Podcast:Miniseries, Night 1 (Battlestar Galacticast)

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"Miniseries, Night 1" Podcast
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Posted on:	11 December 2018
Transcribed by:	Joe Beaudoin Jr.
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Speaker(s)
Ronald D. Moore	Ronald D. Moore
	Terry Dresbach
Tricia Helfer	Tricia Helfer
Marc Bernardin	Marc Bernardin
Comedy Elements
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Summary

Battlestar Galactica actress Tricia Helfer (Number Six) and journalist Marc Bernardin deep dive into the first part of the mini-series that launched the Battlestar Galactica reboot. How “frak” came to be, the origin of the reboot, THAT scene with the baby and the politics of BSG (and how its quite an eerie mirror to today) and way, way more are on the docket. So say we all.

Syfy Advertisement

Tricia Helfer. 0:05 Listen up you frackin' toasters. It's Tricia. You can now watch all seasons, all episodes—the entire series of Battlestar Galactica for free in the Syfy app and at Syfy.com.

Mark B. 0:17 For free? Tricia, that's crazy pants. Now listeners of Battlestar Galacticast have no excuse but to follow along and catch up on the show.

Tricia H. 0:25 That's right, Mark. You can download the Syfy app on the device of your choice. Or you could just head over to Syfy.com and watch it there.

Mark B. 0:34 Every episode of Battlestar Galactica for free in the Syfy app. So say we all!

Tricia H. 0:40 Yep! And after you're done watching all those free episodes, don't forget to come back here to Battlestar Galacticast for Mark and my breakdowns. I guess we do have a plan.

Podcast

Case Orange 0:52 All ministers and officials should now go to Case Orange. Repeat: This is an official Colonial government broadcast.

Mark B. 1:08 Everybody, welcome to the first episode of Battlestar Galactica cast. I am Mark Bernard and I'm your co host, along with...

Tricia H. 1:15 Tricia Helfer. His co host.

Mark B. 1:18 We got a podcast you guys. You're watching two people do this for the very first time.

Tricia H. 1:28 One is very technologically challenged, would be moi.

Mark B. 1:32 Point at the thing and make the thing do the thing. Alright, so let's talk. This is going to be an episode-by-episode podcast in which we go through, from Mini-series to conclusion, Battlestar Galactica. From the 2003 Mini Series all the way through the however, math works out the last episode.

Tricia H. 1:48 I think, like 78 or something.

Mark B. 1:50 70. Yeah, Episode, something like that. Yeah, yeah.

As for my Battlestar bona fides, I was a journalist when this came out. I was writing for Entertainment Weekly. I wrote the weekly recaps for it. I am a nerd from way back. I saw the original series because I'm just that old. I saw the original two hour movie in theaters because I'm also just that old.

But yeah, how about you Tricia? What qualifies you to talk about Battlestar Galactica?

Tricia H. 2:17 Well, I, I play Number Six.

Mark B. 2:22 Hey!

Tricia H. 2:22 So I did not see the original, because I grew up without a TV. But I had seen a few episodes, just at friends houses and things like that. So I knew the premise, but I had not seen the show. And I had not seen the movie in theaters. But I definitely know are, you know, the 2003 version?

Mark B. 2:40 Excellent. Now, a little bit like secret origin time. We decided to do this podcast because we had over the summer we had been in a couple of conventions together at San Diego and I moderated the Lucifer panel at the San Diego Comic Con and ran into you and you know, it's like "Oh hey, Tricia, Battlestar" or whatever. And then we went to the London Film and Comic Con, which we also did not know that either of us would be at.

Tricia H. 3:01 We just saw [each other] in the green room. Like "Hi!"

Mark B. 3:04 I just saw your week and a half ago. And we were sitting in the green room and another actor had come up to you and said that he was a really big fan of the show.

Tricia H. 3:12 It was John Carrol Lynch, actually.

Mark B. 3:14 John Carrol Lynch.

Tricia H. 3:15 Lovely, lovely, man.

Mark B. 3:16 Super sweet guy.

Tricia H. 3:17

Very talented. 

Mark B. 3:17 Yeah, I was sitting like two desks away from him at the convention.

Tricia H. 3:21 We should have him on actually. That's good that we're talking about it.

Mark B. 3:24 We might have guests on this year's podcasts. We know some people, who knows some people, have been in something. And you and John was very complimentary about the show. And you said that you hadn't ever really seen it.

Tricia H. 3:39 Right? Yes, well, I've seen every episode, but some as it aired and some just a rough cuts, right where some of the CGI wasn't even finished. I think one of the New Caprica ones I saw was literally, you know, when a space—one of one of the ships jumps in, it's just a green box in the sky. Um, so I you know I am actually really looking forward to going back and re watching everything as you know it's been long enough now that you can actually watch it as it's just an audience member I mean not 100% complete because you're still like, oh well I looked young or old or maybe I would have done that different but but it's removed enough that that I can actually watch it

Mark B. 4:23 yeah and and I was sitting there witnessing this this revelation and I said hey, you know tissue if you're going to do this, if you're going to watch it and do a rewatch you should do as a podcast because there's an entire legion of fans and and the fandom for Battlestar has never really gone away because there's been a bunch of reunion panels right you guys were in Austin not long ago and ATX

Tricia H. 4:42 I think ATX Yeah. Entertainment Weekly brought us there.

Mark B. 4:45 And Entertainment Weekly brought you there and and there is still this love for this show in the in the same way that that people are rediscovering it.

Tricia H. 4:52 And discovering it for the first time.

Mark B. 4:54 Yeah. Which is which is phenomenal. And we are at a time in American history. When it seems as if the the idyllic version of government is—a nostalgic look back—at even under crisis, what really great people can do when faced with challenges.

Tricia H. 5:12 That's what struck me last night actually flying back to LA from Alberta, Canada, I had the mini series on. That's what struck me. The first off was, oh, wow, this is so relevant to what to our society and what's going on today. As it was actually, when we were filming it different different than 10 years ago, whatever it was, but it was also relevant to what was going on then in many ways, but it hasn't aged itself.

Mark B. 5:41 Yeah, great art manages to do that to like, never actually run out of relevance. You know, and it was created. Ron Moore, the executive producer talked very long and, and in depth about how it was in the vacuum of 911 that you know, a show about massive loss about genocide, about terror. I'm about all of these things, and wrapping it up into science fiction with laser beams and robots and whatever. But it was super trenchant and relevant in 2003 when it came out, you know, two years after 911. And now, it's, you know, 15 years later, almost it is just as trenchant and relevant as it was then. Yes. Okay, so so we are going to, we're going to talk about Battlestar Galactica. We're going to talk about the the mini series which aired December 8 2003, the first episode of it. The second episode was December 9, because it was just it went to bang bang shot. And then this show would not start again proper until October the following year.

Tricia H. 6:41 Yeah, it was almost Yeah, I remember all whole year. We didn't even know if we're going to get picked up or not for most of because we filmed the mini series in the spring of oh three, and yet aired in in December. Yet, we were all kind of on pins and needles for a while.

Mark B. 6:59 There. How did how did the show come to you? What was the What was your process like joining the Battlestar family?

Tricia H. 7:06 Mine was just the absolute normal audition process of an actor that hasn't done anything. I was basically a brand new actor. And so I went through, but I did go straight to producers. Because I'd done an episode of CSI so the casting directors had brought me in straight to David Ike, and I can't actually remember if Ron Moore was in the room at the time, it was just David like, but I didn't kind of circulate back for another two months. So it was it was a long kind of waiting period for me to find out if I was getting in or not. And when I finally did, it was obviously clearly an easy Yes. Because the script was I thought, you know, amazing and, and the people involved, Eddie and Mary and yeah, I mean, just those two

Mark B. 7:54 alone, you know, were they involved when you got the script they already signed on.

