Battlestar Galactica: Season 1

BSG is one of very few shows where I look forward to seeing every character, and the subject matter is always thrilling, never drifting into dull ruts, with a full, intricate arc from start to finish. And the Battlestars are absolutely the coolest-looking ships in sci-fi!!!Having said that, the show does tend to get overly dramatic at times, and it can lay it on a little thick with the 'this is REAL' stuff, although thankfully it doesn't try to dwell on theoretical physics explanations or showcase pointless tech toys like a lot of other sci-fi shows.One major gripe I have - and I don't know whether or not it's unique to the version available on Amazon - is some of the pre-episode 'recaps', particularly early in the first season, contain spoilers for the episode you're about to watch. I don't know how often this happens because I started skipping past them automatically just to be safe.

I loved this series. I liked them all. Excellently done

Highly recommend the entire series.

as a syfy junkie, I find this movie quit enjoyable.

The most magnificent space opera of all time. So say we all! Well written episodes explore many aspects of humanity and our relation to technology and each other. Exquisitely performed. Marvelous effects. A few unparalelled pieces of music accompany the more emotionally visceral scenes of the series. Watch the entire series, including Caprica. It is all amazing.

BSG has all of the elements of today's political, moral, ethical, and military intrigue. The fight against a hidden enemy, A.I seeking vengeance against creators, and all the nuances of living as captives fighting to remain relevant against the existential threat. BSG stands out as one of the best TV experiences, ever.

