BATTLESTAR'S BACK IV: JOSHUA ORTEGA & ERIC NYLUND ON THE CYLON WAR

[MattBrady]

by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean

note – no art is yet available for The Cylon War

Caprica was first unveiled by the Sci Fi Channel in April 2006 and it is supposed to serve as a prequel to Ron D. Moore’s re-imagined TV series. Reportedly, Caprica, which is scheduled to begin production as a two-hour backdoor pilot “this spring”, will be set 50 years before the 2003 TV mini-series and follows two rival families – the Greystones and the Adamas – on the planet Caprica as they grow, compete, and thrive in the vibrant world of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol as well as delve into the creation of the Cylon Centurions Model 0005 by the Twelve Colonies and the eventual revolt of the Cylons in the First Cylon War, which lasted approximately 12 ½ years.

Now, as die-hard fans of the series know, there’re also other types of Cylons such as the self-aware, bio-mechanical Raiders; the hybrids, first introduced in the Season 3 episode “Torn”; and of course, the 12 humanoid Cylon models (Number Six, Number Three, Number Eight and others that make up the Significant Seven, and the Final Five that comprised of Saul Tigh, Chief Tyrl, Samuel Anders, Tory Foster and a mystery fifth character).

And let’s not forget the human/Cylon hybrid children, namely Hera Agathon and Nicholas Tyrol.

What do Caprica, the Cylons and the Fall of the Twelve Colonies in the 2003 TV mini-series have to do with Dynamite Entertainment, publisher of various Battlestar Galactica comics?

The answer: Battlestar Galactica: The Cylon War, a limited series by co-writers Joshua Ortega and Eric Nylund that is set to “reveal the historic events of the first Cylon War, as well as the happenings during the 40-year truce that followed.”

Continuing our looks at Dynamite’s Battlestar Galactica comics this week, we now turn our attention to Ortega and Nylund for a discussion about The Cylon War.

Newsarama: Guys, it's been more than a year since we last spoke about this BSG comic book project of yours and I'm sure we're all eagerly anticipating the fourth and final season of the TV series. Before we get to the specifics of your Cylon War comic, let's discuss about the explosive third season finale, shall we? Did you see any of those revelations coming?

Eric Nylund: Not really. Kudos to Ron Moore and crew for pulling off some huge surprises!

Joshua Ortega: Yeah, I don’t think anyone really saw it coming. It’s definitely got people talking, which is always a good thing.

NRAMA: Do you already know who the last of the "final five" humanoid Cylons is?

JO: You’d have to pay us an extraordinary amount of cash to reveal that.

NRAMA: As sci-fi writers yourselves, how do you view the theories, science and religion or as Ron Moore calls it, "naturalistic science fiction"?

JO: The blending of “soft SF” and “hard SF” is a great idea, though to be fair, a lot of the good SF labeled “hard” or “soft” really has elements of both, just like “naturalistic SF”. Ron has definitely pulled off the proper blend though with the new Galactica, that’s for sure.

NRAMA: What brought about your fascination with the Battlestar Galactica lore first envisioned by Glen A. Larson in the late 70s?

EN: It was my introduction to a science fiction dystopia. Before that I thought everything dealing with science fiction was rocket ships, dudes/babes in spandex, and the good guys always winning. Here was something where the good guys started with a defeat. That instantly got my attention.

JO: Cylons. For me as a kid, it was all about the Cylons.

NRAMA: In your opinion, what set BSG apart from George Lucas' Star Wars and Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek and other sci-fi works?

EN: It’s gritty and bloody and in your face. I love Star Wars and Star Trek, but the violence and realism is a little (or a lot in the case of Star Trek) softened. BSG starts with the nuking of a planet! And you see that at ground level. It’s brutal and unrelenting and very hard to not be fascinated with.

JO: It’s a different type of space drama, and it’s aesthetic is very modern and “of the times.” Galactica is accessible in ways that Trek or Star Wars can’t be.

NRAMA: What're some of your favorite episodes?

EN: The mini-series (!), of course.
Season 1 – “33”
Season 2 – “Resurrection Ship” (parts 1 & 2)
Season 3 – Part 2 of “Exodus” (my favorite episode so far in the entire series)

JO: The mini, probably always. It’s a great piece of work.

