BATTLE PLAN (PAGE 16)

The new Battlestar Galactica's other principal characters weren't spared Moore's gift for reinvention. Boomer was not only transformed from a heroic male Viper pilot into a woman -- Lieutenant Sharon 'Boomer' Valerii -- but also became a Cylon in the remake, following a suggestion by David Eick.

"In the original draft of the miniseries, Sharon was just a young pilot who I gave the call sign Boomer," recalls Moore. "She was supposed to be the rookie pilot and I was most interested in the illicit love affair she was having with the chief of the deck. It was David Eick's idea to make her a Cylon, and it was perfect because Sharon was already portrayed as a very human, very likeable character without there being any hint that she was hiding something. So when we reveal she's a Cylon at the end of the miniseries, it's much more effective because you're already drawn into her."

BATTLE PLAN (PAGE 17 - 18)

Battlestar Galactica's principal protagonists and antagonists were supplemented in Moore's miniseries script by a number of completely original supporting characters, like Chief Tyrol, Lieutenant Karl 'Helo' Agathon, Lieutenant Gaeta and President Roslin's assistant Billy Keikeya. These were all created by Moore in an attempt to make life on the Galactica as varied and believable as possible.

"I like having the enlisted ranks and civilians as part of the show," says Moore. "It allows us to portray different types of character interaction."
 

THE MINISERIES: PART I (PAGE 30)

Surveillance Additional: Prior to the shooting of the miniseries, the actors and actresses playing the show's leading Viper pilots and deck officers attended a special mini boot camp held by the production's military advisor, ex-solider Ron Blecker. "I focused on making them look like a team, and made them go through a lot of different drills and military procedures," reveals Blecker. "Everyone did a great job, especially Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber and Aaron Douglas. They came in as a group who were quiet and nervous and didn't know each other, and when they left it was all hugs and cheers and they couldn't wait to get to work! It went really well."

After the boot camp, Michael Rymer persuaded Blecker to appear in the miniseries as the officer who supervises Kara Thrace's launch of a Viper Mark II. "Michael said, 'Look, I'd really like you to do this for me -- you say six or seven words and you're out of there!'" he recalls with a chuckle. "It was easy for me to do."
 

FROM MINISERIES TO SERIES (PAGE 42)

Another season-long arc that wasn't initially intended by Moore was Sharon's discovery of her Cylon nature and the disintegration of her relationship with Chief Tyrol. This arc was devised by Moore during the development of season one's second episode, 'Water'.
 

WATER (PAGE 48)

Episode Synopsis: Lieutenant Sharon Valerii inexplicably awakens inside the Galactica's Tool Room and discovers that she is soaking wet -- and has G-4 detonator in her bag. Before she and Chief Tyrol can find out what she was doing, an explosion creates a rupture in Galactica's water tanks that leaves the fleet facing a dire water shortage. Although she has no memory of her actions, Sharon fears that she must have been the saboteur.

As the Galactica's Raptor crew search all nearby star systems for potential water sources, Commander Adama and President Roslin lead an investigation into what caused the water tank explosion and learn that it was started by G-4 detonators. They also discover that one detonator is still missing. Throughout the investigation, Tyrol Attempts to hide Sharon's involvement in the incident.

During a reconnaissance flight, Sharon locates a water supply on a nearby moon and struggles with her Cylon programming to alert Crashdown of its whereabouts. She also discovers the missing G-4 detonator aboard her Raptor and manages to deactivate it. Sharon and Crashdown return to the Galactica as heroes -- and Tyrol continues to protect Sharon by removing the detonator from her Raptor.

Back on Caprica, Helo is also given a cause for celebration. He receives a Colonial radio signal and starts to believe that he and Sharon may not be the only humans left on the planet...

WATER (PAGE 50)

"When I started writing the script, I really decided to jump-start Sharon's storyline," he reveals. "I felt that an accidental water loss was a little unsatisfying, and decided I needed something darker and more intriguing to pull the audience in. I then sort of blindly went, 'Okay, Sharon did it!' and on the spur of the moment I decided to spin the episode in that direction.

"That decision really changed Sharon's arc for the entire season," continues Moore. "At the start of the season, I intended to reveal things very slowly -- Sharon was going to realize something was wrong over a longer period of time, and her relationship with Tyrol was going to be very solid. But when I got into 'Water' I decided to speed things up by putting Sharon and her relationship with Tyrol in a crisis immediately."

On reading the script for 'Water', Grace Park felt both thrilled and daunted by the fact that Sharon was taking center stage in Battlestar Galactica's first showcase for a specific character. "I was really excited when I first read the script, but at the same time I was also pretty freaked out because it was so heavy on my character and was very challenging," she recalls. "I was fortunate that the episode was so well written and the director, Marita Grabiak, took me through everything the whole time.

"The episode really allowed us to delve into what was going on with Sharon," notes Park. "She's put in a difficult situation and there's an internal struggle between her programming and her human side. It was great to play that internal conflict."

