Battlestar News 2006

Best of 2005: Television
CBS makes our television critic's list this year with
How I Met Your Mother
By JAMES PONIEWOZIK
Posted Friday, Dec. 16, 2005

-1-
Battlestar Galactica
(Sci Fi)

Most of you probably think this entry has got to be a joke. The rest of you have actually watched the show. Adapted from a cheesy '70s Star Wars clone of the same name, Galactica (returning in January) is a ripping sci-fi allegory of the war on terror, complete with religious fundamentalists (here, genocidal robots called Cylons), sleeper cells, civil-liberties crackdowns and even a prisoner-torture scandal. The
basic-cable budget sometimes shows in the production, but the writing and performances are first-class, especially Edward James Olmos as the noble but authoritarian commander in charge of saving the last remnants of humanity. Laugh if you want, but this story of enemies within is dead serious, and seriously good.

Television: Battlestar Galactica is No. 1 for TV of 2005

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..."Battlestar," with a sexier, more grown-up edge than "Stargate," is about a spaceship trying to survive after the destruction of most of mankind by robotic creatures called Cylons. But Mr. Eick said the coming season will explore how not all threats come from without.

"People are going to see how we have met the enemy and he is us," he said. "We'll explore how the Cyclons aren't as threatening an enemy as our own dysfunction is."

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Sci-fi's savior
On "Galactica," Mary McDonnell is CEO of survival.

(Anthony Mandler / Sci Fi Channel)

After gracing the stage for several decades and receiving Oscar nominations for supporting actress for 1990's "Dances With Wolves" and best actress for 1992's "Passion Fish," Mary McDonnell has found success on the small screen.

The actress stars with Edward James Olmos in the Sci Fi Channel series "Battlestar Galactica," which returns to the cable channel Friday with 20 new episodes.

McDonnell, 53, plays the intelligent, quietly forceful President Laura Roslin. Initially the education secretary, Roslin was 43rd in line to become president of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. But after she boarded a routine spaceflight, the Cylons - robots created by humans - attacked and destroyed her home planet.

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As reported on Galactica Actual and Now Playing, President Adar will be played by Colm Feore.

You may or may not recognize him as the creepy Lord Marshal from The Chronicles of Riddick ;)And reposting from the Now Playing article:

The Sci Fi Channel is gearing up for the return of Battlestar Galactica in a little more than a month, and a new batch of loglines have been released by the network which give a peek at what to expect from the first four episodes of the next run. There’s no mention of the Battlestar Pegasus being around beyond the resolution to the mid-season cliffhanger from this past September, despite rumors to the contrary, but the two new segments mentioned sound intriguing nonetheless.

Observe:"Resurrection Ship, Part 1" (January 6)

A military power struggle threatens to escalate into all-out war as the Battlestars Galactica and Pegasus attempt to join forces to destroy a critical Cylon target: a "Resurrection" ship.

"Resurrection Ship, Part 2"(January 13)

The Battlestars Galactica and Pegasus engage in an all-out battle to destroy the Cylon "Resurrection" ship.

"Epiphanies" (January 20)

As President Roslin (Mary McDonnell) lies on her deathbed, she flashes back to her life on Caprica and her complicated relationship with President Adar (Colm Feore). Meanwhile, a dangerous group of Cylon sympathizers destroy the tylium refinery and demand peace with the Cylons.

"Black Market" (January 27)

President Roslin's (Mary McDonnell) quest to end rampant black market trading sparks violence and an investigation that reaches deep into military, civilian and government circles.

Additionally, something called Battlestar Galactica: The Lowdown will air on January 2 to get viewers up to speed on the show, though it’s unclear whether this is the same Lowdown we’ve all seen before or an updated one.

Source: The Secret Cylon

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Koenigrules, BSG Contributor to RagnarAnchorage, MediaBlvd & HollywoodNorthReporter and now staff writer for the Science Fiction Buzz.

Each year, the Annual Popular Culture Association (PCA) hosts a conference in the United States and invites scholars from various fields to present their research on some aspect of popular culture. This coming year's conference, to be held at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia on April 12-15, 2006 has the new Battlestar Galactica front and foremost in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy panels.

