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SciFi Channel To Air A New Galactica Series

EvilBuu writes "The Sci-Fi Channel has begun airing ads announcing a full Battlestar Galactica series following the surprisingly (to some) good new mini series starring Edward James Olmos. Looks like it will be a straight forward continuation of the mini, with the same cast and more Cylon goodness!" According to this press release, Richard Hatch will guest star, and the show will air starting in January 2005.

175 comments

  1. Welcome to February by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative
    1. Re:Welcome to February by Omega1045 · · Score: 2, Informative

      I have seen the ads on since the season premiere of SG-1, which was a month ago. This story is seriously dated.

      --

      Great ideas often receive violent opposition from mediocre minds. - Albert Einstein

    2. Re:Welcome to February by SEWilco · · Score: 1

      Felgercarb!

    3. Re:Welcome to February by Omega1045 · · Score: 1

      That should be modded funny and insightful!!!

      --

      Great ideas often receive violent opposition from mediocre minds. - Albert Einstein

  2. Previews... by hot_Karls_bad_cavern · · Score: 1

    ...can be misleading from time to time, but i gotta say this looks like it's going to be very nice for the eyes :) i know, i know, that won't carry everything, but meh, i think it'll be fun to watch :)

    1. Re:Previews... by Nishal · · Score: 2, Insightful

      the cylons are supposed to be robots dammit..robots!!!!!

    2. Re:Previews... by kundor · · Score: 1
      The cylons are supposed to be dirty commies dammit....commies!

      Seriously, the whole cold-war allegory thing is sort of dead now.

    3. Re:Previews... by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

      But the new cylons look like us (or at least, in models 6-12) and thus, the new cylons are supposed to be TERRORISTS.

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
  3. no mas no mas! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Granted, I wasn't old enough to have watched the original Galactica (I'm not even 30 yet), but I did watch part of the mini-series and was thoroughly bored. Why they're going to make a regular series out of it, I'll never know.

    One thing I *do* know is that as good as Stargate SG-1 is, it pisses me off that Stargate gets 8 seasons and counting *AND* a spinoff while Farscape got three years and change with an abrupt axing without doing the characters justice in the "ending".

    That was enough to tick me off originally. But then Sci-Fi made it worse by continuing with that idiot John Edwards who "talks to stupid people"... oh - and supposedly their dead loved ones too (*cough* cold read *cough*). And then they had those two retarded "dream experts" that made everything in their show about *sex*. Sci-Fi is turning into the fucking LifeTime network. Then that terrible "Taken" by Spielberg (or lucas - I can't seperate the two anymore) and then that attrocious three hour guerilla marketing (disguised as a documentary) for The Village which investigated how M. Night Shyamalan is really some sort of voodoo shaman kind of guy with magical powers really did me in for good.

    I canceled my cable last week due specifically to my dislike for the Sci-Fi network. I'll put that $120/mo into something more worth while and any shows that I deem worthy enough to waste my time watching, I'll just grab from bit torrent.

    Anyway, back to the original point. What is it with Battlestar Galactica? It's about as exciting and interesting as that really crappy "Dark Shadows" series (and don't even get me started on the Mormony Goodness of the show). Is it just that SciFi couldn't find the funding for their 400th Sci-Fi Original movie about killer bees, killer anacondas, killer bats, killer dragons, killer spiders, killer rats, killer mosquitos, killer cats, or alien viruses?

    1. Re:no mas no mas! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Farscape got 4 seasons

    2. Re:no mas no mas! by hot_Karls_bad_cavern · · Score: 1

      Yow! That was one heck of a comment there, but i do have to agree with some parts of it. Sci-Fi (and cable) in general aren't worth too much of my time. Sci-Fi will play the good flick (proper, not made for tv), but their own shows? Let's just say that i don't cancel anything to watch them (the new BG should be at least pretty though).

      As for dropping cable, i just scored a new gig that will pay for broadband and i'm dropping cable (and it's admittedly very reliable internet access) like a fucking rock for DSL immediately. Other than the intarweb, i won't miss much from cable and dsl will pick up the slack.

      As for your ending comments, jesus, i have to agree - the lineups for the last few months on the weekends have all been killer-this or killer-that...all poorly made, poorly acted and just...not good. Small plot revolving around a handsome fellow, hot chick (whose makeup rarely smears despite flames, sweat, blowing pretty much everything sight up, etc), and some freak animal variety. Getting kinda old.

      Bah, i'll watch the new BG before the cable gets kicked, but i'm not too sure i'll miss cable all that much. i'll miss cnn somewhat though.

    3. Re:no mas no mas! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      What is it with Battlestar Galactica? It's about as exciting and interesting as that really crappy "Dark Shadows" series (and don't even get me started on the Mormony Goodness of the show).

      I disagree. I'm a hard sci-fi fan. I occasionally watch sci-fi on TV but for the most part find it dirge that drives me running back to Iain M Banks, Neal Stephenson, Ken McCloud, Vernor Vinge, Peter F Hamilton et al.

      Anyway, my point is (the new) Battle Star Galactica is VERY well written. It passes the golden rules of good Space Opera (no plot holes, an imaginative but beliebable universe, character driven) with flying colours and bar Firefly is about the only decent (non-Japanese) scifi to appear in the last decade.

      c

    4. Re:no mas no mas! by hot_Karls_bad_cavern · · Score: 1

      "...and the show will air starting in January 2005.

      heh...er, guess i won't be watching it then (cable will be a distant item in the house at that time ;-)

    5. Re:no mas no mas! by jx100 · · Score: 1

      You know that they're making a miniseries to give Farscape a proper ending? It'll be called "The Peacekeeper Wars"

    6. Re:no mas no mas! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pointless, if you ask me. You can't cram the final two years of story arc into two or three hours of programming over two nights.

      I'll download it from suprnova after it airs - or go to a friends and watch it. NO way in hell I'll pay sci-fi to watch it.

    7. Re:no mas no mas! by pyrrhonist · · Score: 4, Funny

      Well, at least you're not bitter about it.

      --
      Show me on the doll where his noodly appendage touched you.
    8. Re:no mas no mas! by NetNinja · · Score: 1

      When you have learned that your shit stinks then comment about Battlestar Galactica. otherwise go play your X-Box

    9. Re:no mas no mas! by Daemonik · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Sci-Fi has a Farscape mini series scheduled for next year too that's supposed to take up from where the series ended.

      As for why Sci-Fi schedules the shows that it does, it all comes down to money. Science Fiction shows are expensive and easy to screw up in the eyes of the hardcore audiences that follow them like they're Jim Jones with a fresh batch of kool-aid.

      The fact that Sci-Fi has any original programming is pretty cool, but it's far cheaper for them to run 'freak-of-the-week on their way to dvd' movies and 'reality' (*cough* Edwards *cough*) shows than to produce a good science fiction series.

      Also, considering that broadcast television has f****d up with Enterprise and couldn't figure out Firefly, a network that goes out on a limb to update a series like Battlestar Galactica, creates 3 Dune mini-series, buys up Stargate and spins off another series, is developing an Earthsea mini and is finally giving Farscape a mini isn't all that bad in my book. At least they're trying dude, which is more than NBC, CBS, FOX or the others can say.

    10. Re:no mas no mas! by steeef · · Score: 1

      The Farscape mini series (The Peacekeeper Wars) is scheduled to begin October 17th, not next year.

    11. Re:no mas no mas! by Luminari · · Score: 2
      • One thing I *do* know is that as good as Stargate SG-1 is, it pisses me off that Stargate gets 8 seasons and counting *AND* a spinoff while Farscape got three years and change with an abrupt axing without doing the characters justice in the "ending".

      Stargate SG1 gets the best ratings the SCI-FI network has ever gotten, and is still breaking it's own records, whereas the original Farscape wasn't getting very good ratings, despite the fact that there is a very devoted fanbase for it. I might also want to note that they are continuing Farscape (and hence correcting their own mistake).

      • That was enough to tick me off originally. But then Sci-Fi made it worse by continuing with that idiot John Edwards who "talks to stupid people"... oh - and supposedly their dead loved ones too (*cough* cold read *cough*). And then they had those two retarded "dream experts" that made everything in their show about *sex*. Sci-Fi is turning into the fucking LifeTime network. Then that terrible "Taken" by Spielberg (or lucas - I can't seperate the two anymore) and then that attrocious three hour guerilla marketing (disguised as a documentary) for The Village which investigated how M. Night Shyamalan is really some sort of voodoo shaman kind of guy with magical powers really did me in for good.

      However much you might not like that 'idiot' John Edwards, he gets ratings so they show him. If noone watched it, they wouldn't be playing it.

      Like any cable network owned by a large company (and thats basically all of them), the #1 thing they are concerned about is ratings (and hence the ad dollars that result from ratings). All of the tv networks are guilty of cancelling shows before they had a chance to really get started. That is unfortunately the way things work. If you don't like it that way, lobby your congressmen to force a breakup of large media companies, because thats the only way to reverse what is happening now...
    12. Re:no mas no mas! by lrucker · · Score: 1
      You know that they're [SciFi] making a miniseries to give Farscape a proper ending?

      They aren't making it. They have the rights to air it, but they had nothing to do with making it. If it had been up to them, it wouldn't have been made.

    13. Re:no mas no mas! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      1) Farscape actually got very good ratings but the cost of production was still insane. If they had done a bit more to pump up the show and treated it like more of a flagship product than a step-child, they'd have reaped far bigger rewards. Farscape was one of the best pieces of television programming ever. I would put it above everything but perhaps Twilight Zone.

      2) Farscape isn't coming back. They're doing a four hour miniseries which breaks down to about 2 hours of programming (and two hours of commercials) on two nights in October. That's hardly "bringing it back".

    14. Re:no mas no mas! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      While Stargate SG1 does have great numbers, Farscape's numbers were good. Farscape only went below 1.0 once, and that was in its first season. For the niche programming Sci-Fi offers, those are good ratings. Stargate is getting 2.0+ due to it having grown a fanbase on Showtime and network syndication for five years before moving to Scifi.

