THE CHIEF’S DECK: Remembrance/Veterans Day (11 November 2008)

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With:

THE CHIEF’S DECK: My Angels (05 November 2008)

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With:

Wil Wheaton blogs about Aaron (September 29, 2008)

Last weekend Aaron and Wil Wheaton were both guests at the From The Land Beyond convention in Sacramento. Wil mentioned Aaron in his latest blog ……..

Trip report: from the land beyond

I spent the entire day sitting at a table next to Aaron Douglas, who plays the Chief on BSG. We hit it off pretty quickly (it turns out that we have a mutual friend in Yuri Lowenthal, who I worked with on Legion and who I currently work with on Ben 10: Alien Force). If you get a chance to see him at a con, and you’re even a tiny fan of BSG, you should go for it. He’s really nice, totally unpretentious, and seems like a really good guy. I’m way behind on BSG (Nolan and I are still in the 3rd season on DVD) so I worked really hard – and Aaron helped – to avoid spoilers all day. As I said on Twitter, ” Aaron Douglas is awesome. A++++ WILL SIT NEXT TO AGAIN!1!”

Source: WWdN: In Exile

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With:

BSG: Autographed Battlestar Galactica Guitar

The auctions from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation are now up on ebay. There is a BSG Guitar (autographed by 9 cast members) and autographed photos of them holding the guitar. The starting bid is US $1,500.00.

ebay listing

Whether you’re a fan of the Sci Fi Channel’s reinvented Battlestar Galactica series or simply covet classic Fender guitars, you’ll want this Stratocaster stunningly redesigned by artisans Pamelina H. and Michael Lipe and signed in silver Sharpie marker by the primary cast of the dark, new BSG. Also included are a series of nine corresponding 5″x7″ photos autographed by the stars and showing them signing the guitar body on-set.

Signatures Include:
Edward James Olmos – Cmdr. William Adama
Mary McDonnell – Laura Roslin
Jamie Bamber – Capt. Lee ‘Apollo’ Adama
James Callis – Dr. Gaius Baltar
Tricia Helfer – Number Six
Grace Park – Lt. Sharon ‘Boomer’ Valerii
Katee Sackhoff – Lt. Kara ‘Starbuck’ Thrace
Michael (Mike) Hogan – Col. Paul Tigh
Aaron Douglas – Chief P.O. Galen Tyrol

 

Source: http://cgi.ebay.com/220273343169

 

 

 

The Official PAMELINA H. Website and Facebook Fanpage

Source: Pamelina H – Celebrity Guitars and Pamelina H – Battlestar Galactica and Pamelina H – Celebrity Portraits and Facebook Fanpage

Modern Guitars Magazine – The Battlestar Galactica guitar

I’m a big geek. Seriously, I’ve been into comics and sci-fi since I could barely read. I attend the conventions and I watch the shows. And I’m the biggest geek where it comes to the show Battlestar Galactica. Though I watched the first show when it aired in the 70’s, I’m talking about the masterpiece that is the re-imagining.

I love the show so much that I wanted a personal connection with it. I’ve worked with many celebrities and I don’t ask for autographs. I feel it’s unprofessional. But I wanted autographs from the cast of BSG more than anything. I also wanted to give something in return. My idea was to offer a guitar that would be auctioned for charity in return for autographs on the guitar and on a painting for me.

I mentioned my plan to Debbie Slavkin, program manager at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation. She and I worked together on 2 previous auction guitars – the 24 and the nip/tuck painted on Lipe Guitars. The nip/tuck was autographed by the cast of the show and the 24 was autographed by Keifer Sutherland. Both were sold to benefit the Academy.

Debbie said if she could make it happen, could we sell the guitar in an upcoming auction for the Academy. I agreed and she quickly put me in contact with Carol Marks-George, who was working on the set of Battlestar Galactica in Vancouver.

In our initial email contacts, I shared my design of the guitar with Carol. I kept it simple. I wanted plenty of negative space for autographs. And I wanted it dark, like the show. The show is the ship and I took great pleasure in reproducing the ship on the surface of the beautiful American-made Stratocaster.

It takes a lot of good people to make such a guitar happen. My good friend Del Breckenfeld at Fender donated the guitar. The guitar had to be dis-assembled before I could paint it and that was done by Mike Lipe. He and I began working together from his Guitar Doctor shop in Burbank, then through the Ibanez Custom Shop. We now work together on many projects and he’s always someone I can call on for my charity projects.

After Mike took the hardware off the body and removed the neck, I did my artwork. Then everything was sent to another generous friend that I’ve worked with for many years, Pat Wilkins of Wilkins Finishes. He applied a thin coat of clear to protect the artwork, but not to finish it.

Then the guitar body was shipped to the set of Battlestar Galactica. After some interesting discussions with Canadian customs, it arrived in good shape after a few days. I was extremely grateful that the cast was doing this for me and expressed this by sending each cast member a gift bag with a thank you note, specialty chocolates and a pen for signing the guitar and artwork.

At the last minute, I threw in a disposable camera and asked Carol if they wouldn’t mind taking pictures of the signing of the guitar. I figured, what the heck, it’s worth a shot.

I got a call soon after from Carol telling me that they’d thrown the camera out and instead had their set photographer shoot the stars with the guitars. Not only that, but the actors also signed the photos! There was a set for the auction and a set for me. The geek in me was over-the-top.

The autographed guitar was shipped back and then taken back to Pat Wilkins for the final clearcoat. From there it went to Mike Lipe for re-assembly and set-up. I purchased custom knobs that were black metal with red glass that I felt really matched the theme.

Overall, the process took several months, involved many people and covered many miles. The result was a gorgeous one-of-a-kind guitar that was built by people doing good things for each other. It’s corny, but it really does feel good.

