'Battlestar Galactica': Starbuck's new toy

The Cylon basestar is impressive, even one that was blown to smithereens.

This one shot toward the end when Athena, Starbuck, Six, et al jumped back to the Demetrius was a great visual.

But how about the episode itself? Starbuck finally takes back the spotlight on the show as she and the crew decide to check Cylon Number 2's claims of a truce, and continue following Starbuck's hunches. Apparently even the military has its limits, though, and Helo leads an ill-fated mutiny. Gaida's leg gets blasted, and you can bet it'll be a theme of some kind later on. Will he let the Cylons help repair it, get it cut off by the doc, or be stubborn enough to die because of the injury? We'll go with a reluctant Cylon fix.

Athena's disdain for the rest of her Cylon sisters was a bit off-putting, and we hope Anders' continued undercover existence doesn't backfire. And we don't need to have Dave's top 10 reasons in front of us to know that the cryptic message given by the Hybrid just fans the frakking flames of Cylon speculation.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth

Robert Frost was obviously thinking of Starbuck and Chief Tyrol when he wrote of the road "less traveled by" in his famous poem. "The Road Less Traveled" is coincidentally also the name of the last episode. Starbuck's headstrong quest is causing more than questioning glances among her crew, and Tyrol's determined hunt for the truth behind his wife's death are both paths that others dissuade these characters from trodding upon.

When I said to spend more time with Starbuck and Helo and the rest on the Demetrius, I didn't mean the whole episode. But the break from action on Galactica actually was pretty dramatic, even if it didn't really get us closer to any particular goals.

Be resigned to the fact that you may not find out who the last Cylon is anytime soon, though speculation, however thoughtful, continues to run rampant. Motives are becoming a bit clearer, and with the creators alllowing us to know who the Cylons are and even what they're planning (as a group), they're giving us enough rope to hang ourselves with our "well-defined" thoughts and theorems.

And the fractured storyline is not making it any easier. Cylon civil war, Starbuck's quest, the hidden Cylons -- it's lucky that they are mostly strong enough to stand on their own or we'd have a "Heroes"-sized rebellion. The Cally thing, I'll call it a thing for those who haven't seen, was good enough to throw fuel on the fire. And here's hoping that the Earth mission crew can create some dramatic sparks to go with the ones Anders and Starbuck are making. An important mission, but almost forget them.

Cylons to the left of me, Cylons to the right of me ... that's probably the mantra of many aboard the Galactica and around the fleet. But with Baltar's Cylon detector abandoned, how will they be able to tell?

And how could we here on Earth? Who would've thought Chief Tyrol would be a Cylon? Or Boomer? There are no true characteristics that define a Cylon before they're activated and shoot you in the gut.

So in our current political race, how could we be sure (except for the fact that they're fictional)? Our presidential race is one of the closest and engaging political stories we've come across in most of our lifetimes. But have Hillary, Barack or John exhibited Cylon tendencies?

-- Jevon Phillips

Photo: Associated Press

The speed needed to break away from an object's gravitational pull. Catchy,  apropro.

It started in the last episode when Cally was slapped and then spit out into space (there's your summary).  Cylon Tory had made up her mind, and the other new Cylons seem destined to follow.

This episode, Chief Tyrol and Col. Tigh were reaching their escape velocities, each pulling away from their lives.  Chief mouthing off to Adama and getting demoted (and possibly booted off the ship), and Tigh giving in to some weird dominatrix moment with Six.  His 'yes-sir-may-I-have-another' beat down was unsettling, and kissing a bloody mouth can't be too sanitary -- even for Cylons.  Anders was absent this go-round, discounting an episode-ending scene where I just knew he was coming up behind a sleeping Starbuck with a wrench.  But it was not to be.  Yet.

The finality of the series' approaching end is taking shape.

Tricia Helfer, who pulled the strings behind Gaius Baltar (James Callis) as Cylon 'Number Six' (or just Six) on "Battlestar Galactica," will continue to pull strings as she takes on the role of Carla in USA's "Burn Notice."

Up until this point, Carla had been a faceless voice on threatening phone calls to the show's main character, Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan). She'll apparently have a more visual and active role as she hands out assignments for him to take care of.

Helfer has been actively preparing for life after "Battlestar," also signing a talent holding deal with Fox. For one of FHM's sexiest women, linking up with the #1 new series on cable (for 2007) is not a bad way to stay on screen.

-- Jevon Phillips

Denise Martin, your regularly scheduled showtracker, is off galavanting on her honeymoon.

We wish her well, but we couldn't let this go. Catching up: In "Battlestar Galactica's" season opener, Starbuck returns in the middle of a Cylon attack; Gaius is found not guilty and made into some sort of messiah after Lee's long-winded monologue, and Anders -- one of the four who believe they are Cylons -- is confirmed through some eye-to-eye contact with a raider.

A lot happened in 'Six of One' (last night's episode), yet there's still so much unanswered -- including the big question of who the fifth Cylon really is. Gotta assume that little diddy may stay secret for a while, but BSG doesn't seem afraid to reveal what we think are climactic plot points, only to open other cleverly concealed doors. Cult-status shows tend to do that.

Key line of the episode: 'No one has ever voted against their own model!'

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."

Fans may have been shocked, but "Battlestar Galactica" executive producer Ronald D. Moore said he saw the end of "Battlestar Galactica" looming months ago, as he and executive producer David Eick hashed out the plan for the end of Season 3.

The final handful of episodes saw the humans discover a liveable algae planet, a glimpse of four of the Final Five Cylons, and the revelation that at least one character had reached Earth.

"There is a creative agenda we wanted to serve," Moore said during a conference call Friday afternoon with reporters clamoring to know why the producers had chosen to preemptively draw the series to a close. "We feel the show has reached its third act. The storyline is propelling us."

He added: "If we don't start paying this off and if we don't reveal those secrets, you feel like you're jerking around the audience."

The producers were naturally tight-lipped about what would happen in the upcoming 22 episodes, but did promise that the search for Earth will be resolved in some way.

"Battlestar Galactica" is the most high-profile of Sci Fi Channel's original series, but according to the pair, the network's programming executives were ultimately supportive of the decision to end the show next year. "They expressed concern that the show would be able to go on longer," Moore explained. "But when we were clear this is what we wanted to to, they were supportive."

Eick said the cast reactions to the news of an end date were split. "Some of them understood...others believed that the show had a longer shelf life and were surprised." But everyone now is really "sinking their teeth in" for the last hurrah, he said.

Moore echoed the description, adding that being in Vancouver last month for the show's last start of production "felt like the beginning of senior year."

Other tidbits from the call:

• Lucy Lawless might be back! Her Cylon brethren pulled the plug on Lawless' character D'Anna after she went renegade last season, but Moore revealed that the producers are talking about booting the femme-bot back up. "It's in the planning stages," he said, but added that nothing is firm.
• November's two-hour stand-alone special, "Razor," will follow the back story of Battlestar Pegasus, the high-tech ship run by Admiral Cain (who died in Season 2). Story will go into the events prior to her death and will also dramatize the original Cylon attack on the humans. It won't deal with last season's cliffhanger -- Starbuck's alive? Who's the fifth member of the Final Five? -- but it will set up certain events that will happen in the final batch of episodes, Moore said.
• The pilot "Caprica" is still in contention for a series pick-up at Sci Fi Channel. Eick said the project, which would serve as a prequel to "Battlestar Galactica," would get into the creation and origins of the Cylons among other things. "We're anxious for any opportunity to pursue it," Eick said. "It's not on the front burner, but no one has said it's dead. We continue to hope."