This new incarnation of Battlestar Galactica is not as good as the original in that it is not as much fun and takes itself extremely seriously. There is none of the repartee that was present in the old series. Some aspects of political correctness seep through (without really harming the story). There is none of the joy that seemed to infuse the original. The music cannot hold a candle to the old theme.This incarnation is also better that the previous one. The bad guys are not as cartoonish. The characters have much more involved motivations and drives. The Cylons are very pleasant to look at and they are also much more insidious, devious and dangerous. There is an element of psychological drama that was lacking in the old show. The Cylon machines having a religion also lend some complications.The names of the characters have been retained from the previous version but they are different. Baltar is a young guy, thoroughly self centered and bad but not bad for the sake being a "bad guy". He is a genius but also a dupe of the Cylons and is the reason humanity finds itself in trouble. The Cylons too are different. Instead of being mechanical men, they are human in form; they have migrated from mechanical machines to biological ones and can pass for human. They politicians are not as generally venal but they can come across as clueless...until one has a particularly brilliant insight or observation. Apollo is estranged from his father, Adama, instead of being a buddy and Starbuck is a girl. She likes her cigars like the original but she is a harder and grittier character. The basic forms are retained but the substance is not.Objectively, this series is neither better nor worse than the original. It is just different. Some things remain the same, however. Humanity is in trouble and the writers have a minimal grasp of Newtonian physics. The science is not quite as hokey and the effects are great. Take it for what it is, an entertaining series that will appeal to some but not to others.Synopses of the episodes appear below.1. Pilot - This episode is the mini-series/pilot which sets up all which follows. The mainline cast of characters is introduced as well as their motivations. The basic situation is that humanity is had several decades of peace after a long war with the Cylons. No Cylon has been seen for decades. The peace is about to end. The Cylons attack in a bid to eradicate humanity and most of plan succeeds. The political leadership is destroyed except for a minor cabinet official and so is most of the fleet. Only the aging ship GALACTICA survives as a military force and its systems are way out of date. That is an advantage when dealing with the Cylons. The survivors manage to get together, scrape together some supplies and set out in a bid for the survival of humanity. It is not going to be easy.2. 33- For some strange reason, the Cylons keep attacking the fleeing human fleet every 33 minutes. This quick cycle of constant combat operation is exhausting everyone and the crews are starting to fall apart. Nerves are starting to wear thin. The humans are at a loss understanding this strange cycle. Seemingly, they Cylons could close in and destroy them at any time. They almost seem to be drawing out the hunt, as a cat plays with a mouse. There does turn out to be a method to the madness. One of the Cylon's biological clock is ticking and she will keep the stress up until she gets what she wants.3. Water - A Cylon agent manages to steal some munitions and blow up one of the ships carrying a major portion of the fleet's water. Rationing has to be put into effect with consequences for morale and discipline. The fleet must find water. They must also figure out the source of the sabotage but its hard when you are never sure who with whom you're dealing. Personal relationships and love affairs complicate things even further.4. Bastille Day - A water crisis loomed in the previous episode but water was found just as the show ended. In this episode, we learn how difficult it will be to get that water. Labor is needed. A natural source is a convict ship. They are not to be used as slaves but their participation will earn them points towards early release. The problem is that the prisoners revolt and take hostages. They are led by a notorious terrorist. This episode is actually the most interesting thus far but it is troubling in that it seems to condone terrorism in some cases.5. Act of Contrition - The Galactica's fleet is still taking on water and trying to repair damage. An accident in a landing bay kills a handful of pilots and they are already short from casualties. As a result, Starbuck is assigned to train new pilots. The material she has to work with is not very auspicious but she is even harder on them that anyone expects. She still feels guilt over the death of Apollo's younger brother whom she was assigned to train years ago. He was not qualified but she passed him anyway because they were lovers. Naturally, this leads to uncomfortable situation with his brother and their father. She finally buckles down and starts whipping the new guys in shape when they are attacked and we are set up with a cliffhanger.6. You Can't Go Home Again - Starbuck gets shot down in the previous episode and this one is dedicated to the rescue mission to look for her. She has actually bailed out on a moon and the search includes the entire system. There are some matters of scale which don't make sense here. The commander takes some excessive