Q&A with Ron D. Moore Rating Options

[RonDMoore]

Ron,

Next season, will we learn more about Gaeta? I'm particularly interested in why he transitions from extreme loyalty to Baltar, to abject hatred. Did Baltar do worse things on New Caprica that only Gaeta knows about? Did something happen to Gaeta after the occupation? Did Gaeta and Baltar have a romantic relationship (whether actual or in Gaeta's head)?

Also: what happened to Jake???

Thanks for your time.

Big things ahead for Gaeta this season.

Jake is coming back.

[Deck_Officer]

Will Doc Cottle have some good scenes this year?

[RonDMoore]

Hi Ron,

It's been a great ride, you brought me back to television and cable, but where am I to go from here? "lol* I am glad that you get to end the series the way that you want, but what, if anything do you feel that you will have to compromise to get there in one season instead of another two or more? Are there any plot developments that you had in mind that will have to be abridged or cut out altogether to get to the conclusion in 22 episodes?

Thanks.

BTW, I echo what bsggurl18 (love ya Cort) had to say about MrsRon. We love you, but she... well, you know!

Like I said a couple posts above, I think that this is the right amount of time to tell our story. However, I think there are endless tales that could've been told in and around the fleet, exploring what was going on aboard all those other ships. I'd like to think those stories still exist somehow, but that we've just chosen not to tell them.

[RonDMoore]

Hi Ron,

Will Roslin have an expanded role in the last season? Mary McDonnell is such an amazing asset to the show, I'd love to see her doing so much more than the reduced role she seemed to have in season 3.

Thanks!
MoB

Mary definitely has more to do this year and her story is one of the main throughlines for the entire season.

[RonDMoore]

MrTerry,

Athena -- having once been working with the Cylons, and having linked into their "water fountain" computer system a few times afterwards -- surely knows all about Caprica Six's mission, how Baltar was involved in the genocide of the 12 colonies, etc.

Question: why did the prosecution in Baltar's trial never try to put Athena on the stand to testify against Baltar (and also charge him with collaboration in genocide)?

The only possible explanation that occurs to me is that perhaps Cylon testimony would be inadmissible in a Colonial court. There are two problems with this explanation. First, the "legal system" used in Baltar's trial seemed to be kind of thrown together and rule-bending as it is (what problem would they have with bending the no-Cylon-testimony rule if they thought that Athena's testimony would get the result that they wanted?).

Second, even if Athena couldn't testify in court against Baltar, "Occuprice" clearly established that she and Adama had become close friends. You'd think that Athena would have told Adama about Baltar's involvement in the attacks on the colonies at some point. Admissible in court or not, Adama's certain-knowledge of Baltar's attacks on the colonies makes it seem likely that he would not have voted for acquittal. I can buy that Lee's testimony swayed Adama in favor of acquitting Baltar of crimes committed on New Caprica, but not that it would sway Adama to vote for an acquittal when he privately knew on the word of a trusted friend (Athena) that Baltar was involved in the original attacks on the colonies.

More generally, why hasn't the fleet used Athena for intel -- general facts about the Cylons and the way they work, even if not their current plans, which Athena isn't privy to, since she hasn't "linked in" in awhile -- more than they have?

Can you kill off every character except the Athena/Boomer/Eights, and make the entire fourth season feature Grace Park exclusively? Preferably without clothes? Thanks.

Finally, I just wanted to say kudos to you and Eick for deciding to quit on Battlestar while you were ahead. I look forward to season 4 and will miss the show deeply when it's gone, but I'd rather you guys quit at the top of your game, rather than beat a dead horse. I admire your creative integrity in ending it when the story needs that, rather than dragging it out to make more money. Even though "All Good Things . . . " was one of the top three episodes of the TNG series, I thought that overall, the seventh season of the show was not up to par with earlier seasons. I'm glad to see that BSG will be going out in a blaze of glory, and not stumbling on like a risen zombie, as TNG did for awhile.

I was unable to let go of Star Trek, and that made me do crazy things like see every episode of Voyager and Enterprise, and even try to come up with rationalizations for why Nemesis could have been a great movie . . . but time proved that something new came along. That was Battlestar. As hard as it is to admit, something new will come along to replace Battlestar too.

Thanks for a great four seasons,

Joel

Our assumption was that Athena does not know the details or even the broad outlines of the role of Baltar in the attack on the Colonies. I think that when Athena has been able to access Cylon information through the data-fonts, that it was limited to the knowledge allowed to any members of her own model, not necessarily the knowledge available to say, the Sixes.

The question of whether they would allow a Cylon to testify in the trial actually consumed a fair amount of time in the writers' room, in that we used to have an entire subplot in the finale that revolved around the prosecution wanting to put Caprica Six on the stand and have her testify as to Baltar's involvement, but we abandoned the story fairly late in the game.

[RonDMoore]

ron: after BSG ends, will you mark the significance of the event by returning to a shorter haircut?

In a word, no.

[Gengis]

Mary definitely has more to do this year and her story is one of the main throughlines for the entire season.

Will we see any new survivors from the attack this season or is that not in the cards?

