The end of the writers' strike is fantastic news for any television fan, as we can all go back to our normal viewing habits in the near future.  Now that the writers are close to voting on a deal, we can finally look ahead to what this means for our favorite shows.  One series that is in a unique position is the Sci Fi Channel's Battlestar Galactica, which is kicking off its final season on Friday, April 4 at 10pm.  The crew behind BSG completed 14 out of 20 episodes before the beginning of the strike, with the network planning to air at least the first 10 beginning in April.  Now that the strike is wrapping up, when can we plan to see the final batch of episodes that will finish off the entire series?

The Sci Fi Channel has yet to make an official decision regarding the last half of Battlestar Galactica's fourth season, but even with the possibility of production resuming in March, they'll likely delay the final episodes until the fall or, worse, 2009.  This is the same way the Sci Fi Channel has aired previous seasons of the series. They'll run the first 10 or 11, then take a hiatus before running the second half of the season.  This is done to maximize buzz for the series and ensure that they don't burn through the episodes too quickly.

While it's good for the network, it's certainly frustrating for the BSG fans.  Waiting for the second half of the final season is going to be terrible, and I can only hope that the network chooses to run the episodes in the fall and not in 2009.  Holding them for that long would be a bad decision, and probably gather more ill will than support from the fanbase.

Over the coming weeks, as the strike officially wraps up and the fourth season of Battlestar Galactica gets ready to begin, we'll probably hear more on the Sci Fi Channel's decision.  Just be sure to keep your fingers crossed that they'll air the final episodes sooner rather than later.



- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: E!Online
(Image courtesy of the Sci Fi Channel)