It's been a long, twilight struggle. We've lost many more battles than we've won, and the names of the fallen are legion.

"Angel," "Farscape," "Firefly," and "Invisible Man" are just a few science-fiction series that died early deaths in the face of what seemed to be a never-ending onslaught of reality television, as executives sought cheaper and cheaper programming.

I'm big enough to admit there were some days I wasn't sure we could win. It seemed the encroachment of so-called "unscripted television" was unstoppable -- that eventually we would be awash in nothing but "Fear Factor" and "Survivor" clones. I particularly worried the days were truly numbered for sci-fi series once "Scare Tactics" and other such reality shows popped up on the Sci-Fi Channel.

But, yet, we may be on the verge of grasping victory from the jaws of defeat. Scripted series, and sci-fi shows particularly, are perhaps for the first time this decade, ascendant while it is reality television that finds itself on the defensive and in disarray.

The suit in charge of Fox -- the ultimate purveyor of reality television -- now admits the network's decline in ratings is due to relying too much on schlock like its latest reality brainfart, Who's Your Daddy?

Fox's average ratings have slid from 6.5 million at this point last year, down to 5.9 million viewers in prime-time this year, according to the Associated Press. In addition, Fox is all the way down in fourth place among viewers aged 18 to 49, a prized demographic, AP says.
That's certainly a true statement, but stunning nonetheless because I hardly expected a television executive to ever publicly admit such a thing.

And, now, our team is on the verge of winning its first major fight in years:

The Sci-Fi Channel is on the verge of renewing its excellent and groundbreaking original series, "Battlestar Galactica."

What began last year as a two-part miniseries, "Galactica" grew to a 13-episode season which has delivered record ratings to the cable outlet.

Pickup for a second season could come this week. I've been told all of the cast have just been offered a second-season contract, and that barring a major ratings falloff for this past Friday's episode, a renewal is in the bag.

Aside from UPN's tepid support for "Star Trek: Enterprise" and Sci-Fi Channel's support for its Stargate franchise, if this news proves true, this will be some of the only good news we fans have heard in years.

That the Sci-Fi Channel's parent network, NBC, recently aired an edited-down version of the original 2003 "Galactica" miniseries is further evidence both of the quality of this show specifically as well as fresh interest from broadcasters in scripted series in general, and in sci-fi as a genre in particular.

If the Sci-Fi Channel indeed greenlights a second "Galactica" season, we fans will have reason to celebrate and reason to set our sights even higher.

Specifically, watch to see whether and how quickly the Sci-Fi Channel further enlarges its stable of original, scripted series. (Anyone else remember those long-ago days when Sci-Fi Channel was home to "Lexx," "Farscape," and "Invisible Man" simultaneously?)

Once series start blooming once again on the Sci-Fi Channel, the next big test of our strength will be whether a genuine science-fiction show can once again survive on one of the big six broadcast networks for longer than a handful of episodes.

Imagine that: commercial television that ever-so-occasionally once again rewards creativity and original thought.

Well, I can at least dream, can't I? Fortune has for too long shined too brightly on those who revel in "The Bachelor."

A former entertainment journalist, Scott Nance is a member of the USS Chesapeake, an independent science-fiction and Star Trek club in the Washington, DC, area. He is a columnist for Airlock Alpha, and can be reached at scottnance@airlockalpha.com.