Park's screen love, Aaron Douglas, saw Chief Tyrol's attempts to protect Sharon as a great way to explore his character. "I enjoyed working on 'Water'," says Douglas. "I thought it was a good episode. I particularly liked doing the scene where Tyrol is in front of the investigation team. He's just so out of his element. Everyone in the room is above him in terms of authority, he's not a comfortable public speaker, and he's lying."
 

LITMUS (PAGE 64)

Episode Synopsis: After a Cylon suicide-bomber detonates himself aboard the Galactica, Commander Adama and President Roslin notify the public that the Cylons have the ability to imitate human form, and initiate an independent tribunal headed by Sergent Hadrian. Hadrian immediately focuses her investigation on two people she knows are hiding something -- Chief Tyrol and Lieutenant Sharon Valerii.

Tyrol and Sharon's attempts to keep their relationship a secret make them look increasingly suspicious, and Hadrian starts to believe that Tyrol was responsible for allowing the Cylon suicide bomber to gain access to a small arms locker. But Tyrol is protecting by Socinus, who falsely admits to leaving the hatch open himself. Socinus is sent to the brig.

As the Tribunal continues, Helo is observed by Cylons on Caprica as he decides to hunt for Sharon following her 'capture' by a Centurion. Sharon is brutally beaten by Cylons before being 'rescued' by Helo.

Back on Galactica, Commander Adama is summoned to testify before the Tribunal. While he is questioned, Adama realizes that the Tribunal has lost its sense of perspective and ends the investigation.

After the close of the Tribunal, Tyrol admits to Adama that Socinus fabricated his confession to protect him, but Adama tells him that Socinus will stay in the brig, Filled with guilt over Socinus' fate, Tyrol realizes that he has no choice but to end his relationship with Sharon...

LITMUS (PAGE 64 - 67)

'Litmus' was devised as a cost-effective episode that would compensate for the deliberate over-spending on Battlestar Galactica's season one premiere '33'. "A trial is a good way of saving money, plus it's a good dramatic device," notes Ronald D. Moore. "It was an opportunity to put Tyrol and Sharon in the crucible and tear that relationship apart, especially after what had happened in 'Water'. We figured that there had to come a point where the relationship was untenable and had to fall apart, and this felt the right moment to do it.

Vlaming's script for 'Litmus' particularly excited Aaron Douglas, who was happy for Tyrol to take center stage. "David Eick had told me a big episode for Tyrol was coming up, and when I read the script I thought it was great," he explains. "I'd been given a lot of interesting stuff to do in the other episodes, but there was a lot of really cool scenes for me to do in 'Litmus'."

"I was also thrilled when I found out Rod Hardy was directing it. He directed 'Act of Contrition', and he and I connected really well on that. He's a bit like Michael Rymer in that he lets me take the shackles off and go! We gad a lot of fun working on 'Litmus'."

Grace Park was similarly delighted by the way 'Litmus' put Tyrol and Sharon's relationship under the spotlight again. "I loved that episode," she says. "It was very gripping, dramatic and emotional. I really enjoyed the personal conflict between Tyrol and Sharon."

As the episode's storyline develops, the tribunal begins to suspect Tyrol might have been involved in the Cylon suicide bombing, until the Chief is provided with an alibi by a member of his crew, Socinus. Although his character's actions resulted in him not reappearing in the show until 'Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I', Alonso Oyarzun seized the opportunity to play a key role in 'Litmus'. "That episode was really exciting for me," he explains. "I got the chance to give the character a bit more of an identify on the show, and the way he takes the fall is pretty cool."

"Aaron and I actually developed our own little back-story to explain why Socinus takes the fall while we were making that episode," he reveals. "We figured that Tyrol had saved Socinus' life somewhere in the past and has been like a big brother to him. So in 'Litmus', Socinus tries to repay that by covering for the Chief."

LITMUS (PAGE 67)

Following the brutal beating of the Sharon on Caprica, the Sharon on Galactica has her heart broken by Tyrol's decision to end their not-so-secret affair. Both Douglas and Park savoured shooting that scene and were excited by the dramatic possibilities it created for future storylines.

"The opportunity to break up with Sharon was really cool," says Douglas. "When Ron Moore decided to split up Tyrol and Sharon, I was completely with him. If they'd stayed together, Tyrol might have become this one-dimensional guy who just kissed and argued with Sharon, and that could have become a little dull. I was really struck by the break-up scene. One of the hardest things a guy can do is break up with someone they love, and it was great to explore that."

"It was exciting to shoot that scene," agrees Park. "When we shot it, we didn't know if the split would be permanent or not, but it was just thrilling to be able to do it."

While 'Litmus' represents a key episode for Tyrol and Sharon, it also allowed Moore to show a different side to Commander Adama. During the course of the episode, Adama reveals that his father, Joseph, was a lawyer, and the commander ultimately demonstrates his passion for civil liberties.
 

SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION (PAGE 68)

Episode Synopsis: Elsewhere on the Galactica, a still-injured Kara Thrace returns to aid Chief Tyrol's research on the captured Cylon Raider.
 

