With the announcement that Sanctuary [Sci-Fi, Fridays, 10/9C] has been renewed for a second season, perhaps those who those who don’t like to commit to a new series for fear it’ll be cancelled will now give TV’s first green screen series a chance. Two upcoming episodes are good examples of the kind of quirky quality that series is developing.

Quick refresher courser: Dr. Helen Magnus [Amanda Tapping], a one hundred fifty-seven-year old scientist has established Sanctuary – a home for “abnormals” [creatures benign and otherwise that are not of the perceived normalcy – mermaids, a missing link, children with unusual fear reflexes]. She provides homes – or cages if necessary – for these beings. She is aided by her daughter, Ashley [Emilie Ullerup], forensic psychiatrist, Dr. Will Zimmerman [Robin Dunne] and tech wizard, Henry Foss [Ryan Robins] .

In this week’s ep, The Five, Magnus’ lecture to an underground group in Rome, on abnormals, leads to a meeting with Nikola Tesla [Jonathon Young] who warns her of an impending assassination attempt. Tesla has a few secrets, himself – the only one I can telegraph is that he sleeps during the day.

The episode is fast paced and smart, but has its moments of emotional truth that support the action. We get to see Magnus’ ability to improvise – and the rest of her team show initiative in the way they aid her from their home base. The CG sets and effects are improving and now have much more weight than early on. Even Tapping’s wobbly English accent is much more consistent.

On December 5th, Drs. Magnus and Zimmerman take a mini-sub to investigate the slaughter of a clan of mer-people and find an abnormal unlike any they’ve ever seen. Requiem is a bottle show – a one-set episode – and as such, relies on tour de force acting by Tapping and Zimmerman. Both actors are called on to run through a gamut of emotions in a situation where an unseen menace seems to be influencing their behavior.

Based on these two episodes, Sanctuary is deserving of its renewal and an even larger audience.

Final Grade: B+

With Cha$e [Tuesdays, 10/9C], The Sci Fi Channel adapts a highly successful Japanese game show format for American audiences. The rules are simple enough: ten runners must avoid capture by five hunters on a specified game zone for one hour – while finding devices to help avoid, misdirect or otherwise thwart the runners. Even the map of the zone is acquired through a test. Host Trey Farley explains the rules and gives the runners updates on various challenges – and the surprising nature of the fifth hunter – before eventually revealing the mystery exit point. Although runners must work together at times, only one can win – the prize is twenty-five thousand dollars.

There will be CG effects touches to make the show more closely emulate the feel of a video game. There are graphics that show the locations of the runners and the hunters; the hunters will be CG-enhanced figures [instead of just the already creepy men in black with designer sunglasses that appear on the screener]. Runners are shown in electronic “cards” each of which flashes their basic stats, and the equivalent of power gauging bars appear on the bottom third of the screen to show what devices the various runners have/have used/have failed to obtain. The actual gameplay is not especially exciting, though I expect that when all the CG effects are laid in, that will be an improvement.

What is interesting, though, is the way the runners think before, during and after gameplay. One losing runner says, “I thought I wouldn’t care, but I do” – another is quite expressly angry about having failed. Others are more philosophical.

In fairness, I should probably point out that – while Cha$e is based on the aforementioned successful Japanese game show format – the game should really carry an “inspired by” credit for the late Robert Sheckley, whose short story, The Seventh Victim, was adapted into the hit movie, The 10^th Victim. With the exception that Sheckley’s hunters and hunted were a stand-in for large scale war - and the principles of his much more violent game [including being televised] are pretty much present here. Sheckley was right, too. The game makes for intriguing – if not brilliant – television.

Final Grade: B-

As Bill O’Reilly would say, “We’ll do it live, we’ll do it live!” My boys Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, Sci-Fi’s The Ghost Hunters, will actually be in my neck of the woods this weekend doing a live 7 Hour Halloween Hunt at the historical Fort Delaware. This special event will be hosted by Destination Truth’s Josh Gates & Steve Valentine with special guest hunter Amanda Tapping. I’m not quite sure what’s going on with this, Sci-Fi is promoting this as a live event, but I’m pretty sure it’s being taped Wed night (tonight). Because they aren’t letting press attend - not even little ol me.  I was invited to lunch, unfortunately my day job keeps me from going. Either way, I love the Ghost Hunters, the show and the guys, after going on a hunt with them and Amanda a few weeks ago, I’m a believer in all ghostly things. Even ghost farts.

Who knew that I lived an hour and half away from one of the most haunted places in the country  Fort Delaware, commonly referred to as the “Black Hole,” Fort Delaware was used during the Civil War as a POW camp that housed over 33,000 Confederate soldiers. Ravaged by epidemics and torture nearly 2,400 failed to escape and died on the island. The restless spirits have never left.  Join the exclusive seven-hour hunt from home with access to thermal imaging camera feeds and live Q&A with TAPS team members and host Josh Gates. Watch carefully for anything out of the ordinary — you’ll be able to send instant alerts of any sightings you make straight to the Ghost Hunters!  Brace yourself this Halloween when TAPS takes you on the ultimate ghost hunt. The team returns to the Fort Delaware scene of this season’s most jolting and revealing episode.

Maybe it’s because I saw Max Payne yesterday, but I really enjoyed Fire & Ice. It’s a colorful little B-movie that doesn’t really hang together all that well, but as directed by Pitof [Vidcoq, the unfortunate Catwoman], it is an energetic take on a classic theme – dragons and their attending problems.

King Augustin’s [Arnold Vosloo] kingdom one of peace and prosperity until it becomes the target of a marauding fire dragon. His daughter, the headstrong Princess Luisa [Amy Acker], decides to enlist the aid of Gabriel [Tom Wisdom], the son of a banished knight who once killed an ice dragon. His plan? To raise an ice dragon to fight the fire dragon – hopefully killing each other. When the ice dragon survives, he must come up with another plan. Complications arise when the corrupt King Quilok [Ovidiu Niculescu] offers to provide sanctuary for Augustin’s people if Augustin surrenders his kingdom. Augustin’s advisor strongly suggests he do just that.

John Rhys-Davies adds a little soul – and humor – to the proceedings as Sangimel, the man who raised Gabriel after his father died. Sangimel is something of an inventor, a plot point which does, indeed, have a payoff.

It seems that every character in Fire & Ice has a different accent, and both the good guys and the guys make some pretty obvious mistakes in their various plans of action. Somehow, though, its panache makes up for a lot. The dragons are very well done for the budget, soaring through the air like super-sized manta rays – though with traditional dragons’ heads – belching fire and ice and generally wreaking havoc.

In fact, unlike the technically superior Max Payne, Fire & Ice has both that panache and more than a little heart – qualities that make it far more of an entertainment. Even so, it’s only marginally above average – but fun is fun, and Fire & Ice is just that.

Final Grade: C+

A brief news release from the Sci Fi Channel states that on January 16, 2009, at 10 p.m. [9C], “Battlestar Galactica will return with the remaining episodes of its 4^th and final season. 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.”

Finally, we will learn the fate of Earth; discover the identity of the Final Cylon Model and maybe even find out who wrote the Galacticaverse version of All Along the Watchtower - and what the infamous Last Supper, Galactica-style, means!

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It’s been a few weeks since I last posted something here. Frankly, I’ve been really busy playing an inordinate amount of Rock Band 2 and working on the upcoming EclipseMagazine.com book, “Tell Us Who You Are – The EclipseMagazine.com Interviews.” The book will be out in time for your Holiday shopping pleasure. Enough with the cheap plug, I was invited to attend Sci-Fi Channel’s 2^nd annual Digital Press Tour last weekend. At first, I was a bit skeptical and didn’t particularly want to attend. I mean the shows they were promoting were pretty much all reality programming and Amanda Tapping’s new sci-fi show Sanctuary. So it wasn’t like I was actually visiting a set and I’m not a particular fan of reality television; I generally avoid them like the plague. The only reality show I watch on a semi-regular basis is American Idol. But I must say after this weekend, I’m going to be logging some serious time with all of Sci-Fi’s fall lineup – starting with Ghost Hunters and Sci-Fi’s newest game show The Chase.

Last weekend’s event was held in Denver Colorado at the historic Stanley Hotel. This hotel is rumored to be haunted and is the place that provided the inspiration for Steven King’s The Shining. He spent a few months in Room 217 writing the book and staring at ghosts. The Jack Nicolas film wasn’t shot here, but King’s TV Mini-Series was. It’s a weirdly old world hotel where walking in you can almost imagine that ghosts actually do make this place home. The place has this weird otherworldly vibe to it. When I was outside taking pictures (see the Gallery) it did feel freaky.

Sci-Fi really rolled out the red carpet this year (this is where I say, this wasn’t a “junket,” I paid for the trip out of my own pocket). My carpool buddies were really cool Chris, his wife Tara and Derek were really cool. We had a fun 1 hour drive from the airport. It’s always really neat meeting other webmasters who have the same issues that I do, even at much more well known sites like the one Derek works at. I always thought the folks at his site hated me, but apparently they don’t. So that was nice to know.

