Battlestar Wiki - User contributions [en]

Sources:Interview with Aaron Douglas, February 23, 2004 (Tyrol)

2006-08-23T00:28:34Z

Koenigrules:

{{interview
| interviewer=Farvoyager
| interviewee=Aaron Douglas
| date=February 2, 2004
| linktext= Galactica2003.net
| linkurl= http://www.bsgtns.com
}}

== Interview ==

'''[[Aaron Douglas]]: Chief Tyrol Tells It Like It Is"

'''You may have met him on line at various Battlestar Galactica fansites. Why does actor Aaron Douglas who plays "Chief Tyrol" make himself so accessible to fans? And while we were all anxiously waiting for official word on the Galactica series - how was he holding up? Galactica 2003's Farvoyager talked with the actor himself to find out:'''

'''Battlestar Galactica 2003: I know a lot of the fans are just so appreciative that you’ve just kind of been there and you’ve been accessible and you’ve been letting people know what’s going on.'''

Aaron Douglas: As much as I possibly can.

'''BG2003: Why did you decide to do that? Open up to them?'''

AD: It just seemed like something to do. I don’t know. Its funny because everybody, I’ve been quite surprised that people say ‘no one ever does this’ and I just kind of go ‘why? Are we all so pretentious, that we think that our time is better spent elsewhere? I mean, actors other than the big-wig guys, are just kind of sitting around waiting to do something else. And its not like you don’;t have time. When people say "well I don’t have time to go online for an hour" is just bullshit. To be quite frank. Unless, I mean, some people are doing plays, people are writing, some people are producing and all kinds of things like that, but for me, its just sort of, like last year I worked maybe 50 days, which sort of left 300 days minus evenings for hockey, and do really kind of nothing. And I should be more ambitious and do writing and other things but... no. And you know what? Once I got [online] and started talking and started reading and everything, it was just really kind of cool, to see how passionate people get about this. And I’m as equally passionate about other things, and so there’s that kinship and understanding of each other. And the fact that it means so much to people, its like, how can I say no? Its too much fun, these people take time out of their lives to watch your show and watch you, and really express how much it means to them and how much they enjoyed it. And most people never get that kind of recognition and thank you’s for their work. So we’re very privileged people to be actors, you constantly have people going boy I loved this and I loved that. Everybody else in life doesn’t really get that, ever.

'''BG2003: Well celebrity is a mixed bag, you get the other side of it too. Like "I’d just like to go out and have a drink tonight and not have anyone recognize me."'''

AD: Yeah, well, hey, I got no problems with that right now.

'''BG2003: Well you just wait, you will... But I can’t picture you ever being [pretentious], I think you’re pretty cool, pretty easy going.'''

AD: I try to be. I mean, you have to understand the other side of it. The person that’s coming up to you, it means a LOT to them. And for you to blow them off, its really kind of a punch in the face. I know if I went up to somebody and they blew me off, I’d be really upset. And I’ve worked with a lot of really big names and there’s nothing better than, when you have that first feeling of trepidation as you go to work that first day, to walk up to Will Smith and you go "Hi how are ya?" And he is the nicest guy you’ve ever met in your life. Genuine, and fabulous and fantastic and great to everybody. You just kind of go, you know what? That’s very cool. ‘Cause I’ve worked with people who are just NOT cool, and people say "what was it like to work with so-and-so" and you just sort of have this blank smile and don’t say anything, and they go, "oh, great" and word spreads like wildfire. I would never want to have 4 or 5 people sitting around telling stories about Aaron Douglas, "Yeah I saw him in this restaurant and he was such an asshole and blah, blah, blah." I mean, I’d be mortified! I never want to have people ragging on me, there’s no need for it, unless they’re idiots and then you can be an idiot back. But if it’s just, I’m being pretentious for the sake of being pretentious, that’s ridiculous.

'''BG2003: What do you think of the controversy on the internet? Like the old Battlestar versus the new one?'''

AD: It’s really astonishing to me that these people would be so BITING at each other and attack things, I don’t understand it. I mean I’m a huge fan of the original, I’m a HUGE fan, growing up as a kid, and this came out it was one of those, "Oh God, how can they do this, how can they make it?" I was so offended, but I really want to do it because I was such a fan of the original. And its like, for me - and I’ve told this story hundreds of times - for me its like Lord of the Rings. I loved those books, and I am SO offended that they made those movies. When they were making them and I heard about it, I was just like "this is ridiculous, you can’t do this!" But I decided to put it aside and go see the show, and they are absolutely fantastic, they are so wonderful...

'''BG2003: Yeah, I think they did a great honor to Tolkien.'''

AD: Oh absolutely! But, are they the book? No.

'''BG2003: No. They couldn’t!'''

AD: They couldn’t. No. Its two completely separate entities. And that’s what I encourage people to do with this. You have to look at it as separate things.

'''BG2003: That’s what I say'''.

AD: No, it will never match the old, cannot replace the old, the old is great, and just let it be great.

'''BG2003: Yeah, it is what it was. It was written for a different time. Different generation.'''

AD: And the continuation, not everyone would have been happy with that, because there would have been something that they didn’t like, people that they shouldn’t have used. And there’s really no pleasing everybody.

'''BG2003: Nope, there isn’t. And change is difficult to embrace but its kind of like, you have to embrace it because that’s what life is about. Life is about change.'''

AD: Totally.

'''BG2003: And here’s the big question. How do you feel, like, right now. With everything at least unofficially a go?'''

AD: I’m sort of smugly pleased.

'''BG2003: Did you do a happy dance?'''

AD: Yeah, I did a happy dance... Its sort of that I know what I’m going to be doing for the next "X" number of months, should I be... I mean, the rumor is I’m in 13 of the 13, and its sort of a nice thing to know that that’s what you’ve got coming. At this point I have no idea when they’ll start shooting, there’s no kinds of money in the contract or am I gonna be a day player or what. So I have no idea about any of that stuff. But just to know that its going is so nice because I loved it so much, I loved doing it, I loved the cast and I loved the crew and I really want to go back and do it again, and also to flesh out Tyrol a little bit more because I really liked that character, and I really want to go to the convention! I want to meet all the fans. I hear all these stories from all of my friends who go all over the world for Stargate and Andromeda and everything and they say it’s the best time EVER. And so I’m really excited to go.

'''BG2003: Some of us have been talking online about having a convention in Vancouver.'''

AD: Yeah, ‘cause there’s Stargate and Andromeda and the new Stargate Atlantis and Battlestar and they could shoot Outer Limits so you could get a bunch of people from that up there. There’s all kinds of stuff. Yeah, you could have a really cool time Sci Fi Convention in Vancouver ‘cause there’s so much shot there. I, Robot just finished, and all that kind of stuff. That would be great fun. I’d be up for that for sure. But I do want to go around the world where people are, and meet in their environment.

'''BG2003: Oh yeah, I mean so many International fans you’re gonna have. That’s gotta be exciting.'''

AD: Oh yeah, there was some guy online the other day from Estonia!

'''BG2003: Cool!'''

AD: Yeah! And that was wild, talking with this guy halfway around the globe. It was very, very cool. It still amazes me that people take time out of their day to watch me. I mean sometimes I still do this, I sort of lay in bed at night going, "I am Tyrol of Battlestar Galactica." How cool is that? I was thinking, when Next Generation was first cast, and some of those actors officially got the pilot and then they found they were going to series, I wonder if they sat on the couch and went "this is really cool."

'''BG2003: I bet they did!'''

AD: "This is really, really kind of cool."

'''BG2003: Well we know Shatner did...'''

AD: Yeah, but even so because that Star Trek didn’t have too much preceding it. But now if you were sort of going out for Star Trek: Next Generation, you know that there’s this HUGE fan base out there and you’re all immediately going to have millions and millions of people watching you. And I’m sort of in that same position, although I would never compare what I do to those guys. But at some point they must have just kind of said, "This is really cool. This is WILD, because nobody else has that character. I am that character and I will forever be known as ‘that guy.’ " Which is kind of, bizarre.

'''BG2003: It’s cool.'''

AD: It’s very cool, totally cool. Absolutely. I’m very excited.

'''BG2003: Gosh, you know I was talking with Grace Park a couple weeks ago and I was also talking with Ron Moore earlier this week and what I’ve heard from both of them is that the actors have so much freedom in terms of being able to do improv and just go with the flow, and I wondered if you had any moments like that where you did a little improvisation.'''

AD: Oh God, read the original script. In the original script, Tyrol is just this relatively small character. There is not a whole lot going on. There’s not a lot of scenes and there’s not a lot of dialogue. I mean, he was there and he was in place and everybody understood who he was and everything like that, but oh yeah, [[David Eick]] was on the set as sort of helping us do the re-write as we go, constant communication was going on and Michael Rymer would just sort of say, "go Aaron, go." And I am a big improver, if the line doesn’t make sense I’ll change the line, and originally I had nine days in the shooting schedule, and I ended up with 14 because David just kept adding scenes and adding scenes and adding lines, and I would show up and David would just go, "OK, I’m putting you to this scene, I’m not really sure what the dialogue would be but here’s the situation..." And then: Go. And I’d go out and just improv something and he would say "Fabulous! It’s great , do it again!" Or he would say, "Good. I really need this one word hit." And so, a lot of my stuff is improved and ad-libbed. And they just kept adding me to more and more scenes.

'''BG2003: You sort of MADE that character. You didn’t try to become what was on paper, you made the character into something even greater than that.'''

AD: It’s funny because my friends and family watched it and they go, "You are SO that guy."

'''BG2003: You really are. I’ve gotta say you fill that role extremely well.'''

AD: And they say they can tell it was ad-libbed because "That’s just something Aaron would say." That’s what they all say to me and it’s really funny. I mean Ron Moore has a wonderful base to explore, and it’s very clear to me the direction he wanted to go, and what kind of person Tyrol was and all that, so he really gave me a nice framework. But Michael and David really gave me the freedom to flesh it out, and with their guidance to steer me down the path to where they wanted it to be and I think everybody’s happy with the way it ended up.

'''BG2003: Oh yeah, tremendously. You know, there’s one scene that really stood out in my mind and I think probably the most memorable scene with you in it. And that is that very emotional scene where they had to close the doors, they had to cut off the people because of the fire, where you’re begging...'''

AD: 40 seconds.

'''BG2003: Yeah 40 more seconds, and where you’re begging Tigh to just please wait a little longer, and that was just so powerful. Were you doing a little ad-lib there?'''

AD: Well, that scene is pretty much the way it was written originally I think, its just sort of the timing of it and we would sort of switch the lines, like as it was written it was his line, my line, and then his line. But it made more sense to go my line, my line and then to him, and then just kind of words, and a few of the lines got changed a little bit.

'''BG2003: Where did you draw up all that emotion? Did you have to kind of go inside yourself to find it or, how did you do that?'''

AD: When I have really, really emotional scenes like that one and the one that immediately follows it, when I find Cally and Prosna’s all burned up and I go to see Adama and tell him that "40 seconds, all I needed was 40 seconds." Stuff like that I just kind of wander off by myself and just sort of settle in to what is the mood of what is really taking place, and really understand from an emotional what is taking place in Tyrol’s life at that point in time, and sort of liken it to what’s going on in my life. What I usually do is sit quietly and play a little mini movie in my mind and do some dialogue with somebody I’ve lost or am about to lose. I mean, its kind of sick. You end up having this emotional daze imagining that your mom’s on her deathbed and all that kind of crap. I don’t do that too much...

'''BG2003: Yeah, but you’ve got to have something, you’ve got to find some way to conjure up that kind of feeling...'''

AD: yeah its gotta be real.

'''BG2003: I mean, so almost have to convince your self that there were all these people who were actually dying.'''

AD: Well, yeah. That’s what you have to do, or else it doesn’t look like you really cared that people were dying.

'''BG2003: Well it looked very convincing, that scene. That was very well done.'''

AD: Well thank you. I’m happy with the way it turned out. We shot that for hours, too, and that can be tough because its hard to maintain. And funny enough, the one where the three of us are standing there, Tigh and Kelly and Tyrol were standing there arguing about what to do, we had shot all my close ups, everybody’s close ups, and we went on and the cameras were off scene so I sort of dropped my big emotional investment, and then all of a sudden Michael Rymer says, "Oh and now we’re gonna come back and get this other shot of you," and I just said, "I’m not there anymore and I don’t know if I can get back right now because I’m really tired, Michael, we’ve been doing this 8 hours." And none of those shots ended up in the final cut.

'''BG2003: OH no'''!

AD: Oh no its good though because what was left worked best. Michael always says he’ll always take the best acting no matter what the camera angle is.

'''BG2003: That’s awesome. Its got to be nice for you to have Directors and Producers who are that understanding and allow you to do what you need to do.'''

AD: Yeah, and I cannot express enough how for people who loved the show, the reason it is so great is Ron Moore had a great script, and Michael Rymer and David Eick on the day let everybody do whatever they needed to do to get wherever they needed to be, and allowed them the freedom to make the scene better, and didn’t argue or get offended that they changed the words or dialogue or anything.

'''BG2003: That is so cool. Like they’re not on some big power trip at all.'''

AD: No not at all. Some writers will kind of get ancie when you start changing their words, but nobody talks like this! NOBODY talks like this, I don’t know why you’ve written like this. Like Harrison Ford has that great line to George Lucas when they were shooting Star Wars, he said, "George you can write it but boy you can’t say it." The dialogue is just awkward sometimes and its really funny.

'''BG2003: You gotta make it conversational.'''

AD: You gotta make it conversational, you gotta make it real, like something you would say.

'''BG2003: Hey, is there any member of the cast that you especially bond with, that you felt kind of a kinship with?'''

AD: [[Nicki Clyne]] who plays Cally, just because she was always around me, and she’s so sweet, not that she’s a little girl, but she’s like a sweet little girl to me and its like big brother, little sister. And so I really had great fun with her. And [[Grace Park|Grace]] of course, was just wonderful. And it’s weird, sort of the Officers and the Pilots went with the Officers and the Pilots and the Enlisted people went with the Enlisted people. So, I was hanging out with Mike Eklund, who is a friend from years ago, cause he and I actually flew to Toronto to do a Budweiser commercial three years ago for a weekend, so we know each other from way back. And [[Alonso Oyarzun]], and all of us, were just sort of hanging out and having fun and then a couple of the background guys too would just sort of stand around with us and talk hockey and talk shop and talk about girls. Yeah.

'''BG2003: [laughs] That’s funny. Can you kind of tell me what it was like when you found out?'''

AD: I guess I can let it all out now. When we went to the premier on December second or whatever it was, Edward sort of said, "Oh its gonna go, don’t worry it’ll go," and he’s an exec so you’re thinking OK, well it will probably go. And Ron Moore was very upbeat, very positive, Michael Rymer was just saying "No doubt its gonna go," and everybody sort of had that feeling. Of course that doesn’t translate into making dollars making cents, so we were still all unsure and then, we were coming to the end of December, and everyone was worried about that, and then they extended it to the end of January and then we’ve just sort of been in limbo. And then, the beginning of this week I came down to LA and I told with my agent in Vancouver to keep on top of it and let me know anything that happens. And he said he was going to make his calls on Friday and find out. He knows the Casting Directors who cast Battlestar, he knows them really well. He was going to call them and call into various other people. And so, it started coming down to the wire yesterday, I heard some positive things on Thursday, and then Friday. Yesterday, we started finding out little snippets and little snippets and that it was good, and everything was positive, and exciting, then all of a sudden, Grace phones me at about 4:30 yesterday, says, "It doesn’t look good, is probably not going to go, Sci-Fi’s supposed to walk away. They have all the unions in one room and they are all negotiating, and the unions can be really stubborn. And Sci-Fi just cant do it for the dollars that they want, so its probably just not gonna go." And I was like, "You’ve got to be kidding me!" I wanted to phone my union and just scream! And we all hate that stupid Union to begin with. Man, they make stupid decisions sometimes... and so, there, its out for the world to hear.

'''BG2003: [laughs]'''

AD: And Grace also told me that they had until 6 PM Pacific Standard Time yesterday, to make the decision or not. Or else the actors’ contracts would expire. And she was coming down to test for a pilot on Monday and they would lose her, definitely they would have lost her. So, she said at 4:30, they have an hour and a half to work it out. So she phones me back at quarter to six and says "It’s a go, yay, yay! I’ve got my contract renewed and yay!" and everything’s exciting. So I call my agent and I said, "Grace just phoned and this is what happened," and he says, "Oh really? Cause I just talked to casting and they say it’s not a green light. They were worried that they were going to lose Grace to this other show and they couldn’t get an extension on her option, so they wanted to lock her up just in case they do work it out and if they don’t work it then they’ll just pay her and that’s that."

'''BG2003: Oh my gosh!'''

AD: So we went from "Yay!" dancing in the streets to "Oh, Crap! You’re kidding!" And then it was probably 30 phone calls between me, Grace, my agent, back and forth until like 7:00, just after 7:00 last night when a friend of mine who works in casting called me and said, "How does it feel to be one contract away from your own show?" And I’m like, "Is it for sure...?" And she said, "Yup." And I went, "Oh thank God!" And they literally went down to one minute before 6 o’clock, it just looked like, they were like, "We are not gonna to do it, were not gonna do it" Finally somebody said, "OK, Fine, well get in. We’ll do it for that much."

'''BG2003: Oh my gosh!'''

AD: And then they had to scramble and call all the agents and say, "We want your actor! We want your actor! We want your actor!" Before the agents say, "OK the one you want, she’s gone." It was priceless. It probably would have been a pretty good show.

'''BG2003: That’s amazing. ‘Cause the fans, they were all on pins and needles, and like "it’s a go," "its not a go," and like all these rumors get posted on the internet, and you know we had Koenigrules out there posting, and people responding and, oh my gosh, just bedlam. But its kind of a reflection of that, things WERE back and forth!'''

AD: Oh, they literally were all sitting in one big conference room going, "Screw you!" "No, screw you!" "No screw you!" "Screw you!" "Screw you!"

'''BG2003: Oh to be a fly on the wall!'''

AD: Oh ABSOLUTELY. If you put some cameras in there and broadcast them across the internet you would have had a reality show like you have never seen. It would have been hilarious! Either that or it would have been profoundly boring.

'''BG2003: Oh, probably a little of both.'''

AD: But we’re all just happy to see they’ve figured it out and ultimately it can be just such a great show. The mini was. Ron has some great ideas for it, Sci Fi is committed to making it a great show. The actors all want to do it, the crew wants to do it, so it’s like, somebody figure out a way to do this, because its better for everybody to work for a little bit less than to not work at all. ‘Cause it is a sci-fi show and they cost an extraordinary amount of money, it’s not a sit com where there’s set sets and you just go in and blow it off. There’s no special effects. And those guys, they work like 20 hours a day to do special effects. Its unbelievable, the work that they do, and sometimes they get paid well to do it, but when you start adding up all the hours... for the work that they do I think they’re underpaid.

'''BG2003: That was just fascinating hearing that story from you. That’s amazing. I mean we’ve heard about 11th hour decisions, but this was right down to the minute. That was great.'''

AD: Yeah its wild. Like Grace called me at 5:42 and she "I just got a call and they just did my contract," and it went back to, "no, I don’t think... we’re not sure... we don’t know..."

'''BG2003: Oh my goodness, you’re just up and down like a roller coaster. So how are you gonna celebrate? Have you celebrated yet? Well, you don’t sound hung over so you probably haven’t...'''

AD: No I was actually a very good boy last night, had a couple drinks and went to a hockey game and went to bed.

'''BG2003: Well I tell you what, have you got any special message that you’d like to give to the fans? Because you’re pretty accessible, you’ve said a lot online already, but is there anything you want to say that you haven’t been able to say?'''

AD: I just want to impart upon them... like everybody comes to me and says, "Oh, Mr. Douglas, it’s such an honor to have you here," and all that stuff. And as nice as that is, it’s crap! And stop it! I’m just some guy, OK? It’s like, you know, I’m not saving lives, I’m not delivering babies, or pulling cats out of burning homes. I mean it’s special what we do, and kind of fun and it’s very cool, but when it comes right down to it, were just people. And it’s a thrill and an honor for me to sit down and talk to all of these people and they’re all interested in what in have to say. And that means so much to me, that everybody’s so nice and so fabulous and I encourage them to keep asking me questions and I’ll share whatever I can.

''Douglas says he'll continue to post at fansites, and he's happy to answer any questions you might have. He says he'd also love to see a Galactica 2003 convention in Vancouver, where he could meet all his fans face to face.''

Sources:Interview with Grace Park, January 4, 2004 (Boomer)

2006-08-21T04:59:30Z

Koenigrules:

{{interview
| interviewer=Farvoyager
| interviewee=Grace Park
| date=January 2, 2004
| linktext= Galactica2003.net
| linkurl= http://www.bsgtns.com
}}

== Pre-Interview ==

'''[[Grace Park]]: Gracefully Boomer"'''

I am psyched.

This is going to be a perfect day.

Not only do I have the day after New Years off with pay... I am also expecting a very special phone call today.

From Grace Park. One of my newest science fiction heroes. She recently took on a controversial role, one that’s met with a fair share of dissension among the rather mercurial fandom of Battlestar Galactica.

It’s 11:45am. I am reviewing other online interviews with Grace. She is so well spoken. She has a quick, witty mind and comes up with some great responses to questions she’s been asked in the past. I can’t wait to see how she’ll respond to our questions.

My cat jumps onto my lap and starts purring. He wants some attention now and normally I would acquiesce to his demands but I’m afraid that his rumbling might interfere with our interview, so I banish him to the bedroom for the time being.

The phone rings.

Its Grace!

She asks if she can call back in half an hour as she is still prepping for the interview.

No problem I say. I’m doing some prepping myself.

While I wait, I refresh myself again with her character.

Grace Park portrayed Lt. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii in the recent remake of Battlestar Galactica.

In the original 1978 Battlestar Galactica, Herb Jefferson Jr. portrayed Lt. Boomer, the sidekick and sometimes anchor of reason to the ever-capricious Lt. Starbuck, played by a grinning and gambling Dirk Benedict.

Grace brings a whole new dynamic to this character in the Sci Fi Channel’s recent two-part miniseries which premiered on December 8th 2003.

Somewhat of a rookie actress herself, she portrays a rookie Colonial Warrior who is rapidly becoming a veteran of war against the Cylons. In one of the most compelling scenes, she leaves her comrade Lt. Helo behind on Caprica to die when he gives his seat on their Raptor to Gaius Baltar, a computer genius and (as-yet-unknown to the colonials) the traitor of humankind.

I admire the courage both Grace and her colleague Katee Sackhoff have shown in taking on these controversial roles and now I have chance to tell Grace that in person! How exciting.

The phone rings. Its Grace!

== Interview ==

'''Battlestar Galactica 2003: Happy New year!'''

Grace Park: Yeah, Happy New Year!

'''BG2003: Are you having an enjoyable one?'''

GP: I am so far. [Laughs]

'''BG2003: Well that’s good.'''

GP: Why? Did you go out?

'''BG2003: You know what? I didn’t. I got so tired. Its been a long week for me and I’m just getting over a cold.'''

GP: Oh...

'''BG2003: So... I decided to stay home and see the fireworks go off.'''

''[At this point we chat a little about what the firework shows were like where we both live, and I think... she is so down to earth. This is going to be a lot more fun than interviewing politicians! If only I could have had more assignments like this back in my news-hound days. Comfortable banter established, I segue into the interview.]''

'''BG2003: I really want you to know that I enjoyed your performance in the miniseries.'''

GP: Well thanks!

'''BG2003: And I’m a Battlestar Galactica fan myself. I watched the show when I was 13 and it was a big deal to me back then, and I was real excited to see the remake done, so it was pretty nice to have that re-envisioned. And I’ve been looking forward to talking with you!'''

GP: Oh. Thanks. Well it’s... you know there has been so much controversy around it...

'''BG2003: I know...'''

GP:... and it being all re-imagined...

'''BG2003: ..and I really commend you from taking on the part that you’ve taken...'''

GP: [laughs]

'''BG2003: I mean really! You and Katee both. You guys both deserve a hand. Cause that had to have been quite a challenge.'''

GP: Yes... I think I must have been out of the line of fire or something. I mean I didn’t get any of that type of hard stuff coming at me, at least not that I’ve noticed so far.

'''BG2003: OK great! Well, we were just talking about how strong your performance was in the miniseries, and what did you think? Did you enjoy your experience a lot?'''

GP: Oh my gosh, I loved it. You do a lot of shows and you end up, it just ends up being work, its work but sometimes you do some work and it really seems a lot more like play and it was totally a blast. I have to say that there are... you always want to go back and re-do things...I mean acting wise, but I have to say quite a few of the scenes I’m pretty damn happy with.

'''BG2003: Alright!'''

GP: And if I had to go do them again it would be different maybe. But not necessarily better. But then again there’s other scenes that I would [laughing] love to go back and re-do.

'''BG2003: Which ones are those?'''

GP: Oh, I think there are certain takes like, when we touched down on Caprica and I had to leave without Helo, there was this one turn-around shot where i was lifting off and supposed to be crying but it took like half an hour to set-up. And two minutes before we went to camera, i shut down emotionally. Totally. Or so i thought i did. And brutal cuz i remember Michael [Rymer] telling me on the 3rd take, "you're just gonna have to 'act.'"

'''BG2003: Oh, it was harder to connect the next time around.'''

GP: Yes, but no. My ego got in the way and decided to shut down my artist...Actor talk. But what happened was I ended up going home and the next morning I woke up and then everything hit me, bawled my eyes out, thought i was a horrible soldier, that i killed him, Boomer & Helo forever... I tried to rationalize that in some cases characters are not always going to be emotional all the time, but I just consider it a lesson learned.

'''BG2003: I imagine that’s very hard to be able to dredge up your real personal emotions and then connect them with that character you’re playing.'''

GP: Yeah but actually on that day when I did that one, there wasn’t any personal stuff going on. I was so locked into Boomer and Helo, and there wasn’t any thought of bringing up [my] personal past and hooking onto that, it was just, I was crying about Helo and how I missed him and how horrible it was and you know, how I had his dog-tags and just all this other stuff that was going on. I was locked right into it.

'''BG2003: Wow. You have a very strong identification with your character.'''

GP: Yeah, sometimes [laughs]

'''BG2003: How familiar were you with the original Battlestar Galactica before you got the role?'''

GP: Not very. "Battlestar Galactica? Rings a bell...."

'''BG2003: Really?'''

GP: The title, yeah. I didn’t watch it when I grew up, and I didn’t really know it at all. Because... I knew it was something big though, cause when I got the audition I was "ooh this could be huge."

''BG2003: & GP: [laughing]''

GP: Everyone I knew was all "oh Battlestar Galactica, I remember that, so you’re going out for that?" I was like "yeah". So wow, I was pretty stoked on that. Did you say before I auditioned or before the screen test?

'''BG2003: Before you got the role I guess.'''

GP: No I hadn’t seen it at all. And also, originally, I had gone out for two different characters before I finally got Boomer...

'''BG2003: Really? Which other characters did you audition for?'''

GP: At first I went out for Dualla. And then I auditioned with Katee for Starbuck.

'''BG2003: Wow! So you almost got that role, huh? Or vied for it?'''

GP: It was 7 girls and 6 guys for Starbuck and Apollo. Then it was down to the last four and we were "this is it."

'''BG2003: So did you say they had some men also audition for that part?'''

GP: No, no, it was actually 6 guys going for Apollo.

'''BG2003: Oh OK.'''

GP: And then, we were going for Starbuck.

'''BG2003: What kind of preparation work did you have to do prior to the audition?'''

GP: I got some coaching from one of my teachers Michèle Lonsdale Smith. I think what I had to do is first of all was relax and stop this weird thing i was doing cuz the part was a "lead." I had to get coaching on the military role, but also what was going on with the part, with the reality of that scene. Not trying necessarily to act "military" or act "tough" or anything "spacey" nothing like that. And then, just before I went in for the screen test, I got some, kind of, business coaching from Barbara Deutsch. And she told me "at this point its not about how well you can act", and that confused me. "Everyone in the room at this point can act. Everyone knows you can act. And that’s not the point. Now its, whether or not you can get through the room."

'''BG2003: Oh wow...'''

GP: That was interesting cause there were about 3 or 4 hours of us waiting around for our contracts to come through [laughs], you know and it was either your nerves are getting more and more frazzled or you’re like, just sort of kicking it back. And Katee was just totally relaxed.

'''BG2003: [laugh] She was probably nervous too, it just didn’t show!'''

GP: Oh, I dunno, she was pretty chill.

'''BG2003: Really...'''

GP: But you know, you kind of have to be or else you’d crack in the room!

'''BG2003: I bet, I bet. Did you have to be, I mean, you were in such good shape, watching you in that show, I’m envious I wish I could be in that kind of shape - [laughs] what kind of workout regimen do you do?'''

GP: Oh, I’m not in good shape...

'''BG2003: Oh! But those muscles - I mean - you’re buff! [Laugh] You must work out...'''

GP: You know I think I just have good muscle memory. I used to work out a lot before. But I don’t do that much working out, like Katee and Jamie are the hard core ones, they were working out every day solid, running and at the gym and they were super hardcore.

'''BG2003: Wow. And you don’t hardly work out at all? You must work out! You must have a regimen that you do...'''

GP: Like I said, I used to work out a lot, but I go through phases. In Vancouver there’s the Grouse Grind...

'''BG2003: Mm-hmm...'''

GP: ...and I used to do that ... but now I’m just, I don’t know, I’m getting a lot healthier, but its kind of like mind and body?

'''BG2003: Uh-huh...'''

GP: And no, I don’t really work out. I think maybe my muscles just looks like I’m working out? [laughs]

'''BG2003: Well, I wish I had that kind of luck! [Laughs]. So what, what was the reaction when you learned that you got the role?'''

GP: I think I was pretty calm... And my agent called me and I said "OK, cool. Awesome, well that sounds good. " And I think I asked a couple questions, put down the phone and took a deep breath and then I walked a few steps away from my desk and then I totally broke out in song and dance!

''GP & BG2003: [Laughing]''

GP: It was like I was in my apartment and I just went nuts! I can’t remember what I sang or what I did but it was like I was on Broadway all of a sudden and I just broke into song and I was racing around my apartment. I was ecstatic. I think I was screaming. It was so cool, and then I like went to the phone and started calling people.

'''BG2003: Oh I bet. I bet. Who was the first person you called?'''

GP: I think it was my boyfriend. Either my boyfriend or my parents.

'''BG2003: Wow. How exciting! Well now... if you had to describe Boomer to somebody, what would you have to say about her? How would you describe her as a person?'''

GP: I would say that Boomer is a lot about survival, and she’s a quick thinker, and she learns quickly, and she’s feisty. She’s competitive. She likes to have fun and she can totally be one of the guys. On one hand she can be a team player, but then she’s also very independent and I think that stems from the fact that she lost her parents at a really young age and I think that’s also why she’s protective of Boxey.

'''BG2003: Yes, that’s right. Wasn’t she an orphan? Boomer?'''

GP: Yeah. She was orphaned when, I think... No, I say that she was orphaned when she was one or two, something like that.

'''BG2003: She was adopted, or wasn’t there something about that?'''

GP: I don’t remember that particular line. But yeah I said that I was, like when we went to boot camp and we had to come up with a bit of our backstory and I said that on Picon my parents had died when i was 1 or 2, and i was raised by my mom's sisters on Gemon.... but I think if they change it, it they change it. Because this is what we made up ourselves.

'''BG2003: That would be - do you think that would be interesting to go into, if this goes to series, which we all hope it does, um, wouldn’t that be interesting, maybe like a flashback episode?'''

GP: Yeah that would be pretty cool! That would be very interesting.

'''BG2003: You could delve a little bit deeper into who Boomer is and explore that character a little bit.'''

GP: Yeah. Exactly. I would like to be able to do that. I think because there’s the fact that she was orphaned, and she has this, like she’s searching, though I’m not sure even what she’s searching for. I think there’s that. And so that’s why the Battlestar Galactica, or the people on it, the crew and pilots are totally her family.

'''BG2003: Yeah. And I also get the idea that off screen you’re family as well, I mean you’ve gone to this boot camp with the other actors, you must have a real strong sense of family with the rest of the, with your co-workers.'''

GP: Exactly and its not competitive at all, its just comradery and its fun. We, in a sense we all connect to each other and we’re all looking out for each other.

'''BG2003: That’s wonderful. Here’s another question that we have here. How would you rate your experience playing Boomer versus other characters you’ve played in the past?'''

GP: Oh, Boomer was the most fun! I got to do so much with her. She was easily my biggest character. I fleshed her out, and over the course of a two part miniseries, that's huge.

'''BG2003: Yeah. How many hours would you say you guys spent, or how many hours did you spend filming?'''

GP: Oh I, I think I had 12 or 16 shooting days, and each day being, I don’t know, about 8 to 14 hours.

'''BG2003: Wow, that’s a lot of work.'''

GP: Oh yeah, but its fun. I think the crew did most of the work...

'''BG2003: [laughing] Oh yeah the camera guys and everything...'''

GP: Definitely!

'''BG2003: Yeah. And then having to re-shoot... which scene do you think they spent the most time on? You mentioned the one with Helo, was that the one that they spent the most time on with you?'''

GP: For us, yeah, definitely. That scene in Caprica, that took 2 days to do.

'''BG2003: That was a very emotional scene, a lot of emotion in that scene.'''

GP: Yeah there was, but you know what though, its because Tahmoh Penikett, who plays Helo, he’s such a generous actor... and the whole thing was just fun. It's like when you were a kid and you played make-believe with your sister or friend...like that, having fun all day long. Plus we were kickin back during setups.

'''BG2003: Fun. That sounds like a lot of fun. How do you think that Boomer would react if she found out all about Baltar’s treachery, in view of the fact that Helo gave up his seat for Baltar, how do you think that Boomer would react if she were to then find out about how Baltar is a traitor?'''

GP: I don’t think it would be in Baltar’s best interests for Boomer to find out.

'''BG2003: [Laugh!] I guess not!'''

GP: No.

'''BG2003: No! [laughing]'''

GP: There would probably be a low rumble, and a slow boil and then... I can’t say what would happen after that.

'''BG2003: Ooh! I think it would be interesting to see!'''

