NBC SPOTLIGHTS SCI FI CHANNEL MINISERIES HIT 'BATTLESTAR GALACTICA' IN SPECIAL PRESENTATION ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 8

Cable's Most-watched Miniseries of 2003 Becomes Three-hour Event Prior to Premiere of New Series Version of "Battlestar Galactica" on SCI FI January 14

BURBANK, Calif. -- December 6, 2004 -- NBC's Saturday-night universe will expand to showcase "Battlestar Galactica" -- SCI FI's hit miniseries that proved to be cable's most-watched miniseries of 2003 -- in a special three-hour presentation on Saturday, January 8 (8-11 p.m. ET) prior to SCI FI's new series premiere of "Battlestar" on January 14.

Originally broadcast as a four-hour miniseries that updated its original predecessor, "Battlestar Galactica" will be edited to three hours to accommodate NBC's primetime schedule on January 8.

Directed by Michael Rymer ("Queen of the Damned") and written by Ronald D. Moore ("Carnivale," "Roswell"), the miniseries -- and subsequent series -- stars Edward James Olmos ("Stand and Deliver," "Blade Runner") as Commander Adama, who leads the last remnants of humanity in their war against a new and deadlier breed of Cylons.

Edgier and racier than its predecessor, SCI FI imbued "Galactica" with a decidedly modern twist -- upping the ante on the action, adventure, romance and family drama that made the original television series so beloved. While maintaining the groundbreaking story of man versus machine, this time, the Cylon robot is no longer a recognizable enemy. The ragtag fleet, comprised of all that remains of the human race, is forced into a dramatic final showdown for survival.

Olmos helps lead the charge as Adama, the hawkish military leader of the last surviving battleship. Mary McDonnell (NBC's "ER," "Dances with Wolves") is Laura Roslin, the newly appointed President, who has her own convictions about how the human race is to survive. Katee Sackhoff ("The Education of Max Bickford") portrays Adama's best pilot, Starbuck. She and Apollo (Jamie Bamber, "Band of Brothers"), face their own set of challenges.

The miniseries event premiered to critical praise and stunning ratings. "Battlestar Galactica" earned an average 3.5 rating and a 4 share. It out-delivered HBO's Emmy Award-winning "Angels in America" by more than 600,000 total viewers over two nights. "Battlestar" drew a broad audience, garnering SCI FI's best demographic ratings for the year among the key demographics of viewers 25-54 and 18-49. As SCI FI's highest-rated program for 2003, "Battlestar Galactica" took its place as the third highest-rated original event in the Channel's history (behind only "Steven Spielberg Presents TAKEN" and "Frank Herbert's Dune."

"Battlestar Galactica" is distributed by USA Cable Entertainment for SCI FI Channel. Ronald D. Moore and David Eick ("American Gothic," "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys") are the executive producers.

SCI FI Channel is a television network where "what if" is what's on. SCI FI fuels the imagination of viewers with original series and events, blockbuster movies and classic science fiction and fantasy programming, as well as a dynamic Web site (www.scifi.com ) and magazine. Launched in 1992, and currently in 83 million homes, SCI FI Channel is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies.