TV option not picked up.

[The 14th Colony]

Originally posted by Tyrol
...On another note, maybe Starbuck is a Cylon and can have detatchable parts like Kryton on Red Dwarf. They could get product placements from Hoover. That way she/he could be both.

Hoover, as in the vacume cleaner company?
Oh great, give her an attactment that sucks...isn't there enough sex in the mini already?

In the case of the east coast right now maybe a detachable snow blower?

Now you've got me remembering Spaceballs! "Look! She just went from suck to blow!"

[Kaith Rustaz]

Originally posted by The 14th Colony
Hoover, as in the vacume cleaner company?
Oh great, give her an attactment that sucks...isn't there enough sex in the mini already?


Now you've got me remembering Spaceballs! "Look! She just went from suck to blow!"

I'm just wondering if thats a cut scene that will be on the DVD....

[callsignfalcon]

a plot? perhaps... after all Farscape was canceled due money(at least that had a big play in it)..... LOL

[Westy]

I'd be specially interested in seeing episodes where Tyrol first suspects Boomer of being a Cylon, in fact, the whole story arc would be fascinating I bet. Suspicion, confirmation, resolution....it might rival a greek tragedy if done right.

[jewels]

Originally posted by conundrum7g
The truth is....


They're all cylons.

Its a farscape plot to get even with scifi channel.

One never knows what those crazy folks at Henson will come up with next! ROTFLMAO

I think they are busily reconstituting freeze-dried hero and heroine at this point--sorting the dna into 2 piles.

If Henson brings Crichton and Aeryn back as lightship-type beings I will completely flip though...

Jewels

[jonahlee]

Originally posted by Dean Martin
Why doesn't someone hire Ron Moore to come up with an original idea. If he truly wants to do something different, stop crapping on other people's work.

I am not a huge fan of his work in the Sci-Fi genre, but I have to say that CARNIVALE is one of the most original shows I have seen in a long time. He certainly has some original ideas, so I wouldn't write him off completely.

Originally posted by Westy
I'd be specially interested in seeing episodes where Tyrol first suspects Boomer of being a Cylon, in fact, the whole story arc would be fascinating I bet. Suspicion, confirmation, resolution....it might rival a greek tragedy if done right.

Would that make it, uh, ah... Geek Tragedy?

I LOVED the new mini series, and if it doesn't get picked up I'm going to start a riot here in New Brunswick... of course, with all the snow we've been getting I don't expect a great turn out... maybe I'll enlist the penguins, polar bears and reindeer.

I have to admit, I don't have much of a memory of the original series, being a mere 30 years of age - but I assume it has similarities that are going to make me pick it up. The dynamic between the Military and the Civilians. The fact that rather than relying on a hook like new tech, or aliens, or new ships or what have you... it relied on storytelling and characters. Fantastic.

[thomas7g]

Too true, my Jane

[ViperAce]

Aaron ... Not to intentionally get off on an unrelated subject ... but which 2 SG1's did you do, an already past episode, or one coming in January? I've become a somewhat dedicated SG1 fan over the last 3 seasons, so I'm fighting with my memory to recognize you ... (Friday TV ... thank God for Digital Video Recorders) lol

Just say my memory is fine and you did Azgard voice-overs ... or played a Jafa in full armor ... lol

[Michael Hinman]

Hi, everyone ... a newbie here. And just to let everyone know that I heard there was a pickup Monday evening, however, we were working to get it corroborated, which we did early this afternoon. So, we are reporting that the series has been greenlit.

Now to respond ...

Originally posted by conundrum7g The hope for Battlestar Galactica was that it would produce a high enough ratings to go to full series. But the amount of negative word of mouth probably spooked the scifi execs.

If you are going to answer for Sci-Fi, I think it might be best that you have a better understanding of Sci-Fi execs. There was "negative" word of mouth since the announcement. Sci-Fi, if they were really all that concerned, would've pulled the plug before spending the money they did.

