Battlestar Galactica: Season One DVD Box Set Review

Buy This DVD Box Set Now By Clicking On The Icon Below!

Title: Battlestar Galactica: Season One

Region: One

Genre: Sci-Fi Drama

Episodes Disc One: “Battlestar Galactica: Miniseries”

Episodes Disc Two: “33”, “Water”, “Bastille Day”, “Act Of Contrition”

Episodes Disc Three: “You Can’t Go Home Again”, “Litmus”, “Six Degrees Of Separation”, “Flesh And Bone”

Episodes Disc Four: “Tigh Me Up Tigh Me Down”, “The Hand Of God”, “Colonial Day”, “Kobol’s Last Gleaming Pt. 1”

Episode Disc Five: “Kobol’s Last Gleaming Pt. 2”

Stars: Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Jamie Bamber, Katee Sackhoff, James Callis, Tricia Helfer, Grace Park, Michael Hogan, Aaron Douglas, Paul Campbell, Callum Keith Rennie, Kandyse McClure, Connor Widdows, John Mann, Matthew Bennett, Alessandaro Juliani, Nicki Clyne, and Michael Eklund

Special Guest Stars: Richard Hatch, Kate Vernon, Alex Zahara, and Robert Wisden

Writers: Ronald D. Moore, Christopher Eric James, Tony Graphia, Bradley Thompson, David Weddle, Carla Robinson, Jeff Vlaming, and Michael Angeli

Based on “Battlestar Galactica” Created By: Glen A. Larson

Directors: Michael Rymer, Marita Grabiak, A. Kroeker, Ron Hardy, Jonas Pate, Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, Robert Young, Brad Turner, Edward James Olmos, and Jeff Woolnough

Executive Producers: Ronald D. Moore and David Eick

Feature length: 12 hours and 36 minutes

Extras: Audio Commentaries, Sketches And Art, Deleted Scenes, Battlestar Galactica: The Series Lowdown, Behind-The-Scenes Featurettes: From Miniseries To Series, Change Is Good – Now They’re Babes, The Cylon Centurion, Future/Past Technology, The Doctor Is Out (Of His Mind), Production, Visual Effects, Epilogue, and Universal Studios Home Entertainment Previews

Languages: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround

Subtitles: English Captions and Spanish Language Subtitles

Packaging: Five Slim Keep Cases Within A Glossy Cardboard Slipcase

Chapter Stops: 24 For The Miniseries/4 Per Episode Thereafter

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

Year of Television Broadcast: 2003/2005/DVD Release: 2005

Home Video Distributor: Universal Studios Home Entertainment

MPAA Rating: Not Rated

Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera

On Friday, January 14, 2005, “Battlestar Galactica” began its first season of brand new shows following a year of anticipation left over by the successful miniseries remake. The older I get the more I realize how important timing is with almost anything. If the new “Battlestar Galactica” had premiered in the mid 1990s it might not have been as successful as the series is now. Last television season I think the three standout sci-fi genre TV shows were in alphabetical order, “Battlestar Galactica”, “Lost”, and while the series was ultimately cancelled, there is no denying that “Star Trek: Enterprise” ended on a high mark with the best collection of episodes from the series’ four year run. Now the new TV season is flooded with brand new genre shows that include “Surface”, “Supernatural”, “Invasion”, “The Night Stalker”, and “Threshold.” Without commenting on the merits of any of these series, I do find it interesting that “Star Trek” alumni writers are involved in at least one of the new shows entitled “Threshold” and that in addition to “Battlestar Galactica,” one of the most popular original series that airs on SCI FI’s sister network, USA, is also Executive Produced by “Star Trek” veteran writer Michael Piller. That series is “The Dead Zone” starring Anthony Michael Hall. There have been plenty of other shows on both cable and satellite television as well as broadcast network TV too. To me it seems as though to have been a writer for one of the incarnations of “Star Trek” is like attending a Harvard University for sci-fi especially since like the clout that comes from attending a school like Harvard, to have written for “Star Trek” truly is participating in a renowned globally recognized franchise and it will one day rise again just as “Battlestar Galactica” has.

