Syfy greenlights pilot for third Galactica series

[JME2]

From Gateworld

Syfy Channel announced today that it has greenlit Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome, a backdoor pilot for a potential third BSG series. The show would chronicle the adventures of a young William Adama during the later years of the first Cylon War.

The network originally ordered the script for Blood & Chrome as a limited-run series of webisodes, but liked Michael Taylor’s script so much that it is sending it straight to television as a 2-hour movie event. The backdoor pilot could then turn into a full-fledged series, if Syfy likes what it sees.

Production should begin in Vancouver, British Columbia early next year. The show could be ready to premiere as early as Fall 2011, though TV Squad suggests after talking with Mark Stern, Syfy’s executive vice president of original programming, that if it is picked up for a full series a 2012 debut is more likely.

In addition to a younger “Husker” Adama the show will feature a younger, shinier Battlestar Galactica during the height of the Twelve Colonies. The production team took high-resolution scans of every nook of the Galactica sets before they were struck, and plan to recreate them digitally — a la Sanctuary‘s use of green stages and virtual sets.

Here’s how Syfy describes the show’s premise:

Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome takes place in the 10th year of the first Cylon war. As the battle between humans and their creation, a sentient robotic race, rages across the 12 colonial worlds, a brash rookie viper pilot enters the fray. Ensign William Adama, barely in his 20’s and a recent Academy graduate, finds himself assigned to the newest battlestar in the Colonial fleet … the Galactica. The talented but hot-headed risk-taker soon finds himself leading a dangerous top secret mission that, if successful, will turn the tide of the decade long war in favor of the desperate fleet.

Adama, of course, was played by Edward James Olmos in Syfy’s first Galactica series, which ran for four seasons from 2005 to 2009. Actor Nico Cortez (pictured left) played the younger character at this same time period in the telemovie Battlestar Galactica: Razor. While the role could potentially be recast, Stern told TV Squad’s Maureen Ryan that “I’m assuming there will be a full casting process for this pilot, but with Nico at the top of the list.”

Nico Cortez played young William Adama in ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor.'' Stern described the series as “very much an action-adventure, war series.”

Younger versions of other familiar BSG characters (or older versions of characters from Caprica, set when Bill Adama is just a young boy) are possible.

In spite of Caprica‘s rough time attracting viewers — especially after moving to Tuesdays this month — Stern insists that Blood & Chrome is not intended to be a replacement for that show. “To be really categorical about it, this is not about finding something else so we can get rid of Caprica,” Stern told TV Squad. “I don’t know the fate of Caprica yet, but, if anything, Blood & Chrome going to series would only be a great opportunity to pair it with something.”

He said that a decision on Caprica should be made by November 15.

Taylor wrote the teleplay for the 2-hour Blood & Chrome pilot from a story by Eick, Taylor and Bradley Thompson & David Weddle. It will be executive produced by David Eick for Universal Cable Productions.

[Crazedwraith]

Didn't Razor flashbacks show that Adama only really took part in the very last battle of the first Cylon War?

[Srelex]

Well, at least it sounds like we'll be getting more space battles than wangst and pretentiousness.

[Sarevok]

Didn't Razor flashbacks show that Adama only really took part in the very last battle of the first Cylon War?

I don't recall Razor mentioning it was Adamas first battle.

[Eternal_Freedom]

In the battle he was referred to as "rookie," and that battle was the last, in the 12th year of the war. I doubt someone would still be called rookie after two years of intensive war service. Two months peraps, but not two years

EDIT: hopefully in this series they'll avoid all the religious crap and destiny blah blah blah, cos the cylons are still toasters, they havent met the final five yet. So, space battle aplenty. It'll be interesting to see how they manage doing everything on a digital set

[neoolong]

Operation Raptor Talon was on Day 4571 of the war, so if the series takes place during the 10th year, there's a couple of years to play around with.

[Eternal_Freedom]

I tihnk the point was it's messing with the characters history, in that it appears from the main series he only served briefly at the end, but in this new one he had two years of service

[Stark]

Since it dropped off the SDN radar, can anyone outline what they did with Caprica? I mean obviously it sucked, but how long did it run? What did they add to the nBSG story?

[Eternal_Freedom]

Id like to know that too. I never saw it, but then again I gave up on BSg after watching season 4 through once. God that was bad

[JME2]

Since it dropped off the SDN radar, can anyone outline what they did with Caprica? I mean obviously it sucked, but how long did it run? What did they add to the nBSG story?

I think they're waiting to get the pickup for Season 2, but it hasn't been doing too well in the ratings from what I understand.

I only watched the first 2 episodes before I lost interest, so I don't know what's been happening. But they were starting to set up or adding to the following nBSG elements:

* The Colonial Cylon's origins and their monotheistic view.
* Joseph Adama's legal career
* The racism between different Colonial populations.

[neoolong]

They also dealt with robots. And some girl got turned into a robot. I assume by downloading a copy of her personality into it, as opposed to sticking her brain in a jar.

There's also gangsters and shit.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

To be fair, Caprica really wasn't that bad... until the season "1.0" finale, where they somehow managed to cram every bit of godawful bullshit from nBSG's 3rd and 4th seasons into a single episode of awe-inspiring suck.

I haven't watched any of "1.5" since, so I don't know if it improved or got worse.

[xt828]

More of the same, really. They did throw James Marsters into the monotheist camp for a while as a lunatic fringe terrorist, but he was killed by the thoroughly boring Polly Walker/Sister Clarice. About the only thing I find interesting in the series is the interplay between the Tauron mafia and Greystone, and that's probably just because I like crime dramas. IMO the show's main issue is that there's no hook, nothing that grabs your attention and keeps you interested. There's also a lot of decidedly average acting.

