Battlestar Galactica ety3rd • 6 months ago • 100%

A couple of years after the end of the reimagined series, I wrote and self-published the [*Lords of Kobol*](https://ety3rd.com/lords-of-kobol) series of books. [People seemed to like it quite a bit](https://ety3rd.com/reviews), so I spent years working on *Colonies of Kobol* to bridge the gap between them and the TV shows. Three massive volumes were published last year, but I've now given them the "special edition" treatment, creating additional content and writing an author's commentary. Via the commentary, I discuss connections to the TV shows, historical/mythological inspirations, share art and pics I made for myself during the writing, and so on. Most importantly, all three volumes are now in one and in chronological order. Here's the official description: > Visit the sixteen Colonies of Kobol in a single volume ... > Two thousand years before the Cylons destroyed the Twelve Colonies and the Battlestar *Galactica* led a ragtag fleet to Earth, the Lords of Kobol fell and mankind fled for the Colonies. > See the settling of the first colony on Gemenon. Behold the destruction of Earth and the flight of the Final Five. Witness the rise of empires on Virgon and Leonis and the thousand-year-war waged across the plains of Tauron, the seas of Picon, and the mountains of Sagittaron. Visit the jungles of Libran and Scorpia, the mines of Canceron, the farms of Aerilon, and the volcanoes of Aquaria. Read the continuation of the short-lived TV series *Caprica* and watch the horrors of the Cylon War and the creation of The Colony. Revisit New Caprica and then, on our own world, go on one last journey with Bill Adama and Saul Tigh, and get a look into our own future as the Messengers of The One True God work to free mankind of the cycle. > This is the *definitive* special edition collection of these books in chronological order, complete with additional chapters, behind-the-scenes information, art, pics, and author's commentary. Learn all about the writing of these tales, connections to the *Battlestar Galactica* and *Caprica* TV shows, and much more. > There is a Plan and questions will be answered. The book is free and it is currently available [here](https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1539198). As the book filters out to other apps and stores, I will update its page on [my personal site.](https://ety3rd.com/) Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy it.

Battlestar Galactica ety3rd • 8 months ago • 100%

[Here's one of the promotional images.](https://i.imgur.com/vCCilzj.jpg) [Here's what you could win.](https://i.imgur.com/R5yipVN.jpg) [Here's the edited/censored version.](https://i.imgur.com/8liVLwQ.jpg) And [this](https://www.toplessrobot.com/2009/01/kfc_has_no_frakkin_clue_what_frak_means.php) is a blogpost from 2009 discussing the contest, and a [follow-up post](https://www.toplessrobot.com/2009/01/kfc_still_doesnt_frakkin_get_it.php) after the name change.

Battlestar Galactica ety3rd • 10 months ago • 100%

A couple of years after the end of the reimagined series, I wrote and self-published the *Lords of Kobol* series of books. [People seemed to like them quite a bit](https://ety3rd.com/reviews), so I recently embarked on a re-read of that series, added deleted chapters back in, and created an author's commentary to go along with it. Via the commentary, I discuss connections to the TV shows, historical/mythological inspirations, share art and pics I made for myself during its writing, and so on. Most importantly, all five books are now in one volume. So that's nice. Here's the official description: > All five acclaimed *Lords of Kobol* books collected in a single volume ... > Thousands of years before the Cylons destroyed the Twelve Colonies and the Battlestar *Galactica* led a ragtag fleet to Earth, the Lords of Kobol lived among mankind in peace and harmony. Zeus, Hera, Apollo, Athena, Ares ... the gods provided and the people worshipped. But who or what were they? In *Book One: Apotheosis*, see Kobol in its golden age, with gods and humanity working together, and witness the creation and exodus of the Thirteenth Tribe. In *Book Two: Descent*, learn the origins of the Olympians and the tale of their coming to Kobol, as well as their war against non-believers. In *Book Three: The Final Exodus*, watch the end of the Pantheon's reign as Cylons revolt and mankind flees for the Twelve Colonies. In *Prelude: Of Gods and Titans*, spend more time with Zeus and the gods, and meet their parents, the Titans, and observe the beginning of the cycle. And in the background of it all, The One True God and its Messengers seek to preserve humanity in the face of doom. Finally, in *Alternate: Tales from Ancient Days*, read a different take on the end of the world and how the gods played their parts. > This is the definitive special edition collection of these five works, complete with deleted chapters, behind-the-scenes information, art, pics, and author's commentary. Learn all about the writing of these tales, connections to the *Battlestar Galactica* and *Caprica* TV shows, and much more. > There is a Plan and questions will be answered. The book is free and it is currently available [here](https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1491527) in all file formats. As the book filters out to other apps and stores, I will update its page on [my personal site.](https://ety3rd.com/) Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy it. (*Colonies of Kobol - Collection: Special Edition* will be released in March.)

