him.

Teases series creator Matt Nix: "To protect the people he loves, Michael is forced to work for Carla — his only link to the people behind his burn notice."

Helfer, who recently inked a talent holding deal with Fox (which produces Burn Notice), will juggle her Burn duties with the final season of BSG — which is easier said than done considering BSG shoots in Vancouver and BN in Miami. But that's what first class cabins were made for, right?

Burn Notice and Tricia Helfer — does it get any better than that? Well, does it?!

Orion sighted behind the Cylon fleet

Click the image to see full size screencap of the Orion Constellation behind the Cylon Fleet. It is remarkably similar to what we see from present day Earth. Any small differences could be down to the viewing position or time period but it can be safely said that Earth is not far away.

Escape Velocity Promo

Galactica Station's Review of Six of One

Gooby Rastor reviews episode 4.04, for your reading enjoyment.

Man. For a while there, this felt like an unrelenting hour of down, didn’t it? Well, that’s Battlestar Galactica for you, but I’m glad that we ended on a nice note. We’ll get there in a minute; let’s take the plot threads from last week and follow them through “Six of One,” shall we?

This week is Tory’s show, and that makes sense. We start off the season’s examination of the Final Four with two characters we’ve come to know and love. In “Six of One,” we focus more on the one character who hasn’t really made much of an impression on many people, before returning (I presume) to well-known territory with the Chief next time. Unfortunately for the writers, while Tory’s been enough of a non-entity so far, to hinder them in writing a story for her, she’s not such a new quantity that they have the ability to go off in an amazing new direction with her. What we get from her is a rather tame story (okay, there’s sex in it, but it’s still pretty tame) about her trying to use her feminine wiles to pump Baltar for information. The surprise twist—that she would respond well to Baltar’s attitude towards the Cylons, and be open to his ideas about the One True God—didn’t really impress me as being all that interesting a development. However, I will hand it to them that they had a tough row to hoe, giving this tertiary character something to run with. For comparison’s sake, ask yourself this: If Billy were still around, and one of the Final Four, how much easier do you think it would have been for the writers to get us to identify with him? Though that would beg the question of how far Billy would go to learn what Gaius knows... Brr. Of passing interest is Tory’s (apparent) habit of crying during sex. She’s missionary in this scene though, so we can’t tell whether or not that’s her only habit.

On to Gaius, whose personality cult really didn’t make a lot of plot-headway this time out. It does seem, thematically, that he’s developed a certain sympathy for the Cylon perspective, but as far as the effects that his new role are having? Well, they’re kind of in the background. In a way, I appreciate this: We’re getting certain characters mentioning the emergence of his new religion, as word of it is spreading, and it’s a good way of moving that story along a bit without having to devote much screen time to it. Would word travel this fast, though? How long after HTBiM is the bulk of “Six of One?” But then again, I don’t have all that much experience with miracles, so let’s get to the flip(ped?) side of the Baltar coin this night.

Virtual Baltar in Baltar’s head: Cheap trick; or exciting new development? Okay, I’m fairly easy when it comes VB (stop snickering, you). No, seriously... this has to go someplace. And if it does (and if Caprica Six starts seeing a Devil in a Red Dress), it’s sure to be a very interesting place. Without some sort of explanation for these hallucinations, it could come off as nothing but a meaningless camera trick, but I have faith that the apparitions are one of those pieces of the puzzle which RDM and crew are absolutely intent on fitting into place this season. If that’s the case then, the scene between the two Baltars (which was as funny as you’d expect), throws the door wide open... what in the world is going on? Judgment reserved, and doesn’t it feel like I’m saying that a lot these days? But really, this is piquing my curiosity in all the best ways; I’m very, very excited to see where they go here.

Now, Starbuck. Here’s where the big wall of depression begins to hit us. She seems like she has really, truly, flipped in this episode. We usually give Baltar a hard time for his egomania, but this right here is monomania. What in God’s name happened out there, to make Starbuck’s vision of Earth become so all-encompassing? Obviously, she is experiencing a deeply emotional response to some sort of (siren?) call to Earth, and it’s incredibly disturbing to watch. Kara was always Kara, of course, but she used to have room in her brain for more than one thing at a time, and she used to have a head for tactics. Now, whatever she saw or whatever happened to her out there, seems to have robbed her of the ability to do anything but lower her head and charge. Kara hands Roslin a gun, and Roslin tries to kill her. The old Starbuck may have gambled, and occasionally lost. This new Starbuck doesn’t seem to even care. Adama believes that she will keep trying until she dies, and so do I, and I don’t think that it’s a good thing.