• No film spin-offs are in the works -- yet? "The plan is to end the show, to bring it to a definitive conclusion," Moore said, but not without adding: "but never say never. You never know how we'll feel when we actually write the conclusion. It would be foolish to say absolutely not. But right now, the plan is to end it [with the series]."

-- Denise Martin

(Photo by Carole Segal / Sci Fi Channel)

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...

Members of the audience at NBC's upfront presentation Monday couldn't help noticing that Katee Sackhoff, who plays Starbuck on "Battlestar Galactica," was prominently featured in the clips from "Bionic Woman."

It wasn't a secret that Sackhoff had been cast in the NBC show's pilot by David Eick, who is an executive producer of both series. And the two shows are siblings within the NBC Universal family, since Sci Fi Channel, the "Battlestar Galactica" broadcaster, is NBC-owned.

But in the presentation of clips to advertisers and the press, her role seemed awfully important -- as in, she announces she's the first bionic woman, and then proceeds to try to beat the new "Bionic Woman" (Michelle Ryan) to a pulp. Is Sackhoff playing the show's villain, or something more complicated?

More important, what does this development mean for Sackhoff, who already has a full-time job? And then what does this new role mean about the critically-praised "Battlestar Galactica," which is currently in production for its fourth, possibly last, season?

According to sources at NBC Universal, Sackhoff will be a "recurring guest star" on "Bionic Woman." We'll try to find out what that means.

And a decision on the future of "Battlestar Galactica"  -- whether the fourth season will wrap up the series -- will be announced in the next few weeks.

-- Kate Aurthur

(Photo courtesy NBC Universal)

Starbuck is alive. She could be a Cylon. But wait, there's more! Four other Cylons have awakened aboard "Battlestar Galactica," and the humans look stunned in more ways than one.

Among the now-aware robots, a mechanical race that appears human but is actually set on destroying the species, are presidential aide Tory (Rekha Sharma) and Galactica's second-in-command, Saul Tigh (Michael Hogan). Then again, the four could be the key to peace between the toasters and the humans.

The possibilities are endless. But something tells me the writers for the most part know where the show is heading, a rare reward for followers of any serialized drama.

'Battlestar Galactica': Robert Frost is no Cylon

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth

Robert Frost was obviously thinking of Starbuck and Chief Tyrol when he wrote of the road "less traveled by" in his famous poem. "The Road Less Traveled" is coincidentally also the name of the last episode. Starbuck's headstrong quest is causing more than questioning glances among her crew, and Tyrol's determined hunt for the truth behind his wife's death are both paths that others dissuade these characters from trodding upon.

When I said to spend more time with Starbuck and Helo and the rest on the Demetrius, I didn't mean the whole episode. But the break from action on Galactica actually was pretty dramatic, even if it didn't really get us closer to any particular goals.

Be resigned to the fact that you may not find out who the last Cylon is anytime soon, though speculation, however thoughtful, continues to run rampant. Motives are becoming a bit clearer, and with the creators alllowing us to know who the Cylons are and even what they're planning (as a group), they're giving us enough rope to hang ourselves with our "well-defined" thoughts and theorems.

And the fractured storyline is not making it any easier. Cylon civil war, Starbuck's quest, the hidden Cylons -- it's lucky that they are mostly strong enough to stand on their own or we'd have a "Heroes"-sized rebellion. The Cally thing, I'll call it a thing for those who haven't seen, was good enough to throw fuel on the fire. And here's hoping that the Earth mission crew can create some dramatic sparks to go with the ones Anders and Starbuck are making. An important mission, but almost forget them.

Cylons to the left of me, Cylons to the right of me ... that's probably the mantra of many aboard the Galactica and around the fleet. But with Baltar's Cylon detector abandoned, how will they be able to tell?

And how could we here on Earth? Who would've thought Chief Tyrol would be a Cylon? Or Boomer? There are no true characteristics that define a Cylon before they're activated and shoot you in the gut.

So in our current political race, how could we be sure (except for the fact that they're fictional)? Our presidential race is one of the closest and engaging political stories we've come across in most of our lifetimes. But have Hillary, Barack or John exhibited Cylon tendencies?

-- Jevon Phillips

Photo: Associated Press

The speed needed to break away from an object's gravitational pull. Catchy,  apropro.

It started in the last episode when Cally was slapped and then spit out into space (there's your summary).  Cylon Tory had made up her mind, and the other new Cylons seem destined to follow.

This episode, Chief Tyrol and Col. Tigh were reaching their escape velocities, each pulling away from their lives.  Chief mouthing off to Adama and getting demoted (and possibly booted off the ship), and Tigh giving in to some weird dominatrix moment with Six.  His 'yes-sir-may-I-have-another' beat down was unsettling, and kissing a bloody mouth can't be too sanitary -- even for Cylons.  Anders was absent this go-round, discounting an episode-ending scene where I just knew he was coming up behind a sleeping Starbuck with a wrench.  But it was not to be.  Yet.

The finality of the series' approaching end is taking shape.

Tricia Helfer, who pulled the strings behind Gaius Baltar (James Callis) as Cylon 'Number Six' (or just Six) on "Battlestar Galactica," will continue to pull strings as she takes on the role of Carla in USA's "Burn Notice."

Up until this point, Carla had been a faceless voice on threatening phone calls to the show's main character, Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan). She'll apparently have a more visual and active role as she hands out assignments for him to take care of.

Helfer has been actively preparing for life after "Battlestar," also signing a talent holding deal with Fox. For one of FHM's sexiest women, linking up with the #1 new series on cable (for 2007) is not a bad way to stay on screen.

-- Jevon Phillips

Denise Martin, your regularly scheduled showtracker, is off galavanting on her honeymoon.

We wish her well, but we couldn't let this go. Catching up: In "Battlestar Galactica's" season opener, Starbuck returns in the middle of a Cylon attack; Gaius is found not guilty and made into some sort of messiah after Lee's long-winded monologue, and Anders -- one of the four who believe they are Cylons -- is confirmed through some eye-to-eye contact with a raider.

A lot happened in 'Six of One' (last night's episode), yet there's still so much unanswered -- including the big question of who the fifth Cylon really is. Gotta assume that little diddy may stay secret for a while, but BSG doesn't seem afraid to reveal what we think are climactic plot points, only to open other cleverly concealed doors. Cult-status shows tend to do that.

Key line of the episode: 'No one has ever voted against their own model!'

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."

Fans may have been shocked, but "Battlestar Galactica" executive producer Ronald D. Moore said he saw the end of "Battlestar Galactica" looming months ago, as he and executive producer David Eick hashed out the plan for the end of Season 3.

The final handful of episodes saw the humans discover a liveable algae planet, a glimpse of four of the Final Five Cylons, and the revelation that at least one character had reached Earth.

"There is a creative agenda we wanted to serve," Moore said during a conference call Friday afternoon with reporters clamoring to know why the producers had chosen to preemptively draw the series to a close. "We feel the show has reached its third act. The storyline is propelling us."

