Search - Battlestar Galactica - Season 2.0 (Episodes 1-10) on DVD

Mary C. from ERIE, PA
Reviewed on 8/11/2010...

Love, love, love! Great fun, terrific story, compelling characters.

0 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Matt F.
Reviewed on 10/6/2009...

Fantastic show. The writers tell a great tale, and the actors are up to the challenge of making this space opera believable and interesting. Highly recommended.

0 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

First half of the sophomore season of a great show!

Lincoln 6 Echo | Harrisburg, IL USA | 10/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Like a previous reviewer mentioned, when Sci-Fi Channel announced that they were producing a new BSG show, I was causiously optimistic. I was hoping that it would revive an old classic. To a lot of people's surprise...it did. In fact, the new Battlestar Galactica has been called the "Best Show on TV" by a lot of media organizations. However it's getting some flak by a small but vocal group of die-hard fans of the original show. So much so, that they have banned discussion of the new show on their web site. Yes, I'm talking about you guys at 'CF.com'. "Family show..." Eh? Ahemmm...the new show was never billed as a family show. It is clearly an adult drama set in space. I'm as conservative as you all are, but I know the difference between '70's space cheese and 21st Century sci-fi.

Anyway, for those who haven't seen this show, but you like a good character drama, be sure to check out this show on DVD. I believe it's even better on DVD. For one, you don't have the commercials and second, you don't have to wait between weeks for the the next episode. There's a lot of continuity between episodes...and unlike Star Trek, they don't hit the proverbial "Reset Button" between episodes. What's damaged on a ship in one episode stays damaged in following episodes, as the first season takes place just over a 3 month period.

The second season here picks up right where the first season left off. The major plot thread that was started with the first season's finale 2-part cliff-hanger, is built upon and concluded in the the first 5 or 6 episodes of the second season here. The remaining couple of episodes are more of stand-alone type episodes that are probably building up to what is to occur in the second half of this season which will air from January thru March.

Now then, why is Universal offering just a half season here? Who really knows. Although getting these episodes out before the second half airs is not really a bad thing, just a strange thing. I guess since the show is such a hit, Universal figures that they could boost their ratings for the second half if they get all available episodes out on DVD before the second half airs. This set, however, will include a "90-minute" (60 minute actual) version of the mid-season cliff-hanger episode "Pegasus". So with that, there's at least some incentive to buy this set rather than wait for a possible full season set next year that may or may never come.

UPDATE: I've been informed by a very observant reader that my above post is inaccurate with some out of date false information. I agree. So without further adue, I'll update the info below.

Above I said that a 60+ minute version of "Pegasus" was going to be included on this set. That is incorrect. First of all, that fact was just a rumor spawned by what was said during one of the Podcasts, I believe. However, due to time constraints, Universal Studios was unable to "ready" the extended version of "Pegasus" for this release. Why so? Who knows...

However, it has been reported that the extended version will be on the 2.5 set that will complete the second season. So in essence, fans who have bought both sets will have both versions of this episode. This is similar to the recent problem with the Stargate SG-1 Season 8 set in which the extended 60+ minute version of "Threads" was supposed to be included, but ultimately wasn't. This was remedied by a mail-in offer done by CheckMyRebate.com.

Also, I mention that a full season set, may or may not be offered eventually after the entire season is done airing. After acquiring the 2.0 set, I noticed that there is a half of a image on the spine. The image being one half of the Galactica Seal and President Roslin. I assume the 2.5 set will have the other half of the Galactica Seal and presumably a pic of Commander/Admiral Adama. So with that, I'm beginning to assume that a complete Season 2 set may not in the future. Although I may be proven wrong...but we'll see."

Fracking A

Steven R. McEvoy | Canada | 06/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the best show on TV right now. Maybe the best Sci-Fi show ever. If you are a sci-fi fan, this is a must-see show. If not, you should still consider checking this out. Yes, it is in space and yes, it has killer robots, yet even with that, the depth of human drama is comparable to anything on TV today.

Last season, the 12 Colonies of Kobol were nearly blown away by the Cylons, machines that resemble humans and the old warrior mechanical types. The humans almost ran out of water and fuel, yet somehow manage to survive. This ragtag group of human refugees is in search of a 13th lost tribe of humans on a planet called Earth. Things this season start out badly, and they only get worse.

Both of the leaders of the fleet are incapacitated at the beginning of the season. President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) is in Galactica's brig for inciting Lt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace (Katee Sackhoff) to mutiny which caused the loss of the Cylon Raider that had been captured, which was a valuable military asset. Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) was shot by "Boomer" (Grace Park), who is a Cylon,

The second season here picks up right where the first season left off. However, unlike most TV shows, the problems presented in the Season 1 finale are not resolved in the first episode. Some will take the whole first part of the second season to be resolved.

As we learned in season 1, there are 12 models of Cylons. The question is: is the Raider (ship) and Warrior, unit 2 of the twelve, or are there 12 models that resemble humans? We do have the introduction of 2 new human-form cylon models (bringing the total to 6/8, leaving 6/4 left to be uncovered), and the reappearance of political activist/terrorist Tom Zarek (Richard Hatch, of the original Battlestar Galactica).

A unique feature this season, and one that is a most interesting addition, is a textual representation of how many people are still alive. Each week in the credits, there is a sentence which lists the exact number of survivors, and it changes every week, depending on how many people died (or appeared) the episode before.

In comparison to Season 1 it is hard to say which is better. The 13 episodes of Season 1 were all great. In the first half of Season 2, there are also no bad episodes. Battlestar Galactica season 2 has such powerful episodes as " Pegasus" and "Scattered". Yet the best episode of the Season 2.0 DVD is " Valley of Darkness", which in my opinion is sheer brilliance, and possibly the best episode of the series.

This is one of the best shows on TV right now, according to many media outlets. "A Breakaway Hit!" -TV Guide and "The Best Show on Television." -Newsday are but two examples of the rave reviews it has received. If you are a sci-fi fan, this is a must-see show. If you aren't a sci-fi fan, you should still consider checking this out. Even though it's in space and has killer robots, it is more human than most other drama shows on TV today. So say we all.

Anyway, for those who haven't seen this show, but you like a good character drama, be sure to check out this show on DVD. I believe it's even better on DVD. Much like Babylon 5, there is a single story line, with multiple story arcs all tying into that one line. So there is continuity between each episode...and unlike Star Trek, they don't hit the reset button between each episode or movie. What's damaged on a ship in one episode stays damaged in following episodes, as the first season takes place just over a 3 month period.

I recognize that this is a compelling drama that just happens to take place in outer space. It deals with many weighty subjects such as genocide, human flaws, paranoia, depression, and religion. The creators of the original 1970's Battlestar Galactica included many Mormons. On the Internet there are hundreds of articles looking at the religious imagery, the Mormon end-time theology. The religion themes are just as powerful in this new series and this series has practicing religious (clergy - faithful believers), visions, a drug to induce religious visions, and the president believes she is to fulfill prophecy and save humanity.

This is possibly the best Sci-fi series ever!

So say we all."

