Battlestar Galactica

If there was one prominent disappointment in Saturday’s Razor is that we did not see as much of Helena Cain’s descent into madness as we had promised.  Stephanie Chaves-Jacobsen did an admirable job of holding our attention as new character Kendra Shaw, but it was Cain and her cruelty that was the primary draw and most fans left feeling unsatisfied with the amount of screen time devoted to Cain or the scenes containing the actress who played her (Michelle Forbes).

For example the IMDB credits for Razor would indicate that at least one childhood scene was intended for Cain’s character, but that was missing from Saturday nights’ festivities.  Perhaps it will be on the DVD, which is scheduled to be released next week?  While we saw some deliciously tortured moments with Helena Cain, we did not see the explanations or descent that many fans were looking for in Razor.

Something else we did not see in Razor was a lot of our regular Battlestar Galactica cast members.  Most of them had relatively small roles or appeared only by reference, such as Michael Hogan’s Saul Tigh, or by voice, such as James Callis’ Giaus Baltar.  Grace Park may or may not have appeared, depending on what your TiVo showed of the visions of the early Cylon experiments … whether Grace was one of the tortured humans in the lab is subject to debate.  

What about you?  Did Razor meet your expectations or did you notice something important that was skipped that may be a clue into what will happen in Season Four?

EDIT: Click here for a list of the Razor DVD extras … the list is not very specific but it is better than nothing! Thanks to loyal reader Pam for sending it in.

I need to watch Razor again, because at the first viewing I found it very disappointing.  This was a mystery to me, because I had high expectations and before I watched it I knew everyone else seemed to have loved it.  But I found it to be unworthy of the hype on first viewing, and it took me a couple days to figure out why:  the spoilers. 

As a blogger I report spoilers, even though my personal preference is to avoid them.  And my viewing of Razor Saturday night is a great example of why spoilers are so appropriately named.  The fun and joy of Razor was not there for me, because I knew most of what was coming. 

I knew about Cain & Six, and I had already seen the horrible scene where Cain gives her torturer-in-chief permission to violate Gina in every way possible.  The scene was still disturbing, but since I had already seen it for the big event somehow I illogically expected more.

I had already seen the webisodes, so I had seen the shocking revelation that Adama saw the original Cylon experiments on humans that led to the creation of the human Cylon models.  Once again the scene was still disturbing, but since I had already seen it for the big event I illogically expected more. 

The list goes on and on, and as a result of seeking out spoilers I found myself disappointed and dissatisfied when the credits began to roll Saturday night.  Which is a shame, because Razor deserved better than that.

There were some great performances, particularly from Tricia Helfer who proved once again that she is more than just a pretty face.  Stephanie Chavez-Jacobson could have been annoying and distracting as Kendra Shaw, but instead her storyline blended well and provided a great device for switching time periods and switching perspectives.  Jamie Bamber was more grounded than ever playing the newly anointed Pegasus commander, and Michelle Forbes was a force of wrath as Admiral Cain.

Razor was not perfect, as the spotlight did not shine has brightly into the dark mind of Helena Cain as we expected.  That was the most common complaint from the group I watched Razor with, that we did not get to see enough of her evolution into madness.  But perhaps that is on the unrated and extended version that appears on the DVD, as there were roles cast for young Helenas and DVD extras have more time flexibility than a two hour movie with commercials.  The DVD will be released next week, on December 4th.

For many Battlestar Galactica fans, the highlight of this week will not be tomorrow’s Thanksgiving feast but Saturday night’s Razor premiere. That’s the night we finally get to meet Natalie, see what all of the fuss is about regarding Kendra Shaw, and last but not least learn more about the mystery of Starbuck. And of course see what made Admiral Cain so deliciously demented, which should be interesting to say the least.

Do you have big plans for watching Razor? Are you planning on watching it with friends or are you watching it at home alone so you can catch every word? Or are you among the lucky few who got to see it in theaters last week?

