Customer Reviews

Battlestar Galactica Season 1

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3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(31)
1 star:		(28)

 

 

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!

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.

As a fan of the original Battlestar Galactica, I had my doubts about this "re-imagining" as did many others. The old saying goes: "Don't knock it till you try it." Therefore, I did. Picking up the US Season One set (which includes the miniseries) I popped in disc one.

Three hours later, I was completely hooked. I popped in disc two and watched the first four episodes, then the next four on the following disc.

I am totally addicted to this show. The conflicts between and within the characters themselves, the fantastic visual effects, and the writing and direction totally immerse the viewer into their universe.

Olmos is brilliant as William Adama, and I truly believe he is a worthy successor to the role of Adama, originally played by the late Lorne Greene. It was good to see Richard Hatch (the original series' Apollo) back in action. He does a great job playing the reformed terrorist Tom Zarek. I was a little leery about having a female portray Starbuck at first, but I'm very glad they cast Katee Sackhoff. She really pulls off the part well. Jamie Bamber is a great new Apollo, and Mary McDonnell (no stranger to human disaster flicks--"Independence Day") does an admirable job playing the tormented President Roslin.

I have to say my personal favorite character here is Gaius Baltar, played to perfection by James Callis. He is both genius in his brilliance and extremely looney, and his interactions with the mysterious Number Six (Tricia Helfer, WOW) are funny and well-performed.

I'm just now wrapping up Season One. I have not seen any episodes of Season Two yet. Looking forward to it.

One thing about this series: Don't skip ANY episodes. These are not standalone episodes, to be sure. It's one continuous storyline, and missed eps can result in a degree of confusion.

My recommendation? If you are a fan of Sci-fi in any way, and enjoy a good, briskly paced dramatic storyline, look no further than the new Battlestar Galactica. Pick this one up NOW.

Having watched this gem of a show through to the midpoint of season two (where we all now wait again breathless while Sci-Fi inserts another three month pause), I have not been so jazzed about a science fiction drama since Babylon 5.

Much of BSG's suspense comes from the inexorable actions of its antagonists, a machine race known as the Cylons. The Cyclons were built by humankind and ultimately turned on their human masters. Many years after a great conflict, the Cylons were not heard of again, until one day they return to destroy their original creators. Having infiltrated humanity with new models of machine that can pass undetected amongst the populace, they strike with shocking speed and malace. Humanity is nearly wiped out. But a small fleet of ships manages to escape, carrying the few remaining survivors in search of a new home: a place of religious legend known only as "Earth".

But the search for a their new home is frought with peril, both within and without. Where will they get supplies? How will the survivors be governed in this time of crisis? Who can be trusted when the enemy can pass so convincingly for friend? When will the enemy strike next? Can humanity stay together or will everything fall apart?

The first season, much like B5's first season, lays the groundwork for future story arcs. Many of these don't pay off completely until the second season and beyond. At the same time the first season illustrates, in both grand and subtle ways, the many different costs that humanity pays on that day of tragedy: the lives lost, the freedom sacrificed, the hope that must be rebuilt. And in the wake of all of this, everyone -- everyone -- is still expected to do their duty. Because even greater tolls are paid when they don't.

BSG ultimately does something very important that all good drama should. At the end of every season (and at the end of many episodes), one can _feel_ how much the people and situations have changed. There is a strong undercurrent of cause and effect, and that the effects have long-term consequences that won't be simply forgotten in the next episode.

BSG is unrelenting in its story progression. There is almost always a sense that something is happening, people are changing, events are unfolding. Never is it necessary to advertise that "something will happen" (unlike a certain plane crash survivor drama). Something is always happening, and those somethings add up to dramatic changes for those living with their effects.

Okay, so I bought the UK dvd set BEFORE I found out about the mini series not being included. BUMMER.

That said, I watched the show with complete ignorance, having only seen the original series (which I absolutely love by the way). I watched one episode at 8 am on a Monday, and had to call into work for a sick day by the end of the episode. WOW.

First, the writing on this show is spectacular. All of the characters are likeable, but have their troubles laid out before your very eyes. Even the villains are compassionate and sympathetic, and this feels to me what the original series should have been.

For example, the original Baltar was a comic book villain. He was evil because he was greedy and liked being evil. Not so this time around. Baltar here betrays the world without knowing it, and spends much of the series inadvertantly saving the heroes.

