Product Description

Largely wiped out by a hundred years of warfare with the Cylon Empire, the few surviving humans search for the mythical thirteenth colony, Earth.
Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: NR
Release Date: 20-SEP-2005
Media Type: DVD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #502 in DVD
• Brand: OLMOS,EDWARD JAMES
• Released on: 2005-09-20
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 5
• Formats: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 5
• Running time: 756 minutes

Amazon.com
Battlestar Galactica's Edward James Olmos wasn't kidding when he said "the series is even better than the miniseries." As developed by sci-fi TV veteran Ronald D. Moore, the "reimagined" BG is exactly what it claims to be: a drama for grown-ups in a science-fiction setting. The mature intelligence of the series is its greatest asset, from the tenuous respect between Galactica's militarily principled commander Adama (Olmos) and politically astute President Roslin (Mary McDonnell) to the barely suppressed passion between ace Viper pilot "Apollo" (a.k.a. Adama's son Lee, played by Jamie Bamber) and the brashly insubordinate Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff), whose multifaceted character is just one of many first-season highlights. Picking up where the miniseries ended (it's included here, sparing the need for separate purchase), season 1 opens with the riveting, Hugo Award-winning episode "33," in which Galactica and the "ragtag fleet" of colonial survivors begin their quest for the legendary 13th colony planet Earth, while being pursued with clockwork regularity by the Cylons, who've now occupied the colonial planet of Caprica. The fleet's hard-fought survival forms (1) the primary side of the series' three-part structure, shared with (2) the apparent psychosis of Dr. Gaius Baltar (James Callis) whose every thought and move are monitored by various incarnations of Number Six (Tricia Helfer), the seemingly omniscient Cylon ultravixen who follows a master plan somehow connected to (3) the Caprican survival ordeal of crash-landed pilots "Helo" (Tahmoh Penikett) and "Boomer" (Grace Park), whose simultaneous presence on Galactica is further evidence that 12 multicopied models of Cylons, in human form, are gathering their forces.

With remarkably consistent quality, each of these 13 episodes deepens the dynamics of these fascinating characters and suspenseful situations. While BG relies on finely nuanced performances, solid direction, and satisfying personal and political drama to build its strong emotional foundation, the action/adventure elements are equally impressive, especially in "The Hand of God," a pivotal episode in which the show's dazzling visual effects get a particularly impressive showcase. Original BG series star Richard Hatch appears in two politically charged episodes (he's a better actor now, too), and with the threat of civil war among the fleet, season 1 ends with an exceptional cliffhanger that's totally unexpected while connecting the plot threads of all preceding episodes. To the credit of everyone involved, this is frackin' good television.

DVD features
The fifth disc in Battlestar Galactica's season 1 set is highlighted by eight comprehensive featurettes covering all aspects of the series, from its miniseries origins to standard surveys of production design, visual effects, and particulars of plot and character. For hardcore fans and anyone interested in TV production, nine out of 13 episodes, plus the disc 1 miniseries, are accompanied by intelligent and informative commentary originally provided as BG website podcasts, mostly by series developer and writer Ronald D. Moore, who provides tantalizing clues about developments in season 2. The "Series Lowdown" is a cast-and-crew promotional program originally broadcast to attract SciFi Channel viewers who were initially reluctant to embrace a "reimagined" Battlestar Galactica. The strategy worked: First-season ratings left no doubt that the new BG was as good as--and in many ways better than--the original. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

This Show Makes Me Feel Icky
I can't explain why that is. I only want to make it known that I cannot get into this show or seemingly any of the others on. I know a lot of people are into it. I tried. It didn't happen. I'm not sure if I felt manipulated or that the show lacked a sophisticated realism. Maybe not. Something is just not right. There seemed to be a lack of emotional depth. A superficiality. A lack of...of...I'm at a loss. An ambitious, hollow, vapid endeavor, like Lost or Heroes or Stargate Atlantis or Firefly. Since X-Files and ST:TNG ended, I'm not sure there's been any sci-fi series that has touched me. I need something that will challenge me, perhaps, and none of this stuff is doing that. They all just seem, I don't know, dumbed down, or something. No offense. Maybe it's an overly fashionable, trendy, commercialized quality they all have. Icky vibes.

Awesome show...You'll be hooked!!!
Great story, writing and production. What the frak more could you wish for? Definitely some of the best written television in a while, science fiction or otherwise.

Love it or hate it
I've noticed that this seems to be a polarizing series. Most of the reviews are either 5 stars or 1 star. The 5 star reviewers claim this is a perfect series, and the 1 star ppl think it's not even worth watching. I honestly think it's somewhere in between. I've finished with the first season set and I am looking forward to watching the second season. I understand why sci-fi fans won't like this series. There is a low action/battle to suspense/drama ratio. I think most ppl were expecting a redo of the old series with new actors and better special effects. I doubt the creators, simply wanted to televise a "play" of BG with new ppl. I've noticed that more than a few opponents of the show say you will like BG if you enjoy the West Wing (I assume they have a very low opinion of that show as well), and will hate it if you enjoy Star Wars/Firefly/Star Trek. Well, I am a big fan of all of those (including the West Wing), ranking Firefly at the top and then West Wing. I think the show tries to cast big net and incorporate something for everyone: Military vs. civilian, moral dilemmas, pseudo religious themes (which will really infuriate some ppl), space battles, suspense, personal demons, etc. This series is by no means perfect. The acting isn't always the best, and some characters over-act consistently. Some of the difficult decisions various characters face are over-emphasized and brought up over and over and over...There isn't as much action as i would have hoped, and it's apparent they've tried to base their action sequences/camera work off the Firefly action scenes. They've also changed Starbuck and Boomer to female characters to try and get that diversity that is inherit in Firefly's cast, but falls pretty short. I recognize all this, and still I am genuinely interested in the Cylon/Human interaction, especially between Boomer and Helo/Boomer and other Cylons on Caprica. It does seem unfair that this show could go on for so long, and Firefly gets cxld at the same time. This show is comparable in style and genre, but Firefly is better in every way from character interaction to writing to camerawork. .