Tricia H. 7:59 They had already signed on. Yeah. So I knew I knew, you know, I didn't know the rest of the actors. It was Eddie and Mary like Edward James Olmos American president Roslin, you know, Admiral Adama, so, or commander at that time in the miniseries that is not hard. Yes.

Mark B. 8:19 No, did you have like a lot to call back? Did you have how many times did you have to? I swear I can do this.

Tricia H. 8:25 I went in first in January, right after the right of the Christmas holidays, I came back and it was January 6, actually, I remember it specifically. And I didn't go back in again until March, mid March, early March. And I think at the time they were they were concerned that I you know, they'd said to my agents that I that I did a really good job. But I was a nobody in terms of acting. So they were you know, I think they were going out to names and there was also some I don't know if this is all I or not, but just to make me feel better, but some discussion because of that and you know, in the ministry She's the known siloed and pretty much just right off the bat right well yeah since her first seen that there was some thought of maybe making her kind of partially CGI so I don't know again if that was a complete complete lie just to make me feel better but it wasn't until March that it kind of came back around and said okay come back into producers went in and then like within you know, that afternoon or something was told you're going to test for it then how to work session with Michael Reimer and then tested for it and was told like the next day or something like that, and basically, James and I were the last cast, and we were supposed to leave the next day to Vancouver for four months. Wow. So it was kind of a whirlwind when it finally did happen.

Mark B. 9:40 What ... How much did Ron tell you about Caprica Six in the beginning?

Tricia H. 9:47 This was he had a series Bible when we started shooting that he gave to everybody. Crew cast I don't know if everybody on the crew got it but or just heads of departments but and it was series Bible that was me. It was was thick, all about the style of shooting the documentary kind of style of shooting the, you know about the worlds and the you know, not I don't think I still have it somewhere I'd have to I should dig that out. And then I'd like two or three page backstory for all the main characters. And mine said one line the machine as woman. And I remember saying to Ron and like the most inexperienced actor here and you've given Edward James Olmos three pages and you've given me the machine as woman, but he said he, you know, he hadn't figured out everything. I think he did have like the overall plan. He did say right, you know, in the beginning that he thought is a five year thing. Oh, wow. Okay. And I know it says four seasons, but it's really kind of five

Mark B. 10:44 series. Yeah. Like blood and chrome and the stuff in the middle.

Tricia H. 10:48 Exactly. Yeah.

That so he kind of had that arc, but he said I haven't decided everything on this island yet. And you're the known Cylon. So I can't tell you anything. And Boomer was a sought, you know, we find At the end of the miniseries that Boomer was, but and Dorough obviously but the at that time there wasn't a lead characters I don't think he had a backstory fully, you know flushed out by Ron again I'd have to look at the Bible but but Boomer had her her human programming backstory okay so she at least had that to work on but you know as an actor you do your own backstory anyway and you but raw I'm Michael Reimer and I actually worked and also because my character wasn't in the original, I didn't feel like I had to like rush and go back and watch all the original and that type of thing. And I knew enough about the premise of the show that I focused more on in the miniseries not when we went into the series and got going on other multiple characters of mine and things like that, but some of for movement. I remember Michael Ryman right, talking about I wanted to make her kind of I don't know what the word is. languorous, they said a word or, you know, she was she was the ductus rep, but she was also incredibly intelligent. And she she went she changed the defense mainframe, you know, I mean, she changed all the programming and but I wanted to make her a little bit off because there's one line in there that I say to Walter as I, as I'm telling him that the bombs are about to go off when it comes to warn him and find him in bed with a woman.

Caprica Six 12:24 You believe me because deep down you've always known there was something different about me, something that didn't quite add up in the usual way.

Tricia H. 12:32 So I didn't want to make her like she had to be slightly off as opposed to just completely human like Boomer because, at least to me that that line, you know.

Mark B. 12:44 She wasn't programmed to pass for human. She's programmed to infiltrate.

Tricia H. 12:48 Right.

Mark B. 12:48 Whereas Boomer is programmed to be Sharon Valerii, who's got a past and a backstory.

Tricia H. 12:52 That's what she knows. Yeah, she doesn't know anything else until she's, you know, her sleeper agent is activated, right?

Mark B. 12:59 Yeah. I love that. That that Six doesn't look like she's ever in a rush to get anywhere.

Tricia H. 13:03 And I did that. Yeah, I did that on purpose whether we kind of I thought more. I wanted to I was thinking like yoga and cat and sort of like I wanted her movements to be precise. She wasn't somebody that was fidgety or I pulled other—like when I did Shelly Godfrey [in "Six Degrees of Separation"], I wanted her a little bit more fidgety because she had to pass as human and you know. So different characters along the way, but specifically the Number Six—as Caprica Six kind of you know, I didn't know at the time if Caprica Six became Number Six or if it was a different entity or, you know... Anyway, I can babble about that forever.

Mark B. 13:41 But I love that that you know, one of the reasons why at least I was so drawn to doing this podcast is because your character Six runs throughout the show, in very many ways. She bookends the show, the very first thing the very last scene has Six in it. And and I love that the show kind of announced his intent from the like the first one Lot of dialogue is like it's that's kind of what the entire show is about. It's about machines, wrestling with divinity wrestling with self wrestling with identity. It's about humans. And Donald we'll get to later we have this great speech about did we deserve to win? Did we deserve to be? Did we deserve humanity? Do we deserve ourselves in the Cylon wars, and we never asked ourselves why we deserve to be the ones who came out on top. You know, we fought the Cylons. We did it to save ourselves from extinction. But we never entered the question Why? Why are we as a people were saving? It's a show that's about staring yourself in the face and saying, What are you and what do you want to be and how much self determination Can you can you bring to that? And I just thought it was fascinating that the very first sentence of the show is like, here's what we are going to talk about for four years, right? So yeah, let's let's get into it. I mean, another way that I came to the show was I was a Star Trek fan. When I was a kid, and then later as an adult, and I was an intern on Star Trek Deep Space Nine, in my June between my junior and senior years of college. And I remember that I met Ron, I think at the time he was on the next generation staff and was moving over to the DS nine staff and had always like he was younger and didn't have a beard and short hair. He looked like a like an architect. Less than like, you know, some leaning, you know, Emperor of the universe, but, but knowing what Deep Space Nine would would become like the first show that was created in the absence of Gene Roddenberry. So it was dirty and compromised, and people made decisions that were often in the gray and not the black of the white, whereas Picard always had to do the right thing. Sysco good. Alright, we're taking our souls into war, and this war is going to be ugly, and we're going to take prisoners and we're going to do horrible things. horrible people for the right reasons sometimes and and knowing what the Space Nine was and then knowing seeing what Battlestar was like it's very much a continuum it's here's what I want to do in Star Trek, but they never let me do so I'm going to like I gotta show we're going all the way and even from the very beginning you know it's it's it's a seductress making this poor dude question his own mortality. Ryan Robin. Oh, hi, Ryan. Sorry, Ryan.

Tricia H. 16:29 He got to come back later as Connor.

Mark B. 16:33 But uh, but yeah, and then and there's there's a bunch of text on screen that sort of explains to you I always felt that that text on screen was, was like the crutch that a storyteller needed because they couldn't start their story, right. But there's a whole bunch of backstory you have to just unpack and Battlestar

Tricia H. 16:51 there is Yeah, otherwise you're you're spending so much of the initial screen time trying to fill in on why these are Why there he's at the armistice station what you know as opposed to just being able to write it in there and I think it's when it when it's used poignantly and it it can be definitely an addition as opposed to okay this is the cheap man's way out

Mark B. 17:13 yeah like it's evocative less than its explanatory yeah and in that way it totally works and and I remember watching the show and you see the Cylons for the first time like all cool the update of the Cylons. They look like Corvettes, and that's neat, like glowing red eyes because apparently Universal has a thing for glowing red eyes. And I was like, "Oh, hey, it's Six. What's... I don't know... Huh?"