So say we all.

Pamelina H.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With:

Galactica.tv (Dominic Zamprogna) August 18, 2008

Dominic Zamprogna Interview
By: Marcel Damen
Date: August 18, 2008
Source: Galactica.tv

 

Note: This is a snippet of an interview with DOMINIC ZAMPROGNA where he mentions AARON DOUGLAS / CHIEF TYROL. To read the full interview, click HERE.

 

You only appeared in one episode at the beginning of the first season of Battlestar Galactica and returned in the second season. Was this because you suddenly had to work on Edgemont again?

No, I think I was done with Edgemont at that time. I think I had just finished Edgemont. That’s just the way they wrote it. There was no… to my knowledge anyway. I was working, doing other things. And who knows, maybe they approached about availability and it wasn’t there. I have no idea. But that’s not anything I’m aware of. But I just did that first episode. And like I said, they didn’t sign me to a contract or anything when I did that. They just said it’s a guest star, possible reoccurring; and we’ll see what happens. A lot of shows do that and sometimes they never pan out, like you could never come back. It was kind of nice that they brought me back in that second season. Again after the second season, I didn’t know what was going to happen with my character either. So they didn’t really tell me anything until the third season and they brought me back on. I was supposed to die sooner than I did. And I think Aaron Douglas put in a word for me and said, “Jammer shouldn’t die yet.” So they let me live a few episodes longer which is kind of cool because it was fun.

 

In “Flight of the Phoenix,” Jammer makes fun of Chief for wasting time to put together the Blackbird ship. Later on, he helps Chief work on it. Did he come to realize the importance of building the ship in that it allowed the crew to succeed at something?

That was a while ago (pauses). I’m just going back in my head. I’m just kind of reliving that stuff. I should have watched the episodes first. Refresh my memory. I think that’s fair to say. It was kind of a weird time on the show if I remember. In the storyline there was a lot of uneasiness and unsureness. I’m not sure if I had started doubting him at that point or not, as far as thinking him as a Cylon and stuff like that which is kind of funny; because he was a Cylon. I was right all along. But I think that was it too. Plus it was a little less than that. I think Jammer looked up to the Chief the whole time. I always looked at Jammer as being a really sheepish kind of character and not really knowing who to trust. I think he was a jealous kind of character. I think he wanted more and probably more attention. And I think he probably wanted more from Cally. It was always kind of strange that there was this beautiful girl that he was always with, all the deckhands were with, that he never kind of got with. Plus I really like Nicki [Clyne] as a person so I always wanted to do more scenes with Nicki. She was cool. But that whole ship building thing that was just a realization that this is your friend building something. This is your friend doing something. This is a superior and a person you respect. It’s almost like you dis things because you don’t think it’s going to end up working out. But when you see it working out, then you realize… You feel bad. From my point of view, from what he did, it’s like damn Jammer should be way cooler about this to Chief. For me as an actor, that’s what prompted me to do it. I should be helping my friend. Plus, I like Aaron, too. He’s a wicked guy.

Filed Under: Articles

Galactica.tv (Colin Lawrence) August 18, 2008

Colin Lawrence Interview
By: Marcel Damen
Date: August 18, 2008
Source: Galactica.tv

 

Note: This is a snippet of an interview with COLIN LAWRENCE where he mentions AARON DOUGLAS / CHIEF TYROL. To read the full interview, click HERE.

 

How is it to work with Leah Cairns (Racetrack)? Who else did you enjoy working with on the series? Who did you hope working with but never got the opportunity? What’s your favorite episode or your favorite scene on the series? Do you follow the show or any of your work for that matter on television?

Working with Leah Cairns was an absolute blast! She is a great actor and we’ve spent lots of time together in those hot, steamy flight suits. I really enjoyed working with Edward James Olmos. He directed the episode “Escape Velocity”. He is a real “actor’s director”, because he‘s also a veteran actor. He has a way of communicating that takes the actor comfortable and at ease. My favorite scene was in the same episode, “Escape Velocity”, where I tear a strip off of Chief Tyrol . This was actually the second time I’ve worked with Aaron Douglas, we both played Striker Soldiers on X-Men 2. I didn’t follow the show until I became part of it then really got caught up in the storylines. I now watch the show, every opportunity I have.

Filed Under: Articles

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (TV MOVIE): Battlestar Galactica Two-hour special event set to air in 2009

Battlestar Galactica Two-Hour Special Event Set To Air in 2009
Date: August 7, 2008
Source: SciFi / NBC Universal

 

SCI FI Channel today announced an all-new Battlestar Galactica special event, set to air in 2009 following the conclusion of the series and then released on DVD by Universal Studios Home Entertainment shortly thereafter. Directed by series star Edward James Olmos and written by Battlestar Galactica’s Jane Espenson, the two-hour event will begin shooting in Vancouver at the end of this summer. The cast includes Michael Trucco, Aaron Douglas and Dean Stockwell, with more to be announced in the coming weeks.

Starting before the events of the miniseries, our story focuses on familiar characters including Cylon Number One, known as Cavil (Stockwell), Resistance Leader Sam T. Anders (Trucco) and Chief Galen Tyrol (Douglas) . In the beginning, the Cylons had a plan, but it didn’t account for one thing: survivors. During the chaotic aftermath of the destruction, two powerful Cylon agents struggle with plots and priorities on the human ships that got away, and among the resistance fighters who were left behind.