GP: Oh yeah, yeah definitely.

'''BG2003: Your role was, some would say, was probably the second most controversial change, according to some of the "purist" fans, because of the gender change, like with Katee playing Starbuck and there is a lot of controversy associated with that, but what is your feeling, what is your opinion on the gender changes that were made to Starbuck and Boomer for the remake?'''

GP: I love it, because that’s why I have a job.

'''BG2003: [Laugh] That’s a good way to put it.'''

GP: Other than that, I think it was really essential for there to be some female pilots, the main ones, not secondary ones...

'''BG2003: Mm-hmm...'''

GP: And I know that for the fans of the original Battlestar Galactica, the top 3 pilots would be Apollo, Starbuck and Boomer.

'''BG2003: Right'''

GP: And I think they would have had to change at least one, if not two.

'''BG2003: You know and I remember back when I was 13 even at that age I remember kind of wishing even then there had been a woman pilot.'''

GP: Oh yeah?

'''BG2003: Yeah!'''

GP: I know, its like something’s missing!

'''BG2003: And the pilots have all the fun. Its like, I didn’t want to be the one sitting back on the Galactica, "Oh where’s my honey? He’s out fighting" I’d want to be out there kicking butt! So, I think its great, and do you think that, would you envision Boomer as sort of a role model for young people watching this show?'''

GP: I guess so, because she’s a female and she’s strong [and] she takes the initiative and yeah, so in that way it gives people something to look towards, it gives them a voice. Or a sense that for them, that they can do it.

'''BG2003: Yeah and you know I think it would have made a big difference to me when I was 13 years old, to see a woman, you know flying – and I remember the one, they had one episode in the original series where all the men got sick and so then the females - the women were allowed...'''

GP: [laughs] I saw it! I saw that episode I think. And all the women stepped up?

'''BG2003: Yeah and the women got a chance, but its kind of so I mean it was probably a big step back in 1978 but... today it would be kind of a...'''

GP: [Laughing] Well today’s climate for women, trying to take a step forward and they’re not having to be better than the men, but they are trained in the same field and we’re all supportive of each other.

'''BG2003: Exactly.'''

GP: So I think its very important. I think they had to change it!

'''BG2003: Yeah, I think you’re right. I was very, I was at first shocked when I saw the changes and then I thought, "this could be really cool". I thought "this could be really good." Do you feel a lot of pressure on you as a woman and as a minority sometimes in this role?'''

GP: I don’t feel think I feel any pressure as a woman. Because I think Katee was at the forefront for that.

'''BG2003: Right.'''

GP: As a minority, well, maybe its just there every day of my life so I don’t really think its even necessarily that much stronger, or that much more significant. But I don’t think that because I’m a minority that there’s a big difference. Actually I thought because I’m not Black maybe the NAACP would be giving me a call... [laughs]

'''BG2003: Oh, there’s been some rumblings in fandom I think about the lack of an African American lead, but I don’t know I think maybe when they go to series they could explore that further. And then there was Dualla...'''

GP: A lot of people died. So there’s gonna be more pilots changed, there’s gonna be more cast members.

'''BG2003: Right.'''

GP: I just watched the pilot episode last night...

'''BG2003: Uh-huh?'''

GP: And it was so good! I loved it!

'''BG2003: The original or the one you were in?'''

GP: The original.

'''BG2003: Oh wow. And you really liked it.'''

GP: Oh yeah, I totally loved it. And I noticed there was actually a major lack of Asian characters.

'''BG2003: There was.'''

GP: Yeah, and also Hispanic, so its like "hey what’s up with that?"

'''BG2003: What I noticed for myself, is, with this remake it seems was a lot more broad based. It had characters of just about every ethnic background that I could think of, I mean, you know with Olmos there, and then yourself, and then of course, Dualla, and I was really impressed with that.'''

GP: I think its really representative of our world as we see it...

'''BG2003: Yeah.'''

GP: ...and things being so global now and the world seemingly getting smaller. I think it just happens to be a better representation of humanity.

'''BG2003: Yeah.'''

GP: And its not, I mean originally there were more Caucasians on the show...

'''BG2003: Yeah.'''

GP: ...and I think I really like the way its going now. It feels more global and universal, I guess. You get the feeling that it is really different tribes, and we survived, people are coming together...

'''BG2003: Right, which is what it is. How would you describe Boomers relationship with Starbuck? I mean in the original they had this kind of a comradery with Boomer and Starbuck, they were buddies and in some ways Boomer was kind of like Starbuck’s anchor, because Starbuck was very capricious and Boomer would kind of say, "OK, Buddy, reel it in a little bit." Do you, I mean do you see kind of a similar relationship between you and Starbuck in this series?'''

GP: I don’t think that much. I think because Starbuck is, I think she’s more rebellious than Boomer and can fight a lot more often than Boomer so in that way, comparatively, I could be an anchor, but I don’t think in that way Boomer’s necessarily a strong anchor. There is definitely a comradery between us. Boomer totally looks up to Starbuck, and she is the pilot of the fleet...

'''BG2003: So she looks up to her.'''

GP: Exactly. I look up to her and we have a great time. And I think that they would probably be the closest, well for Boomer at least, Starbuck’s my closest female friend and i like to think of her as my sidekick.

'''BG2003: Oh yeah? She’s your sidekick? [Laughs]'''

GP: [Laughs]

'''BG2003: That’s cute!'''

GP: But I think for Starbuck, on the Galactica she took Boomer under her wing, because I'm young and I'm the rook.

'''BG2003: The rookie.'''

GP: Exactly.

'''BG2003: OK. With Chief Tyrol. What is the chemistry there, why is it that Boomer is so drawn to him?'''

GP: How can you resist a man who’s in charge and in uniform?

'''BG2003: [Laughs] And he’s good looking too!'''

GP: He’s ruggedly handsome, definitely. But it's because he's charming, passionate, loyal, and great in the rack.

'''BG2003: Yeah [laughs] and we’ve already discussed the Helo and Boomer thing so I’m going to move on and talk about Boxey. You have a lot of scenes, in the miniseries where you’re getting to know Boxey better, do you think there might be, I mean is Boomer like officially adopting Boxey? Do you see that if they go to series, do you see her sort of becoming a surrogate type parent for Boxey?'''

GP: I think so, but I think it’s interesting because Boomer is not the mothering and maternal type.

'''BG2003: Yeah.'''

GP: And I think that the miniseries, I think that the story explores a lot of relationships that aren’t so typical, are unpredictable, and so I really like how they paired me and Boxey together. Right off the bat, visually, we're not a natural match, I'm asian and Boxey's white. But I think it speaks of life, how we're continuously thrown into new situations, and it seems to be the only way we grow. And it is interesting to see how people adapt and change to these needs.

'''BG2003: And yet there’s that, that you have in common, you’re both orphans.'''

GP: Exactly

'''BG2003: So maybe Boomer empathizes with Boxey? I mean she sees this child and it reminds her of herself.'''

GP: Exactly and I totally have an instinct to protect him.

'''BG2003: With the ending of the Battlestar Galactica miniseries there was this cliffhanger... with Boomer possibly being a Cylon or the Cylons making a duplicate. What is your take on that? Is Boomer a sleeper agent?'''

GP: That’s classified.

'''BG2003: Ahhh! You can’t tell us?'''

GP: No, I just like to say that. [Laughs]

'''BG2003: [Laughs.] You just like to say that.? [Laughs]'''

GP: Can I?

'''BG2003: Huh?'''

GP: Naw, I can’t give everything away. We wouldn’t have anything to watch!

'''BG2003: Ahhh! Now that sounds like a pretty big hint that we have something to expect...'''

GP: [Laughs]

'''BG2003: I bet you’re stoked.'''

GP: Oh, yeah, completely. When I originally read the script for Starbuck I read the whole thing with her in mind and then I hadn’t read the script again for a while until after I got Boomer and then I read the ending! I was totally floored!

'''BG2003: Oh wow!'''

GP: I don’t know how I missed that! [laughs]

'''BG2003: [laughs]'''

GP: I thought when I read the script originally, Starbuck gets in a lot of fights, she’s so feisty, and I’m like "oh Boomer, what does Boomer do, she’s all emotional..."

'''BG2003: Oh I dunno...'''

GP: ...not at all!

'''BG2003: That "By Your Command" chilled me...'''

GP: Oh yeah I know.

'''BG2003: "By Your Command." OK. Does Boomer know how to fly a Viper? Is she going to be a Viper pilot?'''

GP: Oh hell yeah she knows how to fly a Viper but she’s not necessarily a Viper pilot.

'''BG2003: The Raptor seems to be her area...'''

GP: Oh yeah, the Raptor is totally her shit. Totally.

'''BG2003: [Laughs] Well... alright! I guess that Aaron Douglas said that you are the Raptor expert. What is some of your technical knowledge of the Raptor?'''

GP: Oh boy the technical knowledge, you want a spiel of it?

'''BG2003: Sure.'''

GP: I’ll give it to you. The Raptor is a reconnaissance platform, in other words, it’s a carrier-based stealth scout ship, it has multiple capabilities, but our main purpose is atmosphere and space early warning, and command and control functions for the carrier battle group. We provide real time info, we are the eyes and ears of the fleet.

'''BG2003: Cool!'''

GP: Basically it provides reconnaissance information for the Battlestar, but we have a lot of additional missions, we do surface surveillance coordination, strike and interceptor control, and search and rescue guidance.

'''BG2003: Well you’ve got that down!'''

GP: [laughs] Yeah there’s a lot of stuff. For the crew, there’s the pilot and then there’s the radar platform operator, Helo. I’m the pilot, he’s my co-pilot.

'''BG2003: OK, so you’re the pilot and Helo...'''

GP: I'm not the expert on all the technology, he’s the expert on all the radar and stuff. There are some big shoes left to fill.

'''BG2003: Yeah.'''

GP: We also have reception, analysis, jamming and manipulation capabilities of electronic or electromagnetic signals, along with laser-torpedo guns, missiles, commo pods, swallows, jiggers, drones, and markers.

'''BG2003: Wow... You’ve just got that down...'''

GP: I had that ready!

'''BG2003: Yeah, they weren’t kidding when they said you’re the expert. [laughs] What would you say is your fondest memory of the filming? Do you have like a special memory of like maybe a day or a moment, when you were filming this mini, that comes to your mind that you will never forget that will always kind of stick with you maybe changed you or I don’t know, influenced you?'''

GP: Oooo, that's tough, cuz I wouldn't trade our bootcamp for anything. But from filming, it would have to be the scenes with Helo, on Caprica. That was so much fun, everything was fun. I mean, just arriving that day, I think it was like 6 in the morning. Seeing the Raptor parked out there in the field. "Look at that! That’s our ship! Its so cool!" And all the crew was out there and everyone from the all the extras got there and they were all dirtied up and there were like a hundred of them running through this field.

'''BG2003: Oh wow...'''

GP: ...and all the scenes with Helo and not just how emotional they were, but how fun they were, like Baltar was there and him being just completely oblivious to everything, and it was so much fun, I can’t say there was one particular moment. But there were a lot of things that were cut out of the miniseries, from the final cut...

'''BG2003: I bet that would be interesting to see.'''

GP: Yeah we added to some scenes, cause we went to Michael and said, "hey we have this great idea," like I wanted to do this scene and have Helo give his dog-tags to me.

'''BG2003: That was your idea?'''

GP: Yeah.

'''BG2003: That’s great. That’s very...'''

GP: thought it was cool and then Michael OK’d it, so it could work. But it didn't make the final cut that you see, but maybe the director’s cut, hopefully it will be there.

'''BG2003: That would have been nice to see cause that’s very touching.'''

GP: Yeah, it was heart wrenching.

'''BG2003: Oh yeah... that, for us brings back a lot of memories of dog-tags and what they mean, you know, to us with war veterans and... that would have been really strong.'''

GP: It was tough.

'''BG2003: Yeah...'''

GP: It was tough...but...

'''BG2003: Can you describe maybe what it was like to work with Edward James Olmos, and Mary McDonnell? I mean these guys, some of these veteran actors, did they have any, like, did you have any special, memorable moments with them, or any advice that they gave you on your career?'''

GP: I didn’t have individual or one on one scenes with Edward or Mary, but, I’ve heard that Eddie likes to play a lot of practical jokes and that you have to watch out for that...

'''BG2003: [laughs] Oh, that would be interesting...'''

GP: Yeah that would be interesting I know, but him as a man, he is just such a presence. He is so generous and he’s huge, he has a huge heart and you just know that he is standing there, you can feel it. And he’s just really great. I love him.

'''BG2003: Yeah he certainly filled the Adama role out, very well. Very well. He really had it down.'''

GP: Oh, "So Say We All," that big speech? He basically had a monologue at the end, he said "so say we all" and I think he was just supposed to say it once. But, he just went on and it wasn’t scripted but we automatically just started falling in line and we looked up to him and we just recited the same thing. And I just felt a fire in my chest.

'''BG2003: I would never have guessed that wasn’t scripted! That was - that’s phenomenal!'''

GP: Oh it was great and he just knew what to do, like exactly how it would be in real life, you know? He took the initiative and he had the ability to do that. It was amazing

'''BG2003: Wow. That was one of the most memorable scenes...'''

GP: Yeah...

'''BG2003:... in the series, and that was totally improv?'''

GP: Oh yeah it was totally him, standing there.

'''BG2003: Wow.'''

GP: And Mary, she’s great. She’s fun and she’s cool and totally calm and I think my first day ever was with her and actually at the time I didn’t know she was an Academy Award Nominee and I’m kind of glad I didn’t know that cause I was already so frazzled that day! [laughs]

'''BG2003: [Laughs]'''

GP: My first day on the set, you know, everyone had died, and they don’t bring you in easy.

'''BG2003: Uh-uh.'''

GP: [laughs] She was so great and she’s really human and it was surprising to know how much she's just like us. During this one scene, between takes the director kept coming over to give her notes and I think it was like take 8, and when he left she said "oh god I suck" and I was "No! You can’t say that! Mary, you’re a veteran! If you say that then what are we supposed to say?"

'''BG2003: [laughing]'''

GP: [laughs] So it was very cool to know that she was just very real and really approachable.

'''BG2003: Yes she did an excellent job with her character also. I really, really empathized with her character. You know, just struggling between her own personal, you know tragedy with the breast cancer and then coping with the survival of the human race.'''

GP: She was very strong. But it was a feminine strength.

'''BG2003: Yes.'''

GP: And she doesn’t apologize for that.

'''BG2003: Yeah, and its something I’ve kind of noted that she and, her character and Adama both have this passion for the survival of humanity, but they approach it from such different angles, I mean they naturally butt heads because they’re so passionate. It’s interesting.'''

GP: Yeah they’re kind of like the mother and father figures of the fleet...

'''BG2003: Yeah.'''

GP: ... with very individual voices but they came together.

'''BG2003: Yeah. Now, really quick, you commented on one of the sneak previews of Battlestar Galactica that you found that the new Cylon Centurions are - I think this is a quote - "freaking scary"?'''

GP: [laughs] Did I say that?

'''BG2003: Did you know that the concept artist who created the Cylon Centurion, Eric Chu, is apparently a great admirer of yours? Do you have a message for him and maybe some of the other behind the scenes people who brought the Galactica Universe to life?'''

GP: I think it was fuckin’ great.

'''BG2003: [laughs]'''

GP: Can I say that?

'''BG2003: [laughs] Well this is the Internet...'''

GP: Totally. And I don’t really have a particular message. I guess I could say something like "keep up the good work" Oh! But you know what? I would love to meet them. I think that would be very cool. And, sit down and talk and just put our heads together...

'''BG2003: Yeah...'''

GP: ... and I dunno, shoot the shit.

'''BG2003: Yeah [laughing] It sounds like they’d probably like that too.'''

GP: Yeah. Totally.

'''BG2003: Well you have so much technical knowledge on the Raptor, you guys could talk for hours! [laughing]'''

GP: [laughs] I’d like to take flying lessons but it says in my contract that I’m not allowed to.

'''BG2003: Oh you’re not? Because of the danger, probably.'''

GP: Yeah and I’m not even allowed to go skiing or anything.

'''BG2003: You’re gonna be jealous but I went up with the Blue Angels once.'''

GP: Oh you did?

'''BG2003: Yeah.'''

GP: How? Do you fly?

'''BG2003: Yeah, well, I did a story on them and, one of the stories I did at one of the air- fairs and I went up with them, in an F-18.'''

GP: Oh neat. That was fun! [laughs]

'''BG2003: Let me tell you... because it meant a lot to me, being an old-time Battlestar Galactica fan when I was a kid, watching the Vipers take off and thought "that would be so cool" and then I went in an F-18. Wow! It was cool! [laughs]'''

GP: That’s totally neat. I’d love to do that.

'''BG2003: You might get to some day. You never know, I mean, you get to be an actress and you get well known and there will be opportunities that come your way. And that’s wonderful. Well, how would you describe what it was like to work with director Michael Rymer?'''

GP: Oh, he’s awesome! He’s the best! You know, he told me that he took two years of Meisner, which is an acting technique...

'''BG2003: Wow!'''

GP: ...before going into directing. And he didn’t even want to be an actor. He did that strictly for directing.

'''BG2003: So that he would understand actors more?'''

GP: Yeah. So he could talk to them and understand what they were going through and probably just thought it was something he needed to go through.

'''BG2003: Wow.'''

GP: Michael was open for anything and wanted us to bring ideas, but mostly he wanted the honesty and rawness of what the characters were experiencing. He let us be completely free, but he had this way of getting exactly what he wanted. He was so patient. And really relaxed.

'''BG2003: And I bet that was so important when you’re on the spot and you’re doing, like, a scene and you know, you see all these cameras and it doesn’t, I mean to us it looks so real out in the viewing audience but to you, you’re seeing just the cameras and people and lights...'''

GP: Oh, I know... You’re dealing with all those people and cameras. Especially though, the Raptor scenes, when we were flying. It gets so hot in there and they always have to open the thing up [while] you’re trying to concentrate on your performance and the emotional state to be in, and you have all these people gakking and prepping you from props, wardrobe and makeup with helmets, belts, light, air, and sponges... [laughs] and you're being strapped into a 5-point seat belt and everything, the windshield's being taken out, and then there’s all the crew and cameras you’re looking at...

'''BG2003: And you’re trying to ignore all of that and just concentrate on your character [laughs].'''

GP: Exactly like, I didn’t realize how focus is so, so huge. At one of the acting classes I take, we do this exercise 'relaxation' and I didn't realize how much it had helped me develop my focus. If I hadn’t had that I would not have made it through those scenes.

'''BG2003: Really. I can imagine. Especially with that crane lifting the Raptor up...'''

GP: Oh that part was easy, it felt like we were actually going to fly away.

'''BG2003: [laughs]'''

GP: [laughs] That was easy cause I was looking out at the field, but it’s the indoor scenes where you’re standing in front of a green screens, that stuff is crazy...

'''BG2003: Oh yeah, when you don’t even know what they’re going to put in there.'''

GP: Yeah.

'''BG2003: You don’t know how its going to even really look but you’ve got to act like its there and like its real. Wow. Well, that’s a job, that’s a challenge.'''

GP: If we could see the effects before, it would be phenomenal.

'''BG2003: Wouldn’t it... How do you feel about the Galactica becoming a weekly series, are you getting pretty positive signals that its going in that direction?'''

GP: I think from the start we’ve all thought we were going to go. But I was always pretty hesitant about telling everyone that we are going ahead. I thought we were just waiting for the ratings, but the ratings were through the roof, so I don’t know what we’re waiting for. I dunno, I think I would be surprised if it didn’t go.

'''BG2003: Yeah, I think most people would be. Because to put that kind of money and that kind of promotion into something and then not go to series would be interesting [laughs]'''

GP: And hey - with that cliffhanger - how can you just let it be like that? We have to know!

'''BG2003: Would you, I assume you’d be returning to play Boomer? If it does go to series.'''

GP: I hope so!

'''BG2003: Yeah you’d better!'''

GP: OK!

'''BG2003: [laughs] Cause then I’ll have to stomp on down there and protest.'''

GP: [laughs]

'''BG2003: Would you like to meet Herb Jefferson Jr, kind of similar to how Katee met Dirk Benedict at Starbuck’s?'''

GP: Yeah sure, I think its totally cool. I didn’t even know that she met him until I clicked on it online and I’m like "Dude - that’s Katee!"

'''BG2003: I thought that was cool, Starbuck with Starbuck at Starbuck’s.'''

GP: I know.

'''BG2003: I don’t know what you could do for Boomer but you could come up with something kind of like that.'''

GP: That would be cool.

'''BG2003: You could talk with him.'''

GP: I’d love to talk to him.

'''BG2003: What do you think you’d ask him?'''

GP: You know, I’d really have to watch the rest of all the old episodes before I’d know what to ask him, but...

'''BG2003: Yeah.'''

GP: ... but, probably like, I’d want to know what he’s up to, and I kinda want to know what he thought of the new Battlestar.

'''BG2003: Yeah, what he thought of your performance?'''

GP: Yeah, maybe that too, and we could talk a little bit about his acting. Boomer changed a lot more than Starbuck did.

'''BG2003: Yeah, in some ways, I think so. And Starbuck, in some ways, remained the same, same ornery kind of, you know, maverick character.'''

GP: Oh yeah, totally. In some ways its hard for me to admit that I didn’t watch the original Battlestar Galactica...

'''BG2003: In a way, don’t you think watching it might have biased you? I mean, do you think in a way approaching it fresh gave you sort of a purity that you might not have had if you’d watched the original before you started acting?'''

GP: That’s exactly it. And some people might think it’s a cop out, an excuse, but I get so easily influenced, that I wanted to approach it with a full 360 degrees and just be able to bring and do anything and everything to it rather than just what people might think I should be doing with it. I mean, its good that I didn’t watch it. But now that we've shot it, and I formed my character, I can sit down and see the original.

'''BG2003: Oh yeah. Go back to the original and compare. I’m sure there are similarities but there’s also many differences.'''

GP: Yeah.

'''BG2003: Would you like to do Science Fiction conventions in the future, and maybe meet some of the fans face to face?'''

GP: I think I want to just try everything! I’d love to try that.

'''BG2003: Yeah?'''

GP: Yeah I’d just probably just be checking out all the other booths.

'''BG2003: [laughs] Yeah?'''

GP: Yeah it sounds like fun. I’ve worked with some of the Sci Fi people in Vancouver...

'''BG2003: Are they a lot of fun too?'''

GP: Yeah, they are.

'''BG2003: How many interviews have you been doing lately? I imagine you’ve been getting a lot of requests.'''

GP: Not as many as Katee, she’s doing, apparently she’s doing like 1 a day and I’m not getting as many as that but, I’ve then, never done interviews before in my life...

'''BG2003: [laughs]'''

GP: ...except for another show, just one other, and that was a whole new thing.

'''BG2003: When it goes to series, get ready for the calls! [laughs]'''

GP: I think I’m so much more comfortable doing the interviews in person because I have someone to talk to.

'''BG2003: Yeah and it works better with a camera, it can capture your nuances and your expressions better.'''

GP: But you’re friendly, so I feel relaxed.

'''BG2003: :[laughs] I’m glad. I wanted you to be. What would be your message to Battlestar Galactica fans around the world?'''

GP: You mean the new fans or the old fans?

'''BG2003: I would say the new ones, the fans of the miniseries whether they’re the old fans or new fans, anyone that, you know, enjoys this mini series, what would you have to say to them? I mean, and they’re going to be all around the world.'''

GP: I think I would want to say something like... I’m stoked to be on this show. And I’m so happy that other people love this show as much as I do. Well probably a whole lot more. There are the people who have been following this for 25 years. And, I’d have to say that, if anything, I would love these people to go out there and do something of their own that I could love just as much, and that I could be a part of, whatever they’re doing.

'''BG2003: Oh that’s cool. That’s really cool.'''

GP: It’s awesome.

'''BG2003: Well I am happy that you’re getting to take part in a career that is so much fun and so much a part of who you are and I think, I really look forward to seeing more of you and I hope that this does go to series . I just think you’re doing a phenomenal job and I, you know, I’m stoked to see more of it.'''

GP: I feel really blessed. And after going to the premier when they showed the first half, I was so amped! And I just felt like, ahhh, like watching everyone’s performances up there, and everything being brought together like the Cylons and the editing and the special effects, it just made me think like, I felt again, like a rook. It was like "wow" I feel like I’ve just taken a few baby steps and I have so far to go. So yeah, I’m really stoked. If its not Battlestar it will be something else.

'''BG2003: What would be your dream character?'''

GP: Oh that would be action. I think maybe before I was thinking along the lines of a James Bond girl.

'''BG2003: Yeah? Or maybe like Tomb Raider?'''

GP: I was thinking action at the beginning, but then I'd love to have humour as a part of it too, so it would probably be Charlie's Angels.

'''BG2003: Yeah?'''

GP: But then there'd be the Charlie’s Angels purist fans!

'''BG2003: No, no, no, no we won’t go there! [laughing] Well is there anything you would like to add? Is there anything I haven’t asked that you would like to say that no one ever asks? Any thoughts you have?'''

GP: I think I’m trying to be a lot more accepting because I thought I'd have things to say, but I’m realizing that the people that are out there that are purists, its because they loved something and you can’t take that away from anybody.

'''BG2003: No, you’re right.'''

GP: And I can’t say love it less, I can’t say like just change, you know, because people are who they are and they’re like that for a reason and something about the original Battlestar drew them to it. You have to commend the innocence and the enthusiasm and all that, I don’t know, that raw dedication.

'''BG2003: I’ve always viewed them as two different shows. I loved the original and I think it had a lot of merit and you know, was ahead of its time, when it was on. But that was 25 years ago and...'''

GP: Yes it did very well. I was floored by the original.

'''BG2003: They’re so different, I try not to compare them too much because they’re different shows.'''

GP: Mm-hmm.

'''BG2003: I mean, it’s the same idea, the same premise, but two very different takes on it.'''

GP: I think if the original had just finished airing a few years ago I could understand picking up from where it left off...

'''BG2003: Yeah.'''

GP: ....that would make a lot more sense, but so much time has passed that...

'''BG2003: I almost am glad they’re not, that it wasn’t continuing, because I like it where it is. I like it where it stayed.'''

GP: It was very precious and so innocent.

'''BG2003: Right.'''

GP: ...and I don’t think we want to alter that so much. I think its better that we stepped far away from it.

'''BG2003: I agree.'''

GP: Far away rather than too close.

'''BG2003: I agree. Grace, I really thank you for your insights. I’ve enjoyed talking with you, and I really appreciate you taking the time to answer these questions, and say what you had to say.'''

GP: Thanks so much

'''BG2003: I think the fans will really appreciate it.'''

GP: Thanks so much for the interview...

''We chat a little more and then say goodbye, and Grace says she would be willing to do more interviews with Galactica2003 if/when Battlestar Galactica goes to series.''

''What strikes me most about Grace is how down-to-earth she is, how humble she is about her new-found Stardom. She is fun to talk with, so fun that for a while I almost feel that we are old friends, talking about a subject we both love. She is very open and unafraid to be the real person she is... and like her name, she is indeed Gracious and Graceful.''

''With a great deal of typing ahead of me now, I free the cats from their prison. They are most displeased with their hour-long incarceration but I give them a can of Science Diet Salmon and once again peace descends upon our house.''

''2004 has gotten off to a great start. Well, maybe not for the cats. But for myself, and for Battlestar Galactica fandom... this is a wonderful beginning to a new year full of promise.''

''Farvoyager over and out.''

''Webmaster note: Due to technical problems with the audio recording of the preceding interview, we invited Grace Park to assist us in making some editorial changes for the sake of clarity and accuracy. Some other sites who reported on the interview may continue to carry original quotes from the transcript.''

User talk:Koenigrules

2006-08-09T05:33:45Z

Koenigrules: /* Appreciation */

== Welcome to Battlestar Wiki! ==

Welcome to the Wiki, Koenigrules. Feel free to tell us about yourself on [[User:Koenigrules|your user page]]. Before you get started on other edits, please read the [[Battlestar Wiki:Standards and Conventions]], which details the policies we use in editing pages (this differs from many other wikis in consistent use of phrasing, abbreviations, format, and the like).

Also, if you have any questions or suggestions you wish to offer, please feel free to do so either on your user talk page, the [[Battlestar Wiki:Wikipedian Quorum|Wikipedian Quorum]] or [[Battlestar Wiki:Administrators' noticeboard|Administrators' noticeboard]]. Remember to sign your posts on any talk pages using four tildes (~~~~) --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 22:57, 22 April 2006 (CDT)

:I think [[Battlestar_Wiki_talk:Citation_Jihad#Compromise_Proposal_re_KoenigRules|this proposal]] could solve our recent consternation. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 22:59, 22 April 2006 (CDT)

==Appreciation==

I appreciate you recent contribs, and hope you add more in the future. I know that you have a lot to contribute. --[[User:Gougef|FrankieG]] 10:08, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:Thanks again; do you have any more of these?--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 10:16, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
I sure do. Thanks for the support guys. And I did get permission from Ian Cullen on August 4 to post his 2002 interview with RDM. I would also like to post any "unconfirmed rumors" that I announce on Shaunomac's S2D show. Would that be a problem?
[[User:Koenigrules|Koenigrules]] 10:55, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:We have develop a really strict policy (see [[BattleStar Wiki:Citation Jihad |Citation Jihad]]) about everything has to be officially sourced. Maybe we can "advertise" your appearances on the show? We should be able to come up with some way to get people pointed toward them somewhere. Other ideas? --[[User:Gougef|FrankieG]] 10:55, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
::Perhaps we could bump up Subject2Discussion to the Main Page's links section, as there are so many cast members that appear on the show, etc....wait a minute I think it isn't even in our links archive...I'll fix that...--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 11:00, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:::Added it in, though I don't know how we decide what goes on the front page; btw why do we only have 3 sites listed in each link category on the front? I always thought like 4-5 should be on the front. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 11:07, 5 August 2006 (CDT)

:::If the Mp3's where transcribed with a spoiler tag they can be stored on the show if they have any thing related, but nothing inside BSG can cite to the source page. The {{tl|podcastother}} and {{tl|spoiler}} tag would need to be used for those '''Source''' pages. (i.e. [[Sources:Subject 2 Discussion, 11 April 2006]]) It be basically historical purposes only. --[[User:Shane|Shane]] ([[User_Talk:Shane|T]] - [[Special:Contributions/Shane|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/Shane|E]]) 11:05, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:More interviews and info would be excellent, but I really think that you shouldn't post any "unconfirmed rumors". After that big arguement in April, we had a discussion over how to deal with the ongoing problem of "how do we know if someone is passing along an honest rumor, or is just some livejournal girl making stuff up about Roslin and Adama getting married, etc? So now unless a cast or crew member can be directly cited as saying something, we don't post it. We don't post unsourced stuff that appears on S2J...and we don't even post like, spoilers from TVGuide which can't be confirmed-->I.e. if TV guide has a David Eick interview we'll use that, but if like Mike Ausellio says "there are rumors that Ellen Tigh is going to die"...to be honest I think TVguide and others are often just using ''you'' and S2J as their info source (which is cool for you, I think) but ultimately we thought the way to avoid any future conflicts over whether or not unsourced stuff is true is simply to have a really strict "only cited cast or crew" policy on that. It's a bit limiting, but I support it because I think it would lead to less future conflict. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 10:58, 5 August 2006 (CDT)

:::If you could advertise when I would be on with BSG information, that would be helpful. I am not on every week, and sometimes I provide info about other shows: the Gates, The 4400 and WHO. But if you can find a way to mention when I am on S2D with respect to BSG a day or two earlier than the airing, that would be helpful. Typically, Shaunomac sets up his agenda late Sunday night- early Monday am. So just tell me who to contact (via PM), and I can do that- if you are still interested in advertising S2D at some point. Otherwise, I will keep on providing interview contributions to your site- and hopefully new ones as well.-[[User:Koenigrules|Koenigrules]] 13:10, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
::::Oh yeah, we'll just stick it in our Main Page's News box (or you can yourself); to edit that go to "[[Battlestar Wiki:News]]". (Btw, I agree: Stargate: Atlantis is a good concept but it's really shape up or ship out at this point)--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 13:14, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:::More interviews are up with RDM & Aaron Douglas. Enjoy.-[[User:Koenigrules|Koenigrules]] 15:35, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:::Just posted a bunch of interviews this evening. Enjoy! -[[User:Koenigrules|Koenigrules]] 12:10, 8 August 2006 (CDT)
::::Awesome! The "sources" namespace had been a little barren up until now. It's exciting to see contributions like this! --[[User:Steelviper|Steelviper]] 07:38, 8 August 2006 (CDT)
::Wanted to be sure everyone saw THE latest interview with RDM. I have already obtained permission & have posted it. -[[User:Koenigrules|Koenigrules]] 12:48, 9 August 2006 (CDT)

Sources:Interview with Ronald D. Moore, August 8, 2006 (RDM)

2006-08-09T05:26:38Z

Koenigrules:

{{interview
| interviewer=Ian Cullen
| interviewee=Ronald D. Moore
| date=August 8, 2006
| linktext= Scifipulse
| linkurl= http://www.scifipulse.net
}}

== Pre-Interview ==

'''Ron Moore Shares Some Galactic Insights'''

By Ian M. Cullen

At present it would be unfair to say that genre television has not taken on some interesting twists and turns over the last few years and one show which has stirred up much press coverage over the last 2 years is the controversial re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica. In a recent interview for [http://www.scifipulse.net SciFi Pulse] in collaboration with [http://www.battlestargalactica.com Battlestargalactica.com] [[Ron Moore]] answered some quick fire questions and gave some valuable insights with regards to what we could see in the forthcoming third season of the show.

== Interview ==

'''1. One of the taglines for the show throughout the first two seasons is that the "Cylons have a plan" yet we haven't really seen a great deal of this plan being formed, other than maybe the potential for a Cylon Civil war which seemed to be getting set up in the episode "[[Downloaded]]". How do you plan to address this in the coming season, are there likely to be more episodes like "Downloaded" where the viewers get to see the Cylon perspective? Now that the Cylons have occupied New Caprica how much of this plan is likely to be revealed and is Baltar the Cylon God?'''

We will definitely be seeing more of the Cylons and getting a better understanding of how their society operates this season. We're doing a whole arc taking place entirely on one of the Cylon Baseships and a great deal of information will be detailed about their faith and their culture. Baltar may or may not be the Cylon God and he may or may not be a Cylon and both questions will be raised (but not necessarily answered) this year.

'''2. One of your famous quips is that you killed Captain Kirk. Now given that none of the principal cast on Galactica have died as of yet, only really a few supporting characters. What sort of story element do you think it would take to maybe kill off one of your main cast members and how do you think such a bold move would reverberate across the fan base for your show?'''

I think it's all about how you do something like this. Killing Kirk was a great concept and had the potential to resonate throughout the Star Trek franchise, but the execution (no pun intended) was flawed and the impact was not what we'd hoped for on any level. Killing off a main character in this show is somewhat different because "Galactica" is more of an ensemble piece than Trek ever was, but I'd still take the lessons I learned from "Generations" into account if I were going down that road. I think it would have to service the larger story of Galactica and it would have to be a pivotal event in the show's history, so that in retrospect you'd say "I hated the moment they killed X, but if they hadn't, it wouldn't ended up as great as it did."

'''3. A hot topic of conversation right now is the recent announcement of the prequel series you are going to produce called "Caprica," what can you tell us about this and how do you intend to tie it into the Galactica story line, will you be linking from one show to the other, say mentioning historical notes in Galactica which refer to Caprica in past tense?'''

"Caprica" is about the creation of the Cylons and takes place about 50 years before the events seen in "Galactica." There will be a strong tie to the series in that it will deal with Adama's family and the pivotal role his family played in those events, but there aren't other character ties being discussed as yet. We might mention events from "Caprica" in "Galactica" at some point, but that would be well into Season Four at the earliest. I can also tell you that "Caprica" is a very different show in that it's planet-based, is not action-adventure, and has no space battles whatsoever. It's a family drama set in the corporate world, but does deal with many of the same thematic issues as "Galactica," like faith, ethics, reason, and what it means to be human.

'''4. One of your passions is military history especially when it concerns the US Navy. Now given that you may or may not be familiar with British Military history, am wondering if you have heard of a famous world war II fighter pilot called Douglas Bader who lost both his legs in Combat and still led squadrons in spite of this disability. Have you ever thought of maybe severely disabling one of Galactica's pilot's as a means to maybe adding more depth to them, i.e. that characters struggle to get back into a Viper cockpit or something along those lines and them having to deal with the trauma of losing said limb or limbs? I do know it was done on Star Trek but the one problem with that is it was all healed up in the space of two episodes.'''

I have heard the story of Douglas Bader, but I've never really thought about doing something in the show along these lines. It's an interesting idea and I'll think about that. (No, you do not get story credit.)

'''5. Okay a crunch question here. Many folks have been going on for years about there never having been a gay relationship played out as part of the furniture in the Star Trek shows, in fact it has been one of those things which has been a constant since it was revealed that there were plans to have a Gay character in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. So this said, and the fact that you always seem to refer back to Star Trek about things you could not do on that, do you have any plans or have you even thought about perhaps having a gay relationship play out as part of your take on the Galactica universe?'''

This is something that get discussed periodically in the writers' room. I'd like to at least establish that homosexuality exists in the Galactica world, but I've yet to hit on a way of doing it that doesn't feel like it flashes a neon light saying, "See, here's our gay show!" I think this is a valid thing to do in the series and I'm somewhat ashamed that I've been unimaginative in this area. All I can do is promise to keep it under discussion.

'''6. Galactica actually lost a rather substantial 28% of its audience at the start of season 2 and the ratings have gradually bottomed out with between a 1.7 being the worst and 1.9 market share according to the Nielson overnights. How much of this ratings drop do you think could possibly be attributed to various websites leaking your scripts in advance and how much of the drop off do you view as acceptable losses given that historically many shows seems to lose a largish chunk of their pick up audience during the 2nd season or at the midway point of the first?'''

I don't think the script leaks have anything to do with the ratings, I really don't. Leaking scripts and spoilers irritates me and the other people on the show who are working so hard to present a finished product to the audience, but I doubt that it has any real impact in terms of viewership. I mean, if you care enough to read a leaked script, chances are you're watching the show anyway. I don't have a theory about the ratings and the patterns of viewership. Often, the shows we think are going to tank in the ratings turn out to be the most popular and vice-versa. It's a crapshoot as far as I can see and all you can do is make the best show you possibly can and hope that the audience responds.

'''7. According to one of your blog entries at Scfi.com you expressed a degree of dissatisfaction with certain episodes of the last half of the second season. What episodes in particular could you reference as examples and where do you think you could have improved them if you had the luxury of a little more time?'''

I've bashed both "Black Market" and "Sacrifice" on the podcasts for not measuring up to what I'd hoped. I think in retrospect, we should've taken different tacks on both scripts and simply made them... better. As the head writer and show-runner, it's my job to see problems on the page before they make it to screen, so the buck in both instances stops with me.

'''8. Back to the issue of leaked scripts. One fan in particular has posed an interesting question which asks about your apparent attitude with regards to creating the show which "You want" to do. Did you have this same wish when you did Star Trek, or was Star Trek so constrained that many times you were never really able to tell the stories you wanted too? Also would not having samples of scripts out there not be beneficial in regards to inviting some fan input so that you are able to create a show which both you and the fans are happier with?'''

On "Star Trek" I often railed against the strictures of the show itself, which I felt constrained us from taking more chances. I believed then, and still do today, that "Trek" had such an enormous fanbase and such a huge pop cultural prominence that we could really explore much more provocative themes and that we didn't have to play it so safe with the characters. On "Galactica" I get to decide what is and what isn't the show and the freedom of being in that position is incredibly gratifying.

'''My chief bitch with leaked scripts is that it's like letting the general public in during a rehearsal or a production meeting before the show is aired. The product isn't finished yet. The script goes through multiple drafts and then it changes on the set and again in post production. Let us finish the work, then show it to you. If, after you've seen, it you're still interested in how it was made, then go ahead and read the scripts, listen to a podcast of a writers' meeting -- whatever. But give us a chance to present the material on our own terms first.'''

On the subject of fan input, I have to say that while I'm interested in fan reaction to the show, I'm not really eliciting input. This isn't a democracy, it's a television show. I love seeing what people like and what they don't like and I really do read a great deal of fan criticism of the show, but at the end of the day, I still go with what I want to write and with what I think is a good piece of drama. To me, that's the only way this crazy process can work.

'''9. In a very recent interview you expressed a wish to do some interactive stories that would allow fans to interact in the story via games and what not via an online environment a little like Everquest or perhaps through a series or games for consoles and PC's. What kind of stories do you think you'd be able to tell in these formats and how open ended do you think they would be?'''

I'm actually exploring some of these ideas right now and I'd like to wait and talk about it in more detail at a later time.

'''10. Given that there is still a large chunk of the fan base that would like to see some sort of continuation of the original series in perhaps a straight to DVD format, and also given the fact that Tom DeSanto remain interested in continuing the original story. Do you think that the two Universes would be able to co-exist without either side of the fan base losing out, and given that should this other project ever get greenlighted would you yourself support it, given that you could not really see a way to go for updating the original story when you started this journey back in May of 2002?'''

I have no problem with Tom or anyone else who wants to do a revival of the original cast and characters or do some kind of continuation. If they can get a good story together and get the pieces lined up to do it, then more power to them.

''[http://www.scifipulse.net SciFi Pulse] would like to thank the good folks at [http://www.battlestargalactic.com Battlestargalactica.com] for helping out on this and Ron D. Moore for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer the above questions.''

User talk:Koenigrules

2006-08-08T04:56:30Z

Koenigrules: /* Appreciation */

Sources:Interview with Richard Gibbs, November 25, 2003

2006-08-08T04:53:11Z

Koenigrules:

{{interview
| interviewer=Ted Gorospe
| interviewee=Richard Gibbs
| date=November 25, 2003
| linktext= Galactica2003.net
| linkurl= http://www.bsgtns.com
}}

== Interview ==

'''"Scoring Galactica"'''

''''''Battlestar Galactica 2003: Thanks Richard for giving Battlestar Galactica 2003 this opportunity to learn about your involvement as composer for the new Battlestar Galactica miniseries.''''''

''''''Many fans are very excited to see the new Battlestar Galactica and to hear the score that [[Bear McCreary]], [[Michael Rymer]], and you worked on. Can you tell us what Michael Rymer’s involvement in scoring the miniseries is?''''''

Richard Gibbs: Michael's involvement was total, from concept thru the final mix. By the way, as he is a feature film director, that is his norm - and not the norm for a TV director.

''''''BG2003: Bear mentioned that trailers that the Sci Fi Channel is featuring have none of the score of the miniseries that you all worked on. Do you know the origin of the music for the trailers?''''''

RG: I do not - and that is not unusual, as trailers have to be created most times before the score is finished, therefore not involving the composer. I still haven't seen the trailer!

''''''BG2003: Bear mentioned that film was "temped" with Taiko Drumming when you all started to work on it. Who "temped" the film with Taiko Drumming?''''''

RG: Michael and his longtime editor, [[Dany Cooper]].

''''''BG2003: When you were first brought onboard to score Battlestar Galactica, did you have an idea of what you wanted to do musically?''''''

RG: Before I saw it, I was thinking of relatively big orchestra, driving rhythm - but the visuals and dense sound effects (and Michael) dictated otherwise.

''''''BG2003: Do you feel you had a lot of artistic freedom in scoring Battlestar Galactica?''''''

RG: Film scoring is not inherently a free art - it is intensely collaborative and very much constrained by dialog, effects, etc. But I assume what you mean is did Michael and the producers give me free rein to interpret the film as I saw fit - I would have to say no, but that is not a bad thing. They all had very strong ideas about a minimalist approach to the score, which I fear fans of the original will find controversial. That said, I think it works great.

''''''BG2003: What was the most challenging aspect in scoring Battlestar Galactica?''''''

RG: Definitely the time and financial restrictions.

''''''BG2003: How would you describe the style of the musical score you worked on for Battlestar Galactica?''''''

RG: As I said, primarily minimalist (especially for the genre). I did get in some orchestral scoring, but not in the big action scenes, where one would typically expect it. Those scenes were carried by the take drums, mostly. I also threw in a few other ethnic elements - Persian and Bulgarian vocals, various ethnic flutes, Tuvan throat singing. No blazing trumpets, crashing guitars, drum kits.

''''''BG2003: What kind impression were you trying to make to the audience while scoring the film?''''''

RG: You know, I don't ever think about scoring a film in those terms - I try to serve the film first. I know that sounds precious, but it is the truth. If I can please myself and the filmmakers, then I feel good about my effort and hope that the audience likes it too. If one is constantly trying to second-guess what an audience wants, one will generally produce musical pablum. I always prefer a magnificent failure to a moderately successful mediocrity - but of course, I always strive for a magnificent success.

''''''BG2003: Bear mentioned that the score features improvised Kodo Drumming. Can you describe the process you went about improvising the Kodo Drumming?''''''

RG: It actually wasn't all that improvisational. The drums were recorded one track at a time, so we had time to adjust as we overdubbed - but the parts were somewhat charted out to start with. It was a painstaking process, which was then monkeyed with further after the recording via computer editing.

''''''BG2003: Bear mentioned that you all were able to find a place to reprise the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original Battlestar Galactica]] [theme]. Can you tell us where you all placed the theme in the miniseries?''''''

RG: In the first night there is a ceremony to retire the Galactica. As the Vipers do a fly-by, I pitched to Michael that it would be a good place, symbolically speaking, to bring back [[Stu Phillips|Stu Phillip's]] theme, as if a military band is performing it on the deck one last time. Other than that (and one other small spot), it just didn't fit the feel of this iteration of the story.

''''''BG2003: When you worked on the primary themes, what was the processed involved in creating these themes?''''''

RG: Same as always - just thinking, tinkering, and tickling the plastics.

''''''BG2003: How were you able to introduce themes and still adhere to the concept of non-traditional scoring?''''''

RG: Well I wasn't strictly nontraditional always. Some of the themes are not melodic in nature, but rhythmic and textural instead. For instance, the Number Six theme is characterized by an insistent 9/8 gamelan figure on one pitch. But there are some more straight-ahead melodic themes, as introduced in the long opening tracking shot of the interior of the ship. They just aren't as exuberant as is typical in a space opera - which was by design.

''''''BG2003: What was the most memorable piece that you scored for Battlestar Galactica?''''''

RG: I'm quite fond of the montage scenes in the second night - fairly lush and melodic. I do think that people will remember that infernal Number Six motif.

''''''BG2003: Are you pleased with the final score?''''''

RG: I think so, but it is way too early to tell - I usually need about a year away from a project to be objective about it.

''''''BG2003: Is there anything you wish you could have added to the score if you had more time to work on it?''''''

RG: I would have liked to have scored it more aggressively and then dialed it back as directed, but the schedule and budget dictated cutting right to the chase.

''''''BG2003: If you were asked to return to score a series for Battlestar Galactica, would you return?''''''

RG: I would certainly like to have that choice.

''''''BG2003: Is there a message you would like to pass on to the fans of Battlestar Galactica?''''''

RG: Yes - open your minds, forget the past, and enjoy this new interpretation of an epic story. I know I enjoyed it.

''''''BG2003: Thank you for your time, and we here at Battlestar Galactica 2003 wish you continued success in your career.''''''

RG: Thank you.

Sources:Interview with Alonso Oyarzun, September 2, 2003 (Socinus)

2006-08-08T04:47:50Z

Koenigrules: /* Interview */

{{interview
| interviewer=Ted Gorospe
| interviewee=Alonso Oyarzun
| date=September 2, 2003
| linktext= Galactica2003.net
| linkurl= http://www.bsgtns.com
}}

== Interview ==

'''Alonso Oyarzun Interview: Battlestar Fan Lives A Childhood Dream'''

''''''Battlestar Galactica 2003 - I would like to thank you Alonso, for giving Battlestar Galactica 2003 this opportunity to interview you about your experience and you expectations of the new Sci Fi Channel original miniseries "Battlestar Galactica".''''''

''''''Alonso, can you give us some background about your acting career and how it led to your eventual portrayal of Crewman Specialist Socinus of the Battlestar Galactica?''''''

Alonso Oyarzun: Well let's see...........I moved to Vancouver from Edmonton with the intentions of becoming a stuntman. It didn't work out....too tough to break into the business. I had a friend who talked me into trying some acting classes, that I did for awhile, at the same time doing small theatre productions and short films. I got an agent, started reading for TV and film and booked my first real job in 97'. It's gone from there to playing Socinus and getting a chance to be a part of the new Battlestar Galactica team. It was just a really nice acting break.

''''''BG2003: Speaking of "Battlestar Galactica", what was your knowledge of the original show prior to taking the role of Socinus?''''''

AO: I used to watch it when I could as a kid. I was really into Star Wars and Sci-fi growing up so I knew allot about the show and what it was about. When I was a kid really liked "Muffit" allot, the cyber dog from the original series, Hahaaa!

''''''BG2003: Did you watch the reruns or videotapes of the original "Battlestar Galactica" after learning you were playing a role in the re-imagining?''''''

AO: Yes I did, at the boot camp for the show, we were sent to watch a couple of the original episodes. I bought the original movie on DVD just to see and compare the similarities and differences to the new script.

''''''BG2003: What is your overall opinion of the original "Battlestar Galactica" series?''''''

AO: Oh it was dated as hell, and I'm starting to realize as an actor that people just really love cheesy stuff. Battlestar Galactica at the time it was the best thing on TV and everyone loved it. Even now some fans are obsessed about the old show to this day. I really enjoyed it as a kid, but as an adult......eh ummm I don't know. In my opinion I see now why the story had to be changed to better suit today's audiences.

''''''BG2003: What was your impression of the screenplay for the "Battlestar Galactica" miniseries when you read it?'''

AO: Honestly it's a really moving story. There's so much going on, so many interesting characters and plot twists....... It's great! I think the dog-fights are going look absolutely wicked!! The first draft of the script was still the best in my opinion. Of course that has nothing to do with the fact that I die in the later drafts. Hahaaaa

''''''BG2003: How does the role of Socinus differ from the role of Keel on "Taken"?''''''

AO: Socinus is a lot more laid back then Keel was. Keel was the type of guy that didn't want to be there and was put in an impossible situation. Socinus is a proud crew member of the Battlestar Galactica.

''''''BG2003: Several cast members from "Battlestar Galactica" such as Erin Karpluk (Boxey's Aunt), Michael Soltis (Chantara's Husband), and Connor Widdows (Boxey) were fellow cast mates from "Taken". With so many familiar faces on the production of "Battlestar Galactica", did this make the experience more enjoyable?''''''

AO: Oh yes!! I feel the cast really became our own little family. We were sent to a boot camp for 3 days which really made us bond nicely, it was so much fun!

''''''BG2003: How would you compare the production of "Battlestar Galactica" to "Taken?''''''

AO: Both were very intensive, BATTLESTAR was operating out of 3 different studios at one time. I know TAKEN had its studios booked all year round, which was needed for that show, with it being the longest TV mini-series in history.

''''''BG2003: Do you feel that "Battlestar Galactica" will equal or better the lofty success of "Taken"?''''''

AO: It's really hard to say, if the fans embrace the new Battlestar for what it is, I think it might surpass the success of TAKEN.

''''''BG2003: With [[Ron Blecker]] onboard as Technical Military Advisor, did the cast have to go through a mini-boot camp prior to shoot? If so, what was the experience like?''''''

AO: Yes we did and it was awesome!! I wanted more!! We were up in the mountains in the interior of British Columbia for 3 days. It was great! The cast really came together up there and we formed a bond that's really rare amongst actors & crew. TAKEN was great as well I made some really good friends on that show.

''''''BG2003: During the shooting of "Battlestar Galactica", you shot several scenes with Nicki Clyne (Cally), Michael Eklund (Prosna), and Aaron Douglas (Tyrol). How would you describe your experience with them?''''''

AO: We were the engineering geeks! Lots of goofing around in between shots and catching shit from First Assistant Director Peter Dashkewytch every now and then.

''''''BG2003: Did you get a chance to get to know Katee Sackhoff (Starbuk) and Jamie Bamber (Apollo) during the production? If so, what was your impression of your fellow cast mates?''''''

AO: Yes I did. Most of it happened during boot camp. Katee is a sweetheart; she was so much fun. Jamie as well, really down to earth; there couldn't be a better Apollo.

''''''BG2003: What was it like to work with Edward James Olmos (Adama) and Mary McDonnell (Roslin)? Did they play a positive influence on your performance as Socinus?''''''

AO: I didn't have any scenes with Mary, but she was around and I did get a chance to talk to her. I only had a couple of scenes with Eddy, but he was great, very motivating as a leader.

''''''BG2003: Since Ronald D. Moore was in Los Angeles working on "Carnivale", did you get a chance to ever meet him during the production?''''''

AO: No I didn't

''''''BG2003: How involved were the producers in the everyday filming? Did producers David Eick, Harvey Frank, and Michael R. Joyce play an active role in filming?''''''

AO: Oh yes! They were there every step of the way, on set and in the office. We couldn't get away from them. Hahaaa!

''''''BG2003: What was it like to work with Director Michael Rymer? How would you describe his style of directing?''''''

AO: Hands down the best director I've worked with in a long time, such an actor's director. He is open to letting us play around with the scenes, it was a dream. He has a very visual style with him using lots of big sweeping shots. Battlestar is shot like a movie. Michael Rymer very, very picky with how things were done. The way it should be, right? Just ask Harvey.

''''''BG2003: What was your impression of the sets by Richard Hudolin?''''''

AO: Awesome! It is the only word that comes to mind. We were given a tour of the sets after the first cast reading. I was blown away by the detail on these sets; absolutely amazing!

''''''BG2003: What was your impression of the costumes by Deborah Everton?''''''

AO: The wardrobe was awesome! I wanted to acquire some of my costumes for my collection of souvenirs of the show so badly!

''''''BG2003: What do you think of the designs of the ships by Ray Lai, Eric Chu, and Charles Ratteray? Which one is your favourite?''''''

AO: The designs of the ships were great, the new Viper really caught my eye when I first saw it. Personally, I really liked the RAPTOR the reconnaissance ship. It looked more "bad-ass" than the rest with its unique design.

''''''BG2003: What was your most memorable moment during the production of "Battlestar Galactica"?''''''

AO: That's an easy one... THE BOOT CAMP bar none.

''''''BG2003: What was worst moment during the production of "Battlestar Galactica"?''''''

AO: I wouldn't go so far as saying there was a worst moment; not while I was there. I remembered this one day that we were trying to get this one really long scene in one shot. I think it took most of the day to get it. The shooting was getting pretty frustrating because we'd get right to the end of this long scene and something would go wrong; either a technical thing or someone was late hitting a mark or an actor flubbed a line, but we finally did get it. The scene is going to blow your mind!!

''''''BG2003: How would you describe the morale of the cast during the production?''''''

AO: Very excited, there was allot of buzz in the air. You could tell that people were excited to be working on the show especially with all the controversy about the project.

''''''BG2003: How do you and your fellow cast members feel about how your work will be looked upon when viewers finally see it on December 7, 2003?''''''

AO: We knew going into the show that it was going to be scrutinized so all we could do was to give the best performances that we could and have fun doit. We feel its going be a great show, but whether the die-hard fans will give the new version of Battlestar Galactica a chance.... I guess time will tell.

''''''BG2003: If the miniseries becomes a weekly series, will you continue to play the role of Socinus?''''''

AO: Unfortunately no, I die in the show but with all the plot twists in the story, you never know....... I COULD BE BACK.

''''''BG2003: Edward James Olmos was quoted recently at the TV Critics Association Tour with a message for fans of the original show to "Buy yourself the new DVD they're putting out of the old episodes, and when we come on, just put that one in. Don't watch because it will hurt." What is your message to fans?''''''

AO: Just to watch the show with an open mind, its a new body of work and shouldn't be compared to harshly with the old one. Whatever the new show lacks in regards to the original show has been compensated for with new ideas and technologies that weren't available at the time. All in all its a solid show with tons of room for growth for a weekly series, if it gets picked up which I think it will..

Sources:Interview with Alonso Oyarzun, September 2, 2003 (Socinus)

2006-08-08T04:46:30Z

Koenigrules:

{{interview
| interviewer=Ted Gorospe
| interviewee=Alonso Oyarzun
| date=September 2, 2003
| linktext= Galactica2003.net
| linkurl= http://www.bsgtns.com
}}

== Interview ==

'''Alonso Oyarzun Interview: Battlestar Fan Lives A Childhood Dream'''

''''''Battlestar Galactica 2003 - I would like to thank you Alonso, for giving Battlestar Galactica 2003 this opportunity to interview you about your experience and you expectations of the new Sci Fi Channel original miniseries "Battlestar Galactica".''''''

''''''Alonso, can you give us some background about your acting career and how it led to your eventual portrayal of Crewman Specialist Socinus of the Battlestar Galactica?''''''

Alonso Oyarzun: Well let's see...........I moved to Vancouver from Edmonton with the intentions of becoming a stuntman. It didn't work out....too tough to break into the business. I had a friend who talked me into trying some acting classes, that I did for awhile, at the same time doing small theatre productions and short films. I got an agent, started reading for TV and film and booked my first real job in 97'. It's gone from there to playing Socinus and getting a chance to be a part of the new Battlestar Galactica team. It was just a really nice acting break.

''''''BG2003: Speaking of "Battlestar Galactica", what was your knowledge of the original show prior to taking the role of Socinus?''''''

AO: I used to watch it when I could as a kid. I was really into Star Wars and Sci-fi growing up so I knew allot about the show and what it was about. When I was a kid really liked "Muffit" allot, the cyber dog from the original series, Hahaaa!

''''''BG2003: Did you watch the reruns or videotapes of the original "Battlestar Galactica" after learning you were playing a role in the re-imagining?''''''

AO: Yes I did, at the boot camp for the show, we were sent to watch a couple of the original episodes. I bought the original movie on DVD just to see and compare the similarities and differences to the new script.

''''''BG2003: What is your overall opinion of the original "Battlestar Galactica" series?''''''

AO: Oh it was dated as hell, and I'm starting to realize as an actor that people just really love cheesy stuff. Battlestar Galactica at the time it was the best thing on TV and everyone loved it. Even now some fans are obsessed about the old show to this day. I really enjoyed it as a kid, but as an adult......eh ummm I don't know. In my opinion I see now why the story had to be changed to better suit today's audiences.

''''''BG2003: What was your impression of the screenplay for the "Battlestar Galactica" miniseries when you read it?'''

''' AO: Honestly it's a really moving story. There's so much going on, so many interesting characters and plot twists....... It's great! I think the dog-fights are going look absolutely wicked!! The first draft of the script was still the best in my opinion. Of course that has nothing to do with the fact that I die in the later drafts. Hahaaaa

''''''BG2003: How does the role of Socinus differ from the role of Keel on "Taken"?''''''

AO: Socinus is a lot more laid back then Keel was. Keel was the type of guy that didn't want to be there and was put in an impossible situation. Socinus is a proud crew member of the Battlestar Galactica.

''''''BG2003: Several cast members from "Battlestar Galactica" such as Erin Karpluk (Boxey's Aunt), Michael Soltis (Chantara's Husband), and Connor Widdows (Boxey) were fellow cast mates from "Taken". With so many familiar faces on the production of "Battlestar Galactica", did this make the experience more enjoyable?''''''

AO: Oh yes!! I feel the cast really became our own little family. We were sent to a boot camp for 3 days which really made us bond nicely, it was so much fun!

''''''BG2003: How would you compare the production of "Battlestar Galactica" to "Taken?''''''

AO: Both were very intensive, BATTLESTAR was operating out of 3 different studios at one time. I know TAKEN had its studios booked all year round, which was needed for that show, with it being the longest TV mini-series in history.

''''''BG2003: Do you feel that "Battlestar Galactica" will equal or better the lofty success of "Taken"?''''''

AO: It's really hard to say, if the fans embrace the new Battlestar for what it is, I think it might surpass the success of TAKEN.

''''''BG2003: With [[Ron Blecker]] onboard as Technical Military Advisor, did the cast have to go through a mini-boot camp prior to shoot? If so, what was the experience like?''''''

AO: Yes we did and it was awesome!! I wanted more!! We were up in the mountains in the interior of British Columbia for 3 days. It was great! The cast really came together up there and we formed a bond that's really rare amongst actors & crew. TAKEN was great as well I made some really good friends on that show.

''''''BG2003: During the shooting of "Battlestar Galactica", you shot several scenes with Nicki Clyne (Cally), Michael Eklund (Prosna), and Aaron Douglas (Tyrol). How would you describe your experience with them?''''''

AO: We were the engineering geeks! Lots of goofing around in between shots and catching shit from First Assistant Director Peter Dashkewytch every now and then.

''''''BG2003: Did you get a chance to get to know Katee Sackhoff (Starbuk) and Jamie Bamber (Apollo) during the production? If so, what was your impression of your fellow cast mates?''''''

AO: Yes I did. Most of it happened during boot camp. Katee is a sweetheart; she was so much fun. Jamie as well, really down to earth; there couldn't be a better Apollo.

''''''BG2003: What was it like to work with Edward James Olmos (Adama) and Mary McDonnell (Roslin)? Did they play a positive influence on your performance as Socinus?''''''

AO: I didn't have any scenes with Mary, but she was around and I did get a chance to talk to her. I only had a couple of scenes with Eddy, but he was great, very motivating as a leader.

''''''BG2003: Since Ronald D. Moore was in Los Angeles working on "Carnivale", did you get a chance to ever meet him during the production?''''''

AO: No I didn't

''''''BG2003: How involved were the producers in the everyday filming? Did producers David Eick, Harvey Frank, and Michael R. Joyce play an active role in filming?''''''

AO: Oh yes! They were there every step of the way, on set and in the office. We couldn't get away from them. Hahaaa!

''''''BG2003: What was it like to work with Director Michael Rymer? How would you describe his style of directing?''''''

AO: Hands down the best director I've worked with in a long time, such an actor's director. He is open to letting us play around with the scenes, it was a dream. He has a very visual style with him using lots of big sweeping shots. Battlestar is shot like a movie. Michael Rymer very, very picky with how things were done. The way it should be, right? Just ask Harvey.

''''''BG2003: What was your impression of the sets by Richard Hudolin?''''''

AO: Awesome! It is the only word that comes to mind. We were given a tour of the sets after the first cast reading. I was blown away by the detail on these sets; absolutely amazing!

''''''BG2003: What was your impression of the costumes by Deborah Everton?''''''

AO: The wardrobe was awesome! I wanted to acquire some of my costumes for my collection of souvenirs of the show so badly!

''''''BG2003: What do you think of the designs of the ships by Ray Lai, Eric Chu, and Charles Ratteray? Which one is your favourite?''''''

AO: The designs of the ships were great, the new Viper really caught my eye when I first saw it. Personally, I really liked the RAPTOR the reconnaissance ship. It looked more "bad-ass" than the rest with its unique design.

''''''BG2003: What was your most memorable moment during the production of "Battlestar Galactica"?''''''

AO: That's an easy one... THE BOOT CAMP bar none.

''''''BG2003: What was worst moment during the production of "Battlestar Galactica"?''''''

AO: I wouldn't go so far as saying there was a worst moment; not while I was there. I remembered this one day that we were trying to get this one really long scene in one shot. I think it took most of the day to get it. The shooting was getting pretty frustrating because we'd get right to the end of this long scene and something would go wrong; either a technical thing or someone was late hitting a mark or an actor flubbed a line, but we finally did get it. The scene is going to blow your mind!!

''''''BG2003: How would you describe the morale of the cast during the production?''''''

AO: Very excited, there was allot of buzz in the air. You could tell that people were excited to be working on the show especially with all the controversy about the project.

''''''BG2003: How do you and your fellow cast members feel about how your work will be looked upon when viewers finally see it on December 7, 2003?''''''

AO: We knew going into the show that it was going to be scrutinized so all we could do was to give the best performances that we could and have fun doit. We feel its going be a great show, but whether the die-hard fans will give the new version of Battlestar Galactica a chance.... I guess time will tell.

''''''BG2003: If the miniseries becomes a weekly series, will you continue to play the role of Socinus?''''''

AO: Unfortunately no, I die in the show but with all the plot twists in the story, you never know....... I COULD BE BACK.

''''''BG2003: Edward James Olmos was quoted recently at the TV Critics Association Tour with a message for fans of the original show to "Buy yourself the new DVD they're putting out of the old episodes, and when we come on, just put that one in. Don't watch because it will hurt." What is your message to fans?''''''

AO: Just to watch the show with an open mind, its a new body of work and shouldn't be compared to harshly with the old one. Whatever the new show lacks in regards to the original show has been compensated for with new ideas and technologies that weren't available at the time. All in all its a solid show with tons of room for growth for a weekly series, if it gets picked up which I think it will..

Sources:Interview with Bear McCreary, November 21, 2003

2006-08-08T04:39:37Z

Koenigrules: /* Interview */

{{interview
| interviewer=Ted Gorospe
| interviewee=Bear McCreary
| date=November 21, 2003
| linktext= Galactica2003.net
| linkurl= http://www.bsgtns.com
}}

== Interview ==

'''"A Battlestar Opus"'''

''''''Battlestar Galactica 2003: In the original Battlestar Galactica, the score done by [[Stu Phillips]] is considered by many fans of Battlestar Galactica one of the strongest aspects of the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original Battlestar Galactica]]. Did you listen to the original score prior to composing music for Battlestar Galactica?''''''

Bear McCreary: While I am aware of the main theme for the original Battlestar Galactica, neither Richard nor I spent much time researching the scoring style and technique used in the original show. Our goal was to take the score in a new direction, veering away from standard film scoring models. Rather than distorting the musical soundscape of the original show, we wanted to create a new one that exists entirely on its own merit.

''''''BG2003: Can you describe the process that [[Richard Gibbs]] and you went through to score Battlestar Galactica?''''''

BM: Our process was a very collaborative one. Richard, [[Michael Rymer]] and I got together frequently to work on the music. Many of the more percussive cues featured improvised Japanese and Chinese percussion, in the style of Kodo Drumming. In those cases, composers and percussionists worked closely together to create the rhythmic "motors" that would become the backbone of an action cue.

''''''BG2003: Do you feel that the score that Richard Gibbs and you put together will be as memorable as the original?''''''

BM: The score will be every bit as effective and dramatic. I also think it will be very memorable, but in a strikingly different way. Richard’s thematic elements are much simpler, buried in dark orchestral and heavy percussive colors. Our approach was to avoid heavy statements of a "Main Theme" in the brass, as is used in the original show and other science fiction epics. The score is much more subtle and psychological than music typically found in science fiction television.

''''''BG2003: Did Richard Gibbs and you find a place to use the original Battlestar Galactica theme or an interpretation of the original theme?''''''

BM: Oh yeah!

''''''BG2003: What composers do you feel influenced your work on Battlestar Galactica?''''''

BM: Much of the score was influenced by traditional Taiko Drumming (which was "temped" into the film when it was first given to us!).

''''''BG2003: As one of the composers, did you feel that you had a lot of creative freedom in scoring the film?''''''

BM: Richard and I were given artistic license, but we also wanted to stay true to the director’s vision. He feels very strongly about creating a science fiction show unlike anything ever been seen. He takes his material very seriously and, following his example, we scored the picture like a dark drama.

''''''BG2003: Was there an aspect of Battlestar Galactica that made it a challenge to score?''''''

BM: As Richard worked out the primary themes, we both found it was difficult to introduce the themes and still adhere to the concept of non-traditional scoring. In the end, Richard and Michael found a wonderful balance.

''''''BG2003: Is there a particular piece in the score you feel will stand out as memorable?''''''

BM: I am particularly proud of the cue for Adama’s "Call to Arms" speech. The live orchestra and Middle-Eastern vocals are very moving.

''''''BG2003: What kind of impression are Richard Gibbs and you trying to make to audience in this score?''''''

BM: Richard and I are trying to make Battlestar Galactica feel "real" as much as possible. We don’t want to beat anyone over the head with over-dramatic music. We tried to be subtle, because the visual content in the film is so striking.

''''''BG2003: Has any of the score been heard in the trailers that the Sci Fi Channel has played thus far?''''''