Tricia H. 17:36 Oh, yes, I remember filming this. Just a silly side note. Ryan had all this prosthetic makeup on to make him look, you know, I think he was in his 20s there. Maybe late 20s. And prosthetic makeup can be sticky. So we would often like pull up From the kiss I'd like to stick together, like cut. Let's do that again. I have your lips I'm sorry. I'm pulling your skin. Fake skin with me.

Mark B. 18:09 This was not part of the plan.

Tricia H. 18:12 No.

Mark B. 18:13 Yeah and and, and so and then the show begins sort of proper like we get this this wonderful kind of introduction and and it's evocative and it's it's provocative. But then we start the show for real on Galactica, like we start, we meet Eddie as as commander Adama doing this almost like West Wing style walk and talk through the battle and show us Galactica show us all the places show us the bridge and

Tricia H. 18:38 introducing a lot a lot of the characters along the way to you know, saying good morning to the commander who's rehearsing his lines for his speech to dedicate going to go to museum to be a museum later that, you know, and that's what like Laura Roslin is traveling there.

You meet Starbuck.

Mark B. 18:56 Absolutely. You meet you meet commander, Colonel time. Hmm, you meet Douala, you meet gado for like half a beat I don't think you meet a healer one Boomer but I think you meet the chief because he comes in to meet the chief yes isn't like it's it's this kind of perfect here's everybody you're going to need to know. And here's the context through which we're starting the show which is this is all being retired that you know, the wars are over the ship was you know, a relic of a bygone era where we were in conflict but now we're not and it's it is a it's very piloting like very TV pilot and that the here's everybody here's what you need to know here's you're hitting the ground running here's here's ground zero for what the show is going to be it's so expertly done so incredibly well done

Tricia H. 19:43 what struck me when I was watching last night was the when you do meet each of these characters coming into damas walk is you know his Katie, you you each one is it's just a small kind of introduction, but you kind of immediately know the basis This character, yeah, where, you know, she's a hot shot. And you know, you know, Tigh sitting there against the wall with with a cup and you can tell he's had a late night den and that he's, you know, going to have some drinking issues and things like that. But yeah, it's just it's subtle, but it was it was done very well. Yeah.

Mark B. 20:21 You know and and and you're right because you get these little glimpses and the glimpses are okay. Starbuck has issues with authority. Time might be a bit of a drunk. And you also like the thing that I mean, we'll talk a little bit more about this later. But everybody, every cast member on the show, Every character has a secret. Yes, you know, they have a secret that you don't that nobody else knows. Hence secret. But uh, except kind of for Adama, like anonymous, the one guy who it seems to be this is who I am. You know, I've lived a long time as this person and I don't have time for subterfuge and keeping things hidden from people. This is why take me or leave me but this is who I am.

Tricia H. 20:58 Yeah, which it you know, it And also you know with his sons when you meet Lee it's like you can tell right away that he's not he's not i don't think i think i'm remember this correctly hiding anything from his you know his son is angry with him but at this time I think Lee thinks that that Adama past yeah past Zach right they don't know because Katie tells him or Starbuck tells Apollo later in the in the in the miniseries that she passed

Mark B. 21:26 right.

Tricia H. 21:26 Zak.

Mark B. 21:27 Right, he didn't, like Adama, didn't do anything.

Tricia H. 21:29 But Lee's kind of blaming his father for that in the beginning. So, yeah, you know immediately also the dynamics, the father-son dynamics, you also know there's a special place in Adama's heart for Starbuck just from that:

William Adama 21:41 Good morning Starbuck, what do you hear?

Kara Thrace 21:44 Nothin' but the rain.

William Adama 21:46 Grab your gun and bring in the cat.

Kara Thrace 21:48 Boom boom boom.

Tricia H. 21:49 I actually never understood what that is. Then we're going to bring the cat in or what does that mean?

Mark B. 21:55

What do you hear nothing but the rain, then grab the cat and bring in the something or other.

Tricia H. 21:58 Yeah.

Mark B. 21:59 Like is it a thing fighter pilots say to each other? Is it—

Tricia H. 22:02 It must be.

Mark B. 22:03 Maybe, but I've also never heard it before ever, ever, ever. But okay, thanks Battlestar. We gotta we, I think we're gonna have to see if Katie drops by the podcast to explain to us what that means.

Tricia H. 22:18 Katie definitely will drop by a few times. And she'll probably go, "I don't know what it means. It was written, I said it."

Mark B. 22:26 Ron had to tell you something. Yeah. So...

Tricia H. 22:30 How brilliant is Michael Hogan?

Mark B. 22:32 I mean, this cast is ridiculous. And it's all the more ridiculous because there's Mary and there's Eddie. And everybody else feels like a fresh face. And to be able to pull together a cast that not just as good as that is from the top. But to see in people the actors they could be in weren't yet. You know, like Grace Park is phenomenal. I've never seen her before. When you [Tricia] were amazing, had never seen you before. How you know as a casting agent, as a producer. All right now, this is a Ferrari that nobody's been driven yet. You know, look at now there's we got this plenty horsepower under the hood, I swear we're going to get there just give me two years.

Tricia H. 23:09 Right.

Mark B. 23:09 you know, to work with these people and see where they're capable of us are writing to their strengths but to know that their strengths are there. Like it's ridiculous how strong this cast was.

Tricia H. 23:18 Yeah, I mean for such a large ensemble too there's no weak links.

Mark B. 23:23 No.

Tricia H. 23:23 It doesn't seem.

Mark B. 23:24 No.

Tricia H. 23:24 I mean, that sounds... Really, I should not have said that. But, you... I just included myself in that awesomeness. No, look how many young Aaron looks. Oh my gosh.

Mark B. 23:39 Yeah.

Tricia H. 23:41 But this is, you know, and this is here with the whole museum. You know, setting this up for the museum, that just they they can explain about why so they don't have to be so expositional later on when you actually are in the fight, right where you can just say one or two lines that explain cuz you've already explained that the Galactic Wasn't retrofitted with newer computers that they have computers, but they're not networked together. And it was, it was for a specific reason, because of in, you know, in the war 40 years ago or whatever it was that they purposely weren't. And now it was going to become a museum. But, you know, they explain it along the way, so it never feels like it's too expositional.

Mark B. 24:21 No, it's, it's it's perfectly part of the fabric of the show. So it comes back later. It's it's resonant more than it's explanatory, so that by the time you get to it later, oh, no, they told us, I see what you did more than I see what you're doing.

Tricia H. 24:35 Right. I think that's one of two across the board for actors, I think exposition, expositional lines. They're so hard because you just like, I know I'm spoon feeding the audience here. Can we? Can we make it a little bit you know, give the give the nod. And I think that's what one of the things Battlestar did was it, it gave it put faith in the audience that they they would Catch on or they would understand it, let them know as opposed to being too There was some exposition obviously there has to be an usually those are added lines in ADR were like squeezing this line while your heads turned you like Yeah, but my body language isn't talking. It's all good. But But you know, I think a lot of it was you know, Ron gave knew that the audience was going to be able to figure out some of this on their own. Yeah,

Mark B. 25:26 it's it's trusting your audience, like an audience that comes to Battlestar is a smart audience. And I think you know that, you know, if the name means anything to you, then you you're sort of a science fiction veteran to a certain degree and you're not, you're not coming at this brand new. And if you saw the commercial, you saw the trailers or whatever, you knew the show you were going to kind of kind of get a get, and so Yeah, why? Why be pedantic about it when there's a joy. It's a bit like the Simpsons The Simpsons has so many jokes. Some of them are designed to go over your head so that if you catch them, you feel good about yourself. I know what that was. I totally got that. Battlestar feels like an entire show up. I know that it's for me.

