Will Battlestar Galactica Online Work As A Browser-Based MMO?

Hey, look, a Battlestar Galactica MMO!

Leading [MMO publisher Bigpoint's] product slate for 2010 will be Battlestar Galactica Online, a tactical space combat and adventure MMOG based upon Syfy’s Battlestar Galactica series. The game, inspired by one of the most popular science fiction series in television history, will launch worldwide exclusively this fall on Syfy.com for a 30 day period. The Unity co-developed MMOG will offer state of the art graphics that can be played directly in an Internet browser.

I’m allergic to the word “browser” appearing anywhere in the same paragraph as “MMO” or even “game”, but that’s usually because it indicates some cutesy free-to-play thing that’s big in Korea, or else a social gaming pyramid scheme.

Fortunately, this doesn’t seem to be case with Battlestar Galactica Online. The game is being developed by a Norwegian studio called Artplant that, as near as I can tell, isn’t yet guilty of any particularly bad online games. In fact, checking their website, they don’t seem to be guilty of many games at all. But they seem to have the right idea. Read more

Bryan Singer To Reboot Battlestar Galactica?

Update by Editor Peter Sciretta: Entertainment Weekly has confirmed this report with Universal Pictures — Bryan Singer is signed on to direct a feature film version of Battlestar Galactica, which isn’t expected to be a continuation of the most recent Ron Moore Sci-Fi channel television show, but instead a complete re-imagining of the original 1970’s series. Original report follows below.

According to HitFix, Universal appear to be on the verge of engaging Bryan Singer to produce and also maybe direct a new Battlestar Galactica feature film. Quite a surprise, huh?

You may recall that before the Ron Moore TV series of recent years, Singer was working on a pilot for a reboot of the show himself (some Cylon concept art from their efforts is at the head of this post). That one was halted by in the aftermath of September 11th, 2001 after the Sci-Fi network became sensitive to similarities between the planned plot and real-life tragedy. Would Singer be looking to return to a similar storyline here? I think we can be pretty certain his film won’t be in any way tied into the recent series.

McWeeny is rather skeptical that Singer would sign up to direct a film based upon a premise still so fresh in the public consciousness, but I’m not so doubtful, personally. Would Universal really be the driving force here? I’d expect a conservative cautious studio to take some convincing that there was money here. Or maybe they just want some of that Star Trek dollar?

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‘Pegasus Expansion’ Announced For The Battlestar Galactica Board Game

This fall brings the first expansion for Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game. The Pegasus expansion adds two new supplemental game boards featuring the Battlestar Pegasus and the planet of New Caprica, seven new characters, a new Cylon Locations overlay, two plastic Basestars, as well as new Destination, Crisis, Loyalty, Quorum, Super Crisis, and Skill cards.

The new Pegasus board can be used by itself or together with the New Caprica board to create the game you desire – use the Pegasus alone for the additional firepower she provides, or add the New Caprica board to simulate the rebellion on the human colony, bringing the game to an epic level.

New rules introduce the ability to play as a new character type – the Cylon Leader, with a new Treachery Skill card type.

How will the crews of the Galactica and the Pegasus mesh when they join each other on your game table? Will the Cylons be able to subjugate the human rebellion on New Caprica? Will an open Cylon Leader be able to vent the last remaining humans into space, giving the toasters control over the galaxy?

Pegasus will be FTL jumping into your friendly local game store this Fall. Be on the lookout for previews leading up to the expansion’s release.

Battlestar Galactica Season 4 Available On DVD 01/06/2009

The epic phenomenon returns with over 5 hours of explosive bonus features, including deleted scenes, featurettes, podcasts and more! Plus, see the unrated, extended version of “Battlestar Galactica: RAZOR” that didn’t air on TV!

On Tuesday, January 6th, Universal Studios Home Entertainment releases a 4-Disc DVD Special Edition set of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Season 4.0, featuring the first ten episodes of the popular 4th season. The set arrives just in time for fans excited to watch the season’s remaining ten episodes (known as Season 4.5) that will be broadcast beginning January 16, 2009 on The SCI-FI Network.

The Season 4.0 four-disc DVD Set (SRP $49.98) features a total running time of 526 minutes, which includes over 5 hours of bonus features. Unique to this set is the “Battlestar Galactica: RAZOR” movie presented in both the original 88-minute version, and 101-minute extended, unrated version never aird on TV. Executive producer Ronald D. Moore and writer Michael Taylor provide complete commentary for the “Razor” movie on the extended version.

Source: DVDTown.com

New Comics For The Week Of 12/24/2008

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Details Revealed About ‘Battlestar: The Plan’ Coming in 2009

Jane Espenson, who wrote the upcoming movie Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, said that the telefilm will retell the initial story of the SCI FI Channel series, but from the perspective of the Cylons, and that it will take advantage of revelations that will come in the upcoming new episodes of the show’s fourth and final season.

“The events of The Plan are the events that you’ve seen … in the show, from the miniseries to almost the end of season two,” Espenson said in an exclusive interview. “So it’s that chunk of time, but sort of seen with the Cylon perspective. So you’re going to see a lot of stuff that was going on that you weren’t aware of at the time: on Caprica, in the fleet. … This was the time when the Cylons, as depicted in the original show, … were very mysterious, enemies that would come out of the darkness and retreat. And this is … what were they really doing all that time: What was the internal stuff. … A lot of loose ends are tied up, a lot of questions are asked that you don’t even know you have.”

