Friday, November 21, 2008

BSG spoiler bucket


Battlestar Galactica comes back in January, and it has a hell of a cliffhanger to resolve. Just where did our heroes land up in "Revelations," and more importantly, where do they go now? Since the show disappeared for a nine-month hiatus, there's been a slow drip of information about the new season, so we thought we'd collect them all in one place. One thing's for sure: You'd better strap yourself in, because it's going to be a crazy ride. Spoilers ahead.

This is the second half of our "Battlestar clues" roundup. You can read our first half, about the final Cylon, here.

Here's the trailer for the second half of the season, which aired after "Revelations." Among the noteworthy scenes, as analyzed by Galactica Variants: Tigh points a gun at someone aboard Galactica. Starbuck reads from a book, which could be her own notes from aboard the Demetrius. And Starbuck burns her own crashed Viper and dead body, see below. Also, a rough hand holding dog-tags (Kara's?), Bill Adama saying to a shrouded figure, "You're the fifth," and stubby fingers (Tyrol's?) feeling a ruined stone wall, like a temple.

And here's what we know about specific upcoming episodes:

Episode 11, "Sometimes A Great Notion":

The official summary says, "Kara Thrace learns that the dire predictions of the Cylon Hybrid might be correct, and a devastating discovery plunges the Fleet into chaos and despair." And this episode includes scenes of Leoben and Starbuck in a forest on Earth. Series writer Jane Espenson says this episode was meant to be the second half of a two-parter with "Revelations," and you should really watch both episodes a week apart.

It's definitely Earth.

Here's what Aaron Douglas said about Earth, the final Cylons, and the Cylon homeworld:

The four that were revealed at the end of season three are what they are, but they're one-offs. They're the original Cylons. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, when there were 13 colonies on Kobol, 12 went that way and one went that way to found Earth — or create an Earth — and that colony was actually Cylons. They're individuals, there's no multiple models. The seven that we know are a different kind of Cylon that came much later. They're probably ten, 20 years old, born out of the metal machines that fought back in the Cylon wars of the 12 colonies. So they're essentially like the gods. And we were on the new Earth, and destroyed that and came back to the 12 colonies to rejoin humanity to find the cycle of time.

He also said the humans find Cylon skeletons on Earth, proving it's the Cylon homeworld. Which we know happens in the very next episode.

Also, this could be the episode where we see Tigh in the water screaming for Ellen, and Tyrol having flashbacks to his past.

Episode 12, "A Disquiet Follows My Soul."

Adama is seen with blood on his hand and his uniform in this episode. Could Tigh be pointing a gun at Adama, in some kind of big showdown? This takes place on the Cylon homeworld (Earth) and Galactica, with things really falling apart on Galactica. The relationship between Admiral Adama and Roslin starts to get interesting.

This could be the episode where we start to deal with the friction between President Roslin and "acting" President Lee Adama. Also, we're promised a huge storyline dealing with Dualla, which could come about hereabouts. We're also supposed to see much more of Starbuck and Apollo paired up this season.

Episode 13, "The Oath":

We glimpsed a call sheet which includes a scene where Tom Zarek is not forthcoming with the press. Adam meets Zarek in the brig. And Adama gives Tigh some coordinates. And there's a scene in Laura's temporary quarters where "Adama and Laura don't care."

We also got hold of a second call sheet, which shows a scene where Kara finds a crashed Viper (on Earth?) and discovers the dead body of a Viper pilot — which appears to be the skeleton of a second Kara Thrace. She finds the "ELT box" and is determined to keep searching. Finally, she lights the Viper and the dead body on fire. (Which is presumably that bonfire we saw her sitting in front of, in the trailer for the rest of the season.) Here are the pages of the call sheet:


When we finally get an explanation of how Starbuck came back from the dead, "it's not an uplifting understanding," says Edward James Olmos. Rather, it's sort of sickening and dark. (Could her resurrection have something to do with the Ship Of Lights, the mystical ship from the original series? Starbuck painted it aboard the Demetrius.)

Episode 14, "Blood On The Scales."

No specific info.

