As the final 10 episodes of Battlestar Galactica begin Jan. 19, it’s not just the fans who will mourn its passing.
Jamie Bamber, better known as Lee “Apollo” Adama on Battlestar, is reflective. Although he has already moved on — starring in the newest version of the Law & Order franchise, set in London — he wistfully recalled the last days of Battlestar shooting in an interview with the L.A. Times.
“We had quieter moments leading up to that point — the final read-through, the wrap party two weeks before we wrapped. And evenings and dinners … There was a lot of whiskey drunk in the camera truck at 4 a.m.”
Though a prequel series called Caprica has been locked in for 2010, Dave Howe, the president of the Sci Fi (formerly called the Sci Fi Channel) owned by NBC Universal, is a little nervous. He told the L.A. Times there is anxiety about losing the award-winning drama that gave the cable station so much of its identity.
“Believe me, none of us could ever overestimate the success of Battlestar in terms of putting us on the map with not just a critical audience but actually with a new audience,” Howe said. “I think all of us will be depressed when it’s over.”
Still, Howe is proud of Sci Fi’s broader success and points to the new series Sanctuary, which premiered Oct. 3, as way to continue the traditions Battlestar help create for the cable station.
Howe and his team are also pushing online webisodes, as a way to expand and are now working on a project for a 2010 premiere that Howe calls “the Holy Grail”: The channel is teaming television writers with video-game designers to create a franchise that is both a television series and a massive multi-player game on the Internet. Plus, they are looking at reality television, including one in development in which “men in black” hunt players.
Lots of grand plans, but word is still out on whether Sci Fi can measure up to its Galactic predecessor. Will you stay tuned in?
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