Adama’s scene with Roslin was also heart-rending, and initially it seems that Starbuck’s viciousness is starting to spread. Both of them are dealing with so much, and it doesn’t help that their reads of each other are so dead on-the-money. There doesn’t seem to be any cruelty to most of what they’re saying, though, apart from the parting shots which they took. And those, while barbed, also bore the marks of two people who know each other, refusing to sugar-coat. But that ending made me feel so badly for the woman. It was excruciating, but one of the best Roslin-Adama scenes yet.

Now to the new business. The episode took a lot of time with Apollo’s drumming out from the service, with his goodbyes to Kara, his father, and the rest of the crew. (He tells Helo “good luck,” does he know about the Demetrius?) Nice but a bit of a let-down was the note of finality to his exchange with Dualla. The Lee-Dee pairing was one which was never allowed to fly on this show; at first because of the Billy situation, then the stuff with Starbuck. I’ll admit that on the basis of a couple of scenes with the two of them in command of the Pegasus, I was sort of hoping that these two kids would be able to work it out, that it wouldn’t be just so much wasted time. But then again, sometimes a show just has to wash its hands and say “this isn’t working.” I get the feeling that this is what happened here. At least it was a pleasant parting between the two. They’ll always have Pegasus.

Overall, I thought that while it felt like the episode was devoting a lot of time to Lee’s farewell, that there wasn’t anything I would have been able to bring myself to cut. Honestly, Lee deserves this kind of send off. Good luck, Captain Apollo. We expect great things from you now.

Holy... I haven’t even mentioned the Cylons yet. Wow. It sure is a good thing that they’re not playing up the “plan” aspect of the Cylons anymore, because... damn. This episode’s Cylon-side story has just way too much going on to review every particular, so I’ll sum up the key: This is shifting the paradigm, folks. The possibility of their own robotic slaves rising up against the Cylon skinjobs? This is now on the table. Boomer? I’m sorry to go all Magic 8-ball on you, but here it is: “Answer unclear. Ask again later.” It’s also nice to finally have numbers for the Cavils, Simons, and Leobens. I am glad that they seem to have a very exciting story for the Cylons this season. Great stuff.

And the final scene, which provides a ray of hope for the proceedings. I’m glad that Helo will be going with Starbuck, as the show hasn’t really known what to do with him since he got back on board Galactica. And hey! Hugs! Adama believes Kara! This hopeful note goes a long part of the way in keeping the story of Starbuck’s return from getting too dark. I’m sure there’s more dark than light ahead, but I hope the show never extinguishes the light completely. Good tone to end on.

Final impression: As a sister piece to “He That Believeth in Me,” this episode doesn’t quite match the quality of that outing: Tory doesn’t carry as much weight as Anders or Tigh; Lee’s farewells took up too much time (though again, I’m not saying I could do better); they were juggling more this week. But it’s still excellent BSG, signaling to all of us that the quality we can expect of the show in coming weeks, will be closer to the consistent first season, rather than the plodding 3.5.

8.9/10

Episode reviewed by “Gooby Rastor”

Galactica Station's Review of He That Believeth in Me

Gooby Rastor collects his thoughts on the long-awaited season 4 premier.

Right, before we begin, I don’t know what to make of the new opening text. I want to say it’s too much of a departure from what they’ve done before; but then again, after how clueless Season three made the Cylons look, maybe it’s for the best that they don’t mention that vaunted plan, eh?

Anyway, away we go! For many, after the year-long break that we’ve had from new Battlestar Galactica (no, I’m not counting “Razor” right now), "He That Believeth in Me" is going to seem way too short. Really, very few questions get answered... not that that’s necessarily a bad thing. The decision to avoid certain storylines allows the show to maintain a needed level of focus. This episode is about Starbuck, the Final Four, and Baltar. Let’s address each in turn.

