Customer Reviews

Battlestar Galactica: The Complete 2004 Series (+ Collectible Cylon)

5 star:		(161)
4 star:		(39)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

I bought all of the seasons separately as they first came out, and I highly recommend watching the entire television series through to the end. The five stars are for the series, NOT for the atrocious marketing.

While looking for the last piece of the series (see the end of the review), I came across some great deals (in terms of price), but was dismayed to see just how confusing things have become on Amazon. This review below is meant to help you wade through the mess in the marketplace, purchase the series, and enjoy it. I originally posted it for the combined Seasons 4.0 and 4.5 set, but someone kindly suggested I post it elsewhere as well. I hope you find it helpful.

DVD CONFUSION
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The show is incredible. However, the whole DVD thing has been a disaster. They released it in the worst way possible (see below), Amazon compounded the problem by lumping together reviews for DIFFERENT PRODUCTS, and the DVD manufacturers seem to be changing the contents of some products. I cannot imagine how someone who is not deeply familiar with it is supposed to purchase this wonderful show. Certainly, they would hesitate to give it as a gift! Let's hope this solves your problem.

In one sentence, I can say that here is what you want to get: Seasons 1, 2.0, 2.5, 3, 4.0, 4.5, and The Plan. I have links to them below. If you get these, then you will be sure to have it all.

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-Season One was released as (Battlestar Galactica - Season One) altogether with the pilot in one box.
-Season Two was released as Battlestar Galactica - Season 2.0 (Episodes 1-10) and Battlestar Galactica: Season 2.5 (Episodes 11-20) in two boxes. You can now purchase them together as Battlestar Galactica (2004): Seasons 2.0 & 2.5
-Season Three was released together in one box as Battlestar Galactica - Season Three.
-Season Four was released as Battlestar Galactica - Season 4.0 and Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.5 with the Razor episode. Those are now available together as Battlestar Galactica (2004): Season 4.0 & 4.5. Occasionally I come across things like "Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.5 - Limited Edition Gift Set (2009)." It seems like a lot of money for one part of the full season, but you get some dog tags with it, so if you are into collecting memorabilia, you might want to consider it.
-The Plan was released on its own as Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

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OPTIONS FOR PURCHASING THEM ALL TOGETHER: BAD TO GOOD
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-Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series (with COLLECTIBLE CYLON). Not recommended. I do not own this, but according to the reviews, it is packaged poorly WITHOUT AN EPISODE LIST. That seems like a horrible idea for four seasons of a tv show. Apparently, it contains the same DVDs as the ones sold separately (explained above).
-Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series (the one in the GRAY BOX). Recommended. I do not own this. Good reviews of it so far. Packaging problems were fixed.
-Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series (with COLLECTIBLE CYLON) [BLU-RAY] or the gray box [BLU-RAY] set. Recommended. I do not own this. Seems to include some extras, but not significant. It also has an episode list, according to the reviews. It might be worth buying if you wanted to get everything together.

BOTTOM LINE:
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As far as I can tell from the reviews, I think there are two choices:
(1) Buy either Blu-Ray set or the DVD set in the gray box.
(2) Purchase everything separately (make sure to get all of the stuff mentioned above).

NOTE:
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-The "Face of the Enemy" webisodes (episodes shown only online) have not been made available for purchase in any of the sets as far as I can tell. What a shame!
-Also, if anyone sees any mistakes in this review, please tell me and I will edit it. Frustratingly, the manufacturers seem to be changing the contents of some sets, so it is possible that my information has become outdated.

First of all for those who haven't noticed the reviews that are here are for two different box sets. One set is a large silver box and the other is black and comes with a collectible cylon. This review is for the silver box set. This box set includes all of the episodes from the series and also the miniseries. It also contains Razor and The plan. The Plan is sometimes missed because it is in the same case as disk 4 of season 4. On the outside of the case there is no mention of it at all but it is there. I didn't even know it was there until I opened the case to watch disk 4. Each disk also has lots of deleted scenes, commentary, and other special behind the scenes features. This is a great series and box set.

