Battlestar Galactica

"Battlestar Galactica" is finding new life on the Web. A year after the cult and critics' favorite science-fiction show left the air, a multi-player online game is being developed that further explores the "Battlestar" universe, which is also continuing in Syfy's "Caprica" television show. The game, which will be introduced at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this week, is set to be released worldwide in August or September. Despite the crossover between the science-fiction and video game audiences, there has never been a major video game based on "Battlestar Galactica."

We could take it as a compliment. On Saturday, BBC America debuts the failed British sci-fi series "Outcasts" in the odd but not unappreciated hope that the non-action-filled, post-apocalyptic drama will not bore Americans as much as it did the Brits. Anything's possible, I suppose. "Ugly Betty" fans will be happy to see Eric Mabius as a creepy quasi guru, and there appears, at times, a far-off glimmer of "Battlestar Galactica," if only in that flat metallic light so popular with interior sci-fi shots.

Harvey Frand, 68, an Emmy Award-winning producer of the science-fiction series "Battlestar Galactica," died July 23 in Los Angeles after a brief hospitalization for respiratory problems. As one of the producers of "Battlestar Galactica," which ended its four-season run on the Sci Fi Channel (now called Syfy) in March, Frand shared two AFI Awards, an Emmy and a Peabody Award. He recently was nominated for a second Emmy. Among Frand's credits as a producer are "The Lazarus Man," "The Pretender" and the 1980s version of "The Twilight Zone."

Kenneth Johnson has seen this show before. A major network excitedly re-envisions an original television series and trumpets its latest reincarnation as if it were the second coming of "Friends." As the creator of the original series "Bionic Woman" and "V," Johnson knows sometimes the new vision works and sometimes it doesn't. (NBC's "Bionic Woman" didn't. "V," still on ABC and considered a bubble show for renewal next season, has so far.) With little more than a month left before the major networks announce their new fall schedules, a slew of iconic "re-envisioned" shows from previous decades are being considered for next season.

Before the dawn of "Caprica," another reason to talk about: "Battlestar Galactica." "The Plan" is the final chapter of "Galactica" in its current incarnation. The original movie, a prequel of sorts that premieres on DVD this week, tells the story of the Cylons' rebellion against the humans from the robots' perspective. A final Emmy call for Tricia Helfer as Six? So say we all! (Tuesday) Celebrate Halloween by talking about: "Roseanne." You thought I was going to say "The Simpsons: Tree House of Horror," didn't you?

For a while, things looked iffy for "Battlestar Galactica." After the Sci Fi Channel last month moved the third-season drama about a human resistance movement against an occupying race of robots from Friday nights to Sunday nights in an attempt to goose ratings, viewership remained stagnant. The network has ruled, however, that the show won't live by numbers alone: The Sci Fi Channel is expected to announce today that it has renewed the series for a fourth season.

THE critically lauded "Battlestar Galactica," Sci Fi Channel's remake of the fluffy 1978 television series, was politically minded from the outset. The 2003 miniseries began with the genocide of billions of people in a Sept. 11-like attack by the Cylons, a mysterious race of robots. The show, now in its third season, has mostly been set in space, as the survivors on the Battlestar fleet have tried to evade the Cylons.

ADMIRAL Adama arrived at the door with blood on his hands. "I'm sorry, I don't think you want me to shake," actor Edward James Olmos said, presenting his red palms. With his world-weary eyes and the stained cuffs of his military coat, he looked like some battlefield surgeon fresh from triage. Inside his dressing-room trailer, the star of the relentlessly bleak "Battlestar Galactica" washed his hands and apologized again. "And I can't tell you why I look like this."

From "MASH" to "St. Elsewhere" to "The Sopranos" to "Seinfeld," all long-running television shows become myths at some point or another, reflecting, within the confines of their own universes, the disparate nature of human experience. Yes, they're entertaining, but to keep an audience committed year after year, a show must offer enlightenment, even if it's just the recognition that the corruptible nature of power extends to the Soup Nazi.

Seldom in TV history have fans been so passionate about so little for so long. "Battlestar Galactica" just will not fade away. On Monday and Tuesday, Sci-Fi Channel reimagines the 1970s TV series with a four-hour miniseries that, if it does well, will also serve as the pilot for a new series. It's only the latest chapter in an ongoing saga.

"Battlestar Galactica" is finding new life on the Web. A year after the cult and critics' favorite science-fiction show left the air, a multi-player online game is being developed that further explores the "Battlestar" universe, which is also continuing in Syfy's "Caprica" television show. The game, which will be introduced at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this week, is set to be released worldwide in August or September. Despite the crossover between the science-fiction and video game audiences, there has never been a major video game based on "Battlestar Galactica."

