AirLockAlpha.com

Not a lot of actors from past Star Trek series have made their way to "Battlestar Galactica" despite it being run by one of the architects that made "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" a cult favorite, Ronald D. Moore. But room was made for Nana Visitor, who played Kira Nerys in DS9 in a role that not only won her acclaim with a nomination in the 2008 SyFy Genre Awards, but with critics as well.

"It was real acting, like I hadn't done for a while, and [it had] real writing," Visitor told fans attending the recent Vulkon convention in Orlando, Fla. "I loved it. I was very impressed all the way around. I though it was a great show."

Visitor played Emily Kowalski, a cancer patient that was undergoing similar treatments for her condition as Laura Roslin, played by Mary McDonnell in the fourth season episode "Faith." Although Visitor has appeared in shows filmed in Vancouver, B.C., in the past, she doesn't always make a lot of trips up.

"I was on the set for maybe four or five days, or something like that, and it was a real rough set," she said. "You felt the world of 'Battlestar Galactica' being very rough, and every set was dark, and it was tough. It was a whole different atmosphere."

Especially compared to the last time Moore and Visitor worked together on "Deep Space Nine."

"Our show had three huge soundstages that you walked in one door and you were in the world, and there were real doors," Visitor said. "It was like Disney World as opposed to Disneyland. There was no scale. It was what it looked like."

Visitor has been keeping busy, including an interesting role in the upcoming "Friday the 13th" film as Jason's mother, Pamela Vorhees. She hinted to fans at the convention that her character meets a very gruesome end. At the same time, Visitor said it's hard to not imagine that much of her future work could end up online, especially as the Screen Actors Guild continue to try and negotiate with studios over a new contract.

"The strike is really about the computer, and very much about the Internet," Visitor said. "TiVO and things like that make you be able to skip over commercials."

That has led advertisers to try and go beyond the typical commercial spot and even product placement. Visitor told the crowd about how one actress on her former show "Wildfire" was asked to practically exclaim the qualities of a Gillette razor while in the bathtub, something the actress ultimately refused.

"There is a huge confusion with all that and how it all works, and I don't know what to say," Visitor said. "It's very hard to do drama and have to say, 'Come on, Johnny. Drink this orange juice because it has 100 percent ...' It kind of takes you out."

Visitor said she's all for product placement without the commercial lines as well, but says there is still a problem the industry has to face on how it's going to fund television enterprises if advertisers don't feel their ads are being watched.

Finally, Visitor shared some insight on her character Dr. Elizabeth Renfro on the short-lived Fox series "Dark Angel," saying series creator James Cameron had more in mind for the show's villain.

"They were so angry at me because I finally said no, I can't move to Vancouver," Visitor said of the show's producers. "I can't keep flying to Vancouver from New York. I have two little boys, and I can't do it anymore.

"When she got killed, she got shot, and beat up, and burned. And there was no DNA that could ever come back. Ever. Everything was just destroyed."

If she had stayed?

"When I had a meeting with [Cameron prior to leaving the show], he told me that this character is actually probably around 100," Visitor said. "What she's after is the DNA because it's the fountain of youth, and she's always injecting herself. That never came out, but that was really interesting. If I had stayed, maybe it would've come out."

More of Visitor's comments can be heard on SyFy Radio in last Saturday's Vulkon remote broadcast. An archived version of the show can be found at BlogTalkRadio.com/SyFyRadio.

Tonight (July 23), "Star Trek" legend George Takei will join SyFy Radio to talk about life as Hiro's father on "Heroes," his time on "Star Trek," life working with William Shatner, and even his upcoming nuptials with partner Brad Altman. That show begins at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT at BlogTalkRadio.com/SyFyRadio and will be available for download following the show either at the site, or by visiting the iTunes Store and typing "SyFy" in the search window.

SyFy Radio also will be on location from Comic-Con International in San Diego this Sunday, July 27 beginning at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT with audio from many of the celebrities, writers and producers talking about their upcoming projects.

Vote now for your favorite actors, television shows, movies and more in the 2008 SyFy Genre Awards! Find out all the details by clicking here, and watch a video showcasing all the nominees right here.

Feeling a little horrific? Get your daily dose of horror news straight from The Doll, Rabid Doll that is at www.RabidDoll.com.

Hear Michael Hinman on SyFy Radio every Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT at www.BlogTalkRadio.com/SyFyRadio.