BSG addicts had to wait what seemed like an eternity for the first half of Season 4, and now the show is off air again until 2009. But fans still have much to look forward to, as Owen Van Spall finds out.

At the time of our last BSG preview (click here to read), executive producer Ronald D. Moore was mooting the possible premature end of his show following the strike closedown after filming episode 13. No season airdate had even been confirmed. What a difference a few months makes. Strike over, BSG returned on 4th April to air the first half of its 22 episodes (the Razor special making up the first two), with the shocking mid-season finale ‘Revelations’ finally bringing the fleet to Earth. But it was an Earth seemingly scarred by nuclear war; abandoned and bleak. And one Cylon still remained hidden. Where, wondered both characters and fans, could they go from here?

And when? Moore told TV Guide in a recent interview that BSG’s final episodes probably won’t air until 2009 due to the strike, post-production times and sheer scheduling in a crowded fall season. EOnline.com reported that the president of Sci Fi has confirmed it will be the "first quarter" of 2009. So settle in for a long wait, though to whet the appetite a set of 10 Webisodes will link the two halves of Season 4, as with the earlier story ‘The Resistance’.

Moore has also been busy with Caprica, set 50 years before the current series and focusing on the Adama and Graystone families and the birth of the Cylons. The show was greenlit in March after years in development hell. The Dr. and Mrs. Who Blogtalk Radio show recently reported that the two-hour pilot for Caprica wrapped on 19th June, but a full 13-episode first season has yet to be ordered. The cast includes Polly Walker (Rome), Esai Morales (Jericho) and Eric Stoltz, though Stoltz (who plays Daniel Graystone) may be overbooked for a full series according to a Sfyportal report, due to commitments to one other backdoor pilot show.

There's more good news, however. According to Maureen Ryan's column at The Watcher it is almost certain that at least one Razor-like BSG TV movie will be made this year, possibly more. Details are currently sketchy, but the film (or films) apparently will not affect the finale, and according to Aaron Douglas's site moderator it will be set during Season 1. The blog Galacticasitrep also reported that Jane Espenson is writing the movie (as writer/producer David Weddle and Bradley Thompson have just left the BSG team for CSI), and Edward James Olmos (Admiral Adama) is slated to direct.

The final Season 4 episode, written by Moore (who will also direct in this season), will also be three hours long, which means that the final part of Season 4 will last 11 hours (the final episode of each season is always two parts, but it is not clear if an extra episode is to be scheduled). A Sci Fi spokesman confirmed that: "As written by Ron, the phenomenal finale script extends beyond the time allotted for the episode. We're exploring how to shoot the extra footage ...”