I Believe: An Advance Look at "Battlestar Galactica" Fourth Season Opener

I've been breathlessly waiting for the start of Battlestar Galactica's fourth (and sadly final) season for quite some time now. The two-hour telepic Razor last fall helped ease the withdrawal pains a little, but I am glad that Sci Fi will finally give the fans the BSG fix they so desperately need.

I was fortunately to be among the lucky few who were sent an advance copy of the Battlestar Galactica season premiere ("He That Believeth In Me"), airing tonight on Sci Fi, though I did have to sign a non-disclosure agreement that put the episode's spoiler-ific plot under embargo. (So no worries, there are no spoilers here, just vague allusions.)

That said, the fourth season opener, written by David Weddle & Bradley Thompson and directed by Michael Rymer, is a simply breathtaking and brilliant installment of a series that has redefined not only science fiction but the television drama, effortlessly weaving together a collection of three-dimensional characters, metaphors for the gripping issues we all face today (everything from abortion, genetic cleansing, and religious persecution to xenophobia, terrorism, and the rights of workers), and breakneck plot twists... all set against the backdrop of space.

"He That Believeth In Me" doesn't disappoint an iota. It deals head on with the implications of both Starbuck's return (and seeming resurrection) along with the revelation in last season's finale that she has been to Earth. Her reappearance, several months after her presumed death, opens up a Pandora's box of questions for the crew of Galactica: Is this really Starbuck? Did she die? Was she brainwashed? Is she a Cylon? A clone? Or something entirely different?

After watching the episode, I'm not sure what to think but there are clues aplenty that point toward some a larger question mark about her miraculous return, especially the condition of her Viper... Not only does her return to the ship--and the land of the living--present some plot implications, but it also signals internal conflict among the crew, each of whom grapples with Kara's reappearance in different ways and her sudden presence opens all matter of old wounds.

The episode also deftly incorporates the stunning season ender reveal that four trusted members of the Colonial fleet were in fact Cylon sleeper agents and had been from the start. Awakened by the strange musical stylings of Bob Dylan, four of the final five Cylons have now been revealed and they are forced to deal with the fallout from this personal revelation. Just how will Colonel Tigh--who killed his own wife for collaborating with the Cylons while waging a war against them on New Caprica--deal with the sudden realization that he is himself one of the enemy? How will Presidential aide Tory, a heartbeat away from Laura Roslin, deal with the emotional and psychological fallout? Or Chief Galen Tyrol? Or Starbuck's estranged husband Anders? The reveal forces us to question the selection of these individuals as well; it's apparent that they were selected a long time ago and seeded into positions of power or prominence among the fleet... and activated now. But for what purpose? And can they be sensed or detected by other Cylon models? (You'll have to wait and see on that front.)

Look for Tigh to have a massive internal conflict in the first half of this episode, during a scene that deftly echoes an earlier episode and is, well, pretty frakking awesome. Baltar's new role is equally tantalizing, with allusions to certain, er, religious cult behavior that would echo our own culture. And look for Starbuck to directly face the consequences of her death... and her return. Just what does it mean when she says that she's been to Earth? And why is she such a pivotal instrument on the path to the blue planet?

Ultimately, "He That Believeth In Me" is the perfect beginning to what promises to be one of the very best seasons of Battlestar Galactica yet: taut, haunting, and filled with emotional resonance. There are Big Ideas at work here and I wouldn't have it any other way. While this space opera might be coming to a close soon, it's obvious that BSG plans to go out with a big bang rather than a whimper.

Battlestar Galactica's fourth season kicks off at 10 pm tonight on Sci Fi. Catch an encore of this week's episode next Friday at 9 pm.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Ghost Whisperer (CBS); Amnesia (NBC); Friday Night SmackDown! (CW; 8-10 pm); Grey's Anatomy (ABC); Bones (FOX)

9 pm: Price is Right Million Dollar Spectacular (CBS); Dateline (NBC; 9-11 pm); Duel (ABC); Canterbury's Law (FOX)

10 pm: NUMB3RS (CBS); 20/20 (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8-11 pm: BBC America.

If you happen to be staying in after a long work week, why not do it in true Anglophile style with back-to-back episodes of Coupling and new sketch comedy series That Mitchell and Webb Look, from the stars of Peep Show?

10 pm: Battlestar Galactica on Sci Fi.

It's here! The beginning of the end has arrived with the premiere of BSG's fourth (and final) season. On tonight's episode ("He That Believeth In Me"), Starbuck's inexplicable return to Galactica (and the land of the living) throws the crew into confusion in the middle of a Cylon attack. And what's up with those four sleeper Cylons? Find out tonight.

Starbuck Fix: Talking with Katee Sackhoff of "Battlestar Galactica"

Longtime readers of this site know that there are a few series that I love with a fiery passion that knows no bounds: one is Lost and the other is Battlestar Galactica, one of the most thoughtful, thought-provoking and, well, all-around frakking great series on television today or any day.

With Season Four (the series' last) of BSG about to kick off on Sci Fi on Friday, I was curious to see what Katee Sackhoff--who plays impulsive hothead pilot Kara "Starbuck" Thrace--had to say about the series coming to an end, that shocking reveal about her character coming back to life after, you know, exploding into a million pieces earlier that season, and about what to expect this season.

What sort of emotional or mental state do we find Kara in when Season Four begins? "She's very fragile," said Sackhoff. "She’s extremely lost... You’ve never seen Starbuck so alone. And she’s a little distraught. Not only because of the way people are treating her, but because of the questions that her coming back has raised in her own mind."

One of the shocking reveals of Kara's return from the dead (beside for, well, her return from the dead) was her insistence that she's been to Earth. What does finding Earth mean to Kara? "I think it is her resolution, it’s her end," said Sackhoff pensively. "She’s putting so much weight on this one task that she believes is her destiny. I think she won’t let anything stand in her way. If that is the case, then you’ve got a very scary person on your hands. When they’re willing to sacrifice everything to accomplish something, that’s scary. You’re gonna see a lot from her this season that is kind of like a shell of her former self."

And if you're wondering just where Starbuck went during the time she was dead and what happened to her, you're not alone: Sackhoff herself doesn't know the answer yet. "No," she said. "We're [shooting episode] 14 and I've read [the script] for 15 and nope. I think they’ll leave that until the last second."

And what about that horrible prophecy in the two-hour film BSG: Razor, in which it's revealed that the Cylons believe Starbuck is a harbinger of doom for the human race? "When I read that end I went, 'Of course she is,'" said Sackhoff. "What else happens to Starbuck? Come on. Lay it all on me. It’s the worst possible end, and there you have it. She’s going to kill everybody. Great. I think 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."

