More on CSI

Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune has a preview of "A Space Oddity" episode of CSI:

For the geeks out there, especially fans of “Star Trek” and “Battlestar Galactica,” Thursday’s “CSI” is required viewing—there are in-jokes large and small for followers of those franchises (“Battlestar” executive producer Ronald D. Moore even shows up for a brief cameo). I had to stop the advance DVD once because I was laughing so hard at a “Battlestar”-related joke.

The writers of the episode, “A Space Oddity,” include Bradley Thompson, David Weddle and Naren Shankar. The first two wrote for “Battlestar Galactica” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” and Shankar penned scripts for “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Star Trek: Voyager” and "Farscape." Director Michael Nankin has helmed many episodes of “Battlestar” and does a typically excellent job here. The vintage “Astro Quest” sequences—which feature DayGlo colors, lumpy Styrofoam rocks, flat lighting and static camera angles—are so perfect that you expect William Shatner to arrive and start hamming it up.

...The episode also contains sly rebuttals to (or acknowledgments of) some critiques of "Battlestar," which ended its run a month ago. One of the characters at the sci-fi convention wants to re-invent "Astro Quest" -- he wants to free fans "from a vision of an antiseptic future filled with heroes and heroines who are always steadfast and well-adjusted and altruistic."

He unveils a clip from his proposed "Astro Quest Redux" that features shaky camera moves, a dark palette and characters at the extreme edge of desperation. Even the music recalls the soundtrack of "Battlestar Galactica."

Also in the episode Kate Vernon (Ellen Tigh) is a media-studies professor who offers insight to the fictional Astro Quest.

Mo also has some trivia notes:

* They couldn't use Bear McCreary's score for "CSI," but they tried to pay homage to his music in the score for the "reinvented" "Astro Quest."
* For legal reasons, there could be no references to "Star Trek." At all. The sound crew even had to invent '60s-appropriate sci-fi sounds for "Astro Quest."
* For the soundtrack to vintage "Astro Quest" scenes, Shankar thought of using a '50s album by composer Russ Garcia: It's called "Fantastica: Music From Outer Space."
* You'll be able to easily spot Moore and Kate Vernon (who played Ellen Tigh on "Battlestar") in Thursday's "CSI." The other two "Battlestar" cast members? You'll have to look more closely to spt them.

Mo will have more on The Watcher from "CSI" writers Bradley Thompson and David Weddle, after the episode airs.

Also on the Tribune she has an excellent essay noting the similarities between the resurrections of John Locke from Lost, and Starbuck from BSG:

Kevin, a commenter on my most recent "Lost" post, pointed out recently that the journey of Kara "Starbuck" Thrace on "Battlestar" paralleled that of Locke -- both were "dead" but returned to the living in order to bring about certain events.

That comment left me pondering the lives -- and rebirths -- of Locke and Starbuck (as I drove to an Easter gathering on Sunday, as it happens).

Both characters sought redemption for their perceived sins. Both have spent time in kind of purgatory -- unsure of their purpose, mistrusted by others, wondering whether their existence has any meaning. Starbuck realized that being the "chosen one" was as much of a burden as a blessing, and Locke may yet find that to be true.

Starbuck Video

Grand Gould noted this excellent fan video by LavaLampBlob showcasing Starbuck:

Here’s to you, Kara.

As we prepare for tonight’s new episode which seems to promise more information about the mysterious state of Kara Thrace, here are a few fun links for my fellow Starbuck fans.

The LA Times has a brief interview with Katee Sackhoff at The Hero Complex blog. (Teeny spoiler warning for the 100%-Spirginal.)

I am back in my New York City life this week, after several months on the road for work reasons …and guess what I found waiting for me on a phone booth just outside my office building here?



Funny. It has probably been there this entire winter. Oh Starbuck.


Meanwhile, helmets off to fan taragel for assembling this wonderful ode, Kara Thrace’s Top 25 Defining Moments. I’ve included a few of my favorites below. A fan over at the BSG LJ Blog has updated the links to all of La Sackhoff’s scenes on NIP/TUCK to date this season; apparently next week is her final appearance on that show.

Fight ‘em till ya can’t no more. See you on the open thread.