Edward James Olmos is out of site as Adama, and also takes the helm directing a few episodes. This experienced character actor adds a great sense of comedic and dramatic timing, and seems to set the bar higher for the actors around him.

Mary McDonnel adds to the talent of this series as the President of the colonial fleet, a character not included in the original series. The addition of a civilian government leads to endless possibilities for the show, as well as a tremendous cameo by the guy who played Apollo in the original series.

Jamie Bamber does a competent job as Apollo, with just the right amount of schoolboy charm and good looks to make you know that he is the main character, but without overdoing it.

There are two break out stars from this series, Katee Sackhoff as Starbuck and the AMAZING Grace Park who plays Boomer.

In the instance of Sackhoff, she is able to play Starbuck as an alcohol drinking, card playing, stogie smoking hotshot who also has a heart of gold, many demons inside and a talent for flying that is unmatched by any other. Having been a really big fan of the original Starbuck, this was the character that most worried me. I am pleased to say that, IMHO, this version of Starbuck is BETTER than the original.

And Grace Park? I am amazed that such a young, unkown and relatively untrained actress can keep up with her demanding character. From the beginning we know that Boomer carries a deep secret, and this actress carefully walks us through the mind of this poor tortured character.

The series itself has some of the best written dialogue of any show out there, and knows how to mix in enough subplots to make for a very addicting storyline.

The tv show uses a similar style of directing its outer space sequences to the one that was made famous by Firefly. There are lots of zoom in shots and really basic beats in the background to allow the viewer to focus on the action.

I highly recommend this tv series for anyone who is a fan of science fiction, good drama, and of course, for those who like to see good looking women smoke cigars.

I am a huge SciFi fan, my wife, not so much. Even so, she loves this show as much as I do. This is the finest TV show ever produced. Battlestar Galatica is one of those shows that will be remembered for decades.

It's hard to pick a favorite episode from Season One, but if I had to, I say "33", episode one. Picks up after the events of the mini-series and deals with the Cylons finding and attacking the fleet every 33 minutes. From the opening scene to the final scene you are rivited to your seat, breathless and in awe. This is Scifi done right, this is TV done right.

Some of said that Ron Moore (Exec producer) has gone overboard with respect to the "darkness" of this series, but considering the premise how could it not be dark?

Unlike most SciFi, Battlestar prides itself on deep character development, tight plots, realism, and timing. Listening to a Ron Moore Podcast (podcasts are produced for every episode and available at the scifi.com web site.) you can tell this is a man who loves his show and takes tremendous pride in doing the best job he and his crew can muster. Even the actors work as though they understand that what they are doing is different, honest, and important. Yes, important. Sure, its just "TV", but its both relevant and vital to the post 9/11 world.

I watch about 12 hours of TV a week, and Friday night at 10PM is set aside for another great episode. I would be crushed if this show was somehow cancelled. Had I the chance of meeting Ron Moore I would thank him personally for providing me, and millions of others, such a great TV show.

Best Buy is selling Season One on DVD (as other reviewers have pointed out) and its worth the $50 to have the first 13 episodes now, to watch whenever you want. But, that said, this Season One box set is a must-have for any fan of the show. It includes not only the 13-episodes, but also the Mini-Series making it a complete "up to date" collection of BSG-2005.

Season One will make a great gift to any Scifi fan, and especially those who have seen the show. Whether its a gift for yourself, someone else, or even a choice collection for that new DVD player Plasma TV combo, pre-order this today, you won't be sorry.

[...]

Once upon a time, I heard of a TV show called Battlestar Galactica, but had no idea what it was about. I was only 2 years old when the original was on TV, and I had never seen it at all. Eventually, I saw the first season of the old version in the bargain DVD bin at WalMart, and decided to check it out. I couldn't watch it. I started to watch it, I tried to watch it, but it was just too corny, too dated, too..."eighties", for want of a better word. I decided to leave it for fanboys/fangirls, and I moved on with life.

Later on, I heard of the SciFi channel's plan for a re-interpretation of the original show. This did not make me want to see it at all. The only good Sci-Fi productions I had ever seen were Dune and Children of Dune, and everything else was pretty much cheesy crap, a la "Mansquito" or "Chupacabra." So I didn't even know when the miniseries had premiered, nor did I care.

