"Battlestar" to stick to the small screen

By Paul J. Gough

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - A "Battlestar Galactica" prequel series may be in the works, but the show won't be taking the big-screen route like other sci-fi franchises that have gone before.

"I think the series works best as an ensemble TV drama," said Ronald D. Moore, an executive producer of the Sci Fi Channel hit, which will end this year after four critically acclaimed seasons. "If it translated into a feature it would be a different animal."

At its "upfront" presentation to advertisers Tuesday in New York, the Sci Fi Channel said that it has green-lighted a two-hour pilot for "Caprica," which is set 50 years before the events in the departing "Battlestar." It hails from the "Battlestar" masterminds Moore and David Eick.

But there are no plans for a movie adaptation of the series. Moore, who was involved in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," said he found that the big-screen features based on the franchise focused on one or two characters, with the rest of the show's characters mostly fading into the background. He said the "Next Generation" movies ended up focusing on Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Commander Data. The other characters, Moore said, had one scene each, "and the rest of the time they were essentially support to Patrick (Stewart) and Brent (Spiner)."

Moore and executive producer Eick and the "Battlestar" cast were mum on the top-secret plot for the upcoming season. But Moore said that the remaining 20 episodes of "Battlestar" tie up most of the loose ends -- with some left ambiguous by design -- and that a movie wouldn't be required to further the storyline.

"Battlestar Galactica" was affected by the writers' strike, shutting down production after the 11th episode. The writers had a working plan for the storyline, but Moore came up with some ideas while walking the picket line. When the writers returned to work, he guided them in another direction for the remaining episodes.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter