Whedonesque : Comments on 10494 : Jane Espenson will write an episode of Battlestar Galactica ... !!!

Yes, while some of us have been dutifully reading her blog, this news pops up in the top right hand corner of her site - which doesn't help anyone reading through an RSS feed :-)

She's also co-writing an episode of "The Batman" with Doug Petrie - which thrills me to bits because apart from Joss, I think Jane and Doug were the two most consistently enjoyable writers on Buffy.

Plus Jane seems to be able to write for any genre, so - woo-hay!

crossoverman | June 02, 08:07 CET

I'm so excited about this!! I love BSG and am thrilled that one of my favorite Whedonverse writers will be doing an episode!!

Firefly Flanatic | June 02, 08:12 CET

WOOOOO!!!!!! I love Jane!

Mort | June 02, 08:16 CET

Wow. Jane writing Battlestar Galactica. That is beyond awesome. It sounds like a perfect fit for her.

I'm a little less enthused about The Batman. I mean, if she had written an episode of Justice League Unlimited before that series ended, I would've done some very poor cartwheels, but I just hate all the new character designs on The Batman. Here's hoping she and Doug can make at least one episode watchable.

WindTheFrog | June 02, 08:31 CET

Oh my god!!! The only show that rivals the Buffyverse (in my book) will have an episode penned by a Buffy writer - and one of my favorites, at that! Cylons and Janespeak. I can't wait to see how she writes Dr. Baltar. This is absolutely awesome!

[ edited by ElectricSpaceGirl on 2006-06-02 07:27 ]

electricspacegirl | June 02, 09:21 CET

WOO-HOO!!! *faints from over-woo-hooing* ;-)

billz | June 02, 09:30 CET

Yay! I think this is great news. While I love BSG for the most part (it did stumble pretty badly a couple of times last season), one area where I think it could stand to develop some balance is in humor. Not comedy, per se, but some leavening of the utter despair that runs through a lot of the eps. Utter despair is certainly one central element in the kind of scenario the series is based on (and one of the reasons I really like this execution of that idea), but even in such situations people find humor.

This is also not to say that Jane is solely a "humor" writer, but she knows how to do humor and make it fit, and make it real. (I'm also eagerly waiting to see Baltar uttering her words, if that's the direction she chooses to go....)

[ edited by Cranston on 2006-06-02 07:31 ]

Cranston | June 02, 09:31 CET

Fantastic. A truly great show making sure it doesn't rest on its laurels and hires a wonderful writer. Great news.

Andy Dufresne | June 02, 10:46 CET

My instinct was to post yays and woohoos and exclamation points, but I see you guys already have it covered.

Celluloid Novelist | June 02, 10:56 CET

Great news! Now, will someone please have Nathan Fillion guest-star as a sergeant on one of the ships?

xdmag | June 02, 12:02 CET

Wow! The best TV show on at the minute now written by one of the best TV writers. This has made my morning.

Simon | June 02, 12:03 CET

Jane's blog is always excellent reading - but I too have it on RSS feed (as I do with Whedonesque). Goes to show there's nothing like visiting the site itself.

Gill | June 02, 12:52 CET

Or visiting this site to get the heads up ;).

I think this'll be really good for BSG since I just can't see her leaving humour out completely and it's one of the few things BSG is missing (being pretty much my ideal TV show otherwise).

Also, it probably won't happen because it's a bit too 'cute' but there is a Firefly class ship in the fleet (or was in the pilot) so any kind of nod would be too cool for school. Or even college.

(especially given that the entire look of BSG's space shots was inspired by Zoic's work on Firefly).

Saje | June 02, 13:16 CET

"YES! PRAYER WORKS!"

Also.. what?
BSG have lots and lots of humor!

[ edited by annosuperstar on 2006-06-02 13:20 ]

annosuperstar | June 02, 15:19 CET

Wheee! Go J-ane! Go J-ane! Go J-ane!

*dance of joy*

Bad Kitty | June 02, 15:31 CET

I never saw that one coming! BSG with humor. BSG with Jane humor! Oh, why do we have to wait so long for it to return?

Nebula1400 | June 02, 16:00 CET

The last thing I saw of hers, was probably the best thing she's ever written (I am talking about her episode of "the Inside" by the way) and that's saying a lot. And the serious tone of that show is similar to the serious tone of Galactica.
Battlestar Galactica is easily the best show on Tv so it's gonna be great no matter how you cut it.
It's too bad that I think they are pretty much done with the 6 in Baltar's head (What with both of them being in the same room together in the finale and yes I know hallucination 6 was in that scene as well; it's just a feeling I have) because I am laughing just thinking of the exchanges she could give them.
Anyhoot it's always a pleasure to see Ms. Esponson involved with something that I love.

theMidnighter | June 02, 16:01 CET

This is fantastic news!

palehorse | June 02, 16:04 CET

I've said it before, I'll say it again--Jane E. and her blog rule. I'm thinking about re-writing "The Ballad of Jayne" to praise the writing exploits of "Jane"...

