By TeeJay Small
| Updated 1 minute ago

The cast and crew behind It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia just finished filming their 18th season last week, and though we don’t have a release date yet, rumors are circulating that this will be the final season of the show. After more than 20 years of record-shattering programing, it’s crazy to look back on the legacy of Always Sunny and recall how the series began.

In fact, super-fans will note that the series narrowly avoided being cancelled after its very first season, all the way back in 2006. According to stories from the cast and creators, the sole reason that Always Sunny managed to continue past the first season was the inclusion of Danny DeVito.

DeVito Saved The Series From Certain Doom

As the story goes, co-creators Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, and Charlie Day lucked into getting the first season of Always Sunny greenlit after submitting a ramshackle pilot on a DVD. Since the series cost very little to produce, FX took a risk on the budding actors, and let them run wild with their trademark blend of bizarre, off-the-wall humor. Though the first season of Always Sunny offers a lot of laughs, the show didn’t pull in major ratings upon release, leaving hopes for a second season in limbo. Basically, the studio execs gave McElhenney and crew an ultimatum: bring in a ringer with some star power, or pack up the bar and turn down the lights.

During a 2013 profile in The Hollywood Reporter, Rob McElhenney described the process of bringing Danny DeVito on board during the second season. He stated “We knew that no one was watching the show, and the network said that we needed to bring in someone with cachet to draw attention. They didn’t really have the marketing budget at the time to blanket the airwaves … We bounced a few names around, but Danny just made a lot of sense. When I went to his house to talk about it, his kids ended up being huge fans of the show and he was good friends with [Chairman of FX Networks] John Landgraf.”

DeVito Knew The Assignment

In case you’re too young to have a full scope on DeVito’s resume, the veteran actor was already a huge name in television and film when It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia premiered. DeVito previously took home an Academy Award for his work on the hit TV series Taxi, and earned an Oscar nod for his appearance in 2001’s Erin Brockovich. He also had a filmography spanning over 100 credits as an actor, with a number of directorial efforts under his belt as well. While Danny DeVito might be a no-brainer for the oddball comedy in hindsight, his joining the cast was supremely unexpected at the time.

Luckily, Danny DeVito wasn’t keen on big-timing his costars with the air of Hollywood superiority you might expect from a big-name actor. Instead, he leaned heavily on Rob, Glenn, and Charlie to give him material that would resonate with a younger audience. When asked about his favorite aspect of filming the show, DeVito routinely references the most absurd scenes the writers can put him in. His favorite moments include being painted black to blend in with a shadowy wall, falling out a window into a dumpster, and climbing out of a leather couch butt-naked and drenched in sweat. Suffice is to say, DeVito and the rest of the Always Sunny gang turned out to be a match made in heaven.

A Show-Saving Addition

Adding the character of Frank Reynolds wasn’t just good for the production, either. It also added a brand new element to the actual narrative that felt natural and cohesive to the already existing stories. Frank never feels like a guest star or a distraction from the action. Instead, he’s so natural alongside the rest of the cast that the first season feels absent without him. In the decades since Frank shacked up with the crew, he’s become an integral part of what makes Paddy’s Pub function. Plus, his on-screen chemistry with Charlie Day has blossomed into one of the most hilarious and dysfunctional bromances in television history.

Whether Always Sunny closes down for good with season 18, or they continue for another 20 years, it’s worth examining how their humble origins helped to craft the show that we know and love today. In many ways, the series may not have existed past Season 1 without the assistance and open-mindedness of Danny DeVito.

Whew, Roomies! Falynn Pina might’ve moved on from Simon Guobadia, but the tea from their past is still spilling. In a new interview, Falynn seemingly calls out Porsha Williams and Simon for allegedly having an “inappropriate relationship” while she was still married to him. Falynn’s comments come shortly after she reacted to Porsha’s sit-down with Carlos King. In that interview, Porsha shut down claims that she betrayed Falynn by marrying Simon.

RELATED: Falynn Pina Threatens To Expose Receipts After Porsha Williams Addresses Betraying Their Friendship With Marriage To Simon Guobadia (VIDEO)

Falynn Pina Says She Clocked Porsha Williams & Simon Guobadia’s Connection From The Jump

In clips shared by TheJasmineBrand, Falynn Pina said she “always knew” something was going on between Porsha Williams and Simon Guobadia. She recalled appearing on season 13 of ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ when Porsha came to her and Simon’s house. Falynn says she realized that same day that they were giving “more than friends” energy. She explained that she and Simon watched ‘RHOA’ together before meeting Porsha. Allegedly, they even laughed about Porsha’s viral scene with Nene Leakes, where she dances while “whipping up some eggs.”

Fast forward to when Porsha visited her home, she noticed Porsha and Simon talking privately, but she said she didn’t clock anything shady at that time. Additionally, Pina shared that while they were speaking, she was hanging out with her friends upstairs, and when Porsha finally joined them, she started doing the same dance from her scene with Nene.

“They had already been pillow talking or whatever the case was. That was the first clue I feel like of every woman’s intuition where we see it, but we don’t really say it,” Falynn said.

Falynn Reacts To Porsha’s Claims & Threatens To Drop Receipts

This isn’t the first time Falynn has spoken on Porsha and Simon’s relationship. She recently dropped a message on her Instagram Story, calling Porsha out after her interview with Carlos King. Falynn said she was cool with never addressing the situation, but since Porsha started talking about it, she was ready to clear the air and put the whole thing to bed. She also claimed to have her own receipts and was prepared to tell her side of what really went down.

“IKYFL!!!! See…I was ok with never speaking on this situation again, but as long as 265 is out here doing interviews taking “accountability” and acting as captain save a h*e with @thecarlosking_ !!!!!!! F*** it. Time to blow the dust of these receipts so that EVERYONE can take REAL ACCOUNTABILITY and this s**t can finally die.”

Falynn reacts to Porsha’s interview with Carlos King. #RHOA

Video Source: @thecarlosking_ pic.twitter.com/RwoKefjUtS

— The RHOA Talk (@TheRhoaTalk) April 30, 2026

Porsha Clarifies Relationship With Falynn After Marrying Simon

Porsha Williams and Falynn Pina’s trip down memory lane kicked off after Porsha spoke about her marriage to Simon Guobadia. Williams claimed she never really built a friendship with Falynn, even though she visited Falynn and Simon’s home during ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ season 13. Porsha also said she has text message receipts that show producers gave her Falynn’s number before she ever went to her house.

“I did not know her. I didn’t know anything.” Porsha added, “I know people at this point are going to believe what they’re going to believe.”

Even though Porsha and Simon have divorced, fans have been side-eyeing their relationship since they tied the knot shortly after Simon and Falynn filed for divorce in 2021.

RELATED: Double Congrats! Falynn Pina & Jaylan Banks Reveal They’re Expecting Second Child Together At Their Wedding (PHOTOS) 

Blake Shelton may not have been in attendance at Gwen Stefani’s Las Vegas show, but he had a good reason why.

“My wife came to town. She’s here. I mean, she’s not here. She’s over there. The other venue,” Shelton, 49, said during his Wednesday, May 6, performance at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. “What kind of a d***head books us on the exact same nights, every single night? I think my manager did that, and he’s here, isn’t he?”

Shelton went on to explain that Stefani, 56, was also in Sin City for the opening night of her band No Doubt’s Las Vegas residency.

“My wife, Gwen Stefani. I like to say it out loud. I know it’s kind of douchey. She’s playing tonight over at the Sphere,” Shelton explained. I’m so glad y’all aren’t there. It’s weird to say, but it’s true.”

