James Callis at FedCon 2009: The Panel, Part 1

Screenshots by me, from the DVD.

First of all, huge thanks to Artemis_Neith for a) suggesting that she get me the FedCon DVD, b) getting me the FedCon DVD as soon as it came out. Also huge thanks to those responsible for putting together this release. I have to advertise it a little before I go any further.

If you want to see this on a DVD, do order it. It's great. It has the panels of James, Richard Hatch, Edward James Olmos, Michael Hogan, and Mark Sheppard. James had to leave early because of Rubins, so he was not able to give more than one panel. But it's a great panel, a full hour, and lots of good questions/answers.

I watched this together with Elina, which was quite amusing. She made some remarks, which I think I'll actually sprinkle around this transcript to add another voice into it. I wasn't able to answer some of her difficult questions - "What does FedCon stand for?" was one. But she made my day noticing that, even though James is quite thin here, there's still a small round belly on him. (I won't go on about that, but it's adorable, it is.) She made my day even more by suggesting that he may have worn the tight teen-style shirt just so I could see the belly. Hee! Granted, it's far more likely that, like Elina also suggested, "he's having some sort of age crisis." But a girl can dream, right?

We all know James has a pretty severe dash problem with his writing. But there's also a verbal addiction he has: levels. I took the liberty of counting how many times he talks about various "levels" throughout this panel and the results are below. It's not pretty, my friends.

On some level: 17 (!!!)

On a basic level: 2

On a very basic level: 1

On another level: 1

As usual, lots of cute gestures and moving around amusingly. I wasn't sure what to make of this:

Itchy or flirty?

OK, let's get to the panel. He comes in, and I give the presenter props for referring to James as "some of the nicest people" and minus for saying Baltar is one of the nastiest characters.

Well, here I am. I was just saying yesterday when I came out on stage.. I didn't even see the balcony. I was just like this (peers with his hand) Christ, there's so many people. Then I looked up and thought oh my god, there's more people. (peers) There's certainly a lot of you here. Well, this is my first time in Bonn. I've been to Germany several times before, but not for a convention. I'm obviously not so jetlagged, I think it's an hour difference from London. And I actually start work on a film [Re-Uniting the Rubins] tomorrow morning at seven o'clock in London, so I'm afraid that after this.. session I've gotta dash. Get to work. Let's get my jacket off, excuse me. [He takes his jacket off, the audience woos] Who knew?

Hee, he said "dash"! :D Our dashing man with the dashes. Actually, I just realized I never use enough dashes in my transcripts. Surely in his head "let's get my jacket off, excuse me" is "let's get - my jacket off - excuse - me". But in the name of legibility, let's just write like ordinary people. We can't all have the James brain.

So, I think it's best if you guys wanna ask me some questions. And I'll try my best to answer them. Or just lie very effectively. Okay? I believe you guys know the score and you came down and you're hit by a spotlight.. hopefully it's only a spotlight.

I don't wanna bash anyone from BSG, but... OK, I'll admit it: I do want to bash Richard Hatch a little bit, because he's also on this DVD and he started his panel with a five-minute monologue. You know, people have come to ask you questions, so let them ask questions. I think James has the right idea here: just open the floor to the fans after establishing a conversational tone.

The first question begins with a wish that he doesn't take up half the panel to answer, because Edward James Olmos took half the panel answering this guy's question. (Oh dear, Eddie. I know he took half another panel answering some fan's question and others yelled at her for it. It can't be the same person because this fan is male. I don't want to bash Eddie, actually, because he seemed really cool and thoughtful in his panel. But still.)

Fair enough, but I think the shorter the question is, the better. And starting by "please don't be too wordy" may not be the best way. It's not directly offensive or anything though, and James doesn't seem bugged.

So the question: Does he have any idea what happened to the cult after the finale?

James: It's a very good question..

Fan: And my second question...

James: Oh that was only the first part? My god!

Fan: The other question is very short.

James: Oh, OK.

Hee! :D "My god!" could be a bit offensive if said in the wrong tone, but James just sounds amused and like he's gently ribbing the guy. (L)!

The second question is... something about Bridget Jones and all the flight attendants recognizing him from it.

OK, very quickly then. I have no idea what happened to the cult afterwards. There's some email that goes around: people are in your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. It would seem that the cult was in Gaius' life for a season and a reason, but not a lifetime. And I dunno where they went, they obviously felt the love between themselves. Maybe NBC Universal will make a spinoff series "Baltar's Lovecult". [laughter]

Fan: I'd love to see you there.

James: Me too, me too.

Fan [something about Paulla]

James: Indeed. And Jeanne. And all my holy ladies. So that was that. There was nothing in the script about their demise, they left, that was gone...

Why do all flight attendants recognize me from Bridget Jones' Diary? I'm sure there'll be some who are, obviously, like "Hey, I have no idea who that guy is, I dunno what they're talking about." My experience is that.. it would seme that ... being a flight attendant, perhaps you have to learn first aid and you must have watched BJD. That's the comparison.. That's certainly my feeling. How was it filming that film? First one was a lot of fun, a lot of people, including me, had a very difficult time keeping a straight face. Because I personally found Renee Zellweger terribly funny. And... yeah, cracked me up. I worked with Sally Phillips and Shirley Henderson. We were like a little threesome and we had a lot of fun.

We've heard him quote Shakespeare and many other well-known classics, but I'm glad to see he's not a big snob, since he can even quote a chain email. And it seems like he hasn't really thought of the cult at all after the finale. I'd love to see Baltar's Lovecult though, of course. I like that there was some closure to Gaius-the-prophet, but I didn't really care about any of the cult members, because they weren't really developed as characters. As always, I wish the cult had been expanded on more. And that the membership had been open for fans. Well, James did invite me to join his cult, so I'm happy. I'd rather belong to his cult than Gaius'.

I wonder what Renee Zellweger thought of James. I've never seen her refer to him, maybe I should use my superior googling skills to find something. He's always spoken highly of her, so she must have made quite an impression.

Also note that he can't even joke about all the flight attendants knowing him without adding that some probably, in fact, do not know him. Our humble guy.

Next question. The other characters have inspired various military people, but does Baltar inspire anyone? What kind of people might he inspire? James looks very amused at the idea. Or, what does he want the viewers to take with them?

It's another good question. The kind of people Baltar is inspiring. Maybe we don't really want to know who they are [laughter] or what he's exactly inspiring them to do. I don't know, uh.. start up their own religions or..? There's certainly several people on this planet who've done that already.

What does he give to an audience? On a basic level, I don't know. But I know what, as it were, I was trying to do. And on some level I was like, this guy is a real.. he's so morally bankrupt, he's made so many mistakes, he's actually in so much spiritual...distress. Sad, and lonely and guilty and ashamed. And... on a basic level when this goes out in America, what is he? He's a [American accent] scum-sucking sleazeball, essentially. The idea I had was.. if this.. scum-sucking sleazeball can occasionally do the right thing, then so can you. Everybody. Nobody ? too bad. That's my answer.

[Applause]

What is a scum-sucking sleazeball? Do I even want to know? I actually happened upon a conversation about the phrase sleazebag and apparently it has to do with feminine hygiene. I never knew that. The conversation was about whether that was a sexist thing to say, and there were people for and against the idea, as always. It was very confusing to a Finn. I've used to using "sleazebag" as just a synonym for "asshole" or something. Maybe asshole is actually safer, since we all have one. No sexism there.

It's funny because in some way, I do identify with Baltar, although I don't think we have a lot in common. Well, we're both short, and we wear glasses, but I'd almost say it ends there. He doesn't inspire me.

Although I may have said it before, James frequently does inspires me to be a better person. I keep asking myself "What would James Callis do?" (And, since I don't know him all that well, I can always fall back on "He'd eat some junk food" and indulge.)

Some of the other cast members had been to a previous FedCon and asked who on the show they'd like to play. They'd all said Baltar. Who else would James like to play?

Well, I joked in a former podcast that I'd like to play Six... So that I could then play WITH myself, that'd be fantastic. [laughter] The only thing better than being me would be acting... That's a joke. Um.. yeah, I really.. the part was amazing. It really was the most incredible part. Cos he was, on some level, so many different things to so many people, and also to himself. And this allowed me and the writers and the directors.. I think uh.. an extraordinary liberty. He was never just one kind of guy or one kind of Gaius. There's lots of different.. personalities vying for superiority within his own mind. Like on a very basic level he could be funny, and he could be sad, or he could be perverse or he could be honest. He could be totally like.. he goes over his head or doesn't care. And then he can be very compassionate. He could run thru the litmus of emotions and that was a real gift to be able to do.

It's very true about Gaius, and it's a beautiful thing to say and in case you missed it, he did not answer the question at all. I work at a phone survey job and this reminded me of that. You'll ask someone a question and they answer with something only slightly related that gives you nothing to work with. Like "how often do you visit this particular supermarket?" and the answer is, "You know, I just went there today, and then I realized on the way home I forgot to buy soap, so I had to go right back! Isn't that funny." It isn't really, and it has nothing to do with what I asked, but thanks for telling me.

Now I digressed worse than James, but my point is that he's never answered this question seriously. That might mean he can't imagine playing anyone else on the show, because he identifies so much with Baltar. Or that he doesn't think as much of the other characters on the show (at least the male characters whom he could conceivably play). Also, he still always seems amused at the guy-Gaius pun.

Also observe his facial expressions when he describes Gaius' many emotions:

Sad.

Perverse.

Honest.

Doesn't care.

Compassionate.

It's like he goes through those emotions while answering the question. Beautiful.

The next fan is kind of apologetic about their question, but it's amusing, so here's a partial transcript of that.

Fan: I have a question but I have to be very diplomatic, because if I word it wrong, the crowd here might just lynch me. Um, Tricia Helfer is a beautiful, tall woman.

James: ...Yes.

Fan: And you're not.

James: [amused] No. [laughter] And I see you're all wearing glasses. Congratulations.

[So the question is if they meant to cast such height-wise unmatched actors or just went with what they had.]

James: Do you know, it's a good question.

Fan: [anxiously] Please don't hate me!

James: [shakes his head as if to reassure her: no, I don't hate you]

We were cast together, in fact. They weren't looking for A Baltar or A Six, they were looking for Baltar AND Six. I think that we uh.. and they saw something that I suppose we didn't see at the time. We complement each other, there's a natural chemistry. Also on this level, she's supposed to be a killer robot. So the joke in the relationship was that this very feminine creature had some very masculine attributes. And myself, as supposedly the male in the scenario had some very feminine attributes. There was always twisting on this dime?.

Normally it's the big burly guy who saves the damsel in distress. This was always the other way around. It was the strong cylon saving a waiflike Gaius. And obviously, Tricia's not that tall, we had to stand her on a table so she'd look so much taller than me. [makes a hilarious self-effacing face] Thanks very much.

[applause]

He doesn't look at all offended by the question. I'm not offended by it, as a fan, although I must say it sounds more offensive with the apologizing, as if his shortness is a terrible flaw that must be approached carefully. Most of the fans find it endearing. It's amusing, because the fan is so anxious about her question and seems to worry that James will be mad or something. James looks very kind listening to her. (L)!

I kinda admire that James was willing to play such an unmasculine role. I won't pretend to understand the male ego and how it all works, but it seems like playing a role where you have to be weak in front of women is a problem to some guys. James is probably pretty comfortable with his feminine side if he can play such a part. I also love that he calls Gaius "waiflike". I had to check if I had the right idea of waif - I was thinking "child" or possibly "fairy". It seems to be an orphaned or abandoned child. Awww, pirpana! (<-old Finnish word for small child)

It's invisible to the camera, but I know this because the con reports had it: someone from the other side of the room has a question, and they have to rush the microphone there. James: "Run. Forrest." Hee! I hated Forrest Gump, which I always feel the need to mention. But it's a really cute reference. A pretty old reference, really - he has this fast wit that works in situations like that.

He gave Lucy "the full monty" - hee! - and does he do this often or..?

Oh dear. At home, more times than you'd care to know.

On set, we were actually we were joking, because we'd been talking about watching King Kong and how incredible the actors' performances are, given that obviously they weren't acting with a real King Kong. And Lucy was joking about essentially it's most o fthe time when you're doing a green screen or graphics, there is like a microphone stand with a tennis ball on the top of it with a cross of it for your eyeline. I thought that they'd do that, that's what we're gonna do.