BM: No.

''''''BG2003: Was the score complete by the time the Sci Fi Channel began distributing the DVD screener for reviewers? If not, when did Richard Gibbs and you complete the score?''''''

BM: The score was not complete, but many cues were already present in the DVD screener. These cues were rough and incomplete mixes, with synthesized orchestra (we did not record the live orchestra until very recently). Final mixes on the score were dubbed into the film in mid-November.

''''''BG2003: Do you plan to stay on scoring music for Battlestar Galactica if it goes to series?''''''

BM: We’ll see what happens. I would love to be involved in future installments of the series.

''''''BG2003: Are there plans for the score to go to CD?''''''

BM: I haven’t heard anything yet, but let’s keep our fingers crossed.

'''BG2003: How do you feel that the score is equal or better than previous film scores you have worked on?'''

BM: I have always loved science fiction, and have absorbed the TV shows, comics and movies for as long as I can remember. These are the kinds of movies that made me start writing film music in the first place. So for me, this score stands out from my other work because it was my first chance to work in the genre. This is the kind of project that makes scoring films so much fun!

''''''BG2003: Thank you for your time, and we here at Battlestar Galactica 2003 wish you continued success in your career.''''''

BM: Thank you. Good luck with the website!

Sources:Interview with Bear McCreary, November 21, 2003

2006-08-08T04:37:56Z

Koenigrules:

{{interview
| interviewer=Ted Gorospe
| interviewee=Bear McCreary
| date=November 21, 2003
| linktext= Galactica2003.net
| linkurl= http://www.bsgtns.com
}}

== Interview ==

'''"A Battlestar Opus"'''

''''''Battlestar Galactica 2003: In the original Battlestar Galactica, the score done by [[Stu Phillips]] is considered by many fans of Battlestar Galactica one of the strongest aspects of the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original Battlestar Galactica]]. Did you listen to the original score prior to composing music for Battlestar Galactica?''''''

Bear McCreary: While I am aware of the main theme for the original Battlestar Galactica, neither Richard nor I spent much time researching the scoring style and technique used in the original show. Our goal was to take the score in a new direction, veering away from standard film scoring models. Rather than distorting the musical soundscape of the original show, we wanted to create a new one that exists entirely on its own merit.

''''''BG2003: Can you describe the process that [[Richard Gibbs]] and you went through to score Battlestar Galactica?''''''

BM: Our process was a very collaborative one. Richard, [[Michael Rymer]] and I got together frequently to work on the music. Many of the more percussive cues featured improvised Japanese and Chinese percussion, in the style of Kodo Drumming. In those cases, composers and percussionists worked closely together to create the rhythmic "motors" that would become the backbone of an action cue.

''''''BG2003: Do you feel that the score that Richard Gibbs and you put together will be as memorable as the original?''''''

BM: The score will be every bit as effective and dramatic. I also think it will be very memorable, but in a strikingly different way. Richard’s thematic elements are much simpler, buried in dark orchestral and heavy percussive colors. Our approach was to avoid heavy statements of a "Main Theme" in the brass, as is used in the original show and other science fiction epics. The score is much more subtle and psychological than music typically found in science fiction television.

''''''BG2003: Did Richard Gibbs and you find a place to use the original Battlestar Galactica theme or an interpretation of the original theme?''''''

BM: Oh yeah!

''''''BG2003: What composers do you feel influenced your work on Battlestar Galactica?''''''

BM: Much of the score was influenced by traditional Taiko Drumming (which was "temped" into the film when it was first given to us!).

''''''BG2003: As one of the composers, did you feel that you had a lot of creative freedom in scoring the film?''''''

BM: Richard and I were given artistic license, but we also wanted to stay true to the director’s vision. He feels very strongly about creating a science fiction show unlike anything ever been seen. He takes his material very seriously and, following his example, we scored the picture like a dark drama.

''''''BG2003: Was there an aspect of Battlestar Galactica that made it a challenge to score?''''''

BM: As Richard worked out the primary themes, we both found it was difficult to introduce the themes and still adhere to the concept of non-traditional scoring. In the end, Richard and Michael found a wonderful balance.

''''''BG2003: Is there a particular piece in the score you feel will stand out as memorable?''''''

BM: I am particularly proud of the cue for Adama’s "Call to Arms" speech. The live orchestra and Middle-Eastern vocals are very moving.

''''''BG2003: What kind of impression are Richard Gibbs and you trying to make to audience in this score?''''''

BM: Richard and I are trying to make Battlestar Galactica feel "real" as much as possible. We don’t want to beat anyone over the head with over-dramatic music. We tried to be subtle, because the visual content in the film is so striking.

''''''BG2003: Has any of the score been heard in the trailers that the Sci Fi Channel has played thus far?''''''

BM: No.

''''''BG2003: Was the score complete by the time the Sci Fi Channel began distributing the DVD screener for reviewers? If not, when did Richard Gibbs and you complete the score?''''''

BM: The score was not complete, but many cues were already present in the DVD screener. These cues were rough and incomplete mixes, with synthesized orchestra (we did not record the live orchestra until very recently). Final mixes on the score were dubbed into the film in mid-November.

''''''BG2003: Do you plan to stay on scoring music for Battlestar Galactica if it goes to series?''''''

BM: We’ll see what happens. I would love to be involved in future installments of the series.

''''''BG2003: Are there plans for the score to go to CD?''''''

BM: I haven’t heard anything yet, but let’s keep our fingers crossed.

'''BG2003: How do you feel that the score is equal or better than previous film scores you have worked on?'''

'''BM: I have always loved science fiction, and have absorbed the TV shows, comics and movies for as long as I can remember. These are the kinds of movies that made me start writing film music in the first place. So for me, this score stands out from my other work because it was my first chance to work in the genre. This is the kind of project that makes scoring films so much fun!'''

''''''BG2003: Thank you for your time, and we here at Battlestar Galactica 2003 wish you continued success in your career.''''''

BM: Thank you. Good luck with the website!

Sources:Interview with Paul Campbell, November 22, 2003 (Billy)

2006-08-08T04:31:57Z

Koenigrules:

{{interview
| interviewer=Ted Gorospe
| interviewee=Paul Campbell
| date=November 22, 2003
| linktext= Galactica2003.net
| linkurl= http://www.bsgtns.com
}}

== Interview ==

'''The interview was conducted on November 20, 2003 with Paul Campbell's manager Jim Sheasgreen from Look Management attending. Paul's sense of humor made this a very enjoyable interview. I have to say that I am very impressed this young actor's candor and honesty.'''

''''''Jim Sheasgreen: Paul...this is Ted...''''''

Paul Campbell: Hi Ted

''''''Battlestar Galactica 2003: Hi Paul. How are you doing today?''''''

PC: Couldn't be better. You?

''''''BG2003: Terrific...I really appreciate this opportunity to chat with you about your career and your role in Battlestar Galactica.''''''

PC: My pleasure.

''''''BG2003: So how did you begin your career as an actor?''''''

PC: I was originally a carpenter and decided one day to try making a little extra money doing extra work. I took an acting class and in the first five minutes I knew I wanted to do it for the rest of my life.

''''''BG2003: Is there a contemporary actor or actors you have modeled yourself after?''''''

PC: I think I find myself wanting to be a Johnny Depp or but I'm more of a Tom Hanks. I've set my sights pretty low.

''We all break into laughter''

''''''BG2003: How do you envision your career over the next twenty years?''''''

PC: I imagine I will work mostly in film but I would love to get back into the theatre where I started. Broadway sounds nice.

''''''BG2003: Would you like to go into writing or producing someday?''''''

PC: Producing is something I haven't really considered much although I am currently writing a mockumentry that I would like to either produce or have produced sometime in 2004.

''''''BG2003: Can you tell us a little about your mockumentary? It sounds very interesting.''''''

PC: Hmmn... what to give away? Let's just say it involves two fairly unlikely brothers and the Olsen twins. It's going to be an absolute riot.

''''''BG2003: Sure sounds like a riot. So how did you come about to audition for Battlestar Galactica?''''''

PC: Interesting story actually. One day my manager called me up and said "Paul, you've got an audition tomorrow". I asked what for and he said "Paul, Battlestar Galactica". I said "Cool".

''''''BG2003: Were you a fan of the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original Battlestar Galactica]] series?''''''

PC: I had actually heard very little about it. I did know that the original Cylons looked like Kmart toasters and it had a huge cult following but not much else.

''''''BG2003: Did you take part in the Battlestar Galactica boot camp prior to filming that the producers put together?''''''

PC: No damn it, I wasn't invited. I wasn't actually a soldier in the show so I guess I didn't really need to go but I heard it was a blast.

''''''BG2003: Can you tell us a little about your character Billy Keikeya?''''''

PC: Billy Billy Billy, let's see. Billy is an incredibly smart, ambitous young man. His somewhat clumsy first impression is quite misleading in that he is actually quite the force to be reckoned with. Oh yeah, quite the ladies man I might add.

''Paul Campbell grins.''

''''''BG2003: Is there one particular lady like Dualla that Billy gets close to?''''''

PC: Billy never kisses and tells.

''''''BG2003: I am sure he doesn't.''''''

''I break out with a chuckle''

''''''BG2003: What was it like working with Kandyse McClure?''''''

PC: It was great. She is incredibly personable (not to mention gorgeous) and she is very professional. We got along like gangbusters.

''''''BG2003: Another lady you have plenty of screentime with is [[Mary McDonnell]]. What was it like to work with Mary?''''''

PC: Probably the best learning experience of my young career to date. Mary is sooooo good at what she does that it's almost impossible to screw up a scene with her. I tried. Believe me. She is also one of the sweetest people I have ever met. She was a delight. I probably couldn't say enough good things about her.

''''''BG2003: Can you describe Mary's character [[Laura Roslin]] for the fans?''''''

PC: Laura is basically as close to becoming superwoman as any woman could without wearing her underwear on the outside of her tights. She is strong and passionate. Cool as ice during every crisis, levelheaded and brave. At the same time she manages to hang on to her compassion and caring and in reality she is incredibly vulnerable, she just chooses the right moments to show it.

''''''BG2003: So what was it like work with Edward James Olmos?''''''

PC: Oh Eddy, or Ed as I like to call him. Unfortunately I didn't get to spend as much time with him as with Mary but I did get a few great opportunities to watch him work. He is a rock. Same thing as Mary, he just knows his craft so well that when he speaks everyone just stops to listen. I'll tell you a quick story that I find hilarious that I think the fans will like...

We were shooting a scene with Mary and Edward and it was right near the end of a very long day. The scene was from near the end of the script and it is an epic standoff between the two. They are sitting across from each other separated by a desk. Adama wants to stay and fight and Mary is telling him that we need to run and repopulate. On about the fifth take, instead of getting up and walking away as Mary is yelling we need to start making babies he calmly points to the desk and says let's get started. I may have wet my pants.

''Everyone breaks out in laughter''

''''''BG2003: I hope they captured that on film for the blooper reel.''''''

PC: They did! I saw it at the wrap party.

''''''BG2003: That is truly a hilarious story. It sounds like the cast had a great time during the shoot. What was it like to work with [[Michael Rymer]]? I have heard he is quite an actor's director. Is this true?''''''

PC: Absolutely. There were a couple of times I got stuck, one in particular where I knew what I was doing just wasn't right. Michael never lost his cool he just came out every take and gave me a new idea. I think we did about eight takes before we had something we liked. He was always very encouraging and knew exactly what he wanted. I never felt rushed or put upon in any way.

''''''BG2003: Did you get a chance to get to know Katee Sackhoff on set? If so, what was she like? Do you think fans will accept her as Starbuck?''''''

''Paul breaks out in laughter''

PC: Funny you should ask. Actually no, I didn't really get to know her. I would have liked to though. She has a very strong personality and was always cracking jokes. Good kid. As far as Starbuck... Abso-fucking-lutely!!! I think people will be blown away by her performance. She was a truly great choice for the role.

''''''BG2003: Was there one particular cast member you enjoyed spending more time with?''''''

PC: I really enjoyed my time with Mary, I was always learning something new and she was simply a fascinating person to talk to but I also really enjoyed hanging around James Callis (Gaius Baltar). He would make me laugh until my jaw fell off. He was incredibly silly and it always just put me on the floor. A couple of times during scenes with him I would just burst out laughing. I couldn't help it

''''''BG2003: James just had a son with his wife Neha in early November. Did you hear from James about that event?''''''

PC: No, I knew that they were expecting but to be honest most of my time during the shoot was spent with Mary so I never really developed friendships with the rest of the cast. I'm pretty shy anyway.

''''''BG2003: Are you coming back to Battlestar Galactica if it goes to series?''''''

PC: Good question. So far there have been no talks of doing the series but we will see if the opportunity arises.

''''''BG2003: If it does go to series, is there a direction you would like the writers to take Billy to?''''''

PC: I'm thinking Vice President of the world. I'd say he's ready for that.

''We all break out in laughter''

''''''BG2003: Does Laura have a VP? If not, then I think that would be a good idea.''''''

PC: No, everyone else was killed. I'm already her assistant and confidant so it's only logical.

''''''BG2003: If Battlestar Galactica becomes a successful science fiction franchise like Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate SG-1, etc., are you afraid of being typed cast in the industry?''''''

PC: Well first of all that is assuming I decide to do the series and yes that is certainly a concern, on the other hand Billy isn't necessarily the sort of character that falls into that trap. He isn't a lead and he's pretty versatile.

''''''BG2003: One of things Ronald D. Moore has said consistently in every interview thus far is Battlestar Galactica is not traditional science fiction. Do you feel the same?''''''

PC: Well if anyone knows traditional science fiction Ron Moore does. But I do agree. Even just watching the trailer you can see that it isn't you typical campy space flick and it's relevance to the goings on in today's turbulent social and political atmosphere really makes it feel much more like a gritty war drama.

''''''BG2003: Has anything surprised you about being an actor? How people treat you, working on a set, the gypsy lifestyle of constantly moving, and doing different things?''''''

PC: This question looks vaguely familiar to one posted on the "ask Paul Campbell" thread on [http://www.mediavlvd.com mediablvd.com]. Hmnn... The whole industry is shocking in that it is completely its own world so far removed from reality if Columbo and Matlock teamed up they wouldn't find it. People treat actors like royalty which is a little weird although it's nice having help getting your pants on but it really just seems surreal.

''We start laughing and break into a discussion about Lisa’s ability to create questions.''

PC: I actually sat down the other night and spent two hours answering all those questions and when I went to post I erased all my answers so I gave up.

''More chuckling from the group''

''''''BG2003: I have another one from Lisa ..., "Have you noticed any differences between working in Canada on a project and working in the US on one?"''''''

PC: Well no, but that doesn't mean much because I've never actually worked in the US. The casting directors are certainly different.

''''''BG2003: Are you pleased with the production of Battlestar Galactica? How would you compare it to previous projects you worked on?''''''

PC: I am pleased. It had a much bigger budget that most things I had previously worked on and that is reflected in how good it looks. But it actually came out looking much better than I expected

''''''BG2003: I have another one from Lisa, "I've heard that much of an actors time on the set, is spent waiting to perform. What kinds of things do you like to do to pass the time? "''''''

PC: I love to read and write. Coloring books are also good. I listen to a lot of music but mostly I like to stay out on set and check out the action. I'm sorry Ted I actually have to run off to make a dinner engagement. How bout one more question?

''''''BG2003: What's your message to the fans of Battlestar Galactica?''''''

PC: For the skeptics and the naysayers, don't knock it till you've tried it, and for those like me who can't wait to see it, I know for a fact that you are all going to be blown away.

''''''BG2003: Thanks for your time Paul and I wish you continued success in your career!''''''

PC: Thank you Ted, it's been a pleasure

''''''BG2003: The pleasure was all mine.''''''

Sources:Interview with Michael R. Joyce, October 18, 2003

2006-08-05T23:59:35Z

Koenigrules:

{{interview
| interviewer=Ted Gorospe
| interviewee=Michael Joyce
| date=October 18, 2003
| linktext= Galactica2003.net
| linkurl= http://www.bsgtns.com
}}

== Interview ==

'''Michael R. Joyce: The Man Who Sought Change'''

[[Michael R. Joyce]] is a very well respected producer in the industry who produced shows such as ''Attila'' and ''Raising Cain''. When asked about his involvement in Battlestar Galactica, he answered,” I was the original Producer on the show and had been involved with it for about 9 months."

Joyce was very open about his involvement in the production. Some fans have targeted [[Ronald D. Moore]] and [[David Eick]] for the many cosmetic changes in sets, costumes, Cylon robots, and spaceships. Not so was the case in pre-production. A third of the way through the pre-production, the sets, costumes, Cylon robots, and spaceships were simple updates of the original series. Producer Michael R. Joyce is the man who sought change when he began his job as producer for the ''Battlestar Galactica'' [[miniseries]]. When asked about the early pre-production stage, Joyce answered,” When I came on board, I worked with Ron Moore and David Eick figuring out the best approach for mounting the production. We had some very early design work done and then things went into a hold pattern while Sci-Fi approved revisions in the script...”

During the time the ''Sci Fi Channel'' was approving revisions to Moore's script, Joyce went off on another project. Joyce says,” I proceeded up to Vancouver to produce the pilot for the series ''Peacemakers''; all the while bringing together the crew members for ''Battlestar (Galactica)'' while the Studio was looking for a Director."

This time was very important during pre-production as Joyce sought to bring in people who shared his vision of a brave new approach to conceptual designs for ''Battlestar Galactica''. When asked why he sought change to a vastly different look with little influence from the original ''Battlestar Galactica'' costumes and sets, he answered,” I must also say that although I was involved at Fox on the first Star Wars, I did not have much interest in the original series of ''Battlestar (Galactica)'' and again my viewpoint to this production is possible more as the Line Producer "gun for hire" than a "fan" of the series."

Joyce having never being a fan of the original ''Battlestar Galactica'' and someone associated with the ''Star Wars'' production sought to separate ''Battlestar Galactica'' from ''Star Wars''. To him, the original look of the original series represented Star Wars and the changes had to be made. When returning to the production, Joyce says,” Once completing ''Peacemakers'' I covered ''Battlestar (Galactica)'' on the last schedule changes, the final budgeting, the hiring of the Visual Effects Supervisor ([[Gary Hutzel]]) and the hiring of the Production Designer ([[Richard Hudolin]])."

With Hutzel and Hudolin in place, Joyce once again pushed for change in the production's conceptual look. His persistence paid off as Ronald D. Moore and David Eick bought his philosophy and scrapped the updated designs for a new original look for ''Battlestar Galactica''. Joyce says,” I was around for the concept approvals and what really amounted to having everything in place before we started to build sets. In fact the week I left the show, the Costume Designer (Deborah Everton) and the Director of Photography (Joel Ransom) were hired as was the Editor ([[Dany Cooper]]). The sound stages were walked for set construction planning and the locations were being surveyed for the first time by the Director ([[Michael Rymer]]). My real involvement ends there."

Once Joyce accomplished his goal in creating a new look and direction for ''Battlestar Galactica'', he left the production. Joyce says,” Unfortunately in February I had to pull out of the show due to spinal surgery required. So the term consulting basically is a nod to my work in the set up and prep of the show. It was about 6 weeks from shooting by the time I had to return to L.A. for surgery. And apart from the project still being made through my company, from that time on I did not participate in the production of the show."

Michael R. Joyce set out a tall order in pushing for change and his vision for change has come to fruition. Although some fans have been upset with these changes, Joyce believes he did the right thing in ensuring ''Battlestar Galactica'''s future.

User talk:Koenigrules

2006-08-05T20:22:31Z

Koenigrules: /* Appreciation */

User talk:Koenigrules

2006-08-05T20:21:56Z

Koenigrules: /* Appreciation */

== Welcome to Battlestar Wiki! ==

Welcome to the Wiki, Koenigrules. Feel free to tell us about yourself on [[User:Koenigrules|your user page]]. Before you get started on other edits, please read the [[Battlestar Wiki:Standards and Conventions]], which details the policies we use in editing pages (this differs from many other wikis in consistent use of phrasing, abbreviations, format, and the like).

Also, if you have any questions or suggestions you wish to offer, please feel free to do so either on your user talk page, the [[Battlestar Wiki:Wikipedian Quorum|Wikipedian Quorum]] or [[Battlestar Wiki:Administrators' noticeboard|Administrators' noticeboard]]. Remember to sign your posts on any talk pages using four tildes (~~~~) --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 22:57, 22 April 2006 (CDT)

:I think [[Battlestar_Wiki_talk:Citation_Jihad#Compromise_Proposal_re_KoenigRules|this proposal]] could solve our recent consternation. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 22:59, 22 April 2006 (CDT)

==Appreciation==

I appreciate you recent contribs, and hope you add more in the future. I know that you have a lot to contribute. --[[User:Gougef|FrankieG]] 10:08, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:Thanks again; do you have any more of these?--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 10:16, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
I sure do. Thanks for the support guys. And I did get permission from Ian Cullen on August 4 to post his 2002 interview with RDM. I would also like to post any "unconfirmed rumors" that I announce on Shaunomac's S2D show. Would that be a problem?
[[User:Koenigrules|Koenigrules]] 10:55, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:We have develop a really strict policy (see [[BattleStar Wiki:Citation Jihad |Citation Jihad]]) about everything has to be officially sourced. Maybe we can "advertise" your appearances on the show? We should be able to come up with some way to get people pointed toward them somewhere. Other ideas? --[[User:Gougef|FrankieG]] 10:55, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
::Perhaps we could bump up Subject2Discussion to the Main Page's links section, as there are so many cast members that appear on the show, etc....wait a minute I think it isn't even in our links archive...I'll fix that...--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 11:00, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:::Added it in, though I don't know how we decide what goes on the front page; btw why do we only have 3 sites listed in each link category on the front? I always thought like 4-5 should be on the front. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 11:07, 5 August 2006 (CDT)

:::If the Mp3's where transcribed with a spoiler tag they can be stored on the show if they have any thing related, but nothing inside BSG can cite to the source page. The {{tl|podcastother}} and {{tl|spoiler}} tag would need to be used for those '''Source''' pages. (i.e. [[Sources:Subject 2 Discussion, 11 April 2006]]) It be basically historical purposes only. --[[User:Shane|Shane]] ([[User_Talk:Shane|T]] - [[Special:Contributions/Shane|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/Shane|E]]) 11:05, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:More interviews and info would be excellent, but I really think that you shouldn't post any "unconfirmed rumors". After that big arguement in April, we had a discussion over how to deal with the ongoing problem of "how do we know if someone is passing along an honest rumor, or is just some livejournal girl making stuff up about Roslin and Adama getting married, etc? So now unless a cast or crew member can be directly cited as saying something, we don't post it. We don't post unsourced stuff that appears on S2J...and we don't even post like, spoilers from TVGuide which can't be confirmed-->I.e. if TV guide has a David Eick interview we'll use that, but if like Mike Ausellio says "there are rumors that Ellen Tigh is going to die"...to be honest I think TVguide and others are often just using ''you'' and S2J as their info source (which is cool for you, I think) but ultimately we thought the way to avoid any future conflicts over whether or not unsourced stuff is true is simply to have a really strict "only cited cast or crew" policy on that. It's a bit limiting, but I support it because I think it would lead to less future conflict. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 10:58, 5 August 2006 (CDT)

:::If you could advertise when I would be on with BSG information, that would be helpful. I am not on every week, and sometimes I provide info about other shows: the Gates, The 4400 and WHO. But if you can find a way to mention when I am on S2D with respect to BSG a day or two earlier than the airing, that would be helpful. Typically, Shaunomac sets up his agenda late Sunday night- early Monday am. So just tell me who to contact (via PM), and I can do that- if you are still interested in advertising S2D at some point. Otherwise, I will keep on providing interview contributions to your site- and hopefully new ones as well.-[[User:Koenigrules|Koenigrules]] 13:10, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
::::Oh yeah, we'll just stick it in our Main Page's News box (or you can yourself); to edit that go to "[[Battlestar Wiki:News]]". (Btw, I agree: Stargate: Atlantis is a good concept but it's really shape up or ship out at this point)--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 13:14, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
::::More interviews are up with RDM & Aaron Douglas. Enjoy.-[[User:Koenigrules|Koenigrules]] 15:35, 5 August 2006 (CDT)

Sources:Interview with Aaron Douglas, December 10, 2003 (Tyrol)

2006-08-05T20:04:42Z

Koenigrules:

--

{{interview
| interviewer=Ted Gorospe
| interviewee=Aaron Douglas
| date=December 10, 2003
| linktext= Galactica2003.net
| linkurl= http://www.bsgtns.com
}}

== Interview ==

'''[[Aaron Douglas]]: The Purist Cast Member'''

''''''Battlestar Galactica 2003: Aaron, we here at Battlestar Galactica 2003 really appreciate this opportunity to interview the talented actor who plays the character who keeps the Galactica and Vipers battle ready, [[Chief Tyrol]].

I really enjoyed your performance in the opening episode of the miniseries. What was your initial reaction during the premiere when you saw your performance onscreen?''''''

Aaron Douglas: Thank you very much for that. My initial reaction was a good one. I was quite pleased with my performance and the amount of screen time that I ended up having. That is a hard thing to say because it may sound immodest but I am my worst critic and I would tear myself apart if I felt that I was poor. What many people don't know is that because Tyrol was not in the original BSG he was not a large character in this one in the script. It was about two days into shooting my character when [[David Eick]] came to me after a take and told me to make up some lines as I had been ad-libbing, which i always do. From then on Tyrol was added to many scenes and many days and I ended up improvising about 60% or more of my dialogue.

''''''BG2003: During Battlestar Galactica: The Lowdown, you said you were a fan of the original show and kind of a ‘purist’. What did you mean when you said ‘purist’?''''''

AD: I do not believe that things should be remade. Period… If it was great the first time come up with a new idea and leave greatness alone. It would be like remaking JAWS or the original Star Wars or Gone with the Wind starring J. Lo and Ben. Having said that I really wanted to do the show from the get-go but I did not really want it done. The good thing about Tyrol is, again he was not in the original so I don't have the venom aimed at me like some of the others. I ended up taking the approach that I did with Lord of the Rings. The book and the movies have become two entirely separate entities to me. You have to take them both on their own merits and enjoy them for what they are. The original BSG was fantastic and I loved it as a kid. I think this one is good to but it will never compare to watching the original as a kid filled with wonder and not having the advancements in technology to make the effects we have today. A remake of JAWS would look really cool and the special effects would be incredible but it would never compare to the original and would have to be looked at as its own show.

''''''BG2003: What was your reaction when you first read the script? Did you have any mixed feelings being a fan of the original show about certain changes like the Cylon origins, character gender changes, etc?''''''

AD: Absolutely. I felt the same as many of the fans on the websites. I thought, "Why does Hollywood do this?" Come up with your own freakin' ideas. But I knew it would be huge and if done right would be great which I think it is. I like the ideas of the Cylons and some of the gender changes. I think it gives the ship a more humanistic feel. We are flawed, even way out in space. It is more 'real' I think than some of the other Sci-fi shows where the heroes are larger than life and their flaws are endearing whereas on BSG some people are just plain jerks. Don't get me wrong I am a huge Sci-fi fan and love Star Trek, almost all of the incarnations, and I have done two Stargate Sg-1 episodes, also just finished an Andromeda episode and I love these shows and they were great to work. I think the lads at the top wanted to take Sci-fi in a new direction and give it a new feel.

''''''BG2003: When the producers said that you were going to be attending boot camp, what was your initial reaction? Did you enjoy your time at boot camp?''''''

AD: Scared to death... Exhilarated... Excited. I knew [[Ron Blecker]] from X2 and I knew he could be deadly. Great guy, love him to death but ex-US Special Forces Army Ranger is a frightening moniker to come at me with. I loved boot camp. I roomed with John Mann who is also the lead singer for Spirit of the West and we had a great time. Parts of it were tough but it was a tremendous experience that I would certainly do again.

'''''''''BG2003: What was the most memorable moment of the boot camp?'''''''''

AD: Wow! The two hours of hard core physical training brought to us by Ocean Bloom, Ms. Fitness Everything. Deadly! Mike Eklund and Nikki Clyne's presenting the Vipers. Hilarious! After that, losing the obstacle race… I don't like to lose... I'll be fine... still think we won... never mind... just bitter and rambling... but I think they cheated, or paid Ron (Blecker) off with the stopwatch... jerks.

''''''BG2003: During the first day on the set, what impression did the sets make on you?''''''

AD: Just how huge they were. It is always cool to go to set for the first time and see they being created or having just finished. With the hanger deck being Tyrol's place of work it was fun to go and move things around and make it his home.

''''''BG2003: What was your reaction when you saw the full-sized Viper Mk II? What kind of material were you given to become familiar with the Viper Mk II? If so, can you share some of your technical knowledge of the Viper Mk II?''''''

AD: It is wild to see what set-deck, props and those guys and gals come up with. More impressive to me was hanging out with the original Vipers which were shipped up from LA so we could use them. They gave us some ideas of technical specs but one of the exercises in boot camp was to do research and come up with the specs for all of the ships and weapons systems. We had David Dodge from the H.R. MacMillan Space Center in Vancouver come out and give a presentation on the properties of space and what would really be taking place out there. He dismissed a lot of what Sci-fi shows use as fact and really helped us understand the properties of space and space travel. We added a lot of that into our creation of the ships and they really became our own.

''''''BG2003: What is the big technical difference between the Viper Mk VII and Viper Mk II?''''''

AD: Ask Jamie Bamber or Michael Eklund or Nikki Clyne

''''''BG2003: What did you think of the Raptor? Did you have to become familiar with Raptor as well? If so, can you share some of your technical knowledge of the Raptor?''''''

AD: I really liked the idea of a reconnaissance ship. It really makes sense to have a ship that is purely there to find the bad guys and all of its power and systems are geared for to that end. Grace and Tahmoh have all of the data on that.

''''''BG2003: As a fan of the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]], what is your opinion of the new Galactica?''''''

AD: I really like it. Not because I am in it but because I think it is quite good. I understand the ideas behind doing it and the way the director thinks so I think I 'get it' right away whereas it may take some a while to settle into it. It certainly is a departure from 'normal' Sci-fi.

''''''BG2003: Was there a technical manual to familiarize your self with the Galactica herself? If so, can you share some of your technical knowledge of the Galactica?''''''

AD: Just a very simple outline from the creators of the ship... The rest we created on our own through research and use of the web to see what the fans would expect. As a fan myself there is nothing worse than having things that do not make sense in technical shows. I know how frustrating that can be and it really takes the believability out of it. We really made sure that we only assigned properties that are founded in science and did not make things up for the sake of having something to say. I have notes on all of this but they are at the bottom of a storage room in a box. If I go to a convention I promise I will bring all of my boot camp stuff and all of my manuals and everything that they gave us and told us to keep secret until it aired.

''''''BG2003: How would you describe your character [[Chief Tyrol]]?''''''

AD: Loyal to a fault. Integrity, honesty and hard work are what mean the most to him. Tough on the outside but really cares…Do not cross him. Once he finds a reason to not like you it is over for you. Work hard and be fair to those around you. He surrounds himself with the best and expects their best. He hates weakness. (He) sees it as dangerous and a sign of poor leadership. If he believes in a cause he will fight it till the end. If he believes in a leader he will give his life for him or her. He is very good at what he does and likes to be left alone to do his work. Tell him what you need and he will get it done. He can often say too much and get himself in trouble, particularly when he is mad or frustrated. He can seem very cold and aloof but that is the wall around him. He is hard to read and understand but those who do 'get him' love him.

''''''BG2003: What is Tyrol’s first name?''''''

AD: Chief...of course

''''''BG2003: Why do you feel has such a high respect for Commander Adama but seems to hold a much lower opinion of Colonel Tigh?''''''

AD: Adama is strong and fair. He is flawed but they are similar flaws to Tyrol. He is a good leader despite his shortcomings. He does not allow these to interfere with the job at hand. Tigh is a indecisive drunk who Tyrol does not respect because he is weak. He makes poor decisions and is rash and uncompromising.

''''''BG2003: Do you feel that the Galactica had the extra 40 seconds to save more lives of Tyrol’s men or do you think Tigh made the right decision?''''''

AD: Good question. Tyrol believes in the ability of his people to get the job done. Tyrol thinks that they had the 40 seconds and that Adama is covering for Tigh. He understands that Adama must and that it is not his place to push it further even though he wanted to beat the hell out of Tigh on the bridge right then and there. There is that little voice in Tyrol's head that tells him to leave Tigh for now and go to his people. Taking him out right there would mean the brig and that helps no one. His crew needs him. I guarantee you this though, next time there is an emergency Tyrol will not be looking for orders. He will make the decision on his own. It is easier to get forgiveness than it is to get permission. Tyrol does trust Lt. Kelly and may consult with him in future.

''''''BG2003: How does your character view the volatile Kara “Starbuck” Thrace?''''''

AD: Tyrol gets Starbuck and respects her. She pushes things a little far sometimes but Tyrol believes she is founded in her convictions and would never begrudge anyone that. She gets it done and works hard. She is straight up with him and he is with her.

''''''BG2003: How do you feel about [[Katee Sackhoff’s]] portrayal of Starbuck? Do you fans will accept her as Starbuck?''''''

AD: I like Katee, as a person and an actor. She was great to work with and a lot of fun. Time will tell whether or not people accept her. I think they will ultimately. The reaction is not unexpected. It would be similar if they put anyone other than the original cast in these spots. People will come to see that she owns this character and is a very good actor. After night 2 some opinions will change I think. I hope.

''''''BG2003: Onscreen, you have a romantic relationship with Boomer. Can you describe what it was like to work with [[Grace Park]]?''''''

AD: Grace is fabulous. She is very sweet and very professional. Grace is a lot of fun on set and always ready for a laugh. She will try anything once and is a damn good kisser. I wrecked a lot of takes just after the kiss. "Aw crap, sorry guys gotta go again. My bad." The only unfortunate thing is for her. She got me. Yikes!

''''''BG2003: What was the experience like working with your fellow grease monkeys [[Michael Eklund]], [[Alonso Oyarzun]], and [[Nikki Clyne]]?''''''

AD: That should read 'drunk grease monkeys'. Michael and I did a Budweiser commercial together about 2 years ago so we have a friendship from before. I had just met Alonzo and Nikki and we really became a team immediately. It is funny, at the boot camp we had team building exercises and although we were not separated into specific groups the officers went with the officers and the enlisted people went with each other. The tam was really created right then and there and it stayed that way throughout the shoot. I love those guys.

''''''BG2003: Many of your fellow cast members have commented that [[Edward James Olmos]] has a commanding presence on the set. Did you feel the same way and what did you think of his portrayal of Commander Adama?''''''

AD: He does and I think that is because of who he is and his professionalism. He knows that we are not saving lives so he doesn't take it too seriously but seriously enough to do great work. He is a lot of fun on set. He can be a real prankster during takes so as an actor you have to watch out for that. He and I had a lot of fun and we have some great out takes. He is just very comfortable and confident on set and that I think translates into his portrayal of Adama. Adama owns the ship as Eddie owns the set. I though he is very good as Adama and I love the intensity he brings to the character without making it overdramatic. He is a very talented man and that shows through.

''''''BG2003: What was it like working with Director [[Michael Rymer]]?''''''

AD: I love Michael. I know everyone says that about every director, at least in public but I truly have a great respect and affection for the man. He really understands how each of us work and how to get the best performance out of us. At the end of the day I would look back and realize just how manipulated I was throughout the day. I would begin in one place and as each take went by he would bring me to where he ultimately wanted the scene to be. If he had tried to direct me there on the first take it would not have worked as well. He and I have a great understanding and shorthand with each other and we can work very quickly and effectively with each other. He had a really specific vision for the show and held true to that vision throughout and I believe he has set the standard for the series should it come to that. I look forward to working with Michael again and hopefully soon. The best part of Michael is that he understands that the best way to work with me is to loosen the chain, turn me on and let me go. Steer me gently in the direction you want me to go but just get out of the way. I really appreciate him for that.

''''''BG2003: What was the memorable moment for you during the Battlestar Galactica production?''''''

AD: When I realized that Michael and David were taking my ideas seriously and letting me improv and create Tyrol and make him more than what they had envisioned. That and I remember one time sitting alone watching all of the work happening and thinking, "Holy sh*#! I am really here doing this show." I thought that Brent Spiner or LeVar Burton must have had similar moments in the opening days of Generation, the fact that you are there on something that could be so life changing and monumental. Not that I am comparing myself to them or this show to that but that was my thought process. The Sci-fi community is so large and the fans are greater and more passionate than any other medium and they can really take and show or a character and make it out of this world. That is very exciting to me.

''''''BG2003: Will you return to Battlestar Galactica if it goes to series?''''''

AD: That will depend on if they and the fans want me as Tyrol. I loved doing the show and I would want to return to the series but we shall see. It has been my favorite piece to work on to date.

''''''BG2003: What are your career goals?''''''

AD: The same as most actors I think. Steady work. I would love to do some really important shows that have a lasting effect and a real social commentary but not preachy. There are some great people I would love to meet and work with. I want a level of notoriety that would allow me to use my name to help some charities that are very important to me. I want to move people the way I have been moved. I want to touch people the way I have been touched. I want to have people come to me and say," thank you for making me laugh or thank you for your work, you took me away for a few hours and it was fun." That is the greatest compliment I could receive. People telling me that I have affected their lives. That is very cool.

''''''BG2003: What other productions are you working on in the near future?''''''

AD: As of last week I am unemployed, for now. It usually lasts a couple of weeks. I have recently finished Walking Tall, Riddick, White Noise, I-Robot, Paycheck, Andromeda and Cat Woman. Hopefully the new year will bring more work.

''''''BG2003: What is your message to Battlestar Galactica fans around the world?''''''

AD: Enjoy the show for what it is. It will never be the original. Nothing could ever be the original. Write to Sci-fi and go on chat rooms. Networks have entire staffs that go on-line to see what the fans are saying, they really do. Shows and story lines can and do change based on what you people have to say. If you like a character let them know. If you hate one let them know that too, as long as it is not me.

Thank you to everyone who watches the show and lets me into their lives for a few hours. It means a lot to me. See you at the conventions. Come and say hi.

''''''BG2003: Thanks once again Aaron for this interview and we here at Battlestar Galactica 2003 wish you continued success in your career.''''''

User talk:Koenigrules

2006-08-05T18:01:42Z

Koenigrules: /* Appreciation */

User talk:Koenigrules

2006-08-05T18:00:47Z

Koenigrules: /* Appreciation */

== Welcome to Battlestar Wiki! ==

Welcome to the Wiki, Koenigrules. Feel free to tell us about yourself on [[User:Koenigrules|your user page]]. Before you get started on other edits, please read the [[Battlestar Wiki:Standards and Conventions]], which details the policies we use in editing pages (this differs from many other wikis in consistent use of phrasing, abbreviations, format, and the like).

Also, if you have any questions or suggestions you wish to offer, please feel free to do so either on your user talk page, the [[Battlestar Wiki:Wikipedian Quorum|Wikipedian Quorum]] or [[Battlestar Wiki:Administrators' noticeboard|Administrators' noticeboard]]. Remember to sign your posts on any talk pages using four tildes (~~~~) --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 22:57, 22 April 2006 (CDT)

:I think [[Battlestar_Wiki_talk:Citation_Jihad#Compromise_Proposal_re_KoenigRules|this proposal]] could solve our recent consternation. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 22:59, 22 April 2006 (CDT)

==Appreciation==

I appreciate you recent contribs, and hope you add more in the future. I know that you have a lot to contribute. --[[User:Gougef|FrankieG]] 10:08, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:Thanks again; do you have any more of these?--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 10:16, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
I sure do. Thanks for the support guys. And I did get permission from Ian Cullen on August 4 to post his 2002 interview with RDM. I would also like to post any "unconfirmed rumors" that I announce on Shaunomac's S2D show. Would that be a problem?
[[User:Koenigrules|Koenigrules]] 10:55, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:We have develop a really strict policy (see [[BattleStar Wiki:Citation Jihad |Citation Jihad]]) about everything has to be officially sourced. Maybe we can "advertise" your appearances on the show? We should be able to come up with some way to get people pointed toward them somewhere. Other ideas? --[[User:Gougef|FrankieG]] 10:55, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
::Perhaps we could bump up Subject2Discussion to the Main Page's links section, as there are so many cast members that appear on the show, etc....wait a minute I think it isn't even in our links archive...I'll fix that...--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 11:00, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:::Added it in, though I don't know how we decide what goes on the front page; btw why do we only have 3 sites listed in each link category on the front? I always thought like 4-5 should be on the front. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 11:07, 5 August 2006 (CDT)

:::If the Mp3's where transcribed with a spoiler tag they can be stored on the show if they have any thing related, but nothing inside BSG can cite to the source page. The {{tl|podcastother}} and {{tl|spoiler}} tag would need to be used for those '''Source''' pages. (i.e. [[Sources:Subject 2 Discussion, 11 April 2006]]) It be basically historical purposes only. --[[User:Shane|Shane]] ([[User_Talk:Shane|T]] - [[Special:Contributions/Shane|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/Shane|E]]) 11:05, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:More interviews and info would be excellent, but I really think that you shouldn't post any "unconfirmed rumors". After that big arguement in April, we had a discussion over how to deal with the ongoing problem of "how do we know if someone is passing along an honest rumor, or is just some livejournal girl making stuff up about Roslin and Adama getting married, etc? So now unless a cast or crew member can be directly cited as saying something, we don't post it. We don't post unsourced stuff that appears on S2J...and we don't even post like, spoilers from TVGuide which can't be confirmed-->I.e. if TV guide has a David Eick interview we'll use that, but if like Mike Ausellio says "there are rumors that Ellen Tigh is going to die"...to be honest I think TVguide and others are often just using ''you'' and S2J as their info source (which is cool for you, I think) but ultimately we thought the way to avoid any future conflicts over whether or not unsourced stuff is true is simply to have a really strict "only cited cast or crew" policy on that. It's a bit limiting, but I support it because I think it would lead to less future conflict. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 10:58, 5 August 2006 (CDT)

:::If you could advertise when I would be on with BSG information, that would be helpful. I am not on every week, and sometimes I provide info about other shows: the Gates, The 4400 and WHO. But if you can find a way to mention when I am on S2D with respect to BSG a day or two earlier than the airing, that would be helpful. Typically, Shaunomac sets up his agenda late Sunday night- early Monday am. So just tell me who to contact (via PM), and I can do that- if you are still interested in advertising S2D at some point. Otherwise, I will keep on providing interview contributions to your site- and hopefully new ones as well.[User:Koenigrules|Koenigrules] 13:10, 5 August 2006 (CDT)

User talk:Koenigrules

2006-08-05T18:00:06Z

Koenigrules: /* Appreciation */

== Welcome to Battlestar Wiki! ==

Welcome to the Wiki, Koenigrules. Feel free to tell us about yourself on [[User:Koenigrules|your user page]]. Before you get started on other edits, please read the [[Battlestar Wiki:Standards and Conventions]], which details the policies we use in editing pages (this differs from many other wikis in consistent use of phrasing, abbreviations, format, and the like).

Also, if you have any questions or suggestions you wish to offer, please feel free to do so either on your user talk page, the [[Battlestar Wiki:Wikipedian Quorum|Wikipedian Quorum]] or [[Battlestar Wiki:Administrators' noticeboard|Administrators' noticeboard]]. Remember to sign your posts on any talk pages using four tildes (~~~~) --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 22:57, 22 April 2006 (CDT)

:I think [[Battlestar_Wiki_talk:Citation_Jihad#Compromise_Proposal_re_KoenigRules|this proposal]] could solve our recent consternation. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 22:59, 22 April 2006 (CDT)

==Appreciation==

I appreciate you recent contribs, and hope you add more in the future. I know that you have a lot to contribute. --[[User:Gougef|FrankieG]] 10:08, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:Thanks again; do you have any more of these?--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 10:16, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
I sure do. Thanks for the support guys. And I did get permission from Ian Cullen on August 4 to post his 2002 interview with RDM. I would also like to post any "unconfirmed rumors" that I announce on Shaunomac's S2D show. Would that be a problem?
[[User:Koenigrules|Koenigrules]] 10:55, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:We have develop a really strict policy (see [[BattleStar Wiki:Citation Jihad |Citation Jihad]]) about everything has to be officially sourced. Maybe we can "advertise" your appearances on the show? We should be able to come up with some way to get people pointed toward them somewhere. Other ideas? --[[User:Gougef|FrankieG]] 10:55, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
::Perhaps we could bump up Subject2Discussion to the Main Page's links section, as there are so many cast members that appear on the show, etc....wait a minute I think it isn't even in our links archive...I'll fix that...--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 11:00, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:::Added it in, though I don't know how we decide what goes on the front page; btw why do we only have 3 sites listed in each link category on the front? I always thought like 4-5 should be on the front. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 11:07, 5 August 2006 (CDT)

:::If the Mp3's where transcribed with a spoiler tag they can be stored on the show if they have any thing related, but nothing inside BSG can cite to the source page. The {{tl|podcastother}} and {{tl|spoiler}} tag would need to be used for those '''Source''' pages. (i.e. [[Sources:Subject 2 Discussion, 11 April 2006]]) It be basically historical purposes only. --[[User:Shane|Shane]] ([[User_Talk:Shane|T]] - [[Special:Contributions/Shane|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/Shane|E]]) 11:05, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:More interviews and info would be excellent, but I really think that you shouldn't post any "unconfirmed rumors". After that big arguement in April, we had a discussion over how to deal with the ongoing problem of "how do we know if someone is passing along an honest rumor, or is just some livejournal girl making stuff up about Roslin and Adama getting married, etc? So now unless a cast or crew member can be directly cited as saying something, we don't post it. We don't post unsourced stuff that appears on S2J...and we don't even post like, spoilers from TVGuide which can't be confirmed-->I.e. if TV guide has a David Eick interview we'll use that, but if like Mike Ausellio says "there are rumors that Ellen Tigh is going to die"...to be honest I think TVguide and others are often just using ''you'' and S2J as their info source (which is cool for you, I think) but ultimately we thought the way to avoid any future conflicts over whether or not unsourced stuff is true is simply to have a really strict "only cited cast or crew" policy on that. It's a bit limiting, but I support it because I think it would lead to less future conflict. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 10:58, 5 August 2006 (CDT)

:::If you could advertise when I would be on with BSG information, that would be helpful. I am not on every week, and sometimes I provide info about other shows: the Gates, The 4400 and WHO. But if you can find a way to mention when I am on S2D with respect to BSG a day or two earlier than the airing, that would be helpful. Typically, Shaunomac sets up his agenda late Sunday night- early Monday am. So just tell me who to contact (via PM), and I can do that- if you are still interested in advertising S2D at some point. Otherwise, I will keep on providing interview contributions to your site- and hopefully new ones as well.[User:Koenigrules|Koenigrules]] 13:10, 5 August 2006 (CDT)

User talk:Koenigrules

2006-08-05T17:59:31Z

Koenigrules: /* Appreciation */

== Welcome to Battlestar Wiki! ==

Welcome to the Wiki, Koenigrules. Feel free to tell us about yourself on [[User:Koenigrules|your user page]]. Before you get started on other edits, please read the [[Battlestar Wiki:Standards and Conventions]], which details the policies we use in editing pages (this differs from many other wikis in consistent use of phrasing, abbreviations, format, and the like).

Also, if you have any questions or suggestions you wish to offer, please feel free to do so either on your user talk page, the [[Battlestar Wiki:Wikipedian Quorum|Wikipedian Quorum]] or [[Battlestar Wiki:Administrators' noticeboard|Administrators' noticeboard]]. Remember to sign your posts on any talk pages using four tildes (~~~~) --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 22:57, 22 April 2006 (CDT)

:I think [[Battlestar_Wiki_talk:Citation_Jihad#Compromise_Proposal_re_KoenigRules|this proposal]] could solve our recent consternation. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 22:59, 22 April 2006 (CDT)

==Appreciation==

I appreciate you recent contribs, and hope you add more in the future. I know that you have a lot to contribute. --[[User:Gougef|FrankieG]] 10:08, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:Thanks again; do you have any more of these?--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 10:16, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
I sure do. Thanks for the support guys. And I did get permission from Ian Cullen on August 4 to post his 2002 interview with RDM. I would also like to post any "unconfirmed rumors" that I announce on Shaunomac's S2D show. Would that be a problem?
[[User:Koenigrules|Koenigrules]] 10:55, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:We have develop a really strict policy (see [[BattleStar Wiki:Citation Jihad |Citation Jihad]]) about everything has to be officially sourced. Maybe we can "advertise" your appearances on the show? We should be able to come up with some way to get people pointed toward them somewhere. Other ideas? --[[User:Gougef|FrankieG]] 10:55, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
::Perhaps we could bump up Subject2Discussion to the Main Page's links section, as there are so many cast members that appear on the show, etc....wait a minute I think it isn't even in our links archive...I'll fix that...--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 11:00, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:::Added it in, though I don't know how we decide what goes on the front page; btw why do we only have 3 sites listed in each link category on the front? I always thought like 4-5 should be on the front. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 11:07, 5 August 2006 (CDT)

:::If the Mp3's where transcribed with a spoiler tag they can be stored on the show if they have any thing related, but nothing inside BSG can cite to the source page. The {{tl|podcastother}} and {{tl|spoiler}} tag would need to be used for those '''Source''' pages. (i.e. [[Sources:Subject 2 Discussion, 11 April 2006]]) It be basically historical purposes only. --[[User:Shane|Shane]] ([[User_Talk:Shane|T]] - [[Special:Contributions/Shane|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/Shane|E]]) 11:05, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:More interviews and info would be excellent, but I really think that you shouldn't post any "unconfirmed rumors". After that big arguement in April, we had a discussion over how to deal with the ongoing problem of "how do we know if someone is passing along an honest rumor, or is just some livejournal girl making stuff up about Roslin and Adama getting married, etc? So now unless a cast or crew member can be directly cited as saying something, we don't post it. We don't post unsourced stuff that appears on S2J...and we don't even post like, spoilers from TVGuide which can't be confirmed-->I.e. if TV guide has a David Eick interview we'll use that, but if like Mike Ausellio says "there are rumors that Ellen Tigh is going to die"...to be honest I think TVguide and others are often just using ''you'' and S2J as their info source (which is cool for you, I think) but ultimately we thought the way to avoid any future conflicts over whether or not unsourced stuff is true is simply to have a really strict "only cited cast or crew" policy on that. It's a bit limiting, but I support it because I think it would lead to less future conflict. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 10:58, 5 August 2006 (CDT)

:::If you could advertise when I would be on with BSG information, that would be helpful. I am not on every week, and sometimes I provide info about other shows: the Gates, The 4400 and WHO. But if you can find a way to mention when I am on S2D with respect to BSG a day or two earlier than the airing, that would be helpful. Typically, Shaunomac sets up his agenda late Sunday night- early Monday am. So just tell me who to contact (via PM), and I can do that- if you are still interested in advertising S2D at some point. Otherwise, I will keep on providing interview contributions to your site- and hopefully new ones as well.
[[User:Koenigrules|Koenigrules]] 13:10, 5 August 2006 (CDT)

User talk:Koenigrules

2006-08-05T17:58:44Z

Koenigrules: /* Appreciation */

== Welcome to Battlestar Wiki! ==

Welcome to the Wiki, Koenigrules. Feel free to tell us about yourself on [[User:Koenigrules|your user page]]. Before you get started on other edits, please read the [[Battlestar Wiki:Standards and Conventions]], which details the policies we use in editing pages (this differs from many other wikis in consistent use of phrasing, abbreviations, format, and the like).

Also, if you have any questions or suggestions you wish to offer, please feel free to do so either on your user talk page, the [[Battlestar Wiki:Wikipedian Quorum|Wikipedian Quorum]] or [[Battlestar Wiki:Administrators' noticeboard|Administrators' noticeboard]]. Remember to sign your posts on any talk pages using four tildes (~~~~) --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 22:57, 22 April 2006 (CDT)

:I think [[Battlestar_Wiki_talk:Citation_Jihad#Compromise_Proposal_re_KoenigRules|this proposal]] could solve our recent consternation. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 22:59, 22 April 2006 (CDT)

==Appreciation==

I appreciate you recent contribs, and hope you add more in the future. I know that you have a lot to contribute. --[[User:Gougef|FrankieG]] 10:08, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:Thanks again; do you have any more of these?--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 10:16, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
I sure do. Thanks for the support guys. And I did get permission from Ian Cullen on August 4 to post his 2002 interview with RDM. I would also like to post any "unconfirmed rumors" that I announce on Shaunomac's S2D show. Would that be a problem?
[[User:Koenigrules|Koenigrules]] 10:55, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:We have develop a really strict policy (see [[BattleStar Wiki:Citation Jihad |Citation Jihad]]) about everything has to be officially sourced. Maybe we can "advertise" your appearances on the show? We should be able to come up with some way to get people pointed toward them somewhere. Other ideas? --[[User:Gougef|FrankieG]] 10:55, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
::Perhaps we could bump up Subject2Discussion to the Main Page's links section, as there are so many cast members that appear on the show, etc....wait a minute I think it isn't even in our links archive...I'll fix that...--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 11:00, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:::Added it in, though I don't know how we decide what goes on the front page; btw why do we only have 3 sites listed in each link category on the front? I always thought like 4-5 should be on the front. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 11:07, 5 August 2006 (CDT)

:::If the Mp3's where transcribed with a spoiler tag they can be stored on the show if they have any thing related, but nothing inside BSG can cite to the source page. The {{tl|podcastother}} and {{tl|spoiler}} tag would need to be used for those '''Source''' pages. (i.e. [[Sources:Subject 2 Discussion, 11 April 2006]]) It be basically historical purposes only. --[[User:Shane|Shane]] ([[User_Talk:Shane|T]] - [[Special:Contributions/Shane|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/Shane|E]]) 11:05, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:More interviews and info would be excellent, but I really think that you shouldn't post any "unconfirmed rumors". After that big arguement in April, we had a discussion over how to deal with the ongoing problem of "how do we know if someone is passing along an honest rumor, or is just some livejournal girl making stuff up about Roslin and Adama getting married, etc? So now unless a cast or crew member can be directly cited as saying something, we don't post it. We don't post unsourced stuff that appears on S2J...and we don't even post like, spoilers from TVGuide which can't be confirmed-->I.e. if TV guide has a David Eick interview we'll use that, but if like Mike Ausellio says "there are rumors that Ellen Tigh is going to die"...to be honest I think TVguide and others are often just using ''you'' and S2J as their info source (which is cool for you, I think) but ultimately we thought the way to avoid any future conflicts over whether or not unsourced stuff is true is simply to have a really strict "only cited cast or crew" policy on that. It's a bit limiting, but I support it because I think it would lead to less future conflict. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]])
10:58, 5 August 2006 (CDT)

If you could advertise when I would be on with BSG information, that would be helpful. I am not on every week, and sometimes I provide info about other shows: the Gates, The 4400 and WHO. But if you can find a way to mention when I am on S2D with respect to BSG a day or two earlier than the airing, that would be helpful. Typically, Shaunomac sets up his agenda late Sunday night- early Monday am. So just tell me who to contact (via PM), and I can do that- if you are still interested in advertising S2D at some point. Otherwise, I will keep on providing interview contributions to your site- and hopefully new ones as well.
[[User:Koenigrules|Koenigrules]] 13:10, 5 August 2006 (CDT)

User talk:Koenigrules

2006-08-05T17:58:05Z

Koenigrules: /* Appreciation */

== Welcome to Battlestar Wiki! ==

Welcome to the Wiki, Koenigrules. Feel free to tell us about yourself on [[User:Koenigrules|your user page]]. Before you get started on other edits, please read the [[Battlestar Wiki:Standards and Conventions]], which details the policies we use in editing pages (this differs from many other wikis in consistent use of phrasing, abbreviations, format, and the like).

Also, if you have any questions or suggestions you wish to offer, please feel free to do so either on your user talk page, the [[Battlestar Wiki:Wikipedian Quorum|Wikipedian Quorum]] or [[Battlestar Wiki:Administrators' noticeboard|Administrators' noticeboard]]. Remember to sign your posts on any talk pages using four tildes (~~~~) --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 22:57, 22 April 2006 (CDT)

:I think [[Battlestar_Wiki_talk:Citation_Jihad#Compromise_Proposal_re_KoenigRules|this proposal]] could solve our recent consternation. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 22:59, 22 April 2006 (CDT)

==Appreciation==

I appreciate you recent contribs, and hope you add more in the future. I know that you have a lot to contribute. --[[User:Gougef|FrankieG]] 10:08, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:Thanks again; do you have any more of these?--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 10:16, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
I sure do. Thanks for the support guys. And I did get permission from Ian Cullen on August 4 to post his 2002 interview with RDM. I would also like to post any "unconfirmed rumors" that I announce on Shaunomac's S2D show. Would that be a problem?
[[User:Koenigrules|Koenigrules]] 10:55, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:We have develop a really strict policy (see [[BattleStar Wiki:Citation Jihad |Citation Jihad]]) about everything has to be officially sourced. Maybe we can "advertise" your appearances on the show? We should be able to come up with some way to get people pointed toward them somewhere. Other ideas? --[[User:Gougef|FrankieG]] 10:55, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
::Perhaps we could bump up Subject2Discussion to the Main Page's links section, as there are so many cast members that appear on the show, etc....wait a minute I think it isn't even in our links archive...I'll fix that...--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 11:00, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:::Added it in, though I don't know how we decide what goes on the front page; btw why do we only have 3 sites listed in each link category on the front? I always thought like 4-5 should be on the front. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 11:07, 5 August 2006 (CDT)

:::If the Mp3's where transcribed with a spoiler tag they can be stored on the show if they have any thing related, but nothing inside BSG can cite to the source page. The {{tl|podcastother}} and {{tl|spoiler}} tag would need to be used for those '''Source''' pages. (i.e. [[Sources:Subject 2 Discussion, 11 April 2006]]) It be basically historical purposes only. --[[User:Shane|Shane]] ([[User_Talk:Shane|T]] - [[Special:Contributions/Shane|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/Shane|E]]) 11:05, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
:More interviews and info would be excellent, but I really think that you shouldn't post any "unconfirmed rumors". After that big arguement in April, we had a discussion over how to deal with the ongoing problem of "how do we know if someone is passing along an honest rumor, or is just some livejournal girl making stuff up about Roslin and Adama getting married, etc? So now unless a cast or crew member can be directly cited as saying something, we don't post it. We don't post unsourced stuff that appears on S2J...and we don't even post like, spoilers from TVGuide which can't be confirmed-->I.e. if TV guide has a David Eick interview we'll use that, but if like Mike Ausellio says "there are rumors that Ellen Tigh is going to die"...to be honest I think TVguide and others are often just using ''you'' and S2J as their info source (which is cool for you, I think) but ultimately we thought the way to avoid any future conflicts over whether or not unsourced stuff is true is simply to have a really strict "only cited cast or crew" policy on that. It's a bit limiting, but I support it because I think it would lead to less future conflict. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]])
10:58, 5 August 2006 (CDT)
If you could advertise when I would be on with BSG information, that would be helpful. I am not on every week, and sometimes I provide info about other shows: the Gates, The 4400 and WHO. But if you can find a way to mention when I am on S2D with respect to BSG a day or two earlier than the airing, that would be helpful. Typically, Shaunomac sets up his agenda late Sunday night- early Monday am. So just tell me who to contact (via PM), and I can do that- if you are still interested in advertising S2D at some point. Otherwise, I will keep on providing interview contributions to your site- and hopefully new ones as well.
[[User:Koenigrules|Koenigrules]] 13:10, 5 August 2006 (CDT)

Sources:Interview with Ronald D. Moore, March 6, 2004 (RDM)

2006-08-05T16:01:41Z

Koenigrules:

{{interview
| interviewer=Koenigrules
| member=Koenigrules
| interviewee=Ronald D. Moore
| date=March 3, 2004
| linktext= Galactica2003.net
| linkurl= http://www.bsgtns.com
}}

== Pre-Interview ==

So there I was waiting for Ron D. Moore to pick up the phone. I felt a bit intimidated. After all, this was THE man responsible for breathing a new, reimaged life into one of my favorite shows during my late adolescence. When he did answer, I immediately thanked him for taking some time out to talk to me. And I also congratulated him on the Sci-Fi Channel’s pickup of his series. After this ice breaker (which calmed my nerves immensely), I commenced with the interview….

== Interview ==

'''Koenigrules: Let me start by asking you Ron, what would you consider some of the high points of the miniseries. In other words, what really worked for you in the miniseries?'''

Ron D. Moore: I think visually it worked extraordinarily well. I really liked the effects sequences. I really liked the combat and the way the dog fights were realized. I thought all that was tremendous. I enjoyed the cast. I thought it was an interesting ensemble that we put together.

And I really liked the tone. Overall, I think the thing that I enjoyed the most was the tone of it...the very sort of grounded in reality perspective. It felt like all this was really happening. It was watching real people go through horrific events, the struggle with them, and what was happening to them. And I was very pleased with it.

'''KR: What would you like to see happen in Battlestar’s first season? Would you want to show more of the same as the miniseries? Or would you want some differences introduced?'''

RDM: I think it’s a different challenge for the series as opposed to the miniseries. The mini is all about the attack and the escape. It’s one long, sort of day or two days that it covers. And it’s setting up all the characters and then watching the events play out and seeing them eventually escape off into the night. All that is just setting up the series. The series then takes all of those characters and expands and deepens them and starts to play out consequences of things that were set up in the pilot. So there are very sort of different expectations.

The series won’t be one long combat sequence. Once the miniseries gets going, once the attack happens, it’s just tension and action packed from beginning to end. The series will have tension, but it won’t be nearly as action packed. We won’t be doing combat every single week. A) It’s very expensive to do every week. And B) it just gets boring. I don’t think you’d be interested in watching a space dog fight battle every single week as the climax of the show.

The series depends much more on a character piece. It depends on the drama and the interactions among the characters. It also depends on bringing out the innate tension and jeopardy that is inherent in their situation. These people are on ships without support, way off by themselves. They have only the clothes on their backs and whatever supplies happen to be on the ships when they escaped. And our job is to take that seriously, to play the truth of that, to really see what will happen to these people. How do they organize themselves? What is their society going to be like? Where are they going to get food and fuel? How are they going to replace the most basic things? Where are they going to get the bullets for the guns?

All these sorts of questions are typically swept away in sci-fi where you just press buttons and things appear and you never question how the ship gets repaired and where the food came from and what about people who have different points of view. What about people in the fleet that don’t like Laura Roslin, that don’t think she’s the legitimate President- who question her authority and legitimacy to give commands? I think all those things are inherently dramatic and interesting. And they’re more dramatic and interesting than simply having the Cylons show up and do a dog fight every week.

'''KR: Well, you brought up a lot of issues that I wanted to ask you about. Apparently, they are going to need to find places where there is fuel, where there is food. They need to solve some of these problems if they are to survive, right?'''

RDM: They are going to have to grapple with them. And some of the problems they’ll never solve. And they may just have “stop gap” measures to tide them over until they find the next supply.

'''KR: You know, one of the most interesting things of the original Battlestar pilot was after the colonies were destroyed and they’re off in space…they were scavenging for food and they explored that. I take it that you’re going to be concentrating on those issues more. Maybe even the “in fighting” among each other, among the ships that have and those that don’t?'''

RDM: Yeah, I think there are natural tensions built into the situation like I said. I always liked the episodes of TOS where…there was an episode (I still don’t have all the titles in my head yet, but I’ve watched them all at this point)…an episode where they had a problem with the grain supplies and the grains had been wiped out. They went down to this planet. It was essentially a Western town and there were these pig-faced people that came riding into the night. And Starbuck becomes the marshal and that whole thing. The premise of that episode, that their grain supply was wiped out which forced them to hunt for other sources, was a good one.

And I always liked it when TOS was playing those kind of “we’re in a tight situation” and these are the realities of it. In the original pilot, they have the conflict with Sire Uri and his ship, The Rising Star. Then there’s a new Quorum of Twelve. And you start to see the tensions between Adama and the new civilian government. All those sorts of themes were there in the original. They just tend to get swamped by some of the more traditional TV plot lines that the old show fell into. But a lot of the things that we want to play in this are actually there in the original and we just want to bring them forward.

'''KR: Now, that brings me to another question. Is there going to be a Council of Twelve?'''

RDM: There will be something like that. I think that’s one of the challenges that Laura Roslin faces after the first couple episodes. The first episode picks them up a few days after the mini and they’re in a crisis…an intense emergency crisis which doesn’t really give them a chance to stop and take stock in what’s going on. But once they have a chance to do that, several of the questions that will come up early are: Does Roslin have the right to give orders and be the President? Who represents the voices of these other 50,000 people? Are their ships’ captains going to speak for everybody? What’s the representation of the 12 colonies?

If you think that there are 12 colonies, roughly analogous to 12 countries or 12 states or however you want to divide it up, well those people want to have a voice in their government on some level. Even in an emergency, they have needs and wants. And some ships are going to be in worse straits than others. People are going to want fairness in distribution of supplies and access to them. I mean, some of these ships are luxurious. Some of these ships are cramped.

There’s going to be a need for some type of government that Laura will form. And how close will it be to the government that was there originally in the 12 colonies? Her whole legitimacy as President is predicated on the idea of succession. The analogy is to our US Constitution. She has been constitutionally sworn in as President. You would think that she would have to have some allegiance to the original constitution of the colonies- which we call The Articles of Colonization. Well, it means things like representatives, things like the Council of Twelve. It has all the messiness of democracy.

So it’s going to be hard for her [Roslin] to uphold the banner of democratic government which is the whole basis of her Presidency without bringing in representatives of the people. This then throws you into, well, sometimes those representatives are real pains in the asses. And they have competing interests. And it opens up the whole can of worms.

'''KR: I remember one of the things from the miniseries, Adama saying `Let’s make babies.’ That brings up the issue: if there’s a scarcity of resources, shouldn’t there also be a consideration of limited population growth?'''

RDM: Oh yeah, that is one of the things we are definitely going to tackle. They are going to have to start making babies, and are they going to start ordering people to start making babies? What does it do to the role of women in the society and their freedom of choice? These are all going to be difficult questions for this particular culture to have to grapple with.

'''KR: And of course there’s that whole aspect of Roslin as civilian leader and Adama, a military leader. So you have that tension of civilian and military conflict. I take it you’re going to be continuing to show those conflicts?'''

RDM: Yeah, there’s a natural tension between the military and the civilian world. And its inherent in a democracy that the civilian authority is supreme to the military. Well, in this situation the military is really keeping them alive on a daily basis. So Adama’s power is much stronger than a peace-time leader would have. And how does he wield that authority? When does he choose to weigh in? When does he choose to back out? When does Laura push him? It’s an interesting balancing act that the two of them will have to do.

'''KR: Is there going to be some sexual tension there between them?'''

RDM: I don’t know how strongly. I think it’s inherent in almost any interaction between a man and woman. And I think people in their positions…you know they are two isolated leaders at the top who don’t really have anybody else as contemporaries. So there will probably be a natural sort of sexual tension in the room between them. But I don’t see how that is going to bring them together, at least not in Season 1. I can’t imagine that they’re going to end up in bed together this year or anything like that, because I don’t think their positions and what’s going on in their two worlds is really conducive to that.

'''KR: And what about Roslin’s cancer? Is there going to be some way of her having that illness and yet still surviving for awhile?'''

RDM: Yeah, she’s going to have to grapple with it for the remainder of the series. She’s going to have to start figuring out, `Are there any doctors left in the fleet?’ I’m sure there are. And then [she has to] figure out which doctors she can trust with her secret, how they’re going to treat it, what treatments are possible given the circumstances. Regardless of whatever treatment options are available back on Caprica, clearly they don’t have all those options available to them now. And she has to be able to strike a balance between treating a very serious disease and not taking herself out of the picture and being completely debilitated because she has to lead this remainder of a civilization. And she can’t let it be generally known that the President that they’re all putting their hopes on has a terminal disease.

'''KR: Right, right. The Cylons….I know in the miniseries you certainly wanted to take the point of view (POV) of the humans and the catastrophe that confronted them. Now in the series, will you “flesh” out the Cylons more, maybe take their POV?'''

RDM: Yeah, we will open up the Cylon world a little bit more. You want to do it slowly and carefully because they are really interesting the more mysterious they are. And it’s striking the balance between preserving the mystery of the Cylons and letting the audience fill in the blanks in their heads. You have to continue to discover new things about them, but you don’t want to specifically define all the aspects of their society quickly.

'''KR: Is there going to be a more advanced type of Cylon than Number Six? I’m recalling Imperious Leader from TOS. Are we going to see a more advanced level as well as the original tin heads in some capacity?'''

RDM: We will see more mechanoid Cylons as the series goes on. But right now I don’t have any plans for Imperious Leader. The humanoid Cylons are the pinnacle of Cylon evolution at the moment.

'''KR: In terms of the number units, the number designations of the humanoid Cylons, are those tied more with the way their bodies look or do they have a hierarchy? Is there someone higher than Number Six ? For instance, is Number Four on the lower end?'''

RDM: There’s no hierarchy to the numbers. It’s just that there are 12 models and she’s the sixth model. The number really doesn’t have anything to do with their hierarchy.

'''KR: And of course there’s Boomer. How does she fit into the Cylon universe?'''

RDM: You’ll see [keeping his view hidden for the moment].

'''KR: One of the things I wanted to ask you about is: there have been some postings on the Internet that you are going to be trying to get some of the old cast back. One in particular was mentioned on www.tvtome.com: Anne Lockhart. Is there any truth to that?'''

RDM: I haven’t had any contact with Anne Lockhart or made any moves in that direction. My position on the original cast, overall, is I would like to find a way to use them in the show. I think it would be interesting. I think it would be fun. I think it would be a nice way to bridge the two versions. It would be a hoot for everybody! I’m developing new characters and stories, but I haven’t pitched it to any of the original actors yet. It’s in the hopper, but it’s not really like happened yet. I don’t know how long it will take or if it’s going to happen at all.

'''KR: And I would take it those roles would be different from TOS series’ roles that the actors were in? That they would be different characters.'''

RDM: They would be different characters.

'''KR: I was very impressed with your work on Carnivale.'''

RDM: Thanks.

'''KR: I loved watching it. I’m sort of torn between your going to BSG now and the direction that Carnivale is going to take in its second year. I loved the open-ending to [Carnivale’s] Season One. Obviously it’s leading to a Season Two and beyond. Would you be doing the same thing with Battlestar? Will there be some issue or crisis that’s beginning to develop in the episodes that takes dominance by the end of Season One that eventually needs to be resolved?'''

RDM: Yes [he chuckles, not adding anything more than that].

'''KR: So maybe cliffhanger-like?'''

RDM: Possibly. It’s a little premature. I know how I want the season to end, and it’s definitely a story that would then demand a follow-up.

'''KR: How are you doing just physically with all this? I know Sci-Fi was late in the game of notifying you guys after the option was picked up- a month later in fact. Do you feel you have enough time to flesh out all of these 13 episodes.'''

RDM: Oh yeah. There’s more than enough time. I’m used to working at this pace. And this is the way that the game is played. They delayed the pickup a little bit, but not dangerously so. I have a full writing staff now. We’re working full time. There’s already two drafts of the first episode written. I’m beginning the second episode. We’re breaking the third. I know what the story arcs are. Overall, I’m pretty confident we’re going to be able to do everything we want to do.

'''KR: Are these all going to be new episodes? I know there’s been some discussion of reimagings of some of TOS episodes, but right now- all new episodes?'''

RDM: For the moment they’re all new episodes. There’s a possibility of revisiting one or two of the original episodes. But if we do it, it wouldn’t be until the latter half, the latter maybe third of Season One. It’s more likely it would be Season Two.

'''KR: So you’re hoping for a Season Two?'''

RDM: That’s my hope [he chuckles].

'''KR: I’m glad that you’re working on this philosophy that you’re not giving us aliens with bumps on their noses, and no time travel or evil duplicates- which is standard fare for a lot of sci-fi shows, as you know.'''

RDM: Oh yeah.

'''KR: Even Star Trek.'''

RDM: I wrote a lot of them [he begins to laugh].

'''KR: Doesn’t that present more challenges instead of less?'''

RDM: It does. This is a harder direction to go in those terms. This is a harder series to pull off because you’re not going to the familiar forms. You are not pulling out all the usual suspects in terms of story and character. It’s an unusual way to do a science fiction series, especially a space opera. It’s more ambitious. It’s a challenge, but that’s why I want to do it. I mean, this is a harder thing to pull off. And it’s going to be a harder thing to get an audience for. It’s just a higher mountain to climb…..[he pauses several moments]

{Then he continues] Why do this job if you don’t want to challenge yourself? Why be a writer in television if you’re not trying to constantly push the form, to try new things, to write stuff that hasn’t been done before, and to try to keep it interesting and fresh? Why do this job if you want to do the same thing day in and day out?

'''KR: Right, right. Some die hard fans of the old series will probably never like the new series. This is a really hard question for me to ask because I don’t think there’s a simple answer to it. Will we ever see a coming together of old and new fans?'''

RDM: I don’t know. It’s a hard thing. And this is always the most difficult question I get in these interviews. Because inevitably what I say seems to piss off the old fans. And then there’s flame wars back and forth between the new and the old.

From my perspective I feel like I’ve been willing to engage in a conversation with all the fans. And that’s unusual in this business. There aren’t a lot of other people in my position who are willing to do that, to have the conversation. So to me, to have the conversation, to be willing to do the interviews like this one and to go on line, to trying to be open and honest with people about what our intentions are- is a way of me reaching out.

Now some of the fans will say, `That’s not enough, that you’re not listening to us, that you’re not making the changes that we’re asking for and you’re basically ignoring us and telling us to go f*** ourselves.’ That’s not really my attitude. I mean, I’m trying to let people know what the show is and not to pretend that we’re doing something that we’re not. I really want to find a way of bridging the two [fandoms]. I just don’t know what that is yet.

'''KR: If you wanted to provide any stimulating tidbit of information in terms of tuning in to the series, what would you be telling people?'''

RDM: We’re going to be trying to give you something different. We’re going to try to give you a different kind of science fiction series than you’ve seen before. We’re going to try to avoid all the clichés of the genre. We’re going to try to reinvent the form. That’s been our goal from the very beginning.

We’re going to try to give you something that’s going to get you talking and thinking each week- where it’s not the predictable ending, where it’s not the easy answers every week…where you come out of it and you might feel shocked at what happened, where you might feel challenged at what happened. You might feel confused at some of the motivations, you might be angered. But you’re always going to be interested. And you’re always going to find something in the show that’s going to make you think.

I’m more interested in drama that makes you think about things than drama that wiles away a couple hours of your afternoon or evening and just wastes your time in front of the TV.

'''KR: I thank you, Mr. Moore, for this chance to interview you. I know I’ve asked you a bit about the psychology and sociology of the series. I find that to be the most fascinating part to the new series. It sounds to me like you’re going to go more in depth with those topics than the miniseries.'''

RDM: That’s the goal!

'''KR: And I have a feeling you will accomplish what you set out to do.'''

RDM: Hopefully.

'''KR: Oh, I think you will. You take care. Thank you so much!'''

RDM: Thank you. Bye now.

== Conclusion ==

And so the interview concluded, and I came away from it quite literally blown away! If Ron Moore does half the things he wants to do in the series, he will make an important (and significant) contribution to sci-fi television. I was very impressed with his answers. And I do believe that he will contribute to the legacy of Battlestar: Galactica in a positive way.

Furthermore, I do believe he wants to unite both the old and new fandoms. But it won’t be his words that will bring TOS and Mini groups together; it will be his BSG episodes.

I am looking forward more than ever to seeing Moore’s weekly version of BSG. I hope we can continue to dialogue with RDM and even set up a weekly chat with him when each episode airs. Signing off for now.

User talk:Koenigrules

2006-08-05T15:42:59Z

Koenigrules: /* Appreciation */

Sources:Interview with Ronald D. Moore, December 17, 2002 (RDM)

2006-08-05T14:24:23Z

Koenigrules:

--

{{interview
| interviewer=Ian Cullen
| interviewee=Ronald D. Moore
| date=December 17, 2002
| linktext= Scifipulse
| linkurl= http://www.scifipulse.net
}}

== Pre-Interview ==

'''Ron Moore Provides Further Insights About His Take On Galactica'''

By Ian M. Cullen

About two weeks ago certain information about the remake of Battlestar Galactica was leaked via the [http://www.filmjerk.com Filmjerk] website. Although the information was accurate and confirmed by [[Ron Moore]] to myself and [http://www.battlestargalactica.com Battlestargalactica.com's] Michael Faries, Moore stated that the character breakdowns should be in no way considered to be an accurate synopsis of Sci Fi's 4 part Galactica mini series.

I caught up with Ron in e-mail and asked if he would like the opportunity to clarify a few things with regard to the leaked information. The following is an E mail Q&A between myself and Ron Moore about the proposed and greenlighted mini series.

== Interview ==

'''Hi Ron,'''

'''First and foremost thank you for agreeing to this follow up work.'''

'''It would appear that the casting sheet for the remake of Galactica that you have been working on got leaked, as to who leaked what is as much a mystery to me as it is to you. But the following questions am hoping will offer you the opportunity to clarifie a few things.'''

'''1. First and foremost, I would say that the issue that has gotton most fans in uproar is your decision to make Starbuck a lady. This one has even the most casual fans somewhat upset. How are you going to justify this in the historical context that the original show established, and what was it from your creative viewpoint that sparked the idea of Starbuck being a she rather than a he?'''

The idea of making Starbuck a woman was literally one of the first things I thought of, and it was in my original pitch to both the studio and the network.

On paper, the Starbuck character, as originally conceved, was a bit of a cliche, even in the 1970s -- the hotshot who does things his own way, chases women, smokes, gambles, drinks, etc., but then always pulls it together in time for a mission and is the best gall-darn pilot anyone's ever seen. The saving grace of the original character, in my opinion, was Dirk Benedict, who had an innate easy charm about him and who seemed to always play Starbuck with a wink and a nod to the audience which made the more familiar aspects of the character slide by a little easier. Even then, people were forever making unfavorable comparisons to Han Solo.

So updating and revitalizing the character was a given, but the question in my mind was how? While it may surprise some to hear it, I wasn't interested in completely throwing out the character and creating a whole new person. I like the notion of Starbuck the rogue, the best pilot in the fleet, who is constantly getting pulled into problems by his best friend, the supposedly more level-headed Apollo. So how to avoid the cliches yet keep the essential aspects of the character?

One of the things that's changed between then and now is that women have become much more integrated into the US armed forces and they are edging ever closer to full-on combatants. Even so, it still feels strange to see women warriors, because we're not used to them yet. While science fiction has postulated the fully gender-integrated military of the future for some now, it's seldom portrayed realistically. Issues of privacy, living situations, and the all important male/female interaction and its impact on unit cohesion and morale are usually just brushed aside as in the Trekkian model of the perfect future where no one sleeps with someone they're not supposed to because Starfleet officers are just better than us. The original Galactica was a product of its time and was obviously sexist in the way even the notion of female pilots was considered crazy until all the men were waylaid by some virus and then (Holy Lords of Kobol!) the women had to fly the Vipers. I wanted the new Galactica to fully intergrate women into the equation, but not blink from it, not avoid the unpleasant fact that this won't always go smoothly and that there will be problems along the way.

Enter Kara Thrace. By simply changing Starbuck's gender, the rogue pilot suddenly becomes less of a cliche and more interesting if for no other reason than we haven't seen it a hundred times already. Ironically, by making Starbuck a woman I'm able to retain more of the original character traits simply by virtue of the fact that a woman doesn't usually play the role of the fighter jock. It plays fresher and more intriguing, because the interpersonal dynamics are now slightly different between Starbuck and Apollo.

To be clear, they are warriors first, friends second, and potential lovers a long way third. There's nary a kiss, a suggestive remark, or even an exchange of sexy banter between them in the entire script. Which is not to say their relationship couldn't turn into something more down the line, but it would be incredibly destructive to the morale of the squadron and I doubt very much that either of them wants to go there. Not to mention the fact that they share a history that makes it unlikely for the foreseeable future anyway. So that means we have the unusual pairing of the son of a great man, a good pilot in his own right, and now the leader of the last surviving fighter squadron and his female best friend, the hotshot rogue pilot who does things her own way, drinks, gambles, carouses, etc. It's a duo I haven't seen before and it plays really well.

I also just think it's a cool idea.

'''2. One of the things that you have commented on in the past, is that you felt Galactica lacked strong female roles. You have addressed this with the character of President Laura Roslin who finds herself taking on a strong leadership role during the aftermath of the Cylon attack. The information on the casting sheet for her was somewhat sketchy, would you care to explain how she fits into the scheme of things.'''

Laura Roslin is an educator who has risen to the upper levels of government. She is essentially the secretary of education, who in her opening scene discovers that she has terminal cancer and is forced to grapple with the fact of her own mortality. This also happens to be the day the world ended. Far down in the line of succession, Laura is suddenly called upon to take over the presidency, assemble a new government, set about find the elements of Colonial society that survived the holocaust, bring them together, and find a new home.

In assuming her role as president, she also comes into conflict with Adama, in that he is the senior surviving military leader. The tensions between the military and the civilian leadership is a natural, and for the most part, healthy aspect of a democracy and the reality of the Galactica world demands that the president have a strong role, not simply relegated to the caricature of the 'weak-willed' president that the wise military minds must constantly overcome. Laura has the burden of responsibility for the entire society, not just the warships under Adama's command.

'''3. Antother interesting aspect is the feud between Adama and Lee Apollo, now there were a few minor tussles between Apollo and his Father in the original, but nothing really earth shattering. Am I correct in assuming that by having Father and Son feud you are looking to try and recreate a more realistic Father Son Relationship.'''

I wouldn't call it a feud. There is an estrangement, a history of misunderstandings and emotional damage, but underneath it all is the eternal bond of father and son. Theirs is a complicated relationship made more complicated by the death of Lee's brother Zak, and by the fact that Adama has a closer relationship with Kara Thrace than with Lee. Kara and Adama are both 'old school.' Warriors to the bone. Wary of change and committed to the ideals that saved humanity in the past and will be tested again in the future. Lee is more like his mother, more intellectual, more progressive, but ironically still a man who took up his father's profession and has risen through the ranks on his own merits. It's a story of two men thrown together by circumstance who have to grapple with the additional complexity of emotion present in the ever-changing dynamic between father and son.

'''5. Baltar in the classic series was always really a victom of his own ego. In your creation you have Baltar being more like an innocent bystander who inadvertantly betrays humanity through his own ignorence. An element that has the fans concerned here is how will Number Six fit in with Balter, is Baltar blatently the victom here or is it a little more complex than that.'''

Baltar is not a victim. He is a brilliant, arrogant, and deeply flawed man who willingly breaks laws and ethics for his own personal gain and whose actions lead directly to the destruction of his entire world. He may not have foresee the consequences of his actions, but I doubt even Baltar thinks of himself as a victim. He let Number Six (which is an homage to 'The Prisoner' by the way, not 'Voyager' ) have access to sensitive information and systems both for personal reasons and for his own career ambitions. He is more than willing to sacrifice those around him to guarantee his own survival, and he is desperate that his secret not be found out. Baltar is not a nice man.

'''6. One aspect of the information that was leaked which also has tongues wagging is the fact that it says that the Cylons were created by the humans. This point was always a little sketchy in the original series, and was only ever truly hit upon once in the series, and fans were led to believe that the Cylons had evolved from a race of reptiles. Could you shed some light on this for us please.'''

As you point out, the original backstory was always a bit vague, and to me it seemed a little generic: robots out to conqueor the universe. Okay, reptilian creatures who became robots out to conqueor the universe.

One of the first questions we had to ask ourselves was what is the nature of the conflict between the Colonials and the Cylons? Why do the Cylons feel so strongly that they must wipe out humanity that they're willing to chase them across the galaxy? I mean, they just wiped out several billion human beings, their civilization is destroyed, and the Cylons are far and way the victor in their struggle, why chase after a few thousand humans running away?

'Well...... because they're EVIL.'

That didn't seem like a very satisfying answer during the original run and it seems even less satisfying now. To just write it off to Cylon 'programming' also seems rather dull and vaguely Borg-like. No, to sustain this kind of never-ending threat requires a deeper motivation, a more profound conflict between two civilizations.

I will be the first to admit that the idea of robots becoming sentient and then rising against their masters is not a new one. However, in this case it provides a logic and texture that makes the premise work for the first time. Also, I have to say that we've created something unique in exactly who the Cylons are, their philosophical and theological underpinnings, and in what they seek that I think differentiates them from, say, the replicants in 'Blade Runner.'It's hard to get into without giving it all away, but they are more complicated and textured, and the relationship between them and Colonial society is closer to that of offspring and parent writ large.

I've heard people say that because the Colonials created them, they have created their own problems, therefore they lose our sympathy. Well, yes and no. Certainly a parent bears some responsibility for the actions of their children, but where does that responsibility end? What are the limits? When does a child become an adult to be judged on their own merits? What does the child owe the parent? What does it resent? What qualities of the parent does the child retain? And when the analogy of parent and child is expanded into the realm of entire civilizations, how do the fundamental emotions of love and hate influence the story?

The Cylons are going to be very special creations in this version of Galactica. They will be unique to the series. And they will be cool at the same time.

''Thanks go out to Ron for answering these questions, additional information for the new mini series may well be popping up over the next few months, so stay tuned and stay calm.''

Sources:Interview with Ronald D. Moore, March 6, 2004 (RDM)

2006-08-04T04:12:13Z

Koenigrules:

By Koenigrules

posted: March 6, 2004 10:00 PM GMT

(Interview was conducted on March 3, 2004 by Koenigrules for Galactica2003.net)

So there I was waiting for Ron D. Moore to pick up the phone. I felt a bit intimidated. After all, this was THE man responsible for breathing a new, reimaged life into one of my favorite shows during my late adolescence. When he did answer, I immediately thanked him for taking some time out to talk to me. And I also congratulated him on the Sci-Fi Channel’s pickup of his series. After this ice breaker (which calmed my nerves immensely), I commenced with the interview….

'''KR: Let me start by asking you Ron, what would you consider some of the high points of the miniseries. In other words, what really worked for you in the miniseries?'''

Ron D. Moore: I think visually it worked extraordinarily well. I really liked the effects sequences. I really liked the combat and the way the dog fights were realized. I thought all that was tremendous. I enjoyed the cast. I thought it was an interesting ensemble that we put together.

And I really liked the tone. Overall, I think the thing that I enjoyed the most was the tone of it...the very sort of grounded in reality perspective. It felt like all this was really happening. It was watching real people go through horrific events, the struggle with them, and what was happening to them. And I was very pleased with it.

'''KR: What would you like to see happen in Battlestar’s first season? Would you want to show more of the same as the miniseries? Or would you want some differences introduced?'''

RDM: I think it’s a different challenge for the series as opposed to the miniseries. The mini is all about the attack and the escape. It’s one long, sort of day or two days that it covers. And it’s setting up all the characters and then watching the events play out and seeing them eventually escape off into the night. All that is just setting up the series. The series then takes all of those characters and expands and deepens them and starts to play out consequences of things that were set up in the pilot. So there are very sort of different expectations.

The series won’t be one long combat sequence. Once the miniseries gets going, once the attack happens, it’s just tension and action packed from beginning to end. The series will have tension, but it won’t be nearly as action packed. We won’t be doing combat every single week. A) It’s very expensive to do every week. And B) it just gets boring. I don’t think you’d be interested in watching a space dog fight battle every single week as the climax of the show.

The series depends much more on a character piece. It depends on the drama and the interactions among the characters. It also depends on bringing out the innate tension and jeopardy that is inherent in their situation. These people are on ships without support, way off by themselves. They have only the clothes on their backs and whatever supplies happen to be on the ships when they escaped. And our job is to take that seriously, to play the truth of that, to really see what will happen to these people. How do they organize themselves? What is their society going to be like? Where are they going to get food and fuel? How are they going to replace the most basic things? Where are they going to get the bullets for the guns?

All these sorts of questions are typically swept away in sci-fi where you just press buttons and things appear and you never question how the ship gets repaired and where the food came from and what about people who have different points of view. What about people in the fleet that don’t like Laura Roslin, that don’t think she’s the legitimate President- who question her authority and legitimacy to give commands? I think all those things are inherently dramatic and interesting. And they’re more dramatic and interesting than simply having the Cylons show up and do a dog fight every week.

'''KR: Well, you brought up a lot of issues that I wanted to ask you about. Apparently, they are going to need to find places where there is fuel, where there is food. They need to solve some of these problems if they are to survive, right?'''

RDM: They are going to have to grapple with them. And some of the problems they’ll never solve. And they may just have “stop gap” measures to tide them over until they find the next supply.

'''KR: You know, one of the most interesting things of the original Battlestar pilot was after the colonies were destroyed and they’re off in space…they were scavenging for food and they explored that. I take it that you’re going to be concentrating on those issues more. Maybe even the “in fighting” among each other, among the ships that have and those that don’t?'''

RDM: Yeah, I think there are natural tensions built into the situation like I said. I always liked the episodes of TOS where…there was an episode (I still don’t have all the titles in my head yet, but I’ve watched them all at this point)…an episode where they had a problem with the grain supplies and the grains had been wiped out. They went down to this planet. It was essentially a Western town and there were these pig-faced people that came riding into the night. And Starbuck becomes the marshal and that whole thing. The premise of that episode, that their grain supply was wiped out which forced them to hunt for other sources, was a good one.

And I always liked it when TOS was playing those kind of “we’re in a tight situation” and these are the realities of it. In the original pilot, they have the conflict with Sire Uri and his ship, The Rising Star. Then there’s a new Quorum of Twelve. And you start to see the tensions between Adama and the new civilian government. All those sorts of themes were there in the original. They just tend to get swamped by some of the more traditional TV plot lines that the old show fell into. But a lot of the things that we want to play in this are actually there in the original and we just want to bring them forward.

'''KR: Now, that brings me to another question. Is there going to be a Council of Twelve?'''

RDM: There will be something like that. I think that’s one of the challenges that Laura Roslin faces after the first couple episodes. The first episode picks them up a few days after the mini and they’re in a crisis…an intense emergency crisis which doesn’t really give them a chance to stop and take stock in what’s going on. But once they have a chance to do that, several of the questions that will come up early are: Does Roslin have the right to give orders and be the President? Who represents the voices of these other 50,000 people? Are their ships’ captains going to speak for everybody? What’s the representation of the 12 colonies?

If you think that there are 12 colonies, roughly analogous to 12 countries or 12 states or however you want to divide it up, well those people want to have a voice in their government on some level. Even in an emergency, they have needs and wants. And some ships are going to be in worse straits than others. People are going to want fairness in distribution of supplies and access to them. I mean, some of these ships are luxurious. Some of these ships are cramped.

There’s going to be a need for some type of government that Laura will form. And how close will it be to the government that was there originally in the 12 colonies? Her whole legitimacy as President is predicated on the idea of succession. The analogy is to our US Constitution. She has been constitutionally sworn in as President. You would think that she would have to have some allegiance to the original constitution of the colonies- which we call The Articles of Colonization. Well, it means things like representatives, things like the Council of Twelve. It has all the messiness of democracy.

So it’s going to be hard for her [Roslin] to uphold the banner of democratic government which is the whole basis of her Presidency without bringing in representatives of the people. This then throws you into, well, sometimes those representatives are real pains in the asses. And they have competing interests. And it opens up the whole can of worms.

'''KR: I remember one of the things from the miniseries, Adama saying `Let’s make babies.’ That brings up the issue: if there’s a scarcity of resources, shouldn’t there also be a consideration of limited population growth?'''

RDM: Oh yeah, that is one of the things we are definitely going to tackle. They are going to have to start making babies, and are they going to start ordering people to start making babies? What does it do to the role of women in the society and their freedom of choice? These are all going to be difficult questions for this particular culture to have to grapple with.

'''KR: And of course there’s that whole aspect of Roslin as civilian leader and Adama, a military leader. So you have that tension of civilian and military conflict. I take it you’re going to be continuing to show those conflicts?'''

RDM: Yeah, there’s a natural tension between the military and the civilian world. And its inherent in a democracy that the civilian authority is supreme to the military. Well, in this situation the military is really keeping them alive on a daily basis. So Adama’s power is much stronger than a peace-time leader would have. And how does he wield that authority? When does he choose to weigh in? When does he choose to back out? When does Laura push him? It’s an interesting balancing act that the two of them will have to do.

'''KR: Is there going to be some sexual tension there between them?'''

RDM: I don’t know how strongly. I think it’s inherent in almost any interaction between a man and woman. And I think people in their positions…you know they are two isolated leaders at the top who don’t really have anybody else as contemporaries. So there will probably be a natural sort of sexual tension in the room between them. But I don’t see how that is going to bring them together, at least not in Season 1. I can’t imagine that they’re going to end up in bed together this year or anything like that, because I don’t think their positions and what’s going on in their two worlds is really conducive to that.

'''KR: And what about Roslin’s cancer? Is there going to be some way of her having that illness and yet still surviving for awhile?'''

RDM: Yeah, she’s going to have to grapple with it for the remainder of the series. She’s going to have to start figuring out, `Are there any doctors left in the fleet?’ I’m sure there are. And then [she has to] figure out which doctors she can trust with her secret, how they’re going to treat it, what treatments are possible given the circumstances. Regardless of whatever treatment options are available back on Caprica, clearly they don’t have all those options available to them now. And she has to be able to strike a balance between treating a very serious disease and not taking herself out of the picture and being completely debilitated because she has to lead this remainder of a civilization. And she can’t let it be generally known that the President that they’re all putting their hopes on has a terminal disease.

'''KR: Right, right. The Cylons….I know in the miniseries you certainly wanted to take the point of view (POV) of the humans and the catastrophe that confronted them. Now in the series, will you “flesh” out the Cylons more, maybe take their POV?'''

RDM: Yeah, we will open up the Cylon world a little bit more. You want to do it slowly and carefully because they are really interesting the more mysterious they are. And it’s striking the balance between preserving the mystery of the Cylons and letting the audience fill in the blanks in their heads. You have to continue to discover new things about them, but you don’t want to specifically define all the aspects of their society quickly.

'''KR: Is there going to be a more advanced type of Cylon than Number Six? I’m recalling Imperious Leader from TOS. Are we going to see a more advanced level as well as the original tin heads in some capacity?'''

RDM: We will see more mechanoid Cylons as the series goes on. But right now I don’t have any plans for Imperious Leader. The humanoid Cylons are the pinnacle of Cylon evolution at the moment.

'''KR: In terms of the number units, the number designations of the humanoid Cylons, are those tied more with the way their bodies look or do they have a hierarchy? Is there someone higher than Number Six ? For instance, is Number Four on the lower end?'''

RDM: There’s no hierarchy to the numbers. It’s just that there are 12 models and she’s the sixth model. The number really doesn’t have anything to do with their hierarchy.

'''KR: And of course there’s Boomer. How does she fit into the Cylon universe?'''

RDM: You’ll see [keeping his view hidden for the moment].

'''KR: One of the things I wanted to ask you about is: there have been some postings on the Internet that you are going to be trying to get some of the old cast back. One in particular was mentioned on www.tvtome.com: Anne Lockhart. Is there any truth to that?'''

RDM: I haven’t had any contact with Anne Lockhart or made any moves in that direction. My position on the original cast, overall, is I would like to find a way to use them in the show. I think it would be interesting. I think it would be fun. I think it would be a nice way to bridge the two versions. It would be a hoot for everybody! I’m developing new characters and stories, but I haven’t pitched it to any of the original actors yet. It’s in the hopper, but it’s not really like happened yet. I don’t know how long it will take or if it’s going to happen at all.

'''KR: And I would take it those roles would be different from TOS series’ roles that the actors were in? That they would be different characters.'''

RDM: They would be different characters.

'''KR: I was very impressed with your work on Carnivale.'''

RDM: Thanks.

'''KR: I loved watching it. I’m sort of torn between your going to BSG now and the direction that Carnivale is going to take in its second year. I loved the open-ending to [Carnivale’s] Season One. Obviously it’s leading to a Season Two and beyond. Would you be doing the same thing with Battlestar? Will there be some issue or crisis that’s beginning to develop in the episodes that takes dominance by the end of Season One that eventually needs to be resolved?'''

RDM: Yes [he chuckles, not adding anything more than that].

'''KR: So maybe cliffhanger-like?'''

RDM: Possibly. It’s a little premature. I know how I want the season to end, and it’s definitely a story that would then demand a follow-up.

'''KR: How are you doing just physically with all this? I know Sci-Fi was late in the game of notifying you guys after the option was picked up- a month later in fact. Do you feel you have enough time to flesh out all of these 13 episodes.'''

RDM: Oh yeah. There’s more than enough time. I’m used to working at this pace. And this is the way that the game is played. They delayed the pickup a little bit, but not dangerously so. I have a full writing staff now. We’re working full time. There’s already two drafts of the first episode written. I’m beginning the second episode. We’re breaking the third. I know what the story arcs are. Overall, I’m pretty confident we’re going to be able to do everything we want to do.

'''KR: Are these all going to be new episodes? I know there’s been some discussion of reimagings of some of TOS episodes, but right now- all new episodes?'''

RDM: For the moment they’re all new episodes. There’s a possibility of revisiting one or two of the original episodes. But if we do it, it wouldn’t be until the latter half, the latter maybe third of Season One. It’s more likely it would be Season Two.

'''KR: So you’re hoping for a Season Two?'''

RDM: That’s my hope [he chuckles].

'''KR: I’m glad that you’re working on this philosophy that you’re not giving us aliens with bumps on their noses, and no time travel or evil duplicates- which is standard fare for a lot of sci-fi shows, as you know.'''

RDM: Oh yeah.

'''KR: Even Star Trek.'''

RDM: I wrote a lot of them [he begins to laugh].

'''KR: Doesn’t that present more challenges instead of less?'''

RDM: It does. This is a harder direction to go in those terms. This is a harder series to pull off because you’re not going to the familiar forms. You are not pulling out all the usual suspects in terms of story and character. It’s an unusual way to do a science fiction series, especially a space opera. It’s more ambitious. It’s a challenge, but that’s why I want to do it. I mean, this is a harder thing to pull off. And it’s going to be a harder thing to get an audience for. It’s just a higher mountain to climb…..[he pauses several moments]

{Then he continues] Why do this job if you don’t want to challenge yourself? Why be a writer in television if you’re not trying to constantly push the form, to try new things, to write stuff that hasn’t been done before, and to try to keep it interesting and fresh? Why do this job if you want to do the same thing day in and day out?

'''KR: Right, right. Some die hard fans of the old series will probably never like the new series. This is a really hard question for me to ask because I don’t think there’s a simple answer to it. Will we ever see a coming together of old and new fans?'''

RDM: I don’t know. It’s a hard thing. And this is always the most difficult question I get in these interviews. Because inevitably what I say seems to piss off the old fans. And then there’s flame wars back and forth between the new and the old.

From my perspective I feel like I’ve been willing to engage in a conversation with all the fans. And that’s unusual in this business. There aren’t a lot of other people in my position who are willing to do that, to have the conversation. So to me, to have the conversation, to be willing to do the interviews like this one and to go on line, to trying to be open and honest with people about what our intentions are- is a way of me reaching out.

Now some of the fans will say, `That’s not enough, that you’re not listening to us, that you’re not making the changes that we’re asking for and you’re basically ignoring us and telling us to go f*** ourselves.’ That’s not really my attitude. I mean, I’m trying to let people know what the show is and not to pretend that we’re doing something that we’re not. I really want to find a way of bridging the two [fandoms]. I just don’t know what that is yet.

'''KR: If you wanted to provide any stimulating tidbit of information in terms of tuning in to the series, what would you be telling people?'''

RDM: We’re going to be trying to give you something different. We’re going to try to give you a different kind of science fiction series than you’ve seen before. We’re going to try to avoid all the clichés of the genre. We’re going to try to reinvent the form. That’s been our goal from the very beginning.

We’re going to try to give you something that’s going to get you talking and thinking each week- where it’s not the predictable ending, where it’s not the easy answers every week…where you come out of it and you might feel shocked at what happened, where you might feel challenged at what happened. You might feel confused at some of the motivations, you might be angered. But you’re always going to be interested. And you’re always going to find something in the show that’s going to make you think.

I’m more interested in drama that makes you think about things than drama that wiles away a couple hours of your afternoon or evening and just wastes your time in front of the TV.

'''KR: I thank you, Mr. Moore, for this chance to interview you. I know I’ve asked you a bit about the psychology and sociology of the series. I find that to be the most fascinating part to the new series. It sounds to me like you’re going to go more in depth with those topics than the miniseries.'''

RDM: That’s the goal!

'''KR: And I have a feeling you will accomplish what you set out to do.'''

RDM: Hopefully.

'''KR: Oh, I think you will. You take care. Thank you so much!'''

RDM: Thank you. Bye now.

And so the interview concluded, and I came away from it quite literally blown away! If Ron Moore does half the things he wants to do in the series, he will make an important (and significant) contribution to sci-fi television. I was very impressed with his answers. And I do believe that he will contribute to the legacy of Battlestar: Galactica in a positive way.

Furthermore, I do believe he wants to unite both the old and new fandoms. But it won’t be his words that will bring TOS and Mini groups together; it will be his BSG episodes.

I am looking forward more than ever to seeing Moore’s weekly version of BSG. I hope we can continue to dialogue with RDM and even set up a weekly chat with him when each episode airs. Signing off for now.

Sources:Interview with Ronald D. Moore, March 6, 2004 (RDM)

2006-08-04T04:09:21Z

Koenigrules:

By Koenigrules

posted: March 6, 2004 10:00 PM GMT

(Interview was conducted on March 3, 2004 by Koenigrules.)

So there I was waiting for Ron D. Moore to pick up the phone. I felt a bit intimidated. After all, this was THE man responsible for breathing a new, reimaged life into one of my favorite shows during my late adolescence. When he did answer, I immediately thanked him for taking some time out to talk to me. And I also congratulated him on the Sci-Fi Channel’s pickup of his series. After this ice breaker (which calmed my nerves immensely), I commenced with the interview….

'''KR: Let me start by asking you Ron, what would you consider some of the high points of the miniseries. In other words, what really worked for you in the miniseries?'''

