Sources:June 2007 Sci-Fi Channel Digital Press Tour

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Introduction

In this four-part interview, recorded on June 28th, 2007, as part of the Sci-Fi Digital Press Tour, members of the cast and production team of Battlestar Galactica discuss the show's final season. The panel, including actors Aaron Douglas, Jamie Bamber, Grace Park, Tahmoh Penikett, and Michael Hogan, along with producer Harvey Frand and executive Mark Stern, share their thoughts on the show's conclusion. They delve into the emotional impact of filming the last episodes, their interactions with the dedicated fanbase at conventions, and the show's surprising popularity within the entertainment industry. The cast also reflects on their characters' complex journeys, the shocking Cylon revelations, the collaborative environment on set, and their hopes for the future after the series ends.

Summary

The panel began with a discussion about the announcement that the fourth season would be the show's last. Jamie Bamber acknowledged the news inevitably changed the vibe on set. "You know there's suddenly a horizon," he said, explaining that the finality brings both a personal awareness for the cast and a sense of purpose in completing the story. "There's also a real peace of mind that comes with the fact that we're going to get to finish this story, and this story's always begged an ending, and we get to give it to you." He described a feeling of nostalgia accompanying every scene, knowing it would be the last time they would perform it. Bamber reflected on the immense personal changes in his own life over the five years of the show, which he felt were inextricably linked to the job. "I'm just very grateful that we've had this long to do it and that we're going to get to end the stories."

An interviewer praised the cast for being exceptionally accessible to fans through conventions and online forums. Aaron Douglas enthusiastically took the lead on this topic. "I love going to conventions," he declared, listing his travels to Italy, Australia, and London, among other places. The cast shared numerous stories about being recognized by other celebrities, including Robin Williams, the Wachowski brothers, Quentin Tarantino, and Seth Green.

When asked if they felt they had fully explored their characters, the consensus was no. Harvey Frand noted that the writers, led by Ronald D. Moore, consistently kept the story fresh and unpredictable. Michael Hogan, who arrived mid-interview, was asked about his reaction to discovering his character, Colonel Tigh, was a Cylon. "I'm not happy about being a Cylon at all," he admitted candidly. Bamber, when asked how he would feel if his character, Apollo, were the final Cylon, described it as a "violation."

Regarding creative input, the cast agreed that the showrunners were remarkably collaborative. Hogan said Ron Moore and David Eick have always been "incredibly open... to suggestions, to ideas, and open to reactions to their ideas." Bamber elaborated on this, crediting the show's "independent film" feel from the very beginning and the tone of respect set by lead actors Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell. "We are never patronized," Bamber concluded. "We're never taken for granted. And that's, I think, pretty unique for a television series."

Transcript

Part 1

Mark Stern: Welcome to the third part of your three-hour tour. I think you'll agree with us that we probably saved best for last and certainly in terms of an amazing location. And when you walk the sets and you see the CIC and all the amazing maze of hallways and stuff that they've created for Galactica. It's just unbelievable. And I think, as you can see, when you get up really close to the set, it really does hold up, which obviously we love. So, yeah, I'm a little biased, but I love this show. So without further... Yes. I like that. Without further ado, let me introduce our cast. And again, thanks to you guys for coming and doing this for us. At the end, Aaron Douglas, Jamie Bamber, Grace Park, Tahmoh Penikett, our actors, and our line producer, Harvey Frand. And basically, we're just kind of throwing this open as a back and forth question and answer and going for it.

Interviewer 1: Hi, everybody at once.

Interviewer 2: I would actually like to start off by asking Grace Park a question about your character and what it's like to play such a multifaceted character. And actually it's characters because you're playing like three or four different people. What's that like and how do you prepare to do those different, to get inside the head of all those different people you're playing?

Grace Park: I think it's pretty much just like regular life. As you're going around, depending on who you hang out with, you access different parts of your personality. No, I pretty much... Well, this is weird. I pretty much... Definitely to get into it, access what each character has been going through. And, I mean, essentially they are the same model, but their experiences have changed them a lot. So really drawing upon their most recent experiences, the things that have affected them most deeply, and what level of awareness they're at. And I think that essentially separates, for instance, Boomer versus Athena. Athena is having gone through everything in the brig with the humans and having a family, a lot of forgiveness that she's had to do to be able to not be so angry. And I'm sure she's sitting on a pile of rage somewhere.