But when I came out naked in that scene, Lucy almost fell over. I said you can either look at me, or you can look at a microphone with a tennis ball on the end. Which would be better? One of the curious moments that Lucy was speechless. The joke about that is that.. yeah, it's a very liberating thing getting naked in front of a lot of people who aren't. And all I remember is the sound guy who was so terrified that he might see me and then ruin the rest of his life [laughter], he actually walked head first to a wall cos he was holding the boom, kind of [stands up and shows] whack! Into a wall. That was kind of amusing."

I remember people being really confused about this microphone/tennis ball reference. It makes sense in context - James is probably quoting Lucy with "I thought that's what we're gonna do". Lucy came into the room expecting a microphone with a tennis ball on it, and instead she saw a completely naked and well-endowed James Callis, and that was enough to throw even Lucy Lawless off balance. Hee!

Yes, I did get smutty thoughts from "at home...", but let's not go there. I wonder if Elina and I discussed that - I can't remember anymore. We talk smutty so much that it all blends in together.

Pretending to be the boom guy. I know the second picture has motion-blur but I had to add it because it's so full of James-like boyish energy. "Whee!!"

Did he ever want to play Baltar differently than what was scripted? James looks like he has to think hard about this question. [Um, Baltar signing the death warrant?? I can't believe he doesn't even mention it here.]

Umm.. no, not particularly. But I always um.. I think that the whole show, Battlestar, really did something to the genre of science fiction. And one of the.. if it's fair to say, we tried to make everyone as three-dimensional as possible. So occasionally I would feel that I was.. some of the scenarios or some of the things I was placed in.. were tending to lose me a dimension. And I wasn't prepared ... I wasn't prepared to live it out that way.

We all... Essentially I don't believe any one of us was acting when we were on the show. We were all living through those characters. Anything that didn't quite come up to your expectation had to change slightly so it could be accommodated. I never did anything differently from the way it was scripted necessarily... but I suppose.. like if there was one scene where it's just like he's supposed to be a bit mean and he doesn't care, I'd know myself that there'd be something, even if it was a look in the eye, where I'd have to show that he doesn't know. Bring in some other human equation. If that answers your question.

But why doesn't he bring up the times he fought against the writers? The gun to his head while signing the death warrant? I'm sure there were other examples but I can't think of them offhand. Maybe he couldn't think of any either, because he seems a little apologetic about this answer.

How much did they improvise while shooting BSG?

You can only improvise so much. It's not like you'd improvise scenes. Everything you're improvising around is based on the lines of the scene in the script. And everybody on our show imporoivsed. And that's not just the actors. That's the writers, directors, producers.. there was a real synergy whereby ppl trusted each other enough to go with it, to go with something in the moment. And there was really never a time where it was like "No you can't do that! We must not veer off this path!" Because we did not necessarily know what that path was until we created it.

So it's not like uh.. I don't know if you have programmes here like Give Us a Clue, where actors are just given a line and they have to improvise a whole play, it was never like this. It was more like ad libbing than improvising. Which is like adding some things or taking some things away that you think could suit the personality you portray. Ok?

Ah, I didn't realize there was a difference between "ad libbing" and "improvising". I thought they were synonymous. Professor James teaching me new stuff again.

In terms of plot cohesiveness and the finale, I do think it's a shame that they didn't know where they were going. But it can also be a good thing, because the actors were able to shape it a bit. Maye it's more exciting to work on a story that's about to unfold before your eyes than something set in stone before production begins, i.e. Babylon 5 and the like. I don't know. I'm certainly glad they got to ad lib and change things based on what they felt was right for the character.

I loved this next question, but I might want to explain the context for those who haven't watched as much BSG. In the season 3 episode Taking a Break From All Your Worries, James has a scene with Alessandro Juliani (Felix Gaeta). Baltar whispers something in Gaeta's ear, which makes Gaeta stab him with a pen. Later, in the web series Face of the Enemy, they show the scene again and this time we hear what Baltar whispered. The question is: did they redub the scene, or was it always planned that way?

The whispering in the ear really as Alessandro's ... it came from Alessandro. This is actually almost to answer the last gentleman's question. This was something that was improvised, it wasn't in the script.

But Alessandro said, "If I'm gonna stab this guy thru the neck with a pen. It's like, I've been so.. I've gone there at the right time, I'm talking the shit with him about the plans and how they might save his life and then suddenly I just.. it's not enough. I want something, I want him to drive me crazy, I want him to say something, DO something to me, that would make me get a pen and stab him thru the neck." So I was like, isn't that great? So that's where that came from. And at the time, we had no idea what it was, or the provocative nature of what it was that I was saying. But whatever it was, it was supposed to.. like a red rag to a bull, that would make him go crazy. So yeah, that was kind of an afterthought that I think was very cleverly worked in to the episodes.

I think so too. And I think it was a good idea to have an intriguing moment like that between the two men, who had surely experienced things together on New Caprica. (That sounds a bit dirty, but I don't necessarily mean sexual things.) Gaeta had seen who Baltar truly is, but Baltar had also seen who Gaeta truly is, even if it might be easy to forget that. Gaeta was disillusioned by Baltar, but maybe it also works the other way around. At any rate, there are always secrets you can tap into when you know someone that well. It's kind of a moment where Baltar shows his intellect, he knows how to play people in some way, even if he can be so socially bumbling too.

It speaks volumes about Alessandro that he wanted that in. He seems to have thought of his character as much as James thought of Baltar, and wanted to really have Gaeta react to something rather than just stab him for no reason.

Did he ever think he'd be the fifth cylon?

I.. no, I knew it wasn't me. Couldn't be me. Umm... that... cos I was too human on some level, I think that would have been.. not a good turning point. But I had no idea who it was, at all. But when I found out I was like.. you are kidding! You are kidding me. What? Where does that come from? How does that work? OK, fine, as long as it's not me, I don't care. It's funny because all those other final cylons Michael Hogan as Colonel Tigh, and Aaron as the Chief.. especially these two are so.. these are the people who led the resistance back on New Caprica, you should have seen their faces when it was like: Hey guys, you're on the wrong team! [points] [laughter] Yeah, not Gaius, you! Oh dear.. so that was good.

Hee! I can imagine him ribbing Aaron about this. Tigh and the Chief were good choices for cylons, because they were so central and so anti-cylon at some point. But my regret is that they didn't explore the "old Earth" cylon community storyline much further than that one episode.

Well, does he think it's a good choice, who the fifth cylon is?

Uh... Do you know, it is a good choice. And not a lot we can do to change it right now. [laughter]

Tell us a bit about the film you're going to shoot (Re-Uniting the Rubins, although the name is never mentioned here).

It's a comedy, a kind of romantic comedy although nobody falls in love. It's about a family that..uh, had a tragedy happen to them back in the day and then.. because of this thing, in years apart, can't really look each other in the eye or the face. And due to circumstances, they all come back together again. It's gonna be exciting and fun and also, you know, not in space. Actually set in London, so that's kind of cool.

That sounds really interesting. And I'm confused that some fans reported that he could not tell them more than that it's a family comedy. I mean, he says quite a bit about the basic theme of the movie here. He just doesn't go into specifics like what happened to the family. He sounds excited about it, and I'm really hopeful and optimistic about this project, I really am.

Would he have liked to be the final cylon?

Not really, to be honest, no. That would have been very confusing for me.. already I was pretty confused if you've seen the show.

I didn't need anything else to make me more confused. That's... [??]

All of the actors said the same thing: nobody wanted to be the final cylon. It would have ruined Adama and Roslin and Baltar and so forth. I'm not really sure. I think it would have added depth to a character in a way, if they had spent the rest of the season trying to find their cylon selves. With Baltar, however, it might have been dull, given that he's spent most of the show interacting with cylons and wondering if he is one. He's already gone thru a part of that crisis. So maybe that wouldn't have been a way to find something new about Baltar.

Silence for a moment. James jokes: "Talk amonst yourselves, I don't mind. Oh hello."

The next fan has a very strong accent and at first I don't understand her (and James looks like he's focusing really hard too, listening to her). But I think the question is basically: does Gaius love Caprica-Six?

It's a really good question and I think uh.. there's a simple answer. I'm sorry to blow it for those who haven't seen it. Yes, this man is in love. And he's been in love with the same person for years and years. One person on his mind, one .. everybody reminds him of this one person. He's so vain nad he's so narcissistic, he can't see it. He's in denial. It takes so much to get his head bumped into this reality of: yeah, there's one person, one person who is his angel, his guardian. I think yes, I don't necessarily understand it myself, but I think that is the case. Does that answer your question?

Awwww! (L) I love that they got back to Gaius and Caprica in the end. I don't usually get that excited about couples on TV, but I just had to ship Gaius/CapricaSix, because honestly, they're so fucked up and so funny, so wrong on so many levels, yet somehow so... right? It's hard to say what I love about them. Probably it falls in the category of "not cliché". I thought there was something a bit expected about Kara/Lee and Adama/Roslin, and Gaius/Six was just a different kind of couple. (As was Helo/Athena, actually.)

I think both Gaius and Six were kind of deluded for a while, wrapped up in their own concerns and even other relationships (Six with Tigh and Gaius with.. well, everyone). But it's kind of beautiful and poetic they found back to each other. I just wish it had happened a little sooner in season 4.

A follow-up question to the evil theme earlier: he said Gaius is morally bankrupt, is there a difference between that and evil?

Of course, there's a huge difference. No, I think... I find it very .. I think that evil on some level.. I don't really understand what that is necessarily, but I think one of the things about it is: it comes with malice, it comes with premeditation. That's not Gaius Baltar at all. He is somebody who winds up in something thru circumstance. lots to do with his own ego, but that doesn't make somebody evil. Evil is when you have a mind to it.

There's a great line in the Shakespeare play, I think it's Much Ado About Nothing. And there is this character called Don John, the Bastard Brother. Very subtle, these plays in Shakespeare's time. And there's this gathering, of all these people being happy and laughing, whatever. He turns, his line is: [sinister voice] "I would the cook were of my mind." In the sense of you know, when they go to dinner, if I was the cook, I'd poison them all. That's evil, that's mean. But I don't think being morally bankrupt is necessarily as evil.

Yay for random Shakespeare references! Professor James! :D I have read some Shakespeare, because I had to, and I didn't really get much of it and still don't. I couldn't quote it offhand besides something really famous like "To be or not to be". Hmm. "I know I'm Thane of Glamis, but what of Cawdor?" or was it Clamis? Another one that jumps out of my mind: "He's killed me, mother!" because duh, if you were dead, how are you able to say that? Those are both from Macbeth, I think. James' ability to just quote Shakespeare like that is rather admirable and creepy at the same time. But maybe he's actually played some of those roles.

On topic: I think he should have explained what he meant by "morally bankrupt". (Or maybe, because he is James, he thinks quoting Shakespeare will explain everything.) I think from his earlier quote that he meant Gaius has already done so many bad things that he's sort of worn out by guilt and can't take any more. But the fan probably took it to mean that he doesn't have any morals, he's all out of it. This is the problem with a panel like this, when you touch upon deep concepts and don't really have a chance to keep up with who says and means what. In that sense, a moderated panel might be better because the fans are probably too nervous to ask him to elaborate.

The next question is about the finale and the fan is worried about spoiling. James goes: "Everybody who hasn't seen it, go like..." and puts his fingers in his ears, with this mischievious grin. (L)!

Anyhow, Lee tells Gaius he's done nothing but selfish things.

Fan: "I tend to agree..."

James: "Right. I'm out of here."

Then Gaius has a change of heart by stepping onto the side of the heroes and fighting with Galactica. "What's your approach on that change of heart?"

As James starts to answer, his microphone goes out completely. There's some laughter. He tries to just start talking. "You wanna use a microphone?" the fan says. I think James says, "You can't hear me?", because she says into her microphone: "I can but the rest can't." I envy this fan because she talks really calmly and naturally to James. I wish I could, if I ever meet him.

James walks closer to the edge of the stage and shouts: HI! so that everyone hears. And then starts to fiddle with his microphone bottom. Hee! He looks so serious and puzzled, as if he can fix it by just pressing some button. Actually, I think I can read his lips: "If I press this button.. hello?" But it doesn't help. Someone brings him another, and then that microphone doesn't work either and the sound guy at the top of the room is gestured. It's a cute little interlude. Wasn't there something like this in the Dragon*Con panels in 2008? Why does it always happen to James?

"Hmm. What do do..."

Trying to fix the microphone...

Looks up at the sound guy.