Kara’s return is the story that offers up the most questions, and what BSG gives us is a deftly-crafted non-answer. Okay, we do find out that she’s not all in Lee’s head. That’s something. But her first words on screen begin to beg more questions. When Lee says he saw her ship blow up, as he and we did, she says “‘fraid not.” Oh dear. The questions just keep piling up from there. What’s most interesting about these scenes are the amount of questioning done by the characters. Starbuck’s resurrection struck me very unfavorably at the end of last season. I’m now a bit less bothered by the whole thing, simply because all of the show’s characters are asking the same questions we are. No one is just accepting any of the weirdness here, which means that we’re not being asked to, either. It’s nice when a show respects you like that. Kara herself begins questioning herself as the episode progresses, but it’s interesting that she doesn’t seem to really notice all of the oddities, such as her brand spanking-new Viper, until others bring it up to her. She obviously believes that she’s been to Earth and seen their destination, but it’s equally obvious that there’s something going on with Starbuck’s noodle. Now that she’s committed her first criminal act since her return, let’s see how far away from the old Starbuck she really is.

Most of the scenes involving the Final Four were fairly solid, but took a back seat to Kara’s A-plot. Really, we only get a real look into the (robotic) psyches of two of their number tonight. For me, looking at Colonel Tigh’s reaction provided the one scene from the episode which I could have done without: Tigh shooting Adama in CIC. Is it a shocker? I guess. Personally, I felt the scene did not communicate a single thing we didn’t already know, and felt so over-blown that it snapped me out of the reality of the show, if just for a moment. We knew that Tigh’s biggest fear would be being forced to betray his friend Bill, especially by pulling a Boomer. I felt the same message could have been portrayed much more subtly. And without dropping the documentary style of the show, which I maintain should be avoided if at all possible. Unless... this is a prelude to Tigh and co. discovering the Cylon ability to “project.” I gotta admit, I kind of wondered if Sam was having a similar “waking dream” when that Raider slowly turned to scan him during the dogfight. Since it wasn’t, I have to wonder if Tigh’s scene was there merely for the shock value, in which case it wasn’t worth it.

But on to Sam. Anders’ response to discovering his nature was one of the episode’s greatest strengths. He seems to be scared, sure, and uncertain as to what this means for him, but he’s coping. And he’s beginning to ask questions which would seem to lead to his accepting what he is. Particularly in his last scene with Kara. Are his words a defense mechanism, designed to protect him should the truth come out? On one level. But we don’t doubt that he’s in some ways changed for the better because of this. He’s being forced to reevaluate not only identity, but love. And when Kara shoots him down (figuratively... for now), we can see the gulf between them, as if we needed yet something else to come between these two. It’s interesting to see how far Kara has come since Kobol, where she accepted Helo and Sharon’s cross-species love, to this point, where her judgment of death is quick and final. It kind of makes sense given what happened on New Caprica, but last we saw, Lee was the one becoming somewhat bloodthirsty towards Cylons. And now he’s the one wondering about all the shades of grey, invoking the memory of the almost-forgotten Zak in a particularly nice scene with Adama.

I’m starting to digress though. Getting back to Anders also brings us to the spectacle of the night, the Battle of the Ionian Nebula, which has been rightly hailed as a triumph for the effects crew. This battle is easily the most riveting seen since the miniseries: Confusing, violent, and oddly beautiful. The shot of Galactica protecting the fleet was especially stunning, with its flak barrage moving around its hull in a gorgeous wave pattern. Also, I think I hardly need mention the most story-laden shot of the night; Anders’ eye. Creepy effect, and if anyone had any doubts about the four being Cylons, the eye ought to put paid to that.

It was also nice to see the seriousness of the situation driven home by the loss of one of the RTF. I mean, not to sound happy about it or anything, but it occurs to me that with all the running which the fleet’s done, we haven’t really seen the effect of the Cylons catching the fleet until now. Had they not gotten the message that the FF are in the Fleet, it’s obvious that the humans would have been annihilated.