    15. Re:no mas no mas! by iantri · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Anyway, my point is (the new) Battle Star Galactica is VERY well written. It passes the golden rules of good Space Opera (no plot holes, an imaginative but beliebable universe, character driven) with flying colours and bar Firefly is about the only decent (non-Japanese) scifi to appear in the last decade.
      *COUGH* Babylon 5 *COUGH*.
    16. Re:no mas no mas! by Danny+Rathjens · · Score: 1
      that idiot John Edwards who "talks to stupid people"... oh - and supposedly their dead loved ones too (*cough* cold read *cough*)

      I recall reading about how they would let the guests for the show onto the stage a while before the show started with the microphones live. What do you think the guests would talk to each other about? Possibly about the dead people they are hoping to hear from? Or at least enough information to classify them better to make it more like 'warm reading' than 'cold reading'.

    17. Re:no mas no mas! by Chris_Jefferson · · Score: 3, Insightful

      There is a very good reason that Stargate got 8 seasons and Farscape got 3 years.

      I tried starting watching farscape at the start of season 3, stargate at the start of season 4. Stargate I got 90% of within 3 episodes or so and picked the rest up. Farscape kept referencing back so many times that after about 4 episodes I gave up. I wanted to like it, I really did, but I just could not get into it.

      Now I've watched it from the start, and love it. But I also understand that you can't expect most people to put that kind of dedication into a TV series. Farscape just got so clever and complex that there was no way anyone could get into it.

      --
      Combination - fun iPhone puzzling
    18. Re:no mas no mas! by Okonomiyaki · · Score: 1

      Deciding which programming to keep and which to drop comes down to a lot more than just "ratings" but it seems most people just don't get it. If two shows have equivalent ratings but one costs half as much to produce as the other, which do you think they'll keep?

      I can't imaging Farscape's ratings were very far below SG1's, maybe even about the same but just watch five minutes of each show and it's clear which one cost more to produce. Farscape had a much larger cast, way way way more intricate costumes/special effects, and a much better (higher paid?) team of writers. Doesn't anyone notice that every planet SG1 goes to looks like the woods outside of Vancouver BC?

      Then you've got John Edward... No writers, no special effects, maybe they even scam his audience into paying to come see the live show. This is what few people seem to notice about "reality" television. It's not on TV because more people actually want to watch it, it's there because it has higher profit margins.

    19. Re:no mas no mas! by NanoGator · · Score: 1

      "*COUGH* Babylon 5 *COUGH*."

      Well, let's see:

      1.) No plot holes? - BZZt.

      2.) Imaginative but believable universe? - BZZt.

      3.) Character driven? - Half-credit. (see rule 2.)

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    20. Re:no mas no mas! by mshiltonj · · Score: 1

      I canceled my cable last week due specifically to my dislike for the Sci-Fi network. I'll put that $120/mo into something more worth while and any shows that I deem worthy enough to waste my time watching, I'll just grab from bit torrent.

      I cancelled my cable back at Christmas, 8 months ago. Read my reason here. I recommend getting a netflix account. It's cheap, commercial-free and they've got tons of discs to choose from.

    21. Re:no mas no mas! by benzapp · · Score: 1

      This is very true, Farscape originally started my senior year of college, when I was too busy to watch TV, and then the two years after college when I was working or getting trashed/laid.

      I started to relax a little bit and spend time at home instead of in bars, and I couldn't figure out what the fuck that show was about...

      --
      I don't read or respond to AC posts
    22. Re:no mas no mas! by xigxag · · Score: 1

      That was interesting.* I just realized I haven't watched TV all week. I'm seriously considering doing just as you've suggested. The only thing holding me back is the propensity my post office has for making me go there and wait on line to pick up even the smallest of packages.

      *It sometimes seems a shame that we can't moderate and comment in the same topic. But what if, by commenting, it made our moderation results visible? (E.g.: your post would have under it, "this comment was modded interesting by xigxag".) Doesn't that seem an acceptable compromise position?

      --
      There are two kinds of people: 1) those who start arrays with one and 1) those who start them with zero.
    23. Re:no mas no mas! by kalidasa · · Score: 1

      Two Dune mini-series: they conflated *Dune, Messiah!* with *Children of Dune*. But other than that and the mistaken Farscape date already corrected by a sibling post, you're right. But for a while there (before their most recent buy-out), SciFi WASN'T trying - there was a while there when they had a "no more space shows" order - on a SCIENCE FICTION network, no less. And let's remember that the only credit they deserve for Stargate is snapping it up when Showtime killed it and creating a marginally entertaining spinoff.

    24. Re:no mas no mas! by xigxag · · Score: 1

      Let's be clear about this. Farscape's ratings were limited because a lot of people just couldn't get past the "muppets in space" look. SG-1's stroke of genius was in not making Thor a regular.

      --
      There are two kinds of people: 1) those who start arrays with one and 1) those who start them with zero.
    25. Re:no mas no mas! by jovetoo · · Score: 1

      What I like about Babylon 5 is that when you get down to it, the series is one big story. Season after season, it unfolds and they do it epic wise :).

      Imaginative and believable uiniverse... you say no? I like their universe. It's nice and chaotic and maybe a little too human. You don't find it believable? Why exactly not? Because two vastly superior races use the whole galaxy to fight out their doctrinal differences? Sounds rather human to me... a nice (kinda) religous war.

      Or perhaps because some human group thinks it can use others for their advantage or feels superior towards another part of humanity... what is not believable about that?

      Character driven? Yes. Definatly. TA large part of the plot exploits what some of the main characters want. That is what the Shadows ask: "What do you want?" And then they give it to you... slighty corrupted to fit in their plans off course. Still recognisable. And then even this turns out to be only a part of the story and we move deeper into the human issues.

      And last... you have a problem with plotholes? In the whole series, 5 seasons and two movies there is exactly 1 inconsistancy (a matter who met who where and when). Impressed me. You don't get everything followed up? Ah yes. We deal with dozens of alian races (3 major races), at least 4 different factions in humanity, 2 superadvanced races, an interracial police force and an intragalactic war. Following all that up might take a few more seasons...

      Whatever you say about B5, it is an impressive piece of work.

    26. Re:no mas no mas! by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      no plot holes

      They've got to do away with AI missiles that are somehow fooled by simple flares.

      Oh, and another golden rule of SciFi they need to understand, if they want women to watch - don't murder babies onscreen in the first ten minutes.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    27. Re:no mas no mas! by bluethundr · · Score: 1
      I'll put that $120/mo into something more worth while and any shows that I deem worthy enough to waste my time watching, I'll just grab from bit torrent.

      Too well said! Hat's off to you my friend (be it black or white ;). You are wise beyond your years sir, for one who is not yet 30!

      But I'd like two remind you of 2 basic hacker tenets:
      • Conservation of energy. i.e. Laziness as a virtue, not a vice.
      • Computers are toys to be played with.

      Now, with that in mind I can think of some MUCH better uses of that $120 per month.

      First things first, hop on over to levenger for some book storage. When I'm through with you you'll turn off that idiot-box altogether! Well, except for quality DVDs and TV shows (which are becoming all the more scarcer by the moment, don't even get me started on that topic!)!

      So, unless you already have an AMPLE solution (meaning a decent bookcase with lots of pictures, carded star wars figures, hummels or whatever the heck you may be into) you're gonna NEED some first rate book-stashage! :D

      Not that there's anything at all with grabbing a bit-torrent of something that's not yet out on DVD. And in my mind Netflix is a perfectly fine solution! Just more convenient than torrenting, less brain cycles that could be devoted to reading. If you haven't already, I'd highly recommend treating yourself to Lain and to Cowboy BeBop, as well as City of Lost Children.

      But if you're a coder, I really honestly feel that developing fascility with Assembly is a good move. I am only part way through a great book from No Starch called [CAUTION:PDF] the "Art of Assembly" that (in the short time I've been reading it) has allowed me to tighten up my C++ code a bit! I cant wait to see the result when I am finished! I also planning to read another book I have on Assembly, but this one is so good I'm not sure how much I'll need it! I'll probably read that second book anyway though. The author contends that no matter WHAT the language in question, be it C, C++, Java, Perl, Ruby, Python, or Lisp, your coding will benefit.

      I accidentally ran into the president of No Starch at the last 2600 conference. His name is Bill, and he's a really mellow very nice dude! I've been emailing him back and forth and he was nice enough to email me sample chapters from the upcoming title "Enterprise Linux Clustering". Honestly I haven't given them a thorough read, just a perusal but it seems top notch so far! I honeslty believe that No Starch is developing into the "New O'Reilly". Not in every sense of course, because O'Reilly's website is far more developed in the form of information and online instructive articles and news. Not even to mention that I have yet to be disappointed by an O'Reilly release! But NS is DEFINETLY an admirable up and commer!

      Once you're through a good set of skill building in Assmebler, you can reinforce your mad skillz by moving onto what will eventually be a 3 part series specifically written for people wo like their High languages like C++ or Perl or whatever called "Writing Great Code" by the same author as the Assembly book. I understand the series to focus mostly on machine archictecture, rather than assembly which will benefit every coder from Assember on up to C or maybe even VB. From there you can move onto some more interesting uses for your newfound knowledge (sorry if I'm incorrectly assuming you to not be a veteran Assembly yoda). What's the fun of writing ANY language if all you get to write is "Hello World" shite? So you can move on to cool and useful things like how to crackpro

      --
      Quod scripsi, scripsi.
    28. Re:no mas no mas! by Daemonik · · Score: 1
      Thanks for the corrections.

      If I'm not mistaken Sci-Fi stopped ordering 'space' shows for a period because their financial outlook within Vivendi was grim and they were trying to make the company look better financially while in negotiations to sell it off.