Redefining the space opera with its gritty realism, Battlestar Galactica’s intensity, issues-driven topicality, and command performances have garnered it unprecedented critical acclaim. In addition to winning a prestigious Peabody Award, the series has been honored as one of the 10 Outstanding Television Programs of the Year by the American Film Institute (AFI) for two years running. This year, the series was honored with six Emmy nominations, including a nod in the prestigious category for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. Battlestar is also responsible for introducing the expletive “frak” into the pop culture lexicon.

The series is from Universal Cable Productions and is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick.

The final 10 episodes of Battlestar Galactica will begin airing on SCI FI Channel in 2009.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With:

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (TV MOVIE): Edward James Olmos will direct Cylon-centric special feature

‘Battlestar Galactica’: Edward James Olmos will direct Cylon-centric special feature
By: Choire Sicha
Date: August 6, 2008
Source: Los Angeles Times

 

NOTE: We already knew that the BSG tv movie was happening because Aaron told us. But it has now been confirmed by Sci Fi executive Mark Stern.

 

Months before its final 10 episodes begin airing in January, we now know for certain that Battlestar Galactica will live on — in the form of a two-hour special on the Sci Fi Channel to air in 2009 after the series concludes.

The unnamed feature will be directed by the show’s co-star, Edward James Olmos, and written by “Battlestar” writer and former “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” brain Jane Espenson.

The stand-alone will document the Cylons’ attempts — those of two agents in particular — to grapple with human survivors, both those aboard ships and those left alive on planets, shortly after the Cylons’ destruction of human home worlds.

So it’s a flashback, but not all the way back.

Three confirmed cast members are Michael Trucco (Sam Anders), Aaron Douglas (Galen Tyrol), and Dean Stockwell (Cavil, Cylon model No. 1) — all Cylons. Shooting will begin promptly in Vancouver, Canada, and Sci Fi promises women regulars are being cast as well, with more names coming soon.

“Razor,” the “BSG” event-movie that aired last November, was a successful test. “Not only did it do well on the air, it did phenomenally well in the international and DVD market,” said Mark Stern, executive vice president of original programming for Sci Fi.

Produced by the newly-formed Universal Cable Productions (of which Stern is also a co-head), there is also “a disproportionately larger amount of money from foreign and DVD money,” more than would be devoted to an average pilot, he said. (Both “Razor” and the two-hour event/pilot of “Caprica” have been produced in this fashion.) “I think it is the Holy Grail for us, in which we get high-quality programming for a lower license fee,” Stern said. He declined to reveal the budget, saying that it was “expensive” and “very healthy,” and that they were at first “skeptical” that the studio could get it.

“I was impressed with how high they were able to make it,” he said.

So the transformation of Sci Fi and its related and parent entities into essentially a film studio was the hold-up to the deal. “What you don’t want to do is do them in some half-assed way where they’re not as good as they needed to be,” he said.

The channel came to executive producer Ronald D. Moore once the finances were set. The story idea Moore brought back from the writers is the one indeed being made, although there was some back-and-forth, with the network’s concern being that a new viewer could jump right in. “What was more of a burden to Ron in this particular case was the availability of who’s out there,” said Stern.

So did the cast, now more well-known thanks to “BSG,” play hardball for their rates in the event-movie? “The cast are lovely,” said Stern. “That’s not to say we’re not getting phone calls from their agents saying, ‘They’re huge now.’ And we’re respectful of that. We’re not expecting anyone to do it because they owe us. There are actors that have come to some prominence; they’re helping us out because they want to do it.”

And, on the other side, have the news-hungry fans been driving the network crazy? “The short answer is absolutely not,” said Stern, who has been a regular target of angry fans. (He was blamed for the death of “Farscape,” even though he arrived at the network after it had been killed.) “The longer answer is all of our fans are kind of rowdy and invested,” he said. “There’s no question that there’s an appetite for wanting more — by the way, which started with us! We’re all feeling, ‘Does it have to be over already?’ ”

So, it does not entirely, though Stern said that more specials would not be produced at the same time as the first, even though some cast and crew would be assembled.

“I promise you that, not having shot a frame of footage, it will blow you away,” Stern said.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With:

Galactica.tv (Michael Rymer) August 2, 2008

Michael Rymer Interview
By: Marcel Damen
Date: August 2, 2008
Source: Galactica.tv

 

Note: This is a snippet of an interview with MICHAEL RYMER where he mentions AARON DOUGLAS / CHIEF TYROL. To read the full interview, click HERE.

 

You named some examples of actors like James Callis and Michael Hogan who are great at improv. Can you remember one particular scene that made you lean back and say “Wow, I never imagined it like that, but it looks awesome?”

I’ll give you a little moment that I always remember in “33.” The scene in the hangar bay, standing by one of the vipers, and Lee is haranguing Kara about taking her meds. The pilots are being given speed to keep them awake, and Kara has a little hissy fit. They are playing the scene and I think take 5, I just said “Okay, fine, we got that, let’s just try something different. She’s pretty worked up, why not just laugh?” And they liked that idea and cracked up on the next take. It was just a little bit of unexpected, spontaneous human behavior that you wouldn’t write. It was too sort of illogical. That’s the great thing about improvisation. You listen back to what they are saying and go “God, I’m a writer. I would never have thought of that person responding in that way.”

I could give you more examples, but there are so many. Pretty much most of what Aaron Douglas says is improvised. Even in that moment actually, when the two [of them] are yelling by the viper, Lee leaves; and Kara turns around and sees Aaron looking at them. And she goes, “What’s your problem?” And, he just shrugs and raises his shoulders and goes, “Hey, leave me out of it.” It was so funny, and human, and real. You just got this sense of this family on this ship, and their relationships, and the shorthand that they have. That, for me, is the whole substance of what we are doing.