Ships of Light & Starbuck Theories

Kara's memory

Kara's painting.

Ship of Light

Ever since The Ties That Bind aired there has been a lot of discussion about the possibility that Kara's painting on the wall of her quarters on the Demetrius could include hints of a Ship of Light from the O.G. Battlestar Galactica from 1978 that stared Lorne Greene as Adama and had Richard Hatch as Apollo.

io9 recently ran an article on the hidden clues recently in BSG as did the Contentquake's Battlestar Galactica blog.

And here's a discussion of it, on the Battlestar Blog on Live Journal posted by Matt.

But the earliest discussion I recall of this being a possible arc on the new BSG was presented by artist Grant Gould right after Maelstrom aired. As Grant noted at that time:

Mark my words: Kara is human. Special human, yes. But still human.

Clues as to what's going on are sprinkled throughout "Maelstrom," and I think the episode called "War of the Gods, Part 2" (from the original series) gives some huge hints as well. We know that RDM has paid homage to the original series several times in the past -- the biggest of which was probably the Pegasus storyline -- and I think we're gonna see some of that again.

In "War of the Gods, Part 2," the topic of humans who are special and have potential beyond normal humans is explored. There's a scene where Adama is sitting in his chambers using his mind to move a small golden statue of a bird (which looks very similar to the small golden statue of Aurora that Starbuck gave Adama in "Maelstrom"). Apollo walks in on him, says "WTF?" and Adama proceeds to tell him that years ago there were people who could train to realize their brain's full potential, mind over matter, etc. He said that some humans are in the early stages of being able to expand their minds, and it was something he'd been working on before the attack. (Who knew Papadama could use the Force?)

Later in the episode, Apollo and Starbuck are on an alien world and Apollo gets killed. Starbuck, along with another pilot named Sheba, hop in a ship to bring Apollo's body back to Galactica. Along the way, they encounter a big glowing crystal-like ship of lights (seen in the photo above). They're pulled toward it and go unconscious.

When they wake up, they're surrounded by crystals and light, as well as FIVE FIGURES wearing white (that look very much like the Final Five D'Anna saw in "Rapture"). Starbuck asks where they are, and one of the Five tells them that the city of light is not located in their world - it's in another dimension (between life and death). Apollo is brought back to life and he and Starbuck are told that they're special and have more potential than most humans, and that the reason the Five are helping them is because they share a common enemy, and because the humans are now as they once were. (Verbatim: "You are now as we once were.")

The heroes are then sent home and don't really remember any details.. However, they suddenly realize that somehow they all now know the coordinates to Earth. The Five somehow embedded the knowledge into their minds.

There are several hints in "Maelstrom" that make me think this is the direction we're heading.

The oracle seemed to call Starbuck "Aurora" as soon as she walked in the room... We heard the name Aurora several times, in fact. Aurora = Goddess of the Dawn. Dawn = Light. I know that's kind of cryptic, but it seems to foreshadow events in a big way, along with the fact that the lighting in this episode was a major player -- Lights going out around Starbuck, then one light illuminating her face.

Starbuck's last words to Lee were something like "You have to let me go, they're waiting for me" and her face was lit by a blinding light. She was seeing something - approaching something - some beings. "THEY are waiting for me."

Leoben wasn't exactly Leoben -- he said as much in the episode. Perhaps Leoben was one of these Beings of Light, one of the Final Five, an angel or guide of some kind to help her along. He even tells her that her destiny lies somewhere between life and death..

Conclusion: I believe that Starbuck is going to awaken in the presence of the Final Five (or Beings of Light, whatever you wanna call them) and I think they're gonna give her the roadmap to Earth.

Remember, Grant wrote the above the night Maelstrom aired over a year ago. So far, in many ways Kara's arc this season mirrors Grant's rather prescient observations.

Patrick R. Aquilone wrote a detailed essay on his Starbuck Theory for Slice of Sci-Fi that is similar to Grant's take, but also factors in the hybrid's prophesy from Razor.

So, will we actually see Ships of Light on Battlestar Galactica along the way to Earth? Maybe. Maybe not. But, all of this has happened before... some of it even happened in 1979.

In other theory news... Dukeblack revised and added further detail to his observations of the constellation of Orion seen in the background of The Ties That Bind.