[loud voice] Hallo? [sound comes back] Hello hello hello... ah, here we are. [laughter, applause] Right. [lowers voice, amused at himself] OK, now I don't have to scream.

I don't think Gaius Baltar needs Lee Adama to tell him the kind of man he is. And when we were filming that scene, the director Michael Rymer was like, 'You go back to the point where... he'd have a knife up against his throat in a stall, he'd more concerned that the goon was gonna smash in Paulla's brains. And given the choice of pleading for his life, he pleaded for a child's...'

This part was a bit confusing at first. He's referring to He That Believeth in Me, i.e. season 4 episode 1, where Paulla and himself are attacked by two guys who hate Gaius for, well, everything he's done as a president. I'm not sure if I read the scene in the same way - was he morried for Paulla than for himself?

For me, the number one example of selflessness is Gina and his compassion for her. But then that might be a problematic one, since he did have trouble telling her from Caprica/HeadSix, and he did expect to get sex from her soon after. And then he gave her the nuclear warhead. Either way, that was the first time I saw him worry about someone else's ass than his own (in a non-sexual way). But I guess we're thinking of more recent season four things.

Yeah, he has done some things that are not.. what's the word? Totally selfish. I think it's a real.. it's about your perspective. It's about how close you are to that thing. And when Lee says all of those things to Baltar, there is a.. Yeah, the broad brush strokes are absolutely true. There's little bits in between that I think Lee has missed. That Lee has never seen, so why would he ever.. and the wonderful line that Baltar says is actually, "Yeah, I wouldn't trust me either." The interesting thing about that is that the whole scene was filmed with number 6 in the scene. She was right over Lee Adama saying, "Yeah, he's gonna die so I wouldn't worry about what he's gonna say." So if it looks like I'm going like this [looks around], it's because we did shoot it in a slightly different way.

And the ending of his man? He has nothing else, he knew the cult was a sham from the moment that he stepped into it. He just needed the right kind of pressure to leave it, and on some level, um... on some level, ever since he tried to kill himself, this is not a man who's necessarily afraid of death. Just afraid of doing the wrong thing.

They cut so much of HeadSix from season 4.5, and I still don't get why. It changes the tone of the entire scene when you see the deleteds and there's an extended bit with HeadSix.

Elina: "It's true, the other characters haven't seen him do those things. You forget that as a viewer."

It is like that and it's odd. Us viewers are sort of omniscient and we know Baltar has done these things, but did anyone even see him pray for the sick boy? Lee certainly wouldn't see anything other than "oo, Gaius Baltar the egomaniac is leading his own cult! How surprising." I could see why he thinks Baltar is completely selfish and I'm glad James pointed this out, because that scene did bother me for that very reason.

American TV seems to always have villains who are either German or British (James nods seriously: oh yes). Is Gaius bad or just misled?

There's lots of ways of playing any character. Except that very few characters have the you know, the blood of the whole world on their shoulders. So if on any level Gaius Baltar did know what he was doing, he would be a monster. Monstrous. That wasn't sombeody I was interested in playing. But I remember being in school and being in trouble, I said I'd be in one place and really I was in another place.. then you're gonna be found out by the head teacher. I remember a few years at school, just constantly like [looks around anxiously] where did I say I was going to be? Who am I going to tell.. that kind of panic.

LOL! :D I wonder what kind of little scoundrel he was at school age. You might expect that he was a straight A student and utter nerd, but apparently not so. Maybe his personality is so vibrant that school felt boring and he had to think of stuff to get in trouble with. Actually, my thesis supervisor said that he hated school and was always getting into trouble. The headmaster developed a way of knowing in beforehand when he was going to make a wisecrack. "Robertson, my office! Now!" And he became a literature professor.

(Do they call it "head teacher" and not "headmaster" in the UK?)

And.. fear, living in fear, is very much on some level living in the future. If you live in the moment, in the now, you can't really be afraid. But if you're constantly thinking abou tthe thing that might happen to you, you're gonna be very afraid. And I think I chose to work off those dynamics which in turn makes him slightly more sympathetic. Not necessarily that he is.

Fear is living in the future? Hmm. That's a really profound thought. I think he is sympathetic, mostly. To me anyway.

Another question: did he have any trouble at home because of his womanizing role?

No, my wife thinks... you know, she keeps on saying, "Cos it's on television James, that's why they're supposed to find you attractive. It's on television, you see? TV, it's not real, James." [laughter, applause]

I always try to decipher his looks when he talks about this stuff - is he genuinely so humble about his talent and his looks or is he just feigning it? He always looks genuine, and some of the fan compliments seem to make him almost uncomfortable. But then he is an actor.

Elina: "I wonder if his wife has to take him down a notch. Like he's been reading your blog too much so he's big-headed: oh I'm so gorgeous, everybody wants me."

Me: "Bwah!"

I wish! Well, I don't wish he were big-headed, actually. Maybe it's best if he doesn't read oh what am I saying, I totally wish he reads every post. Multiple times. And prints them and puts them in a little binder and draws hearts around his favorite bits and... Eh, I mean... next question.

It's apparently someone who's already asked one before, as James notes, "Hi. You moved. Flash!" and makes a "flash" noise. The question is if they shot the entire Opera House sequence at once, since we kept seeing more flashes of it later on. James' answer: "Yes. Very simple." That is all, and I guess the person isn't interested in the details of the shooting because they don't ask anything more. It would have been nice to hear a bit more about the sequence, which was both beautiful and intriguing. Gotta keep this in the file "Future questions for James", if I ever get a chance to interview him (fat chance) or send more questions through con-goers (fairly likely).

More in part 2!

The Miniseries: The Recap (Gaius/Six focused)

Cross-posted at BSG: The Journey Home - a Gaius/Six rewatch community.

I was told to write a brief and concise recap, and I have a feeling this isn't quite it. I cannot write brief. I tried not to try to be funny or insightful and just write down my observations, because I hate overdone recaps. I just briefly skimmed thru the scenes with others, and wrote down the gist of it, but I haven't deep-analyzed them. And really, I tried to not deep-analyze the Six/Gaius scenes either, so there'd be something left to discuss. I might not have time to post anything else until the weekend, but you know, discuss. I'll be back.

A Six - not Caprica - walks in wearing a red jacket and skirt. The man clearly doesn't know what to think. A human being with the cylons? "Are you alive?" the Six asks the man as she leans over to him. "Y-yes," the man stammers. "Prove it," Six whispers and they kiss. Suddenly a cylon baseship attacks the ship the guy's on. "It's begun," Six says. Any shippers for these lovebirds?

-Elsewhere: credits. JAMES CALLIS and TRICIA HELFER, most notably. Old rusty Battlestar Galactica is retiring, and so is old rusty Bill Adama. Tyrol and his men have found Adama's old plane and a picture of him with his sons. He is touched. Starbuck and Tigh get into a fight, and Starbuck gets sent into the brig. Bill and Saul talk about Starbuck; Bill likes her, Saul does not. In CAPRICA CITY, CAPRICA, Laura Roslin gets the diagnosis for advanced (breast) cancer. Next we see her on a plane with PA Billy. She hides her feelings and only allows herself to fall apart a little in the bathroom.-

Caprica Six walks through the market place in Caprica City. She stops to look at a little baby boy. The proud mother lets her hold him, and she says, "So light.. so fragile..." all creepily. The baby cries a little, and Six tells him, "You won't have to cry much longer", which seems pretty ominous. The mother picks up on this and tells her they should be going. Six observes how surprising it is that the fragile neck can carry such a heavy head, and the mom looks creeped out, but as she looks away for a moment, Six snaps said fragile neck. Six walks away very fast, and as we hear the mother scream, Six's eyes fill with tears. Our first tip that she's not all machine.

The first time we see Gaius Baltar, he's sitting in front of his TV, which is apparently an interactive one, giving an interview. His house looks very stylish and very, very expensive. Notably, he's wearing the same outfit HeadBaltar wears - the pin-striped black suit that makes him look very dapper. The embodiment of arrogance, he smarmily compliments the host. Asked about his views on technology, he explains that the cylon threat is long gone and fear shouldn't hamper the development of new technology. This is all very ironic, but he doesn't know it yet.

Six comes in, notably NOT wearing a red dress. She lays her handbag - or suitcase? It's metal but looks light - on a desk. She looks at Baltar across the room with adoration.

And they're at it. This first sex scene was the first thing they filmed, and while they're doing a good job, I do seem to sense some awkwardness (particularly from James, who had less experience with being naked on camera). It's not something that particularly bugs me, though; it's easy to imagine that, after all their time together, Baltar still finds Six's immense physical power both a turn-on and a bit scary. How many women can throw their man onto the bed like that?

Before they get that far, though, Six stops to ask if Gaius missed him - maybe his body did, but did his heart and soul? "Do you love me, Gaius?" The answer is obvious as Gaius stops in his tracks, horrified. Six saves face by claiming she was only kidding, and Gaius is visibly relieved. He probably thinks they'll be laughing at this five years from now when they're no longer exclusively seeing each other. As they make love, Six's spine starts to glow. "I'm so hot, Gaius," she moans. I'll say.

-Elsewhere: Lee Adama arrives on Galactica and is arrogant and rude. Tyrol and Boomer get into an argument, which leads to sex. Lee Adama has no respect for his Daddy.-

Back in the market place, Gaius and Six are walking together. Gaius arrogantly smokes a cigarette and then arrogantly tells her his program has been a success. (Actually, just assume he does everything arrogantly until Six tells him the truth.) Six points out that she deserves a little credit too. "I rewrote half your algorithms," she reminds him. He admits to this, but says she benefited too: "all that poking in the defense mainframe" will further her career. Dun dun dun!

Six says she has a meeting, and Gaius jokes he's very jealous. "I doubt it," says Six in a voice that suggests she's not completely joking. Gaius says he must go anyway. "I have a meeting too - business," he quickly adds. I'm sure. He walks away, and Six turns to meet SOMEONE or SOMETHING. "About time," she says. "I was wondering when you'd get here."

-Elsewhere: Laura Roslin and Billy get on board. Billy gets lost and meets Dualla. Roslin and Adama get into a little spat over technology (Roslin for, Adama against). Lee and Kara have a heart to heart. You can tell they're going to fall for each other. -

Gaius' house, night time. Six is sitting in a chair in the darkness of his bedroom. "Gaius," she says softly. Then louder: "Gaius!" Gaius sits up in the bed, as does a brunette. Oops. She asks who Six is. "Get out," Six tells her in a chilly voice. Gaius, unable to look either woman in the eye, babbles that Six is just a friend - then adds, "Well, more than a friend.. when I say friend..." Hee. It's all very feeble.

Six has no time for this: "Get out. Now." Her tone is creepy. Gaius sheepishly looks at the woman and she storms out. When she's gone, he starts to get dressed while giving Six his very weak "it's not you, it's me" speech: "It's a flaw in my character, one which I'm trying to overcome..." He still can't look at her. Six tells him to spare her from his excuses; she has come to tell him something. She's calm, despising and kinda scary, but as the camera zooms in on her eyes, we see she's fighting back tears.

-Elsewhere: Lee Adama still doesn't like his Daddy. Bill Adama blames himself for the death of his other son. Lee also blames him for it.-

Dawn is breaking as Six and Gaius are having their heart-to-heart. Gaius is mocking and disbelieving, but it seems like deep down he believes her. Six says she's a woman. Gaius, despisingly: "You're a synthetic woman. A robot." Six points out she's repeated it a few times, and Gaius says he doesn't believe her, because cylons are supposed to look like "walking chrome toasters". This is the first time cylons are referred to as toasters. Six says calmly that those models are still in use.

"Prove it!" Gaius says. Six says he believes her, because he's always known there was something different about her. "And you believe me because it flatters your ego, to believe that alone among all the billions of people of the twelve Colonies, you were chosen for my mission..." She says this in a mocking tone, like she enjoys her grip over him. Gaius is all "Mission?!", and she has to remind him about the defense main frame.

For a moment, Gaius looks like a scared child again, staring off into space. But it doesn't take too long for him to start washing his hands: "This had nothing to do with me!" Six, calm and composed, finds time to marvel at his skill for self-deception. "How do you do it?" she asks teasingly. Gaius points out that he might be facing death penalty for treason. Six doesn't seem too concerned for him. He takes the phone to call his attorney, but she tells him it won't be necessary: "There won't be anyone left to charge you with anything." Gaius just stares at her. "The children of humanity are returning home. Tonight." Gaius lays down the phone as he realizes what this means. A light flashes in the horizon.