Essentially, television is about bringing people’s faces in your living room. You come home, and who do you want to spend time with? Do you want to spend time with Bill Shatner and James Spader? Do you want to spend time with Eddie [Olmos] and Mary [McDonnell]? Do you want to spend time with Tony Soprano? It’s sort of the last bastion of character. Look, I’m also very proud of the action and the visual effects, and I think Gary Hutzel and Mike Gibson are amazing. And when the shows are finished, by the time Bear [McCreary]’s done his music and the sound design is in, it’s an amazing thing. It’s a very exciting show. But if those little human gestures weren’t there, that to me is what makes it. We are being inundated with comic book movies, waves and waves of them coming at us. And every time I see one, I am looking for that little human moment that’s going to make me connect. Okay, it’s a guy in a suit; but he is just like me in this moment. I get that. I don’t have to save the world; but I get what he is going through with his friend, or that girl, or his boss, or whatever.

Filed Under: Articles

BSG: BSG Official Website – Galen Tyrol Quiz

Galen Tyrol Quiz
Date: June 3, 2008
Source: The Official Battlestar Galactica Website

 

The SciFi.com website have added Galen Tyrol to their list of quizzes on BSG characters.
These questions are sooooooo easy. Shame on anyone that doesn’t get 10 out of 10 :)

 

SPOILER WARNING: There are some questions in the quiz about the episodes 4×04: Escape Velocity and 4×05: The Road Less Traveled.

 

QUESTIONS

 

ANSWERS

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With:

Scott Ian: Might As Well Jump (4×07) (May 22, 2008)

Might as well jump (4×07: Guess What’s Coming to Dinner?)
By: Scott Ian
Date: May 22nd, 2008
Source: Scott Ian’s Battlestar Blog

 

Note: The following is a blog entry by SCOTT IAN (from the band ANTHRAX) that was published on the Official Battlestar Galactica website. In this blog entry Scott shares a conversation with Aaron that makes you just want to give Aaron a great big hug :(

 

 

If there is one thing I’ve learned over the last two episodes it’s that Cylons are, to quote my man Rob Zombie; “more human than human.” Their programming is filled with blind faith, pettiness, jealousy, backstabbing, and racism. All these wonderfully human traits amongst a species that is supposed to be superior to humans in every way. Maybe we’ll find out in the Caprica prequel series that this was done on purpose. Ha ha Cylons, just wait! You may destroy humanity but pretty soon you’re going to be your own worst enemies. You’re going to be just like us! Maybe the fifth will be an obese chain-smoking fanny pack-wearing slob that knows the way to the Churros stand at Disney World. Bummer.

All Adama has to do is blow up the resurrection hub, grab the five and go to earth and let the Cylons kill each other. Ah, but as we all know, BSG never takes the easy route.

Compared to what’s coming they’re all just running around on a puppy farm. Dark days loom for these people we’ve come to know as friends.

Spoilers I have boys and girls, but I’m bound by a higher authority (NBC Universal) to keep my frakkin’ mouth shut.
I did speak with Aaron “Chief” Douglas about the future of our Galactians on set up in Vancouver. Here’s the skinny from Tyrol:

“It’s lunch and I am in my trailer reading the last two episodes of Battlestar Galactica… ever. Wow… big day.”

Of course I asked him if it was great…

“Frakking awesome!!! Best stuff Ron has ever written!! It will blow your mind. I just finished reading them and I am fighting a fruitless and losing battle with my tears. It is amazing… I have to shoot now after lunch and I am teary.”

I told Aaron it’s killing me that he won’t tell me more but at the same time, I don’t want to know. I want to see it played out the way the producers, directors, writers mean for us to see it. An as far as the aforementioned spoilers, they don’t add up to much and I found out by accident.

I can’t believe Sharon shot Natalie. Natalie isn’t even the Six that takes Hera in Sharon’s dream. I though Natalie was the shining light (besides the fact that she’s super hot) for the Cylons. Bummer for us.

Guess What’s Coming To Dinner was a great episode for many reasons but for me mainly because it really moved the mythology forward. I really felt like the multiple arcs were starting to join. Maybe next week I’ll throw an Un-boxing party for D’Anna. I hope she’s back to being all surly after being boxed. I can only assume it’s not pleasant.

Roslin must really be on some strong drugs if she thinks Gaeta has a good voice. Please Doc Coddle, put him out of our misery!! Is the singing a Cylon outing or just a misdirection? Gaeta the fifth? I don’t buy it. All of a sudden soon to be peg-leg is going to have that much to do with everything? He did play an integral role on New Caprica but I still don’t buy it.

Adama knows something is up with Tigh and judging by next weeks previews, neither of them are happy about it. Adama’s presence was finally felt again in Guess Who’s Coming and hopefully he’ll be right in the thick of it from here on out.

I loved the ending and the realization that the Hybrid is really running shit.

What am I going to do when this show is over? I’m getting teary too Chief.

Fight’em til you can’t,
Scott

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: , ,

ComicMix (Mark Verheiden) May 5, 2008

Battlestar Galactica Interview: Mark Verheiden on Deleted Scenes and Cylon Love
By: Chris Ullrich
Date: May 5th, 2008
Source: ComicMix (BSG Weekly – Season Four, Episode #5 ‘The Road Less Traveled’)

 

Note: This is a snippet of an interview with MARK VERHEIDEN where he mentions AARON DOUGLAS / CHIEF TYROL. To read the full interview, click HERE.

 

Welcome to the latest installment of Battlestar Galactica Weekly, our recurring Q&A with Mark Verheiden, co-executive producer of the hit Sci-Fi Channel series Battlestar Galactica Battlestar Galactica Interview: Mark Verheiden on Deleted Scenes and Cylon Love. Each week, we’ll interview Verheiden about the events of the week’s episode, what those events might mean for both the season and the series, and hopefully unearth some clues about what to expect as the final season of Battlestar Galactica nears its conclusion. Along with posing our own questions to Verheiden, we’re also taking questions from fans.