Koenigrules is overseeing at least 9 panels which cover the various topics explored in the Galactica series. These include gender issues, religion, the 9-11 narrative, politics and war, tricksters, racism. Aaron Douglas (BSG's Chief Galen Tyrol) has also been invited to the Convention to speak on "The Modern Realities of War as Reflected in the New Battlestar Galactica" via a discussion of Episode 209, "Flight of the Phoenix."

In addition, Koenigrules will do a presentation on Battlestar Galactica's Original and New Cylons, entitled "The Human Face Behind the Jungian Shadow." He hopes to include this in his upcoming edited work, Essays on the New Battlestar Galactica (to be published by MacFarland Press in early 2007).

Never has a television series received this much coverage at a PCA Conference, with the exception of Babylon 5 which generated at least 4-5 panels when the series aired in the 1990s. For all intents and purposes, Battlestar Galactica is the Number One Sci-Fi Show to be covered at this year's convention.

More details will be forthcoming in the weeks ahead at SciFiBuzz.

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Dark Thoughts has a couple season two promo cast of the contrived poses Linky! and I've found some teeny tiny new pics from Resurrection Ship part 2 at the NBC website located here

Battlestar Galactica.

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We separated our spoilers into a separate blog called, surprisingly enough, Just Battlestar Galactica Spoilers. It has been updated with the latest spoilers for this show.

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There is a Katee Sackoff interview out with major spoilers. It's in the podcasts over on the TV Guide website. It's in podcast 32 at the bottom of the page.

Spoilers are here.

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Episode 211: Resurrection Ship- Part One Review: 12 out of 10 Rating
Koenigrules, BSG Contributor to RagnarAnchorage, MediaBlvd & HollywoodNorthReporter and now staff writer for the Science Fiction Buzz.

Here is an edited version of my review of Resurrection Ship- Part One.
The complete review is posted up at http://www.galacticastation.com/Galactica%20Station/episodes/Reviews/S2/211.htm

Resurrection Ship not only keeps the momentum of Pegasus going, but it also reveals some more elements of the Cylon mythos. As such, it is far better than Pegasus and provides a killer cliffhanger that will keep this reviewer waiting in anticipation for the resolution. There are a number of best scenes in this story line that will now be addressed.

The first involves Starbuck taking pictures of the Cylon mystery ship in her stealth Viper, Blackbird. When she returns to the fleet, she sees Pegasus and Galactica Vipers all over the place who target their sights on her. All she can say is that she’s a friendly, and that they should all be friendly. While they do acknowledge her, it is a hilarious scene to watch as both battlestars were ready to engage in a full-scale war. It takes but a lone Lieutenant to stop the madness. Wow- Starbuck must have a lot of power. As Resurrection Ship unfolds, we find out just how true this statement is.

Another scene has both Admiral Cain and Commander Adama in Roslin’s office. She dresses both down, indicating that they are the leaders of the fleet and that they need to set an example for others to follow. This was pretty funny as well as the former school teacher looked like she was berating her pupils for bad conduct.......

Before the battle plans to destroy the Cylon resurrection ship are outlined by newly promoted CAG, our very own Starbuck, another light moment is introduced (I loved the vacillation between the funny and serious episodes in this episode). Laura is in bed, getting worse from her cancer. When Adama asks her what he can do, she replies that a new body would be nice: one of those young, gorgeous Cylon models with blonde hair. We laugh with Adama, hoping that Roslin will have a resurrection too. Perhaps the Cylons can do something for Laura in an upcoming episode—hint-hint!

The final minutes make Resurrection Ship a truly outstanding episode. Adama instructs Starbuck to take her gun and shoot Cain in the head, all the while that Cain orders her officer, Fisk, to take out everyone in the Galactica’s command center, starting with Adama. The shifting of scenes back-and-forth from Cain to Adama was enjoyable to watch as I remember another series continually doing the same thing in their episodes. That show, of course, was the very popular nighttime CBS soap, Knots Landing, which might be an appropriate comparison to make as the new Galactica has been referred to as a space opera. This was a pretty cool filming technique that heightened the suspense considerably before those fateful words scrolled on the screen: To Be Continued….