Tricia H. 26:07 Which I'm maybe going to finally catch some of it [the show] and rewatching it. I love the scene. It was actually I think in at ATX festival where I heard this for the first time or maybe it was in–I can't remember but it was with Michael Hogan and one of the panels where I wasn't in this seat, right? So I never I wasn't there when they were filming it. But, so I couldn't remember that it wasn't when he goes Starbuck.

Saul Tigh 26:27 Starbuck, where did you get that callsign? Starbuck, Starbuck... [clucks like chicken]

Tricia H. 26:32 Buck-buck-buck-buck [like chicken]. That wasn't written, you know, that was just that was just Michael Hogan going "I'm going to do this" and you can see Katie, like Starbuck just reacting to it, because he's calling her chicken. You know, it's like, it's he's just setting her off. It's, it's,?

Mark B. 26:48 Yeah, this is great. And I also love me we're talking about the scene where they're playing cards of some made up game with full colors is like a royal flash or something to that effect, but it's the first [time presenting] here, Starbuck, as a powder keg, and here's Michael Hogan, here's Tigh as the spark, that will always be going a little too close to that Powder Keg. And they will spend the entire show to a certain degree just kind of in each other's orbit, sometimes getting a little too close, sometimes getting a little further apart, where one will come to respect the other one will come to value the other, but there's always going to be some, some antagonism there. Absolutely. You know, and that, that at the end of the day is what makes a TV show go for 78 episodes is that, you know, not that these people don't like each other, they respect each other. But there's conflict from almost every direction.

Tricia H. 27:33 And you know, it's both flawed people. Yeah, that are picking on each other's flaws, their trigger points, and it's coming from a place of maybe trying to battle themselves in many ways as well. Right?

Mark B. 27:44 Yeah. I mean, it's it's everybody respects each other. Nobody has to like each other. And, and that's totally fine. That's totally fine. Nobody wants a happy ship.

Tricia H. 27:55 Yeah. And you know, that's one thing I noticed too about. It is, it is Everybody's allowed to be real like the it's like you're watching real people as opposed to with their own each you know, everybody has their insecurities and whatever there's there isn't seem to be any character in that is that I'm the perfect cop I'm the perfect I never do anything wrong You know, it's you know even even Adama who like you know like you said earlier he's he is the one character that you think you know from the beginning always like does what he thinks is the right thing but you know later in the series when he starts drinking too much and he loses it in the bathroom and like it was so so shocking to see yeah this this you know the rock of but also in the miniseries he he he gives Laura Roslin props right off the bat that she was actually right about saving the civilians and, and things like that were so you realize from the beginning That here's a man that, you know, he may be if you're on the opposite side from him, he's really tough to deal with. But he can say I was wrong. Right? And not a lot of strong men, strong people can do that. Yeah, is actually admit that they were wrong.

Mark B. 29:16 Totally like he believes in his compass. And then when it becomes made clear to him that his campus has been off even a little bit. Okay. All right. I got that. I'll give it to you. We're never going to talk about it again. It will say that it was wrong and we're going to move on. He's a problem solver. He's not a dweller on things, even though so much of the show is about his history. His history with the latest history with the Cylons his history with Tigh is you get the sense that they are absolutely friends for 2030 years together as history with the Starbuck, like he's he's a man who has deep grooves, his record has deep grooves but he he's willing to pick up the needle every now and again and realize that the song is wrong. Like I gotta move on. I'm not doing this right. It takes a while to get them there. But once again, he People steer the ship.

Tricia H. 30:01 Now here we've just learned that Mary has—Mary McDonnell has cancer.

Mark B. 30:06 Oh, that's her secret. That's her secret. That's Yeah, but she doesn't tell anybody is I'm dying slowly and it will become a big boy later on the show and we'll get there. God willing, we'll get into the middle of season two, where we're dealing with Roslin and cancer but but yeah, like that's that underscores every decision she makes. And and watching her, dude, I mean, friggin Mary McDonald, like, she's, she's bringing the heat in every scene she's in. And you feel it. You feel that humanity.

Tricia H. 30:36 Yeah, I mean, here she is. She's just having her private moment in the bathroom. clutching her. Yeah, her breast going I'm I'm going to die. In that moment was so real watching. It was. Yeah, and I had just read earlier and that you know, or yesterday, you know, Julia Louie Dreyfus is amazing. You know, the way she announced That she has breast cancer. Yeah, but making it making an appointment, you know, commentary as well. I don't know why I just thought of that. But anyway, okay, we're lazy Mary doing that Mary's all are not married but President Roslin,

Mark B. 31:13 we're we're in the middle of the Riverwalk market now. Like we're gonna sort of like just work our way through it. We're not seeing specific talking, except that we kind of are but it doesn't matter. This is the scene that made me commit to Battlestar Galactica. This was the scene where I'm watching this Okay, well, this is good. And Eddie's fine, and I like him and things are happening and I'm intrigued by it. And then six snaps a baby's neck. And, and I said to myself self, any show that's willing to do this in the first half hour. I have to see where it's going to go. I have to know what else it's willing to do. Like Wow. It's it is a perfect announcement of a villain. But it's also especially given that that villain is just exploring like she it's not malicious. what she does it's I've never seen one of these before. Mm hmm I'm about to kill all of these people this might be my last chance to gather some information as to just how fragile they are. What What was that like onset the day you have to kill a baby.

Tricia H. 32:14 There was a lot of discussion about it. I mean, it was scripted. And but then there was you know, the, the here I know a lot of discussion of how big the crack should be. It should be I'm sure like post had a lot of bigger crack smaller cracks. It was important to me when you see my face walking away here that you see some sadness or remorse in it because the all the discussions that we had were, and it was it was probably almost taken out. I think it probably was taken out at some point and you know, I think the the higher ups were were really at the network were really worried that it was going to be he was too dark. And you know, Ron and I and fought forward and David Ike and And we thought about, you know, I don't think it was scripted I'd have to look at I think it was scripted that you know, the obviously the words how fragile and whatever but it was scripted more just kind of curious.

Mark B. 33:11 Yeah, right. Island musings.

Tricia H. 33:12 Yeah. And then so you do have that that feeling of the villain. Right. But you know the walk away and what we did Michael Rymer and I wanted to make sure that it was more of a mercy killing. And I think that's the only way we got it in was if it had just been an evil snap. I don't know if it would have stayed because there was so much discussion on it right. But here she was kind of, you know, I looked at it like here's this is the human race to her is bad, right. She's been told and programmed and raised whatever extent she's raised to, to know that humans are bad. And but here's Maybe her I thought this was the first time she'd actually seen I mean, I know she them walking around. But this was the first time that she actually took note and held one and saw the innocence. And to see that in your enemy is, you know, then she decided in that moment, it wasn't enough to make her go, I'm not going to call off the bomb. It was she was still, you know, going to fulfill her mission. But it was, I'm going to, I don't want this thing to suffer. And in a couple hours, this thing's probably going to suffer a horrendous death or be left on the side of the road because her mother parents have been killed or whatever it is. And it wasn't mercy killing. And I don't know if that's the reason why it ended up being able to stay in. But I did hear a lot of the time of you know, we've taken it out of this drought. Yeah. Hmm.

Mark B. 34:47 Yeah, I mean, I, I understand the logic like the trying to get something through standards and practices and how we do that. How are we going to sell this thing? But yeah, I mean, it's it's especially given how religious 16 Is that this is something who has not taken part in the original sin of humanity so why spirit the punishment for that original sin which was creating a race of children and then abandon them by the side of the road? slash launching a war against them so yeah, it's kind of like that. mercy killing mercy Kelly.