risks in looking for her and everyone seems to think he is letting personal matters take over for practical ones. This episode exemplifies a weakness found in many science fiction series. The coincidences just seem to build on each other way past the point of believability. Starbuck manages to find a crash landed alien with an air supply and fix its ship which happens to be of Cylon manufacture.7. Litmus - The Cylon ability to appear as humans has finally become public knowledge, after a Cylon agent manages to set off a suicide bomb on the Galactica. This causes major problems as everyone becomes a suspect of either being a Cylon or a Cylon agent. Things are made worse when a crew chief does some illegal fraternizing with one of his pilots. Some of his crew try to cover for their illicit tryst get caught in the lies and make everyone look like an agent. A minor substory involving some humans which were left behind on Caprica over the past few episodes begins to develop some more. Its suspicion all around.8. Six Degrees of Separation - The Cylons want something of Baltar. With him on their side, they have a highly placed agent in the fleet. There are two problems from their point of view, however. He is a reluctant ally at best and he is not completely trusted by the others. They solve these problems in a vicious manner. They frame Baltar as a collaborator. The evidence is pretty damning even though it is faked. He is a collaborator but as a dupe, not an active participant. Baltar comes close to being executed for treason in this one. When he is finally saved, remorse over his false accusation makes him a truly trusted member of the team and his begging for help from the Cylons makes him realize that he is their tool. He will serve them to save himself and because he has the hots for the Cylon known as number 5.9. Flesh and Bone - A Cylon agent is found alive in the fleet. Starbuck is assigned to interrogate the prisoner and find out any information which might be of use to the fleet. She is always a tough character but in this case she is truly vicious. She resorts to torture. The rationale for this is that, whatever their appearance, Cylons are machines. It is not morally wrong to abuse your toaster neither is it wrong to abuse a Cylon, especially if that Cylon has information about a nuclear bomb hidden in the fleet. As usual, the major goals of the Cylons seem to be to cause dissention within the fleet and promote their "religion".10. Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down - The cycle of destructive suspicion grows deeper as Commander Adama'a behavior grows strange. He makes secret calls and disappears from the ship for short intervals. When this behavior is combined with the warning from the Cylon agent from the previous episode that Adama is in fact a Cylon, suspicions mount. Baltar has finally come up with his long awaited Cylon detector and the commander comes under more suspicion as he finds ways to avoid having himself tested. Then the reason is revealed. He shows up with Col. TIgh's long lost and estranged wife. She is pretty and a philanderer who causes no end of trouble. Maybe she is a Cylon. She certainly causes enough trouble for one.11. The Hand of God - The fleet is running dangerously low on fuel and scouts are sent out looking for a supply. They finally find one but it is guarded by a Cylon force. The fleet stakes it all on a desperate surprise battle except that it is not that simple. Cylon mysticism plays a part and they finally convince Baltar that he is an instrument of god working for them...I think.12. Colonial Day - The fleet is starting to get its political act together and re-institute former offices. When a congress is called, one order of business is to elect a vice president in case something happens to the current president. The terrorist from several episodes back stands for election and looks to have a good chance of winning. That frightens everyone because they believe he is looking for just such an opportunity to assassinate the president and assume power himself. Baltar, on the other hand, runs as the Cylon candidate. Everyone else thinks he is running with the president's party but the viewers know differently.13. Kobol's Last Gleaming Part 1 - The fleet finally finds a habitable planet that has some eerie facets to it. So much seems familiar. It turns out to be Kobol, legendary planet from which their civilization derived. According to legend, an artifact left back on Caprica, when used in a particular way on Kobol, will show the way to the even more legendary planet of Earth...the goal of the fleet. There are several problems with this plan, however. Caprica is under Cylon control and there is a Cylon base star orbiting Kobol. The president has a plan, though, which makes her seem insane. Her goals set her against Adama and the question is who will be obeyed.14. Kobol's Last Geaming Part 2 - The president manages to convince Starbuck to undertake a high risk mission back to Caprica to secure the artifact which will show the way to Earth. While there, she runs into the crewman who had been left behind. Meanwhile back on Kobol, things are getting more and more weird. Crew members are stranded on the planet. The strange Cylon religion is almost, but not really, made clear. Baltar gets a chance to make a choice for all humanity and there is a coup attempt which may or may not be legal. The season ends with a bloody cliffhanger and little or nothing resolved.