He added: "If we don't start paying this off and if we don't reveal those secrets, you feel like you're jerking around the audience."

The producers were naturally tight-lipped about what would happen in the upcoming 22 episodes, but did promise that the search for Earth will be resolved in some way.

"Battlestar Galactica" is the most high-profile of Sci Fi Channel's original series, but according to the pair, the network's programming executives were ultimately supportive of the decision to end the show next year. "They expressed concern that the show would be able to go on longer," Moore explained. "But when we were clear this is what we wanted to to, they were supportive."

Eick said the cast reactions to the news of an end date were split. "Some of them understood...others believed that the show had a longer shelf life and were surprised." But everyone now is really "sinking their teeth in" for the last hurrah, he said.

Moore echoed the description, adding that being in Vancouver last month for the show's last start of production "felt like the beginning of senior year."

Other tidbits from the call:

• Lucy Lawless might be back! Her Cylon brethren pulled the plug on Lawless' character D'Anna after she went renegade last season, but Moore revealed that the producers are talking about booting the femme-bot back up. "It's in the planning stages," he said, but added that nothing is firm.
• November's two-hour stand-alone special, "Razor," will follow the back story of Battlestar Pegasus, the high-tech ship run by Admiral Cain (who died in Season 2). Story will go into the events prior to her death and will also dramatize the original Cylon attack on the humans. It won't deal with last season's cliffhanger -- Starbuck's alive? Who's the fifth member of the Final Five? -- but it will set up certain events that will happen in the final batch of episodes, Moore said.
• The pilot "Caprica" is still in contention for a series pick-up at Sci Fi Channel. Eick said the project, which would serve as a prequel to "Battlestar Galactica," would get into the creation and origins of the Cylons among other things. "We're anxious for any opportunity to pursue it," Eick said. "It's not on the front burner, but no one has said it's dead. We continue to hope."

• No film spin-offs are in the works -- yet? "The plan is to end the show, to bring it to a definitive conclusion," Moore said, but not without adding: "but never say never. You never know how we'll feel when we actually write the conclusion. It would be foolish to say absolutely not. But right now, the plan is to end it [with the series]."

-- Denise Martin

(Photo by Carole Segal / Sci Fi Channel)

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...

Members of the audience at NBC's upfront presentation Monday couldn't help noticing that Katee Sackhoff, who plays Starbuck on "Battlestar Galactica," was prominently featured in the clips from "Bionic Woman."

It wasn't a secret that Sackhoff had been cast in the NBC show's pilot by David Eick, who is an executive producer of both series. And the two shows are siblings within the NBC Universal family, since Sci Fi Channel, the "Battlestar Galactica" broadcaster, is NBC-owned.

But in the presentation of clips to advertisers and the press, her role seemed awfully important -- as in, she announces she's the first bionic woman, and then proceeds to try to beat the new "Bionic Woman" (Michelle Ryan) to a pulp. Is Sackhoff playing the show's villain, or something more complicated?

More important, what does this development mean for Sackhoff, who already has a full-time job? And then what does this new role mean about the critically-praised "Battlestar Galactica," which is currently in production for its fourth, possibly last, season?

According to sources at NBC Universal, Sackhoff will be a "recurring guest star" on "Bionic Woman." We'll try to find out what that means.

And a decision on the future of "Battlestar Galactica"  -- whether the fourth season will wrap up the series -- will be announced in the next few weeks.

-- Kate Aurthur

(Photo courtesy NBC Universal)

Starbuck is alive. She could be a Cylon. But wait, there's more! Four other Cylons have awakened aboard "Battlestar Galactica," and the humans look stunned in more ways than one.

Among the now-aware robots, a mechanical race that appears human but is actually set on destroying the species, are presidential aide Tory (Rekha Sharma) and Galactica's second-in-command, Saul Tigh (Michael Hogan). Then again, the four could be the key to peace between the toasters and the humans.

The possibilities are endless. But something tells me the writers for the most part know where the show is heading, a rare reward for followers of any serialized drama.

'Battlestar' and Barack: Together again?

Be resigned to the fact that you may not find out who the last Cylon is anytime soon, though speculation, however thoughtful, continues to run rampant. Motives are becoming a bit clearer, and with the creators alllowing us to know who the Cylons are and even what they're planning (as a group), they're giving us enough rope to hang ourselves with our "well-defined" thoughts and theorems.

And the fractured storyline is not making it any easier. Cylon civil war, Starbuck's quest, the hidden Cylons -- it's lucky that they are mostly strong enough to stand on their own or we'd have a "Heroes"-sized rebellion. The Cally thing, I'll call it a thing for those who haven't seen, was good enough to throw fuel on the fire. And here's hoping that the Earth mission crew can create some dramatic sparks to go with the ones Anders and Starbuck are making. An important mission, but almost forget them.

Cylons to the left of me, Cylons to the right of me ... that's probably the mantra of many aboard the Galactica and around the fleet. But with Baltar's Cylon detector abandoned, how will they be able to tell?

And how could we here on Earth? Who would've thought Chief Tyrol would be a Cylon? Or Boomer? There are no true characteristics that define a Cylon before they're activated and shoot you in the gut.

So in our current political race, how could we be sure (except for the fact that they're fictional)? Our presidential race is one of the closest and engaging political stories we've come across in most of our lifetimes. But have Hillary, Barack or John exhibited Cylon tendencies?

-- Jevon Phillips

Photo: Associated Press

The speed needed to break away from an object's gravitational pull. Catchy,  apropro.

It started in the last episode when Cally was slapped and then spit out into space (there's your summary).  Cylon Tory had made up her mind, and the other new Cylons seem destined to follow.

This episode, Chief Tyrol and Col. Tigh were reaching their escape velocities, each pulling away from their lives.  Chief mouthing off to Adama and getting demoted (and possibly booted off the ship), and Tigh giving in to some weird dominatrix moment with Six.  His 'yes-sir-may-I-have-another' beat down was unsettling, and kissing a bloody mouth can't be too sanitary -- even for Cylons.  Anders was absent this go-round, discounting an episode-ending scene where I just knew he was coming up behind a sleeping Starbuck with a wrench.  But it was not to be.  Yet.

The finality of the series' approaching end is taking shape.

Tricia Helfer, who pulled the strings behind Gaius Baltar (James Callis) as Cylon 'Number Six' (or just Six) on "Battlestar Galactica," will continue to pull strings as she takes on the role of Carla in USA's "Burn Notice."

Up until this point, Carla had been a faceless voice on threatening phone calls to the show's main character, Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan). She'll apparently have a more visual and active role as she hands out assignments for him to take care of.

Helfer has been actively preparing for life after "Battlestar," also signing a talent holding deal with Fox. For one of FHM's sexiest women, linking up with the #1 new series on cable (for 2007) is not a bad way to stay on screen.

-- Jevon Phillips

Denise Martin, your regularly scheduled showtracker, is off galavanting on her honeymoon.

We wish her well, but we couldn't let this go. Catching up: In "Battlestar Galactica's" season opener, Starbuck returns in the middle of a Cylon attack; Gaius is found not guilty and made into some sort of messiah after Lee's long-winded monologue, and Anders -- one of the four who believe they are Cylons -- is confirmed through some eye-to-eye contact with a raider.

