cylons

(S04E09) Well now, how was that for a surprise ending? Well, that is, for those who didn't get to see the screening in L.A. Wednesday night. I was invited to go but, seeing as I live on the other side of the country, it wasn't really all that practical to be there.

While this was an amazing episode, I've got mixed feelings of sorts. I'm elated that this isn't the finale episode of the series, that we've got another slew of episodes to go through before "the end." However, this episode felt like it possibly could have ended the series -- will the real final episode pay off as well as this one did?

(S04E09) I've been reading a lot lately from people who've become disappointed with this show the past few episodes or so. I've felt the same way. I'm happy to say, though, that while this episode didn't exactly make up for the lack of luster, it was certainly enjoyable.

Even without seeing the previews for this week (which, I admit, I can't even help but watch), we knew this episode would start with a flashback to what happened when Roslin and the occupants of the stolen Base Star jumped away. Right away we saw that a Cylon ship jumping has a strange effect on humans, though it's not clear if anyone other than Roslin had those brief visions.

Well, replica, that is. But hey, it's life-size!

NBC / Universal Pictures is making available full-size replicas of the familiar Cylon Centurions, both the one from the original Battlestar Galactica series and the series airing now on Sci Fi. These suckers stand at seven feet tall and weigh around 300 pounds, made of fiberglass and even sport red LED lights in the visor.

The company making these replicas, Fred Barton Productions, produces a bunch of other familiar replica-robots. They have Robot B-9 from Lost in Space, some Silent Running drones, Gort from The Day the Earth Stood Still, Robby the Robot, C3PO & R2D2, and Tobor the Great.

So, how much will this set you back? Try $7900 fraking clams. Sadly for many, there's no skinjob Cylon model replicas at the store. I imagine the Sixes and Eights would have been sold out by now. And I don't want to even imagine what would be done with them.

[via THR LiveFeed]

(S04E08) After two weeks of waiting, and through several other shows having their season finales, we're back for more frakking BSG, baby. And speaking of season finales, after watching Lost last night with all of its flashbacks and flash-forwards, it almost seemed as though we may be seeing a bit of flashbackery next week to explain what happened to Roslin and the others aboard the hijacked Base Star.

In case you're wondering what the title means, it's a latin legal term, of course.

(S04E07) I'm going to go out on a limb (no pun ... oh hell, pun intended) and assume it's not a huge spoiler to mention the fate of Gaeta's leg here, before the jump. Most people in last week's poll thought it was "as good as gone," and they were right. The songs Gaeta sang in the infirmary, along with the haunting music of Bear McCreary, were very well done. While we have some minor (and sometimes major) characters dying episode-to-episode, not so much feeling has been put into them as has been with Gaeta's amputation. Sad, yet beautiful.

OK, that was a bit creepy, but you get where I'm coming from.

(S04E06) More than a few people thought last week's episode was filler. Things picked up again this week, with a lot of reveals along with a few more questions. Throw in another "red shirt" death and some other surprises (that I won't mention here in case there are spoiler-phobes about), and you've got the makings of a good episode.

This week I didn't bother with the ten minute preview online. In an interview with Mark Verheiden regarding last week's episode, he indicated that this episode was originally going to start off at a different point. So, in essence, if you were watching the preview today, you were seeing what was meant to be in last week's episode, originally.

(S04E04) I went on earlier today about how a lot of us were cut short in the early viewing of tonight's episode, which made me think perhaps something "big" happens later that they didn't want revealed early. With the exception of one "maybe big" moment, I can scratch that theory.

I wouldn't exactly call this a throw-away episode, though with what we saw in the past three episodes it did drag is places.

(S04E03) At the conclusion of last week's episode, I made mention of how quickly things were moving along, specifically with the Cylon Centurions' evolution. I thought for sure things would settle down this week, but they gave me a surprise. Hell, I think they gave everyone a surprise. Sorta.

I finally caved. After all the hype and all the buzz, I gave in. I'm sick of avoiding headlines on blogs and it's frustrating to hear everyone chatting away about "Cylons this..." and "Caprica that..." while I stand by mute and clueless. I've finally started to watch Battlestar Galactica.

