Creation's Official Battlestar Galactica Convention

(click here to find photos from this event)

By Jim Quon
November 25, 2007

Creation held the Official Battlestar Galactica convention at the Burbank convention center during the three days of November 16-18.  Stars in attendance included Jamie Bamber, Katee Sackhoff, Kate Vernon, Tahmoh Penikett, Bear McCreary, and Jason Palmer.

The big news of the convention was the discussion of whether or not Battlestar Galactica was returning after the hiatus.  Jamie Bamber commented that there was the same somber feeling he got as when the mini-series filming wrapped up.  The mood was somber. 

Katie on the other hand said she did not know whether the show was coming back but she promised the audience that it would.  She argued that the studio would make more money completing the series rather than abandoning it halfway through the final season.  Katie agreed with Jamie that the current final episode could be used as a conclusion to the series but it would not be the best possible ending.

With the writers strike currently underway, Jamie commented that the writers deserve to be paid and deserve to be rewarded and acknowledged for their work.  Although he supports the writers, the strike did give him more time to spend more time with his family.  All the talk at Jamie’s panel was not serious though, as he addressed whether or not there would be another towel scene, he did his imitation of Edward James Olmos, and even helped a young audience member with his British accent. 

When Katie was not talking about whether or not Battlestar Galactica was ending early, she was discussing her dissatisfaction with Bionic Woman, and it wasn’t clear if she was going to continue her role on the show. She said that when someone recognized her and asked if she played Sarah Corvis, she responded that she played Starbuck.

Other Battlestar tidbits that Katie told the audience was that she was sure that she was not a cylon, and if she was a ghost, that people could touch her.  She says that Starbuck may think that she’s a cylon.  Also, she said that Starbuck spends a lot of time with Leobon in the final season.  When the new Razor movie was discussed, Katee stated that she felt like a guest star since she only had three days of filming.

During other panels, Kate Vernon stated that she wasn’t returning for season four, but was very happy to be on a show where everyone had a love for each other.  Tahmoh panel was also a big hit, and he was joined by many of his fans who wore “I love Helo” t-shirts.  Bear McCreary talked about his great new season four cd, and the use of the song “All Along the Watchtower”.  Jason Palmer’s panel was interesting as always, and he talked about his Photoshop techniques, and creating artwork for the show.

The convention as a whole was a mixed bag.  This weekend there was a Creation Stargate convention at the same location as the Battlestar Galactica convention.  Gold members could attend panels for both, but if you were not a Stargate fan, then there was a lot of downtime where none of the stars were speaking.  All of the panels just had a single guest, and it would have been more interesting to see the actors interact with one another.  There were trivia contests and games that were uninteresting to many, and some fans used the downtime to sightsee elsewhere. 

Last year, the Battlestar Galactica breakfast could be purchased separately, but since there were fans from both conventions attending the Sunday breakfast, only gold members were allowed to attend.  Also, Creation says that fans will always have a seat with them, but since there was less room because of the two conventions being at the same location, many were left standing at some of the panels.

The official word from the registration desk was that there was still no personalization of autographs, but someone else said that for one of the days there would be.  Bear McCreary was very kind to give free autographs for his fans, and even let people take photographs with him. 

The good news is that most people found that the panels with the celebrities were entertaining.  I personally didn’t hear people complaining that the lines were rushed.  A couple of people I knew had problems that needed to be addressed during the convention and Adam and the staff did a fine job making sure that they were handled quickly.

Having had a very enjoyable experience with Creation’s Salute to Firefly/Serenity convention recently, I would say the problems during the convention had more to do with having two conventions going on at the same time.  Of course, part of the fun going to a convention like this is meeting fellow fans of the show, so there was plenty of time to mingle.  Most people I have spoken with stated that overall, they had a good time.