Xixax Film Forum

Film Discussion => The Small Screen => Topic started by: meatball on June 12, 2005, 09:40:42 PM

Title: Battlestar Galactica
Post by: meatball on June 12, 2005, 09:40:42 PM
I don't have cable, never have, so finding out that the Sci Fi Channel put up an entire episode of Battlestar Galactica (http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/33_full_episode/) for internet viewing, is a cool thing. If you're bored, and Xixax just isn't doing anything for you, check it out.
Title: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Raikus on June 13, 2005, 10:32:35 AM
I've been waiting for a thread on this, but have been to lazy to make it :yabbse-tongue:

It really is the best sci-fi out there and a good militaryand politcally based character driven show. I swore off the Sci-Fi channel after Farscape's cancellation, but they have spent their money well on this one.

The mini-series was so-so, but there have been some fantastic episodes in Season 1 including what I think is the best TV episode I've ever seen, The Hand of God (1x10).

The episode linked above is probably the 2nd best from the season and really communicates the weariness and just flat out exhaustion of running from the destroyers of their race.
Title: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Pubrick on June 13, 2005, 11:46:53 AM
is this the one with all the sex scenes? at least that's the way they advertised it here..
Title: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Raikus on June 13, 2005, 02:25:43 PM
There are some very risque scenes throughout the series.

**SEXY SPOILERS** Six, the Cylon within Baltar's head, is usually performing some kind of sex act on him when they're having their conversations. You're also greeted with a cargo hold full of naked Boomers in the final episode.**END OF SEXY SPOILERS**

But they really should focus on the strong characters in the series. It's all really well written.

Edited to include SEXY SPOILERS for the feeble of heart.
Title: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: meatball on June 13, 2005, 02:34:53 PM
I enjoyed watching that single episode on the internet more than the entire Star Wars prequel trilogy.

Label your spoilers, sexy or not. I plan on watching this.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Ghostboy on April 21, 2006, 01:06:33 AM
I just finished the first season of this - the first television show I've watched since Buffy went off the air! - and I really like it a lot. It creates a believable universe remarkably well - and the documentary stylistic trappings, including the handheld CGI work, actually seems innovative in this context. It has a definite sense of urgency to it that keeps it from being just another space opera. I've got season 2 lined up on my Netflix queue, and am anticipating burning through it next week.

As mentioned above, the episode 'The Hand Of God' is pretty amazing. Well-written and directed enough to make me jealous.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Raikus on May 15, 2006, 12:49:14 PM
The emotional power this show throws at you is awe inspiring. I liked the second season better than the first. You've got some great surprises in it and even though it does drop a couple of episodes in the 3rd quarter of the season the ending is just shocking. A great rollercoaster you'll enjoy.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: RegularKarate on May 17, 2006, 10:26:52 PM
So I just got disc 2 which is really disc 1 from Netflix and I start up first episode and gives me the old "Last time on Battlestar Galactica".... so the nerds didn't tell me that there was a mini-series first.

I watched Stir Crazy instead, but before I go to the trouble, is it necessary to watch the miniseries before I start on season one?  Is it even worth watching?
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Raikus on May 18, 2006, 01:15:43 AM
Watch the miniseries first. It has a big emotional impact if you don't know what's coming. If you watch the first season then go back it will still be good but just won't have the same oomph it could have had.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Ghostboy on May 18, 2006, 02:43:51 AM
I actually disagree on that point. The same thing happened when I got the series from Netflix, and I just went ahead and watched season 1 first and then went back to watch the miniseries afterwards. I found it sorta underwhelming...its very low-budget, and has some cheesy elements that the series would later avoid. But at the same time, I enjoyed going back and seeing the introductions to the characters I'd already become attached to. So it's good for that. The first episode of the actual series is fucking fantastic, and I think it would be better to jump in head first with that...you'll get hooked a lot faster.

I say all this obviously not having experienced it the way Raikus did.

I was pissed off when I realized that the season 2 set wasn't complete...I think I might just buy the rest of the episodes from iTune. Are there any I should skip, Raikus? The Lucy Lawless episode was pretty wretched, and I wouldn't have minded missing that one.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: RegularKarate on May 18, 2006, 02:24:38 PM
thanks... while I respect Raikus' opinion, I'll probably just start watching season 1 just because I don't want to have to go to the trouble of returning a movie and waiting for the next to come... plus if the first episode is really good, maybe the wife will get sucked in like she did with Firefly.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Raikus on May 19, 2006, 09:33:25 AM
Yeah, GB has a good point. My own experience was watching the mini-series when it debuted and being struck by how far and how fast they hit the apocalypse aspect of it. It really was fantastic from that angle. Plus SPOILERS one of my favorite aspects of the show that still stuck with me was the escape from Ragnarok (at least I think that was the name of the armory station) where they emerge from the nebula and hold their own against the Cylons so the fleet can escape. END SPOILERS

However, 33 and Water, the first 2 episodes of the season were just great and can only be topped by the Hand of God episode in Season 1. If there's any chance for a hook to be set, it's like GB suggested in those two episodes.

So yeah, personally I'd (like to think I'd) want to experience the start, but I definitely see and nearly agree with GB's points on it.

As far as bad season 2 shows: Avoid 'Black Market' if you're purchasing it. I really disliked that one. 'Scar' isn't so bad, lots of space effects, but I didn't like what they did to some of the characters in it. Although it is touching towards the end. Those are the two "eh" episodes that come to mind.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Raikus on October 10, 2006, 04:23:06 PM
Everyone not watching this show is dumb. Well... maybe not dumb, but definitely missing out on the best show on TV. Yes Lost fans, I went there.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: RegularKarate on October 10, 2006, 05:04:55 PM
Quote from: Raikus on October 10, 2006, 04:23:06 PM
Everyone not watching this show is dumb. Well... maybe not dumb, but definitely missing out on the best show on TV. Yes Lost fans, I went there.

