Why 'Battlestar Galactica' Won't Get Canceled

Seriously, that is what some people -- including Ain't It Cool News, it seems -- want you to think when it comes to "Battlestar Galactica." So many people are convinced that SciFi Channel's decision to move the show to Sunday nights is such a desperate act that it's hard to think otherwise. I mean, the ratings have eroded. The Friday night pairing with "Doctor Who" wasn't all that great. And people have some very distinct opinions about the show, some of them in the negative.

All I can say is that the sky is not falling. I have heard from way too many people who actually would have some real insight on the fate of the show that there is absolutely no indication that SciFi Channel is going to pull the plug. Even since our initial story addressing it, key people from the show and even from the network have made it clear that they would be utterly shocked if the show was not, in fact, renewed. And I have to say, I am with them.

Let's give some of these naysayers the benefit of the doubt. The ratings are too low for SciFi Channel, and they are not making the profit margins they need to be to keep the show afloat. Does that automatically mean that the plug should be pulled? No, believe it or not. There are other variables that also have to be considered by SciFi, and will be considered by SciFi.

The decision on whether to keep "Battlestar Galactica" on the air is purely about money. Yes, ratings could be better, no one denies that. But "Battlestar Galactica" continues to be one of iTunes' more popular downloads in terms of television shows. DVD sales are well above expectations, and there is a lot of buzz around the show, which continues to grow each and every day. Hell, even Howard Stern is a new convert to "Battlestar Galactica," being able to talk about little else since he started watching the series over the Christmas break.

That kind of buzz plays squarely toward one key move: syndication. And I don't mean the first-run syndication that we enjoyed "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" in. I'm talking about those great reruns that fueled such unnoticed shows as "Star Trek" and allowed us to have the science-fiction television that we do enjoy today.

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