'Battlestar Galactica' marathon tonight at the Aero
This has all happened before and it will happen again...
Ah, memories. Long before Ron Moore, David Eick and their reengineering team got their hands on the Colonial fleet, there was the original "Battlestar Galactica" with Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict, John Dykstra's special effects and that kooky orange robot dog.
The old-school "Battlestar" will be celebrated tonight at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica (1328 Montana Ave. at 14th Street) with three features yielded by Glen Larson's space saga: "Battlestar Galactica (The Movie)" from 1978, "Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack" (with Lloyd Bridges in his memorable turn as Cain) from 1979 and "Conquest of the Earth" from 1980.
The marathon starts at 7:30 p.m. I would love a few reader reviews if any of you make it over.
-- Geoff Boucher
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Photo: "Battlestar Galactica" publicity still shows Richard Hatch, left, Lorne Greene and Dirk Benedict. Credit: Los Angeles Times
EXCLUSIVE: New trailer for 'Battlestar Galactica: The Plan'
At the recent "Battlestar Galactica" panel hosted by Hero Complex in Hollywood, we were able to screen the trailer for "Battlestar Galactica: The Plan," the upcoming television movie that serves as a prequel to the late, great space saga that began its run in 2003 and came to a close in March.
Today we have the trailer for all our readers too. And you won't find it anywhere else.
"The Plan," directed by Edward James Olmos, will air in November. First impressions?
-- Geoff Boucher
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VIDEO: 'Battlestar Galactica' panel in L.A.
There are some days when I think I have a dream job. Then there are other days when I know it. On June 4, I had the honor of moderating a panel devoted to the late, great "Battlestar Galactica," and it ended up as such a sparkling affair that I'm still feeling the glow from it a week later.
One big reason was that the event aspired to be more than a promotional event for a television show or its Emmy fortunes (although the "Battlestar" cast and creators do dearly hope for major Emmy acknowledgment of their show, which is long overdue). This panel, at Hollywood & Highland, was a follow-up to the "Battlestar" event at the United Nations in New York and, like that March gathering, the goal was to delve into the human rights themes and subplots that were so essential to the show's run, which began with a 2003 mini-series and culminated with the compelling series finale that aired March 10.
There were six guests on the panel: two visitors from the U.N., the two key creators behind the show and the two most celebrated cast members. In the picture below, that's me you see on the far left, then (going in order, to the right) it's Craig Mokhiber, deputy director of the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights; Steven M. Siqueira, political affairs director of the Office of the U.N. Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs; Ronald D. Moore and David Eick, the executive producers and creators of the show; two-time Oscar-nominated actress Mary McDonnell, who portrayed Laura Roslin on "Battlestar"; and Edward James Olmos, also an Oscar-nominated actor and, as William Adama, the craggy patriarch of "Battlestar's" tattered military family.
There's quite a bit of of video below. The clips speak for themselves and I hope you enjoy watching them. One last thing: At the event we also screened an amazing new trailer for "Battlestar Galactica: The Plan" and I can't post it here on Hero Complex just yet, but check back and we'll have it here for you real soon.
-- Geoff Boucher
Photos: Zach Lipp
No. 1 sci-fi woman of all time? Ripley, believe it or not
I'm a big fan of lists, so is Jevon Phillips, a star contributor here at Hero Complex. Here's his take on a recent tally of the women of sci-fi....or is that sigh-fi? -- G.B.
As usual, there's a lot to dispute about anyone having a top so-and-so list, but Totalscifionline.com's 25 women who shook up sci-fi isn't too startling. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Battlestar Galactica" and "Star Trek" are the only franchises with multiple entries on the list (and rightfully so). Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley of "Alien" fame was named First Lady of Sci-Fi.
Of course, there were parameters, which the site laid out like so:
We've limited ourselves to TV and film - SF and fantasy literature probably warrants a further list all of its own - and in those instances where multiple actresses have portrayed a character, we’ve written who we believe gave the most definitive performance in brackets. No doubt there are many characters you feel we’ve left off.
Yeah, yeah -- and the site does include a more in-depth examination of each choice. There will be debate over ones who didn't make it. I really like River Tam on "Firefly" -- but it was short-lived -- and the women of "Cleopatra 2525" and Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity in "The Matrix" and ... well, let's stop there. And there may be some on the list who deserve to be higher. Wonder Woman and Xena, 22 and 23? Hey, I like Leeloo and Claire bear, but not over those two icons.
Again, it can be debated (Lois Lane! "Bionic Woman!") until we're all breathless, but give the site credit for taking on the task. Here's their final list. Let the comments flow.
