Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series [Blu-ray]

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Product Description 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!Bonus Content:Battlestar Galactica (2004): Season One: U-Control - The OracleU-Control - Picture in Picture Behind the Scenes of the Mini Series - Part 1U-Control - Picture in Picture Behind the Scenes of the Mini Series - Part 2My ScenesDeleted ScenesSketches and ArtBehind-the-Scenes FeaturettesMiniseries Part 1 Commentary with Director Michael Rymer and Executive Producers David Eick and Ronald D. MooreMiniseries Part 2 Commentary with Director Michael Rymer and Executive Producers David Eick and Ronald D. Moore BD-Live - Download Center33 Commentary with Executive Producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick and Director Michael RymerBastille Day Commentary with Executive Producers Ronald D. Moore and David EickAct of Contrition Commentary with Executive Producers Ronald D. Moore and David EickYou Can't Go Home Again Commentary with Executive Producers Ronald D. Moore and David EickTigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down Commentary with Executive Producer Ronald D. MooreThe Hand of God Commentary with Executive Producer Ronald D. MooreAre You a Cylon? Personality QuizColonial Day Commentary with Executive Producer Ronald D. MooreKobol's Last Gleaming, Part 1 Commentary with Executive Producer Ronald D. MooreKobol's Last Gleaming, Part 2 Commentary with Executive Producer Ronald D. MooreBattlestar Galactica (2004): Season Two: U-Control - The OracleDeleted ScenesRonald D. Moore Podcast CommentariesBD-Live - Download CenterSizzle ReelPegasus Extended Episode Commentary with Executive Producers Ronald D. Moore and David EickBattlestar Galactica Career Assignment QuizDavid Eick's Video BlogsRND LogosBattlestar Galactica (2004): Season Three: U-Control - The OracleU-Control - Battlestar BlipsDeleted ScenesRonald D. Moore's Podcast CommentariesBD-Live - Download CenterBattlestar Galactica: The Resistance WebisodesDavid Eick's Video BlogsHero Commentary with Executive Producer David EickUnfinished Business Unaired, Extended Cut Commentary with Executive Producer Ronald D. MooreColonial Military Assessment QuizBattlestar Galactica (2004): Season Four: U-Control - The OracleU-Control - Battlestar ActualDeleted ScenesThe Look of Battlestar GalacticaMy Favorite Episode So FarSeason 4 Sneak PeekSeason 4 TrailerMinisodesCommentary to the Unrated Extended Edition with Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore and Writer Michael TaylorBD-Live Download CenterBD-Live - Battlestar Galactica Card GameDavid Eick's Video BlogsRonald D. Moore's Podcast CommentariesThe JourneyCylons: The TwelveSeason 4.5: The Untold Story - UntoldThe Music of Battlestar GalacticaCaprica Sneak PeekFaith Commentary with Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore and Supervising Producers Bradley Thompson and David WeddleGuess What's Coming to Dinner with Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore and Writer Michael AngeliSine Qua Non Commentary with Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore and Writer Michael TaylorThe Journey Ends: The ArrivalEvolution of a CueWhat 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. MooreIslanded in a Stream of Stars Unaired Extended Episode Commentary with Series Star and Episode Director Edward James OlmosU-Control - What the Frak Happened to You? (Available for the Unaired, Extended Episode of Daybreak Only)A Look Back…And They Have a PlanThe Musicians Behind DaybreakDaybreak Unaired Extended Episode Commentary with Executive Producers David Eick and Ronald D. MooreBattlestar Galactica: The Plan: Deleted ScenesFrom Admiral to Director: Edward James Olmos & The PlanThe Cylons of The PlanThe Cylon AttackVisual Effects: The Magic Behind The PlanFeature Commentary with Director/Star Edward James Olmos and Executive Producer/Writer Jane EspensonD-BOX BD-Live - Battlestar Galactica Trivia desertcart.com Battlestar Galactica: Season OneBattlestar 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 ShannonBattlestar Galactica - Season 2.0The 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 ShannonBattlestar Galactica - Season 2.5Battlestar 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 HoriuchiBattlestar Galactica: Season 3The 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 HoriuchiBattlestar Galactica: Season 4.5Battlestar 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: 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 desertcart 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 desertcart—sometimes they’re nearly perfect and other times they’re dented like they were thrown across a room.