“Battlestar” is back
Good news for BattlestarGalacticafans: the SciFi
Channel’s critically acclaimed space opera has been unofficially picked up for
a fourth season. Even better news: when the show returns from its mid-season
hiatus on Sunday, January 21, it’ll also jump from its
where-good-shows-go-to-die timeslot of Fridays at 9 p.m. to Sundays at 10 p.m.
Poor scheduling has been blamed for the show’s decreasing ratings, and who
knows, maybe you’ve slacked off on watching, too. But don’t worry, we’ve got
you covered. Here’s everything you need to know to be ready for the Season 3.5
premiere.
The fleet is still on the hunt for the legendary lost colony
of Earth, despite a brief layover on Cylon-occupied
New Caprica. Suffering from food shortages, they
brave a dangerous star cluster to get to the “Algae Planet,” an arid wasteland
brimming with edible plant goo. Admiral Adama sends a squad down to collect the algae, but while
scrounging for the single-celled foodstuffs, team member Chief Tyrol stumbles
upon an ancient temple containing the Eye of Jupiter, a relic pointing the way
to Earth.
On cue, the Cylons show up and
demand access to the Eye as well. They’re after Earth now, too; earlier in the
season, the Cylons strangely and without warning
decided to colonize the forgotten planet, like some bratty younger sibling who
wipes out your entire species and tries to steal your shoes. Rather than let Cylons get the relic, though, Adama
threatens to nuke the entire planet, temple and all.
Complicating matters is the fact that Adama’s
son, Lee, and fan-favorite Starbuck are down on the ground, trying to find the
Eye before the Cylons do (in between cheating on
their respective spouses with each other, of course). But Centurions shoot down
Starbuck’s plane, and Lee must choose between carrying out his orders and
rescuing a possibly already-dead Starbuck.
And what will happen to slimy Gaius Baltar,
the cowardly ex-president who’s been literally sleeping with the Cylons for the entire season? Convinced he’s one of the
Final Five unknown models, Baltar has hightailed it to the Algae Planet with D’anna,
an increasingly batty Three Cylon obsessed with
resurrection. Will they find the Eye first?
You can find out when BattlestarGalactica returns at its new day and
time on Sunday, January 21, 10 p.m. So say we all.
This article appears in Jan 17-23, 2007.
