Product Description

Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 09/19/2006 Rating: Nr

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #450 in DVD
• Brand: Universal
• Released on: 2006-09-19
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Formats: AC-3, Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 3
• Dimensions: .60 pounds
• Running time: 521 minutes

Amazon.com
Battlestar Galactica's season 2.5 (i.e., the final 10 episodes of the second season, plus an extended version of episode 10) picks up where season 2.0 (the first 10 episodes) left off: Galactica's giddy reunion with the Pegasus had taken a sour turn when Admiral Cain (Michelle Forbes) went back on her word to Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) and decided to integrate the crews, moving Apollo (Jamie Bamber) and Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) to Pegasus. The animosity, combined with an attack on Sharon (Grace Park), threatens to derail a golden opportunity for the fleet to strike the Cylons where they'll hurt, and stay hurt--their resurrection ship.

In many ways, Sharon is the central character. The attack lands Helo (Tahmoh Penikett) and the Chief (Aaron Douglas) in hot water; her impending baby remains the subject of heated debate among president Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), Commander Adama, and others; and a rebellious movement determined to force Galactica to give up the Cylon ends up threatening both Apollo and Starbuck and putting further strain on their already-shaky relationship. Dr. Baltar (James Callis) becomes even more intertwined with the Cylons when he discovers another version of Number Six (Tricia Helfer) on the Pegasus, but is also in line to take over the presidency as Roslin's cancer reaches a critical stage. Battlestar Galactica's inexorable dramatic arc sagged in a couple episodes during this run, but the terrific two-part season finale involving a presidential election, a glimmer of hope for humanity, and some unexpected turns of events makes for a thrilling springboard to season 3. Battlestar is often called the best sci-fi show on television, but that seems like damning it with faint praise; it's the best drama on television.

In addition to the 10 episodes, the three-DVD set has an extended version of the last episode of season 2.0, "Pegasus"; the extra 15 minutes include a longer conversation in which Cain reveals her plans to Adama. That episode has a commentary track by executive producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick, Moore's podcast commentaries are on every other episode, Eick's "video blogs" serve as casual featurettes on series production, and there are numerous deleted scenes. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

The end of a good ride
BSG was frustrating because it was an intelligent show, made for smart people to enjoy and think about...and yet the story line was full of holes big enough to fly a Battlestar through. The biggest one for me was Baltar surviving the blast (in the miniseries) that leveled his house. They show that blast at the beginning of every show, and every time, I think: how did he walk away from that? Next time we see him, he's in a crowd hoping to hitch a ride with Helo and Sharon. The Pegasus episode reminded me of half a dozen STNG epidsodes, where some power-mad admiral gets taken down by Picard (against orders, of course). It's a shame they went that route, rather than having two battlestars working together...and keeping Michelle Forbes on the show. I quit watching BSG when it irretrievably jumped the shark in Season 3. Too many plot holes to ignore, too much soap opera, the writers obviously never figured out what the Cylons' plan was, or what their motivation was. Just a mess. Too bad. But Seasons 1 and 2 showed what television drama is capable of.

Momof3
My family started watching BSG on DVD last year, after having a friend recommend it. We are all hooked! Good acting, terrific special effects, intriguing storylines. Great fun for sci-fi fans.

a frackin' good show
An interesting take on Sci-Fi, is BSG. At it's core are ultra-conservative values and a fascination with the military. Buddy camaraderie, loyalty, family, military hierarchy, patriotism are endorsed and revered. Abortion is banned. The exiled humans follow their "scripture", an unabashedly fundamentalist Biblical plan which turns out to be literally true (!). Having their Scripture, humans can safely eschew mystical experience which is something that the "Cylons" have a mono-poly on. Let us also not forget that the plot is based on 12 human colonies trying to find Earth (ie, "Zion")!

On the other hand, intellectuals and scientists are demonized (cowardly, crazy and traitorous), as are unions and civil society advocates (power-hungry ex-terrorists) and any mental-emotional sophistication (likely to be manipulation by Cylon enemies). In other words, the show could have been (and perhaps was) written by a Dobson-Cheney surrogate in some military Psy Ops room or another. if so, the creators should get medals for it.

Because the show works. The drama and its protagonists suck me right in every single time. Great writing, directing, excellent acting, great selection of actors which, surprisingly for a 'fundamentalist' show, feature women in key combat roles. That was an excellent call; the Lt. Starbuck character in particular mixes macho posturing and femaleness in a weirdly unique and unflinchingly consistent way. So one roots for Galactica and her crew and is happy and relieved every time they blast their way through Cylon lines.

the director certainly does not spare viewers' sensibilities. The language is raunchy (what the frack!), violence is depicted graphically with no details spared, the creators of the show revel in all kinds of abuse and torture; the graphic nature of confrontations at physical, psychological and cultural levels is imo quite effective. BSG and its cousin Stargate represent polar opposites to the philosophical sophistication and enlightening aspirations of shows such as Star Trek or early Star Wars; they're the Sci-Fi equivalent of redneck pulp that catalyzes people's inherent fear of the "Other" rather than teaching them to be better, more 'enlightened', humans. Of what use is personal growth and happiness if there is a terrorist hiding under every rock? Unfortunately this is the kind of pulp i like. Just as unfortunately, i am not alone.