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Grant Gould gives us some more original and fabulous art for our favorite show!
I give you: Series 1 of the Galactica Battlebuddies!! (No, they're not real toys. Yes, I am a geek.) :)
I think the Baltar one looks bad ass... Number Six looks a bit too.... happy. Great stuff though!
Back in September of 2005, there was a post about Adama for president. It looks like some people are taking it a bit more seriously this time around!
Vote Adama for President in 2008
Thanks to Daschel for posting the comment.
Ron Moore has posted a few blog updates. Once of them is a recap of his experience at the Game Developers Convention.
I grew up in the Classic Atari era, when a row of quarters on the Asteroids machine carried a great deal of credibility down at the bowling alley where I and the few video denizens of Chowchilla plied our trade. I had the first home consoles as well, but after college I pretty much dropped out of gaming, with periodic forays into the burgeoning computer game market over the years. My last effort involved buying an XBox a couple of years ago with the determination to get back into the game (pun intended) at last. A week spent in frustration over my inability to master the multi-buttoned controller finally put to rest my dreams of mastering Max Payne and Madden NFL, and as Terry constantly reminds me, the XBox sits beneath the TV table in my office gathering dust.
That may have to change, however, after spending a few days at the GDC getting to know the people in the gaming business. I was impressed, first of all, by the sheer brainpower which permeated the event and second of all with the maturity and seriousness of the business itself. To put it succinctly: these are seriously smart people, doing seriously smart things with a deadly seriousness of purpose. When I walked the convention floor, I was struck by the intensity of the attendees as they browsed through the various booths and displays. I'm told the event itself had discouraged the "babe booth" mentality long ago wherein scantily-clad women beckoned to the hormonally-challenged, and sadly, I saw no such relics from this storied past. Instead, I found a lot of intense concentration and discussion of the latest software applications and character-building tools, upwards of ninety-five percent of which went sailing over my head.
As someone who is a hard core gamer and follows the GDC developments like a hawk, it is interesting to hear his opinion of the industry as a whole. I often get in to debates with people who simply do not understand gaming... how it is all about the creation of experiences and memories. I find it particularly interesting how people who are die-hard sports nuts playing fantasy leagues and everything can't seem to grasp how what they do is no different than video gaming... just in a different medium. I'm not a game developer, but I would love to attend a conference like that. A friend of mine is an Xbox 360 MVP and is going to E3 this year... I am so jealous! There is also another Q&A post on his blog too...
This is pretty cool! SciFi posted a thirty minute MP3 of a writers meeting about the episode Scar. You can get it here:
Battlestar Galactica Podcasts or direct link
Source: BSG News
I just wanted to throw a quick post up here and let everyone know the latest rumor on the season two DVD release. It has been linked and reported in many places that the DVDs will hit before season three begins. This is from a TV Guide columnist:
Question: Will the entire second season of Battlestar Galactica be released on DVD before the third season premieres in October? — Marilyn
Ausiello: Yes. I'm not sure of the exact street date, but I hear it'll be in stores by early September.
The original column (you have to scroll to near the bottom)
Until further notice, that is the current rumor...
The CIC has all the best links lately. If you are following the comic book closely, go check out this article at Comic Book Resources:
Dynamite Entertainment announced today that artist Nigel Raynor will be joining writer Greg Pak (SOLD OUT Planet Hulk AND Phoenix Endsong) on the all-new Battlestar Galactica comic book series, a license of Universal Studios Consumer Products Group, as well as cover artists Steve Mc Niven (Civil War, New Avengers) and Michael Turner (Wolverine: Origin and Civil War cover artist), with more to be announced!
“After an exhaustive search for the right artist to work alongside Greg, we’re please to announce that Nigel Raynor is the newest member of Dynamite’s Galactica Crew,” explained Dynamite Entertainment Spokesperson J. Allen. “Nigel’s a relatively new name to comics, but fans will get a taste of his exceptional art, and Pak’s awesome script, in the introductory priced Battlestar Galactica #0 planned for release in May. And remember fans, this issue will be at the incredible introductory price of twenty-five cents (that’s right, just a slim quarter!) featuring a photo cover of Six and a brand new cover by Steve (Civil War, New Avengers) McNiven!”