      "no more space shows" order - on a SCIENCE FICTION network, no less

      Not all science fiction has to be about spaceships and aliens. Science fiction is best when it slices into what makes humanity tick not when it's about techno-babble and blue chicks. Blade Runner, Soylent Green, The Fly, 28 Days Later, 12 Monkeys... great science fiction movies with nary a space ship in sight.
    29. Re:no mas no mas! by bluethundr · · Score: 1

      Woops! A few mistakes there. No terminating anchor on a link and a few misspeel1n6s. Meant to say turn off that DAMN computer. sigh.

      --
      Quod scripsi, scripsi.
    30. Re:no mas no mas! by r-dass · · Score: 1

      at least the writers for stargate learned not to end seasons with HUGE cliff hangers, after their 5 year contract with showtime came to an end, the season finales stopped having huge cliff hangers. So much better than shows that leave you with a cliff hanger and get cancelled.

    31. Re:no mas no mas! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They've got to do away with AI missiles that are somehow fooled by simple flares.

      A) That's not a plothole, that's a nitpick
      B) Who ever said the missiles wre AIs?
      C) Who ever said the 'flares' were 'simple flares'?

      Oh, and another golden rule of SciFi they need to understand, if they want women to watch - don't murder babies onscreen in the first ten minutes.

      Granted, I don't think the opening was very strong, but the highest ratings on IMDB come from females, fairly consistently across all age groups I might add...

    32. Re:no mas no mas! by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 1

      The original one was an exploration of middle eastern myth and religion, set against the backdrop of a cold war gone horribly wrong.

      The new one does away with the exploration of mythology (almost- we still have the hunt for Earth and the Lords of Kobol- they might expand upon it more in the series than in the original) set against the backdrop of a fledgeling society turned terrorist against the older society (that is, instead of the US vs Soviet cold war being the backdrop, you have the US vs Saudi Arabia Frankenstien Complex backdrop). With one heck of a lot more emphasis on terror and destruction (that's why the baby had to be killed in the first 10 minutes- one child found with a broken neck in it's pram creates a lot of confusion and terror- the new cylons are most efficient). I only watch about 6 hours of TV regularly anymore- and I timeshift that (no TIVO, why when a $20 VCR from the pawnshop will do?): Bill Cosby's new cartoon show Fatherhood, Red Green on PBS, Enterprise on Friday Nights (what will I do when Joan of Arcadia comes back?), and Stargate (both SG1 and Atlantis). Plus Britcoms on Saturday Night on PBS. 2.5 hours PBS, 2 hours SciFi, 1 hour UPN, .5 hours Nickelodeon. About 40% cable. Is it worth the $30/month? I'm not sure- going to investigate bittorrent for that.

      --
      SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
    33. Re:no mas no mas! by iantri · · Score: 1
      In the whole series, 5 seasons and two movies there is exactly 1 inconsistancy (a matter who met who where and when).
      Well, actually, there is at least one major inconsistency I can think of (Minbari society was described as having only two castes in the first season) and I'm sure there might be minor inconsistencies in each episode, but for the most part is is signifigantly more consistent than most shows. Probably due to JMS writing almost every show..
  4. Let's just hope by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    They don't find the ratings too low and revamp it into Galactica 2006. "Hey, look, we're on Earth now!"

    1. Re:Let's just hope by EtherAlchemist · · Score: 1

      But at least if they land on earth they can do crossover shows with Stargate.

      --
      R(k)
    2. Re:Let's just hope by AndroidCat · · Score: 1

      You mean with the flying motercycles Galactica '80-style? "CHiPs in Spaaaace!"

      --
      One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
  5. If you've watched the SciFi Channel by rudy_wayne · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    They've been advertising this for months.

    The mini-series didn't suck anywhere near as much as I thought it would. It was actually pretty good. But then, considering how horrible the original series was, there was nowhere to go but up.

    1. Re:If you've watched the SciFi Channel by Malacon · · Score: 1

      I thought I was the only one to realize this Why is this news? The ad campaign for the Farscape Miniseries is more recent than this one...

    2. Re:If you've watched the SciFi Channel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's news because no one really watches SciFi channel anymore and it's the beginning of August.

      re the beggining of August is when the main TV channels change their schedules, do even more reruns, and put up even more useless crap, so people get bored, so they channel surf a bit more. Someone was probably watching a SciFi show for the first time in months and saw the ad, thinking it was new.

      Hell, I found out that the ads for Farscape and Battlestar were running online, before I ever saw it on the tube. It's amazing how much they've screwed up that channel.

    3. Re:If you've watched the SciFi Channel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just out of curiosity, could you name your top 10 favorite television series?

      (yes, I'm setting you up.)

    4. Re:If you've watched the SciFi Channel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've listed eleven of them - but they aren't so much my "top 12 favorite of all time" as they are... well... the only 11 that I could really even think of that I liked at all. I'm in my mid 20's and wasn't allowed to watch television when I was young so I've only had from my teens onward to build up "television experience" on. Even with that, I'm not a big TV watcher (except for news and science shows).

      I would classify the first 8 or 9 as favorites - as in I really really enjoy them. The rest, I would classify as "things I've watched a lot of and gone out of my way to see". But it should also be noted that they are also the only 12 shows I've really watched with any interest - even if it was only a mild interest. For example, I've only seen four episodes of Futurama.

      Dark Angel looked like it would suck, but I wound up loving it. I'm not sure if I loved it for the plot and action or if I just convinced myself that I did, because Jessica Alba is fucking hot.

      + X-Files (the first five years)
      + Farscape
      + Dr. Who
      + Stargate SG-1
      + M.A.S.H.
      + Millenium
      + Simpsons/Futurama
      + Twilight Zone / Outter Limits
      + Lexx
      + Dark Angel
      + Brisco County Junior
      + Sliders

    5. Re:If you've watched the SciFi Channel by Malacon · · Score: 1

      No, I don't think I could... but yes, Farscape would likely be up there :)

    6. Re:If you've watched the SciFi Channel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sci-Fi got some of their biggest ratings ever for the recent debut Stargate Atlantic, even larger than Stargate SG1.

  6. And a year from now... by Anita+Coney · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'll be cancelled.

    Yeah, this is flamebait, but that doesn't change its veracity.

    --
    If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
    1. Re:And a year from now... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      No, it won't.

      The way Sci-Fi operates is to promote and retain shitty programs while terminating the truly great ones. The only exception to this ever has been Stargate SG-1.

    2. Re:And a year from now... by Lord+Bitman · · Score: 1

      maybe you dont understand his post. Let me explain: you're an idiot.

      --
      -- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
    3. Re:And a year from now... by Em+Ellel · · Score: 3, Funny

      I'll be cancelled.

      I think you may be cancelled way earlier than that... let me make a few phone calls.

      (sorry, could not resist)

      --
      RelevantElephants: A Somatic WebComic...
  7. Guest Star? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    If they mean this Richard Hatch

    http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor/survivors/ri chard.shtml

    All I can say is... FRACK.

    1. Re:Guest Star? by FlopEJoe · · Score: 1

      Pretty sure they mean Orrin Hatch. http://hatch.senate.gov/

  8. Nostalgia by Moderation+abuser · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Am I the only one who finds the fact that nostalgia is driving the current Science Fiction series aired to be supremely ironic?

    --
    Government of the people, by corporate executives, for corporate profits.
    1. Re:Nostalgia by Daemonik · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Am I the only one who finds the fact that nostalgia is driving the current Science Fiction series aired to be supremely ironic?

      Considering that many of the sci-fi staples are either already here or have been discredited and that older series have a built in audience versus the financial risk of developing a new series that might not find an audience it doesn't surprise me in the least that many 'new' series are retreads of old shows.

      Also, unlike the audiences of the past who had an optimistic, childlike view of the future, most people today are extremely cynical of technology and it's impacts on our future.
    2. Re:Nostalgia by FlopEJoe · · Score: 1
      Not just SciFi... nothing seems original these days. Producers just want to cash in on prior knowledge and/or avoid risk. Look what's in one theater, right now in my area taking up half the slots:

      Bourne Supremacy: book

      Catwoman: comics

      Cinderella Story: done a million times

      Prisoner of Azkaban: book

      I, Robot: book

      Manchurian Candidate: movie

      Notebook, The: book

      Spider-Man 2: comics

      Terminal, The: based on a real story

      Next up for rippage... I Dream of Jeannie http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0415863/, Six Million Dollar Man http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385235/.

      (Gotta admit I am looking forward to AvP next week)

    3. Re:Nostalgia by snake_dad · · Score: 1

      Bring back Buck Rogers!

      --
      karma capped .sig seeking available Slashdot poster for long-term relationship.
    4. Re:Nostalgia by osu-neko · · Score: 1
      Also, unlike the audiences of the past who had an optimistic, childlike view of the future, most people today are extremely cynical of technology and it's impacts on our future.

      Now I'm getting nostalgic. Anyone else want to see a retread of "Max Headroom: 20 minutes into the future"?

      --
      "Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies."
    5. Re:Nostalgia by evilpenguin · · Score: 1

      "The Manchurian Candidate" was a book before it was the first movie. So the current version is a movie from a movie from a book.

  9. Richard Hatch? Oh no by bravehamster · · Score: 3, Funny

    God, I hope he keeps his clothes on this time. And Olmos better watch out, or he'll find that everyone has voted him off the Galactica

    *yes I know it's a different Richard Hatch.

    --
    ---- El diablo esta en mis pantalones! Mire, mire!
  10. Richard Hatch? by Shky · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    One trick pony. He was only good on Survivor.

    --
    CC Licensed Serialized Story and Podcast: Ingenioustries
    1. Re:Richard Hatch? by jsheedy · · Score: 1

      I am surprised he even agreed to do a guest spot seeing he bashed the direction the new series was going to follow( Like a female Starbuck/Boomer). It will be interesting to see his comments after he does his part.

      --
      Quid Pro Quo, nothing more, nothing less.
    2. Re:Richard Hatch? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Terrible nightmares of naked homosexual Cylons hell-bent on manipulating the universe...


      You mean they're not?