 

ComicMix (from reader Anthony): It seems Tyrol realizes Cally was murdered. Does he suspect Tory? It looks as if he might.

Tyrol’s still trying to work through Cally’s death, which just doesn’t make sense to him. Suicide can be extremely problematic for the loved ones left behind, and the ex-Chief is no exception. That said, I’m not sure Tyrol intuits suspicion specifically toward Tory, but something sure doesn’t add up…

 

ComicMix (from reader Lisa): Tyrol seems to really reverse himself after Baltar comes to see him. He even offers his hand. What made him change his mind about Baltar?

Clearly there can be many interpretations of this (and a lot of what happens on Battlestar), but if you’re asking what I was thinking when I wrote the scene, it was that Tyrol sensed a more genuine sincerity in Baltar’s second appeal that wasn’t there in the more public shout-out.

But more than that, Tyrol is lost, struggling to care for Nicky and to find some reason to go on after all that’s happened to him. In Tyrol’s darkest moment, Baltar offers a slender reed of hope. You’ll notice you didn’t see Adama, Tigh, or anyone else reaching out to Tyrol in his misery… though Tyrol’s not exactly been easy to get along with lately.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: ,

Scott Ian: There’s Hope For All Of Us (4×04) (April 29, 2008)

There’s Hope For All Of Us aka Tigh did it for the nookie (4×04: Escape Velocity)
By: Scott Ian
Date: April 29th, 2008
Source: Scott Ian’s Battlestar Blog

 

Note: The following is a blog entry by SCOTT IAN (from the band ANTHRAX) that was published on the Official Battlestar Galactica website. In this blog entry Scott shares a conversation he had with Aaron about this episode.

 

 

And I don’t mean hope in the context of religion or faith or any of Baltar’s story arc. I mean hope in the context of Tigh made out with Six. TIGH MADE OUT WITH SIX. Michael Hogan must be stoked. Granted, he got the shit kicked out of him first (and he smartly didn’t use his Cylon strength to fight back). On the list of things I never thought I would see on BSG, that would have to be right at the top. Right next to Tigh being a Cylon and Tigh changing a baby. Is that Cylon or human programming that made him change the baby? Either way, classic. And then right after his paternal moment he’s right back at Tory with “What is that, more of Baltar’s crap?” The man is a rusty iron crowbar, slowly crumbling, holding on to the thing’s he knows even though he knows it’s futile. Tigh says “feel what ya gotta feel” to Chief even though he’s searching for a way to “flip the switch” and bury the guilt of murdering his wife. Not gonna happen Patchy. Your new-fangled programming won’t let you. You need absolution and you’re going to find it (and a whole lot more) in the arms of Six, she of the magic (or is it just Cylon?) nookie. If that doesn’t make you forget your troubles (remember that nookie helped Baltar help her to destroy humanity) I don’t know what will. So Tigh gets to snog with Six and Chief hits the bottle.

Poor Chief. He loses his lady and then loses his shit with the old man. His description of Cally, “a shriek with dull-vacant eyes, the boiled cabbage stench of her” was oddly accurate. Is Chief’s Cylon programming disavowing his relationship with a human knowing that it could have been with Boomer or is it just a case of the grass being greener? I asked my main-man Aaron Douglas and he was his usual forthcoming self (although I can’t print everything he told me, no spoilers here).

“Dude. That ep was a really tough one for me. Long days of really emotional stuff. Really very tiring and hard because the rest of the cast has little to do so they get restless after 5 hours of doing the same thing and I am still trying to stay in the place of emotion of a funeral.

The scene with Eddie and I in the bar is one of my favorites. I have not seen the ep yet so I don’t know how it turned out. We did my coverage 3 times. The first time, which by all accounts was the best, was not recorded. The camera guys did not turn them on. That was frustrating. So what people saw on Friday was my 2nd best performance. I will watch it tonight and see if I remember anything else. That was a year ago that we shot it.”

Oh yeah….now Tigh gets to kiss Six and once again the Chief just goes and gets loaded… tell me how that is fair? Fuckers!

And he also added this:

“And tell the fans to watch for the Chief in the next weeks ep. He goes a little nuts……..”

I can’t wait!!!

I want a Chief/Tory showdown. Tory’s gotta go.

I have to agree with Roslin regarding the Baltar family. Not because of the safety of the fleet from a religious war, because I’m over the Baltar/Messiah thing. I guess it makes sense for his character that he would self-appoint himself this position but I just don’t care. His speech was eloquent enough but he’s my favorite character and I feel like he’s being underused. Put him in the brig and blow all his followers out the airlock and get him back in the mix with the Cylons. Adama would do that. Unless he’s once again completely full of crap and it’s all part of some other plan he’s go going. I’m hoping to be as usual, pleasantly surprised by his arc.

I do like the set-up for the power struggle between Roslin and Apollo. Apollo seems to have more backbone now then he ever did as a pilot. He ain’t taking no shit off of nobody!

No Starbuck this week. I’m sure next week she’ll be back in all her sweatiness.

Until then fight’em ’til you can’t.

Cheers,
Scott

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: , ,

Jane Espenson: What We Realize (4×04) (April 26, 2008)

What We Realize
By: Jane Espenson
Date: April 26, 2008
Source: Jane in Progress

 

WEBMISTRESS NOTE: Jane Espenson, the writer of last weeks Battlestar Galactica episode (4×04: Escape Velocity) discusses the bar scene with the Chief and Adama from that episode in her latest blog post.

WARNING: If you have not watched this episode, there are spoilers.

