Syfy In Talks With Ron Moore To Develop New Battlestar Spin-off

It looks like veteran Trek-writer Ron Moore may continue to emulate the Star Trek franchise as he is in talks with Syfy to expand the Battlestar Galactica franchise into a fourth series. Plus, indications are also good that Syfy will pick up the BSG prequel Caprica for a second season.

 

More BSG for Moore?

In 2004 Ron Moore successfully rebooted the 70s sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica for the Sci-Fi Channel (now Syfy) with a mini-series that went on to run as a critically-acclaimed show for 4 seasons. In a way, Moore replicated the success of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the show where the writer/producer got his start in Hollywood. Following BSG, Moore co-created Caprica, a Battlestar prequel which is currently running in its first season. Extending the Trek analogy, Caprica’s serialized character-based stories and religious themes are not unlike those of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (where Moore worked for five seasons writing 30 episodes). And despite modest ratings, Syfy remains bullish on Caprica, with Syfy’s Development VP Stern telling The Hollywood Reporter "We have a lot of hope for that show, The (DVR data) has been very promising and growing week after week. The ratings don’t reflect the potential audience."   

More interesting is that Stern also told THR that Syfy is interested in yet another Battlestar show, saying

We’re looking for other ways to spin off ‘Battlestar’ beyond ‘Caprica. That world is so rich. We’re sitting down with (executive producer) Ron Moore and his team. It would not necessarily be a traditional series.

Stern also told THR that the new BSG spinoff would "mark a return to the franchise’s space-opera roots." This may be an indication that Syfy recognizes that many of Battlestar’s core sci-fi fans haven’t taken to the more ‘grounded’ and character-based Caprica. If they want to get back to spaceships and laser fights, it seems that the first Cylon war might be a possible place to start. 


Is the BSG franchise going to get a fourth entry?

It is interesting that the sci-fi franchises of Battlestar Galactica, Stargate, Doctor Who, and Star Wars all have new TV series on the air and/or new spin-off series in development. How long can it be until CBS leverages the success of the new Star Trek movie and starts thinking seriously about a new Star Trek TV show?

 

 

 

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Don’t do the same mistake as with Star trek, too much BSG will kill BSG.

I really like “Caprica.” The soap opera vibe really helps you get sucked into the show, plus it really works well in detailing the mythology. I look forward to the twists and turns that lead to the Cylon War.

I for one want to see more of Ron’s BSG universe. I enjoyed the show for its 4 seasons and couldn’t wait to see what would happen next.

If you’re reading this Ron give us more buddy. There is so much more there you can do.

Yes, the BSG universe is proven to be rich and diverse, but what about the ‘Verse that Whedon created in Firefly and Serenity. That dramatic landscape is just a diverse and has just as many possibilities. We need another show set in that goram universe, frak it all!

When they first announced the development of Caprica, I was hoping that it would be what this potential fourth show might now become. The first Cylon war is exactly what the core to hard-core fans want. That’s not to say that Caprica isn’t a great show. I’m really enjoying it and all the great performances. But yeah — Bring on the heavy artillery, and more important, bring back the Galactica!

@1 Here Here. Let Caprica grow, and maybe transition it into a Cylon War Series,but dont put the fourth show on the air at the same time.

“We need breathing room!” – Earth Hitler 1938 (STVI)

I am liking Caprica more with each episode.

I have an idea for a new BSG-series: A Battlestar’s jump drive gets damage when the Cylons attack the first time, and they somehow jump into an uncharted region of space that will take 7 years worth of jumps to return from…

Oh, yeah… right…

Ya know, I loved BSG reboot. Couldn’t wait for each episode. I’m still a little lukewarm with Caprica.

Last weekend I had a fit of nostalgia and watched the original BSG premiere episode from 1978 (I found the DVD of the theatrical release at WalMart for $5 bucks – I couldn’t resist). And you know what, I enjoyed it completely and found myself missing the more uplifting storytelling. Corny, yeah it a way, but the dark BSG – as much as I loved it – has been done.

If SyFy does do another series, please make it feel like the original!! (And Ron Moore, i’ll forgive you for killing Kirk).

keep any new Trek off tv for at least 5 years please. I dont want to see the movie trek diluted by about 2 spin off series featured bumped headed aliens of the week.

let the movies fly the Trek flag for about 3 films – like 1979-86 when Trek was one of the big dawgs at the BO and each film was a huge event that felt like a PROPER big movie (not an extended ep) and could hold its own against whatever Spielberg or Lucas had out at the time..(and like now again at long last)

regarding another BSG show – i wonder how thatd effect Bryan Singers proposed big screen version? esp a spin off thats going to be all space battles and such still connected to the Moore show. i know Moores show was good and all but I’m quite looking foward to BSG getting the Trek treatment and done BIG with a 150m budget for 2012 or 2013..