NRAMA: Whether it's the sultry and seductive Six, the traitor Baltar, the prodigal son (Lee) or the no-nonsense Bill Adama, every character is a fan-favorite. Who do you like best?

EN: It’s hard to look too far past Caprica-Six, but I also like Saul Tigh

JO: Adama, Olmos is great in the role.

NRAMA: Why does this particular character appeal to you? And if you've written him/her, do you think that you did the character justice?

EN: Six is damn sexy and has a dark side to her (even for a Cylon) and who doesn’t like that? You can tell she’s trying to figure everything out and play both sides against the middle. Tigh is cantankerous, takes no crap. We put him in the Cylon War series in a minor role—and he has a shadowy past that would be cool to follow up on.

JO: Adama is practical, no-nonsense, and he uses his humanity as his greatest strength.

NRAMA: Moving on to the BSG comics from Dynamite now, did you get a chance to read any of them?

JO: Yeah, I had a chance to check out Brandon Jerwa’s Zarek series… good stuff. I’m looking forward to checking out more of the book when/if my deadlines ever let up. [laughs]

NRAMA: In your opinion, how true to the concept do you think the comics have been? After all, we've got Robert Napton who's previously written BSG comics when they were published by Maximum Press and is now writing an arc featuring the early days of Bill Adama for Dynamite, and the TV show's staff writer Seamus Kevin Fahey and writer's assistant David Reed on board are doing some other stuff for Dynamite…

JO: I think everyone involved has been doing a great job. Dynamite has assembled a great group of writers for this medium.

NRAMA: So, how many issues is the Cylon War limited series now?

EN: Four. That’s it. Not six or 12—just four. And don’t ask for more. I have a problem with some comics where there’s a brief fight, and then two characters talk about their feelings for 20 pages. I paid four bucks for that?! Josh and I crammed an entire war into four issues, the rise and fall of an two civilizations, and the near destruction of the human race. Our goal is to give reader’s their money’s worth

NRAMA: Who's the artist attached to the series?

JO: Nigel Raynor, who worked on Dynamite’s first Battlestar Galactica series with Greg Pak. He’s got some great stuff, and I think he’ll be able to pull of the massive battle scenes and the human emotion that’s present in The Cylon War.

NRAMA: Joshua, the last time we spoke about this very subject, I asked if you'd be delving into the history of the creation of the humanoid Cylons and you said, "Hmm… now there's an interesting idea…" So, guys, has the idea been developed and turned into a comic already?

JO: More money, please.

NRAMA: [Laughs] What about the First Hybrid and the hybrids? Any plans to go in that direction as well?

EN: Not at this time.

NRAMA: Apparently, fans will learn more about the Cylon home world in Season 4 of the TV series. Will we see it as well in your limited series?

EN: The focus is on the colonies and how they survive the (first) Cylon War. We very briefly touch on Cylon space, but most for now it will have to remain a mystery.

NRAMA: It looks like there is somehow a link or at least an homage to the old TV series with the appearance of the old model of the Cylon Centurions in the Razor TV movie. And these have also made their comic book debut in Greg Pak's 12-issue BSG series. Are you guys further developing the back story with Cylon War?

EN: Absolutely! You’ll see the evolution of the Centurion series throughout the Cylon War series. That was something we really wanted to show.

JO: Yeah, great thing about this series is that it’s the definitive story of the Cylon’s evolution. It’s something I always wanted to know, so it’s an honor to be able to bring the story to life.

NRAMA: Is Cylon War going to be covering the two Cylon Wars (i.e. the First Cylon War between the humans and the machines, and the Armistice Station and the Second War that led to the destruction of the Twelve Colonies)?

EN: We show a little of the “second” Cylon war, but the focus in the comic series is why and how the human-created robotic forces were weaponized, how and why they turned on humanity… and how the heck humanity survived!

NRAMA: Will fans of the TV series and readers of the comics be able to find out more about life in Caprica and Sagittaron pre- and during the War?

EN: Yes.

NRAMA: Thoughts on the 13th Colony? Or Kobol, described as the ancestral homeworld for humanity in the Sacred Scrolls? Are you touching on any of these at all?

JO: That would be spoiling things, wouldn’t it?

NRAMA: In terms of characters, which familiar faces are set to appear?