Battlestar Galactica ety3rd • 10 months ago • 100%

It's the original series Ship of Light. [Here's an article on Neom's plans.](https://www.dezeen.com/2023/11/16/neom-epicon-resort-gulf-aqaba-saudi-arabia/)

MST3K ety3rd • 10 months ago • 100%

Greetings, backers. Well, we’ve come to the end of the month, and the end of the Turkey Day Marathon and this campaign. While we’re incredibly grateful for all of the support, enthusiasm, and encouragement, it’s clear we’ve fallen short of our goal this time. First, to be clear, please understand that that means that no one will be charged anything, and we will not be collecting anything that you pledged to this campaign , since the agreement was that we’d only collect funds if we reached our minimum goal. No charges will be put on anyone’s credit cards. Second, and more important, please know that we’re incredibly grateful for all of your input, feedback, concerns and questions, and are thinking about all the suggestions you have made over the past month. One silver lining is that the continued support for this campaign, and the show, may have opened up some new conversations about potential partnerships and fundraising that could be key in getting the show another season. We’ll spend some time now exploring those, and working to integrate all of the feedback and suggestions we’ve heard from you, and will follow up again next year, Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, when we’ve had a chance to regroup and have more to share downstream. For now, whether you pledged or not, please accept our thanks and gratitude for your ongoing dedication and investment in MST3K. We’re proud that the show continues to mean so much, to so many, and will keep working to figure out a path forward so that we can hopefully continue to #MakeMoreMST3K. Until then, have a wonderful holiday season, and thanks again for all of your support. Cheers and Thanks, Joel and Team MST3K

Battlestar Galactica ety3rd • 1 year ago • 100%

www.youtube.com

Infamously, the premiere was interrupted by news of the "Camp David Accords," a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel. [This Washington Post article](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1978/09/19/the-time-was-prime-for-a-pause-for-peace/1f928964-2f1a-42b4-8b5b-1872fda4f7ba/) discusses the impact on TV that night and speculation that the announcement was planned for that evening.

Battlestar Galactica ety3rd • 1 year ago • 100%

From Michael Trucco's Instagram

Battlestar Galactica ety3rd • 1 year ago • 100%

[Here's an article on the "scanning extras" story.](https://www.theregister.com/2023/07/14/actors_strike_gen_ai/)

