'Battlestar Galactica' news: The show will premiere in early April, Ron Moore will direct an episode

Ronald D. Moore, the executive producer who runs "Battlestar Galactica," is gearing up for the long goodbye by taking on a new task. He will step into the director’s chair for the first time next season as his dramatic reinvention of the hokey 1970s’ space opera treks toward the end. The final 20-episode run will kick off in — you read it here first — early April.

Moore’s work on the show as a writer-producer landed "Battlestar" its first Emmy nomination in the drama writing category, where he faced off against the writers of "The Sopranos" and "Lost." A veteran of the "Star Trek" series "The Next Generation," "Deep Space Nine" and "Voyager," Moore is also juggling writing duties for the upcoming feature films "The Thing" and the sequel to "I, Robot."

About his directing debut, Moore said, "It’s the perfect opportunity to try and do it here with my family — the cast and crew of the show — who have been working together for years now.

"For all I know, I’ll hate directing, but right now I’m hungry for it."

seLast season ended with a stunning revelation: Four of the characters aboard Galactica that have been helping lead the resistance discovered themselves to be Cylons, the robotic race apparently set on destroying humans. Moore said he’s directing an episode set deep in the Cylon world, as well as aboard Galactica. “On Galactica, things have really begun to fall apart ... and the relationship between President Laura Roslin [Mary McDonnell] and Adm. William Adama [Edward James Olmos] is going to get pretty interesting.”

Moore’s episode, however, won’t air until after the show takes a midseason break and will kick off the remaining episodes in “Battlestar’s” four-season run. Sci Fi Channel executives have not yet determined whether the final season will all air next year or be spread over 2008 and 2009.

“I’d probably prefer to see the entire thing air next year to maintain the momentum, to build excitement as it pushes to the end,” Moore said, “not to mention it means less chance of spoilers getting out.”

Lucy Lawless will be plugged back in as D’Anna, the rogue Cylon that was deactivated last season. She’ll be back early on for three episodes, which Moore said will serve as a catalyst for the rest of the season.

And as for that fifth “chosen” Cylon? “It’s definitely been decided who that one is,” Moore said, but it won’t be revealed early. “I can’t say when, but we’re certainly not waiting until the last episode to tell you who it is.”

In the meantime, the series’ fans can get their fix from “Razor,” an original two-hour episode that serves as something of a prequel to the existing “Battlestar” mythology. It premieres Nov. 24 on Sci Fi.

-- Denise Martin

(Photo courtesy NBC Universal)

Comments

[Teresa]

april???? I'm going to die

[George]

Apriil??

If it's not premiring until April and gets spilt for another year, I think I'm going to wait until season 4 comes out on DVD... Wait a year, I might as well wait two and see it all at once, as intended.

[Tonya]

Well, while I don't like April either, thank the gods that it's on still :D

Enjoy!

Tonya

[nickz]

Very disappointing!

Hopefully Sky can air it all next year, and I can download instead. I'm not waiting until 2012 for the DVDs.

[sinem]

is that true ??? frak It not important we can wait 40years like cylon

[Abby See]

Apparently these fools are following 3dRealms's business plan of jerking their fans around.

[Kinda a Big Deal]

This is bull. I can't believe that even after pushing the series back to April the executives would consider spreading it over 2008/2009.

What are they thinking?!?

I love this show but even the biggest fan would loose interest in a series who's episodes play once every 2 months

[Eric]

I understand they have to juggle these actor's schedules. Plus the fact that a show for the SciFi Channel isn't the highest paying job out there for some of these folks.... but man you guys are killing me! Heck I can't even buy the season 3 DVD's to help tide me over. That ticks me off more than having to wait for Season 4! I'm dying to spend money and can't do it! That must be a first!

[joesmom]

I give up on SciFi. Why do they think making fans wait like this is good for business? I love this show, but I won't be jerked around like this - I don't even remember what was going on last March. Bye-bye BSG.

[Rob]

April? What the Frack?!

[Peter Karl]

To Nick Z:

How exactly do you download shows from Sky? I went on their website and they said you had to be a resident of the UK...

[John_Pemble]

You know i'ts OK to hold till April 08. Let them take time. No need to rush to the end. Cable does it differently and I like that. BSG Season 4 will either be amazing or very disappointing, but when they rolled a "hard six" at the end of season 2 to 3 it worked as well. Let them take the time to do it right and maybe do it even bigger.

[Jeff H]

2008 and 2009? Please! How desperate is Sci-Fi getting? Why not just do one episode a year and then you can string out for another 20+.

[Sam Reynolds]

Newsflash:

Skyone in the UK will be airing the series in January! Even if Scifi decides to drag on the series untill 2009 Skyone may show it without the break.