A lot happened in 'Six of One' (last night's episode), yet there's still so much unanswered -- including the big question of who the fifth Cylon really is. Gotta assume that little diddy may stay secret for a while, but BSG doesn't seem afraid to reveal what we think are climactic plot points, only to open other cleverly concealed doors. Cult-status shows tend to do that.

Key line of the episode: 'No one has ever voted against their own model!'

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."

Fans may have been shocked, but "Battlestar Galactica" executive producer Ronald D. Moore said he saw the end of "Battlestar Galactica" looming months ago, as he and executive producer David Eick hashed out the plan for the end of Season 3.

The final handful of episodes saw the humans discover a liveable algae planet, a glimpse of four of the Final Five Cylons, and the revelation that at least one character had reached Earth.

"There is a creative agenda we wanted to serve," Moore said during a conference call Friday afternoon with reporters clamoring to know why the producers had chosen to preemptively draw the series to a close. "We feel the show has reached its third act. The storyline is propelling us."

He added: "If we don't start paying this off and if we don't reveal those secrets, you feel like you're jerking around the audience."

The producers were naturally tight-lipped about what would happen in the upcoming 22 episodes, but did promise that the search for Earth will be resolved in some way.

"Battlestar Galactica" is the most high-profile of Sci Fi Channel's original series, but according to the pair, the network's programming executives were ultimately supportive of the decision to end the show next year. "They expressed concern that the show would be able to go on longer," Moore explained. "But when we were clear this is what we wanted to to, they were supportive."

Eick said the cast reactions to the news of an end date were split. "Some of them understood...others believed that the show had a longer shelf life and were surprised." But everyone now is really "sinking their teeth in" for the last hurrah, he said.

Moore echoed the description, adding that being in Vancouver last month for the show's last start of production "felt like the beginning of senior year."

Other tidbits from the call:

• Lucy Lawless might be back! Her Cylon brethren pulled the plug on Lawless' character D'Anna after she went renegade last season, but Moore revealed that the producers are talking about booting the femme-bot back up. "It's in the planning stages," he said, but added that nothing is firm.
• November's two-hour stand-alone special, "Razor," will follow the back story of Battlestar Pegasus, the high-tech ship run by Admiral Cain (who died in Season 2). Story will go into the events prior to her death and will also dramatize the original Cylon attack on the humans. It won't deal with last season's cliffhanger -- Starbuck's alive? Who's the fifth member of the Final Five? -- but it will set up certain events that will happen in the final batch of episodes, Moore said.
• The pilot "Caprica" is still in contention for a series pick-up at Sci Fi Channel. Eick said the project, which would serve as a prequel to "Battlestar Galactica," would get into the creation and origins of the Cylons among other things. "We're anxious for any opportunity to pursue it," Eick said. "It's not on the front burner, but no one has said it's dead. We continue to hope."

• No film spin-offs are in the works -- yet? "The plan is to end the show, to bring it to a definitive conclusion," Moore said, but not without adding: "but never say never. You never know how we'll feel when we actually write the conclusion. It would be foolish to say absolutely not. But right now, the plan is to end it [with the series]."

-- Denise Martin

(Photo by Carole Segal / Sci Fi Channel)

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...

Members of the audience at NBC's upfront presentation Monday couldn't help noticing that Katee Sackhoff, who plays Starbuck on "Battlestar Galactica," was prominently featured in the clips from "Bionic Woman."

It wasn't a secret that Sackhoff had been cast in the NBC show's pilot by David Eick, who is an executive producer of both series. And the two shows are siblings within the NBC Universal family, since Sci Fi Channel, the "Battlestar Galactica" broadcaster, is NBC-owned.

But in the presentation of clips to advertisers and the press, her role seemed awfully important -- as in, she announces she's the first bionic woman, and then proceeds to try to beat the new "Bionic Woman" (Michelle Ryan) to a pulp. Is Sackhoff playing the show's villain, or something more complicated?

More important, what does this development mean for Sackhoff, who already has a full-time job? And then what does this new role mean about the critically-praised "Battlestar Galactica," which is currently in production for its fourth, possibly last, season?

According to sources at NBC Universal, Sackhoff will be a "recurring guest star" on "Bionic Woman." We'll try to find out what that means.

And a decision on the future of "Battlestar Galactica"  -- whether the fourth season will wrap up the series -- will be announced in the next few weeks.

-- Kate Aurthur

(Photo courtesy NBC Universal)

Starbuck is alive. She could be a Cylon. But wait, there's more! Four other Cylons have awakened aboard "Battlestar Galactica," and the humans look stunned in more ways than one.

Among the now-aware robots, a mechanical race that appears human but is actually set on destroying the species, are presidential aide Tory (Rekha Sharma) and Galactica's second-in-command, Saul Tigh (Michael Hogan). Then again, the four could be the key to peace between the toasters and the humans.

The possibilities are endless. But something tells me the writers for the most part know where the show is heading, a rare reward for followers of any serialized drama.

Battlestar Galactica: Escape Velocity

The speed needed to break away from an object's gravitational pull. Catchy,  apropro.

It started in the last episode when Cally was slapped and then spit out into space (there's your summary).  Cylon Tory had made up her mind, and the other new Cylons seem destined to follow.

This episode, Chief Tyrol and Col. Tigh were reaching their escape velocities, each pulling away from their lives.  Chief mouthing off to Adama and getting demoted (and possibly booted off the ship), and Tigh giving in to some weird dominatrix moment with Six.  His 'yes-sir-may-I-have-another' beat down was unsettling, and kissing a bloody mouth can't be too sanitary -- even for Cylons.  Anders was absent this go-round, discounting an episode-ending scene where I just knew he was coming up behind a sleeping Starbuck with a wrench.  But it was not to be.  Yet.

The finality of the series' approaching end is taking shape.

Tricia Helfer, who pulled the strings behind Gaius Baltar (James Callis) as Cylon 'Number Six' (or just Six) on "Battlestar Galactica," will continue to pull strings as she takes on the role of Carla in USA's "Burn Notice."

Up until this point, Carla had been a faceless voice on threatening phone calls to the show's main character, Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan). She'll apparently have a more visual and active role as she hands out assignments for him to take care of.

Helfer has been actively preparing for life after "Battlestar," also signing a talent holding deal with Fox. For one of FHM's sexiest women, linking up with the #1 new series on cable (for 2007) is not a bad way to stay on screen.

-- Jevon Phillips

Denise Martin, your regularly scheduled showtracker, is off galavanting on her honeymoon.

We wish her well, but we couldn't let this go. Catching up: In "Battlestar Galactica's" season opener, Starbuck returns in the middle of a Cylon attack; Gaius is found not guilty and made into some sort of messiah after Lee's long-winded monologue, and Anders -- one of the four who believe they are Cylons -- is confirmed through some eye-to-eye contact with a raider.

A lot happened in 'Six of One' (last night's episode), yet there's still so much unanswered -- including the big question of who the fifth Cylon really is. Gotta assume that little diddy may stay secret for a while, but BSG doesn't seem afraid to reveal what we think are climactic plot points, only to open other cleverly concealed doors. Cult-status shows tend to do that.

Key line of the episode: 'No one has ever voted against their own model!'

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."

Fans may have been shocked, but "Battlestar Galactica" executive producer Ronald D. Moore said he saw the end of "Battlestar Galactica" looming months ago, as he and executive producer David Eick hashed out the plan for the end of Season 3.

