CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) -- After a month of rumors and speculation, Sci Fi Channel made it official this morning as the network has given its "Battlestar Galactica" mini-series a series order of 13 episodes. Production is set to begin in Vancouver next month for a yet to be determined air date.

The news was announced via press release:

'BATTLESTAR GALACTICA' GREENLIT FOR SERIES

Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff & Tricia Helfer Reprising Roles in New SCI FI Channel Original Series

SCI FI Channel has greenlit production on the Battlestar Galactica franchise as a new original weekly series. Based on the top-rated December miniseries event of the same name, the one-hour drama is slated to begin production on 13 episodes in Vancouver next month.

All principal cast from the mini will reprise their roles for the series, including Edward James Olmos (Commander Adama), Mary McDonnell (President Laura Roslin), Katee Sackhoff (Starbuck), and Tricia Helfer (Number Six), among others.

Ronald D. Moore (Carnivale, Mission Impossible 2) returns as executive producer as well as writer. The project will be produced exclusively for SCI FI, in association with Sky One. The series will be distributed by USACE, where David Eick, an executive producer of the miniseries, serves as Executive Vice President.

An edgy re-imagining of the 1978 television series, the SCI FI miniseries became the highest-rated cable mini in 2003�delivering more viewers and higher ratings than HBO�s Angels in America. The Battlestar Galactica series is an intriguing take on the classic adventure of a ragtag fleet of humans, the sole survivors of a devastating nuclear attack by the robot Cylons. Faced with an un-winnable battle against a deadly enemy, they are forced to flee under the protection of their one remaining warship, the outdated Battlestar Galactica. Pursued by the Cylons�some of whom have now taken human form�Commander Adama (Olmos) and President Roslin (McDonnell) lead these last remnants of humanity in search of a new home�a planet called Earth.

SCI FI Channel is a television network where "what if" is what's on. SCI FI fuels the imagination of viewers with original series and events, blockbuster movies and classic science fiction and fantasy programming, as well as a dynamic Web site (www.scifi.com) and magazine. Launched in 1992, and currently in 83 million homes, SCI FI Channel is a program service of Universal Television Networks, part of the Universal Television Group (www.universalstudios.com), a division of Vivendi Universal Entertainment (VUE), the U.S.-based film, television and recreation entity of Vivendi Universal, a global media and communications company.