Battlestar Galactica

Syfy has just announced “Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome,” a two-hour spin-off pilot that  gets back into the Viper with a young version of William Adama and executive producer David Eick. We caught up with the veteran creator to get some early intel on a project that will be getting underway after the first of the year. GB: What can you tell us about where this falls in the mythology? DE: The show takes place when William Adama, the character played by Edward James Olmos in “BSG,” is in his 20s, fresh out of cadet school, on the precipice of experiencing his first taste of combat.  The era — in our mythology – is the threatening, treacherous period known as the First Cylon War, which fans of “Battlestar Galactica” may remember took place over 40 years before the events of “BSG.” […]

GUEST ESSAY The day after Christmas 1973, “The Exorcist” was unleashed upon an unsuspecting world, and Hollywood horror films would never be viewed in quite the same way.  The film is back in the spotlight with the Sept. 30 one-night release of “The Exorcist Extended Director’s Cut”  at more than 450 theaters nationwide and that edition’s Oct. 5 release on Blu-ray in a special high-definition, two-disc set that also includes the original theatrical version. The movie is often called the scariest film of all time, and its influence runs far and deep. One of the devoted disciples of the William Friedkin classic is David Eick, the executive producer of “Battlestar Galactica” and “Caprica,” the acclaimed science-fiction shows that were informed by the merciless, genre-transcendent example of “The Exorcist.” “Well, you know, it’s based on a true story, right?” Those 10 words, spoken to my […]

Moderating a big panel at Comic-Con International is a bit like big-wave surfing — flashes of stomach-wrenching terror and moments of go-with-it thrill. A few hours ago, in front of a few thousand fans in Ballroom 20, I moderated the panel on SyFy’s “Caprica.” The lineup featured four cast members and the show’s co-creator, Ronald D. Moore, and executive producer, David Eick. I don’t how it played in the audience, but from the stage it was an absolute blast – brisk, insightful, funny and candid. Eick brought a bottle of tequila onstage and he and Moore did a few shots at the start of the 11 a.m. panel. The two longtime collaborators were candid and charismatic as they talked about the show’s future (they are optimistic about a second season but it’s not a done deal yet) and analyzed the religious, ethical […]

Oh I like this one. I’m among the people who loved to hear “Sabotage” used in the J.J. Abrams version of “Star Trek” and now the Beastie Boys hit is doing it Colonial-style with this great fan-made montage. Thanks to Geek Girl Diva, a good pal to the Hero Complex, for sending this one our way. Check out her blog if you haven’t lately; it rocks. – Geoff Boucher RECENT AND RELATED Edward James Olmos on the “Blade Runner”/”Battlestar” connection Edward James Olmos: “The Plan” is not the end for “Battlestar” Starbuck speaks! Katee Sackhoff on the end of “BSG” VIDEO: “Battlestar” panel in L.A. with Olmos and McDonnell “Battlestar” finally gets some trophy love PHOTO GALLERY: What’s next for the “Battlestar” cast? So say we all: Inside the cast party for “BSG” finale Kate Vernon on her life as Ellen Tigh, the […]

Mary McNamara, the television critic for the Los Angeles Times, was one of the strongest voices among the chorus of critics who hailed “Battlestar Galactica” and now she has high hopes for the spinoff series, “Caprica,” which begins tonight. But, she writes, the series is off to a bit of a slow start.    In the midst of all its programming woes, NBC has managed to achieve something close to the impossible — a prequel series that should not only please all comers but may expand the demographic of science fiction fans everywhere. Debuting on SyFy (though it could just as easily be moved to that barren 10 p.m. slot on NBC), “ Caprica” is set 58 years before the Cylon wars that propel “ Battlestar Galactica” and tells how the Cylons came to be. The shows may share the same […]

Make sure this is on your DRADIS screen: The two-hour “Battlestar Galactica” movie “The Plan” makes its broadcast premiere Sunday night. Here’s an extended clip from the Cylon-centric movie directed by the admiral himself, Edward James Olmos and starring Tricia Helfer, Grace Park, Michael Hogan, Dean Stockwell, Michael Trucco, Kate Vernon and Olmos himself.   – Geoff Boucher RECENT AND RELATED Edward James Olmos on the “Blade Runner”/”Battlestar” connection Edward James Olmos: “The Plan” is not the end for “Battlestar” Starbuck speaks! Katee Sackhoff on the end of “BSG” VIDEO: “Battlestar” panel in L.A. with Olmos and McDonnell PHOTO GALLERY: What’s next for the “Battlestar” cast? “Battlestar” finally gets some trophy love So say we all: Inside the cast party for “BSG” finale Kate Vernon on her life as Ellen Tigh, the Cylon cougar

(READ PART ONE RIGHT HERE and PART TWO RIGHT HERE) Stressed about finding the perfect gift for that special muggle, Trekkie, Twi-hard, Jedi or Bat-fan in your life? Relax and read on: You’ve come to the perfect place at the perfect time, because this is the 2009 Hero Complex Holiday Gift Guide — just think of us as a sort of retail Yoda guiding you through the complicated swamps of holiday shopping. “Buy or buy not. There is no browse.” “Live Long and Prosper” business card holder: I hear people say Spock is back. But did he ever really leave? “Star Trek” was the best fanboy film of 2009, and Spock was so important to the story he was played by two actors. Zachary Quinto acquitted himself nicely in the role of the half-human, half-Vulcan, and, more than that, he was smart […]

SCREAM AWARDS, airing 10 p.m., TUESDAY, OCT. 27 on SPIKE TV “Battlestar Galactica” will be back from the dead on Tuesday. The best-written sci-fi show in the history of television ended its 75-episode run last March, but it won’t feel like it Tuesday, not with a special tribute to the show airing during the 2009 Scream Awards broadcast and a new “Battlestar” film, “The Plan,” hitting store shelves that day as a DVD and Blu-ray release. That’s the trailer for “The Plan” above. At the Scream Awards taping last week at the Greek Theatre, amid plumes of pyro and a vigorous ovation, the stars of “The Big Bang Theory” introduced a good-sized contingent of “Battlestar” cast members and, somehow, it already felt like it had been too long since we’d seen them together. Backstage, I got to catch up with some of the show’s […]

SATURDAY: FREE SCREENING OF “DIG COMICS” AT MELTDOWN It seems comic book heroes are bigger than ever. In 2007, “Spider-Man 3” topped the charts with a $891 million in worldwide box office. The following year “The Dark Knight” grossed more than $1 billion while “Iron Man” rang up $585 million. But while heroes are flying high in theaters, comic book publishing is on the verge of being a mere footnote to the cinematic franchises it spawned. That is deeply alarming to Miguel Cima, who wants to preserve the lore of the truly American pop-culture phenomena – and he has the help of someone who knows about endangered species, namely actor Edward James Olmos, who led the ragtag fleet of human survivors in the critically acclaimed series “Battlestar Galatica” and, back in 1982, was a key cast member in “Blade Runner,” regarded by some as simply the best […]

Tom O’Neil, the entertainment awards maven at The Envelope, has this heartening report from the TCA Awards, where two favorites of the Hero Complex finally get some trophy recognition… Wow! Members of the Television Critics Association actually put their awards where their big mouths are! Finally, the TCA Awards recognized “Battlestar Galactica” after voters beat the beans out of the Emmys for failing to give the show any major awards in the past. Can this mean a break from the TCA Awards’ hypocrisy? In years past, voters whined, fumed and harrumphed about the Emmys failing to recognize “The Wire” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” then they snubbed them too. TCA members never gave those shows real prizes — just handed them that bogus “Heritage Award” after they went off the air and failed to win best drama series or program […]