![Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81JsWeQpV-L._AC_SL3840_.jpg)




Now you can relive every action-packed moment of the epic story that Entertainment Weekly proclaims "Riveting!" Rejoin the fight to save the human race as a small but determined fleet quests for the fabled planet Earth while being hunted by their nemeses, the robot cylons. Presented uninterrupted and in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, experience the phenomenon from beginning to end! Battlestar Galactica (2004): Season One Battlestar Galactica: Season One 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 Battlestar Galactica - Season 2.0 The first half of Battlestar Galactica 's second season left no doubts about the continuing excellence of the best science fiction TV series of 2005. Beginning with the Colonial Fleet separated, Col. Tigh (Michael Hogan) botching his temporary command, and Capt. Adama (Edward James Olmos) near death after a Cylon assassination attempt, series producer/developer Ronald D. Moore and his gifted writing staff packed more into these 10 episodes than most series manage in a full season. Maintaining its reputation as an adult drama, the series is compellingly anchored by the gravitas of Olmos and Mary McDonnell, whose role as Fleet President Laura Roslin grows more complex as she reveals her diagnosis of breast cancer and defies Adama, playing the "religious card" with her conviction that prophetic visions will lead the embattled fleet toward its legendary home planet Earth. As Adama's son Apollo (Jamie Bamber) wrestles with his role in Roslin's mutinous agenda, paranoia runs high as Cylon copies (or "avatars") of Boomer (Grace Park) complicate matters aboard Galactica and on Kobol, where a lost Raptor crew struggles to survive and Dr. Baltar (James Callis) endures the increasingly haunting and manipulative intrusions into his tormented psyche by Number Six (Tricia Helfer), the seductive Cylon who holds the secret to the Cylon master plan to destroy humankind. Further action takes place on Cylon-occupied Caprica, where Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) and Helo (Tamoh Penikett) discover a group of human resistance fighters who survived the Cylons' nuclear attack in season 1. As all of these plot threads are expertly interwoven, the high-stakes conflict of BG 2.0 culminates in a suspenseful mid-season cliffhanger. Through all of this, Battlestar Galactica maintains consistently high standards of intelligent drama and well-justified, story-based use of spectacular special effects, while developing rich relationships across a broad spectrum of interesting supporting characters. The series' large and likable cast is well-used throughout (even smaller roles are given adequate dimension), and Moore's "podcast" commentaries provide a smart, thorough analysis of the show's writing process and conceptual evolution. Yes, it's undeniably true that this half-season DVD set is a blatantly commercial ploy to lure more and more viewers into the ongoing season (which resumed in January 2006), but you can hardly blame Universal for capitalizing on a high-quality series. With solid ratings, good scripts, and a devoted cast and crew, Battlestar Galactica showed every indication of thriving toward a third season and beyond. --Jeff Shannon Battlestar Galactica - Season 2.5 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 Battlestar Galactica: Season 3 The third season of Battlestar Galactica got off to a rip-roaring start on New Caprica, where the settlers had found themselves under Cylon occupation at the end of the previous season. Dr. Baltar (James Callis) had been elected President based on his intention to stop looking for Earth and settle on New Caprica, but is now a puppet of the Cylons, forced to sign execution orders for numerous humans, including former President Roslin (Mary McDonnell). A resistance movement is building, however, led by Col. Tigh (Michael Hogan), and assisted by Chief Tyrol (Aaron Douglas) and Samuel Anders (Michael Trucco). Tigh's desperate tactics--including suicide bombers--raise interesting parallels to the U.S. war in Iraq, and he finds he has to make an even tougher choice. Thanks to Admiral Adama's (Edwards James Olmos) return and the unexpected help of Boomer (Grace Park), the colonists escape, then begin a series of trials in order to convict all of the Cylon collaborators, culminating in the explosive trial of Baltar himself. In a boxing-metaphor episode, Apollo (Jamie Bamber) and Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) resume their mutual attraction with a surprising outcome. After the exciting beginning, Battlestar Galactica sagged a little in the middle of the third season (as it did in the second season) with its ship-bound episodes, but caught speed again at the end. The quest to find Earth, the unexpected loss of a major character, and the revealing of four of the final five Cylons kept viewers coming back to a series that blends action, drama, and universal questions of loyalty, faith, and justice in a way that transcends the science-fiction setting. With Dean Stockwell, Lucy Lawless, and Tricia Helfer as Cylons 1, 3, and 6, Mark Sheppard as defense attorney Romo Lampkin, Alessandro Juliani as Lt. Gaeta, Kandyse McClure as Petty Officer "Dee" Dualla, Nicki Clyne as Crewman Specialist Cally, Kate Vernon as Ellen Tigh, and Rekha Sharma as presidential aide Tory Foster. Every episode on the DVD set has executive producer Ronald Moore's podcast commentaries (occasionally joined by others) and almost every episode has deleted scenes, including a different (and less effective) version of the season's final surprise. Also included are bonus commentaries, the Resistance webisodes (10 episodes, 26 minutes total) that provide more of life on occupied New Caprica, executive producer David Eicks' "video blog" featurettes, and an extended version of "Unfinished Business" (mostly adding non-Starbuck-Apollo material). --David Horiuchi Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.5 Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.5 is the final 10 episodes of the Sci-Fi Channel's highly acclaimed reimagining of the 1970s show, including one of the more stirring and satisfying series finales in television history. Aired in January 2009 after a six-month hiatus, the half-season opens following the devastating revelation about Earth and with four of the final five Cylons revealed, including Tigh (Michael Hogan), Anders (Michael Trucco), Foster (Rekha Sharma), and Tyrol (Aaron Douglas). The uneasy alliance between humans and a pack of rebel Cylons, including Caprica 6 (Tricia Helfer) takes a quizzical turn when the former residents of Earth appear to be Cylon rather than human, and some of the final five begin to recall their past lives on Earth. Kara (Katee Sackhoff) has to call her own human status into question when she discovers a crashed