    3. Re:Richard Hatch? by cybpunks3 · · Score: 1

      I think he's doing it because this is his only opportunity to work as an actor. I think the guy is an okay actor but for whatever reason his career is over aside from anything related to Galactica. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0368745/

    4. Re:Richard Hatch? by lrucker · · Score: 1
      Terrible nightmares of naked homosexual Cylons hell-bent on manipulating the universe...

      You mean they're not?

      Homosexual? No. Naked? Yeah

    5. Re:Richard Hatch? by bnenning · · Score: 3, Funny

      Terrible nightmares of naked homosexual Cylons hell-bent on manipulating the universe...

      Provided the Cylons in question are portrayed by Tricia Holfer and Grace Park, I have no problem with that scenario.

      --
      How to solve most of our problems: 1.Lots of nuclear plants. 2.Cure aging.
    6. Re:Richard Hatch? by AndroidCat · · Score: 1

      He does seem to have put a lot of work into it. His site and his other site

      --
      One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
    7. Re:Richard Hatch? by PeterChenoweth · · Score: 1

      I'll agree with that scenario as well...

  11. Re:Richard Hatch? Oh no by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No, it's the same one.

  12. It just ain't the same without Lorne Green! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    a full Battlestar Galactica series following the surprisingly (to some) good new mini series starring Edward James Olmos.

    Okay, we were obviously not watching the same show...

  13. Richard Hatch? by PeterChenoweth · · Score: 3, Funny
    Oh thank god it's not the Survivor Richard Hatch.

    Terrible nightmares of naked homosexual Cylons hell-bent on manipulating the universe...

  14. Bah! by LordKaT · · Score: 1

    Bring back Mystery Science Theater 3000 ;)

    1. Re:Bah! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No kidding - if sci-fi wants to make lots of money by producing extremely low-budget shows that draw lots of viewers, you couldn't do better than MST3K. Cheap shitty movies that probably cost less to license than a pack of gum, a couple plastic puppets, a dude, a cheesey script and you're set.

    2. Re:Bah! by duffahtolla · · Score: 1

      I wouldn't mind watching all those "Python", "Boa", "Swarm" movies again, if they did it in this style. Would be quite cool actually..

    3. Re:Bah! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      -SciFi programing Schedule-
      8:00 - New Galactica
      9:00 - John Edwards
      10:00 - MST3K showing New Galactica

  15. Lost all interest.. by leathered · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I loved BG as a child and I recently watched some re-runs for the first time since, all I can say is that the original series have not aged well, the whole thing looks cheesy and very early-80s. The scripting is laughable on occasions.

    Contrast this to when I saw repeats of Dr Who, Blake's 7 etc from the same era. They seemed to have aged very well like a good wine, and despite some very dubious sets and sfx they make you realise that it's the quality of writing that make shows like these a classic.

    --
    For all intensive porpoises your a bunch of rediculous loosers
    1. Re:Lost all interest.. by NeuroManson · · Score: 1

      Ummm, sorry, BG was late 70s, specifically 1978-1979. Cancelled, then brought back as the incredibly awful Battlestar Galactica 1980.

      Some of us are still trepanning our skulls to try and erase the horrible horrible memories.

      --
      Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
  16. Re:no mas no mas! or... "What's up with SG?" by Wizzy+Wig · · Score: 2, Funny

    So they turned the McGuyver action hero character central to the SG theme into a desk jockey.... Yeah.. that'll boost ratings as they replace his anger fed machine gun sprees with angst fed stapler accidents.

  17. Re:no mas no mas! or... "What's up with SG?" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I can't figure out why they did that. While the other characters are interesting, they aren't the glue that holds the show together and keeps people watching. If they got rid of his character entirely, the show would fall apart. I suspect that he'll end up back running the show - or will somehow continue to play vital roles in the action parts - however they manage that.

    All I could figure is that maybe he has another project he's working on for a few months or a year and needed to have less of a prominance in SG-1 so that he could focus on the other project. Because, as a plot-line, taking your main character out is just stupid.

    Of course, SG Atlantis has started up, too. I thought it would suck but I actually like it so far. It could use some hotter chicks, but oh well. I thought it was stupid that they landed Robert Patrick to play one of the marines in the pilot, but then he was killed off in the same episode. When I saw him, I thought he was going to be a regular. That would have been awesome.

    StarGate is the only series I'll miss now that I ditched cable TV. I'll probably still download what I can off the net to keep up with it, but... meh. It isn't worth $120/mo just to watch stargate.

  18. Old news... by Orne · · Score: 5, Informative
    They've been showing previews for it since the Stargate SG1/Atlantis season premier weekend... and pretty much every other hour of the day... can't miss it.

    Also of note:

    Farscape is coming back as Farscape: Peacekeeper Wars. Old News.

    New series based on Ursula K LeGuin's EarthSea coming in December. Old News.

    Firefly is coming back in movie form as Serenity next summer. Old News.

    SciFi channel is also contemplating a Larry Niven Ringworld miniseries. Old News.

    And most likely, there's going to be another 8 or so Tremors spinoffs...

    1. Re:Old news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just a note that Farscape is NOT coming back. It's just going to have a 4 hour miniseries. The show had a couple more years (at least) left to the main story arc when it was unjustly axed, so they're going to "compromise" by cramming some silly resolution to everyone's problems in two evenings worth of programming - and then *maybe* a movie down the road. Seems odd.. if there is such a desire from people to see a Farscape miniseries and a farscape movie, you would think they'd realize that there would be an interest in bringing the ACTUAL FUCKING SHOW back. Hell, they still show reruns of it enough.

      As for EarthSea.. meh. Ursula K LeGuin is interesting reading .... if you're eight years old.

      Firefly.. meh. I watched two episodes. It struck me as "Brisco County Junior... in space... without Bruce Campbell". I never understood the excitement of it.

    2. Re:Old news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey! Leave that Tremors series alone - it's funny, doesn't try to be pretentious at all (hey it's B-grade style and proud of it!), and it deserved more than one season.

      I know, I know - I'm a huge fan of Farscape as well and I was pissed as hell to hear it had been cancelled. (Hell, I'm over in NZ, and until I can buy the DVD sets I still haven't had a chance to see the last 1 1/2 seasons (they cut it mid-season over here).

      But... Tremors didn't deserve to be trashed because of that. The actors all took their one break at the "big time", the show was fun, it didn't break the bank (low costs very important for a series :), and most importantly - it had Michael Grossman!

      (You ask me - they should have cancelled Stargate instead. I've given up all hope of watching that series. It's gone on 5 seasons too long...)

  19. Bring it on! by canolecaptain · · Score: 1

    I was frankly surprised by a few events during the mini series, and I'm looking forward to the new season. However, now that they've shown us the 6 (ahem)chassis models, we know who the bad guys are. How many episodes can they go using that suspicion as a fundamental backdrop in the story line ... 3-5? Hopefully it won't turn into a lame attempt at a series ala Voyager, Deep Space 9, Enterprise.

    I'm hoping for something more like Babylon 5 but moving through space...

  20. "Human Cylons" are a mistake... by Hanno · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...I saw the mini-series and yes, it was surprisingly good. I really really liked it. I liked that they avoided a lot of sci-fi cliches, except one.

    So let's face, the invention of human cylons is a big horrible mistake and one of the worst sci-fi cliches ever. Obviously, they wanted to save on the CGI-effects budget and wanted to avoid cheesy robot costumes. So they came up with human-looking cylons. The pilot movie made it clear that the following series will revolve around the question which of the Galactica crew members is actually a cylon, possibly without even knowing about it.

    But I see no suspense whatsoever from a plot point that was innovative in 1927's "Metropolis" but that has been worn off ever since: Is that person human or isn't it? Am I talking to the original or not? The idea of non-human enemies posing as humans to subvert the human forces has been done to death by every incarnation of Star Trek and practically almost every other sci-fi show ever made. I see no new idea coming from this. Too bad.

    I just wish they would have avoided that and come up with some non-cheesy robot cylons.

    --

    ------------------
    You may like my a cappella music
    1. Re:"Human Cylons" are a mistake... by digitalhermit · · Score: 4, Funny

      Actually, I can imagine that no-name cylons would be cheaper -- no need to pay a recurring actor/actress since anyone can don a costume and continue... Plus I seem to recall that the identity of the Cylon infiltrators was already known... Unless the lookaline happens to have been the human from which they cloned the appearance...

      For my predictions:
      A cylon becomes a 7-of-9; that is, it integrates into human culture. There will be some episodes where it reverts back to its roots, but somehow, through sheer human (ha) will, overcomes its mechanical nature. A human crewmember falls in love with the Cylon.

      A Cylon and a human get trapped on a planet. They need to overcome their differences in order to survive. Someone insults Mickey Mouse. One says, "Picard in big chair, turning."

      A human infiltrates Cylon HQ by mimicking Capt. Kirk's robotic delivery: Jones....Jones.....Cannot....keep....straight....f ace..

      A crew member dies in an early episode but reappears in a later one as the son/daughter/doppelganger. Time travel may be involved. Or cloning. Or, egads, Cylons replicating. They'll call him Duncan. Duncan Idaho. Or Tasha if it's a she.

      A gay space pirate named Sonny Crockett appears. He seems to know the captain from way back... Rumors float and some light-hearted banter.

    2. Re:"Human Cylons" are a mistake... by jkabbe · · Score: 0, Troll

      Disappointing? Yes. But it shouldn't come as a surprise. For some reason (bad) Sci Fi producers seem to like making the enemy have personality - someone you can talk to. Just look at the terrible things they did to the Borg in Star Trek : First Contact. The idea of having an enemy be just a force that's Out There(tm) and not interactive just doesn't occur to some people.

