AirLockAlpha.com

It won't come back until January at the earliest, but "Battlestar Galactica" fans do have something to celebrate now: A 22-episode fourth season. But the question remains whether this back-nine pickup is good for the show, or bad.

The 22-episode order includes the two-hour telemovie that has been talked about for some time, which will air in the fall on SciFi Channel as well as a direct-to-DVD release, with the other 20 episodes beginning in 2008, TV Week reports. Ratings have been down during BSG's third season, and there was some fear -- especially after SciFi Channel moved the show to Sunday nights -- that the future of the show would be iffy at best.

A pickup such as this can mean only one of two things. SciFi Channel has a lot of confidence in the show to continue another 22 episodes, or this is going to give producers enough time to wrap up the show. (See previous story)

If this order is completed, this will make "Battlestar Galactica" 79 episodes long, if the miniseries and the upcoming telemovie is broken up into separate episodes, moving into the range of a decent syndication package that could be offered to television stations.

The announcement does come just days before the highly anticipated third-season finale of the show. "Battlestar Galactica" airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on SciFi Channel.

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