Battlestar Galactica

Dinosaurs? Ancient Romans? Tricia Helfer, Mary McDonnell, and Katee Sackhoff speculate about what they will find on earth on a series of web interviews available on SciFi.com.

The best quote of the bunch is when a smiling Mary McDonnell asks “Wouldn’t it be funny if Laura had a crush on Cesar Augustus?” in a slightly wishful tone.

The ladies also talk about what is in store for their characters next season, what Starbuck could be, and and why Caprica Six has not ratted out the other Cylons aboard Galactica yet.

Mary McDonnell, Tricia Helfer, Katee Sackhoff, dinosaurs, Cesar, earth, Battlestar Galactica, scifi, Six, Caprica, Starbuck

Tricia Helfer recently revealed that a new Number Six, named Natalie, will be featured in Battlestar Galactica’s fourth season. She will be more brunette than platinum blonde and Tricia refers to her as a “clone.”

Entertainment Weekly’s website, EW.com, has the clip of the revelation. It appears at the end of a montage of Comicon moments with Katee Sackhoff, Mary McDonnell, Stan Lee, Mark Sheppard, Sarah Silverman, and others.

No huge spoilers in the clips other than Katee talks a bit about finding Earth. Most of the moments are people talking about the insanity of Comicon, which Stargate’s Michael Shanks refers to as a “gathering of serial killers.” There is a lot of Katee in the clips, so if you are a Katee fan you should definitely check it out.

Comicon, Entertainment Weekly, Stan Lee, Katee Sackhoff, Sarah Silverman, Mary McDonnell, Mark Sheppard, Tricia Helfer, Number Six, Battlestar Galactica, Bionic Woman, Michael Shanks, Stargate

She’s unboxed and she’s back! Lucy Lawless appeared at Comicon this weekend to confirm that her Cylon character, D’Anna Biers, will be back in Season Four with plans to “cause some trouble.” She will not appear until late in the season, however, and at this point she is only scheduled to be in two to three episodes.

Not much was revealed about her story arc, but Moore emphasized that the Cylons have a plan and that D’Anna plays a pivotal role in that plan as well as the season. D’Anna’s obsession with the spiritual connections between the humans and the Cylons was a recurring theme in Season Three, so it will be interesting to see how her reappearance affects the relations between the two groups in Season Four.

The picture above is of Lucy at last year’s event, as the 2007 pictures have not been released yet. If all goes well we should have them later this week.

Lucy Lawless, Battlestar Galactica, Ron Moore, spoiler, Cylon, spirituality

Check out this video of Nicki Clyne shaking it! According to her blog, that’s really Nicki singing the chorus in “The Laws Have Changed” and that is definitely her rocking out on stage. She sounds good and the whole video has a decidedly 80’s feel, including the dancing, so of course I loved it. That said, the name of the band is The New Pornographers and after watching way too much Law & Order: SVU this weekend the name kinda creeps me out.

Nicki plays Cally Tyrol on BSG, and in the last episode of Season Three it was revealed that her husband is a Cylon. This means her baby is actually a second Cylon/human hybrid, an amazing thought when compared to the focus and attention that has been lavished on Hera. This weekend at Comicon someone asked producer and writer Ron Moore about the fate of the hybrid children, and he replied that Hera will be important to the story of Season Four but implied the Tyrol child may glide through unnoticed … which in the violent atmosphere of Galactica, potentially implies he will also go unscathed? This could be good news for the Tyrols, especially Cally, who has been close to death at the hands of the writers more than once during the series. If her baby survives, perhaps Cally will survive as well. It’s all guessing at this point, but right now we can hope that Cally Tyrol survives long enough to rock her way to Earth.

Nicki Clyne, Battlestar Galactica, New Pornographers, YouTube, Law & Order, SVU, Cylon, Ron Moore, BSG, Tyrol

Ever the rebel, Tom Zarek did not appear on the same panel as President Laura Roslin this weekend. Richard Hatch, who plays Tom Zarek, appeared during the convention’s first day where he revealed that Zarek is still Roslin’s VP on Battlestar Galactica and he will appear in at least two episodes of Season Four.