So does Starbuck's sudden spiritual quest affect how Sackhoff plays the character? "It doesn’t affect how I play the character, to be honest," said Sackhoff. "She’s always been religious. It’s not that she’s changed... it’s that she’s opened her eyes and allowed something else to come into her life. She’s the same person--it’s just another aspect of who she is--but she’s the same person."

Speaking of which, if Sackhoff doesn't know whether Kara is the original Starbuck, a clone, a Cylon, or something else altogether, how does she play the role? "I think it’s a strong enough internal choice to play the fear," she recounted. "Play that she’s lost. If I play that it leaves the door open to question what she is. I think our show is all about the reality of something. How do you play the reality of knowing you are something when you really don’t know what you are? You play the question; you play the uncertainty."

Look for her relationship with Admiral William Adama (Edward James Olmos) to hit the skids in light of her, er, resurrection and her fervent need to locate Earth. "It’s the worst thing that could ever happen," she says of the rift between their characters. "She gets her validation; she gets everything from him. He kind of sets the mood and the tone for how she feels about herself. To have that person doubt you is the worst that could happen to her. As far as she’s concerned, regardless of what she is, she’s the same person she was when she left. I think the worst thing is she wants his trust."

And the last thing Sackhoff would expect is a happy ending for star-crossed lovers Starbuck and Lee (Jamie Bamber). "I don’t think that Lee and Kara will ever be happy together," said Sackhoff. "I don’t think they’re meant to be together. They’re meant to be best friends, to push each other. They’re meant to have those arguments that drive you. That’s the purpose, I feel, they serve in each other’s lives. I don’t think they were ever meant to love each other... I don’t think they’ll ever end up together. I never did, really."

So who would Sackhoff see Kara end up with? "If there was anyone she’d be happy with, it’d probably be Leoben," she admits. "Anders is too weak for her emotionally. Lee’s too much of a boy scout; he makes her feel guilty for her anger and her faults just by being who he is. If there’s ever any person she can let her guard down with, and be happy with, probably Leoben."

Um, wow.

What else did Sackhoff reveal? She still doesn't play poker or smoke cigars like her characters does, she'd love to shoot a fight scene with Grace Park or Edward James Olmos, and she completely agrees with executive producer Ronald D. Moore's stance on not doing a Battlestar Galactica feature film. Instead, she views BSG's run as "a four-year movie." So there.

"We've been told who the final Cylon is," said Sackhoff, "and I personally don't believe it. I think that's something that's going to be kept to the very end."

Don't expect the fourth season to focus on the marital strain between Starbuck and Anders. "There’s a lot of really heavy things happening right now [and] I think her marriage to Anders is the least of her concerns," said Sackhoff. "I think Starbuck is starting to feel compassion for the things she hates the most. I think she, as everyone on the show, is starting to realize-- and these are the major questions of humanity and what the show has always kind of asked--is that if you found out tomorrow that your best friend, or your mother or something, was a Cylon, would that make your experiences you had with that person or thing less important to you? No. It’s the same emotions, the same feelings, the same things. But you had experiences and they’re different than you always thought they were. It doesn’t mean it's less."

If Sackhoff found out tomorrow that Starbuck was a Cylon, she says she'd be indifferent to the reveal. "I think the reason the four actors were upset about being Cylons is you play four years making choices as a character, and then to realize all of those choices would have been different had you known," admitted Sackhoff. "It’s interesting. You get the wool pulled over your eyes for four years and then are told your character is something completely different. But I would be completely indifferent. I have love for this character, and I think we all do. They were pretty angry, and I still think Michael Hogan still hasn’t come to terms with it. I don’t think he’s ready to accept it yet."

On a different note, Sackhoff said that shooting the sex scenes is much more difficult than the action scenes. "The sex scenes are harder than anything I've ever had to do," she admitted. She said that they feel "odd" and make her feel "cheap," in that they basically allow the actors to cheat on their significant others. "The fight scenes are pretty easy," said Sackhoff, "and come pretty naturally for me to be honest."

As for what's next for Sackhoff once production on the final season of BSG wraps this summer, she's not sure but she'd love to do something different from Starbuck and her Bionic Woman villainess, Sarah Corvus. "I'm looking for the opposite," she admitted and joked that she'd love to do a romantic comedy with James McAvoy.

As for what's coming up in Season Four, Sackhoff said "everyone will be very shocked" and that it will "probably ruffle a few feathers."

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Battlestar Galactica kicks off its fourth season this Friday at 10 pm on Sci Fi.

Frak Yes: Sci Fi Orders "BSG" Prequel Pilot

Patience is, after all, a virtue.

Lucky then that fans of Battlestar Galactica have patiently waited for the next (or is it previous?) chapter in the story of the Twelve Colonies. Sci Fi yesterday announced that it has finally greenlit production on the two-hour backdoor pilot Caprica, a prequel of Battlestar Galactica, set before the Cylon War.

"We couldn't be more excited to see this long-anticipated project get off the ground," said Mark Stern, Executive Vice President of Original Programming, in a statement. "It's an amazing script, and, though clearly inspired by the Battlestar mythology, it is not just a pale spin-off. This is a smart, thought-provoking, emotional, and compelling character drama in its own right."

The news comes as Sci Fi prepares to launch the final twenty-episode season of Battlestar Galactica on April 4th; the cabler has been developing the spin-off prequel since 2006. Just don't expect Apollo, Starbuck, Six, or Laura Roslin to be showing up anytime soon. The action will be set five decades before that of BSG.

While details about Caprica's plot are scarce, the story will revolve around Bill Adama (Edward James Olmos)'s father, William Adama, a reknowned civil liberties lawyer (and the inspiration for Lee's Season Three attorney career change) who is locked in battle against the Graystones, a corporate behemoth responsible for the development and creation of the first Cylons (a.k.a. cybernetic life-form nodes).

"I'm thrilled with the chance to expand on the Galactica world and get deeper into the origins of the story we've been telling," said Moore. "It's also great to have a chance at doing a completely different kind of science fiction series, one that's even more character-oriented and doesn't rely on pyrotechnics to carry the story."

Added Eick: "While Caprica will have its own personality, it will carry on Battlestar's commitment to pushing the boundaries of the genre, and we're thrilled that SCI FI has seen fit to giving us another opportunity to tell character-driven stories in challenging ways."