Shane Coffey of Cellounge and Radii at Galactica Variants post alternate decodings of the Last Supper image and propose alternate characters as the final Cylon.

While I enjoy exploring theories, I think it's easy to get lost in the weeds. I would suggest that in thinking these things through Occam's razor should be the guide post.

It'll be interesting to see if any of these theories play out in season 4. What the writers actually have in mind remains a mystery, thankfully.

Kara Thrace

A new Kara ad posted by SevorTB.

More from SevorTB:
Gaius Baltar - Pariah or Prophet?


And:
Chief Tyrol - Loyalist or Deserter?

Our Favorites

The New York Times includes BATTLESTAR GALACTICA on their list of favorite shows of 2007.

Mad Men
Damages
30 Rock
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The Presidential Primary Debates
Gossip Girl
House
Battlestar Galactica
The Riches
Friday Night Lights
Jeopardy!

Entertainment Weekly picks Starbuck’s death as one of the Most Memorable TV Moments of 2007.

USA Today’s Popcandy blog puts Katee Sackhoff at #10 in their list of the Top 100 People of 2007, for basic awesomeness on both BSG and BIONIC WOMAN.

Energizer Bunny

Katee Sackhoff at the recent Creation Convention answers a question about what would happen if Starbuck discovered the truth about her husband, Sam Anders. Katee displays her unique sense of humor in the answer. (Beware of spoiler/speculation for season 4.)

Found on Watching BSG.

In other news, Razor's Stephanie Chaves-Jacobsen has been cast in David E. Kelley's American version of the U.K. series, "Life on Mars."

And Callum Keith Rennie, BSG's Leoben, has joined the cast of X-Files 2 starting David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, written by series creator Chris Carter as well as former executive producer Frank Spotnitz, and is being directed by Carter. Filming is underway in Canada.

Starbuck Returns

Wow - Jason Palmer began selling this awesome new Starbuck art print at the Burbank con last week. Amazing. His Deviantart site is here. [Click on image to see larger view.]

Starbuck Video

Video with spoilers up through the end of season 3.

Starbuck: Kill Me Again

Katee Sackhoff discusses Starbuck’s ultimate fate with the National Ledger:

[Sackhoff] says if she has her way, her wild and fierce character, Starbuck, will go out in a blaze of glory in the final season of "Battlestar."

"I keep telling them, 'Kill me again,'" says Sackhoff, whose character apparently died at the end of last season but will be mysteriously back when the Peabody Award-winning drama returns mid-season for its own swan song.

The actress earned a Saturn Award for her portrayal of the intense, worlds-weary fighter pilot, Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, on "BG." After all these years of playing her, Sackhoff feels adamantly that her character just wouldn't fit with a happy ending. "That's just who she is. She's happy and comfortable with her sadness. She's had such a hard life, whenever she is happy it doesn't feel good to her. And she's so scared she's going to lose it she pushes it away before it can go anywhere. It's sad, but at least she knows who she is." Sackhoff says she's let her wishes be known to "Battlestar Galactica" executive producer David Eick. "In the last episode, I want them to have me sacrifice myself for everyone, because the only way this woman would be happy is if she was gone when there was nothing else to fight for. That's the only thing that would have this woman be at peace."

Artist & Livejournalist Grant Gould (gdg) has just shared his nice collection of Starbuck art. The rest of Grant's art is also posted at this site - including his viper pilot pinup cards.

Season Zero

To fill in the time before BSG starts up again, Dynamite Entertainment has new Battlestar Galactica: Season Zero comic books.

A bit off topic... Battlestar Galactica fan Wil Wheaton occasionally puts out a podcast called Radio Free Burrito, and the most recent installment, episode nine, was one of the best, with a great mix of cool music that was put together in a highly entertaining package.

Starbuck Speaks

Esquire Magazine has a new interview with Katee Sackhoff in which she chats about her kickbutt pilot and evil bionic double duty, her fandom, and her luddite nature.

Off Topic of the day (hey, this a long hiatus people!): Joss Whedon, The Man, The Legend, is up for auction.