The movie–the second stand-alone telefilm based on the Peabody-Award-winning show–deals with all the mythology’s secrets. “If you had a copy now, you might feel that you could go ahead and watch it, because it’s about stuff that already happened,” Espenson said. “But don’t do it. Of course, you don’t have a copy now, because there isn’t even a cut yet. … But it’s very much designed to be watched after the run of the series, because it definitely relies on stuff you don’t learn until much later.”

The Plan stars Edward James Olmos, who also directed; Dean Stockwell as Brother Cavil; Michael Hogan as Col. Tigh; and Michael Trucco as Anders, among others.

Espenson said that Olmos was very collaborative. “He and I had a lot of very long sessions of going through the script line by line, Eddie Olmos reading the whole thing out loud, just amazing as, you know, a one-man show every night,” she said. “And just like going, ‘Listen to this line, wouldn’t this be better like this? Wouldn’t this be better like this? Are you sure that we need this in this scene?’ Just incredibly insightful, just working through it with Eddie, and [we] made a ton of changes in the preproduction phase and ended up with a really tight script that we filmed sort of as they were demolishing the sets out from under us. And [we] ended up with something that I think is so much better than our highest hopes had been for what this movie could be. It really sort of caps off the show.”

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan is slated to air in June 2009. Battlestar Galactica returns to SCI FI at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Jan. 16, 2009, with the remaining episodes of its fourth and final season.

Source: Scifi Wire

New Battlestar Galactica Webisodes

New Battlestar Webisodes!

SCIFI.COM announced the launch of a new 10-part series of Battlestar Galactica webisodes, “The Face of the Enemy,” starting Dec. 12 at noon ET.

Two webisodes will debut weekly, leading up to the on-air return of the series on Jan. 16, 2009.

Each of the three- to four-minute chapters will complement and enhance the action broadcast on SCI FI and give viewers more insight into characters and events from the fourth and final season.

“The Face of the Enemy” follows the action and suspense inside a stranded Raptor carrying a group of passengers, including Lt. Felix Gaeta (Alessandro Juliani) and a Number 8 Cylon (Grace Park). When passengers suddenly start dying in alarming ways, fear, panic and chaos erupt within the confines of the small ship as suspicion grows that there is a killer among them. Michael Hogan (Col. Tigh) and Brad Dryborough (Lt. Hoshi) also star.

“The Face of the Enemy” is written by Jane Espenson and Seamus Kevin Fahey and is produced by Universal Cable Productions.

The full schedule:

Dec. 12: Chapter 1; Dec. 15: Chapter 2; Dec. 17: Chapter 3; Dec. 22: Chapter 4; Dec. 24: Chapter 5; Dec. 29: Chapter 6; Dec. 31: Chapter 7; Jan. 5: Chapter 8; Jan. 7: Chapter 9; and Jan. 12: Chapter 10.

Source: Scifi Wire Read more

First Look: Battlestar Galactica’s Final Season

Holy frak, Battlestar Galactica fans! The trailer for the show’s final batch of episodes is out now, and it’s a pretty dramatic-looking batch of scenes. There’s Cylon-seeking, lots of talk of suffering, and some things blowing up. Much of the imagery is minimalist, gray and black, and almost more like an independent film than a big-name Sci Fi series.

Battlestar‘s final episodes, dubbed “The Epic Journey,” start airing Jan. 16. How are you all hoping it ends? You can always test your knowledge of the last batch of episodes or catch up on the whole show in just over eight minutes, and to check out the final promo, just view the clip below. Read more

Video Review: Battlestar Galactica – The Role Playing Game

Since Battlestar Galactica’s final season is upon us, and there is a boardgame coming out too, I thought I would share another of Kurt Wiegel’s awesome reviews. This time around it’s, you guessed it, the Battlestar Galactica RPG by Margaret Weis Productions, the same people who brought you Serenity, The Role Playing Game.

The Battlestar Galactica Role Playing Game brings the action and drama of the hit television series to the game table. Everything you need to start playing is in this book, including full character creation rules, details on the main characters from the show, and information on spaceships, weapons, and tech. The game rules are easy to learn, emphasizing story, action, and character development. All you need are dice, friends, and your imagination!

The game uses the Cortex System rules created by Jamie Chambers. Enjoy the review! Read more

Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game Due In October

Fantasy Flight Games has now pasted an October 2008 release date on Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game. Here’s a detailed description of the game from FFG:

After the Cylon attack on the Colonies, the battered remnants of the human race are on the run, constantly searching for the next signpost on the road to Earth. They face the threat of Cylon attack from without, and treachery and crisis from within. Humanity must work together if they are to have any hope of survival…but how can they, when any of them may, in fact, be a Cylon agent?

Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is an exciting game of mistrust, intrigue, and the struggle for survival. Based on the epic and widely-acclaimed new Sci Fi Channel series, Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game puts players in the role of one of ten of their favorite characters from the show. Each playable character has their own abilities and weaknesses, and must all work together in order for humanity to have any hope of survival. However, one or more players in every game secretly side with the Cylons. Players must attempt to expose the traitor while fuel shortages, food contaminations, and political unrest threatens to tear the fleet apart.

The game includes 10 character cards, 32 highly-detailed plastic ships, high-quality card board tokens, hundreds of cards and a game board with resource counters. Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is a semi- cooperative game for 3-6 players ages 10 and up that can be played in 2-3 hours.

This game, which retails for $39.95, has been added to Gone Cardboard.

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