Ron Moore and David Eick Tease Battlestar's End, Caprica's Beginning

Fire up your raptors, Battlestar Galacticafans, the final season of the Peabody Award-winning show begins Jan. 16 at 10 pm/ET on Sci Fi. If you're like us, you have so... many... frakkin' questions! The biggest one: "Will all of our questions actually be answered?" Executive producers Ron D. Moore and David Eick tease what's next for the four Cylons revealed this past season, assured us we won't need to wait the very last episode for the fifth Cylon's identity and gave some details the prequel series, Caprica, which is set to air in early 2010.
What are you most proud about the way the series ended?
Ron Moore: I would have to say that I'm probably most proud about the fact that I think we were able to answer most of the questions that we'd raised over the years. And, sort of, to resolve most of the mysteries and the grander questions of the show and at the same time give a resolution to all the character arcs and to wrap it up by the end. And, we don't save everything until the last episode. We sort of start answering questions along the way. And you know, over the course of these last ten [episodes] we sort of bring a conclusion to the things we've set up over the years.
David Eick: I would add that it's so rare that you get to end things the way you intended. There was a myriad of details that changed and shifted. We talked about ending the show this way, I think, two years ago, and just the idea that we were able to actually dovetail it in that direction is very satisfying.
What can fans expect to see about the final four Cylons in the last season?
Moore: Well they'll certainly be heavily into the storyline. ... With the discovery of Earth and the discovery of what "Earth" is certainly throws everyone's lives into question. I think where we wanted to get to at the midseason break was, "What if you took everyone's fondest hope and dream away from them? Then what happens to these people?" So, the final four are in the same boat as everyone else in that sense. They have to sort of reevaluate, "Well, where do we go from here? What does this mean for us?" And I guess most profoundly for the final four is, "What are our specific origins? How did we come to be? What is the relationship between us and the rest of the Cylons"... . Those storylines will definitely play out in a very large way over the next ten episodes.
What's the latest on Caprica?
Moore: Caprica has been picked up for a full season. We start shooting probably in July, we're putting the writing staff together now and the crew, and just staffing up and getting ready to go. We'll start breaking stories probably in February, and maybe as soon as the end of the month depending on when all the pieces go together. We have a game plan of what the general storyline is and some directions so we're not starting completely from scratch.
Do you have to have watched Battlestar to appreciate Caprica?
Moore: It'll certainly tie in. We sort of set out deliberately to set up Caprica so that you didn't have to see Battlestar. I think you could literally watch the pilot of Caprica without seeing a single frame of film from Galactica and you would get it. You could invest in that story completely on its own from there. We want it to stand as its own project.