Okay, so I seriously tried to watch BSG while it was on SciFi, in the first season, but I could never get into it. I didn't understand it, everyone else that liked all the same shows I did loved it. I was completely lost. The black sheep of the group. So, I just put it off as that I didn't like the show.During my writer's workshop, my teacher suggested that I watch the show. I'm working on a young adult novel that takes place on a starship and he wasn't sure what feel it had. To be honest, I wasn't quite sure either. So, I was like 'what to heck, I'll just buy the first season on Amazon since it's so cheap.' Really, how many of us are able to watch a series from Blockbuster? I think it ends up costing the same anyways.The Mini Series was the KEY.I had started to watch AFTER the Mini Series, when I tried to watch it on TV.The Mini Series sets us up for the whole show. We are thrown into a not too distant future in which a ship, a Battlestar, is being decommissioned and turned into a musuem. The war with the Cylons (a race of machines that humans created) seems to be over since we humans haven't seen them for decades. All is at peace. The Battlestar in question is the Galactica.The Cylons had been busy creating humanoid creations of themselves. They look exactly like humans. They end up attacking all of the Twelve Colonies without warning. Civilization as the human race knows it is pretty much wiped out.The Galactica ends up putting together a fleet of ships that they link up with, among these ships is a ship carrying the surviving member of the presidential cabinet that now takes over as the new president of the twelve colonies, originally just the secretary of education.This fleet is commanded by Commander William Adama and seconded by Colonel Saul Tigh. These two commanders are old friends and have an interesting relationship. Adama knows how to keep the constantly drunk Tigh under control, he only had joined since it was going to be their last tour. This command team is in charge of a mix-matched group of people. They are not the only ones in command, though, there is also the new president of the Twelve Colonies, President Laura Roslin.Though there are many bumps between military and civilian authority, the fleet moves on no matter what defending by their Viper and Raptor pilots. We see a lot of these characters. Lee "Apollo" Adama being one of the most prominant and outrightly so in the first season as we see how his relationship with his father evolves along with his rocky relationship with "Starbuck." He sides with President Roslin and puts himself into a deeper hole with his father even though he does not see it as taking a side. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace is a hotshot Viper pilot who drinks and smokes too much. She's seen as a daughter by Commander Adama. Other pilots we also see are: Sharon "Boomer" Valerii and Karl "Helo" Agathon.The first season takes us back to Caprica, one of the Twelve Colonies that was fired upon by the Cylons, as "Helo" chooses to stay there after his and "Boomer"'s Raptor has to land there for repairs. They take on refugees and he makes the choice to stay behind so that Doctor Gaius Baltar can go back to the Galatica.The future that BSG takes place in is not one that has been perfected at all. There is still cancer and there are still different ways to go about treating it. People still drink and smoke and do things they know are wrong. The characters are all flawed, though this is what makes them so realistic and human. They have to strive for the survival of the human race.

