‘Battlestar Galactica’ Icon Tricia Helfer Is Done Playing by the Rules, and Her OnlyFans Proves It

For a generation of sci-fi fans, Tricia Helfer is synonymous with ‘Battlestar Galactica’, the acclaimed reimagined series that ran from 2003 to 2009. Her role as the humanoid Cylon known as Number Six made her a pop culture icon almost instantly, cementing her as one of the most recognizable faces in genre television. The Canadian actress first built her professional reputation as a high-fashion model, working campaigns for brands including Ralph Lauren, Versace, and Chanel before making the full pivot to acting in 2002.

In the years since, Helfer has quietly assembled one of the more versatile resumes in television. Her credits span ‘Burn Notice’, ‘Two and a Half Men’, ‘Suits’, and ‘Lucifer’, and she has recently been cast in the fifth and final season of Netflix’s ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’. She has never been content to coast on a single defining role, and her latest move is very much in keeping with that restless energy.

About a month ago, Helfer quietly soft-launched an OnlyFans page, and she has now gone public with her decision, describing the move as her way of taking the stigma off the platform a little. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, she was direct about her reasons: “At my age, I am in my ‘do what I want’ phase of life. I’m tired of being told what to do and how to do it. I’m looking at it as something to have fun with and something that I can be in control of.”

The content she plans to share reflects a dual approach, mixing polished artistic photography with candid, self-shot moments from home, including feeding her goats and tending to her garden, alongside livestream Q&A sessions with fans. She describes the overall tone as the “sexier side” of her existing brand, a deliberate extension rather than any kind of reinvention.

That drive for ownership has roots in experience. After years of shooting for publications like Maxim, GQ, and Esquire with no control and no compensation, she found a turning point when she posed for Playboy in 2007 to promote ‘Battlestar Galactica’, a job where she chose the photographer, had photo approval, and was actually paid. She has framed OnlyFans as the modern evolution of that same principle.

Helfer has also made clear that she intends to donate a portion of her OnlyFans earnings to animal charities she supports, saying the platform gives her the means to contribute more than she already does. Her decision arrives amid a visible wave of familiar faces making the same move, with Emmy winner Jaime Pressly and ‘American Pie’ alum Shannon Elizabeth both launching their own pages in recent weeks, with Elizabeth reportedly earning over one million dollars in her first several days.

Since her quiet launch, Helfer has described being pleasantly surprised by the reception, noting that the vast majority of people in her circle have been supportive, and that she has been open with anyone who expressed concern about the fact that she remains fully in control of everything she posts.

Beyond the platform, she is also set to appear in an upcoming video game, meaning her career is moving in several directions at once. Number Six once stared down the end of civilization with absolute composure, so it is perhaps fitting that her creator is approaching this new chapter with exactly the same energy.

Whether you see her OnlyFans as a career pivot or simply a long-overdue act of creative freedom, where do you land on Tricia Helfer writing her own rules at 52?