Season Four Brings Galactica To An End
As 13th Cylon mentions in the current frak party comments, an article posted online by The Hollywood Reporter quotes David Eick as confirming that BSG will come to a close at the end of season four. From the article:
“Ending ‘Battlestar’ with the upcoming 22-episode fourth season was a creative decision made by the show’s executive producers Ronald Moore and David Eick.
“‘This show was always meant to have a beginning, a middle and finally, and end,’ Eick and Moore said in a statement Thursday. ‘Over the course of the last year, the story and the characters have been moving strongly toward that end and we’ve decided to listen to those internal voices and conclude the show on our own terms. And while we know our fans will be saddened to know the end is coming, they should brace themselves for a wild ride getting there — we’re going out with a bang.'”
The article also confirms the launch date for the two-hour episode we’ve been hearing about for months:
“The fourth and final season of ‘Galactica’ will kick off in November with ‘Razor,’ an extended two-hour episode, with the rest of the season slated to run beginning in early 2008.”
So it looks like we’re going to see an explosive fourth season followed by… the end. Part of me is sad, of course, but part of me is also thrilled because this means the gloves are coming off — no character is safe, no plot-line is safe, and anything can happen.
I have a favor to ask.I know this announcement means a lot to you, and probably leaves youwith some pretty strong — and maybe even split/confused— feelings. I’d love to include your thoughts in this week’s podcast, which we’re recording tonight for release Sunday. If you have a moment — even if you haven’t called in before — give us a ring at 214-296-9229 and leave us a little bit of audio to include in this week’s cast. We’ll include as many as we can, and if we need to extend some of them into next week (or a bonus ‘cast) we will.
Maybe we can ask and answer each other’s questions over the next few weeks — while we continue the re-watch — and make some sense of all this in time to be blown the frak away by season four.
Update: Thanks for all the calls, and don’t worry if you didn’t call before Friday night. We’ve already got some calls in the queue for next week’s ‘cast, so we’d still love to hear from you.
Galactic Watercooler 
Modern Geek 
Save Eureka 
Eff This Week 
FitSmart
Yay! BSG is going to end!
Seriously. When EJO said that they were wrapping it up I thought that it felt like about the right time to do it. When Eick said they might *not* I got nervous. The last thing I wanted was for the show to turn into the reimagined BSG 1980. This is good news. Go out on top of your game, and gods be with you.
I completely agree. While I’d love to have as much Galactica as possible, it’s a relief to know the ending will be planned far in advance to give the writers a chance to go out in style and exactly how they want. Some of the best television has been done in large story arcs with a planned conclusion, such as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. (DS9, seen sporadically, is a decent show, but seen in order is a phenomenal serial.) Hurrah!
I feel like I might go into early mourning… I prob is as it should be, but it will leave such an empty hole… There is nothing else on TV that I look forward to as much…I have to go and grab a box of tissues…
I’d told myself I’d stay away during the off-season (out of sight, out of mind, as it were, makes the wait until January (now November YAY!) easier to bear), but I couldn’t stay away after this.
This is great news. RDM has mentioned that Crossroads was the opening of the third act of the show, so it makes perfect sense that they wrap it all up in S4. They do have to answer a whole lot of questions, so this season may well be packed with reveals and plot bombs galore. The writing should be much, much tighter now that they have a definite timetable.
That being said, I’m staring a BSG death pool. On my list:
Tigh (possibly suicide, possibly in a self-sacrifice-for-the-good-of-the-fleet sort of scenario, but boxed, fersure)
Baltar (either quietly airlocked by Roslyn after a nice conversation with CapSix, maybe suicide, or somehow sacrificed by his new cult of followers. He is rockin’ the Jesus look already, after all…)
Roslyn (of cancer, duh)
Hot Dog (in battle, just for the hell of it, kinda like Kat)
Dee (in a knock-down, drag-out ‘catfight’ with Starbuck, or otherwise doing something heroic and filled with pathos, like when she saved Starbuck’s ass on the algae planet)
X_O
I have to agree that this is good news. The end of “Crossroads Part Two” felt like a denoument, and thus season four has been set up to be the climax. Obviously that’s the case and it will, indeed, be nice for the show to go out at the top of its game and on the creative team’s own terms, rather than fading into a shadow of its former self through too many seasons or facing sudden cancelation.
