Shorts revolve around a younger William Adama

With "Battlestar Galactica" heading into its fourth and final season on Sci Fi, the cable channel is taking every opportunity to create additional content set in that world.

At Sunday's (July 15) Television Critic's Association press tour, Sci Fi Channel announced that a series of 2-3 minute mini-sodes will lead into the premiere the upcoming two-hour event "Battlestar Galactica: Razor." The shorts join the roster of innovative programming for the fall season.

The eight shorts will start airing in October and revolve around the adventures of pilot William Adama (Nico Cortez), the younger version of the series' current Adama played by Edward James Olmos. In the mini-sodes, the young Adama discovers a Cylon weapon that will figure in the adventures of his crew 40 years later. "Razor," which airs on Nov. 24, revolves around Adama's son Lee Adama (Jamie Bamber) and his first mission as commander of the Battlestar Pegasus.

Among the other new programs is "The Awesomes," the animated adventures of has-been superheroes; an untitled miniseries from actor Thomas Jane and comic book author Steve Niles set on an exotic planet; "Going Homer," a miniseries starring "Farscape's" Ben Browder as a 21st-century Homer; and a half-hour scripted series based on Francis Stokes' "God, Inc." web series. Stokes will also develop an unrelated original one-hour drama about time travel.

In alternative programming, "Run for Money," pits contestants seeking cash and prizes against a group of "hunters," while "Brain Trust" features a Mensa swat team that approaches everyday tasks with over-the-top inventions and solutions. "What Can't It Do?" takes products from the home and tests them in extreme situations, while "UFO Hunters" sets out to investigate claims of UFO sightings and otherworldly phenomena.

Sci Fi is expanding its online universe as well, adding a 10-part web series based on the award-winning "Farscape," "Sci Fi Tech" as a companion piece to the site's technology blog, and "Invent This!" which spotlights quirky inventions and their strange origins.