We were Centurions

What would happen if a 'Chrome Toaster' got tired
of being treated like a second class Cylon?
It's an uprising, Centurion-style.



Can't understand what the little guy is saying?

Click HERE for the script

Battlestar Galactica: Razor Unrated Extended Edition

Source: TV Shows on DVD

OVERVIEW: In a groundbreaking first, fans of Battlestar Galactica will be able to vote for their favorite DVD packaging of the Battlestar Galactica: Razor Unrated Extended Edition, which will be released by Universal Studios Home Entertainment on December 4, 2007.

The website http://www.scifi.com/battlestar will display a selection of three choices for fans to cast their votes starting tomorrow and continuing to 12 AM midnight Pacific Standard Time on September 7, 2007. The final selection will be posted on the site on September 14.


From the creators of the action-packed television phenomenon Battlestar Galactica comes the exclusive DVD event, Battlestar Galactica: Razor Unrated Extended Edition, on December 4, 2007, just 10 days after the SCI FI Channel's world premiere of Battlestar Galactica: Razor on November 24, 2007.

The Battlestar Galactica:Razor Unrated Extended Edition DVD contains an extended version of the explosive two-hour broadcast event that includes all-new characters and more action and visual effects than any previous episode in the popular series, as well as behind-the-scenes interviews with the series' creators. As an indispensable backdrop to events that take place in the Fourth Season of Battlestar Galactica, the DVD is a must-own for fans of the series.


BONUS FEATURES:

• Deleted Scenes
  
• "The Look of Battlestar Galactica": Sit down with Battlestar Galactica's Director of Photography, Stephen McNutt, to see how Battlestar Galactica gets its visceral, gritty look.
  
• "My Favorite Episode So Far": Members of the cast of Battlestar Galactica explain which episode has been their favorite so far and why.
  
• "Sneak Peek into Season Four with Creators David Eick and Ron Moore": Creators David Eick and Ron Moore give fans insight into the fourth season.
  
• Commentary with the Series Creators

SYNOPSIS: Battlestar Galactica: Razor takes you on an edge-of-your-seat adventure with an epic untold story of Lieutenant Kendra Shaw and the other Battlestar, Pegasus. Battlestar Galactica: Razor tells the story of Lee Adama's (Jamie Bamber) first mission as commander of the Battlestar Pegasus and reveals the story of how Admiral Cain (Michelle Forbes) served her ship during the original Cylon attack on the Colonies. With clues to the fate of the entire Battlestar Galactica universe, this explosive adventure on DVD is a must own for fans before the final season of Battlestar Galactica airs on Sci Fi Channel.



TECHNICAL INFORMATION:
Street Date: December 4, 2007
Price: $26.98 SRP
Layers: DVD-9 (Single Sided)
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
Rating: Not Rated
Languages/Subtitles: English
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1


CAST AND FILMMAKERS
Cast: Michelle Forbes, Stephanie Chaves-Jacobsen, Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, Tricia Helfer
Director: Felix Enriquez Alcala
Produced By: Ronald D. Moore, David Eick
Written By: Michael Taylor
Editor: Andrew Seklir
Music By: Bear McCreary


Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (http://www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% owned by Vivendi.

Kevin Smith to direct episode of Battlestar Galactica

Source: TvSquad

It looks like Kevin Smith is really getting his feet wet in the TV business this year, isn't he? Not only did he direct the very funny pilot to the CW's new series Reaper and write and direct the first episode of Heroes: Origins, but it now looks like he will also be directing an episode of Battlestar Galactica during its upcoming final season, as well.

Smith revealed that little tidbit to Angel Cohn at AOL's TV Tattler, where he spoke about how he came on board all three of his upcoming TV projects, as well as a couple of details about his non-TV work. But, for right now, the most important part of the interview will be the details about his BSG episode...

Unfortunately, there aren't many details to tell. All Smith knows is that he's set to direct an episode; he doesn't know what it will be about, because they haven't delivered the script to him yet. But he tells a good story about how the opportunity came about. Let's just say that if it weren't for Reaper, none of this would have ever happened.

'Battlestar Galactica' Tidbits to Ease the Wait

Source: Buddy TV
Battlestar Galactica fans already mourning the final season of the prolific sci-fi series will be delighted to learn that the show will be receiving another season after all, in comic book format. Dynamite Entertainment's Battlestar Galactica Season Zero will be released this month. The six issue comic will rewind to two years before the Cylon attack on Caprica and fill in some of the details leading up to the fateful war.


Aside from the comics, fans will soon have the Battlestar Galactica movie Razor to tide them over until the series returns in January. Razor will tell two stories: first, the story of Lee (Apollo) Adama's first mission as commander of the Pegasus, and second, the story of Admiral Cain and her conduct and misconduct in the wake of the Cylon attack.