The final handful of episodes saw the humans discover a liveable algae planet, a glimpse of four of the Final Five Cylons, and the revelation that at least one character had reached Earth.

"There is a creative agenda we wanted to serve," Moore said during a conference call Friday afternoon with reporters clamoring to know why the producers had chosen to preemptively draw the series to a close. "We feel the show has reached its third act. The storyline is propelling us."

He added: "If we don't start paying this off and if we don't reveal those secrets, you feel like you're jerking around the audience."

The producers were naturally tight-lipped about what would happen in the upcoming 22 episodes, but did promise that the search for Earth will be resolved in some way.

"Battlestar Galactica" is the most high-profile of Sci Fi Channel's original series, but according to the pair, the network's programming executives were ultimately supportive of the decision to end the show next year. "They expressed concern that the show would be able to go on longer," Moore explained. "But when we were clear this is what we wanted to to, they were supportive."

Eick said the cast reactions to the news of an end date were split. "Some of them understood...others believed that the show had a longer shelf life and were surprised." But everyone now is really "sinking their teeth in" for the last hurrah, he said.

Moore echoed the description, adding that being in Vancouver last month for the show's last start of production "felt like the beginning of senior year."

Other tidbits from the call:

• Lucy Lawless might be back! Her Cylon brethren pulled the plug on Lawless' character D'Anna after she went renegade last season, but Moore revealed that the producers are talking about booting the femme-bot back up. "It's in the planning stages," he said, but added that nothing is firm.
• November's two-hour stand-alone special, "Razor," will follow the back story of Battlestar Pegasus, the high-tech ship run by Admiral Cain (who died in Season 2). Story will go into the events prior to her death and will also dramatize the original Cylon attack on the humans. It won't deal with last season's cliffhanger -- Starbuck's alive? Who's the fifth member of the Final Five? -- but it will set up certain events that will happen in the final batch of episodes, Moore said.
• The pilot "Caprica" is still in contention for a series pick-up at Sci Fi Channel. Eick said the project, which would serve as a prequel to "Battlestar Galactica," would get into the creation and origins of the Cylons among other things. "We're anxious for any opportunity to pursue it," Eick said. "It's not on the front burner, but no one has said it's dead. We continue to hope."

• No film spin-offs are in the works -- yet? "The plan is to end the show, to bring it to a definitive conclusion," Moore said, but not without adding: "but never say never. You never know how we'll feel when we actually write the conclusion. It would be foolish to say absolutely not. But right now, the plan is to end it [with the series]."

-- Denise Martin

(Photo by Carole Segal / Sci Fi Channel)

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...

Members of the audience at NBC's upfront presentation Monday couldn't help noticing that Katee Sackhoff, who plays Starbuck on "Battlestar Galactica," was prominently featured in the clips from "Bionic Woman."

It wasn't a secret that Sackhoff had been cast in the NBC show's pilot by David Eick, who is an executive producer of both series. And the two shows are siblings within the NBC Universal family, since Sci Fi Channel, the "Battlestar Galactica" broadcaster, is NBC-owned.

But in the presentation of clips to advertisers and the press, her role seemed awfully important -- as in, she announces she's the first bionic woman, and then proceeds to try to beat the new "Bionic Woman" (Michelle Ryan) to a pulp. Is Sackhoff playing the show's villain, or something more complicated?

More important, what does this development mean for Sackhoff, who already has a full-time job? And then what does this new role mean about the critically-praised "Battlestar Galactica," which is currently in production for its fourth, possibly last, season?

According to sources at NBC Universal, Sackhoff will be a "recurring guest star" on "Bionic Woman." We'll try to find out what that means.

And a decision on the future of "Battlestar Galactica"  -- whether the fourth season will wrap up the series -- will be announced in the next few weeks.

-- Kate Aurthur

(Photo courtesy NBC Universal)

Starbuck is alive. She could be a Cylon. But wait, there's more! Four other Cylons have awakened aboard "Battlestar Galactica," and the humans look stunned in more ways than one.

Among the now-aware robots, a mechanical race that appears human but is actually set on destroying the species, are presidential aide Tory (Rekha Sharma) and Galactica's second-in-command, Saul Tigh (Michael Hogan). Then again, the four could be the key to peace between the toasters and the humans.

The possibilities are endless. But something tells me the writers for the most part know where the show is heading, a rare reward for followers of any serialized drama.

'Battlestar Galactica' Cylon Tricia Helfer ignites 'Burn Notice'

The finality of the series' approaching end is taking shape.

Tricia Helfer, who pulled the strings behind Gaius Baltar (James Callis) as Cylon 'Number Six' (or just Six) on "Battlestar Galactica," will continue to pull strings as she takes on the role of Carla in USA's "Burn Notice."

Up until this point, Carla had been a faceless voice on threatening phone calls to the show's main character, Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan). She'll apparently have a more visual and active role as she hands out assignments for him to take care of.

Helfer has been actively preparing for life after "Battlestar," also signing a talent holding deal with Fox. For one of FHM's sexiest women, linking up with the #1 new series on cable (for 2007) is not a bad way to stay on screen.

-- Jevon Phillips

Denise Martin, your regularly scheduled showtracker, is off galavanting on her honeymoon.

We wish her well, but we couldn't let this go. Catching up: In "Battlestar Galactica's" season opener, Starbuck returns in the middle of a Cylon attack; Gaius is found not guilty and made into some sort of messiah after Lee's long-winded monologue, and Anders -- one of the four who believe they are Cylons -- is confirmed through some eye-to-eye contact with a raider.

A lot happened in 'Six of One' (last night's episode), yet there's still so much unanswered -- including the big question of who the fifth Cylon really is. Gotta assume that little diddy may stay secret for a while, but BSG doesn't seem afraid to reveal what we think are climactic plot points, only to open other cleverly concealed doors. Cult-status shows tend to do that.

Key line of the episode: 'No one has ever voted against their own model!'

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."

Fans may have been shocked, but "Battlestar Galactica" executive producer Ronald D. Moore said he saw the end of "Battlestar Galactica" looming months ago, as he and executive producer David Eick hashed out the plan for the end of Season 3.

The final handful of episodes saw the humans discover a liveable algae planet, a glimpse of four of the Final Five Cylons, and the revelation that at least one character had reached Earth.

"There is a creative agenda we wanted to serve," Moore said during a conference call Friday afternoon with reporters clamoring to know why the producers had chosen to preemptively draw the series to a close. "We feel the show has reached its third act. The storyline is propelling us."

He added: "If we don't start paying this off and if we don't reveal those secrets, you feel like you're jerking around the audience."

The producers were naturally tight-lipped about what would happen in the upcoming 22 episodes, but did promise that the search for Earth will be resolved in some way.

"Battlestar Galactica" is the most high-profile of Sci Fi Channel's original series, but according to the pair, the network's programming executives were ultimately supportive of the decision to end the show next year. "They expressed concern that the show would be able to go on longer," Moore explained. "But when we were clear this is what we wanted to to, they were supportive."

Eick said the cast reactions to the news of an end date were split. "Some of them understood...others believed that the show had a longer shelf life and were surprised." But everyone now is really "sinking their teeth in" for the last hurrah, he said.

Moore echoed the description, adding that being in Vancouver last month for the show's last start of production "felt like the beginning of senior year."

