Katee Sackhoff knows a thing or two about alien invaders. For four seasons, the actor portrayed Starbuck in 2004's reimagined Battlestar Galactica. There, she struggled to prevent the mechanical Cylons from taking over.
Sackhoff once again ventured into space for Netflix's Another Life. The TV series finds an unidentified flying object landing on Earth, where a crystalline structure forms on top of it. Are they friend or foe? That is what Sackhoff's Captain Niko Breckinridge and a young crew must determine. Taking the spaceship Salvare and traveling light years away, Niko discovers the horrifying truth: these aliens definitely do not come in peace.
Sackhoff recently spoke to CBR about Another Life's second season, returning to the realm of science fiction, Niko as a captain and if she will resume her role on The Flash.
CBR: After Battlestar Galactica and Riddick, I'm sure you were bombarded with sci-fi project offers. What sold you on Another Life and made you want to step back into the genre?
Katee Sackhoff: Time was a big thing. I hadn't done sci-fi in a television format since Battlestar. I think I needed to go do a good old Western, where things were based in reality for a second. I also think of couple of things appealed to me. Number one, having some creative control is always really beautiful. I understand this genre pretty well, or at least, I grew up on it and I know what I like to watch. Then, what I really loved about this is it's really different than Battlestar.
I think for myself, as someone who enjoyed watching Battlestar Galactica, if I had gone and done a carbon copy of that, some people would have been happy, but a lot of people would have told me I was uninspired. Or, I would have been ripped apart by one section of people who were like, "She only does one thing." I love the idea it was very different. I love that Another Life doesn't take itself seriously. We've created a popcorn sci-fi show that I love. I say this all the time: Not every show needs to be a metaphor for the human condition. Sometimes, we can just watch shit blow up.
Speaking of more creative control, can you elaborate on what it meant to you to be a producer on the series?
It's really important. For me, for career longevity, one of the things drilled into my head by Eddie Olmos when I was 21 years old was, "Create your own content." It's the only way you are going to keep working, is if you can control things and you create content. I took it seriously. It's something I started doing and started producing films 10 years ago and just started earning my stripes. I think that a lot of people are surprised when they see me on set because they think I am going to be a producer in vanity title, and I work my ass off. What I don't know, I sit back, and I learn. What I do know, I'm confident about and I stand up for. It's important for me, for ownership. I want to create things I want to see.
Sometimes it's things that are just insane and crazy and don't need to make sense. I love when people tell me that the science doesn't make sense from our show. I think it's hysterical. Why does it need to? Yes, there's a time and a place for that. I believe there was a mandate on Battlestar, that if there wasn't science that could support something -- even if it was future and stretching our understanding of it, that if the science at its core didn't exist, we aren't going to do it. This is not that show. We had a person's spinal cord popped out of their body in Season 1. That should have given you a hint right there that this is not a show based on reality.
Now that you've worn the acting and producing hats, do you have any ambition to direct as well?
No. None whatsoever. Have you met actors? Oh, God no. I find actors to be whiny babies. The last thing I want to do is herd a bunch of baby kittens on set. I'm just kidding!
You have to know the things that you enjoy and the things that you are good at and what your brain understands. My brain fully understands the creative process and creative producing. I have tried to become interested in directing and it's just not there. My brain doesn't understand it. If I could be one of those directors that didn't understand anything and just worked with actors and worked on performances, I think I would enjoy that. I just don't think there is a place for that right now in my career. But maybe someday.
Niko is a scrapper and a fighter, but there are many more layers to her. What was key to finding her voice?
Season 1, the thing I found the most challenging to be her was I didn't understand how a mother could leave her child behind. I didn't understand that. I wanted to understand it in order to realistically portray it. I talked to a lot of mothers and so many of them said sometimes the best thing you can do for your child is let them go. It's something I didn't understand, but I found a respect for. That was something for her I needed to hold onto.
I think for Niko, she has a hero complex that is detrimental sometimes to the success of missions. I find that sometimes hard to hang my hat on. I'm one of those people who hire people smarter than yourself. That was also challenging for me, especially after Season 1. She saw so many of the crew make mistakes, that in Season 2, she's very much white-knuckling it and trying to do everything herself. She knows she can rely on herself. That's not necessarily the best way to lead.
Building on that, the crew was reluctant to accept Niko as the captain. What do you consider her greatest strengths and weaknesses?
One of Niko's biggest strengths is she cares. She leads with her heart so much. I think that makes her a great leader. I think it also makes her a good soldier, when she's got so much empathy and desire to understand other people and other beings. It makes her a very good explorer. Sometimes she's not willing to make the hard choice because lives are at stake. That may also be her biggest weakness.
Season 1 was more about a journey into the unknown and finding out about this alien species. In what ways have those priorities shifted this year?
We found them, for better or for worse. Now that becomes the mission. "OK, we found them. We now know their intentions are nefarious. Now we have to get home." That was the mission, to find them and figure out what they wanted and get back. That becomes the mission, get back to Earth and warn them that the Achaia are not friendly and hopefully, they can do it in time to help people and they haven't done damage on Earth.
The avatar Iara joins the ranks this year, as well. In what ways does her presence present new opportunities and even bigger problems?
With the addition of Iara, we have some insight into what the Achaia wants. We have a little bit more understanding. But you are also faced with someone who could be a double agent and you are trying to understand where they lie and what their intentions are and whether they can be trusted. The interesting thing about Niko is always, "Do no harm." She's unwilling to trust Iara, but she's also unwilling to do her harm. I love that about her. I love the fact that we see this person who has no trust at all for something she doesn't understand, but she's also unwilling to compromise her moral integrity to get answers.
Another new face is Richard. How would you describe that evolving relationship between the two of them?
I love Tongayi Chirisa. He brought such a texture to this season that we were very much missing in Season 1. He is a military officer. He has seen combat. He has seen war. He is someone who was an asset to them, that they had in their back pocket. Waking someone up that does not have that "do no harm thing," Richard is "complete the mission at whatever cost, if that means sacrificing you." Niko is, "Let's keep everyone alive. We don't need to do it this way. There's another answer."
Seeing them work together to complete their secondary decision lends so much to the story. You will see in Episode 8, the way they both attack a problem is very different. Richard attacks it with brute force, strength and anger. "I will not fail. I will not fail." Niko takes a deep breath, digs into her training and goes calmly. It's the way they do things differently. It's the other side of the coin we were missing last year.
Season 2 ends on a definite final note. What kind of discussions have you had about where things could go from here?
We have had discussions about Season 3. Nothing recent. The discussions were all as we were wrapping Season 2, where we would go in Season 3. We've learned what the strengths of this show are, and it is that space exploration. It works really well with the cast that we have in place. We would see more of that. We set this show up for an audience to believe there are multiple species out there and that everybody wants to meet. That's a really fun show to watch. I would watch that show. It's just a matter of whether or not we will get that opportunity.
Like so many shows, we were faced with so many obstacles in the recent past. It was 781 days between Season 1 and Season 2. Knowing that, we would be lucky to find the audience we found in Season 1. If people come back to us this season, amazing. They will have to for us to get a Season 3. That is the plain truth. If there is no audience, you are not going to get a Season 3. Where we ended things was really satisfying for me and hopefully the rest of the audience. We will have to wait and see.
As a massive sci-fi fan, what was it like being part of the Star Wars universe recently, with The Mandalorian and Star Wars: The Clone Wars?
That's just a dream come true. My dad raised me on science fiction. My deepest admiration is for sci-fi and action films. To be a part of something that, when I was a kid, filled me with so much joy and imagination… That world is pretty amazing. When I was just the voice of Bo-Katan, that was a dream come true. Now it's just crazy.
Will we get to see more of your character Amunet Black on Flash this season?
God, I would love to. The character that I had the most fun playing in my entire career is Amunet Black. I don't know if she exists in that world right now. I don't know who I would have to beg over there to bring her back for one more episode. Maybe I need to make a phone call to Mr. Berlanti. I love that character. I love that cast. I love that show. To have been a part of it as much as I was, was great. I would love to wrap her up and see where Amunet is as the show goes out.
Another Life Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.