It's easy to be guilty by association. I know that because one time when I was like 8 years old on the mean streets of Johnsonburg, Pa., a bunch of my friends thought it would be great to start throwing rocks.

So they did, and they ended up hitting someone's mom, who obviously got angry and called our parents. I didn't throw a single rock, but my dad looked me straight in the eye and told me that it didn't matter if I threw a rock or not. I was still guilty by association.

In Hollywood, there's no such thing as being guilty by association. Instead, like everything else in the world of television and movies, it's the exact opposite. You're not guilty by association, but you can gain success and acclaim simply by being associated with something.

Sometimes, I wonder if that is what's happening with David Eick. Don't get me wrong, I really do like what Eick -- who is an executive producer with "Battlestar Galactica" -- has done, and I agree with him on many things he says during his numerous interviews. Eick has achieved a lot of attention thanks to the critical success of "Battlestar Galactica," and maybe a lot of it is deserved. But then I see the episodes that Eick has written, like the very forgettable episode "Hero," and I'm not sure if I have the same confidence the industry has given him. And then I see "Bionic Woman," and I get even more worried.

Because Eick is associated with "Battlestar Galactica," a lot of doors to some very sensitive projects have opened for him. One of them was "Bionic Woman," which could've been fascinating and entertaining if done right, and now we have learned he is going to be taking on a television version of "Children of Men."

Please, leave "Children of Men" alone.

The 2006 film, co-written by Alfonso Cuaron and a host of other people loosely based on the novel by P.D. James was an amazing story (and some amazing work of cinematography). In a future world where humans can no longer have babies and where xenophobia is at its zenith, one man is tasked with protecting what could be the future of the human race: an immigrant who is very pregnant.

Now to Eick's credit, he wants to concentrate more on the James novel than the film, so we don't have to worry about any damage taking place to the film, but I really want to wait and see who else Eick brings in to help him pull this off.

One of the amazing things about "Battlestar Galactica" is that while Ronald D. Moore was the creative genius behind the show, it was Eick who was more of the marketing genius, and also was the person who knew how to keep the network happy on the business side (something very hard to do). If you removed either Eick or Moore from the equation, "Battlestar Galactica" would've easily stumbled if it didn't have someone like the two of them putting it together.

But Eick figures he can strike it solo, and I just don't think it works. While he might have a good handle on the business side, he still needs an amazing creative balance to make it work. And I worry that he won't bring in the right balance, and once again, another Eick project will go up in smoke.

I hope that doesn't happen. Because as much as I disliked "Hero" and as much as I could've done without the time "Bionic Woman" sapped from my life, Eick really is a key factor in the success of "Battlestar Galactica," and he has done some tremendous work. For every "Hero," there is a two-parter like "Home," that I thought Eick did wonderful job writing.

So don't take this as Eick bashing in any way. I want to see Eick earn his due as a great producer (and someday, maybe even as a passable writer) just as we know Moore will, but please figure out that it does take a formula to make it work, and figure it out before you get too knee-deep into "Children of Men." Because I want a good show to watch, that will leave me just as satisfied as I was with the movie, and almost as satisfied as I am with "Battlestar Galactica."

SyFy Radio

Not sure if you heard or not, but it seems that radio has killed the Internet star. Except I'm only a star in my own mind.

SyFy Radio has launched, and there's now a sample program that we did to work out some of the bugs up on our profile page, which you can find at www.blogtalkradio.com/syfyradio. Sign up for free, become a friend of ours, and stay updated on upcoming shows.

SyFy Radio will air every Wednesday at 11 p.m. ET, which you can join us by calling in or even joining us in the chat. If you can't stay up that late, or have something better to do like wash your hair or pull out your teeth, each show is recorded and made available within an hour after the life broadcast, which you can hear from the same place.

It does require that you are updated on your flash player and everything, but once you get in, you never want to leave.

Our upcoming schedule includes our first official show April 2 at 11 p.m. ET. Our scheduled guest is Daniel Malen, better known as The TV Addict. We'll also have a member of our staff to chat a little bit, and we'll take your calls, too.

On Friday, April 4, we're having a special "Battlestar Galactica" program that will begin at a special time, 11:30 p.m. ET. We're going to talk a little bit about the season premiere and what we expect to have happen in Season 4. Also, we're trying to work out the logistics of including one of the writers of Friday's episode, David Weddle, to join us. The only bad thing is that he is going to be hosting a viewing party the exact same time we're going to be live, so we're trying to figure out how to talk to him ahead of time, and then do a playback during the show.

So click on the link above, and make sure you join us every Wednesday at 11 p.m. ET for SyFy Radio.

SyBits

Speaking of "Battlestar Galactica," a reader named Jeff O'Connor who was very active in the Save Farscape campaign, recently moved to the Phoenix area, and moved without a television.

What does that mean? He won't be able to watch the season premiere of "Battlestar Galactica" next week. And to me, that is devastating.

I don't live anywhere near Phoenix, but I know some of our readers do, so if you're hosting a viewing party, or if you don't mind meeting a fellow fan and offering him a seat in your living room when it comes on, it would really mean a lot (and be a real nice thing to do).

On top of that, whoever steps forward to help out will get a special prize in the mail from Airlock Alpha ... not Airlock Alpha, actually. From my own personal stash of "Battlestar Galactica" stuff. It's a thank you for being so kind to a fellow "Battlestar Galactica" fan, and being interested in meeting someone new. Jeff is a good guy, and I'm sure it will be lots of fun.

If you're in the Phoenix area, and don't mind a little company next Friday night, drop me a line at mhinman@airlockalpha.com, and let me know, and I will forward your e-mail to him.

Thanks a lot, in advance!

Send your letters to mhinman@airlockalpha.com, and maybe you'll eventually read them right here in this very spot, complete with my arcane responses.

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

Don't forget to listen to me host SyFy Radio, every Wednesday at 11 p.m. ET (and available to download for free at your leisure after the fact) by visiting www.blogtalkradio.com/syfyradio.

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!

Rabid Doll is now online! Visit it at www.RabidDoll.com. We also have a mailing list going for that, which you can join by simply sending a blank e-mail to rabiddoll-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

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

Michael Hinman, a cult leader twice awarded "Best Kool-Aid Drinker," is the founder and site coordinator for Airlock Alpha, writing out of Tampa, Fla. He can be reached at mhinman@airlockalpha.com