'Battlestar Galactica': Say it ain't frakkin so!

Sad but true: "Battlestar Galactica" will end its run next year after its fourth and final season.

After weeks of speculation, the end is in fact near. According to a high level source at Sci Fi Channel parent company NBC Universal, the show will dock after its next 22-episode season, slated to kick off in early 2008.

Sources say the decision came down from executive producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick, who are said to feel creatively like this upcoming arc will be its last.

Rumors began circulating this month when two "Battlestar Galactica" stars, Edward James Olmos and Katee Sackhoff, referred to the next season as the show's swan song while attending the annual Saturn Awards.

“It’s the final season, so it’s definitely going to be the most vicious,” Olmos told reporters.  “As far as we know, in respects of the way we have this show constructed, this is the final season.”

Sci Fi Channel is expected to announce the news as soon as this afternoon.

UPDATE: Minutes after this was posted, Sci Fi Channel sent us the press release confirming the show is ending. See what Eick and Moore have to say after the jump...

"This show was always meant to have a beginning, a middle and finally, an end. 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," Eick and Moore said in the statement. "And while we know our fans will be saddened to know the end is coming, they should brace themselves for a wild ride getting there –- we're going out with a bang ."

-- Denise Martin

(Photo courtesy NBC Universal)

Comments

[Eddie Evo]

Frakk!!! Finally a show with some intelligence and some depth of storyline and characters, and they're going to kill it. I guess they make it to Earth.....or do they? It's hard to believe that there's enough paychecks from other studios that the BG writers can't substantiate at least one more season to try to hold their jobs. They have to be charging enough for commercial airtime to make it worthwhile for the network to keep one of the best shows on the air for a while longer.
OK, on my mark...........

[paige]

Are you frakkin kidding me? I can't even stand to wait until the next seasons start and now it will be over for good!?!?!? What else could even compare to this show?

[intepid]

Actually I think this is fantastic news, since it's very annoying when shows are allowed to just drag on and on until they are no longer profitable.

X-files was once a fun show, and it turned to crap because they didn't know when to quit, and Lost seems to be heading the same way.

[Sketchbuck]

I respect the show's producers for doing this more so for the quality than for the sake of just keeping it up. I was at first skepticle about BSG since I was a childhood fan of the original. It grew beyond my expectations with the intricate storyline, plot and character development, and mythology...and yeah some hot ladies. Even normal people who didn't like sci-fi were into this show for some of those very reasons. I thought this show would go on and on a la 24 but I'm happy to see it's going to end off in a high and set a standard for future sci-fi programming.

[Lepeke]

The story has an ending, I would hate for the show to loose its luster because they were trying to pad a single season's worth of plot into two. I like the show, but I am glad they are bringing it to a close when they feel it is appropriate.

[alex]

eddie, shows everyone but in the us these days end. when they first pitch the show, they have a book called a bible, thats basically the base plot line, from beginning to end. they arent going to try and hold on for one more season, thats when shows go downhill. the story is over, so they will end it.

and then, SPINOFFS!

(its the difference between star trek tng and ds9.. they brought ds9 to a closing arc. they didnt with tng, and it just faded out. )

[Sean Hansen]

I love BG but I'm glad that the creators aren't so craven nor stupid to try to milk it and destroy the series.

-SH.

[James Pierce]

Many of us space dreamers know that shows with a real human view of future life with reason and intelligence are allways targets for fundamentalist and idiots. This is a good indicator of how much of our Amercian society can not think and comprehend gooD DRAMA.

[Kyle]

Well it's about goddamn time. Season 1 of the new BSG was really strong; season 2 wasn't quite as strong but still pretty good, and then?

Then came season 3, and with it, an infestation known as The Angst.

In which, after about 4 or 5 episodes, nothing of any note WHATSOEVER happened. In which characters ceased developing in any meaningful way, but managed to increase the amount of time they spent whining by a factor of about 10. In which, for no very clear reason, characters started acting out of character to serve that which was laughably referred to as a plot.

Frankly, I'm GLAD season 4 will be the last season. There's a chance there might be enough actual STORY this way around for me to enjoy the series. Because season 3 was basically The OC in space, only more annoying.

[Tally]

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Hire some frakkin writers!!!! This is the best show on television! What are they thinking????
FRAAAAKKKKKKKK!

[Will]

I am so truly saddened by this development! Finally, there's a REAL show on TV that is brilliant in everyway, characters, acting, writing, fx, the entire package, and it's going away. I'll be sad to see it go, but considering the quality put into it, i'm happy that the producers would rather see the show "burn out than fade away". This show will go down in history as one of the best shows of all time. Congrats to the cast, sci-fi, writers, fx crews for bringing the best show on television to us. Even better than, dare I say, 24!? (It's much better than 24, and I love that show too...)