Production on Caprica, from BSG head honchos Ronald D. Moore and David Eick, writers Moore and Remi Aubuchon, and director Jeff Reiner, will begin this spring. Fingers crossed that this backdoor pilot leads to an actual full-blown series as I am already dreading the end of the brilliant and pitch-perfect Battlestar Galactica series.

Stay tuned.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Survivor: Micronesia--Fans vs. Favorites (CBS); Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC); America's Next Top Model (CW); Wife Swap (ABC); Moment of Truth (FOX)

9 pm: Big Brother 9 (CBS); Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC); Pussycat Dolls Present Girlicious (CW); Supernanny (ABC); American Idol (FOX)

10 pm: CSI: New York (CBS); Law & Order (NBC); Men in Trees (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: America's Next Top Model.

On tonight's episode ("Top Model Takes to the Streets"), the girls get pointers on posing for couture, commercial, and catalogue shoots from supermodel Vendela and are pitted against one another in a posing battle on the streets of Manhattan. Where's Benny Ninja when you need him?

9 pm: MI-5 on BBC America.

If you missed the third season of MI-5 (aka Spooks) when it aired on A&E a few years back, you can catch it tonight on BBC America. On tonight's installment ("The Sleeper"), Harry recruits a sleeper agent, a scientist (guest star Ian McDiarmid) who has laid low for two decades, in order to catch terrorists hell-bent on obtaining red mercury.

10 pm: Top Chef on Bravo.

On tonight's episode ("Zoo Food"), the chefs head to a local Farmer's Market for seasonal ingredients for their latest Quickfire Challenge and then have to cook and cater an event at a rather unusual location. All this and guest judge Wylie Dufresne? I am so there.

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little "Star": Season Four of "Battlestar Galactica" Pushed Back

Well, frak me.

I've had a sinking feeling for a while now that Battlestar Galactica, scheduled to return in January 2008, would be pushed back. What with the whole no-official-launch-date song and dance from cabler Sci Fi.

Still, I had no idea that it would be pushed back quite as far as it has been.

That's right, folks. Other than the two-hour BSG prequel movie entitled "Razor" (slated to air on November 24th), you'll be waiting a long time to sate your need for a Battlestar fix; series' fourth season is now scheduled to blast off in April 2008, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Looks like we'll be waiting quite a while to find out just what the hell happened to Starbuck (if that really IS Kara Thrace) and just how much those four sleeper Cylons really do know about their mission.

Stay tuned.

Kevin Smith WON'T Direct "Battlestar Galactica," After All

Okay, color me confused.

Remember the other day when Kevin Smith was all excited about getting to direct one of the last remaining episodes of Sci Fi's superlative drama Battlestar Galactica? Well, apparently, Smith won't be getting the chance to live his dream, after all.

SyFy Portal is reporting that, due to a "scheduling conflict," Smith won't be helming an episode of BSG anytime soon. (Or, well, ever, seeing as the series is sadly wrapping its run over the course of the next 20 or so episodes.)

According to SyFy:

Terry Moore, wife of showrunner Ronald D. Moore, told fans at the official SciFi Channel Web site that despite what he said during a recent interview with AOL, Smith of Clerks and Dogma fame will not take the director's chair for Battlestar Galactica.

"No he's not," Moore said in a post. "Scheduling conflict."

[...]

Will the media be in an uproar?

"No, they probably won't," Moore said of SciFi Channel's publicity team having to counter this story. "Something like that only registers on message boards."

Um, maybe it's just me but I find that last comment a little condescending on Moore's part. Sure, the fanboy nation at large will possibly rend their clothes at this news, but I do think it was irresponsible of Smith to speak out in an interview and announce that he will be directing an episode, only to have Sci Fi unofficially recant the story a few days later. (It's called coordination of publicity.)

For those of you excited by the prospect of seeing the Clerks creator direct Jamie Bamber, Katee Sackhoff, Mary McDonnell, and the rest of the crew of Battlestar Galactica, apologies. But, as I thought the directing choice was a little odd, I must admit that I do feel slightly better now.

Kevin Smith to Helm "Battlestar Galactica" Episode?

Forget about film. Director Kevin Smith is a very, very, very busy man these days... in television.

The Clerks creator recently announced that he will write and direct the premiere installment of the Heroes spinoff limited series, Heroes: Origins, and he directed the pilot to the new CW dramedy, Reaper, this past spring.

So what's up next for the notoriously foul-mouthed director? Smith will helm an episode of Sci Fi's superlative drama Battlestar Galactica, apparently.

In an interview with AOL's TV Tattler, Smith says that he'll do just that:

"I'm going to go up and direct an episode of Battlestar Galactica, which I'm kind of stoked about. It's cool, but it is scary because it is like, "What the f---? 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." I guess it is more about performance-oriented stuff, but at the same time that cast is top notch. How do you f----- direct Mary McDonnell?"

I'm excited about the news. I just hope the results are more along the lines of Clerks or Chasing Amy (albeit in space with, well, deadly Cylons) rather than, say, Jersey Girl. But that's just me.

"Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History": The Women of "Battlestar Galactica"

I wasn't sure how many spoilers would really come out at the Comic-Con Battlestar Galactica panel. After all, I like to keep my love for BSG very much spoiler free.

That said, there were a few reveals that were announced at what became the "Women of Battlestar Galactica" Panel, moderated by Entertainment Weekly's Marc Bernardin, himself an avid BSG watcher. Assembled for the event were Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Tricia Helfer, and Battlestar creators Ronald D. Moore and David Eick. Joining them after a kick-ass montage of the female stars of BSG saying "frak" an awful lot was surprise guest Lucy Lawless.

Hmmm, now what could Lawless be doing there since her character--D'Anna--was put into, er, cold storage last season? Brace yourselves, Xena fans, Lawless has announced that she is returning to Battlestar Galactica for the fourth season!

Lawless will return for a story arc of about two to three episodes in length during Season Four. Look for D'Anna, who will be unboxed, to turn up around episode ten or so. (The episodes themselves have yet to be shot.) And, as Ronald D. Moore said, "All hell breaks loose." I cannot wait!

Other intelligence gleaned from the panel? Moore said that he and fellow co-creator David Eick have talked about the end of the series for a while and there have been "a lot of conversations in the writers' room" about just how the series would wrap up. While a big part of the conclusion will involve the search for Earth, there are a lot of questions to be answered: What happens to Adama? What happens to the Galactica itself?

So who's destiny will the viewers be most surprised by as we move into the series' final season? Moore says that Baltar (James Callis) and Six (Tricia Helfer) have an especially interesting journey ahead of them and it will be particularly surprising to see where they end up by the end of the series. Likewise, all of the characters will go through different journeys. Neither Moore nor Eick ever anticipated where the journey of Lee Adama (Jamie Bamber) would take him. Same with the four Cylons revealed at the end of Season Three and, for that matter, the Cylon nation itself, which is in a state of transition.