The complete series box set is a *big* box, not something that will fit easily on a shelf. The box is quite sturdy, with each season's discs packaged in their own sleeve (four in all). These sleeves are cardboard with flip up covers; inside, the discs are nested in a folded cardboard separator.

Some have claimed that this set would include the movie "Caprica", but it is *not* included. The 25 DVDs in this set are the same DVDs available in the 6 season sets (1, 2.0, 2.5, 3, 4.0, 4.5).

The series was produced in HD, which means a wide-screen presentation; however, it was deliberately shot with a grainy look to give it a 'gritty' film quality.

Why get this collection instead of the six season sets? You get a neat Cylon Centurion figurine (and it's good sized!), but no booklet, a huge box, and inferior internal packaging. I bought the series this way mainly because it was (slightly) cheaper than purchasing the six season sets individually; nevertheless, I'm experiencing a bit of buyer's remorse.

I have the "newer" box set (you know, the one in the picture), and as others have pointed out the packaging is no longer a concern. So now that that's out of the way, how does the set actually hold up? Very well actually, and at times admirably.

BSG was never a bright and shiny show. Visually speaking it's cinematography was every bit as dark as many of the themes the show explored. This works to great effect in keeping with the tone of the narrative itself. The only problem, if you consider it such, is that this style of photography doesn't necessarily lend itself to high defnition video. Don't get the wrong idea, BSG looks gorgeous on Blu, and at this point I refuse to watch it on any other format. Just keep in mind that the artistic goals of the shows creators was not to present the most clear and crisp visual presentation available, and you'll be happy.

What these vagaries mean in real world terms is that video quality will range from jaw droppingly-crisp to painfully muddled. This variance is visible from season to season, episode to episode, and even from scene to scene in any given episode. Is this a bad thing? Hardly. I've watched all of the broadcast episodes, most in HD, and all of the dvds(by the way the season one dvds look phenomenal), and there is a noticeable up tick in clarity on every single episode. In short this is the best version of BSG that you will ever see, it looks the way it is intended to look ... period.

If you're familiar with Universal's "U-control" interface, then you know what you're getting with this set. I'm not a big fan of U-control, but the layout of the menus is very clean, easy to navigate and understand, and minimalist. If you pause a disc a Universal screen saver will appear on screen, which is actually a nice touch, although as is the case with all java-enabled blu ray discs stopping playback means you will have to search for your resume point (java people get on this already, very annoying).

This set includes all of the same bonus features as the DVD box sets. That said, some of the commentaries leave something to be desired. I was never a fan of the podcast commentaries while the show was on the air. I've always felt that they lacked, some more than others, the kind of in depth analysis that commentaries recorded after the on-air run of a show possess. Still, there is more good here than bad, but it would've been nice to see some new commentaries recorded specifically for the full series set. Who knows, with BD-live functionality maybe someone will finally put it to good use and we'll see some new commentary tracks down the road.

All in all this set is going to be tough to beat. It has every single episode accurately presented in HD, many special features that will occupy days (weeks?) of your life if you so choose, and it all comes in a sensible easy-to-store box that doesn't look garish and won't damage your discs. I waited for a long time to pick up this box set, and I'm even more pleased with it than I anticipated. This is a must buy.

Finally! repackaged re-issue of "Battlestar Galactica (2004): The Complete Series" This version of The Complete Series also includes the unrated, extended feature-length movie, "Battlestar Galactica: The Plan." the DVD will be in "Slim Snap Cases with an Outer Box" and the high-def Blu-ray version will be "Digipaks with an Outer Box".

I know a lot of fans were very disappointed and upset that the Complete series box set was bulky and the season boxes were cheap materials. Also the fact the complete series was not "complete" as it did not include the last two hour movie. Universal has made it a point to re-release the complete series on DVD and Blu-Ray to correct both these issues.

I myself own the first Bulky "complete series" box set and I didn't mind it, although I agree it would have been nice to fit on my shelf. So when I heard it was to be re-packaged, I was a bit irritated that I may have to re-purchase the set to get better packaging.

if you check on [...] both sites have information on how current consumers can Mail in their information and have the new packaging sent to them for free! I just mailed my information. any consumers who currently own "the complete series" can receive this new packaging. Anyone who sees this review I encourage to take this offer, especially if you don't like the current packaging.