The last major plot thread is Baltar’s. I was a little bit disturbed by the casting of Baltar’s new cult—largely pretty, lithe young ladies—it seemed almost like the casting director was... well, Baltar. But ah, good for him I guess. What’s really interesting is to see a new side of Gaius Baltar brought to light throughout the episode, regarding the sick little boy. Gaius’ initial assurances that he is praying for the boy are the empty words we’ve come to expect from the man. But then Gaius actually prays, and prays correctly. There’s a genuine feeling of “thy will be done” throughout it, and his offer of sacrifice is genuine. Before now, throughout all of the many faces of Gaius Baltar, the one constant has been his all-encompassing self interest. This was a truly selfless act, and one that speaks to the possibility of Gaius finally realizing his great failings, and thus to the possibility of redemption. God, I hope this doesn’t mean he’s the Final Cylon, cause that would suck.

All told, this episode took a few minutes to find its feet, the battle not withstanding, but then began to ratchet up the tension for the upcoming season. It’s frustrating, just because there’s so much for this show to get through, and they pick their battles, which necessarily means that other battles like what’s been happening with the Cylons since the Algae Planet, or anything to do with Hera, are left for another day. At the end of “Crossroads pt. 2,” I noted that it was impossible to judge it completely, given how many questions were left unanswered by it. Now with “He That Believeth,” the jury’s still out, and part of me is very encouraged by what seems to be the return to a style of TV-making where the questions linger from episode to episode. This is a very good episode, if not an instant classic, and I’m very excited for the (half) season it ushers in. Good to have the ship back in our lives.

9.1/10
Episode reviewed by "Gooby Rastor"

"Star Wars," "Battlestar" lead cable ratings

Source: Routers

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - It was quite a weekend for sci-fi fans as Spike TV aired three movies in the "Star Wars" saga, and "Battlestar Galactica" returned with a new episode on Sci Fi Channel.

"Galactica," which had its fourth and final season premiere at 10 p.m. Friday, drew 2.1 million viewers, a 19% increase over the series' so-called "Season 3.5" premiere in January 2007, according to Nielsen Media Research.

It also was up in the key demo of adults 18-49 (up 11% to 1.4 million, its best showing since January 2006).

Meanwhile, Spike TV aired the first three "episodes" of the "Star Wars" saga during the weekend. Tops among the trio was "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith," which averaged 4.2 million viewers from 8-11 p.m. Sunday. That made it the highest-rated movie in the network's history and the highest-rated movie of the year among ad-supported cable networks in adults 18-49 (2.4 million viewers).

Meanwhile, "Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace" drew 2.8 million viewers from 8-11 p.m. Friday, and "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones" averaged 3.3 million from 8-11 p.m. Saturday.

Spike also touted the fact that the three "Star Wars" movies averaged 3.5 million viewers overall, beating head-to-head competition with TNT's airings of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, which averaged 2.7 million viewers.

Battlestar Galactica focuses on what it means to be human

Source: Ottawa Citizen

Battlestar Galactica is remarkable in so many ways, and not just because it transcended its fan-boy sci-fi origins to become a genuine mainstream cultural phenomenon.

At times, it's unspeakably sad. And at other times, it can be both spiritually affirming and unsettling, as it was in last week's season opener, He That Believeth in Me. In that episode, Gaius Baltar, the complicated little man with the messiah complex played by James Callis, sought refuge with a group of women who believe he has healing powers.

In tonight's followup episode, Six of One, Battlestar Galactica focuses on the more intimate, personal detail of what it means to be human. In it, Kara Thrace, the spiritual heart and soul of one of TV's most enigmatic dramas, tries desperately to convince the others that they are going the wrong way in their search for home.

As played by Katee Sackhoff, Thrace, is one of the most complex female anti-heroes ever to appear in a fictional TV drama. She's impetuous, headstrong, short-tempered, impatient and unpredictable in her relationships, but also intelligent, physically tough and unswervingly loyal to her friends.

And when those friends begin to doubt her -- as they have ever since she vanished, presumably dead, only to suddenly reappear --it's all too easy to relate to the fear and uncertainty in her every move.

Battlestar Galactica is blessed, too, with an accomplished ensemble of homegrown performers, from Tricia Helfer as the titillating Number Six to Grace Park as ace pilot -- and sleeper agent -- Sharon (Boomer) Valerii. The cast includes such veteran B.C. performers as Callum Keith Rennie, Donnelly Rhodes, so memorable in Da Vinci's Inquest, Tahmoh Penikett and Michael Hogan, in arguably the performance of a lifetime as mercurial, booze-soaked station commander Saul Tigh, a seen-it-all kind of guy who hides a dark secret.

