Sackhoff Almost Didn't Return To 'Bionic Woman'

NBC and David Eick have spent weeks talking about how Katee Sackhoff was going to share time between "Battlestar Galactica" and "Bionic Woman" with a recurring role in the latter series. But it really wasn't a done deal until this past Tuesday.

Sackhoff signed a recurring contract with the show that will continue a guest spot she originated in the "Bionic Woman" pilot for NBC. The Hollywood Reporter is calling the deal "last-minute," further reporting that Sackhoff -- best known as Starbuck in SciFi Channel's "Battlestar Galactica" -- almost walked away from the series completely.

With the contract in place, Sackhoff will play Sarah, a "bad" bionic woman who battles Jamie Sommers, played by Michelle Ryan. Sackhoff became a part of the production because of David Eick, who executive produces both series. Plus, both shows are filmed virtually next to each other on soundstages in Vancouver, B.C.

When it comes to the upcoming fourth and final season of "Battlestar Galactica," Sackhoff has some pretty strong opinions about what is in store for her character, but in the end, she's almost in the dark about Starbuck's return as fans are.

"As far as I know, I've just come back and started playing Starbuck again," Sackhoff told fans and reporters at Polaris Con in Toronto, courtesy of BSGCast. "I don't know if she's alive or dead or an apparition."

Sackhoff says she doesn't even know who the final Cylon is, and that she doesn't expect producers to tell her after what happened last season in terms of whether or not Starbuck was alive.

"They know how angry I was the last time about keeping that secret," she said. "They just won't do it again."

Trying to put on the act of leaving the show -- even to the cast and crew -- was difficult for Sackhoff, and ended up being a part she played so well that there should be an Emmy for backstage antics. Instead, it resulted in a very angry phone call from series star Edward James Olmos.

"Eddie freaked out and called David Eick and said not to show up on the set because he was going to hit him in the face," Sackhoff said. "These are people's livelihoods, and this business is fickle enough, so this is unfair, he said."

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