Around the time of Battlestar Galactica: Razor's release, Sci-Fi will be preparing the webisodes for release. As with last seasons run, the webisodes will prep audiences for the events that await them in the fourth and final season of the Peabody award winning series.

Galactica fans are commiserating with Lost fans at the moment over the long wait between their third and fourth seasons, but Lost fans are at a bit of a disadvantage where filler material is concerned. Battlestar Galactica fans have an entire line of both classic and new Battlestar Galactica titles to choose from at Dynamite, as well as several thick novels set in the universe of the new show available from Tor.

If just getting a glimpse of some of the Battlestar Galactica cast in action will help ease the hunger pangs, Bionic Woman will hit the airwaves next month featuring several Battlestar Galactica actors including, most prominently, Katee Sackhoff as the series' main villain.

Of course, if you're really hurting, and you've never indulged, there is always the original series.

'Battlestar Galactica' Receives HD-DVD Treatment

Source: Buddy TV

Battlestar Galactica fans have often kvetched over the lack of an HDTV broadcast. In fact, Galactica has been broadcast selectively on Universal's High Def cable channel, but not in its entirety, just enough to steel fan's woes that Sci-Fi channel broadcasts only in standard. In fact, with its crystalline CGI effects and cinematic photography, Battlestar Galacitca is made for HDTV. Fan complaints have finally been answered with the announcement of the entire first season being released on High Definition DVD.

The complete first season of Battlestar Galactica will be made available on HD-DVD format on December 4. The retail price for the six disc set is $100, meaning you can probably pick it up on Amazon and similar outlets for a cool $80. The set will be saturated with all the HD DVD extras you could possibly want in addition to the brand new 1080p transfers.

No Blu Ray set has been announced, and likely won't be. The format war rages on with some popular shows like Heroes and Battlestar coming up on the HD DVD end of the battlefield, while many others, such as Lost, square off from the Blu Ray side. With retailers continuing to choose sides as well, there is no end in site for the format war.

The release of season one, unfortunately, did not bring any news on subsequent seasons of Battlestar Galactica becoming available in high definition formats. Whether the experience proves profitable enough to warrant the remaining seasons crossing into High Definition land in the near future is really irrelevant. Consumer Electronics has predicted enough hardware will be in consumers homes over the next couple of years to make High Definition reissuing a thriving business, regardless of which format wins the technology race.

The release of the High Definition set coincides with Sci-Fi's planned release of the Battlestar Galactica prequel “Razor,” which will be released in an uncut standard DVD release.

Sci Fi release Mini-Sode Air Dates

Source: Sci Fi Channel

Beginning in October, SCI FI will air Battlestar Galactica "mini-sodes" entitled "Razor" during episodes of the hit series Flash Gordon, Fridays at 9 p.m. The two-to-three-minute shorts will lead into the Nov. 24 premiere of "Razor," the two-hour Battlestar special TV movie, which will tell the story of Lee Adama's (Jamie Bamber) first mission as commander of the Battlestar Pegasus and will reveal the story of how Adm. Cain (Michelle Forbes) served her ship during the original Cylon attack on the Colonies. "Razor," which airs at 9 p.m., will provide a backdrop to events in the rest of Battlestar, which returns for its fourth and final season in early 2008.

"Razor" is written by Michael Taylor and directed by Felix Alcala. It also stars Katee Sackhoff and Tricia Helfer and introduces Stephanie Jacobsen as Kendra, Adm. Cain's protege.

Well behaved women rarely make history

The "Women of Battlestar Galactica" video from Comicon has hit the internet:

Moore Signs Deal

Source: SciFi Wire

Battlestar Galactica creator Ronald D. Moore has signed a two-year deal with Universal Media Studios, Variety reported.

Under the deal, Moore will continue on Battlestar, which will wrap its run on SCI FI Channel next year. Moore will simultaneously begin developing projects for the studio, with a fall 2008 series a possibility, the trade paper reported. Getting a Moore-created series on SCI FI's sister broadcast network NBC is a top priority.

Moore's feature work will also include the sequel to I, Robot for 20th Century Fox and an update of The Thing for Universal Studios. (SCI FI, NBC, Universal Media Studios and Universal Pictures are all owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.)

BSG Season 3 Soundtrack CD finished

Bear announces on his Blogg his completion of this soundtrack, and also gives some titbits on the upcoming BSG Tv movie "Razor".

Track releases will be stated soon and the expected release date will be sometime around October. I for one am looking to it.