Even though Army of Two: The 40th Day improves on its predecessor in nearly every way, this action war game won't make anyone put down Modern Warfare 2 any time soon. In the first outing, released in 2008, the great concept of playing as part of a tandem of mercenaries out to get rich by killing enemies was ruined by the lousy artificial intelligence your partner had. Any place you wanted to be, he would stand, ratcheting up the frustration levels. Add that to a forgettable story and mediocre controls and you wonder why the game was such a success and a sequel was even considered.

In the midst of all its programming woes, NBC has managed to achieve something close to the impossible -- a prequel series that should not only please all comers but may expand the demographic of science fiction fans everywhere. Debuting on SyFy (though it could just as easily be moved to that barren 10 p.m. slot on NBC), " Caprica" is set 58 years before the Cylon wars that propel " Battlestar Galactica" and tells how the Cylons came to be. The shows may share the same DNA -- that of creator Ronald D. Moore -- but they are different in tone and intent, offering solace to those jonesing for "Galactic" and a whole new world to contemplate for those who aren't.

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 20th Century Fox, $29.98/$34.98; Blu-ray, $39.99 At times, this third go-round for the prehistoric mammals of the "Ice Age" franchise feels like a sitcom nearing the end of its run. Some characters are settling down and starting families, others are feeling jealous and shut out . . . it's all a bit of a bummer for a kid flick. The movie improves, though, once the titular giant reptiles show up and the "Ice Age" crew discovers a lost world below the ice. The special edition DVD and Blu-ray come loaded with extras, including a commentary track, deleted scenes, interviews with the voice talent and bonus shorts featuring the slapstick character Scrat.

Before the dawn of "Caprica," another reason to talk about: "Battlestar Galactica." "The Plan" is the final chapter of "Galactica" in its current incarnation. The original movie, a prequel of sorts that premieres on DVD this week, tells the story of the Cylons' rebellion against the humans from the robots' perspective. A final Emmy call for Tricia Helfer as Six? So say we all! (Tuesday) Celebrate Halloween by talking about: "Roseanne." You thought I was going to say "The Simpsons: Tree House of Horror," didn't you?

Harvey Frand, 68, an Emmy Award-winning producer of the science-fiction series "Battlestar Galactica," died July 23 in Los Angeles after a brief hospitalization for respiratory problems. As one of the producers of "Battlestar Galactica," which ended its four-season run on the Sci Fi Channel (now called Syfy) in March, Frand shared two AFI Awards, an Emmy and a Peabody Award. He recently was nominated for a second Emmy. Among Frand's credits as a producer are "The Lazarus Man," "The Pretender" and the 1980s version of "The Twilight Zone."

In the midst of all its programming woes, NBC has managed to achieve something close to the impossible -- a prequel series that should not only please all comers but may expand the demographic of science fiction fans everywhere. Debuting on SyFy (though it could just as easily be moved to that barren 10 p.m. slot on NBC), " Caprica" is set 58 years before the Cylon wars that propel " Battlestar Galactica" and tells how the Cylons came to be. The shows may share the same DNA -- that of creator Ronald D. Moore -- but they are different in tone and intent, offering solace to those jonesing for "Galactic" and a whole new world to contemplate for those who aren't.

We could take it as a compliment. On Saturday, BBC America debuts the failed British sci-fi series "Outcasts" in the odd but not unappreciated hope that the non-action-filled, post-apocalyptic drama will not bore Americans as much as it did the Brits. Anything's possible, I suppose. "Ugly Betty" fans will be happy to see Eric Mabius as a creepy quasi guru, and there appears, at times, a far-off glimmer of "Battlestar Galactica," if only in that flat metallic light so popular with interior sci-fi shots.

At last, it's time to talk about: "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" Say what you will about the other wives from other locales, nothing beats the swagger of the Southern ladies, most of whom have nothing to swagger about. When the new season starts on Bravo, worlds have turned upside down: Sheree, and her still-yet-to-launch clothing line, has moved into a much smaller abode, Kim has split with Big Papa and decided to become a wig maker (I kid you not), Lisa's thinking about another baby . . .

Fast & Furious Universal, $29.98/$34.98; Blu-ray, $39.98 Though the 2001 chase flick "The Fast and the Furious" was a lot of fun, very little about its milieu of rule-bending cops and heroic car thieves screamed "franchise." Nevertheless, it's kind of nice to see stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster together again, racing around in exotic climes in the fourth film in the series, the curtly titled "Fast & Furious."