June 13, 2008 | by Bruce Simmons 

Battlestar Galactica Final Season Split In Two

Battlestar Galactica, Season Four

[UPDATE: Click here if you're looking for our: Battlestar Galactica Finale Review ]

So why do I only have half a Viper pictured? That’s because Battlestar Galactica is having its final season split into two.

You have got to be frakkin’ kidding me! (Read that with the angry, gravel-sounding voice of Col. Tigh in your head because it’s the only way to interpret that line.)

As I noted here back in April, I think one of the biggest mistakes in recent history of Sci Fi television is the Sci-Fi Channel splitting up the final 20 episodes of the fourth season of Battlestar Galactica into two, separate, 10-episode runs with tonight’s (Friday, June 13th) episode being the “mid-season” break.

Oh but wait, that was the good news. Not only is this episode the breaking point for the show, but we’re going to have to wait until the beginning of next year, that’s right, 2009, before the show starts up again.

The Sci-Fi Channel didn’t want to tell anyone themselves, so they gave Ronald D. Moore the dour job of breaking the news to the media last Wednesday night at a screening.

The reasoning given for the show not starting back up until next year is “end of the year competition” such as new fall television series’, baseball and football.

I can sort of understand new shows competing even if The Sci-Fi Channel doesn’t have a ton of competition Friday nights at 10 pm, but come on, baseball and football? Am I that dense or more to the point, how can daytime sports impact a Friday-night-at-10PM sci-fi show? Someone goofed when making up that excuse. (Yes, I said excuse and I explain a little later why)

Moore was quoted as being apologetic when he announced this, and I’m sure he not only feels bad, but is anxious to see his vision of the series realized for the fans and for the actors.

When NBC Universal exec Bonnie Hammer was asked when, exactly, Battlestar Galactica will be back on, she replied: “We don’t have a locked in schedule yet,” but added “We just know that it’s always better to leave the fans just titillated a little bit, but it will definitely be back.”

Titillated my… sorry.

So why don’t I believe anything Bonnie Hammer says and why am I going to use her name repeatedly?

The first reason: Even though the Sci-Fi Channel has trumpeted this as being the show’s FINAL season, they’ve gone and split it up, making this the next-to-last final season, and 2009 will be the final-final season. Ten episode seasons suck Sci-Fi! Do you hear the words that are coming out of my mouth?

The other reason I don’t believe Bonnie Hammer:

In September of 2007, (Hmm, that far back? Sounds more like a plan than a response to present-day market pressure) in Atlanta at Dragon Con, it was reported that the show would be split into two 10-episode segments, with the second set of episodes airing in February of 2009.

Jamie Bamber (Lee Adama) gave up the ghost on this one and he’s quoted as saying something I loved reading:

“the channel is not used to producing high quality material and now that it has a hit, it doesn’t know what to do with it.”

Bamber went a bit further and said that is how Sci-Fi essentially gets two final seasons for the cost of one. No wonder we don’t see him in other NBC projects these days! (Side note: He’s in two new projects. One from Distant Horizons and another from Marathon Productions.)

I suppose we’re going to have to really wait to see who the final Cylon is, won’t we?

At this point, I don’t care what they say. Do You?

Sources: TVGuide, AintItCool

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Tags: battlestar galactica,

  • Kaley222
    I too was really hacked at the BSG Finale till I came across this detailed CAPRICA the SERIES DETAILED REVIEW. It really does explain why the final five couldn't reveal more, it would have shot down the pilot! The BSG Finale makes a lot more sense now.

    http://www.fmqinc.com/caprica-preview/
  • caver
    Is there any website that has the last few shows on it. I never got to see them I have found older up to part of season 4

    Thanks
  • OnceAFan
    I was completely immersed in Battlestar Galactica when episodes ended in summer 2008.

    Now that it is winter 2009, I find that I can't remember most of the details of the show. I don't even remember how that one BSG crewman had his leg amputated.

    I even taped and saved the last two episodes of the summer 2008 season, but still cannot remember most of that season. Too much time has passed.

    As a result, after watching the first episode of the "final final" season (and I am not going to talk about the plot, lest people who have not yet seen it read this), I find it hard to follow and remember. I am glad I taped those final two episodes as a reference.

    Something should be said about the plot and the acting. The actors seem to now be over-acting, and the writers are dragging out the plot. Just make your point already and get on with it. One thing about the original Battlestar Galactica series was they told the story in as few episodes as possible. No filler episodes. Then the story was over and the series ended. That is how this should be. And let's give these characters a happy ending, shall we? I hope so, after all this time. Let's not kill off all the interesting characters and have everyone be a Cylon and leave the series without any hope.

    After what was a roaring good start to this series in Season One, I am seriously disappointed with the SciFi channel. Please don't have a crappy last season. I was not that impressed with the first episode of the "final final" season. SciFi should not have split it up into two seasons. The story has lost its momentum. Fans suffered as a result. I used to tell people what a good series this was, but now it has gone from "good" to merely "okay." I want to see what will happen to these characters that I care about, but don't drag out the plot and take these characters in directions that will not please me, or as a fan it will be hard to stay loyal to the series.
  • forrest
    I posted earlier in this thread thinking I would not loose interest.