Eick joked that the final season of BSG would "answer which of the crew is NOT a Cylon."

A question was posed to Mary McDonnell about how she felt about her character's cancer resurfacing. "I felt a little ill," she said, "and worried that I was going to be killed." Still, McDonnell admitted that she felt "gratified that the producers didn't just let her cancer disappear and Ron [Moore] committed to it as part of Laura's journey." Moore, for his part, said that when Laura was cured in Season Two, he always knew the cancer would eventually return. "I'm tickled because Laura got saved by the blood of a Cylon," McDonnell joked. "It just doesn't mix well."

When asked which of their fellow actors they'd most like to share a scene with, McDonnell answered that the women don't really work together all that much. "We're frequently pitted for or against a man," she said. "The [actresses playing] Cylons have more contact with one another than we do." Katee Sackhoff added that she wished she "had more scenes with Tricia where we're not beating each other up with arrows." For her part, Lawless said she wanted to do a scene with McDonnell, leading Moore to reveal that the two will in fact get to hang out next season.

Another question was posed to the ladies about how much of themselves they put into their characters. Lawless admitted that, like D'Anna, she's very naughty and "kind of a troublemaker." Helfer said that she especially enjoys the "physical side of Six" as she grew up as a "tomboy" but also added that much of Six's vulnerability was derived from her as it was her first acting role.

Sackhoff said that she believed she was very different from Starbuck. "She's very tough," she said of Kara Thrace. "I'm not really that tough. Her vulnerability is me. I'm a shy, very vulnerable person when I don't know someone and I wanted something that would make [Kara] less masculine and humanize her."

McDonnell laughed. "I began to play Laura by keeping the stubborn, ruthless qualities of myself hidden," she said. "It was a liberating process to let the qualities needed to come out and flourish. I really am very stubborn!"

So what will they miss most once Battlestar wraps its final episode?

McDonnell: "My clothes... That was a joke. You finish a character and as an actor you go through a period of grief and loss. When you give up a five-year gig, fear emerges. You've been living with this other person inside you. The Laura Roslin inside me has been a best friend to me."

Helfer: "The support we all get on the show. And the writing. You don't always get to do the quality of the work we're getting to do [on this series]."

Moore: "It's like senior year, very bittersweet. I'll miss the cast, the crew, the production staff, the writers... the set. But what I'll miss most is the characters. When the show ends, you never get to explore these characters again or sit in the writers room and think about how we can break down Adama the man."

Sackhoff: "On my last day, I want to put on my flight suit and drive home with it on. Just take it with me."

Before the panel ended, a brief teaser trailer was shown for Battlestar Galactica: Razor, the two-hour movie which bridges the third and fourth seasons. No real spoilers were unveiled in the preview, which depicted scenes of both Admiral Cain (Michelle Forbes) and Lee's command on the Pegasus. However, Eick revealed that the film will feature the original series' Centurions and Raiders. (I'm having a nostalgia trip right now.) As for the title, it's a reference to the film Patton, in which George C. Scott surveys his troops and says "We'll turn these guys into fanatics. We'll turn them into razors." Very interesting...

Razor will air on Sci Fi on November 24th, with the DVD release scheduled for a few weeks after that. Just don't expect that mind-blowing cliffhanger from the Season Three finale to be resolved in Razor; you'll have to wait for the fourth season to launch in January 2008 for that.

"Battlestar Galactica: Razor" DVD to Be Extended

Looking for a little more Battlestar bang for your buck?

According to TV Week's James Hibberd, NBC Universal plans to release a special extended-edition DVD as a companion to the linear television premiere of the two-hour Battlestar Galactica "movie" ("Razor") that acts as a bridge to the Season Four premiere scheduled in January 2008 and serves as the first two installments of the final 22-episode BSG run.

The DVD release for Battlestar Galactica: Razor will include at least 15 minutes of original content and may in fact end up with significantly more added value features. (Hmmm, personally, I'd love a teaser/sneak peek of Season Four on that disc.)

Battlestar Galactica: Razor is scheduled to air this November on Sci Fi.

They Have a Plan: The "Battlestar Galactica" All Access Event

It's no secret: longtime readers of this site know that I am a hardcore Battlestar Galactica devotee. So it was with a certain relish that I got to attend last night's BSG: All Access event at the famed Cinerama Dome at the Arclight in Los Angeles.

Unfortunately, I missed the opportunity to catch the two-hour finale on the big screen, what with work matters and such, but I managed to sneak into the theatre a few minutes before the panel began and the audience was shown a stirring retrospective of the past three seasons of Battlestar Galactica. (I don't know about anyone else in the audience, but I got goosebumps!)

For those of you wondering what all the hubbub is about, this is most likely one of the last times that the cast and crew of Battlestar will come together in a public forum, what with the series being cancelled and all, after the next batch of 22 episodes. (Sniffle.) So you can imagine the sort of fervor and warmth of reception--a standing ovation, no less--when moderator/former BSG actor Lucy Lawless (looking divine in a stunning floor-length black dress) introduced the panelists: creators Ronald D. Moore and David Eick and BSG actors Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Jamie Bamber, and Katee Sackhoff.

(Aside: can Lucy Lawless, a source of bawdy humor, witty questions, and flawless timing, moderate every industry panel/discussion I attend? Besides looking gorgeous, she kept the discussion moving along and injected a wicked sense of humor to the proceedings.)

The topic on everyone's minds was what Lawless called "the elephant in the room": Sci Fi's decision to end Battlestar after the current fourth season. Moore said that around the series' second season, he and Eick began to talk about how many chapters were left to tell of this story. Around the time of Season Three's "Eye of Jupiter"/"Rapture" combo, both were struck by how it was the first time the story was really going to a specific place in terms of resolution and that course was set in stone by the time they got around to revealing, in the third season finale, the identities of four of the final Cylons and the fact that not only was Kara alive, but she had been to Earth. (Cue "All Along the Watchtower.")

As for where Season Four is headed, it's the final chapter of the BSG story, broken into two pieces (most likely part one will air beginning in January 2008; with the second batch of episodes perhaps being held until 2009?). The crew of the Galactica WILL head to Earth, whatever Earth may be. (Hmmm.)