Hatch also talked about the end of the series, revealing that fans fans who feared the decision to end BSG was more the network’s than the producers were partially right. According to Hatch, Ron Moore and David Eick sought a two year commitment from the SciFi Channel which the network was not willing to give. So instead of risking the storyline on an uncertain ending, the two decided to end the series on their own terms. Interesting news, especially coming from someone who admits he was against the newer, darker BSG for a long time before being converted into a fan.

Battlestar Galactica, Comicon, Richard Hatch, Starbuck, Zarek, Roslin, Mary McDonnell

The Summer of Sackhoff continues as Katee Sackhoff’s new role as the original Bionic Woman continues to land her lots of press. This week’s interview includes a cover photo of her with Michelle Ryan for TV Guide, available at a supermarket checkout line near you.

The issue is part of the magazine’s “SciFi preview” and according to the Bionic Website it also features cover photos of Heroes and Smallville cast members on alternate issues. According to the list on the cover, the preview should include some Battlestar Galactica news as well.

In other Katee news, BSGCast posted a new video interview with Katee on Friday where she talks about how much the Battlestar Galactica cast is not in Razor, and reveals that Edward James Olmos knew before the rest of the cast knew that Starbuck was not really dead.

Katee Sackhoff, Battlestar Galactica, scifi, Bionic Woman, Heroes, Smallville, TV Guide, television, Edward James Olmos, Starbuck

There are a lot more rumors going around this week Battlestar Galactica’s about Season Four, especially concerning the Cylon Centurions and the Final Five.

SyFy Portal, as always, has the newest and the coolest rumors … I have read a lot of Battlestar Galactica spoilers recently, but these are by far the rumored spoilers I found most intriguing.

Read more after the jump.

(more…)

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

The SciFi Channel hosted a press tour of the Battlestar Galactica set last week, allowing 26 internet journalists access to sets and a Q&A session with several cast members. Media Boulevard has video of the BSG panel, which included Michael Hogan (Col. Tigh), Aaron Douglas (”The Chief” Tyrol), Jamie Bamber (Lee “Apollo” Adama), Grace Park (Boomer/Sharon/Athena), and Tahmoh Penikett (”Helo”).

The event spawned some amazing photographs of the set and quite a few spoilers about Season Four. The photo above is courtesy of Keith from TV Squad, who has a very detailed post about the BSG set visit as well as a wonderful close up of the war painting hanging above those couches in Adama’s quarters.

Spoilers, Hints and Clues discovered during the event include:

(more…)

The SciFi Channel has a new Battlestar Galactica teaser out, promising that a sneak preview of the the telemovie Razor will be shown July 10 during the season premiere of the show Eureka. The brief clip contains glimpses Michelle Forbes’ Admiral Cain, a copy of Tricia Helfer’s Number Six that looks like Gina, Edward James Olmos’ Admiral Adama with a classic Cylon in the background, and much more. So short, and yet so exciting!

Battlestar Galactica, Eureka, SciFi Channel, Adama, Number Six, Admiral Cain, Michelle Forbes, Edward James Olmos, Tricia Helfer, Cylon

According to Battlestar Galactica actor Leo Li Chiang, season four is not the end of Battlestar Galactica. Chiang states in his blog post that the cast and crew are shooting seasons four and five, right now, back to back:

After finishing the Battlestar Pegasus movie titled “Razor�, Battlestar Galactica (BSG) is back in full storm shooting Seasons 4 and 5 (the final season) back-to-back until March 2008. It is scheduled for 12 episodes per season for a total of twenty four episodes, I’m gonna take a wild guess and assume that there will be a few special 2 hour episodes.

The math is slightly off because the official announcements said there would be 22 episodes, but the post still makes me wonder. Perhaps the writers are shooting 22 episodes, but there are two two-hour episodes in there? Or perhaps they are thinking of “Fourth Season” in a way that means it will actually be treated as two separate seasons (for example, before Earth and then after Earth)? Or, perhaps this guy is just wrong.

Either way, it is interesting to think about.

