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Will “Galactica” ever make it to Earth?

First, I want to admit that I have yet to see BSG: Razor. It’s been recorded and is waiting patiently for me to find a few hours of spare time. See, I’m what you might call overly analytical. I can’t just watch it and be done with it. I’ll have to watch it, re-watch it, analyze it against the first three seasons, and likely watch it two or three more times just to be sure I didn’t miss any of the important details. That being said, the fact that the series sidebar is awaiting my perusal has me wondering when we’ll start seeing season 4. This naturally leads to questions of what the season will bring, when it finally arrives. The answer, unfortunately, is greatly affected by the ongoing writers’ strike.

See, Battlestar Galactica, like 30 Rock and Bionic Woman, have all been shut down due to the strike. No more scripts means no more episodes. Having lost interest in Bionic Woman, I am unconcerned about that particular shutdown. 30 Rock, different story. No Tina Fey makes me sad. But what really makes me sad is the prospect of Battlestar Galactica not being allowed to finish out its run in the style it deserves. It seems the cast and crew of Galactica are among the list of those sent force majeure letters by NBC/Universal. That’s fancy showbiz talk for we ain’t gonna pay you until you have scripts to shoot. Oh, and by the way, you can’t go work elsewhere without our approval ’cause you’re still under contract.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I get that no production might mean no pay. To me, that’s not as big an issue. It stinks, but I get it. The part that gets me is the whole “you’re under contract and need my approval to work elsewhere” power play. Seriously, do they think this will help?

Turns out, at least in the opinion of some, this power play by the studio heads is in fact a violation of the Screen Actors Guild contract. And no one expects SAG to sit idly by while such things occur. (Think they’ve started printing their own picket signs for when the current contract expires?)

What this means is that Battlestar Galactica season 4, of which 13 episodes have been completed, may never get the end envisioned by its creators. In fact, Ron Moore even said as much last week on his blog.

“Galactica’s coming back, I frakking promise you that. But I am ready to put the rest of the story on the table and take the risk that I’ll never be able to tell it, in support of this strike.”
You go, Ron. The only problem is, his frakking promise aside, I don’t feel any better about the prospect of a good Galactica-worthy end. In fact, I feel like heading for my window and screaming, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not gonna take it anymore!” (It’s bad enough that I’m starting to see promos for obvious filler shows, like the one I saw last night for a compilation of Grammy performances with accompanying commentary. No writers required, I guess.)

Galactica is not only the best sci-fi show out there, it’s one of the best shows, period. To end it with anything less than the complete run as intended by the show’s creators is an insult to them and to us as fans. So listen up, studio heads. Fix it. Make it better. Sooner, rather than later. Oh, and by the way, jerking the actors and crews around in the process is not fixing it. Of course, that’s just my not-so-humble opinion. What do you all think?

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