Just to let you know, programming on commercial networks and such live and die by RATINGS. That's why ratings are so important.

[qupte]So they reasoned they needed to really flood the market with expensive advertising to overcome us fans badmouthing it.[/quote]

I can guarantee you that the mass advertising campaign was planned from the start, and would accompany any major project. The same was done for "Taken," and I don't recall hearing a single bad thing about it.

For some reason, you are in this understanding that everyone who is a potential viewer visit message boards like this, or even Web sites like mine, and hear all of everything. I can safely bet that the commercials that aired on Sci-Fi, and then on other networks just before the premiere, was the first time many people even knew a BSG project was being put together. That's the way the world really works. If it worked the way you claimed, this board would have 4 million people reading and posting right now.

But the ratings were really low considering all the advertising they put in it. Yes it hit a 3.5 then a 3.8 rating, highest of cable on that night. But compared to a bad network show, its a flop. Most of the cable competition wasn't putting out competitve shows. Alot of it was reruns. A good network series hits around a 8. A 3.3 was Scifi's MINIUMUM expectation that they guaranteed sponsers.

The 3.3 was Sci-Fi's PROJECTED expectation. It wasn't a minimum. When they were selling this project to advertisers, they told the advertisers that they projected that a 3.3 would be achieved, thus justifying whatever rates they were charging. The advertisers ran their own numbers, decided it was possibly correct, and went from there.

Please note that Sci-Fi based its advertiser rates on a 3.3. If they felt that the projections would be significantly higher, they would've charged for a higher rating. If they felt that the mini would do no better than a 3.3, and they required something like a 4.5, they wouldn't have still referred to it as a back-door series, and likely wouldn't have even gone ahead with the project.

It's safe to say that the Sci-Fi Channel ratings threshold here was around 2.8. If the series did lower than that, the channel would simply have to do make-goods for the advertisers.

Also, you cannot compare a program on expanded cable to a program on a network. I am not going to get into the same discussion here that I got into in Cylon.org. You are comparing apples and oranges, especially as it goes to market penetration and such. Anyone with a good antenna and living somewhat close to a television market can pick up a network. An expanded cable channel requires the purchase of cable or satellite, and sometimes, you even have to pay more for those channels, as part of an "expanded package."

Those are two entirely different animals.

"The Osbournes" on MTV is considered a major success despite the fact it averages about 2.5 million viewers. Compare that to the major success of networks. Like the 20 million people who tuned in to see the finale of "Survivor" last weekend.

I've been covering ratings for years now. It was a difficult thing to learn, to understand where the numbers came from, why they are collected, how they can be affected, and so on. I've written several pieces about ratings in the past, and I am pleased to say that they have met with strong endorsement from people in the television business, and journalists from newspapers and magazines who cover television.

They execs were relieved their show wasn't a bomb, but its not enough of a hit to warrant series. Not yet. Especially not if they have to spend this much money to make it work. Remember, Scifi as of this date is still a small (relatively) company that is a small division of Vivendi which was a financial disaster. There ain't alot of money to take daring risks. [/B]

This statement makes no sense. Of course a lot of money was spent on the pilot, the most money ALWAYS is spent on a pilot. The overhead of those expenses usually are pro-rated through the course of the show's first season, which always explains why first seasons are the most expensive of most dramas.

They had sets to build, special effects to create, etc. But those sets are not struck and rebuilt for each episode. They are there. Those expenses are not repeated.

I respect Sandy, but not his "source" of information. It made no sense, even without sources, that a decision would be made based on overnights only. Decisions are not made on the spur of the moment, or on incomplete data -- especially decisions that affect millions of dollars of investment.

And I'm tired of hearing this "no money" thing. Sci-Fi is owned by General Electric now. Trust me. They have the money. Plus, money is generated by advertising. I'm sure a 1.8 is sufficient to keep a series of BSG in the black.

[Michael Hinman]

Originally posted by conundrum7g
A couple of people here have met him. Sandy aka TwoBrainCylon knows him best.