 

Did you see my episode of Battlestar Galactica that aired last night? I myself did not, as I was on a soundstage, watching even fresher Battlestar being made. So instead, to celebrate, I reread the script this morning and I thought I might show you all a little excerpt to illustrate how simple it can be to do something that might look tricky on the screen.

SPOILERS… if you haven’t seen the episode yet, you might want to wait. Anyway, there’s a moment in the episode where something plays out and then you realize it didn’t really happen, that it was just one character’s fantasy/fear/hallucination/projection/SOMETHING…. Here’s how I scripted it (I’m just showing you a scene fragment here):

…Awkward pause. Adama signals the bartender, then says:

 

ADAMA
We all miss her, Chief. I understand if you want time off. Or even if… if you want more shifts, want to keep busy. None of us knows how we’ll react to a loss. What we’ll need.

TYROL
Don’t need anything special, sir.

 

The bartender slides a drink to Adama (he knows his preference without asking).

 

ADAMA
I guess it was just more than she could take, huh? Being married to a Cylon who made her the mother to a half-breed abomination.

 

Tyrol blinks at Adama. Who is JUST NOW BEING SERVED HIS DRINK. We realize that was a small moment of surreal fantasy (a la Tigh’s imagined shooting of Adama in episode three).

 

ADAMA (cont’d)
(to bartender)
Thank you.
(then)
She was a good woman.

 

See what I did? Almost nothin’. I just said what happened using emphasis so the eyes of careless reader wouldn’t miss it, and then with a “We realize…” sentence. I love “We realize,” because what you’re really doing is conveying to the reader the intended experience of the viewer. You’re not forcing them to guess about what you want the viewer to understand at that moment, and you’re not using dialogue to over-explain something that a character wouldn’t say out loud. I find it incredibly useful as long as it’s not being used to try to convince a reader that something would be clear to a viewer when in fact it would not. It’s a powerful weapon, use it well.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: , ,

Scott Ian: We’re not evil, we’re not inhuman (4×03) (April 22, 2008)

We’re not evil, we’re not inhuman (4×03: The Ties That Bind)
By: Scott Ian
Date: April 22nd, 2008
Source: Scott Ian’s Battlestar Blog

 

Note: The following is a blog entry by SCOTT IAN (from the band ANTHRAX) that was published on the Official Battlestar Galactica website. In this blog entry Scott shares an email he received from Aaron.

 

 

 

We’re just dirty murdering slut robots. Well at least that’s what Tory is. Or should I say it’s what she’s becoming. Now that she’s one of the final five Cylon’s she’s become so much more interesting. Seriously, before she was outed did any of you care? I don’t think I even knew her name. She did have Billy’s big shoes to fill he writes with complete seriousness. Now she’s like a quieter Juliette Lewis in Natural Born Killers all screwing and killing. Her activation has taken her to the Dark Side young Luke and I’m afraid there’s no coming back. And what side is it? This isn’t a side of Cylon behavior that we’ve really ever seen. Maybe Cavil would cold-bloodedly blow someone out the airlock just because he can or for a goof, but at this point the rest of the Cylon’s have a higher purpose. Is Tory the evilest of Cylons? And what’s gonna happen with the other three? Why is Tory manifesting differently while the other three seem like themselves so far? Is Chief going to find out that Cally knew he was a Cylon or will he just think it was an anti-depressant fueled attack/suicide? I’m hoping Tory just evil’s up and tells him the truth. “I blew your lame-ass wife out the airlock because she knew our secret (and in general was pretty boring) and I would’ve frakked your cry-baby bitch kid too except he’s half Cylon ’cause that’s how I roll.” I emailed Aaron Douglas (yeah, the Chief and I are buds) and asked him all these questions. Here’s what he said:

“It only gets worse my friend. What we think Cally knew and didn’t know is explored over the next few eps with the Chief making little discoveries along the way. The final four Cylons are different from each other in the same way that humans are different from one another. We all have tendencies that manifest in various situations. The next couple of episodes contain a large arc for Tyrol. Callys death and some other things really come to a head. Enjoy. They were a really tough shoot.”

The shit is going to hit the fan when Chief finds out Tory killed his wife. Cylon or not, the Chief is the Chief is the Chief. The fact that they have no problems with killing off regulars and making other characters suffer intensely is one of the main reasons why I love this show. It’s so heavy. When an episode like 4.3 ends it really bothers me. It stays with me for days. That shot of Cally’s frozen bloated face was haunting. No heroic death for our little mechanic. Alone except for the uncaring stare of a Cylon holding HER baby and aware that she’s got seconds before the vacuum takes her. Brutal. I’ve invested years in these characters and the show is so well written that it makes me feel for these people. I care less about some real-life people than I do these TV ones. TMI? Maybe. I don’t give a frak.

Last week I knew that Boomer was sleeping with Cavil. This week proved me right. Ummm, gross. Boomer is really giving her line a bad rep. Does Roslin have annoying cancer? I hope Zarek goes back to his old ways and puts her out of her misery. I’m glad Zarek is back. He’s a great pot-stirrer and I love watching Richard Hatch. Was it me or did that blood-cleaning Centurion give stink-eye? The Centurions are plotting. I don’t think the “magic word” is going to cut it for too long. How many cartons of smokes did Doc Coddle bring? I’m starting to think he’s the fifth Cylon just for the fact that he’s not dying of emphysema. Everyone on the Demetrius needs to chillax. Starbuck has killed more Cylons than all of them combined and oh yeah, she came back from the dead. I don’t care how bi-polar she gets, I’d follow her to hell. I didn’t think Anders had the balls to frak Starbuck when she demanded to be frakked. I guess a Cylons gotta get some when he can. Too bad it’s not on HBO. The Cylon vs. Cylon war has really kicked off. I saw right through Cavil’s kowtowing. He’s Cavil. He’s the Devil. Who’s side are you on? I’m taking Husker.