“One of the things that I heard her say on stage was, and I thought to myself, ‘Man, if I ever get to do a residency in Vegas, I’m gonna do that too.’ She got on stage, she goes, ‘We’re in Las Vegas. We can do whatever in the hell we wanna do.’ OK? Don’t tell any authorities that I said that to you … You’re on your own,” he continued. “But I heard Gwen say that, and then she would sing whatever songs she was gonna sing. It would freak people out.”

Shelton and Stefani exchanged vows in July 2021. Shelton was previously married to Kaynette Gern from 2003 to 2006 and then Miranda Lambert from 2011 to 2015, while Stefani was with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale from 2002 to 2016. (Stefani and Rossdale share sons Kingston, 19, Zuma, 17, and Apollo, 12.)

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Despite rumors circulating that Shelton and Stefani split, the country singer put the speculation to rest in January.

Related: Where Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton Really Stand Amid Split Rumors

Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton’s marriage is going strong despite rumors of a split. A source close to the couple exclusively tells Us Weekly that the pair are “as strong as ever” in their relationship due to their shared values: family and faith. “It’s rooted in the things that matter to them both. They are […]

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“I started noticing these articles popping up about, ‘Blake and Gwen, they’re split up,’” he said while cohosting the Country Countdown USA radio show at the time, adding that he learned not to “believe anything anymore that I see on the internet.”

“[I saw them say] ‘They’re not even seeing each other anymore, they’re going through a divorce.’ And then, a week later, a picture comes out of us walking out of the grocery store,” he continued. “‘Oh, they’re back together again!’ And another week goes by and we’re not seen at the grocery store … ‘They’re divorcing.’”

Young and the Restless brings Matt Clark (Roger Howarth) back to Genoa City this week, but he has no memory of his life or who he is. So, this is obviously a huge advantage for the Newmans, especially Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow), who has a major score to settle with Matt after he overdosed and tried to kill him.

And Nick is going to run into Matt this week. So, we’re going to talk about how Nick could absolutely destroy Matt while he is suffering from amnesia, is head injured, and is basically easy prey. And now, let’s talk about what happens to the bad guy.

Nick Runs Into Matt At The GCAC on Young and the Restless

All right. So, Nick runs into Matt Clark at the GCAC where he went after the near-death incident in Las Vegas simply based on the room key in his pocket. Sienna Bacall (Tamara Braun) bashed Matt in the head with a rock several times and she thought she killed him. So, I’m guessing that the guy has a traumatic brain injury that’s causing his memory loss. And this week, Nick sees Matt right after he spoke to Cane Ashby (Billy Flynn), who didn’t know him, didn’t want to talk to him, and walked away. Then Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) talked to Matt as well, but it’s Nick who’s really going to want to talk to Matt.

He will be stunned to find out that the villain has lost his memories. And then on Friday, Young and the Restless spoilers confirm that Nick tells Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle) a secret. I think it is that Matt is back with no memories, no idea who he is, and can’t fight them. So, clearly, Nick’s going to want to take advantage of this situation. And let’s talk about exactly what he might do.

Nick Might Lure Matt Away And Stash Him Somewhere on Y&R

First of all, Nick might lure Matt away from the GCAC and stash him somewhere. You know, Nick could lie and say they’re old friends and that he’s going to take him home and then he just locks Matt up in a storage unit or the barn on the ranch or chains him up in an abandoned building.

I’m sure Genoa City has some. And then Nick might tell Victoria that he has Matt secured and he’s vulnerable and he’s going to crush him. And Nick may tell Victoria, “Don’t tell anybody else. You know, I’ll decide who to tell.” And I think Nick may want a little time to think about how best to punish Matt.

Of course, the Newmans were all hoping that Sienna really did kill Matt, but the police haven’t found the body, so there’s doubts. And then right now with Nick stumbling upon him having no memories that gives them the upper hand.

So, Nick may just need a minute to wrap his head around this huge Matt twist and figure out the best course of action. Nick wants Matt neutralized, preferably dead. But I wonder if Nick might feel like Matt is weak as a kitten and it’s not sporting to take him down like this.

