Customer Reviews

Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Epic Series (Limited Edition Cylon Head Packaging)

5 star:		(86)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

'There are those who believe
that life here began out there...'

Thus begins the tale of Battlestar Galactica, full of meaning and hope and mystical importance, spoken with the majestic voice of Patrick Macnee (best known from The Avengers).

Okay, enough theology for the moment.

Or, maybe not. The first episode, a movie-length introduction to the series, along with the first several episodes, definitely has theological undercurrents. It is the fight between good and evil. It is a wandering in the desert (of space) looking for the promised land. It is about hope and humanity, sensitivity and courage.

And, as a 12 year old (when I first saw it) I of course understood none of this. I merely loved the special effects in my own home (as opposed to the Star Wars which required payment at the movie theatre), the characters and the technology. I was amazed that every computer on the bridge set of the Galactica actually worked.

Today I'm amazed that the computer on which I'm typing this review has more power than all those computers combined!

The story is basic. Ambush in space because of a monumental betrayal by a sinister bad guy who is in turn double-crossed (Baltar), a quickly-organised escape from the evil mechanical Cylons (who both symbolise the terrors of technology as well as of autocratic rule--remember the Cold War?), a daring journey, and finally a hope. Unfortunately the series became a wandering in the desert with little hope for reaching the promised land, and in television-series timelines and lifelines, this just wasn't acceptable.

In video form, the entire series was not available. It was frustrating that not all of them are available, as watching them in sequence left some gaps. However, there are enough dedicated fans who would purchase these (as is evidenced by the amount of BG 'junk' being auctioned at ebay and other such places) that the DVD generation has made all of the episodes available. This includes the complete set of Battlestar Galactica (please note that Galactica: 1980 is a different, if related, series).

The series was fated only to last one year, due to high costs (a million an episode may be a standard 'ER' actor's salary, but back then it was big bucks even in Hollywood), a slumping viewership (which in retrospect was never as small as reported), and an overall lack of direction (not just that of the fleet). The journey was just taking too long for the era of instant gratification.

The first episode is a three-hour extravanganza. The whole premise is set up here, and the rest of the episodes look back to this set-up. The acting is fairly basic, occasionally rising above a level playing field (particularly Lorne Greene, the leading figure as Commander Adama), but the audience was supposed to be so 'wowed' by the special effects and sets that they wouldn't notice the slightly-above-average acting. For the time, the effects were great; some scenes still hold up well.

The plot of this film goes from the destruction of the colonies, through the assembly of the 'rag-tag, fugitive fleet' to a final battle with some Cylon Death Stars, leaving an open-ended but hopeful conclusion between Apollo (Richard Hatch) and Starbuck (Dirk Benedict in pre- A-Team days).

Outstanding episodes of the series include Living Legends (guest starring Lloyd Bridges), the Man with Nine Lives (with Fred Astair), the War of the Gods (with Patrick Macnee out of the shadows of Imperious Leader) and the three-episode arc when the Galactica encounters a planet named Terra, which is very earth-like in appearance.

There are documentary/interview segments worthwhile, including Dirk Benedict, Glen Larson (the creator/producer) and long-term fan and advocate/star, Richard Hatch. There is also a trailer for the new Sci-Fi soon-to-be released series.

I still prefer this old classic to the new one.
If your into the classics and don't mind the old special effects then this is one for you.

This IS the complete series of Battlestar Galactica. I started watching the show when I was a teenager. All of the episodes are in this set. When they find Earth that's in the Galactica 1980 series NOT in the 1978 BSG series.
The quality of the DVD's are excellent and the commentaries are wonderful to listen to. I also enjoyed watching the deleted scenes and the bloopers.
I also really liked the packaging and the booklet that was included in the boxed set. I highly recommend it.
The new BSG series is not 100x times better than the 1978 series. It's basically just a remake without the charm and fun of the original.

Well it's here, Battlestar Galactica, the complete series on DVD for the first time!

Once you open the silver box with the shelf space consuming Cylon head on the front, you get a DVD set which once again brings the epic adventures of the crew of the Galactica back to life.

In this series there is something for all the family, gorgeous gals and handsome hunks, wise and steadfast men and cute furry creatures that are man's (or a boy's) best friend!

The special effects still give the CGI blockbusters of today a run for their money, and the chrome-plated baddies, the Cylons, still endure as an icon of evil.

Battlestar Galactica's message - a tale of hope in desperate times, and its themes of family and friendship, selflessness and sacrifice are as relevant today as they were in 1978.

The set's picture quality and sound is top notch, the menus are easy to navigate and there is a wealth of deleted\alternate scenes to watch after each episode.