    3. Re:"Human Cylons" are a mistake... by DevlinInTheBlueMoonl · · Score: 1

      I was also unimpressed with the human Cylons, especially since they look to be the dominant form of Cylon that we'll be seeing in the series. And why bother CG'ing them at all? Frankly, I wouldn't mind seeing the clunky old versions, even if they do look cheesy. It wouldn't be hard to update them a bit, and then they wouldn't look any worse than the stormtroopers in Star Wars. With the large number of scifi series out there competing for a relatively small market share, BG must have and should have been banking on nostalgia to pull people in. By removing the nostalgia with this and so many other changes, I think they're consigning themselves to the status of 'just another scifi show on some cable channel.'

    4. Re:"Human Cylons" are a mistake... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A mighty empire will fall!

    5. Re:"Human Cylons" are a mistake... by Mordaximus · · Score: 1
      I just wish they would have avoided that and come up with some non-cheesy robot cylons.

      There were non-cheezy robot cylons, we didn't get to see much of them though. Just a little at the beginning. Actually, from what I saw of them they look pretty freaking cool.

    6. Re:"Human Cylons" are a mistake... by Jetson · · Score: 2, Funny
      The pilot movie made it clear that the following series will revolve around the question which of the Galactica crew members is actually a cylon, possibly without even knowing about it.

      That would be Rick Deckard, right?

    7. Re:"Human Cylons" are a mistake... by Geno+Z+Heinlein · · Score: 1

      So let's face, the invention of human cylons is a big horrible mistake and one of the worst sci-fi cliches ever.

      It's not the cliche, it's the execution.

      Look at Buffy or B5. Either one of those shows was cliched in the extreme if you look at the one-liners: "cheerleader finds out she's a magical vampire killer", "a United Nations in space". The execution was brilliant in each of those cases and turned lame cliches into great television. Joss or Joe could announce they were writing a show where two guys would sit in a room with a table and two chairs and read the phone book to each other and I would tune in religiously.

      BG could be a piece of crap with meaningless space battles and unresolved daytime-soap suspense about "Who's the Cylon?" Or it could be a profound exploration of human identity and evolution... about how advancing technology will affect human life... about what it's like to be a leader without any rational hope having to create hope for the 50,000 people who are all that's left of humanity.

      So the real question is not whether or not BG is cliched. The question is: what will Ron Moore and David Eick bring us? For my two cents, Moore wrote some cool episodes of Star Trek ("The Defector", "Yesterday's Enterprise", "In Theory", "The First Duty", "Tapestry", "The Pegasus"), and I liked the first, non-suited half of American Gothic a lot.

    8. Re:"Human Cylons" are a mistake... by nuintari · · Score: 1

      For my predictions:
      A cylon becomes a 7-of-9; that is, it integrates into human culture. There will be some episodes where it reverts back to its roots, but somehow, through sheer human (ha) will, overcomes its mechanical nature. A human crewmember falls in love with the Cylon.


      From what I have seen so far, that sort of happens....

      --

      --Nuintari

      slashdot : where an opinion can be wrong.

    9. Re:"Human Cylons" are a mistake... by kalidasa · · Score: 1

      The sad thing is that anyone who watched that last 30 seconds of the miniseries already knows who it is.

    10. Re:"Human Cylons" are a mistake... by Jetson · · Score: 1
      The sad thing is that anyone who watched that last 30 seconds of the miniseries already knows who it is.

      That may not be fatal. Keeping the audience out of the loop is just one way to tell a story. That path often leads to disappointment as it's difficult to give clues without the risk that half the audience will figure it out too early, spoiling the suspense. Another story arc reveals the bad guy to the audience alone [Silence of the Lambs] so that we feel helpless watching the victim/sleuth wander into a trap we know about and can't mitigate. Those are the stories where people yell "the bad guy's waiting behind the door!" at the movie screen or TV. Another alternative is to expose the bad guy completely [StarWars] (usually with the victim informed of a pending and inescapable conclusion to the conflict), creating an epic story of triumph over evil.

    11. Re:"Human Cylons" are a mistake... by fermion · · Score: 1
      I see your point, but I think you might be missing a basic property of good science fiction. Specifically good science fiction is going to explore how changing technology, and the mores resulting from the technology, will affect the fabric of society.

      For example, a big difference between ST and the later series is that the later often rehashed original episodes without update, thereby exploring problems that were already fully considered if not solved. Even worse, some of the later shows did not even take this duty seriously, and merely put conventional stories in a futuristic set.

      The big questions have to be explored. If sex is completely safe, even from pregnancy, will all our sex related taboos, even incest, disappear. One question, on whcih TNG did well with, was if we have Sentient Robots, will they live up to their namesake as slaves?

      A result of this is that older SF will provide a view of the prevailing fears and bigotry. The later is shown with robots doing 'menial' duties such as cooking and cleaning, while the more 'advanced' duties, such as astronavigation we done by real men. The former, as shown in Galactica, was that we were afraid the Robots would take over our world. Something with has happened and we have not fully dealt with.

      But that was back then. We have even greater worries now. As explored in Blade Runner and H2G2 (in the form of real people personalities, as well as B5 and every other SF show), we are afraid of non-humans that seem human. This is seen in the discomfort that we have with too realistic animation. This is also related to all forms of bigotry. It is harder, and less profitable, to discriminate when there is no clear physical basis on which to discriminate. This is why we like, as Homer says, our homosexuals flaming.

      Which, to make a long story not so long, is why human looking robots are suitable to the modern BG. Machines making our lives miserable is old school. But as we, at least in America, find it necessary to comment on the black man that acts or looks too white, what would we do with a sentient human looking robot?

      --
      "She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
    12. Re:"Human Cylons" are a mistake... by sql*kitten · · Score: 1

      There will be some episodes where it reverts back to its roots, but somehow, through sheer human (ha) will, overcomes its mechanical nature.

      That is the biggest hole in the plot. If you watched the pilot, you can see that Cylons, even human looking, are susceptible to a particular form of radiation that humans aren't, and you will also see that when Six is particularly excited, her spine glows. Another Cylon mentions that when his body dies, his memories will be uploaded to the Cylon network, so he must contain hardware to do that. They are physically quite different internally. How is it plausible that these colonials CAN'T detect Cylons? Unless Cylons are merely vat-grown humans with different loyalties! But that contradicts the plot too. The idea of infiltration units has been done before (Terminator) but that presupposed that the humans were in a state of disarray without (much) technology, whereas Galactica escapes pretty much intact with all its technology, medical facilities and staff, etc.

      A Cylon and a human get trapped on a planet. They need to overcome their differences in order to survive.

      LOL!

  21. New BG... by BigZaphod · · Score: 0, Troll

    I thought the miniseries was stupid. Maybe I'm missing something. It seems a lot of people liked it, though. I thought it was shallow, cheesy, and a sorry attempt to use sex to sell it half the time. I just couldn't get into it for some reason. In fact, I hardly remember anything about it. To me, that's a decent sign it wasn't very good. But.. maybe I'm just missing something. I didn't watch the original BG growing up, so perhaps that has something to do with it.

    1. Re:New BG... by dtungsten · · Score: 1

      I watched the original, and I couldn't get past the first 5 minutes of the new one - not because it was different from the original - but because it was f'ing stupid. They're supposed to be having this special 'treaty' meeting, or something, and the woman (presumably cylon in human form) starts the meeting by sitting on his lap! I said to my self, "I she kisses him next, I'm outta here!" I want those 5 minutes back Sci-Fi!

    2. Re:New BG... by NeuroManson · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Oh c'mon...

      Did anyone else watch the original series?

      (1) Heavy attempts at mixing "Chariots of the Gods" with Mormonism.

      (2) Death of a loved one causing the hero to rise up against the baddies, or as I called it 20 years ago, "Larson's Disease". It's happened on BG, Buck Rogers, Knight Rider and Magnum P.I.. Nothing worst than a director who's derivative of his own works.

      (3) Everyone in *THE FUTURRRRRE!!!* listens to disco.

      (4) Rampant T&A. Every show Larson has done featured some measure of blatant tits and ass, plain and simple.

      Frankly, the only thing that made BG good, was creative costuming, special effects, and soundtrack. Otherwise it was just another bit of Universal "Originality? Whazzat?" hackwork.

      As for the geek squadrons, do you REALLY want to support the movie company that made Jack Valenti what he is today?

      --
      Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
  22. The Homer inside me sais: by nabil_IQ · · Score: 1

    Woohooooooooooooo!

    --

    Won't somebody please think of the Karma!
  23. (Yawn) That's nice by slickwillie · · Score: 1

    But what about Farscape?

    [And what the fuck is this? I think /. people are taking themselves too seriously. Bad posting indeed!]

    Due to excessive bad posting from this IP or Subnet, anonymous comment posting has temporarily been disabled. You can still login to post. However, if bad posting continues from your IP or Subnet that privilege could be revoked as well. If it's you, consider this a chance to sit in the timeout corner or login and improve your posting . If it's someone else, this is a chance to hunt them down. If you think this is unfair, please email moderation@slashdot.org with your MD5'd IPID and SubnetID, which are

    1. Re:(Yawn) That's nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, I got that for about two months, too. Mind you - I am the ONLY person who lives here and I am the ONLY person that uses the computer, internet or slashdot here. And I hadn't posted a single message to Slashdot in WEEKS if not MONTHS.

      Yet, somehow, my IP was banned for the last two months (until just this week in fact).

      I emailed "moderation@slashdot.org" to complain and ask what was up and all I got back was a "well, someone from your location must have been abusing their posting ability on slashdot". That's just ridiculous. As I told them in the email - NOBODY ELSE IS HERE AND I HAD NOT POSTED IN WEEKS!

      Normally, I wouldn't have given a shit. But I had just recently renewed my "slashdot subscription" and it pisses me off that I was forbidden from posting to slashdot almost the entire duration of my subscription and that all I got from slashdot staff was essentially an "oh well - fuck off".

      I'll never subscribe to slashdot again.

    2. Re:(Yawn) That's nice by NeuroManson · · Score: 1

      There *is* a new Farscape miniseries coming out, called "The Peacekeeper Wars".

      What, am I the ONLY one who watches Sci-Fi Network these days? They've been running ads for these shows for the last month or so.

