asta77

Yay for getting paid! Yay for more hours of pretty!

And you never know! They might get the hang of the longer arcs this time! ::yay optimism!::

More Bamber. More Tahmoh. More Trucco. Did I mention more Bamber? Yep, I can't complain about all that pretty. And if they could maintain the momentum of the last few eps, it could be a great season 4.

I'm seeing speculation that they upped the order because it's going to be the final season. Have you heard anything about that?

I did read somewhere the other day that Ron was suppose to sit down soonish with the Sci Fi execs to discuss the future of the show and whether season 4 would be the last. But the article also said they wanted to hear what his plans, if any, were for a potential season 5 which led me to believe they were still open to two more seasons. And when I went over to the Sci Fi forum to check on the news there a poster made an interesting point. By upping the order to 22 eps/hours/whatever it brings them to 75 hours of programing. If the did a season 5 of 20 or 22 hours and chopped the mini into four episodes then they could reach the magic number 100 that most people desire for a lucrative syndication.

So, at this point, who knows? It looks like Sci-Fi is definitely invested in a season 4 and Ron would have ample time to wrap up the series. But if ratings hold or improve maybe they would want to go on. Plus, DVD sales have been very profitable and the more eps, the more DVDs to sell.

Is syndication really that big a factor anymore? Dollar amounts for syndication deals have dropped through the floor in the past five years or so, especially compared to DVD revenue, and shows are making syndication deals with less than the "magic" 100 episodes now (Alias was syndicated after Season 4 with 88 episodes, Stargate Atlantis went into syndication after its first season, though it might have been bundled with SG-1). I have no idea what they're thinking at SciFi, obviously, but I'd think DVD revenue would be more of a concern.

Dollars for syndication may not be what they once were, thanks to DVD releases and iTunes, but it is still HUGE! Any network under NBC/Universal can run the show in off-primetime slots and the corporation can collect 100% profits from the advertising without shelling out a single cent in production costs. If other networks outside NBC/Universal also buy the show, that's additional free money that they can continue to rake in for many many years. 100 episodes would make for a more attractive syndication deal, and it's a landmark in broadcasting that they can use to help publicize the show, but ususally the magic milemark for ensuring a viable syndication package is 4 seasons. DVD sales are also a huge source of profits these days, but DVD sales tend to hit big initially then peter out over time, whereas profits from syndication remain constant for the duration of the run.

I don't know how syndication deals are exactly structured anymore. I know the FCC changed the rules allowing TV shows to be rebroadcast on sister stations days after their original airing (think 'Heroes' airing on Monday and then repeating on SciFi on Friday) but that's not syndication per se. And shows go into syndication a lot sooner than they use to. You mentioned SGA, but 'House' and 'Desperate Housewives' would be other examples.

Syndication can be very profitable for the actors depending on the deals they are able to cut. I heard that David Duchovny had a deal with FOX with 'The X-Files' that could earn him 200 million dollars. Not that the BSG actors will ever see that kind of money, but I think everyone stands to earn some decent income down the road the longer the show runs on SciFi.

Right. Didn't the cast say at the NYC MT&R panel that they don't make any money from DVD sales? That really perplexes me -- shouldn't they also be receiving a cut from that? Hmph.

I just read an article the other day that the wrtiter's guild is ready to start renegotiating contracts and a couple of things they will be pushing for is writers being paid additional for webisode work and getting a cut of DVD sales. Right now I think the only people who profit from DVD sales are the studios that put them out.

Hey, I just came across a review of the finale at the Boston Herald (I'm not linking because there is some light spoilage), but this bit about the 22 ep order and film I found interesting:

Sci Fi announced yesterday that it has picked up “Battlestar” for a full 22 episodes, to begin airing in January. In addition, an original two-hour “Battlestar” film will air in the fall, to help bridge the wait between seasons. While the entire cast is expected to appear, it is unclear at this time whether it will pick up from Sunday’s finale or tell a stand-alone tale. My bet is it will be some sort of prequel.

So is there more information out there about the cast appearing in the film?

I thought Ron said there wouldn't be a Pegasus prequel in a recent interview?

I also thought the Pegasus sets had been destroyed. Actually, I'm just reposting some hearsay someone posted on the Skiffy board. Am I on the internet or what?

I'm wary. The Pegasus is better as an eternal enigma. Eg, I could've done without the civvie-killing stuff, which is a bit twirly mustache and hard to fanwank (why did they not just jump away?). And I dread it being, y'know, OMG behold teh DARK!

I thought the Pegasus prequel was scrapped too. AICN could be reporting old information. They have been wrong before. And you're right about the Pegasus sets being taken down - they had to be to make room for the basestar sets. It doesn't really make sense for the show or the network to want to waste money rebuilding sets. Plus, why not use the cast they have? They could still do a prequel. Maybe what the characters were doing leading up to the attacks?

That's what I'm hoping, along with perhaps with them showing the backstory leading up to what happens in the S3 finale.

I just wish RDM would specifically say that the Pegasus prequel rumor is *wrong*, because I still think that's a bad, bad idea. If it's going straight to DVD, they've gotta give viewers something they'd be willing to pay money to see. Would enough of them want to shell out $19.95 for a Pegasus movie? I'm not sure that even *I* would pay for it.

David Eick did say the movie would feature the return of "a very popular character."

That's Cain, D'anna Biers or Ellen Tigh, no?

If there's a prequel then obviously Pegasus will be in the mix somewhere, though I doubt prominently.

I think the speculation about a Pegasus-centric movie came out of David Eick's reference to a popular character returning, and someone assumed he was talking about Adm Cain. But I'm presently inclined to suspect that he was referring to Starbuck.

Don't forget Billy!

Ron has confirmed that the film will deal with the Pegasus. Though people are assuming he means pre-series, from his typical vague wording, it could be after the ship joined the fleet. That way we could have Cain, Pegasus, and the existing cast involved.

At this point, it all comes down to profit. Syndication is assured with 4 seasons, and they can begin reaping those benefits simulataneous with first-run episodes at any time. So long as the first-run episodes continue to be profitable, they will continue to produce more episodes. If first-run episodes are no longer profitable, the network will cut their losses and settle for the money from syndication. So if the network is truly satisfied with the current ratings and ad revenues, as Mr. and Mrs. Moore have claimed, the network won't make any decisions about season 5 until they see the ratings for season 4.

I'd almost be willing to bet that there was some form of tug of war going on over budgets. Back when season 1 was announced, the initial order was only for 6 episodes. That order was made to secure the cast and other vital crew members under contract and get the pre-production process under way while the remainder of the budget was negotiated. I feel sure that initial 13 episode announcement for season 4 was the same situation. They're not deciding about a 5th season yet. They're just nailing down how much season 4 is going to cost.

YAY!!! The more hours of Battlestar the merrier ^^... now I only hope something like "The Woman King" won't happer ever again *hee*

We can hope, but it's been my experience that every show has at least one clunker a season. And at least Helo looked pretty!

Oooh! So true!!! And Black Market gave us Lee/Emo-Boxing, which since then is one of my bsg OTPs ^^

OMG!!! I'm so excited about the season finaly that I can't hardly contain my glee... I going to get up ridiculously early tomorrow so that I can DL the ep and squee online!!! :)