Newshound: Deus

Lawless Returning to Battlestar Galactica

Source: SCI FI Channel

Lucy Lawless will return to "Battlestar Galactica" for a minimum of two episodes of the show's fourth and final season, currently in production in Vancouver. Lawless will reprise her role as D'Anna, the religious zealot who broke away from the collective voice of her fellow Cylons, thus sowing the first seeds of dissention among the robot race. As a result of her divisive behavior, her entire model was deemed defective and was "boxed."

Katee Sackhoff on Jimmy Kimmel Live 8-1-07

'Battlestar Galactica' bits from Comic-Con

A few more notes regarding "Battlestar Galactica" come from the Comic-Con panel on the series and also from a press conference that followed it.

Lucy Lawless will be back for two or three episodes. Her character, D'Anna, will be unboxed around the middle of the season by those who are interested in what she may know. "It's a pivot point for the season," executive producer Ron Moore said.

Asked about the reveal of the four Cylons in the season finale, Katee Sackhoff (who plays Starbuck) said, "I thought it was a great idea. Every single Cylon was aligned with a person in power, in a strategic position to take down the fleet." Tricia Helfer, who plays Number 6, said, "The beginning of the season is a lot of their inner turmoil."

Will Starbuck be the same this season? Not completely, Sackhoff said. "She is more enlightened, but she's still just as hotheaded as ever," Sackhoff said. "She's heightened ... but she is calm at times, too, because she has a sense of purpose now, so she's almost been validated now."

The decision to bring back President Laura Roslin's cancer was one that came "on the page" when the finale was being written, Moore said. And it's not going away again; this time around, it's "serious." Mary McDonnell, who plays Roslin, said though the return of her cancer made her "a little ill" and made her worry that she might get killed off, she said she was "gratified" that the writers didn't just drop it. "I was glad that Ron [Moore, executive producer] continued to commit to the journey," she said. McDonnell added that she "wasn't thrilled" that Roslin had been cured in the past by DNA from a Cylon.

Of the two Cylon-human babies, something special will definitely happen with Hera, the offspring of characters Karl "Helo" Agathon and Sharon "Athena" Valerii. As for Nicky, the son of Galen and Cally Tyrol, there are no definitive plans for a special fate.

The final of the five Cylons will be revealed late in the season.

When it comes to grabbing mementos from the set of the show, which is filming its last season, Sackhoff said, "I want to take the goddess Aurora," the little statue glimpsed in the show, when "Battlestar" ends its run.

As far as direct-to-DVD movies in the future, such as the upcoming "Razor," those might be difficult. Once the "Battlestar" sets are broken down after the Season 4 finale, that puts "a practical limitation" on bringing the show back, Moore said.

One thing I'd always wanted to know is whether Romo Lampkin's famous sunglasses were in the script or something actor Mark Sheppard brought to the show (he also wore them on the "Bionic" panel). Sheppard said in a conversation that they were scripted.

Michael Trucco (who plays Samuel Anders) is a series regular on "Battlestar" this year. I've never bought into a shred of the fan animosity for this character; I've liked Anders since Day One.

Bionic Woman Preview on line.

NBC has provided a preview of the new Bionic Woman featuring our very own Katee Sackoff. Click Here to check it out

Katee Sackhoff has decided to stay with NBC's The Bionic Woman. The actress was apparently about to walk away from a recurring role on the show, but has changed her mind. Sackhoff has apparently signed a last minute deal to appear in future episodes.

Sackhoff appeared in the pilot as evil bionic woman Sarah, nemesis to lead character Jamie Sommner, played by Michelle Ryan. Even though Sackhoff had been included in all of the promotional material for The Bionic Woman, the actress and the studio could not agree on a deal.

That all seems to have changed. An agreement has been reached, and she will continue to play the lead villain on the new series. The Bionic Woman premiers September 26th at 9:00 pm.

Atmosphere Visual Effects Receives Emmy Nomination for Battlestar Galactica Episode

Atmosphere Visual Effects Receives Emmy Nomination for Battlestar Galactica Episode “Exodus, Part 2”
Sci Fi Channel Series Nominated in Category of “Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series”

Source: DMN Newswire

Award-winning visual effects studio Atmosphere Visual Effects has for the fourth year running received another Emmy nomination, this time for the Sci Fi channel’s season three episode of “Battlestar Galactica” titled “Exodus, Part 2.” Atmosphere has created visual effects for all three seasons of “Battlestar Galactica,” produced by R+D TV, in association with NBC Universal Television Studio.

The nominated Atmosphere team includes Tom Archer, Lead Compositor; Andrew Karr, CGI Supervisor; Jeremy Hoey, Lead Matte Painter; Brenda Campbell, Lead Compositor; and Alec McClymont, Lead CGI Artist/ Animator.