    I have now lost interest. The dishonesty of the network left a bad taste in my mouth, time has paste. Someday I will watch it, but not during its first broadcast time. I have other things to do.

    Those greedy network execs suck.

    forrest
  • WJG
    I thought the rumors of a 20 episode season were false and the story ended. So I searched for the "lost episodes."

    Frankly - I have lost interest in the series now, its been so long since there have been any episodes on air - even repeats.
  • Elizabeth,

    We here at ScreenRant are here to help.

    And we can help in this regard... to some degree. So take a nice easy deep breath and try to get past the wonderful, creative program handling that the Sci-Fi Channel has done and check out this link for air dates for the back half of the final season:

    http://screenrant.com/battlestar-galactica-fina...

    Enjoy and have a great day!
  • Elizabeth Stefan
    I love, love, this this program and was just so disappointed when it ended. I could not believe that this was the end of the series. They found earth and it had been destroyed. I kept looking for more on the tube and nothing but re-runs. How heart breaking for real fans. Now they are going to play the next ten episodes next year. Does that mean it starts in January 2009 or June 2009? I only ask because it could be any the way these executives work. It has just left a bad taste in my mouth and I was a great fan of the show. I am so hurt, hurt to the core. Ten episodes and that constitutes a season. There were so many questions left unanswered. Where were the other toasters and do they catch up with the others. I am just disappointed. This is the worst programming I have ever seen. Actually I have never seen anything quite like it int he history of telivision. The executives that decided this should be ashamed of themselves. I really don't know whether I will watch the rest of the show. I certainly am sick of watching the re-runs.
  • Canadian Mic
    Aye, just download the bloody show, I know I will (I have been)

    Bugger the Sci-fi channel.
  • NedjoN
    I guess that BSG will last until all the enemies of the human race (in bsg :) are gone.And that could take a while...
  • Slaintemaith
    So one can easily get even with Sci-Fi for this:
    Don't watch the final 10 episodes on TV, and download them off the internet when they're all finished.
    They wanna play hardball, so can we. =)
  • Crackshot
    You speak the truth.

    Yep, Season 4 ended. Season 5 will pick up, something in 2009.
  • jc in chicago
    Remember Journeyman? It ended too soon, but it ended with class and style and no one ever used the phrase "jump the shark" in relation to it. On the other hand, Jericho was brought up from the grave and never was the same. I was shouting "Kill it, put it out of its misery!" before CBS ran it's 2nd mini season out. Then we have Smallville whose heart someone needs to drive a stake through.

    I've seen series end with closure but not finality...there are always questions. Third Watch is an example. I'm FINE with exactly where BSG has left us. I think Planet of the Apes was great with a final question rather than a bunch of sequels.

    What do we need to know? Unless "the final cylon" was self-aware the whole time, and somehow manipulated events--who really cares? What difference does it make? OK one question, what is the nature of the final 4 (Saul is older than the other cylons)? And I didn't mention the Opera House because I really don't get the big mystery. It's like asking "how does the dream end?" It's a frakkin dream, what does it matter?

    S4 Ep 10 SPOILER
    Was a bit taken aback how the humans and cylons went from hostage-killing and airlock-threatening to just "zap" get along; Kara & Anders standing next to each other. How they reconciled identities was done poorly. And none of the Final Four besides Saul seemed to emphasize that they were not self aware until recently, AND have no programming that has kicked in--they are otherwise the same people they have always been. But Kara standing next to Anders with no problem seemed a little hokey.

    Bruce, do you mean that they have the "final 10" in the can at this time? Weren't they affected by the writer's strike?
  • whatthefrakisthatayoyo?
    I just pray they don't just 'fade to black' after this darned wait!
  • greenknight333
    Yes I was living under a rock....before anyone asks... :)
  • greenknight333
    Most of you are very passionate about BSG so it must be great..Again another show I haven't seen yet...
  • Sadly gang, the second ten episodes were not an afterthought. The last season, as was pumped up and announced by Sci-Fi is a 20 episode arc. They've been filming the last episode at the time I wrote the post.

    If you've given up on the Sci-Fi Channel, don't worry. Stay tuned here 'cause you know we'll keep you up to date with the story of the rag tag fleet!
  • Cracktica
    I agree with JC. Why bother with the final episodes except to find out the identity of the final cylon? There's no new tale to tell unless they invent a new destination for the human race (yawn). Sure, I'll watch next season but much of the suspense has been lifted.
    SciFi and the BSG investors may have made a late decision about adding 10 more eps, hence the option to split the season. If so it was a bad decision. It seems better business to make 15 episodes in a row than split up 20.
    I still love(d) the show. I just hope they have 10 episodes worth of real material.
  • jc in chicago
    Season 4 Episode 10, "Revelations" sure seemed to be a series concluder. Is it possible Sci Fi has a contingency plan to just not renew BSG for "the final 10"? There was no hook there to make me want to come back. Nothing unresolved except the final cylon, who at this point holds little fascination for me since they've arrived at earth.
  • jc in chicago
    I'm one who doesn't have Sci Fi on cable, so I've had to watch it on SciFi Channel's site. They are such idiots. They inserted commercials for Wanted like 10 seconds prior to where the commercial break really was. So Adama would be halfway into a word and the Wanted ad played, then it would come in and conclude the scene immediately.