Episode 15, "No Exit":

Named after the famous Sartre play, this will probably be an especially bleak episode. The good news: Laura Roslin's still in it, according to a leaked call sheet.

Episode 16, "Deadlock":

No specific info.

Episode 17, "Someone To Watch Over Me":

I think this is the one where Starbuck meets a charismatic piano player named "Slick," and opens up to him about her inner Starbuckiness. They talk about music and piano playing and she opens up like she never has with anyone else. I read a scrap of script from this episode last spring, but I can't find it now. They hang out in Joe's Bar, and talk about destiny. And Slick is shocked by how much Starbuck knows about music, thanks to her musician dad.

Jamie Bamber said Apollo only appears in one or two scenes in this episode. And Felix Gaeta is apparently still alive at this point. And we do get some huge resolution of the Gaeta/Baltar relationship, where everything is finally explained. The two have a huge scene together.

Episode 18, "Islanded In A Stream Of Stars":

A big episode for Tory Foster (Rekha Sharma). Also, the reappearance of Zak Adama, the Admiral's dead son.

Episode 19, "Daybreak, Part 1":

No specific info.

Episode 20, "Daybreak, Part 2":

Are we going back to the algae planet? At least, BSG filmed some scenes in and around Kamloops, which was the setting for the algae planet before. And they needed lots of extras who were either cleancut and athletic, or slender with long hair or dreadlocks.

And here are some more general spoilers for the upcoming episodes:

The humans and their Cylon allies strand D'Anna on Earth when they haul ass away from the nuked planet.

Nerd-god John Hodgman will have a small but vital bit part as a doctor in an upcoming episode.

Boomer will probably betray Brother Cavill. Just a thought. The Boomer Cylon, the only eight model who sided with Brother Cavill in the civil war, probably won't stay on his side. That was strongly hinted in "Revelations," in the scene where Cavill calls Boomer his "pet eight," and D'Anna warns that an eight makes a passionate ally... until she sees something shiny. In any case, several of the producers have said Boomer (as opposed to Athena) has a huge role in the final episodes. Also, Rick Worthy, who plays Simon the Cylon, says he has some great scenes with Grace Park coming up, probably meaning Boomer.

Lots of flashbacks. It seems like the final few episodes will feature tons of flashbacks. We've spotted some filming that looks like it takes place on pre-attack Caprica, with a healthy Laura Roslin wading into a fountain pool. That wrap video and slideshow included what looked like shots of a younger Bill Adama and two-eyed Saul Tigh inside a strip joint on Caprica.

We know that Zak Adama, the Admiral's dead son, shows up in the last few episodes, according to IMDB. Also in the second-to-last episode: Crewman Specialist Prosna, who dies in the original miniseries.

Another character who makes a comeback: Xeno Fenner, foreman of the fuel refinining ship where Tyrol led a strike shows up in the final episode.

There's a rumor Tom Zarek dies before the end of the season, but he "takes a lot of them with him."

It sounds as though there's some big development with the Starbuck-Lee-Anders love triangle at some point.

We'll see the old-school Cylon centurions at least once more before the end of the show.

The final few episodes will be like Apocalypse Now, the show's cast told Comic-Con. The wrap reel we showed a while back included lots of battle scenes, and Lee Adama's final filmed scenes involved running around with a bunch of extras, shooting people.

Looks like something bad happens to the Kevin Spacey Cylon:

There are lots of quotes about how the final episode's scripts made the actors cry when they read it. Tahmoh Penikett says he cried three times, and hints that the show's ending won't be entirely dire. And he said in another interview that the show didn't go in the obvious direction for Helo. But in a third interview, Penikett described the ending thusly:

Everybody dies. We have a dark ending...Obviously you know, those last couple of episodes, they're going to blow your mind. They are going to go down in history as the best television ever done.

"I felt like I was punched in the stomach" reading the final script, says Tricia Helfer.

And Admiral Adama is going to have a rough ride in the final episodes, according to Edward James Olmos.

He does break down, he goes to the bottom of the pit and just squirms around in there and it’s really difficult for him to carry on.