I got this from The CIC:
he "Battlestar Galactica" troupe is heading into third-season production feeling spurred on by the fresh wave of acclaim that's been coming to the Sci Fi Channel show, reports Edward James Olmos.
"Normally, the sci-fi genre doesn't get the affirmation dramas get. But since Time magazine named ours the best show of 2005, people have found it and are starting to talk about it," he notes. He's referring to the year-end story in which the series was called "a ripping sci-fi allegory of the war on terror."
Read more, if you want, but there really isn't anything more about BSG in the article...
Maybe this year is the year... some serious award recognition... maybe if the rumors about moving to NBC is correct, it could go down that way. It seems you have to be on network to get the good stuff...
I found this link over at the Tahmoh Penikett blog. It is the mission statement that convinced Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell to sign on to the show:
Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonell both said that Battlestar's "mission statement" written by Ron Moore is what convinced them to do the show. It was inadvertently (or, rather, without Moore's knowledge) stapled to their copies of the miniseries script.
I was wondering what the statement said and luckily was able to find a copy thanks to BattlestarGalactica.com. It wasn't quite what I expected.
It is interesting to read through this now that we are two seasons in. Do you think the majority of it has held up? There are a few small things that jumped out... no sound in space for instance... They tend to use muffled sounds, but sound nonetheless. That is a small one though. Any big inconsistencies you see with the mission statement?
Bigdumbobject pointed me to the Hugo noms... it looks like BSG gets on for dramatic presentation short form. They won it last year! Can they go two in a row?
It is just me or is that one weird category of nominations?
And Pegasus? Honestly that was an OK episode, but I wouldn't call it the best of the season at all. Sometimes awards are just strange. I am really stoked to see Charles Stross nominated for Accelerando though. That is one of the best Scifi books I have ever read.
Ron Moore was invited to speak at the Game Developers Conference about adapting and improving existing franchises. Zonk posted his notes to Slashdot. Go check em out:
Ronald Moore may have done a lot for the Trek series of shows, but recently he's been making new fans with his work on the Battlestar Galactica title. He was invited to speak at GDC to relate ways in which intelligent folks can adapt an existing franchise. He focused on not only adapting and improving the original, but maintaining the core goodness of the inspiring work. Read on for notes from his talk.
Paperwirexit has started a LiveJournal community that will accept and vote on the best BSG icons. Head over there if you wish to participate:
Battlestar Galactica Icon Awards
It is just getting started, so join in!
Head over to the official BSG website at Scifi.com and you can watch the final few minutes of Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II as well as a teaser for season three. This is great because I know a few friends who had their Tivos cut off with a few minutes left! Thanks Scifi!
Battlestar Galactica Official Website
The voice-over during the far-too-short teaser clears up the motivations of the Cylons...
Sean Campbell picked up a Viper Mk II resin model kit from the Starship Modeler Store. Head over to his blog and check out the pictures:
Well, I just received a pretty cool resin kit the other day--a 1/72 scale Viper Mk II from the new Batttlestar Galactica Series. The Mk II is a sleek little beast, and this kit is a fairly good representation of it, although as I work on it I discover more and more minor issues. One thing that's a total PITA though is the nose intake/vent which comes seperate and is a total bitch to attach and fair into the feuselage.
Not only do they have Vipers, but it looks like some new Raider models are coming out soon!
The site may be in another language, but the sound of music is universal. Here are a few samples of music from season 2:
Bear McCreary - Gina Escapes
Bear McCreary - Baltar's Dream
Bear McCreary - Market
Bear McCreary - Resurrection Ship
Bear McCreary - Adama and Roslin
Bear McCreary - Adama's Choice
From a quick listen to these, it seems that the season two soundtrack surpasses season one in many ways. Great stuff!