-Elsewhere: There's a ceremony on Galactica. Bill Adama ad libs some of his speech, and it's clearly about him and Lee. Lee is touched.-

Gaius is watching three channels at once, all reporting the same thing: the cylon attack is underway. As each channel goes blank, he looks completely devastated. "What have I done? What will I do now? There's no way out." He hangs his head and cries. Six looks on with what seems like genuine compassion. Gaius realizes she hasn't made any plans to get away. "How are you leaving?" he demands. The bright light of a nuke meets his eye and he screams like a child. There's something amusing about that, even if I might do the same in that situation. Six sadly tells him she can't die; she'll be downloaded. "I'll just wake up somewhere else in an identical body." Gaius asks if there are more like her out there. "There are twelve models. I'm number six," Six tells him and the viewers. "I don't want to die," Gaius cries in panic. "Get down!" Six shouts and covers him as the nuke hits the house.

-Adama receives word about the cylon attack. Boomer and Helo are attacked and their plane is damaged. Lots and lots of SPACE BATTLES take place. Laura Roslin takes over Colonial One.-

Helo and Boomer have landed their broken plane on Caprica. Helo's watching mushroom clouds in the horizon and counts that he's seen six now. Just as Boomer gets it fixed, a bunch of people come running, among them one Gaius Baltar. He trips over and falls, and someone seems to walk all over him, but he gets up all determined.

-Elsewhere: Lee Adama and Aaron Doral meet on Colonial One. Lee is still arrogant.-

Helo and Boomer try to keep the people out, saying it's not a rescue ship. The crowd demands that children at least get on board, and they oblige. They have room for three more people after that. Gaius, among others, quickly raises his arm. He's all about survival still, so I don't think the guilt has fully hit him. Boomer says they will make lottery tickets and draw three numbers. Completely unbiased decision. People agree to this.

-Elsewhere: Space fighting takes place.-

Later on, the third number is called, and it's 47. Gaius does not have the winning ticket. An old woman next to him asks what her paper reads. Of course, it reads 47, and Gaius gives her a shifty look that suggests he might consider cheating. Suddenly Helo calls out, "Aren't you Gaius Baltar?" Gaius quickly responds with, "I haven't done anything!", which would make me very suspicious, but doesn't seem to affect Helo. Gaius tells everyone the woman has the winning number and gallantly walks her across the crowd. Helo decides to give up his seat for Gaius, because the fleet can use his brilliant mind. Boomer resist, almost in tears. "Look at those clouds and tell me this isn't the end of everything," Helo says. Boomer agrees, but kind of angrily. Gaius is very quick to get into the ship before anyone changes their mind. As he gets on, he sees HeadSix in the crowd for the first time, glowing in her red dress. But when he looks back, there's only a ratty old man there.

-Elsewhere: Colonial One receives word that President Adar and the cabinet are all dead, and Laura Roslin has to step in as president. Laura says to Lee she never wanted to be in politics. She takes her vows, first with a trembling voice, then more stern. Lots of press record the moment.
A random kid named Boxey talks to Boomer, who says she also lost her parents when she was little.-

On the ship, Gaius sees HeadSix again. She's glowing and tells him this is why she loves him: "You're a survivor." She disappears as Gaius shakes his head. This won't work for much longer. Gaius looks overcome by guilt and shame again, and he hangs his head.


Gaius gets on board Colonial One. Boomer's talking to Lee as we see him stepping out of the plane. Boomer says Helo gave up his seat for Gaius, "I hope he's worth it!" she snaps loud enough for him to hear. Gaius looks at her with a cute "what did I do NOW?" expression. Lee tells Gaius that the president has asked to see him. "President Adar is alive?" Gaius says, freaked out. You can tell he thinks he's survived only to get sentenced to death. Lee tells him there's a new president, and Gaius is relieved.

President Laura Roslin is happy to see Gaius. How many times was Laura actually happy to see him? Maybe we should count them. She tells him they met last year. Gaius stammers that he's not good at remembering faces, but Laura doesn't get offended: "I wouldn't remember me either." She gets back to business and tells Gaius she wants him to be her scientific advisor in all matters cylon.

-Leoben Conoy is found hiding somewhere in the storage rooms. He's all kinds of creepy. -

Six appears again as Gaius is working on some papers. He tries to ignore her, but she tells him it won't help. He says he's decided she's just a part of his subconscious trying to deal with all this. Sounds like a nice scientific explanation, and typical of him. "So I'm... only in your head?" Six asks flirtily. She torments him by asking, "Have you considered the possibility that I might very well be only in your head without being a hallucination?" She suggests the cylons implanted a chip in his head - a theory we now know to be false, but it's a nice little mindfrak. Gaius looks like he's horrified, but tries to play it cool.

Six asks what he's working on. gaius snaps, "If you're in my head, you know." "Indulge me," Six says sexily, but at the same time, kinda scarily. Gaius says he's trying to figure out how the cylons got to the colonial defense programs. He says it was Six's work, and Six admits to this. She says she had other motives than being programmed: "What I want most of all is for you to love me. Don't you know - God is love?" She leans in to kiss him... and then he yells "NO!" and she's gone. I had forgotten how she kept disappearing in these first scenes. I'm kind of glad she didn't later on. I think their interactions are more interesting when he's tormented by her presence, but also likes her being there, as his only ally.

-Elsewhere: Leoben and Adama somehow manage to get stuck in the gutter together. Leoben is still being all kinds of weird and Adama gets suspicious. Laura Roslin has to make her first decision as president and let some people die, including a cute little girl. She feels burdened by her responsibility.-

Billy Keikeya shows Gaius to the CIC. He stops to ask Dualla for directions. Dualla leans over and kisses him passionately, which is a surprise to both guys. Gaius gives Billy a very comical look. "Really? This guy?" he seems to be thinking. I bet he has a newfound respect for Billy.

-Tyrol kisses Boomer with much passion and relief. Boomer has apparently adopted Boxey. Whatever. There's some more Kara/Lee, but we're ignoring that, right? Adama figures out Leoben is a cylon, and he tries to deny it, but he's looking like the living dead so it's pretty obvious. -

This is an important scene, because it's the first one between Gaius and Felix Gaeta. It's also the first time Gaius has to talk to a "real" person and ignore HeadSix. So we're setting up two series-long themes here.

Technobabble: the cylons implanted a virus into the colonial defense system, thus disabling them. Gaeta tells Gaius that Galactica is not in any networks, and Gaius thinks this will protect the ship from any harm. Still, he wants to test the systems. He's putting on his arrogant face again and acting very important.

Gaeta wants to linger a bit longer and stops to say, compassionately, that this must be so hard for Gaius. Unfortunately, Gaius has no idea what he's talking about. "The guilt?" Gaeta tries. Six appears and leans in to say, "I remember you telling me once that guilt is something small people feel when they run out of excuses for their behavior." I love that quote. Very Baltar. Gaius tries very hard to not look freaked out by Six, but you can see him jolt in horror. He tells Gaeta, in the same tone he used with Six earlier when he talked about this flaw in his character: "It is...hard... I feel... responsible... in a way...for what happened..."

Six tells Gaius she loves him precisely because he doesn't feel guilty: "You have a clarity of spirit. You're not burdened by conscience, or guilt, or regret..." I'm intrigued by this quote, but we can discuss it more later. Gaeta warmly tells him not to beat himself up: "It's not like you knew what they were doing." Gaius rolls his eyes to signal he couldn't know, one of those hilarious looks he has. Six torments him, her tone going from amused, to angry, to seductive:

"It's not like you knew you were lying... It's not like you were breaking the law... It's not like you cheat on women...It's not like the world's coming apart and all you could think of was Gaius Baltar."
She sits on the console, almost into his lap.

As Six strokes his hair, Gaius is clearly trying to keep his thoughts clear while his libido is winning: "No, I know... exactly what you're saying... I know." Gaeta looks at him nonplussed and then leaves. Is he a little disappointed in his hero already? Or did this meeting make him all the more fascinated with this brilliant yet weird man? Discuss.

Six is enjoying this and tells Gaius, "I really hope you make it out of this alive. I think we could have a real future together." He says bitterly, "That would be special," and Six takes offense at his tone. She says he's all sarcastic when she's helping him. Gaius asks how she's helping, so she demonstrates by turning his head into the right direction. Turns out there's a cylon device between two consoles. That's what she had in her suitcase in the earlier scenes, as a flashback shows us. Gaius says she told him it was an electronic organizer. "That would be a lie," whispers Six. I'm not sure how their electronic organizers look, but come on. It looks like a set of speakers to me. Gaius realizes what this means - there's another cylon on Galactica.

Gaius goes in for a closer look, trying hard to appear casual as he goes around and round the computers. Gaeta walks by and taps his shoulder - shippers, take note - and asks if everything's going ok. Gaius says he's just going to check one more time that the computers are fine. As he gets back into his chair, Six shows up again and Gaius tells him she's not helping. He asks what the device is for, and she pretends (?) she doesn't know. He says he needs to warn the others. She ad libs a whole conversation between him and the Galactica crew, ending with "I forgot to mention I'm familiar with their technology because I've slept with a cylon for the last two years." She's really enjoying this. Gaius says he'll think of something.

Six - or Gaius, depending on how you interpret HeadSix - has a one-track mind and puts her hand down his pants, causing much pleasure. Just as Gaius cocks his head back and moans, Aaron Doral shows up with a list of ships who use his program. It takes Gaius quite a while to recover. Doral asks, "Are you OK? You look a little flushed." Gaius snaps that he's OK and Doral wanders off to do whatever he's supposedly doing on that ship. He seems very suspicious now that I know he's a cylon.

Gaius has thought of something, i.e. lying that Doral is a cylon. He's an easy suspect since he's been walking around the ship unwatched, yet he's an outsider. "I don't remember seeing him in any cylon parties", Six says. That's the same line Cavil used on Chief Tyrol when he was suspecting he's a cylon. I guess it's safe to assume that this joke means the person IS a cylon. Gaius notes there is a problem. "Morally?" Six mocks. "Practically," Gaius says and looks at her sternly. How will they reveal that "cylons look like us now", without getting him caught?

-Elsewhere: Leoben Conoy's body is carried away. Tigh is horrified that "the cylons look like us now". Well, that takes care of that problem. Tigh says anyone could be a cylon, which is very ironic for obvious reasons. Tigh tells Adama Lee is alive. Lee and Adama meet and hug, realizing they only have each other now. They tear up. -

Tigh, Adama and Gaius are in Adama's quarters having a very confidential meeting. Tigh says Leoben had everything a human body has. Gaius tries hard to look horrified and shocked, and adds that there were synthetic compounds found during the cremation. "So he was a cylon?" he says, feigning disbelief (very poorly). Adama and Tigh tell him they need him. "Word has it you're a genius," Tigh says. Gaius has to restrain a big smile and is obviously trying to come up with some modest way of agreeing. He settles for "I'll do my best, Commander." Adama and Tigh are very calm and matter-of-fact and a stark contrast to Gaius' eye-bulging. How do they not suspect something? They tell him to keep it under his hat. "I'll be very discreet," Gaius promises.

-Elsewhere: Starbuck is sent on a mission. She tells Lee that his dead brother should have failed his pilot's test, but Starbuck let him thru because they were a couple.-

Doral is very discreetly arrested in the hallway by a bunch of armed guards.

Brig. Doral's already in handcuffs, shouting protests at them. Tigh asks why he isn't sick from radiation, like Leoben was. Gaius says that it must take effect slowly. Tigh asks if he's sure, and Gaius looks so obviously guilty you'd think Tigh can see right thru him. To his credit, Tigh does look pretty suspicious, but that could just be his usual "I hate people" look. Gaius babbles some nonsense about how he analyzed Doral's hair and it had synthetic fibres. He's clearly made it all up, but he does have it on paper in case Tigh should want evidence. "I'll take your word for it," grumps Tigh who couldn't care less about science. This is probably what Gaius was counting on. Six appears, clapping her hands: "And just like that, Dr Baltar invents the AMAZING cylon detector!" It's hard to tell if she's mocking or admiring, or both at the same time.

Tigh says everyone on board has to be tested. As he's already leaving, Gaius turns back as if he just now remembered that Doral seemed.. very interested.. in this strange device in the CIC. He's actually lying uncharacteristically well here, acting like he's not sure if he should even be saying this. Six ties her arms around him like a snake and says admiringly that his brain should be tested. Doral acts like he has no idea what this is about, so he's either a good liar or a sleeper agent. Gaius casts nervous glances at him. I maintain he's feeling guilty, but my girlfriend thought it's just fear of being found out.