Battlestar Galactica is an amazing, incredible ride, on virtually every level. (10 p.m., Space)

We are at the top of our game…

Source: Dreamwatch

With the fourth and final season of Battlestar Galactica finally upon us, executive producers Ron Moore and David Eick, along with cast members Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Tricia Helfer and Lucy Lawless chat to Tara Bennett about the fallout from the Cylon revelations, the return of a nasty character and the heartbreak of eventually saying goodbye.

Will the identity of the fifth and final Cylon be something you reveal early in the fourth season?

Ron Moore It will be late in the season, it won’t be in the first half.

How has it been acting with such a renowned and diverse cast?

Mary McDonnell There is something about the casting that is so extraordinary. You are surrounded constantly by excellence in the other actors...We are relishing the ensemble.

Did you agree with the selection of the four secret Cylons?

Katee Sackhoff Every single Cylon was aligned with a person in power or in a strategic position to be able to bring down the fleet.

You had Anders aligned with Kara and the pilots. Tory [Foster] was aligned with the President. Aaron Douglas’s character [Tyrol] was in charge of the Vipers and Tigh was directly connected with Adama. Each one of those Cylons is right next to a person that can take down the fleet which I thought was a very smart thing to do and something people didn’t expect.

Tricia, did you have a “Welcome to the Cylons” party for them?

Tricia Helfer No, I didn’t. I can say at the beginning of the season they are dealing with their own inner turmoil with what is going on and each of them reacts differently. I find it very interesting to watch the journey. I come from the perspective of knowing what I was all along so it’s interesting as an actor to see them go, “OK, I am on this side!”

Katee Sackhoff Michael Hogan [Tigh] is so in denial. He will not admit that he is a Cylon. It’s really funny actually because as an actor, he’s really pissed off. (Laughs)

How has the news of this being the final season affected the way you are writing stories? Are there any storylines that you have found you've had to get rid of?

Ron Moore We always end up creating more things than we can use. The longer we talk in the writers’ room, the more tangents we can spin off of for a long time. It’s always about paring down to what is the actual show.

The fact that it’s the final season just means that we are really focusing on each episode and we don’t have any room for an episode that doesn’t work. There is a more intense focus and I feel that from the writing staff and the cast, who are very involved in the stories this year. You can just feel that there is a different vibe in Vancouver that this is it and everybody really wants to go out strong.

Are there any stories that you’ve held back that could turn into something else later on?

Ron Moore I don’t think so. I think the show will end and we’ll sit around and talk about stories we could have told or things we didn’t get around to, but the decision is to end the show when we are at the top of our game.

We want to end it strong, on our terms, to a natural conclusion, and that choice precludes other choices. I think if the show was going on for two more seasons, there would be other stories and we would come up with all kinds of other things, but the stories would start to attenuate and wouldn’t be quite as strong as they are now. You always go off stage with them wanting more, and that is the same for us as well.

How did it come about that Lucy’s supposedly dead character, D'Anna Biers, would return for the final season?

Lucy Lawless Well, Ron called me and said, “We’re bringing you back…”

Ron Moore The story has to do with ‘un-boxing’ D'Anna. There are a lot of people that are very interested in un-boxing D’Anna because she knows certain things and there is a long plot that culminates in what she reveals. It’s a pivot point for the upcoming season. Once that happens, things change and drive us to the finale.

Lucy Lawless He told me that it was going to be a jolly, hockey stick reason - she was coming back to participate in somebody’s plan. I just said, ‘Dude, can you keep her vicious?’ What I loved about her is that she’s the grit in everybody’s eye. I just wanted to keep her trouble and he said no worries about that! (Laughs)

After the end of this series is there a chance that there could be new direct-to-DVD releases like other retired series (Stargate, Dead Like Me) are doing?

Ron Moore We’ll see. It’s possible that we could do more after [Razor], but there are no plans in the works for it. There is a practical limitation because at some point we will strike the sets and they will go away, so it will be very difficult to rebuild Galactica just to do a one-off movie in the future.

On that sad final day of shooting, are you going to take any mementos home with you?

