Universal Home Video may give the go to produce a “Battlestar Galactica” direct-to-DVD telefilm, according to Geek Monthly.
If it pans out, the 2-hour telefilm will begin shooting by March 2007 when the series begins its normally scheduled hiatus before (or better yet – if and when) season four goes into production 3 months later. It is assumed that the movie will be shown first on the SCI FI Channel and later sold as a DVD in retail stores. It should be noted that series actor Aaron Douglas (Chief Galen Tyrol) has revealed several times in various interviews since November that he is sure there will be a season four of BSG. His most recent speculations on a 4th season can be found in issue #196 of TV Zone Magazine.
Speculation is running high on what the storyline will be, but rumor has it, the plot will not cause a problem with existing canon or series continuity. The other rumor is that the telefilm/DVD will actually be a tie-in between the current series and the prequel called “Caprica” now in the early stages of development. However, since there is no current screenplay, no one knows for sure.
Some insiders are trying to figure out SCI FI’s rationale concerning BSG. The decision to move the series to Sunday night, the refusal to respond to questions about whether or not the series will get a Season Four and now talk of a telefilm leads some to believe that the critically acclaimed series may be in the same kind of danger that Stargate SG-1 faced after reaching its landmark 200th episode. And while no one is ready to say the dreaded “C” word, there are those of us with some grave concerns. The big difference here is BSG has no MGM Studio to mother it beyond the SCI FI Channel as SG-1 does.
While I would certainly miss a weekly “Battlestar Galactica,” at the same time I would favor a move to DVD as it would allow series producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick full freedom of expression to explore the even deeper aspects of the characters that is only hinted at in a censored television setting.
Perhaps, with the recent news of Stargate SG-1 going to continue its legacy in the DVD format, and the announcement of another new Babylon 5 installment on DVD, we are witnessing a new trend for programs like “Battlestar Galactica” and others to find fresh new life and ideas to explore beyond the confinds of network or commerical cable television. I would certainly welcome it.
i don’t even wanna hear the “c” word… i swear if that happen’s scifi is gonna be destroyed by thousands and thousands of fans… i’ll be one of them
Me too.
*cue the angry mob crying “so say we all!”*
They’re not *seriously* considering dropping BSG??!! Are they on crack? I mean, seriously.
I’m not sure how interpreting the move to Sunday night or anything else mentioned above can somehow add up to cancelling BSG.
I think when a network has a HUGE hit like BSG, they move it to whatever timeslot is suffering, knowing that the loyal audience will move with it. Making a direct to DVD movie seems to me just to be a money thing – if they are going to show it on SciFi first, whats the diff between that and a regular pair of BSG episodes?
As a fan, I’d be a rabid maniac if they did cancel it, but if I put on my common sense decoder ring for just a second, it would make ZERO sense for them to cancel BSG now at the height of its popularity.
That would be like Lucas stopping after Empire Strikes Back and saying “You know what, I’ve changed my mind, Im not going to do this anymore.” Oh wait…maybe he should have done that. Hm. Now I’m worried.
BSG is one of those franchises like Star Trek, X-Files or Babylon 5…a very loyal fan base that measures in the millions, but it does not bring in any real new numbers from that advertising benchmark of 18-49 year olds that are not already onboard.
The show, as good as it is, and it is only getting better week after week, is still falling in the ratings number game and has been doing so quite steadily since the first episode in season one.
Sadly, most TV viewers are “airheads” looking for anything that will allow them to shut-off their brain for an hour or so. BSG is not that kind of television. Like Star Trek, it tackles important contemporay social issues within the context of its scifi setting. This requires its viewers to be saavy, intelligent, philosophical and aware – a state that the average viewer rarely encounters. BSG’s loyal following is exactly that kind of sharp, keen, aware and intelligent viewer, but we, I am afraid, are in the minority and the ratings for the show are reflecting that. That is why I stated in the article that if BSG takes the direct-to-DVD route that SG-1 and B5 are pursuing, then I would welcome it, if it guaranteed a continuation of the franchise that would allow it to keep putting out a fabulous product that a TV setting may no longer allow for.
I’m not up on the vagaries of television ratings, but it occurs to me that moving BSG to Sundays (but not too late) might help, since a large portion of the target audience is ‘out on the prowl’ on Friday nights.