Tahmoh Penikett: How can she not?

Grace Park: And as well, Boomer's also quite upset, but she's definitely in a darker space than Athena, not having a family, not really connected to her purpose right now. And the other Sharons are just, are like the prototype, the naive, vulnerable, emotional, whatnot.

Interviewer 3: Hey, guys. I was curious, two-part question. One, what everyone's reaction was to hearing this would be the last season, and also if it's changed the energy on set, knowing that you're filming the final season now.

Jamie Bamber: Yeah, no, inevitably it changes the vibe because you know there's suddenly a horizon and you can see over the horizon and we all have personal lives and coming up to Vancouver for some of us is a, you know, a schlep and knowing it's the last time changes everything. So yeah, it's a different deal. But there's also a real peace of mind that comes with the fact that we're going to get to finish this story and this story's always begged an ending and we get to give it to you. So there's a lot of excitement and anticipation that's attached to that. But it feels like every moment is... I think... No, I shouldn't give spoilers, should I? Every moment that passes is gone forever now. It's like the last performance of a play on the last night. You start off with your monologue in the first scene and you know when you finish it, that's the last time you'll ever do it. And so there's a nostalgia that goes with every conscious moment of that type. And there are things that my character has done for the last time already. And those are sad. Because speaking very personally, this has been just a huge part of my life. And a learning curve. When I started this job, I wasn't married and I didn't have any children. And I lived in London and I was broke. Well, I'm still broke, but I've got lots of kids. So I look back over the last five years, they've been momentous on a personal level and so you can't help but associate that with the job as well. So yeah, it changes, changes everything to know it's over, but in a good way. Like I can't say that, you know, I'm melancholic about it, although I can. When I first got back to Vancouver, I had that, that real nostalgia thing. I know what Vancouver will forever mean to me now. It'll be that Pavlovian response. I will start seeing Vipers and things as I walk down Robson Street and I'll start remembering those experiences of being in a strange place, starting this journey and being scared of what it might be to play this character. No, I'm just very grateful that we've had this long to do it and that we're going to get to end the stories.

Grace Park: Tahmoh and I were talking yesterday and he was honestly really stressed out. He was like, it's going by way too quickly because I can't believe we're already going into our fifth episode.

Tahmoh Penikett: I think I feel the same way. When we started... I think Jamie summed it up well, but this has been such a momentous, growing experience for me. Regardless of what happens in my career, I always look at this as one of the highlights. I'm going to miss a lot when it's done, I'll tell you that. It's probably all going to hit us about six months after. Jamie and I were joking around last week. It's going to be like six months later. We're all going to start calling each other and be like, hey, what are you doing? You want to hook up or something? Or for a drink?

Jamie Bamber: We've already made a pact that anybody starts having a cruise and inviting fans along, they have our permission to shoot them as they board the cruise ship. If necessary, from sort of a kilometer away in a sniper's concealed position. You don't need to be bold or courageous about it. Just take the guy down.

Tahmoh Penikett: Just take him down.

Jamie Bamber: And that may be taking it a little far. We decided that when we were kind of half intoxicated. But give him a shot at least.

Aaron Douglas: Richard Hatch, watch out.

Interviewer 4: I have to say that as a cast, you guys have been extremely open and accessible to the fans, both on the internet, posting on message boards, going to fan conventions, really giving a lot of yourself, making it a real personal experience for the fans. Any experiences you want to share, outrageous fan meetings, conventions you've been to that have just kind of blown you away? Because I know for a lot of you, this is your first entry into the sci-fi fandom with this full-on crush of everyone knowing who you are and what you're about.

Jamie Bamber: Is there any one person that can possibly reply to that question? And that's Aaron Douglas.