In the meantime, however, there is the two-hour Battlestar "movie" that will air this fall on Sci Fi (before swiftly getting a DVD release thereafter), entitled "Razor," that fills in the blanks on some questions fans have been posing. It won't be set after Season Three, however, but will jump about in different times from pre-Season Three: from the Cylon attack on Caprica, the Pegasus under Admiral Cain, Lee's first tour of duty as the commander of the Pegasus, and even before the events of the miniseries. "Razor" features the main cast in a variety of cameos and starring roles, brings back the hard-edged Cain (Michelle Forbes), and introduces a new character: Kendra. Attendees were treated to a sneak peek at a trailer for the two-hour event, which promises some Number Six machinations; she appears aboard the Pegasus talking about how everyone aboard is alike. "We're all human here," she says coyly...

But back to the event on hand. Edward James Olmos says he feels "terrible" about the cancellation. "They can keep my paycheck," he said, were the series to continue. "I'd support the show myself if I could. I don't think the Powers That Be understand what this show has really done, in terms of holding a mirror up to society." Later, he emphasized how unique BSG really is. "You will never see another program like this again in your lifetime."

As for the fact that ratings are allegedly to blame for the network's decision to end the series, Olmos stated that the current ratings system doesn't take into account Latino, African-American, and Asian viewers. "Nielsen needs a hole in the head," he said, to applause from the crowd.

McDonnell also underscored the "passion and emotion" that all of the actors were feeling upon reaching the end of the road for Battlestar. "It's a hard one to contemplate giving this up," she said. "But it's a luxury as an artist to see a show to completion."

Lawless turned to Bamber and Sackhoff (the "young ones") to see how they're coping with their roles as Lee and Starbuck respectively coming to an end. "I'm a British actor and like nothing better than to moan," said Bamber, recalling how he moaned at signing a six-year contract initially and how each year was an opportunity "to be Ron and Dave's bitch for another year." But now Bamber said he'd "look back on this with such nostalgia it will hurt."

For her part, Sackhoff recalled the phone call she received at the beginning of Season Three that began with "We just want you to know we love you but... we're going to kill you." Sackhoff was in on the plan to bring Starbuck back to the series and even went so far as to really "sell" the lie to the rest of the cast, bringing her mother along for "moral support" on her last day of shooting. For the cast and crew's part, they brought her a cake and champagne on that final day; some crew members now still seem unsure about whether Sackhoff is back.

Turning to a more bawdy subject, Lawless talked about her favorite "nudie moments" from the series (apparently, there are a lot): when Jamie Bamber's towel (ahem) "held itself up." Sackhoff recalled the infamous "pasty incident" in which she finally ripped off her pasties during her and Callum Keith Rennie's painting scene; when told by the director that she was now, er, visible, Rennie planted his paint-laden hands on her goods, solving the problem.

What else did I learn from last night?

-Jamie Bamber says Season Four is "so muscular" and "can't help but be riveting."

-Ronald D. Moore originally wanted to use "All Along the Watchtower" in Season One when Helo and Sharon hide out in a diner on Caprica; the song was going to play in the background on an old jukebox. Moore has wanted to use the song since his days as a writer on Roswell, after executive producer Jason Katims converted him to a Dylan fan. (He almost wrote an entire Roswell episode based around the song.)

-When asked if Adama would ever get laid, Olmos said it was more a question for Roslin. McDonnell replied that she's assumed something's been going on between them, as Adama is "always shaving, getting ready for something." McDonnell said that the two of them "shared something" back in the boxing episode.

-Katee Sackhoff usually craves Taco Bell when, er, using certain controlled substances. McDonnell, however, never craved that particular food.

-Wondering where Bulldog (Alias' Carl Lumbly) is? Jokingly, we're told that he's, er, enjoying himself on the fleet's brothel ship.

-Head Six will be back next season with some new riffs. Moore and Eick decided to downplay the Head Six/Baltar storyline when it seemed that they were just repeating the same note over and over again.

-Sackhoff's inspiration for portraying Starbuck? Her brother.

-Sci Fi pushed for more "happy endings" during the course of the rather dark series, giving Moore and Eick notes to include happier events like birthday parties. Apparently, Mark Stern (SVP, Original Programming at Sci Fi) even suggested a "Maypole dance." To this end, Lawless proposed "there will be balloons when they get to Earth!"

And there you have it. (It all comes down, in the end, to balloons.) To the cast and crew of Battlestar Galactica, thank you for four wonderful seasons of a series that defied all preconceptions and definitions of what sci fi was "supposed" to be. We'll miss these characters and their stories. So say we all!

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Pirate Master (CBS); My Name is Earl/30 Rock (NBC); Smallville (CW); Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? (FOX)

9 pm: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS); The Office/Scrubs (NBC); Supernatural (CW); So You Think You Can Dance (FOX)

10 pm: Shark (CBS); Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (NBC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Pirate Master.

On tonight's episode ("Pirates, Guns, and Money"), Joe Don gets a little too comfortable as the ship's tyrannical captain, while one player may be out of the game following an injury during an expedition.

8:30 pm: 30 Rock.

It's a repeat of my favorite new series of the year. On tonight's episode of 30 Rock ("Jack Meets Dennis"), after Liz returns to the arms of her ex-boyfriend (guest star Dean Winters) simply because he asked her to, Jack decides to become her mentor and teach her a thing or two about life.

9 pm: The Office.

On tonight's repeat episode of The Office ("Grief Counseling"), following the death of his former regional manager, Michael forces the staff of Dunder-Mifflin to attend grief counseling, Michael Scott-style.

Apollo Wept: "Battlestar Galactica" to End

Something tells me the crew of the Galactica will be getting to Earth a little sooner than expected.

After will-they-or-won't-they rumors about the potential end of Battlestar Galactica swirled for months (Edward James Olmos says this season is the last; the show's producers deny it, etc.), Sci Fi has finally confirmed what most of us had already accepted as fact: the end of BSG is nigh.

Series, which has always struggled in the ratings despite heaps of critical accolades (and a Peabody to boot!), will sign off after the current season, the show's fourth, comes to a close.

"This show was always meant to have a beginning, a middle and, finally, an end," said BSG's executive producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick in a prepared statement. "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."

Season Four of Battlestar Galactica is scheduled to launch this November with a special two-hour installment that will set the stage for next season as well as answer some lingering questions. Look for the series to then return in January 2008 with a batch of new episodes.

I'm glad that Moore and Eick will get to wrap things up in a way that they see fit and were given the time and go-ahead from Sci Fi to do just that: break this season's stories as the final chapter in the BSG saga. And 22 episodes (including that 2-hour "movie") seems like a perfect way to end this brilliant series with a bang.