-Elsewhere: the device is taken down. Tigh blames himself for not noticing it, and tells Gaeta to take the device to Baltar for testing.
Adama shows up at Roslin's quarters. He wants to stay to fight the war. Roslin tells him that there are only 50 000 people left alive, and they need to escape the cylons and make babies to survive. When Adama hears how many cylon fleets there are waiting for them, he decides they will all jump away and escape like Roslin suggested. The only "person" left behind: Aaron Doral.

SPACE BATTLES are fought.

Adama lies to people that they're going to find Earth, even if he doesn't even believe Earth exists. People say "So say we all" a lot.

Tigh and Starbuck talk. Tigh admits she was brave in combat, and apologizes to her, even if it seems to require a lot of him. Starbuck tells him he's weak, and a drunk. Harsh.

Adama tells Roslin that sometimes you need to lie so people can have hope and survive.-

Gaius is walking down the corridor, HeadSix at his heels. She tells him cylons will get them, and informs him about sleeper agents. Gaius says they will find the cylons among them. "We? You are not on their side, Gaius," Six tells him, but he's not fazed. For the first time, Gaius turns to face her with a stern look, controlling the situation. "I am NOT on anybody's side," he says and just walks away, leaving HeadSix to stand and think, as if she's a separate character outside of him. Which I guess she was. Awesome.

-Adama finds a note saying "There are only twelve cylon models." Doral really IS a cylon. So is Boomer. I'm sure you're all very surprised at this point.-

First Reactions: "Blood on the Scales"

OK, I just saw this episode and am very moved. I'm going to start with all the negative, pissy things that bugged me about this episode, and move on to the great things that really left me moved. I will reveal everything major that happens in the episode, so if you haven't seen it, be warned, or be spoiled.

Pissy, angry and very frustrated notes

Firstly, the editing choices in this episode were completely botched in my opinion. I get that they shot a lot of scenes and some had to be left in the cutting table, but did we really need to see that many scenes with people shooting guns? Seriously, this kind of thing is below the show. Some action is fine, but so much of it just makes for a chaotic, sub-par episode. Lee killing a guy with a pen? Romo going all action hero? Halfway thru I was going "OMG, this is the worst episode ever!!" I don't think so anymore, because of the ending, but I give a big minus for the editing of most scenes in this episode. Also: a lot of what was cut was Baltar's story on the baseship. OF COURSE. Gigantic eye-roll.

Secondly, not just one but TWO scenes where Adama is almost executed - except not. Argh! We knew you wouldn't kill him, OK? Either have the guts to actually do it, or don't show any scenes like that at all. This show is smarter than this.

Thirdly, and this goes a bit deeper. I used to like Laura Roslin. A lot. I admired her when I was watching season one. I thought her position as the president - against her own will and completely suddenly - was touching and powerfully played by McDonnell. I think there are still great moments (The Hub) but I must say that during the last few seasons, I've generally come to hate her. In tonight's episode, she showed that nothing matters to her but Bill Adama. Not the deaths of innocent people. Not the security of the cylons they've allied with. Not peace. Just Bill Adama. Maybe I should be saying how human this is and how it's credible that she'd react this way, but what kind of selfish leader only cares about her love and not about the people?

The mutiny is not about Bill and Laura. It's about peace in the fleet. It's about people having to come to terms with the cylons somehow, when they're used to fleeing them and hating them - and this is a valid concern, by the way. Because, while there may be a lot of racism there, it's also very hard to kiss and make up when the cylons destroyed your home planet and everyone on it. Bill and Laura should have given a lot more thought to this. They should have listened to the people a lot more. They should have realized that just because they had a change of heart, it doesn't automatically produce a change of heart in all of the people in the fleet. For this, I think both are pretty bad leaders. Or at least used-to-be-good leaders who let their power go to their heads and became tyrants.

But you know what? This is still all good in some way, because a lot of viewers will disagree with me. I have a right to read Adama and Roslin this way, and their fans have a right to read them the opposite way, just like some people hate and despise Gaius, while I love him despite his flaws and mistakes (and partially because of them). Not everyone is going to agree about Adama and Roslin, and on some level, I think this still goes back to the greatness of this show - the fact that no character is perfect, not even the heroes.

But. There is someone I've hated throughout the show and still hate, and that is Tom Zarek. And this is something I only realized tonight: I hate him because the show wants me to. He has always, without fail, been written as a complete scoundrel with no redeeming qualities. He has no family, no lover, no faith in anything, no real backstory. He's just a rebel for the sake of being a rebel; he's willing to execute the entire quorum simply because they called him vice-president. He's an evil cackling villain for no reason at all. What baffles me is that both Michael Angeli and Richard Hatch said he's not a villain. What is he then? Who is Tom Zarek?

You can say what you want about Gaius Baltar being a coward, a liar, a nymphomaniac, an abuser of various substances, a weakling who will always run away from his guilt (although I am intrigued to see if he will change now). You'd be right. But he's a character with a soul. He does feel guilt. He does feel empathy - in this episode alone, he had empathy for his cult AND Gaeta. And whatever you may say, he never meant anyone any harm.

No, Baltar is not the villain of this show. Tom Zarek is. And they gave Zarek no redeeming qualities. And in a show like this that is otherwise so good, this is just lazy writing. He could have been an intelligent critic to Adama and Roslin, a true voice of resistance, but he wasn't. Epic fail.

I'm torn about Adama shooting Gaeta in cold blood. Zarek, sure - he "executed" the quorum and he's tried to sabotage the fleet so many times, he deserves to go just for the history alone. But Gaeta? From a storytelling point of view, this was a powerful way to kill him. But from the point of view of Adama's character? They were once friends. Gaeta worked for him for so long. Now he questions Adama's authority and deserves to die? I really don't know. I wish Adama at least had some remorse over it, or questioned the decision. But he probably won't.

One more brief note - why would you bring back Romo only to butcher the character? Argh. "Don't let your pride get in the way" was good. The running around with a gun and almost not stopping for Starbuck and Anders? Not good. At all. I like Romo, the way he was in Crossroads, but if they're going to write him like this episode and Sine Qua Non, just stop writing him.

Awed, excited and very positive notes
(yes, you guessed it, mostly about James Callis.)

It was nice to see Tory Foster again, taking a lead in the cylon fleet. She's been sadly ignored throughout the season, but I like that she, unlike the other final four, stayed with the cylons. However, I was hoping she'd say something back to Laura about that "wider view" on things - Laura only seems to care about Adama herself. Gaius, on the other hand, was talking back to Roslin, which was awesome.

I enjoyed seeing random Sixes again - when was the last time we did? One possible one in Sometimes a Great Notion. And even if I'm still mad for the miniscule role of Caprica Six lately, it was nice to see her carrying Hera and saying, "I can take care of myself!" It really felt like, in today's episode, the cylons were back. I've missed seeing Tricia, and I hope we'll see a lot more of her yet.

I feel like saying something very mad about still not having any Gaius/Head Six scenes, but the sexy and beautiful scenes with the random six on the baseship almost made it up for me. James and Tricia together again! Squee! I say almost, because I would have liked to see a LOT more of it, to make sense of it and give it more space. But the baseship with its flickering, streaming colors is always beautiful to me, and Tricia with brown hair usually looks more beautiful to me than with blonde hair - it is her natural color after all. They definitely should have had more long-haired Sixes on the show. So beautiful. As always, her tenderness with Gaius was touching. What is the attraction between Gaius and the sixes? It was nice to see Gaius interact with a cylon again, and as usual, it seems to make him search his soul. And this was the first scene in the episode that didn't feel rushed or chaotic. It was calm, it was about the characters - it made me feel like maybe this episode isn't so bad after all. Great acting from both James and Tricia, and their chemistry together never fails.

After a nightmare about Adama being executed, Gaius wakes up to feel guilty for leaving the cult - for running again, not even for fear this time, which seems to make him feel worse, as if fear somehow makes it OK. He ran because he didn't appreciate the cult - something you could plainly see, but it's still nice to hear him admit it to someone. I think that, on a deeper level, it's his guilt for failing Gaeta so many times; his guilt for running away from responsibility all those years and not admitting to his role in the attacks; his guilt for Gina and New Caprica... Well, he has a lot on his conscience. It's possible that the brown-haired Six reminds him of Gina, which brings up painful feelings of both loss and guilt.

Finally he takes responsibility for something or someone - if only for the cult, which I hope won't have a big role in the last episodes (I hope for more Gaius/cylons). Is this what James meant about Gaius finally growing up? Some people are already saying he won't be fun to watch anymore, but I wouldn't necessarily take this to mean that Gaius will be a complete hero who never lies again, etc. He's got a lot of work to do to become a hero - or even "a good person". Even if he became a boring goodie-goodie, I think James would bring the funny somehow. And suggest scenes that subvert the goodness.

A slightly negative side note.
The scene is edited a bit awkwardly, so that you can't see Gaius' naked chest, and I have to wonder if it's because James was so sick and emaciated while doing these episodes (he had a stomach parasite). I knew about it and thought I'd be prepared, but my heart just sinks when I see it. His thinness has never bugged me, because it's always seemed so natural for him. But this time it's just... different. There's some fundamental difference between being thin because you're sick and just naturally looking that way. And his eyes... just don't look right. They look miserable and in pain. I'm glad to know that he's better now and that it's not something serious that still affects him. He's a good guy and deserves to feel good. *fangirl sniffle*

However, his acting is still as good as ever. The following scene made me forget all about his illness, because it was so frakking amazing.

"I know who you are Felix."
This scene was so powerful, perhaps the most powerful scene so far in 4.5, at least for me. Both James and Alessandro do a lot here with just a look. Before being executed (sniff!!), Gaeta sits with Gaius. They smoke, drink coffee and talk. This scene was in the previews, and I think I misread it as Gaius being in jail and Gaeta coming to see him, when it's really the other way around. What can I say - it feels weird to see Gaius on the side of the "good guys" and Gaeta on the side of the "bad guys", although my sympathy for Gaeta never stopped throughout the mutiny. I think he genuinely wanted to bring peace to the fleet, Zarek just had his own agenda, as usual.

Gaius: Felix..
Gaeta: What? And please, no religion.
Gaeta's eyes: It's OK, Gaius. I'm going to die, but somehow this was all worth it.
Gaius' eyes: I always failed you. This could have been avoided if it weren't for me. I'm so sorry.

We already knew he'd say "I know who you are Felix" - I half hoped for him to say more, but rewatching it, maybe it's best left like this. Gaius says very little, but his eyes talk a lot. This is Gaeta's big scene, his final one before he dies - and yet it's also a big scene for Gaius. I love that the stories of these two men have always been somehow intertwined. If you read Gaeta as being in love with Gaius - and as we know now, AJ totally meant to play it that way - this scene is also a bittersweet goodbye between him and the man he loved. There's nothing sexual about it per se, but there is a tenderness to how Gaeta talks to Gaius, how he still, on some level, seems to admire him as a scientist (if no longer as a person).

The execution scene. The silence - the look between Gaeta and Zarek, and then -

"It stopped."

The pain in his leg? The restlessness in his soul? That was just beautiful.

I will miss Gaeta a lot, but I feel like he was given a worthy sendoff. I'm very sad to see him go, yet very happy with how it was done.

Alessandro Juliani - thank you for giving us Gaeta. You touched us, and you made your character alive. I hope to see you soon in other roles that are worthy of your talent.

First Reactions: "A Disquiet Follows My Soul"

(I know I'm two weeks late with this, but I still haven't rewatched the episode, so these are my first reactions.)

All in all, I thought this episode was classic BSG. I'm not fond of CIC scenes, but I realized I had missed them. The show was well paced and competently written, which can't be said for some of the other season 4 episodes. I think Ron Moore as a writer makes a world of difference. I can understand the value of a quiet build-up episode, but on the other hand, you only have eight episodes to go, so something definite could have happened. This was my biggest disappointment with the episode: that basically nothing new happened. There could have been way more discussion of the revelations in Sometimes a Great Notion. I can't believe they didn't mention any of those again.

Doc Cottle is back! I love him and his grumpy, inappropriate, chain-smoking ways.
Nurse: "That's a lot of smoking around a pregnant woman."
Cottle: "She'll live."
Hee! Cottle, how I love thee! Besides, I'm sure cylon fetuses can handle a little cigarette smoke. They can cure cancer, after all.