Ron D. Moore: I think visually it worked extraordinarily well. I really liked the effects sequences. I really liked the combat and the way the dog fights were realized. I thought all that was tremendous. I enjoyed the cast. I thought it was an interesting ensemble that we put together.

And I really liked the tone. Overall, I think the thing that I enjoyed the most was the tone of it...the very sort of grounded in reality perspective. It felt like all this was really happening. It was watching real people go through horrific events, the struggle with them, and what was happening to them. And I was very pleased with it.

'''KR: What would you like to see happen in Battlestar’s first season? Would you want to show more of the same as the miniseries? Or would you want some differences introduced?'''

RDM: I think it’s a different challenge for the series as opposed to the miniseries. The mini is all about the attack and the escape. It’s one long, sort of day or two days that it covers. And it’s setting up all the characters and then watching the events play out and seeing them eventually escape off into the night. All that is just setting up the series. The series then takes all of those characters and expands and deepens them and starts to play out consequences of things that were set up in the pilot. So there are very sort of different expectations.

The series won’t be one long combat sequence. Once the miniseries gets going, once the attack happens, it’s just tension and action packed from beginning to end. The series will have tension, but it won’t be nearly as action packed. We won’t be doing combat every single week. A) It’s very expensive to do every week. And B) it just gets boring. I don’t think you’d be interested in watching a space dog fight battle every single week as the climax of the show.

The series depends much more on a character piece. It depends on the drama and the interactions among the characters. It also depends on bringing out the innate tension and jeopardy that is inherent in their situation. These people are on ships without support, way off by themselves. They have only the clothes on their backs and whatever supplies happen to be on the ships when they escaped. And our job is to take that seriously, to play the truth of that, to really see what will happen to these people. How do they organize themselves? What is their society going to be like? Where are they going to get food and fuel? How are they going to replace the most basic things? Where are they going to get the bullets for the guns?

All these sorts of questions are typically swept away in sci-fi where you just press buttons and things appear and you never question how the ship gets repaired and where the food came from and what about people who have different points of view. What about people in the fleet that don’t like Laura Roslin, that don’t think she’s the legitimate President- who question her authority and legitimacy to give commands? I think all those things are inherently dramatic and interesting. And they’re more dramatic and interesting than simply having the Cylons show up and do a dog fight every week.

'''KR: Well, you brought up a lot of issues that I wanted to ask you about. Apparently, they are going to need to find places where there is fuel, where there is food. They need to solve some of these problems if they are to survive, right?'''

RDM: They are going to have to grapple with them. And some of the problems they’ll never solve. And they may just have “stop gap” measures to tide them over until they find the next supply.

'''KR: You know, one of the most interesting things of the original Battlestar pilot was after the colonies were destroyed and they’re off in space…they were scavenging for food and they explored that. I take it that you’re going to be concentrating on those issues more. Maybe even the “in fighting” among each other, among the ships that have and those that don’t?'''

RDM: Yeah, I think there are natural tensions built into the situation like I said. I always liked the episodes of TOS where…there was an episode (I still don’t have all the titles in my head yet, but I’ve watched them all at this point)…an episode where they had a problem with the grain supplies and the grains had been wiped out. They went down to this planet. It was essentially a Western town and there were these pig-faced people that came riding into the night. And Starbuck becomes the marshal and that whole thing. The premise of that episode, that their grain supply was wiped out which forced them to hunt for other sources, was a good one.

And I always liked it when TOS was playing those kind of “we’re in a tight situation” and these are the realities of it. In the original pilot, they have the conflict with Sire Uri and his ship, The Rising Star. Then there’s a new Quorum of Twelve. And you start to see the tensions between Adama and the new civilian government. All those sorts of themes were there in the original. They just tend to get swamped by some of the more traditional TV plot lines that the old show fell into. But a lot of the things that we want to play in this are actually there in the original and we just want to bring them forward.

'''KR: Now, that brings me to another question. Is there going to be a Council of Twelve?'''

RDM: There will be something like that. I think that’s one of the challenges that Laura Roslin faces after the first couple episodes. The first episode picks them up a few days after the mini and they’re in a crisis…an intense emergency crisis which doesn’t really give them a chance to stop and take stock in what’s going on. But once they have a chance to do that, several of the questions that will come up early are: Does Roslin have the right to give orders and be the President? Who represents the voices of these other 50,000 people? Are their ships’ captains going to speak for everybody? What’s the representation of the 12 colonies?

If you think that there are 12 colonies, roughly analogous to 12 countries or 12 states or however you want to divide it up, well those people want to have a voice in their government on some level. Even in an emergency, they have needs and wants. And some ships are going to be in worse straits than others. People are going to want fairness in distribution of supplies and access to them. I mean, some of these ships are luxurious. Some of these ships are cramped.

There’s going to be a need for some type of government that Laura will form. And how close will it be to the government that was there originally in the 12 colonies? Her whole legitimacy as President is predicated on the idea of succession. The analogy is to our US Constitution. She has been constitutionally sworn in as President. You would think that she would have to have some allegiance to the original constitution of the colonies- which we call The Articles of Colonization. Well, it means things like representatives, things like the Council of Twelve. It has all the messiness of democracy.

So it’s going to be hard for her [Roslin] to uphold the banner of democratic government which is the whole basis of her Presidency without bringing in representatives of the people. This then throws you into, well, sometimes those representatives are real pains in the asses. And they have competing interests. And it opens up the whole can of worms.

'''KR: I remember one of the things from the miniseries, Adama saying `Let’s make babies.’ That brings up the issue: if there’s a scarcity of resources, shouldn’t there also be a consideration of limited population growth?'''

RDM: Oh yeah, that is one of the things we are definitely going to tackle. They are going to have to start making babies, and are they going to start ordering people to start making babies? What does it do to the role of women in the society and their freedom of choice? These are all going to be difficult questions for this particular culture to have to grapple with.

'''KR: And of course there’s that whole aspect of Roslin as civilian leader and Adama, a military leader. So you have that tension of civilian and military conflict. I take it you’re going to be continuing to show those conflicts?'''

RDM: Yeah, there’s a natural tension between the military and the civilian world. And its inherent in a democracy that the civilian authority is supreme to the military. Well, in this situation the military is really keeping them alive on a daily basis. So Adama’s power is much stronger than a peace-time leader would have. And how does he wield that authority? When does he choose to weigh in? When does he choose to back out? When does Laura push him? It’s an interesting balancing act that the two of them will have to do.

'''KR: Is there going to be some sexual tension there between them?'''

RDM: I don’t know how strongly. I think it’s inherent in almost any interaction between a man and woman. And I think people in their positions…you know they are two isolated leaders at the top who don’t really have anybody else as contemporaries. So there will probably be a natural sort of sexual tension in the room between them. But I don’t see how that is going to bring them together, at least not in Season 1. I can’t imagine that they’re going to end up in bed together this year or anything like that, because I don’t think their positions and what’s going on in their two worlds is really conducive to that.

'''KR: And what about Roslin’s cancer? Is there going to be some way of her having that illness and yet still surviving for awhile?'''

RDM: Yeah, she’s going to have to grapple with it for the remainder of the series. She’s going to have to start figuring out, `Are there any doctors left in the fleet?’ I’m sure there are. And then [she has to] figure out which doctors she can trust with her secret, how they’re going to treat it, what treatments are possible given the circumstances. Regardless of whatever treatment options are available back on Caprica, clearly they don’t have all those options available to them now. And she has to be able to strike a balance between treating a very serious disease and not taking herself out of the picture and being completely debilitated because she has to lead this remainder of a civilization. And she can’t let it be generally known that the President that they’re all putting their hopes on has a terminal disease.

'''KR: Right, right. The Cylons….I know in the miniseries you certainly wanted to take the point of view (POV) of the humans and the catastrophe that confronted them. Now in the series, will you “flesh” out the Cylons more, maybe take their POV?'''

RDM: Yeah, we will open up the Cylon world a little bit more. You want to do it slowly and carefully because they are really interesting the more mysterious they are. And it’s striking the balance between preserving the mystery of the Cylons and letting the audience fill in the blanks in their heads. You have to continue to discover new things about them, but you don’t want to specifically define all the aspects of their society quickly.

'''KR: Is there going to be a more advanced type of Cylon than Number Six? I’m recalling Imperious Leader from TOS. Are we going to see a more advanced level as well as the original tin heads in some capacity?'''

RDM: We will see more mechanoid Cylons as the series goes on. But right now I don’t have any plans for Imperious Leader. The humanoid Cylons are the pinnacle of Cylon evolution at the moment.

'''KR: In terms of the number units, the number designations of the humanoid Cylons, are those tied more with the way their bodies look or do they have a hierarchy? Is there someone higher than Number Six ? For instance, is Number Four on the lower end?'''

RDM: There’s no hierarchy to the numbers. It’s just that there are 12 models and she’s the sixth model. The number really doesn’t have anything to do with their hierarchy.

'''KR: And of course there’s Boomer. How does she fit into the Cylon universe?'''

RDM: You’ll see [keeping his view hidden for the moment].

'''KR: One of the things I wanted to ask you about is: there have been some postings on the Internet that you are going to be trying to get some of the old cast back. One in particular was mentioned on www.tvtome.com: Anne Lockhart. Is there any truth to that?'''

RDM: I haven’t had any contact with Anne Lockhart or made any moves in that direction. My position on the original cast, overall, is I would like to find a way to use them in the show. I think it would be interesting. I think it would be fun. I think it would be a nice way to bridge the two versions. It would be a hoot for everybody! I’m developing new characters and stories, but I haven’t pitched it to any of the original actors yet. It’s in the hopper, but it’s not really like happened yet. I don’t know how long it will take or if it’s going to happen at all.

'''KR: And I would take it those roles would be different from TOS series’ roles that the actors were in? That they would be different characters.'''

RDM: They would be different characters.

'''KR: I was very impressed with your work on Carnivale.'''

RDM: Thanks.

'''KR: I loved watching it. I’m sort of torn between your going to BSG now and the direction that Carnivale is going to take in its second year. I loved the open-ending to [Carnivale’s] Season One. Obviously it’s leading to a Season Two and beyond. Would you be doing the same thing with Battlestar? Will there be some issue or crisis that’s beginning to develop in the episodes that takes dominance by the end of Season One that eventually needs to be resolved?'''

RDM: Yes [he chuckles, not adding anything more than that].

'''KR: So maybe cliffhanger-like?'''

RDM: Possibly. It’s a little premature. I know how I want the season to end, and it’s definitely a story that would then demand a follow-up.

'''KR: How are you doing just physically with all this? I know Sci-Fi was late in the game of notifying you guys after the option was picked up- a month later in fact. Do you feel you have enough time to flesh out all of these 13 episodes.'''

RDM: Oh yeah. There’s more than enough time. I’m used to working at this pace. And this is the way that the game is played. They delayed the pickup a little bit, but not dangerously so. I have a full writing staff now. We’re working full time. There’s already two drafts of the first episode written. I’m beginning the second episode. We’re breaking the third. I know what the story arcs are. Overall, I’m pretty confident we’re going to be able to do everything we want to do.

'''KR: Are these all going to be new episodes? I know there’s been some discussion of reimagings of some of TOS episodes, but right now- all new episodes?'''

RDM: For the moment they’re all new episodes. There’s a possibility of revisiting one or two of the original episodes. But if we do it, it wouldn’t be until the latter half, the latter maybe third of Season One. It’s more likely it would be Season Two.

'''KR: So you’re hoping for a Season Two?'''

RDM: That’s my hope [he chuckles].

'''KR: I’m glad that you’re working on this philosophy that you’re not giving us aliens with bumps on their noses, and no time travel or evil duplicates- which is standard fare for a lot of sci-fi shows, as you know.'''

RDM: Oh yeah.

'''KR: Even Star Trek.'''

RDM: I wrote a lot of them [he begins to laugh].

'''KR: Doesn’t that present more challenges instead of less?'''

RDM: It does. This is a harder direction to go in those terms. This is a harder series to pull off because you’re not going to the familiar forms. You are not pulling out all the usual suspects in terms of story and character. It’s an unusual way to do a science fiction series, especially a space opera. It’s more ambitious. It’s a challenge, but that’s why I want to do it. I mean, this is a harder thing to pull off. And it’s going to be a harder thing to get an audience for. It’s just a higher mountain to climb…..[he pauses several moments]

{Then he continues] Why do this job if you don’t want to challenge yourself? Why be a writer in television if you’re not trying to constantly push the form, to try new things, to write stuff that hasn’t been done before, and to try to keep it interesting and fresh? Why do this job if you want to do the same thing day in and day out?

'''KR: Right, right. Some die hard fans of the old series will probably never like the new series. This is a really hard question for me to ask because I don’t think there’s a simple answer to it. Will we ever see a coming together of old and new fans?'''

RDM: I don’t know. It’s a hard thing. And this is always the most difficult question I get in these interviews. Because inevitably what I say seems to piss off the old fans. And then there’s flame wars back and forth between the new and the old.

From my perspective I feel like I’ve been willing to engage in a conversation with all the fans. And that’s unusual in this business. There aren’t a lot of other people in my position who are willing to do that, to have the conversation. So to me, to have the conversation, to be willing to do the interviews like this one and to go on line, to trying to be open and honest with people about what our intentions are- is a way of me reaching out.

Now some of the fans will say, `That’s not enough, that you’re not listening to us, that you’re not making the changes that we’re asking for and you’re basically ignoring us and telling us to go f*** ourselves.’ That’s not really my attitude. I mean, I’m trying to let people know what the show is and not to pretend that we’re doing something that we’re not. I really want to find a way of bridging the two [fandoms]. I just don’t know what that is yet.

'''KR: If you wanted to provide any stimulating tidbit of information in terms of tuning in to the series, what would you be telling people?'''

RDM: We’re going to be trying to give you something different. We’re going to try to give you a different kind of science fiction series than you’ve seen before. We’re going to try to avoid all the clichés of the genre. We’re going to try to reinvent the form. That’s been our goal from the very beginning.

We’re going to try to give you something that’s going to get you talking and thinking each week- where it’s not the predictable ending, where it’s not the easy answers every week…where you come out of it and you might feel shocked at what happened, where you might feel challenged at what happened. You might feel confused at some of the motivations, you might be angered. But you’re always going to be interested. And you’re always going to find something in the show that’s going to make you think.

I’m more interested in drama that makes you think about things than drama that wiles away a couple hours of your afternoon or evening and just wastes your time in front of the TV.

'''KR: I thank you, Mr. Moore, for this chance to interview you. I know I’ve asked you a bit about the psychology and sociology of the series. I find that to be the most fascinating part to the new series. It sounds to me like you’re going to go more in depth with those topics than the miniseries.'''

RDM: That’s the goal!

'''KR: And I have a feeling you will accomplish what you set out to do.'''

RDM: Hopefully.

'''KR: Oh, I think you will. You take care. Thank you so much!'''

RDM: Thank you. Bye now.

And so the interview concluded, and I came away from it quite literally blown away! If Ron Moore does half the things he wants to do in the series, he will make an important (and significant) contribution to sci-fi television. I was very impressed with his answers. And I do believe that he will contribute to the legacy of Battlestar: Galactica in a positive way.

Furthermore, I do believe he wants to unite both the old and new fandoms. But it won’t be his words that will bring TOS and Mini groups together; it will be his BSG episodes.

I am looking forward more than ever to seeing Moore’s weekly version of BSG. I hope we can continue to dialogue with RDM and even set up a weekly chat with him when each episode airs. Signing off for now.

Battlestar Wiki:Requests for adminship/The Merovingian (3)

2006-08-03T05:04:44Z

Koenigrules: /* The Merovingian */

===[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]]===
[[Battlestar Wiki:Requests for adminship|Back to RFA]].

'''[{{SERVER}}{{localurl:Battlestar Wiki:Requests for adminship/The Merovingian (3)|action=edit}} Vote here] '''
'''(5/5/1) ending 17:51, 6 August 2006 (CDT)'''

{{User|The Merovingian}} – The Merovingian's history with us has not been entirely smooth. During his first months with us, his unmatched energy and enthusiasm for the project were sadly tempered with an impatience and quickness to anger which did not recommend him for adminship.

In the last few months, his demeanor has improved drastically, and he has acquired a remarkable maturity and level-headedness. This track record was unfortunately marred by an incident three months ago, involving a series of attacks against fan reporter Jim Iaccino, a.k.a. "KoenigRules". The results of this were such that I was forced to oppose his last nomination for adminship - despite his recently improved behavior, I felt he needed to demonstrate that he was capable of adhering to higher standards on a permanent basis.

It is my opinion that Merv has done so. He now makes persuasive arguments in rational tones, he appeals and defers to group consensus when appropriate, and he has been helpful and patient with new users.

Merv has always been a contributor of the highest order. As one of the most serious and vocal opponents of his adminship in the past, it is my pleasure to state my belief that Merv has demonstrated the maturity and patience to wield admin privileges responsibly and effectively. I would be honored to work alongside him as an administrator. --[[User:Peter Farago|Peter Farago]] 00:37, 28 July 2006 (CDT)
:''Candidate, please indicate acceptance of the nomination here:''--I am The Merovingian, and I accept this nomination. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 17:51, 30 July 2006 (CDT)


'''Support'''

#{{support}} as nominator. --[[User:Peter Farago|Peter Farago]] 00:37, 28 July 2006 (CDT)
#{{support}} I am delighted to support, based both on absolutely superb contributions and behavior that has steadily improved to its currently decorous state. --[[User:CalculatinAvatar|CalculatinAvatar]]([[Special:Contributions/CalculatinAvatar|C]]-[[User talk:CalculatinAvatar|T]]) 04:18, 28 July 2006 (CDT)
#{{support}} Has made excellent contributions in the last few weeks. --[[User:Gougef|FrankieG]] 06:40, 28 July 2006 (CDT)
#{{support}} I've been highly impressed with his contributions and such here recently. --[[User:Talos|Talos]] 13:05, 29 July 2006 (CDT)
#{{Support}} Merv was the second user to greet me when I came here. I was overzealous when I first arrived, but he helped me to temper myself through helpful suggestions that were not rude or even bossy. He's an excellent editor here and I couldn't think of a better choice for admin. --[[User:Homeworld616|Homeworld616]] 01:33, 30 July 2006 (CDT)

'''Oppose'''

#{{oppose}} I've reconsidered my vote light of Merv striking out Cranky's vote. Not that there was anything wrong in striking out Cranky's vote, but the fact that Merv did it shows that he hasn't learned much in the way he deals with people. I would like to respect Peter's judgment that he's now ready for admin-ship, but this incident just pushed me back to the "NO" camp. Thanks Merv. I should also add that I'm utterly baffled that this process has gone on for nearly a year and three previous failed admin votes, in which at least one of them Merv nominated himself, and in the other two he accepted. I guess the one question I have is "why does this position matter" so much? He didn't even refuse the nomination after the KR incident, which would have been the honorable thing to do. In previous RFA's, he's bragged that he had a Plan R ready (recruitment) to essentially troll for votes at other forums. (Mercifully, this was not employed during the last RFA). Still, the question begs to be answered: Why does this position matter so much? Why is being a contributor not good enough? And sadly, I don't agree that he's ready yet. I really wanted to give him a chance.--[[User:Larocque6689|Larocque6689]] 00:16, 31 July 2006 (CDT)
#{{Oppose}} '''Strongly''' - Merv has attitude has not changed and I think that people should be reminded of the RFC in how he handles difficulties situations. Not one person owns any such article has people and Merv has told me. No article is of ownership so saying that you are working on your articles should be a presence that he still has the mentality of ownership of the ''wiki''. '''A''' - Merciful and I worked on the Battle template for two weeks and got comments during that time. And once Merciful updated all the pages, Merv objected to it's use and the design. '''B and C''' - In that note, The [[BW:ES]] project has not been finalized nor has anything been set in stone, yet he has gone around to all the episodes and made significant changes without getting any consent with the project group. Posting something on the think tank for project creation, not for doing the standards does not count. The [[BW:ES]] project was not his creation, but [[User:Gougef|FrankieG]] project idea. The podcast project is also something to point out, while there was a field to "view" podcasts from the episode pages, the idea was never implemented because there was to many disagreements. (i.e. [[Battlestar_Wiki_talk:Podcast_Transcripts#100.25_done_podcasts_we_should...]] At this point before he did this, the [[BW:TANK]] project did exist.) '''D''' - No project on welcoming committee. It's open for anyone who can post a welcome message to someone and not just posting, but also helping. '''G''' After being a strong opponent to the idea he has graped the idea that he should be the only person in charge of maintaining the portals (e.x. Check Userpage) and decide what should be placed. (e.x. The RDM Portal FA is a current [[BW:FA]] candidate.) The [[Cylon agent speculation]] page has been a project, but disallows other users information on the page. My own conflicts with merv have yet to be resolved. I have ''yet'' to hear an apology from him from the many actions he has done to enrage me leading up the the RFC on me. The [[BW:AN]] post is another thing. And if you look closely at the RFC, he did preach. The RFC was not a discussion forum, but analysis of the situation of people's comments. I can not vote for a person who can not apologizes to someone after they admit they are wrong except he can to people outside the Wiki. (I would expect a public apology to Larocuque on his talk page because he has said he is sorry in this RFA, but you have not done it directly to him. For this, you can not be ready to be an admin) And using the [http://www.battlestarwiki.org/en/index.php?title=User_talk:Joe_Beaudoin_Jr.&oldid=67488 System Message namespace for an RFA], shows me that messages are going to be abused. This system is for server related issues regrading updating and databases issues. General information should be posted on the [[BW:CP]] where there is a notice board, but RFAs don't get "riddled" everywhere except someone's user talk page or if they have pages under "Watch" status. Also in the current sub-page of [[BW:TK]], an established project, he objects to a subpage for a list of manual checks for users and admins. The list is going to be design for admins and users alike to see what is going on the wiki and to give shortcuts to the correct pages. Not one person can be the trafficker of information. We each have our own skills that relay on one another. Merv thinks his skills is all this wiki needs. Me, I good at code, not content, but I love the show, Peter good at grammar, CA, good at grammar. Frank is another contributer to info. Merc has been good with design and syntax fix. Spenc is good at condensing things. Talos is good at images. Ford same reasons. And the wiki can not be here at all without Joe. As posted out, Merv does not want us associated with a outside forum in anyway shape or form to function as one. Also to bring back a forum issue is irreverent to why we should not listen to Larocuque's vote. I do agree that Cranky1c's vote should be discounted because it breaks every rule in the [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Sock puppetry|book]], but a simple "Please read the RFA guidelines, would have been a simple enough." Also posting a link where there is adult content is UNWISE without any warning. If any of the pictures are like bad, that is serious bad things that can happen to the Wiki even though you are linking. -[[User:Shane|Shane]] ([[User_Talk:Shane|T]] - [[Special:Contributions/Shane|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/Shane|E]]) 01:38, 31 July 2006 (CDT)
#'''Weak '''{{Oppose}} Ok this was a tough decision and most certainly isnt mean as an attack as an oppose. I definitly think you are over a lot of the bad stuff that happened in the past but there are still times when arguments get a little out of hand and when you make changes before concensus is made. I also think the whole Koenigrules issue was a pretty big thing and its hard to forget that. Apologies are fair enough but you need to think a little more about how your actions can affect other people. I think [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:What adminship is not|this]] needs to be made completely clear too. And if you does make admin I most definitly dont want to see posts on Skiffy and other forums of you "speaking on behalf" of the Wiki as has done in the past. I'm still skeptical about if another bad situation is going to arise in the future, and if so then it may bring the whole of the Wiki into disrepute as you would be an admin. So just be very very careful about what you say/do outside of the wiki. Good luck Merv, but im staying neutral on this one. --[[User:Mercifull|Mercifull]] ([[User talk:Mercifull|Talk]]/[[Special:Contributions/Mercifull|Contribs]]) 10:54, 30 July 2006 (CDT)
#:Ok I'm sorry to do this but i'm moving to oppose. From the comments ive seen from other people here there are some serious issues about Merv's behavour outside of the wiki, and im really not sure we want to bring some of this bad kharma here. --[[User:Mercifull|Mercifull]] ([[User talk:Mercifull|Talk]]/[[Special:Contributions/Mercifull|Contribs]]) 03:55, 31 July 2006 (CDT)
#{{oppose}}. I'm sorry, Merv, but I'm obliged to change my vote. Reputations are a hard thing to live down, and you have all but succeeded in doing so on this wiki; you are one of our most valuable contributors. But it seems that your off-wiki reputation has followed you, and this is something that would only happen if you chose to represent yourself too strongly. Be proud of your work, but never over-represent yourself. Further, as Joe as stated, you already do much of what administrators do: As a veteran contributor, you have move page privileges, so you're trusted by all of your contemporaries here. I ask you to note two important points of concern, shown alone in your comments here on this RfA: (1) Be brief. As an admin, you haven't time for verbose commentary, especially when you have a whole wiki to mop (the actual task we admins should do everyday) or need to be watchful for problems outside of yourself. An admin that has to fight fires that he starts can't do his or her job well. Keep your thoughts short, or better, sometimes silence is good, which shows your neutrality or partiality. (2) Name-calling, even allusions to it, must never be done. --[[User:Spencerian|Spencerian]] 15:38, 1 August 2006 (CDT)
#{{oppose}}. Making Merv an admin here would only cause more problems than it solves. [[User:Ribsy|Ribsy]] 15:10, 2 August 2006 (CDT)
#{{oppose}}. I am inclined to oppose as well. I do agree with Dogger that it is just too soon for any of this. People sometimes have 'selective' memories and think that by apologizing, all damage goes away. I am still dealing with issues from one administrator at my workplace, thanks to the 'Trash KR' campaign initiated by M. And if by chance one still does not know what happened, there are plenty of posted comments from M. on a number of BSG boards that might just make you sick with all the venom that is spouted! While M. and I are communicating, it is way too soon for any of this to happen. If M. really wants to be an admin, he can tolerate the wait; that's simple to do. The harder thing is to think about what occurred day in and day out, identify the reasons why it was done- which are still not clear to me, and then promise it will never ever happen again to anyone- even to someone that might be the most despicable fan on the planet (which I am not, by the way!). Any responsible person should not see themselves as judge, jury and executioner! I also think that as a member of wiki, M. represents the entire site whenever and wherever he posts. Admin positions like this one should be treated seriously and with maturity. And maturity does not come in a month or two or by simply indicating an "I'm sorry." It is by the actions one makes over an extended period of time. And I just do not see a few months as a significant amount of time for all that occurred. M. wanted me to express my feelings here, whether pro or con, and I have done just that. Thanks for allowing me to express my opinion. [[User:koenigrules|koenigrules]] 12:10, 3 August 2006 (CDT)

'''Neutral'''

#{{neutral}} I am voting 'Neutral' for one reason, and one reason alone: caution. In my opinion, it's too soon for this. I wrote at Merv's last RfA that I would like to see how he handles the recent challenges to his reputation. Not that his reputation itself in certain quarters is at all relevant to his adminship, but how he handles it, is. And I think he has been comporting himself very well, all things considered. I don't see anything about his behaviour on this page that really concerns me, and I don't see spitefulness or revenge-taking on his part, which are the things that would have concerned me most. I am impressed and I commend Merv on how he's handled himself, but I would have preferred to have the opportunity to see him maintain it for two or three months, which might have brought fresh irritants into the mix. If this past month had been three months, with the same behaviour from Merv -- I would be voting 'support' right now. In any case, if this RfA passes it would not bother me at all, and Merv would have my congratulations.--[[User:Dogger|Dogger]] 00:29, 2 August 2006 (CDT)

==== Comments ====
*It's only been a month since the last RFA. Why are we going through this again so soon? Edit: Please ignore the last question. I just noticed it was Peter who made the nomination. --[[User:Larocque6689|Larocque6689]] 19:06, 30 July 2006 (CDT)

*A few things to point out: Laroque6689 is of course, trying to goad me into some sort of inappropriate outburst disproving that my behavior is fine. So instead of taking my word for it, I'll supply links to things he's said and you can decide for yourselves, but essentially, Larocque6689 is one of the regulars from (''Caution: Some of these messageboard posts I'm pointing out containg mature content'') "[http://www.stallioncornell.com/board/index.php The Moist Board]": many of you, my fellow, BattlestarWikipedians don't use the messageboards a lot so to give a quick run through: when they talk about "those internet Original Series fans who hated the new show and clogged the messageboards full of cruft when the Miniseries came out", that's them. ---->Essentially, I refuse to be intimidated by trolls on the messageboads, and do not shy away from saying that Scifi.com's messageboards have little if any moderating and we need moderators to keep order there. More so than ever after a new troll "hatebait", began sexually harassing several members of the messageboard.---->At any rate, many of you saw during my last RFA that these people just go on mudslinging grudge matches and I doubt actually care about the show. For starters, Larocque6689 does not care about KoenigRules. --->Yikes, this is one of the more tired messageboard arguement tactics by a third party; I am not fighting with KoenigRules, have retracted everything about that mishap, and (Although this is based on how he feels) I think things are productively moving foward. The point is, it's been more or less a rehash of an arguement from ''April''. When Larocque6689 can't think of something actually new to use to defame someone, he just reposts the same old arguements into a room to open old wounds. They just don't like it that I want to actually have people behave on Skiffy, observe: "[http://www.stallioncornell.com/board/viewtopic.php?p=39112&highlight=#39112 Blame would-be Sciffy moderator The_Merovirgin, who reports posts of his enemies as fast as they are posted).]--Larocque6689". --->Larocque & Co. kind of obsess over me, as seen [http://www.stallioncornell.com/board/viewtopic.php?p=42944&highlight=#42944 in this example], just reposting the same things over and over again. --->[http://www.stallioncornell.com/board/viewtopic.php?p=46533&highlight=#46533 here's another one] = Larocque and the other TOS trolls really just hate it that I actually want there to be moderators on Skiffy. I mean heck, Koenigrules was there post-GTA's and shared in my disgust at the troll backlash from the likes of hatebait, who kept sexually harassing people but never got banned. They kept running around going "report a post and your a snitch and a troll!" (Trolling being the exact opposite of reporting bad posts). And of course, Larocque has now [http://www.mortalstorm.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?p=7948&highlight=#7948 announced my new RFA in another troll-forum]], in the dedicated Hate-The-Merovingian thread. Any surprse that a few hours after we started, someone joined BattlestarWiki (Cranky1c) for the express purpose of voting against me? Well, judge for yourselves Larocque6689's conduct and character; check out his [http://www.mortalstorm.com/phpbb2/search.php?search_author=larocque6689 List of posts on MortalStorm] and [http://www.stallioncornell.com/board/search.php?search_author=larocque6689 List of posts on Moist Board]. I'm sorry that KoenigRules and I, and the rest of the BSG community, have to keep dealing with people like this. --->Finally, Larocque6689.....is just obviously a malicious user who popped in to vote against me. '''Please take a look at the [http://www.battlestarwiki.org/en/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&target=Larocque6689 Full List of Larocque6689's Contributions to BattlestarWiki]:''' Once, on April 12, he made some minor changes to "33" and "Water". Besides that, ''All he's done is come here to yell about me becomeing Administrator....of a website he hardly ever uses'''. Funny that he knew to voice his opinions on my RFA here, when an announcement that there's an Administratorship election in progress wasn't even posteed as a header on top of the website: these TOS trolls (people that actually use the term "GINO"/originated it) just....stalk me on the internet all the time and obsessively read everything I do. Creepy and petty. ---->What are Larocque6689's opinions? Well, judge their worth on their merit I guess. Myself, I would value KoenigRules vote/input on my RFA (even if negative) and have sent him a PM asking if he'd like to vote me up or down. Because KoenigRules knows what KoenigRules thinks, not Larocque6689. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 00:19, 31 July 2006 (CDT)
**A couple of things Merv. First, it's true I haven't contributed a lot to the Wiki. One of the reasons was that your power-tripping drove me away. I had actully prepared a whole whack of stuff from my own BSG website. At some point I would love to buff up both the TNS and TOS sections, but that's my business. (And to the Wiki-ians, yes, you have permission to use my website as a resource ) Secondly, I'm not trying to goad you into anything - I'm just asking a simple question: "Why does this matter?" Thirdly, someone did alert me to this RFA. I thought it was open, which is why I posted in it. There's no conspiracy at work, it's just a fact. I was going to go "neutral" until you struck out a vote against your adminship (which I really think was out of order). Cranky's vote should have been discarded but not by you. You could have shown restraint: you didn't. Finally, instead of using this opportunity to show your best side, you belittle my (modest) contributions here, try and second-guess my motives, and bring in stuff from other forums which don't have any place here. I did not come here to thwart your latest attempt to become an admin, rather, I just came here with some questions. If you could just calm down for a few moments, this exercise could become productive again. (To the wiki people, I'm sorry I screwed up the formatting, this isn't exactly user-friendly and I'll try my best not to do that again) {{unsigned|Larocque6689}}
***I appreciate that there are complicated inter-personal issues at work here which involve off-wiki activities, but could I please encourage the participants here to refrain from harsh language and mud-slinging? Every user here is entitled to an opinion. --[[User:Peter Farago|Peter Farago]] 01:20, 31 July 2006 (CDT)
****Merv, NEVER link to other websites which contain adult/pornographic images, at the very least without some kind of warning. Some of us use the wiki at work... --[[User:Mercifull|Mercifull]] ([[User talk:Mercifull|Talk]]/[[Special:Contributions/Mercifull|Contribs]]) 04:16, 31 July 2006 (CDT)
*****Merv, you not doing yourself any favors responding to these types of posts. It's making me waver on my support. I appreciate your hard work, but these kinds of attacks are best ignored. --[[User:Gougef|FrankieG]] 07:53, 31 July 2006 (CDT)
******Agreed. Best to just let them shout themselves out. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 08:40, 31 July 2006 (CDT)
*******Now that's "Admin" type behavior, and will be appreciated. :-) --[[User:Gougef|FrankieG]] 08:50, 31 July 2006 (CDT)
********Merv, I wasn't trying to goad you into anything. There was a reason I cast a Neutral vote. I had some questions but had no desire to be an impediment to the outcome of the vote. Your striking out Cranky's vote (while procedurally correct) really stepped out of the boundaries of what I consider nominal election behavior. For the very same reason, what right did you have in taking another "Oppose" vote and reclassifying it as a "Weak Oppose"? You aren't in charge of this RFA, other people are, and that's thir responsibility, not yours. In an election, a candidate does not throw out votes cast against him, for the same reason that it's considered improper to stuff the ballot box. Other people are in charge of the ballot box, not the candidates. Your response - which seems to be a standard one - is to toss out the "troll" label and post a bunch of links. You've psycho-analyzed me and claim I "don't really care" about KR. (It's an utterly false claim, if you knew anything about me). I agree with Shane - you owe me an sincere apology, which I would gladly accept if one were offered. I didn't bring any of the off-Wiki stuff into this RFA for the simple reason that they don't belong here. Rather, I asked a question, which remains unanswered. Granted, it's a subjective and kind of fuzzy question, but given the number of times these RFA's have happened, it is a valid one. "Why is this position so important to you?" You've invested a lot of time - emotional and otherwise - in "Plan R" - and simply won't take no for an answer. You could almost add a tagline to your name: "desperately wants to be a Wiki admin." All I just want to know why it matters to you so much to be elevated to this position. Because you really, really want it.--[[User:Larocque6689|Larocque6689]] 17:23, 31 July 2006 (CDT)
*********Mercifull moved it himself and added week oppose to it. --[[User:Shane|Shane]] ([[User_Talk:Shane|T]] - [[Special:Contributions/Shane|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/Shane|E]]) 17:42, 31 July 2006 (CDT)
**********My bad. I would have struck those remarks and your response, but I guess it's part of the record. Please skip over that sentence. Thanks.--[[User:Larocque6689|Larocque6689]] 17:55, 31 July 2006 (CDT)
*I would just like to add that I dont have anything against you Merv, and i've been ''very'' impressed with the contributions you have made here, however as can be seen from this page there are still a lot of issues regarding conflicts with other people and i'm not sure this is the kind of thing we want to bring over to the wiki. --[[User:Mercifull|Mercifull]] ([[User talk:Mercifull|Talk]]/[[Special:Contributions/Mercifull|Contribs]]) 08:05, 31 July 2006 (CDT)
**Mercifull I don't know if you go to the messageboards a lot, but there is actually not "issues" online except for trolls yelling at me like this. I honestly do not know how KoenigRules feels (his opinion would actually matter) though I hope I made amends with hem. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 08:37, 31 July 2006 (CDT)
***I dont use any BSG/Sci Fi message boards for unfortunatly all I have to go on is what is shown here. --[[User:Mercifull|Mercifull]] ([[User talk:Mercifull|Talk]]/[[Special:Contributions/Mercifull|Contribs]]) 09:33, 31 July 2006 (CDT)

:For some time now, one of my side projects has been to review Merv's message board postings, as well as the postings that ''related to'' Merv. Granted, there's been a change in his behavior, which became prominent in the aftermath of the KoenigRules incident. It is obvious to me that Merv isn't very well liked and there are reasons, and let's just leave it at that for right now. Yet, an observation I have made is that the same people who decry his behaviors also commit similar behaviors themselves: personal attacks. I'm not going to provide links and all that because Merv's links (warnings are good things Merv) are more than sufficient to illustrate my point: his opponents employ the same disgusting behaviors that they accuse him of. Yes, the KR incident was deplorable, however it is the issue that keeps on being dragged out like a dead horse and beaten ''ad nauseum''. I'm not going to speak for anyone else, but judging from comments from both parties, I believe that they want the issue dead and buried. Essentially, I feel that the decision to elevate Merv to admin status would be controversial, regardless of whether or not people agree that he has changed his behavior. It might also bear badly upon the Wiki, given that Merv has issues with people on the boards.