Battlestar Galactica, la version qui s’est achevée en 2009, est considérée par beaucoup, dont moi-même, comme la meilleure série de SF de tous les temps. Même comparée, ou plutôt surtout comparée aux films de SF de son époque, elle est largement au-dessus en termes d’audaces et même d’innovations scénaristiques. Dans ses meilleures parties – par exemple la mini-série de 2003, les premiers épisodes des séries 1 et 3 – l’écriture est d’une précision, d’une intelligence et d’une efficacité exceptionnelles. Les acteurs, quels que soient leurs talents respectifs assez variables, semblent littéralement portés par l’histoire : on sent de leur part une adhésion rarement observée à ce niveau. Et une fois n’est pas coutume dans l’industrie contemporaine de l'Entertainment, le talent et l'audace ont été reconnu.Si je donne quatre étoiles et demie et non cinq malgré toutes ces louanges, c'est qu'il est littéralement impossible de rester à ce niveau sur une cinquantaine d'épisodes. On ne fait pas Blade Runner en vingt épisodes d'une heure et demie chacun sans diluer considérablement l'intérêt du propos. Il y a donc des creux, quelques gros trous d'air même ici et là. Certains épisodes ne sont guère plus que des digressions par rapport au fil rouge de l’histoire, des bouche-trous ou des justifications pour faire disparaître des acteurs de la série, peut-être pour des raisons contractuelles. Certains acteurs n’ont pas non plus le talent de James Callis, littéralement possédé par son rôle de Gaïus Baltar (le personnage le plus admirablement écrit de la série).Le défaut le plus récurrent de la série mais aussi le plus pardonnable est sa désinvolture concernant les lois de l'astro-navigation. Sans être moi-même un expert, je peux affirmer sans crainte d'être détrompé que la science et la technologie ne sont pas les points forts de Ronald Moore, le créateur, producteur et principal scénariste de la série. Il est de ceux qui estiment que dans science-fiction, le seul mot vraiment important est le second. Dans le registre comique, on doit signaler l’invraisemblance absolue de ces douze modèles humanoïdes Cylons si parfaitement humains qu’on ne peut les percer à jour qu’au prix de très savants examens biologiques et qui ont pourtant des propriétés cybernétiques comparable à celle de mon PC : où sont donc les fils, les prises et les puces ? Et on peut s’amuser de l’effort d’imagination ou d’aveuglement que cela demande pour croire, même un instant, que ce sont en fait des machines, voire des grille-pains, même alors qu’on a passé des années ensemble, copains comme cochons. Il n’y a pas besoin d’être un génie comme Baltar pour s’apercevoir de l’erreur flagrante de classification. Je vois bien dans cette incapacité totale et universelle à reconnaître l’humanité dans ces humanoïdes l’analogie que les scénaristes ont dans le crâne mais elle est rendue caricaturale et franchement risible par son aspect systématique et sans nuance. Du point de vue de la physique, il est aussi très drôle de voir les gens marcher, manger et se doucher dans l’espace profond comme s’ils bénéficiaient toujours de la pesanteur de Caprica. On peut aussi trouver hautement burlesque les incessants bombardements et accrochages auxquels sont soumis les divers vaisseaux de la flotte coloniale, dommages qui sont généralement réparés en trois coups de clé à molette et deux points de soudure. Les vipers, sorte de chasseurs spatiaux, font des figures comme s’ils étaient dans un meeting aérien au-dessus de chez moi, battent des ailes, virevoltent, effectuent des virages à 180°, freinent en coupant leur moteurs ! et même parviennent à faire du sur-place ! Ils bousculent allègrement vaisseaux et météores qui gênent le passage d’un coup de museau tandis que les pilotes éjectés dans leur petite combinaison ignorent visiblement que la température extérieure est d’environ – 274°C ou stoppent net une fuite d’oxygène en mettant un doigt dans le trou. Je pourrais multiplier les exemples. Bon, on peut mettre ces invraisemblances sur le compte des conventions jugées nécessaires pour l’économie générale de la série au même titre que le fameux moteur FTL (Faster Than Light), ingrédient presque inévitable de tout voyage spatial excédant le cadre d’un seul système solaire. La force de Battlestar est évidemment à chercher dans son traitement des questions sociales, psychologiques, historiques, politiques et religieuses. Certains épisodes sont impressionnants d’efficacité à cet égard. Si la société fasciste du Pegasus est dans l’ensemble assez grossièrement rendue, mais non sans talent et efficacité, la description des dérives du gouvernement démocratiquement élu vers l’autoritarisme est saisissante de vérité. Quand on voit à quelles extrémités en arrive Laura Roslin, la (bonne) Présidente, pour se maintenir au pouvoir et garder le (bon) cap, on est saisi par la similitude avec le comportement de nos (bons) gouvernements actuels essayant de contourner de toutes les façons possibles la volonté de ces peuples qui votent de plus en plus mal. Tout ce qui concerne les descriptions de New Caprica soumise à l’envahisseur est également de la meilleure eau. Le cas le plus emblématique est encore celui de Baltar. Bien sûr, c’est un lâche qui va être jugé pour haute trahison et nul doute que dans la réalité, cela se serait passé ainsi. Mais à sa place, vous auriez fait quoi ? C’est toute la question de son procès. Soit il se rend au nom de son peuple (il est alors le Président) soit il refuse toute coopération et les Cylons n’ont plus guère qu’une option : on sait déjà qu’ils ne sont pas effrayés par l’idée d’un génocide. Est-ce qu’il a tort de collaborer en restant à son poste ? Peut-être. Pas sûr. De toute façon, les Cylons l’auraient éliminé en cas de refus et l’auraient remplacé par un autre encore bien plus docile. Comme le prouve Gaëta, son adjoint, par la pratique, la meilleure forme de résistance vient parfois de l’intérieur.Il y a néanmoins un sérieux problème pour concilier une prêcheuse d’amour telle que Caprica Six (et d'une manière générale toutes les Six) avec l'apocalypse nucléaire qui précède, au tout début de la série, d’autant qu’elle en est la principale instigatrice. Pour ce qui est de l’articulation entre les deux états d’esprit, c’est incompréhensible moralement et psychologiquement, à moins de voir là une sorte de Paul au féminin qui après avoir été un adversaire acharné du Christ ou du moins de ses disciples, se mue soudainement sur le chemin de Damas en son plus infatigable apôtre. Honnêtement, après un tel massacre des innocents, cela me fait penser, en terme de crédibilité, aux virages à 180° exécutés à toute vitesse par les vipers du Battlestar.L'épisode final n'est certainement pas un des sommets artistiques de la série. Il a de gros défauts qui sautent aux yeux. Mais il n'est pas aussi décevant que bien des dénouements de séries à mystères et il me semble même qu'on peut trouver une certaine satisfaction lorsque les héros débouchent soudain dans ce ciel bleu aux jolis nuages blancs pommelés (presque le seul de toute la série) et contemplent cette planète-joyau, littéralement édénique.