Bold statement and unfortunately wrong.  I'll consider it for nominations for the second best show though.

I haven't seen any of the third season because I don't have cable and I'm finishing up Season 2.5, but the second half of the second season so far has taken kind of a nosedive.  The relationships have gone haywire left and right so that I just don't care about them as much and the dialog has gotten almost atrocious.

I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that the story line gets better, but right now, it's looking like it might have already jumped the shark...too bad because the first season and a half were amazing.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Raikus on October 11, 2006, 09:45:04 AM
I don't want to say much to ruin anything for you, but when you see the 2nd season finale and the 3rd season premiere, you will read your post and just shake your head at how wrong you were.

Seriously, biggest turn around of a nose dive (as the 2nd have of the second season had some really bad episodes. I'm looking at you "Black Market") into a fucking rocket takeoff. Just hurry up and catch up. Evidently you and I are the only ones that watch this show on the board.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: RegularKarate on October 11, 2006, 10:40:58 AM
Quote from: Raikus on October 11, 2006, 09:45:04 AM
I don't want to say much to ruin anything for you, but when you see the 2nd season finale and the 3rd season premiere, you will read your post and just shake your head at how wrong you were.

Seriously, biggest turn around of a nose dive (as the 2nd have of the second season had some really bad episodes. I'm looking at you "Black Market") into a fucking rocket takeoff. Just hurry up and catch up. Evidently you and I are the only ones that watch this show on the board.

Good to hear, really... cause it was Black Market that made me think this show had just lost all merrit (and the following couple episodes didn't help). 
I'll definitely finish out the season.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: MacGuffin on February 14, 2007, 01:02:37 AM
Battlestar Renewed For Season 4

SCI FI Channel announced that it has renewed its Peabody-winning original series Battlestar Galactica, ordering 13 new episodes. Production will resume this summer in Vancouver, Canada, with an eye toward a January 2008 premiere.

The decision comes after the series' successful move to a new 10 p.m. timeslot on Sundays. Since moving, Battlestar Galactica's audience has grown over its third-season average by 8 percent in total viewers, by double digits in female viewers, by 19 percent in the show's target demographic of adults aged 18-49 and by 14 percent in adults 25-54. The Jan. 28 episode, "Taking a Break From All Your Worries," delivered 2.5 million total viewers and 1.6 million adults 18-49, the largest audience for any episode since the season-two premiere.

"We're thrilled to bring Battlestar back for another season," Mark Stern, SCI FI's executive vice president of programming, said in a statement. "This series has delivered on every level, from the writing to the acting to the production values. SCI FI is proud to be the home of the best show on television."

The series is from NBC Universal Television Studio and is executive-produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick. Its cast is led by Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer and Grace Park. Battlestar recently returned with the second half of its third original season, immediately following SCI FI's newest original series, The Dresden Files.

"While we never had any doubt that SCI FI would get behind a fourth season of Battlestar, it's thrilling to finally make it official, and for Ron and I to continue using this great genre to investigate the darker corners of society, politics and humanity," executive producer David Eick said in a statement.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: MacGuffin on May 31, 2007, 08:02:29 PM
Next 'Battlestar' season will be the series' last
Source: Hollywood Reporter

The upcoming fourth season of Sci Fi Channel's "Battlestar Galactica" will be its final one after all.

After months of speculation, the show's producers will make the announcement at a press conference Friday.

Ending "Battlestar" with the upcoming 22-episode fourth season was a creative decision made by the show's executive producers Ronald Moore and David Eick.

"This show was always meant to have a beginning, a middle and finally, an end," Eick and Moore said in a statement Thursday. "Over the course of the last year, the story and the characters have been moving strongly toward that end and we've decided to listen to those internal voices and conclude the show on our own terms. And while we know our fans will be saddened to know the end is coming, they should brace themselves for a wild ride getting there - we're going out with a bang."

The fourth and final season of "Galactica" will kick off in November with "Razor," an extended two-hour episode, with the rest of the season slated to run beginning in early 2008.

Sci Fi's executive vp original programming Mark Stern said the channel's brass "respect the producers' decision to end the series."

"We are proud to have been the home of this groundbreaking show," he said. "We have always known that Ron and David had a plan for 'Galactica' and trust that fans can look forward to a truly amazing final season."

For months, Sci Fi had dispelled rumors about "Battlestar" ending its run after the fourth season.

A couple of weeks ago, the show's star Edward James Olmos was quoted saying that the upcoming batch of episodes were definitely the last ones. Sci Fi issued a statement denying such a decision had been made. "I promise you that when Ron and I make a decision about 'Galactica's' future, we'll let you know," Eick said at the time.

"Battlestar," which stars Olmos, Katee Sackhoff, Mary McDonnell and Jamie Bamber, is produced by NBC Universal TV Studio.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: grand theft sparrow on June 01, 2007, 06:31:02 AM
DAMMIT!  I did it again!  First Veronica Mars, now this!  I JUST started watching the miniseries last night!

Stop me before I kill again...
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Pubrick on June 01, 2007, 08:56:31 AM
Quote from: sparrowhoff on June 01, 2007, 06:31:02 AM
DAMMIT!  I did it again!  First Veronica Mars, now this!  I JUST started watching the miniseries last night!

Stop me before I kill again...

http://xixax.com/index.php?topic=2334.0
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: grand theft sparrow on June 01, 2007, 09:40:24 AM
No good.  In order for it to work, I would have to LIKE the show too, not just watch it.  Trust me, I just watched an entire season of American Idol solely because of my infatuation with Jordin Sparks and the best that did was make the finale's ratings dip slightly from last year's. 
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Raikus on June 01, 2007, 03:13:26 PM
Please don't kill off any of my other favorite shows. Although that pretty much just leaves Rescue Me.