The nominated “Battlestar” production team includes Gary Hutzel, VFX Supervisor; Doug Drexler, CG Supervisor; Michael Gibson, Senior VFX Coordinator and Adam Mojo, CGI Sequence Designer

Exodus featured the impossible rescue of the colonists from the Cylon-occupied surface of the planet New Caprica, culminating in a spectacular space battle sequence of blockbuster feature film scale between Battlestars “Galactica” and “Pegasus” and Cylon Base Stars, which ends in triumph and destruction.

For more information on Atmosphere Visual Effects, please visit: http://atmosphere-vfx.com

Katee Sackhoff gets a permanent gig on Bionic Woman

Source: TV Squad

Katee Sackhoff, who plays Starbuck on Battlestar Galactica, just inked a last-minute deal for a recurring role on NBC's Bionic Woman. She has a guest spot in the pilot as a "bad" bionic woman and you've probably noticed that she has been played up pretty heavily in NBC's promo spots for the new series. But, she only was scheduled to appear in the first few episodes... until last night. Sackhoff and NBC Universal came to a contract deal where her "bad" character will now be a recurring role.

David Eick, executive producer for both BSG and Bionic Woman, is said to have been the driving force behind that deal. Sackhoff didn't show up for this week's TCA panel on Bionic Woman because she was still negotiating a contract. A bold move, really. But not as bold as what Starbuck would've done, which is to show up drunk and start fighting with people who asked her questions about whether she's a Cylon.

Galactica Season 4, Mini-sodes announced

The Sci Fi Channel says it will air several Battlestar Galactica shorts this fall to tide fans over until Battlestar Galactica: Razor debuts Nov. 24.

The announcement came Sunday as the network unveiled its 2007-2008 development slate of programming at the Television Critics Association press tour in Beverly Hills.

The eight-week, primetime series of mini-sodes are intended to whet the appetites of fans throughout October and November, in anticipation of the premiere of Sci Fi's two-hour event, Battlestar Galactica: Razor.

Razor is a special extended installment that will provide a backdrop to events unfolding in the rest of season four of Galactica.

Filmed as part of the extended episode, the mini-sodes will be included in the unrated Universal Home Video release of Razor and will also be available on SciFi.com after their on-air debuts. The shorts, written by Michael Taylor and directed by Wayne Rose and Felix Alcala, were part of the original script that were cut because of time from the final movie.

Did 'Battlestar Galactica' kill television?

Source: Syfyportal

As the Internet continues to make significant strides in gaining respectability among mainstream media, more and more attention has been focused on the true power of the World Wide Web.

Some of that power was felt just a couple weeks ago when Web-savvy viewers of the CBS series "Jericho" convinced the network they were not paying enough attention to how the show was being distributed through non-traditional means -- you know, the Internet -- and in the end, had vastly miscalculated the audience for the show. On top of that, the campaign to organize the "Save Jericho" campaign came almost completely through the Internet, and CBS is poised to return the show either later this year or early 2008.

Other genre shows, however, have tapped into the raw energy of the Internet, whether it be the well-marketed and fan-produced "Star Trek: New Voyages," or simply by accident like SciFi Channel's "Battlestar Galactica."

"Although live broadcasts are still big business, time-shifted video podcasts have exploded the myth that the value of video resides in when people view them," wrote Wired blogger Adario Strange in a recent column.

That was proved by the first season of "Battlestar Galactica." Because of a partnership SciFi Channel made with British satellite company Sky One, the first 13 episodes of the series were aired across the pond, forcing American audiences to wait months. Well, OK ... audiences that didn't realize the episodes were available online -- albeit unlawfully -- and knew how to download them.

"For months, viewers in the [United States] downloaded the show illegally via torrents," Strange said. "The vibrant conversation in the [United States] regarding the show lasted months as time-shifted episodes trickled in from Europe one-by-one. The value of all those time-shifted Internet views created the hype that made the show a success in the [United States], not simultaneous viewings."

Strange was responding to an analysis made by HDNet executive Mark Cuban who claimed, among other things, that the "more people that see content when it is originally 'broadcast,' regardless of the distribution medium, the more valuable the content" as well as "the greater number of people that watch content simultaneously, the greater the emotional attachment of the viewer."

Instead of ignoring this, many alternative platform observers have called on networks to find ways of utilizing such available media rather than panning it. Mark Pesce, the co-creator of the Virtual Reality Modeling Language -- or VRML -- shared the missed opportunity in a blog post as far back as 2005, especially when it came to the first season of "Battlestar Galactica."

"While you might assume the SciFi Channel saw a significant dropoff in viewership as a result of this piracy, it appears to have had the reverse effect: The series is so good that the few tens of thousands of people who watched downloaded versions told their friend to tune in on Jan. 14 [2005] and see for themselves," Pesce wrote. "We all understand that this piracy is technically illegal, technically a violation of copyright, but we're in a hell of a bind if we're telling the audience to sit down, shut up and do as you're told when it comes to television viewing."