Another dire EJO quote about the ending:

Emotionally, heartbreaking. I’m telling you this for a reason, because I don’t want you guys to think you’re going to go through this without getting yourself really twisted … it’s brutal what happens to us. Not many of us make it.

One thing's for sure: Lee Adama doesn't die. Actor Jamie Bamber refers to the conclusion as "an ending and a beginning" for Lee.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Halfway Through Hiatus

My fellow fans, we are now at the halfway point of our 7-month BATTLESTAR GALACTICA hiatus. It’s a long one …and we all need some distraction. Distraction from wondering what THE PLAN is about…from the endless spoiler discussions… from the disturbing news of the final dismantling of all of BSG’s sets… from worrying about when the frak SciFi is going to air that two hours of CAPRICA. OK, yes, I'll admit there may be a few other things going on right now as well.

What better way to distract ourselves than with...more TV and news?! Some of the BSG cast and crew seem to be drifting out into the rest of the TV I watch…I recently posted on FanGrrl Magnet a rundown of Fall shows that have my attention.

As we catalog some comings and goings today, we’d love you, dear readers, to chime in here with rec’s for hiatus distractions of your own...


Mark Verheiden has been blogging up a storm lately, pointing out his new Fangoria interview, details about the long awaited release of the feature he wrote, MY NAME IS BRUCE starring the infamous Bruce Campbell, and details about the many comics projects he’s involved in. He also posted about why this month’s Region 2 PAL release of BSG "Season 4" and "Seasons 1-4 Box" are a bit of a misnomer.

Speaking of DVDs…while we Americans wait for the US season 4.0 DVD in January, the Galactica Science blog has transcribed all the deleted scenes included on the European DVD that came out last week (here’s the link to Part 1 of 3).

Mark Verheiden is also busy these days working on scripts for the second half of HEROES third season, subtitled VOLUME 4: FUGITIVES. The show just announced a fun new cast member who will appear in the second half of the season: Zeljko Ivanek, who just won an Emmy for his amazing performance in season one of DAMAGES. (I finally caught up with that show in a marathon this August, wow it was great stuff! DAMAGES season 2, which will include new castmembers William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, and Tim Olyphant, begins in early 2009.) After you’ve checked out HEROES on TV, its webisodes, and the massive official site, I highly recommend the blogs by director/producer Greg Beeman, writer/producer Jesse Alexander (who loves fanvids), and "HRG" himself, actor Jack Coleman.

Jane Espenson, when she isn’t writing/producing the BSG movie or the BSG webisodes, or meeting Stephen Colbert, or giving sage advice to budding TV writers, is working on a new BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER Season 8 comic book.

Speaking of comics…io9 has a preview of the spin-off miniseries Battlestar Galactica: Ghosts (out now), and Newsarama has an interview with the writers of Battlestar Galactica: Cylon War, a 4-issue miniseries which debuts in January 2009.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA director/producer Michael Rymer, and CAPRICA co-writer Remi Aubuchon, have both signed on to the new Fox TV show PERSONS UNKNOWN, described as a “Mystery revolving around a group of strangers who wake up in the middle of nowhere and try to figure out how they got there.” Rymer will direct the pilot episode, and Aubuchon will be showrunner. (Does this mean anything to the future of CAPRICA as a series? Unknown…)

We had the scoop a while back on Mary McDonnell’s run on GREY’S ANATOMY this fall, and now Mo Ryan has a lot more detail about her character:
Fortunately, we won’t have to wait that long to see Mary McDonnell again. McDonnell...has a new gig on "Grey’s Anatomy," as I reported a few weeks ago. She'll make her "Grey's" debut Nov. 13.

Her character is a doctor named Virginia Dixon, and she’ll appear on “Grey’s” about three or four times this season, according to the network.

Dixon faces a formidable task at Seattle Grace Hospital: She is a surgeon who will do her best to bring “rules and order to the OR” according to ABC. Who better than McDonnell to play a woman faced by a daunting challenge? She’s faced down Cylon armadas, so flirty docs should be no big deal.

In any case, the actress’ “Grey’s” nickname stands at the ready: Some of McDonnell’s “Battlestar” fans nicknamed her “Mary McAwesome” years ago.