In all fairness I already knew the 4th season was the final. Moore stated it in one of the commentary podcasts a couple of months ago.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: grand theft sparrow on July 09, 2007, 08:51:24 AM
OK, just like with Veronica Mars, I'm catching up on this show thanks to netflix, and I'm loving it.  The wife-to-be loves it too.  Just finished season 1 last night, starting on season 2.0-2.5 as soon as those discs go back.

I feel appropriately dumb for not watching this show when season 1 first aired but I don't blame myself.  I blame those shitty Sci-Fi Channel movies with the horrible effects and worse stories.  Sure, the commercials for BSG looked good but I couldn't believe that they had the ability to produce something of actual quality, let alone this caliber quality.

So now that I've caught up on this thread, I know to keep an eye out for the Black Market episode in season 2.  But how is season 3, Raikus?
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Raikus on July 09, 2007, 09:16:27 AM
The beginning of Season 3 is perhaps (and I don't say this lightly) the best two hours of any television show ever created. It keeps the steam going for a few episodes and then quasi-reverts back to late season 2 about mid-way through. Nothing as bad as Black Market, but some so-so episodes. Then it picks up again for the finale arc.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: picolas on July 09, 2007, 03:11:52 PM
Black Market caused me to stop watching for a few months. now i'm back on the trolley.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: grand theft sparrow on July 09, 2007, 06:41:56 PM
Can someone put this in Lost terms for me?  Is that episode comparable to, say, Stranger in a Strange Land?
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: cron on July 09, 2007, 06:56:04 PM
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa611.ac-images.myspacecdn.com%2Fimages01%2F66%2Fl_7c6ae03bd343884a05207ccedb03d94a.png&hash=6d9c0bec7919b09c5b98934d2ceb41eb919c4f2a)
YAAAY!

i don't even remember what Black Market was about. something about medicines and guns.  in my opinion, the worst episode is called 'final cut', the one with the warrior princess. 'scar' was ugly too.  i really enjoyed the last episode of season 2.5.

i like this show, but it's kinda unbearable whenever baltar, TOM ZAREK,  the XO, or EJO aren't onscreen.

who are your favourite characters?


Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Ghostboy on July 09, 2007, 06:58:09 PM
I don't know Lost, but I can tell you that you can skip Black Market and your opinion of the series as a whole will probably be better than if you had watched it. It's just a nuiscance of a filler episode.

Final Cut was awful, too, but Lucy Lawless' character did play in nicely later in the series.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: RegularKarate on July 10, 2007, 02:30:47 PM
Quote from: Ghostboy on July 09, 2007, 06:58:09 PM
I don't know Lost, but I can tell you that you can skip Black Market and your opinion of the series as a whole will probably be better than if you had watched it. It's just a nuiscance of a filler episode.

Final Cut was awful, too, but Lucy Lawless' character did play in nicely later in the series.

but Black Market kind of gets you ready for future disapointments... not that it necessarily gets that bad again, but then the rest of the mediocre episodes don't seem as bad in comparison.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Stefen on July 10, 2007, 04:25:14 PM
This thread looks like Geddy Lee.

And whats that weird layer or orange around the edges? Has someone been eating cheetos?
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: grand theft sparrow on July 24, 2007, 10:02:18 PM
So I went against the advice and I just watched Black Market...

yeah, it was the only one I can say so far that was bad, though I didn't really like Final Cut too much either.  But I watched Resurrection Ship 1 & 2 and Epiphanies before it and I don't have to wait a week to see the next episode so it didn't completely destroy my image of the show.  Plus, Bill Duke was in it and I could at least smile at that.  Every TV series (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0411008/) is bound to have a major clunker (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0954439/) in it.  Glad I know that it doesn't get worse than this one.

EDIT:  OK, Black Market was pretty bad but I thought The Captain's Hand was even worse... broaching the abortion issue in a science-fiction show is just too heavy handed, despite the interesting way they resolved it.  They've managed to entertainingly stay topical regarding post-9/11 concerns in the western world but that was taking it too far; I'm not offended by the subject but it just felt out of place for this show.  Like I'm expecting an episode where Apollo and the Chief realize that they're gay for each other and Adama threatens to kick them out of the Colonial Fleet.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: cron on August 31, 2007, 08:16:20 AM
from the onion's av club newswire.

KEVIN SMITH TO DIRECT BATTLESTAR EPISODE
posted by: Scott Gordon
August 28, 2007 - 8:19am

Kevin Smith revealed in an interview with AOL that he'll be directing an episode of Battlestar Galactica in its upcoming and final season. That said, don't expect it to suddenly turn into a Kevin Smith-type thing: "It's cool, but it is scary because it is like, 'What the fuck? I can't bring anything to that show.' That show is genius and they have a very distinctive visual style. But you are safe as a kitten. If you go in there and say, 'I'm going to shoot everything in one big master shot,' they'll go, 'No you're not, because that is not what we do on Battlestar Galactica.'" (Via Pop Candy)
:yabbse-undecided:



Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Raikus on August 31, 2007, 11:49:05 AM
It's TV episode directing. No biggie. I'm sure FX will still be up to someone else. That's the only real thing I can think of that would massive screw up an episode.

