Battlestar Galactica is one of the greatest science fiction shows of all time. Since it also takes place in such a vast world, it makes sense that the studio would want to make spin-off series based on the show. They are currently doing that with Caprica, but that series is vastly different from BSG and has experienced uneven quality. What fans seem to want is another series that engages you both intellectually and emotionally (only the former half of which Caprica seems to have accomplished) and that is more military-oriented, like BSG. We heard a few months ago that Syfy was considering the possibility of another spin-off. Now it looks like we'll be getting that.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Syfy is developing an online series set in the Battlestar Galactica universe. The series, entitled Blood & Chrome, is being written by BSG and Caprica co-executive producer Michael Taylor and will follow none other than William Adama during the first Cylon War. According to Taylor, the show, at its core, is "about a young man's initiation into war: both the realities of war as fought by soldiers on the ground (and in Battlestars and Vipers), and the somewhat less real version portrayed in the media." Now that's what I'm talkin' about.

Taylor went on to tell the Tribune, "And yet the movie isn't confined to Galactica. Far from it. It's a story that will take us to new corners of the Battlestar world (or worlds), and yet it aims to be a very contemporary war movie in a lot of ways. I would say I'm thinking as much of Afghanistan and Iraq -- the reality of Hurt Locker, Sebastian Junger's Restrepo, and similar movies -- as I am about about the largely implied past of Battlestar." He also stated that the series will feature at least some "R-rated blood and guts and sex," as they don't have content restrictions like they do on television.

In the 2007 BSG tie-in film, Battlestar Galactica: Razor, Nico Cortez played the young Adama during the first war against the Cylons, but there is no word yet as to whether he will return for the role in Blood & Chrome.

It's strange that the series wasn't announced during the Caprica panel at Comic Con. Producer David Eick and executive producer Ronald Moore had their lips totally sealed against any word of future BSG spin-offs, even when asked directly by the audience. It would seem that would have been the perfect time to release the news and utilize the hype of thousands of fans at the convention to boost publicity. Either way, though, I think it's safe to say that this is a series BSG fans will be looking forward to.