Tricia H. 35:21 That's actually the saying that my my sister stopped watching. Oh, wow, really, she had just had a baby that was like two weeks old. And she was breastfeeding when they sat down to watch it. And she was so disturbed by it that she actually stopped watching her husband continued mind you enjoyed the series, but she just but I think it was too close. Like she was all hormonal and everything and here she sees her sister. You know, but I think I think like, like you I think that was a lot of that was a big point for a lot of people to go, Oh, yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna.

Mark B. 35:54 Yeah, and it's funny because it's, you know, coming in 2003 as it did We weren't quite, I guess when the beginning of the rise of the antihero and the darkness of TV The Sopranos were on the shield was on and the wire was just ending and so compromised heroes and dark storytelling. But it's, it's par for the course today. Like if I was in a show today it's like oh yeah, whatever, that's fine but back then it was still kind of

she just kill a baby.

Okay. And it's a litmus test to see just how freaky and demented you are as a viewer like it did that turn you off like it should have with a good moral sense of reality or

bad Oh.

Let's talk a little bit about Gaius Baltar. Yes, you you did spend much of the show chilling with James as as the perfect narcissist. What was he like to work with?

Tricia H. 36:57 James is he such Lovely man. incredibly funny. Very, very supportive and giving as an actor. There was so much discussion on set. I don't I don't think I've ever been on set since that. And it's sort of spoiled me because this was my first series, but so much discussion. So it was so collaborative, that a lot of time I think much to say the crews dismay, we would sometimes just sit around for 45 minutes to an hour discussing something after we blocked it, because it might change blocking or whatever Muslim you like shuttled out of there like can we like you guys were here actors over there and but it came from like, it wasn't just the actors doing it or the director. It was also Ron and David and like everybody and you know, of course the producers also have their watching the clock and the money spin and stuff, but it was extremely collaborative. And James is the, you know, kind of the epitome of that. You get them Going and he can really, really talk for a long time. But and then sometimes we were reined in and Ron be like, no, it's my way to go. It's my way we're doing it my way. That's it. But yeah, James really loves to, to get in and dig into the, into the script.

Mark B. 38:19 He strikes me as a comedian, in a way like and I don't know what why that is. I mean, he's very good at comedy. And so much of especially the first part of the miniseries is him being sort of the the, the romantic flop a little bit and the puckish nature to his character like it's a comic foil at the end of the day, but and before that, so you were just Jones is the kind of right that's he's a funny guy. Until like, oh, Shakespeare, like he's good at all of this stuff.

Tricia H. 38:51 Yeah, yeah, he really, he'll definitely have to come on this. He could. He's, he's incredibly intelligent much so much more so than than I am Very well read in in literature and things and so I'm not but he's actually very funny and in person, we would laugh because here's, like you said he's very good at the physicality of of Baltar and the romantic, you know, kind of sixes there and right, and one in the bridge and one of these things coming up and I'm about to like, I've got my hands down his pants or something and data comes up to him. He's like, it wasn't the first time he's caught, you know, he's so good at that, but he's just in person. He's very klutzy. He's like the type that we would laugh all the time because if like, you'd be called getting out of the van or he'd be he'd be piling out of the transport van in the morning and piling out is is really the way to describe it because he's, he's got like, he's got his backpack and his hat on and then like a kaftan around him or whatever. And then he thought he as he's getting out like his cat falls off and he goes to pick that up and his backpack falls off and then he gets that and then he trips, He's like, he's just he's, he's walking amusement.

And I say that lovingly, he's very fun to be around.

Mark B. 40:10 There's, there's a moment, I think we're about to come up on it. And I'm gonna I'm gonna ask you this only because you were there. When a ball turn six are going to part ways here, you know, he's gonna go I'm gonna go do a project at defense, and then six kind of walks over and then looks at somebody and says, "It's about time. I wondered when you'd get here." Who was that supposed to be?

Tricia H. 40:37 If I am remembering this correctly? I could be I could be wrong. I think that was added on.

Mark B. 40:43 Really?

Tricia H. 40:44 Yeah. Again, I'd have to look back in the original script and see if it was or not. And maybe I'm just a Looney Toon and thinking it was wrong but there's there's something is in my head that that was either added on or maybe like I didn't know I wasn't told who it was. Maybe that's why I'm remembering it kind of blocked it out. Because at the time I didn't. And that was one thing actually, when I was watching it last night, I was like, Oh, I could have done that better. I didn't, I didn't like my reaction to it. But this is also kind of because you're, this is one of my first times as an actor, actually talking to nothing. And not knowing who I was talking to. And they didn't tell you anything. And no, so...

Mark B. 41:22 Just say this thing. It's gonna be ominous and play cool.

Tricia H. 41:24 So maybe I'm remembering it that it was added on and we shot it at a later time too. So that I was, yeah, I can reason with myself why I didn't like my performance there. But no, I had no idea.

Mark B. 41:36 I was hoping for some super insight like, "Oh, no, that's the 13th Cylon who was there and it was orchestrating everything" and...

Tricia H. 41:43 You know it looking back now I'd say maybe it was Cavil.

Mark B. 41:47 Okay. Okay. Sure. That'll play.

Tricia H. 41:50 Right.

Mark B. 41:53 Independent of any actual confirmation, it could be anybody.

It could be any of them.

Tricia H. 41:56 It could have been Deanna it could have been you know, but Cavil kind of—you know at least in "The Plan"—was one of the ones kind of running more in charge so to speak.

Mark B. 42:08 Right.

Tricia H. 42:08 That I'm gonna go with Cavil.

Mark B. 42:10 [I'll] take it.

Tricia H. 42:12 But I didn't know there was no Cavil at this time when we shot this.

Mark B. 42:14 Just look like three inches above camera and say this line. "Okay... and cut. Print. Moving on."

Tricia H. 42:21 Pretty much that's what it was.

Mark B. 42:24 What is the experience—and I'm always curious talking to actors—what is the experience watching yourself on screen? Do you like it or do you not like it?

Tricia H. 42:32 You're so hard on yourself. That I don't really like watching myself and a lot of actors don't. Like, you know I'm working on "Lucifer" right now and Tom does watch really doesn't watch him. Granted he's so busy as well but I got an email from him—a text from him like the show's already finished airing and he was back in the you know in between break and he was in in England and I got a text from him tonight going just now watching the season. Great. So, and then there's some actors that never watch it. I definitely I do like to see it. I like to see how it all comes together because like this Mary and Eddie right now I wasn't there. I remember the script, but I wasn't there. And I'm curious to see, you know, I love seeing their performances and seeing how was edited. And editing can change—

Mark B. 43:21 Yeah. Oh, totally

Tricia H. 43:22 A production completely. So I do I do like to see it, but it is hard to see yourself.

Mark B. 43:28 I, I find it hard to just listen to myself. So I can't imagine that the three dimensionality of That's weird. That's not me, but it's totally me and I don't move like that. But

Tricia H. 43:41 I was watching it on plane last night and I'm kind of going and I look different. You know, my hair's longer and brown and I'm older, but it's still me and I'm sitting there watching the planet felt kind of weird watching it on the plane anyway, if anybody knew. But then it gets to the 16 and I'm just like, I'm like shrinking in my seat. Hey,

what if somebody knows I'm watching yourself?

Mark B. 44:06 some coffee? Oh, that's what we're doing on this flight. Yeah.

Tricia H. 44:11 But yeah, night, you know Katie says she hasn't. She's in the break right now when she when Apollo comes in for the first time. She said she hasn't really watched. She hasn't seen some of the episodes at all. Really? Yeah. So she's gonna have to. Yeah to do a rewatch.