As reported by the CIC, SciFi Channel has launched a site (er.. page) dedicated to the Battlestar Galacitca mobile phone game:
Battlestar Galactica Mobile captures the thrill and suspense of your favorite SCI FI Channel show. Start as a rookie pilot, take over the controls of the Colonial Viper Mark VII high-performance fighter, and plunge right into the ongoing interstellar war! Fight your way through 11 levels and a variety of missions in this action-packed shooter game, then put your skills to the test as you battle head-to-head with the deadly Cylons.
(Available from Cingular and T-Mobile. Check back for additional U.S. carriers.)
There is a video demo and screen shots! Woo hoo!
Digital Ejecta says you can!
KURV studios has just released a most tasty morsel. An advanced tutorial covering the modeling of a BSG Viper. For $44.95 it's a steal.
Gateworld posted an article about the challenges that Tricia Helfer faces playing such a complex character:
"I've actually played four versions of Number Six," Helfer said, sitting in her trailer during a break in filming. "As an actor that's fantastic. The Six in Baltar's head can be limiting, in a way, because you can't interact with the other characters. There's a certain relationship that they have that doesn't let you branch out. For me, it's fun to have other Sixes, to be able to have scenes with [other characters]. [But] I love working with James. I don't want to change that!"
James Callis (Baltar) will be making an appearance at Dragon*Con. Mark your calendars!
Dragon*Con
September 1 - 4, 2006
Atlanta, GA
Dragon*Con is America's largest, multi-media, popular arts convention—focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film.
I will be appearing on Subject2Discussion tonight to talk about the BSG season two finale Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II.
Tune in via streaming audio at LVRocks.com at 8pm PST (10pm CST, 11pm EST) to catch my segment. Should be fun like last time.
Update 03/16/2006 7:30am CST
Once gain, the interview was fun! You can download and listen to my segment here:
Battlestarblog.com Interview on LVRocks.com 11/29/2005 (mp3)
You can also grab the entire show here. The first half is political, but the second hour starts with me and continues the Battlestar talk with Koenigrules.
I haven't listened to the podcast yet for ep 2.20... Two days in a row I left the headphones for my Treo sitting on my desk, so I was unable to partake during my commute. Supposedly this podcast is the source for rumors about Edward James Olmos not returning for season three.
If you consider casting news about already announced characters a spoiler, look away...
As many of you have emailed, this rumor seems to be addressed on Scifi's website with this news article:
Returning to its Friday night slot with a complete 20-episode order, season three of Battlestar Galactica promises even more of the drama, intrigue and action that viewers have come to expect from the series. One of television's most critically acclaimed dramas, Battlestar Galactica has captured the minds of a new generation of fans, distinguishing itself with the intensity and present-day relevance of its stories and the riveting performances of its ensemble cast.
The entire Battlestar Galactica ensemble will return, including Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer and Grace Park. As previously announced, Lucy Lawless will also join the cast for a 10-episode arc, reprising her role as D'Anna Biers, a Cylon.
As of right now, whatever you might have heard, there is no real evidence that Olmos is bailing out on the show. Word on the street is that what was mentioned in the podcast was a joke.
Until new evidence surfaces, I am calling the rumor dead. Feel free to discuss if you think this is premature. I would love to see corroborating information if you have a link.
So, I just got back from the hospital where they were quickly sewing up MY HEAD FROM A MASSIVE EXPLOSION! (Ok not really)
Honestly, how do you start dissecting this episode? I have been thinking about it all day now and there is so much there to talk about… so many answers… so many questions… I never expected the episode I just witnessed. Is that brilliance or is it craziness? You have to admit, you feel a bit nervous after watching Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II. The show that we all knew (notice: past tense) and loved has fundamentally been changed on almost every single level. How are we supposed to deal with that? I have a feeling that if Ron Moore was in charge of Star Trek: The Next Generation when the Borg took Captain Picard and turned him in to Locutus, Ron Moore wouldn’t have let Riker save Picard. He would have kept Picard Locutus forever while Riker tortured himself over the failed rescue. Then he would have changed the entire series to operate from the Borg’s perspective…Ron Moore is twisted like that... twisted in a good way.