[Marcus Aurelius]

Digital sets will mean bad or at least mediocre acting unless you have absolutely top notch actors and directors. Which I doubt this new series will have.

Actors are just human beings and acting against the completely featureless blue/green screen makes getting into the role all the more difficult, as it already wasn't difficult enough with the crew and equipment around you. Don't get me wrong, CGI sets are alright for things that would otherwise be too expensive to build, but I sincerely hope they change their minds and re-built at least some of the Galactica sets, which obviously weren't that expensive in the first time around.

Otherwise this sounds like a good idea for a more popcorn type nBSG series, but I still hope that they at least try to get a decent plot going, too. Gratuitous space battles are just that. In the grand scheme of things I would hope more original ideas to get a green light instead of franchise shows, but the way Hollywood is nowadays, I suppose at least some scifi is better than nothing. I think.

[neoolong]

I don't know, I'd hope with the bump to an actual TV series, they'd now be able to build more stuff practically.

[Stofsk]

I don't see how this can be turned into a series. We already know how the war ends. There is no tension. And it'll contradict Razor, which was actually a decent story.

Sounds to me like they want to catch lightning in a bottle again. It didn't work with Caprica, and I doubt it'll work with this.

[neoolong]

They managed to craft a trilogy of movies around Anakin Skywalker. Still, it is cashing in on the name.

[Marcus Aurelius]

I don't see how this can be turned into a series. We already know how the war ends. There is no tension. And it'll contradict Razor, which was actually a decent story.

You mean it will suck like Enterprise? But Enterprise did not suck because we already knew that the Federation will succeed and win the Romulan war. They are also still making new movies and TV shows about WW2. Now, I appreciate that real historical wars are somewhat different, but if they can get a decent writing I see no inherent fault in the prequel concept. Again, it is not like the SW prequels sucked only or even mostly because we already knew that Anakin was going to become Vader and the evil Emperor would win that round.

[adam_grif]

They managed to craft a trilogy of movies around Anakin Skywalker.

You're not really helping your case here by bringing that up as an example. Only one of those three films is widely considered to be "good" around these parts.

[Stofsk]

You mean it will suck like Enterprise? But Enterprise did not suck because we already knew that the Federation will succeed and win the Romulan war.

No, it sucked for completely different reasons, this is true. As an aside, I don't know how I'd feel about Enterprise depicting the Earth-Romulan War but had it been renewed for a fifth season I think that's what would have been the focus.

Really the strange thing is they could have done the Earth-Romulan War as part of their 'lets shake up the show' ploy for season 3. But they didn't, because B&B suck donkey cock. But we're now off-topic.

They are also still making new movies and TV shows about WW2. Now, I appreciate that real historical wars are somewhat different, but if they can get a decent writing I see no inherent fault in the prequel concept.

There are a few differences though. For one thing, we know that Galactica and Adama survive because of what we've already seen. So if this 3rd spin off was about the war and it shows Adama as a lowly pilot onboard the Galactica when it was brand-spanking new, there wouldn't be any tension as far as it relates to either him or the ship being in danger.

Arguably a lot of WW2 movies don't fall into this category because the good ones that stick out are about the 'unknown soldiers' who are given a name and a face but aren't historical figures. The movies that are about historical figures like Patton, Macarthur, Hitler and so on, are less about the battles and more almost dramatised biographies. On the other hand, I found 'Enemy at the Gates' to be wonderfully tense as you would expect from sniper duels, and I guess that doesn't help my case any.

So perhaps it can work in theory but only if the execution is competent, and given my feelings on Galactica's third and fourth seasons, whatever competency the creators once had has left them in spades. That said, if they show battlestar porn and t3h pewpews well they'll have done one thing right.

Again, it is not like the SW prequels sucked only or even mostly because we already knew that Anakin was going to become Vader and the evil Emperor would win that round.

Again, you're right. They sucked because the execution was flawed. That's what I'm wary of.

[xt828]

Weren't the original nBSG sets reasonably expensive, and that cost was part of the reason that it was initially a joint project with Sky One?

I agree with Stofsk that there's a huge potential for suck in this, and that the writing staff have lost their way with the franchise.

[Uraniun235]

If they aren't willing to build actual sets for the Galactica, I can't help but wonder if they won't be spending much time there in the series.

[ray245]

Why can't they just give us a new protagonist for the viewers to follow, and let us follow the war from the beginning to the end?

[neoolong]

"Ensign William Adama, barely in his 20’s and a recent Academy graduate, finds himself assigned to the newest battlestar in the Colonial fleet … the Galactica."

Where else is he going to be? Unless the "dangerous top secret mission" leaves him stranded somewhere like Helo.

[FedRebel]

Didn't Razor flashbacks show that Adama only really took part in the very last battle of the first Cylon War?

He was a "rookie" Viper pilot so....

1. He started out in Raptor or in another Colonial Fleet capacity, and qualified/transferred to Vipers towards the end of the war

2. the first season is going to be a drawn out version of the "Space: Above and Beyond" Pilot

3. The whole series is basically going to be S:AAB with Galactica patches!

4. The first arc of the series will be chuck full of the angst "Caprica" introduced to us as Adama 'struggles' with deciding whether or not to join the fleet, the second arc will be Adama enlisting and starting out as a crewman, the third arc will be Adama becoming an officer and deciding to become a pilot, the fourth arc will have him get his wings, and fight the final battle of the war, the final arc will feature him coping with discharge and thoughts of those 'prisoners' he wasn't able to rescue.

...and lets not forget, like it or not there will be plenty of "religion" injected into the series