For one reason or another, people have been wanting to rename the Sci Fi network for a long time. About three years ago, someone shot a fake press release around the blogoshpere saying that the SciFi network was going to be renamed SurgeTV. Even as recently as last fall, surveys were going around suggesting that the name would change to Beyond. Now we finally have an official name change from the folks at NBC Universal and it's a big one: the Sci Fi network is becoming... the Syfy network.

Doesn't sound much different, does it? The shocking thing is that the network went through 300 (!) names before picking the phonetic version of their existing name. The name is supposed to be the "best of both worlds," network president Dave Howe tells TV Week; it sounds like the old name but it looks less geeky than the abbreviation for "Science Fiction." The new name and logo will start appearing on July 7, when the dramedy Warehouse 13 is launched.

So, you've been enjoying those "Razorettes" we've been posting here lately, have you? Good. Good. There will be more of those in the coming weeks. And... AND... then, the Battlestar Galactica: Razor movie! Woo!

I've also heard some other potentially good news lately regarding our beloved series. It turns out that, due to the looming writers strike and how it could put a halt to new television for a while, there are reports that NBC may consider airing old episodes of Battlestar Galactica... on NBC!

OK, now for the bad news...

Something I really enjoyed about Sci Fi putting this event on for us was getting to put faces to people involved with other online outlets. SyFy Portal, Gateworld, The TV Addict, DVD Verdict, Monsters and Critics, UGO, and TVaholic, among others (sorry if I missed mentioning you and you're reading this – I'm still recovering.) These were real fans of television, and they were as excited as anyone to be there. What pissed me off, though, was overhearing a few people in attendance say "I never watch TV," yet here they were, covering TV shows. What were they doing there? Lame. That should piss off any fan of these shows, because this was more than an event to be reported on my the media, it was put on for the fans. OK, I'm done my rant.

I've been sitting on announcing this for over a month now, since there's all sorts of things that could go wrong and, well, plans can change. But now that I'm finally here I can let you in on what's going on. I'm flying clear across the country for a very good cause -- to visit the sets of Battlestar Galactica, Stargate Atlantis, Eureka and Flash Gordon, complete with Q&A's with some of the cast and crew. Oh, and I hear we're going to see a little bit of that Wizard Of Oz reimagining, Tin Man, while we're at it.

Stay tuned here at TV Squad for more updates as soon as I'm able to get online and throw something at you. I start out bright and early tomorrow morning, so if you've got any questions you'd like to ask folks involved with any of the above mentioned shows, fire away in the comments below. I'm hoping I'll be able to shoot some updates via our Twitter account, too, so be sure to check that out to see what I'm up to for the next few days, or you can follow the tiny widget after the jump in this post. Needless to say, I'm pretty frack'n pumped!

Word has come down from Edward James Olmos (Admiral Adama) recently that, indeed, Battlestar Galactica will end after its fourth (next) season. This should be of not much surprise to many fans of the show, since the New York Post made mention of the high probability of this scenario back in March. I also seem to recall creator Ron Moore making mention of this in one of his podcasts.

Again, I applaud Moore and anyone else responsible for such a decision, as the series can be cleanly wrapped up in a way that will make it enjoyable to watch repeatedly for generations, unlike the other crap out there that has no idea when to call it quits. Thankfully Lost has made a similar decision, and hopefully its quality will improve as a result (with the exception of the latest episode, it's been a crappy season for Lost).

(UPDATE: For all you naysayers and doubters, here's the proof that should settle this now. And I took out the question mark from the title because of it.)

What can I say about The Sci-Fi Channel's new show Painkiller Jane? Well, it certainly isn't well-written, well-acted, attention-getting, on par with Battlestar Galactica, or a fine replacement for Stargate SG-1. None of those phrases would describe this show. However, these would: bad acting, bad writing, extremely boring (both my wife an I fell asleep) and not a very good addition to the Sci-Fi Friday schedule. Now, I could be jaded here since the preview DVD I was sent showed rough cuts of the show. Nah, who am I kidding? The show is just bad!

Regular reader Dorv sent us a link to an article at GeekMonthly.com discussing the possibility of a direct-to-video Battlestar Galactica movie. According to the site's sources, the prospects of such a telefilm being produced is contingent upon whether the show, whose ratings are declining, is picked up for a fourth season (that's been taken care of, as we found out yesterday). Likely, the movie would air on the SciFi network after it is released on DVD.