I'm just sad to see these characters go; I came to the BSG party a little late in the game (during Season Two) and I can't help but feel that I will miss Starbuck, Lee, Roslin, Adama, and all the rest. Sigh.

In other BSG-related news, Sci Fi still has not made a decision about the fate of it's still-in-development Battlestar prequel Caprica; while a script has been sitting on the shelf over at the cabler, no decision about its future has been made.

All Along the Watchtower: "Battlestar Galactica" Reaches Yet Another Crossroads

Okay, so I had already seen the season finale of Battlestar Galactica ("Crossroads, Part Two") so it wasn't like there were any NEW surprises watching it again last night, but boy was I unable to get to sleep last night after watching that (not to mention the fact that it was coupled with an episode of The Amazing Race and the series finale of Rome on HBO).

BSG has never shied away from the controversial, whether it be a daring twist in storytelling or a cutting reveal that you may never have seen coming. And last night's season finale was no exception, giving us not what we necessarily wanted, but what we needed.

I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about the BIG reveal (well two big reveals) at the very end of the episode (remember: I did warn you not to miss the last five minutes), set to the haunting strains of "All Along the Watchtower," a fitting musical accompaniment for what was unfolding aboard Galactica. Yes, I'm talking about the fact that it would be appear to be that four of the Final Five Cylon models were right in front of us the entire time, all perfectly positioned to keep on eye on various factions or people within the Colonial Fleet: Colonel Tigh, presidential aide de camp Tory Foster, Sam Anders, and Chief Tyrol.

I can tell you that I was blown away. (Sure, my girlfriend turned to me earlier in the episode and said how weird it would be if they ended up being Cylons but she's prescient that way.) I loved the way the music--first appearing like traditional, discordant Cylon "music"--became a symbol of the very switch that suddenly "activated" them. But unlike the other units (I'm thinking of Boomer here), these four seem acutely aware of their responsibilities and lives rather than becoming overwhelmed by their Cylon programming. It's obvious that they are something else entirely than the other models and they've managed to avoid detection thus far within the fleet, even fighting against the Cylons on New Caprica. So what are they? And given that Adama has known Tigh for decades even, how has no one picked up on the fact that they're not human. How long has the Cylon program been going on?

My out of left field theory: the humans and Cylons are forced to unite against a far greater common threat. Taking a page out of the good book of The 4400, the final five Cylon models are seeded back into the timestream earlier than the other models (Six, Boomer, D'Anna, etc.) and are placed in key positions within the administration and military, perfectly positioned to exert some authority.

Or it could be something different altogether. But what weirds me out is that the song used to switch them over is a familiar Earth song, one slightly dated even today. How in the world is a 1960s war protest song from our planet even out there in the ether? Is it connected to the appearance of Starbuck? The proximity to Earth? Or something else, given that each of the four admitted that it reminded them of something from their childhoods. Curious.

Starbuck is, of course, alive. But we all knew that in our heart of hearts that she didn't die in "Maelstrom" after all, despite what Apollo thinks he may have seen. But she claims that she's been to Earth and it's her mission (prophesied by Leoben) that she will lead them there. But is she even human? Or is she the final fifth member of the hidden Cylons? Was she what awakened these sleepers from their slumber? And what exactly caused the massive power outage throughout the entire fleet?

Speaking of electricity, I'm still shaking from the shared visions of Laura Roslin (whose terminal breast cancer has sadly returned), Athena, and Caprica Six, which picked up that thread of the opera house vision storyline. Each of the women seek to protect young Hera (the only Cylon/Human hybrid), but Six scoops her up and she and Gaius Baltar (who miraculously managed to be found innocent during his trial) enter the auditorium where, in the balcony, the final five Cylons stand, emitting a high frequency hum and well as a palpable feeling of presence. Again, curious. But let's not forget that Roslin has Cylon blood inside of her (a result of a transfusion from Hera a few seasons back to cure her cancer); are they experiencing a shared memory or hallucination? Or is it truly a sign of things yet to come?

Me, I can't believe we have to wait until January 2008 for Season Four of Battlestar Galactica, especially when they've given us such tantalizing clues to feast on. But hopefully that reported 2-hour movie (which may or may not be based right after the events of "Crossroads") will fill in a few gaps. Otherwise, it's going to be a long wait for winter.

Watching the Watchtower: Yes, I've Seen the "Battlestar Galactica" Season Finale

Since I've already gotten dozens of emails today asking if I've seen the third season finale of Battlestar Galactica, I'll answer an emphatic yes here for all to see.

That said, no, I can't tell you what happens and, no, I am contractually obligated not to reveal any spoilers, but all I will say is this: do not, under any circumstances (save maybe an invasion into your home by the Cylon fleet), miss the final five minutes of Sunday night's BSG episode ("Crossroads, Part Two").

The episode's final moments will blow your mind and forever alter the series, even more so than last season's wrap-up in which the show jumped a year into the future and showed our favorite Colonial Fleeters living on New Caprica. Uh-uh. That doesn't compare with the complete and utter mindmelt that's in store for Battlestar Galactica fans on Sunday.

You've been warned. Miss it at your own peril.

Sci Fi Announces Autumn "Battlestar Galactica" Movie; ABC Locks Up its Lineup

Want more Battlestar Galactica? Your wish is my command.

Following its upfront presentation yesterday in New York, Sci Fi announced that it would significantly augment the episodic count for the previous announced fourth season of the show, increasing the installments from 13 to 22 episodes. Season Four of Battlestar Galactica is currently slated to launch on the cabler in January.

If that wasn't enough good news, Sci Fi also announced (I'm sure in an attempt to sate fans' appetites for BSG until 2008) that it would be airing a two-hour Battlestar Galactica movie sometime this fall, bridging the gap between the series' third season (wrapping up on Sunday with an incredible twist) and the fourth season.

However, Mark Stern, EVP of original programming at Sci Fi, said that, while the two-hour BSG flick (which will be released on DVD, separate from the box sets) features the entire Battlestar cast (read: Starbuck) it will won't necessarily relate to the current storyline. Meaning that it could be a flashback story, fleshing out some of the character's backstories or could be a specific storyline set in the past. Curiouser and curiouser.

In other scheduling news, ABC locked up most of its real estate yesterday, when it gave early full-season pickups to a whopping 11 (yes, you read that correctly, 11!) series for the 2007-08 season.

Early pickups include full second seasons for freshers Brothers & Sisters, Ugly Betty, and Men in Trees. Those series will return next season to the schedule, along with returning series Lost, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, and Boston Legal.