Viper occupied by a corpse wearing her dog tags, and President Roslin (Mary McDonnell) and Admiral Adama (Edward James Olmos) battle their own despair and struggle to lead an emotionally devastated fleet. Capitalizing on the turmoil, Vice President Tom Zarek (Richard Hatch) and Felix Gaeta (Alessandro Juliani) organize a mutiny aboard the Galactica and Zarek makes an unbelievable power move against the Quorum of Twelve. But before they can carry out their plans for execution, a commando raid led by Kara and Lee Adama (Jamie Bamber) fighting side by side strikes back against the mutineers. That's the action high point of the half-season, as the show then seems to mark some time with such issues as babies and structural integrities until the three-part finale, which, despite a head-scratcher or two, manages to resolve its issues tidily. That viewers even get a rare glimpse of sunlight is kind of a reward for fans of this outstanding but relentlessly dark series. DVD features include extended versions of three episodes ("A Disquiet Follows My Soul," "Islanded in a Stream of Stars," and "Daybreak'), Ronald D. Moore's podcast commentaries for each episode, deleted scenes, David Eick's video blogs, and five behind-the-scenes featurettes. --David Horiuchi Review: What is included, and a suggested viewing order. - This is one of the best shows ever made! This is a review of the refreshed silver Region 1 Blu-Ray "The Complete Series" set (current as of 2015). This is a nearly perfect set. The box is nice, the discs are not mounted in the most easily accessible way... but they are secure and are not going to fall out any time soon. My only real complaint is that it is missing "The Face of the Enemy" web miniseries, which are 10 episodes that have yet to be published/released. My understanding is that they can only legally be watched via Hulu in the US, but I am sure that will not stop most people interested in watching them. It is just annoying when publishers don't include everything. This series Includes 5 cases in the set: Case 1: Labeled "Season One", it includes the Mini-Series Parts 1 and 2 on one disc, and Season 1 Episodes 1-13 over the next 3 discs. Case 2: Labeled "Season Two" is just Season Two Episodes 1-20 over 5 discs. Do note that Disc Two ends with the originally aired version of Episode 10 "Pegasus", while Disc 3 starts with an extended version of that same episode. Case 3: Labeled "Season Three", it includes Season Three Episodes 1-20 over 5 discs, and "The Resistance" webisodes as an extra on disc 2. Similar to season two, disc 2 ends with the originally aired version of Episode 9 "Unfinished Business", while disc 3 opens with an extended version of the same episode. A word of caution; the webisodes of "The Resistance" are extremely poor quality, not even proper SD quality. It literally looks as if they lost the original footage, re-downloaded a 360p stream from youtube, interlaced it, and slapped it on the disc. Still, some interesting story points and world building, so it is worth seeing at least once, but if you can't stand the quality then you are not missing much. All 10 webisodes are set as a single title on the disc separated by chapter breaks and title cards. Case 4: Labeled "Season Four" Includes the Razor movie, the "Razor Flashbacks" minisodes (because calling them 'webisodes' would be too consistent) on one disc, with Season 4.0 across 2 discs, and Season 4.5 across 3 discs. Episodes 12 "A Disquiet Follows My Soul", and 18 "Islanded in a Stream of Stars", have the original episodes followed by their extended versions; but this time they are each on the same disc rather than being split across discs which is much less confusing. Also, the last 3 episodes (Daybreak parts 1, 2 & 3) are all cut together as a single 150 minute episode with extended content at the very end. Lastly, the minisodes, while still interlaced SD footage, are of much MUCH better quality than "The Resistance" webisodes. They are all strung together as a single title with fades and chapter breaks between each minisode. Certainly worth watching as part of the series. Case 5: Labeled "Battlestar Galactica, The Plan" is merely the retail box version of "The Plan" made for TV movie included in the set. As stated before, the only thing missing are "The Face of the Enemy" webisodes/minisodes/web miniseries that takes place between Seasons 4.0 and 4.5. Viewing Order for the BSG universe: Outside of this BSG collection there is also the 2 season show Caprica, and the web series turned movie Blood and Chrome. With that said, this is the order that I would suggest watching things: 1) Caprica, Seasons 1 & 2. To be honest, the show is not great, and it is completely understandable why it was canceled, but it does fill in some back story and is not entirely awful. It is unfortunate that it is only available on DVD as (for all it's faults) it is a pretty show that would have looked good in 1080p. While made after BSG it is simply not as good, so watching it after BSG just makes it seem even worse than it really is, and it is chronologically first. It just makes the most sense to start here if you are going to watch it. 2) Blood and Chrome movie or web mini series. This takes place between Caprica and BSG during the first war. Fun show, and it is unfortunate that they did not turn it into a full series as they intended. 3) Battlestar Galactica Season 1, and Season 2 Episodes 1-17. Nice simple chronological viewing order. 4) Razor movie and Razor Flashbacks. Razor Flashbacks were released first, but a lot of the content is in the Razor movie, so it is optional viewing. There is a bit at the beginning and ending of Flashbacks that are not in the movie that make it worth watching once, but otherwise I would just watch the movie and be done with it. Also, the Razor movie is technically the first 2 aired episodes of Season 4, and there are some minor spoilers for Season 4 at the end, but at the same time it makes more sense to view this as history from Season 4's perspective, so it makes a good deal more sense seeing it here so it feels older when it is finally referenced. 5) Season 2 Episodes 18-20. Finishes up the Season 2 story arc. 6) The Resistance webisodes. As mentioned earlier, these are horrible quality, but it is a good little story arc that sets up Season 3 so it is worth watching at least once. 7) Season 3. Nice and simple, nothing to break up here. 8) Season 4 Episodes 1-11. To be clear, this is "He That Believeth In Me" through "Sometimes a Great Notion". Note that if you are looking at an 'aired' order then these would be episodes 3-13 as the Razor movie is technically Season 4 episodes 1-2. Also, if you are going to watch the Razor movie 'in order' then it would be right before Season 4. 9) The Face of the Enemy webisodes. While difficult to find (only legally available in the US on Hulu) they are great and set up Episode 12 very nicely. Certainly worth finding and I wish it was available on DVD or BluRay (though I would not repurchase the entire series just to have this as an extra). 