Resurrection Ship- Part Two will resolve this second cliff to the Cain trilogy in a number of respects as we see what happens to the Admiral, the Cylon vessel, as well as the Battlestar Pegasus (I understand they have big plans for the Pegasus in future episodes- really BIG PLANS!!!). My rating for Resurrection Ship- Part One is an outstanding 12 out of 10. It was perfect in every sense of the word!

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More Lucy Lawless in Battlestar Galactica's Season 3
And More About the Cylons Too!
January 15th 2006 06:08pm | Posted by: Jim Iaccino, HNR Associate Editor

As Battlestar Galactica's Season 2 begins to wind down after the "Resurrection Ship" wrap-up to the Cain trilogy, one would think that Season 3 would just be more of the same, focusing on the dark shadows within the human species.

But according to producer David Eick in his recent interview with writer Steven Eramo of Starburstmagazine, major things are in store for the surviving humans.

With respect to the Season 2 finale, Eick relates that "There’s a huge shock in episode 20 [Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II] and I hope we’re able to maintain the quality of that surprise going into the third season."

And as far as Season 3 goes, "We’re going to investigate the Cylon world in a whole new way, and how they may not be as lacking in Human feelings as they would like to think."

Actress Lucy Lawless (of Xena: Warrior Princess fame) who has made one guest appearance already on Galactica with another on the way before the Season 2 finale, confirms what Eick has been reporting. On her official Lucy Lawless Fan Club site, she reports what is in store for Galactica's third season:

"I’m likely to be doing a 10-episode stint on Battlestar Galactica later this year. I’m not looking to guest on other people’s shows per se, but, in this instance, the plot twists and character development proved to be irresistible to me."

It might very well be that Lawless is the Cylon (or at least one of the Cylons) that portrays a more three-dimensional image to that species throughout the run of episodes she is in.

Flight Deck is certainly looking forward to Lucy Lawless' return as Cylon D'Anna Biers aboard the Battlestar Galactica. In the meantime, we will continue to report the news about upcoming episodes in Season 2. And be sure to check out Flight Deck's episode reviews of 211-220 that will start appearing on a weekly basis here at HNR.

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New Spoilers from Ron Moore Blog are available on ourJust Spoilers website.

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Battlestar Galactica Executive Producer Ron Moore has completed another update for his BSG Blog at Sci-Fi.Com. This time, Ron talks about the Cylon centurions and why the officers call each other ‘Sir’ even when they’re women:

"This was something I took from Wrath of Khan. In that film, everyone called Saavik "sir" and I liked the way it played and the implication that the honorific had become gender neutral at that point. On Next Generation, we didn't encounter a point where a female officer had to be addressed with a "sir" or ma'am" until well into the run -- an embarrassing moment for the entire writing staff, by the way -- and it started a fair amount of debate about which one should be used to address Troi during a crisis (I believe the episode was "Disaster")."

Read full article at: The Great Link

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The Best Scenes in BSG 212: Resurrection Ship - Part Two - Delivers on So Many Levels
Episode 212: Resurrection Ship- Part Two Review: 12 out of 10 Rating
Koenigrules, BSG Contributor to RagnarAnchorage, MediaBlvd & HollywoodNorthReporter and staff writer for the Science Fiction Buzz.

READ Koenigrules Part One Review at: http://www.galacticastation.com/Galactica%20Station/episodes/Reviews/S2/211.htm

Do we find out what happens to Gina, the Resurrection Ship, Admiral Cain and Commander Adama? The answer is in the affirmative on all counts. The conclusion to Resurrection Ship and the Cain trilogy delivers on so many levels, and only those looking to find fault with the show will try their hardest to tear it down and say it was a major disappointment. But for those who have an open mind and are enjoying the ride so far, this episode will please them considerably.

The dialogue, as well as the special effects, contribute to Resurrection Ship - Part Two's effectiveness. It starts with one of the opening scenes between Lee and Kara where Lee tells his companion that although he disagrees with his father's decision, he will still stand by Kara and support her. To paraphrase Lee, 'If we don't have trust in each other, then we are no different from the Cylons.' As Lee and Kara hug in an affectionate embrace, we are made aware of just how important we are in the cosmos. While an almost infinite expanse of space surrounds these pilots, these two will be able to change the course of human history, hopefully for the better.