Mo also has news about Katee Sackhoff who, in addition to shooting a new pilot LOST AND FOUND with producer Dick (LAW & ORDER) Wolf, will be guest starring in an upcoming episode of LAW & ORDER. It was also recently announced that the very excellent Brian Cox (X-2, DEADWOOD) will co-star in LOST AND FOUND.

Sam Witwer continues his turn as Doomsday on this year’s SMALLVILLE, and I hear things are just getting good on the show. The BSG blog has a bunch of details.

Aaron Douglas spoke recently to the Cort & Fat Boy radio show...his fans are celebrating the recent news that his Canadian TV pilot THE BRIDGE has been picked up for series.

As we mentioned the other day, Stephanie Jacobsen is starting an arc of unknown length over on TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES.

Lucy Lawless will guest on the final season of THE L WORD, which will begin airing on Showtime in January 2009.

In a recent interview with MovieHole, Seth Green reconfirmed that Ron Moore (along with Joss Whedon and Seth MacFarlane) will be making a cameo appearance in the forth season premiere of ROBOT CHICKEN in early 2009. The BSG blog noticed that Katee Sackhoff did some great commentary track work for ROBOT CHICKEN’s latest DVD release.

First Showing and several other bloggers attended a TRICK R TREAT screening in LA this week -- this is a film that Tahmoh Penikett is featured in -- and apparently it is big horror fun. Keep your eyes out for it.

CAPRICA pilot director Jeffrey Reimer is a director/producer on FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, one of the best dramas on TV nowadays. In fact Reimer directed the first two wonderful eps this season. The show’s signature style – intimate, with an improvisational feeling and gorgeous cinematography – is based on the movie and TV pilot work by Peter Berg. Berg is the director of, and a producer on, Ron Moore and Michael Taylor’s pilot VIRTUALITY. FNL airs this fall exclusively on DirecTV Network 101, and will run again on NBC in early 2009.

My favorite new show this season, Alan Ball’s TRUE BLOOD, is adding BSG vet Michelle Forbes as a series regular for season 2. Charlaine Harris herself dropped the news on her fansite that Forbes is playing The Maenad, a dangerous and mythical woodland creature. If you want some spoilers about what this character might be up to next season on the show, dig up reviews or synopses for Harris’ second novel, LIVING DEAD IN DALLAS. A peek at what the casting sides allegedly say: “This wild woman is supernatural, articulate and polished. She feeds on the fears of others and is a BIG DEAL in season two. Nudity might be required.” Fun stuff…According to recent announcements, we get our first peek at The Maenad briefly in this season’s finale episode.

One of my other favorite shows, MAD MEN, ends this Sunday. If you’re a fan, don’t forget that Jon Hamm is hosting SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE tomorrow night…and if you live in the New York City area, why not stop by the Basket of Kisses finale episode party here in Manhattan?

Although that BSG season 4.5 promo you lucky few got to see at San Diego Comic Con in July has yet to surface elsewhere…we LOST fans have finally got our first taste of new video! Yowza! (Come on SciFi Channel – pony up!)

Monday, October 20, 2008

Season 4.5 and Beyond

The American (Region 1) DVD of season 4.0 will be available on January 6th.

Season 4.5 will debut on The SciFi Channel on January 16th.

SciFi describes season 4.5 in a nutshell:

"Picking up from last June's jarring cliffhanger – the Colonial fleet and their new Cylon allies led by Admiral Adama and the Galactica crew discover Earth to find it a barren nuclear wasteland – the finale season promises to be rife with drama, action and revelation."

If you take the most reliable list of 4.5 episode titles (from Mark Verheiden) and match it up with the dates from SciFi Channel, this is what you get:

Jan 16
413: Sometimes a Great Notion

Jan 23
414: A Disquiet Follows My Soul

Jan 30
415: The Oath

Feb 6
416: Blood on the Scales

Feb 13
417: No Exit

Feb 20
418: Deadlock

Feb 27
419: Someone to Watch Over Me

March 6
420: Islanded In A Stream Of Stars

March 13
421: Daybreak 1

March 20
422: Daybreak 2
423: Daybreak 3 (assuming it's still a three parter)



Since no definitive announcement has been made about the length of the season finale, it remains to be seen how long the telecasts on March 13 and 20 will actually be. Let’s hope THEY GO LONG! :-) Ron Moore has said in interviews that, if his cut of the series finale goes too long for broadcast, the longer version (along with Moore’s cut of his directorial debut, “A Disquiet Follows My Soul”) will end up on the Region 1 DVD release. Whatever, RDM, do what you gotta do…just give us those yummy DVD extras.