So who is Chiang? According to Battlestarwiki,, Chiang plays a pilot on BSG and has been a regular for three seasons but does not have any lines. He is often in the background, and when we are lucky he is shirtless and showing off his tats. When you look back at old episodes, try watching how often you can spot him … perhaps that could become a part of the BSG drinking game?

Battlestar Galactica, Leo Li Chiang, blog, BSG, drinking game

SyFyPortal, a site that is known for having accurate BSG spoilers, has some details about the upcoming Razor telemovie and they include some interesting spoilers about Michelle Forbes’ Admiral Cain and her history with one of the Cylon models played by Tricia Helfer. The article also has more information on the rumored tributes to the original series that are planned, including the use of the original Cylon models.

Battlestar Galactica, Admiral Cain, Michelle Forbes, Tricia Helfer, lesbian, Razor, Cylon, SyFyPortal

If you are a Battlestar Galactica fan, but you are not listening to ShaunOMac’s internet radio show, then you are missing out on a real treat. Every Friday night the show focuses on Battlestar Galactica, and over the years Shaun has interviewed Katee Sackhoff, Aaron Douglas, Nikki Clyne, Richard Hatch, and many others about all things BSG.

Last night Shaun interviewed Leah Cairns, aka “Racetrack,” who is well known for her affection for the fans and has even worked certain fanfiction elements into her character. Leah also has a substantial role in ABC Family’s Kyle XY and the pioneering online show Sanctuary. The interview is charming and contains good advice on wearing a Galactica flight suit as well as small but significant spoilers for BSG’s season four, including the tentative titles of the first four episodes. Leah also talks about the cast’s hope for BSG at the Emmys, and her personal hope that Al Pacino never appears on Dancing With the Stars but she gets to appear on Jericho wearing something cute.

I caught the show for the first time tonight and became an instant fan of Shaun’s interested-but-not-obsessed interview style and ability to bring out the best in his guests. He also takes callers and questions from his chat room which add a great interactive vibe to the show, and is awfully gracious when folks accidentally talk over him (like a certain caller around minute forty… sorry Shaun!).

Shaun is the fellow who is credited with the historic Jericho peanut campaign and a true fan of scifi … if you have a spare moment or a spare hour, archived episodes of the show are definitely worth a listen.

Battlestar Galactica, Talking Galactica, BlogTalkRadio, Leah Cairns, Racetrack, KyleXY, Jericho, Sanctuary, Al Pacino, Dancing with the Stars, Katee Sackhoff, Aaron Douglas, Nikki Clyne, Richard Hatch

Battlestar Galactica’s head writer, Ron Moore, loved the finale of The Sopranos, a development that worries fans of the series who are hoping for resolutions in Season Four.

The Sopranos finale aired on Sunday and has come under heavy criticism this week due to its abrupt ending. Unresolved endings are not unheard of in television, but this one ended practically mid-sentence, leaving fans desperate for more.

Apparently, Moore loved it:

It’s poetic. It’s exciting. It’s perfect.

And most of all, I wish I’d thought of it first.

This is worrisome for fans of Battlestar Galactica, as it has already been confirmed that Season Four will be the last of the beloved series. Speaking at an event last week, Moore warned fans not to get too attached to the idea of a “happy ending” for the series saying that it is the “yearning” that defines the characters more than the completion.

In his blog post this week Moore seems to idolize Soprano’s writer David Chase, saying “the man has balls the size of Volkswagons.” He is not the only TV writer to do so, either, as the New York Times reports that the head writers for Lost and other critically acclaimed shows loved the ending as well.

It’s great that the writers are happy, but what about the fans? Endings like this seem selfish to me, like the writers are giving a big “F You!” to the fans that have supported a show while playing to their peers or to “history.” It’s a controversial way to go out, frustrating people instead of inspiring them in the way that shows like Six Feet Under choose to end their runs.

I get more pessimistic about Season Four by the day.

