Blockbuster.co.uk's Marshall Julius has a close encounter with a trio of Battlestar Galacticans.

A thrilling hybrid of sci fi adventure, political intrigue and raw human drama, the new and improved Battlestar Galactica is a show at the top of its game. Currently halfway though shooting season three, a handful of cast mates joined me for a chat to mark the welcome release of the second on DVD.

First up is Nicki Clyne, 23, whose role as the plucky and tireless Cally developed slowly but satisfyingly over the first two years, and who's excited to be doing more than ever in season three. Because now, she's Chief Tyrol's girlfriend.

"When I first auditioned for the role," remembers Clyne, "I have to admit I'd never even heard of Battlestar Galactica. I've come a long since way since then! I'm not really into science fiction, but I think our show does such a good job of portraying humanity, asking questions and touching on issues that are controversial and poignant, how can you not love it?"

"Cally is someone that viewers can relate to very easily. She's a very strong, smart and tough woman who knows exactly what she's doing. She's open and warm, but she really stands her ground. She doesn't let people push her around."

Let's just hope she doesn't turn out to be a Cylon, like the chief's last girlfriend. "You can't know for sure! It would be far too mean on the chief, though. Even though the show is so dark, and there are so many terrible things happening, what's great about our relationship at the beginning of season 3 is it brings a bit of life, of vitality and positive energy, to the show, because you can tell these people really love each other."

It's not all flowers and sunshine, though. There are tough days too. "The scene at the end of season two, when Tyrol beats me up, was tough for everyone. We all felt really drained because it was so realistic. The most shocking thing though, was when I actually got punched in the face! But it's all in a day's work... It's hilarious, really. As soon as it happened, and they yelled cut, I had tears running down my face. Just from the shock of it, because it really wasn't all that painful. But when Aaron came up to me, he was all like, 'I didn't do it. I don't know what happened!' He hates it when I tell that story, but I think it's really funny."

Clearly Clyne is really enjoying being part of the series. "We feel settled into our characters, and settled into the show, and we're a lot more comfortable and confident with what we're doing. We're just so excited it's going so well and that people are watching it. It's been really cool. So much fun. And it's just getting better and better."

Paul Campbell is next, 27 years old and best known as Billy Keikeya, President Roslin's (Mary McDonnell) loyal aide. "Billy's a really fun character to play," says Campbell, currently shooting a new sitcom with the fate-tempting title of 'Nobody's Watching'. "Billy is a very compassionate person and he's a real back-of-the-room type of character who no one pays attention to, even though he's paying very close attention to everything that's happening. I loved playing Billy."

As far as Campbell's concerned, he's in a political drama. His research was The West Wing. He doesn't do the hero stuff. He's a talker, not a fighter. Twice in the show, he was saved by girls. "That wasn't very manly, I know," he jokes. "But I didn't mind being tackled by them."

Mostly, what you feel from Campbell is his love for actress Mary McDonnell. "I feel like I go on about Mary too much, but I can't find the words to say enough nice things about her, both as an actress and a human being. And as a colleague, she's absolutely phenomenal to work with. She's a teacher, she's a friend, she's support, and she's such a master of her craft. The mini-series was the first major job I had, and to work opposite Mary was like going to best acting school in the world. But you really can't pay for lessons like that. And off camera, she's just the most gracious, humble, down-to-earth and silly woman I know." She sounds just about perfect. "She truly is."

Finally I have a few minutes with Canadian actor Aaron Douglas. At 34 the old man of this group, and a firm fan favourite as Chief Galen Tyrol, a tireless engineer who doesn't know the meaning of the word quit. Or hairbrush.

"I was a huge fan of the original show," says Douglas enthusiastically. "I grew up with Battlestar, so I really wanted to be a part of it. When I first heard it was coming back I told a friend of mine I would be willing to get into a Cylon suit and play a walking toaster! That was how badly I wanted to be in it."

Originally auditioning for the roles of Apollo and Lieutenant Gaeta, Douglas feels he finally found the perfect role as the chief of Galactica's flight deck. "Tyrol is kind of like me. He's kind of brash and abrasive on the outside, but deep down inside he's a teddy bear. I'm sure if I were put in a position to run a Battlestar deck, I'd do it just like Tyrol. He's someone who loves his job, a leader who leads by example. I'm very happy in the role."

Not to be outdone by Campbell's tribute to the lovely Mary McDonnell, Douglas speaks glowingly of his new best mate. "Richard Hatch is one of the neatest, most amazing human beings I've ever met." It was Hatch who played Apollo in the original Seventies show, and who now plays political revolutionary Tom Zarek in the Noughties re-imagining. "He is such a great guy," confirms the chief. "He lived up to every hope I had of him, and now, he and I get on like a house on fire. We have drinks and just be silly and tell wonderful stories. He's very wise and philosophical, really an amazing man. And he's thrilled to be a part of the new show."

As for what season three holds in store for the growing legions of Battlestar Galactica fans out there, Campbell promises great things. Epic, even. "Season three is better than season 2," states the actor. "The show just gets darker and darker. I've seen the first five episodes in a rough format, and they are absolutely amazing. The scripts were outstanding, and what the directors and the cast did with them is tremendous. There's lot of stuff in there that's really, really challenging. It's very contemporary, it's very analogous to the world today, and they get us to do a lot of extremely difficult things.

"My biggest challenge in the third season is to keep the chief likeable, because he does some horrible things, and it would be really easy for the fans to go off me. But we're struggling for our lives, and sometimes you have to do difficult things. We're battling insurgents, we're battling the Cylons, we're down on the planet, and there's a lot of confusion. It's hard to tell sometimes who the bad guys really are. There's fractioning within the Cylons - they start arguing with each other. And the humans start arguing with each other as to what to do next. You'll see. It's amazing stuff."