Aaron Douglas: I'm going to start speaking really quietly until he figures out just how loud I do talk. Yeah. Hi, Lisa. I love going to conventions. This year alone, I've been to Italy, Australia, New Zealand, London, Miami, New York, LA, San Francisco. I mean, I get to see the world on somebody else's dime, right? And you're like a demigod for a weekend, and you can pretty much get away with anything. I mean, these conventions, I'm pants off the whole weekend. It's absolutely outstanding. And I'm commando, too, so they shoot me from here up. Because a full body shot, they've got to stand too far back. They use a slimming lens, too, which is nice. I sort of shave my hair in stripes to make me look thinner and taller. Going for the Tahmoh Tall fit look. I love going to conventions. I absolutely love the fans. I genuinely, it's a cliche, but I genuinely mean it when I say that the sci-fi fans are the best fans in the world. They just are so much fun. I mean, how many people, how many of you guys for other genres would show up at something like this? How many studios would allow it? How many shows would allow it and embrace it? So the fans really embrace us, and we in turn really embrace the fans. And every convention is a wonderful experience. For me, the cool things is just meeting the other actors from other shows and having people come up to you and go, man, I love your show, and you're just staring at them, looking at them, going, you're John Rhys-Davies from, you're Gimli. You love my show? It's a remarkable thing. I get to meet a lot of my heroes from when I was young.

Part 2

Aaron Douglas: ...and just spend a wonderful weekend with a lot of wonderful people who are so interested in and have such fascinating lives and they're doctors and lawyers and a guy who works at Starbucks and just the, you know, the complete spectrum of society is where these people come from and they're from all over the world and they're just as passionate about it as we are. And I think it's wonderful that I am very fortunate to be able to get to go and talk about it and give spoilers. I think I've mentioned about 18 different people as the final Cylon, so every country I go to, I name somebody else. So they're all fighting online. But, yeah, it's great, and, you know, it'll just sort of go into perpetuity, I'm sure. It just keeps going and going and going, but it's a wonderful experience. It is.

Interviewer 5: Aside from a show being of extremely serious nature, I hear that Michael Hogan...

Aaron Douglas: No, it's not.

Interviewer 5: ...Hogan is quite the funny character.

Aaron Douglas: Who?

Interviewer 5: Michael Hogan.

Aaron Douglas: Yeah, he should be sitting here. That's how funny he is.

Jamie Bamber: Joke's on us.

Tahmoh Penikett: You'll know Michael Hogan is in the studio when you hear, like, deep behind a wall or somebody, somebody doing vocal exercises. And then Hogan walks out. "Okay, I'm ready to go."

Grace Park: All right.

Tahmoh Penikett: Now, of anybody who is the most unlike their character, I would say Michael Hogan is. Yeah, he is, in my opinion, he's like the best actor on the show. The man is absolutely outstanding. No offense, guys.

Jamie Bamber: But just very modest of yourself to include yourself in that.

Grace Park: Wow.

Jamie Bamber: Because I thought it was you.

Grace Park: Aw.

Interviewer 6: As I talk to actors about what they watch on television, this show is one that's named pretty consistently. And I was talking to an actor on another show in Vancouver. He's like, yeah, Battlestar, they're the cool kids. We all wish we were on Battlestar. Do you feel that appreciation from your peers, from other people in the business? Because this show is really, I think, heavily watched within the industry itself.

Tahmoh Penikett: Absolutely. We're the coolest. No question about it. Actually, speaking of another actor, Ed Quinn, we met him last year. He's one of the leads in Eureka.

Interviewer 6: Yeah, he's awesome.

Tahmoh Penikett: He's a really nice guy, too. But I remember the first time we met him. He came to town and somehow tracked down our phone numbers. He knew that I was a big MMA fan. Invited me. I think Douglas got invited. He didn't show up. He was busy. I think he was at a convention. Yeah, he was at a convention. But literally, Ed Quinn tracked us down. And it was so funny because this guy, we didn't even know who he was. He's like, look, I'm in town. I'm working on a show. I heard about you guys. Maybe you'd like to come over and watch some fights. Made us dinner, and the guy could not shut up about the show for about 50 minutes. It was awesome. I was blown away. I was like, so you're on a show too? He's like, forget about that. We'll talk about that after. So listen, what do you think is going to happen third season?