Against the odds Ronald D. Moore and David Eick have successfully reinvigorated a franchise that pays homage in many subtle ways to the spirit of the original series while being very different at the same time. It literally is one of the flagship programs of the SCI FI Channel and it is the most adult sci-fi show on TV at the time of this writing. While the new “Battlestar Galactica” did have the benefit of having one year of production time between the premiere of the miniseries and the first season series premiere, it is amazing just how quickly the show has found itself and has consistently got better as it has progressed. Now as great as the new “Galactica” is, I am also very happy that not every show on television is trying to follow in its footsteps. I think there’s enough room for hard science fiction, sci-fi drama, and classic space opera on both broadcast network and cable/satellite television as long as the shows are well written and executed. I mean look at how much the “Stargate” franchise has expanded since it moved from Showtime to SCI FI and when you team up “Stargate: SG-1” and “Stargate: Atlantis” with “Battlestar Galactica” you have what is arguably the best night of sci-fi entertainment on a single network ever. I love SCI FI Fridays and I know a lot of you tune in too even if you won’t admit it. Now that the mid season finale for all three shows has aired, DVD box sets for the previous seasons are being released or are in the process of being released before the holidays and among them is Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s “Battlestar Galactica: Season One” DVD box set. Unlike the Best Buy exclusive season one DVD set, which was released in July to coincide with the second season premiere on the SCI FI Channel, the recently released five-disc set includes nine episode length audio commentaries as well as the original miniseries that was released to DVD last year months before the series premiere. Yet before you start trading in your miniseries and Best Buy exclusive DVDs, keep in mind that there are some differences, particularly with content in the original miniseries DVD release that has not been carried over into the season one DVD box set and depending of how hardcore of a fan or collector you are, you might want to hold on to the Best Buy exclusive season one DVD set too. During this DVD set review I will point out the differences between all three items, which I am glad to have in my personal DVD collection.

The Original Miniseries On DVD

The miniseries on disc one opens with some words detailing briefly the history of events between the humans and the Cylons they created. There was a war when the Cylons turned upon their creators that united the twelve colonies for the first time in centuries. Eventually it appears that humanity won and an armistice was called. The Cylons left the known planetary system to find their own world. Once a year, the Colonials send a representative to a remote space station where they were to meet with a representative of the Cylons and keep diplomatic relations open. However no one has seen a Cylon in more than 40 years. They never show up. The assignment is little more than an old formality. As far as most humans are concerned, the Cylons are gone and forgotten. Then suddenly the doors in the station meeting room opens and two advanced looking centurions enter followed by a sultry blond woman. The Colonial representative is so shocked he’s speechless. The woman asks him “Are you alive?” After a few seconds he replies, “Yes...” She then asks him to “Prove it” and lays a sensual kiss on him as she reaches down and grabs his crotch. Suddenly we hear rumblings inside as the station begins to quake. Papers are swept to the floor as a gush of wind enters the room. The Colonial tries to get up, but he’s powerless under her spellbinding kiss. The centurions emotionlessly watch as we suddenly find ourselves back out in space where a huge and very alien looking Cylon Base Star dwarfs the crumbling space station.

From this point on after the words “Battlestar Galactica” fill the screen, we are taken into a society that is not too different from our own. In fact I think the overall attention to detail as far as the physics is concerned from how the ships fly in a vacuum to the rather contemporary manner interplanetary civilian travel is handled not at all very different from the way we fly planes from one place to another today. In fact there is a definite “2001” type feel to the manner in which the space scenes are handled though not quite as stringent. We still can hear a missile launch or a machine gun like laser blast from a Viper shoot through space, but the effect is minimalist in fashion so we hear far more inside the ships than we do outside. This is understandable since most sci-fi viewers are so tied into the idea of hearing sounds in space after years of “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” that even if they know space is a vacuum, they are likely to still expect to hear something whenever an event happens out there.