Fight’em ’til you can’t, Scott

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: , ,

Scott Ian: Drop your dicks and grab your sticks!! (4×01) (April 5, 2008)

Drop your dicks and grab your sticks!! (4×01: He That Believeth In Me)
By: Scott Ian
Date: April 5th, 2008
Source: Scott Ian’s Battlestar Blog

 

Note: The following is a blog entry by SCOTT IAN (from the band ANTHRAX) that was published on the Official Battlestar Galactica website. Scott shares a conversation he had with Aaron that includes the “Drop your dicks and grab your sticks” line that Aaron mentioned in our Ask the Chief Q&A in January :)

SPOILER WARNING: This blog entry is about Friday’s episode (4×01: He That Believeth In Me) so there’s some very mild spoilers in there if you haven’t seen the episode yet.

 

Unless you live abroad or you’re an idiot you’ve seen the premier of season four. And what a premier it was. Starting right from the end of season 3 where Starbuck came back from the dead (she wasn’t looking to eat Anders so at least we know she’s not a zombie) the episode didn’t answer any questions. What it did do was start the clock on what is going to be an incredible endgame. Every characters plot line (except Tom Zarek!!) has been set on his or her path and over the next 19 episodes, we’ll get the answers we’ve been so patiently waiting for.

Of all the stories being weaved I think Starbuck’s is the most compelling. She’s already been accused of being the one to lead humanity to it’s end and now she’s been dead/gone for 2 months and she miraculously returns in a freshly detailed Viper. Cylon? I don’t think so, too obvious unless that’s what they want us to think. I think Starbuck did see Earth and is telling the truth about her experience. Wormholes people. It’s a Hollywood fact that time and space mean nothing in the face of a wormhole. I believe her, and not because she could kick my ass, because I think she’s the key to the whole thing. Screw the Gods, or Six’s one God, Starbuck is Jesus and she will put a bullet between your eyes if you disagree. If I’m wrong, hire Apollo to sue me.

The 4 newbie Cylons are as you would expect, confused and trying extra hard to be human. Michael Hogan really stands out by making Tigh even more intense with only one eye to emote with. Seriously, his one-eyed stare makes my balls nervous. When he puts his gun on the table was that to consummate a suicide pact between the 4 of them (before they would harm someone else) or was it just him getting rid of his gun so if he wakes up and wants to shoot the old man (nice trick with the assassination before the credits) he won’t have the iron to do it.

Anders eye-dentification with the Raider was killer!!! Can’t wait til he finally gets to let loose.

Chief is business as usual so far. Cylon Shmylon, he’s got shit to do. I texted with Aaron Douglas after the show and asked him about the gun scene with Tigh and he told me that he had the same questions as I did and no one would explain the scene to him. Aaron was kind enough to share this with me and I will share with you…

“I had the best adlib ever in the scene where Chief walks onto the hangar deck yelling for the Nuggets. It didn’t make it into the show. What did make it was something like “lets go nuggets! your momma’s aren’t going to save ya today” it is all adlib’d but one take I said, & this is pure gold, “drop your dicks and grab your sticks!” 5 seconds later Harvey (producer) says from video village, “you can’t say dicks on TV”. We had to do it again. Ha. Being a Cylon is great. Someone else does my laundry. Started back shooting last week. Its great to be back but its sad to see it go.”

Thanks Aaron,

Chief will save the day. Anders and Foster, expendable. Just my opinion.

Adama was in the background this episode. I think he believes Starbuck is who she says she is. Is he the 5th? I don’t think so. Or is it so obvious that he actually is?

And finally my favorite Galactian; Baltar. Of all the sub-plots, this Manson family-esque cult leader deal is not my favorite. Yes, I love that he’ll say anything to get laid, ridicule the situation and then even start to believe his own bullshit but where is this going? Unless his harem start killing in his name with his semi-approval, I’m not interested. And how do they have this Baltar orgy den complete with shrine on Galactica? Really? No one knows this is going on on a Battlestar? Hopefully inviso-Six will get jealous and put an end to this quick.

I think I can safely say Starbuck won’t be shooting Roslin.

Fight’em til you can’t, Scott

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: , ,

MediaBlvd Magazine (Katee Sackhoff) April 4, 2008

Katee Sackhoff: In Depth On The Return Of Starbuck and Of Battlestar Galactica
By: Kenn Gold
Date: April 4th, 2008
Source: MediaBlvd Magazine

 

Note: This is a snippet of an interview with KATEE SACKHOFF where she mentions AARON DOUGLAS / CHIEF TYROL. To read the full interview, click HERE.

 

Just before the return of Battlestar Galactica for it’s fourth and final season, star Katee Sackhoff (Starbuck) sat down for an in-depth interview with MediaBlvd and other press to discuss her character, and the return of Starbuck and BSG. During season three, her character died. But in the finale, she made a remarkable return from the dead, claiming to have been to Earth. The action in Season 4 picks up from that cliff hanger.

 

Do you guys follow the online buzz and what the fans are talking about with the show?

No, Aaron Douglas does. I don’t think anyone else does. I’ve learned a long time ago that you can’t hang out on the Web site or on the Web because you will inevitably need a hundred positive remarks to make one bad remark disappear. So it’s a never ending cycle of reading about yourself and it never goes away. It’s horrible. So I tend to just not pay attention to it anymore and occasionally my mom will call me and go you’ve got to read this so which I find very interesting.