Una de las mejores series de Ciencia Ficción, reinvención del clásico de los 70s. Esta primera temporada es de las mejores, viene con la miniserie de dos partes. Recomendable.

Me encanta (casi) todo en Battlestar Galactica y aún más en esta série.El blu-ray tiene buena imagen y sonido.Quedé contento.

Bei uns gibt es keinen Fernseher, insofern habe ich diesen Pilotfilm (= "Mini Series") erst 2010 zufällig und aus Langeweile angeschaut als mir irgendwer die DVD geschenkt hat.Das angestaubte Original mit Lorne Greene war mir aus Kindertagen noch in Erinnerung. Mit gemischten Gefühlen und ohne irgendwelche Anspruchshaltung hab ich mich gähnend vor den Beamer gesetzt und gedacht. ok, 5 Minuten antesten, dann geht's ins Bett.Nach 60 Sekunden war ich hellwach. Was bitte ist das denn?Nach 20 Minuten hab ich den Film unterbrochen und fieberhaft im Internet recherchiert. Wie bitte? Das ist eine Serie? Was hab ich die letzten 7 Jahre gemacht???Ich hab - ehe ich den Film weitergeschaut habe - , alles, was es bis 2010 an DVDs gab, noch in der Nacht nachbestellt.Zur Handlung muss ich nach den vielen Kommentaren nichts mehr hinzufügen. Die ist einfach Klasse, die Charaktere sind aussergewöhnlich tief profiliert, der Plot ist zutiefst beunruhigend und extrem spannend. Die Cameraführung ist "hand-held" und unterstützt den Spannungsbogen wirkungsvoll.Wie bei der Mars Trilogie von Kimley Stan Robinson ist das wirklich prickelnde für mich eine ungemein spannende "social fiction" Geschichte, die die Fallhöhe ihres Plots aus der überzeugenden schauspielerischen Darstellung und sozialer Interaktion der Charaktere in einer extrem lebensfeindlichen Umwelt bezieht. Das (hervorragende) "Science-Fiction" passiert en passant. Wunderbar....Jetzt kommt noch was, wofür ich vermutlich in die Hölle komme: Als eingefleischter Star Trek Fan (vor allem TNG und Voyager) hab ich immer die Sauberkeit und die erste Maxime geliebt. Das kommt mir jetzt etwas bieder vor.Star Trek steht für Ordnung, Sauberkeit und Etikette ist, Battlestar Galactica bedeutet Blut, Schweiss, Sex und Tränen und kommt mir sehr lebendig vor.Mittlerweile habe ich die komplette Serie in 3 Jahren 4 Mal gesehen und es ist jedes Mal wieder ein Genuss. In der ersten Staffel war ich ein glühender Fan von Starbuck, mittlerweile ist die zerrissene Persönlichkeit von Colonel Saul Tigh für mich das Highlight der Serie.Gäb es 10 Sterne, würde ich die hier vergeben.

If you're reading this, I'm sure you know how awesome the show is... Needless to say, the quality of the Blu-Ray version is top-notch, with great sound and image and interesting bonuses.The problem I found is ordering cardboard-like material (here - the Blu-Ray package of BG's season 1 in Blu-Ray) from Amazon. If I ordered a "physical" Blu-Ray instead of renting or buying from iTunes, it's because I'm a fan of the series and want the Blu-Rays as a collector. So, like with previous purchases of previous cardboard-like DVDs, I am regularly disapointed by the shape of the products I receive - damaged boxes, torn corners, etc. Sure, it doesn't change the quality of the show nor does it prevent me from watching it. But it makes me regret that, for only a couple of $ of difference in the price, I chose not to buy a clean, not damaged, one from a "physical" store near where I live, and have to live with the not-so-great-looking $80 Blu-Ray.Can't say how much I like the show. But I'll just stop ordering that kind of material from Amazon - I got disapointed for the last time. Oh - I also ordered "The Plan" which is a "regular" Blu-ray (not cardboard for the core packaging) and it arrived intact. I think you got my point...