Starbuck LOL

Katee Sackhoff did a livechat with users of the Los Angeles Times' Gold Derby Forum yesterday. The wonderful wisteria has put transcripts on her livejournal here (unspoilery) and here (spoilery). Gold Derby has other cool chats coming up soon for Emmy contender actors, such as Mary Louise Parker from Weeds and Hugh Laurie from House. If you can figure out how to find them on that forum. *scratches head over unfriendly site design*

(Thanks to dionusia for the ShipperMacro)

Don't Stop Believin'

Two can play at this game, Logan. :P



Kara/Lee fanvid by Latteaddict.

Starbuck on Lifetime

TV Squad reports on Katee Sackhoff's role on an upcoming Lifetime telefilm shot in Canada.

Los Angeles Times

Kate Arthur in The L.A. Times has a great interview with Katee Sackhoff and David Eick about the elaborate methods they undertook to keep the real fate of Starbuck double super secret.

For Katee, not telling the truth, and keeping the secret from fellow cast and crew, and even from members of her own family, was quite difficult:

The animated Sackhoff found it difficult to lie to her fellow actors about what was going on. (Deceit doesn't seem to be her forte, generally speaking: In the first minute of this interview, Sackhoff admitted that she was hung over, because, she said, "I don't want you to think I'm stupid. I'd rather you think I'm, you know, a drunk.")

Eick soon realized that this part of the plan simply wouldn't work among the close group of friends in the "Battlestar Galactica" cast. "It wasn't fair to her," he said. "She was going to have to lie to literally everybody in the cast: 'Yeah, yeah, I know, it's awfully sad. I'm gonna miss you guys!' It got ridiculous at a certain point. She was a trooper; I think she would have done anything we asked her to. But she's not inhuman!"

So the cast was told that Sackhoff and Starbuck were there to stay, but anyone else deemed a potential leak was kept in the dark. Including Sackhoff's own father. "My dad has a big mouth, and I knew he would get on his e-mail list and tell everyone," she said.

Read the full article at The Los Angeles Times.

Katee on the radio

Katee Sackhoff was briefly interviewed on the Cort and Fatboy radio show and she talked a bit about the return of Starbuck, and her work on the new Bionic Woman.

Ron Moore has updated his blog and reports that he's posting two podcasts related to Crossroads part 2, one will be a Q&A session he had in Berkeley, CA. Ron talked to E's Kristin about the finale and season 4. And TV Squad reports on several recent statements from Moore.

Reviews of and reactions to the finale from, UGO, TV Fodder, San Francisco Chronicle, SyFy Portal, After Ellen, and the Tuscaloosa News.

Watchtower

Buddy TV has a new interview with Grace Park.

Diane Werts in Newsday and Dave Mason of the Ventura County Star preview Crossroads.

More on David Eick's other projects in Variety.

The Houston Chronicle's Tubular Blog and SyFy Portal review The Son Also Rises.

Comic Book Resources has a preview of upcoming Lorne Greene Era BSG comics.

Tricia Helfer was on the WB's Supernatural, and talks about the experience to Zap2It.

The Last Sentinel, an action film staring Katee Sackhoff will air on the Sci-Fi Channel on May 1st.

Valerie Wells explores the archetype of Starbuck.

Starbuck

Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune previews the season 3 final 3 episodes and reflects on Kara's fate in Maelstrom. Ryan writes:

Given what happened in Sunday’s episode of “Battlestar Galactica,” you may have questions about Kara “Starbuck” Thrace (Katee Sackhoff) and whether she’s dead or alive.

I have questions too, but they’re different ones: How do the creators of this show keep coming up with such gripping season finales? And if fans are in a tizzy now, what will they think of the mindbending season finale? I can’t even imagine.

Sci Fi Channel sent certain members of the media the last few episodes of “Battlestar Galactica’s” third season. And it’s my fervent hope that nobody, including me, spoils the major details of the end of the season for “Battlestar” fans.

Reviews of Maelstrom:

Mark Bernardin in Entertainment Weekly.

Angel Cohn and Matt Roush at TV Guide.

Buddy TV.

Live Journal Capsule Review.

Kara Thrace

Check out some promotional photos of the the upcoming episode of BSG, "Maelstrom" HERE. "Maelstrom" is likely to become the most talked about episode of the season....