I am watching it with friends, but will probably watch it later on to see what I can catch when I watch it alone … after all, we have to make this last us until Season Four starts and that will not happen for quite some time.

Hopefully you are all having a good week and will forgive me for my absence. WatchingBSG.com will be back with more thoughts on Razor next week, but I have taken the week off from blogging. For loyal readers I appreciate your hanging with me during this vacation from blogging … between my birthday and the holiday, this seemed like a good time to focus on the rest of my passions for a few days so I can come back and analyze Razor rested and rejuvinated. Besides, buy not surfing the net for BSG news I am able to (hopefully) avoid too many more Razor spoilers between now and Saturday night.

See you on the other side of Admiral Cain’s wrath, until then be careful out there and watch out for Cylons.

I have been resisting the urge to watch the Battlestar Galactica: Razor flashbacks that are up on SciFi.com until they were completed, but this weekend the siren song sucked me in. And man, am I glad it did. The flashbacks are a lot of fun, and they certainly add even more anticipation to the Razor premiere on November 24.

Nico Cortez does a great job playing Billy “Husker” Adama, giving him a youthful false bravado and sexual neediness but also showing flashes of the pragmatism and cerebral caution of the Admiral we know and love. The action is intense, the production value is amazing, and by the time you get to part four you are in for one hell of a ride.

Five flashbacks are up on the website so far, with two more left to be posted on upcoming Fridays. If you don’t have the time or the connection speed to watch them yourself you are welcome to read my quick summaries after the jump, but the flashbacks are short and finding the time or the connection to watch them yourself is well worth the effort.

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GalacticaTV.com has an interesting interview with Battlestar Galactica special effects supervisor Gary Hutzel, shown with Edward James Olmos in the photo above. Gary reveals Razor spoilers and Cylon creation information, as well as some great pictures from the upcoming movie.

Ron Moore has announced he will direct one of the episodes in the final season of Battlestar Galactica. It is one of the later episodes of the season, and things aboard ship are interesting … especially between Roslin and Adama. Whether Ron’s definition of “interesting” is the same as the Roslin/Adama shippers remains to be seen.

Tricia Helfer’s dominatrix film, Walk All Over Me, has an official release date: December 5 at various theaters across Canada. Also Tricia’s blog has some fun pictures of Tricia that her husband took backstage at the Scream Awards, including this cute picture of her with Star Trek legend William Shatner.

GalacticaSitRep.com found an interview where Katee Sackhoff talks to her hometown paper about how she wishes she never started smoking (she quit between seasons two and three of Battlestar) and how fighting Tricia’s Number Six is more fun than fighting Michelle Ryan’s Bionic Woman.

Nicki Clyne blogs about her recent trip to Australia for Supernova, where she famously performed karoke with Nick Brendon of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame.

Some political blogger compares Edward James Olmos to Mount Rushmore, or maybe to the antithesis of John Edwards’ hair … depending on how you read it.

Justine, the hardworking blogger over at All About Tahmoh Penikett, has kindly offered to e-mail non-Canadians scenes from Tahmoh’s appearance on the Canadian show Whistler. She also has the link for Canadians who can watch Tahmoh’s part online.

La La Land Records has the soundtrack for Battlestar Galactica’s Season Three for sale.

Battlestar writer Jane Espenson reveals she does not have perfect recall of all of the many details that make up the Battlestar universe, and has to rely on the other writers in the writers room to keep her in line.

Nicki Clyne, Supernova, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Nick Brendon, Battlestar Galactica, Razor, spoilers, Gary Hutzel, Edward James Olmos, special effects, scifi, Tricia Helfer, dominatrix, Canada, Walk All Over Me, Star Trek, William Shatner, Tahmoh Penikett, Ron Moore, Roslin, Adama

New Razor photos have been released, including the picture of new girl Kendra Shaw with Lee “Apollo” Adama and Kara “Starbuck” Thrace that is posted above. To see more photos, including several that look very spoiler-esque, head over to ScifiStream.com.