Other tidbits from the call:

• Lucy Lawless might be back! Her Cylon brethren pulled the plug on Lawless' character D'Anna after she went renegade last season, but Moore revealed that the producers are talking about booting the femme-bot back up. "It's in the planning stages," he said, but added that nothing is firm.
• November's two-hour stand-alone special, "Razor," will follow the back story of Battlestar Pegasus, the high-tech ship run by Admiral Cain (who died in Season 2). Story will go into the events prior to her death and will also dramatize the original Cylon attack on the humans. It won't deal with last season's cliffhanger -- Starbuck's alive? Who's the fifth member of the Final Five? -- but it will set up certain events that will happen in the final batch of episodes, Moore said.
• The pilot "Caprica" is still in contention for a series pick-up at Sci Fi Channel. Eick said the project, which would serve as a prequel to "Battlestar Galactica," would get into the creation and origins of the Cylons among other things. "We're anxious for any opportunity to pursue it," Eick said. "It's not on the front burner, but no one has said it's dead. We continue to hope."

• No film spin-offs are in the works -- yet? "The plan is to end the show, to bring it to a definitive conclusion," Moore said, but not without adding: "but never say never. You never know how we'll feel when we actually write the conclusion. It would be foolish to say absolutely not. But right now, the plan is to end it [with the series]."

-- Denise Martin

(Photo by Carole Segal / Sci Fi Channel)

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...

Members of the audience at NBC's upfront presentation Monday couldn't help noticing that Katee Sackhoff, who plays Starbuck on "Battlestar Galactica," was prominently featured in the clips from "Bionic Woman."

It wasn't a secret that Sackhoff had been cast in the NBC show's pilot by David Eick, who is an executive producer of both series. And the two shows are siblings within the NBC Universal family, since Sci Fi Channel, the "Battlestar Galactica" broadcaster, is NBC-owned.

But in the presentation of clips to advertisers and the press, her role seemed awfully important -- as in, she announces she's the first bionic woman, and then proceeds to try to beat the new "Bionic Woman" (Michelle Ryan) to a pulp. Is Sackhoff playing the show's villain, or something more complicated?

More important, what does this development mean for Sackhoff, who already has a full-time job? And then what does this new role mean about the critically-praised "Battlestar Galactica," which is currently in production for its fourth, possibly last, season?

According to sources at NBC Universal, Sackhoff will be a "recurring guest star" on "Bionic Woman." We'll try to find out what that means.

And a decision on the future of "Battlestar Galactica"  -- whether the fourth season will wrap up the series -- will be announced in the next few weeks.

-- Kate Aurthur

(Photo courtesy NBC Universal)

Starbuck is alive. She could be a Cylon. But wait, there's more! Four other Cylons have awakened aboard "Battlestar Galactica," and the humans look stunned in more ways than one.

Among the now-aware robots, a mechanical race that appears human but is actually set on destroying the species, are presidential aide Tory (Rekha Sharma) and Galactica's second-in-command, Saul Tigh (Michael Hogan). Then again, the four could be the key to peace between the toasters and the humans.

The possibilities are endless. But something tells me the writers for the most part know where the show is heading, a rare reward for followers of any serialized drama.

'Battlestar's' frakking Cylon civil war!?

Denise Martin, your regularly scheduled showtracker, is off galavanting on her honeymoon.

We wish her well, but we couldn't let this go. Catching up: In "Battlestar Galactica's" season opener, Starbuck returns in the middle of a Cylon attack; Gaius is found not guilty and made into some sort of messiah after Lee's long-winded monologue, and Anders -- one of the four who believe they are Cylons -- is confirmed through some eye-to-eye contact with a raider.

A lot happened in 'Six of One' (last night's episode), yet there's still so much unanswered -- including the big question of who the fifth Cylon really is. Gotta assume that little diddy may stay secret for a while, but BSG doesn't seem afraid to reveal what we think are climactic plot points, only to open other cleverly concealed doors. Cult-status shows tend to do that.

Key line of the episode: 'No one has ever voted against their own model!'

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."

Fans may have been shocked, but "Battlestar Galactica" executive producer Ronald D. Moore said he saw the end of "Battlestar Galactica" looming months ago, as he and executive producer David Eick hashed out the plan for the end of Season 3.

The final handful of episodes saw the humans discover a liveable algae planet, a glimpse of four of the Final Five Cylons, and the revelation that at least one character had reached Earth.

"There is a creative agenda we wanted to serve," Moore said during a conference call Friday afternoon with reporters clamoring to know why the producers had chosen to preemptively draw the series to a close. "We feel the show has reached its third act. The storyline is propelling us."

He added: "If we don't start paying this off and if we don't reveal those secrets, you feel like you're jerking around the audience."

The producers were naturally tight-lipped about what would happen in the upcoming 22 episodes, but did promise that the search for Earth will be resolved in some way.

"Battlestar Galactica" is the most high-profile of Sci Fi Channel's original series, but according to the pair, the network's programming executives were ultimately supportive of the decision to end the show next year. "They expressed concern that the show would be able to go on longer," Moore explained. "But when we were clear this is what we wanted to to, they were supportive."

Eick said the cast reactions to the news of an end date were split. "Some of them understood...others believed that the show had a longer shelf life and were surprised." But everyone now is really "sinking their teeth in" for the last hurrah, he said.

Moore echoed the description, adding that being in Vancouver last month for the show's last start of production "felt like the beginning of senior year."

Other tidbits from the call:

• Lucy Lawless might be back! Her Cylon brethren pulled the plug on Lawless' character D'Anna after she went renegade last season, but Moore revealed that the producers are talking about booting the femme-bot back up. "It's in the planning stages," he said, but added that nothing is firm.
• November's two-hour stand-alone special, "Razor," will follow the back story of Battlestar Pegasus, the high-tech ship run by Admiral Cain (who died in Season 2). Story will go into the events prior to her death and will also dramatize the original Cylon attack on the humans. It won't deal with last season's cliffhanger -- Starbuck's alive? Who's the fifth member of the Final Five? -- but it will set up certain events that will happen in the final batch of episodes, Moore said.
• The pilot "Caprica" is still in contention for a series pick-up at Sci Fi Channel. Eick said the project, which would serve as a prequel to "Battlestar Galactica," would get into the creation and origins of the Cylons among other things. "We're anxious for any opportunity to pursue it," Eick said. "It's not on the front burner, but no one has said it's dead. We continue to hope."

• No film spin-offs are in the works -- yet? "The plan is to end the show, to bring it to a definitive conclusion," Moore said, but not without adding: "but never say never. You never know how we'll feel when we actually write the conclusion. It would be foolish to say absolutely not. But right now, the plan is to end it [with the series]."

-- Denise Martin

(Photo by Carole Segal / Sci Fi Channel)

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...

Members of the audience at NBC's upfront presentation Monday couldn't help noticing that Katee Sackhoff, who plays Starbuck on "Battlestar Galactica," was prominently featured in the clips from "Bionic Woman."

It wasn't a secret that Sackhoff had been cast in the NBC show's pilot by David Eick, who is an executive producer of both series. And the two shows are siblings within the NBC Universal family, since Sci Fi Channel, the "Battlestar Galactica" broadcaster, is NBC-owned.