Nick’s Out for Revenge on Young and the Restless

Now Nick is usually a hothead. He acts first, he thinks later, usually punches first, maybe thinks later, but this time he might surprise us and really consider what to do with Matt just because of what’s going on or not going on in his brain.

I mean, Nick could always turn Matt over to the cops for trying to kill them all in Vegas, but I feel like Nick may not trust the legal system because they went that route before and Matt was able to manipulate things and get free. And let’s be real, Nick wants revenge.

Nick Could Bring in Adam to Gang Up on Matt on Y&R

So, after telling Victoria, we could see Nick also bring in his little brother Adam Newman (Mark Grossman) and talk to him about what he’s thinking about doing to Matt, you know, or Nick could bring Adam over to see where he’s got Matt locked down and ask, “Okay, what should we do from here?” And Nick and Adam could gang up on Matt.

They could tag team him and kick the holy crap out of him for everything he’s done to them and their loved ones. You know, remember Nick and Adam were taking Matt off to give him a big beatdown when the guy grabbed the wheel and caused the car crash that broke Nick’s leg.

But Nick beating on Matt when he doesn’t know who he is or who they are is kind of problematic. So Nick and Adam beating him up together seems even dodgier. They may want Matt to get back his memories. So then Nick and Adam won’t feel bad about punishing a guy who has no idea what he did to cause this. It, like I said, it doesn’t seem sporting even though he’s a terrible person.

Nick Could Force Matt to Overdose

Another thing to consider with Matt is they could just put him down humanely because let’s face it, he needs a dirt nap. Once his memories come back, he will be a threat to the family again. But Nick might have some leftover drugs that he can force Matt to take. And it would be ironic if Nick caused Matt to overdose.

I think that would be the absolute perfect revenge for Nick because they wouldn’t be physically assaulting a clueless amnesiac, but then they can get rid of Matt nonviolently. And since he nearly killed Nick with drugs, it would be karma. Remember, Matt had that dealer give Nick the bonus baggie that was a deliberately bad batch that he knew would likely overdose and kill Nick.

Young and the Restless: Nikki May Hide the Truth from Sharon & Sienna

That way, you know, if Matt still got amnesia, they can give him pills like that, get rid of him relatively painlessly using a mechanism that Matt himself used for people and still give the family the closure they need. Another thing to consider is Nick may not want Sharon Newman (Sharon Case) and Noah Newman to know that Matt’s in town. So Sienna told them Matt’s dead, but now she’s having kind of paranoid doubts, saying maybe he survived. Maybe he’s in Genoa City now. So Nick may decide the best thing is to not scare Sienna and Sharon. And him and Adam take care of Matt, kill the guy, not even tell the rest of the family until it’s over and done.

And then Victor Newman‘s (Eric Braeden) security guys, I’m sure, can get rid of the body. But once it’s all done and Matt’s gone, then Nick could go back and tell Sharon, Sienna, and Noah, look, it’s over. Matt really is dead, he’ll never be a threat to us again. And that way, Noah, Sharon, and Sienna could have closure because Sienna is kind of unhinged right now and needs to know it’s over.

And Nick can even tell her, “Hey, look, you didn’t even kill him. Somebody else did. You know, me.” So, if he is really gonna go ahead and kill Matt, I think that would be the best outcome for everybody. And I don’t think anybody in the family except maybe Sharon would have an issue with Nick doing some cold-blooded killing where Matt is concerned.

Nick May Want to Torment Matt for A While on Y&R

The last thing is Nick may want to torment Matt for a while, not let him off easy, kind of like what Victor was doing with crazy Aunt Jordan Howard (Colleen Zenk). So Nick may hold Matt captive for a while, torture him, trigger his memories to come back. That way, Nick can laugh while Matt realizes all of his scheming and plotting came to this end result.