The weekend started with an excellent dinner and soiree. The room was divided in half, apparently Sci-Fi used the weekend to also smooze with their advertisers and contest winners. They kept us press folks away from them most of the weekend. It is always interesting attending one of these things, I’m always reverted back to my childhood – “I don’t know these people, what am I going to say, will they like me,” blah, blah. All the folks that I knew were sitting at different tables, that actually had people sitting there. So I sauntered over and mingled a bit, when it was time for Dinner my table finally filled up.

Sci-Fi set up the seating so that the tables would feature the cast of one of their shows, a couple of Sci-Fi executives and a couple of press folks. It was a real intimate affair with everyone getting a chance to really mingle and get to know one another fairly well. Turns out I was sitting with the cast of Sci-Fi’s latest gamble, The Chase. The 4 hour dinner just flew by all of the guys and everyone else at the table were really cool. I was trying to get some dirt about this new mystery project but they wouldn’t spill the beans until the next day.

CHA$E is an action-packed, edge-of-your-seat reality competition show that pits a group of contestants against each other in the quest for cash prizes, while being stalked by relentless ”hunters.” The action takes place in real time over 60 minutes throughout various Los Angeles landmark locations including San Pedro Harbor, Universal Theme Park and Descanso Gardens. As the clock counts down, the competition gets harder as more “hunters” appear on the “game board,” the perimeter changes, and tasks are assigned that test fraying nerves. Contestants earn money for every second they “stay alive.” If they are overrun by a “hunter,” they lose everything. The last person standing can win up to $50k.

It was funny because Amanda Tapping was sitting in the table next to me and I was joking with the Chase guys all night that I was going to go over and talk to her, or ask them to go and bring her to our table. I discovered Stargate SG1 last year and went on a 6 month obsession watching all the shows and reading a lot of SG1 fan fiction. I was a giddy school girl. I met Amanda on Saturday and she was really cool people. I kept bumping into her all day and we “hung out” during our Ghost Hunt with Jason and Grant that night. And this was why the weekend was so cool for me.

Usually at an event like this, the actors are “air lifted” in. Do their Q and A and get the heck out of dodge. You never feel like you really get to know someone. This time everyone, The Ghost Hunters, the Destination Truth Guy, Amanda, The Chase Folks and the Scare Tactics Guys came in Friday morning and stayed the entire weekend. It was a really relaxing environment where everyone had drinks and just chilled. It was really interesting watching them interact with each other and everyone watched each other’s Q and A’s from the back of the room.

Jason and Grant – The Ghost Hunters (who, for some reason loved me and remembered me from when I met them at NY Comic Con a few months ago) took us on a midnight Ghost Hunt at the Stanley. It was just like being in an episode of their show, a very cool experience. We all met at around midnight and went into one of the rooms that was reportedly haunted. And there was definitely a sense that there was a ghost in the room. Jason had this meter that they called the K2. Supposedly it lights up if there’s a presence in the room. So every time we asked questions the light would respond. Really freaky stuff, we all started to believe we were talking to a Ghost. Later in the hunt Amanda and I started joking with each other about Ghost Farts.

Earlier in the day the boys from The Chase wanted to give us a taste of the show. So like an idiot I volunteered to participate. The game is Sci-Fi Channel’s version of The Amazing Race with a video game twist. They give you a backpack – which I never asked what went into it, compass and an iPhone. Every couple of minutes they sent a text message with instructions on what to do next. It was a calm experience until a major thunder storm came roaring through, at that point they released the Hunters who came after us. I thought I had a plan until I saw one of the hunters then my brain froze and I panicked when he took off after me. I was completely drenched and caught a cold. The game was interesting and will be fun to watch on television when they cut out the parts where you are just wondering around aimlessly. Once that rain started, I was staring at my iPhone wishing for a message or anything to happen other than getting soaked.

Sci-Fi development manager – Mark Stern (I don’t know his exact title) was air dropped in from an Argentina set to give us a peak at this weird new game show where it’s kind of like a real life version of the movie Saw, only it takes place in a castle. The object is to survive these “brutal” challenges like sticking your arm in a tank of crabs to grab cash, or survive a collapsing room, or run through a room where (I believe) glass is breaking. If you survive all of these challenges you end up in a vault where you are chained to the floor and the object is to find the key to unlock your chain. The catch is, each drawer contains something disgusting, like mice or snakes, or something else entirely. I’m curious to see how it works out. Mark is a really cool guy, I spent a lot of time with him at last year’s digital event, this year he was, like I said air dropped in and we didn’t see him for the rest of the weekend. If you want a show on the Sci-Fi Channel this is the man you talk to.

Overall a really good weekend and I’m looking forward to Sci-Fi’s fall lineup. Of course I can no longer be objective about the shows, which is why I have Sheldon around to do the TV Reviews. Later this week I’ll post the recordings from all the Q and As. And a full synopsis of all of their shows for this fall. If I had one concern it would be that it seems like other than Sanctuary it seems like Sci-Fi is abandoning scripted programming for the lucrative world of Reality TV. They have a strong line up, but it seems a bit like overkill.

I just got back from Sci-Fi Channel’s 2nd annual Digital Press event. It was a fabulous weekend with lots of time spent with the Casts of all of their popular reality shows and Amanda Tapping. The weekend even included a real live Ghost Hunt with the Ghost hunters, a chance to play Sci-Fi Channel’s version of The Amazing Race in their real life video game show The Chase and more.  I’m going to do a full write up on the weekend either Monday or Tuesday.  One piece of news that was announced - exclusively at the event by Sci-Fi President, Dave Howe was their brand new 2009 series RelicQuest.  Based on the description Dave gave, I would call this show Sci-Fi’s attempt to bring Indiana Jones to life.  It sounds like a great concept.  Here’s the official release.   Again, I will have full details on this amazing weekend and reports from the panels during the course of the week. 

SCI FI GREENLIGHTS INVESTIGATIVE ADVENTURE SERIES ‘RELICQUEST’

Hosted by Documentary Filmmaker Bruce Burgess NEW YORK, NY — September 27, 2008 — SCI FI Channel has greenlit production on the new investigative adventure series RelicQuest (working title), hosted by documentary filmmaker Bruce Burgess, it was announced today by Dave Howe, President, SCI FI Channel. With a 6-episode commitment and production slated to begin in October, the one-hour show will premiere in early ‘09.

RelicQuest is an action and adventure series that travels the globe in search of some of history’s greatest relics and artifacts. British filmmaker Bruce Burgess guides the viewer in a first-hand exploration down mysterious roads to uncover objects fabled to hold hidden powers and mystical significance for both ancient and modern cultures. Utilizing worldwide contacts and exclusive access to restricted sites, RelicQuest promises to be the action-packed thrill ride through the
world’s most interesting sites, as you have never seen them.

"’RelicQuest’ fits perfectly with the kind of investigative reality programming viewers enjoy on SCI FI proven by the success of our original series ‘Destination Truth’," said Dave Howe. "It explores the mysticism and mythology of legendary artifacts rooted in real history and set in fascinating locales."
"I’ve always had a passion for tackling tough subjects and investigating mysteries, and I have spent my career traveling the globe tracking down
new evidence. RelicQuest will be a professor-free zone. Instead we’ll be talking to the locals, the people on the ground at these ancient
sites-the smugglers, the traders, the tomb raiders, and the antiquities dealers," says Bruce Burgess.

Traveling to Cairo, Egypt, Burgess attempts to solve the riddle of who Moses really was and to unravel the true story of what happened on Mount
Sinai. Burgess will also go to the ruins of Montsegur Castle, to investigate the Holy Grail of the Cathars, a small cup that was said to
have enormous healing and spiritual powers. Other journeys will take viewers to Amman, Jordan on the trail of the Armageddon Priscillian
Codex, a sought-after document said to be a prophecy for the alleged "end times."

On July 18th of 2006, The Sci Fi Channel aired the pilot episode of a quirky little show called Eureka which garnered some of the highest progam ratings The Scifi Channel received for that season and the series became an instant hit for them. Tonight, The Scifi Channel will air the 3rd season premiere of Eureka with an episode titled Bad to the Drone and will introduce Frances Fisher as the new and ruthless head of Global Dynamics.

Eureka takes place in a top secret high tech community that is supposedly located somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. Being the kind of community it is, Eureka is mainly inhabited by highly brilliant scientific minds from all branches of the sciences who have come together to work for a company called Global Dynamics to create new technological and scientific advancements, some of which sometimes go wildly out of control.

Keeping the community of Eureka safe from outsiders and from itself, is Sheriff Jack Carter [Colin Feguson]. Carter, who is charming with a streetsmart edge that often comes into play when genuis runs things into trouble, had stumbled onto the secret town when he was working as a U.S. Marshal transporting a prisoner, his own daughter Zoe Carter [Jordan Hinson] and was recruited to replace the former Sheriff who was crippled in an accident and Carter’s quick thinking ‘common sense’ saved the day.