Just got my boxset in the mail, paid $137.00 for it. Great packaging and overall sturdiness of the main box. However the individual boxes for each season hold the discs in an awkward fashion. The front cover is a flap that is closed via a little Velcro tab, inside the box the discs are held in slots cut out from a cardboard insert. This insert moves up and down within the box making it annoying to try and pull a disc out let alone put the disc back into its cutout slot. To put the disc back in you have to spread the slot apart with one hand and slide the disc back in with the other otherwise it is quite a pain to stick the disc in. Also when putting the discs back I cant help but feel like i am going to scratch the disc since they are sliding against cardboard.

The Cylon figure is nice, nothing too special. You can pose it, however the plastic feels cheap like it could break. The figure is housed in a plastic sleeve on the top of the main box in a cutout hole. Once you take it out there is a big ugly hole on the top of your box which looks really bad when its empty. The plastic sleeve can be put back into the hole on the top of the box but it still looks hideous. I'll just be leaving the Cylon figure inside the box.

Overall its a nice boxset, but for the price that its advertised for, it should have been better.

Many of the reviews here that complained about the poor cube box design were from the 1st Limited Edition of the Complete Series.

The new re-issued Complete Series have much improved individual season digicase design like this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/B0036EH3U2/ref=cm_ciu_pdp_images_1?ie=UTF8&index=1

The re-issued Complete Series also includes The Plan as part of the set. All the rest of the Season 1-4 are the same discs as the Limited Edition but doesn't include the Centurian figure.

With any well made TV series, the expectation of the fans are much higher than a typical TV series. The show isn't perfect especially the last season but it's hard to find another well made TV series that ended the entire series as well as the Battlestar Galactica. Too many TV series started very good but over the seasons, they got so bad and still continued to make more seasons until the series got canceled without any decent finale.

Almost all of the DVDs arrived scratched. The DVDs are stored in cheap cardboard sleeves and slide around everywhere. If you want this set to last, buy the original season releases with better packaging.

Also, they are literally just re-packaged DVDs of the original season releases. They didn't even change the menus.

There is no reason to buy this when you can find the individual seasons for less money.

This version of the Complete Series on Blu-ray has addressed the packaging complaints that so many people have posted for the item. The box contains each season packaged individually in a tri-fold jewel case. Each jewel case lists the discs and episodes to be found on each disc. IMO this is a high-quality packaging for the product, and it seems like Universal listened to customer complaints and addressed the problems.

I highly recommend this product, it has a coveted space on my bookshelf and I look forward to many years of pleasure from watching this incredible series.

Hello,
I see by many earlier reviews there was great concern over the original packaging of this set. This review addresses that issue only.
I recently bought the new repackaged complete Battlestar series and found the packaging to be perfect. Each DVD comes in its own plastic case. The plastic case is durable and made of good quality and has a brief description of the specific episodes on the back to help you locate the specific episode look are looking for. Each of the four seasons the show ran has its own box that contain the DVDs for that season. Example -5 DVDs in the season 1 box. The box for season 4 also has the DVDs for season 4.5 for a total of 8 DVDs inside.
I understood that the original complete series main box was large and ackward and didn't well well into normal shelf space. The 4 season boxes all fit perfectly ( not too tight or too loose) into one sturdy main box. So it is easy to remove an individual seasons while leaving the other three seasons inside. The main box that contains everything is 8 inches high by 8 inches wide by 5.75 deep.
So you don't buy the wrong set here's how to recognize the original package from the new and greatly improved package. The new package is gray and has the 5 principle characters on the front. It also has 3 secondary characters on each side. The back of the box is where you remove the 4 individual season boxes.

My guess is that the head honcho at Univeral saw all the negative remarks on the poor packaging of the original set and kicked some butt. "Do it right" is probably what he (or she) demanded and they did. Hopefully this new, complete series, packaging will become the industry standard.