There are a number of short documentaries and one 45 minute one in which the original cast, guest stars and directors etc, remember the making of the series, and their enthusiasm for the show is infectious. There are also a number of outtakes, the "wedgie" one being particularly funny!

Universal have excelled themselves with this DVD set and are to be congratulated for its contents, presentation and packaging.

Buy it now!

A fantastic complete set with the pilot episode, great packaging and for our collector and fan he is more than happy that this series was available. If you are a fan of the original than this is a must have item.

The fight to save the entire human race has begun! The hope for peace between the Evil Cylons and the human space colonies has failed. Only one Battlestar spacecraft remains to aid the space travelers in their never ending journey for a new home called Earth. Standing in the way of the humans and their pursuit for a new home on earth are the Cylons and they'll stop at nothing to eliminate their enemy. The stage has been set for the ultimate showdown between the Cylons and the colonies, who will survive? Welcome to "Battlestar Galactica" the complete series.

What we have here is the one and only original "Battlestar Galactica", so definitely 5 stars all the way for this 70's sci-fi adventure classic. This deluxe box set including the awesome Cylon head packaging is way over priced for what you get. Don't get me wrong the DVD's themselves are incredible to say the least and I'm happy I own this set. The Cylon head packaging is really cool but definitely hard to store with my other DVD's and I wish Universal Studios would have kept the packaging simple.

The digitally remastered picture is truly amazing and the 5.1 Dolby Digital sound couldn't get any better in my opinion. Together the remastered picture and sound provide the ultimate viewing and listening experience for every "Battlestar Galactica" fan. I don't ever remember seeing or hearing this fantastic show looking or sounding as good when it originally aired on television. The 6 double sided discs, yes that's right double sided discs once again from Universal come in a clear fold out digipak housed in the Cylon head packaging.

If you take away the deluxe Cylon head packaging you're basically left with a standard DVD box set and collectible episode guide booklet and nothing more than that. For the price this set cost, Universal Studios should have included the short lived "Galactica 1980" television series as a bonus for fans and maybe an autographed lobby card from one of the shows actors. Unless Universal Studios are planning to re-release the series again, this set is the only way to go and a must for any "Battlestar Galactica" fan despite the price. I hope this was helpful.

DVD Episodes Include:
Saga of a Star World
The Lost Planet of the Gods - Part 1
The Lost Planet of the Gods - Part 2
The Lost Warrior
The Long Patrol
The Gun on Ice Planet Zero - Part 1
The Gun on Ice Planet Zero - Part 2
The Magnificent Warriors
The Young Lords
The Living Legend - Part 1
The Living Legend - Part 2
Fire in Space
The War of the Gods - Part 1
The War of the Gods - Part 2
The Man with Nine Lives
Murder on the Rising Star
Greetings from Earth
Baltar's Escape
Experiment in Terra
Take the Celestra
The Hand of God

DVD Features Include:

-Episode guide and collector's book
-Over 3 hours of deleted and alternate scenes
-New interview with television series creator Glen A. Larson
-45-minute documentary on the making of Battlestar Galactica
-Featurette on scoring the television series
-Featurette on the creation of the Cylons
-Audio commentary for the television pilot episode with Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, and Herbert Jefferson Jr.
-Never-before-seen photos and drawings

this is the holy grail of fun fi folks!! ya got cylons, baltar, hatch, daggits, starbuck, vipers, ben cartwright, lucifer, scary pat mcnee, hot babes, more hot babes, some human eatin' big bug people...all in a plastic cylon head!! grab this before it's gone! 'nuff said!

Over the past few months I have begun watching the Battlestar Galactica televison program for the first time. I was never much of a science fiction fan and had limited access to televison while growing up. I didn't see the Battlestar Galactica televison series until my husband purchased the complete series on DVD.

I became an instant fan after Saga of a Star World. I then began reading my husbands collection of Battlestar Galactica books by Richard Hatch. Both the books and the series have flaws (what doesn't?), but they also have wonderful characters, heart, imagination, and warmth. There's a special charm to Battlestar Galactica. Watching the episodes and reading the books has been five star experience for me.

I can't say enough about how wonderful this DVD set is! Thanks Lords of Kobol for answering my prayers! This DVD set has made me very happy!

I invited some friends over the very day I got this great DVD set. Some of them were fans, some of them had only watched it when they were young, and some of them were too young to remember it and had never watched an episode. After they had all had a chance to enjoy the Cylon head shaped box (great idea for a box) I put in the first disc and from that point on we all had a blast! Battlestar Galactica still entertains and does so on so many different levels. You've just gotta get this if you are a fan of the show! For a 25 year old TV show it still has plenty of entertainment value and it's more fun than a lot of shows these days!