And yet, I can’t help but feel a little sad. Like Elspeth, I find that there is very little left in television that I look forward to each week and not having BSG on will be strange. Hopefully, though, the kinds of shows that BSG has heralded will become the norm and we’ll see strong serials with a limited run that can be enjoyed for their long story arcs and character development over an extended period. (Television as literature, if you will.)
OMG Spoilerz
Sad to see the show end after only 4 years, but it’s the right decision considering the premise of the show. I like the Death Pool idea, I’ll think about it and post later, but already I think a whole lot more people will die.
Armando, we’re already staring to see that happen, with the announcement of Lost’s ending after two more seasons, and the story format that Heroes seems to be embracing. I think BSG will go down as the spearhead in a movement for more cerebral, deliberate, and literary television shows. Most definitely a good thing.
Luc, I never said that was my full list- just off the top of my head! LOL
The Spanish tela-novelas (spelling?) have been doing this type of thing for a long time. As far as BSG goes, I am really going to miss it – the in depth character explorations, the socio-political commentary and of course the most important towel dropping moments.
Seriously, going out this way is much better than what was done to Veronica Mars. Also better than Buffy (come on – they have to save the world from the Apocalypse again!? -there is only so much that can be attributed to being cheeky). OR even what happened with X-files where the show’s final season became absurd. Just IMHO.
But what really will fill up some of the hole left in my heart? And can anyone get attached with out worrying about mid-season cancellation? I’d be very interested in whatever show could promise me one full year of show, once a week, September to September. (When did the seasons get so short! It used to be a full school year I swear) We’re all adults here, we can set up the DVR, VCR, download eps, or whatever. Most of us are doing that anyway.
Sorry if this a little off topic. I just feel that BSG is my personal intelligent escape. And really, I am just not sure Bionic Woman get get all the layers in.
I guess Chuck was right about the split emotions!!!
Elspeth is right, other countries do this with TV series all the time. I will, of course, miss new BSG, but I can also say I defnintely agree with this decision. BSG will not die a slow, lingering death — it will not “jump the shark” — it will be remembered as a consistently high-quality classic, not only of the genre, but of TV drama as a whole. The cast and crew and creators will get to go on to do other high-quality work. And we will be left with four years of good memories.
My only concern is — what will happen to the Watercooler!??! Maybe you guys can rechristen yourselves “Genre Watercooler” and stick around for discussion of other TV shows and movies in the sci-fi/fantasy vein.
Just off the top of my head:
Shows cut down in their prime:
* Star Trek (TOS)
* Firefly
* Total Recall 2070 (best show you’ve never heard of)
Shows that exceeded their shelf life:
* Just about all the other Trek
* Buffy
* X-Files
What did I miss?
Alias past season 2 is a no go for me. and I hardcore loved that show.
With only 22 more episodes they will fall well short of what used to be the “magic number” of 100 episodes. I imagine with the advent of cable and the decline of the traditional big three that is less important than it was.
Going out with a bang would be a great thing for BSG – the best parts have always been the storyline episodes rather than the stand alone ones. The only thing to keep an eye out for is whether they will have the budget to do what they want….
It might drop the “a” and become Galactic Watercooler. Then you could focus on any sci-fi show. Seriously, this podcast MUST go on. There’s only two podcasts I would actually pay to listen to and this is one of them (the other is a Star Wars podcast called “The Force-cast”). But hey, it’s going to be a long time before BSG is over. We still have the rest of this year and the two episodes for ’07 and then the 20 more episodes next year.
Like everyone else, I’ve got mixed feelings. I’m glad that this isn’t getting the treatment that show many shows get and that we’re not going to have to fight and petition to get a continuation. The writers will have plenty of time to wrap up the storylines and that means it’s going to be a wild ride! I’m going to be sad to see it go, though. I’ll have to find a new show to obsess over lol. Luckily there are the two new Star Wars series coming in 2008 and 2009, so I won’t be totally left out to dry.