Ecipse Magazine had a chance to catch up with cast member Colin Ferguson, at Comic Con 2008 to get the low down on the 3rd season of Eureka and some of the things that have changed since last season.

One of those changes that Colin Ferguson lamets is the dropping of the storyline of the romance between his character of Jack Carter and dry cleaner owner Callie Curie [Sonja Bennett]. “I loved that plotline,” Ferguson says with a quick smile. “I liked how it was going and I loved the idea the sort of ‘every guy’ ending up with the dry cleaner.”

Ferguson says that one of the problems he saw with the initial romantic interplay between Allison Blake [Sallie Richardson] and Jack Carter was that it didn’t seem to fit together well with this ‘every guy’ ending up with this head of a major corporation. “But this season with Allison being a bit more disenfranchised it makes the dynamic between them more accessable,” Ferguson says about the changes in the situation for the character of Sallie Blake as a new head of Global Dynamics takes over.

The biggest thing coming up for Colin Ferguson in season 3 and for which the actor is very excited about is his chance to direct an episode of Eureka. “I couldn’t be more ready, prepared and calm,” he says eyes gleaming in anticipation of the upcoming opportunity to stretch himself in another direction creatively.

Ferguson says the main thing that has given him the initiative to feel comfortable taking on this challenge is his familiarity with working on Eureka. “I have the drill, I know the set and the actors.” Having seen new director come on the show and work things out, Colin Ferguson feels he is ready to take on the task of directing episode 3.10 of Eureka which will allow him to do his prep work over the brief hiatus the series production will be taking before coming back to begin filming the back half of the 3rd season.

Because his character of Jack Carter will also play a role in the episode that Ferguson is directing he says that he will be relying on the crew a lot to help him out with this duel aspect of directing and acting in the same episode. “They know what to do anyway and they are just a great group of guys.” Ferguson says that one of the reasons he trusts that the crew will help him out is because they are the ones that usually come up to him during the filming of an episode and point things out to him.

Ferguson, smiling widely, imitates the laid back advising style of the crew in question. “Aw buddy you want another take.” This is something he says he fully appreciates and knows he can rely on when it’s his turn to direct.

Colin Ferguson says the one thing he really enjoys about working with the cast and crew of Eureka is that because of the fast pace of the production schedule, there is no room for egos to get in the way. “When things do go a bit wrong, we don’t have time to get upset about it,” he says speaking affectionately about his work with cast and crew. “We just say ‘who cares’ and move on. There is just too much to do to dwell on it and I love that pace.”

Even with enjoying the fast pace, Ferguson says that the hardest thing on him with Eureka is the long working hours he puts in. “I’m first in and last out at the end of the day,” he says with an expression of tiredness marring his handsome features as he talks about the long days filming. “Towards the end of a filming season, you just hit this level of exhaustion that has you wanting to run into a corner yelling ‘time out, time out’.”

In season three of Eureka, Ferguson says that some of the workload has been shifted of off of his character of Jack Carter and some of the other characters have been given more time in the storylines. What he likes most about this change besides the break it gives him from the extremely exhausing filming schedule but that it allows the show to build itself around more than just one or two characters.

Ferguson feels that this will help the longevity of Eureka to have this kind of focus on other characters as well. “We want to make sure that this thing can go on for many, many years.”

Season 3 of Eureka premieres Tuesday, July 29th at 9PM on the Scifi Channel with the episode Bad to the Drone in which a drone used to test anti-aircraft guns ‘decides’ it doesn’t want to lose anymore and goes on a rampage against the town of Eureka.
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Even more than its parent series, Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis has embraced the fluidity of life. Every season has had some kind of major change. By now, most Atlantis fans know of the change in command that’s coming to the returning series [Fridays, Sci Fi, 10/C], in tomorrow’s season premiere – which kind of spoils the surprise of the ep’s final seconds. Fortunately, with all the various instances of cliffhanging peril to be resolved, there’s plenty of opportunity to be surprised before then.

Search and Rescue finds members of the Atlantis team buried under tons of rubble from Michael’s imploded compound; Teyla [Rachel Luttrell] about ready to give birth on Michael’s [Connor Trinneer] flagship; and the city itself, for a change, is fine…

With all the action and mayhem in Stargate Atlantis’ fifth-season premiere, the scariest image of all might just be midwife Rodney [David Hewlett]. That’s right. Rodney McKay is the only one with Teyla when the baby decides to make its debut. That is more unsettling than earlier scenes with Rodney and Lorne [Kavan Smith] buried under Michael’s compound, or Sheppard [Joe Flanigan] and Ronon [Jason Momoa] about to be pulled from the rubble by members of Michael’s crew – or even a badly injured Sheppard leading the mission to save Teyla when what he really needs is surgery and a transfusion.

To say that Search and Rescue is another entertaining Atlantis episode is to understate the situation. Writer Martin Gero has produced an ep with space battles, hand-to-hand combat, exploding hyperdrives, lots of weapons fire and even a few more moments where Rodney’s spine solidifies briefly. Veteran Atlantis director Andy Mikita keeps things moving at a [mostly] breakneck pace – making certain implausiblities virtually unnoticeable. Combined with sharply observed performances, the result is definitely a lot of fun.

Final Grade: B

After a rather ho-hum premiere, Battlestar Galactica seems to be moving back in the right direction. Where He That Believeth In Me tended to rehash the season three finale without adding much to the running story – except for the development of the Starbuck-Roslin situation – Six of One is almost chockfull o’ stuff.

Six of One finds Starbuck aiming a gun at President Roslin; the four who are living in hiding convening to see if they can figure out a way to identify the Final Cylon; Lee getting a fine send-off by the pilots and ground crew he worked with from the inception of the series; Lee and Kara kissed [big honkin’ powerful, life & death kiss]; The four sent Tory to see if Gaius knew anything about the last Cylon model; Starbuck gave Roslin her gun and told her that she thought Starbuck was a Cylon to shoot her – and Roslin fired [but, fortunately, she’s not gun person, and missed], and Tory had sex with Baltar. That’s the fleet side of the ep, and would be plenty for most shows.

On the Cylon side of things: Cavil ordered the Raiders to be repaired – read lobotomized – after their breaking off the battle with the Galactica; Six insisted that the Raiders had evolved and become sentient – and that they had recognized the presence of the presence of the four in the human fleet; three of the unboxed six models voted on whether to “repair” the Raiders – and one of the Sharon Valerii models voted against her model and for the “repairs”; Six and two Centurions confronted Cavil, Doral and Simon and she begged them to reconsider but they refused; she ordered the Centurions to kill them and they did – the three models who had voted against repairing the Raiders had removed an inhibiting device from all the Centurions so that they would become self-aware, told them about what had been ordered for their fellow mechanicals and let them make up their own minds about what to do to stop it.

Whew! Now that’s a lot of action – and we haven’t even talked about Admiral Adama’s going behind the President’s back to outfit Starbuck with a ship and crew to see if she can retrace her journey and return to Earth. A crew that includes the program’s moral center, Helo.

What can I say? Six of One is a pretty decent rebound from the ennui that was He That Believeth In Me. The dialogue is crisp; the direction is crisper. The main theme of the ep seems to be betrayal, what with Admiral Adama going behind Roslin’s back to set Starbuck on her way; the impending civil war between Cylon factions [precipitated by one of the Boomer model betraying the rest of her series], and Starbuck’s feeling betrayed by the people she loves [though that betrayal, at least, is assuaged by Adama’s turnabout].

Another theme is change. The Raiders have changed/evolved and pulled away from the Galactica because of their recognition of at least one of the four models on the Galactica [though this happened last week, the actual acknowledgement of that change is shown this week]; one part of a model series has disagreed with the rest of her model; the Centurions have been allowed their own self-awareness/sentience; the seemingly solid relationship that has been developed between Roslin and Adama is fracturing.

I’m not sure if Tory’s sleeping with Baltar will become another betrayal, but she was told to get close to him to gain information – but that she wasn’t expected to have sex with him. And what’s up with her tears? Is she telling the truth about them, or is she feeling a spot of bother over changing sides, or what?

One thing that hasn’t changed is Roslin’s commitment to her vision. Her insistence that she’s the dying leader who will lead the fleet to Earth is unwavering – and despite missing Starbuck with that pistol, she avers that she’d try again, given the opportunity.

Which leads us to one of the big changes of the series [ranking right behind the major Cylon revelations]: Admiral Adama’s crisis of ego/conscience. Besides loving Starbuck like a daughter and wanting to believe her, he goes behind the President’s back because “she’s always right – and I’m tired of losing!”

Lemme hear yuh say, “WHOAH!”

Michael Angeli script is filled to the brim with all kinds of good stuff and yet, it doesn’t feel bloated; Anthony Hemingway’s direction may have a pretty frenetic general pacing, but he does a nice job of picking which parts of which more intimate scenes to linger over. The effects are, as usual, brilliant both in and of themselves and in the manner in which they serve the story.