Katee Sackhoff Mary and I were discussing earlier how on our show, except for Six, that we don’t have the clothes or jewelry that you would take to another show. So we have little things to take and I would take the Goddess of Aurora. And we have no more metal dog tags of mine left because they are all in my house!

Mary McDonnell I was thinking the other day that the fabric that was hanging in the Galactica would look good on my couch. (Laughs)

Ron Moore The big portrait of Baltar.

Mary McDonnell I think James [Callis] already has that! (Laughs)

What's New In Battlestar Land...

Source: Mark Verheidens Blog

Posting has been light the last few days because I've been spending much of my time on set, helping make sure episode "415" is as chock full of Battlestar goodness as possible. Things are rolling along extremely well and as usual the cast and crew is doing a superlative job turning my scribbles into high drama. It's strange to think this probably won't actually air for months and months, long after I've vacated my palacial NBC/Universal office...

So, what else has been going on? Let's see, I saw Springsteen at Vancouver's "General Motors Place" arena last Monday night, enjoying myself with a sell-out crowd along with Aaron "The Chief" Douglas and the ever ebullient S. McA. from the BSG production office. And the show? It is considerably changed up from the first leg of the tour, lots of new songs, and Springsteen and band debuted a very special request, an outtake from Born In The U.S.A. called "Home of the Brave." I don't think this one even made the "Tracks" compilation, so that was fun.

Oh, and BATTLESTAR IS FINALLY BACK ON THE AIR. It airs at 7:00PM here in lovely Canada (on Space Channel, tip o' the hat to my pal Mark Askwith at Space who does a great job stoking the flames for BSG) so I missed the debut and any parties that may have ensued. Oh well, there's always next seas... oops. At least it was missed for a good cause.

More as it develops...

Yes, we have no Podcast

Source: Ron Moore

I know, I know.

I had all this time and I could’ve had the podcast for the first episodes waaaay before now so they’d be there waiting when the fourth season premiered.

But I didn’t.

Somehow, I thought I’d squeeze in a recording session here in Vancouver while I was directing (and the above photo is a iphone shot from my directing chair looking at one of the video monitors just before I called action) but that proved to be a one of my more foolish notions. So the podcast for Ep 1 of the fourth season will have to wait until I get back to LA, which means ya’ll won’t have it until later in the week.

Sorry.

But I’ll be more on time with the rest of them. I promise.

Unless I’m not.

I’ll also try to pound out a few blogs about the directing experience and update you on all things Galactica and Caprica.

Unless I don’t.

Caprica casting info revealed

Source: TV Squad

by Keith McDuffee
Now that we got the confirmed greenlight for the Battlestar Galactica spin-off series, Caprica, of course we can expect to see more details of the series trickle in. Just today, for example, sources have provided us with casting information for the series. Cool stuff!

Anyone familiar with the details of the show knows that Caprica will center around two families, the Graystones and the Adamas, and the goings on leading up to the Cylons as we see them on the show now. Now we can get a sense of what the characters on the show will look like and perhaps make our own wishlist of who we'd like to see in the roles. I warn you that there are what to some will consider SPOILERS ahead.

(I put my own comments in bold below)

[DANIEL GRAYSTONE] In his early 40s, a spectacularly wealthy computer engineer / designer, Daniel is married to Amanda and the father of Zoe -- but his extensive business interests leave him little time for his child, whom he still sees as a little girl in pink shoes. Busy trying to design an intelligent robot, Daniel is devastated when Zoe is killed in a suicide bombing, and has no idea that his daughter had a complex, very secret life. After learning that his own wizardry with computer technology was exceeded by his own child, who found a way to upload her personality into an online avatar, Daniel realizes that with a little stolen technology, and with a little intellectual elbow grease, he can create a robotic version of his dead daughter -- and in doing so, he creates the first Cylon...SERIES REGULAR - SUBMIT ALL ETHNICITIES.

As I never followed the original BSG series, I wonder if what Graystone creates is meant to have any resemblance to a human other than being a biped. I can't imagine he'd make his late Zoe look like a Centurion.