The apocalyptic circumstances that for the most part seemed to take second place behind the space opera like action of the original series is put upfront here. “Battlestar Galactica” is very dark. The destruction of “Caprica” is like a toned down version of “The Day After” with huge mushroom clouds forming as the aftershocks sweep away hapless newscasters trying to cover the disaster around them. One could refer to the Cylon attack on humanity as being literally a “Galactic Holocaust.” The new Galactica is also not all that different from the Galactica of the previous series. It is more streamlined, but very recognizable. If I were to compare it to another ship to give a frame of reference I’d say that comparing the new Galactica to the old one is like comparing the refitted Enterprise from “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” to the ship from the original series. Edward James Olmos’ “Commander Adama” is a very different character from Lorne Greene’s portrayal in the original series. In fact nearly every character is portrayed in a different if not darker light, which is a good move because some performances cannot be duplicated. Olmos’ personification is different, but no less effective. He is a weathered and seasoned officer called into service on the eve of the ship’s decommissioning and man who bares a great responsibility on his shoulders both in his personal life with regard to his relationship with his son and in trying to keep the remnants of humanity in order with hope.

While the original series portrayed “Starbuck” and “Apollo” as dashing men of duty, the new show creates an “Apollo” who thinks and acts like a military fighter pilot and he has an estranged relationship with his father to boot. Ironically the new “Starbuck” seems to be the most like the original character with a big zest for reckless behavior and an ego to match that includes the cigar smoking, gambling, and suggested prior open sexual relationships. “Battlestar Galactica” might be one of the few TV series on the air that features characters shamelessly smoking, but while smoking is understandably frowned upon because of the health risks involve, one must remember that the character of Starbuck smoked something like a cigar in the original series too. My only complaint at the time when the original miniseries aired was that the actress they hired to play Starbuck looked a little too “butch” as if she was doing one to many exercises at the gym and as a result the seductive side of her character seemed somewhat lost.

Of course this could have been an artistic choice to create a more visual difference between “Starbuck” and “Number 6,” the female Cylon humanoid that seduces Dr. Gaius Baltar into betraying humanity. However the manner and psychology behind it is far more realistic if not more tragic than John Colicos’ deliciously villainous performance in the original series. Baltar is in some ways a tragic character because the circumstances that surround his involvement with the enemy could happen to almost anyone. He is still a duplicitous character, but I would not call him evil. At least not anymore evil than anyone else might behave given the circumstances.

People die in “Battlestar Galactica” and it is not pretty. One can see people get blown to bits in their vipers and have their remains get sucked out into space along with whatever is left of their ships. There are several scenes where characters are left behind to die so that others can escape and they don’t just sit there and take it. They plead and curse the others like any desperate person may do when faced with extinction after thinking they are rescued. The miniseries also introduces new characters and creates a look that in some ways is quite contemporary and yet there are plenty of nods to the original series sprinkled throughout. Elements such as a few visual cues and the theme from the series are incorporated into the miniseries without making it too sentimental. The human Cylons are not like the Terminators either. They are actually more like the replicants in “Blade Runner” and there are some interesting moments with their characters that help to elevate them above the standard “this is an actress playing an android” sort of thing. The new Cylons are interesting and represent a real threat for the characters in the miniseries. They have also thrown in a few 1970s like items to some of the costume designs complete with butterfly collars and even that “Brady Bunch” like afro “Mike Brady” had in the later episodes of that series and yet it is subtle so it is not ridiculous in appearance. The military uniforms of the Colonials look a bit like the uniforms worn by Earth Force personnel in “Babylon 5.” The effects look good with the Cylon fighters resembling a cross between the “Batwing” and the “Trade Federation” fighters from “Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace.”

Season One On DVD

While the miniseries was shot on film, the TV series that followed was shot using high definition video cameras and with some modifications done to maintain the gritty look of the miniseries. The first season of “Battlestar Galactica” also follows a documentary like visual style, which adds a sense of immediacy to the action throughout. The difference between the look of the first season and the miniseries is also so small that on television one cannot even tell the difference between the switch from using film to high definition video. The show’s first season picks up roughly a week or less after the events of the miniseries and the Cylons have given the Colonial fleet no rest. Ever 33 minutes the entire fleet has had to make a faster than light jump and the crew is on the verge of exhaustion. While Adama (Edward James Olmos) tries to figure a way of eluding the Cylons once and for all, the Cylons are testing the last survivors of the 12 Colonies the way a psychologist might perform behavioral analysis on mice in a maze. Humanity is not only being tested among the fleet though, on Cylon occupied Caprica, Helo (Tahmoh Penikett) has been on the run from Cylon centurions only to fall into the hands of Boomer (Grace Park), who we all now know is not exactly who she seems to be…