To balance out the major revelations and betrayals, Angeli’s handling of Lee’s departure from the military provided a much needed bit of levity and some lovely character moments that didn’t come from a place of anger, angst or any other form of negativity. Both the farewell party and the moment on the hangar deck were handled with just the right amount of emotion – and it was nice to see that Lee And his father aren’t still torn up about Lee’s decision to go civilian – not that they won’t be at loggerheads in the future, their relationship just seems to work that way.

Overall, then, Six of One is filled with enough action, emotion, revelations and betrayals to make it an extremely good effort. Even though, like He That Believeth In Me, it is setting some much bigger bangs somewhere in the future, it has enough Good Stuff – in and of itself – to be considered a worthy addition to the BSG canon. It’s not the show’s best ep, or anything, but it’s better than most of season three and the season four premiere – and it points the way to the hella ride we’ve been expecting.

Final Grade: B+

Battlestar Galactica may be the best SF series, start to finish, ever produced for television. Even so, after sleeping on it, I have to say that the final season opener left me cold. [SPOILERS beyond this point!]

He That Believeth in Me opens minutes after the season three finale, Crossroads, Part 2, left off – with Kara “Starbuck” Thrace [Katee Sackhoff] joining Lee “Apollo” Adama [Jamie Bamber] in the battle against the Cylon raiders. The battle turns when a Cylon raider has Sam Anders [Michael Trucco] in its sights, pauses for a closer examination of the newly revealed Cylon/Viper pilot, and turns tail and retreats.

In between bursts of the battle, we see members of Galactica command and President Roslin [Mary McDonnell] listening in disbelief as Starbuck joins the battle following her epochal announcement regarding Earth. Even the usually well-controlled Admiral Adama [Edward James Olmos] is visibly shaken by her return.

Meanwhile, Gaius Baltar [James Callis], newly cleared of charges of treason, has been whisked away to the one ship that will have him and begins his new life by praying for the life of a sick child. Following his prayers, he is accosted by a man whose son had been killed by a “police officer” on New Caprica, and only quick action by the woman who had cut his hair, saves him from certain death – but only after his plea to The One True God to take his life and spare the child so startles his would-be assassin that she has time to overpower the man holding her. Lo! The child is healthy on his return, with no trace of the virus that was killing him.

Starbuck is taken, under guard, to Doc Cottle [whom we don’t actually see], and declared to be 100% Kara Thrace. Even so, Roslin refuses to believe her story of finding Earth and returning. Even Adama isn’t convinced – though he clearly wants to be. Further clouding the issue is Starbuck’s Viper which has returned in fresh off the factory floor, brand spankin’ new condition. No dings, no enemy hits, nothing in its logs.

At about the same time, the four newly revealed Cylon models, Tory [Rekha Sharma], XO Tigh [Michael Hogan], Anders and Chief Tyrol [Aaron Douglas] have met to see what they can figure out about their new awareness. The best they come with is that [a] that bloody song isn’t playing in their heads anymore, and [b] until something changes, it’s going to have to be business as usual for all of them.

Finally, at episode’s end, Starbuck breaks free of her escort [she’d been looking at her memorial on the wall of memories] and confronts President Roslin at gunpoint. To be continued…

Alrighty then…

Although my esteemed colleague deemed He That Believeth in Me to be a good, if not great season opener, I have to say that it very nearly put me to sleep. Outside of the show’s usual brilliant effects, I felt that nearly every aspect of the ep left me cold.

In terms of the actual battle between the Cylons and the Galactica, there wasn’t any one thing that stood out until the Anders incident. In fact, it seemed like the most lifeless battle of the series to date. The unexpected retreat – unfairly attributed to the possibility that Starbuck might be a Cylon [and which only we, the audience, knew was because of something that one Raider saw in Anders] wasn’t particularly wondrous either, though the reaction aboard the Galactica was one of the few bright spots in the ep.

The Lee/Kara reunion in the bay was affecting, but the Sam/Kara reunion was curiously lifeless – even their later conversation about he’d still love her even if she was a Cylon seemed oddly out of place [and this with his knowledge that he was a Cylon!].

The Adama/Kara scenes were almost painful, and not because they were heart-rending. The contrast in the two’s demeanor was such that it really felt like I was watching two different people. Overall, the only scenes that struck me as completely honest were the scenes between Lee and Kara, and Kara and Roslin.

There weren’t even any truly memorable lines – and days after almost every preceding ep, there’d be at least one line that would still be making me chuckle. Here, there was nothing of the sort. Even Starbuck’s anguished, “We’re going the wrong way,” struck me as lame [though that might be because a much more impassioned version of it has been featured in almost every 30-second spot in advance of the show’s return, and now I’m tired of it already.

The whole Baltar, The Holy Man arc that’s being set up strikes me as kind of sad. This suddenly selfless, repentant Baltar is no fun at all. If he does wind up being selfless and giving for real, he will cease to be interesting. It’s combination of Baltar’s baser qualities and his [very] occasional doubts and attempts at redemption that make him such an intriguing character. Take away that intrigue and you might as well kill him off.

Even the direction of He That Believeth in Me seemed perfunctory. People hit their marks, said their lines and didn’t bump into the furniture, but that’s about it.

In the end, He That Believeth in Me was an unsuccessful attempt to expand on arcs that were set up in Crossroads, Part 2. Maybe now the show can pick up steam and kick some ass – ‘cause it certainly did neither here.

Final Grade: D+

Wow, tonight/today is a big day for me. I get the new Call of Duty 4 maps today and tonight is the premiere of the Final (sort of) season of Battlestar Galactica. Luckily I don’t have to choose between playing COD or watching BSG because the kind folks over at Sci-Fi sent me a copy of the screener earlier this week. They made me sign away my life to get it, but it was sort of worth it.  Here’s the thing, I love all things BSG, but I thought last season sucked. After the amazing first six episodes of the season, it just spun it’s wheels until the big season ending reveal.  Watching tonight’s episode, I had that feeling again. Like come on, let’s get to the point and move the story along.  I have no doubt that once all 10 eps of this shortened season air, it’ll become clear how brilliant this show still is.  BSG opened with a bang, they obviously have a bigger budget for their final season and they spent it beefing up the show’s SFX.  There are lots of big sploshings in all it’s CGI glory. The ships make beautiful orange fireballs.

The writers clearly have a plan and now that they know the show has a definite end, I’m 100 percent sure it’s going to go out with a bang.  The question is, are they going to play coy with us fans and move everything at a snail’s pace until we get to the big moments. Again, I’m not saying tonight’s episode is bad, it’s really good, but it also felt kind of blah. The problem is, BSG is known for it’s drama and characters and that seemed to take a back seat to the new enhanced SFX. The crew’s reaction to Kara’s return from the dead was spot on. I’m kind of sick to death of the whole “Who is a Cylon?” theme as well. As usual the stuff with Gaius was terrible. It looks like this season he’s going to become some Jim Jones like cult leader - which is just stupid. The ending was definitely intriguing, but the way Sci-Fi built hyped it up, I was expecting a really huge reveal. Something that’s going to propel the story forward or fundamentally change everything. Instead what I got was, that’s it? I know I sound negative; tonight’s premiere is a good opening, just not as great as I wanted it to be.

Final Grade B

EM Review
by Michelle Alexandria
Originally posted 4.4.08

On Friday, I had the opportunity to take part in a teleconference with Starbuck, herself - Katee Sackhoff, of the Peabody Award-winning Battlestar Galactica. She talked about her reaction to the mind-bending prophecy that Starbuck was a harbinger of doom; which is tougher - love scenes, or fight scenes; who she thinks Starbuck should wind up with [if indeed she wainds up with anyone...]; how she’d like the series to end for Starbuck, and much more.

Battlestar Galactica returns to the Sci Fi Channel Friday at 10/9C.

Note: There were some reception problems, so there will be an occasional word or phrase missing [replaced with the word unintelligible].

Starbucks gets all kinds of action on the show. Which is tougher for you, a fight scene or a love scene? And is there anybody left among the cast that you really want to have one or the other with?

You’ve got to start out with a good one too. I’m sitting across the table from my boyfriend right now. I would say that the sex scenes are a lot harder than I think anything that I’ve ever had to do on the show. Because it’s not natural, it’s just odd, it’s very odd. It makes you kind of feel cheap. Like you’re being paid to or being allowed to in a sense cheat on your significant other. It’s very weird. It - so that definitely is weird. But the fight scenes are really easy and they come pretty naturally for me to be honest. But, so no I can’t - I mean, who would I want to fight on the show? Still thinking about not wanting to do the other thing with. I don’t know. I think I’ve fought everybody. I think, you know, I can’t think of anyone. I haven’t fought Sharon so I’ll go ahead and say that. I think that a fight between Eddie and I would be pretty interesting.

How cool and gratifying has it been that you won over those fans who were first skeptical and negative and on a larger scale how cool and gratifying has it been that this show, this version gained so many fans in general?

