Battlestar Galactica: Season 1 [HD DVD]: Amazon.ca: Aaron Douglas, Alisen Down, Michael Hogan, Emily Holmes, Christian Tessier, Dominic Zamprogna, Nicki Clyne, Matthew Bennett, Carmen Moore, Wayne Rose, Bradley Thompson, David Eick, David Weddle, Harvey Frand, Ronald D. Moore, Si�n McArthur, William Kendall: DVD

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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, cancer-stricken colonial 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 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 soon-to-be-pregnant "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

Customer Reviews

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90 of 90 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars IMPORTANT BOX SET INFORMATION Aug 18 2005

By Sean Capstick

Format:DVD

The Season 1 box set INCLUDES the Mini-series. Do not select Amazon's 'Great Buy' option to get them both or you'll end up with two copies of the mini-series.

There was a UK release of Season 1 without the Miniseries (also sold in North America by Best Buy only) which is why a separate mini-series only disk exists. You do not need to buy it though with the North American Season 1 Box set.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Intrigue and action, not to be missed! Jan 5 2006

By Virus

Format:DVD

After reading all the positive reviews about this series I decided to take a gamble and buy this set. Boy am I glad I didn't miss this series!

The series is really a space drama revolving around the relationships between characters. It does not get dull at any point, and manages to strike a great balance between action and dialogues. You'll see a bit more character interaction than full-out action sequences but trust me...this series is not dry at all. It's also not cliche like I find many sci-fi series are. Plot twists and complications galore, including a major surprise at the end which actually startled me. You'll also see that many characters are not entirely good or bad, but rather struggling to survive. It's interesting to see a sci-fi that's not afraid to have many shades of grey characters instead of the forumulaic "good guys vs. bad guys" war story.

The series also avoids the many trappings of a sci-fi series ie: it does not rely too much on unknown technology and plot devices to further itself. Sure there are space fighters and such, but the weapons used are a little more believable. Nukes are still around and in use, rather than theoretical weapons that many other series use. The rifles and handguns are also not entirely the stuff of fairy tales, they represent what could believably be in use decades from now. Battlestar Galactica offers a vision of the future which still manages to echo current technology. The realistic touch to the sci-fi genre is much appreciated.

Speaking of realism the special effects in this series are top notch. You'll see recycled sequences such as fighters being launched and landing, but the computer effects are extremely good. The Cylons look good and the actors react well to their presence, the result of great directing.

I really felt I got my money's worth with this set. You get the 3 hour pilot episode aka "Battlestar Galactica: The Miniseries" plus all the episodes from the regular season. There are also some great featurettes on how they came up with the look of the show and character changes from the original series from the 70's. All in all you get about 8 hours of special features.

The only downside I've experienced is introducing friends to the series. All your ranting about how good it is gets stalled when you have to explain that your friend must take a chance on a 3 hour episode to get into the story!

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally a worthy drama series Dec 29 2005

By Matthew Ring

Format:DVD

Since I seriously had no interest in the original series, I watched the first movie with some trepidation. Although it was a bit bumpy with the actors only beginning to flesh out their characters and environment, I found the whole story very well rounded and pulled together for us in a very appealing and addictive way. Rewatching the initial movie I find I do skip over parts that dragged on a bit but I do rewatch it; something I do very little of.
By the end of the first episode, I was hooked. Wow. The pace and content in the episodes continues to grow and twist you and pull you in unexpected ways and down paths I find compelling and intriguing. The Season 1 cliff hanger has to be one of the most incredible cliff hangers I have ever seen. Definitely in the top five I have every watched. ***SPOILER WARNING*** The fact that it is left to the last five minutes was stunningly well done. I was sitting jaw on the floor repeating a familiar phrase of two words.
Even if you are not a sci-fi fan, I would suggest watching this. The sci-fi is merely a fancy wrapping. The real show is the people, the interpersonal relationships, the hardships and the human nature. The characters are developing nicely and I would be greatly disappointed if they ended the series.

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