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Casting Couch: Starbuck To Tackle "Bionic Woman" for NBC

Looks like there could be life for Starbuck after all. Or actress Katee Sackhoff, at least.

Sackhoff, best known for her role as the (possibly?) dead Viper pilot Kara "Starbuck" Thrace on Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica, has signed on to another remake of an old 1970s TV series, The Bionic Woman.

The Bionic Woman's pilot, co-written and executive produced by BSG's David Eick, stars Michelle Ryan (EastEnders) as Jaime Sommers, a young woman whose body is reconstructed following a horrific accident. Like her predecessor, Sommers is equipped by bionic body parts by a shadowy government organization and gains superhuman strength and senses.

While many pegged Sackhoff a natural for the potential series' lead (sorry, Starbuck fans, that's Ryan), she will instead be guest starring in The Bionic Woman as the top secret program's prototype bionic chick, one with more than a few mental health issues to deal with. According to reports, it's possible that she could recur if the pilot is ordered to series. (Of course, having read the pilot script, I can only shrug in response.)

Battlestar Galactica, meanwhile, wraps up its third season this Sunday with a humdinger of an episode entitled "Crossroads Part Two," which answers several questions that have been lurking at the back of many a BSG fan's mind.

Comments

Anonymous said…
They can't fool me. This is a guest role at best. Starbuck will rise again! I can feel it in my fillings.
Sounds like a cool guest spot. She would make the perfect "Bionic Woman" but I would much rather keep her on BSG. And I agree with Tom that this is not the end of Kara Thrace!
Stealth said…
I've read that Sackhoff is still under contract for BSG (seven years total, I believe), which prevents her from taking the lead role in any series.
Jace Lacob said…
Stealth,

She's not taking a lead role. Sackhoff has signed on, as discussed, as a guest star for the Bionic Woman pilot.
Stealth said…
...right...

I was explaining why she couldn't have been the lead.