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Simply the finest science fiction I have ever had the pleasure of watching. I grew up in the early 80s eagerly watching reruns of the original Battlestar Galactica. I feasted on Buck Rogers, ST TOS, ST TNG, I remember the miniseries 'Something is Out There' and even Moonbase Alpha. So, I am an unapologetic, huge sci-fi nerd who fiercely believed that no show could ever do equal to or better than 'Babylon 5'.
Battlestar Galactica consists of the four-hour pilot miniseries and then four seasons followed by 'The Plan' (not included in the DVD collection). I highly recommend watching it at least in HD if you can. We watched if the first time through on an old-fashioned tube TV and are now watching the entire series again--in HD. It really is a whole new show--visually--if you watch it in HD. While Bear MacCreary's enchanting soundtrack is worth listening to all by itself.
Let's get right to the ***Spoiler Alert***
As a fan of the original BSG, I had certain standards that needed to be met. Two of my favorite things was the actual structure of the Galactica and it's commander, Lorne Greene's Adama. So, the new BSG right away had a hard act to follow, and I knew I would be uncomfortable seeing a different ship or Adama.
They could not have done better than Edward James Olmos as Bill Adama, who, hands down, remains my favorite character of the series. You got to love those sad droop-dog eyes of his that he gives everybody. His face is just legend.
Then you get some of the old characters revisited, Starbuck, Apollo, Tigh, Baltar, Boomer, and a whole new set too including, Billy, Helo, Dualla, Gaeta, Leoben, Cavil, Sam, Doc Cottle, etc. Maybe I am just easily impressed but--I thought everybody's acting was amazing throughout most of the series. It's hard to think of a character I could have done without. Everyone who gets screen time is game-on and convincing.
My spouse and I watched this straight through over the course of about two weeks--and almost needed some therapy for mild PTSD. Reality never lets up for the crew of the Galactica, starting with the first post-miniseries episode, '33', with the Cylons jumping after the ragtag fleet every thirty-three minutes. Knuckle-biting. The stress hits everyone--even the viewer.
One of the things that I love so much about Babylon 5 is that the cast is flawed. There are no Mary-Sues in Babylon 5. Subjects like rebelling against the State, addiction, family loss and prostitution were broached and played with a little. It was a very refreshing change of pace from the good, clean-cut characters of Star Trek.
BSG takes that to an entirely different level. Like in real life, everyone in BSG has a problem. They may be gifted, talented, attractive or successful, but they are -all- flawed. From the Admiral and the President on down to the lowliest knuckle-dragger.
Issues tackled in this show include but are not limited to:
Alternative medicine. Kamala extract fills in for medical marijuana and is useful for treating pain.
Addictions to or recreational use of an assortment of substances including stims, booze and tobacco.
Homicide for varying reasons.
War crimes tribunals.
Labor unions and workers rights.
Maintaining government and freedom in times of extreme crisis.
Birth control and access.
Love, lust and recreational sex.
Marriage and divorce.
Right to refuse medical treatment.
Guerrilla insurgency, sabotage and patriotism.
Blatant military recruitment and government propaganda.
Peace movements and civil disobedience.
Depression, suicide, psychosis and other mental illness.
Religion--at least two different religions are presented in this show, along with agnosticism and atheism.
--All handled amazingly well in my opinion. I wanted to serve on the Galactica before the miniseries was over.
Other thoughts. Doc Cottle is the coolest doctor in science fiction--ever. Show includes some amazing father-son tension between not-so-goody two shoes Apollo and his old man. The chemistry between Roslin and Adama is one of the most precious interactions in the show. There is a moment when Starbuck is being kept by the creepy psychopathic Leoben in a doll house and she is eating her steak while glancing over at the recently deceased copy and she wipes her mouth with her bloody hand-- if you've seen it, you know about the scene. It's really just amazing.
It should be noted that the CGI is topnotch and although heavily used--never abused. The backdrops and ships are lovingly detailed. There is something totally steampunk in how the venerable and aging Galactica relies on it's old model Vipers and corded phones and lack of computer networks yet we still have some classic sci-fi devices like FTL jumps, anti-gravity that is never discussed and some pretty good futuristic technology--but no energy shields, turbo-lasers or transporter-beams.
They really downplay the tech parts making it seem like the culture and reality of the people of the Twelve Colonies could very believably be us in the not-so-distant future. Throughout most of the show, there is this pressure of Cylon extinction overshadowing everything--but it quickly becomes obvious that the remaining humans may not be able to survive themselves.
BSG makes people act like they do in real life and one of the overarching themes is--do we humans really have the right to inherit the earth and the galaxy for that matter? What makes us so good? There are more than a few times when you want to root for the Cylons when you see the survivors make one blundering, self-defeating mistake after another.
After we watched the ending for the first time, my spouse said "I'll never be able to watch Star Trek quite the same again." --I agree. This show will spoil you for other sci-fi which will seem quaint and innocent if not naive after watching BSG.
Oh yea, the packaging is bad, blah blah, We didn't buy it for the packaging. We made our purchase the week after the Universal's new packaging deal expired. Frak! So we put our DVDs in a plastic DVD binder in order of the seasons. It prevents the DVDs from getting scratched up as happens when you take them in and out of the stupid cardboard DVD holders that came with the box.
I've lectured enough--gods damn it. I frakkin love this show. You will too.
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From the manufacturer
Meet the characters
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Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos)Edward James Olmos stars as Commander Adama, a war hero and the commander of the Galactica. Adama leads humanity's survivors during the ultimate fight between man and machine. |
President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell)Mary McDonnell stars as President Laura Roslin, thrust into the role of president after a deadly Cylon attack kills most of the civilian government. |
Lee Adama a.k.a. 'Apollo' (Jamie Bambr)Jamie Bamber stars as Lee Adama, a.k.a. "Apollo," one of the best pilots in the fleet. Apollo has long had a strained and difficult relationship with his father, Commander Adama. As they fight for the future of humanity, he aligns himself with his father's rival for power, President Roslin. |
Number Six (Tricia Helfer)Tricia Helfer stars as "Number Six", one of the the brilliant and beautiful new breed of Cylons. Six is indistinguishable in appearance from her human creators. They have resurfaced after decades of silence to lay waste to those who created and abandoned them. |
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Dr. Gaius Baltar (James Callis)James Callis stars as Dr. Gaius Baltar, a scientific genius and moral weakling who unwittingly helped the Cylons destroy humanity. |
Sharon 'Boomer' Valeri (Grace Park)Grace Park stars as 'Boomer', a pilot who is imprisoned after shooting Commander Adama. With her secret identity as a Cylon now revealed she is torn between her programming and her love for Tyrol. |
Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace (Katee Sackhoff)Katee Sackhoff stars as Commander Adama’s hottest pilot 'Starbuck’ who loves cigars and sex. She is tougher than any man and has turned her back on Adama to undertake a dangerous mission for the deposed President. |
Tyrol (Aaron Douglas)Aaron Douglas stars as Tyrol, Galactica’s chief mechanic, who inspires great loyalty from his crew and is loved by the Cylon Sharon. |
Videos
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+10 MORE STARS!!!!
The only problem I have with this show is I didn't get a 5th season!Nuff said.
Top reviews from other countries
Michael R Wood
It's the Battlestar Galactica Special Blu-Ray box-set... Enough said?
Reviewed in Canada on June 26, 2013Sonicbuzz
Can't wait to see Balltestar on Bluray
Reviewed in Canada on July 26, 2009