Although I can't wait for the Apollo/Starbuck rap.
"Frak, frak, frak, mother mother frak frak, mother frak mother frak, noise, noise, noise..."
------
Update: Shortest news story ever. He won't be directing it due to "scheduling conflict."
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: grand theft sparrow on September 04, 2007, 09:45:32 AM
Between Sunday morning and last night, the wife and I went through the last 12 episodes of season 3.  Simply amazing.  In the finale, we were freaking out when they started singing "All Along the Watchtower".  Lost is still my favorite but BSG is right up there too.  It is seriously a crime that this show isn't watch by every man, woman, and child with access to the Sci-Fi channel or a DVD player. 

[MINISERIES SPOILER] The only thing that bothers me about the show is that they have similar objects and phrases to us if they're not supposed to be from Earth. Like Tigh referring to a ship being crushed like a cheap soda can.  If they're a different civilization from us, then how the hell could they have the exact same shit as us... unless they explain it by the end of the series. [END SPOILER]  But other than that, no TV show with a spaceship in it has anything on this. 

Not to mention that, though the politics of the show are a little heavy-handed, the way it's worked in and how it's not always the same characters playing the same roles in comparisons to our state of affairs is just brilliant.  You can't be aware of it and not be forced to look at everything in a different way.  For that reason alone, the show is indispensible.

But what's this bullshit I hear that they're going to have season 4.0 in November and then season 4.5 in early 2009?!  What the frak?!
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: cron on November 26, 2007, 06:24:25 PM
so, who saw Razor?

i was very turned off when i heard the story happened between seasons 2 and 3, because the crew at pegasus seemed like a bunch of raping , heartless pirates . i wasn't expecting a serious story about the brutish side of command and survivor's guilt. i was just thinking, galactica is the only mainstream sci fi story that i know of that involves killing civilians in ridiculous amounts, sex, substance abuse and downright pessimism sometimes. these guys that created the new series have nailed the modern nerd sensibilities.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Raikus on November 27, 2007, 10:08:05 AM
I saw it and liked it. It wasn't the best that they've aired but mostly on par with Season 1 and early Season 2 material. I mostly hated the "razor" metaphor -- which is what the whole movie is based around -- and I think they spent too much time flipping it (the metaphor, not the knife) around the whole time, but otherwise the story delivered and it brought out a great character that I really wish had stayed around.

It was interesting to see how the Galactica and Pegasus diverted in their missions and courses after the attack on the colonies. I still think it was far fetched to ransack and shanghai the civilian fleet when they encountered them. Even though Caine's (sp?) revenge motive was fueled by deep betrayal and anger I don't see how she could justify killing and leaving the only other human survivors they've encountered drifting hapless through space. I can see them cannibalizing ship parts and members but still leaving enough ships with ftl to survive. It was something Adama, even though a hardass, would never have done even if the Jimminy Cricket of Roslin wasn't on his shoulder.

Also, the sophomoric Quizno's breaks really took me out of the show. They sounded like a bunch of middle school boys wrote the commercial breaks. Lesbians in space TEEHEEHEEHEE! And I really can't make up my mind about the young Adama actor. At first I was really impressed with him but then he just seemed to be channeling Edward J. Almos by grinding his teeth together.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: modage on January 06, 2008, 02:59:58 PM
watching Black Market now.  why Gods why!?

according to the new Entertainment Weekly Season 4 begins Friday April 4th at 10pm.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: grand theft sparrow on January 06, 2008, 06:25:04 PM
Though I maintain that The Captain's Hand is slightly worse (and Scar wasn't so hot either), the show never gets that bad again.  Luckily, the worst episodes of the entire show thus far are all on the same disc.  And once you see the first 4 hours of season 3, you'll forget all about them.

Universal HD just started from season 1 last night.  Looks so good.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: cron on January 11, 2008, 08:07:27 PM
Quote from: H.(sparro)W. on January 06, 2008, 06:25:04 PM
And once you see the first 4 hours of season 3, you'll forget all about them.


so true
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Raikus on April 04, 2008, 12:05:43 PM
Fourth and Final season premiere tonight!

Catch up with this great 8 minute recap: What the Frak is Going on? (http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/video/index.php?sub=specials)
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: cron on April 27, 2008, 06:14:59 PM
worst season ever?
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Raikus on April 28, 2008, 11:36:42 AM
Not at all. There's been one bad episode (last week's airlock) but other than that it has been smooth and captivating.

You see Cron, there's this little thing called "setup." It's necessary when telling a story so it holds your interest and has more importance to you when it ends. How many good story arcs have they set up so far? The final four dealing with their situation, Starbuck's mission to find Earth, the President's death and her relationship with Adama, the Cylon civil war, Saul's cavorting with Caprica 6, Baltar becoming a Messiah and Lee becoming a politician. All with an eventual payoff.

Patience.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: pete on April 28, 2008, 12:26:02 PM
how come every time you want to defend something shitty you've gotta sound patronizing in the most stupid way?  Cron's seen The Wire, I think he knows a bit about setup and payoff.  if you really have to be rude, then at least be a little less corny about it.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: cron on April 28, 2008, 12:38:26 PM
Quote from: Raikus on April 28, 2008, 11:36:42 AM
All with an eventual payoff.

That's the part i'm scared of. I don't think any of the arcs can stand on its own.  It's like what they said in nymag a couple of weeks ago, 'Everybody's planning to do stuff in the near future!' .
a couple of thoughts:
Baltar was Marx last season and now he's Jesus?
I can't stand the acting anymore, cept for maybe the exchanges between Dean Stockwell and  Tricia Helfer.
I hope Starbuck never finds earth.
i've honestly lost interest.

and i resent the patronizing tone.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Raikus on April 28, 2008, 12:56:39 PM
See, now if that was your first post I wouldn't have been patronizing. However, anytime someone uses the Comic Book guy's phrase as a post it requires a patronizing response. Nothing personal, it's just that "Worst ____ ever" drives me crazy.