I’m fine with making it centered on the First Cylon War, but wouldn’t that be a little close to “Caprica?”

Meaning, I’ve always assumed that the end of “Caprica” would be the beginning of the Cylon rebellion. If they start in on the Cylon War before “Caprica” is over, won’t they be painting themselves into a corner?

I’d love the first Cylon war :)

To see the screen filled with capital class ships and fighters ala Babylon 5, that would be cool.

Fourth series? Counting the original but not Galactica 1980, are we?

While Trek movies are fun… I honestly think Trek works better as a TV show.

Just sayin….

“Meaning, I’ve always assumed that the end of “Caprica” would be the beginning of the Cylon rebellion. If they start in on the Cylon War before “Caprica” is over, won’t they be painting themselves into a corner?”

Exactly what I was going to say. Its got to be hard enough to tell a compelling story that fits in with 4 years of established canon, but running Caprica and The Cylon War at the same time would make Caprica even harder to write. Though it might be nice to make them plan Caprica out to fit perfectly into TCW. A definitive endgame instead of just “Cylons rebel” might be good to work towards.

If they were to do a new show it would great for it to center on the true beginning of Moore’s rebooted Galactica and place the show on Kobal. That could be a great story. In that universe that’s were human life as far as they knew began, they clearly developed their own brand of Cylon and at some point, for whatever reason, they fled to what would become the colonies. Now that would be a great series.

“It is interesting that the sci-fi franchises of Battlestar Galactica, Stargate, Doctor Who, and Star Wars all have new TV series on the air and/or new spin-off series in development. How long can it be until CBS leverages the success of the new Star Trek movie and starts thinking seriously about a new Star Trek TV show?”

None of those other franchises have an ongoing theatrical series in place at the moment. Star Trek does. The time for a new Trek series will be when the feature film cycle is done. Hopefully the lesson will have been learned and they won’t try again to put new Trek on TV and in theaters simultaneously.

On the topic of Mooreverse Galactica, I actually find Caprica vastly more interesting to watch than nuBSG. At least I don’t end most episodes wishing for the bad guys to just finish the job already! ;) Not sure how I’d find another series in that ‘verse, though.

OTOH…

I wonder what’s happening with the alleged Larsonverse BSG project that was being discussed last year. That had me actually excited!

The first cylon war is the most obvious choice.

I could not get into BSG Reboot at all. Bring back Robot Cylons and you may get me in!

Another show I won’t watch.

The original from 1978 totally pwns the new stuff.

Sorry , but Caprica is no Battlestar. Would love another Star Trek show

“I’m still a little lukewarm with Caprica. ”

Same here. While I like it, I never have the same gusto to see it as I did BSG or any of the Trek shows.

I keep watching and hoping that it will “find it legs” like TNG did in season 3, while I hope it does not take that long to do so.

I will keep on watching though. I’m sure things will unfold in a way that shows the coming future of the 12 colonies in a way that will be too cool to miss.

#12: Yeah, I noticed that as well :/

Interesting……

As long as they don’t do what trek did in the 90’s. Create yet ANOTHER sci-fi show with another ship traveling in space (aka. Voyager).

But all the power to Ron ! I’m looking forward to continue following the BSG franchise unfold with more depth.

Last, I’m glad Caprica is getting a season 2. Its probably one of the best shows out there now.

i want keep both star trek cand bsg!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m loving Caprica but if I were Moore I’d be cautious here. They should really focus in smoothing out Caprica’s rough spots (and there are rough spots) and helping it cement itself before they even *think* about developing another BSG spinoff.

Give Caprica another season or two. Then we can talk about another BSG show.

17 – ‘Galactica 1980. I always thought of it as extension of original although technically it is dif series. That and it sucked’

hey ‘The Return of Starbuck’ was pretty good. i liked the way it was left open ended as to what happened to (the original) Starbuck. there was bound to be some resolution had the series been a success but its kinda cool there wasnt…

but yeah the rest of the show wasnt good.

Caprica is ok but seems slow paced. Needs some pick-up, at least in space you had explosions and lasers.

How about a couple of made for SyFy Trek movies each year? Easier to keep it fresh I think.