The 25 Women Who Shook Sci-Fi:
1) Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver, "Alien" series)
2) Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer")
3) Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff, "Battlestar Galactica")
4) Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson, "The X-Files")
5) Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton, "Terminator," "T2")
6) Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher, "Star Wars" series)
7) Rose Tyler (Billie Piper, "Doctor Who")
8) Sam Carter (Amanda Tapping, "Stargate SG-1")
9) Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols, "Star Trek")
10) Leeloo (Milla Jovovich, "The Fifth Element")
11) Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere, "Heroes")
12) Storm (Halle Berry, "X-Men")
13) Pris (Daryl Hannah, "Blade Runner")
14) Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer, "Batman Returns")
15) Barbarella (Jane Fonda, "Barbarella")
16) Sarah-Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen, "The Sarah-Jane Adventures" / "Doctor Who")
17) Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox, "Transformers")
18) Susan Ivanova (Claudia Christian, "Babylon 5")
19) Number Six (Tricia Helfer, "Battlestar Galactica")
20) Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew, "Star Trek: Voyager")
21) Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer")
22) Wonder Woman (Lynda Carter, "Wonder Woman")
23) Xena (Lucy Lawless, Xena: "Warrior Princess")
24) Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner, "Alias")
25) Marina (Stingray)
-- Jevon Phillips
Photo credits: "Aliens" - 20th Century Fox. "Star Wars" - Lucasfilm Ltd. "X-Men" - 20th Century Fox. "Xena Warrior Princess" - Reuters.
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Meet the stars: 'Battlestar Galactica' free event this Thursday in Hollywood
A reminder that this Thursday night I will be moderating a very special "Battlestar Galactica" panel with Mary McDonnell, Edward James Olmos, Ron Moore and David Eick along with some representatives of the United Nations. That may sound like an odd mix, but anyone familiar with the late, great television series knows that it delved into some harrowing human rights issues and was laced with heavy social and ethical themes.
This will be the second panel of this kind -- there was a New York edition moderated by Whoopi Goldberg that set a starting point for this West Coast conversation. Here's a video that will give you a sense of that first event...
We'll be doing the panel in a 500-seat venue at Mann Chinese 6 Theatres (6801 Hollywood Blvd.) and you can find out about the ticketing process and other details at the Envelope Screening Series website.
I'd love to say hello (and thank you!) to you regular Hero Complex readers so if you do make it by, please be sure to stop me and introduce yourself...
-- Geoff Boucher
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'Battlestar Galactica' event on June 4 in Hollywood
"Battlestar Galactica" may be gone, but it's not forgotten. On June 4, "Galactica" stars Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell will join key creators Ron Moore and David Eick on a panel that revisits the darker story lines of the show and address real-world human rights issues. I'm moderating the panel at Hollywood and Highland and hope to see a lot of you Hero Complex readers in the audience.
The event is part of the Envelope Screening Series, which brings in Los Angeles Times writers to moderate panels featuring the elite talents behind top television shows. ("The Shield," "Californication" and "Rescue Me" are among the other panels this time around.)
The "Battlestar" discussion will be different than the others, with an emphasis on taking the show's themes and re-framing them as a human rights commentary -- and a call to action. This panel will be a follow-up event to the April cast visit to the United Nations, which left many of the participants energized. I spoke a few weeks ago to McDonnell and she was intent on turning talk into action. I expect this panel will be the start of that. For those of you who can't make it, the panel will be streamed live at TheEnvelope.com and video clips will be posted there and here at the mighty Hero Complex.
Again, for details on the June 4 panel, go to the website for Envelope Screening Series, where you can also find video of my panel last year with Moore, McDonnell, Tricia Helfer and Katee Sackhoff.
-- Geoff Boucher
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Goodbye (and good buy) for 'Battlestar Galactica'
Some say the best things in life are free, but fans of “Battlestar Galactica” would beg to differ when a final live auction for the retired space opera gets underway this weekend at the Pasadena Convention Center.
There's a sad symmetry to the event's scheduling: On Friday (May 8), the shiny, happy space-future of the USS Enterprise will be warping into movie theaters even as the dark, depressing space-past of "Battlestar Galactica" disappears a little more from the DRADIS screen of pop culture. Talk about rolling a hard six...
The three-day "Battlestar" auction will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Monday. NBC-Universal will put over 900 items on the auction block for fans willing to drop serious dough. Highlights include the giant Blackbird stealth ship (estimated bid range is $20,000 to $30,000); Lee Adama’s bomber jacket from the series-closing "Daybreak" episodes ($2,000); and one of the famous, slinky red dresses worn by Number Six or a flight suit belonging to Starbuck (each looking like $8,000 to $10,000, but don't be surprised if the bidding goes higher). You can also bid on Col. Tigh's blue boxers (we're not joking) but if you do, well, keep it to yourself, OK?
You can download the 380-page catalog at Battlestarprops.com. A public preview is scheduled for Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the convention center. The auction will stream live at www.auctionnetwork.com.
The first “Battlestar” auction, back in January, drew more than 2,000 on-line bidders from around the world and the original Number Six red dress went for $13,000.