"Lt. Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace: [Starbuck's filling in for Apollo at the squadron briefing] Now, one of you has been coming in a little hot lately, a little too hot, a little, um - oh I don't know, he's-burning-up-the-deck-with-his-skids-because-he-just-can't-pull-back-on-the-throttle hot. Now who is this speed demon, my prince?
Boxey: Flat Top, sir!
[the squadron catcalls]
Lt. Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace: Flat Top, you got a need for speed, do ya? Just can't wait to get back to the Big G and the loving embrace of your fellow pilots? Or maybe you have a hot date with your right hand?
[more catcalls]
Ryan 'Flat Top' Cisco: Hey, it never gets a headache!
Lt. Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace: Tell you what, Flat Top: you come in too hot today and you may have to start using your left. Okay, you've been fun, you've been a great audience, dismissed!"

[Pam]

I am so depressed. I love this show. It is definitely one of the best in years.

[oakmonster]

Aww...frak.

At least we know it's coming. Unlike when Farscape got the rug pulled from under them. (Yes, I'm still a little bitter about that.)

But on the bright side, you want to have the best memory of the show. You don't want be sitting there, bazillian seasons later, thinking, "Ugh! Can please end this already?"

Well, the way I feel about "Lost" right now.

So, go with the gods, BG. I'll miss you Sam and Apollo... ;-)

[M McNally]

I love Battlestar Galactica, but maybe it's for the best that it's ending. Think about the last couple seasons of The Sopranos: They sucked because the writers were stretching out the story. Things only gained momentum and got good when the writers were able to bring the story to an end.

[jango fett]

Hopefully reruns of this will someday be broadcast in HD. Anything actually worth watching on TV is never worth stretching out past 3 seasons, think 'Twin Peaks' or 'Freaks and Geeks'. Oh well, another one for the DVD collection.

[Mike]

A very sad day for television. Battlestar Galactica is by far one of the best shows on television. Where most shows (like 24 and Lost) seem like they are repeating themselves season after season, Battlestar always comes out new and fresh. The characters are well developed and each have their own demons to deal with throughout a season. Television is losing a spectacular show. Time to buy the DVD's.

[M@]

People remember the shows that ended awesomely as some of the best shows ever, not the ones that dragged on until we were all tired of it. This will be hailed as one of the best TV series of all time for years to come, and thats how it should be. Good decision NBC.

[DaXtermGuy]

You know, this shouldn't be a surprised and you know what. ended after 4 seasons should be upsetting to anyone.

BSG was a great show with a wild ride and hit a lot of good hard points and even impacted global culture. Plus 4 seasons means it didn't over stay its welcome, but has a future. Mark my words.

Galactica will Ride Again!

[Gato]

This is a good thing as I see it.
They will properly be able to finish the series and not rush an ending that sucks. IE: voyager, farscape, and SG-1.

Gato

[Crash]

Yes!! the title of the article saddened me but the comments by the producers are getting me ultra excited.

how many times has a successful and good series been stretched to its breaking point just because it can continue to make money? BSG is a true saga and a good story, and like any good story, the ending can't be pulled out of nowhere whenever the author feels like it/after it becomes so bad it gets cancelled; it needs to be planned. I'm glad the producers are going the quality route instead of letting the series rot in order to make money.

season 3 bring it on!!!

[Travis]

BSG is an amazing show, but all shows should be so lucky as to end on their own terms. It's not always about ratings, advertising and money. For truly creative people it's about telling the story they want to tell and being proud of what they've done. BSG can soon join the ranks of intelligent shows created by intelligent & creative writers who knew to stop before it became hokey.

[Kax]

This show got really bad and boring in the last season. worse then a soap opera.

A space show with no space, no starts no explosions, no battles
WTF!!!

Hopefully the last seasonb is better

[jordon]

four seasons is a good run. the creators are right that the show does seem to be wrapping up thematically. think about it this way, at 22 epsiodes per season and 4 seasons, that's 88 episodes. plus the 3-episode miniseries, that's 91 episodes. the sopranos, which finishes up in a couple of weeks, only had 13 episodes per season for 6 seasons, totalling 78 episodes.

i may be off on my math by a few episodes, but battlestar had a great run and is wrapping up where it should.

[Smokey Necrosis]

Let it have a legitimate end and not jump the shark, which some believe may already be too late with that season 3 ending. Otherwise, it just gets beat to death until they audience will not even care about the ridiculous gimmicks just to keep those last die hard fans coming back.

[Smokey Necrosis]

Let it have a legitimate end and not jump the shark, which some believe may already be too late with that season 3 ending. Otherwise, it just gets beat to death until they audience will not even care about the ridiculous gimmicks just to keep those last die hard fans coming back.