      --
      Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
    3. Re:(Yawn) That's nice by slickwillie · · Score: 1

      I recently moved, and am now about 2 poles past the end of the TV cable. I haven't decided whether or not to get satellite (probably DirectTV if I do).

      Also, I can't get high speed Internet. How's Direcway?

  24. Excuse me, but ... by BobSutan · · Score: 1

    This is news how? There shouldn't be a single geek out there that hasn't been aware of this for months now.

    --
    "On a scale from 1 to 10, people are stupid"
  25. Are you crazy? by fleener · · Score: 1

    Boring? How can you say you found the new Battlestar Galactica boring? It sucked through and through. Didn't you orgasm?

  26. Looking forward to this by dmacdonald · · Score: 0

    The mini was one of the best pieces of SciFi that I've seen in a long, long time. I only hope that they're able to maintain the standard on a weekly basis. Anyone who hasn't seen this miniseries should seriously look into it. It's too bad that there's so much negativity surrounding this project, mainly from supporters of the original series.

  27. Re:no mas no mas! or... "What's up with SG?" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    He's stated that he wanted more time to be with his family/daughter. By taking a lighter role he can hopefully do that.

    In the "From Stargate to Atlantis" thing they said that season 7's ending wasn't how they wanted to end the series, and basically implied that season 8 would be it. We'll see.

  28. Re:no mas no mas! or... "What's up with SG?" by Wizzy+Wig · · Score: 1
    "I thought it was stupid that they landed Robert Patrick to play one of the marines in the pilot, but then he was killed off in the same episode. When I saw him, I thought he was going to be a regular. That would have been awesome."


    Yep. I was disappointed to see him killed off. But with about 40 years of sci fi consumption under my belt - it was refreshing that somebody finally came up with actual scary bad guys in "The Wraith." It would be interesting if - as life sucking immortal monsters - they were also a vampire race, and Patrick came back as one of them.

  29. Re:no mas no mas! or... "What's up with SG?" by jx100 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    That's kind of the same reason why Don S. Davis (Gen. Hammond) left the show entirely. He's had some health problems, and the stress of a shooting schedule wasn't helping. He wanted to spend the rest of his time relaxing with his family.

  30. This is the worst repost I have ever seen on /. by loggia · · Score: 1

    Asking once again, add the ability to meta moderate the people who post stories.

    It is just getting ridiculous. The reposts have gone from sad, to so sad it is funny, to so sad it is just... sad.

  31. New Material by svenvder · · Score: 1

    This is just wonderful. maybe now they can put some new material into the show. I mean is it just me or watching the same thing with better cg and starbuck as a girl. Of course i could be wrong and we could get the same old stuff. Who knows the kids beingg able to jump 10times higher than regular earthilings might make another appearance. Well heres to new material that wont suck.

  32. Re:no mas no mas! or... "What's up with SG?" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    You would think that they could have come up with something more interesting than him becoming a desk jockey then. Maybe he could have somehow played a more vital role to that alien race (the greys who were like.. super super super advanced - and benevolant). And in that, he could have a periodic role, but without the dullness of the desk job thing.

    Or maybe they thought the desk job bit was an unexpected twist that would normally not be pursued in a sci-fi show.

    I saw the sci-fi special about stargate and the impression I was left with from some of the comments was that the 8th may or may not be the final season. They made it sound like they would continue to do both series simultaneously and didn't really appear to indicate that this *would* be it.

    If they do end it, I hope they do the show justice with the ending. I really can't take anymore of this bullshit where we invest an hour every week for most of a decade into a show only to have the producers fuck us in the ass in the last season and feeds is melted cheese rather than tenderloin.

    That's what pissed me off about X-Files and Farscape. Invested a lot of time and emotion into those shows and loved both only to have them tossed in the trash without an ounce of respect to the loyal audience that stayed along for the ride all those years.

  33. Screw the show! Where are the tie-in TOYS?! by IronChefMorimoto · · Score: 2, Funny

    Dammit! Screw Edward James Olmos and his pock-faced character. To hell with that lebian-ish looking chick that plays Starbuck, forever ruining the original series' mac daddy version of Starbuck (who later trolled the A-Team series). I don't care that the 2nd of two black guys from the original series has been turned into an Asian woman...that might actually be a humanoid Cylon fabricated for the sheer ease of reducing the CGI effects budget!

    WHAT ABOUT THE DAMNED TOYS?!

    I want my little Galactica starfighter back -- from when I was only about 6 or 7 years old. I want figures to put into the starfights -- ones WITHOUT arms that bend at the elbows wrists. They better have less arm/leg motion than a Barbie doll on downers! I want the toys to require batteries so I can keep replacing them over and over again -- JUST TO HEAR THE CHEEZY LASTER BLASTER SOUNDS!

    Oh -- and I want a Cylon fighter this time. My brother got a Lincoln Log set last time I owned Galactica toys, and dammit -- it's time I had my Cylong fighter! Fuck you, bro -- let's see how your "cabin" fairs against my army of silver badass Cylons! :-p

    IronChefMorimoto

  34. March called... by WIAKywbfatw · · Score: 1

    It wants it's dupe back.

    --

    "Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg
  35. D'oh! by WIAKywbfatw · · Score: 1

    That apostrophe really shouldn't be there in my parent post. That's what you get when you visit Slashdot after a long, hot Sunday spent plastering and sanding walls rather than catching some sun.

    --

    "Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg
  36. Ponderosa in space by baomike · · Score: 3, Funny

    Do I really want more?
    Maybe the Cylons and Daleks can once and for always
    make space safe for inorganics.

    1. Re:Ponderosa in space by AndroidCat · · Score: 1

      Umm, the Daleks do have an organic component, as did the Cylons in the original movie release (only in Canada eh) and book.

      --
      One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
    2. Re:Ponderosa in space by baomike · · Score: 1

      You're right.
      Lets hear it for the cybermen!!!!

  37. I do not care.. by noselasd · · Score: 1

    As long as they don't stop StarGate.

  38. I enjoyed the new BSG by beldraen · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Unfortunately, I think most people are just not going to "get it." I had a discussion with a friend who is the true "but this isn't like the original show, so it sucks!" The most fascinating thing about of this series is the fact that the Cyclons are now human. The pilot ended up with some great philosophical (for the Slashdot crowd, this won't work because it requires thinking about other positions than your own, I know..) ideas and plot points:

    -- Are the Cyclons more human that we are? Can they have all their emotions without being socially destructive? Or, are they less human because they are so reigned in? Do they have freewill? Can they have freewill and yet also be sleeper programmed?
    -- Is Baltar just psychologically unsound or did they plan a device in his head? We know that there are at least one other Cyclon on board, but I seriously suspect another. Are they the perpetrators or is Baltar unconsciously being controlled?
    -- How will Starbuck deal with having passed Zack? In theory, this should lead to her resignation, but we cannot afford to lose any valuable pilots.
    -- How with the X.O. handle his daemons now that his job isn't plush anymore?

    This series has a lot more drama to it, which is probably why the "old crowd" doesn't care for it. I can say that the people I know who weren't raised on the old show really like this one.

    --
    Bel, the mostly sane.. "Of course I can't see anything! I'm standing on the shoulders of idiots." -- Me
    1. Re:I enjoyed the new BSG by tarawa · · Score: 1

      Amen man. I loved the new BSG and was cheering when SciFi decided to continue with it. You are correct that the two shows left a lot of strong possiblities for plot lines.

      I can't wait to watch (and record) the new episoids.

    2. Re:I enjoyed the new BSG by ObjetDart · · Score: 1
      The most fascinating thing about of this series is the fact that the Cyclons are now human

      I just could not possibly disagree more. As other posters have pointed out, the fact that the Cyclons are now human is not fascinating. Evil-robots-disguised-as-people is the most tired, recycled sci-fi plot cliche imaginable. It ruined the mini for me and I certainly will not be watching the series.

      It's too bad because everything else about the mini seemed pretty well done for a TV show. Although, I predict that the "shakey camera" effect used in the space battles, pioneered on Firefly, where it was cool the first time, is going to become the next bullet time.

      --
      I read Usenet for the articles.
    3. Re:I enjoyed the new BSG by Archibald+Buttle · · Score: 1

      So robots disguised as humans is old hat. So what? We already knew that a new Battlestar Galactica series wasn't going to be original.

      I felt though that it is a refreshing spin on the old series. One possibility that was never present in the original BSG was Cylon infiltration. That is now integral to the plot, and frankly I like it.

      Now I did used to like the original series too, but I was 10 years old back then and the unsophisticated story line appealed to me. Now that I'm over 30 I want something a little bit more challenging.

      As for the "shakey camera" effect, that was pioneered on Star Trek back in the '60s - Firefly just copied it. :-)

    4. Re:I enjoyed the new BSG by snake_dad · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Hmm.. i just watched Red Planet, Mission to Mars, and Space Cowboys. AFAIK all of those movies were denounced here because of bad physics. I saw the movies, noticed the bad physics, grinned because I knew they made for a better story, and enjoyed the movies.

      Same goes for series re-runs. Don't theorize it to death, just sit and watch it. Grin at plotholes and physics violations. Just try to enjoy something for once instead of trying to debunk every small or big goof in it.

      Ok this has no bearing on the post I replied to. Just glad to get it off my chest :)

      --
      karma capped .sig seeking available Slashdot poster for long-term relationship.
    5. Re:I enjoyed the new BSG by True+Grit · · Score: 1
      1. This series has a lot more drama to it


      Which may be the reason why the old-timers don't like it. The other poster was right about the original BG not aging well, but IMO that has more to do with the original series having been a light, run-of-the-mill, "fluffy" show as opposed to something more serious and dark (think Dune or Bladerunner).

      This last mini-series was more serious, dark, and up-to-date culturally. The scene of the nuclear bombs going off and the "mushroom clouds" in the distance in the mini-series is the kind of dark, surreal, gritty realism that you *never* saw in the first series.