The new series…..should be….Kobol and titled as such. That would not only be fascinating, but also truly interesting. Another possibility could be the launch of “The 13th Colony”. These could really be something special. Kobol though strikes me as more interesting….the beginning of man and later machine and then the departure of the 13th colony. To me, there is a bigger story there. Did humans learn to ascend like in Stargate and hence the creation of angels and gods? Was/Is Starbuck part of this all? Is the 13th tribe the one that believes in God because he/she was the leader of that tribe and that is why cylons believe in one god? To me the mystery all stems to that cave with the arrow and the star map….who were those people? Don’t know anything….but it could be some really heavy sci fi stuff. Even the title Kobol stands on its’ own…..just saying:)

I think the trappings of capitalism make it impossible for Star Trek to not be the next thing “in development” for TV at CBS. ST09 did well enough to make it cool again, and a sexy new crew on its own adventures would draw huge numbers to the first episode.

It’s keeping them that’s important. And with the lessons learned from TNG through ENT, as well as an eye toward what is currently successful, Trek could really excel on the small screen.

I’m sure Ron Moore would disagree ;-)

#6
Are you saying Star Trek grew too big? Because it didn’t, it just grew stupid because of Berman.

#12
The Cylon War would last about 12 minutes. If you remember, the humans on Caprica were caught off guard and slaughtered.

#20
Amen. Battlestar was good up until season 4.5. The show ends at season 4 for me.

@33 (hey, arc number!)

I’m 100% positive he meant the first Cylon War, which lasted about ten years (give or take).

Even if Galactica 1980 was bad, it did have some good ideas like Cylons that looked like humans and they did the time war thing before Enterprise.

Remember that CBS expressed interest in Enterprise before it premiered. My theory that I have to this day was that Berman knew he couldn’t produce a show that would have “Big 3” network quality to it and went the easier rout with UPN. Hopefully CBS would have the right people that know how to make a successful series that would do a really cool Star Trek. TNG was really good but Voyager and DS9 and Enterprise were only okay (at best) and were not the kind of shows you’d see on one of the “big 3” that would draw a good audience.

Oooh yeah! A cylon “Sparticus” leads the cylon slave soldiers into a revolt against the humans, & each side consists of both humans & cylons.

Frack it. Tell the snobbish “Hard Sci-Fi” fans to shove it and give us a good old-fashioned Space Opera, with clearly defined heroes and obvious as hell villains. All this “it needs to be relevant to today’s society” is all fine and dandy, but there needs to be some escapist fantasy thrown in to keep us from being bored to death!

Well, shouldn’t they already be building the first major capital ships during Caprica’s time? Wouldn’t there be exploration of nearby systems underway?

We know they had well-developed colonies beyond the 12… Troy (in nuBSG), Orion, Carillon (in ole BSG)…

I’m not saying load up Buck and Wilma in the Searcher… but something similar would fit in during the Caprica time period. Just visiting the other 11 colonies would provide fodder for at least 11 episodes!!

Heck, it could be the stories of a moving company, and called “Colonial Movers”. Kidding. But a ship-based exploration would allow for Vipers, and smaller ships, and all the other things we know they should already have in development.

Caprica can continue its themes… and a bright exploration show (since we have no aliens, yes, we have no aliens) would be challenging… but doable.

MILK THAT COW!! MILK IT!!! MILK IT!!!!!!!

Here we go again.

I am willing to wager that The Powers That Be are positioning a new BSG in order to kill Bryan Singer’s movie effort. The TV show continues to bring in revenues (DVD sales) and remains a strong Syfy brand, given the current Caprica spin-off series. Another new BSG series will only solidify that further.

While it’s one company who owns BSG, it’s other divisions within the same company that own different aspects of the property. Some want to strike while the iron is hot. That means more BSG on TV.

You heard it here first.

CBS isn’t going to put another Star Trek show on the air just because Sy-Fy is considering another Battlestar Galactica show. CBS knows that a new Trek series would cost a lot more than a BSG spinoff would. Plus, the ratings that would be required would have to reach an average of at least 10 million viewers per week. Sci-fi shows don’t get those numbers anymore. And advertisers are becoming more choosy about what spots they pay for. Sci-fi is a hard sell on major networks, where reality shows, sports, sitcoms and crime shows rule the roost.

Shows like “Law & Order” and “CSI” can air multiple shows because they don’t rely on a “fan base” that Star Trek and other sci-fi shows need to survive. With “Law & Order” and “CSI” their ratings come from audiences who don’t neccessarily watch every single episode. These shows are much more accessible to a wider demographic because they don’t rely on canon. The concepts of these shows are much easier to grasp, plus they have the ability to attract big name guest stars. Advertisers can also place products in these shows as well. It can’t be done with Star Trek.

Having said that, I do think CBS is smart enough to not rule out creating a new show. I just think they will wait til the sequel comes out and then they will judge whether or not it is feasible to create a new spinoff when they look at the box office numbers.

Go for it. What’s the worst that can happen? Considering the alternative seems to be Syfy’s ‘CGI Dino-Snakeheaded Shark Theatre’ starring C. Thomas Howell and Luke Perry, at least a Moore-penned series holds potential. Can’t say I’m hooked on Caprica. I’d kinda like to see it rounded-out early. But, I certainly would check out a new space-based BSG installment.