Mark B. 44:27 Yeah, well before so too. Yeah, for good reasons. Yeah.

I remember hearing very early on that, the Jamie Bamber again who is doing an American accent he is he's a UK native, but that he dyed his hair to be brown to match with Eddie's and Eddie wore blue contact lenses. So that Yeah, like the we have to somehow access father and son.

Okay.

Tricia H. 44:59 Yes. I think it was Eddie's idea to because i think i think the the production was just like, okay, Jamie's gonna dye his hair. And Jamie's gonna wear dark contacts. And I think it was Eddie that said, No, I'll wear blue contacts, you know, which you don't want to work, you know that I remember thinking, that's really cool of it. Because I mean to wear context for every single scene of it, you know, it's like when you don't wear contacts, it's, it can be irritating and things but he was like, No, you know, and that's what Eddie Eddie is so invested, and Mary in making the best that he can and so invested in it, that he wouldn't have even thought twice. He's like, no, it's actually better if I have had blue eyes in it.

Mark B. 45:40 That is a that is kind of amazing to get that level of investment from the number one on the call sheet. Because it sets the tone for everybody else like oh, and he's going to do that then. Then we're all bringing our a game.

Tricia H. 45:53 Yeah, he came with like a drumbeat he had us all listened to before we even started filming. We were all brought into his trailer and he had these like ancient drums and gongs and things going on and I don't know if that's some of the stuff that's in it or if Bear McCreary took that and what you know again I don't know in in any of that, but I do know wouldn't before we even started filming the miniseries, we were all brought into his trailer and he had this ancient drum beats going on.

Mark B. 46:17 Wow. I mean, we'll talk I think later on about the music because it did strike me that Bear did not do the music for the miniseries, that he came on to the series, but the music is such a big part of the show. There's pounding drums and military and and weird sort of out of nowhere ethnic instruments and I found this thing in a museum of Irish music and it's a Hurdy-gurdy and we're using a Hurdy-[gurdy], and I'm like "OK Bear, if you say so." But it adds so much of the texture. It adds, it makes it feel a little bit alien, which which for a show that is both about the stars and voyaging and the origins of humanity (spoiler, four seasons ahead, spoiler) But to be able to make you feel a little bit out of step, in a way, just through sound through and the show does that in so many different ways. There's just little little bits that are Why are there no corners on any of the pieces of paper? Well, it's another world. Why is it music little off? Well, it's it's someplace else, you know what the the use of profanity and the profanity not being? Really like? frack is an amazing invention because people curse they always curse. They have curse since the dawn of time.

Tricia H. 47:31 Yes. And or Yeah, and I think it's Ambrosia their drink that they always green or something. I can't remember but not that we don't have colorful drinks. Yeah, you know, there was just enough of those things that

Mark B. 47:43 like we're playing a game that that feels a little bit like a human game, but it's no human game you've ever played like, What is? pyramid? Sure. What is that? I don't know. Soccer highlight can't tell.

Tricia H. 47:54 I remember hearing Michael Turco talk about on one of the panels talk about this pyramid game and when they were playing filming it. Nobody told them like what? They just the all the actors were just figuring it out like, okay, we have to physically be playing a game. Are we just going to be running back and forth so they all just kind of like figured out what this game was going to be on the spot. It's amazing. Because it wasn't scripted. They were just looking at the actual playing of the game wasn't scripted. It's just here. You guys are playing pyramid.

Mark B. 48:23 Oh, okay. Yes. Do we have pyramids?

Tricia H. 48:26 This works? Is it like is it is it? Is it a particular type of basket and you have to get the triangle in the pyramid in the

Mark B. 48:34 pyramid? Good. Go for it. You guys are young and in shape. You'll figure it out. But that's enough rules. No, not at all. So yeah, I mean, and we're in the show, and again, because we're not going to go scene specific because we've already been talking for 45 minutes. Yes. 30 minutes into the miniseries.

Tricia H. 48:55 Any won't not every podcast will be centered around number six. No justice. me it's just it's a first one it's a first one so we're making I'm here

Mark B. 49:06 but there is this you know and we haven't even gotten to the frankly awesome space battle stuff

Tricia H. 49:12 that's what you know I was again last night watching it for the first time i was i was very relieved to see because I've said I've said this to people on like oh the CGI so looks good watching it last night it was like it does it absolutely

Mark B. 49:23 does and so much of it is because of the the style that the show shooting and like you said, the documentary style where it's, it's all very fast the cameras moving fast so you don't get to linger on any one thing. So that one thing looks bad, right? You know, like it's all moving so quick and the cuts are so sharp, that it's meant to be like war correspondent photography. And that stuff always looks a little messy and blurry and out of focus

Tricia H. 49:47 and chaotic and and that we're using the Vipers that actually have the success are the ones that are the old Vipers that we're about to be, you know, put in the museum. Yeah, whereas you can see The difference between the Cylon Raiders that Do you know even obviously the same time very very for CGI, but they were they were made they look cooler look like they look faster they look sleeker they but the the Vipers that actually have the success are the older school ones. So it all kind of fits even if it does start getting a little dated I think that would help along the way as well totally like and there's

Mark B. 50:23 something about, you know, when you're dealing with Spaceman dealing with science fiction, we're dealing with other worlds and other planets in other cultures, civilizations. It doesn't feel as dated, because everything is new Anyway, you know what I mean? Like this is the first time we will be seeing this world. In the same way that Blade Runner does not feel dated, because it's the future that it's pretending to be and a spate specific kind of future. Whereas you watch a show like the West Wing, which I love to death, but they're using pagers instead of cell phones and when they do move to cell phones, they're giant like calling in an airstrike in the Korean War cell phones it's that our culture has surpassed what That started and that was cutting edge of the time. This is all whole cloth. So there's nothing to feel dated because we have no reference points for it.

Tricia H. 51:09 Yeah, and they're using even on even in the, in the CIC, they're purposely using papers, you know, when they're plotting a course to jump to them, you know, parchment over over the board and that's what they're using. So, it yeah, it

Mark B. 51:27 feels like and that's designed to feel like you're in a sub, you know, and it's all dark and we're using grease pencils on glass because the water could make everything else Bry off of it. And we've got old charts and we're plotting, like all of this stuff feels familiar because you know, we're a culture that's watched X number of war movies and submarine movies and battleship movies and we we get all those but what is greatest mean I don't know which is made up but word that feels like radar, or sonar, and we're just moving past it. But it's so smartly generated so that it never feels old.

Tricia H. 51:58 I did notice last night when you When Jamie Apollo says to the president I can remember you I think she is the President at that point. The first time he says FTL to her he says faster than light and I remember going oh they would they put that in there so that now from now on they can say FT oh

Mark B. 52:16 There we go first time, moving on. Established precedent is set and here we go.

Tricia H. 52:23 I forgot, I had forgotten we talked about the space—the battles—I forgotten how how Apollo was almost almost died in the beginning and Starbuck brings them in by hick hood. Just kind of ramming into him and driving him into the the launch Bay right before they jumped to Ragnar. I was like, "Oh, yeah, that was cool Starbuck."

Mark B. 52:46 Yeah, I remember you know, like I was I was recently on the writing stuff of a TV show. And we just started talking about reference points and shows we liked and, and and almost all the time I will bring up Battlestar because I love it to death but the the sense that That Battlestar is a show that is about so much. It's always about so much even the the miniseries is about responsibility and and a debt owed to the past, trying to repay it to the future. It's about narcissism and violence and, you know, parental responsibility,

Tricia H. 53:18 but only seeing your own like seeing with blinders on not not being able to open your mind to totally to the other side.

Mark B. 53:26 Yeah, I mean, from from both a governmental perspective, and even a personal perspective, like Baltar is just entirely focused on himself. And every line of dialogue every every move, he makes his move to either protect themselves or advance himself.