Mixed feelings about Caprica-Six/Tigh. On the one hand, it was a very sweet scene and we got Caprica's reaction to her pregnancy! On the other hand - noooo this is so wrong this should be Baltar's child! Baltar and Caprica 4evah!

I was hoping we'd get some answers to questions that have bugged me: is Caprica still in the brig, or with Saul now? Is she being "pardoned" (not that she did anything except be a cylon and get on board the ship)? Are they going to let her have the child? What does HeadBaltar think of all this? But no, we move straight on to the other characters and Caprica isn't seen again until next episode. I'm beginning to feel that Tricia got an even more raw deal out of this season than James.

And what about Saul´s reactions? He just realized his dead wife - whom he killed - is the final cylon. We get no scenes with him dealing with this, and only one WTF scene where Lee tells the journalists that they believe the final cylon is dead - she died some time ago, and they realize he knows who it is and get on his case. The WTF element being: how does Lee know? When did Saul tell him? Is there a big scene that was cut here where Saul told them, and we never got to see it? The big final cylon reveal is now completely brushed away? Argh.

Nicky's Daddy issues: Ugh. Hot Dog? He's not an important enough character and I think this is just stupid and soap opera-ish. Chief raised Nicky so far, so I don't see why Hot Dog has to suddenly take responsibility. I don't have much to say to this, except that I love the toddler who plays Nicky. He's so adorably chubby, I enjoy any scene he's in just for that.

I liked Gaeta's growing discontent, it seemed true to life and fitting for his character. Gaeta started out an optimist, admiring Adama and Baltar, and feels like he's been betrayed by them both by now. The Gaeta/Kara scene was intense - but why no more Kara in the episode? Hello, she found her own corroding corpse. So yeah, it's nice that she's in a bad mood, but what about in private? Did she get a visit from HeadLeoben? Did she ever try to tell Lee again?

As usual, way too much Adama/Roslin. I get that they're the "heart of the show" to many viewers, but I think their scenes always run a little long, usually at other characters' expense. I did like that Laura was going a little insane and Adama had to be alone with the tough decisions. And we have a scene with them in bed. Enjoy, A/R shippers. I knew this would come sooner or later; it doesn't evoke particularly strong feelings for me. On a first watch of the miniseries/season one, I really liked Laura Roslin, but I've come to like her less and less over the years (months, for me, as I've only been a fan for the last six months). I don't know if the writers are trying to make her a tyrant, or if their idea of democracy is that the "moral winner" gets to lead however she chooses, but I think it's problematic. I'll return to this with the next episode.

And - yay for Baltar! Unlike last week's 5-second scenes, this time he has a real scene where we see his reactions. He's drunk, smoking, and losing his religion (which he probably never had in the first place). I loved the selfish rant against God and not even trying to soothe his followers or give them any hope. Great leader. One of the things James is really good at is playing drunk; he has just the right amount of slur and ridiculous melodrama.
Also: "Are you children? - Well, obviously you're a child... There are some children present, but..." Hee!

What is Baltar feeling? Does his guilt revisit him now that they weren't led to the promised land? Does he feel cheated by Head Six who promised he'd be the hand of god and that it all has a meaning? We don't know, because there was a HeadSix scene here and it was cut. That's right, it was cut. See Bear's Battlestar Blog for a photo of Baltar/HeadSix in that scene. What a waste! Head Six has been an important part of Baltar's psyche, and the show, from the very beginning and I think it's just wrong to keep cutting her out. This has been going on since season three, and I'm very annoyed.

If James and Tricia are going to have such a miniscule role on the show, you might want to take their names off the credits and replace them with, like, Richard Hatch. Because he had way too many scenes in this episode. Wayy too many. I'll discuss Zarek more in the next post, but I'll say that I just can't bring myself to like him or get any of his motivations, and at the same time, I hate feeling like the show wants me to hate him. This is not supposed to be a black and white show, and if we're going to see so much Zarek, at least give him a personality outside of politics, a life story, something.

However, the fact that Gaeta is teaming up with him is very intriguing.

Oldies But Goodies: Fan Expo 2006 Q&A

I must say, since I got the whole show and everything around James in the last five months, it seems almost like parallel universes to me - you've got the James with the floppy hair and the James with the long hair and beard and, most amusingly of all, some old interviews where he looks exactly like season 1 Baltar, and to me it looks like he's in costume. In this interview, we have what my girlfriend likes to call Garden Gnome Gaius, with the long hair and beard. It sounds like James, acts like James, but looks completely different. It's a bit confusing, although he doesn't look quite as old here as he does on the show with the beard. I think it's the emotional burden and depression that aged him on the show.

So this was a Toronto-based convention where he sat on a podium answering fans' questions. It's a very natural, friendly situation between James and the fans (truth be told, I haven't seen any fan interactions with him that weren't that way).

I will rely mostly on Forksmoker's files because they contain the entire panel. MovieBlog has a slightly better quality clip, but it's only a few answers (the HeadSix question / the first season 3 question). I also have shorter clips in the playlist, courtesy of bombrassier, but I feel like it would be too confusing to link them all individually because they don't follow the same divisions as forksmoker's files. Thumb through the playlist if you wish to see different clips.

Forksmoker, Part 1

James comes on to much applause and woos.

"Hi, everybody."

"Hi!"
"Woohoos" are heard.

"Wow. So is everybody having a good convention?" [applause] "I just wanted to clear something up, because there were a few people before who tried to take photographs, and I don'tmind this at all, I'm not one of those people who's like "ugh, talk to the hand", I'm really not. It's just that recently Iv'e started, when people take photographs and like in close quarters, getting people to donate money to charity. But the event here wouldn't let me do that. And so for all the people who like take money in Atlanta and then in Burbank beforehand, it seemed unfair that like you guys could have done that and it didn't go to charity. So I just wanted to kind of clear that up for everybody who... cos it looked like I was one of those people who... [angry voice] "my god, [?]"...

Someone asks what the charity is for.

"It's a different charity in every city, so... And nearly always for child relief on some scale. So I raise money for child relief India, and a local children's charity in Atlanta, and it would have been a children's charity in Toronto, and from my fee, anyway, there will be money to a children's charity here."
[applause, woos]

Ah, this must be the vague charity for children that Nicole was referring to. I seem to remember an older post on the Unofficial website about India and the children there, which obviously made a very strong impression on James. This is from May 2007:

I have been helping on a documentary here in Delhi about performers who all live in one "Ghetto" called Shadipur (literally meaning - Marriage -place) Like many things aqui - it's a bit of an eye opener! Some of the most beautiful children in the whole wide world! so many crazy things happening - being perpetrated on this planet of ours! I myself am praying - and checking the internet every time I can in the hope of reading that Madeline has been found alive and well. And then you realize that this is happening all the time - like so many other things... bewildering and feelings of being unable to help are palpably boiling under the skins surface.

Obviously spending time in Delhi has changed his perception of the world. I think it's great that he's doing charity work, and it doesn't seem to be that common that stars give their fees to charity.

"So um, I haven't really been on a podium by myself. I'm normally surrounded by members of the cast, [laughter] and like you can field[?] off several things like uh... I don't really have anything specific to say about the show. So are you going to ask... In that sense of, normally it's kind of, I like to have questions, I suppose, if people want to ask them. And hopefully I can answer them. So... Hi."

He sounds insecure, but of course this became an awesome interview, and all Q&A's have been that way. I think he knew from the start how to go about it: don't put on a show, don't try to be entertaining, just let it flow naturally, talk to the fans and hear them out.

"For everybody, that was 'how did I get the job?' It's a total mystery to me actually. [laughter] I rolled up uh... I'd been working in England for several years, and I always heard about this strange phenomena in America called 'pilot season'. [laughter] In England, we don't have pilots, in the sense of.. There's just not enough money and the country's too small, like, if you make a program, the program's going to be made and it is going to be aired. But in the States, they make hundreds of programs that never see the light of day. And I'd recently got a magnager, who was like, 'Come out to Los Angeles rather than send me a tape all the time, people might get to meet you.' So I came up. And I found that he was like, Battlestar Galactica! Obviously I'd seen the original, I was like, 'Who do they want to be Apollo?' Obviously that was like... [laughter] "And he was like, 'No that's already cast, it's gone to a friend of yours.' I was like, 'Bastard.' [laughter] I said, 'Well, who?' He went, 'It's a great character, they love it, it's Baltar...' I was like, 'Me?!' I didn't quite believe it, and he was like, 'No, you can kind of make this thing any way you want it.'

"

I'm glad James didn't play Apollo, even if he might have made that role awesome too. Obviously, Baltar is the more fun role with more leeway to play it in a way that doesn't have to be heroic. You get to be a complete jerk, and then get to show a little humanity and surprise the viewers. Jamie Bamber has expressed regret at the limited scope of the role - how, at the end of the day, Lee has to be the good guy. I think that, considering James' talent for humor and emotion, Apollo would have been way too limiting.

And yeah, I don't think we have "pilots" in Finland either. Actually, Finnish TV is sad because we have such a small country, small budgets, small array of actors, so it's the same people in basically every production. I'm not saying they don't make good stuff, but in Finland it's possible to go to the theatre, the movies and watch the TV and see the same couple of people playing the main roles in all. It's a bit depressing. It might be why Finnish people are so into American shows. So British TV is at least a bit more varied than that - even if it sometimes feels like Sally Phillips, who was also in Bridget Jones with James, is in every comedy. But I digress.

"The joke was that I actually arrived to audition on the wrong day, when they'd actually closed like... it was already finished. And that was my fault, because I had thought in my head I had a meeting on Tuesday, when it was on Monday. So I rolled in thinking of my eleven-a-clock meeting, you know, 'Here I am.' They were all like, 'Who are you? What are you doing here?' And uh.. Anyway, they let me read, and um.. I think essentially I um..

You know, I brought something different to the party than everybody else was trying to do. I think everybody else probably was trying to, you know, live up to being evil, and whatever, and I really wasn't at all. And the scene that I had to audition was the scene where, in the miniseries, where I'm in bed with one beautiful girl and my girlfirend walks in on me. From then you have like one audition, and then the process is... It's tough! They really want to be sure they've got the right chemistry between people. And I maybe had like five or six meetings, keep on going back. It's like, what do I have to do? I've done it already. But no, someone needs to see you and somebody else in New York...

So by the time you go to this big place in the Universal studios, or the Universal building, there were about five or six Baltars, and there were about five or six Sixes auditioning. And I remember being in the room like this, not Tricia but this very beautiful girl walked in, and I wanted to kind of go, 'Oh, man', just say, 'Hey, you're very lovely looking.' And as I was about to kind of say this thing, another beautiful girl walked in and I'm like, I'm gonna be saying this all day. [laughter] So actually I didn't say anything at all.

It's rather brutal, the auditioning process, cos ...maybe like Survivor or Pop Idol, you're in this room, you can see other people with you, and then somebody just comes out after you've gone in to sit in front of the executives, and taps you on the shoulder in front of everyone else and goes, 'It's not going to go any further today, you can go home.' That's like ouch, looking at people who have to pack their bags and then leave. I went into a room with like 20 people, all with like clipboards... I'm like, who are they? And I thought I did really.. a pretty shoddy audition with Tricia. She was sat in a chair next to me and we weren't allowed to look at each other, cos they had a camera here, "No, we need the front face, because this tape is going to New York." Which basically made it like acting in a straight jacket, and I remember thinking, "This is not going well." But I heard some voice, while we were doing the audition, some voice in the back went, [hoarse voice] "Oh yes!" And uh... I had to wait like another seven hours, I was staying with a friend in Los Angeles. And by the time I actually got the phonecall, it was like, 'I don't even know if I want to do this right now, I'm like, so exhausted.' Then found myself in Vancouver, which was a first. That's about the process. OK, next question."

It's funny that Tricia also tought she wasn't going to get the part. The look on James' face when he talks about the harshness of the auditioning process and the people having to leave is just so sad, almost like he's got survivor's guilt because he got the part and had to watch everyone else leave. He's a compassionate guy. I can imagine that some actors would just be triumphant and even express Schadenfreude at those who didn't make it. But maybe my view of actors is too negative.

Fun fact: since Pop Idol is only called that in the UK, I didn't recognize the name of the show at a first listening. I though the said Popeye. Survivor or Popeye. What amuses me is that I didn't put it past James, like maybe in James' head, even shows that different have some connection. Cosmic.