Another scene is much more riveting. Admiral Helena Cain confides in Starbuck that sometimes terrible things have to be done and when that time comes, one has to follow through on the decision that is made, without hesitation. Whether Cain is referring to herself and the assassination attempt she is planning against Adama (as well as her past crimes) or to possibly Starbuck's deception is anybody's guess. Personally, I always thought Cain knew Starbuck was planning to kill her. In a later scene when Kara is going to commit the act, the Viper pilot reaches for her gun and then holds her hand for a very long time on the gun's holder. Plus, she is perspiring so heavily that her whole face is drenched with sweat. Cain should be able to detect those cues easily enough, but does not prevent Kara from attempting to carry out her order. Maybe this reviewer was reading too much into the body language. Then again, maybe not.

Of all the scenes on Resurrection Ship -Part Two, my favorite is the Adama-Boomer interaction. After the Commander looks at himself in the mirror and traces the scar on his chest with his finger, he calls in the one responsible for his injury: Lieutenant Sharon Valerii. Adama asks her why the Cylons hate the humans so much. Sharon repeats what the Commander had said during the decommissioning ceremony: namely, that they are a 'flawed creation' not worthy of survival. Another way of interpreting Boomer here is that the Cylons' mission is to remove imperfection from the universe (i.e., the humans) so that they can advance and grow towards union with their God. In any case, it is interesting that Adama has the conversation with Sharon as he is trying to understand the Cylons better as well as his own species.

Of course, the space battle between the Cylon Resurrection Ship and the two battlestars is an awesome sight to behold. Having Lee blown out of the Blackbird and floating in space while watching the ships fire their salvos is a nice touch. But as the Resurrection Ship is totally destroyed (in one of the best FX moments of any television series), Lee's suit begins to leak air and he envisions himself in a pool of water, seeking the comfort of nature or a return to the womb in his death throes. When Lee is resuscitated, a part of him wishes he were dead. This is a pretty heavy moment for the young Captain as it looks like he did not want to come back (but more on that in future reviews).

By the time Starbuck and Fisk are in place to kill off their respective targets, the greatest shocker of all is that the Commanders call them off. The big question is WHY??? For Adama, perhaps Boomer's words rang true and he wanted to rise above his imperfection by preventing more killing, especially of his own kind. Cain's motives remain more of a mystery, although Kara's eulogy does provide some insight. She actually praises the Admiral, relating that Cain 'faced things' [and] didn't give up. She did what she thought needed to be done in order to survive. Maybe Cain saw there was more value in keeping Adama alive. Or she might have finally seen that her own survival was tied to the survival of all those aboard the Galactica. In a way, Kara was Cain's soul-mate and had detected salvageable things in her no one else could.

Cain does meet her death, but it is at the hands of the one creature she abused so many times aboard the Pegasus: Gina. All Cain can say when Gina points the gun at her head is 'Frak you.' The Cylon matter-of-factly replies, 'You're not my type' and fires. For Gina, this is the most satisfying moment of her life: to kill the one human that made her life a living hell. That she is able to get off the Pegasus undetected is not surprising as Baltar probably was able to help her leave so she would not be executed for her crime.

The final moments bring the Cain trilogy to an effective closure. Laura promotes Adama to Admiral status and gives him the appropriate medal. She also provides him with the hope he needs to carry on. He responds by kissing her very tenderly on the lips- not passionately, but tenderly. The two have formed a bond, and while it might not be a romantic one, it is a close tie that will unify the military and civilian parts of the government for the greater good of all.

Overall, I would rate Part Two as high as Part One: 12 out of 10. These were the two best episodes in the series to date, or for that matter any sci-fi series. And if TOS writer and producer Glen Larson ever intends to do a movie version of the Battlestar Pegasus with Commander Cain, he will have an uphill battle as any other type of portrayal than Michelle Forbes' will come across flat and uninspiring.

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by Koenigrules, BSG Contributor to RagnarAnchorage, MediaBlvd & HollywoodNorthReporter and staff writer for the Science Fiction Buzz.

One would think that after the Cain trilogy, any episode would be a monumental letdown. Not so with this series. A number of threads all interconnect in Episode 213: Epiphanies. Laura is dying of cancer, Helo and Boomer’s child needs to be aborted, and a resistance movement wants to establish peace with the Cylons at all costs. All three of these separate plot lines intersect and bring Epiphanies to a more than satisfying conclusion.