Elspeth and Mike P, telenovelas might have done it for years, but the stories are far, far, faaaaaar from the complex psychological/political/theological stories that we see on BSG. Having grown up with them I can tell you, they are cheesy as all get out.
The Brits, though, have, indeed, been doing this sort of thing for years. Frankly, I think it’s the way to do good television. Shows have brief but tight seasons and runs that maybe go to four, five seasons (except for things like Prime Suspect which ran for what, six or seven? But that still had huge hiatuses between seasons).
Pike sez:
Just off the top of my head:
Shows cut down in their prime:
* Star Trek (TOS)
* Firefly
* Total Recall 2070 (best show you’ve never heard of)
Shows that exceeded their shelf life:
* Just about all the other Trek
* Buffy
* X-Files
What did I miss?
>>>
Arrested Development. Probably the best sitcom since Seinfeld (if not downright better than Seinfeld).
I hear Freaks and Geeks was also very, very good and that only lasted one season. (Never got to see it, alas, and haven’t gotten the DVDs.)
Andy Richter Controls the Universe.
Futurama (though that’s apparently coming back)
Boomtown (way ahead of its time. But what they did to the second season was criminal, frankly. It totally changed the show and made that season pointless).
Thanks for the clarification on telenovelas, Armando. It was more the BBC, with its complex, limited run series that I was thinking of. Clearly, a “soap opera” is not quite the same thing as a “serialized drama” (although I guess there may be some overlap).
13th Cylon: Who are you paying to listen to GWC, and how can the rest of us help out? Am I missing something? I would gladly make a donation to help keep the crew “on the air.” (By the way, I like 13th’s suggestion for a name change — take it under advisement, you three!)
Pike, I’m not sure that TOS Trek was cut down in its prime. That third season really sort of stank (a few standouts notwithstanding). And I think DS9 was good all seven years, even if RDM thought it should only have run six.
I agree that Buffy outlived its goodness — season 5 shoulda been quits. “Smallville” was, I thought, really strong for its first three years, but has really suffered since then. “Max Headroom” died too quickly — yeah, I’m reaching WAY back here — and (outside the genre) “Nothing Sacred” on ABC. I appreciated its realistic treatment of priests and issues of faith.
So does the Pegasus movie count as part of the 22 episodes?
Slightly bummed that they’re not going for a fifth season, BUT totally happy that it won’t meet the fate of Buffy and Carnivale and Rome, where the shows had to scramble at the last minute to tie everything up into unsatisfying conclusions.
Random plug: All yinz (that’s Pittsburgh for “Y’all” or “You guys”) who aren’t watching Denis Leary’s Rescue Me on FX, you oughtta be.
dxf
Mike- I’m not paying, not yet at least. I’m smooching off these guys as long as I can!
And in the Original Star Trek’s defense, I think the guy who ran the show for the first two years was cut out before the third season.
13th, I think you’re right — you mean Gene Coon?
So dxf is apparently in Pittsburgh? Who else around here is in PA?
Didn’t Pegasus get destroyed? Why have a movie about it? I care more about the reveal of the 5th cyclon than the Pegasus (or is this just the set-up for any new spin-offs?)…
Hopefully, the end means no more of those character development episodes without any new story being revealed. There’s too much left to close…
Didn’t know you had more corpses to add to your list, Tigh’s Eyepatch, makes sense.
Of the shows who were cut off prematurely, Firefly is first on my list.
X-Files both went on too long and concluded horribly. What ever became of Chris Carter after that?
I’m with Elspeth, there is nothing on TV I look forward to as much, along with The Office.
I’m with Armando and Pike – My first two (and best two, I think) that were cut short were Futurama and Firefly. Chuck and I are Futurama fiends! And a space Western – bestill my heart!
Armando, I’m guessing you speak Spanish. I’ve noticed the Spanish language Battlestar Wiki is looking pretty wilted these days…*hint hint* 🙂 Actually, I tried to create an account there and am having trouble with the word ID software you have to use to sign up. I’m not a native speaker, but I know enough to know that the Chief is no longer “soltero.”
