35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another strong companion to TV's finest series, September 22, 2007
This review is from: Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion Season Three (Paperback)
If you have either of the first two of the official companions for BATTLESTAR GALACTICA that David Bassom has produced, you know exactly what to expect here. What I liked about the first two books is precisely what I liked here. Even though I've listened to every single podcast by Ron Moore (or with assorted guests) and read as far as I'm aware every interview that exists with members of the cast or the production team, I still learned a number of things that I'd never heard before. Clearly Bassom is able to interview all the major cast members, including Michael Hogan, who only recently has been willing to be interviewed after several years of denying all requests for interviews. One thing any more-than-casual fan of BSG quickly picks up on is that series creator Ron Moore and his co-executive producer David Eick are not control freaks. In podcasts, in various interviews, and elsewhere one constantly hears of Moore suggesting one thing, only to change his mind when a cast member, another writer, or another producer make a counter suggestion. While Moore always has the last word on things, he clearly believes in the alchemy of joint creation. This is, I believe, why Bassom is given far more freedom than most writers of "official" companions.
Some of the things we learn in the books is that Moore and others agreed with most fans on a few episodes that didn't quite work. Most of us didn't think that the A plot of "A Day in the Life" worked very well nor that the episode "The Woman King" was very successful. In other words, Bassom is given a lot of latitude in reporting dissatisfaction with certain stories. Likewise, he obviously isn't pressured to report that everyone in the cast was delighted with Season Three. Most of the women, for instance, felt somewhat short changed in Season Three. They don't hide the fact that most of the people whose characters were revealed to be Cylons were unhappy with the fact (with the exceptions of Rekha Sharma, who was delighted to be one, and Kandyse McClure, who plays Dualla and was disappointed not to be one). Did I learn anything absolutely earth shattering? No. Though I did have my intuition was correct that Grace Park frequently pulls fans legs when she says things about how her characters can't be trusted because they are Cylons. She stated more clearly than I've ever seen before that she thought that Sharon's motives in Season Two were pretty clear (namely, that she really did love Helo and had switched from the Cylon to human side, something that I've argued on various boards). She stated that Season Three was a pretty explicit confirmation of what should have been clear in Season Two.
So, as a hardcore, obsessive BSG fan I found plenty in this to entertain me. I have to confess another reason for enjoying it: the long, dragged out hiatus. As I write this we have at least four more months before the start of Season Four, though we will get the movie RAZOR on November 24 on the Sci Fi Channel and its subsequent release a few days later on DVD. With the rumor that the Season Three DVD boxed set will not be released until the spring of 2008, we have little else to look forward to in coming months. This was the first of several upcoming books and events before the return of BSG to TV in early 2008 (though warning! -- there is serious consideration to splitting Season Four in two parts and televising the second half in early 2009!). Next is the release of FRAK YOU! by Jo Storm, an unofficial guide due out in early October. Next will be the showing of RAZOR in November and the release of the extended DVD in early December. Then there will be two books out before the start of Season Three: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA AND PHILOSOPHY, edited by Jason T. Eberl, which is tentatively due out in December, and CYLONS IN AMERICA: CRITICAL STUDIES ON BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, edited by Tiffany Potter and C. W. Marshall, which is tentatively due in January. Then we get the series itself. (There is one more book on the series due out, UNLOCKING BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, by Lynnette Porter, David Lavery, and Hilary Robson, but it isn't scheduled for publication until March, so it won't be out in time to sate my need for new things BSG.)
In short, I think any serious fan of BSG will find much to enjoy in this volume. It certainly won't change your overall assessment of the series, but you will gain more insight, even if you are as obsessive a fan as I am.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not as good as I'd hoped, July 7, 2008
This review is from: Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion Season Three (Paperback)
There was some good information in this book, but not as much as I had expected. I have purchased companion books for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and they were much better. You could find this information online somewhere. If you're looking for new behind-the-scenes information, you're better off Googling it. But if you want a good episode guide or something like that, then this book is worth your money.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great information, good resource for those who love the show!!, January 14, 2008
This review is from: Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion Season Three (Paperback)
Very good book for those of us that love the new Battlestar Galactica. I was surprised that its in black and white, non-glossy pages. I have bought other companion books for Firefly and those were in color and looked amazing. But for any fan of the new BSG this is a must have...so read and ENJOY !!!
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