It's a question that comes up over and over, and I wonder if James is bored with answering it by now. But maybe it feels triumphant to think back to that moment when you thought there's no way you're getting it. Maybe it's safe to look back and know you did get it and it was all worthwhile.

A woman asks a great question about HeadSix and HeadBaltar.
"Did you all hear the question?"
"No!"

"The question was: what's my theory or my favorite theory of how I can see number Six in my head, and second part of the question is when I was playing Baltar in her head, how did I approach that?

I started to read some physics books. There's an interesting book by a guy called... I think it's Michio Kaku, it's called Parallel Worlds, or Universes. It's got this... I like to think that kind of she's there, in kind of a different reality, different universe, but I'm kind of in touch with it. And when you read some of these physics books, it's not so science fiction, apparently like there are parallel universes perhaps, all around us, just slightly beyond the tangibility of our grip. And uh, rather than kind of a mindmeld or anything, it's like they do exist, just kind of slightly beyond the frame of reference that everybody else can see. So that's my particular theory. [chuckles] I'm sure it's wrong. [laughter]

And as I approach the second one... Well, it was just like, you know, ah, finally this guy's got his shit together, the guy who's in her head. I don't have to be worried and nervous and scampering about for my own life, it's essentially like he's got his balls back. That was about the only note I made to myself."

Heh, I was sure that he was mispronouncing some French name there, but it really is Kaku. Which amuses me, because kakku is Finnish for cake. Of course, kallis is Finnish for expensive, so he's James Expensive. But that was a James-worthy digression right there. I really like the idea that Six is in a parallel universe. There are some fans who are spinning theories similar to this one. I'm not sure how much of an explanation we're going to get, but Ron D. Moore basically promised that we're going to get some insight into it, and I can't wait to hear it. I like the psychological idea of how Head Six and Head Baltar are the idealized version of the other person, but with a conscience twist and an erotic twist, all at the same time. I also like the fact that Six can foresee things Baltar doesn't know about, and that obviously there's some mythological significance to her. It's quite intricate and layered, and I hope we get an awesome explanation, or an explanation that leaves a lot of questions and leeway for interpretation, because this is basically my favorite aspect of the entire show.

I love when James starts talking about the books he reads. It's like "This guy has this theory about the world - isn't this exciting and cosmic? Isn't the world we live in pretty awesome?" He has that enthusiasm about theories and philosophy that is just charming.

Forksmoker, Part 2

He's asked about the scene in Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down where Gaius and Six are having some fun in the lab and Starbuck walks in. "How many takes did that take?" There's a huge ripple of laughter in the audience, and James looks pretty amused as well. I'm not going to add "laughter" this time, because it's after his every sentence.

"Quite frankly, not enough. Actually, in the stage directions of that original thing, it just said that they were making out. It just happens that Edward James Olmos was directing that particular episode. Eddie's like [EJO voice], "I want her on the table! On the table..." I was like, maybe you'd like to ask Tricia? If she'd like to be on..." So she was, what do you say... As we'd say in England, a very good sport. And it was terribly .. All of that stuff and the exercise, all of it was like, that's not in the script, that's... what am I gonna do ? looking at you and... "Oh yes!"

And it was uh, it was funny, it was funny to film. I think Katee got... In fact, the reason we had to film it a few times was because we were laughing. And also, the logistics of that particular thing were such that, you know... Some of these things, they're not cut round, so like, Tricia will be somewhere and then actually have to hide behind the camera and move around and come back into the scene. And in this particular scene, Tricia's job was to like be on the table, and then when the camera kinda went to Katee, to slide under the table. And it's a metal table, and I think a few takes, I kept on like smacking her head, cos that's so close. Luckily we're close and she forgave me."

Awww. It's a funny story, and I will give an extra Fangirl Squee Award to "Maybe you'd like to ask Tricia?" Not all guys see a beautiful woman like Tricia as a person with dignity and feelings. I also like the word play with "close" in the end.

"What do I find the most difficult part of getting into the role of Gaius Baltar?

Um... People ask me a lot, you know, how much fun is it, and there's a lot of fun, obviously. The cast is great, the creative team, there's a lot of support, the thing is you know, and this us really actually one of the main reasons why I wanted to do the job, it's not Bridget Jones's Diary. [laughter] It's not like lots of silly friends wandering around talking about nothing in particular and uh.. You know, that stuff, that really is fun to do, you just.. you go in, you have a laugh, it's not like you know, at night thinking about, [puts his hand to his temple] "Oh there I was as Tom.. ahh...." [laughter]

But this time with Battlestar Galactica, for everybody involved, to some degree it has to be hard [?] and if it isn't, then you're not playing it right. It has to affect you. So really the most challenging thing is to get into the mental space. And this is like day after day. And... yeah. It's not like... you can just give it even after 3 years. You have to put yourself.. it's like uh... emotionally regressing to the time when the world blew up, and then you were in space and you were alone, and like, as it were, layering your onion to kind of uh... to get there. And the things that go on in the show because they mirror our world, they are dark, and the implications are horrific. And I would imagine for everybody really on the show, that's not easy, and... It's one of the greatest challenges of the show, it's probably why if you can do it, you feel fulfilled at the end of the day, and why when you watch it as an audience, you feel rewarded. Because you're not being pandered to or... There's... that's probably the most difficult thing, putting yourself at a level of emotional distress um... a lot."

It's like that for the viewers too. BSG can be very dark and even depressing at times, and I really have to not think about how I'd feel being in the position the characters are in, because it makes me feel pretty dreary. (That's why it can be therapeutic to see the gag reels and other fun stuff with the cast - they seem like a fun, happy bunch of people.) But it doesn't just depress, it also makes you think of humanity. The character of Gaius alone will make you think of guilt and moral responsibility, narcissism and empathy, reason vs emotion or faith, intellect, etc. It's been an educational experience to watch the show. I can imagine it's even more educational to play a role in it.

A girl from the back asks if James would like to get some donations right now.

"No, listen, what I'm gonna do is like donate part fo my fee, and it's all cool cos we didn't do that already. Thank you so much anyway. Thank you."

He seems genuinely appreciative. Squee!

"What can you tell us about season 3 so far?"

OK, this is not really current, but I will transcribe it all anyway, because I always enjoy hearing the actors talk about the show as they see it. It's not really the same as a viewer's perspective; there's always something a little more insightful, so even if he can't really tell them much about the plot of season 3 here, I really enjoyed hearing his views on the starting points.

"Mm, what can I say? How many.. I mean, has it gone spoiler.. no, we're not in the States. In the States it's going spoiler crazy at the moment in the sense of that... I think the first two episodes have gone to the press already. We begin season 3 with the colonials living under cylon occupation. And if the colonials thought that it was tough when they were in space, then they've got like another thing coming to them when they're down on the planet. It's like living in a police state regime or like Vichy, France. People disappear in the middle of the night, people are tortured, people are killed, people disappear.

Baltar himself has little or no allies and is kind of, in some way, fully aware that he's a kind of totem for human loathing. That's because, I think, everybody outside Colonial One, or the coziness of Colonial One, assumes that he's just, you know, 'Of course, cylons, of course, yes yes yes." Which isn't really what he's doing at all, he's like under the thumb, there's like very little leeway that he has to maneuver or do anything. And what I find in the beginning of this show is the amount of people that are like... where can I find so and so, they've been abducted, they're going to be taken away, and every single one of us like passes the buck. It's not me, it's a special ministry, I don't have access to ... everyone."

Side note here - I'm not really sure if this happened on the show? I don't remember anyone specifically asking Baltar about any missing persons, but maybe this is something from deleted scenes we didn't get, or is just implied.

"It's like the coming of age of Battlestar Galactica, this particular season, there's really nothing darker or more intense. Actually after I watched it, I just um.. I just like flicked it off at the end and just stared at the blank screen for like ten minutes. You don't want to talk to people, you won't want to ring up your buddies I think, you just wanna kind of... let it sit there. Before you have that burning thing about... [excited] When is the next episode coming out, how is this going to resolve itself? Collectively the show has matured."

I feel like every single episode has been this way for me, even with season one. But I will say this: I don't know how people can stand seeing just one episode per week, because I've seen it all on DVDs, the whole show in one month. I'm about to find out as the new episodes roll around. It'll be interesting to see how it affects my viewing pleasure - will it be frustrating or exciting? For once, I will be able to join in the discussions right after the episodes. I feel like I came so late for the party and missed out on all the immediate reactions. I'm actually really psyched about this.

[A phone rings] "That's my phone. How awful! [laughter] What's really funny is that... when you have that on set, it's like, 'No mobile phones!!' You're doing a very very big scene, it's always the director's phone that goes off. [laughter] So hopefully won't go off again."

Heee!

Asked if there will be a mid-season break in season three, like season two.

"Yeah, there will. In fact, that's why I'm here right now, because we're in the mid-season break. Yeah, what can I say about season... I'm like still thinking about... Uh, Lee's fat. [smiles; laughter] Jamie Bamber gives the most astonishing performance this year. It's really really amazing. You're looking at somebody, again, who's gone through a turmoil and a crisis, cos we've jumped over the year, and then there will be, later on in the saeson, you'll find out why people are behaving in ways to each other. Cos you get to look back retrospectively, and uh, you know, the nasty and vindictive things that peple did to each other in that break. I myself am... I think it's fair to say I'm abducted and uh... yeah, spend a long long while away from both my friends and enemies on Galactica. Don't get back there for a long while. So... that's a spoiler." [laughter]

Heee, Fat Lee! I actually think that was a pretty sloppy storyline, stereotypical and vague, and they didn't really address it (was it an eating disorder? What else could it have been?). I think if you're going to do a weight gain storyline and depict how people deal with fat and dieting, in an intelligent way, go for it. If you're just going to have a thin actor in a fat suit ha ha look at him eat, don't bother. In this sense, I was disappointed, because I think BSG could have handled it a lot better. But at least Fat Lee is amusing to joke about - I don't usually do fat jokes, but I like to think I'm mocking the silly-looking fat suit and sloppy writing instead. Hee, Fat Lee. OK, I'm off my soapbox now.

I can't really hear the next question. James seems to have forgotten that he was going to repeat the questions.

"Where have you seen up to in the show? [scattered replies] No, but you've seen until the end of the second season? Wow. Um... [his phone rings again] Wait a second, I'll just turn this thing off. [laughter]

Um...they're kind of, they're waiting. They're waiting for their moment. And they're fully aware that if they strike in the wrong moment with their... force that is totally dwarfed by the cylons, then it's the death of everybody. They're in this awful.. they're in another awful position. They're waiting venues, they're waiting to try and get back to help - knowing, really, that they can't get back and help. Which causes a lot of rows and arguments... And the Galactica, cos like it's been like a year out, you know, everything has become rather lax in space, it's not like this.. All of the kind of cream of the military units, they're all down on the planet, everybody wanted to be down on the planet. So it's like a skeleton force that are on those ships. And you know... The dress code has become more lax, people's interactions with each other show that they've just been, like, sitting around in space for a year. That's..."

He trails off a bit, perhaps unsure how much he can say. But it's a nice analysis, not much to add there.

Forksmoker, Part 3
Asked if he will be in the webisodes.

"I'm not, actually. Webisodes are a brilliant idea, they chart characters who don't have much airplay in the canon that comes out on television, but all of their stories are totally intricately related to everything that does happen in the episodes. So I wasn't uh, but they were filming at the same time, and I do remember there was a bit.. They were filming the webisodes, when I'm walking back to across the set, someone goes, 'Shhh shh! quiet please, were filming! We're filming on our set!' I was like, your set? Blow(?), I thought it was all our set. Yeah, they're really great, and they follow the story I think, initially of Duck and his wife. And uh... what happens to them."

I must admit I haven't yet watched all of the webisodes for season 3, or even for season 4. I tend to have difficulty focusing on stuff with the minor characters. Somehow I'm not as dedicated to them. BSG has a lot of them, and the military stuff is the less interesting aspect for me. Maybe I should give the webisodes another try though.

"What do you think of season three's commentary on moder day politics as BSG has tendency to comment on modern day events?"