Star Trek ety3rd • 1 year ago • 100%

(For an article that speaks more generally, [click here](https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/hollywood-actors-strike-how-would-it-hit-tv-shows-movies-2023-07-13/). I'll be focusing on *Star Trek*.) The [Writer's Guild of America went on strike](https://apnews.com/article/wga-writers-strike-demands-d403f5b4666f20e2ce3e379bcaef5f2a) in May. The [actors guild (SAG-AFTRA) began theirs](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/politics/a44506329/sag-aftra-actors-strike-hollywood-explained/) on Thursday. Among the demands from both camps are 1) an updated compensation structure that deals with streaming content more fairly and 2) restrictions on the usage of AI and other computer tools that perform the duties from either union. (After all, [ensigns should make more than this](https://twitter.com/GarrettRWang/status/456569754841403393) and [extras shouldn't have to worry about being in their own version of "Joan Is Awful."](https://www.theregister.com/2023/07/14/actors_strike_gen_ai/)) (And outside of the writers and actors, one mustn't forget the contributions of the many scores of people behind-the-scenes who make these shows possible. They, too, will be out of work. Visual Effects Production Manager [Shawn Ewashko](https://twitter.com/shawnvfx) has tweeted praises about the team he's assembled for *Trek* live action going forward, but he's also worried that prolonged strikes could decimate that team as its members have to find other work to feed their families.) Both strikes have come at [a time of desperation for Paramount](https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/paramount-global-q1-loss-earnings-streaming-dividend-1235603078/) and when [its future is clouded](https://www.indiewire.com/news/analysis/paramount-pictures-studio-spinoff-1234877583/). Any discussion of post-strike Paramount and *Trek* would be pure speculation at this point, so I will focus on the productions that are already greenlit and at various stages of completion. **DISCOVERY**: As we all know, after filming on the fifth season was wrapped last November, Paramount canceled the show in March. New scenes were written to wrap up the series and pickup shoots were planned shortly thereafter. [A tweet from showrunner Michelle Paradise](https://twitter.com/michelleparadis/status/1650199803043942401) indicates that filming for those pickups began in late April, so we can speculate that the filming is complete by now, though I don't recall seeing confirmation of that. Post-production is still underway on *DIS* season five and that should continue unabated. **STRANGE NEW WORLDS**: The show was renewed for season three and writing was completed before the WGA strike in May, however, the series [delayed its production start in solidarity with the WGA](https://trekcentral.net/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-season-3-production-delayed/). Once the strikes are over, *SNW* will likely resume then. **LOWER DECKS**: Voice actors are also on strike, but the recording for season four was completed last year. Assuming it's not already finished, the show is in the hands of the animators and should be released as planned. A fifth season was ordered in March, but writing and production on that will have to wait until after the strikes. **PRODIGY**: (sigh) Despite its cancellation (more precisely, renewal reversal), the second season is nearing completion. (The voice acting was complete.) The Emmy-nominated series' second season is being shopped to other streaming services and [producers are confident it will find a home](https://twitter.com/GoodAaron/status/1678428155999322112). **SECTION 31**: While a writers room for this show existed [way back in 2020](https://trekmovie.com/2020/08/26/alex-kurtman-says-writing-team-building-a-very-surprising-section-31-star-trek-series/), it hasn't been said publicly if the conversion of that series into a single film was completed before the strike began in May (making *S31* into a movie was announced in March, so I'm sure that some work was already underway). Regardless, production has not yet begun and won't until after the strikes. **STARFLEET ACADEMY**: Perhaps not as long as *S31*, but *SA* has had a writers room for a while and it was [already active when the series was announced in March](https://bleedingcool.com/tv/star-trek-tawny-newsome-joins-starfleet-academy-writers-room/). However, like *S31*, no production is expected for a while. **LEGACY**: (Not greenlit, but the people want it.) [One of the powers that be](https://trekmovie.com/2023/06/14/akiva-goldsman-says-appetite-for-star-trek-legacy-spinoff-from-picard-is-undeniable/) says the "appetite for it is undeniable," but there won't be any discussion about it officially until the strike(s) are over. **Conventions**: You may not have seen this coming, but there's a [long list of things striking actors can't do](https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1679593900217102336). Sure, SAG-AFTRA members cannot film their roles, but they can't promote them, either. That means no conventions. (I'm not sure what's going to happen at [Comic-Con](https://trekmovie.com/2023/07/08/paramount-comic-con-2023-star-trek-panel-to-focus-on-discovery-lower-decks-and-strange-new-worlds/) then.) It is unclear at the moment if an actor from a legacy show (like *TNG, DS9*, etc.) can appear at a convention. [Armin Shimmerman is looking for more info](https://twitter.com/ShimermanArmin/status/1679929991193329664) while [a tweet from Anson Mount](https://twitter.com/ansonmount/status/1679849921963237377) suggests that maybe they make a "personal appearance," so long as they aren't promoting anything specific. (Edited to add tweets from Shimmerman and Mount at the end.)