Let’s get the small stuff out of the way
Before diving head long into the epic insanity that is the last half of this episode, I just want to mention a few quick things that I really liked… just to get them out of the way and go on record about some pretty great moments:
Alright, that is enough of that. I can’t think of any more at the moment. On to the good stuff!
There is no God?
The conversation with the two Brother Cavells in the brig reminded me of that scene at the end of The Matrix: Reloaded where Neo meets the Architect. There is a lot that is said in that scene. Here were my key takeaways:
Perhaps Cavell’s biggest statement is that there is no God, or Gods… Atheism rocking the Cylon ranks is it? I find it strange that at the very end of the show when the three Cylons go in to Baltar’s chamber to accept his surrender; there is only a Six, a Five and an Eight. Where is the strong Number Three (Lucy Lawless)? Maybe the Cylons have their own little rebellion going on and the new marching orders that Cavell was talking about is a circling of the wagons to protect their own empire. We might soon find out that the humans are but small pawns caught in an intergalactic battle between the Cylon factions.
The choice for Democracy
This isn’t a very happy episode for the wisdom of crowds. I have never personally been trapped inside a spacecraft for months, so I really can’t relate to the appeal of settling on a barely hospitable rock deep within a nebula. To put it in perspective I am trying to imagine myself stranded on a Boeing 737 for a few months… yes… that would be hell… I would probably take my chances in Antarctica if it meant breathing real air and stretching my legs.
The most fascinating part of the great election was the conversation with Adama and Roslin after she confessed to knowing of the fix. There looked like a moment where Adama was actually going to go along with it, but then he said exactly what needed to be said. She would die inside. This isn’t her. She will lose the battle, but not the war. Both McDonnell and Olmos were fantastic in these scenes. It really felt like the culmination of a friendship that had been building the entire series. Roslin simply says “That’s it” and gives a great exhale ventilating herself of all the pressures and moral compromises she has had to make this season. While I never would have predicted back in episode 2.01 that Laura wouldn’t be President, I have to say I am surprised how the writers have made me come to accept this as a very natural event.
Holy crap one year later
I have a hypothesis: My DVR mysteriously died on Friday night. I got this strange error message that the disk drive had unrecoverable errors and that everything has been lost. I was forced to call customer support and learn that the only thing they can do is send me a new unit. My DVR is totally fried. Coincidentally enough, it died very near the end of the airing of this episode. Just as my own head exploded, I believe Ron Moore to be single handedly responsibly for frying my DVR with this pure craziness. How do we know a year passed?
Ok let’s just stop right there for a second. Did ANYONE see this coming? This is about as far from anything I ever expected this show to possibly be. I kept expecting Baltar to lift his head off the desk, have it all be a funny little hallucination brought on by the stress of a nuclear detonation in the fleet… At this point, that isn’t possible. This is the real deal folks. There are no worm holes or alternate timelines. We are in it for the long haul. Season three is going to look like one hell of a different show.
Final thoughts
I can honestly say I was more blown away by the end of Lay Down Your Burdens than I was with Adama getting shot in the closing moments of season one. At least when Adama was shot, you knew he was going to pull through. When Picard was turned in to Locutus, you knew they would get him back! Resolutions to such situations are always in the back of your mind. It provides a comfortable cliff hanger. At the end of BSG season two, I have no planned resolution, therefore I am uncomfortable. There isn’t a single ounce of me that knows where this story is going next. That is perhaps the best gift we could have been given at the end of this complicated season.
Ron Moore wanted Battlestar Galactica to continually defy people’s expectations. He did it when Number Six snapped that baby’s neck in the miniseries. He did it when Tigh left that little girl behind singing on a bench while a missile slammed into her ship. He did it when Roslin pushed Leobon out of the airlock, when Lee committed treason, when Adama was shot, when Baltar kills Crashdown, when he keeps the Pegasus around, when Billy gets killed, when Lee becomes commander, Baltar becomes President and now this! The list of surprises goes on and on.
