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"Razor" is a satisfying addition to Battlestar Galactica in what is more a couple extra episodes from Season 2 than a standalone movie. 1 star off for a slightly plodding second plot line and a half star off for an incomplete set of extras on the DVD leaves 3.5 stars, which I round up to 4 stars for both getting to see more of Michelle Forbes as Admiral Cain and one DVD-only scene that gives hints about Season 4.

Razor combines past and present storylines of the Pegasus through focusing on a new character, Pegasus deck officer Kendra Shaw, and how her experiences in the past storyline transformed her into the unfeeling tool of the title that Cain believes is the ideal squared away leader. The past storyline is the better of the two, with the backfill of what happened to the Pegasus until it met up with Galactica providing some riveting scenes. While generally the best forty minutes of the show since Exodus II thanks to a couple of intriguing additions like the background of Gina and Cain, by only developing Fisk's drunken stories and largely neglecting character development outside of Shaw, the writers don't quite get this up to the superb quality of the rest of the Pegasus story arc.

The present storyline is less compelling, set in between "Captain's Hand" and "Lay Down Your Burdens" as Apollo runs his first mission as commander of the Pegasus with some help from his father and Starbuck. Once "Razor" begins focusing on this latter storyline in the second hour things begin to drag somewhat; on the commentary, Ron Moore explains that a good slug of the second plotline was his brainchild for the sake of continuity, and while probably easier to follow than the original script it feels somewhat like the padding it is.

Despite that, Razor is still fun stuff. The season 2 version of Starbuck is a lot more enjoyable to watch, and the interactions between Apollo, Shaw and her make one hope that the writers remember her importance for the final season. Another plus is Michelle Forbes' superb performance, which makes you wish they could somehow bring Cain back. This also has the best special effects of the entire series; having seen them in a theater as well as the DVD, they're just eyepopping. FX wiz Gary Hutzel got a real budget for once and Ron Moore admits that some of his CGI work actually drove parts of the plot rather than the reverse. Considering Moore once said the original Pegasus sets were limited to a corridor, a multi-purpose utility room, the CIC, and Cain's quarters, props to him and his effects guys for figuring out how to make things work around mostly those locations. The DVD is worth buying on this alone.

The majority of the new material is visually stunning but doesn't add much. The "favorite episode" feature reveals "33" as the choice of the wise, another brief feature reveals a bit about the production, Adama and Cain have "formulative experiences" during the first Cylon war (the former having already been shown in the webisodes), Shaw and Apollo have their own pre-war sequence, and Baltar and his dream Six make a brief appearance. None of this adds much to the characters or plot, and weirdly Moore and Taylor refer to some additional footage that didn't make it even into the deleted scenes category during a commentary that is good but essentially similar to the average podcast. Slightly disappointing.

However, what's truly compelling in the new material are the additional Cylon prophecies given to the hybrid, which both flesh that character out as more than "babbling" and provide some tantalizing insights into Season 4 well beyond the spoiler at the end of the movie. Taylor admits its inclusion may be a creation of the home video department, but it's the one must-watch bit of new material that makes the DVD worthwhile on its own. 4 stars.

First: Razor.

Razor itself is an episode that serves both as a prequel of what happened to the Pegasus from the attack on the shipyards to her meeting with Galactica through the viewpoint of a new character, Kendra Shaw (and a recap of everything leading up to Lee's command), as well as back story from the first Cylon War told through the viewpoint of a young Bill "Husker" Adama. All of these events serve to foreshadow a surprising revelation at the end that should tie in the cliffhanger of Season 3 with the beginning of Season 4. All of the story lines going on at once work surprisingly well together, though I found myself wincing that none of this had been referenced in the main series for the most part.

Was it worth watching? Oh yes. If nothing else this will tide you over as well as make you anticipate Season 4 even more. I was worried I'd be 'out of it' with such a long delay, but the twist at the end of this DVD makes you wonder what is really going on as Season 4 starts.

Second: The Extras.

Some of these I felt like I had seen, or at least experienced through Moore's podcasts. They basically dealt with the special effects of Battlestar Galactica, with discussions on where they got the look, the camera work, and other things anyone familiar with the series has probably heard by now.

The Webisodes/Minisodes deal specifically with young Bill "Husker" Adama and fill in more of what happened during to and prior to his place in Razor. This was enjoyable, though short, and showed the final battle of the first Cylon War, and the genesis of his dislike for the toasters.

The Deleted Scenes make for a very good backstory of Bill and Lee, and show when Lee first transferred into flight school, and his crossing paths with Kendra albeit briefly.

In all, if you have $20.00 to spare, this entry into the Battlestar series is worth it, though I hesitate to spoil anything about it beyond a general synopsis of the content. I was unsure what they were going for prior to watching, but I have to say that it fills in a lot of the gaps in the story, and ties quite a few things together. No small feat.

Don't waste your money... As is the case with previous BSG seasons, SciFi Channel has repeated this content...

Razor (uncut or regular) is included in Season 4.0!!

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5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best science fiction space films ever made
In fact I am hard pressed to identify a better space-based science fiction film. To me the Battlestar Galactica concept has always made more sense intellectually because there are... Read more

Published 9 months ago by Bruce Anderson

5.0 out of 5 stars Top Notch
I can say nothing more than this stays true to the Battlestar Galactica theme and does a great job on filing us in on the story of the Peguses

Published 10 months ago by Uncommonaction

2.0 out of 5 stars A less than enthralling digression
As a fan of the Battlestar Galactica series, I was really looking forward to watching Razor, in part because it was supposed to be an intro to season 4, and in part because the... Read more

Published 17 months ago by e. verrillo

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't Buy This! Here is a Guide to What You Need to Get Instead
I bought all of the seasons as they first came out, and I highly recommend watching the entire television series through to the end. Razor was great! Read more

Published 18 months ago by Gilgamesh

5.0 out of 5 stars Battlestar Galactica
Easily the best sci-fi tv series ever made. Stargate Atlantis is close but not quite. Better than the original starring Lorne Greene and Dirk Benedict. Read more

Published 19 months ago by Mark J. House

4.0 out of 5 stars razor
I bought the movie "Razor" at the same time I bought "Battlestar Galactica,the complete series"."Razor" is included in the complete set.So now I have two.Now,on to the movie. Read more

Published 21 months ago by tim

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this Movie!
I could totally watch this movie over and over (and have). It is a stand alone product, meaning that you don't have to have seen the whole series to know what is going on in this... Read more

Published on December 21, 2009 by D. Blair

4.0 out of 5 stars intriguing as always; this was a hell of a good drama
What is the most intriguing in this extended episode is the developement of Helena Cain's character; we are shown in vivid detail why she never, under any circumstances... Read more

Published on November 8, 2009 by a man from the east coast

5.0 out of 5 stars BSG Razor DVD
This is yet another outstanding production of the Battlestar Galactica team. Besides being loaded with drama, action, and superb special effects, this particular episode (movie)... Read more

Published on September 12, 2009 by George C. Reeves

3.0 out of 5 stars But I didn't know it came in the Season Four Box!
Okay, so Razor came when Season Four came...and Season Four had its own DVD Razor inside. So, my purchase ended up going to a friend. Read more

Published on August 22, 2009 by Shannon Davis

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