As the episodes progress we begin to learn that there are many more surprises in relation to not only how the human characters behave, but how the evolving Cylons act as well. Each episode is more or less a self-contained story though it is clear that this is part of a large rich tapestry one will appreciate even more as the series continues. In “Water” explosive charges vent out the water supply aboard the Galactica, which happens to be the only ship that was designed for extended tours of duty and thus it is the only vessel that can recycle water for the entire fleet in quantities necessary for survival. When a potential source of fresh water is discovered on a nearby moon, Apollo (Jamie Bamber) is sent to a prison ship to recruit volunteers with a freedom earning incentive. However Tom Zarek (Richard Hatch), a political idealist convicted of terrorism 20 years earlier, leads a revolt and takes Apollo and other fleet representatives as hostages in the episode “Bastille Day.” The events of this episode culminate in an interesting installment entitled “Act Of Contrition” where Adama learns of the true reason behind his son Zack’s tragic fate.

Richard Hatch reprised his role as Tom Zarek from the episode “Bastille Day” in the follow-up “Colonial Day,” which pits his character against President Rosalin (Mary McDonnell) when he calls for the democratic elections of a new Vice President to represent the Quorum of the Twelve Colonies. In order to combat this subtle hostile political takeover, Rosalin appoints Baltar (James Callis) as her pick for the office of Vice President. As he had in “Bastille Day” Richard Hatch has delivered a performance that somehow combines his natural stalwart nature that fans will recognize from the original series and presents it in such a way that he is both charismatic and lethally cunning at the same time. While the characters are vastly different, if I were to compare Hatch’s character on the new “Battlestar Galactica” to another actor who played a villainous personality in another franchise, I would point out the deliciously evil Psy Cop Bester that “Star Trek: The Original Series” alumni Walter Koenig portrayed in “Babylon 5.” In both cases these are villains that in their mind see their actions as working for a greater good instead of just being some cardboard heavy.

The two-part first season finale “Kobol’s Last Gleaming” brings everything the first season has been building up to fruition with Boomer (Grace Park) coming literally face to face with her Cylon heritage while her counterpart reveals a secret to Helo (Tahmoh Penikett) back on Caprica that could in fact be what the Cylons have been working towards since the original miniseries first began. James Callis as Baltar finally accepts his role in the Cylon’s master plan while Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) learns first hand just how dangerous the new humanoid Cylons truly are. The last scenes of the finale will have viewers psyched to find out what will happen in season two and if they haven’t already tuned in to see the first half of the series on SCIFI, Universal Studios Home Entertainment has recently announced the DVD release of the first half of season 2 of “Battlestar Galactica” for release in mid December of 2005. By the time one has seen all thirteen season one episodes as well as the miniseries viewers will have participated in a journey that has seen character relationships change in unexpected ways, but personally the three standouts for me have been Starbuck, Baltar and Number Six (Tricia Helfer). Katee Sackhoff’s performance as Starbuck has developed in such a way that we see more of her feminine side as well as a spiritual underpinning to her character that has helped make her portrayal of Starbuck different enough from Dirk Benedict’s performance from the original series so that comparisons are no longer necessary. As far as I’m concerned they are both Starbuck. Tricia Helfer’s Number Six has gone from being this sexual siren to a downright frightening force of nature. After viewing the season finale all I could ask myself was what else is this Cylon capable of? Finally I have enjoyed the performance James Callis has delivered with Baltar. At times one can feel sorry for him while at other times one can laugh at his antics, but regardless as the show has progressed he has made this incarnation of Baltar every bit his own as Katee Sackhoff has done with Starbuck.