Then one fateful weekend in January 2005, I found myself at home on a Saturday night with nothing on TV to watch. I was flipping through the channels when I saw the intro to the miniseries pilot pop up on NBC of all places. Now I hate NBC (see my review of "Boomtown" to see why), but the intro was pretty interesting and not as corny as I expected a Sci-Fi production to be, so I decided to give it a couple minutes. Nothing else was on anyways, and it was a SciFi show, not an NBC show.

Two hours later, I was looking up the calendar and marking the premiere date therein. No way in perdition I was going to miss an episode of this TV show if I had anything to do with it.

First off, this show is not escapist TV. It is not intended to be an optimistic view of the goodness of humanity a la "Star Trek everything but DS9", and it is not intended to be a rollicking space western with a clearcut good guy to cheer and an obvious bad guy to boo and hiss at. If you are looking for such a show, then this isn't your kind of show and it never claimed to be. This show filled a void that was missing from TV since the demise of Star Trek Deep Space Nine; the void of gripping character-driven science fiction. It has been stated that this isn't a science fiction drama, this is a drama that happens to be set in a sci-fi environment and the strangest thing is that the science fiction takes a huge cut in importance to character interactions and philosophical enquiries. What does it mean to be alive? Can a machine love? Are the human-looking Cylons really just "machines"? Who is hotter, Grace Park or Tricia Helfer? (that's a really tough one...my preference for Asian ladies vs. my desire for ladies that are as tall as I am...Starbuck is more cute than hot, like the girl next door...the jury's still out :D)

Anyways, the acting on the show is excellent, as other reviews have stated. Edward James Olmos owns the role of Bill Adama, Mary McDonnell brings a steely yet feminine resolve to the presidency, James Callis is deliciously sneaky as the slightly...no, the totally demented and totally self-centered Gaius Baltar (and why does he so resemble Alexander Siddig?) and everyone else is really great in their roles. The stories and characters are all interwoven with each other and even now, watching season 2 on Scifi I am not yet sure of what will happen...

I don't know why anyone would want to bring back the original when it was so cheesy and cannot compare at all to the excellent re-imagining of Ron Moore. There is no comparison between the two at all, so you shouldn't come to it expecting the original's vibe. I hope that they keep running it for a long time! This is the best show that SciFi has ever produced, and to my mind is in the top 5 TV dramas produced in this decade that I've seen, along with The Wire, The Sopranos, Lost and Boomtown.

Forget everything you may have thought you knew about Scifi and a star wars knocko called Galactica, and go check this show out. Just watch the pilot miniseries episodes, and then see if you can avoid watching the rest of season one. I dares ya :D

How I missed this show until this year, I will never know. But I've made up for lost time. Unoriginal, and with not the greatest of production values or the most epic characters, the new BSG is still an epic surprise.

The new show returns to the basics - human and cylon exist in an uncomfortable peace. With the help of Baltar, the robotic cylons betray mankind and virtually annihilate all but about 45,000 humans. The survivors miss the genocide by being in space at the time. The remaining ships form a ragtag fleet headed to the only conceivable destination - the lost planet of earth.

There it ends. I'll put aside the obvious changes (Boomer and Starbuck are women? Col. Tigh looks to have been changed as well) for the deeper ones. The Cylons ARE smart. The walking toasters of the old show are history (literally - in an early scene, we see s few behind glass in a museum). Instead, we have armies of fast moving (CGI) soldiers, and a higher level of autonomous machines that look, sound and feel human. There are no specifics, but these cylons are manmade - at some point they rebelled and, by the advent of this story, they've evolved. Unaware of the humanoid Cylons, the garden variety are infamous for being able to infect computers. As a result, ships like Galactica are deliberately un-tech. (If you've been to one of those old warships turned into a museum, you know what I mean.) Baltar is still a traitor, but a different kind - the aknowledged master genius of humanity, his treason is unwitting. He's fallen victim to Six, a humanoid Cylon who only resembles a beautiful woman. By the time he's realized his mistake, the Cylons have nuked all human worlds. Brought to the fleet by human beings unaware of Baltar's treachery, Baltar is manipulated by the Cylons who implant Six directly into his brain. The humans have less dimension than the Cylons, but that's the appeal of the show - they aren't weakly drawn characters, but strongly drawn characters of weak people. Most of the appeal of the show is trying to guess how these unheroic human beings will out think the race of cylon super thinkers without destroying each other in the process. Among the human beings, the factions split between the military, led by Col. Adama (Olmos) and the surviving politicians led by Laura Roslin (McDonnel) - constantly at odds, but able to join up against threats from the Cylons and from within. Trying not to get caught by either side, but also trying not to fall for Cylon manipulation, Baltar navigates an uneasy path. the shows are serial - following the crew as they evade massive Cylon attacks and more subtle and insidious strategies. (An example of this would be in ":33" - in which the fleet finds itself beset by a devestating Cylon attack every 33 minutes.