In fact, Pesce argued at the time, production companies and even networks can introduce sort of a faux-product placement in such feeds with something as simple as an advertising logo bug on the corner of the screen, or other sorts of paid advertising to turn the market from one of piracy to one where real revenue can be generated.

"The idea of an advertising payload attached unobtrusively to the television program has a certain appeal," Pesce said. "It can be ignored, but it's always present. The audience can't edit it out of the program without destroying the content of the program. Audiences will learn [to] accept them -- so long as the advertisements aren't too busy, distracting or otherwise obnoxious."

Read more here

Battlestar Galactica Looks Pretty Frakkin' Good

Source: Wired Blog Network

By Susan Arendt

Battlestar Galactica for XBLA puts you in the cockpit of a Colonial Viper and bids you good hunting, nuggets. Based loosely on the show (meaning it uses the same characters and universe but doesn't adopt any key plot points), the single-player game is 10 levels of space combat. You fly, you blow toasters out of the sky, you head home.

Up to eight players can square play Team Battles or Deathmatches on the 360; up to 16 can put their flying skills to the test on the PC. The combat was solid and the graphics were surprisingly good, especially for an Arcade title. The Cylon AI was pretty smart, too, responding to both visual cues (i.e., you flew by them) and actual attacks.

Battlestar Galactica will be 800 points when it's released sometime this Fall (not sure just when yet, it depends on when the show's new season starts on Sci Fi). As for downloadable content in the future, such as new missions or game modes, they "can't officially announce that yet," nudge nudge, wink wink.

Interview with Richard Hatch

Date of publishing: 8th July 2007
Source: Scifi World

Richard Hatch has enjoyed international recognition for more than two decades. He has starred in such series as The Streets Of San Francisco for which he won Germany's Bravo Award, the equivalent of an Emmy Award, and the original Battlestar Galactica for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. These two series continue to play throughout the world today. He has also guest starred in numerous television series including Dynasty, T.J. Hooker, MacGyver, Murder, She Wrote, and Jake And The Fatman. His feature film credits include Charlie Chan And The Curse Of The Dragon Queen with Michelle Pfeiffer, The Jungle, Prisoners Of The Lost Universe, African Fever and Party Line. Richard is also the author of a trilogy of Battlestar Galactica novels for Byron Preiss Publications. He has also been writing Battlestar Galactica stories for Extreme Comics and Realm Press. In 1999, Richard wrote, co-directed and executiveproduced a 4 minute Battlestar Galactica Trailer which not only won acclaims at sciencefiction conventions but also in the worldwide press. At present, Richard's other pet project, Great War of Magellan, which he created and wrote, is also currently being filmed as a Trailer directed by Richard, and he is in discussions to create a series and/or video game based on the story. Richard Hatch is currently playing Tom Zarek in the new version of Battlestar Galactica.

Gilles Nuytens: After three years on the new Battlestar Galactica, what is your overall impression?

Richard Hatch: I think that the new re-imagined version of Battlestar has turned out to be, you know, an extraordinary show in terms of the quality of the acting, the writing, the special effects - it’s probably one of the best if not the best sci-fi, produced sci-fi, show of all time on TV. And I think it’s quite amazing that they’ve gotten the studio support to do such a provocative cutting-edge show that seems to push the boundaries of how we’ve defined sci-fi or how sci-fi was defined in the public consciousness for the past 20, 30, or 40 years. It’s basically forced people to re-evaluate their opinions about science fiction and to realize that science fiction is not about four-headed monsters, but it’s about people, it’s about life, it’s about politics, it’s about what’s going in our world, from a fresh perspective that allows us to maybe put a mirror up to our society and see the world with a 360° vision maybe.

I think Battlestar Galactica has shattered a lot of old judgments and belief systems about the genre and has allowed people who never watched science fiction ever before to all of sudden realize that, “Oh my god, this is about something that I can relate to, this is about something that makes sense to me in my daily life, it’s something that’s going on in my world today, and it’s relevant.” I think science fiction lovers would have told these skeptical audiences that science fiction has always been about the world, about people, about life. But also it explores the theoretical probabilities and possibilities of life, and maybe the world has gotten to a place where we’re more ready to ask deeper questions. But certainly Battlestar has changed the landscape of science fiction on television and it’s opened up a whole - I think in terms of music it’s innovative, the story writing, the wonderful cast, being able to do again the kinds of special effects that are being done on Battlestar - I don’t think they’ve ever been done before for any science fiction show on TV. It goes to show you that what was considered impossible a few years ago is possible, and I think it stretched the limits of maybe what producers, directors, writers, are going to be doing in the future. I think Battlestar has been a benchmark in terms of the evolution of science fiction on television and we’re going to see a whole slew of new kinds of science fiction shows coming out that got their impetus, their inspiration, from this Battlestar.