I don't think he has ever post here. He registered, but never posted. I don't remember though what the login was. That was last year before I was an admin here.

Actually, a lot of people are familiar with RDM through his former postings in the AOL Star Trek area when he was still with DS9.

I talked with him briefly several months ago about the BSG project and such. He's very open with fans, and is very fan-friendly. He's also a nice and humourous guy, too.

[Michael Hinman]

Originally posted by jeditemple
Amen brother. I think a lot of people will be scared to use Ron Moore now, because he's poison to any series. He'll always be known as the man who screwed up Galactica and will hopefully fade into obscurity. Lord help him if he shows up at any more cons...he may get tarred and feathered.

Hmmmm ... success with DS9, success with TNG, success with "Carnivale" (which is critically-acclaimed and was recently picked up for a second season), and achieved the third highest ratings of all time for Sci-Fi.

Yeah, that sounds like damaged goods to me.

[Michael Hinman]

Originally posted by Karman
Isn't it ironic? "Great ratings, but too expensive to produce" was the same reason they cancelled TOS!

Ratings weren't great enough if they weren't making enough money to continue production.

[Michael Hinman]

Originally posted by Tyrol
I don't have the definitave answer but i do know that the studio has until the 31st to pick it up or not and some of the cast have contract options for 5 years and one member in particular is negotiating thier deal as we speak. The sets are in storage in Vancouver ready to be puzzle pieced back together. Eddie was in Vancovuer a couple of weeks ago looking for a home and he told me, "See you in february." at the premiere. I would be very surprised if, at this point it didn't go.

40 seconds. That's all I needed.

Great writing, for a great actor. You were key in making the Galactica feel real for me as a viewer. I didn't say that in my review, but I only had so much space, lol. You brought Tyrol to life exceptionally well!

[Michael Hinman]

Originally posted by conundrum7g
[B]Who knows how good scuttlebutt rumors are.

The one thing that made me tend to believe this one is they were talking in terms of financial planning and funding.

But what's funny is that no one could actually provide figures to back those statements up. The only figures they were using were ratings, and the ratings were above studio projections. I don't know how that translates into "no series."

Stargate has a go for a big expensive movie project. And if what my friend told me is right, that doesn't leave BG with a large budget to ensure success.

My God ... if Stargate is made into a major motion picture, it will be done by Universal, not Sci-Fi. Sci-Fi Channel doesn't do big-screen productions. They basically own the television rights to SG1, which is produced by other companies. Kawoosh! Productions VII, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Film Corp. and Stargate SG-1 Production to be exact.

Also, Sci-Fi is owned by General Electric, which -- trust me -- has more money than God.

[Michael Hinman]

Originally posted by sihirvyth2
Sandy's post on CA left me extremely puzzled.

You have the BSG DVD, the Video game, and the mini all hitting the market around the same time and doing well financially. I'm not that convinced that it's just a chance to make a quick buck. The suits realize they have a successful brand that is virtually untapped, but is still bringing in money after 25 years.

I realize Sci-Fi doesn't do things intelligently, but to me this all seems like a pretty organized campaign to get BSG back in the minds of Science Fiction fans.

As others have pointed out, with Star Trek pretty much 'worn out', it's really the perfect time for Universal to step up and fill the void. Not only is BSG well known, it was only on for one season. Since there are so many major things from both the original series and the mini left unresolved, it's the perfect property to make into a series. It's basically the best of both worlds.

And all this can only help Larson's movie, even if he goes into another direction. Trek has little continuity between series and movies and is still sucessful. Paramount just puts out movies because they'll make money. So Larson and continuation fans have everything to gain from this going to a series and doing well.

In case anyone missed this post ... this hit the nail squarely on the head.

Originally posted by conundrum7g
Sandy released this info on the Cylon.org forums. Its rumor, but the rumors come from good sources.

The Scifi execs were overjoyed at the increased ratings. But its a matter of costs. it cost a fortune and there isn't the amount of money available to go into a full tv series production.