I can see some of your points. Starbuck has been one of the most annoying characters on television since she returned. But if you go by the show's track record you've got to believe the pay off is going to be huge. When I first heard they were spending half a season the Baltar's trial I think I audibly groaned. But man, I thought they did an excellent job of it and made a trial almost as exciting as anything else they've done so far in the show. I can see the pessimism, I just think it's misplaced.

As for Pete, I love you man. You can never pass an opportunity to pop off at the mouth. It's adorable.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: pete on April 28, 2008, 01:08:54 PM
see?  not funny, and patronizing.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: MacGuffin on August 08, 2008, 06:11:32 AM
New Battlestar Prequel Coming

SCI FI Channel announced that it will air a new Battlestar Galactica two-hour prequel movie, set to air in 2009 following the conclusion of the series.

Directed by star Edward James Olmos, the as-yet-untitled new film will be set before the events of the original Battlestar miniseries and will focus on Cylons: Number One, known as Cavil (Dean Stockwell), resistance leader Sam T. Anders (Michael Trucco) and Chief Galen Tyrol (Aaron Douglas).

In the beginning, the Cylons had a plan, but it didn't account for one thing: survivors. During the chaotic aftermath of the nuclear destruction, two powerful Cylon agents struggle with plots and priorities on the human ships that got away and among the resistance fighters who were left behind.

The film will be written by Jane Espenson and will begin shooting in Vancouver, Canada, at the end of the summer. After airing on SCI FI, it will be released on DVD by Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

The final 10 episodes of the fourth and last season of Battlestar Galactica will begin airing on SCI FI Channel in 2009.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: MacGuffin on November 30, 2008, 02:49:53 AM
Just finished Season One... Why didn't anyone tell me how frackin' fantastic this show is? After a string of disappointing shows (True Blood, Sarah Conner, Heroes...), this is such a welcome. None of the storylines have me reaching for the fast-forward button; they are all equally riveting. It's such a well-written, well-crafted series. The visual style of a 'documentary' feel doesn't get in the way and call attention to itself, and the special effects are top-notch. I am completely and utterly in love with Tricia Helfer and the character of Number Six. On the down side, I am not a fan of the actress playing Boomer and her limited acting skills for such a difficult role. And I'm on the fence about the actress playing Starbuck (although I like that Starbuck is female). Sometimes she comes off as trying to act tough instead of just being tough. She was terrible on Bionic Woman, but I can't hold that against her since everything about that show was terrible to begin with.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Fernando on December 01, 2008, 10:25:39 AM
Quote from: MacGuffin on November 30, 2008, 02:49:53 AM
Just finished Season One... Why didn't anyone tell me how frackin' fantastic this show is?

Because you never listen to me?  :yabbse-sad: I keep telling you what you should watch (the wire comes to mind and sopranos, although I know you didn't like it after seeing a few eps) anyway, you should must check out weeds, dexter, big love, entourage, almost anything by hbo and showtime.


Quote from: MacGuffin on November 30, 2008, 02:49:53 AM
After a string of disappointing shows (True Blood, Heroes...)

TB is awesome as for heroes I told ya! and I don't even know how you made it that far, one season was enough shit for me.


Quote from: MacGuffin on November 30, 2008, 02:49:53 AM
And I'm on the fence about the actress playing Starbuck (although I like that Starbuck is female). Sometimes she comes off as trying to act tough instead of just being tough. She was terrible on Bionic Woman, but I can't hold that against her since everything about that show was terrible to begin with.

I didn't like her character at first too, but she gets better and shows other things besides being tough.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: MacGuffin on December 02, 2008, 12:07:58 AM
Sci Fi greenlights 'Battlestar' prequel
'Caprica' to star Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales
Source: Varitey

Sci Fi Channel has greenlit "Caprica," the much-anticipated prequel to hit series "Battlestar Galactica."

"Caprica" will star Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales, Paula Malcomson and Polly Walker, and will be set 50 years prior to "Galactica's" seminal attack on human civilization by those dreaded 'droids the Cylons. Family-drama-themed series will focus on the Earthlike planet of Caprica as two rival families deal with, among other topical issues, the broader implications of their society's emerging artificial intelligence technology sector.

Produced by Universal Cable Prods., "Caprica" will be exec produced by "Galactica" masterminds Ronald D. Moore and David Eick, along with Remi Aubuchon ("24"). The pilot was co-written by Aubuchon and Moore and directed by Jeffrey Reiner ("Friday Night Lights.")

Having already produced a two-hour backdoor pilot, Sci Fi is aiming for an early 2010 bow for the series, with production starting around the middle of next year, probably in Vancouver, where both "Galactica" and the spinoff's pilot were shot.

" 'Battlestar Galactica' was absolutely our flagship show. It put us on the map and helped transform the perception of the network," said Sci Fi prexy Dave Howe, noting that the cabler hopes to draw a broader audience to a series it sees as more compelling family drama than "space opera."

"We want people to come to this who have never heard of 'Battlestar Galactica,' " he added. "I think, because ('Galactica's') backdrop was space and spaceships, there was a barrier to entry for some viewers. 'Caprica' has none of that. It's an intense family drama set on an Earthlike planet, in the near future, speaking to a lot of the ethical dilemmas that we as a human race are going to have to face very shortly."

"Galactica" has had its fourth and final season in the can for several months, with the final 10 episodes culminating their run March 20. A two-hour movie adaptation, "Battlestar Galactica: The Plan," is slated for early summer.

Mark Stern, original programming topper for Sci Fi and Universal Cable Prods., says waiting until 2010 to bow the prequel will give the producers time to regroup the core of "Galactica's" writing staff, which has largely scattered to other shows.