10) Season 4 Episodes 12-15. This would be "A Disquiet Follows My Soul" through "No Exit". 11) The Plan movie. This is essentially a recap of the first few seasons from the Cylon's perspective. Rather than watching it after Season 2 where it is placed chronologically, it acts better as a recap of the series and a reveal of what the Cylons have been up to just before the series climax and finally. 12) Season 4 Episodes 16-19. This is the end, no more to tell. Sucks for the next show or few movies you watch after this as they probably won't measure up! Review: "Nothing But The Rain, Sir!" - I was 15 years old when the original "Battlestar Galactica" had its one-season run in 1978. Even at that tender age, an age when my present criteria for what comprised good science fiction was not yet fully formed, I detested that show. I thought it was ludicrous, forced and cheesy. I think if I had been 8 years old at the time, I would have loved it, because it really was that simplistic. So, when the remake started airing on the Sci-Fi Channel in 2003, I totally ignored it. I thought "Why would anybody remake such cheesy 70's dreck? Does nobody have any original ideas anymore?" and then totally forgot about the existence of the new show for years. Fast forward to 2010, when I bought a Wi-Fi streaming Blu-ray player and started a Netflix account to go with it. In these days of lowest common denominator television replete with horrid reality shows, Netflix has been a great refuge. When I noticed that the entire BSG remake was available for streaming, I thought, "OK, I'll watch the pilot miniseries, what's the harm?" And three hours later, I realized that I had been missing out on some fabulous sci-fi. I subsequently watched every episode on Netflix, and caught the "webisodes" on Youtube. I've had this box set in my wish list for a while now, hoping the price would drop to a point where I could justify purchasing it. Then one day a week ago or so, desertcart listed it as their "Deal of the Day" at a hugely discounted price. I snapped it right up, and now have it as a centerpiece of my video collection. The show itself is a masterpiece of televised science fiction. As a small child, my idea of good sci-fi was pretty much "the more spaceships and aliens, the better." As an adult, my preference is that science fiction concentrate on strong character development and good storylines. BSG is the first sci-fi series I have seen in a long time that passes my litmus test of "Take the sci-fi elements out of the story and replace them with equivalent non sci-fi counterparts. Does the series/movie still succeed on its own merits"? If you don't get what I mean here, think of the movie "Avatar". Take out all the wild effects and sci-fi elements, replace the Na'vi with regular Native Americans, but keep the plot and script as much the same as possible otherwise. What you end up with is a standard-issue, mediocre cowboys vs. Indians flick. Strip away the sci-fi glittering prettiness, and "Avatar" is absolutely nothing special. As I applied that litmus test to BSG, I realized that this show easily stood on its own as quality television. That's because the show is all about people. Character development was very important to Ronald Moore and the other people behind this series. There's a large cast here, and care is taken to flesh out all the various characters. The main characters - the Adamas, Col. Tigh, Starbuck, et. al. - were perfectly realized as deeply complex, deeply conflicted people who were portrayed as flawed human beings under the hottest of fires. It was a brilliant decision to make the main Cylon antagonists biological machines - it was a great way to force the viewer to look at the universe from their perspective and gave the Cylons some much-needed multi-dimensionality that was sorely missing from the original series. In this remake, you'll see all that makes humans human - nobility and bravery mixed with pettiness and cowardice, politics, many parallels with our current "war on terror" (complete with suicide bombings from unexpected sources), political strife, religious conflict, the abortion debate, the often uneasy alliance between civilian governments and the military, and on and on. The people behind the show do not take the easy way out and blindly portray the humans solely as the good guys and the Cylons as the one-dimensional bad guys. As in real life, the good guys are not all good and the bad guys are not all bad. BSG does a great job at providing a frank and honest perspective of both sides. The series has a dark, technologically primitive (for sc-fi) and grungy look to it that is a refreshing change from the hi-tech sterile, bright and shiny feel that most sci-fi has these days. The cinematography nicely enhances the mood of desperation and despair that goes along with trying to save the human race from total extinction. About the only thing I was mildly disappointed with was the grand finale to the series. It wrapped the show up more or less neatly, and the ending made sense, but it was uninvolving to me. Apparently, it is very difficult to make finales that are on par with the overall series, as my experiences with the finales of other shows such as "Cheers", "Seinfeld", "Star Trek: Voyager", and others have shown me. However, overall, my tepid reaction to the finale is a relatively minor nitpick compared to the overall brilliance of the series. As I got deeper into the series I found myself scouring the internet for reviews by reputable sources. I found plenty. Even publications like the New York Times, Time magazine and Newsday raved about it. Time magazine even called BSG the best show on television in 2005, and I can see why. As far as the physical box set itself goes, it is packaged well. In the main box are sub-boxes for the individual seasons. Each disc comes in a slimline plastic case for adequate protection. The set includes the made-for-TV BSG movies "Razor" and "The Plan" in appropriate chronological order, and indeed contains everything but the "Face of the Enemy" webisodes (Maybe I missed seeing them, let me know if I did and I will update my review). One thing I recommend to anyone who buys this set: when you get it, immediately check to see that the correct discs are in the set. I have seen reviews here where people have received sets that include two Season 3's and no Season 4, and also some who have noticed individual discs missing and/or duplicated within seasons. I was lucky enough to have everything correct in my box set, but I'm glad I checked. This is the rare science fiction series that you don't have to be a fan of sci-fi to enjoy. No television series is perfect, and BSG has its share of uneven and inconsistent moments, but I really can't recommend this brilliant show enough.










| Contributor | Edward James Olmos, James Callis, Jamie Bamber, Katee Sackhoff, Mary McDonnell, Michael Rymer |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 4,003 Reviews |
| Format | Anamorphic, Blu-ray, Box set, Color, DTS Surround Sound, Widescreen |
| Genre | Action & Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction & Fantasy |
| Language | English |
| Number Of Discs | 21 |
C**V
What is included, and a suggested viewing order.
This is one of the best shows ever made! This is a review of the refreshed silver Region 1 Blu-Ray "The Complete Series" set (current as of 2015). This is a nearly perfect set. The box is nice, the discs are not mounted in the most easily accessible way... but they are secure and are not going to fall out any time soon. My only real complaint is that it is missing "The Face of the Enemy" web miniseries, which are 10 episodes that have yet to be published/released. My understanding is that they can only legally be watched via Hulu in the US, but I am sure that will not stop most people interested in watching them. It is just annoying when publishers don't include everything. This series Includes 5 cases in the set: Case 1: Labeled "Season One", it includes the Mini-Series Parts 1 and 2 on one disc, and Season 1 Episodes 1-13 over the next 3 discs. Case 2: Labeled "Season Two" is just Season Two Episodes 1-20 over 5 discs. Do note that Disc Two ends with the originally aired version of Episode 10 "Pegasus", while Disc 3 starts with an extended version of that same episode. Case 3: Labeled "Season Three", it includes Season Three Episodes 1-20 over 5 discs, and "The Resistance" webisodes as an extra on disc 2. Similar to season two, disc 2 ends with the originally aired version of Episode 9 "Unfinished Business", while disc 3 opens with an extended version of the same episode. A word of caution; the webisodes of "The Resistance" are extremely poor quality, not even proper SD quality. It literally looks as if they lost the original footage, re-downloaded a 360p stream from youtube, interlaced it, and slapped it on the disc. Still, some interesting story points and world building, so it is worth seeing at least once, but if you can't stand the quality then you are not missing much. All 10 webisodes are set as a single title on the disc separated by chapter breaks and title cards. Case 4: Labeled "Season Four" Includes the Razor movie, the "Razor Flashbacks" minisodes (because calling them 'webisodes' would be too consistent) on one disc, with Season 4.0 across 2 discs, and Season 4.5 across 3 discs. Episodes 12 "A Disquiet Follows My Soul", and 18 "Islanded in a Stream of Stars", have the original episodes followed by their extended versions; but this time they are each on the same disc rather than being split across discs which is much less confusing. Also, the last 3 episodes (Daybreak parts 1, 2 & 3) are all cut together as a single 150 minute episode with extended content at the very end. Lastly, the minisodes, while still interlaced SD footage, are of much MUCH better quality than "The Resistance" webisodes. They are all strung together as a single title with fades and chapter breaks between each minisode. Certainly worth watching as part of the series. Case 5: Labeled "Battlestar Galactica, The Plan" is merely the retail box version of "The Plan" made for TV movie included in the set. As stated before, the only thing missing are "The Face of the Enemy" webisodes/minisodes/web miniseries that takes place between Seasons 4.0 and 4.5. Viewing Order for the BSG universe: Outside of this BSG collection there is also the 2 season show Caprica, and the web series turned movie Blood and Chrome. With that said, this is the order that I would suggest watching things: 1) Caprica, Seasons 1 & 2. To be honest, the show is not great, and it is completely understandable why it was canceled, but it does fill in some back story and is not entirely awful. It is unfortunate that it is only available on DVD as (for all it's faults) it is a pretty show that would have looked good in 1080p. While made after BSG it is simply not as good, so watching it after BSG just makes it seem even worse than it really is, and it is chronologically first. It just makes the most sense to start here if you are going to watch it. 2) Blood and Chrome movie or web mini series. This takes place between Caprica and BSG during the first war. Fun show, and it is unfortunate that they did not turn it into a full series as they intended. 3) Battlestar Galactica Season 1, and Season 2 Episodes 1-17. Nice simple chronological viewing order. 4) Razor movie and Razor Flashbacks. Razor Flashbacks were released first, but a lot of the content is in the Razor movie, so it is optional viewing. There is a bit at the beginning and ending of Flashbacks that are not in the movie that make it worth watching once, but otherwise I would just watch the movie and be done with it. Also, the Razor movie is technically the first 2 aired episodes of Season 4, and there are some minor spoilers for Season 4 at the end, but at the same time it makes more sense to view this as history from Season 4's perspective, so it makes a good deal more sense seeing it here so it feels older when it is finally referenced. 5) Season 2 Episodes 18-20. Finishes up the Season 2 story arc. 6) The Resistance webisodes. As mentioned earlier, these are horrible quality, but it is a good little story arc that sets up Season 3 so it is worth watching at least once. 7) Season 3. Nice and simple, nothing to break up here. 8) Season 4 Episodes 1-11. To be clear, this is "He That Believeth In Me" through "Sometimes a Great Notion". Note that if you are looking at an 'aired' order then these would be episodes 3-13 as the Razor movie is technically Season 4 episodes 1-2. Also, if you are going to watch the Razor movie 'in order' then it would be right before Season 4. 9) The Face of the Enemy webisodes. While difficult to find (only legally available in the US on Hulu) they are great and set up Episode 12 very nicely. Certainly worth finding and I wish it was available on DVD or BluRay (though I would not repurchase the entire series just to have this as an extra). 10) Season 4 Episodes 12-15. This would be "A Disquiet Follows My Soul" through "No Exit". 11) The Plan movie. This is essentially a recap of the first few seasons from the Cylon's perspective. Rather than watching it after Season 2 where it is placed chronologically, it acts better as a recap of the series and a reveal of what the Cylons have been up to just before the series climax and finally. 12) Season 4 Episodes 16-19. This is the end, no more to tell. Sucks for the next show or few movies you watch after this as they probably won't measure up!
S**Y
"Nothing But The Rain, Sir!"
I was 15 years old when the original "Battlestar Galactica" had its one-season run in 1978. Even at that tender age, an age when my present criteria for what comprised good science fiction was not yet fully formed, I detested that show. I thought it was ludicrous, forced and cheesy. I think if I had been 8 years old at the time, I would have loved it, because it really was that simplistic. So, when the remake started airing on the Sci-Fi Channel in 2003, I totally ignored it. I thought "Why would anybody remake such cheesy 70's dreck? Does nobody have any original ideas anymore?" and then totally forgot about the existence of the new show for years. Fast forward to 2010, when I bought a Wi-Fi streaming Blu-ray player and started a Netflix account to go with it. In these days of lowest common denominator television replete with horrid reality shows, Netflix has been a great refuge. When I noticed that the entire BSG remake was available for streaming, I thought, "OK, I'll watch the pilot miniseries, what's the harm?" And three hours later, I realized that I had been missing out on some fabulous sci-fi. I subsequently watched every episode on Netflix, and caught the "webisodes" on Youtube. I've had this box set in my wish list for a while now, hoping the price would drop to a point where I could justify purchasing it. Then one day a week ago or so, Amazon listed it as their "Deal of the Day" at a hugely discounted price. I snapped it right up, and now have it as a centerpiece of my video collection. The show itself is a masterpiece of televised science fiction. As a small child, my idea of good sci-fi was pretty much "the more spaceships and aliens, the better." As an adult, my preference is that science fiction concentrate on strong character development and good storylines. BSG is the first sci-fi series I have seen in a long time that passes my litmus test of "Take the sci-fi elements out of the story and replace them with equivalent non sci-fi counterparts. Does the series/movie still succeed on its own merits"? If you don't get what I mean here, think of the movie "Avatar". Take out all the wild effects and sci-fi elements, replace the Na'vi with regular Native Americans, but keep the plot and script as much the same as possible otherwise. What you end up with is a standard-issue, mediocre cowboys vs. Indians flick. Strip away the sci-fi glittering prettiness, and "Avatar" is absolutely nothing special. As I applied that litmus test to BSG, I realized that this show easily stood on its own as quality television. That's because the show is all about people. Character development was very important to Ronald Moore and the other people behind this series. There's a large cast here, and care is taken to flesh out all the various characters. The main characters - the Adamas, Col. Tigh, Starbuck, et. al. - were perfectly realized as deeply complex, deeply conflicted people who were portrayed as flawed human beings under the hottest of fires. It was a brilliant decision to make the main Cylon antagonists biological machines - it was a great way to force the viewer to look at the universe from their perspective and gave the Cylons some much-needed multi-dimensionality that was sorely missing from the original series. In this remake, you'll see all that makes humans human - nobility and bravery mixed with pettiness and cowardice, politics, many parallels with our current "war on terror" (complete with suicide bombings from unexpected sources), political strife, religious conflict, the abortion debate, the often uneasy alliance between civilian governments and the military, and on and on. The people behind the show do not take the easy way out and blindly portray the humans solely as the good guys and the Cylons as the one-dimensional bad guys. As in real life, the good guys are not all good and the bad guys are not all bad. BSG does a great job at providing a frank and honest perspective of both sides. The series has a dark, technologically primitive (for sc-fi) and grungy look to it that is a refreshing change from the hi-tech sterile, bright and shiny feel that most sci-fi has these days. The cinematography nicely enhances the mood of desperation and despair that goes along with trying to save the human race from total extinction. About the only thing I was mildly disappointed with was the grand finale to the series. It wrapped the show up more or less neatly, and the ending made sense, but it was uninvolving to me. Apparently, it is very difficult to make finales that are on par with the overall series, as my experiences with the finales of other shows such as "Cheers", "Seinfeld", "Star Trek: Voyager", and others have shown me. However, overall, my tepid reaction to the finale is a relatively minor nitpick compared to the overall brilliance of the series. As I got deeper into the series I found myself scouring the internet for reviews by reputable sources. I found plenty. Even publications like the New York Times, Time magazine and Newsday raved about it. Time magazine even called BSG the best show on television in 2005, and I can see why. As far as the physical box set itself goes, it is packaged well. In the main box are sub-boxes for the individual seasons. Each disc comes in a slimline plastic case for adequate protection. The set includes the made-for-TV BSG movies "Razor" and "The Plan" in appropriate chronological order, and indeed contains everything but the "Face of the Enemy" webisodes (Maybe I missed seeing them, let me know if I did and I will update my review). One thing I recommend to anyone who buys this set: when you get it, immediately check to see that the correct discs are in the set. I have seen reviews here where people have received sets that include two Season 3's and no Season 4, and also some who have noticed individual discs missing and/or duplicated within seasons. I was lucky enough to have everything correct in my box set, but I'm glad I checked. This is the rare science fiction series that you don't have to be a fan of sci-fi to enjoy. No television series is perfect, and BSG has its share of uneven and inconsistent moments, but I really can't recommend this brilliant show enough.
K**8
Amazing show, inaccurate listing, rough shipping
I’ll leave it to others to give in-depth reviews of the series itself. There is definitely room for criticism of some of the choices made, but overall they did an incredible job of reimagining a sci-fi classic. The casting was fabulous and the story arc is very engaging. As someone who grew up watching the original BSG series, I think this is a great example of how to ‘remake’ an older series in a thoughtful and respectful manner. This Blu Ray set is overall a great value, containing almost all content released from this series. I decided that since this was a show that I knew I’d want to rewatch again and again, I should finally go ahead and buy physical copies, since streaming services are capricious and usually don’t have the extra content. I definitely don’t regret my purchase and look forward to diving back into this. The packaging is fairly cheap and not very sturdy, but seems to function fine. I do have a couple of complaints about this Amazon listing, however. First, the main product photos show all four seasons and The Plan movie as having matching paper sleeves in the box set; however, only the four seasons have these, and The Plan just comes in a retail plastic case. This isn’t a deal breaker for me, since I don’t plan to display them, but it is annoying that the pictures are misleading. The listing also doesn’t mention that Season 4 also includes the extended Razor movie too. This led me to needlessly buy a separate copy of that. Finally, I was very disappointed to see the condition in which my set arrived. The disks were fine (aside from one that randomly had huge fingerprints on it), but the cardboard sleeve and disk boxes got banged up in shipping and the plastic box for The Plan was cracked on the corner. I decided not to return this set since the disks were ok and I don’t plan to display these, but nonetheless it’s very frustrating. I’ve had very mixed luck lately with the condition of Blu Rays and books ordered from Amazon—sometimes they’re nearly perfect and other times they’re dented like they were thrown across a room.
I**H
One of the most spectacular tv shows of all time
As someone who was born in the mid-1970's and was a child of the 80's, I grew up knowing about "Battlestar Galactica" as a short-lived, sort of cool science fiction show that was also very campy and corny (a hallmark of most tv series from the mid-70's to late-80's). It was entertaining to watch whenever it was on, but there was no great motivation to make it `appointment television'. So, in 2003, when the Sci-Fi Channel decided to launch a re-imagined version of "Battlestar Galactica", there was no great pull for me to watch it. Now, fast forward to 2011, a couple years after the re-imagined show concluded. Amazon had the complete series on DVD available for a great deal. So, I decided to take a shot and get it. I can say, without a doubt, that where it applies to my television viewing history, this is probably one of the best decisions I have ever made. From the moment I put the pilot mini-series in my DVD player, I could not stop watching it. I would go on marathons where I would watch anywhere from 4-6 episodes in one sitting. Then, a year later, I did it all again. As I'm typing this review, I'm craving a third run through the series. Rebooting "Battlestar Galactica" was a risky proposition, at best, because of the small, but extremely committed and vocal fanbase that developed over the years (not unlike the `Browncoats' for "Firefly"). They were fiercely loyal to the original series and wanted to see it brought back to television with all the same people. At the vanguard of this movement was actor Richard Hatch (not to be confused with the first winner of "Survivor"), who portrayed Apollo on the original series. He kept interest in the show going with BSG novels that he wrote and frequent appearances at science fiction conventions. When the re-imagined mini-series was announced, Hatch (and the original loyalists), were bitterly disappointed. How could so many changes be made? How could Starbuck be a woman? Fortunately, for all parties involved, creator Ronald Moore knew what he was doing. He kept the very essence of the show intact, which was about humanity's struggle for survival after a brutal holocaust brought about by the evil, robot Cylons. In the re-imagined series, the attack was much more shocking and visceral and it set the tone for the intensity of the rest of series. In addition to keep the core plot of the show similar, Moore also made a clever tactical move by reaching out to Richard Hatch at a convention following the airing of the mini-series. He explained his vision for the new series and how it was still honoring the old one. The result was that Hatch accepted (meaning many of the loyalists did, too) and even took the role of the Tom Zarek in the new series, with a seminal moment being a scene between him and Jamie Bamber (the new Apollo), which served as a metaphorical passing of the torch. Still led by Commander Adama (played with fierce dignity by Edward James Olmos) and partnered with President Laura Roslyn (Mary McDonnell, in a truly elevating role in her already considerable career), the `ragtag' human fleet staves off extinction at the hands of the Cylons while addressing many internal issues that also threatened humanity's survival. Aired only a few years after 9/11, and as the Iraq War started, "Battlestar Galactica" did not shy away from the tough storylines: survivor's guilt; imprisonment and torture; the cost and method of war; the role of civilians during times of crisis. Each of the characters, from the humanoid Cylons to the varied military and civilian humans, is a well-developed three-dimensional person. They each have to fight the battles within themselves while also fighting the battles outside. This series is full of top-notch drama, sci-fi action sequences that top many you will see on the big screen, and some of the most shocking (yet honest) plot twists in TV history. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching this series and talking about it every chance I get. Come to think of it, after writing this review, I may just start watching it again!
T**N
Definitive Collection Buy it
I have the "newer" box set (you know, the one in the picture), and as others have pointed out the packaging is no longer a concern. So now that that's out of the way, how does the set actually hold up? Very well actually, and at times admirably. BSG was never a bright and shiny show. Visually speaking it's cinematography was every bit as dark as many of the themes the show explored. This works to great effect in keeping with the tone of the narrative itself. The only problem, if you consider it such, is that this style of photography doesn't necessarily lend itself to high defnition video. Don't get the wrong idea, BSG looks gorgeous on Blu, and at this point I refuse to watch it on any other format. Just keep in mind that the artistic goals of the shows creators was not to present the most clear and crisp visual presentation available, and you'll be happy. What these vagaries mean in real world terms is that video quality will range from jaw droppingly-crisp to painfully muddled. This variance is visible from season to season, episode to episode, and even from scene to scene in any given episode. Is this a bad thing? Hardly. I've watched all of the broadcast episodes, most in HD, and all of the dvds(by the way the season one dvds look phenomenal), and there is a noticeable up tick in clarity on every single episode. In short this is the best version of BSG that you will ever see, it looks the way it is intended to look ... period. If you're familiar with Universal's "U-control" interface, then you know what you're getting with this set. I'm not a big fan of U-control, but the layout of the menus is very clean, easy to navigate and understand, and minimalist. If you pause a disc a Universal screen saver will appear on screen, which is actually a nice touch, although as is the case with all java-enabled blu ray discs stopping playback means you will have to search for your resume point (java people get on this already, very annoying). This set includes all of the same bonus features as the DVD box sets. That said, some of the commentaries leave something to be desired. I was never a fan of the podcast commentaries while the show was on the air. I've always felt that they lacked, some more than others, the kind of in depth analysis that commentaries recorded after the on-air run of a show possess. Still, there is more good here than bad, but it would've been nice to see some new commentaries recorded specifically for the full series set. Who knows, with BD-live functionality maybe someone will finally put it to good use and we'll see some new commentary tracks down the road. All in all this set is going to be tough to beat. It has every single episode accurately presented in HD, many special features that will occupy days (weeks?) of your life if you so choose, and it all comes in a sensible easy-to-store box that doesn't look garish and won't damage your discs. I waited for a long time to pick up this box set, and I'm even more pleased with it than I anticipated. This is a must buy.
S**2
So Say We All -- Much More than a "Re-Make"
In the beginning (2003), this had two major strikes against it -- it was a show coming from that godawful channel (which is still pretty awful, btw), and it was --to judge by the title-- a re-make. So I ignored it during its run, although rumors and recommendations piled up, but I waited still more, despite the intriguing nerve of some friends to actually compare it to the all-time SF great "Blade Runner." Then the entire show was done, and released to DVD and Blu-Ray. I read the glowing detailed review over at thedigitalbits.com, decided to let it wait even more, until I made the switch to Blu-Ray. Besides, the first release had bunches of notorious packaging issues that have since been resolved by the second release. Then I did switch to Blu-Ray in Sept 2011 (for Star Wars, my template). Finally, after trying to haggle with the local Best Buy and Barnes and Noble, I actually got the set this spring.... here.... on Amazon.com. (It's a bit of a tragedy that we are less and less able to get things off-line anymore....) I had watched the original series a few years ago in "preparation" for this -- the new series jettisons most connections quickly. This is as hardcore and as serious as SF drama can get, and that's no light praise -- I can be Very critical, especially of recent (ie, last 20 years') attempts at SF. While there are inevitable stumbles that effect any TV show, BSG Redux is so busy with great plots and characters that most such mistakes will be quickly glossed over, or turned around, or changed into a much improved scenario. Any characters that I had a hard time appreciating or taking seriously at first usually improved over time, either on his/her own, or through the miracle of Cylon replica(n)tion. Dynamic visuals, set decorations, good props: check Complex interactions and issues, dealt with realistically and with dramatic flair: 90% of the time, and always enough to keep people talking, guessing, speculating; quick n' easy spoon-fed solutions are few and far between here. It's all about the questions, not the answers. Sound design: mostly really good. For some reason, some of the dialogue is strangely a little bit off balance, but hey, that's partly what subtitles are for. Music Score: Well, at first, and a lot of the time, it's just drums...you know....*military*, complete with vaguely Irish-Scotch anthemy-type stuff. Then, starting with the vaguely "Bolero"-type piece from the first season finale, the score grows.....and grows ever more complex and beautiful and engaging. Even "All Along the WatchTower," so strangely and awkwardly forced into Sn 3's finale, grows into an engaging plot point later on. Season 4 is full of great scoring, and everyone pitches in during the final episodes, pulling no stops, as documented in that season's documentaries about the music. (Compared to the really weird parody of a doc about music for Sn3) Extras: Commentaries, a mass of deleted or alternate scenes for most episodes, silly (but kind o' fun) games, ok vid-blogs, behind/scenes stuff, mostly a fairly standard selection, with a few standouts, including the infamously funny "What the Frak" recap of Sn.s 1-3. In some cases there are extended versions of a handful of episodes -- always watch the extended versions. Most of the webisode sets are here, except for "Face of the Enemy" (mid season-4), but I had no problems watching it on Hulu. Also, a quick note about viewing order. I've seen others' recommendations (you can do a search and see those lists, too). Here's my take: 1) The 2003 miniseries, and Season 1 2) Season 2 3) "Resistance" webisodes (Sn3, Dc2) 4) 3x9 "Unfinished Business" extended episode -- very much a flashbacky story anyway 5) "Razor flashbacks", then "Razor" (Sn4, Dc 1) 6) Season 3 7) Season 4, with "Face of the Enemy" webisodes between episodes 10 & 11 As for "The Plan," there are many options. A lot of the story takes places before and during the first two seasons of the show -- however, just after Sn2 is still too soon to watch this. The best time to watch this is any time between mid-Sn3 and mid-Sn4. Sure, there's a risk of still spoiling a major Sn3 finale development, but not very muchly. To watch "Plan" after the series just exposes it for what it really is--- a bit of an anti-climax.
