All Hail the Bionic Woman

If you Google News Battlestar Galactica these days you are more likely to get a story on NBC’s Bionic Woman pilot than an article about BSG itself. BW is one of THE hot stories to come out of the Upfronts, and press coverage has been rabid. So if you are interested in becoming a BW fan, then no worries about getting information … you have plenty of blogs and news stories to devour already, and the news just keeps on coming.
But if your TiVo is already full and/or you just want the highlights, here you go:
The show is produced by BSG’s Executive Producer David Eick, who has been taking full advantage of his resources in producing BW. He has used cast members, crew members, and of course his experience bringing a 70’s classic into modern culture with a new and darker theme.MediaBlvd Magazine explains that Aaron Douglas (Chief Tyrol), Michael Hogan (Col Tigh), and Dominic Zamprogna (Jammer) are all scheduled to appear in the Bionic Woman pilot. MediaBlvd also links to the radio interview where Aaron talks about his casting and being a Cylon, although I have not had time to listen to that yet myself.
The real draw for BSG fans is that Katee Sackhoff, aka Starbuck, will have a regular part in the series. Check out this post over on says Galactica Station where Katee says her character will be a femme fatale that reminds her of Number Six. The role will not keep her from appearing on BSG in Season Four, however, as she will definitely be back for some more visions in 2008.
A couple preview videos for the show are below. I found the first one last week and was not all that impressed; it had too much screaming and not enough story in my humble opinion. The second one, however, is definitely intriguing and the closing fight with Katee makes it worth a view. Who knows what the actual show will be like, but the pedigree is good and the conflict between the promise and purgatory of technology offers a variety of opportunities for plot lines and character development.
The final clip is an interview with Eick about the show and he definitely sounds … hopeful, to say the least. One thing is for sure, the man does not sound humble. It is hard to find someone who writes contemporary females in conflict with their potential better than Joss Whedon, and it will be interesting to see if these guys rise to the challenge.
The show has gotten so much press that I wonder if it will be able to maintain this momentum going into the fall. Especially for SciFi fans, always a finicky bunch, the potential for backlash seems to be looming already. For Eick’s sake I hope not … but as the folks over at Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip can tell you, it is a long long road from being anointed as NBC’s chosen one at the Upfronts to finding ratings glory in the fall.
katee sockoff, david eick, bionic woman, battlestar galactica


June 21st, 2007 at 6:13 am
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