It is completely gratifying in a sense. I think for the full, you know, the full reason that it’s nice to have people identify with the character that you’re playing and appreciate the work you’re doing. I don’t think I went into this trying to win over the old fans because I think that you can’t ever please everyone… and I didn’t want to focus on people that were all ready in a sense, you know, spewing negative energy at me. So I just kind of, you know, did what I did and it’s nice to know that they’ve, you know, some of them have been converted but, you know, and I guess it is a little gratifying to know that, you know…

For all the people who said I couldn’t - you know, that it wouldn’t work with a woman. It’s kind of nice to know that it did work for sure.

When did you start realizing that people that - audiences that were reluctant to accept Starbuck as a woman, what of the character do you think helped turn that around to make people accept Starbuck as a woman?

I think what - honestly what made people accept Starbuck as a woman was that she was just such a interesting character. You know I think once people put their guard down as far as the preconceived notions of what the show was supposed to be and just allowed it to be really good science fiction, I think that’s also probably the same time when people accepted Starbuck for being a woman was when they stopped thinking of the old show. Which is, I don’t know, you know, it’d be hard to figure out when that probably happened but, you know, probably after the first season. That cliffhanger at the very end that probably got all the fans hooked.

What should we make of the positioning in that terrific Last Supper picture of the BSG cast? For instance, you’re with Anders and Lee is alone, Six is in the Messiah’s position. Are there any hints there you can tell us about?

No. You know it’s interesting that everyone thinks that there’s something hidden in that Last Supper photo like if you look hard enough you can find there’s hidden messages in it. To be honest I think we would have had to have been in on it to create a hidden message and we were all just there having a photo shoot. So, I don’t, I mean, it is interesting the way people are standing for sure, I mean, you know, the plastic sheath with Anders is interesting but - so I don’t know. And the fact that they made Tricia the messiah is pretty interesting too. But, you know, I wish I knew what they were thinking and I know - that would be a question for Lana Kim, she’s on the line.

I wanted to ask about (unintelligible) flashback to last season when Starbuck was temporarily killed off. It seemed like after that happened it was sort of confusingly handled in terms of your interviews, you know, hinting whether or not you were actually gone and the show’s reaction to it. Looking back do you sort of wish it would have been handled a little bit better and not mentioned it at all. Is there anything you would have played differently?

I’m trying to figure out what, like as far as…

In terms of the spoilers I guess more than anything else. It seemed like, it seemed like when Starbuck was killed, people were already expecting her to return already, it doesn’t seem like there was an element of surprise for various reasons. Do you think in a way it could have been handled better both either in the show in terms of the post show handling?

I don’t know. I mean, I know that you can only keep a secret a secret for so long. I know that as soon as I showed back up at work, it was going to be on the internet but back up at work and also, you know, I mean, I do think they should have left me out until the very end. I think bringing Starbuck back in episode 16 kind of like, what the hell was that, you know. Why not, you know, wait until 20. But, you know, I guess, in Ron’s mind he had a bigger cliffhanger and I guess, you know, to have a bigger cliffhanger than Starbuck coming back from the dead is, you know, only Battlestar Galactica could pull that off. So, you know, I don’t know. I mean, would definitely have told the main cast from the very beginning, you know, having to deal with all of that with the crew and the cast and you know, it was really - it’s not something that I’d like to do again. That’s for sure.

I wanted to talk to you about how you’re feeling now that the show is ending and how the rest of the cast is feeling.

Well, I can’t speak for the rest of the cast so I don’t know how they’re feeling. As far as how I’m feeling, like, it’s interesting. Like, you know, there’s a side to me that actually, you know, the selfish side of you that wants to go on and, you know, play different roles so there’s an excitement, that kind of, I think brewing for everyone in a sense, you know, we kind of, you know, get to go off and play these new characters or, you know, hopefully and, you know, that’s why you became an actor is to, you know, to not play the same character for ten years.

So it’s kind of nice, I think that it is sad just because I don’t think - the work environment on Battlestar Galactica is absolutely amazing and I don’t think it’s something that comes along a lot and, you know, I’ve done so many canceled television shows I can tell you that it’s not normal to enjoy going to work and to enjoy the people you work with. So I know that that - chances are I’m never going to find that again so that’s sad as well. But you know as far as moving on with the show, I don’t think that’s really - I’m really going to feel the pain of it until the very end.

What do you feel like the impact of the show has had maybe on the SciFi genre for the channel?

Well Battlestar Galactica did for SciFi was, you know, they treated it like a reality, you know, that what was so interesting about our show is that we never relied on the science fiction of the show to drive the show. We relied on the drama and the human condition and those really important questions. That’s what we depended on for the show and because the show, you know, could move it along and most science fiction shows rely way too much on the, you know, the bells and whistles. So I think that it kind of opened doors in science fiction to realize that, you know, regardless if it’s - science fiction is just a setting. It’s not a show, you know, it’s a setting. It’s where something takes place, it’s not, it should never have been what the show is. And I think that finally for the first time what the show has probably done is that it proved that that could be done.

Did you know that Starbuck would become such a popular and kind of an iconic character when you signed up to do this?

Oh of course. I didn’t even know the show, you know, would become as iconic as it is. It’s become - it’s taken on a life of its own and become something completely different than what I ever thought it would. I thought is was just going to be a paycheck. And so no, I didn’t know Starbucks would ever, you know, become what she’s become. I think that, you know, so many things had to come together to make that a reality. You know, I think that the writing was perfect and the way that, you know, they wrote Starbuck was perfect and so, you know, a lot of things had to - all the planets had to align to get this to be perfect. So, I don’t know. A very interesting question, yeah.

At the end of last season a couple of the actors playing the final five Cylons weren’t too happy at least initially to find out that they were Cylons. But if Starbuck turns out to be a Cylon or an agent of the Cylons, will you be pleased or displeased or indifferent?

Well I think the reason the four actors were upset about being Cylons is that I think, you know, you play for years making choices as a character and then to realize all those choices you made would have been different had you known. It’s interesting, it’s kind of like, you know, you get the wool pulled over your eyes for four years and then lo and behold, you know, your character’s something completely different. So that’s, you know - but I would be completely indifferent. I think, you know, I have love for this character and I think we all do as far as everyone for their character on the show, but I - they were pretty angry. I still think Michael Hogan hasn’t come to terms with it. I don’t think he’s ready to accept it yet. So…

I’ve got to say you really blew me away on Bionic Woman and I think you’re great on Galactica. How did you juggle these two great characters at the same time and what do you like about these sort of, you know, action heavy sci-fi roles?

I always had to remind myself of who I was, because I think that the two characters were so different but could have been played so similar. I always had to make sure that I knew where I was and let go of the other story line, even if I was working on both shows in the same day. So for that, you know, Starbuck comes so easily to me now that even the lines and the dialogue, I don’t even memorize the dialogue anymore. I show up to work, I (unintelligible) to the writers but now they know my way of speaking so well, or so much, that Starbucks dialogue is just so easy to memorize, and it’s - that’s the writing. But Bionic Woman, I always had to talk myself into it and make sure I was where I was supposed to be. And as far as the strong characters are concerned, I, you know, I have this deep affinity for these characters. They - I think that I’ve reluctantly turned into the go-to tough girl in this business and I’m ready to do a job that requires no blood and guts and ghosts or anything. So, a nice little romantic comedy with James Mcevoy would be fantastic.

Could you talk a little bit about how this season we’re going to handle the marriage between Starbuck and Anders?

If I knew, I would tell you. I have no idea. You know, we are at episode 14 right now in shooting - in our shooting schedule and I am no closer to being able to have any questions answered from last season than I am now. So - or, you know, then than I am now.

It’s not really being played up then?

You know I think that - without giving too much away here, I think that there are more important issues being dealt with right now on the show for these characters than what Starbuck is and how her marriage is. There’s a lot of really heavy things happening right now and I think that her marriage to Anders is the least of her concerns. But at the same time it would be interesting to ask those questions, you know, because we don’t identify this thing as a person. Is her marriage even legal? I don’t know. You’re asked all those questions that everyone would probably want answered and probably would never get an answer unless I did one of the webcasts. (Unintelligible) questions but yeah.

But as far as me handling it, if it ever gets broached, I, you know, I think Starbuck is starting to feel compassion for the things she hates the most, I think, because she as everyone on the show is starting to realize and these are the major questions of, you know, humanity and what the show, you know, has always kind of asked, is that if you found out tomorrow that, you know, your best friend or your mother or something was a Cylon, you know, say it that way, would it make your experiences that you had with that person or thing less important to you?

No, it’s the same emotion, the same feelings, the same thing that you had experiences with. They’re just different than you always thought they were, it doesn’t mean that it is less, it’s just different. And I think that that’s, you know, something that they’re starting to remember. And as far as Starbuck coming back (unintelligible) family or my boyfriend died, I would do anything to have them back. So, you know, I mean, do people care any more what you are as long as you’re there? That’s an interesting question, so…

Your boss, Ronald D. Moore, is directing I think his first episode now or just recently and have you worked with him and how was that?