In the end are we watching Battlestar Galactica because it is science fiction? Are we watching it because it is just good TV? Are we watching it because, like the show 24 we just want to see what crazy frakked up situation everyone is going to find themselves in next week? I guess it is a little bit of everything.
So I guess we wait until October… where we will see everyone fight ‘em until they can’t.
Principal MVP of the episode goes to James Callis as Giaus Baltar. He had far too many single-tear-rolling-down-the-cheek scenes to go unnoticed. It is tough to hand out the award to one person after such a complicated set of episodes, but his performance was pivotal in tying everything together.
Secondary MVP of the episode goes to Dean Stockwell as Cavell, if only for the almost hilarious banter in the brig. I think it was a great casting job and I look forward to seeing more of Dean on the show. He did a great job… in fact I think he is my favorite Cylon so far.
Additional Resources
Justine over at the Tahmoh Penikett blog did a great roundup of all the links containing content about the Paley Festival:
Battlestar was honored on Friday at The 23rd Annual William S. Paley Television Festival presented by The Museum Of Television & Radio. Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Jamie Bamber, Katee Sackhoff, Grace Park, James Callis, Ron Moore and David Eick were all in attendance.
Read more to get more links and see some great photos.
It is always strange to see the cast out of their costumes.
Gateworld is reporting the news... don't shoot the messenger:
The SCI FI Channel's top-rated original series will break the mold and jump to a fall season premiere, the network announced today. The 20-episode third season of Battlestar Galactica will premiere in October 2006 on the cable network. Production begins in April in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The network did not give a reason for the later premiere date. As a cable channel SCI FI has traditionally counter-programmed to the big broadcast networks, airing new episodes of its original series when the networks are in reruns. The broadcast networks have increasingly aired new programming during the summer off-season, such as ABC's highly-rated Dancing With the Stars. But in October, Galactica will likely face stiffer competition.
All I have to say is that October is a long way off!
Ron heads back to the Q&A for his latest blog post. I liked this question:
"Ron, on another board we've been having a discussion about the comparisons between Galactica and Hill Street Blues, which just came out on DVD (Season One). How much of a conscious foundation is HSB for BG?"
Hill Street Blues was definitely something of an archetype we looked to for developing the structure of the series. I made explicit reference to the show in our series bible and talked about how we would strive to emulate their structure as much as possible. That structure was, basically, to have a self-contained A-Story that would begin and end each week, with smaller character-centered B-Stories that would take place over a few episodes, and finally long-running C-Stories that would arc throughout the season. It was a starting place for a lot of story discussions and script meetings, but we didn't strictly adhere to the form, as you can see from the experimentation we did throughout the first season. The first seven episodes of season two roughly follow this format, but then we varied again from that structure for the rest of the season. Why didn't we hew more closely to the Hill Street format? Partly it's a result of not wanting the show to get so serialized as to be inaccessible to new viewers, and partly it's a result of continually wanting to try new things on the show and mix up the story-telling.
This made me chuckle:
As I write this, I am 30,000 feet above the ground on my way to a conference in San Diego. I am trying hard to think back to the scenes I witnessed on Friday, but that seems like so long ago, even if it was only two days back, a few feet closer to the ground.
Like all two part season finales, Lay Down your Burdens Part I is a setup for things to come. It is difficult to judge it on its own, separate from part II. If you remember back to my thoughts on Pegasus, I had some similar comments. How can you really say whether this episode stacks up to the likes of other shows from season two, when the primary plot threads have yet to reveal themselves?
If I had to pick one word to describe this episode, it would be methodical. The camera is very deliberate, hanging with each scene, uncovering every moment, exploring each character in a full and complete way.