[JOSEPH ADAMS] In his 40s, he is a Tauron, an off-worlder who has emigrated to Caprica; his hair is already starting to go iron-grey and his entire demeanor is that of someone who's already put on more miles than most men his age. There's a gravitas to Joseph, an intelligence, and a strong sense of someone you wouldn't want as your enemy. He has risen above the traditional Caprican prejudice against Taurons, and has become a powerful, influential defense attorney, with powerful ties to the Tauron crime underworld. His wife and daughter are killed in the same blast that takes out Zoe, and he bonds with the much-wealthier Daniel in a common grief. A man who has done a few crooked things in his life (largely in order to use his position to protect his fellow Taurons), Joseph reluctantly agrees to assist Daniel in his grief-fueled efforts to create robotic versions of both their children -- but after stealing vital technology from a Tauron computer developer, Joseph is ethically appalled by the robot version of his dead Tamara, and repents his actions. Left with a 9 year old son to care for, Joseph reaches out to young William, revealing to him that his last name is really Adama...SERIES REGULAR - SUBMIT ALL ETHNICITIES. HOWEVER, PREFER LATINO.

At first I thought the "Adams" was a typo, but it seems this was an alias Joseph used at some point. It's no wonder why the Cylons have such an interest in Bill Adama, seeing as his own father was quite instrumental in assisting with their creation.

[AMANDA GRAYSTONE] In her late 30s, Daniel's wife, she is a successful surgeon with a volatile streak to her, who has married well and dearly loves her daughter. Devastated after the death of her daughter Zoe, Amanda turns for consolation, not to her husband but to an ex-lover, Tomas Vergis, a Tauron who is one of her husband's competitors. Furious with herself for having cheated on her husband, Amanda in fact is something of a double agent, plucking information about Vergis' intellectual property from his blabbing mouth and taking it home to Daniel to use as he sees fit...SERIES REGULAR - SUBMIT ALL ETHNICITIES.

You'll note that Tomas Vergis isn't a casting choice here. Either he's already cast or he's an extremely minor role.

[SISTER CLARICE WILLOW] In her mid 30s to 50s, dressed in the traditional clerical robes of an Athenian High Priestess, Sister Clarice is the headmistress of the Athena Academy, a private religious school, where Zoe, Lacy and Ben are all enrolled. A gracious, eloquent, thoughtful woman who grew up in a slum and has seen it all, she's elegant and sophisticated -- and utterly duplicitous. In fact, she is a closet monotheist, and has taken the best and brightest of her students and shared her own (illegal, closeted) beliefs with them -- only to see her efforts literally explode in her students' faces...SERIES REGULAR - SUBMIT ALL ETHNICITIES.

This sounds like a role that's going to require quite a lot of depth. Very interesting with the whole "closeted monotheist" thing, as it shows such beliefs didn't just come from the sentient minds of Cylons alone.

[ZOE GRAYSTONE / ZOE-A / ZOE-R] 16 going on 40 (18 TO PLAY 16), with severe hair and makeup, Zoe is the daughter of Daniel and Amanda Graystone, and she's a girl with many secrets. A computer genius like her father, she has found a way to enliven a holographic avatar of herself, by uploading all her memories and DNA into the hologram, thus creating her online twin, Zoe-A. A closet monotheist in the polytheistic culture of Caprica, and obliged to perform her religion in private, she tries to leave the planet with her boyfriend, Ben, only to be killed when Ben suicide-bombs them both into oblivion. But Zoe-A is left behind, a baffled, grieving digital duplicate of the real, flesh and blood Zoe. With the collaboration of Daniel and Joseph, Zoe-A is downloaded into a robotic brain, thus becoming the first Cylon: Zoe-R...SERIES REGULAR - SUBMIT ALL ETHNICITIES.

Now this is an awesome twist. I wonder what happened to Zoe-B through Zoe-Q.

[WILLIAM ADAMS] 9 years old, Latino, Joseph's sole surviving child, William is inward and withdrawn in the best of times, and grows more taciturn after the death of his mother and sister. Barely aware of his father, whose work kept him away from the family, William is a stoical Tauron who keeps his deepest thoughts to himself and rarely smiles. Promised a closer relationship by Joseph, he is taken aside, taught the basics of his Tauron heritage, and told that his Tauron name is William Adama...7 / 13 SERIES REGULAR -TO PLAY EDWARD JAMES OLMOS AT 9 YEARS OLD.

Big shoes to fill for a 9 year old.