I’ve got to say he’s the first director I’ve ever worked with that after every take he says thank you. And I noticed that because it’s not something - I think what the crew does, what an actor does, at times can be overlooked because it’s what we’re supposed to do and to have someone thank you after every take is very interesting. I found that, you know, after a take I stood a little taller, I was a little happier and I was like wow, that must have been really good. Even though I didn’t ask him because God forbid, he said no I was just saying thank you, but that was shit Katee. You’re going to have to go again. So he was a great director. Granted I only had one scene with him but one thing that I noticed that I’ve never had happen before and it goes to - speak to his character as a person. He’s a fantastic man.

I know that your character is one of the more rebellious, impulsive characters on the show. After, you know, playing Starbuck for four seasons, have you picked up any of her, you know, hard core habits or anything like that? Or her love of poker or anything?

No, I still have never played a game of poker. I still don’t smoke cigars. It’s - you know, I haven’t picked up anything from her I don’t think. You know, I mean, if I was to say that I picked up something it would be that, you know - I can’t think. I think that her strength and her conviction is something she believes in is pretty interesting.

I would like to be able to emulate that. And then just her belief in what she has to say is really impressive. I think so many times women in general, but, you know, people as well, apologize before they say things for fear, you know, like we give a disclaimer, like this is going to sound stupid or - and I know there’s women do that all the time, like forgive me for asking this question but like the question doesn’t have any merit, well every question does. And I think that that’s something that I’ve learned from Starbuck is that, you know, there really is and my mother used to say that as a teacher, like no question is stupid, there are no stupid questions, there’s only stupid answers. That’s what my mom used to always say so - so that’s something that I hope to take from Starbucks.

And as far as the fan base of the show goes, you know, are you surprised by the number of fans that the show has gotten or have you gotten any, you know, really surprising fan mail from someone that you wouldn’t expect to like the show?

No, not really. I think the most interesting thing is when I get mail from high school or their parents or something and they’re like, hi, Katee just wanted to say hi, we still live in the same house, you know, come on by. That’s interesting when a friend of mine doesn’t know how to get a hold of me and sends my mail to my publicist. I’m like, what are you doing, just call my parents, you idiot.

I’m wondering if you could speak a little bit about Starbuck’s sort of mental state going into season four and what finding Earth really means to her?

She’s very fragile, you know, she’s extremely lost. We’ve never seen Starbuck so alone and so lost. And she’s a little distressed, not only because of the way that people are treating her but because of the questions that her coming back has raised in her own mind. And as far as - what was the second part of the question?

Just what finding Earth and the sort of mission that she’s on.

Right. I think it’s her revolution. I think it’s her end. I think that she’s putting so much weight and so much weight on this one thing, this one task that she believes that is her destiny that I think she wouldn’t let anything stand in her way, anything, which I think when that is the case, you’ve got a very scary person on your hands when they’re unwilling - completely unwilling to sacrifice everything to accomplish something. That’s scary. So I think that we’re going to see a lot from her this season that isn’t - kind of like a shell of her former self, at the same time a lot of her doing things that you don’t necessarily don’t agree with. So…

And have the producers told you what exactly happened to Starbuck during her supposedly dead time?

No, we’re on episode 14 and I’ve read 15 and nope. I don’t think we’ll figure that out until the last second.

What I’d like to know is when you saw the script for Razor at the end where the Cylon Hybrid makes the prophecy that Starbuck is a harbinger of doom, what was your initial reaction and as the season has progressed, how has that reaction changed? Either strengthened, lessened or whatever?

I think that when I read that very end I went of course she is. Like, what else could happen to Starbuck, I’m like, come on, you know, lay it all on me. The worst possible thing and there you have it, fantastic, she’s going to kill everybody, great. I think that that is something that has been carried through the entire season so far. As far as whether or not anyone knows, you’re going to have to wait and find out on what it really means, you know. It could mean so many different things.

What is the best memory or experience that you’re going to take with you from your time on Battlestar and then also what one physical thing or prop or piece of the set would you take with you if you could to remember the show?

That’s easy. I’m getting in my flight suit with my helmet and my gun belt and driving home. I’m going to bronze that f-ing thing, I swear to God. I’m going to bronze it and put it in my bathtub so every time someone comes over and showers, they have to stand next to that flight suit. It was hell for so many years that it’s only appropriate that I get to take it with me. Granted I have to drive over a border so maybe I’ll put the guns in the trunk and write prop on them. But shop at the American Government, that’d be great. I think that - and the beginning part of that question?

Your best experience or memory.

You know, the cast and the crew. I have made so many friends on the show, you know, I mean, Steve McNutt our VP has been like my dad for five years and constantly telling me to be safe when I’m with Michael, constantly. So I think that, you know, and then also the friendships that you form that are through the show but you are able to maintain outside of the show. That’s really important because when you do a show you have these grand plans of staying in touch with these people and nine times out of ten it never happens.

You know I haven’t spoken to Richard Dreyfuss or Marcia Gay Harden, you know. I did a show with them for years so, it’s, you know, you never do. Unless you find a common ground outside of the show, those friendships don’t last. And so I think that what I’m really proud of is my friendship with (unintelligible). I’m very proud of that, it’s my first adult friendship I guess, like the first friendship I’ve developed as an adult that hasn’t been a friend since I was, you know, 17. And so I’m proud of that and I’m proud that we’ll be friends forever or for a long time at least. So…

When you and the cast are sitting around, do you ever theorize on who the final Cylon is going to be and also will we find out before the end of this first run of episodes?

I think that, you know, we’ve been told who it is. I personally don’t believe it. I think that that’s something that’s going to be kept to the very end, you know, and I don’t think that it would be smart to tell people because inevitably things always get out on the web and to have to have to keep that secret for a year, I think Chris maybe should shoot maybe like five different endings. And whichever character doesn’t get (death) they should just make that the final Cylon. You know, it’ll be like, you know, some random character from the first season that had one line. It’s fine, you know, that’s who it’ll be. No, so… I don’t know. We do talk about it sometimes but as far as who it is, I don’t think any of us will know for sure until we see it on television.

Okay, so it won’t be in the first run then?

No. I don’t think so. I haven’t seen the episodes though and I don’t pre-read scripts so I couldn’t tell you. I personally don’t know who it is, no.

How do you think your character’s journey or as well as the other characters’ journey of this drama parallels to the reality that people live that everyday and what things might people learn from watching it?

I mean that’s hard for me - in general or how her military life is…

How she’s progressed throughout the whole entire saga.

I don’t know, you know. People always ask me this question how she’s evolved and she has. I think that she’s finally someone you can depend on and I don’t think she was before. But I think what keeps her going — and if this is what people can take from her — is her desire to love and her desire to have people love her keeps her going. You know, her relationships with Adama and Lee has really kept, has really kept - probably kept her alive and I think that that’s something that’s very important. You know, I think that that’s extremely important. You know, I’ve talked to a lot of soldiers who say that, you know, what keeps them going is that they get to come home. So, you know, it’s that go to speak to any relationship that, you know, we’re happiest and most willing to accommodate I guess life and all its ups and downs when we have love in our lives.

Ron Moore has said that he’s not interested in doing a Battlestar feature film. Do you think you could change his mind and if so would you be interested in doing that film?

No, I wouldn’t want to change his mind. I think he’s right.

You know, he said it best at the (PCA), I don’t know if you were there but or got that but what he said was that what would end up happening is that you would have to focus on, you know, one or two characters and, you know, what’s so brilliant is that it’s been a four-year movie and the time to tell these stories about each person individually and really have you become invested in those characters and to do a two hour movie or a one and a half hour movie I think takes away from that what we’ve been able to do for so long, you know, it really does take away. I mean, I don’t, you know, how do you pick which two characters and when you pick those two characters are you going to flip off the other 17 main characters on the show, like how do you define, you know, what to do.

I think he’s right, you know, plus at the same time, you know, as a performer — excuse me, sorry, sorry, I’m downstairs in the lobby here — I think that, you know, I don’t know, plus like whatever I was going to say is that when I even actually am done with the show, I’m done with the show. I - you know, as much as I love the job or don’t love the job the last thing I want to do is come back and do it again, when I’ve already done it. Granted, you know, talk to me in five years if I haven’t worked. We’ll see. But, you know, as of right now I have no desire to do it - to do a movie.

Just think of sort of the tail end of season three it seems as though Starbuck was sort of moving more towards being a spiritual figure instead of, you know, a more action oriented figure. You were having visions, you were kind of, you know, having a more spiritual experience. How does that affect how you play the character and do you think that that’s something that’s going to be developed in the new season?

It doesn’t affect how I play the character to be honest. She’s always been religious and it’s not that she’s changed, it’s that she’s opened up her eyes and allowed something else to come into her life, you know, she’s the same person. It’s just another aspect of who she is, but she’s the same person. It really hasn’t changed the way I play her at all.

If you were in total control of how your character ended up toward the end of this last season, what would you have your character - how would you have your character go out if you don’t know…

Die.

You’d like to have her die? How would you like to have her die?