EN: Very few. We have a few cameos of characters from the BSG television series, but remember, the bulk of the first Cylon War occurs forty years or more previous.

NRAMA: What about new ones that you're introducing to the BSG lore?

EN: Oh my, yes. There will be two legendary characters introduced—one human, one Cylon.

JO: Ben Tanner is the major human character we introduce in the book, and he goes through a pretty amazing character arc through the series. We’ll keep the Cylon a mystery for now, but we can say that he has some very strong ties to Ben.

NRAMA: Will Galactica actually find Earth? Which two characters will die? Your theory on how Battlestar Galactica will end?

EN: We have all the answers. We know it all… Really we do.

JO: (laughs)

NRAMA: Somehow I’m not convinced. [laughs] Wrapping things up, what other projects are you working on, if any?

EN: My latest novel, Mortal Coils comes out early next year (details on my website www.ericnylund.net). I’m busy on the sequel to that, All That Lives Must Die. What else? At Microsoft Game Studios, we’re working on a few blockbuster video games/franchises… other than that, pretty quiet.

JO: Oh man, where to start? My big project right now, just announced, is that I’m writing the script for Gears of War 2 for the Xbox, due this November. I also wrote the teaser trailer, and will likely be working on another Gears-related project, about which I’ll be able to say more soon…

Also working on the new Frank Frazetta comics titles, and currently writing May’s Frank Frazetta’s Swamp Demon and this fall’s Frank Frazetta’s Silver Warrior mini-series. The oversized, slipcased, hardcover edition of Frank Frazetta’s Death Dealer is released next month, though my work on that book is done…at least until the sequel, that is.

Just finished work on “Sundown,” a short story that’ll be featured in an upcoming Western anthology from Image Comics… I had a chance to work with my good friend Trevor Goring on that, so that was really a treat. Also wrote this month’s Red Sonja #32, a really fun—but dark—What If?-style story that turns Sonja’s origin on its head. There may be a few things I’m forgetting as well, so readers can check out www.joshuaortega.com for the latest scoop on my work.

Come back tomorrow for a special feature. Trust us, the future of Battlestar Galactica depends on them.

Related stories:
SEAMUS KEVIN FAHEY TALKS BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: ORIGINS #1-#4 FEATURING BALTAR & SIX

ROBERT NAPTON TALKS BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: ORIGINS #5-#8 FEATURING BILL ADAMA

BRANDON JERWA TALKS BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: SEASON ZERO

[Snikkas]

Cylons fighting Cylons!

I think I might soon be purchasing my first non-Marvel Battelstar Galactica comic book.

[Vijinand]

"And let’s not forget the human/Cylon hybrid children, namely Hera Agathon and Nicholas Tyrol."

I know about Hera. Who is Nicholas Tyrol??? I don't remember that one.

[bugalugs1]

Originally Posted by Vijinand

"And let’s not forget the human/Cylon hybrid children, namely Hera Agathon and Nicholas Tyrol."

I know about Hera. Who is Nicholas Tyrol??? I don't remember that one.

the son of the Chief and Cally, born on New Caprica

[robertnapton]

I got a chance to get a sneak peek of Joshua and Eric's story -- and it's awesome. Fans will be delighted with Cylon Wars, can't wait to check it out with Nigel's art!

[skaly]

[editor]Transpose the L and the Y in the headline on the main page.[/editor]

[Loren]

Originally Posted by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean

Now, as die-hard fans of the series know, there’re also other types of Cylons such as the self-aware, bio-mechanical Raiders; the hybrids, first introduced in the Season 3 episode “Torn”; and of course, the 12 humanoid Cylon models (Number Six, Number Three, Number Eight and others that make up the Significant Seven, and the Final Five that comprised of...

Just wanted to thank you for slapping such a huge spoiler in the middle of this otherwise spoiler-free preview of a prequel mini-series. After waiting almost a year for Season 3 to come out on DVD (which I finished watching last night), it was so nice to have the big finale reveal so casually and unapologetically revealed before I got the chance to even start the season. An ordinary review about the Cylon War of forty years before the current series might not give away the identities of almost all the remaining Cylons, but this one went beyond the call of duty to spoil viewers who'd had to wait for the DVD. Good show.