The “Battlestar Galactica” mini-series that was first broadcast on cable’s Sci Fi Channel back in December 2003 ended with a doozy of a cliffhanger: “Boomer” (played by Grace Park) is a Cylon!

Now, after the success of that special two-part mini-series, the further exploits of the Galactica and its crew, including Boomer, are playing out in a new series that currently airs on Friday nights on Sci Fi.

For the uninitiated, the original “Battlestar Galactica” was a show on ABC that played in the late 1970s. It chronicled the adventures of a rag-tag fleet of humans who survived the destruction of their home planets, the 12 Colonies of Kobol, by a race of robots known as the Cylons. “Fleeing from Cylon tyranny” (according to the narration from the original), the remaining humans went on a quest, led by the last remaining star ship of the Colonies, to find the mythic 13th Colony: “a shining, green planet, known as Earth.” (Let’s just say I was a big fan of the show in my youth.)

In this updated version, the Galactica is still leading the search for Earth while being hunted by the Cylons. But here, the robots have evolved. Forget the hulky, awkwardly plodding tin cans with the one pulsing red eye from before. Cylons are now also cyborgs assuming “normal” lives among the survivors.

Boomer, who was originally a Colonial Warrior fighter pilot played by African American actor Herbert Jefferson, is now Lieutenant Sharon Valerii, as played by Park. Boomer is her call sign, and she is one of the Galactica’s top shuttle pilots. She also happens to be the enemy.

“There’s a time where she’s very aware of her true nature, and she gets to work,” says Park, describing her character. “And the other time, she has the human cover going on, and you could torture her, and she still wouldn’t say she was a Cylon.”

But Boomer is no single-minded spy bent on espionage; she is programmed to believe she is human. So she becomes torn between her Cylon origins and the camaraderie she shares with her fellow Colonial Warriors, as well as a love affair with crew chief Tyrol.

“She’s really conflicted the whole season,” says Park. Then adds, “Not a fun character to play all season long.”
It is this twist, however, of the Cylons being cyborgs that gives the new show a depth and complexity that is another departure from the campy feel of the original, which tried to ride the coattails of “Star Wars.” One of the themes the updated version touches on is just what makes a human a human, like the androids in the classic sci-fi film “Blade Runner.” And Park’s character is at the crux of this question.

The cast of the reworked “Battlestar Galactica” includes Edward James Olmos as Commander Adama, Mary McDonnell as President Laura Roslin, Jamie Bamber as Apollo, Katee Sackhoff as Starbuck, Tricia Helfer as Number Six, James Callis as Gaius Baltar, and Park (from left to right)

This also means that Park is getting the opportunity to test her acting chops.

“It’s like, I can’t believe [the show’s creators] developed my character,” says Park. “At the same time, it’s like, ah f-ck, I don’t think I can pull it off.