Jamie Bamber: I mean, I just recently moved down to LA, so I got involved in a whole new bunch of conversations with people down there who work in the industry, and I'm blown away by how many people on really influential positions are just completely in love with the show. And yeah, we do realize how lucky we are to be, you know, the cool kids and the cool show because, you know, we're playing grown up characters in grown up situations with big stories. And that doesn't happen too often in TV. I did a couple of guest roles recently in LA on sort of more procedural type shows. And I have to say, I don't envy... That may be our fate after this, for the rest of our careers, to summarily find guilty parties each week and send them off to the penitentiary. But there is something slightly repetitive, overly repetitive, about working on that kind of episodic television. And it's very rare to have such a successful, real epic to get your teeth into and to constantly have to be responsible for these characters week in, week out as they go through monumental changes. We're very lucky. I think we all know that.

Aaron Douglas: Yeah, and speaking of fans in the industry, it's not just people who are on other television shows. I was in Los Angeles, and I'll never forget this day, January 10th of this year. My manager has an office on Santa Monica and Wilshire. And I was walking through Beverly Hills, back up to my hotel, and I see this guy walking towards me and, oh, speak of the devil, there he is. Michael Hogan, everybody. And it was Mike Hogan. Michael Hogan, ladies and gentlemen. And this guy's walking towards me. He's about 15 feet away. And normally I don't get starstruck, but this person was a big, important part of my life when I was growing up. About 15 feet away, and I'm looking at him, I'm going, who the hell is that? Oh, my God, it's Robin Williams. Oh, that's so cool. And he just walked by, nodded, and kept on going. And I kept walking. I pulled out my phone and started texting my friends because in Vancouver it was below zero and there was a foot of snow. It was 85 in L.A. So I'm texting my friends, screw you guys, it's 85, it's sunny, Robin Williams just walked by me, have fun with the snow in Vancouver. I keep on walking, about a block and a half later, I'm in the middle of the intersection, walking against a red light, and there's this tug on my shoulder. "Excuse me, are you on Battlestar Galactica?" I'm like, yeah, oh my God, you're Robin Williams. And I went, yeah, I am. And he grabs me by the arm, and he takes me over to the sidewalk, and he plants me on the sidewalk. And I'm standing there, and he goes, that's the best show on TV. I cannot believe it. I don't miss it. You tell Eddie, I've known Eddie for years, you go up there and you tell everybody, that's my favorite show, it's the best show on TV. What are you shooting? Why are you here? How come you're not shooting? Is the chief dead? And he just went... I'm staring at this guy going, oh my God, this is Robin Williams. And all these people are walking by going, holy crap, that's Robin Williams. Who the hell is that guy? And why does Robin keep shaking his hand? So he talked to me for like five minutes and kept shaking my hand and shaking my hand. And at one point I went, I have to tell you, you're one of my biggest... "We're talking about Battlestar Galactica." Okay, all right. So we talked for like five minutes, and then he was there for the Golden Globes, apparently. And he walks away, and I'm just like, doy, doy, doy, doy, doy. So I walked to the curb, and I looked for the bus and said, God, send the bus, you know. But yeah, the weirdest people come out of the woodwork to talk about this show. And Robin Williams turned around and chased me down.

Jamie Bamber: Yeah, and I had the Wachowski brothers bow in silence. I met them on the Warner Brothers lot and I turned around and this, what's the politically correct word for it?

Aaron Douglas: A fat guy?

Jamie Bamber: No, he's going through a gender change. And I double took, yeah. And he just bowed and put his hands together. And, you know, those guys rule in terms of sci-fi. And yet here they are sort of worshipping our show. So it's pretty humbling.

Tahmoh Penikett: Grace has a good one.

Jamie Bamber: Who? At the Asian Film Awards? Who was it?

Grace Park: Oh, yeah. A guy named Quentin Tarantino.

Jamie Bamber: Quentin Tarantino. You've heard of him?

Tahmoh Penikett: I forgot all about that.