And we appreciate all y’all’s nice comments about GWC. No long-term plans yet, but we’ve still got a great ride ahead of us!
Okay, I was ruminating on this earlier and I can’t believe I forgot it.
Most Eggregious Cancellation of a Show in Its Prime Ever: Arrested Development.
Audra-
Didn’t know there was a spanish language BSG wiki. What’s the URL? Maybe I’ll help out while I’m procrastinating on music projects this summer (which is happening a lot. By the way-I am beginning to understand why you left upstate NY. There’s just nothing to do around here if you don’t want to drive at least an hour! ZZZZZZZ…)
I was a fan of Futurama from the get go. A lot of people claim it was never as good as The Simpsons, but I think, given the kind of show it was, that it was absolutely brilliant (particularly the episodes where Fry turns out to be his own grandfather and the one where Bender becomes a god!).
Gray, Arrested Development was so robbed, but at least they were given a chance to wrap things up with a nice ending. I just don’t get how that show was left to die while My Name is Earl, which is a great show with essentially the same conceit (only with lower class rather than upper class people) has managed to be groomed and develop a following. Stupid Fox…
(And hey, at least we’re not saying “stupid SciFi.” The show’s going out on its own terms. That’s so cool!)
Honorable Mention for Most Eggregious Cancellation of a Show: Tie: Greg The Bunny and Police Squad!
Armando, http://es.battlestarwiki.org/wiki/Portada (it’s the ES face of BSWiki)
Trak, Greg the Bunny! Best show I saw only one episode of and then wondered what the frak happened to it.
Audra- The good thing is that there are those new Futurama episodes. I watch it whenever I can on Adult Swim. Now that I think of it, I should add it to my Netflix queue. One of the best parts is the “Cylon and Garfunkel” clip lol.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=YEMmni-fBuQ
Armando-
You are correct, sir. They got the chance to go out with a relatively intricate degree of plot and stayed true to the overall design.
And it’s cool that SciFi is letting Eick and Moore go out in much the same way. Though I’m sure that if BSG continued to produce satisfactory ratings, they’d be more than happy to have the show continue. I’m sure they enjoyed the credibility BSG lent them.
a resounding, Vader-esque “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!”
i am alone. all alone in my belief, which is i think the show has ALOT of shelf-life left. what about the six years they promised us?
i’m STILL mourning Six Feet Under AND Arrested Development. talk about separation anxiety.
this is just too much pain to bear… who needs a drink?….
Hey guys, I don’t post often, but found the podcast around mid-season this year and have since gone back and listened to the ones before. This podcast is one of the things getting me through the hiatus.
Mike P – I am in PA – just outside Philly
dsx – I love Rescue me – only about 2 more weeks till the premiere (helps my sister and brother-in-law are volunteers firefighters – so they got me into it – plus I know many of the guys and gals at their station)
Now on to my feelings on the cancellation (this was originally posted at Skiffy, but fits here)
I, too, am glad that we will get an ending BSG deserves. Yes, I will be sad, but the old saying goes every good thing must come to and end, I am just glad TPTB get to end it on their terms. I get annoyed when I am invested in a show just to have it pulled before the creators vision is fully realized.
I am positive it will be a great ending, and who knows maybe Ron’s next project will be just as, if not more successful then BSG. I know I will be looking forward to the next story Ron wants to tell.
I also will most likely follow many of the actors careers from here on out – BSG has such a great, talented group of actors it will be fun to see them do other things (weird at first for sure)
As for Galactica Watercooler – I hope you guys go on with the podcast – you have plenty of time to think about it. If they run all of the episodes back to back and start in January we will just be approaching the series finale a year from now – so we have lots more to talk about, discuss and lots of time to plan for the future.
Mike P, I’m from the ‘Burgh, but I live in Akron-Cleveland, where I say “yinz” (and listen to more Donnie Iris than I ever have) to preserve my cultural ties to the motherland.
Anyhow, anyone want to speculate what the third version of Galactica — maybe coming in 2033? — will be like? Maybe by then, the trend of making things darker and more serious will be over/.