"One of the other things we have going for is, this is one of the first shows we've done in conjunction with our new cable studio," Stern added. "There will be a lot of coordination between the studio and the network, not just on production, but how the series is launched, as well."
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: MacGuffin on December 03, 2008, 07:34:19 PM
Quote from: Fernando on December 01, 2008, 10:25:39 AMBecause you never listen to me?  :yabbse-sad:

Well, it took a friend who was dressed like Number Six for Halloween to convince me. If you had done that...

Quote from: Fernando on December 01, 2008, 10:25:39 AMI keep telling you what you should watch (the wire comes to mind and sopranos, although I know you didn't like it after seeing a few eps) anyway, you should must check out weeds, dexter, big love, entourage, almost anything by hbo and showtime.

Dexter I watched a couple times when it was on network TV, and did enjoy that. I might pick up the DVDs if they are cheap. Same goes for Wire. As for Sopranos, Entourage and Big Love, I just couldn't get into them the few episodes I've seen.

Quote from: Fernando on December 01, 2008, 10:25:39 AMTB is awesome as for heroes I told ya! and I don't even know how you made it that far, one season was enough shit for me.

I'll admit that the ironic part that got me watching Blood was Alan Ball's involvement, but the episodes he hasn't written are better. But I'm still not a fan of the show. I just don't find myself caring about the characters. As for Heroes, now I'm just curious how each week it continues to jump the shark. I have slight hope that it will get better with every bit of news I hear about restructuring the series, but I know I'm just lying to myself.

Quote from: Fernando on December 01, 2008, 10:25:39 AMI didn't like her character at first too, but she gets better and shows other things besides being tough.

She's coming around to me. One minor character I had an attraction to was Cally; just liked her mousy personality. But after watching the Resistance episode when she pulled a Jack Ruby, she has become my new hero.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Fernando on December 04, 2008, 04:31:02 PM
Quote from: MacGuffin on December 03, 2008, 07:34:19 PM
Well, it took a friend who was dressed like Number Six for Halloween to convince me. If you had done that...

haha, I only hope your friend is a she and not.. :shock:..either way, you should post her (his) pics as #6
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: MacGuffin on December 04, 2008, 05:24:05 PM
Quote from: Fernando on December 04, 2008, 04:31:02 PMhaha, I only hope your friend is a she and not.. :shock:..either way, you should post her (his) pics as #6

We did take a pic together (with me in a poor attempt as Milton from Office Space). When I see her again, I'll see if I can get a copy from her.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: MacGuffin on December 15, 2008, 07:08:22 PM
Finished season 2, and it started off so well with season 2.0, but what happened with 2.5? That portion of the series just dropped off what was great built up; episodes were disjointed one-offs with a lot of 'where did that come from?' moments occurring; like this bad-ass killing machine Cylon, Scar, who's been a thorn in the Galactica's side for so long but was never talked about before or Apollo's relationship with D, or his lost love that he relives with some hooker he's been seeing for a while but was never mentioned in any previous episodes. It's like when Back To The Future 2 tacked on Marty's sudden gripe about being called 'chicken.' Where did that come from? That was not referrenced in the first film. Same deal here. It felt like they were bending the storylines as they sought fit to steer the show in a different direction and not worrying about reprocussions.

On to Season 3...
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: MacGuffin on January 06, 2009, 04:09:19 PM
Just finished Season 3...

Holy Frack!!!! I will never listen to "All Along The Watchtower" the same way again. That finale was one of the best episodes of the series. I slowly began to piece together why only they heard the music, and when the confirmation arrived as they all converged at the same place (kinda like Close Encounters when only the chosen few saw the visions of Devil's Tower), I seriously got chills. That speech by Apollo was just an example of great writing. And I can't wait to see what happens to our Savior, Baltar - Free At Last!

The series seriously got back on track this season after a weak Season 2.5, with maybe only a few misteps, but it continues to be a tried and true example of what great television should be.

On to Season 4.0 before the 4.5 premiere.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: cron on January 07, 2009, 07:08:32 AM
i stopped watching, and it's kinda sad that this is as good as it gets with tv sci fi nowadays. i don't know what else could be better than this, and it's really a great story, but something is missing. at christmas eve  a friend, an uncle and myself theorized about galactica til 4 am and it's a great show to talk about, but then it'll go and make stuff that will prevent it from getting to greatness. am i alone on this?

looking forward to caprica.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: MacGuffin on January 15, 2009, 04:31:09 PM
Finished 4.0, and really can't wait for the premiere tomorrow. I have no idea what's in store for the charcaters, and that's a good thing because I never want to be one step ahead of the show.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: MacGuffin on February 20, 2009, 07:38:33 PM
Battlestar Galactica Movie Exclusive
IGN has heard that BSG will be coming to theaters.
by Jim Vejvoda

IGN Movies has learned that Universal Pictures is planning to turn the TV series Battlestar Galactica into a feature film with series creator Glen A. Larson being lined up to script and produce it.

We were informed that the film will be based on the original BSG series from 1978-79 rather than the recent reboot from Sci Fi Channel. The story followed a band of humans who were the only survivors of a devastating attack on their colonial homeworld by the vicious cybernetic race known as the Cylons. The survivors, led by Commander Adama, embark on a journey through space aboard the military vessel Battlestar Galactica to find refuge on a distant planet called Earth.

Battlestar Galactica has been in cinemas before. Re-edited versions of television episodes were released theatrically: Battlestar Galactica (1978), Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack (1978), and Conquest of the Earth (1980).

A Universal spokesperson refused to comment on rumored projects before ultimately denying it; we were later able to confirm our scoop independently. (This studio denial was reminiscent of Sony's dismissive response to our scoop about Jaden Smith starring in a Karate Kid remake, which we broke a YEAR before the project was officially announced.)

