She was a good ship

We built her, and then we solemnly watched as she went up in flames.

In the summer of 2010, members of 13th Colony built a 10 foot long Viper Mark IV, mostly out of cardboard, PVC and poster stock.  It came out remarkably close to specs, made a great display model and yet fit in the back of an economy car.  Alas, as every group that builds things has discovered, storage was an issue and one winter in a shed was too much for our creation.  The next summer, we decided to give the old bird a good sendoff.  It wasn’t entirely a solemn occasion.  We had a BBQ, on the beach.  The very same beach where the Nuked Earth scenes were shot in the new BSG, and very close to the exact same firepit they used to build Kara’s funeral pyre on the same planet.  We already blogged about it here but now you can watch for yourself!  Announcing Episode #4 of the 13th Colony Video Files  – A Decommissioning Ceremony.

RIP Viper Mark IV.  She was indeed a good ship.

Fan Expo Vancouver 2013

Fan Expo is returning to Vancouver April 20th and 21st and once again, 13th Colony is thrilled to be playing a part!  Vancouver’s Battlestar Galactica Fan Club will join local chapters of the 501st Legion (Outer Rim Squadron), the Ghostbusters of BC and Can’t Stop the Serenity Vancouver to offer con-goers a glimpse into Vancouver’s fan scene.

And we’ve got another reason to celebrate! After having to cancel late last year, Michael Hogan (new BSG’s Saul Tigh) will make it up to the Vancouver fans by appearing this year.

We’ll have plenty of Battlestar Galactica (classic and reimagined) items and costumes on display. We’re out to meet and greet fellow BSG fans who might not be aware we’re here and we’re awesome!

2013: The Year of the 13th Colony

Is it too early to predict that 2013 will be our year? It’s been a dark time for Battlestar Galactica fans. A very long wait for the release of Blood & Chrome is now followed by more waiting to see if the downloads and DVD sales will lead to anything more. Yet with no new content on the horizon, our ragtag fleet of fans is hanging on.

In Vancouver, 13th Colony is starting the year off with a bang. We’ve got some BSG fans visiting from the USA and plan to show them some West Coast Cylon hospitality. On January 11th we’re hosting a Frak Party at our old hangout, La Fontana, to view Blood & Chrome in its entirety on a big HD screen. February will no doubt see us all truck off to our local DVD retailers to buy the DVD. April brings Fan Expo back to town, and we’ve got our fingers crossed that Michael Hogan will return after having to cancel last year. May will have a bunch of us looking south for the Galacticon III party in Texas.

Honestly, has anyone told the BSG fans there is no more show? Maybe that doesn’t matter. We are the survivors and we keep the dream alive.

Colonial Coffee at Caprica City Hall?

Blood & Chrome has got BSG fans talking all over the internet.  Now, at least a few nuggets are going to get together in person to share the enthusiasm for a new slice of our favourite show, Battlestar Galactica.

If you find yourself in and around downtown Vancouver — or as we like to call it, Caprica City –this Saturday afternoon, November 24th, between 1 and 4pm, drop in at the Blenz just inside the Robson doors of the Central Library.  Keep your eye open for a couple of knuckle draggers.  If they’re out of uniform, listen for words like “frak,” “toaster,” “cylon” or my personal favourite, “felgercarb.”  Pull up a chair and join in.

We’re working on a full-on Frak Party to celebrate the complete story of Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome sometime in January, so stay tuned for more details.

BSG’s Back Baby!

Once again, Fridays will bring us new Battlestar Galactica!  How long has it been since we could say that?  Since March 2009.

It’s been a long wait, and I’m hoping not too long. As anyone who reads this blog may have noticed, we haven’t been as active recently.  We are without question one of the largest BSG fan clubs in the world, and yet we’ve barely hung on through this long break.  We’ve been holding out for the one more morsel of our favourite show…and it’s suddenly here.

In a few days we will have a new dose of our favourite epic drama, albeit a much smaller dose, and in a different medium.  On Friday, November 9^th, Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome will make its debut online.  On Youtube, exclusively on a channel called Machinima Prime, previously known mostly for video game content.

The trailer looks good, but with all the fast cuts it’s hard to tell. I see lots of action, but not a lot of character.  To succeed, I believe it will need both.

I have hope.  But it is mixed with a dose of caution brought on by a long wait and the bad taste from “the Plan” that still lingers when I think about it.

Glad Fridays are back to being BSG days.  So Say We All!

The 13th Colony is Throwing a Party

Feel like your planet has been nuked by technology you created and the entire human race is on its last legs, finding new ways to both argue and get along in the vast black distances between stars?  Bummer.  Want to party anyway?

13^th Colony-Vancouver’s Battlestar Galactica Fan Club, is hosting a room party at VCON, our homegrown sci-fi convention, on the night of Saturday, September 29^th.  VCON 37’s theme this year is Post Apocalypse, and BSG definitely fits in with that category.  The con is taking place at the Sheraton Guildford in Surrey.  The exact location for the party will be posted around the convention on the day of the party.  We will have snacks and drinks in the theme of BSG, and promise only that everything we find will taste better than algae!

13th Colony and Fan Expo Vancouver

We were there.  It was awesome.

13th Colony was lucky enough to be part of the “Fan Zone” at the inaugural Fan Expo Vancouver back in April. We got a great new poster (from @jediyves) and certainly found more than a few BSG fans in the crowd. Now, the dates are out for next year’s Fan Expo: April 20 & 21, 2013.

Looking ahead, I think we’ve reached a critical point for deciding the future of Canada’s largest Battlestar Galactica fan club.

Do we go on?

With disappointing news about “Blood & Chrome” staying as a web series that SyFy Channel does not appear to know what to do with, and no new BSG content on the horizon, has the time come to take a bow? Attendance at 13th Colony events has been decreasing since the show went off the air and we all expected that. Recently, it’s tough to get anyone to show up at all. We have a reasonably active Facebook group, but our Meetup page is largely inactive. Quite frankly, I’ve been hoping the club would have migrated off the meetup site before now.

Is there enough support out there to have 13th Colony involved in Fan Expo Vancouver 2013? If we’re going to do it, I would like to see the BSG fans put on a display at least on par with the BC Ghostbusters (kudos guys, great booth!) To do it right, we need to build…stuff. Costumes, props, Cylons. I have some great ideas, a few skills and contacts that could make it happen. But, I cannot do it alone. Despite my title, I’m no Laura Roslin or Bill Adama, and I cannot continue to lead us into the future without active support from the club members. We’ve had a great run! It’s been an amazing journey and I’ve met some incredible people because of 13th Colony. It’s because we hit such highs that I would rather see 13th Colony die than just gather dust online.

Are we alive?

Valorie Hoye
aka Madam President