Grace Park: I think before when you get in... I hosted an award show called the Asian Excellence Awards with Daniel Dae Kim, and my manager had mentioned that Quentin had wanted to meet me, so I was pretty excited to meet him. But while we were hosting the show, I did see him, and I had met him somewhere before, but I'm sure he didn't remember who I was, so I just pretended I didn't know who he was. And he just pretended he didn't know who I was. And then, but later in the after party, we just, you know, he wouldn't stop gabbing about it. Like I felt like I had to babysit him. He was so excited. And he just went off for about 10 minutes and I finally just got so uncomfortable that I just had to leave. But then I went online and apparently before the award show, you know, they're always asking people, is there someone you're excited to meet? And pretty much everyone says, oh, these are a bunch of my friends, so it's fine. And he goes, well, I'd like to meet Grace Park. And I think I had to download that and just like burn it, save it for my grandchildren.

Tahmoh Penikett: I had... I went to an after Grammy party months ago. I was sitting in line, this horrible lineup, we weren't getting anywhere and I saw Seth Green basically bump by me with his entourage, nudged me out of the way, Seth's all this big, but I've always been a fan of his work and he kind of stopped and gave me this look, literally just looked like Seth was picking a fight with me, which was really kind of funny, right? Looked up at me, and he kind of gave me this weird look, and I looked down at him. I'm like, what are you looking at, Seth? What's going on, buddy? That was it. Kept on walking. He got into the party. Of course, I had to wait another 45 minutes. And then I think it was a month and a half later, we got called for Robot Chicken, Michael.

Michael Hogan: Oh, yeah?

Tahmoh Penikett: Yeah. It was great. It was kind of funny. So I guess Seth didn't want to fight.

Grace Park: You got to tell your giant eclipse story that always happens to you whenever you're walking down in LA and there's always like some 8 foot 7, yeah.

Tahmoh Penikett: I don't know what it is about big guys, but... I've had this happen to me twice now. Last time I was in LA, where was I? I was at The Grove with Michael Trucco and we just finished some lunch. This is funny. Yeah, it's got to be a big guy thing. Anyway, Michael and I, Mike's on the phone, and we watched this big guy walk by us and literally the man had a back like... he must have been 300 pounds. I was like, Jesus Christ, look at the size of that guy. He walks by and he kind of looks back at me.

Part 3

Tahmoh Penikett: ...and I'm wearing glasses and everything. Michael's on the phone and I'm like, oh, why is he looking at me? He gives me this sort of funny look. And he's staring at me and he keeps on walking. And I'm like, okay, well, that's a little weird. I don't know this 300-pound man and why is he staring at me? Anyway, he goes in the washroom and he comes out and he comes out aggressively. And I notice because I'm standing in there, I'm just thinking about the big man who was giving me the funny look, and he comes straight at me, and he's got this look on his face, and he's doing this. And I'm like, oh, Jesus. I got a cell phone in my hand, and I think I dropped it, or at least I stuffed it in my back pocket, kind of turned my body sideways. I'm like, I don't know, maybe if I could poke him in the eye or punch him in the throat, or maybe I'll throw Trucco at him. Trucco's on the phone, you know what I mean? And he comes up to me, and he walks right up to my face, and he goes, "Are you Helo?" And I'm like, Jesus Christ, yes, man. He's like, "Take off the glasses." I take off the glasses. He goes, "It's you, man, Jesus. I love that show." And he's like, he's spitting at me and he's pointing in my face. And I'm like, I'm looking up at him literally. And I'm like, okay, man, just take it easy. Jeez, you scared the shit out of me. Stop pointing at me. Anyway, I mean, this has happened to me twice now. I had this happen in Vancouver, but yeah, it is big black men. They like to approach me in this way. Put the fear in me.

'Interviewer 1: So, hi, guys. One of the keys to Battlestar Galacticas success is the fact it's a character drama, a character-driven story. Have you guys explored all of... Let me ask this the right way. Have you guys feel that you've explored your characters to all the corners that you wanted to see? Have you covered all the stuff? I know some of you are just learning some new things about your characters, but have you explored all the aspects of your character that you wanted to explore?

Aaron Douglas: Have you explored all the facets of yourself? No.