“We intend to make the second and final auction even bigger and better, with more of the show’s stars, more fun activities at the auction preview day, and an even more impressive display of the items up for auction,” said Alec Peters, CEO of Propworx, a prop, set and costume auction house.
If dropping a couple of thousand dollars amid the current economic calamity isn't really an option, well, there are production designs and sketches that start at $200. These include artwork of the Mark Viper II ship, Cylon interior and Baltar’s Lab from the first season.
Costumes are more expensive, such as William Adama’s blue uniform with insignia ($6,000) and Starbuck’s gray uniform ($3,000). That’s nothing compared with the life-sized ships: A Viper Mark II Hero cockpit, including fuselage and canopy, is likely to fetch $10,000 to $20,000.
Want a souvenir without the risk of getting caught up in a bid-fever? The catalog is $35. It’s filled with color photos and descriptions of each item, in addition to background explanations for some of the more expensive pieces. It’s a great way to learn about the characters and the show, and also brush up on “Battlestar” lore. If you can't buy, might as well browse.
--Alicia Lozano
Photo: NBC-Universal
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'Battlestar Galactica's' UN visit goes online
We've heard a lot about the "Battlestar Galactica" crew -- specifically Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Ronald D. Moore and David Eick -- being invited to the United Nations to discuss real world issues, but unless you were one of the privileged few, you didn't get to see it. Now you can.
The UN and SciFi will post video (in 5 parts) and the entire transcript of the event at http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/home.html. The panel, moderated by avowed "BSG" fan and "The View" host Whoopi Goldberg, touched on issues involving human rights, children and war, terrorism, and "reconciliation and dialogue among civilizations and faiths."
Along with the Caprica delegation, real political figures took part in the talks, including Radhika Coomaraswamy (special representative of the secretary-general for children and armed conflict), Craig Mokhiber (deputy director, New York Office, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights), Robert Orr (assistant secretary-general for policy planning, Executive Office of the Secretary) and Famatta Rose Osode (minister and deputy permanent representative, Permanent Mission of Liberia to the United Nations).
The importance of the series was apparently not lost on the world at large, and if you missed the finale, you can watch it here.
For those of you needing a fix until "Caprica" arrives, here's a promo for "Battlestar Galactica: The Plan."
-- Jevon Phillips
Photo: Peter Foley / EPA
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'CSI: Caprica'? Not quite, but 'Battlestar' fans should tune in
The world seems as drab and bleak as a New Caprica prison cell these last few weeks because, well, there's no more "Battlestar Galactica." I'm trying to carry on, but it's not easy ...
At least it turns out now that on Thursday we'll get a light-hearted postscript to the best frakin' show ever with a quirky new episode of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."
Ronald D. Moore, the lead architect of the "BSG" universe and a key creator on the late, great "Star Trek: The Next Generation," pops up in a cameo in an episode of the crime-and-science show entitled "A Space Oddity," which has some familiar themes to his career: The plot is about the murder of a television creator who has revived a classic old space-faring series with new layers of sophistication. Kate Vernon, who portrayed Ellen Tigh, the Fifth Cylon, is in the episode and Michael Nankin, a veteran of "BSG" as well, is the director. The finished product may be more like "Galaxy Quest" than anything else, but us "BSG" mourners will take our colonial-fleet thrills where we can find them. Here's the preview ...
-- Geoff Boucher
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'Battlestar' cast gathers to watch the final episode
The stars of "Battlestar Galactica" traveled for hours from London, New York and Canada or, even worse, Malibu, to attend a very special screening Friday night at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences; the final episode of their late, great series was an occasion that felt at times like an Irish wake but was for most of the night more like a retirement party for an old friend who was leaving at the top of the game.
There was a lot emotion (and wine) in the lobby before the screening, and it was great to catch up with so many people that I had met on the set in Vancouver and interviewed through the years. I was surprised to see Jamie Bamber (Lee "Apollo" Adama) there since he's been working overseas and he seemed a bit surprised himself. "I just flew in from London. I was working but I finished up, we wrapped yesterday, and I thought to myself, 'Why not go?' So we flew in. I can't wait to see it. I haven't seen it yet. I think it's going to be pretty emotional for us."
Katee Sackhoff, who walks through a room like a gunslinger in a miniskirt, was rarely sentimental in her role as Starbuck and scoffed when I asked if she might get misty during the final act of the bleak broadcast epic that stretches back to December 2003. "Cry? Nah. I got other stuff, I'm working on the next thing. Well, all right, maybe I will get a little emotional at certain parts."
The old admiral, Edward James Olmos, strode through the crowded room like a proud father at his daughter's wedding, shaking hands, slapping backs and kissing cheeks; I caught up to him by the food table and he shook his head. "Can you believe it? These young actors, I'm not sure they really know yet how special this show was. I do." I told him that he now can say he was in the best science fiction film ever made, "Blade Runner," and the best science fiction television show with "Battlestar," and he winked at me. "That's a pretty good batting average, isn't it?"
