Product Details

• Actors: Edward James Olmos, Jamie Bamber
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1 EX)
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 5
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Sci-Fi Channel, The
• DVD Release Date: September 20, 2005
• Run Time: 757 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (826 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000AJJNFE
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,061 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Battlestar Galactica - Season One" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Battlestar Galactica's Edward James Olmos wasn't kidding when he said "the series is even better than the miniseries." As developed by sci-fi TV veteran Ronald D. Moore, the "reimagined" BG is exactly what it claims to be: a drama for grown-ups in a science-fiction setting. The mature intelligence of the series is its greatest asset, from the tenuous respect between Galactica's militarily principled commander Adama (Olmos) and politically astute President Roslin (Mary McDonnell) to the barely suppressed passion between ace Viper pilot "Apollo" (a.k.a. Adama's son Lee, played by Jamie Bamber) and the brashly insubordinate Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff), whose multifaceted character is just one of many first-season highlights. Picking up where the miniseries ended (it's included here, sparing the need for separate purchase), season 1 opens with the riveting, Hugo Award-winning episode "33," in which Galactica and the "ragtag fleet" of colonial survivors begin their quest for the legendary 13th colony planet Earth, while being pursued with clockwork regularity by the Cylons, who've now occupied the colonial planet of Caprica. The fleet's hard-fought survival forms (1) the primary side of the series' three-part structure, shared with (2) the apparent psychosis of Dr. Gaius Baltar (James Callis) whose every thought and move are monitored by various incarnations of Number Six (Tricia Helfer), the seemingly omniscient Cylon ultravixen who follows a master plan somehow connected to (3) the Caprican survival ordeal of crash-landed pilots "Helo" (Tahmoh Penikett) and "Boomer" (Grace Park), whose simultaneous presence on Galactica is further evidence that 12 multicopied models of Cylons, in human form, are gathering their forces.

With remarkably consistent quality, each of these 13 episodes deepens the dynamics of these fascinating characters and suspenseful situations. While BG relies on finely nuanced performances, solid direction, and satisfying personal and political drama to build its strong emotional foundation, the action/adventure elements are equally impressive, especially in "The Hand of God," a pivotal episode in which the show's dazzling visual effects get a particularly impressive showcase. Original BG series star Richard Hatch appears in two politically charged episodes (he's a better actor now, too), and with the threat of civil war among the fleet, season 1 ends with an exceptional cliffhanger that's totally unexpected while connecting the plot threads of all preceding episodes. To the credit of everyone involved, this is frackin' good television.

DVD features
The fifth disc in Battlestar Galactica's season 1 set is highlighted by eight comprehensive featurettes covering all aspects of the series, from its miniseries origins to standard surveys of production design, visual effects, and particulars of plot and character. For hardcore fans and anyone interested in TV production, nine out of 13 episodes, plus the disc 1 miniseries, are accompanied by intelligent and informative commentary originally provided as BG website podcasts, mostly by series developer and writer Ronald D. Moore, who provides tantalizing clues about developments in season 2. The "Series Lowdown" is a cast-and-crew promotional program originally broadcast to attract SciFi Channel viewers who were initially reluctant to embrace a "reimagined" Battlestar Galactica. The strategy worked: First-season ratings left no doubt that the new BG was as good as--and in many ways better than--the original. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

The Complete First Season of the science fictionTV series.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

401 of 433 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!!! May 29, 2006

By Steven R. McEvoy TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:DVD

This is one of the best shows on TV right now, according to many media outlets. "A Breakaway Hit!" -TV Guide and "The Best Show on Television." -Newsday are but two examples of the rave reviews it has received. If you are a sci-fi fan, this is a must-see show. If you aren't a sci-fi fan, you should still consider checking this out. Even though it's in space and has killer robots, it is more human than most other drama shows on TV today. So say we all.

This box set includes the miniseries that re-launched this show and returned it to TV for the first time since the 1970's. It has the 4-hour miniseries and the 13 episodes from the first season. It stars Edward James Olmos as Commander Adama Captain of the Battlestar Galactica, and Mary McDonnell as the newly invested president of the 12 colonies of man. She was formerly the secretary of education.

The Cylon's had not been heard from in years. Then in one day they attack and destroy nearly all human life in attacks on all planets and most military assets. Now with the war against the Cylon robots lost, the Battlestar Galactica crew speed toward the fabled 13th colony on a long lost planet, called Earth. Galactica Commander Adama and President Laura Roslin face waning supplies, crushed morale, ... and the credible threat Cylons aboard the ship. Cylons that look like humans now not just shiny machines.

Humanity's children have come home and they are trying to destroy their creators.

Some of the amazing cast are:

Edward James Olmos as Commander William Adama

Mary McDonnell as Laura Roslin

Katee Sackhoff as Lt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace

Jamie Bamber as Captain Lee "Apollo" Adama

James Callis as Dr. Gaius Baltar Vice President

Tricia Helfer as Number Six

Grace Park as Lt. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii

Richard Hatch as Tom Zarek (The original Apollo)

Tahmoh Penikett as Lt. Karl C. "Helo" Agathon

Michael Hogan as Col. Saul Tigh

Aaron Douglas as CPO Galen "Chief" Tyrol

Alessandro Juliani as Lt. Felix Gaeta

Kandyse McClure as P02 Anastasia Dualla

Paul Campbell as Billy Keikeya

This cast works so well together, that after the miniseries they rewrote parts of the series to give the "Chief" a much larger role.