      I find the complaints about sexuality showing up in the story kind of humorious, too. The mini-series was just updating itself to reflect our current culture (with marketing droids using sex to sell everything). Besides, I'm not sure it was inappropiate either, because most of the sexual content revolved around the female cylon who seduced that scientist (a sucker for any knock-out blonde) and used him to further the cylon agenda. At first glance that seems to be relevant to the entire story and thus makes sense for it to be there. Perhaps the critics aren't aware that the sexuality part of the mini-series was almost exclusively found in that sub-plot involving the scientist. I saw the mini-series, and I honestly don't remember any sexual content that was obviously gratuitious and out-of-place.

      As for the others calling it boring, well, different strokes, I guess... I wonder if this has something to do with sci-fi folks seemingly wanting more sohphisticated/complex stories than the typical TV junkie? It reminds me of the other poster's point about Farscape. To me Farscape seemed overly complicated, and because I couldn't ever get into the story (because I hadn't seen the previous 2 years of episodes to understand what was going on), I never pursued it. So maybe its the ones demanding complex plots that see it as boring, I didn't. Of course my opinion doesn't mean much, I seem to be the only /.'er who thinks SG1 is just "ok", and not the best thing since the arrival of James T. Kirk to the air waves way back when.

      #!/usr/bin/perl
      my $opinion = 0.02;
      print "$opinion\n";

  39. Why doesn't Sci-Fi broadcast old Dr.Who reruns???? by zymano · · Score: 2, Informative

    It's about money .

    Dr Who and SciFi channel should be a perfect match.

  40. So... by Zx-man · · Score: 0

    ...by the matter, it was a really not-too-fun computer game, why should it be made into a movie?

  41. Not just bad producers, bad writers. by khasim · · Score: 1

    There are all kinds of antagonists to use.
    I believe the current crop of writers and producers just don't understand the protagonist/antagonist concept.

    Example:
    #1. Man, stranded in the snow, struggles to find shelter.
    -vs-
    #2. Man, stranded in the snow, struggles to find shelter from evil ice wizard's storm.

    There's a huge difference between the two.

    With the Borg, they were initially introduced as #1. They were impersonal.

    Then, with the addition of the Borg Queen, they became #2.

    "The idea of having an enemy be just a force that's Out There(tm) and not interactive just doesn't occur to some people.

    But a force does make for a better antagonist in some situations. You cannot argue with it, persuade it, find out why it doesn't like you, etc.

    I think the problem is that the writers/producers don't WANT anything to be BIGGER than their characters. The antagonist must have a voice and you must be able to tell when it has been defeated.

    Humans vs Cylons:
    Easy back in the 80's. People worried about losing their jobs to machines. Now we worry about being replaced by some guy in India. Robots from outer space just are not that effective as a generic threat now.

    The other thing I found disappointing is how the writers never let any of the humans make a wrong decision.

    #1. Must abandon the slower ships to be killed by the Cylons. But right then the Cylons show up so it isn't "abandon", it becomes "escape".

    #2. "Bad" human guy tries to shift suspicion away from him by blaming an innocent person. But the "innocent person" turns out to be a robot.

  42. Great... by payndz · · Score: 3, Funny
    ...now what about an update of Buck Rogers In The 25th Century?

    "Bidibidibidi, nice ass, Wilma!"

    --
    You must think in Russian.
    1. Re:Great... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Great idea - they could borrow the Marvin the Paranoid Android suit from the HHGTTG movie.

  43. Re:Why doesn't Sci-Fi broadcast old Dr.Who reruns? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    You would think so, but they haven't shown Dr. Who on Sci-Fi in over a decade. I suspect that they realize the show is too over-their-heads for the SCi-Fi channels "Scare Tactics / John Edwards" audience.

  44. Si mas sin mass! by toddhisattva · · Score: 1
    First, you should get an account so I wouldn't be replying to an AC!

    That "Mormony Goodness" you lament led me to a deeper understanding of Satan.

    I am hoping that the God-worshipping Cylons will similarly enrich my devotion to Satan .

  45. Has begun? Umm you been asleep? by nurb432 · · Score: 1

    ive been seeing the damned commercials for months.. Wishing it was just a bad dream..

    Man it was a terrible 'mini-series'.. i had hoped that was the end of it..

    --
    ---- Booth was a patriot ----
  46. There are no .. by Akimotos · · Score: 1

    Americans in Ba.... oooh, sorry, wrong Rant.

    We can't have a new Galactica. It is simply not possible, so it isn't there. It is all that Win XP SP 2 thing that has gotton into your heads. You all see things that simply aren't there. See. Okay, repeat after me: a new Galactica doesn't exist.

    Now, off you go, do something usefull. How about downloading Win XP SP3 at: www.suse.com

  47. Richard Hatch by geek · · Score: 1

    That guy sucked on Survivor All Stars. I mean so what, he's big, he's gay, he's covered in hair, he bit a shark (ok that was kinda cool). Oh wait...... the OTHER Richard Hatch, gotcha.

    1. Re:Richard Hatch by CaptainAvatar · · Score: 1
      Hate to be a sig pedant, but you're missing an "if" in there. The actual quote is:

      `if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic.'

      Oh, and Carroll has 2 "l"s!

      --
      The real Captain Avatar is a fictional character, so I suppose he doesn't mind if I impersonate him.
  48. Sheesh by Icegryphon · · Score: 1

    Either you hate it or you love it. Haven't seen much indifference. I for one welcome our nuclear strike cylon enemy overlords.

  49. robot babes by SuperBanana · · Score: 1
    with the same cast and more Cylon goodness

    You misspelled "goddesses". I agree, we need more of those hot, kissing ambassador models.

  50. Whatever. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When you have learned that your shit stinks then comment about Battlestar Galactica. otherwise go play your X-Box

    Wow. Now *there's* a comment that made any kind of sense at all.

  51. Similar to the time-travel conundrum by mydn · · Score: 1

    I can afford to pay for cable and watch the new Battlestar: Gallactica series. But then I will have to pay for therapy due to my sexual fantasies about Starbuck. Then I will not be able to afford cable.

  52. NO NO by Snaller · · Score: 2, Funny

    You miss the point - this news item is about the NEW SPOTS they are running on Scifi! They didn't have them i February!

    --
    If Google really cared they would fix Android Chrome to reflow text, instead of discriminating
  53. Who knows? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Who knows? It might get really good and we'll get to see a gang of Cylons slide it into Katee Sackhoff, or into the Cylon-posing-as-a-hot-human.

  54. Remake after remake after remake... by SoLO · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Stargate SG1: Spinoff of a pretty good movie
    Stargate Atlantis: Spinoff of a spinoff
    BS: Galactica: Remake
    Andromeda (LBX): Bought from syndication
    Scare Tactics: science FICTION channel REALITY series.

    They have a couple other "original" series that I have not seen so I do not feel comfortable talking about. Good for them that there seem to still be a few original shows. See here for their seriously weakened lineup when compared to a few years ago: http://www.scifi.com/onair/shows/

    Apparently original ideas are no longer acceptable on SciFi channel. ;)

    Why else cancel the amazing show that is Farscape? Farscape takes science fiction to a new level, and a lot of people are picking up on it after the huge fan response to the cancellation.

    (Okay actually SciFi didn't "approve" of Farscape because they didn't own it top to bottom. The Farscape game, the little action figures, everything, was under Henson's control. Under the surface the Farscape cancellation is about media consolidation; SciFi Channel doesn't like what they can't own completely.) See this Ted Turner article about this general trend in the industry: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/040 7.turner.html

    A lot of people still haven't seen Farscape, so I invite you to watch it Monday through Friday, 9AM-4PM, from Friday, Oct. 1, through Friday, Oct. 15. SciFi channel is airing all 4 seasons so people can catch up.

    I beg of you; spread the word about this amazing show.

    p.s. I do not wish to offend on Stargate fans or Andromeda fans. Im just extremely passionate about Farscape, I hope you will not be turned off by my enthusiasm.

  55. I liked it too, by Infonaut · · Score: 2, Insightful
    but for different reasons:

    * The sequence of events during and immediately following the Cylon attack was well-handled, IMHO. It had the feeling of a real event, where nobody knew quite what was going on and people who were not expected to be leaders had to step up and take responsibility.

    * The environment on Galactica, the crew reactions, and the overall tone of a fleet that had been on guard duty for years without seeing any combat, and was now engaged in combat felt right to me.

    * The "combat journalism" style of dogfight footage was great. I definitely prefered it to the smooth, effortless and artificial feel of most Trek space combat.

    * The characters were set up with individual personalities without reliance on alien cliches. It's a lot more difficult to make a show based on mere humans seem interesting to SF fans, but I wanted to know more about these characters, and I felt that there was a lot more to explore in each of them.

    I loved the old show when I was a kid, primarily because of Starbuck, and because I could picture myself flying around in a Viper waxing Cyclon Raiders. But this is a very different show for a different audience. In my opinion it's better acted and richer, and it has the potential to be a solid series. I'm looking forward to seeing more of it.

    --
    Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
  56. There was the day Fonzie jumped a shark... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And now this months-old post shows that Slashdot just turned South. It's all downhill from here.

  57. why dear god why by BigBir3d · · Score: 1

    ..does every scifi channel discussion bring out the 'scifi sucks cuz they cancelled farscape' trolls? get over it. nobody cared about the show and it got canned. same thing happened to the 1st star trek show too ya know.

    back on topic...

    BG could be interesting... if they don't keep it centric to the cylons _looking_ human. what is humanity? is it a flesh and blood (ie genetics) thing... or more a state of mind? what is a mind? what is a soul?

    these are just some of the interesting ways to go with the plot and general story arcs.

    we shall see what happens i suppose.

    oh yes, i though farscape sucked.

  58. Speaking of Trolls by thelizman · · Score: 1

    ...for every "Farscape Troll" there's a "Farscape Sucked" troll. Sorry troll-boy, but it's common knowledge that Farscape wasn't cancelled because of poor ratings, but because the rising production costs cut into Sci-Fi's budget. (Some also believe Bonnie Hammer - the devil incarnate herself - got into a pissing match with the German company who owned Henson Productions at the time, and cancelled Farscape as a final "fuck you". The fact that Farscape's airing is back on less than a year after Brian Henson and friends spent personal fortunes to reacquire the franchise makes this seem plausible.)