It’s funny because I have gone to many conventions and I’ve sat with the producers of Heroes, of several other top science-fiction shows, and many of them are huge Battlestar Galactica fans - they really, really love the show. I think it’s inspiring a lot of artists and creators to move in new directions and try new things and think out of the box. Ron Moore, I think, has courageously gone where few people were willing to tread. After three years I think Battlestar has demonstrated that this story is worthy of a three-generational audience; from the original show to this show, it’s quite a huge audience that has always loved Battlestar. And I think that the new series has more than justified that this story is a very powerful story and one that is worth telling. It’s not just that memory that we have of the original Battlestar, of this big space opera, but that Battlestar has always been about much more, it’s always been deeper, richer, fuller, philosophical, spiritual, political; it’s always been about all those things. Obviously thirty years ago they were not able to mine the rich and dramatic territory that the new show is able to do thirty years later, because number one, the creators involved are very out of the box, very creative, very imaginative producer-writers, and also because you’ve got a network that supports going in these new, innovative directions, whereas before we never had that kind of support. In fact ABC, the studio - nobody really supported science fiction back then. But again, a lot has to do with the evolution of science fiction in the minds of not only executives, but we’re realizing that science fiction is the number one, you know, it’s not just a niche genre, we’re realizing that the biggest grossing films of all time are science fiction/fantasy movies and television - I think seven out of the ten. It’s just kind of strange that it’s taken so long for the networks to realize that sci-fi is for everyone, not just a few crazy people walking around in costumes, and I consider myself one of those crazy people, because who in the world doesn’t like to put on a costume and role-play? I mean, we all grew up doing those kinds of things; it’s one of the most fun things to do, and fantasy and sci-fi conventions allow the whole family to go and have a great Richard hatch interview - Tom Zarek - Apollo Battlestar Galacticaweekend and step into a very imaginative topography and let their creativity soar. I have never met anybody that didn’t love a good book or a great story, and science-fiction/fantasy has some of the greatest stories ever told.

Again, I think Battlestar is on the forefront of all of this. I think these ideas have been laying dormant, have been explored in the past, but never with such commitment, with such passion, as the new Battlestar Galactica has explored this new territory. Again, I think the new Battlestar has proven itself worthy of an icon, becoming a sci-fi icon, and it’s demonstrated the viability that science fiction is about something that we can all relate to and it goes well beyond the so-called sci-fi niche audience. It’s like Star Wars in the sense that Star Wars appealed to fans of all ages, all backgrounds, all nationalities, and it appealed to people who never even liked science fiction before. But Battlestar again is different than Star Wars; it’s less of a space opera and it’s more about really getting into the heart of who we are as people, what makes us tick, where we come from, were we’re going, the infinite possibilities of life. I just think as an artist, for me, I live to be part of the shows that do what Battlestar is doing and to play characters like the one I’m playing, Tom Zarek, that allow me to really be challenged as an actor and to do the kind of work that you see on Battlestar all the time; some great acting, great writing, great producing, great production value, I mean this is a pretty amazing show.

Gilles Nuytens: Galactica is really an adult sci-fi, but when you say you like the show or you like sci-fi to someone, you can always notice a smile on their face - they won’t take you seriously. They have preconceived idea about what sci-fi is that hasn’t really evolved in years. It’s like we must produce extremely good stuff to attract the attention of media, which is a good thing in the end, because it means having a good product. What do you think about the situation and how can we change the mentalities?

Richard Hatch: Oh, I think the answer I just gave you answers that totally. Basically I answered about three questions probably, all at once, but obviously again, people who have judgments about science fiction, don’t know science-fiction, have not read science-fiction -they have a very cliché, limited, narrow view of what science fiction is and it’s not based on reality, it’s not based on fact. You know, it’s like anything in life - people form preconceived ideas about everything in life, and most of these preconceived ideas are based on fear, insecurity, lack of knowledge or awareness, and no framework of understanding. Does it mean someone is less intelligent or less gifted? It just means that it’s outside someone’s frame of reference, because maybe they grew up thinking that science fiction is this or that and, unfortunately, there were a number of science fiction movies that were made many years ago, that might have given people the impression that science fiction was just corny, stupid and silly and with silly costumes. But I think that in the age we live in, we’re shattering a lot of old belief systems, judgments, and paradigms, and if I’ve learned anything, we are normally wrong about most of our judgments, whether it be people, politics, religions, philosophies, most of our judgments are wrong because we only see part of the picture. And I think that today, fortunately because of the media, because of the ability to share information, to see situations from multiple viewing points, the world is beginning to debunk many of our judgments about everything in life, from alternative medicine to science, to UFO’s, to this and that. Some people live in a very narrow frame of reference, because of its terrifying to think that things may not be what we want or need them to be in order to feel safe or comfortable.