Tyrol
It is only natural that some people within the fleet would start to second guess their humanity. I am a little surprised that the writers chose Tyrol for this job. After his gallant displays earlier in the season, you would think he has enough talent to keep him from second guessing his own abilities. Sharon on the other hand was specifically involved in incidents where she was stealing ordnance and turning up with amnesia. The Chief has to realize he is far from that situation. Sure, he smacked Cally around, but anyone stressed to the point he is, woken suddenly from a nightmare might do the same. He might be a little mentally unstable at this point, but that is far from being a Cylon.
One thing that hasn’t been touched on is how Tyrol was affected by the loss of Sharon’s child. He was with Helo on the Raptor when the fake-baby ashes were set adrift in space, but it was never specifically address how Tyrol is coping with the reality that one of the single forces tying Sharon and Helo together is now gone. There has to be a part of him that hasn’t let go of her yet and maybe his subconscious is drawing him back to her once more… maybe he feels this and is rejecting it by manifesting fears of being a Cylon.
To be honest, it is far too obvious to make Tyrol a Cylon at this point. It is far more obvious to me that the priest who is helping him with his problems is part of the club. That line that went something like “I know you’re not a Cylon because maybe I am and I haven’t seen you at any of the meetings” was a great one. It is just sarcastic enough to imply that perhaps the priest really is.
Starbuck and Apollo
Finally her dreams of returning to Caprica have become a reality. I was also happy to see that the Heavy Raider was not forgotten! As always, Starbuck was at her best when she was in the same room as Lee. Her brief scene with him showed that there is an ever widening gulf in their relationship. She is still a pilot… going out… risking her life to save the others. Lee on the other hand resides in the massive Pegasus Captain’s cabin, dining on Asian noodles, a far cry from the mess hall and the shared bunks. You can only imagine the tension that such a divide between two good friends would create. At the same time, I think they both respect each other. Apollo was searching for his purpose and essentially found it. Kara discovered her reason to live (Anders) and now has an opportunity to return to him.
The biggest question in my mind is one of intention. Why is Kara going back to Caprica? Is she truly going back to rescue the resistance party or is she going back purely for Anders? I don’t think it is made specifically clear. If she is going back for herself, risking the lives of all those soldiers, than it causes us to view her actions in a much less heroic light. I have a feeling that by the end of the arc, very few people are going to survive her mission. Will the cost have been worth it? For her maybe, but for everyone else? It could have a profound impact on her reputation amongst the crew. Her head-strong plan to help the hostages in Sacrifice lead to the death of marines and Lee getting shot. What is the price this time?
Baltar and Zarek
The relationship between Tom and Giaus was not one I saw coming. I guess it is natural that the man of rationalism and science, secretly courted by the Cylon God would team up with the fleet’s ultimate pragmatic terrorist. Interestingly enough, both of them would also become the party of “peace” and “hope”. I have to say, the dynamic developing in the campaign is beyond interesting. The political issues within the fleet are by far one of my favorite aspects lately. I have been mildly disappointed that we haven’t gone back to the realities of civilian governments in tense situations since season one.
So the big question is: can Baltar win? My gut tells me he will. It is far more interesting to have him and Zarek prevail than to have them defeated. It would mean so much more for the characters if they all underwent such a drastic change. Baltar elevated to President, Roslin stripped of her power, Zarek able to rule from the shadows… it would be too much fun to pass up!
Laura Roslin
Is it just me or does she get to be more and more of a hard ass every episode? It almost feels to me like her time is up. Not that she will be killed off, but that her role is going to change. That is the biggest reason I feel like she is going to lose this election. All of her policies are getting so hard core… her relationship with many of the main characters is getting estranged. She is ripe for a massive character upheaval that will send her in an entirely new direction.
My prediction is that she will be voted out of the presidency, but that she is some how put in to some other leadership role… maybe the vice president position or some other situation where she is allowed to interact with the new political players. Mary McDonnell is a powerhouse in the show, so she can’t possible disappear, but I can’t help but feel her role is changing.
Sharon and Helo
It is obvious that Sharon is second guessing the role she has been playing. If Adama and the others aren’t careful, they are going to lose her. It almost seems like the writers are hinting at possible deception or treachery. Will she find out about her child? If she does, that will most definitely turn her against Roslin and the leadership of the fleet.