[BEN STARK / BEN-A] 16 years old (18 TO PLAY 16), with close-cropped hair, Ben has an intensity to him, a sense of a kid who's gone someplace far away and may not be coming back. Zoe's boyfriend, he is a fanatical monotheist; he introduced her and Lacy to his cult, and induced them both to flee Caprica with him. But Ben is a little crazy, and he's fleeing Caprica in a different way than he promised: by blowing up their train with a suicide bomb. He later is revealed to have his own uploaded avatar, an on-line twin named Ben-A, whom only Sister Clarice can contact...7 / 13 SERIES REGULAR - SUBMIT ALL ETHNICITIES.

Well, there you have it. I also got a look at the sides (portions of scripts for auditioners to read), but I'd be killed for showing any of that. To be honest, no notable actors come to mind to play these roles, but I'm clearly not thinking too thoroughly about it. I'd love to hear any thoughts you have other than "they should all be relative unknowns" (even though I pretty much agree with that statement, since it will keep the show's cost down.)

More Caprica Revealed

Source: Cinema Blend

With the season premiere of Battlestar Galactica set to air this Friday night, it’s likely that many BSG fans haven’t been able to give much thought or speculation to the premise of the big BSG prequel, Caprica, which has been officially greenlit for production. When the news broke, few details were given about Caprica other than that it will center on two rivaling families, the Adamas and the Graystones and that it will take place 50 years before the Battlestar Galactica timeframe.

E! Online’s Kristin Dos Santos got some very interesting (but somewhat spoiler-ish) information about the premise of Caprica. So if you don’t want to know anything about Caprica other than the premiere date (and unfortunately, we don’t have that yet), read no further!

Two houses, both alike in dignity, in fair Caprica, where we lay our scene. Ok, not quite. It doesn’t look like there are any star-crossed lovers in this series (at least, not that we know of). Here’s the breakdown, according to Dos Santos’ report. Apparently, the series includes the Adams (that’s "Adama", minus the second A but we’re dealing with the same family. Dos Santos didn't mention how, when or why the A gets added on) and the Graystones.

Joseph Adam(a) is a big shot civil rights attorney. We knew this already as Grandpa-Adama was referenced numerous times in the third season of BSG. He's a married man with a daughter named Tamara as well as a son (9-year-old Bill “future admiral of Galactica” Adama). Daniel Graystone is the head of the Graystones family and a computer genius. He’s married to Amanda (that's "Adama" backwards minus the n but I don't think that's relevant) and fathers a daughter named Zoe. Unfortunately, Zoe’s boyfriend is a religious fanatic who ends up blowing up a bunch of people, Mrs. Adama, daughter Tamara Adama and Zoe included.

Because Zoe installed “rudimentary elements of her personality and DNA” into a machine, Daniel Graystone is able to use the technology to create Zoe-R, which as you might have guessed, is the first Cylon. He makes a robot replica of Tamara for Joseph but Adama is “ethically appalled by the robot version of his dead [daughter], Tamara, and repents his actions.” Instead of hanging out with his very own robot daughter, Joseph forms a stronger bond with his son, Bill.

The premise is definitely intriguing. For one thing, it’s made me realize how little we know about the Old Man and his family’s background (outside of the military). Tragedy, terrorism and robot replicas? What do you think? Will Caprica be able to match Battlestar Galactica in terms of it’s greatness? Or is this reported premise not really ringing your bells?

Like BSG, it seems like technology, politics and human drama will all play a part in this new series. The only thing that’s missing is the war between man vs. machine and frequent space-battles (I suspect many hardcore scifi fans will miss that quite a bit) but at least it takes place in the same “universe” as BSG. This means we could get to see more of things like actual Pyramid games, not to mention seeing the way the people of Caprica live when their lives aren’t constantly in mortal danger.

Maybe I'm just being overly optimistic but I think Caprica has the potential to be great. What say you?

It should be noted that Dos Santos posted her story on April 1st (the day when many TV and movie rumors turn out to be nothing more than April fools pranks) so this entire premise could turn out to be yet another fake-news story. Then again, nothing about the premise seems crazy enough to be made up (at least not compared to some of the other April Fools jokes we've seen today) . Guess we'll have to wait and see if there are any updates.