There will be 10 webisodes made available this winter prior to the January 16th broadcast.

There has been no news in ages, but Sitrep has it under good authority that the ten promised webisodes, bridging seasons 4.0 and 4.5, are being created and edited now. Written by Jane Espenson and Seamus Kevin Fahey, SciFi has previously announced these will be available in advance of the 4.5 premiere.


After 4.5 airs, there will be a 2-hour TV movie to look forward to.

SciFi has announced the film, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE PLAN, will air sometime in 2009. Shooting on this film is wrapped, and post-production is happening now, so let’s hope they can air it next year as promised.


CAPRICA’s future is unknown.

And what of the one other extension of the BSG franchise, the prequel CAPRICA? TV Squad mentioned last week that the delay in deciding the fate of the series is purely a budgeting/financial issue for SciFi Channel. As much it pains fans to hear it, they also point out that we may benefit from the delayed decision – in that our palate will be cleansed, if you will…and the BSG franchise will be extended farther into the future of SciFi’s program schedule.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

News of CAPRICA?


That new T-shirt in the NBCU store got us hopeful that word might soon be coming on the fate of the BSG prequel series CAPRICA. Not to mention all that idle chatter this summer about a decision coming soon...about knowing something by September... etc, etc, etc.

Any of you who read the sci-fi site i09 have probably noticed that the Sci Fi Channel has been up to some interesting hijinks lately: putting way too many cooks in the kitchen at their hit show EUREKA…considering a network name change (“BEYOND”? Seriously?)…and announcing three new reality shows this past weekend during a digital press junket in Colorado -- while several of their scripted pilots (including CAPRICA) await word of life or death. For we fans of scripted (science-)fiction programming, the truth ain't pretty.

Now comes the latest rumor Sitrep is hearing: CAPRICA, if it gets picked up for series at all, won't get a decision from the Sci Fi Channel until February 2009. At the soonest.

So cool your heels, BSG fans...reality bites.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA season 4.0 DVD out January 6


TVShowsOnDVD has the official announcement of the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Season 4.0 DVD set and all the extras. The American release date is now officially January 6, 2009, and RAZOR (both aired and longer DVD-only cuts) will be included.

Back in July we reported that industry sources had passed along Universal's tentative plans to release Battlestar Galactica - Season 4.0 on DVD...and that it would clock in right at the end of the year, on December 30th. This morning the studio formally announced this release, including the finalized street date. They've adjusted their original plans by a week: the schedule now shows they will put this in stores on January 6th.

You'll get a 4-disc set that's loaded with bonus material, in addition to the 10 episodes from the first half of the final season. Disc 1 will contain both the original broadcast version (88 mins.) AND the Unrated Extended Version (101 mins.) of the special feature-length story Razor, which is already available separately. The half-season's 10 episodes are contained on the remaining three discs, along with plenty of extras:

Episodes:
  • He That Believeth In Me
  • Six Of One
  • The Ties That Bind
  • Escape Velocity
  • The Road Less Traveled
  • Faith
  • Guess What's Coming to Dinner
  • Sine Qua Non
  • The Hub
  • Revelations

Bonus Material:

Disc 1:

Deleted Scenes

The Look of Battlestar Galactica

My Favorite Episode So Far

Season 4 Sneak Peek

Season 4 Trailer

Razor Flashback Minisodes
  1. Day 4,571
  2. The Hangar
  3. Operation Raptor Talon
  4. Free Fall
  5. The Lab
  6. Survivors
  7. Escape
Commentary to the Razor Unrated Extended Edition with Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore and Writer Michael Taylor


Disc 2:

Deleted Scenes

Ronald Moore's Podcast Commentaries


Disc 3:

Deleted Scenes

David Eick's Video Blogs

"Faith" Commentary with Executive Producer Ronald. D. Moore and Supervising Producers Bradley Thompson and David Weddle

"Guess What's Coming to Dinner" Commentary with Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore and Writer Michael Angeli

Ronald Moore's Podcast Commentaries


Disc 4:

Deleted Scenes

The Journey

Cylons: The Twelve

Season 4.5: The Untold Story - Untold

The Music of Battlestar Galactica

"Sine Qua Non" Commentary with Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore and Writer Michael Taylor

Ronald Moore's Podcast Commentaries


This has only been announced for DVD; there is no Blu-ray Disc version listed. Video on this release will be presented in Anamorphic Widescreen. Audio soundtrack will be English - Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround. Subtitles are going to be in English and Spanish. The cost for all of this will be $49.98 SRP.


Let's hope they add Blu-Ray as well. I wonder if "The Music of Battlestar Galactica" is the video that Bear McCreary showed at his LA concerts this spring?

The 4.0 DVD and a Seasons 1-4.0 DVD box are already out in the UK, but as usual without the American bonus features.

No sign of packaging art previews yet...but if you don't like them, maybe you can use this gorgeous fan-created box art instead.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

4.5 Episode Titles

Writers & Directors for Season 4.5

Someone just sent us a nice tip...the writing and directing credits for the rest of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA's final season. Enjoy.

413: Sometimes a Great Notion
Written by David Weddle & Bradley Thompson
Directed by Michael Nankin

414: A Disquiet Follows My Soul
Written by Ronald D. Moore
Directed by Ronald D. Moore

415: The Oath
Written by Mark Verheiden
Directed by John Dahl

416: Blood on the Scales
Written by Michael Angeli
Directed by Wayne Rose

417: No Exit
Written by Ryan Mottesheard
Directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton

418: Deadlock
Written by Jane Espenson
Directed by Bob Young

419: Someone to Watch Over Me
Written by David Weddle & Bradley Thompson
Directed by Michael Nankin

420: Islanded In A Stream Of Stars
Written by Michael Taylor
Directed by Edward James Olmos

421: Daybreak 1
422: Daybreak 2
423: Daybreak 3 (assuming it's still a three parter)
Written by Ronald D. Moore
Directed by Michael Rymer

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Massive spoilers in SFX magazine #174

Apparently the situation was that the original Cylons were created on Kobol to serve the humans there, 4,000+ years ago, and evolved a humanoid faction like the later Cylons. There was a war that partially devastated the planet, splintering the people into twelve factions or colonies, plus the Cylons as the thirteenth (it's unclear if this was an intercine human war or another robotic rebellion). The Cylons took off into space on their own, but it seems they were on better terms with the humans of the other colonies and left messages for them. The Cylons went and set up home on another planet: Earth. The other humans later left Kobol and went to settle the Twelve Colonies and all contact was lost. The Cylons of Earth built up a civilisation there, but fell into warfare of their own and devastated the planet some decades ago. At least four survived (he doesn't bring the fifth up at all) and travelled to the Twelve Colonies to find out why humans and their creations have this self-destructive streak to them. They 'switched off' their Cylon sides (with a failsafe that they would 'wake up' if they got close to Earth again) and went to live amongst the humans. Apparently the Final Five are very interested in the Cycle of Time and believed they could better understand it by becoming human.

No explanation is given for how three of them ended up on Galactica and the fourth on Caprica as one of the handful of survivors. No explanation is given for how the modern Cylons have myths and legends about the Final Five (although a logical exrapolation is that the FF were involved in the creation of this generation of Cylons, or perhaps their programming). No explanation is given for the large age gap between Tigh and Tory/Anders/Tyrol either. There is also no confirmation that the Earth in the show is 'our' Earth, a parallel reality Earth or whatever. My guess is that no relationship will be shown between the real world and Earth in the show: it will be left vague, with the possibility that Earth in the show is our world many, many thousands of years into the futuere after humans have left Earth, gone to Kobol etc.