But in the presentation of clips to advertisers and the press, her role seemed awfully important -- as in, she announces she's the first bionic woman, and then proceeds to try to beat the new "Bionic Woman" (Michelle Ryan) to a pulp. Is Sackhoff playing the show's villain, or something more complicated?

More important, what does this development mean for Sackhoff, who already has a full-time job? And then what does this new role mean about the critically-praised "Battlestar Galactica," which is currently in production for its fourth, possibly last, season?

According to sources at NBC Universal, Sackhoff will be a "recurring guest star" on "Bionic Woman." We'll try to find out what that means.

And a decision on the future of "Battlestar Galactica"  -- whether the fourth season will wrap up the series -- will be announced in the next few weeks.

-- Kate Aurthur

(Photo courtesy NBC Universal)

Starbuck is alive. She could be a Cylon. But wait, there's more! Four other Cylons have awakened aboard "Battlestar Galactica," and the humans look stunned in more ways than one.

Among the now-aware robots, a mechanical race that appears human but is actually set on destroying the species, are presidential aide Tory (Rekha Sharma) and Galactica's second-in-command, Saul Tigh (Michael Hogan). Then again, the four could be the key to peace between the toasters and the humans.

The possibilities are endless. But something tells me the writers for the most part know where the show is heading, a rare reward for followers of any serialized drama.

'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."

Fans may have been shocked, but "Battlestar Galactica" executive producer Ronald D. Moore said he saw the end of "Battlestar Galactica" looming months ago, as he and executive producer David Eick hashed out the plan for the end of Season 3.

The final handful of episodes saw the humans discover a liveable algae planet, a glimpse of four of the Final Five Cylons, and the revelation that at least one character had reached Earth.

"There is a creative agenda we wanted to serve," Moore said during a conference call Friday afternoon with reporters clamoring to know why the producers had chosen to preemptively draw the series to a close. "We feel the show has reached its third act. The storyline is propelling us."

He added: "If we don't start paying this off and if we don't reveal those secrets, you feel like you're jerking around the audience."

The producers were naturally tight-lipped about what would happen in the upcoming 22 episodes, but did promise that the search for Earth will be resolved in some way.

"Battlestar Galactica" is the most high-profile of Sci Fi Channel's original series, but according to the pair, the network's programming executives were ultimately supportive of the decision to end the show next year. "They expressed concern that the show would be able to go on longer," Moore explained. "But when we were clear this is what we wanted to to, they were supportive."

Eick said the cast reactions to the news of an end date were split. "Some of them understood...others believed that the show had a longer shelf life and were surprised." But everyone now is really "sinking their teeth in" for the last hurrah, he said.

Moore echoed the description, adding that being in Vancouver last month for the show's last start of production "felt like the beginning of senior year."

Other tidbits from the call:

• Lucy Lawless might be back! Her Cylon brethren pulled the plug on Lawless' character D'Anna after she went renegade last season, but Moore revealed that the producers are talking about booting the femme-bot back up. "It's in the planning stages," he said, but added that nothing is firm.
• November's two-hour stand-alone special, "Razor," will follow the back story of Battlestar Pegasus, the high-tech ship run by Admiral Cain (who died in Season 2). Story will go into the events prior to her death and will also dramatize the original Cylon attack on the humans. It won't deal with last season's cliffhanger -- Starbuck's alive? Who's the fifth member of the Final Five? -- but it will set up certain events that will happen in the final batch of episodes, Moore said.
• The pilot "Caprica" is still in contention for a series pick-up at Sci Fi Channel. Eick said the project, which would serve as a prequel to "Battlestar Galactica," would get into the creation and origins of the Cylons among other things. "We're anxious for any opportunity to pursue it," Eick said. "It's not on the front burner, but no one has said it's dead. We continue to hope."

• No film spin-offs are in the works -- yet? "The plan is to end the show, to bring it to a definitive conclusion," Moore said, but not without adding: "but never say never. You never know how we'll feel when we actually write the conclusion. It would be foolish to say absolutely not. But right now, the plan is to end it [with the series]."

-- Denise Martin

(Photo by Carole Segal / Sci Fi Channel)

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...

Members of the audience at NBC's upfront presentation Monday couldn't help noticing that Katee Sackhoff, who plays Starbuck on "Battlestar Galactica," was prominently featured in the clips from "Bionic Woman."

It wasn't a secret that Sackhoff had been cast in the NBC show's pilot by David Eick, who is an executive producer of both series. And the two shows are siblings within the NBC Universal family, since Sci Fi Channel, the "Battlestar Galactica" broadcaster, is NBC-owned.

But in the presentation of clips to advertisers and the press, her role seemed awfully important -- as in, she announces she's the first bionic woman, and then proceeds to try to beat the new "Bionic Woman" (Michelle Ryan) to a pulp. Is Sackhoff playing the show's villain, or something more complicated?

More important, what does this development mean for Sackhoff, who already has a full-time job? And then what does this new role mean about the critically-praised "Battlestar Galactica," which is currently in production for its fourth, possibly last, season?

According to sources at NBC Universal, Sackhoff will be a "recurring guest star" on "Bionic Woman." We'll try to find out what that means.

And a decision on the future of "Battlestar Galactica"  -- whether the fourth season will wrap up the series -- will be announced in the next few weeks.

-- Kate Aurthur

(Photo courtesy NBC Universal)

Starbuck is alive. She could be a Cylon. But wait, there's more! Four other Cylons have awakened aboard "Battlestar Galactica," and the humans look stunned in more ways than one.

Among the now-aware robots, a mechanical race that appears human but is actually set on destroying the species, are presidential aide Tory (Rekha Sharma) and Galactica's second-in-command, Saul Tigh (Michael Hogan). Then again, the four could be the key to peace between the toasters and the humans.

The possibilities are endless. But something tells me the writers for the most part know where the show is heading, a rare reward for followers of any serialized drama.

'Battlestar Galactica' producers: The show had reached its third act

Fans may have been shocked, but "Battlestar Galactica" executive producer Ronald D. Moore said he saw the end of "Battlestar Galactica" looming months ago, as he and executive producer David Eick hashed out the plan for the end of Season 3.

The final handful of episodes saw the humans discover a liveable algae planet, a glimpse of four of the Final Five Cylons, and the revelation that at least one character had reached Earth.

"There is a creative agenda we wanted to serve," Moore said during a conference call Friday afternoon with reporters clamoring to know why the producers had chosen to preemptively draw the series to a close. "We feel the show has reached its third act. The storyline is propelling us."

He added: "If we don't start paying this off and if we don't reveal those secrets, you feel like you're jerking around the audience."

The producers were naturally tight-lipped about what would happen in the upcoming 22 episodes, but did promise that the search for Earth will be resolved in some way.

"Battlestar Galactica" is the most high-profile of Sci Fi Channel's original series, but according to the pair, the network's programming executives were ultimately supportive of the decision to end the show next year. "They expressed concern that the show would be able to go on longer," Moore explained. "But when we were clear this is what we wanted to to, they were supportive."

Eick said the cast reactions to the news of an end date were split. "Some of them understood...others believed that the show had a longer shelf life and were surprised." But everyone now is really "sinking their teeth in" for the last hurrah, he said.

Moore echoed the description, adding that being in Vancouver last month for the show's last start of production "felt like the beginning of senior year."