On the reality side, returning in 2007-08 are The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and late night talkshow Jimmy Kimmel Live. ABC had previously granted additional season to unscripted series Supernanny, Wife Swap, and America's Funniest Home Videos (which apparently will never, ever die).

With 14 of its possible 21 primetime hours already locked up, I'm extremely intrigued to see which pilots ABC ends up ordering to series and how it structures its lineup, following the debacle it created in the poor scheduling this season with Lost.

Has ABC learned its lesson? Will it be January before we see Season Four of Lost? Stay tuned as the May upfront presentations loom ever closer...

Casting Couch: Starbuck To Tackle "Bionic Woman" for NBC

Looks like there could be life for Starbuck after all. Or actress Katee Sackhoff, at least.

Sackhoff, best known for her role as the (possibly?) dead Viper pilot Kara "Starbuck" Thrace on Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica, has signed on to another remake of an old 1970s TV series, The Bionic Woman.

The Bionic Woman's pilot, co-written and executive produced by BSG's David Eick, stars Michelle Ryan (EastEnders) as Jaime Sommers, a young woman whose body is reconstructed following a horrific accident. Like her predecessor, Sommers is equipped by bionic body parts by a shadowy government organization and gains superhuman strength and senses.

While many pegged Sackhoff a natural for the potential series' lead (sorry, Starbuck fans, that's Ryan), she will instead be guest starring in The Bionic Woman as the top secret program's prototype bionic chick, one with more than a few mental health issues to deal with. According to reports, it's possible that she could recur if the pilot is ordered to series. (Of course, having read the pilot script, I can only shrug in response.)

Battlestar Galactica, meanwhile, wraps up its third season this Sunday with a humdinger of an episode entitled "Crossroads Part Two," which answers several questions that have been lurking at the back of many a BSG fan's mind.

Sci Fi Blasts Off with Fourth Season for "Battlestar Galactica"

Lucy Lawless might be gone (for now, anyway) but Jamie Bamber and the rest of the crew of the Galactica will be back as Sci Fi has renewed acclaimed drama Battlestar Galactica for a fourth season.

The cabler has ordered a fourth season of BSG for at least 13 episodes, according to a press release from the network.

The series, due to wrap its third season next month, will gear up production for Season Four over the summer and aiming for a January 2008 premiere.

Of course, executive producer David Eick (who's also behind NBC's The Bionic Woman pilot) never feared that a renewal wouldn't materialize. "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," said Eick.

"We're thrilled to bring Battlestar back for another season," said Mark Stern, Executive Vice President of Programming for Sci Fi. "This series has delivered on every level--from the writing to the action to the production values. Sci Fi is proud to be home of the best show on television."

Aw, isn't that sweet? Battlestar Galactica, which has won the prestigious Peabody Award and named one of the 10 Outstanding Television Programs of the Year (two years in a row) by AFI, has seen an uptick in viewing figures, based on ratings data issued by the cabler. "Taking a Break From All Your Worries" (the Cheers-themed episode) that ran on January 28th delivered 2.5M viewers and 1.6M A18-49, the biggest BSG audience since the second season premiere.

The producers are said to have quite a lot of twists and turns awaiting the audience for the rest of the season (though I do my best to avoid the spoilers) and I'm just frakking glad that the season finale (a cliffhanger I'm sure) won't be the end of BSG.

Casting Couch: Former Cylon Lucy Lawless Suits Up for "Football Wives"

ABC's drama pilot Football Wives has added another bad-ass babe to its team, following the casting of Gabrielle Union (Bring It On, Night Stalker) as the famously named Chardonnay.

This time round, it's the former star of Xena: Warrior Princess herself, Lucy Lawless, who has signed on to star in the drama pilot. She'll play the pivotal character of Tanya, who in the original Brit series was the malicious, catty wife of resident bad boy Jason.

I'm hoping that the casting doesn't mean that we'll never ever see D'Anna, Lawless' character on Battlestar Galactica, again. When last we saw her the poor Cylon was placed into cold storage and her memories shelved (despite finally seeing the face of one of the final five Cylon models). I was hoping that somehow, someway, we'd get to see my favorite Cylon, misguided D'Anna, one last time. (And we still might, somewhere down the line.)

On a somewhat unrelated note, did anyone else feel that last night's episode of BSG ("The Woman King") was quite possibly one of the weakest, not just of the season, but of the series to date? I'm not quite sure what happened there, but after getting pre-empted last week (due to the Superbowl), I was hoping that the series would return with a bravura episode. Instead, we're "treated" to a Katrina-metaphor and some Bruce Davison scenery chewing while Helo is forced to take accountability for his many (nearly treasonous) actions. And can anyone explain to me the meaning behind the episode's title?

Anyone?

Colonial Crack Ups: "Battlestar Galactica" Season 3 Gag Reel

Hungry for more Battlestar Galactica but unwilling to wait two weeks for another new episode?

Salvation is here in the form of the Season 3 Gag Reel assembled by those lovely, lovely people at Sci Fi and the BSG crew.

The thirteen-minute clip is decidedly NSFW so if you plan to watch at your office with the volume set to high, you do so at your own risk.

That caveat aside, sit back and enjoy!



Is it just me or is James Callis hysterical? And what in the gods' names is Edward James Olmos eating? Seriously. Lords of Kobol, there is something not all together right there...

Sci Fi Blasts "Battlestar" to a New Night

The crew of the Galactica is headed to a new destination: Sunday nights.

Sci Fi has announced that it is relocating the third season of critically acclaimed drama Battlestar Galactica to Sunday evenings at 10 pm, beginning January 21st, coinciding with the second half of Battlestar Galactica's third season and the launch of Sci Fi's newest drama, The Dresden Files. The latter series stars Paul Blackthorne (24) as Harry Dresden, a wizard turned private investigator.

It's the first time that Sci Fi has tried launching a night of original programming on Sundays, which traditionally have been a mix of low-budget movies and acquired programs. But the success of this past summer's Eureka, which aired on Tuesdays evening, showed the network that it could launch a night of originals on another night than Friday.

Not that Sundays are going to be a cake walk, either. Battlestar Galactica, which lost about .2 million viewers from last season, will now have to go head-to-head with dramas Without A Trace on CBS and Brothers & Sisters on ABC.

David Eick to Tackle "Bionic Woman" for NBC

Call it a hunch, but I'm guessing that, unlike Starbuck, this Bionic Woman will stay the same gender.