This is a great show. The menace of the Cylons manages to flesh out a tight story of humans under pressure. Set design seems less plausible now then the dirty-old-ship look of 1978, but the camera movements, the forever tense humans who look ill-placed for their roles, and the enigma of the Cylons keep the story rising above sets. Space battles are fantastic - CGI finally done right for a TV show. The dialog sounds natural - people actually speak like people, rather than the clinically inhuman action-figures of the latter Trek shows. The dangers of space travel, the insidious genius of the Cylons, and the inadequacy of the protagonists combine to keep this show on the edge. Forget "Enterprise" - this is what a science-fiction show should look like.

This show is about humanity's desperate struggle to avoid extinction after the robots they created turn on them. Billions have been killed already. The 'bots chase after 50,000 survivors.

In my opinion, this was the best new series of last season, even better than Lost. It was overlooked by many only because it was on an obscure cable channel. However, the staff of TV Without Pity, a prominent website for critique and analysis of TV shows, recently named it the best drama of 2004-2005, along with one other show (Deadwood).

Scifi usually leaves me cold but I love Battlestar Galactica. BG has a lot of emotion and personal drama. The relationships are refreshing, well-developed, and interesting. They give a wonderful emotional underpinning to all the events that unfold.

This series is a little bit Alias (intrigue, suspense, strong female characters, importance of family and love, overarching plot), a little bit West Wing (the politics), Star Wars (dogfights in space), and in the beginning of the second season even Band of Brothers.

I love that there are almost as many female characters as male on this show, they have a variety of roles, and none of them are pushovers. The two that stand out most are President Roslin who is strong and decisive but also warm and compassionate; and Starbuck who is the best pilot in the fleet.

Anyone looking for a show with a lot of action, suspense, and emotion supported by excellent writing and acting should check out Battlestar Galactica.

My best friend had been telling me to watch Battlestar Galactica since last year when the mini-series came out. I have heard how great it was but have never seen more than a few minutes at a time. For some reason I always avoided it. I have no idea why, maybe I'm just cynical when it comes to smart science fiction (or lack thereof) on television and I didn't want to be disappointed.

So earlier this week I picked up the boxset, thinking that it was the only way I was going to be able to watch the mini-series and first season so I could find out if it is worth the hype my friend heaped on it. And I can say with 100% conviction it is an amazing show.

In the last few days I have been watching non-stop. I can't help it, because the show is so addictive. The characters are complex and interesting with complete backstories and the story is compelling with genuine drama. Character and story, the two areas that are the weakest parts of most shows are the strongest attributes of this show, which is all the more amazing considering that sci-fi these days focuses on effects.

But in addition to multi-layered characters and a great fast-moving story, Battlestar Galactica still has effects better than I've seen in a lot of movies. The dogfight sequences are all excellent, and for once a show is at least trying to show how fighters in space would be able to maneuver in a zero-g environment, like being able to flip end over end and in 180 degree turns, not just banking like planes in atmosphere. The effects are impressive and seem very realistic. The muted sounds in space, the lack of lasers and the overall "used" look of the ships and equipment give the setting a substance that is missing in most sci-fi.

Overall though, the acting is what really stands out for me. Every person in this show is great. Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell have always been terrific actors, and they each bring an understated strength to their roles. The rest of the cast are also excellent, from the more minor characters playing the hangar deck crew and CIC staff to the major characters, especially James Callis as Gaius Baltar. There is so much I could say about each actor, from the humans to the Cylons, that I can't fit it into this review.

All I can say is that this is the best show I've seen in years, better even than Lost. This is a complete drama with moments of fun, with more heart than can be imagined. I can't wait to get through Season 1 so I can try to catch the re-runs of Season 2.