I’m sure Nick wants a reckoning, and that isn’t really possible with Matt’s memories gone. But Nick could lock him up, get him hooked on drugs, torment him, drag it out. And if so, I think Matt’s memories would come back and at that point he would probably escape and wreak havoc on the Newmans because that way we still get a final boss battle with an explosive climax. You know, if Nick just takes him out while Matt’s clueless, that’s kind of like shooting fish in a barrel.

Nick May Lock Matt Up on Young and the Restless

Then again, there is one other option. You know, Nick might have Matt put away into like a secure psychiatric facility and leave him there until his memories come back and then come back to kill him. But that would be so anticlimactic. That being said, Josh Griffith is a terrible writer and I was so happy to see he’s no longer executive producer.

If they just get him out of the writer’s chair, too, I think Y&R would be so much better. So, I wouldn’t put it past him to do something really lazy like that. Hopefully not because we’re in May sweeps. Hopefully, we get this boss battle and Nick gets to kill him. But doing it while he’s got amnesia, like I said, doesn’t feel very sportsmanlike. We’ll see. But Nick this week is going to feel like he won the revenge lottery when he stumbles over a clueless and confused Matt at the GCAC this week.

Jurassic Park is primarily remembered for its revolutionary special effects, but it is no slouch in the writing department. Not only does Steven Spielberg‘s iconic 1993 adventure blockbuster have an immaculate story construction, but it also features a handful of memorable lines, courtesy of screenwriter David Koepp.

Amid all the dinosaurs running amok on the remote island that’s reviving the extinct organism through DNA, the most profound moment in the original movie that spawned an additional two sequels and a legacy series with four installments comes from a line reading by scene-stealer Jeff Goldblum as the rock-star mathematician, Ian Malcolm. When discussing the reproduction of new dinosaurs on Earth, Malcolm utters a vague but deep aphorism: “Life finds a way.” 33 years later, this remark has taken on a new, somewhat poignant, meaning, regarding the immortal nature of the Jurassic Park franchise.

‘Jurassic Park’ Isn’t Going Anywhere in Our Pop Culture Landscape

As soon as Jurassic Park became a global phenomenon and box office champion, a sequel was inevitable. Excluding Indiana Jones, Steven Spielberg has wisely avoided the franchise pratfalls, but he, perhaps to his own detriment, returned for The Lost World in 1997. While it’s plenty of fun, it doesn’t feel like Spielberg’s heart is fully in the film. Following a third installment in 2001, directed by Joe Johnston, Jurassic Park was on ice on the big screen until, during the peak of franchise/IP expansion in the 2010s, the series was revived by Universal with Jurassic World, which inspired three sequels that have all performed like gangbusters at the box offices but were received with tepid interest from critics.

With each Jurassic Park sequel being less and less admired by critics and audiences, you’d think this would signal at least a temporary dormant period for the long-running franchise that has failed to even touch the greatness of the original. The only Jurassic property that pushes the franchise forward is on television, with the two Netflix original series, Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous and Jurassic World: Chaos Theory. There’s been no official confirmation yet from Universal, but a follow-up to 2025’s Jurassic World Rebirth, which starred Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey would be a safe bet. Jurassic also has real estate in merchandise, theme parks, and other expanded media.

‘Jurassic Park’ Predicted the Future With One Line by Ian Malcolm

Compared to what transpired in the next three decades, the original Jurassic Park, based on the novel by Michael Crichton, is a film of humble roots. However, as Ian Malcolm proclaimed, life finds a way, and that way, in Hollywood, is typically to churn out a franchise. Jurassic World Dominion and Rebirth were met with a fair share of negative reviews, but no amount of one-star reviews could ever hinder the production of future movies.

As the cynic of the group, which also includes paleontologists Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), Ian Malcolm identified the long-reaching aftershocks of cloning dinosaurs. No matter how many guardrails Grant and Sattler place on Hammond’s experiment, someone else will come along and try to serve as a God-like figure by reviving the species. Malcolm also talks about the cyclical nature of life, where God creates humanity only for humans to become gods themselves.