The DVDs

The miniseries as well as the entire first season of “Battlestar Galactica” simply looks and sounds awesome with an anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) aspect ratio presentation coupled with an exciting English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack and English Captions for the hearing impaired as well as Spanish Language Subtitles that are encoded onto all five discs as options. Each disc comes housed in a slim Scanavo keep case within a glossy cardboard slipcase. An insert advertising the upcoming December premiere of Bryan Singer and Dean Devlin’s “The Triangle” miniseries on SCI FI as well as a collectible trading card courtesy of www.scifihobby.com is included within the set too. As with other Universal Studios Home Entertainment TV on DVD sets, each episode of “Battlestar Galactica” features an onscreen synopsis and the episode collections can be viewed individually or one after the other using a “Play All” feature. The feature length audio commentary with Executive Producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick as well as Director Michael Rymer is ported over from the original miniseries DVD release, but the SCI FI Channel making of featurette “Battlestar Galactica: The Lowdown” as well as the deleted scenes related directly to the miniseries are not carried over so if you want everything related to the new Galactica series on DVD, you will definitely want to hold on to the original miniseries DVD release from 2004. Director Michael Rymer and Executive Producers David Eick and Ronald D. Moore provide a screen specific and quite introspective feature length audio commentary, which covers not only the production challenges, but the basic philosophy and inspiration that were put into this miniseries to make it both new for another generation while retaining some likeness to the original series. Moore discusses his conscious efforts to avoid the clichés that might work in “Star Trek” for example, but not here. Among the inspirations for the miniseries, he mentions Ridley Scott’s “Blackhawk Down” as being a major influence for the film.

Executive Producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick as well as Director Michael Rymer also provide an episode length audio commentary for the first season premiere episode “33” while Moore and Eick discuss the episodes “Bastille Day”, “Act Of Contrition”, “and “You Can’t Go Home Again,” which they classify as being one of the best from the series’ first season, in sessions recorded during the production of the early episodes from season two. Ronald Moore’s Pod-casts for “Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down”, “The Hand Of God”, “Colonial Day” and “Kobol’s Last Gleaming, Parts 1 & 2” are also included as listening options so not including the original miniseries, there are optional episode length audio commentaries for 9 of the 13 shows that make up the series’ first season on DVD. The extra value materials on disc five include a motion gallery of storyboards and production design art (4:13), a reel of deleted scenes from all 13 episodes presented in a letterboxed (1.78:1) aspect ratio (48:26), the SCI FI special “Battlestar Galactica: The Series Lowdown” (20:22) and a collection of eight behind-the-scenes featurettes that can be viewed individually or as one reel (63:15) using the “Play All” feature with a look at the transition from the miniseries to the series, the casting, the new Cylon Centurion design as well as the technology of the Battlestar Galactica, James Callis’ fantastic take on the character of Baltar, the production of the show as well as the visual effects and more.

With the exception of the deleted scenes, all of the extra value features on this season one DVD set are not included on the Best Buy exclusive DVD set released this past July. In that set there are no audio commentaries or any other bells and whistles, but the picture and sound quality of the Best Buy exclusive set is equal to the five disc season one DVD set reviewed here. A book style Digipack packaging with different cover art and disc art housed in a glossy slipcase that also features different promotional photography for the series is what the four-disc Best Buy exclusive version is sold in. The miniseries is not included in that DVD set either. Now I am not sure if the Best Buy exclusive version was a limited release or not, but if it was I suggest fans who purchased it should hold on to it as a collector’s item though the new season one DVD set is definitely worth the upgrade regardless if you choose to keep the Best Buy exclusive version or sell it. Exclusive to the Best Buy “Battlestar Galactica: Season One” DVD set was a bonus disc with a preview of the recently released feature film of Joss Whedon’s “Serenity.” This featurette (12:38) found on the bonus DVD is basically the same behind-the-scenes special that recently aired on SCI FI minus the introductions by Adam Baldwin and the teaser clip from the film shown at the end of the promotional special’s broadcast. Fans of Whedon’s “Firefly” like most sci-fi fans are extremely devoted to the show they love and since this featurette may not be included on the eventual DVD release of “Serenity,” fans of both “Battlestar Galactica” and “Firefly” might want to pick up and hold on to the Best Buy exclusive DVD set if they have not already done so.

The second DVD on the five-disc recently released “Battlestar Galactica: Season One” DVD box set reviewed here includes previews for Universal Studios Home Entertainment TV on DVD sets like “House: The Complete First Season”, “Vegas”, “Earth 2: The Complete Series”, “Sliders: The Third Season”, “Cleopatra 2525: The Complete Series” and the miniseries “Revelations.” The interactive menus on all five discs are well rendered and easy to navigate. “Battlestar Galactica: Season One” DVD box set is now available at retailers on and offline courtesy of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

Return To The Previous Page

Return To The TV On DVD Page

Buy This DVD Box Set Now By Clicking On The Icon Below!