The Galactic Watercooler thing is a great idea. Damn shame that everyone has to work and pay bills — all that stuff seriously gets in the way. If someone could start a lottery pool, and we win, it’d be great to hear the hosts chatting up the third season of Buffy…
dxf
Raemani, I am totally with you on wanting to check out what this creative team will do after BSG. I’m even planning on givig The Bionic Woman a chance, something I wouldn’t do if it wasn’t a David Eick re-imagining. And I hope that we’ll see Michael Hogan’s career take off into some features soon. Same for James Callis.
Michael Hogan should get a spinoff show. Maybe as a sitcom in front of a studio audience. In the pilot episode, he gets a glass eye. Every week he loses said eye and has to go hunting for it, which he always finds by the end of the episode.
And I’m definitely going to check out The Bionic Woman. There’s a few clips on YouTube and Starbuck does some super nasty bionic fighting.
In yesterday’s interview, Moore told the journalists: “The end of season three showed a glimpse of Earth; you actually saw it. And you will see more of it. We’re going to get to a place that we’re going to call Earth by the end of the series.” sounds like an interesting way to put it.
Tony: The word-wrangling begins!
I’m half convinced he phrases stuff like that just to give us something to do.
It’d be nice if he sent us paychecks too, as long as he’s giving us something to do.
George Lucas too.
😉
Yeah, I’ve given GL plenty of money. He could float a few this way. lol
RDM is one of the best at telling us something without telling us anything. He mixes lies with truth and he’s not to be trusted.
I was actually handing the 10 month layover just fine, until this. Now I feel like I am waiting for the final movie of a great triology. A loooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggggg wait, building expectations, and just hoping that they can meet them, becuase they don’t get a second chance.
oh the agony!
Shows unjustly cancelled? Firefly obviously. But what show had a bigger cancellation with tons of plot left untold more than Twin Peaks? Mark Frost and Lynch opened tthe doors for “weird” shows like X-Files.
13th-
I’m prepared to give the Bionic Woman a chance. I’d watch just about anything with Katee in it. The trailer looks intriguing. And Eick has a good track record with reimagining things darker and denser. I’m thinking it’s gonna be quite different to see a villainous Sackhoff. And if Michael Hogan and Aaron Doral make appearances, I’m there.
This is what I get being a supply teacher all week. I miss threads like this. There is that Starbuck & Apollo discussion about kids that comes to mind since apparently I picked up a bug from some kid in some classroom I was in.
If memory serves, Jane Espenson replaces Anne Coffell-Saunders in the writing team. ACS got her feet wet in 24 then got her first writing break with BSG but now is moving on to helm her own show. Jane Espenson is an excellent writer who was on Buffy & Firefly. This may change the storytelling we see but also is an example of a big gun coming in. If Mr. Eick is not kidding about going out with a bang having Jane Espenson, a Hugo winner, as Co-Executive Producer/Writer is going to be fun.
That also brings an old line of thought up. Joss Whedon noted that Willow in Buffy and Kaylee in Firefly more often than not were his voice injected into the story. I honestly get the feeling that frankly Dee fulfills that role on BSG lately for Mr. Moore. With the addition of Jane Espenson to the cast I wonder if that may play out to be right.
With all the religious angles BSG explores, why not get a religion guy on? Dr. Gregory Stevenson of Rochester College (located outside Detroit) specializes in apocalyptic biblical literature and teaches plenty of koine Greek classes. He wrote a book on BtVS entitled “Televised morality : the case of Buffy the vampire slayer” and supposedly has something in the pipeline for an anthology on BSG. He would be an interesting guest that I could suggest.
Things should get interesting?
OK, I’m finally ready to talk about the show ending with Season Four. I have to admit, I’m having scary flashback moments to both the final episodes of Voyager AND Enterprise. Gods help us all, RDM, please, PLEASE, when they get to Earth, can it be a) for real and true, and b) can we please have some closure – I’m totally OK with storyline and characters that have questions left unanswered and unknown, but please, don’t tease me with the Saul is a Cylon idea and then never have it mentioned again or resolved in any way. (For those who are having similar flashbacks – I’m referring to the Enterprise Tupal/Captain, Tupal/Tucker relationships that went absolutely nowhere for no apparent reason, and the Captain Janeway/Chokotay romance that never bloomed, or bloomed early and, then, went nowhere….)