Given the show's solid fan base, a fourth season seems like a probability. And it'll be interesting to see what the freedom of the direct-to-video format -- no standards and practices, remember -- will give the show's creators. Sure, they'll reshoot scenes to show on SciFi, but who knows what we'll see on the DVD version? Maybe some naked Cylons, perhaps?

When I returned home last night, a package awaited me that I later knew would most definitely define a good portion of the near midnight hours of my night; a large, thin, hard bound book containing beautiful pictures, text and DVDs for the first four episodes of Battlestar Galactica's third season.

It's extremely difficult to tell you too much about the new season and the episodes I watched without spoiling things for you, especially when I'm such a hardcore member of Spoilers Anonymous as it is. Sorry in advance if I'm giving too little or too much away, but I think this will be a good start to get you even more excited for the new season, which starts Friday, October 6.

In case you've missed it -- perhaps you were busy standing naked in front of your air conditioner -- here are some highlights from the last week at TV Squad:



Breaking News

• ABC cancels The One.
• Rocco DiSpirito gets another TV show.
• Senator Ted Stevens wants to go on The Daily Show.
• Ed Helms joins the cast of The Office.
• Leno to sub for Ebert on review show.
• So is Kevin Smith.
• Did Tori Spelling get the shaft... from her dad?
• E! programming now available on iTunes.
• Kevin Bacon to direct season finale of The Closer.
• PBS chief says new FCC fines will put stations in danger.
• PBS shows for sale on Google.
• Arrested Development reruns to air on MSN, G4, and HDNet.
• Cox-Arquette says she wouldn't mind a Friends reunion.
• Will Braff and Lawerence make a new Fletch movie?
• Anthony Bourdain talks about being trapped in Beirut.
• Harold Reynolds fired by ESPN over sexual harassment charges.
• Mako dead at 72.
• Ratings for the World Cup are fantastic.
• FOX thinks fans of serialized dramas need closure.
• Here is the list of celebrity voices for Simpsons season 18.
• FOX renews Hell's Kitchen and So You Think You Can Dance.
• PBS children's show host fired for sex-themed parody sketch.
• T-Mobile pulls ads from FX over racy content.
• Grey's reruns will be on Lifetime.
• Sci Fi may give Stargate shows a 6-month break to air BSG.

Discussions

• Is Rescue Me's schedule getting in the way of Nip/Tuck's new season?
• Madame (the puppet) is still around.
• Would you attend the press tour?
• Watch Stephen Colbert nail the D.C. delegate.
• Who should stay and who should go on SNL?
• What's on Rob Corddry's iPod?
• Bob asks if Letterman's show has been better lately.

The Five

• Best sports to watch on TV.
• Worst sports to watch on TV.
• Characters from under the sea.

Opinions

• Screech is starting to piss Rich off.
• Bob disputes the notion that Dennis Miller wasn't funny in 1992.
• When will TLC air new eps of Little People, Big World?
• Read our previews of FOX's new shows.
• Should studios or the networks market TV shows?
• Anna has problems getting her Dwight bobblehead replaced.
• People don't get Ken Jennings' sense of humor.

Retro Squad

• Strangers with Candy: "To Be Young Gifted and Blank"
• Firefly: "Ariel"
• The Prisoner: "Many Happy Returns"
• Seinfeld: "The Nose Job"
• The Office (BBC): Episode 9
• Angel: "I Will Remember You"
• Futurama: "A Big Piece of Garbage"

Episode Reviews

• Monk: "Mr. Monk Can't See a Thing"
• Psych: "Woman Seeking Dead Husband..."
• Moral Orel: "God's Chef"
• It's Always Sunny...: "The Gang Exploits a Miracle"
• Big Brother All-Stars: Elimination #3
• Who Wants to be a Superhero: Episode 1
• Entourage: "Strange Days"
• 30 Days: "Immigration"
• Project Runway: "A Designer's Best Friend"
• Rock Star: Supernova: Week 4 Elimination
• Rescue Me: "Karate"
• Eureka: "Many Happy Returns"
• Last Comic Standing: One leaves, four perform
• The Closer: "Head Over Heels"
• The Dead Zone: "Lotto Fever"