This series will draw you in and capture your imagination. It is full of religious symbols and images. There are visions, prophecies, and sacred scrolls. It is a drama of the most intense nature. Check it out, you will watch the DVD's over and over again.

The best Sci-fi series since Babylon 5.

So Say We All!

557 of 619 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best shows on television regardles of genre... July 25, 2005

By J. Kitchen

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I posted a very favorable review of the mini-series that launched this new version of Battlestar Galactica. The series has taken all of the things that were so enjoyable and woven them into a great television series.

First and foremost it's a drama about people. If you want trite, craptacular, formula don't look to this show. The writers and the cast of actors and actresses have embodied these characters with more detail and emotion than any other television show I can think of in recent years. Entire episodes go buy without spaceships or planets and we don't mind. We care about the people first, the special effects second. The underpinnings of loyalty, relationships that remain steadfast after 20 years, love and rivalry, purpose and duty, all come to the forefront of this show.

The executive producer of the show, Ron Moore, has been very crafty in his vision. Things so painful about the original series are now far more frightning. The bad guy robots, the Cylons, aren't slow moving toasters anymore. They look like us and have carried out the obliteration of mankind with darwin like overtones and a zeal fueled by a religion that holds man as the creator. Yikes! Add in that they've figured out how to use sex as a weapon...

The hardcore "living in the basement of their parents house" crowd will continue to make savage attacks on this show no matter what. Mercifully the people who live in the real world recognize the product of a tremendous number of talented and gifted people. Ratings have been high for a reason.

If Frasier was a weekly half hour of wonderful broadway farce then the new version of Battlestar Galactica is a taunt hour of psychological insight into the workings of real people in a hellish situation.

I don't own a single live action television series on DVD or videotape but have pre-ordered this one because I want to watch it again to see what I missed the first time I watched it.

This is a show that may ripple through the industry because it proves what Jay Ward knew with Rocky and Bulwinkle: you don't dumb down the material. The kids might not get all the jokes but the adults who do will love it all the more. With Battlestar Galactica you can find episodic sci-fi if that's what you need. If you want something more, human drama that demands emotional investment on a scale rarely seen in the broadcast mediums, it's a meal of plenty.

54 of 58 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Fraking amazing December 11, 2007

By Jason VINE™ VOICE

Format:HD DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

First off, the show is 5 stars or more. Best show currently on cable TV as far as I can tell. But this hd-dvd leaves PLENTY TO BE DESIRED.

First, they reused the same menus as were used in Heroes season 1 on HD-DVD, this is fine with me, as that menu scheme is very nice. The interactive parts of this hd-dvd release (the U control stuff) is great, but I'll never view the show this way but once, if that.

I own the original dvd of this (season 1 and the miniseries stand alone dvd), I was highly looking forward to watching this on HD-DVD. But I was sadly disappointed!

The video quality on the mini series is horrible, looks like 480p! Watching the miniseries on dvd upconverted generally looks better, save a few scenes. Also the audio gets out of sync quite a few times during the show.

The TV shows look substantially better than the mini-series, with many scenes looking very good, but not as noticeable of an upgrade as say, heroes or smalleville, which I also own, and are also on HD-DVD. Those releases are/were fantastic, with pristine transfers. This looks like it was rushed. And pity that, I would be fine with spending 40 dollars, 50 max for this, but 100? or even amazon's low price makes me feel like I'm apart of some cylon conspiracy.

If the video not being up to standards is not enough, the case arrived crushed due to be shipped in an envelope (first time this has ever happened to me from amazon) and the discs were scratched (seems this is the default, not the exception from others reviews).

With that said, I whole heartedly recommend this series to any and everyone, it is amazing. The best thing about the HD-DVD is the phenomenal sound, this was a huge upgrade, I cant really applaud any other parts of this release.

In closing, this show is fantastic, the video quality leaves much to be desired, they should re-master the mini-series, as this looks very bad here. The HD-DVD is still better than the DVD, but not by much.

I hope universal will release season 2, 3, and Razor on HD-DVD soon. However, I will not be pre-ordering those until after I read more reviews. The dvd's I have look fantastic as is (upconverted) so if the picture quality is no real improvement, I have no real need to spend double the money.

I must note, I am not against spending 70 dollars for a TV show (I do have both sopranos seasons in HD, and they cost far more) on an High Def format, but I am against getting sub-par transfers, Heroes, and Smallville both on HD-DVD blows this out of the water in terms of picture quality, and packaging. This show deserves better, we deserver better.

So say we all!

PS, if you are having problems getting the discs in or out of the case, twist the disc's and they come right off or on, pulling will likely pull the glue off of the packaging.