I don’t know. Maybe something will blow up again on the ship. I don’t know. I just, I don’t that there is anyway to end it with her being happy. You know, what I do wish for her is peace, you know, in whatever form that comes in I’ll be happy with it. But that’s what I want. I want for her to finally have a sense of calm in her life. That would be very interesting and whether it comes with death or, you know, some kind of transcendence of some sort, whatever happens that’s what I want for her.

Throughout your work on Galactica what maybe have you learned most as an actor would you say from your time on the show?

I don’t know, you know, I think every day is a learning experience. Every day you learn something new and I don’t really think I’ll know the gravity of that until I’ve stepped away and taken on another job and I’ll do something that will just come naturally and I’ll go oh wow, I learned that on Battlestar.

You know, what I learned from Marcia Gay Harden and Richard Dreyfuss and Peter O’Toole when I was working with them. I mean that was, you know, an amazing work environment when I did the show with them and I don’t think I realized what I had learned from them until years later. So I think that’s kind of what it’s going to be so…

I know that, you know, the Admiral has basis for like a father figure for Starbuck for a very long time and I wondered, you know, in the previews that we’ve seen, the official previews that have been released, you know it seems like the Admiral really doesn’t know what to believe of Starbuck upon her return and is initially very skeptical. How does that, from someone like him, affect Starbuck and her mental state?

I think that’s the worst thing that could ever happen, you know. Here’s the person that she - depending on his attitude towards her — I’m trying to figure out how to say this — she gets her validation and she gets everything from him. You know, he kind of sets the mood and the tone for how she feels about herself and to have that person doubt you is I think the worst thing that could happen to her. Because as far as she’s concerned, regardless of what she is, she’s the same person she was when she left. And I think the worst thing is she wants his trust so…

So, with no Bionic Woman, what’s next for you? Are you looking for another action role?

Oh, God. I don’t know what’s next. That’s the joy of it. Yeah, you know, do I want to play a character just like, you know, Sarah Corvus or Starbuck? No. You know, I’ve already done it. I’m, you know, looking for things that are complete opposite from those two characters. Whether or not if people give me the opportunity to do that, you know, I don’t know but what’s interesting is five years ago I couldn’t get anyone to think I was, you know, tough and now I can’t get anyone to think of me as the way they did five years ago.

I was recently on a call for The Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles and it was funny because it seemed like the Executive Producer and the cast, they were all like extensively following like what the online activity surrounding the show. Is that kind of the same thing with like Battlestar? Do you guys like kind of like follow the online kind of buzz and what the fans are talking about with the show?

No, Aaron Douglas does. I don’t think anyone else does. You know, I’ve learned a long time ago that you can’t hang out on the Web site or, you know, on the Web because you will inevitably need a hundred positive remarks to make one bad remark disappear. So it’s a never ending cycle of reading about yourself and it never goes away. It’s horrible. So I tend to just not pay attention to it anymore and occasionally my mom will call me and go you’ve got to read this… which I find very interesting.

Of all the Battlestar Galactica cast, who is it you most enjoy acting against? Do you have a particular favorite?

I love working with James and Trisha for sure. The two of them are so much fun so. James because you never know what he’s going to do.

What surprised you the most about Starbuck’s evolution throughout the last three seasons?

What surprised me the most, huh. I think what’s surprised me the most is - wow, I don’t know. That people consistently depend on her shocks the crap out of me. You know, that has always been very interesting to me is that people still ask her to like go save the world, like that. It’s constantly interesting for me so, that I think for sure.

In what ways can we expect her character to evolve this season?

Well, you know, I think that she will hopefully have a resolution of some sort. I think that that’s something we can finally depend on in a sense or, you know, that’s something she might actually finally get. But at the same time, I, you know, really have no idea. I would love for her — and I said this earlier — that, you know, I would love for her to find peace. And I think that if there’s any justice in the world that she will actually have that because she’s been through so much hell.

I think it’s only fair that she get a little peace toward the end.

I wanted to ask you if you could just give us some more teasers as to what we’re going to see in this final season.

Well I think if Battlestar’s any indication at all, in the last six - four - I think that, you know, everyone’s going to be very shocked for sure. I think that there is probably going to ruffle a few feathers very well and I don’t think that there’s any way to make everyone happy. You know, I’ve always - I said to Ron Moore from the very beginning please don’t wrap everyone up in a pretty little box, put a bow on it and say (unintelligible) and he would never do that because that’s not real, you know, and Battlestar has always been based on reality and so I think that he will give it an ending that is fitting of that, of Battlestar. And, you know, make it not pretty, which is hopefully what will happen.

In terms of the cast’s recent appearance on David Letterman, how did that come about and how did you feel about that?

Well, Lana Kim was the one that I think probably made that happen so that’s a tribute to her and her masterful skills at publicity. And I think with Letterman, I think my only concern was God dammit! The first time I’m on late night television and they’re going to make me wear my wardrobe. And I think Tricia… they just said wardrobe and Tricia and I kept thinking well what if we switched wardrobes? They didn’t say your own wardrobe. I thought that would have been pretty funny if I squeezed into a little red dress. So…

Is was there any aspect or experience or recurring theme of growing up in Scappoose [Washington] or around that area that in any way prepared you for playing Starbuck or really helped you in form your portrayal of Starbuck?

Wow, you know, I think the only thing that prepared me for this role, I don’t really know, but as far as - I’ve never thought about it that way. But as far as growing up in St. Helens and in and around that area and then ultimately high school in Portland, was that I spent all my time outdoors as a child. I was constantly running around with my brother and playing cops and robbers and like, you know, we grew up in a place and a time when your parents said be back by dinner and they let you go and, you know, you didn’t have to worry about your kids. You came back at dinnertime and it was fine and I think there was a freedom and a vulnerability and a sense of security that I had growing up.

I was very sheltered and so I think that I’m very naive. I think that I got all of that from growing up in St. Helens and I think that, you know, I moved to Los Angeles and I was like a fish out of water. I’m like, who are you people? So that, but also, you know, there’s a lot of stereotypes from growing up in a small town — which obviously I did — that I think directly relate to Starbuck. You know, I think, you know, she needed to get out and she became the best at something to get out of her home environment, to get out of the town, so to speak, that she was raised in and education was never in the fore - you know, in her forethought. She just kind of went okay, I’m going to be the best fighter pilot and that will get me out.

And I think that that was my thing growing up where I grew up was that I don’t care what I’ll have to do, I’m going to get out. So, you know, ultimately that’s how I became an actor was just wanting desperately to get out so that’s for sure.

I spoke to you before season three and at the time I had asked you what you thought about Lee and Kara’s relationship but it went through a lot of changes in season three. So I’m curious what you think about them now is this something that could ever work out or are they in a bad cycle of repeating mistakes?

I don’t know. You know, I don’t think that Lee and Kara will ever be happy together. I don’t think that - I don’t think they’re meant to be together, you know. I think that they’re meant to be best friends, they’re meant to push each other, they’re meant to have those arguments that drive you, you know, that’s the purpose that I feel that they serve in each other’s lives. I don’t think that they were ever meant to love each other. So, you know, with that being said, I don’t think they’ll ever end up together, I never did really, you know.

I think I said earlier, I think it was in an interview yesterday, where I said if anyone is fitting for her and if there’s anyone that she would actually allow herself to be happy with and be with, it’d probably be Leoben, you know. Anders is too weak for her emotionally. Lee is too much of a boy scout. He makes her feel guilty for her anger and her - who she is, you know, her faults. He makes her feel guilty just by being who he is. And so if there was any person that she could let her guard down with and be happy with, probably Leoben.

The show is far too mature in theme for little girls. But as far as big girls go, what do you think your character gives them?

You know, I think when this first started, I was 22 and I think Starbuck was comparable in age, maybe a couple years older than me. She was supposed to be 35 and then they cast me which was (a shame). But what I think it gave us a glimpse of was a young woman who didn’t depend on anyone and knew what her purpose was. And I think we don’t see that. You know, through the years we’ve learned that she’s got this vulnerability and she’s screwed up and she’s…

And you think she was a young woman who people could depend on?

No. No, I think that she was so concerned with herself and escape in a sense, that she never - she - I think people depended on her just because she was so good at what she did, not because they actually trusted her. But I think that’s how she’s changed and progressed and grown as a person and as a soldier. And I think that now, she’s probably one of the most dependable people on the show.

So, but I think that is what it did, it gave us a glimpse into someone who, you know, I’ve never really seen a strong female character on a show and whenever I did - especially a young one, and whenever I did they always needed a man to hold their hand and I think that that’s what’s interesting about this show is that everyone is equally vulnerable and equally needs help. There is no man, woman, you know, there’s no bias on our show and I think that’s, you know, maybe not what Starbuck has done for women but what the show has done for women.

The nature of Starbuck’s return is a big mystery this season. We don’t know if she’s the original, a clone, a Cylon or some figment of Lee’s imagination, so from an acting perspective, have you made an internal choice to play Starbuck as one of those possibilities?

