February 2005 BG Newsletter

Well, how are you all doing out there? Been a while since I last spoke with you but these have been very busy days for many of us and that certainly is the reality for me at this point in my life. I’m sure you’ve noticed that our Battlestar page is still undergoing reconstruction. It’s been an ongoing process of finding the right people to do this but finally my good friend and CGI artist and web designer Mike Mcadams, with the help of John Casey, have consented to come on board and help us build a new page that will truly represent the entire BG fan community. My feeling on this is due to the fact that we are battlestargalactica.com; we should create a home that serves fans of all generations, cultural background and preferences. I and many others feel that this page needs to build a bridge between the classic BG series and the new re-imagined version currently airing on the Sci-fi channel: An unbiased page that will honor both series and lay out the entire history of Battlestar from its’ inception in 1978 to the current version of Battlestar in 2005. I know there are many fans out there with strong and diverse opinions on both shows and I felt that we could create a page where we not only fairly represent each series, but provide an opportunity and forum for fans, writers and reviewers to share, discuss and debate the many varied opinions on Battlestar past and present. We are open to your feedback, ideas and any creative suggestions on how to make this new BG page a true home for all of us to share our love, passion and thoughts on this no longer underrated story. We intend to have interviews with the actors, writers and producers of both the original and new series, including articles, reviews and ongoing columns from all perspectives and points of view. Discussion groups, chat rooms and posting boards for all of us to share our thoughts and ideas about BG: what we like and don’t like and what we would like to see more of. We’re looking for talented writers and reporters to gather data, stories and current news on what is happening in the entire Battlestar world. Please let us know if you’re interested and than send us an example of your writing for review. There will be an address to send your information to on this page. We would like to find several key people to help us with this who love either of the BG series or both.

As many of you know the new BG series has been airing in England and now the United States to some of the highest ratings ever on the Sci-fi channel. As a result NBC and the Sci-fi channel has picked up the series for another season. Filming will most likely commence in May of this year. There is also a possibility that Battlestar may begin airing on the NBC network this year as a regular series. We will let you know when this is confirmed.

My own feelings about the new series have been written about in many publications and newsletters, but I will only say that I’m amazed at how far this show has progressed in such a short time. New series usually take a year or two before they find their pace, but this show due to a very gifted producing, writing and acting crew has really focused on bringing to life the core premise of Battlestar: “The heroic struggle for a civilization to survive a catastrophic destruction of their world and deal with the immense challenges of having to having to come to terms with the many flawed, imperfect, dark and conflicted characters that evolve out of any civilization facing critical life and death issues”. Obviously this new BG series is much different in style, tone and back-story from the original, but I think it’s fair to say that the core BG story is being explored and dramatized in a very powerful, visionary and original way. As for me, I’m proud to be part of a Sci-fi series that has the guts to honestly explore controversial and provocative political themes and character and plot issues. We don’t get quality Sci-fi shows very often and when we do I’m thrilled, even if I’ve had to deal with a lot of personal pain and frustration over my own attempts to bring back Battlestar. And my role of Tom Zarick, in the series has been a Godsend to me. It’s reawakened my love and passion for acting and performing again. I got burned out years ago playing characters I didn’t care about or could hook my teeth into. I love playing character roles that are more complex, multi-layered and conflicted, as do all actors. As I’ve said in the past we all imperfect and flawed human beings struggling to find our way in the world. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. Sometimes we lose our way and go off course in our life and the heroic journey back becomes the proverbial journey of the hero in mythology. In any case for however long my role lasts on the new series I’ve had a great experience on the set and working with all the new actors and writers on the show. Ron Moore, David Eike and company has been more than gracious with me and I can’t thank them enough for having the faith in me to let me play this role.

In regards to my Battlestar novel series, the seventh one “Redemption”, will be coming out this spring. Don’t forget you can order your gold- signed editions of my BG novel series online at battlestargalactica.com. As for signed pictures you’ll also be able to order them off my richardhatch.com site in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned for information on that. I have truly loved collaborating with Brad Linaweaver, on these BG novels and this is the first time I’ve had the chance to really get to know my co-writer and explore the depths of the Battlestar core back-story, characters and history. What a pleasure to find such an intelligent, wise and talented writer to work with. I feel blessed to know and work with you Brad.

By the way I don’t know if you’ve seen it but there is a new service online these days. Its’ called “Hollywood is Calling”. It’s a service where you can buy time with a celebrity to deliver a personal greeting to anyone you would like. Birthdays, Weddings etc, or even to deliver a wedding proposal “HOLLYWOODISCALLING.COM” is the place to go to set up an appointment to speak with your favorite star in person via the telephone and have your personalized message delivered to anyone you choose. Check it out. Information about this unique new service is listed on this page.

On the Magellan front we’re moving forward at a rapid pace this year. “The Great War of Magellan” preview comic is debuting this year at Mega-con, where I’m appearing this monthin Florida followed by a three part graphic novel of Magellan in the coming months. An ongoing monthly series of Magellan comics will follow that. In addition we are currently finishing the final short version of the Magellan trailer, which we will be previewing this year at conventions all over the world. Along with the reconstruction of my BG site we’re doing the same thing with my Magellan site. This should be up in the next couple of weeks so stay tuned. After three years of development I’m finally moving into the investment phase and laying out a business plan for creating a CD rom game and movie/backdoor pilot of Magellan. I have never learned so much or been so challenged to face my fears and insecurities as I have putting this epic project together. They say the fastest way to grow and find God is to get married, have children and start a new business. I would say that creating a new universe and filling it with life certainly comes close. This has been the epic adventure of my life and I have loved every painful, frustrating and inspiring moment of it. Please visit greatwarofmagellan.com in the near future to gather all the latest news on Magellan and to learn more about this epic new Sci-fi adventure/drama/action series. I finally learned what commitment is when I got involved with bringing Battlestar back and creating a new series from my heart and soul called “ The Great War of Magellan”

Last but not least I’m still teaching, lecturing and speaking on personal growth, powerful communication, and how to maximize your potential for success and fulfillment in this world. We always share what we have learned the hard way and that’s exactly what I do in my seminars and lectures. From crippling fear and insecurity to international success and fortune, to losing it all and fighting my way back again I share my very personal journey and hard won wisdom and insights with audiences all over the world. I’ve been speaking around the country to corporations, special groups, organizations and also to churches, universities and high schools for the past 30 years in between acting gigs. My passion is to inspire and empower people from all walks of life through my art and my teaching and public speaking. Please check out my richardhatch.com site next month for a listing of the seminars and lectures I give and where I’ll be presenting them this year, in addition to information on how to book me at your upcoming event. Please be patient with this site as it is also currently going though re-construction and updating. All my sites will be fully functioning and updated in two to four weeks. Well, that about does it for now. Don’t forget to write us with your list of most asked questions, which our crew will be answering for you over the next month or so. We’re here to serve all of you so please make your feelings, thoughts and ideas heard. Thanks for hanging in with us through this ever changing and very challenging time in Battlestar history. We’re doing our best and just remember that we value and honor all of your diverse opinions. Please feel free to share them with battlestargalactica.com. I believe that there is room for all of us to co-exist in the Battlestar universe. Until next time KEEP THE FAITH!

Richard Hatch