Battlestar Galactica #20: The Face of the Enemy

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"It's quite — do we use the phrase "space opera"? There is something operatic about the ending of the show, only in the sense that it's like a full orchestra. Imagine very single person in the cast represents an instrument, and you've heard their theme or fugue. And then all the instruments play together. Everybody involved in this thing together — it's like the '1812 Overture.' Not only have you got all of the violins and the flutes, you've also got the flipping cannons they brought off Napoleon's ship, blowing off the roof. It's going off with a bang, this thing."

Was he perhaps setting our expectations too high?

"Honestly you can't be disappointed," he said. "I think if Adolf Hitler were back, he'd be crying in his handkerchief."

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Just to switch gears, the final episodes of “Battlestar Galactica” are coming out this month. What can you tell us about those?

I can be pretty general. I will be happy when they finally start showing them because it’s driving me crazy to not be able to discuss it.

How long ago did the show wrap up?

We finished the show in July [2008]. Maybe August. And then “The Plan,” the movie, finished a couple months ago. It’s been in the can for a while. They’re probably just locking them now, I believe. I doubt if they’re all completely finished yet but close. I’ve seen cuts of all of them. I have not seen “The Plan,” though.

Is the ending worthy of the show and what’s come before, and will it excite and/or infuriate everyone?

Look, I love the show, so I have bias, but if you ask the actors that were on the show, if you ask the crew, you ask any of the writers, those final episodes are some of the most moving and amazing stories I’ve ever seen for television. Or any medium, for that matter. As a wrap up to this series, it is really quite amazing and I know that sounds like hyperbole but they’re great. It is hard to imagine how to wrap something up that’s not only got so many pieces you’re trying to wrap up and so many characters. It’s certainly been an emotional ride for the audience. But if anyone did it, it’s these episodes. They are really something and I think people will be very pleased and moved by them. And by the way I’ll also say the final ten episodes are quite a ride. I will say we answer most of the dangling questions that are out there about the Cylons, the final five and where they end up and what happened to that blown up planet.

I’ve never been on a show where we knew it was ending and we could write to an ending and what that gives you is a sense of any reticence is off the table, let’s write the ending. It also means no character is safe. And none of them are. It is not an easy trip for this rag tag crew as they file forward for the final run.

When did you find out this would be the last season of “Galactica?” Did you learn last season or before this one started?

We knew from the start of this season, season four. The decision was made fairly early. So it ended up being twenty-three episodes because the “Razor’ movie is counted as part of season four even though it’s a flashback episode. But we knew, so every aspect of the show from episode one on was building towards the end.

People have asked, “Are you happy it’s ending?” And I don’t know anyone that ever worked in TV who’s happy about something ending. I think we’re happy we’re able to end it in a satisfying way. I think the worst thing that could have happened would be to plow through season 4 and anticipate doing another without wrapping things up and then finding we couldn’t. This is he best way to do that and by the way, I can’t thank the SciFi Network enough for being so supportive of the show. They supported eighty-some episodes of a very challenging sci-fi experience and it’s been great. And obviously they picked up “Caprica.”

Were you involved in developing the spinoff, “Caprica?” Are you returning to work on the show?

At this point I’m not quite sure how I can do that since I’m on “Heroes.” I was involved in the early stages of “Caprica.” Not the pilot, but we did planning for the series and I wrote the first episode for the series. As far as continuing with the series, I just don’t know. I’m gloriously busy and as a freelance writer basically all my working life, I love that. It’s great to be busy. I’ve known the alternative and busy is far better.

With “Caprica,” it’s a fascinating idea because on the one hand, if you watch “Battlestar,” you know how the story ends in a sense, but it seems like a completely different story and a different kind of story.

Again, I don’t know whether it’s going to change from what we had planned earlier, but if it follows any of what we’d discussed, it’s wildly different from “Battlestar.” It’s set on Caprica but it’s wildly different in terms of tone -- very emotional, very character based. What it shares with ‘Battlestar” is very adult, science fiction themes. It’s just great to know that’s going to be coming. One of the great things of being able to work on “Battlestar” was being able to work on a genuinely adult science fiction show. There are others and have been others. I’m not saying “Battlestar” was the only one, or even the best, but it’s one that I think pushed the genre forward a bit.

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Op woensdag 7 januari 2009 14:41 schreef Angelof9 het volgende:
Van die film wist ik wel, maar de spin-off is weer nieuws voor mij! Goed nieuws!

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Kara struggles with the foreboding prediction of the Cylon Hybrid, while Adama and the Colonial fleet face despair over their shocking discovery.

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Op woensdag 7 januari 2009 16:59 schreef KirkLazarus het volgende:
Ik hoop dat S.4.5 en The Plan zo goed bekeken worden dat ze groen licht geven voor nóg een tv-film. En dan gaarne iets over het verzet op New Caprica

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Op donderdag 8 januari 2009 10:10 schreef Migue het volgende:
Dan kijk je de extended cut van Unfinished Business, zie je nog veel meer over New Caprica en hoe niet boeiend de gebeurtenissen waren.

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Op donderdag 8 januari 2009 12:28 schreef Mirel het volgende:
http://en.battlestarwiki.org/wiki/Season_4_(2008) Daar staat wel genoeg dat je kan herschrijven in het NL.

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Op donderdag 8 januari 2009 11:21 schreef Hendrik_ het volgende:

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En hiermee wordt mijn vorige stelling bewezen, de beste BSG eps zijn toch vooral die met veel actie & spanning.

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Op donderdag 8 januari 2009 14:25 schreef HiZ het volgende:
Volgens mij heeft New Caprica gewoon terecht zo weinig aandacht gekregen. Het was ook allemaal niet zo interessant wat er daar aan de gang was. Naast wat we gezien hebben was New Caprica weinig meer dan een tentenkamp dat moest gaan uitgroeien naar een nederzetting. De problemen die er dan spelen kan iedereen zich wel voorstellen.

Ik denk dat meer 'New Caprica' meer afleveringen van het soort filler-rotzooi had betekend waar we in seizoen 1 mee werden 'verwend'.

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Op donderdag 8 januari 2009 18:36 schreef Mirel het volgende:
Ja iemand, en toen werden ze eraf gehaald door Youtube.

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Op donderdag 8 januari 2009 19:26 schreef TARAraboemdijee het volgende:

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Niet helemaal waar. We misten nummer 9 nog

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Op donderdag 8 januari 2009 20:17 schreef Zhenar het volgende:
Sneak peak van de eerste 90 seconden van Battlestar: http://scifiwire.com/2009/01/exclusive-battlestar-galactica.php