Tricia H. 53:39 And he admits it to six points that at one point, she's like, you're not on their side, guys. And he goes, I'm not on anybody's side. Yeah,

Mark B. 53:47 I'm in it from me.

But so it's a very heady show in so many ways. But as a science fiction fan coming to it, where's my candy? You know, where's where's the cheese on top of the broccoli that I'm I'm gonna eat this broccoli, but how am I going to do it? It's the space battles. It's the here is the popcorn. Here's the razzle dazzle and it's so good and it's so well done that it doesn't make you you don't mind when it spends 40 minutes just talking about sort of philosophy philosophy and and personal responsibility and all of that stuff like it is so incredibly well done and it's a thing that that when talking to other writers, so I don't know we can be as as like, weird and freaky and heady as we want to be. But we gotta remember it's Pulp Fiction we're doing and it's got to have it's got to move you got to give people that little something like I got that it gave me what I want it

Tricia H. 54:39 Yeah, now I'm now I'm good again to get heavy and and have my ideals and morals challenged and be made. Yeah, to really realize my own narcissism here or, or or how I'm not standing up and doing the right thing.

Mark B. 54:57 Yeah, which is totally fine. Nobody does. The right thing all the time and and

Tricia H. 55:02 one thing I noticed also ladies is I forgot in the mini series about some of the hard things like that they that tie made the decision to shut when they first when Galactica was first hit.

I forgotten totally that they that time made the decision to shut off. seal it off and vent it.

Mark B. 55:21 Yeah,

Galen Tyrol 55:22 Wait, I have over 100 people trapped up behind frame 34, I just need a minute to get them out.

Saul Tigh 55:25 We don't seal it off now we're gonna lose a lot more than a hundred men. Seal it off. Now.

Galen Tyrol 55:30 They just need a minute!

Saul Tigh 55:31 We don't have a minute! If the fire reaches the hangar pods it'll ignite the fuel lines and we'll lose the ship. Do it!

Mark B. 55:37 It's unbelievable. And and that that does speak to the reason why Adama keeps him around. Like, you need a bad cop. If you're going to be "The Dad." The Dad needs the uncle who's willing to do the stuff that nobody else wants to do. that that Tigh, for all of his problems, for all of his boozing, for all of his weird conflicts with Starbuck... He's the guy who will do the thing that nobody else wants to do. Nobody wants to take the responsibility to do. And that's kind of why he drinks a little bit.

Tricia H. 56:04 Because he will make that hard choice but in and he knows he takes on that responsibility. And that went when chief comes to Adama afterwards and says, All I needed, you know, he blamed he blames Tigh and Adama stands up for him and says, you know, "he's the XO, he made the right choice." And he said, "All I needed was 40 seconds," and Adama just shuts him down.

And you're like, it made me think I'm like, did it did it? Was it like, would it have been 40 seconds? Or would Tigh have been right? And, and and the 10,000 people would have died? You know, it's such a hard decision to make. And you have to make that in the spur the moment like that, that you can't I think in you know, in war like that you can't be second guessing yourself unless you're proven wrong. Right? But you can't. You can't some of those hard choices. Maybe they did have the 40 seconds.

Mark B. 56:54 Yeah,

Tricia H. 56:54 Maybe they didn't. Yeah, I was I was just sitting there going. Holy... Can I swear on a podcast?

Mark B. 56:59 It's our podcasts, you can do whatever you want..

Tricia H. 57:01 Holy shit. Like, what would you...? What would I do in that moment?

Mark B. 57:07 It's that, you know, life in combat is all about judgment calls. And it's all about not second guessing. And I mean, I remember when the show was first airing, I felt somebody should write like the William Adama School of Management guidebook, the how much you could you know, if you if you have to be a leader of people, if you have to, you know, run a business, if you have to lead an office, if you've got to do whatever, how much wisdom could you squeeze out of the ideal version of leadership? that's given to us by Battlestar Galactica? Because it's, it's all hard. every choice is hard. every choice has lives hanging in the balance, but you have to make those choices.

Tricia H. 57:43 Yeah, I mean, just in that within that 10 minutes, I think there was Ty's choice. There was Mary's president and Adama choice where I think this is what I was talking about earlier where Mary wanted to stick around and and collect a bunch of civilian ships and Eddie wanted to jump right away. Yeah, and or a dominant jump right away and she convinced him to stay get some of the ships and it worked out but that all those decisions there, they're just like, first first section here, the mini series once the war starts and once they actually get going like full on and you know, everybody realizes it and you know, once Caprica city I think is been moved. And and, you know, President Roslin is sworn in everything. There's just it just keeps hitting you every like.

Mark B. 58:29 Yeah.

Tricia H. 58:30 Just like oh my gosh, like what would here we are thinking, you know, I thinking this morning, I'm like, North Korea [bombed us]. We're on the West Coast like, and that's just like, you know that in our own world, but maybe be cut. Maybe it's more poignant, right. I was watching it because of what we're facing right now. And at the time having, I guess, but you know, I'm seeing it more now. And I think through re re watching it, I'm going to feel more what the audience felt because at the time, yes, while we were filming it, it was We were sensing it, but you're also mixed up in the filming of it, right? So you kind of get kind of removed from watching the whole thing as a whole. But the relevance, I mean, I was in New York for 911 Yeah, you know, but I didn't necessarily You're so kind of wrapped up in your own character that sometimes you don't see it but now watching it I'm like,

North Korea, LA can be Caprica City like....

Mark B. 59:24 Yeah, it's it is it is hard to look at a show like this where the people in charge have demonstrated a capacity for the the command that they have and seem to be equal to the tasks that they're facing. Be like living in the real world, looking at people who are fundamentally not equal to the tasks that they're facing, and it's not even hard tasks yet right? You know, like the real challenges haven't started the the things that the trials a test men souls have not actually begun, and they're like, wow, if you can't even do this knucklehead stuff

What happens when you know missiles in or in the air, like how do you respond? And some people sure you never know how you will. But yeah...

Yeah, I'm not that this is going to be political podcast not that we're going to be partisan another way except we don't only one way.

Tricia H. 1:00:14 But it's all here right on the you know, it shows both it shows both sides of the coin, you know, especially in later episodes. You also start seeing from a silent point of view totally, which, obviously not in the miniseries, but, you know, you're, it's being set up as the evil enemy. But then once you start, you know, the new Caprica episodes and things like that, where you start kind of going, wait, the good guys were doing the suicide bombing? Yeah, where I remember those were really hard for some of the some of the actors to shoot because it was just like, and there was so much going on, in in at that time with suicide bombings and things like that, at that time. When we were filming that I remember some of the actors going Wait, I have to be the one To go in and this is what I'm the good. I'm the good guy. Yeah.

Mark B. 1:01:04 Yeah. I mean, you could look at the show and say, Laura Roslin is absolutely Democrat. And William Adama is absolutely Republican. And you know, who believes in the military believes in strong defense believes in strong offense, you know, believes in the in the rule of law, and the military supremacy and all that stuff. But they managed to work together.

Tricia H. 1:01:22 And they're actually stronger for it. They're stronger, stronger when they're working together.

Mark B. 1:01:26 you know, because they both bring something to the table. They both have incredibly strong beliefs and idealistic centers, but they need each other to survive and one can't actually do it without the other. But you know, just say like, I'm a Democrat, I don't believe in Well, I'm, I'm on board with the dumb and nine times out of 10 Oh, yeah. But that I remember a friend of mine, says that he misses he misses the republicans of the 1960s. You know, like the ones who believe in science, like everybody in Mission Control, you know, was a republican and they were like, they were just what do we do man on the moon? How do we do it? Like, what's the problem with solve the problem? And if we are brought with data that proves one thing, we'll take it and adjust. It's like I missed those guys. Those guys who would like all right, here we go buzz cuts and white shirts. And let's, let's put a guy on the moon, it does not seem to be the way things go.

