AirLockAlpha.com

The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

Seriously, that is what some people -- including Ain't It Cool News, it seems -- want you to think when it comes to "Battlestar Galactica." So many people are convinced that SciFi Channel's decision to move the show to Sunday nights is such a desperate act that it's hard to think otherwise. I mean, the ratings have eroded. The Friday night pairing with "Doctor Who" wasn't all that great. And people have some very distinct opinions about the show, some of them in the negative.

All I can say is that the sky is not falling. I have heard from way too many people who actually would have some real insight on the fate of the show that there is absolutely no indication that SciFi Channel is going to pull the plug. Even since our initial story addressing it, key people from the show and even from the network have made it clear that they would be utterly shocked if the show was not, in fact, renewed. And I have to say, I am with them.

Let's give some of these naysayers the benefit of the doubt. The ratings are too low for SciFi Channel, and they are not making the profit margins they need to be to keep the show afloat. Does that automatically mean that the plug should be pulled? No, believe it or not. There are other variables that also have to be considered by SciFi, and will be considered by SciFi.

The decision on whether to keep "Battlestar Galactica" on the air is purely about money. Yes, ratings could be better, no one denies that. But "Battlestar Galactica" continues to be one of iTunes' more popular downloads in terms of television shows. DVD sales are well above expectations, and there is a lot of buzz around the show, which continues to grow each and every day. Hell, even Howard Stern is a new convert to "Battlestar Galactica," being able to talk about little else since he started watching the series over the Christmas break.

That kind of buzz plays squarely toward one key move: syndication. And I don't mean the first-run syndication that we enjoyed "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" in. I'm talking about those great reruns that fueled such unnoticed shows as "Star Trek" and allowed us to have the science-fiction television that we do enjoy today.

In order to get a syndication package, you have to have enough episodes to make it marketable. Back in the 1960s, about 70 episodes were considered enough for hour-long dramas. These days, that number is closer to 100.

Why is syndication so important for a network? Unlike the Stargate series, "Battlestar Galactica" is produced by NBC Universal, which owns SciFi Channel. When the Stargate series went to syndication, it was MGM that saw the vast majority of the dollars there, not NBCU or SciFi. With "Battlestar," NBCU would see pretty much all of the profits, and that's something of definite value for the company. With the type of buzz the show is getting, there will not only be station affiliates all across the country interested in a syndication package, but other cable channels as well. And with such a proposal comes some significant dollars.

Where is "Battlestar Galactica" in the grand scheme of syndication? At the end of this season, if you break apart the miniseries, you will have 57 episodes. If SciFi orders another 20-episode season, that will bring the number up to 77. That could work as a syndication package, but it's likely that NBCU might actually get it a minimum of five seasons, giving them just under 100.

Of course, a possible syndication package doesn't guarantee a pickup. Obviously, if the show starts losing SciFi Channel money, they will have to weigh how much they think they will make in syndication and see if it's worth losing that money over a period of time leading up to the sale of a syndication package. Once again, NBCU is a business answerable to its many shareholders, and this has to make money for NBCU in the long run.

The most we can do is sit back, wait and see. I think the show is going in a great direction, and I have a hard time listening to people about how dark the show has become and how bitchy Starbuck is (have you people been watching this show from the beginning?) I am excited about the return of the show Sunday night (that's at 10 p.m. ET, everyone! If you're a Nielsen family, please definitely tune in!) and I feel confident that the next nine episodes of the show will hardly be its last.

SyBits
I'm sure by now we all heard about State Rep. David Wu comparing the Bush Administration to Klingons (and not even the real Klingons). If you haven't had a chance to see it yet, Jon Stewart of "The Daily Show" has an extremely funny clip about those statements on the House floor that includes the voices of Leonard Nimoy and George Takei. Take a look here.

Taking a peek at the SciFriday mailbag, Anne has taken it upon herself to convince me that The CW is a real network.

I just read [your] article about the Fox network and its woeful handling of all things sci-fi or fantasy, and I could not agree more. However, I was dismayed by your offhand, demeaning references to The CW network. For one thing, The CW is only in its first year -- it needs time to garner more attention and visibility. And for another, The CW is currently running what may be my favorite sci-fi/fantasy television series of all time: "Supernatural." Granted, the show is something of an anomaly on a network that also incudes the well-beyond-its-prime "7th Heaven" and the rapidly-headed-that-way "Gilmore Girls," but that does not change the fact that The CW is supporting nurturing a show about spirits and demons that also has a deeply compelling emotional story at heart.
--Anne (no location)

I simply cannot give The CW a break because it's in its "first year." No matter what people want to believe, The CW is a merger of UPN and The WB, which were on the air for more than a decade. The programming on The CW is nothing more than a combination of the best programming of the two networks, which I'm sorry, was not all that amazing to begin with. Yes, there are exceptions like "Supernatural," "Veronica Mars" and "Smallville," but even those shows are not enough for me to figure out which channel in my market is carrying The CW.

Of course, I respect you loving The CW, and I'm sorry that I made fun of a so-called network. Crap, I just did it again in my apology. I think I need help.

Reading your article "Fox Television: The Two-Hit Wonder, Maybe Three" was awesome. I stumbled across this wonderful piece of writing in my search for new information on my long lost "Firefly." I have to question my viewing of anything Fox broadcasts to this world when some loon is up there striking out masterpieces such as "Firefly" not to mention numerous other fantastis shows which you have listed yourself. I don't believe I will ever give up my hope for a second season of "Firefly," keeping in mind some idiot just like Fox dropped "Star Trek" at one point. I truely wished, though, that more voices were heard if no one else, but Joss Whedon himself.
--Zoe Carlon (no location)

And what a great way to end yet another SciFriday, but by joining the bandwagon for a return of "Firefly." I admit, I came to love the show after it was canceled, but I still love the show. I want Fox to sign over their rights to the show, and let Joss get this back up and running the way it should be. And no, I'm not saying that just so that I can get this column listed on Whedonesque over the weekend, I'm saying it because I mean it. I miss Mal, Zoe. Hell, I even miss Jayne. Bring them back. Bring them back now.

We're still looking to add friends to our new MySpace page located at www.myspace.com/michaelhinman. We plan on making a major announcement about all of that on Jan. 20, so join my friends list now!

Send us your questions or comments or whatever you want to talk about to me at mhinman@airlockalpha.com, and if you're lucky, you might even have it included in an upcoming SciFriday column. Please include a name we can use, as well as where you're writing from.

Do you like to bitch, er I mean, chat about the SciFriday columns you see here? Then join our message board discussions by clicking here.

If you're not yet a member of our free breaking news/headlines mailing list, then it's not too late to sign up. Simply send a blank e-mail to syfyportal-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and enjoy the latest in science-fiction and fantasy entertainment straight to your e-mail box with breaking news and headlines. I promise you you won't regret it!

Have a great week, and don't be a stranger!

Michael Hinman, recently named Time magazine's Person of the Year, is the founder and site coordinator for Airlock Alpha, writing out of Tampa, Fla. He can be reached at mhinman@airlockalpha.com.