I am starting to think any choice Sharon makes is going to impact Helo as well. He has shown that he is willing to stick by her no matter what, even going so far as to stand against Adama. If Sharon turns her back on the fleet will Helo? He is a gallant person, full of duty and honor, yet he is also extremely loyal. If Sharon finds out Roslin, Adama and Cottle lied about the death of their child that will no doubt undermine Helo’s loyalty to the human fleet as well. We could see both of them back on the run shortly.
Conclusion
Ok my laptop battery is already running out. Something is up. I thought I charged this sucker before I left. Does anyone else have a laptop with crappy battery life?
I was definitely into this episode so much that when it ended, I really thought there was about 20 minutes left to go. In the meantime, I am happy just sitting back and waiting for Part II to arrive. I hesitate to pass too much judgment on the story arcs and character motivations without knowing how it all ends up. In the end, Lay Down your Burdens, Part I does exactly what it needs to do. It introduces some great story developments, shows us new aspects of characters we thought we knew and leaves us ready to be blown away with a finale to end all season finales. I am ready Mr. Moore… do your worst.
No MVPs this episode… I am holding off until we can see what everyone is really made of in part II.
Additional Resources
Ron Moore posted a little note in his blog about the prevalence of spoilers. I have stated repeatedly that I steer clear of spoilers on this blog. Ron, if you are reading, I hope you appreciate that! ;)
Surfed through the official boards and saw a LOT of spoiler photos from the finale. I'm not trying to be snarky, or ruin anyone's fun or trample anyone's speech, but I gotta say, I'm pretty disappointed that so much material is getting posted. There's a lot of people who work really, really hard on the show who are waiting to see the finale and have the pleasure of surprising the audience and it's a bummer when it's ruined this close to the final airdate. Obviously, people can do what they want, it's a free country but I'd really appreciate it if the photos posted so far were confined to that thread and if people resisted the temptation to post any more shots or any more plot details.
That being said, I personally don't have a problem with other people posting spoilers... some people just want to know... that is fine... But I agree with Mr. Moore that solid efforts need to be taken to project those that are trying to stay clean from spoilers. I think The Great Link has one of the best systems in place for spoilers. You are greeted with a healthy warning and you have to click a button to proceed. It doesn't get much more preventative than that.
There is a very real problem with international audiences who are behind the US in episode count. I guess for anyone outside my country this entire blog could be viewed as "Spoilerish"... and I recognize that. However we have to realize that no matter what, posting something will always be a spoiler for someone... I have friends in the US who only watch TV shows on DVD and therefore consider every Monday morning BSG lunch conversation potentially spoilerish.
Andrew from the CIC posted this great news:
This is cool - Take advantage of this: You can get a free episode to download from the March 6th issue of TV Guide. Each issue will contain a 12 digit code for the iTunes store and can be used, appropriately, for the episode Downloaded, which guest starred Lucy Lawless.
If you haven't seen Downloaded yet, give it a go! Let me know how it works out.
Brett J. emailed in with a link to this bit of BSG toy news:
Diamond Select Toys & Collectibles is proud to announce a partnership with Art Asylum and Universal Pictures to manufacture product showcasing the cast of Battlestar Galactica! In a recent agreement, Art Asylum will develop resin collectibles and Minimate block figures for both the groundbreaking classic show and the immensely popular modernized series, while DST will handle the marketing and sales of the new line.
More and more toys are a better and better thing! Let's hear from the toy people out there... what do you think of these announcements? Is this headed where you want? Are there any "toy" tie-ins that you will be holding out for?
Andrew at the CIC posted a link to Craig Shaw Gardner's blog with this great bit of news:
So, if you're reading this blog, you probably already know that I do the occasional "media project." The next one out from Gardner Central will be the first original BATTLESTAR GALACTICA novel from TOR, due out this August. The title of this opus is THE CYLONS' SECRET, and it's a prequel to the events on the show, delving more deeply into the background of three of the show's regular characters.