Harvey Frand: No. In a word, no, I wouldn't think so. Because every day you wake up, something different happens, and you're faced with a new challenge, and how are you going to react to it? And it brings about different reactions from your personality, things that you never thought you would do. And the more extreme the situation, you might fall back on your regular patterns, or you might go in a different direction and choose to change your reaction to this situation that's come up many, many times. Maybe this is the day that you go off in a different way. And our show is great because the writers, I mean, Ron Moore and his staff are absolutely outstanding, and that's what keeps it interesting because you don't know how these characters are going to react. I have no idea how the chief is going to react to the same situation. Something that happened yesterday happens again today. He might go this way instead of that way, and the writers keep us guessing, and they keep the audience guessing. And in my opinion, that's where it begins, why it's such a great show. And Harvey Frand, of course.

Jamie Bamber: I mean, I have felt that. I have felt that there are certain repetitive elements, certainly to my character and the way he reacts to things. And you put him into more awkward positions, but basically he's constantly trying to get out under a shadow that his dad offers, and he comes up with different ways of doing that, and he evolves. But that is the challenge. And I think some characters have that as an issue, and I've definitely felt that each and every season, that there's what's different this year, we have to try it. And it's a push, and it's a struggle to find that. But I think, particularly last year, we managed it. And this year, who knows? I personally sit here and I'm just so glad I don't have to write all the episodes because I wouldn't know what to do with my character. I think I would leave them and concentrate on all the other guys around me who have got really interesting things going on. But I have found that as a struggle doing this. I've never done a series this many years before. And there is a certain... I think in life, people do tend to repeat in sort of patterns of behavior. I think we are who we are and our makeup is established. And I think that's why, with this character anyway, that he rings quite true because he doesn't act out of character too often. And when he does, it causes him pangs of conscience and it puts him into difficult positions where he has to re-examine who he is and try to equate that with who he's become. So I think that, for me, that's definitely been the battle each year is exactly what you've just sort of described.

Tahmoh Penikett: I've always teased Grace that it doesn't matter what she goes on to, whether she becomes a huge movie star or what have you. I mean, she's covered the spectrum. She's been murdered multiple times, raped, beaten, ostracized. I mean, she's done it all.

Grace Park: It's been done. Yeah, had a baby, tortured, manipulated, lied, assassinated. But I think I've had the blessing of being able to be in a lot of the characters, being in a lot of situations. So you are able, through those actions, and because of them, your behaviors are reflected and refracted and shown through those things. But I think, like Jamie was saying, as a character, you will keep going back to your default behaviors or values because that's who your makeup is. Until there's too much pain that is caused by that, then that will beg a change.

Interviewer 6: And this year, one of the Boomers is a tall German man, isn't it?

Grace Park: Yeah.

Interviewer 6: Yeah, that's right. So you really will have covered the spectrum by the time you're done. Michael, my question is for you because we don't get to hear from you very often. So thank you for taking the time to come here and talk to us.

Michael Hogan: I got here as soon as I could.

Interviewer 6: But can you just tell us, how do you feel about your character and being a Cylon in the finale? I mean, you probably have the reason to hate the Cylons more than anybody on the show or your character does. How did you feel about that?

Michael Hogan: Well, I've always thought to myself, I don't know if I've said it out loud, I must have said I'm... I'm sure I'm glad I'm not playing a Cylon. And so I guess I must have said it out loud. I'm not happy about being a Cylon at all. And I don't imagine any of us who are being picked to be Cylons are happy about it. But the scripts and what we've been doing so far... The scripts we've had so far are great. The only way that I can deal with it is as a human being. And so far that's all I've had to do. I'm not sure what's going on. It's really, really, for Tigh so far, it is like a mental illness. It's like the ring in the ears and visions and one constantly wondering what's going on. So almost in every scene you do now, it's that thing where you're thinking one thing. If you've had a personal tragedy happen to you, then you've got to carry on with life. You kind of realize, isn't this amazing that I'm actually talking to people, but this is all going on inside.

Mark Stern: I have to say that, you know, I think a big driver of this first half of season four without question has been to see how these four characters deal with this whole switch up in who they are and what it does to each of them in a very, very different, unique way. And how some of them deny it completely and how some of them embrace it as a blessing. And that has been fascinating just in terms of seeing where Dave and Ron have taken those characters.