Laura Roslin has reached the terminal stages of her breast cancer and while she is dying, she envisions her final days on Caprica where she is told by her doctor that she has the fatal illness. She also has visions of Baltar making out with Six as well as reminisces about her romantic interludes with President Adar (played by noted Canadian actor Colm Feore). As she slips back and forth into consciousness, Laura advises Commander Adama that Boomer’s pregnancy must be terminated; otherwise, “allowing this thing to be born will have disastrous consequences for the fleet.”

Adama supports the President in this decision and reminds a despondent Helo that the Cylons are still the enemy. When Helo relays the Commander’s decision to Boomer, the girl goes completely ballistic—banging her head and body into the bars of her cage and warning the guards (as well as Helo) that she will defend her fetus to the death.

All the while this is going on, Kara and Chief Tyrol discover that some of the Vipers’ ammunition has been sabotaged by a pacifistic movement (calling itself Demand Peace) that wants to destroy Galactica’s “war machine” so that a true and lasting alliance can be established with the Cylons. They even succeed in blowing up part of a tylium refinery ship. Commander Adama then meets with the leader of these Cylon sympathizers, Royan Jahee, and, realizing just how dangerous his views are, imprisons Royan in the hopes that the movement will fall without the man’s presence. Unfortunately, this is not the case as one of the primary Demand Peace agents is none other than Cylon Gina, who now sports a more subdued look with her hair pulled back and glasses covering some of her facial features (ala Wonder Woman’s alter ego of Diana Prince). Baltar is even invited to her quarters aboard Cloud Nine, and Gina tries to convince him to use his political power as the new President to turn the people against Adama. It would appear that the Cylons have an agenda of their own in supporting the peace movement, or at least the Gina model does. One would think that if Gina used sex as her negotiating tool, Baltar would come around rather quickly. Instead, he tells her he will not be responsible for the destruction of mankind.

Things quickly come to a head as Laura enters her final death throes and Boomer is sedated and prepped for the abortion. One of the best scenes of Epiphanies is when Baltar gives a techno-babble explanation of the miraculous Cylon fetal blood. He explains to Adama and Doc Cottle that the substance shows a heightened resistance to disease and that it can cure cancer cells. But before Galactica turns totally Star Trek: Next Generation, it picks up on the action and we see Baltar injecting some of Boomer’s fetal blood into Laura. Immediately, she starts writhing and convulsing, and Baltar (as well as Cottle) fear that the President will die. But then, just as suddenly, her life signs return to normal and she becomes conscious with all trace of the cancer gone from her system. It looks like the Cylons, at least their life fluid, can save the human race from the ravages of debilitating illnesses and perhaps even death itself.

Two other scenes deserve mentioning. The first involves Laura, while still in recovery mood, wheeling her chair into Royan Jahee’s cell and in diplomatic style telling the man that she will hear him out- but also indicating that there will be no more attacks against the Galactica. Otherwise, all bets are off and he (and his movement) will be hunted down by the military and crushed. Royan promises to call off his troops. Apparently, Laura has learned a thing or two about being President from Adar as she lifts one of his very lines in negotiating with the pacifist leader: namely, “One of the most interesting things about being President is that you don’t have to explain yourself—to anyone!”

The second scene is when Baltar opens up the letter Roslin has left him, should she die and the Presidency falls on his shoulders. As he reads the communication, Gaius becomes more and more shocked as well as agitated. Apparently, Roslin has performed an assessment of the man and believes him to be a vain and selfish individual who needs to grow up and become a more compassionate leader of the people, offering them hope and solace. The truth hurts Baltar, and with a little prodding from Six, he is able to turn his back on Roslin and give comfort to the enemy (in this case, the Demand Peace movement). He sends Gina a case containing the nuclear device that was to be deployed in his Cylon detection experiments. Instead, the weapon will be used in the power struggle between the pacifists and the military, with the stakes being the very survival of the fleet.

All in all, this was an excellent episode as it tied the miniseries and several Season 1 episodes together very nicely. Plus, it presented a more inspirational image of the Cylons than ever before. Their very life essence might save the Galactica and lead them on the path to salvation and the one Cylon God!

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