#7,

I vaguely remember this, but I thought, snark aside, that the original pitch for Battlestar Galactica grew out of creative differences over the creation of Voyager.

When Moore was DS9, they were telling him about this gritty show of a lost ship, basically running from unending enemies trying to find a home on the other side of the galaxy with a tossed together crew.

Then we got Voyager. Moore just took the original pitch for Voyager and adapted it to Battlestar Galactica. Thats what I thought I read at some point, but maybe it was just conjecture.

42. ryanhuyton – March 16, 2010

CBS isn’t going to put another Star Trek show on the air just because Sy-Fy is considering another Battlestar Galactica show. CBS knows that a new Trek series would cost a lot more than a BSG spinoff would.

Why would it have to cost more?

I have to say, I held off on BSG for some time until this year when my son got the entire series on DVD for Christmas and then talked me and my wife into watching it. We’ll be finished with season 4.5 in a couple of days. This is one phenomenal show – the writing, acting, directing, look, feel, etc. are all top notch! It has scratched my sci-fi itch, which has gone unsatisfied since ENT went off the air. BSG broke new ground for me in that it didn’t play it safe with its main characters or the story. I’m thoroughly impressed and rate it among my top three favorite sci-fi series along with TNG and DS9. And, it’s up there in my top 5 shows along with Dexter and Six Feet Under.

BTW, I’ve never watched an entire series on DVD without having seen it on TV first. What a cool way to see a series!

#38–AMEN, Chunga Wunga!

#38 and #43 (CmdrR)–I am in complete agreement with your comments about the proposed Battlestar spinoff TV series.

#46

The higher costs would come from more complex make-up, more use of CGI, more elaborate sets, etc. Not to suggest that “Caprica” is cheap to produce (I’m sure it isn’t), but clearly a new Star Trek show would rely on make-up, CGI and special effects, and more elaborate sets, costumes and props. TOS and TNG were both highly expensive to produce during their years on the air. And so were the other shows.

oops, that was meant for #45

I second the idea of #15 – going even further back to Kobol would create opportunities to show how all of this has happened before for the first time! With conflict and exodus there are plenty of possibilities for good old fashioned space opera peppered with social commentary à la RDM. Caprica should transition into/end with the first Cylon War, but that would take many years and too many seasons unless it is crowbarred in like the ENT finale (which should have gotten three more years). Maybe there will be two more series in RDM’s BSG universe?

And I like Caprica, even as more and more storylines get spun out. I have a feeling that the payoff will be worth paying attention to the show.

FOR FRAK’S SAKE LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DON’T DESTROY BSG’S LEGACY!!!!!!!!!!

BSG was so great because every episode didn’t bloat the franchise or make for some fluffy bs story, it had a clear arc and what made each episode so great was you knew you were getting closer to the climax of the story, not endless v-world meandering and random tagental sibling lamenting emotional back stories. there was no robin hood or any other back lot extra studio set driven star trek tos and tng bs stories

beginning with The Plan and continuing with Caprica it’s become clear BSG should be left alone…..its done….not in terms of story, but in what it can be and was…..its my favorite sci fi show ever, and thats saying alot de-throaning ST TNG…..i gave up sci fi for 16 yrs cause of all the BS stargates, treks and other horrible cable shows and it took a leap of faith to try out BSG…..i dont want the themes, characters, and mythos beaten to the ground, so watered down, exploited and turned into a series of indy 5s or star wars prequels -esque incarnations where i’m sickened of the thought of being a fan of it….did we learn nothing from all the post st tng incarnations….when a franchise goes to the well too many times it looses its way, becomes pathetic and formulaic….i told myself i’d give caprica 1 season outta respect to BSG and RDM and DE but its a real chore every wk….i end up throwing it up on hulu as i fall asleep and just listen to the audio for any BSG nuggets they might throw at us.

BSG needs to be remembered for just those 4 season and go out on a high note…..the plan and caprica and a potential 3rd series threatens its legacy….

the only story i’d like to see is the final 5’s journey from earth, creation of the 8 skinjobs, betrayal by cavil and their placement in the 12 colonies….i felt that back story deserved more than 5 mins by anders and was what i thought the plan might be half about, instead of that deleted scenes quasi movie…..

i know RDM sometimes cruises these sites……so RDM if you’re reading…you created the sopranos of sci-fi….i was a viewer you were talking about, someone who since my tweens didnt like sci-fi but loved what this show was….don’t turn a great thing into something like all the rocky sequels…..something we loved that we become ashamed of by its association to its bastard children