Although we understand that nothing is final yet on the BSG film front, fans should likely expect an official announcement on the project in the coming weeks.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: MacGuffin on March 23, 2009, 05:20:57 PM
 :yabbse-cry:


I couldn't help but go a big rubbery one. What a great and suitable finale.


Hope Caprica can follow in its footsteps.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: RegularKarate on April 01, 2009, 01:23:26 PM
SPOILERS!

No way, this finale was a huge cop-out!

FUCK THIS SHOW!

Man, it started getting less than amazing the second season, then less than great after New-Caprica... once the "All Along The Watchtower" shit started, I realized it was headed downhill, but at least it kept redeeming itself occasionally.... BUT ALL THE PROMISES IT MADE FELL TO SHIT!

What a God Damned Travesty!

There were some good moments, but what an epic way to drop the ball.  Just kept getting worse until the very end, someone stuck a dick on a fart.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: MacGuffin on April 01, 2009, 02:19:32 PM
Quote from: RegularKarate on April 01, 2009, 01:23:26 PM
SPOILERS!

No way, this finale was a huge cop-out!

FUCK THIS SHOW!

Man, it started getting less than amazing the second season, then less than great after New-Caprica... once the "All Along The Watchtower" shit started, I realized it was headed downhill, but at least it kept redeeming itself occasionally.... BUT ALL THE PROMISES IT MADE FELL TO SHIT!

What a God Damned Travesty!

There were some good moments, but what an epic way to drop the ball.  Just kept getting worse until the very end, someone stuck a dick on a fart.

I did say it was suitable, not excellent. This last season felt squashed, and should have carried over to another season. Because at times, knowing the end was near, it was going back to season 2.5 tactics of things just appearing to sew things up. And I didn't like that their best character, Baltar, was so supporting. But I did like the finale, it was the best that they could do given what a hole they dig themselves into.
Title: Re: Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica
Post by: SiliasRuby on October 13, 2011, 07:17:01 AM
It was a beautiful show. Something really to behold. Just finished it, early this morning. Really really worth the purchase a while ago and am so happy with an emotional payoff that finale was....
Title: Re: Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on December 08, 2013, 01:23:53 AM
So I just started Season 3, and wow. I was with the show completely, as casual but engaging viewing, but now it's taken things to a new level. I can't even describe how deeply Season 2's finale and the beginning of Season 3 are affecting me right now. I haven't felt something like this since the beginning of Lost Season 3 (fittingly enough).

SPOILERS

I watched the Season 2 finale last night plus the beginning of the next episode (definitely a mistake) and could not stop thinking about it all day today. So devastating, so bleak. I had almost convinced myself to take a break from the show because I couldn't handle any more. Thankfully I finished S3E1 and was rewarded with that inevitable glimmer of hope.

I love the moral complexity going on right now... that really is my thing sometimes. And it's so jarring to see these characters in radically different situations after soooo many episodes of nearly complete stasis. This is like a completely different show. It should feel ridiculous, but it feels so fracking bold. I love it. I hate it, but I love it.

Don't even get me started on the post-9/11 and Iraq War parallels, which are endlessly potent and somehow tastefully inconspicuous.

It wasn't even that long ago that I watched "Black Market." That episode was just... yeah... compared to this? I don't have words.

Taking a step back (and a deep breath), I may be at odds with the consensus here, but my favorite character is Starbuck. She's kind of like Hank on Breaking Bad. Started out as a bit of a stereotype but gained dimension. Also easily one of the top actors on the show.

Admiral Adama has to be my second favorite. Edwards James Olmos is probably 90% of it. He pulls off the nobility thing with such perfection, and his acts of principled defiance are so moving. (I'm thinking for example of the episode where he shuts down the witch hunt tribunal. I think I actually cried "yes!" at the screen when he told the lead investigator "you've lost your way" and ordered her arrest.) I am regularly surprised by how emotionally affected I am by this show, and Adama is a big part of that. He's the core.

Baltar is one of my other favorites, of course, because he's endlessly fascinating and so tragic, but I'm conflicted. Some of his characterization in Season 2 was bouncing around too much. They tried to give him motivation for wanting political power, and some of it worked, but they didn't really stick the landing. And it rang especially untrue when he sent the nuclear device as a present. Not even Gaius is actually that dumb.

My major problem with the show (and perhaps my only), from the very beginning, has been Six. For whatever reason her seduction schtick has never worked for me. In fact it seems strange and pathetic after a while. I realize that she appears mostly as a projection, and that whole thing is a function of Gaius's light insanity, but I can't help but feel like we're supposed to be seduced along with him. My reaction is more like, "Okay, really? Stop that. It's gross. Yeah I know we can see your back now and you're half naked, but really, stop making those faces. You're not the first woman to ever take her shirt off. Please stop rubbing up against Gaius now and let us move onto the next scene."

(Thankfully that's essentially disappeared now.)
Title: Re: Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Drenk on December 08, 2013, 08:44:19 AM
Season 3 is great. It was so good, I was in holidays, I watched it in three days. Episode 9 (Unfinished Business) is my favorite of the show, I think. I want to know what you think about it and the rest of the show!

And yes, Starbuck became Kara Thrace. She's the soul of the show.
Title: Re: Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on December 08, 2013, 07:08:09 PM
(Well, look at that, this post is actually spoiler-free.)

I'm definitely going to savor Season 3. I can already tell how good it's going to be. At this point I would even accept a disappointing Season 4. My expectations have never been sky-high with the show, so I've really been enjoying the best parts with no baggage, and right now I seem to be in a stretch of uninterrupted magnificence.