[Peter Karl]

Sam,

How do you access Sky One in the U.S.? Is it possible?

[Slitheen]

'Sam Reynolds' - "Skyone in the UK will be airing the series in January! Even if Scifi decides to drag on the series untill 2009 Skyone may show it without the break."

Erm, citation...please? If you have read this somewhere, please post a link - or are we just to take your word for this on blind faith? I mean, I hope to god this is true.....but anyone could just make a statement like that up.

[Slitheen]

Those asking how they would access SkyOne if they live outside of the UK: You're not quite getting the picture. You don't access SkyOne, or download from their site. What happens is this - some UK viewers, as they did back during the first season, record the episodes and upload them to the Bittorrent network. Back during the first season, this led to US based viewers, and BSG fans from all over the world, being able to download/view the episodes within hours of them going off the air.

Whatever one's moral opinions of this are, it is a known fact that this did not harm viewing figures in the slightest. In fact, there is a very interesting article online describing how the sheer word of mouth effect led to record breaking viewing figures for BSG when season 1 finally began airing in the States. Many believe this played a big part in BSG becoming the most successful Sci-Fi show in many years for its parent channel.

[Rodney]

This show is not going to debute till April?. I'm going on vacation during that month.

[high and mighty jerk]

I don't blame the producers for wanting to end the series. With fans like these, it is surprising that they made it this far. That to which I refer is the spirit of hostility generated by these recent air-date announcements. The group's preoccupation with self-entitlement, generated by God knows what, has been distilled down an overbearing, greedy chant akin to that of a group of hungry TV Babies banging their remotes against their cribs in an attempt to bully the creators and their underpaid artists and craftspeople. Sating self-absorbed brats is not, nor should it ever be, any part of an artist's prerogative. Working for recognition from one's peers is understandable. Crafting meaningful art demands that the artist not underestimating the intelligence of their audience.The messages posted above—a cacophony of childish monosyllabics and passive agressives lost in each of their own personal, subjective fantasies— suggests a different demographic viewership. A viewership of passive consumers and selfish isolationists whose threatening, unsupportive and unbecomingly disloyal postings are fired off without a second thought; is this worth the continued toil and emotional investment of the artist? (Please take note that, by writing this very specific and biting message, I am not underestimating the reader's intelligence, per se. )

[matthew]

WHAT THE FRACK this is ridiculous ive already been waiting for about 5 months now i have to wait for another 4 WHAT A FRACKING JOKE

[Real Neo]

Well... ya know that BSG is an SCI-FI original show... check the website, they say the last season is gonna come out in March ;) (if not sooner, in January on Sky One as our friend Sam Reynolds said)

[Eric]

No problem. I'm old, I have forgotten how season three ends. I can't buy it on DVD until after season 4 starts? I need it a month before to refresh my memory, or there is no use in watching season 4. I guess all these games the SCI FI channel is playing -- for what reason I cannot imagine -- has consequences perhaps they have not thought of:

1) I will not be watching season 4
2) I will not purchase season 3 DVD
3) I will not purchase Razor
4) I will not purchase season 4 DVD
5) I will be VERY leary of getting into ANY series SCI FI offers in the future

They probably have not thought this out well and are too stupid to realize that the combination of LONG breaks between seasons and the unavailability of the previous season on DVD prior to the new season will cause a lot of people to simply loose interest.

[Jenni]

yeh yeh yeh we all bitch and moan but for most of us LOYALS I'll be waiting for the premier of the my ultimate favorite series BSG. I mean really with all the writers strikes does it really matter if we wait to view BSG at least we may see the whole season instead of 8 episoide of NBC's long awaited come back of great shows just so they can screw themselves and go on some sort of strike so I don't care about what you think but I will be in the front seat waiting to continue the most bad ass (BSG) shows' return march/april 2008 and I am sure I will see most of you there.

[Alan]

What a bunch of whiney babies. Best series in years and you cant wait a few months. Here's some advice guys....get out and get a life. By the way...it's now february, so only a few weeks to go...

[Kevin Dole]

Whine, whine, bitch, bitch. What a bunch of wimps. In case no one noticed, there has been a freeze on pretty much ALL production for US based series due to this little thing called the writer's strike?

Suck it up, it will be worth waiting for. Slackers and half-hearts whine at the end of every season; the real fans just bring in the cat and listen to the rain.

[Paul]

OK - so its the last season -- they want us to tune in for 10 episodes and then wait ANOTHER year to see the final 10? ..... Stop milking the fans, already --- I'll wait for the DVDs or get them in full from the UK!

Geesh- the Sopranos this ain't :)