Battlestar Galactica executive producer David Eick is partnering with feature writer Laeta Kalogridis (James Cameron's Battle Angel) to develop a re-imagining of 1970s series The Bionic Woman (itself a spin-off of the Lee Majors-led The Six Million Dollar Man), in which Lindsay Wagner played cybernetic tennis pro/secret agent Jaime Sommers, for NBC. Eick will executive produce and Kalogridis will write the pilot for NBC Universal.

Like Eick's update of Battlestar Galactica, this re-imagining of The Bionic Woman will start from the ground up and will use the title merely as a jumping off point. Unlike the original series, which centered around the rise of terrorism in the 1970s, the new version will instead explore the complicated role of professional women in present day. Or as Eick told Variety, "It's using the idea of artificial technology as a metaphor for what contemporary women sometimes feel is necessary to do everything that needs to be done."

Details are being kept under wraps, but Eick says that with the huge technological achievements and innovations of the past thirty-odd years, viewers should expect some up-to-date tech for this new bionic woman... and possibly nanotechnology. (So it's the Six Billion Dollar Woman, then?)

As for Kalogridis, let's hope that The Bionic Woman is better than her last foray into the world of TV female superheroes... the WB's Birds of Prey. (Ouch.)

What the Frak: "Battlestar Galactica" Returns to Friday Nights

Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica is back and I couldn't be happier. I've missed my one-two punch lineup of Doctor Who and BSG on Friday evenings and as the nights are becoming longer and colder, it's the perfect time for this hauntingly brilliant drama to return to the airwaves.

Especially given how much darker this season of Battlestar is than its predecessors (which, granted, could get pretty dark itself). A quick recap: the colonists have landed on a barren rock that they have named New Caprica, thinking that they are safe from the Cylons, but wouldn't you know it, the toasters show up looking to live side-by-side with their human brethren. Comprised of all of the Cylon models we've seen to date, they're led by Caprica Six (Tricia Helfer), the same Number Six that saved Gaius Baltar (James Callis) back on Caprica, and the same Boomer (Grace Park) who shot Adama (Edward James Olmos) and who was herself shot and killed by Cally (Nicki Cline) aboard the Galactica.

Confused? Don't be. Season Three picks up after months of Cylon occupation on New Caprica as the humans form a resistance committed to overthrowing their Cylon oppressors, even as some of their number form a collaborationist police force. Gaius Baltar is a mess, a puppet president allowed power only as a figurehead by the Cylons. And though he's been reunited with Caprica Six, their relationship is dysfunctional, to say the least. (And quite surprising, in fact, given their sordid history inside Gaius' head.) Poor Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) is imprisoned by the Cylon Leoben (Callum Keith Rennie) in a sick version of playing house -- one in which she keeps killing him -- but he still has a few tricks up his sleeve. (Oh, does he ever.) Former President of the Colonies Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) is now a teacher and spiritual leader of the humans and while she does not lead the resistance movement--that job falls to Colonel Tigh (Michael Hogan) and Chief Tyrol (Aaron Douglass)--she nonetheless sanctions the use of suicide bombers in the fight against the toasters. Like I said, it's pretty dark.

Meanwhile, there's been no contact with the Galactica or the Pegasus. Admiral Adama (Edward James Olmos) and Lee "Apollo" Adama (Jamie Bamber) each have command of a battlestar; the Galactica seems to be in a state of disrepair similiar to that at the beginning of the mini-series, while Apollo has completely let himself go and has turned into a blobby shadow of his former self. His marriage to Dualla (Kandyse McClure) is on the rocks. Helo (Tahmoh Penikett) and Sharon (Grace Park) are married and living aboard the Galactica; Helo's been made XO with Tigh's absence and while Sharon is a prisoner, it's in name only as her cell is filled with luxuries not usually granted to a POW. Plus, she and Adama have formed a bond that might just lead to her release in tonight's episode. Only, Sharon doesn't know that Adama faked her infant daughter Hera's death... and that the child is being kept under the watchful eye of Roslin down on New Caprica. Do you smell trouble?

While the first two seasons of Battlestar Galactica dealt with the most apt metaphor for life in post-9/11 America, this season -- at least the first half -- focus more on creating an analogy for the occupation in Iraq, the natural of resistance and occupation, the role of collaborators, and how war can change people in the most profound and unexpected ways. It's a daring move to cast our heroes as freedom fighters and suicide bombers in this politically-heated climate, but I've got to give credit to Ronald D. Moore and David Eick for crafting what continues to be a jaw-droppingly powerful drama about the human experience that consistently manages to challenge its audience and never placate it. This is dynamo storytelling, regardless of the genre, of the highest standard.

Tonight's two-part episode ("Occupation"/"Precipice") showcases what is best about the series: its dynamic character interplay, its ability to tackle real world issues in the guise of "science fiction," fantastic special effects, and a taut, compelling plot that twists and turns with each installment. I've been blessed by the Lords of Kobol that I've been able to view the first eight episodes of Season Three and there's definitely surprises aplenty around the corner as the show's producers force their characters to make some extremely difficult and morally grey decisions. By the end of the season, some beloved characters, their relationships, and their personalities will be so very different than where they started off that you might not recognize them. And given the nature of the world that they (and we) live in, is that really so surprising?

The third season of "Battlestar Galactica" premieres tonight at 9 pm ET/PT with a two-hour launch. Subsequent episodes air every Friday at 9 pm ET/PT on Sci Fi.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Ghost Whisperer (CBS); Deal or No Deal (NBC); WWE Friday Night SmackDown (CW; 8-10 pm); Grey's Anatomy (ABC); Nanny 911 (FOX); Desire (MyNet)

9 pm: Close to Home (CBS); Dateline (NBC); Men in Trees (ABC); Nanny 911 (FOX); Fashion House (MyNet)

10 pm: NUMB3RS (CBS); Law & Order (NBC); 20/20 (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Doctor Who on Sci Fi.

It's the second season of Doctor Who, with the latest incarnation of the Doctor played by the talented David Tennant. On tonight's episode ("Tooth and Claw"), the Doctor and Rose travel to the year 1879, where they encounter Queen Victoria and a band of warrior monks in the Scottish Highlands. And, wouldn't you know it, it ends up being a trap. Never trust the royals, I say.

9-11 pm: Battlestar Galactica on Sci Fi.

It's the two-hour third season premiere of Battlestar Galactica (see above). While I've seen the first eight episodes of this season already (and, before you ask, no, I'm not giving out any spoilers), I can't wait to get sucked in again starting tonight. On tonight's two-part premiere ("The Occupation"/"Precipice"), the humans try to survive on New Caprica under the Cylon occupation as Adama plans a daring rescue mission with a rather doughy Apollo. Start counting down the frakking hours, people.