I forgot to mention before, one of the best things about Adama, and Edward James Olmos specifically, is how he's able to pull off the most on-the-nose, earnestly noble lines without flinching. Here's a great (and very recent) example of this. I'll redact the other character's name for despoilering purposes:

Anonymous:  How do you know you can trust me? I mean, how do you really know?
Adama:  I don't. That's what trust is.

This would of course sound ridiculous coming out of any other actor's mouth, but he delivers it with this hardcore nobility that makes you want to cry. That is some kind of supernatural ability.
Title: Re: Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on January 21, 2014, 01:00:28 PM
I'll start out spoiler-free...

I loved the finale. (It wasn't flawless in execution, but the show never was.) This is as good as BSG gets. It nailed all the big things, it felt right, it delivered on the mythology, and the epiphanies were brilliant. I couldn't ask for more.

I'm convinced RK's 4/1/09 post was an April Fool's joke, because it's exactly wrong. You're crazy, RK. Crazy.

NC and AATW are the defining achievements of Battlestar Galactica, and Season 4 was certainly the strongest season.

Season 2 was really mixed, with a whole pile of the show's worst episodes, but Season 3 took things to a new level. Again there was a mid-season slump, but then it pulled itself together for the end of Season 3, kept going through Season 4 and never stopped. Of course they had to throw in one stinker ("Deadlock"), but otherwise, like the entire NC plot, it was basically uninterrupted magnificence from AATW to the end.


MASSIVE SPOILERS

I could list favorite episodes, but it's really about those chapters that play out over 2-3 episodes.

1. New Caprica. That bold time jump, the invasion, the resistance, and the escape. Absolutely amazing.
2. All Along The Watchtower and Kara Thrace's return. I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff.
3. The finale, but really the last 5 hours of the show, "Someone to Watch Over Me" to the end.
4. Mutiny on Galactica. One of the most thrilling, frightening, and stirring chapters, and so well done.

My only complaint about the finale is that the final half hour felt rushed, but that part is actually growing on me. I think that's exactly how it would feel to arrive at your destiny so suddenly. Are we really here? Is this really happening?

I've never expected perfect logic from the show, but I am wondering how or if Adama got rid of his ship. And I'm not sure I feel totally okay about Adama's end, but it is what it is. Perhaps it doesn't bother me more because all their destinies are fulfilled.

Anyway, I loved the way everything seemed fated to come together, how one thing had to lead to another and another and another for things to arrive at that predetermined conclusion. That is some writing to admire. Particularly impressive was Tyrol's significant role (interrupting the transmission), which was a delightful surprise. And Kara's role, well that goes without saying... it was literally perfect. She even got to say "there must be some kind of way out of here." Brilliant!

But my favorite moment of the finale was the climax of the opera house sequence, where the Final Five were all lined up like that, juxtaposed with their glowing images from the dream. That was completely overwhelming, and I was so into it. I should have seen it coming, but I totally didn't, and it played as a crazy beautiful epiphany. Probably one of the most powerful moments of the show for me.

Oh, and if that wasn't already great enough. That cassette tape that Kara recovers from her old things is called "Dreilide Thrace Live at the Helice Opera House." And Kara plays All Along The Watchtower in the CIC, which is why the CIC is represented in the dreams as the opera house.

Also, Kara's dad was likely Daniel, the final final cylon (the one that Ellen describes as a sensitive artist). He and Sam probably played AATW together.
Title: Re: Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Mel on January 21, 2014, 02:21:14 PM
Did you see "Battlestar Galactica: Razor" film? This is my personal favorite and some of the darkest moments in the series. Discovering story of Battlestar Pegasus was great for few reasons. I was bit tired of what was going on Galactica, this gave series a bit of space. Contrasting choices of Pegasus and Galactica gave a lot of depth to moral choices, which occupied a lot of time in series. 
Title: Re: Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on January 21, 2014, 03:38:23 PM
Razor was pretty good. I get more into the content that focuses on the mythology/destiny/heroism of the main players. But you're right, moral ambiguity was also something BSG did incredibly well. BSG makes Breaking Bad's moral ambiguity look like child's play sometimes. Particularly on NC, and in (SPOILER) Baltar's trial, I found myself genuinely confused about how I was judging the characters.
Title: Re: Battlestar Galactica
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on December 15, 2017, 01:10:22 PM
Apple Orders Ronald D. Moore Space Drama Series

http://deadline.com/2017/12/apple-ronald-d-moore-space-drama-series-1202227584/

Ronald D. Moore is heading back to space. Apple has given a straight-to-series order to a space drama from the Battlestar Galactica developer. The untitled project hails from Sony Pictures Television and Moore's studio-based Tall Ship Productions.

Created and written by Moore, along with Fargo co-executive producers Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi, the untitled series  explores what would have happened if the global space race had never ended. Tall Ship Prods.' Moore and Maril Davis executive produce with Wolpert and Nedivi.

This is is the third original scripted series ordered by Apple via its recently formed worldwide video programming division headed by former Sony TV presidents Jamie Erlicht & Zack Van Amburg, joining a morning show drama series project, executive produced by and starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, which has a two-season pickup, and Amazing Stories, a reimagining of the classic anthology from Steven Spielberg and Bryan Fuller.

The Moore/Wolpert/Nedivi drama also marks the first series order for Van Amburg and Erlicht from Sony TV, which they ran before leaving in June to go to Apple. It reunites them with Moore with whom they worked on a number of projects while at Sony, including Starz hit series Outlander, developed, executive producer and run by Moore, and the upcoming Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams for Amazon, which Moore co-wrote and executive produces.

Moore started his writing career in the space genre with stints on three Star Trek series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager, before he created the acclaimed Battlestar Galactica reboot. He is repped by CAA and attorney Ken Richman. Nadivi and Wolpert, whose credits also include FX's People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, are repped by CAA and attorney Tara Kole.