It’s ironic that a film that warned us about the grave dangers of reviving dead organisms resulted in a franchise that feels like the pinnacle of franchise regurgitation that audiences have been living through for the last 15 years. If there’s one shot in Steven Spielberg’s original film that symbolizes Jurassic Park as a whole, it’s when Ellie Sattler steps out of the Jeep and sees a dinosaur for the first time, gazing at this towering creature in awe. The future installments try to re-create that sense of Spielbergian wonder. However, even as CGI and special effects have improved, the revival of dinosaurs and the franchise itself continues to feel more artificial with every film.

It looks like Nick Cannon is finally setting the record straight about a moment involving his daughter Monroe Cannon that had social media in a frenzy for days. While many folks thought they knew exactly what Monroe meant when she made a viral comment online last year, Nick says the internet ran with the wrong narrative. Now, he’s opening up about what was really going on behind the scenes. He added that the whole situation ended up being a major lesson for his teenage daughter.

RELATED: Family Cringe! Moroccan Has Social Media Crackin’ UP At His Response To Nick Cannon’s Dating Rules For Monroe (VIDEO)

Nick Cannon Speaks On Monroe’s Viral Sibling Comments

While appearing on Shannon Sharpe’s ‘Club Shay Shay,’ Nick explained that Monroe’s viral Instagram post was never intended to spark debate about his large family. Instead, he says the comment came from a simple exchange between teenagers online. According to Nick, Monroe was responding to kids around her age who were falsely claiming to be related to her and her twin brother, Moroccan. He shared that Monroe was only trying to clarify who her actual sibling was within her age group, but the internet interpreted her words much differently.

Nick went on to say the backlash deeply affected Monroe once she realized how viral the moment had become. He recalled that she became emotional over people believing she was denying her relationship with her other siblings. According to him, Monroe even apologized to her siblings and to him despite the situation being a misunderstanding. Nick said he ultimately used the situation as a teaching moment, reminding Monroe that social media can quickly turn a small comment into something uncontrollable — especially because of who their family is. He added that the experience taught her that not every thought or feeling needs to be shared online because once something goes public, people will always add their own interpretation.

Fans immediately flooded TSR’s comment section with reactions, and whew, everybody had an opinion. Some folks said Monroe was technically telling the truth from her perspective, while others joked that if their dad had that many kids, they probably wouldn’t be claiming everybody either. Meanwhile, a few people stood ten toes down behind Monroe, reminding everyone, “That’s Mariah Carey’s daughter, and she said what she said!”

One Instagram user @bae.areagoddess said, “A lot of children feel that way tbh if they aren’t growing up together.“

This Instagram user @aishajhuri added, “And im an only child! My mama only had 1.. what my dad did was his business! 🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️”

And, Instagram user @xotanye joked, “she said sins of the father are not mine 😆😂”

While Instagram user @reimelebai shared, “She doesn’t have to claim anyone she doesn’t wanna claim.“

Then Instagram user @dntfrt wrote, “That is Mariah’s daughter— she said what she said. 😂”

Lastly, Instagram user @sytp.09 commented, “If my Dad was moving like Nick I would only claim my twin too wtf 😭”

RELATED: Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon Celebrate Twins’ 15th Birthday As He Reveals He’d Have More Kids With Her (WATCH)

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 1 hour ago

If you’re a fan of the Battlestar Galactica reboot, you’re probably dying for some new content. That killer sci-fi show came out over two decades ago, and frequent attempts to spin it off or reboot it yet again have fizzled out. Meanwhile, video game adaptations have been hit or miss. Many fans enjoyed Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock, but that game and all of its DLCs were delisted last year, leaving a vacuum just waiting to be filled.

