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The Movie: As the cult of cancelled Fox show "Firefly" shows, there is definitely an audience for well-written sci-fi shows. "Battlestar Galactica", now airing on the Sci-Fi network, shows that good sci-fi can grow and thrive if given the chance. "Battlestar", something of an "update" of the late 70's series, is the creation of Ronald Moore, former producer of shows like "Roswell" and "Star Trek: Next Generation". The series is a remarkable effort from everyone involved, operating at an impressive level of intensity and offering performances that are exceptional across the board. Even in the show's quietest moments, the emotions still run high. This is certainly a dark series, and yet I didn't think it seemed too gloomy for its own good, as despite the many powerful moments, the show still never becomes sentimental or lingers for too long, as the characters are often facing more possible danger. Production values remain impressive for a cable series, with great effects, production design, cinematography and interesting locations. Despite a budget that can't be all that high, there are still some spectacular shots seen throughout. The show's first season had the remaining humans on the run from human-like robots the Cylons, and attempting to search for the planet Earth, with the Cylons in persuit. At the helm is Commander Adama (a superb Edward James Olmos) and also on-board is President Laura Roslin (McDonnell). They're also followed by a crew that includes: Starbuck (Katie Sackhoff), Col. Tigh (an excellent Michael Hogan),Capt. Lee Adama (Jamie Bamber) and others. The season opens with the conclusion of the first season's cliffhanger: Commander Adama has been shot after an assassination attempt and struggles to survive, leaving Tigh to take command of the ship as a terrible situation quickly gets worse. Unfortunately, Universal has decided to only release half of the second season first, then the other half. This set includes: 16. 2- 1 201 15 Jul 05 Scattered - With Adama fighting for his life after being wounded and the President sitting in the brig, it's up to Col. Tigh to lead and make the decisions to keep Galactica out of harm's way. 17. 2- 2 202 22 Jul 05 Valley of Darkness - With a power failure aboard the sip, Centurions seize the opportunity to attempt a hostile takeover. 18. 2- 3 203 29 Jul 05 Fragged - The Quorum arrives to see the President, but Tigh is reluctant to release her. Meanwhile, Lee heads a search-and-rescue to Kobol to find the lost crew. 19. 2- 4 204 5 Aug 05 Resistance - Tigh institutes martial law, a decision that divides the fleet. Lee and Rosin break free and establish a democratic opposition. 20. 2- 5 205 12 Aug 05 The Farm - Adama reassumes command, and his first order of business is finding Lee and Roslin, who have escaped with Tom Zarek. Meanwhile, Starbuck recovers in a hospital on Caprica and makes a discovery. 21. 2- 6 206 19 Aug 05 Home (1) 22. 2- 7 207 26 Aug 05 Home (2) - A third of the fleet follows Roslin back to orbit Kobol, but the rebel group suffers from infighting. Roslin and her group search for the Tomb of Athena and the route to Earth. 23. 2- 8 208 9 Sep 05 Final Cut - When Galactica's marines fire into a group of protesters, damage control is required. When a reporter is invited on-board, she discovers a secret that could affect them all. 24. 2- 9 209 16 Sep 05 Flight of the Phoenix - Chief Tyrol decides to build a new Viper from salvaged parts, which seems impossible. Meanwhile, the Galactica is hit with a computer virus known as a "Cylon logic bomb". 25. 2-10 210 23 Sep 05 Pegasus - Pegasus, a battlestar that everyone thought had been destroyed, surprisingly reappears and its leader, Adm. Helena Cain, wastes no time in asserting her power, which could cause consequences. The DVD VIDEO: Universal presents "Battlestar Galactica" in the show's original 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio. Filmed in HD, the picture quality is quite excellent. Sharpness and detail are first-rate, even in some of the more dimly-lit moments of episodes. The picture does occasionally show some slight artifacts, but remained free of flaws for the majority of the running time. Colors appeared bold and nicely saturated, with no smearing or other faults. SOUND: The show's Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack impressed me quite a bit for a TV show. Rich and detailed, the sound mix presents the audio of both the quieter moments and action sequences equally well, with the action sequences using the surrounds superbly to envelop the viewer in ambience and sound effects. Even in the quieter scenes, there's an ambundance of small background details. Audio quality is terrific, as dialogue remained clear and effects sounded full. EXTRAS: Creator Ronald Moore's podcast audio commentaries are available for 7 episodes. "Flight of the Phoenix" and "Pegasus" do not have commentary (although commentary for those can be downloaded here), nor does "Fragged". The majority of the episodes also offer deleted scenes. There's also a short preview of the season's remaining episodes and promos for other titles from the studio. Final Thoughts: "Battlestar Galactica" is an absolutely wonderful sci-fi drama, with great characters, stories and visuals. It's dark and grim, but intense and engaging. The DVD set offers excellent audio/video and a pretty decent helping of supplements. However, $49.99 list price is pretty high for half a season. Still, recommended for fans and those interested in the series should try the first season as a rental. |