To take the edge off the worry, I will leave you with BeaucoupKevin’s humorous discussion on what the finale should be like:

jkrach: I liked Ron Moore’s SOPRANOS-fanboy take, but I’m really glad Chase did the ambiguous ending before Moore could think of it for the BSG finale.
BeaucoupKevin: I think the last shot of BSG should be the fleet jumping into earth orbit and us hearing chatter from the various governments
jkrach: I think they should land on Earth, near the shattered Statue of Liberty, and gape as a squad of angry apes on horseback charges them.
BeaucoupKevin: The last moment is Starbuck screaming “TRANSFORM AND ROLL OUT” and that is what they do.

Battlestar Galactica, Ron Moore, finale, Sopranos, David Chase, Statue of Liberty, Transformers, Earth, Lost

Edward James Olmos, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, Mary McDonnell, Lucy Lawless and Mark Sheppard were among the VIPs at the SciFi Channel’s All Access Event at the Arclight in Los Angeles last Wednesday.

After being treated to a replay of the season finale “Crossroads” on the giant screen of the Cinerama Dome, fans got to ask over two hours of questions to the cast in a Q&A session moderated by Lucy Lawless. TV Squad has a great recap of the event, which featured a lot of laughter and talking about sex, which of course led to some great quotes from cast as well as producers David Eick and Ronald D. Moore.

Lucy asked “Is Admiral Adama ever going to get laid?” *laughter* Jamie responded by saying “He’s Latino! He has to do it two times a day!” Then someone interjected (I forget who, everyone was cracking up at this point) that we’d already seen Lucy in a threesome with Six and Baltar, to which Lucy said “Well, that was Cylon sex … woo.” What, like that doesn’t count?

Lucy then went on to ask if anyone had a favorite “nudie” scene, and Katee talked about her body paint scene with Callum Keith Rennie. The director kept saying that her pasties were getting in the shot, so she finally ripped them off, and Rennie covered her breasts up with his paint-coated hands. Problem solved. David Eick joked that he was going to buy his own house in Malibu by selling the naked pictures of Katee on eBay, baby.

Don from AI in Software was also lucky enough to attend, order soda with Edward James Olmos, and witness this exchange:

Lucy Lawless said her favorite Battlestar moment was when her character was interviewing Lee Adama while his bathrobe was falling off. She was like “what was keeping your towel on, Lee?� Jamie Bamber had this look on his face like “well clearly it was my giant british penis� but elected to say nothing.

Don also adds context to the widely-reported comment by Edward James Olmos that Blade Runner failed because of Harrison Ford. Apparently Olmos was commenting on the failure of the movie’s fans to accept him in the role, which canceled the possibility of the planned sequels, and giving Blade Runner as an example of “good” science fiction as opposed to “action movies that are supposedly set in the future.”

The Q&A from the event also contained some spoilers, so stop reading now if you like to avoid such things:

- The joking at the Q&A added fuel to the fire storm of speculations that the producers do not actually know what the Cylon’s plan is, which is worrisome as they will soon be filming the final season.

- Fans at the event also got to see a promo for this fall’s movie Razor, which focuses on the Pegasus and includes flashbacks involving the history of the ship and thus shows us more of the formidable Admiral Cain.

- Don’t expect a happy ending, as the producers feel the heart of the show is more about the “yearning” than the completion.

- The Six in Baltar’s Head will be back in Season Four, with some “new twists,” and the show may finally get a homosexual character as well.

- A fleeting glimpse in the Razor promo has some fans wondering of the classic Cylons from the original BSG will make an appearance. Apparently the movie has flashbacks to the original Cylon war, which creates the opportunity for a lot of fun tributes to the old series.

We leave you with a clip of the carpet chaos and one more blogger quote, from TVSquad, and a photo that shows exactly what he is talking about … a lot of guys were talking about Katee Sackhoff’s sexy lace up boots, but I think it is Mary McDonnell who steals the evening in her blue dress.

Lucy asked how the younger actors were enjoying being on a successful series, to which Mary McDonnell primped and preened and said “Oh, you mean me?” Honestly, the woman looked amazing, and I would totally believe that she was one of the younger generation.

Battlestar Galactica, Arclight, Los Angeles, SciFi Channel, Jamie Bamber, Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Lucy Lawless, Mark Sheppard, Harrison Ford, Blade Runner, Cylon, Pegasus, David Eick, Ronald D. Moore