D**D
Fun and engaging series
I never watched the re-make of Battlestar Galactica when it aired. I watched the original 1978 series for a while until it got too silly and then gave up on it. Robot dogs, kids and everyone had names of the gods, it got too Lost in Space like for me. BBC America started running the new Battlestar Galctica series and I had nothing better to do so I figured I would check it out. Within an hour of the two hour opener I was hooked. The characters were good, the acting was good, nice special effects and the gods name were just call signs. Anyway, after a couple of weeks watching on BBC America I decided I couldn't wait a week between episodes and purchased the series from Amazon on Blue-ray. Now I find it hard to limit myself to one episode a night as I work my way through the series. The Blueray discs have all sorts of nice extra features, commentaries, video blogs, games and other internet related stuff I haven't figured out yet, but the series was shot to look like a documentary, so the video is a little grainy at times with wobbly cameras to give you the feeling you are there so don't look for exceptional video quality. Do look for good action, good writing and characters acting like real people. This is not a Star Trek like universe where it is 'All for one and one for all' type of mentality. The characters cheat, lie, go on strike, try to save their own rear ends at the expense of others, somtimes to the point that I miss the Star Trek type attitude. Can't say enough about the actors. Everyone is good in their role. I like Mary McDonnell as the president. She has this smile when dealing with other characters that makes her look like she knows more than they do and no matter what she'll get her way, kinda like a real politicians attitude. I also like the kind of retro feel to the overall design of the series. The ships look like they have been heavily used. Nothing is too high tech. The CGI cylons are great, no actor in a costume here. There are plot holes that sometimes make me think, what are they doing, but it is a TV show and they have to create drama somehow. My major complaint about this disc set is they have extended versions of some of the episodes but they don't really alert you to this unless you read the back of each box. It is annoying to watch an episode and then find that the next one is the same one you just watched with 16 minutes of additional footage. The episodes to watch out for are, Season Two-- Pegasus Season Three-- Unfinished Business Season Four-- Battlestar Galactica Razor A disquiet follows my souls Islanded in a stream of stars Daybreak Bottom line, If you're a fan of the show you'll love seeing it again and with all of the added goodies it will be just that much more fun. If you're new too the series, you're gonna have a real good time watching this well executed show, just try not to watch all four seasons in one night.
M**.
An awesome series on any format....'So Say We All'
I grew up watching the original in the late 70’s and loved it, and to me this is the best version of both. If you haven’t seen this one but have experienced the original, then you owe it to yourself to check it out and you are in for a treat. Is a far more absorbing story than the original in every way. I had bought all the seasons of this new alternate version separately on DVD so I can give firsthand experience on both formats and this boxed set. Pros; The clarity of picture and sound of Blu-ray (BD) High Definition goes without saying. It also includes the movie ‘The Plan’ which is a nice addition to the set (not included in the DVD format versions within the individual seasons). Cons; If you have this series on DVD and an LCD screen with an HDMI cable connection and a good home theatre sound system, then just stick with it and save your money. The picture and sound are about as good with this set up so you don't need to go for the extra mile to enjoy it. There are grainy scenes every so often in all the episodes (which I understand where deliberate to give it a more ‘gritty’ feel to the overall aspect of the story), and those are equally transferred to the BD version. The packaging is nice and is set up as seasons 1 thru 4 with a book type case holding each set of disks for every season, with the movie 'The Plan' on a BD case by itself. Aside for a few extra details which are standard on most BD discs (navigation options, opening commentaries, etc), and the inclusion of the movie ‘The Plan’, there isn’t any difference with the episodes, added interviews, commentaries, and deleted scenes which are the same as in the DVD version. If the set had included the movie ‘Blood & Chrome’ and the Cylon figurine from the original special edition set, it truly would be the definite BSG series collectible. In short, if you don’t have this series and can find it on BD at a decent price, I highly recommend it, hence my rating of 5 stars.. If you have it on DVD you can find ‘The Plan’ and ‘Blood & Chrome’ (either pre-owned or at a discount at many online and movie stores) and add them to your set and then your collection will be complete.
F**S
One of the best sci-fi show ever!
Battlestar Galactica is one of the best sci-fi shows ever. Is you are a fan of sci-fi you need this. The pachaging was good for the price.
V**K
Great series
Great series and product arrived earlier than expected!
C**O
Uma das melhores séries que já existe
Veio em perfeito estado, demorando 10 dias para chegar, achei bem rápido. Recomendo demais para quem gosta de uma série sci-fi, não vai se arrepender! Não possui legendas e nem dublagem em Português.
H**I
お礼
日本で発売されているのは、英語の字幕がなかったのです。探していました。海外盤を。ありがとうございました❗
G**R
Excelente serie!
Excelente! Me encanta esta serie. El Blu-ray es original y se ve perfecto. Puedes verla con audio en inglés con sonido 5.1 y subtitulos en español o con audio en español
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