No, I think it’s a strong enough internal choice, you know, to play the fear, to play that she’s lost and I think if I play that, I think that it leaves the door open to question what she is. So, you know, I think our show is all about playing the reality of something, you know and how do you play the reality of knowing that you are something when you don’t really know what you are? You play the question, you play the uncertainty so…

I’m still shocked about [your earlier comment about] Starbuck winding up with Leoben but okay. Talking about reality, how is Michael? Michael really had a bad accident right before you came back to work right?

Yeah.

How’s he doing?

He’s fantastic, you know, you’d never know that he got hurt and bounced back, you know. And as far as, you know, what happened to him and to what extent he was hurt, I don’t know if that is something I should talk about. All I can say is that, you know, you have moments in life when you realize how important people are to you and, you know, I think that I definitely had one of those moments with Michael and I realized, you know, how important not only him but how important his fiancé (Sondra) is to us, you know, and he’s one of my - he’s a really close friend of mine and, you know, thank God he’s okay. And of course he’s okay, he’s such a strong son of a bitch. Anyone else would have been hurt even more, but he bounced back. I think the next day he was fine.

Okay, final question then. You were so brilliant as Sarah Corvus of course you’re brilliant as Starbucks, David Eick of course is talking about making a TV version of the brilliant Children of Men, would that interest you or would you still rather do a romantic comedy.

Should I even know what the Brilliant Children of Men is?

It was a movie made by one of the Spanish directors and it was a science fiction movie people not being able to bear children.

Oh, really. So it’s kind of like that movie, what was that movie that just came out - oh, Children of Men.

Oh, okay, I loved that. How women stopped being able to bear children.

David Eick is working on a version of that. I was just wondering if that would interest you at all?

You know, everything that David Eick interests me - does interest me. He is fantastic at what he does. He has a vision and you know, he’s always successful at that vision, whether or not other people have a hand in the pot. And you know, I’ve always said that, you know, the main problem with Bionic Woman, is that if you get too many cooks in the kitchen, too many hands in the pot, no one can agree on what they’re trying to make.

So you have a stew that’s full of shit and, you know, whether or not David is given the freedom to do what he’s done with Battlestar is a complete different story. You know I think that you’d have to be on a cable network, I don’t know if you can get that from network television. No, I’d follow that man to the end of the earth.

Thank you so much, this has been a wonderful, wonderful interview.

Thank you. I’m going to go snowboard at Whistler now.

Tin Man is the Sci Fi Channel’s re-imagining of a classic work of fiction and its film adaptation. It’s darker, livelier and definitely entertaining, but it’s not your great-great grandparents’ Wizard of Oz.

L. Frank Baum’s classic fantasy fable, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, has been read by more children [and their parents] than most any other work of fiction. The 1939 film adaptation remains a classic with engrossing characters and effects that still thrill and chill as well as the day it was first released. So, why Tin Man? Because every classic needs to be hauled off the shelf and dusted every forty or fifty years.

In the case of The Wiz, that was not a Good Thing. In the case of Wicked [the novel - I haven't seen the play], it was an Extremely Good Thing. So now we come to Tin Man - re-imagined by the guys who created the cult favorite TV series, The Pretender, Craig Van Sickle and Stephen Long Mitchell and directed by Nick Willing. The mini-series was produced by Robert Halmi Sr. and Robert Halmi Jr. [and despite having Executive Producer credits, neither Van Sickle nor Mitchell turn up in any behind-the-scenes Featurettes].

The story hits [as they state, repeatedly, in the features] all the beats of the original story, but they take it in a very different direction. In this version, DG [Zooey Deschanel] is a bored waitress and part-time student who feels like she just doesn’t fit in in Kansas. Her plans to see the world are interrupted by some men in black leather dusters and a big honkin’ tornado - into which her parents toss her - with cries of “Trust us!”

She wakes in a different, yet familiar world where she is immediately set upon and captured by short warriors dressed in leather, feathers and face paint. With the help of a man with a zipper on his head, she manages to flee - and we’re off to the races.

The man is Glitch [Alan Cumming], an analog for the Scarecrow - though he only lacks half of his brain [the other half plays an important part in the story...]. In short order, they come across a man who’s been trapped in a metal man-shaped container for many years - a man named Wyatt Cain [Neal McDonough], who used to be a policeman [or Tin Man, as they were called]. Finally, the trio come across a psychically gifted, very hairy fellow named Raw [Raoul Trujillo], who seems very short on courage.

Without giving too much away to first-time viewers, there are reasons that DG finds The O.Z. familiar; a pretty nifty take on the Wicked Witch; a surprising Toto, and references to many Oz characters from the series of books [watch for a particularly cool cameo from Tik-Tok].

Though its tone is considerably darker than the movie, or the book [both of which had some pretty dark material in them to begin with], it does hew to the central theme of four characters who seek their futures by remembering their pasts. The whole “there’s no place like home” idea gets similarly important play [though the analog of the quote is a bit less than all that].

Overall, I found the writing to be inventive and emotionally true to the spirit of Baum’s classic, and found that the re-invented characters were intriguing and fun to get to know. There’s also a very cool connection between DG and the original book that’s pretty much inspired.

Deschanel is perfect as the feisty, intelligent DG. She makes us belief the character’s ability to adapt to her unusual situation. Cumming gives Glitch [so called because his remaining synapses occasionally misfire] a certain confused dignity - and rhythm! McDonough brings a classic western cowboy stoicism to Cain - the reason for his needing a heart is a real heartbreaker. Trujillo brings sensitivity to Raw, but also makes the reason for his fear believable.

Nick Willing pushes the story along with a sure hand. He dextrously balances all the characters and their detailed backstories with a deft touch - and never let’s things slow to the point where they’d become boring. Judging from the number of effects shots [apparently about 1500], he’s very knowledgeable in how to shot for them.

Speaking of the effects, once you’ve seen how much went into them, you will realize how well they were integrated into the story. It’s always wonderful when effects serve the story rather than call attention to themselves. The effects, set design and costume design, work together to give Tin Man a rich, very truthful atmosphere. This is a world you can believe in [even if you might not particularly want to live there - at first].

I haven’t even touched on the Great and Terrible Wizard of Oz, or the flying monkey/bat things, or any of a number of Oz analogs that give Tin Man the ability to thrill - and chill - as well as the original. Nor have I mentioned the reason that DG had to wind up in The O.Z. What you need to know is that this six-hour Sci-Fi mini-series is inventive, honors the original, and is more fun than a barrel of… well, you know!

Features: Beyond The Yellow Brick Road: The Making of Tin Man; Nick willing: On the Set With the Director; Blooper Reel [which isn't so much bloopers as crew members cutting up, combined with a bit of a video diary of key moments of production], and Interviews With Willing, Cumming, McDonough and Deschanel.

Grade: Tin Man - B+

Grade: Features - B

Final Grade: B

Stargate Atlantis is getting a new commander for its fifth season –which also includes the series’ 100^th episode – when it begins production in Vancouver, B.C., Canada later this month.

When Season Five of Stargate Atlantis goes into production later this month, the Atlantis expedition will have a new commander – Robert Picardo! Picardo takes over from Amanda Tapping, who drops from series regular to recurring as Tapping fronts the team on SCI FI’s upcoming adaptation of the online series, Sanctuary.

Picardo will reprise his role of Richard Woolsey, the International Oversight Committee member who made life miserable for both the SG-1 and Atlantis teams in the past. Following a season in which major changes [positive and negative] occurred on Atlantis, the new season promises to be intriguing as a number of familiar faces pop up unexpectedly.

Besides Tapping’s Colonel Samantha Carter, Stargate Atlantis will feature guest-starring appearances by Michael Shanks’ Dr. Daniel Jackson, and Paul McGillion’s Dr. Carson Beckett. Beckett returns for five episodes, while the number of episodes featuring Carter and Jackson appear to be not yet determined.

Apparently one intriguing arc will involve how the Atlantis team – Lt. Col. John Sheppard [Joe Flanigan], Dr. Rodney McKay [David Hewlitt], Teyla [Rachel Luttrell], Ronon [Jason Momoa] and Dr. Jennifer Keller [Jewel Staite] – react to Woolsey’s unique management style.

The popular SCI FI series will continue to be executive produced by Brad Wright, Robert Cooper, Joseph Mallozzie, Paul Mullie, Carl Binder and Martin Gero – all writers for the series – with Mallozzie and Mullie sharing the reins as showrunners.

Since I’ve been such a good little whore for all things Galactica this month, the folks at Universal gave me 1 hr, today, to come up with some questions to ask the great Ron Moore, creator/producer of BSG. So I shot these over to one of my contacts and he got Moore to answer, the interview went a little something like this. We talk about the Strike, Razor, Lesbianism and more! Be sure to check out our Razor DVD Giveaway! This is an EM Exclusive.

1) What was the genesis of the idea to do Razor?
It came from Universal Home Entertainment. They had an idea of releasing a video version of Galactica in the fall. It had done well on DVD in the release of its seasons. We weren’t going to broadcast season four until