Other tidbits from the call:

• Lucy Lawless might be back! Her Cylon brethren pulled the plug on Lawless' character D'Anna after she went renegade last season, but Moore revealed that the producers are talking about booting the femme-bot back up. "It's in the planning stages," he said, but added that nothing is firm.
• November's two-hour stand-alone special, "Razor," will follow the back story of Battlestar Pegasus, the high-tech ship run by Admiral Cain (who died in Season 2). Story will go into the events prior to her death and will also dramatize the original Cylon attack on the humans. It won't deal with last season's cliffhanger -- Starbuck's alive? Who's the fifth member of the Final Five? -- but it will set up certain events that will happen in the final batch of episodes, Moore said.
• The pilot "Caprica" is still in contention for a series pick-up at Sci Fi Channel. Eick said the project, which would serve as a prequel to "Battlestar Galactica," would get into the creation and origins of the Cylons among other things. "We're anxious for any opportunity to pursue it," Eick said. "It's not on the front burner, but no one has said it's dead. We continue to hope."

• No film spin-offs are in the works -- yet? "The plan is to end the show, to bring it to a definitive conclusion," Moore said, but not without adding: "but never say never. You never know how we'll feel when we actually write the conclusion. It would be foolish to say absolutely not. But right now, the plan is to end it [with the series]."

-- Denise Martin

(Photo by Carole Segal / Sci Fi Channel)

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...

Members of the audience at NBC's upfront presentation Monday couldn't help noticing that Katee Sackhoff, who plays Starbuck on "Battlestar Galactica," was prominently featured in the clips from "Bionic Woman."

It wasn't a secret that Sackhoff had been cast in the NBC show's pilot by David Eick, who is an executive producer of both series. And the two shows are siblings within the NBC Universal family, since Sci Fi Channel, the "Battlestar Galactica" broadcaster, is NBC-owned.

But in the presentation of clips to advertisers and the press, her role seemed awfully important -- as in, she announces she's the first bionic woman, and then proceeds to try to beat the new "Bionic Woman" (Michelle Ryan) to a pulp. Is Sackhoff playing the show's villain, or something more complicated?

More important, what does this development mean for Sackhoff, who already has a full-time job? And then what does this new role mean about the critically-praised "Battlestar Galactica," which is currently in production for its fourth, possibly last, season?

According to sources at NBC Universal, Sackhoff will be a "recurring guest star" on "Bionic Woman." We'll try to find out what that means.

And a decision on the future of "Battlestar Galactica"  -- whether the fourth season will wrap up the series -- will be announced in the next few weeks.

-- Kate Aurthur

(Photo courtesy NBC Universal)

Starbuck is alive. She could be a Cylon. But wait, there's more! Four other Cylons have awakened aboard "Battlestar Galactica," and the humans look stunned in more ways than one.

Among the now-aware robots, a mechanical race that appears human but is actually set on destroying the species, are presidential aide Tory (Rekha Sharma) and Galactica's second-in-command, Saul Tigh (Michael Hogan). Then again, the four could be the key to peace between the toasters and the humans.

The possibilities are endless. But something tells me the writers for the most part know where the show is heading, a rare reward for followers of any serialized drama.

'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...

Members of the audience at NBC's upfront presentation Monday couldn't help noticing that Katee Sackhoff, who plays Starbuck on "Battlestar Galactica," was prominently featured in the clips from "Bionic Woman."

It wasn't a secret that Sackhoff had been cast in the NBC show's pilot by David Eick, who is an executive producer of both series. And the two shows are siblings within the NBC Universal family, since Sci Fi Channel, the "Battlestar Galactica" broadcaster, is NBC-owned.

But in the presentation of clips to advertisers and the press, her role seemed awfully important -- as in, she announces she's the first bionic woman, and then proceeds to try to beat the new "Bionic Woman" (Michelle Ryan) to a pulp. Is Sackhoff playing the show's villain, or something more complicated?

More important, what does this development mean for Sackhoff, who already has a full-time job? And then what does this new role mean about the critically-praised "Battlestar Galactica," which is currently in production for its fourth, possibly last, season?

According to sources at NBC Universal, Sackhoff will be a "recurring guest star" on "Bionic Woman." We'll try to find out what that means.

And a decision on the future of "Battlestar Galactica"  -- whether the fourth season will wrap up the series -- will be announced in the next few weeks.

-- Kate Aurthur

(Photo courtesy NBC Universal)

Starbuck is alive. She could be a Cylon. But wait, there's more! Four other Cylons have awakened aboard "Battlestar Galactica," and the humans look stunned in more ways than one.

Among the now-aware robots, a mechanical race that appears human but is actually set on destroying the species, are presidential aide Tory (Rekha Sharma) and Galactica's second-in-command, Saul Tigh (Michael Hogan). Then again, the four could be the key to peace between the toasters and the humans.

The possibilities are endless. But something tells me the writers for the most part know where the show is heading, a rare reward for followers of any serialized drama.

NBC's 'Bionic Woman': Is Starbuck Going Bionic?

Members of the audience at NBC's upfront presentation Monday couldn't help noticing that Katee Sackhoff, who plays Starbuck on "Battlestar Galactica," was prominently featured in the clips from "Bionic Woman."

It wasn't a secret that Sackhoff had been cast in the NBC show's pilot by David Eick, who is an executive producer of both series. And the two shows are siblings within the NBC Universal family, since Sci Fi Channel, the "Battlestar Galactica" broadcaster, is NBC-owned.

But in the presentation of clips to advertisers and the press, her role seemed awfully important -- as in, she announces she's the first bionic woman, and then proceeds to try to beat the new "Bionic Woman" (Michelle Ryan) to a pulp. Is Sackhoff playing the show's villain, or something more complicated?

More important, what does this development mean for Sackhoff, who already has a full-time job? And then what does this new role mean about the critically-praised "Battlestar Galactica," which is currently in production for its fourth, possibly last, season?

According to sources at NBC Universal, Sackhoff will be a "recurring guest star" on "Bionic Woman." We'll try to find out what that means.

And a decision on the future of "Battlestar Galactica"  -- whether the fourth season will wrap up the series -- will be announced in the next few weeks.

-- Kate Aurthur

(Photo courtesy NBC Universal)

Starbuck is alive. She could be a Cylon. But wait, there's more! Four other Cylons have awakened aboard "Battlestar Galactica," and the humans look stunned in more ways than one.

Among the now-aware robots, a mechanical race that appears human but is actually set on destroying the species, are presidential aide Tory (Rekha Sharma) and Galactica's second-in-command, Saul Tigh (Michael Hogan). Then again, the four could be the key to peace between the toasters and the humans.

The possibilities are endless. But something tells me the writers for the most part know where the show is heading, a rare reward for followers of any serialized drama.

'Battlestar Galactica': This 'Battlestar' is just crawling with Cylons

Starbuck is alive. She could be a Cylon. But wait, there's more! Four other Cylons have awakened aboard "Battlestar Galactica," and the humans look stunned in more ways than one.

Among the now-aware robots, a mechanical race that appears human but is actually set on destroying the species, are presidential aide Tory (Rekha Sharma) and Galactica's second-in-command, Saul Tigh (Michael Hogan). Then again, the four could be the key to peace between the toasters and the humans.

The possibilities are endless. But something tells me the writers for the most part know where the show is heading, a rare reward for followers of any serialized drama.