Though this isn't a dead end. The series just isn't picked up for this next year, maybe the next. Maybe it will be sold like Buffy was to the WB or JAG to CBS. Who knows. BG revival has always been a ship with termite problems.

This isn't 100% reliable, but I trust Sandy. And I thought you would prefer to hear about this than wonder.

No offense, but I'll wait until I hear this from a source like Vivend (or)GE or Sci-Fi Channel.

[callsignfalcon]

ima gonna wait to here from either a cast member or an official channel... people are human, thus they can always make mistakes... or rumors can start up so i don't automatically take things to be true... i learned that when readung about btvs(spoilers and such) for so many years!

[Michael Hinman]

Originally posted by callsignfalcon
ima gonna wait to here from either a cast member or an official channel... people are human, thus they can always make mistakes... or rumors can start up so i don't automatically take things to be true... i learned that when readung about btvs(spoilers and such) for so many years!

Ummm ... Aaron Douglas on another thread, who played Tyrol in the mini, said that he has heard this as well. Isn't that a castmember?

But I don't blame you. As someone who has run a news and rumor site for five years, you definitely should take any rumor with a grain of salt, until you get official word. =)

[BST]

Originally posted by Michael Hinman
Ummm ... Aaron Douglas on another thread, who played Tyrol in the mini, said that he has heard this as well. Isn't that a castmember?

But I don't blame you. As someone who has run a news and rumor site for five years, you definitely should take any rumor with a grain of salt, until you get official word. =)

Folks,

Michael is correct. Rumors are just that, rumors. No matter how good or trusted the source, all should be "taken with a grain of salt until you get the official word".

BST

[The Rain]

Originally posted by Tyrol
maybe that is where they get the human forms from. Maybe some people have been 'captured' and thier DNA has been used to make copies of other people. Maybe Zack is in a tank somewhere and someday Adama will come face to face with himself and one will be killed but the 'right one'? And for the fans who don't like the mini....which would be the 'right one' to die?
Ain't I a stinker?

Good answer! We didn't see all 12 models. Sounds like a good sub-plot for another mini!

[jewels]

Originally posted by Michael Hinman
Ratings weren't great enough if they weren't making enough money to continue production.

ABC didn't have the contractual smarts to get a piece of the theatrical movie and merchandising pie at the start: It cost a lot more money in comparison to 2-3 room set sitcoms that were their bread and butter. They footed most of the production costs and Universal raked in the gravy money (merchandising, syndication, theatrical releases, book and comic rights, etc.) Don't ever think BG didn't make a ton of money. It just didn't completely wipe All in the Family off the face of the planet.

[BlueSquad2001]

This is a good statement that Jewels made, and I agree. BSG, was just not handled correctly and we lost an important saga because of it. There is not a person I have spoken to that has agreed with liking BSG2003, and Ron whatever his name is, he raped it of its true premise and just mauled the characters. I'm sick of this, c'mon Larson and De Santo, fix this mess that has been created.

[The Rain]

blah blah blah

wrong forum, bud.

[BlueSquad2001]

Nope, no wrong forum, just my thoughts. But thanks for your two-cents rain. Just sharing my random thoughts.

[SAR Pilot]

Blue,

I would have to disagree with you about the remake. I have spoken with alot of people around the fleet, and friends and neighbors who really enjoyed the original, but enjoyed the remake and its characters. The consensus I have heard from people is that the like the more gritty, more military feel of the mini, and everyone seems to enjoy the more human feel of the main characters in the mini.
And those are my random thoughts!

[BlueSquad2001]

Now that is in line with what is being talked about, and although I don't agree with you, I appreciate your opinion. That's what this forum is all about, not ...blah,blah,blah And Larson just may pick up on the more military type aspects,that about the mini, I also enjoyed. But that was about it.

[thomas7g]

Originally posted by The Rain
blah blah blah

wrong forum, bud.

forums are fairly loose and fun things.

[thomas7g]

I'm closing this thread cause the initial post reflected a decision that was changed.