Battlestar Galactica season 3

The third season of the reimagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica premiered on Sci Fi in the United States on October 6, 2006, and concluded on March 25, 2007. Unlike the previous season, it was not split into two parts and did not have an extended hiatus during the middle of the season. The third season contained 20 episodes.

Main cast
These actors were credited during the opening sequence: These actors were credited after the opening sequence:
 * Edward James Olmos as William Adama
 * Mary McDonnell as Laura Roslin
 * Katee Sackhoff as Kara "Starbuck" Thrace
 * Jamie Bamber as Lee "Apollo" Adama
 * James Callis as Gaius Baltar
 * Tricia Helfer as Number Six
 * Grace Park as Sharon "Boomer" Valerii / Sharon "Athena" Agathon / Number Eight
 * Michael Hogan as Saul Tigh
 * Aaron Douglas as Galen Tyrol
 * Tahmoh Penikett as Karl "Helo" Agathon
 * Nicki Clyne as Cally Henderson Tyrol
 * Alessandro Juliani as Felix Gaeta
 * Kandyse McClure as Anastasia Dualla

Guest stars
The following actors were credited as guest stars.

2+ episodes: 1 episode:
 * Lucy Lawless as D'Anna Biers / Number Three (credited as a special guest star)
 * Michael Trucco as Samuel Anders
 * Callum Keith Rennie as Leoben Conoy / Number Two
 * Kate Vernon as Ellen Tigh
 * Matthew Bennett as Aaron Doral / Number Five
 * Rekha Sharma as Tory Foster
 * Dean Stockwell as John Cavil / Number One
 * Richard Hatch as Tom Zarek
 * Rick Worthy as Simon / Number Four
 * Donnelly Rhodes as Sherman Cottle
 * Mark Sheppard as Romo Lampkin
 * Chelah Horsdal as Didi Cassidy
 * Amanda Plummer as Oracle Selloi
 * Carl Lumbly as Danny "Bulldog" Novacek
 * Luciana Carro as Louanne "Kat" Katraine
 * Kerry Norton as Paramedic Laybe Ishay
 * Bruce Davison as Dr. Michael Robert
 * Lucinda Jenney as Carolanne Adama
 * David Patrick Green as Xeno Fenner
 * Dorothy Lyman as Socrata Thrace
 * Sebastian Spence as Noel "Narcho" Allison (was also credited in the end credits of multiple episodes)

End-credited cast
The following actors appeared in the end credits of more than one episode.

5+ episodes: 2-4 episodes:
 * Brad Dryborough as Hoshi
 * Leah Cairns as Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson
 * Madeline Parker as Kacey
 * Dominic Zamprogna as Jammer
 * Colin Lawrence as Hamish "Skulls" McCall
 * Eileen Pedde as Sgt. Erin Mathias
 * Jennifer Halley as Diana "Hardball" Seelix
 * Ryan Robbins as Charlie Connor
 * Bodie Olmos as Brendan "Hot Dog" Costanza
 * Tiffany Lyndall-Knight as Hybrid
 * Don Thompson as Figurski
 * Christian Tessier as Tucker "Duck" Clellan
 * Erica Cerra as Maya
 * Ty Olsson as Captain Aaron Kelly
 * Emilie Ullerup as Julia
 * Alisen Down as Jean Barolay
 * Diego Diablo Del Mar as Hillard
 * Aleks Paunovic as Marine Sgt. Omar Fischer
 * Tygh Runyan as Private Sykes
 * Chris Boyd as Cheadle
 * Colin Corrigan as Nowart
 * Stephen Holmes as Reporter
 * Alison Matthews as Karen Fallbrook
 * Susan Hogan as Doyle Franks
 * Keegan Connor Tracy as a young woman
 * William Samples as a judge

Production
The Sci-Fi Channel ordered a 20-episode third season on November 16, 2005, with production beginning in April 2006 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The season premiered in the United States on October 6, 2006, in Canada the following day, and in the UK on January 9, 2007; with the first two episodes being shown together. The broadcast schedule for season three did not include a long hiatus in the middle of the season, as with season two. The Sci-Fi Channel moved the series to Sundays on January 21, 2007, the first time the show had changed nights since it began airing.

Critical response
The season received universal acclaim from critics, scoring 94 out of 100 based on 14 reviews from Metacritic. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 100% with an average score of 9 out of 10 based on 20 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Dark, charming and unusually thoughtful, Battlestar Galactica's third season continues to improve on the show's most addictive elements."

The series also placed on numerous critics top ten lists of both 2006 and 2007 by publications such as the Chicago Tribune, Entertainment Weekly, Newsday, The New York Times and TV Guide.

Accolades
The third season received four Emmy Award nominations: Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (Ronald D. Moore for "Occupation / Precipice"), Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Félix Enríquez Alcalá for "Exodus, Part 2"), Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series ("Exodus, Part 2"), and won for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series for "Exodus, Part 2", the series' first Emmy win. Ronald D. Moore was also nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Episodic Drama for "Occupation / Precipice".

Home video releases
The third season was released on DVD in region 1 on March 18, 2008, in region 2 on September 3, 2007 and in region 4 on November 20, 2007. It was also released on Blu-ray Disc in region 1 on July 27, 2010.

The sets include all 20 episodes from the third season, plus an extended 25-minute longer version of "Unfinished Business". Special features include creator Ronald D. Moore's podcast commentaries for all 20 episodes. Actors Grace Park and Tahmoh Penikett join Moore for his podcast commentary on "Unfinished Business", and Moore's wife Terry Dresbach appears frequently throughout the podcasts as well. Moore also provides a new commentary track for the extended version of "Unfinished Business". Executive producer and writer David Eick provides commentary for "Hero". Bonus podcasts for the final three episodes are also included—writer Michael Angeli and actor Mark Sheppard on "The Son Also Rises" and Sheppard himself on both parts of "Crossroads". Also included is the ten-part webisode series Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance, deleted scenes for various episodes, and 22 of David Eick's videoblogs.