Galactica.com - SDCC 07: Richard Hatch on Battlestar Galactica's End

By Eric Goldman, on 30-07-2007

Favoured : 138

SDCC 07: Richard Hatch on Battlestar Galactica's End
The original Apollo gives a new reason for why the series is concluding next year.
by Eric Goldman

July 26, 2007 -
At Comic-Con today, the original Apollo and current Tom Zarek, Richard Hatch, was the main attraction at a Battlestar Galactica centered panel that also included Bear McCreary, the composer for the acclaimed Sci-Fi Channel series. Also taking part were Dr. Kevin Frazier, the science consultant for Battlestar, and novelist Brad Linaweaver, who frequently collaborates with Hatch.

This panel was very similar to the one featuring the same men last year, including re-showing some behind-the-scenes footage about McCreary and his collaborators that is interesting and entertaining to be sure, but a bit of a letdown for those of us who saw the same footage last year. As for tidbits about the upcoming Battlestar Galactica: Season 4, Hatch did reveal he had recently shot his first episode of the season and would be returning to Vancouver to film another soon. As for where we find Tom Zarek in Season 4, all Hatch would say was, "He's still vice-president, and he's still alive!" Hatch revealed that he often doesn't know he'll be shooting an episode until the week before, and that because the show has so many storylines, he's sometimes had scenes cut. He also mentioned how he's had his character appear in early drafts of an episode script, only to be cut, but on the flipside, seen rewrites that have added more scenes for him.

Hatch mentioned his many years trying to get a revival of Battlestar off the ground that would be a continuation of the original series he starred in, and said that when he wrote some rather "scathing" things about the new series when it was announced, it was because he was so passionate about the series. However, he said that the new show has proven to be something truly special, and if it hadn't been, he would certainly be complaining. As for his own experiences working on the show, he said, "I've never been on a show that was so actor friendly," praising the collaborative atmosphere on set.

An interesting statement by Hatch was that one of the main reasons for Battlestar Galactica concluding this coming season was because executive producer Ron Moore, "Couldn't get a commitment for at least two [more] seasons," from SCI-FI Channel. Hatch said that Moore cares about the fans, and with a fifth season an uncertainty, "Decided to give the fans a resolution," at the end of the fourth year. Though Hatch said that when the series ends there is, "Hopefully some openings for movies or continuations."
Bear McCreary

Composer McCreary talked a bit about the main theme for the show, saying it actually came about thanks to Edward James Olmos bringing in a recording of chanting onto the set of the miniseries. The chanting made an impression on everyone, leading to its inclusion in the opening theme.

Frazier admitted that the show has some scientific cheats on two basic levels, with the FTL drives and the full gravity on the ship, but said that without lightspeed, the ship simply would take far too long to read a destination in real time. Frazier said the show is scientifically sound in many ways though, using the example of an episode this past season where Cally and Tyrol were shot out of an airlock, as something people thought was wrong simply because other movies had portrayed it incorrectly - no, people wouldn't instantly explode or freeze in a vacuum Frazier said.

Frazier admitted that the sequence in "Exodus" where the Battlestar Pegasus exploded cheated, in that the explosion wouldn't occur in the manner seen on the show. However, Frazier said he told the producers that, "Owing to the high coolness factor, go for it."

tv.ign.com