[tAsarlai]

Dear Ron,

If I send to you a SASE and Twenty ($20 usa) dollars to cover the expense and handling ...

Is it possible I could get a Autographed Copy of one of your scripts signed by yourself and David and as many of the main cast members as wll sign for me to frame and hang on my wall over my complete collection of Battlestar Galactica Comics.

yours truly,

a very fanaticle fan

Dear Ron,

okay okay okay

Make it Twenty-Five ($25 usa) dollars and I'll also toss in a set of ten different post-cards from middle america that you can send to your friends when you want to pretend you are visiting relatives whilst you secretly are on location filming your next project.
.

Okay okay ....

Let's make it $30.00 (USA Monies), All of the above (the postcards etc.) included and ten (10) randomly picked DVD's from my massive collection of "Dollar Bin" DVD's (there are dozens of really cool oldies in there --39 Steps, Animal Farm, Flash Gordon, Dragnet, Lon Chaney, Price, etc., etc.) collected over the last few years at various Dollar Stores and WalMarts here in my local area.



If you can make it a copy of your shooting script for "Flesh And Bone" from season one (by far my favourite episode still to this day) , I'll toss in an extra Five (5) Dollars($5usa), Five (5) Postcards, Five (5) DVD's and a pack of Five (5) Tijuana Smalls for your enjoyment during the making of your podcasts ----- total of that offer $35, 15 postcards, 15 DVD's, and a pack of mexican cubanos ...



Okay.? Counter-offers are accepted.




new offer coming by midnight tonite

.

[Akeakamaii]

Hey MrTerry,

If you get to Qs at the end of the thread, can you give one of your quick "where we are in shooting the season" statuses?

A bonus would also be how the WGA strike will effect the cast and crew.

Best of luck to you all through this difficult time, and thanks for showing up tonight.

[Gengis]

Is there any plan to "clean up" or repair the exterior of the Galactica? Can we find a friendly port somewhere and get it looking ship-shape again?

[RonDMoore]

Is there any reason why we seem to get more exposition on what Adama, Starbuck, Baltar and even Lee go through and the reasons for the decisions they make yet we get very little too nothing about why Laura (one of the most controversial characters on the show) chooses the actions she chooses?

One example would be why she decided to take Hera away from her parents and another would be her anger towards Baltar.

I think it would be interesting to see her reasons behind these events explored a little more as for those of us who don't analyse the character to death she can often come off as a little cold.

Laura, to me, is simply more guarded with her internal thoughts and reasoning than many of the others you named. Adama feels the need to open his veins every once in a while, but Laura puts a premium on maintaining a certain composure even when terrified. I think it's also a good idea to play the president as a little unknowable.

[tAsarlai]

Oh .... if the above is too much to take in for the moment ...

Did you "Save Jake". ???


oh, shoot ... nevermind ... i just saw the good news .... and thanx for that ... a year late ... but thanx


never mind


i am slinking away now ...


just gonna go over there and lurk


BOO



lol


.

[NoisePutty]

MrRon,

where did Romo Lampkin's glasses come from, and where might i be able to obatin a pair for myself?

TY.

[Gunbunny]

Mr. Moore,
Who is the most wonderful, brillant, and beautiful person you have ever known?

If he doesn't say me then the "FIX"is obviously in.

[ddt73]

I'm trying to recreate the discussion in my mind and believe we took this into account and reasoned that Gaeta could have served with Adama aboard the Valkyrie and then transferred to Galactica with his commander as did Tigh. I'm not sure we caught the Adama/Kara reference in "Home Again" but I do recall us discussing when Kara was on Galactica, and we felt that she had been aboard prior to Adama taking over as CO, probably shortly after Zak died.

I personally have always felt that Adama had a unique relationship with Galactica, having served aboard her in the First Cylon War and that he probably knew who commanded the ship and when and kept tabs on the comings and goings of her crew. I also wondered if he had been posted to Galactica as a Major or Colonel once he'd returned to the fleet and served a couple of years under an especially difficult commander before moving on to his next posting. Reflective of that attitude is the fact that there's a recurrence throughout the show of Adama seeming especially attached to this one ship, indeed it's difficult to imagine him living anywhere else. So to me, he's been aboard for most of his career, at least in spirit.

Ty for taking the time to answer my question.

I especially like the last paragraph. I get that and it really rings true to me.

[RonDMoore]

MrTerry-

I was wondering if there was ever any discussion in the writers' room about how the interactions between Kara and Leoben play into and/or deviate from the idea of rape fantasy (by which I mean the old trope that you see in so many romance novels where a woman resists having sex with a man until she is forced into it and then she immediately gets into the sex and falls for the guy). What do you think about this in terms of Kara/Leoben? And will we ever get to learn more about the reasons Leoben held Starbuck captive on NC? I think it was one of the most fascinating plot lines on the show and I would love to learn more!

Also, why do you think it is that it is so important to Roslin's character that she was 43rd in line for the presidency but it doesn't seem to matter at all to Adama's character how far down the chain of command he was? Do you think this has to do with the way the show was written or does it have more to do with how the actors interpreted their characters (pretty much every interview with Mary McDonnell mentions the 43rd in line thing which makes me think she is talking about it a lot). Or do you think it is some other reason?