    1. Re:Speaking of Trolls by BigBir3d · · Score: 1

      If the ratings were high enough, the adverts would have made more money, allowing for their budget to not seem to out of connection with their reality.

      But of course... that only makes sense.

  59. $120/mo by slapout · · Score: 1

    You paid $120 a month for cable ?????!!!!

    --
    Coder's Stone: The programming language quick ref for iPad
  60. What about timothy's gay porn career? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Even the fruitiest geek would rather watch the new Battlestar than timothy's butt boofin cum burpin porns.

  61. Will Galactica Survive another Resurrection? by CodeBuster · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I say this with some sorrow, because I enjoyed the original series when I was in grade school, but Galactica has suffered a number of indignities over the years and between rewriting, editing, and corporations that were more concerned about cashing in on the nostalgia than producing a good quality science fiction series the series has lost much of its luster for me. Now, to be fair to the Sci-Fi channel and some of the original cast members the recent miniseries was a good intentioned attempt to recapture some of what made the Galactica concept so compelling. However, Galactica has always, even during the original run, suffered from lack of budget. The original series for example, cost $1,000,000 per episode in 1978 and it was cancelled even though it was the number one show that year. The hard truth is that advertisers, even if your show is number one in ratings, will only pay so much for a 30 second commercial spot. Thus, in order to make the show profitable there have always been compromises. I really wanted to like the new miniseries...I really did. I watched it in its entirety, even though I winced at some of acting and most of the dialog. Perhaps the series will prove me wrong...I hope so...but I am not getting my hopes up.

    1. Re:Will Galactica Survive another Resurrection? by instarx · · Score: 1

      However, Galactica has always, even during the original run, suffered from lack of budget. The original series for example, cost $1,000,000 per episode in 1978 and it was cancelled even though it was the number one show that year.

      What alternate universe are you in? First, which is it - BSG suffered from low budget, or had $1 million/episode? A million dllars was a LOT of money in 1978. I was around in 1978 and there was NO WAY Battlestar Gallactica was the number one TV show. It was a low-rated dog then, and just watch its reruns today to see why. As for its budget, maybe the first episode cost a million because of all the model-making required, but all the subsequent ones just recycled all the special effects ad nauseum and cost much, much less. How many left turns of a space-fighter could an adult stand before getting bored.

      I watched the mini-series with trepidation, remembering how bad the original was, but was pleasantly surprised at the high production values and the interesting philosophical questions it brought up.

      It is likely that people who think the original BSG was so great only think so because they were 8 years old at the time and have great memories of a "cool" TV show. Remember, children LIKE repetition, so those 15 special effects we saw over and over again really appealed to them.

  62. 80's feel by initialE · · Score: 1

    I don't know about you guys but i think that when you remake a popular 80's series or movie, you need to retain that 80's feel. the 80's music, hairstyle, corniness etc. Star Wars I-II could have been much better done that way, instead of "improving" eps 4-6 the way we all bitch about, and it would be consistent with the star wars universe. Ah... the 80's....

    --
    Starbucks, Harbuckle of Breath.
  63. "Human Cylons" are not a mistake... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The idea of non-human enemies posing as humans to subvert the human forces has been done to death by every incarnation of Star Trek and practically almost every other sci-fi show ever made.

    I think you missed one of the aspects that I found most compelling: the tension between military and civilian authority.

    The Cylons aren't just "almost human machines" like Commander Data or 7-of-9. They're terrorists. How do you stop a terrorist who blends into the crowd and may be any one of us? How much of your freedom are you willing to give up? What is freedom worth? Those are going to be some of the fundamental questions of the new BSG.

    I find this refreshing and intriguing. I loved TNG, but the Star Trek universe has always been laughably civilian. I think the new Battlestar Galactica resonates with our zeitgeist in much the same way as the original Star Trek did with its own. I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with it.

    P.s. There were those two robot Cylons in the first 15 minutes, and the idea that the enemy ships themselves are robots is a great one. The one thing I do miss is the vocoderized Cylon salute: "By your command!" Their voices scared the pants off me as a kid.

  64. Re:no mas no mas! or... "What's up with SG?" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oooh, space vampires! Scaaaaarrry!

    Not.

    Love how the show takes place in an entirely different galaxy but everybody still speak the English, looks vaguely human, and by some miracle, that "one shot" gate transfer from earth somehow managed to include full hospital gurneys and plenty of power bars.

  65. pure hyper-nerd fodder by Sjobeck · · Score: 0

    pls keep this stuff to the nerd blogs & off /. Thx.

  66. Re:Screw the show! Where are the tie-in TOYS?! by bsartist · · Score: 1

    I want my little Galactica starfighter back ...

    Yeah, what he said. And not the "safe" version with the missiles glued into place, either! I want the original one!

    --
    Lost: Sig, white with black letters. No collar. Reward if found!
  67. Re:Screw the show! Where are the tie-in TOYS?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sigh. Back in 1979, I wasn't rich enough to afford toys from the old show but I *was* able to get -and actually assemble- a Viper model kit, complete with rubberband powered missile launcher in the nose.

    This is important to mention because Mattel was being sued at the same time because the Galactica toys had missile launchers and kids were putting out eyes and stuff. It caused a major safety revolution for the toy industry. Meanwhile, the models were exempt because they were supposed to be for adults or something.

    So anyway, I built this model and it turned out OK considering I was about 9 years old and didn't know jack about models. And then it was time to load the missile and push the button and.... BANG the !@#$ing missile hit the wall on the other side of my room and *vanished*. That's right, the damn thing disappeared. Tore that room up, even pulled the carpet up and never saw the missile again.

    Oh well.

    Later on, the kid who lived in the apartment building behind mine got a Cylon toy and a Buck Rogers Starfighter toy so we used to go play "Glen Larson Wars" for no particular reason. Everyone agreed: Erin Gray was THE solid reason to watch Buck Rogers but we were all too young at the time to figure out why, exactly.

    She'll probably be the reason I go buy the Buck Rogers DVD set too, but I am fully aware of the why now.

    Yes, I have seen her lately and I don't care. Hot is hot.

  68. My take on the Mini by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Recently watched the mini series and I thought it was really good. Okay, it was not oscar material. But it was good, solid entertainment; and I really enjoyed the fact that they used all the old designs as a basis for the up-to-date CGI stuff. Only the cylon fighters were a bit boring.

    And changing Boomer and Starbuck into chicks was, well, just plain WRONG.

    Anyway, the news that this will be a series comes to no surprise. The mini-series was SO obviously a pilot. Anyway, it's all good. Finally some good space opera TV. Let's just hope the show won't get cancelled or made more marketable by having the girls wear skintight outfits etc.

    What I'd really like to see in the show is more exploration of Cylon "culture" and history than in the original show. Who are they, where do they come from, and why do they hate humans so much?

  69. And we get to wait until JANUARY FOR IT! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ....ooooooh boy.....Betcha dollars to donuts that SCIFI network will be soon adding the upcoming new release's commericials to their godawful annoying commericial/advertisement schedule... Just like tha last BattleStar Gallactica (just like every other 'major event' on their network in the past 3-4 years).... ---> brace yourselves for the exact same 30 second commericials being iinserted into EVERY FSCKING COMMERCIAL BREAK -- EVERY DAY -- for 5 to 6 goddamned MONTHS STRAIGHT.... This may just be enough to justify jumping on the friggin' Tivo bandwagon... it's bad enough SCIFI beats us viewers over the head nearly every comm. break each week with repeated blurbs for say, the next "New" Stargate SG-1 -- but half a year's worth?

    Bah.... SciFi must have hired on a whole bunch of complete motards to run their advertising/marketing dept over recent years, 'coz nearly the entire station/network has turned to crap (and it's only getting worse...)

    1. Re:And we get to wait until JANUARY FOR IT! by boy_afraid · · Score: 0

      Every Tivo owner better start pressing the "Thumbs Down" button on thier remote or we will be subjected to "GET ME SOME BULLETS!"

  70. OT: handle comment by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    hey, thought you'd want to know, Blue Thunder was a Westland(U.K.)/Aerospatiale(FR) SA.341 "Gazelle", not a Hughes(US) (now Boeing/McD-D(US)) AH-64.

    A formidible aircraft in it's own right, but not the Apache. Trademark of the Gazelle is the shrouded tail rotor and a 3 bladed main rotor . The Apache's tail rotor isn't shrouded and it runs 4 main rotor blades.

    A strange twist of history put "blue thunders" vs. "blue thunders" in Bosnia and Kosovo during peacekeeping operations. UK runs Westland Gazelle "AH.Mk-'x'"s and the Serbians, who were licensed by Aerospatiale to build the Gazelle, also use them. They've also been serving in Iraq.

    Probably more than you wanted to know, but I thought you'd want to be accurate. Googling about Gazelles will turn up tons of info.

    I can tell you from personal experience, the "chop" of the two helicopters (sa.341 vs. ah-64) sound nothing alike when approaching, and the Gazelle has a very distinctive turbine/exhaust noise you can never forget. A UH-60 Blackhawk's chop sounds closer to the AH-64, and the exhaust noise of a Bell AH-1W SuperCobra sounds closer to an AH-64.

  71. Re:Nostalgia- Buck Rogers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I am not sure I want to see Erin Grey in her skimpy white outfit at her age. Bring back the reruns!

  72. Re:no mas no mas! or... "What's up with SG?" by jx100 · · Score: 1

    O'Neill has always been essentially second in command of the base, and would assume command automatically anyway if anything happened to Hammond. He would also assume command of the alphasite if the SGC ever got really compromised.

    I think him taking command when Hammond simply moved on is a natural assumption. The only reason anyone else ever held that position was because of some sort of outside pressure (NID, President).