Battlestar Galactica writer Mark Verheiden recently blogged about a moment from Season Four that implies Nicki Clyne’s recent choral obsession may have been inspired by something that happened on set.

As season four and Razor draw nearer, many Battlestar Galactica fans find themselves remembering thoughts and theories that were lying dormant during the hiatus. To kick start your musings, check out this amazing post about the symbolism and synchronization in Battlestar Galactica … including the observation that the crescent-shaped Cylon raider looks remarkably like the image on the fleet’s shield.

That’s looking forward … if you want to look back then you should check out the scans of Jamie Bamber’s introduction to the season three companion book.

Edward James Olmos is included on this blogger’s list of famous people with dyslexia.

You can find some cool short films and other BSG related things at Battlestar Fanfilms.com.

Paul at Toy Bender has a preview of the new Battlestar Galactica toys, including this rather disturbing one of Starbuck that Paul has described as having a “monkey face.” Personally I think it is the lips that are the problem, they look like Katee crossed with a Joan Rivers caraciture.

David Eick gave a recent interview in which he said that he and Ron Moore are still waiting to hear the fate of the Battlestar Galactica spinoff, Caprica.

Battlestar Galactica, Razor, Starbuck, Apollo, Lee Adama, Kara Thrace, Kendra Shaw, toy, Joan Rivers, Nicky Clyne, Mark Verheiden, Edward James Olmos, dyslexia, Jamie Bamber, David Eick, Ron Moore, Caprica

We knew Razor would be tough to watch, but watching this clip from the movie it seems possible that the Battlestar Galactica telemovie may be the darkest entry in the BSG cannon.

Fans who have seen the episodes Pegasus and Resurrection Ship Parts I & II know that Michelle Forbes’ Helena Cain is as harsh in her leadership style as Admiral Adama is pragmatic in his. She was relentless in her hunting of the Cylons after the attack on the Colonies, to the point that she killed members of her crew and authorized torture techniques that would make even the Justice Department uncomfortable.

So it’s not likely there will be many lighthearted moments in a movie determined to spend two hours in the belly of Admiral Cain’s beast, the Pegasus. For spoilers that shed some light on this darkness, click the “more” button below.

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Wow, if you have not seen the Battlestar Galactica season four trailer yet you are missing a treat. It lasts about a minute, and it has some amazing hints about things to come when the show comes back in January.

Also on You Tube is an quiet but revealing scene from the upcoming Battlestar Galactica movie, Razor, in which Michelle Forbes’ Admiral Cain explains what the title means to a silent Kendra Shaw, played by Stephanie Chavez-Jacobsen.

For some season four spoilers and additional musings, click “more” below.

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Tonight is the night fans have been waiting for, when the first official Battlestar Galactica episode to air since the stunning finale last Spring. It will only last about two minutes, but after months of no Battlestar we will take what we can get!

From October 5, 2007 to November 16 the SciFi channel will be releasing mini episodes of about two minutes each, all of which tie into (and lead up to) the Razor telemovie which will air next month.

The mini episodes will allow us to meet a young William “Husker” Adama, played by Nico Cortez, and travel with him on his first Viper mission during the first Cylon war. According to SciFi, these episodes should not be missed because “In addition to fighting for his very survival against relentless Cylon centurions, Adama makes a terrifying discovery that will come back 40 years later to threaten him, the crew of the Pegasus and the survival of the human race.”

The promotional posters for the mini episodes show a Cylon Centurion, and encourage fans to “See the War That Started It All.” The Battlestar Galactica mini episodes will premiere during episodes of Flash Gordon before they become available on SciFi.com.

To whet our appetites for tonight’s mini episode premiere, here are the most recent Razor promo clips. Razor will focus on the crew of the Pegasus, the second battlestar to escape the Cylon attacks on Caprica and a ship whose journey was even darker than the one endured by the crew of the Galactica.