    Oh and Sci Fi started this clever thing with delaying their web viewing for a whole week, so I perpetually had to stay away from spoilers.
  • John D
    What more can you really add to what has been said.?

    Yes SciFi you got me, I will be back in Feb 2009 for the final ten episodes, after that I will not bother investing the time into anthing SciFi comes up with.

    By the way, How many BSG fans are really going to skip the show to catch a baseball/football game. It is not like BSG never had a fall season.
  • Duh!! Got it... Thanks. Or is that another Lost twist!? (Bad joke!)

    But Rob, what is the black, killer smoke monster and the invisible dinosaur??

    Believe it or not, that's what's driving me absolutely nuts. If they would answer those two questions, I'd be happy about the other 48 left unsaid!! ... I think.

    It is rather distracting to me. Everything else does seem to come together though, as you point out!
  • Rob
    Hey Bruce,

    Only 2 more years now, and it was 2 seasons split into 3 (16 eps each rather than 24) so there's only 32 episodes left, not that many.

    You gotta get this show on DVD, its really awesome, and of the 1000 questions raised, 950 of them have been answered so far :)
  • And the frightening part about Lost is that it's signed up for three more years... somehow. Maybe that's another endless loop!
  • Panda
    Sybil,
    Let's not forget that it's a fraking TV show

    Shockwave,
    You can't really compare Lost with BSG becuase this is BSG's final season. People will still tune in to see the final 10 eps, unlike Lost which expected viewers to stay interested in their endless plot loops that go nowhere. BSG has a light at the end of the tunnel
  • Shockwave
    SciFi is running the very real risk that their viewers will be so put off by this pointless abuse of their affections, that when they do deign to let the fans see the final 10 eps, they won't bother to tune in.

    As proof, look at the numbers from "Lost", which was the top show until it took a year sabbatical and now is a mere average show on prime time. I know that I didn't bother to pick up watching it when it finally came back. SemiFi (because they certainly arent scientific) is ticking off their fans - notoriously fickle - for absolutely no reason whatsoever.
  • Sybil Vasche
    Folks, after watching the last episode for the "season" last night I'm even more angry at the so-called Sci Fi channel. I propose to all angry fans out there: Boycott all advertisers on their channel. The best way to hit these jerks is to hit them where it counts: $$$$$$. I'm composing a letter and asking all the folks in my TGIF club to sign it before I mail it into the Sci Fi channel. If you feel the same way, go for it! Frack them! So Say WE ALL!!!!!!
  • I think our first clue to the challenges we face with The Sci-Fi Channel was when wrestling showed up as fare for a whole evening.

    I've never watched it, but then again, it is fantasy / almost Sci-Fi, isn't it?
  • Bruce Stein
    Well they have an history about doing STUPID stuff like this before. The SciFi channel seems to think of their fans as a bunch of mindless dweebs. We stand or rather sit and wait for their leavings. They have managed (how I have trouble figuring out how to start production of some really great programing. Then those in charge, shortly after getting their fans "hooked" on real entertainment decide to mess with the fan base and either completely delete or shift the good stuff around so that it has to fail.

    This seems to be the SciFi channel's modus operandi. There to too little good programing that is not just a rehash of an existing program that might have been pretty good in the begining but is coppied to death. You might ahve heard there is probably a new Law and Order series in the works (Parking Enforcement) about the trials and tribulations of the "meter readers" and those the ticket, is expected to expand to Traffic Court as a mid season fill in.

    I for one really enjoyed BSG and looked forward to season four. I for technical reasons lost the first two shows before I had a chance to view them and was going to wait and get the DVD, now I expect that I'll just wait and keep reading blogs to find out who the last Cylon is and forgo watching any more and certainly NOT spend any $$ for the series DVDs.

    I have had a lot of dis-appointment from this bunch and I think I'll just go back to books and forget the SciFi channel.

    That is in the end the only way to get to that bunch of dopes the do the programing and scheduling.

    Just my $0.02 worth.

    Bruce
  • Merlin
    LOL! "Ugh!" pretty much encapsulates my initial reaction to the split-season news. It is not ideal, no doubt about that. I have very little idea of the machination at work forcing the split ... but I would not be terribly surprised if lawyers had something to do with it. Will there come a day when shows with calibre comparable to BSG can be produced and delivered directly to the consumer (that is to say, us), and maybe even financed by us from the outset? Pipe-dream, I expect. But how nice to lose the networks, their schedules, their advertising (... and their lawyers).
  • Ugh!
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