Product Description
-------------------
Now you can relive every action-packed moment of the epic story
that Entertainment Weekly procls "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!
Bonus Content:
Battlestar Galactica (2004): Season One:
* U-Control - The Oracle
* U-Control - Picture in Picture Behind the Scenes of the Mini
Series - Part 1
* U-Control - Picture in Picture Behind the Scenes of the Mini
Series - Part 2
* My Scenes
* Deleted Scenes
* Sketches and Art
* Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes
* Miniseries Part 1 Commentary with Director Michael Rymer and
Executive Producers David Eick and Ronald D. Moore
* Miniseries Part 2 Commentary with Director Michael Rymer and
Executive Producers David Eick and Ronald D. Moore
* BD-Live - Download Center
* 33 Commentary with Executive Producers Ronald D. Moore and
David Eick and Director Michael Rymer
* Bastille Day Commentary with Executive Producers Ronald D.
Moore and David Eick
* Act of Contrition Commentary with Executive Producers Ronald D.
Moore and David Eick
* You Can't Go Home Again Commentary with Executive Producers
Ronald D. Moore and David Eick
* Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down Commentary with Executive Producer
Ronald D. Moore
* The Hand of God Commentary with Executive Producer Ronald D.
Moore
* Are You a Cylon? Personality Quiz
* Colonial Day Commentary with Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore
* Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part 1 Commentary with Executive
Producer Ronald D. Moore
* Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part 2 Commentary with Executive
Producer Ronald D. Moore
*
Battlestar Galactica (2004): Season Two:
* U-Control - The Oracle
* Deleted Scenes
* Ronald D. Moore Podcast Commentaries
* BD-Live - Download Center
* Sizzle Reel
* Peus Extended Episode Commentary with Executive Producers
Ronald D. Moore and David Eick
* Battlestar Galactica Career Assignment Quiz
* David Eick's Video Blogs
* RND Logos
*
Battlestar Galactica (2004): Season Three:
* U-Control - The Oracle
* U-Control - Battlestar Blips
* Deleted Scenes
* Ronald D. Moore's Podcast Commentaries
* BD-Live - Download Center
* Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance Webisodes
* David Eick's Video Blogs
* Hero Commentary with Executive Producer David Eick
* Unfinished Business Unaired, Extended Cut Commentary with
Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore
* Colonial Assessment Quiz
*
Battlestar Galactica (2004): Season Four:
* U-Control - The Oracle
* U-Control - Battlestar Actual
* Deleted Scenes
* The Look of Battlestar Galactica
* My Favorite Episode So Far
* Season 4 Sneak Peek
* Season 4 Trailer
* Minisodes
* Commentary to the Unrated Extended Edition with Executive
Producer Ronald D. Moore and Writer Michael Taylor
* BD-Live Download Center
* BD-Live - Battlestar Galactica Card Game
* David Eick's Video Blogs
* Ronald D. Moore's Podcast Commentaries
* The Journey
* Cylons: The Twelve
* Season 4.5: The Untold Story - Untold
* The Music of Battlestar Galactica
* Caprica Sneak Peek
* Faith Commentary with Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore and
Supervising Producers Bradley Thompson and David Weddle
* Guess What's Coming to Dinner with Executive Producer Ronald D.
Moore and Writer Michael Angeli
* Sine Qua Non Commentary with Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore
and Writer Michael Taylor
* The Journey Ends: The Arrival
* Evolution of a Cue
* What the Frak Is Going on with Battlestar Galactica?
* A Disquiet Follows My Soul Unaired Extended Episode Commentary
with Executive Producer and Episode Director Ronald D. Moore
* Islanded in a Stream of Stars Unaired Extended Episode
Commentary with Series Star and Episode Director Edward James
Olmos
* U-Control - What the Frak Happened to You? (Available for the
Unaired, Extended Episode of Daybreak Only)
* A Look Back
* …And They Have a Plan
* The Musicians Behind Daybreak
* Daybreak Unaired Extended Episode Commentary with Executive
Producers David Eick and Ronald D. Moore
*
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan:
* Deleted Scenes
* From Admiral to Director: Edward James Olmos & The Plan
* The Cylons of The Plan
* The Cylon Attack
* Visual Effects: The Magic Behind The Plan
* Feature Commentary with Director/Star Edward James Olmos and
Executive Producer/Writer Jane Espenson
* D-BOX
* BD-Live - Battlestar Galactica Trivia
.com
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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 cls 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 bly 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 c-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 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 Peus 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 Peus.
The animosity, combined with an attack on Sharon (Grace Park),
threatens to derail a golden rtunity 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 Peus, 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, "Peus"; 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
Spet 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 accled 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 ced 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