Thanks so much!!

We talked more in terms of the psychology of imprisonment and the mental games he would be running on her. Initially, we thought of it as an interesting reversal of the dynamic from "Flesh and Bone" with her now the one being held prisoner, but as we got deeper into the story, we started seeing deeper possibilities in the connections to the central mythos of the show.

The difference between Laura and Adama was that Adama was commander of the Galactica before the attack and he was the commander after. His essential function and responsibilities were the same (albeit with far greater stakes) and as an experienced warrior and long-time military officer, there would be no question of his competence or his necessity to lead. Laura, however, went from a cabinet position to running the government, had never held the office before and was mastering an entirely new set of responsibilities. Added to that was the fact that the need for a civilian government just after the attack was an open question in the minds of many people and so Laura's relatively junior status before the attack has weighed against her ever since.

[RonDMoore]

It strikes me that Helo and Lee Adama are very similar to each other in that each hold strongly to their inner convictions--each may be counted on to do what they feel is "right" regardless of the personnal consequences (hold a gun to Tigh's head, marry a Cylon, etc.). However, Admiral Adama seems to respect this in Helo while finding it disloyal in Lee--is this strictly because of familial conflict, or is there some subtle difference in how they carry out their convictions?
Also, I just wanted to add how impressive Michael Hogan has been this last season--nailing two of the best scenes in the entire run (the death of Ellen and "My name is Saul Tigh" is the season finale).

There is a difference because of the familial connection, but I think it's also worth pointing out that Adama understood and sympathized more with the decisions Helo made than he did those of Lee. Even Helo's sabotage of the plan to eradicate the Cylons with a bioweapon was something that Adama was grateful for on some level, even if he didn't actually condone it.

[Sabragirl]

Mr. Terry,

I apologize if it has been asked before...

1) Did you always think about having Tyrol, Tory, Anders and Tigh as four of the Final Five? I've always suspected the Chief was a safe bet, but Tigh? I'm not complaining because MHogan is fablous, but I was curious. It's Saul Tigh, from all people! How was the process to elect the four?

2) Are we going to see more Tyrol and Helo this year?

3) If you had the chance, would you work again with the actors in the cast?

TIA and all power to the strike.

[bsgviewer]

Wow, RDM is answering questions?

*strains to find a brilliant question...*

What's that airspeed velocity of a unladed swallow?

*thinks more...*

Are you attending the BSG con in Burbank?

*thinks more...*

Who did the casting for the Razor flashbacks? The actor playing young Adama is excellent.

[RonDMoore]

Hi Ron

Looking back on season 3, what was your favourite episode and why?

And i'd also like to know something that's been bothering me since LDYB - why were Tigh and Starbuck suddenly so friendly with each other on New Caprica (she gives him a big hug when he and Ellen first arrive)? Did something happen in that missing year before the Cylons showed up that forged a bond between them? I was a bit disappointed that this was never explained in Season 3...

And will you be doing any more podcasts with the actors for Season 4? If so I hope we get to hear from some of the women on the show.... The last roundtable one was great, but what about the ladies???

We had a couple of scenes that were shot, but cut for time in "Unfinished Business":

EXT. NEW CAPRICA - CITY HALL SITE - DAWN
The debris from the night’s celebration is scattered all over the construction site. One or two people are still sleeping it off here and there. Kara is the only one up and around... she finds the sleeping form of Anders right where she left him last night.

TIGH (O.S.)
Your boyfriend snores.

She turns to see Tigh sitting on the ground, his back propped against the dance floor, Ellen’s sleeping head cradled in his lap. He’s got a bottle sitting next to him and he seems perfectly happy.

TIGH (cont’d)
You look like hell. Tell you a little secret to avoiding hangovers -- don’t stop drinking.

He chuckles, lifts the bottle -- Kara grabs it out of his hand, takes a swig. Tigh lifts an eyebrow.

TIGH (cont’d)
I think that’s the first drink you’ve ever had with me, Captain Kara Thrace. Must be a special occasion.

KARA
I slept with Lee last night.

Tigh stares at her for a minute, then laughs out loud.

KARA (cont’d)
Frak you.

He laughs harder.

KARA (cont’d)
Stop it... it’s not funny...

Then she grins a little, begins to laugh herself.

KARA (cont’d)
I am such an idiot...

TIGH
You said it, I didn’t. Pull up a stool and tell Uncle Saul all about it.

And despite herself, Kara finds herself sitting next to Tigh and sharing a bottle.

EXT. NEW CAPRICA - CITY HALL SITE - DAY - LATER

Tigh and Kara sitting side by side, Ellen still asleep.

KARA
I gotta make a move here. Jump one way or the other.

TIGH
It’s combat. Survival instinct has to kick in. Make your choice, don’t look back.

KARA
Survival... survival instinct... yeah...


I'll definitely be doing more podcasts for the fourth season. The one for "Razor" will be a recording of the original session where the writers pitched me the story break for the first time and we wrangled the show into shape. Michael Taylor and I also recorded a commentary track that will be included with the DVD.