:Merv is a great contributor to the Wiki. The issue that some people have had is that he has, in the past, spoken as being one of the operators of the Wiki. In fact, while he has never really said as such, people assume him to be the official spokesperson for the Wiki. '''This is not the case.''' I will therefore be codifying that into an official policy, which I will be running through the [[BW:TANK|Think Tank]] as my ill body permits.

:Another thing is that I don't believe Merv ''needs'' the tools. From what I've gathered from his words, the tools would be more of a convenience if anything else. (This by the way is not a vote, hence this being under the comments section.) What I am really saying here is that people think being an administrator is a life-long job title. It isn't. Let me remind people that administrative privileges can be taken away if misused.

:I put this all here because I feel that people should really understand that people don't have to be administrators to help shape the wiki. Adminship is not an entitlement. It is not a title. It is a responsibility. Also, in Larocque's case, if he was scared off by Merv, he shouldn't have been; he should have approached any admin with his concerns. It should not take an RFA to bring these issues up. He's more than welcome to contribute here. As is anyone else. If anyone's been "scared off" for any reason, I would very much like to know this, because this concerns me greatly.

:I've said my piece. Questions? -- [[User:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|Joe Beaudoin]] [[User talk:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|So say we all]] - [[Battlestar Wiki:Site support|Donate]] 12:51, 31 July 2006 (CDT)

: '''The following was moved by [[User:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|Joe Beaudoin Jr.]] at 12:51, 31 July 2006 (CDT). It is an oppose vote that cannot be counted due to Cranky1c being a new user.'''

:{{Oppose}} With all due respect, the arguement that a couple of months of improved behavior is equivalent to "adhering to higher standards on a permanent basis" is unpersuasive. KR was not the subject of a mere prank or fan infighting, but suffered an intrusion in his professional life that can not be overlooked for a nice e-mail and the submission of some articles, no matter how well done. Those of us who work in professional environments know that administrative and organizational memory for this kind of thing is not wiped clean even when it falls below the threshold for disciplinary action. Some errors in judgement are simply incompatable with being trusted with positions of authority, and I believe this is the case here, whatever his contributions. Mero may be a talented contributor and editor, but he should remain so. --<s>[[User:Cranky1c|Cranky1c]] 12:08, 16 March 2006 (EST)</s>
::Member since 31 July 2006. Vote will not be counted.---->As a countermeasure against voter fraud, you have to be a member of BattlestarWiki for at least 3 weeks before you're allowed to vote (and even then, your vote might be cast in a bad light if you only occassionally contribute). This person joined less than 6 hours ago. Yikes. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 23:32, 30 July 2006 (CDT)
:::Merv, what business do you have in striking out someone's vote in YOUR OWN RFA? That's something for the admins. You have no business discarding ballots for your own election. That takes a LOT of chuztpah. I'm changing to a NO vote. --[[User:Larocque6689|Larocque6689]] 00:11, 31 July 2006 (CDT)
::::Note: I'm sorry if I'm not allowed to do that I wasn't sure; we don't do RFA's very often, I thought anyone could point that out. Regardless, no, what was balsy was that we have a 3 week waiting period before voting and you've got people joining a matter of hours ago to try and vote people down (Peter just editing something a few minutes ago; Peter I assume if I have done something wrong you'd have told me? If I have I'm sorry, I wasn't sure what to do)--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 00:35, 31 July 2006 (CDT)
:::::Merv's action was appropriate, per the precedent we set during Merv's second RFA. See the [[Battlestar Wiki talk:Requests for adminship/The Merovingian|relevant page]] for details. --[[User:Peter Farago|Peter Farago]] 01:09, 31 July 2006 (CDT)
::::::I didn't read the rules closely enough, sorry about that, folks. Fair enough to strike the vote (mistaken sure, fraudulent, c'mon) but that doesn't change the merits of the arguement. Probably should have gone under comments. Still learning to navigate this a little. --[[User:Cranky1c|Cranky1c]]
:::::::By all means (based on past RFA precedent) you are allowed to make comments on an RFA, even if you aren't eligible to vote yet. Perhaps you'd like to move this to Comments?--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 09:26, 31 July 2006 (CDT)
::::::::I tried to move it around to the comments section earlier. Doesn't seem to have taken, could be I haven't done it right. Will Try again latter.--[[User:Cranky1c|Cranky1c]]

:I want to take a minute to clarify my reasons for nominating Merv, and respond to a few valid points that have been brought up.

:Joe states that he doesn't believe Merv "needs" the admin-level tools and privileges. I think it's hard to argue that any one of us "need" those tools to fulfill our functions - there are currently seven administrators, and if any one of us were removed, the others could certainly keep the place running. We did not ''need'' another administrator when we elected CalculatinAvatar and Mercifull, but consensus was that they had demonstrated a capacity to use those powers well, and that their help would be welcome.

:So, the relevant question for me is not whether Merv ''needs'' to be an administrator, but whether he can shoulder those responsibilities and better add to our community with them. I believe this unequivocally. I often took great issue with Merv's behavior from the time I started contributing here until last spring, and did not hesitate to speak out against him. In the time since, I have watched him grow to a reasonable, level-headed, fair-minded and capable contributor who communicates well, admits when he's wrong, and throws himself whole-heartedly into his work, whether that consist of tedious cleanup and drudgework, active discussion on talk pages, or large and complicated articles.

:It first occurred to me that Merv had reached a point where he would be a capable moderator shortly ''before'' the KR incident. I had already intended to nominate him for some time at that point, but the words exchanged at that time shook my conviction deeply, and I decided that Merv would have to demonstrate his responsibility on a much longer basis in order for me to support him. As I stated above, I now believe he has done this.

:Merv is an extremely active contributor, which means that he is often online. When we are confronted by vandals, as we were [[Battlestar_Wiki:Administrators%27_noticeboard#Report_on_Vandalism_by_User:Mickey_McGizzle|last month]], it is essential that we have a rapid response available. Merv, simply by dint of his ernest contribution and near constant presence, would increase our ability to defend the wiki immeasurably. By the same reasoning, Merv would benefit from the rollback function, and he can be trusted to edit pages that, for various reasons, need to be protected.

:So, does Merv ''need'' to be an Admin? Well, no. But neither did CA or Mercifull, and I'm pleased to work alongside both of them. Merv can be trusted, and he should.

:Secondly, in response to [[User:Larocque6689|Larocque6689]] and [[User:Mercifull|Mercifull]], regarding the issue of Merv's off-wiki activities - I frankly could not care less what Merv does outside of the wiki. We all have friends and enemies outside of the wiki, and their opinions of us - and our other activities in the real world - should have very little bearing on our opinions of each other. We have a very narrow focus: creating an encyclopedia for all things ''Galactica'', and maintaining order and harmony among our participants. This is why we don't accept votes from newly registered users with an axe to grind. By the same token, any activities outside of that - petty arguments, posting pornographic links, whatever - are irrelevant to our central goal.

:What ''does'' matter is when our conflicts in the outside world get dragged into the Wiki, or when our actions here insight comment and dissent out there. This was why Merv's actions with regard to KR shocked my so greatly, and shook my growing confidence in him as a contributor. When Merv realized the significance of the situation, he resolved that conflict as quickly and maturely as he could, and I believe that he learned a valuable lesson. It has been three months since then, and at this point I'm willing to stake my reputation as a judge of character on my conviction that it will not happen again.

:Lastly, I want to point out that while every admin elected to date has passed his RFA with unanimous consent, that is going to be an increasingly difficult standard to match going forward. There is at least one user who has questioned my fitness for adminship, and stated that he would have voted against me had he been given the chance. Merv is a controversial figure, and is likely to inspire objection, but I believe that his qualifications are clear. If we ever break our precedent for unanimous acclamation, Merv is the candidate to do it with. --[[User:Peter Farago|Peter Farago]] 15:49, 31 July 2006 (CDT)

::YOu said all of that a lot better than I could Peter (btw Peter and Joe, sorry I forgot to put a warning up before the links to the troll stuff, I should have thought of that, but once Merc pointed it out I did, sorry)--->Merciful: you don't really go to the messageboards a lot you said, but I haven't been in a fight with anyone online for months. The moist board trolls just keep yelling all the time, but I'm not stirring up controversy on a weekly basis; I mean check foryourselves (Joe said he did) I"m not really argueing with anyone. Yes, as you said I tried to fix things with KR as best I could, and I realized not to Jump to conclusions (It's not simply that I'm sorry that this got me in an arguement; I actually now realize my conclusions were totally wrong, as were my actions, and I shouldn't have done any of them). Beyond that there really isn't much "Controversy" in making me an Admin; I mean I'd like to know what a big respected fan like KR thinks, but the moist board people are just the trolls that get kicked off of Skiffy. --->I"m just fumbling for words; Joe and Peter summarized the situation with them more accurately than I can. I hope, Merciful, that you reconsider your switch from Neutral to Oppose, though I understand why you did it and I'm glad about the weak-oppose label you put in; but the reasons you said were controversy --->There really is not current online controversy, as Joe pointed out this is just people posting dead arguements ad nauseum long after they've been buried.--------->On top of all of this is the concern that I'm doing things "outside of the wiki", that is, acting like a spokesperson. After my KR goof (I was angry and not really thinking then) I've made it a point to always point out that I'm not some official spokesperson for Battlestarwiki, to point out to people that other people are here as well and its a group effort. Joe himself noted above that I haven't been doing that (I'm glad he was making sure). Yes, by virtue of the fact that many others aren't on the messageboards but I am, some people confuse things and think I'm in a higher position because I'm the only guy they see; but I mean SteelViper, NoneofyourBusinesss, and Sauron18 also go to the messagebaords; point is you might see people making that mistake, but whenever I have come into contact with them I have made it a point to correct their mistake and explain that BattlestarWiki is a large group effort. --->This also happened in our fan awards, the [[Golden Toaster Awards]]: the trolls on the Skiffy board don't bother to read other fansites, and there were several dozen "Representatives" of these awards on different boards, but I was a ''prominent'' one on Skiffy (I wans't even the only one, there were 2 of us); if you check, they then started positing all of these things going "We are boycotting the GTA's! The Merovingian *RUNS* them!"...and I had to explain that I in fact was ''far'' from running them as like 20 people did more work on those than I. The trolls just think like that.------------>But as for the point of letting messsageboard and BattlestarWiki things mix here, ***''''Do you see any messageboard posters voting here in my favor? Do you see any threads on the messageboards telling people to come vote for me?'''***--->I wanted to be on my best behavior, so I've made it a point ''not'' to mention this current RFA to *anyone* or bring it up on any messageboards. I've only been talking about it ''here''. There are no throngs of Merovingian supporters coming in to vote, who are just from the bboards and not regular contributors. THat's not happening. I wanted to make sure things were restrained here and I handled the situation maturely, without mixing it up with messageboard goings-on. I hope this is proof enough that I am trying my best to make sure that messageboard and wiki activities don't affect each other. THanks. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 16:43, 31 July 2006 (CDT)
:::Merv, there's not a lot I really want to add to the below comment, except that I'd wish you'd stop trying to explain away your critics as "trolls" who belong to "troll boards". You've actually slammed the entire user community of two separate message boards. I think the characterization is undeserved, and cannot fathom why a "joke" board like Moist continues to draw so much derision from some quarters. The humor is rough, but it's a friendly place and the members go there to hang out and have fun. One of Moist's longtime critics is now a "Moist Babe" for life. ;-) I'm not suggesting Merv join up - but maybe it's time to bury the axe, or least the epithets. Also, if your intention is to keep separate your message board activities and your wiki activities, then you're not doing a good job of it. Let me suggest that you do as you claim, and don't talk about the people who don't like you. If you claim that it doesn't bother you, then don't let it bother you. In any case, none of this should have any bearing on this RFA, so please stop peppering your responses with references to the people you claim are "trolls". Let me suggest that when you're at Sciffy, don't bring up the Wiki. And when you're at the Wiki, don't bring up Sciffy. And in the RFA's, keep the other boards out of it.--[[User:Larocque6689|Larocque6689]] 23:26, 31 July 2006 (CDT)
::::Gougef advised me to stop responding to these; he's right that's for the best so I won't make up some long counterarguement. However, before leaving I will point out that A) one of those two "communities I slammed" openly advertises themselves as "we're the board for people that got banned from Scifi.com and feel it is our right to post porn and whatever", and is by no means a "community". B) It is quite difficult for me to not mix messageboard and wiki stuff, when users who rarely if ever actually come to BattlestarWiki such as yourself come here from the messageboards to berate my RFA. Yes, many of my critics are simply trolls and do not represent "the voice of online BSG messageboards". Enough; I'm not even going to lower myself to such an arguementative level as that; I'm following Gougef's advise; no one is playing petty games, I'm not dignifying these attacks with responses from now on. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 23:42, 31 July 2006 (CDT)
:::::Merv - that above claim about the message board is just another falsehood. That board does indeed host members who have been victimized by the admins at SciFi, but we took just as vigorous an approach against the haitbait porn links as any of the other boards. It's simply unwelcome there. Take a hint! If you want to stop slamming other boards, then stop slamming other boards and lobbing bombs larded with lies. It's really that simple. If you want it to stop, then stop. Also, please note, I have not attacked you here. I joined Mercifull in a Neutral vote and asked a sincere question. You've simply responded with more attacks. I'm also greatly amused at being lumped in with the "trolls"l? Because I've been in this game over twelve years and I can bring a great deal to the table (view [http://members.tripod.com/john_larocque/tns/archive.html]). Time considerations (I contribute to several websites as well as additonal duties) and residual disgust over the KR blacklist several weeks ago had dampened my enthusiasm to import some of my work over here at the Wiki. But I am very proud of the work I have done chronicling both Galactica series over the years. I'm also proud of my associations on the several boards. Whatever you may claim about me, my stand with KR several weeks ago was authentic. Your claim that "I don't really care" is yet another lie you haven't retracted, and which your enablers will probably let go. I am once again going to re-iterate my demand for a retraction and a sincere apology from you on this.--[[User:Larocque6689|Larocque6689]] 23:56, 31 July 2006 (CDT)
::::::NO MAS! NO MAS!. Please for the sake of the sanity of all. Take it elswhere. VIVA LA Reisistance!! --[[User:Gougef|FrankieG]] 07:05, 1 August 2006 (CDT)
::::::To make one final note: You seem to misunderstand, in my above post the messageboard I was referring to specifically was MortalStorm (which openly and proudly posts porn and junk, as it openly describes itself as the "Screw Scifi.com" site); I was ''not'' talking about Moist Board, which as you said does not link porn, etc. Other than that, it is immature to demand some sort of appology; yes, I consider what you and others are doing to be trolling/personal attacks. That's true. I don't know all of your 12 years history with Galactica as you say, all I know is what I've personally seen you doing on the messageboards for the past 2 years, and that is what I'm basing this on. --->What does "MAS" mean?--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 10:21, 1 August 2006 (CDT)
:::::::"No mas!" = "No more!" (in Spanish). Though there ended up being "mas" anyway. --[[User:Steelviper|Steelviper]] 10:26, 1 August 2006 (CDT)
::::::::I only speak French, Latin, and Quenya :) Larocque6689: I am sorry that this has come to this point, and I always *hope* that in the future all conflicts can be resolved; maybe you didn't realize it happenning, (as I didn't when I exploded at KR for no good reason) but over time on the bboards you've turned into this person that just yells alot when you don't like something, you've resorted to embittered personal attacks, and all sorts of things. Yes, I have had a few problems with this (everyone does at one time or another on the boards) but even *I* have come to trying to compromise over stuff. I hope you do too, as you aren't just some happy-slapping ADD kid on a computer, but actually know and care a lot about the show and can contribute. But what I've ''seen'' more often is you resorting to really bad personally attacks, and pretty often. Currently, yes you are making "trollish" personal attacks; do I think this is inherent to your character? No. I think and hope that you'll simple stop doing this and focus on the future and the show again. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 10:33, 1 August 2006 (CDT)
I have thought about changing my support, but I think that Merv has even learned something today (I tried to help). Merv what did you learn today?? --[[User:Gougef|FrankieG]] 21:10, 1 August 2006 (CDT)
:Well I've learned that yelling back isn't going to solve anything, and I've actually got to try to work ''with'' Larocque. '''Larocque, I'm sorry if my language was broad'''; you yourself are not actually a "troll" or anything; I do think that your position about me online, while maybe not malicious, is really overeacting and not accurate; there really isn't a cloud of controversy or arguements following me around online, unless you want to keep dragging up old problems which I'd hoped everyone involved (you, me, KR, everyone) had worked out already. I am sorry if I'm actually confusing your zealous defense of KR with troll attacks, but you must understand that months after the KR arguement trolls keep bringing that up as a good arguement starter (I mean blatant, "we're bored today, lets yell about that again" type things). If you wanted to make a stand on KR, good; but I've tried to work things out with KR and I've already realized that those such as yourself Loracque in the KR camp were in fact right all along. --->I have to deal with trolls from time to time (that is, people who actually get banned for things) who like to yell about this, and further I tried as best I could to discuss things with KR in private, so A) I think I reacted a little strongly in thinking that you came here with nothing but malicious intent, I'm sorry but people have been known to do that so I mistook that, B) I am (I hope) on not nearly as bad terms with KR as you are afraid, I am not yelling at KR and I do in fact support his work in fandom. No, I am not blasting yourwebsite, and as for the messagebaords I mentioned/linked, not everyone on these boards as a whole are bad, though from what I linked I hope you can see that there were quite a few embittered anti-skiffy and anti-Merovingian threads and posters which got me kind of worried. So I'm sorry that you came here upset or thinking otherwise about my intentions; and I in turn got upset at (what I thought) was you being upset at me with little provocation; though of course I hadn't mentioned the pvted attempts to work things out with KR (Which I hope healed wounds and restored trust/respect); though I hope you can empathize that many posts by people (on bboards you've talked on but not really yourself) blasting and hounding me on other sites has had me a little worried and on edge. I hope we can work this out.--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 21:35, 1 August 2006 (CDT)
::Aside from my campaign against the abuse of thge post-reporting tools at Sciffy, I really have been dormant when it comes with "anti-Merv" activities. I'm an admin at MortalStorm and we do have a thread there, but it's mostly for people to let off steam (including the multiple-banned Mocty, patron saint of the Frakheads). We don't have a lot of rules there, but we did have to clamp down hard when haitbait arrived. Mostly, bulletin boards are where people should be able to "hang out", have fun, and talk to each other about things they have in common. That's my philosphy anyway. I msut admit that the tenor of your replies really took me aback. I think that you're too quick on the trigger when it comes to diagnosting (and sometimes misdiagnosing) problems. I could probably give you a few tips on how to deal with situations based on my own non-wiki experience. Personally, I think adminning is a thankless task and often boring, and as a general rule I prefer to play things low-key and remain largely invisible. Anyway, thanks for the reply. You'll find me pleasant to deal with if you are pleasant with me, and hopefully we'll get on better in the future.
:::Thanks, I agree. I think it's just the worst things i see online that stick out. We should be focusing on the ''true'' enemies Larocque, the Emmy Voters. Damn them all to hell. With my last breath I spit at them, for hate's sake. (Actually, that breath is saved for Rick Berman...you konw what i mean). --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 22:30, 1 August 2006 (CDT)

Ribsy is a textbook troll on the messageboards; he got banned from Skiffy, then repeatedly joined and got banned again. On BattlestarWiki he's only made 4 edits, all of them on either my RFA pages or pages related to me. I hope that's reflected how much his vote is considered. --->Larocque, this is why I reacted strongly and got kind of upset; I was afraid that a torrent of people that don't come to this site and are just trolls would come on here to abuse the system and yell at me (You are not a troll Larocque: in objective, detached observation Ribsy is well known for being a troll on the boards). As I hope you can understand this got me pretty scared. But other than with people that actaully are doing things worthy of banning on Skiffy and such, I'm getting along fine with everyone else. --->The KoenigRules matter is long over and (i hope) reconciled (though KR is the judge of that; I PM'ed him to come here and voice his 2 cents on me here but he hasn't come yet; I wouldn't mind if he voted against me or something, as his yes or no vote is the real barometer of how well things have healed or not. **I'm sorry that I did not make my attempts to mend the situation more explicit Larocque, I briefly said "I worked things out in PM's" but I should have explained that more; as you might understand, I was trying to defend myself at what I thought was some sort of unwarranted attack by the likes of Ribsy or whoever, and didn't take into account that you didn't know that I just wasn't openly talking about attempts to work stuff out with KR. ---->Larocque, you really don't need to be reluctant to use BattlestarWiki or anything. You're among the most knowledgable people online about like the Original Series, judging from your site, but on BSwiki our info on the Original Series is self-admittedly kind of sparse and its an ongoing project to fix it up but it's kind of slow going. We'd actually really appreciate any and all contributions, if you'd like. Thanks. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 15:25, 2 August 2006 (CDT)
:Just to explain this more clearly to people that don't use the board, at MortalStorm Ribsy posted stuff like this (under his Nth name, "BooBoo"): [http://www.mortalstorm.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?p=8193&highlight=#8193 (Warning, mature content at other end of link)] I'm not saying Larocque encourages bad behavior there or anywhere ("free behavior" in principle is not bad) however I'm pointing out that Ribsy is really little more than a troll that follows me around, because I reported his misbehavior on Skiffy and as a result he was banned. This is the type of stalking that I anticipated and was worried about when Larocque voted before.--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 15:33, 2 August 2006 (CDT)
::Stalking? Please. I just cast my vote and get called a "troll." Is this how admins on Battlestar Wiki behave? [[User:Ribsy|Ribsy]] 17:34, 2 August 2006 (CDT)
:::Without further comment, I'll let the sheer volume of malicious posts you've made speak for themselves, also the number of times you've been banned from multiple sites for malicious behavior and personal attacks, and that you never contribute here or anywhere with positive additions to BSG fandom. I linked a few examples, but if anyone needs proof or something ask a user that also goes to the messageboards like SteelViper or someone, I'm not launching into some uncouth dragged out arguement here. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 20:42, 2 August 2006 (CDT)
::::Without further comment? What is that supposed to mean? I don't know how this got turned into another "Ribzy is a troll" tirade of yours, but I have to disagree that I don't contribute to BSG fandom, lets see just off the top of my head: I'm the one who broke the news of the Season 3 start date to BSG fandom, I'm the one who broke the news that Jane Espenson was writing an episode to BSG fandom, not to mention countless other informational threads I made at sciffy. I would have been glad to post my information at the wiki but since I know that you "practically run" this place I figured why bother just to have you monkey with my postings so I put them on sciffy knowing that you'd eventually find them and bring them here. No big deal, I don't expect my vote to have any weight here, but I do expect your replies to my vote to carry some weight. Thanks for not launching into any uncouth arguments here. [[User:Ribsy|Ribsy]] 22:36, 2 August 2006 (CDT)
:::::No further comment on your ''behavior''. As for the start date, I did not report it here until it was confirmed by a source (Scifi.com's official site); as for Jane Espenson as a writer, we already saw that on Joss Whedon's blog. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 23:07, 2 August 2006 (CDT)
::::::Joss Whedon doesn't have a blog. It was announced on Jane Espenson's blog which I read every day and reported to the sciffy bboard. As for the official start date, it was announced by thefutoncritic.com that the SciFi channel had sent out advertising solicitations that stated the show would resume Oct. 6. I would expect advertising solicitations to be "a source." Anyway, the fact of the matter is that I brought this info to the BSG community and that's very easy to prove with timestamps. Not to mention the many other news items I've posted about. Your accusation that I "never contribute here or anywhere with positive additions to BSG fandom" is an untrue statement only made in an effort to discredit me because I cast a vote against you. Is that how this RFA works? People cast their votes and then the candidate tries to discredit the vote caster? Cos that's what happening here with Larocque and myself. No wonder people are scared to make edits at the wiki knowing that Merv is always at the ready to attack the messenger rather than the message. [[User:Ribsy|Ribsy]] 23:43, 2 August 2006 (CDT)
:Word. (On the TOS stuff.) We've made tremendous progress in turning the TOS content from a sea of red links into some articles (and all the non-terminology articles have pictures), but we're always happy to have some help on the TOS side. Check out the [[Battlestar Wiki:Original Series Article Development Project|Original Series Article Development Project]] for a spot where we usually coordinate.--[[User:Steelviper|Steelviper]] 15:39, 2 August 2006 (CDT)
:A couple of things. Firstly, my website has tons of stuff on TNS as well, although I'm still a bit behind on the second season. I've got podcast excerpts, interview excerpts and lots of other stuff which I developed largely independently of the Wiki (although I cheated for the last three podcasts). My model for the site was "The Lurker's Guide to Babylon Five", and I largely maintain it for myself. If you want to check out the kind of work that I do, have a peek at this document.[http://members.tripod.com/john_larocque/tns/minidraft.html From Frist Draft to Miniseries]. As to the Ribsy, the only comment I can offer is that this is a personal fight that has largely taken place at other forums, and doesn't really have a place here. The only thing that matters is activity that takes place within the Wiki. In any case, I'll give the TOS stuff a look-over and see where I can help.--[[User:Larocque6689|Larocque6689]] 16:59, 2 August 2006 (CDT)
::Oh yes, Larocque, there's a lot of TNS stuff too, I was just pointing out how we have minisicule TOS information, while you have a comprehensive guide; you're head and shoulders above us on TOS, but yeah you've got a lot of great TNS knowledge; I was just pointing the TOS stuff out. We try to model ourselves on the Lurker's Guide too. ****I didn't want to take any information from your site, because I didn't want it to seem like I was some punk kid stealing your hard work, and maybe you'd like to add it in yourself. The Ribsy matter is completely divorced from all other concerns. I agree. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 17:12, 2 August 2006 (CDT)

'''I formally and empathically object to Rizby's vote on the grounds of his contributions.''' He simply isn't an actual user of Battlestar Wiki. His (three) contributions to other pages consist exclusively of discussion of off-site events. I feel that the precedent would be most unfortunate if his vote were allowed to stand. --[[User:CalculatinAvatar|CalculatinAvatar]]([[Special:Contributions/CalculatinAvatar|C]]-[[User talk:CalculatinAvatar|T]]) 23:41, 2 August 2006 (CDT)

==== Questions for the candidate ====

''A few generic questions to provide guidance for voters:''
:'''1.''' What duties, if any, would you anticipate helping with? Please check out [[Battlestar Wiki:Project List]]'s for a list of projects.
::A. Episode Summaries, episode analysis, episode questions, episode notes. Character bios. Cylon series. Spearheading the Writer/Director category project. Furthing the [[Timeline (RDM)|Timeline]] project (and fighting the grave threat posed by the [[Season two timeline discontinuity]]). The [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|Battles series]] (which I created). Going through every source of ''information'' available, be it GalacticaStation, GateWorld, NowPlayingMagazine, Lucy Lawless fansites, Ron Moore's blog, the official messageboards, and post as much ''information'' as possible on this Wiki, and turn it into a truly reliable "go-to" site for up to the minute BSG information, **making sure that all of the information we post is properly sourced.
::B. Expanding our Cast and Crew articles, which so far are kind of sparse. This is major ongoing project.

:'''2.''' Of your articles or contributions here, are there any about which you are particularly pleased, and why?
::A. The battles pages, all of which were of my own design (I made the battleboxes for Lord of the Rings battles on standard wikipedia, and when these were done, I wanted to keep doing something like that so I created the battles series here)
::B. Due to my vast knowledge of BSG trivial facts and analysis, I have made great contributions to the episode guides, and as it's not like I have a life outside of this :) I'm usually the first to post notes for an episode up after it airs (though this is not a rule), and I'm really happy with the episode guide stuff I've done (check the history tabs, etc). I guess a random sampling of some of my better works would be [[Downloaded]], [[Cally]], [[Uniform]], [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] etc., my great contributions to [[Life Forms of the Twelve Colonies]] (ever vigilant),...and pretty much the entire episode guide. I spearheaded the movement (after debate for months) to give Cylon copies who have become individuals their own character pages, and to consider them separate characters.
::C. Created and implemented the [[Battlestar Wiki:Episode Standardization|Episode Standardization]] project, in which I removed the "mini-reviews" from our Season 1 episode guide and replaced them with (I hope) impartial Analysis.
::D. Helping out on the Welcoming Committee.
::E. I tried to work things out with Koenigrules after what happened the other month; last RFA I was shocked that KR thought I hadn't appologized for what happened (I did, completely, I just made a big mistake which I retract); however rather than draggint things out in the open I tried to work things out through Private Messages on the bboards since my last RFA, which I felt was the more mature thing to do.
::F. Since my initial time at BattlestarWiki, as Peter mentioned above, I've gone from "biting the noobs" to gently trying to help along new users. See [[ User talk:The Merovingian#Diff for future RFA|this page]] for one example. Also, as Homeworld616 said above, he was a new user and rather than becoming impatient that he was unfamiliar with things here (as I might have a year ago) I helped him along with constructive imput.
::G. Updating the [[Portal:Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Portals Project pages]], and my extensive contributions and revisions/restucturing of the [[Cylon agent speculation]]page ([[Jammer]] = Cylon), as well as [[Science in the Re-imagined Series]]
::H. Asking a large portion of questions on [[Battlestar Wiki:Official Communiques]]; I hate it when other websites get to talk to someone like, Katee Sackhoff, and half the questions are "wow, why are u so hot?" "Wow, is it fun to work on the show?" etc. I'm happy I was able to provide good questions for that which actually addressed several long standing problems (although the ''Wizards'' have gained the upper hand in the [[Season two timeline discontinuity]].
::I. On my own initiative e-mailing [[Bear McCreary]] and [[Sources:Official Communique with Bear McCreary|obtaining his permission]] for BattlestarWiki to post the lyrics to the soundtracks here.

:'''3.''' Have you been in any conflicts over editing in the past or do you feel other users have caused you stress? How have you dealt with it and how will you deal with it in the future?
::A. After my last RFA, I Private Messaged Koenigrules and (I hope) worked things out, in private as opposed to dragging it through the public eye.
::B. During the RFC for Shane, rather than preaching fire and brimstone I tried to be restrained and give Shane opportunity to reform his behavior. That could have gotten ugly but I think we handled it well, without having to have temporary bans or anything.

:'''4.''' I have worries that because of the amount of previous RFA's and self nominations that you believe that being an Administrator is very important to you. I don't agree with people using Admin status as a [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:What adminship is not|"trophy symbol"]], what can you say to alleviate my concerns about this and what would you do as an administrator that you are not currently allowed to do as a user?
::I'd be able to ban vandals, delete pages instead of waiting for an Administrator to come by to delete them, and all in all it wouild make my work alot faster to be one of the "[[Mop Boy]]s" :) --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 08:48, 31 July 2006 (CDT)