Interviewer 7: I had a quick question more or less about, I guess, the popularity of the show where it seems that the audience, you know, it's a very specific audience. And a lot of times that does take away from accolades that maybe you guys should be looking at, like Emmys or other things where you do get Peabodys and everything else. I mean, is that something you guys think about? Do you think about, you know, man, this would be great, you know, the hard work that we're doing that this could result in at least some kind of Emmy recognition or some kind of, you know, recognition where it seems like the Emmys are becoming more of a popularity contest than about the art sometimes.

Jamie Bamber: I'd rather have a Peabody than an Emmy any day. The greatest strides in makeup and special effects have been made in horror and sci-fi genre, and they've been completely ignored throughout the history of award shows, so I don't really care. I mean, you know, that's for other people to decide. We just, you come to work and you do the work. And then, you know, would we like more people to watch the show? Yeah, sure. That would have enabled us to, you know, do things really on our own terms in a way that, you know, sometimes we've had to compromise, I think. But, and so it comes down to that for me anyway. Those awards are extemporaneous paraphernalia that come with the success that you need. You need viewers and you need people to watch the show. And we do have a hardcore following, but I think our viewership is actually much more diverse than people make out. The most vocal fans and viewers are the hardcore sci-fi fans, but just from knowing and meeting so many different people across walks of life, there is no Battlestar Galactica type.

Grace Park: And yeah, personally, I have regrets about the show not having reached a wider audience, and an Emmy would have helped. But, you know, God only knows Bonnie and Sci-Fi and Dave, you've all tried damn hard to get one. So there's no sense in which we...

Part 4

Jamie Bamber: ...That's their job. You know, it's not our job. So you ask us that question. I never think about it. It's not something that, you know, motivates us, I don't think.

Harvey Frand: One thing that's really interesting, I don't think most people are aware, that one out of every fourth viewer actually DVRs and watches Battlestar Galactica at times, so don't get quantified. So we truly believe, and this is not a spin for any journalistic reason, that the viewership is immense, but they choose to watch it on their own time because it's a serialized series. So we know for a fact one out of every four that is quantifiable, watch it out of quote unquote the ratings period. So it's really hard for people to see just how vast the audience is. And we don't know what happens to all of those who are cataloging it and then one summer evening when it's not on will go through an entire season that nobody knows when it's been recorded or when they watch. So we think the audience is far greater than anybody up here or we can understand because we see it anecdotally in terms of people we meet every single day.

Mark Stern: And one funny thing to add to the early conversation about other actors really admiring the show, we had an upfront recently where Billy Campbell was at the USA side, being in 4400. And he literally assaulted me trying to do whatever he possibly could to bribe me, to have me bribe Ron and David to create a character arc inside Battlestar Galactica. That is the only show he ever wanted to be in. It's the only show he would do for free. Billy Campbell literally saying, "Give me an arc, any kind of arc in Battlestar Galactica, please." And it was very hard to get away from. Actually, I think we're trying to figure that out. And the free part was really great. I don't know if his agent really liked that part. But we were like, okay, we can do that. I had witnesses, too. And I think also to Jamie's point, and what we're seeing is the demos are actually also very mixed as well. There are a lot more women watching this show than you would just think if you were thinking Battlestar Galactica on sci-fi. And that, I think, has been really gratifying, too.

Interviewer 8: This is in reaction to what Michael said about his reaction to when he found out he was a Cylon. How would you, Jamie and Aaron, find out, how would you feel if you find out you were the last Cylon? And how did the rest of you, what was your reaction when you found out?

Jamie Bamber: Well, when we found out that he was a Cylon and his friends were Cylons, it was shock because it seemed to be the most unlikely people. But that's always good storytelling, just a bit of a wow factor. How would I feel? I don't know until it kind of happens. I mean, it would in a sense be a violation. You know, you are suddenly not, you don't own any of the experiences that you think you do. You don't know where you've come from. All the things that actors use to create a scene and to create a character, you'd have to suddenly the rug is pulled out from under you and a vertigo, a sort of physical illness, I think, would be, I don't know, some sort of akin to the reaction. I mean, just playing the character that I've played, there's been two key moments where Lee has felt that kind of complete negation of self, and one was just because of his marital complications, and one was because he tried to commit suicide at some point in season two, and those are the moments that I would go closest to that, and he's someone that has an idea of self to such a degree. He believes in himself. He believes that he has, he believes in right and wrong, he believes in conscience, he believes in trying to do the right thing and helping those around him. So I think for a character like Lee to suddenly realise that all his actions have been perverse, in vain, negated his own rules out the window, I think it would be about as horrendous a sort of realisation as you could have. And he's also been a complete Cylon hater. Pro-genocide, doesn't lose a night's sleep over the sort of scrapping of this brand of machinery. So yeah, it would be huge, but I don't think it's going to happen, and I will continue not to think it's going to happen. So whatever, bring it on. It doesn't matter. I don't think about it.

Interviewer 9: Hi, this is a two-part question. The first part is, do you guys get any input into what your characters are, who they are, what their role is going to be, and what their arc is going to be. Do you guys get that kind of freedom? And then the second part of the question is, with the show coming to an end, what do you guys hope to do next? Do you hope to land into another TV series, or would you rather do movies? And are you scared for what the next couple of years are going to bring?

Aaron Douglas: I'd like to be the next guest host on The View.

Michael Hogan: Input. Ron and David have always been incredibly open, as far as I'm concerned, to suggestions, to ideas, and open to reactions to their ideas. And we'll listen if you have an argument. Disagree with where they are going. They will explain as much as they can why they're going that way. If you can't convince them that you're right, well, they probably go their own way anyway, if you don't have all that far. The long run arcs, I haven't had anything to do with it. That they have been open to suggestions, but I haven't come and said, "Gee, you know what I think would be neat if Tigh's wife comes back." That was a total surprise to me. So me personally, I've not had anything.

Harvey Frand: Well, you don't cry like some of the other people do.

Michael Hogan: Yeah, that's right. I don't mind. Yeah. And what to do after this is over? No, I have no thoughts, because there was life before Battlestar Galactica and there will be life after Battlestar Galactica. It seems like this has been our whole lives, it has been four years now. Sorry to see it go, but we'll just go back to normal. They're doing a remake of Cold Squad, and Michael Hogan and I are hoping to go back to it. If they'll have us.

Harvey Frand: Do they need a producer?

Jamie Bamber: I'll just chip in very quickly to that question. I think the tone was set on this show by... We didn't do a pilot. We did a miniseries. And it was shot by Michael Rymer, who's an independent filmmaker. And Ron wasn't there. And David was. But from the very word go, it was like shooting an independent film. And it was like making big... Michael works very collaboratively. He gets on the phone. If he's not sure about something, he will talk to you about it on the phone. We'll brainstorm for ideas. And even if that doesn't go anywhere, there's a sense in which we were all from a very, and it's the way Eddie and Mary work as well. Everyone felt enfranchised. And also Eddie and Mary set the most incredible tone of respecting this particular job in a way that, you know, actors of their stature and their caliber and their stage and their careers could have been taking a paycheck here. And they made it very, very apparent, very, very quickly that they viewed this as a huge opportunity, and one which I've heard them both say is some of their proudest work and that they've been most proud to be associated with. And when you hear that from people like that, that you really, really respect and look up to on day one, you can't help but aspire. And within those aspirations, there was always a tone of collaboration. And Ron and David, whether intentionally or whether they discovered this, I think they discovered it. I think they discovered that this was an interesting way to work. And it has... I'm not saying that it's a free-for-all. It really isn't. And Ron and David always have... And as Michael says, you can argue till you're blue in the face. If they want to do something, they'll do it. And they're normally right. But it feels great just to get it off your chest, get the concerns off your chest, and to know that they've been thought about. And we are never patronized. We're never taken for granted. And that's, I think, pretty unique for a television series. And I recently did some guest star roles and other network shows where you really were warm props. And it's really refreshing not to be a warm prop, but to be a valued part of the team and to know that these characters that we live and breathe every week are respected and are not just tools, you know, entertainment tools. It's been a real education, I think.