FWIW, I’m hearing RDM saying “a place called Earth,” as the Earth that will/does exist in the BSG Universe. If it is “our” Earth, I can only say that I truly hope that the members of the fleet end up being our ancestors and that somewhere in my DNA there exists some badass Starbuck/Saul/Adama genetic makeup….
i might cry , so sad soooooooo sad
I think I’m like every one on here I’m mixed with sadness and acceptance. As a person who started to watch BSG when season 3 started and then went back and watched everything that came before. I’m sad that I came across BSG and GWC a short time ago and now love both the show and the podcast. One last thing I hope the writers really plan out this last season and like some people have said I think a lot of the big cheaters will die on the show. Have a good one and see you around the water cooler.
Speaking for myself I would rather see the series end in season 4, rather than drag out an ongoing soap opera over 2 seasons. I think we’re in for a helluva ride next year!
I’ve also been avoiding all things BSG, since it makes the wait easier, but had to pop over to read The Cooler when I stumbled across the announcement of next year being the last.
While I could watch BSG for untold seasons, it does seem like RDM is ready to wind it down, and I’d rather he do that on his terms, then stuff in a buncha filler episodes.
Other random comments. I agree, dfx, Rescue Me is fabulous, I’m looking forward to the start of the new season in a couple weeks. Last season’s ending was so powerful.
And on Series endings? OMGs. One more episode of The Sopranos. Tonight’s episode was SO intense I almost couldn’t watch it.
Premature endings? I gotta go with the much mentioned Firefly, and while Buffy was done done done, Angel was NOT, dang it. And, of course, Twin Peaks. I’m still annoyed at how they ended that one.
I still think five seasons would have been better. Seems to me that odd numbers (especially three, obviously) are good literary numbers, but that’s just me. I also heard somewhere that the two hour movie in November is actually going to be the story of Pegasus before they hooked up with Galactica. Is this true or am I crazy?
I first got back into sci-fi with Firefly…after a long slow decline in interest. That was a show that could have probably lasted 10 seasons had it been allowed to really flourish. Its amazing to me how active the local Firefly fan club remains even to this day. And every time I watch an episode I’m struck at how perfectly it’s crafted. Maybe Sci-Fi will “re-imagine” it next to replace BSG?? hmm….
Love the podcast, especially now. Keep it up and we’ll get thru the hiatus together ‘eh?
Carol – for what it’s worth, I’m finding the re-watch and GWC are actually *helping* the separation pain from BSG. I was worried it would increase it, but it’s been great fun so far and makes it seem not so far away after all.
Welcome BSG-32!
I was hoping so hard that Season 4 would be the last, because I didn’t want to end up hating the show ten years from now when they were still cranking out episodes just because they could. I’m with Pike and Tigh’s Eyepatch. It’s a bittersweet relief to know that Eick and RDM will be able to tell a complete story and then end it the way it should instead of dragging it out year after pointless year. And if I can go 10 months without any new BSG, perhaps, just perhaps, I can make it the rest of my life once it’s over…
*sniff* Sorry. Had to step out for a good cry. Looking forward to the return of the hysterical and inspired “Futurama” (favorite eps: Kip gives birth; Fry searches for his lucky clover and learns the truth about his brother; the Futurama crew meets the Star Trek crew). And someone mentioned it once, but Freaks and Geeks is brilliance all over the place and should not be missed, especially if you liked 40-Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. It’s one sad, beautiful season of nearly perfect television, and it played as though someone had followed me around in high school with a video camera (as a Geek, not a Freak, in case you were wondering).
I also caught the Bionic Woman trailer. Katee Sachoff looks wicked cool, and I like that their leading lady doesn’t look like a superhero or an action star. Feels like we’ll be watching the story of a real person who is handed an extraordinary life. Cool.