KOBOL'S LAST GLEAMING: PART I (PAGE 88)

Episode Synopsis: Adama dispatches a ground survey team to Kobol -- but the three Raptors are intercepted by a Cylon Basestar. One is immediately destroyed and another Jumps back to the Galactica, while the Raptor carrying Chief Tyrol, Crashdown and Baltar crash-lands on the planet.
 

THE CHARACTERS: SHARON VALERII (PAGE 122)

Park speaks extremely fondly of both her screen lovers, Tahmoh Penikett and Aaron Douglas, and reports that she welcomed the opportunity to explore her characters' relationships with Helo and Chief Tyrol throughout season one.
 

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS: GALEN TYROL (PAGE 127)

Playing Chief Galen Tyrol in Battlestar Galactica represents a dream come true for Aaron Douglas, "I was a huge fan of the original show," explains the Canadian actor, whose screen credits include roles in X-Men 2, Taken, Final Destination 2, Smallville and Stargate SG-1. "I grew up with Battlestar, so I really wanted to be a part of it. When I first heard it was coming back I told a friend of mine I would be willing to get into a Cylon suit and play a walking toaster! I just really wanted to be a part of it."

Douglas ultimately found himself in the running for a regular role in Sci Fi's remake of the series. He first auditioned for the roles of Lee Adama and then Lieutenant Gaeta, before he was cast as the chief of the Galactica's flight deck. Although Tyrol was conceived as a significantly older character, the show's producers all agreed with director Michael Rymer's claim that no one could play the chief better than Douglas.

"Tyrol is kind of like me," reveals Douglas. "He's kind of brash and abrasive on the outside, but deep down he's a teddy bear. And if I were put in a position to run a deck on a Battlestar, I'd probably do it just like Tyrol. He's someone who loves his job and he's a leader who leads by example. So I'm very happy in the role. I wouldn't want to play anyone else now. Tyrol fits me the best, by far."

Reviewing his work on the miniseries and the first season, Douglas reports that he was delighted by the way Tyrol became an increasingly prominent character on the show, "Ron Moore told me that when he wrote the miniseries, he thought Tyrol was just going to be this secondary character who gave a little life and background to the ship," he recalls. "But Ron enjoyed what I did with the role and all my ad-libs and he gave me more things to do as season one went on."

Several of Douglas' most memorable moments in season one revolved around the gradual break up of Tyrol's relationship with Lieutenant Sharon Valerii -- and Tyrol's struggle with the idea that Sharon may be a Cylon. "Tyrol's not a dumb guy and I think deep down -- on a subconscious level -- he realizes she's a Cylon during season one," notes Douglas. "But he just can't bring himself to accept it. It's just like in real life where someone thinks their boyfriend or girlfriend is cheating on them, and they know they're right on some subconscious level, but they don't feel like they can examine it or face it."

As a fan of the original show, Aaron Douglas was initially skeptical about the prospect of a remake. But ever since he read the miniseries' script, he's been one of the new show's most ardent admirers. "I don't like remakes generally, but this Battlestar Galactica is really different and original, and is just a great show," he states. "When I saw the opening episodes of season one, I remembered thinking to myself I would watch this show even if I wasn't in it! It's just a really impressive piece of work."
 

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS: BOXEY (PAGE 131)

"Boxey is a fairly ordinary kid who is trying to not seem like a kid," says Connor Widdows of his Battlestar Galactica counterpart. "He's lost his parents and his family, so the closest people he has to parents are Sharon and Chief Tyrol."
 

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS: SPECIALIST SOCINUS (PAGE 132)

Alonso Oyarzun was keen to serve aboard the new Battlestar Galactica as Specialist Socinus. "I grew up watching the original show, and when I heard they were bringing it back, I really wanted to be part of it," explains the Canadian actor, whose screen credits include roles in Taken, John Doe, Jeremiah and The Core. "I called my agent and he got me an audition for a member of Chief Tyrol's deck crew, Socinus. In the beginning, I honestly wanted to play a Viper pilot, but Socinus sounded interesting and I was so keen to be a part of the show that I just went for it. And it was just a fantastic experience after that,"

Socinus was originally only going to appear in the miniseries, but -- much to Oyarzun's delight -- his death scene was cut, which allowed the character to live on into season one and the start of season two. Oyarzun used his character's new lease of life to develop Socinus into a key member of Chief Tyrol's staff.

"Socinus is one of the quieter members of the deck gang," notes Oyarzun, "He's one of the kids. He screws up a lot. He looks to Chief Tyrol for guidance and has a strong rapport with the rest of the deck gang. He's also very loyal and has a deep sense of honor."

Oyarzun feels the deck crew has been a great addition to Battlestar Galactica, and has enabled the new show to explore characters and relationships that the original series could not really depict. "The deck gang allows us to watch everyday people working on the ship and find out what they do on the ship," he explains. "I think that was a really cool idea on the part of Ron Moore."