Fortunately, the wait for a new killer game is over. Dotemu (who has published some excellent games in recent years, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge and the recent Marvel Cosmic Invasion) is about to release Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes. It’s a creative and ambitious roguelite that’s coming out on May 11th. What’s this game about, and will it be worth your frakkin’ time and money? Recently, we sat down with two of the lead developers (Creative Director Julien Cotret and Lead Game Designer Simon Swinscoe) to get answers to all of your questions.

Gameplay That Actually Captures The Show’s Feel

Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes is a roguelite. That means that you will most likely need to make many attempts before you can successfully complete the story. In traditional roguelikes (named after the vintage game, Rogue), each of these attempts would be as brutal and unforgiving as the first. But as a roguelite, Scattered Hopes allows you to retain certain upgrades (and, of course, meta-knowledge of the game) to make successful runs easier.

As for the core gameplay loop, Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes is split into two main sections. The first is fleet management, in which you must allocate various resources, talk to your crew, and make difficult decisions that affect the entire fleet. You can only make so many decisions in this phase: as in the show, you can’t take care of every problem facing your fleet, so you are forced to make hard decisions that may or may not prove to be catastrophic.

After fleet management, your fleet will inevitably be attacked by Cylons (a design inspired by the excellent Battlestar Galactica episode “33”). At this point, the game switches to a real-time space battle mode, though you can pause at any time to issue various orders. As with most episodes of the show, you do not have a real shot at actually defeating the Cylons, who effectively have endless resources. During these sequences, your primary job is to deploy your Vipers and defend yourself until you can successfully jump to safety.

Something Old, Something New

One of the first things I asked the Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes devs was whether this game is meant to take place in the canonical universe of the show or if this was more of an alternate universe. What they told me is that the game focuses on its own, original story that could plausibly be part of the show. You take control of a gunstar that, like Galactica, survives the initial Cylon attack on the Twelve Colonies. You are actually trying to find the Galactica and join up with the rest of humanity. Along the way, you will find scattered colonial ships, and you’ll have to protect them (and yourself) from relentless Cylon raids.

Therefore, fans of the original show can easily imagine this as just another story taking place in this gritty sci-fi universe. It’s even in line with the show, which eventually revealed that an entirely different Battlestar (the Pegasus) survived the Cylon attack on the colonies. Of course, some aspects of the game still tiptoe outside of established lore. At certain points, for example, you will need to suss out hidden Cylons in your fleet, and they may be completely different characters than the named, human-looking bots from the show.

A Unique Kind Of Roleplaying

The original Rogue, and many of the subsequent roguelikes and roguelites, didn’t have much in the way of a real story. The games were all about kicking butt and seeing how far you could get before dying. However, there are some major exceptions out there, including Hades, a killer roguelike that has major RPG elements inspired by Greek mythology. With this in mind, I asked the developers of Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes if there were many RPG elements in their own game.

They told me that there are several RPG aspects to the game. In addition to giving orders to your subordinates, you can chat up the crew in the ship’s bar. When investigating who may or may not be a secret Cylon, you will also learn extensive background information about your suspects. Mostly, though, the game functions as an Adama simulator. While you play a different commander, you will face the same blend of strategic crises, moral dilemmas, and resource management struggles.  After playing the game for a few hours, you’ll feel closer to Adama because you will have survived the same impossible situations.

So Say We All

Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes is coming out exclusively on PC on May 11. Currently, there are no plans for a console release, but that may change if the game proves popular enough. Speaking of which, the developers have ideas for some exciting DLC, but they won’t release anything until they see what fan response to the game is like first.

That’s where you come in. If you loved Battlestar Galactica and are eager for some new content, then it’s time to vote with your wallet. From everything I’ve seen, this looks like it will be a killer game; one made by devs with genuine and heartfelt passion for the original show. It will give you a chance to be like Adama, making hard decisions that affect the lives of thousands of people. Or maybe you just want to be like Roslin and shoot some annoying people out the airlock? Either way, this game has you covered!