Maeve | June 02, 16:05 CET

Hooray for Jane!!! Wow! I love BSG and (I imagine) it's a pretty cool gig for Ms E. since she's praised the show in her blog. Happy, happy, happy! Yippeee!!!

bloodflowers | June 02, 16:05 CET

So how would one set-up an RSS feed of Jane's blog? Can just anyone do it?

Oh yeah, and a simple explanation (very simple) of what an RSS feed actually is would be good, because I'm just making deductions from context. [/showing ignorance]

I think I love JE more and more each time I read something she wrote.

newcj | June 02, 16:07 CET

Awesome! That is all.

Paul_Rocks | June 02, 16:35 CET

This is excellent news for BSG fans! Congratulations Jane!

Shakespeare | June 02, 17:15 CET

Fantastic!!! I cannot wait to see this!!! (which I guess will be in about 2 years, when it is out on DVD ... sigh)

Ariane | June 02, 17:27 CET

OK, just as I thought I couldn't love BSG any more....I was wrong.
One of the best writers in the business penning an episode for the best show with the best cast on TV.
*dies from the awesome*
Oh, October. You're so many days away.

greentara | June 02, 18:19 CET

Wow. Oh, wow. This is such thrilling and unexpected news! I'm so psyched to see this ep! Yay for Jane!

punkinpuss | June 02, 18:48 CET

Done with the Six in Balthar's head? I hope not. I have visions of a scene where Balthar is talking to both Caprica Six and Six-in-his-head simultaneously, while Caprica Six is talking to Balthar and Balthar-in-her-head simultaneously.

Now *that* would be a total Espenscene.

Niels | June 02, 19:30 CET

Spike in the basement in "Same Time, Same Place," anyone?

(It was an Espenson-penned episode, too!)

Septimus | June 02, 20:06 CET

Semi OT: Battlestar Galactica #0 came out this week and if you do go down to your local comic book shop and get a hold of it, it'll set you back a staggering 25 cents. The ongoing story is set in the middle of season 2.

Simon | June 02, 21:10 CET

Not enough humor on BSG? Has anyone been paying attention to Baltar? He's got the funny going on in all that crazy. James Callis can work it!

electricspacegirl | June 02, 21:43 CET

Yes, James Callis is fabulous AND funny as Baltar, but the rest of the crew don't get to do the funny and I'd LOVE to see that. As Joss & Mutant Enemy have proven, not only are laughs during an apocalypse possible, but practically essential for survival.

Here's hoping that Jane will get to write about her BSG experience and do more eps for them. Dare I hope for, oh, say a podcast when her episode airs?

punkinpuss | June 02, 23:54 CET

And I just heard on the audio commentary that Balthar wasn't intended to be funny at all--they just got the dailies in from the director when they were doing the miniseries, and saw that Callis had played it brilliantly funny.

The #0 comic is very much worth the 25 cents. :-) I wasn't exactly blown away by the art, but the story is strong and left me wanting more, nowish.

And here I want to wait for the TP. Frak.

Niels | June 02, 23:55 CET

Rah rah rah!

Lunakitty | June 03, 00:44 CET

Not enough humor on BSG?

It's not a show that lends itself easily to humour. "Tigh Me Up, Tie Me Down" gelled horribly with me cause they tried to go for a farcical element. When there is humour, it's dark and bleak. These post-genocide shows tend to be like that.

Simon | June 03, 01:03 CET

Am I the only one who hasn't jumped on the BSG bandwagon? I'm deeply shamed. Guess I'm gonna have to hit up amazon.com this summer.

MySerenity | June 03, 01:12 CET

Yes, you absolutely have to, MySerenity! You won't regret it!
(But you better take a few days off work to watch the DVDs...)

Ariane | June 03, 01:33 CET

Oh... this will either be very good, or very bad. Guess I have to have faith in Ron,...

Loiosh | June 03, 04:14 CET

Thanks for the info on the #0 comic that's 25 cents, guys. I was wanting to pick it up, but wasn't sure when it was set. I'll get it and wait 'til I'm in the middle of Season 2 of the DVDs to read it. Not sure when I'll actually get around to renting/buying BSG, but at least I'll have the comic.

Is it in-continuity? Written by one of the show's staff or at least approved as canon by Ronald Moore or whoever?

Re: humor
Much as I loved the humor in all three of Mutant Enemy's shows and in many other well-written dramas and comedies as well, it's not a necessity in every single series. Actually, I kinda don't want too much humor in some series, so I'm glad to hear BSG's mostly bleak through and through.

Kris | June 04, 06:24 CET

June 02 2006