Well, once you finish a media project, it has to clear the production people at the studio/comics company/gaming company. I've had to totally rewrite a project at the last minute (and over the course of a weekend!) But that's another story, and had to do with a copy-editor that thought he/she was a far better writer than yours truly (he/she wasn't). But mostly you get comments like "Batman would never use that language!" or "We can't do that because we're doing something else in season two."
A prequel?!? That is excellent!! I can only imagine the amazing revelations in there! This is definitely going on the watch list.
Source: CIC
I am a little behind... just getting around to reading Ron's latest blog update:
"How were you able to deal with ramping up to more episodes per season? I recall hearing that HBO's "The Wire" even had to take breaks to ease new writers into the fold. BSG has a different model, with ads and other pressures... Maybe we will we see more character studies, which are more contained within themselves?"
We did take a month long break in between eps 10 & 11 in order to catch up on scripts. Doing 20 instead of 13 makes a big difference in terms of stamina and quality control. When you're concentrating on 13, you can essentially make each of them special and each of them gets a lot of attention. With 20, you're spreading yourself out more and trying to keep more balls in the air at once. I won't say that's the only reason why we had a couple of shows that I wasn't happy with this season, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a contributing factor.
If anything, you can tell that the writing process is fairly fluid... often working backwards from a cool moment into justifications that would allow the moment to take place. Not a bad thing, just something to keep in mind as we contemplate the significance of certain moments in the show.
Battlestar Galactica has picked up a Golden Reel Nomination. The award is meant to acknowledge the year's best work in the areas of sound editing: Dialogue & ADR, Effects & Foley, and Music:
Best Sound Editing in Television:
Short Form – Music
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA – “Flight of the Phoenix”
COLD CASE – “Frank’s Best”
CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION – “Snakes”
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES – “Sorting Out the Dirty Laundry”
EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS – “Everybody Hates Halloween”
MEDIUM – “The Song Remains the Same”
SIX FEET UNDER – “Everyone’s Waiting”
Source: CIC
Hollywood North Report has a link over to Comic Book Resources:
The Cylons were created by humans. They rebelled. Now there are less than 50,000 humans alive and in search of the fabled planet Earth. Oh, that’s the GOOD news. The remaining humans need to find a way to survive, despite their differences, and the Battlestar Galactica, the colonies’ last warship, is humanity’s last hope. Every Friday on the Sci-Fi network, fans race to their televisions to watch “Battlestar Galactica,” a thrilling update of the seventies cult classic, and fans have made it the network’s #1 program. Dynamite Entertainment announced their plans for a “BSG” series last year, and this May, fans will get their first taste of the series in a 25-cent issue #0, much like the way the company drew in readers with “Red Sonja,” Writer Greg Pak, who’s been making a name for himself at Marvel Comics, is writing the series and spoke to CBR News about working on the book, his plans and how he got involved.
“After the first issue of “X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong” hit the stands, I got a call from Dynamite,” explained Pak. “They initially wanted to talk about another project, but let slip that they had the rights to do the comic book tie-in to the new ‘Battlestar Galactica’ series. I’d loved the old show as a kid but was absolutely blown away by the new show -- it’s the only television program in years that I’ve actually built my schedule around watching. The chance to be a part of anything associated with it was too good to let slip by.”
I was sort of out of the comic scene for awhile... I did end up buying and reading all of the Firefly comics that were released for the Serenity film, so I am ready to jump in for these!
Joystiq, a very popular gaming site that I read regularly, made mention of the BSG mod that is in production using the Freespace 2 engine:
A mod of the new Battlestar Galactica with the Freespace 2 game engine is currently underway and making some progress. Click on the image to the right and you'll be directly taken to the mod's 13MB AVI trailer.
This trailer gives a better sense of how things look than the images on the mod's home page at the moment (as the navigation there is a bit broken right now), but anything to mix a fan-favorite space combat sim with the hottest sci-fi show on TV today is definitely worth a look.
The trailer looks pretty damn amazing.