Star Trek ety3rd • 1 year ago • 100%

www.youtube.com

Be gentle ... I don't do this sort of thing often, but I figured I could waste an hour or two in Premiere Elements to see what I could cobble together.

Star Trek ety3rd • 1 year ago • 97%

I've seen pictures and excerpts on Twitter and it looks pretty good thus far. It's available for free via this Dropbox link.

Star Trek ety3rd • 1 year ago • 100%

www.indiewire.com

That article speculates that elements of Paramount (including CBS Studios, which produces Trek these days) could be sold off to other companies, perhaps even Netflix. This, however, doesn't get into the hairy discussion surrounding rights to the franchise.

Battlestar Galactica ety3rd • 1 year ago • 100%

www.youtube.com

It features multiple characters and actors from the original series and a thirty-eight minute version of the film was made and shown at various conventions. [More info here.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battlestar_Galactica:_The_Second_Coming)

MST3K ety3rd • 1 year ago • 100%

www.rifftrax.com

If you haven't yet, Bridget and Mary Jo's riffs at RiffTrax are great.

Battlestar Galactica ety3rd • 1 year ago • 100%

 That's a Cylon from the would-be series. In 2000, Singer and producer Tom DeSanto began negotiating with Universal and by 2001, they were hard at work on a new Galactica series that would have aired on Fox. This series would have been a direct continuation of the 1978 show, set twenty years into that series' future and ignoring *Galactica 1980*. Deals were in place for original cast members such as Dirk Benedict (Starbuck) and Herbert Jefferson Jr. (Boomer). Sets and props were at least partially built and designs were well-fleshed out, including that of the above Cylons. Story-wise, we know what was up. I guess I'll say spoiler alert, but since this is a show from over twenty years ago that never got made and whatever we get next will likely be radically different, ... I can't imagine that you really need a spoiler alert. But still. Oh, and you might be a bit surprised how much sounds like the Moore & Eick BSG. Two years after the episode "Hand of God," *Galactica*'s fleet finds Admiral Cain and the Battlestar *Pegasus*, leading to a mammoth battle that destroys their Cylon pursuers once and for all. Unfortunately, Cain, Pegasus and Apollo were all lost in the engagement. Some years later, Adama passes away and Commander Tigh and the fleet weary of their search for Earth and decide to settle upon habitable asteroids abundant with resources which they called New Caprica. Elsewhere, the Cylons engaged in a civil war between two factions: those who embraced their free will and those who believed it should be eliminated. In the end, the mechanical Cylons decided to incorporate many facets of humanity, thanks to their assimilation of Baltar and became all the more deadly for it. That's just the backstory. So, in the main story of the show, the commander of *Galactica* is Boxey, now called Orin (and not Troy). The president, Mara, and the council decide that after so many years of peace, *Galactica* should be deactivated. It is and, of course, this is when the Cylons strike. As the *Galactica* is about to be destroyed once and for all, the Cylon Central Controller orders a retreat. They then communicate with the Colonials and order them to surrender. Orin refuses, of course, and launches a bunch of new Vipers. They fight well, but the new Cylons are too strong. In the battle, a water ship is damaged and a large chunk of ice forms. The Colonials push it into the Basestar and it's destroyed. Their cover blown, the Colonials again gather up a ragtag fleet and search for Earth. Epilogue: on the Cylon homeworld, we see their mechanized might and then we see their Central Controller: Richard Frakkin' Hatch! And his eyes glow Cylon red! Da-da-dummmm!  A Cylon suit that was built.  One of two Vipers on their way to completion.  *Galactica*'s large central bridge console set. So, what happened? After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Bryan Singer departed the production to work on *X2: X-Men United* and Fox passed on the series in favor of Joss Whedon's *Firefly*. [They felt the story of a sneak attack was a bit too close to home](https://gizmodo.com/9-11-killed-bryan-singers-battlestar-galactica-5028917). This iteration of *Battlestar Galactica* was, for all intents and purposes, dead and all of those sets, props, costumes and more were trashed. Literally. If you're interested in more info, check out the Archive.org version of [Tombs of Kobol](https://web.archive.org/web/20080503103141/http://www.tombsofkobol.com/bsg/bsg-desanto-01.html). Those pages include dozens more photos, a more detailed breakdown of the story, plus an interview with Bryan Singer's producing partner on the show, Tom DeSanto.