"It's not really just season 3, I mean, it's the whole show, really. And I think that you know, we're just trying to get you to think about it, like you know, really, there was never ever any idea that you know, Baltar would be, or Baltar's really George Bush, cos he really isn't. He's smarter. [laughter, applause] But he's still a disaster and god forbid something like this becomes your president, christ. It's not good, but what we were trying to do is, I think, in some way, people make a lot of headway about, oh, the monotheists or the, you know, genocidal maniac killers and the polytheists and et cetera, et cetera. I think we're really trying to get you to look at faith and address what it means. And uh... just my own personal standpoint is, you know, I can't believe if there is a God, that he wants me to go kill somebody else because they have a different religion, or they practice something differently. And so it's trying to get you to think deeper... You know, below the level, the subversive level of what's going on rather than...
Yeah. Nothing is to be taken at face value, essentially. Apart from that I'm very sexy. [laughter]"

Edit: I was having difficulty hearing the last part, because he says it so fast, but thanks to M/Sidestepping/Wesoly, I hear it now - "apart from that I'm very sexy". A woman says, "That's true! I agree!" So do I, random woman from the audience, so do I.

As for the rest - I'm just trying to figure out if James thinks religious fanaticism is bad, which I agree with, or believing in God per se is bad, which I don't agree with at all. It seems like he's given a lot of thought to the topic and it would be interesting to have a discussion with him about it. Was he raised Jewish, do his parents believe? Is he sort of ambivalent about God or is he leaning on atheism? I'm a believer myself, even if I kind of left organized Christianity recently. I think both religious fanaticism and atheist fanaticism are bad. People should be allowed their own beliefs without pressure. I personally find organized religion to be limiting, but I can understand those who want to maintain it.

"Yeah, um, I think uh.. let me see... has Dean Stockwell joined us already? Yeah, ok, Dean's there. Lucy and I end up in a kind of liaison, it's interesting. [some woos] And there's a member of the cast from Alias who joins us briefly, and still we've got like another ten episodes to go. So I know they are thinking of bringing a few more names and people in to...spice our plot[?]. We're filming in British Columbia, so maybe you know what that means [sniffs the air]."[laughter]

OK, I'm going by what M/Sidestepping/Wesoly hears, because I hear "spice our fart", which makes zero sense, while "plot" does make sense. The problem is that I still don't get what any of this has to do with British Columbia. Maybe there's some Canadian in-joke here that I'm missing.

I don't hear the first part of the next question, but the second part is if he got hung over to do the scene in Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II.

"No, that was just good acting." [laughter] "It.. there's two things, you know. The people who write this show, Ron Moore and David Eick, they're both political science majors, and they are super super smart. And they have a writing staff, again, that is super smart and has a real integrity about keeping the program tight. And this is then enforced by some wonderful directors. But as Ron says to me, there's only so much that he can... actually to kind of like.. if he, uh.. like tied it up like in ribbons, like he knows how it's gonna be, that would actually change the fun from him writing it. Sometimes he's like on set, goes, 'Oh, I had another person saying,
"Man, you just, you know, you're just pulling these ideas out of your... wherever!" He's like, 'Of course I am, that's what writers do!' You have to think about these things, so they set something up and um... There's I would say, maybe 40 % is like spilling the ether for us to work out at home. It's never 100 % like... this is gonna happen and then this and then this, because that would actually destroy the creative process."

That's one way of seeing creativity. Others might say that Ron's way of working is haphazard and causes incongruities in the story. When I write, I definitely make it up as I go along though - I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing, but it always changes the story and branches out new ideas. You could say it's worked well with BSG in some aspects, poorly in others (they did basically nothing with Simon, what was the point of introducing him?) As a whole, obviously BSG is something awesome, and I do hope the finale ties up some loose ends in a way that will leave fans satisfied. I'm actually a little anxious about that. I want the show to do well and fulfil expectations, but there are so many expectations.

"I forgot the second part of the question. Oh, was I hung over? No, I wasn't, and basically I said to Ron and David when I became president, I went, listen, I want my administration to be different to Roslin's, but I don't want my administration to be different just cos there's no people in my administration. And there were no people in my administration, and it was just me and these two girls. So I felt that all of this stuff you know, being sky high and popping pills and living this debauched kind of lifestyle was my idea really. Because I felt like to, actually sit there with a pen and actually look like I might be doing something, really made me look like an idiot. In the sense like, what's he doing? He's sitting there, he's not governing or doing anything. I wanted to show like, in some way, if um... if he wanted to or something, there were things that he could do, but it was kind of like a decision.

And I think, yeah, because he's a very childish, naïve, narcissistic individual, he really blames some other people in the sense of... These workers' riots that are going on, he's like, you know, 'We've been running for our lives for a year, we've almost been annihilated. Everybody wanted to come down on the planet, and now you're all bitching about, like, it's raining. Like get with the program! When was the last cylon attack?' And this is something Baltar, you know, really believes, because he feels himself totally diametrically opposite to Roslin. He understands that obviously, she's far better politician and probably a far better person. But she's a person who would like, if you voted for her, she wouldn't be doing your policy, she does what she thinks it's right.

Baltar, for the first time in his life, who feels... You know, the guilt on his shoulders for everything he's done, it's like, finally the people want to do something and I can facilitate that. It just happens to be a disaster. So no, I wasn't drunk or whatever, or particularly hung over, I find that in that sense, you need a lot of energy to be exhausted, to play exhausted. And if you are actually exhausted, you can't fire up your cylinders in the right way to portray it. And on that level, no, that wouldn't have been particularly helpful."

Wow. I always thought that, in Lay Down Your Burdens, it was more like "stupid planet, who wants to go there" and then "Oh, I can get some personal gain out of this? On second thought, I love this planet!"

As for that "hung over" thing, I guess I'll take James' word for it, but he did look really hung over in that scene. I think it was David Eick who claimed he got really drunk the night before just for that. Ron Moore seemed surprised when he said that, if memory serves, so maybe it was a misunderstanding from David. Or maybe what happened was that James forgot they'd shoot the finale that day, got really drunk and showed up hung over to work, claiming it was "character study" and "realism". Now he's forgotten all about it and the question baffles him. Yeah, sounds more likely.

Forksmoker, Part 4

People ask for spoilers. Blah. You've got James in front of you to talk about his work and character, and all you want to ask is spoilers? I've never understood this about panels. They cannot answer that stuff, ask something else. Also he just gave you a lot of insight into season 3.

James takes the questions with a smile, but remains tight-lipped. Do they run across other survivors? "Not yet." Laughter. "How many new models of cylons do we get to see in the first ten episodes of season 3?" "Can't tell you. Can't tell, won't tell." Laughter. Seriously, why are people asking this stuff? (And the answer was, obviously, none.)

A question I really like even if I can't really hear it - something about Gaeta and his position when Baltar is president.

"Gaeta has certainly become Baltar's aid, and he's pretty sick of himself in the position he finds himself in. But he's again another one of those people who are like, listen, we can say there's no game and we don't play, and we're just gonna end up with like a bullet in our head. But there might be a way of, you know, policing our own state, that then ameliorates the threat of the cylon force. But all of these people will be seen as collaborators, and when push comes to shove, and when it looks like the universe might right itself, the decisions that you have made down on the planet will affect your life and death. Because certainly nobody else is going to forget what side they think you were on."

Ameliorate. "To make better or more tolerable." Here's James teaching me new vocabulary again. I like Gaeta a lot, and I liked that his role was more prominent in the later seasons. But yeah, heavy stuff in Collaborators, and that was really one of the best Gaeta episodes to date. Alessandro Juliani is a great actor - he deserves more than "multiple dradis contacts, sir". Edit: I had written this bit a few weeks ago, and realize I said the same thing in the Starfury post, but maybe it bears repeating.

James says he only has three minutes left. There's some groaning and he explains that he has to travel back to Vancouver for filming. The next question is what he does to relax, "tell us something about yourself."

"Something about me? I play the piano and I write music, and I find that to be possibly the most relaxing thing that I can do. Otherwise, I spend a lot of time with my young children. That is not so relaxing [laughter] but it's really really wonderful."

"How old are they?"

"Three and one. ["awww"s] They think Daddy's an astronaut, because last time they saw me I was wearing this hat. They don't understand what an actor is. Bye, I'm going to space." [waves; laughter]

Awww and hee! Now, of course, they're five and three. Still pretty young though. It amuses me that he says it's not relaxing - I wonder if they're rowdy little hellions. I'd like to blog more about Spooky later, but I'll say this: I was really impressed by the song, because it was somehow new, his own. I had expected a bland regular pop song - not to generalize, but I find most British music terribly formulaic - but he really blew me away. It's not an easy song and it's not to everyone's taste, but I think it showed he has some talent. I'd like to see him in a role where he sings or plays the piano.

A man asks why James was in India during the Miniseries Lowdown. Short answer: "My wife is from Delhi." I wonder why he never calls it New Delhi. Or is he talking about the county of Delhi where New Delhi is located?

I can't hear anything of the next question, but I assume it's something like "Will Baltar have funny scenes in the upcoming season?"

"He's had a few and I've heard form the producers, cos they were really funny and hysterical to film, and I've heard from the producers, you know, it doesn't suit them so much to show it. Because... every time that you can laugh, you release the tension and we have filmed some hysterical things, genuinely really funny, in the face of extreme adversity. And I'm really not sure that they're gonna get aired, cos like, as Ron and David tell me they're just too funny. Maybe whatever, come a year and later, everything of these things will be, you know, stuck on a dvd, and I really hope they are. There's a lot of stuff that, genuinely, that you guys never get to see that we, you know... Every episode comes in like 60-70 pages, and I think that we can really nearly only use about 35 of those. So pretty much half the script disappers in the editing. That's because we've got so much material and like only an hour. So maybe not so much this year, no. We have one more question. Who's it gonna be?"

I think they should have used the funny stuff. The deleted scene where Baltar is trying some small talk on the cylons, totally awkwardly, is awesome. I'm not sure why they cut that. I'd think that in a really dark season, humor is needed. It's often humor that we use to survive the hardest of times, so it makes sense. I think there's a lot of comedy in BSG, despite the dark subject matter, and I think it still works in season four (The Hub, Six of One, etc.). James has a great talent for comedy, and it's a shame if it goes wasted.

Don't get me wrong, I like the David Eick video blogs and the way the gag reels are done. It's a bit more creative, rather than just the usual behind the scenes stuff. But I'd still like to see this stuff too. I'd really like to see the funny scenes James filmed when he was going naked around the basestar (and not just because they show him naked!). I'd like to see the stuff we've only read about - James reading EJO's lines when Pegasus met Galactica, some of the outtakes, and so forth. I would be totally willing to weed through a one-hour blooper video with two or three genuinely funny bits, as long as I got to be the one to determine which bits are funny. It just seems like, with so much material filmed, it's a shame that we really only get a short edited ten-minute bit per season.

Once again, can't hear the next question.

"No. This is cast out of America, America know that they want their baddies to be English. [laughter] I imagine that must have helped me get the role, because actually what it said was, for Baltar on the thing, it was like, "please present all ethnicities", everybody to like come into this thing. I tried to put on a kind of a voice in the first day that we were filming. And the director like ran over, 'What are you doing? What are you doing?' I'm like, well... He went, 'Forget it! You're gonna be kind of like our human touchtstone, you're the people who people can kind of relate to. And if you kind of, have a VOICE and things like that, you are less relatable on that level. We want to keep you natural and as natural as possible.' And I think that was a very brilliant move, because that director, Michael Rymer, is very brilliant. And a lot of the stuff that comes out is due to the colors that fire off from his brain."

I love Michael Rymer and everything he's done for the show. So um, nothing to add here.

"I'm gonna go now and catch my plane. I wanna say... [applause] I just wanna say it's really really lovely to see you all, thank you very very much, continue to watch Battlestar, and genuinely, you can proselytize people, people who don't watch it, don't see it, don't know, then they're the people missing out. So... enjoy your safe journeys home, thank you very much."

Proselytize.
1 : to induce someone to convert to one's faith
2 : to recruit someone to join one's party, institution, or cause

OK. Good to know. I actually guessed the meaning from the context. He could have said "convert", but his mind seems to default to the big word. It's kind of educational to transcribe these interviews - two new words in the same one!

And it does seem to work like that with BSG - it's like ripples, someone you know has seen it and gets you into it. A friend of mine got me to buy the on-sale first season box and give it a go, and I loved it. In a few weeks, I got my girlfriend to try it out. I was reluctant to watch it at first and so was she, but we both loved it. It feels funny now that I thought, "Ugh, sci fi, I don't like that stuff" and even, upon seeing the first season box, "Ugh, a hot babe, how original" (How was I to know that this particular babe (Six) would haunt my fantasies too?). Apparently I do like good sci fi. A lot. So I'm glad I was - proselytized.