One of the biggest issues for many people has always been the fear of really thinking there may be life out there beyond us. I could go on and on [about] every scientific experiment, every new technology brought forth into this world has been ridiculed and put down, people have burned at the stake, put on the cross, tortured, thrown into prisons because they had new ideas or new ways of doing things that terrified people. People have always been afraid of something new. I think that science fiction is not just a bunch of garbley-gook, it’s always been written by the visionary, most intelligent people on the face of the planet, and it has always extrapolated from where we are now and where we might be hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of years from now. Science fiction, especially intelligent visionary science fiction, can be almost prophetic, in terms of some of the issues and areas of exploration. Most of us just need to look over all our judgments, and keep an open mind towards everything and maybe do a little more research and open our eyes to maybe looking at life, and art, and situations from what I call a larger, more expanded viewing point, as opposed to a narrow point of view. There is so much more out in the world than most of us see and again we limit what we see by these judgments that we make about things, and most of the judgments about science fiction have always been wrong.

Gilles Nuytens: The new show describes the human condition far better than most of the shows we can see on television right now, do you agree with that?

Richard Hatch: I totally agree with that. In the past we tended to show life through rosy-colored glasses; we only wanted to see the so-called positives, the things that we felt were up-lifting and inspiring, and we wanted to show the positives as opposed to the negatives. But I think that in this reality-based world where we’re being forced to look at ourselves in the mirror, we’ve come to deeper revelations and understandings about life, about ourselves, about the world, about politics, and so our naivety has been pierced, and we now in a sense are much more open and ready to look at movies and television shows that more honestly reflect the world. Now doesn’t mean that we don’t like a touch of fantasy throw in, or that art is a way of showing life, but it also helps us to see things we don’t see. Ultimately I think art should be inspiring, but that doesn’t mean it should all be black or white, good guys versus bad guys - you are either good or you are bad. Everything has been kind of relegated to clichés. I think that the new art and new movies have come to the realization that nobody is all good or bad, even bad guys are capable of doing good things and good people are capable of doing bad things under the right conditions. Battlestar has put people into the most extraordinarily challenging conditions and we’ve been able to see the best and the worst of humanity in a very, very powerful and realistic way. And that’s one way of mirroring the world. You could also do it in a little bit more [of a] fantasy context where you’d be one or two steps removed from the world, but at the same time you’d still be able to view the world and still be able to explore sociological, philosophical, spiritual, [and] political issues. But again, there are different ways of doing it and Battlestar does it in a very in your face, very direct, very blunt, very honest, very gutsy way; it’s a very powerful show and [for] some people it’s almost too dark for them and [it may be] too much for them. I would only say to them that ultimately at the end of the day I think this new Battlestar, even though it maybe dark, it is inspiring because it shows that deep down inside of everybody there is a spark of life, a spark of goodness, and that even the worst of us has a longing to do the right thing. And yeah, we see the flaws, imperfections, and the conflicted struggles of every human being on the Battlestar Galactica, but at the same time we see the real hope, real inspiration, and the true hero is not always the one who’s got the shiny clothes on and the mask and the cape, or the so-called perfect person. Sometimes it’s that courageous struggle within all of us to find our way in the world and to overcome our challenges, our dark side, and maybe it’s in the struggle that we find more [of] a powerful sense of humanity, and whether we win or loose or whether we succeed or not, is not even as important as the struggle. I think it’s all about the struggle within and each person to deal with their demons. Battlestar really reflects and mirrors that in a powerful way and ultimately I think that’s even more inspiring, than the so-called cliché of the good guy beats the bad guy down and wins in the end, which is what we have seen in the past.

Read the rest at Sci-Fi World

'Battlestar Galactica' Leads SyFy Genre Awards Nominations

Source: Syfyportal.com

Could the third time be the charm for "Battlestar Galactica"?

For the third year in a row, the critically acclaimed SciFi Channel series led a vast field of television shows in overall nominations, picking up 13 nods, as SyFy Portal releases the final nomination list for its eighth annual SyFy Genre Awards.

The series which is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick, held off a charging "Heroes" from NBC, which picked up 10 nominations while "Lost" and "Doctor Who" earned six and five respectively.

"We had a very diverse nominating committee from all over the world who had to narrow down a list of thousands to just under 70 picks," said Michael Hinman, founder of SyFy Portal who created the SyFy Genre Awards back in 1999. "I know I personally have been involved in this since the beginning of the year, so to finally get to this point is quite relieving. I just feel bad for all of our readers who will have some very difficult choices at the ballot box this year."

Besides picking up the main categories such as BEST ACTOR/Television, BEST ACTRESS/Television and BEST SERIES/Television, "Battlestar Galactica" also garnered a lot of nominations for BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR/Television and BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS/Television as well as three of the five slots available for BEST EPISODE/Television.

"I make it no secret that 'Battlestar' is my favorite show, but it is starting to get embarrassing that the committee is picking and picking the show, but there are not enough votes for it," Hinman said with a laugh.

Those actors with multiple nods are Christopher Eccleston and Edward James Olmos. Eccleston is nominated for BEST ACTOR/Television for his work on "Doctor Who," and received two more nominations for his guest work on "Heroes" this past season. Olmos is up for BEST ACTOR/Television for his work as Adm. William Adama in "Battlestar Galactica," as well as for the Gene Roddenberry Lifetime Achievement Award.

The SyFy Genre Awards honor the best in television and the silver screen that premiered to American audiences between June 1, 2006 and May 31, 2007. Readers can visit SyFy Portal beginning July 25 to vote once per day per e-mail address on the complete ballot, with the poll closing Aug. 25. In the past seven years, more than 2 million ballots have been cast.

Leading up to the first day of voting, SyFy Portal will release a series of stories highlighting the nominees in each category, which it will maintain on its message boards, the SyBoards to help voters cast informed votes.

A new category this year is Best Web Production, including two Webisodes from "Battlestar Galactica." One thing to note is that the video announcing the awards cite Webisode 12 and Webisode 13 as nominees, when in fact, it meant to announce Webisode 9 and Webisode 10 (there were only 10 Webisodes).

BEST ACTOR/Television
Christopher Eccleston, "Doctor Who"
Joe Flanigan, "Stargate: Atlantis"
Matthew Fox, "Lost"
Edward James Olmos, "Battlestar Galactica"
David Tennant, "Doctor Who"

BEST ACTRESS/Television
Evangeline Lilly, "Lost"
Mary McDonnell, "Battlestar Galactica"
Jacqueline McKenzie, "The 4400"
Billie Piper, "Doctor Who"
Amanda Tapping, "Stargate SG-1"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR/Television
James Callis, "Battlestar Galactica"
Michael Hogan, "Battlestar Galactica"
Lennie James, "Jericho"
Masi Oka, "Heroes"
Terry O'Quinn, "Lost"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS/Television
Tricia Helfer, "Battlestar Galactica"
Ali Larter, "Heroes"
Lucy Lawless, "Battlestar Galactica"
Elizabeth Mitchell, "Lost"
Katee Sackhoff, "Battlestar Galactica"

BEST ACTOR/Movie
Gerard Butler, "300"
Johnny Depp, "Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End"
Doug Jones, "Pan's Labyrinth"
Clive Owen, "Children of Men"
Brandon Routh, "Superman Begins"

BEST ACTRESS/Movie
Ivana Baquero, "Pan's Labyrinth"
Kate Bosworth, "Superman Returns"
Lena Headey, "300"
Keira Knightley, "Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End"
Julianne Moore, "Children of Men"

BEST YOUNG ACTOR
Ivana Baquero, "Pan's Labyrinth"
Noah Gray-Cabey, "Heroes"
Conchita Campbell, "The 4400"
Thomas Dekker, "Heroes"
Hayden Panettiere, "Heroes"

BEST WEB PRODUCTION
Episode 1, "Sanctuary"
To Serve All My Days, "Star Trek: New Voyages"
Webisode 9, "Battlestar Galactica"
Webisode 10, "Battlestar Galactica"
World Enough and Time, "Star Trek: New Voyages"

BEST WEB SITE
Dark Horizons
GateWorld
Outpost Gallifrey
SciFi Wire
Whedonesque

BEST SPECIAL GUEST/Television
Richard Dean Anderson, "200," Stargate SG-1
Christopher Eccleston, "Distractions," Heroes
Christopher Eccleston, "The Fix," Heroes
Nathan Fillion, "I Do," Lost
George Takei, "Landslide," Heroes

BEST EPISODE/Television
"Company Man," Heroes
"Crossroads Part 2," Battlestar Galactica
"Exodus Part 2," Battlestar Galactica
"Maelstrom," Battlestar Galactica
"The Parting of the Ways," Doctor Who

BEST SERIES/Television
Battlestar Galactica
Doctor Who
Lost
Heroes
Jericho

BEST MOVIE
300
Children of Men
Pan's Labyrinth
Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End
The Prestige

GENE RODDENBERRY
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Gene Coon
Russell T. Davies
James Doohan
Ronald D. Moore
Edward James Olmos