Battlestar Galactica ety3rd • 1 year ago • 100%

Here's the **TL;DR** ... there is no new info. But it's more complicated than that. In Fall 2019, it was announced that *Mr. Robot*'s Sam Esmail was brought on to shepherd a Peacock-based *BSG* series. (We'll ignore the question for now as to whether this is going to be a reboot, continuation, or something else. There is no known answer.) In Fall 2020, it was announced that Michael Lesslie was going to be the showrunner. The following Spring, he departed the show. No replacement (nor any other additions to the staff) have been announced. It should also be mentioned that Universal has been working on a *Galactica* movie for years, most recently with the *X-Men* franchise's Simon Kinberg's involvement. In January of 2022, he gave an interview and said they were hoping to announce a director soon (they didn't) and that the movie and TV show would be a "shared universe." And that's the last direct news we've heard. However, there is another aspect to the (lack of) *BSG* news we have to consider: the business. To put it simply, streaming services are bleeding money and Peacock is no exception. Comcast (Universal and Peacock's parent company) has lost more than $3 billion on Peacock since 2020. In fact, [Peacock has lost more than $7 million a *day* in the first quarter of 2023](https://cordcuttersnews.com/comcast-lost-over-7-million-on-peacock-every-day-in-the-1st-quarter-of-2023/). That is very definitely not good news. Simply put, *BSG* would be an expensive show to produce and Peacock may be loath to pursue an admittedly niche IP when purse strings are tightening. A movie, however, might still go forward if only because it's not under the Peacock umbrella. In case it's successful, *maybe* the Peacock series could get going again. Maybe. (For further reading, [here's my blog post from last fall on this subject](https://ety3rd.blogspot.com/2022/10/an-update-on-new-new-bsg.html). Also, [here's my tongue-in-cheek proposal for a proposal for a trilogy of *BSG* films](https://ety3rd.blogspot.com/2016/06/my-pitch-for-trilogy-of-galactica-films.html).) [And here's a Cylon graphic with the Peacock logo for its eye.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTf1LjatxERc70cgPO71nBD0t7uQbCtmABvuAu24l2oyNBOdrfiA045Uf2NmIUjCDCrvX_f79hNP5Foc95LosorHH0D50N86pssplu6UqMhHUtXL27QhfZjDPqD16OfldaroXDAHWAZdPDcYMs3b6yQ3YUTa3z9YbBhdSmEofTSIh_plPBq3zRvCa/w400-h400/cylon-peacock.png)

MST3K ety3rd • 1 year ago • 100%

www.themadsareback.com

Previously riffed in MST3K episode 902

Battlestar Galactica ety3rd • 1 year ago • 100%

www.youtube.com

One of the greatest moments in television history.

Star Trek ety3rd • 1 year ago • 100%

collectingtrek.ca

In the fallow time of the mid '70s, these poster magazines gave us great photos and information and brought the work of Doug Drexler, Anthony Frederickson, Geoff Mandel, and others to the masses.

Battlestar Galactica ety3rd • 1 year ago • 100%

Hopefully, this will be a growing community of fans to discuss the many facets of *Galactica* across more than forty years: * The original 1978 series * *Galactica 1980* (yes, yes, I know) * The 2003-2009 reimagined series * The prequel series *Caprica* * The video game *Deadlock* * The upcoming Peacock series (if it ever actually happens) * The upcoming feature film (if it ever actually happens) * Any of the myriad books and comic books * Other video games and toys, plus fan art and fan fiction Enjoy!