The Pegasus is helmed by the haunted Helena Cain, an admiral who outranks Galactica’s Admiral Adama and prefers a more brutal approach to battling the Cylons than Adama’s more pragmatic style. Based on the clips, it seems the Pegasus is obsessed with destroying whatever secret the young Adama discovers in the mini episodes. I can’t wait!

Adama, Battlestar Galactica, Razor, SciFi, Cylon, Centurion, Flash Gordon, Husker, Nico Cortez, Helen Cain, Caprica

This lovely young man is Nico Cortez, the actor who landed the plum role of young William Adama in Razor and the Battlestar Galactica mini episodes that are scheduled to start this month.

There will be eight mini episodes setting up one of the central plot lines of Razor, with each episode ranging from two to three minutes each in length. The episodes will air on the SciFi channel, but if fans miss the television airings they will be able to catch them on SciFi.com and all eight will be included on the Razor DVD as well.

Nico’s previous scifi experience includes playing Manny on Alien Fury: Countdown to the Invasion. His major television experience includes playing a cop on an episode of CSI, a SWAT team leader on an episode of Alias, and and undercover vice cop on the short lived Manhattan, AZ. Hmm, something tells me he gets typecast as a law enforcement type.

Razor, Battlestar Galactica, Nico Cortez, Adama, DVD, CSI, Alias, cop, Alien Fury, USA

Entertainment Weekly has new Razor spoilers, including the identity of the mysterious narrator we have been hearing so much about.

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Last night the SciFi channel released this brand new promo clip for Razor as a way to tease the fans about what we will see in this fall’s Battlestar Galactica telemovie. The movie is meant to stand alone and be separate from the Battlestar Galactica seasons, but will also reveal important information about the various mysteries surrounding Galactica events past and future. For more information and potential Razor spoilers, click here, here, and here.

Battlestar Galactica, spoiler, teaser, Razor, SciFi

Shaun of the ShaunOMac Radio Show has been referencing a campaign by Battlestar Galactica fans to send razors to the SciFi channel in an attempt to keep the show on the air.

The campaign was inspired by the recent Jericho Peanut Triumph, created by Shaun himself, which produced the miraculous result of keeping that show on the air.

The difference between Jericho and Galactica however, is that all of the Jericho folks were committed to a second season and the decision was based solely on the decision of the network. In the case of Battlestar Galactica, the producers chose to end the series … thus all of the razors in the world probably won’t bring us another season of BSG in 2009.

Razor, Battlestar Galactica, ShaunOMac, Jericho, peanut, SciFi

Razor is the name of the Battlestar Galactica telemovie scheduled to premiere this fall, but what the title refers to is still a mystery. SyFyPortal is reporting the preliminary rumor that Razor refers to terrible strength of character needed to make life-and-death decisions in times of stress:

“It’s basically someone who can make a difficult decision, possibly resulting in the death of someone, on the fly and when under pressure,” the source said. “It’s something that Cain (Michelle Forbes) tells Kendra before a very difficult incident that was only talked about during the Pegasus episodes last season.”

Cain tells Kendra that she can be a “Razor” because “when you take your fear, your hesitation, even your revulsion … every natural instinct that in battle can mean the difference between life and death, and lock them away. When you can be this, for as long as you have to be, then you are a Razor,” Cain tells Kendra. “In this war, I’m afraid, we’ll all have to be Razors, or we won’t survive to have the luxury of simply being human again.”

SyFy warns us that this is not a confirmed answer, but the site has been right about so many other BSG scoops in the past the chances of this one being accurate are very good.

They also give an early indication of the time period of Razor, saying that various scenes take place over the course of 45 years and include Lee Adama’s first day as commander of the Pegasus. The majority of the movie will focus on scenes leading up to the Presidential Election in Season Two, in those distant days before the settlement on New Caprica.

Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, President, human, Cylon, Admiral Cain, Michelle Forbes, Lee Adama, Adama, Razor