Tricia H. 1:02:16 Now we're in a, we're in a particular time right now worse, it's again, this is going to get too political but so divisive. Yeah. That it's it's hard to, it's hard to find that middle ground. And that's, I think, in my own, you know, layman's opinion, I think that's, you know, so so often the middle ground is the strongest, strongest choice for many things.

Mark B. 1:02:38 I mean, it's the it's the the, the things that are stronger because they bend, you know, it's like, how do you how do you make how do how do you make a sword that is unbreakable? Well, you bend it 1000 times. And then through the bending, you get strength.

Tricia H. 1:02:52 Yeah, if it's too rigid, it can snap. It'll shatter.

Mark B. 1:02:55 And yeah, it's it is we are, we are in a weird, a weird weird time where people cannot seem to agree on the color of the sky half the time. And once you cannot agree on the basics, it's impossible to get the nuances. Yeah.

But hey, speaking of new eyes, Battlestar Galactica

Tricia H. 1:03:15 we're watching Hilo right now.

Mark B. 1:03:16 I know I remember meeting tomorrow at a San Diego Comic Con one year and was bothered by how handsome he was. Hmm. You know, it's like, dude, just don't be this unfair to everybody else all the time. And you're good at this and...

Tricia H. 1:03:33 And he's so, Tahmoh, he's so lovely. And he's when you first meet him, too. He's kind of got that smooth swave like, you know, he's like, cool. You think okay, I know you, I know you and then you get to know him and he's, he's a deep thinker, and he's well read and he's just so loving and giving and, and caring and just Heart of Gold and... damn... darn... sexy to boot.

Mark B. 1:04:00 Yeah, God. He's a problem. That guy.

Tricia H. 1:04:03 Yeah. He's a problem that guy. I think he's in LA, right. I might have to have him on. He, he was it was heartbreaking when he leaves when he chooses to have Baltar and talk about hard choices, right to choose to have one of, he recognizes Baltar's as you know, one of the greatest minds of their time, scientific minds of their time. And he's like, "No, I'm giving up my seat so that he can go up." But the interesting choice I found is they didn't take they didn't decide to not take one of the—they stuck to their guns of the lottery of like, okay, all the children on board, and then everybody else gets a number. Yeah. And once he realized Baltar and it was the old lady that is was number was chose—47—they didn't go "Okay, you're an old lady. You get to stay. I know how to run this ship with with her with Boomer so I get to stay too because I have a better chance of getting these people that have been allowed onto the ship back to Galactica, because Boomer can do it on our own but if we run into trouble, like, I got job in the back too." So, to you know, to not only to choose to give up a seat for Baltar but for, like this old lady that probably only has a few years left over life anyway like, I was like, "Why did they not go, 'You stay [old lady]?'"

Mark B. 1:05:19 "You're fine, old lady." But if you're right it's it's it's a show about hard choices and and everybody— especially in this mini series—is for the first time we see them being pushed to the edge of reason and logic and emotion and what do you do when when you're faced with the the the no-win scenario? And for Helo it's, "All right. I guess I'm going to stay. I'm shot in the leg. I got radiation meds I, I will figure out a way. Come back for me."

Tricia H. 1:05:23 "Come back for me." But I don't think I don't even remember if he says that. He just says you know, they're just waves because they think he's like you see what's happening. And, like, at that moment, he was like I have resigned myself. Death basic basically, it's, you know, I kind of see I haven't watched all the walking dead. But when I first watched it, I was like, there was so many parallels I saw. And you don't have a space show and a zombie show. But it was those hard choices of about human survival, right? For this race to survive. People got to do some stuff that they're not, they're not going to want to do now,

Mark B. 1:06:21 you know, and it's we don't see it in the in the miniseries, I don't think we don't get to it till 33. But the survivor count that Roslin puts up on the wall. And the this is what's left of the human race. And every decision we make has to be so the number raises and doesn't lower. And it's your impossible positions. Like, you know, there are no clear path to victory for anybody in anything. You gotta do the best you can do. And that's it. Yeah, feel so much of what the show is about. We're just muddling through

Tricia H. 1:06:49 and just muddling through. And man, you know, Roslin saying, "we need to start making babies." But then another discussion, like two minutes later is how there's not enough supplies. Do you really want to make babies and have more mouths to feed and more, but at the same time? Yeah, you're, you have to have to

Mark B. 1:07:06 Yeah, we're just gonna we're gonna keep dying unless we figure out a way to keep breathing.

Tricia H. 1:07:10 Mm hmm. Yay.

I think there was a comment about what we're going to order them to make babies.

Then we become Handmaid's Tale territory. So close.

Mark B. 1:07:23 Maybe that's a direct sequel.

Tricia H. 1:07:27 Yeah, exactly. Because now they're on Earth. Yep. destroyer. They get to Yeah,

Mark B. 1:07:32 don't mean anything away.

Tricia H. 1:07:34 But yeah, many years later now we're at The Handmaid's Tale right now. They've destroyed the planet...

Mark B. 1:07:40 And here we go. Yeah, um, but yeah and and for I guess we're hoping for for our viewers and our listeners to this podcast is that you know, you'll kind of watch along with us I'm I'm I'm personally expecting most people to have seen it at least once. But I'm sure it's been a while since you have and then maybe you know, you learn some new stuff. You'll go deep go deep with us. And we'll get anecdotes from friends and family and you know guys who were on the show, guys who wrote on the show. That's the music for the show.

Tricia H. 1:08:11 Yeah, Bear said he'd come on.

Mark B. 1:08:13 Bear said he would totally come on [the show].

Tricia H. 1:08:15 Trucco, and Katee, and Eddie and...

Mark B. 1:08:16 Yeah...

Tricia H. 1:08:17 Yeah, everybody everybody's gonna come on.

Mark B. 1:08:19 We're going to get everybody and and then some other people who are just fans of the show. We might drop a couple of other famous faces/voices/friends to come and play in our little play box. Yay. Alright, so we we did not make it all the way through the through the very first episode as we knew we would not, because we're talking quite a bit. But you know, I think we should probably close hailing frequencies on this episode of Battlestar Galacticast, a name that Tricia came up with which is awesome,

Tricia H. 1:08:52 Actually, Tom Ellis from Lucifer. Lucifer came up with that. I was on set when I got your email about the names and I was like "Tom, what [do you think]?" Because Tom was a fan of Battlestar and so Mark and I are going to do this podcast and you know, it's like, what do you and he goes, "Okay, I kind of think on it." He walks out of the trailer—the makeup trailer—and like 30 seconds later, walks back and pokes his head in the door and he goes "Battlestar Galacticast".

Mark B. 1:09:19 Well thank you, Tom.

Tricia H. 1:09:20 Oh, okay! What do you think about that?

Mark B. 1:09:22 Well, that's the one!

Tricia H. 1:09:26 So maybe he'll have to come.

Mark B. 1:09:28 I mean we'll have to.

Tricia H. 1:09:29 He's a big fan.

Mark B. 1:09:30 He's a big fan? Well then we can we can go to him. We have our mobile podcasting outfit in a giant orange duffel bag. "Have guests, will travel."

Tricia H. 1:09:37 Yes.

Mark B. 1:09:40 So yeah, so for this episode of Battlestar Galacticast I have been Marc Bernardin .

Tricia H. 1:09:44 And I have been Tricia Helfer.

Mark B. 1:09:46 And we will see you guys next week.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

External Links

• Syfy Wire: BLAST OFF WITH THE FIRST EPISODE OF OUR NEW PODCAST: BATTLESTAR GALACTICAST! (web.archive.org backup link)