Filed Under: Articles

Bear McCreary: Final Four Theme (April 5, 2008)

Final Four Theme
By: Bear McCreary
Date: April 5, 2008
Source: Bear McCreary’s BSG Blog (TBG4: “He That Believeth…”)

 

Note: This is a snippet from BEAR McCREARY’s blog where he mentions AARON DOUGLAS / CHIEF TYROL. To read the full blog entry, click HERE.

 

Season 3 concluded before a hypnotic, rock-inspired “All Along the Watchtower” backdrop, but Season 4 begins with a cold snap back to reality. So the score enters simply, with the strains of a solo erhu, playing Kara’s Destiny Theme as we return to Kara and Lee, flying side by side. The oddly serene moment is not too last, however, and we’re almost immediately thrown into one of the biggest battle scenes I’ve ever had to score for Battlestar Galactica.

This sequence is immense, spanning the entire first act, and the music had to match. Japanese-inspired rhythms that first snuck into my work with pieces like “Storming New Caprica,” “Fight Night” and “Mandala in the Clouds” come to the foreground here. The entire ensemble of ethnic soloists, including er hu, zhong hu, bansuri, duduk, yialli tanbur, electric fiddle and duduk are tucked away behind the full arsenal of nagado daikos, shime daikos, tablas, frame drums, whale drums, and hand percussion.

However, what makes this battle cue unique is that it includes strands of a very important theme, that I now call the Final Four theme:

This riff was first developed while I was arranging Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” for the third season cliffhanger, although it is in no way derived from Dylan’s music. It will play an increasingly important role in the score for the fourth season.

The Final Four melody is first heard when Tigh pulls a gun on Adama in the first few minutes, hidden beneath a wall of electric sitar, violin and guitars, echoing “Heeding the Call” and “Watchtower” from season 3.

It resurfaces prominently as the enemy raider scans Anders’ eye and then breaks off the attack. And it is repeated again during the scene when the Four meet in secret. Viewers with keen ears will pick up distant refrains of this melody all throughout the fourth season, as Tyrol, Tigh, Tory and Anders each come to live with their newly-discovered Cylon natures in unique ways.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: ,

Mark Verheiden: What’s New In Battlestar Land… (April 5, 2008)

What’s New In Battlestar Land…
By: Mark Verheiden
Date: April 5, 2008
Source: Famous Mark Verheidens Of Filmland

 

Note: The following is a blog entry from MARK VERHEIDEN (the Co-Executive Producer/Writer on BSG) where he mentions AARON DOUGLAS / CHIEF TYROL.

 

Posting has been light the last few days because I’ve been spending much of my time on set, helping make sure episode “415” is as chock full of Battlestar goodness as possible. Things are rolling along extremely well and as usual the cast and crew is doing a superlative job turning my scribbles into high drama. It’s strange to think this probably won’t actually air for months and months, long after I’ve vacated my palacial NBC/Universal office…

So, what else has been going on? Let’s see, I saw Springsteen at Vancouver’s “General Motors Place” arena last Monday night, enjoying myself with a sell-out crowd along with Aaron “The Chief” Douglas and the ever ebullient S. McA. from the BSG production office. And the show? It is considerably changed up from the first leg of the tour, lots of new songs, and Springsteen and band debuted a very special request, an outtake from Born In The U.S.A. called “Home of the Brave.” I don’t think this one even made the “Tracks” compilation, so that was fun.

Oh, and BATTLESTAR IS FINALLY BACK ON THE AIR. It airs at 7:00PM here in lovely Canada (on Space Channel, tip o’ the hat to my pal Mark Askwith at Space who does a great job stoking the flames for BSG) so I missed the debut and any parties that may have ensued. Oh well, there’s always next seas… oops. At least it was missed for a good cause.

More as it develops…

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: ,

Scott Ian: Who the frak let me in here? (April 1, 2008)

Who the frak let me in here?
By: Scott Ian
Date: April 1st, 2008 (12:07 PM)
Source: Scott Ian’s Battlestar Blog

 

Note: The following is a blog entry by SCOTT IAN (from the band ANTHRAX) that was published on the Official Battlestar Galactica website. In this blog entry Scott mentions AARON DOUGLAS / CHIEF TYROL.

 

 

 

Hello my friends and welcome to my tiny little corner of the BSG universe. Somehow through sheer fan-boy tenacity (and a lot of help from the Lords Of Kobol over at Sci-Fi/NBC Universal) I have actually been asked to write about my favorite show. And not just write a blog on my personal site but an actual blog on Sci-Fi’s site blabbing about the most well written show on TV. Where Ron Moore and David Eick blog. Holy crap.
And who am I to have been given this weighty task?

I’ve been in a band called Anthrax for 27 years and I’m a total horror/sci-fi/comic dork. A million years ago we had a song called “I Am The Law” based on Judge Dredd (way before the abortion of a movie with Stallone which we refused to let our song be a part of; you HAVE TO leave the helmet ON) and that opened the door for me into the actual world of horror/sci-fi/comics that I’d been admiring from afar since I was a kid reading Ditko Spidey and anything Kirby touched (even Fin Fang Foom). When the internet became the place to espouse ones opinions to the world, from behind the safety of my Mac I jumped in head first and wooooosh (Lost forward flash sound effect) cut to me (trying) to write a Lobo series for DC, a food column (Food Coma) for SuicideGirls.com (nude tattoed chicks but you can read the articles for free) and a blog about Galactica’s final season.

Obviously I will be writing about each episode this season and I also hope to have some special guests (cast members, other “celeb” BSG fans and Brent, Jason and Eric my buddies that are as insane as me about the show) be a part of this as well. Yes, I’m talking to you Chief.

Friday night looms.
Cheers,
Scott

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: ,