I should mention that I'm not completely in the dark. I've tried before. On a couple of occasions actually. I've had a burned copy of the three hour mini-series that started it all for some time now. I could never get through it. This time, I went all out though. I even shelled out the $55 for the season one DVD set. Now, I'm through the mini-series and I'm nine episodes into the season. Four to go before the finale and all of a sudden, I've stopped. I started thinking. What if I had watched the show, right from the get-go when it premiered back in 2005 along with everyone else? Let's pretend. Let's say it is 2005 all over again and episode nine just aired last night -- the one where Tigh's estranged wife shows up. Let's pretend that seasons 2, 3 and 4 don't exist yet. Cool premise? OK...

I don't see what the big deal is.

(S04E02) Let me start out by saying that Sci Fi airing these episodes online at noon is both a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing that we all get to see our favorite show well ahead of time. It's a curse because it's smack in the middle of a workday for some (though at lunchtime) and at the start of a workday for others. There's no pausing or rewinding, so if you get a bad connection or miss something, you still need to tune in that night to keep up. Not that that's such a bad thing, really, but man it's frustrating.

ComicMix has weekly interviews with Battlestar Galactica co-executive producer Mark Verheiden. In the latest interview, ComicMix asked an interesting question about something I didn't notice from the season premiere (warning: SPOILERS!):

CMix: In Tigh's hallucination, he shoots Adama in the same eye that Tigh lost. Intentional?

MV: Per one of the writers of that episode, Mr. David Weddle:

"I was waiting for someone to pick up on that telling detail. Congratulations. But I am disappointed you have not figured out its significance within the larger mythology of the show. It's all laid out for you. All you have to do is run the episode over again in slow motion, and the deeper truth will be revealed."

Hmmm... Makes me want to run it slow motion!

One of the most talked about aspects of the final season of Battlestar Galactica has been who will be revealed as the final Cylon. Many will argue (and rightfully so) that this show is much more than discovering who this final Cylon is, but the fact remains that this discovery is an important aspect of the show. Otherwise, why would such a reveal be such a well-kept secret? Because it makes good TV, that's why.

With four of the final five Cylons being revealed in the third season finale, lots of speculation is flying on who that fifth Cylon might be. There are two interesting theories in particular I want to mention.

Early this afternoon (at least for me here on the east coast), Katee Sackhoff participated in a conference call with reporters, discussing her part as Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica, both in seasons past and the upcoming final season of the series.

A few highlights:

• Katee was asked about the significance of the last supper image promo for season four. She mentions how so many people try to interpret the photo, but she says, at least the way she saw it, the cast would have all had to have been in on it for it to really mean something.

Last year Anna told us how to make a Battlestar Galactica Cylon Jack-O-Lantern, but do you know how to actually find out if there is an actual Cylon living among your family or circle of friends?

The handy poster on the right can be of help. It tells you all of the clues and behavior to look out for, such as a strange empathy with machines and a spine that glows red. It reminds me of those old posters you used to see (still see?) in restaurants, the ones that illustrated what to do when someone was choking. I still remember the tip that said "Hand to throat means person is choking," followed by a drawing of a man with his face in a plate of food.

The posters are for sale for $19.95, though the site where you order them seems to be down at the moment. Probably from all the traffic generated from a Boing Boing link.

I thought this image was worthy of a post on its own for Battlestar fans. While on our tour within the sets of the show this week, one particular set was mind blowing in its detail: Adama's quarters. One amazingly cool artifact on this set is the painting from the First Cylon War, which I believe hasn't really been captured in this much detail before. Note the old-style Cylon on the right.

From BattlestarWiki: "Monclair was a Colonial painter. One of his original paintings, a stylized depiction of the Cylon War, adorns William Adama's quarters on Galactica. He is apparently of considerable renown, given Gaius Baltar's impressed reaction to the piece (Bastille Day).

According to the book, Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion, the painting hanging in Adama's quarters was actually made by additional art director Ken Rabehl."

Click on the gallery link below to see the above image a bit larger as well as two other shots of the interior of Adama's office.

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