Mutinies, Madness, Mystery

Andrew | Chicago, IL, USA | 10/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's hard to believe that things could get any worse for the 50,000 humans left alive in the universe. Last year, the 12 Colonies of Kobol were nearly blown away by the cylons, machines that resemble humans, nearly ran out of water and fuel, and had the two leaders somehow incapacitated. Commander William "Husker" Adama (Edward James Olmos) was shot by Junior Lt. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii (Grace Park), who turned out to be a cylon, while President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) was put in Galactica's brig for convincing Lt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace (Katee Sackhoff) to defy Commander Adama. Starbuck is now on Caprica, stranded with Lt. Karl "Helo" Agathon (Tahmoh Penikett) after another copy of the Boomer cylon stole the ship that Starbuck used to get to the planet. Captain Lee "Apollo" Adama (Jamie Bamber), the commander's son, is also under arrest for attempting to stage a mutiny with the president and pointed a gun at the head of the Executive Officer of Galactica, Col. Saul Tigh (Michael Hogan). Finally, Vice President Dr. Gaius Baltar (James Callis), Chief Gallen Tyrol (Aaron Douglas), Lt. "Crashdown" (Sam Witwer), and Specialist Cally (Nicki Clyne) are stranded on Kobol and are surrounded by cylon centurions. As I said, things start out bad, and they only get worse.
With the older Adama unconscious, Tigh is put in charge, and it is clear that he is no leader. He has an alcohol problem, an ambitious wife (Kate Vernon), and a surly attitude towards most people. Furthermore, his relationship with Apollo, who is the head pilot on Galactica, is obviously very strained now that Apollo put his gun to Tigh's head. In the first two episodes, Galactica gets seperated from the rest of the fleet, leaving the civilians defenseless, and a cylon raiding party boards the ship and attempts to take out the ship from within.
On Caprica, Starbuck and Helo try to find a way off the planet, only to run into a human resistance group that has been operating out of an old hospital. But they aren't the only ones that Starbuck finds; a frightening plot is uncovered by her when she encounters a group of cylons. Meanwhile, the people on Kobol are forced to fend for themselves while Galactica is busy trying to find the fleet and deal with Boomer. Number Six (Tricia Helfer) begins to get a firmer grip over Baltar's mind, and gets him to do more and more questionable deeds.
And that's all in the first few episodes. Unlike most shows, the problems presented at the end of Season 1 aren't solved in the first episode. Many of them are so deep that it requires multiple episodes to resolve certain characters' predicaments. I'm going to give a small spoiler by saying that eventually, everyone makes it back to Galactica, meaning that Helo is back on the ship for the first time since the Miniseries pilot. Of course, this creates only more trouble due to the bizarre love triangle that exists between Tyrol, Boomer, and Helo. Each man loved her, and in S1, they each got to know a different copy of the same model. Now, they both have a love/hate relationship with the copy remaining on Galactica. Further troubles come about through the paranoid actions of crew members (my favorite involving Specialist Cally), the introduction of 2 new human-form cylon models (bringing the total to 6, leaving 6 left to be uncovered), and the reappearance of political "activist" Tom Zarek (Richard Hatch, of the original Battlestar Galactica).
These 10 episodes further prove that a science fiction show can not only be good, but be amazing. It is a shame that this show is overlooked by many people as just a "sci-fi" show, but it is so much more. Most critics as well as the relatively large number of fans (for a show on a cable genre network, it sure does get good ratings) recognize that this is a compelling drama that just happens to take place in outer space. It deals with weighty subjects such as genocide, human flaws, paranoia, and religion.
This season retooled the opening theme a little bit. The music is now the chant used in Season 1 in the UK (instead of the march used last year in the US), and while most of the clips are still from the miniseries, there are a few from the previous year. For a while, the second part of the credits, which showed scenes from the episode set to a drum beat, was removed, only to be replaced halfway into the run (fortunately). The most interesting addition is a textual representation of how many people are still alive. Each week in the credits, there is a sentence which lists the exact number of survivors, and it changes every week, depending on how many people died (or appeared) the week before.
It's hard to say which season is better (so far; this is only half of S2, which I'll get to soon). The 13 episodes of S1 were all great. In the first half of S2, there are no "bad" episodes per se, but there are some episodes that don't seem up to the usual quality that we expect from Battlestar Galactica (such as "Valley of Darkness"). However, the best episodes of the season (so far) have been absolutely amazing. "Scattered", "Home, Parts 1 and 2", and "Pegasus", which in my opinion is the best episode of the series so far, are sheer brilliance.
As for the whole "Season 2.0" thing, I am very upset about this. All the respect that I had for Universal for releasing the Miniseries with the S1 set evaporated when I learned that they were pulling this stunt. Due to the schedule of the Sci-Fi channel, they are releasing the first half of S2 before Christmas, and then when the season ends in March, they'll release the second half, thus forcing us to spend more money on these two sets than we would have to if it were one set. I really hope that they eventually release "The Complete Second Season", and I will hold off buying this until I get a definitive answer. If there isn't going to be a Complete S2 set, I will buy both sets (I will be a little ticked off, but I love BSG too much), but if they release a Complete S2 set, I would reccomend buying that one.
This is one of the best show's on TV right now. If you are a sci-fi fan, this is a must-see show. If you aren't a sci-fi fan, you should still consider checking this out. Even though it's in space and has killer robots, it is more human than most other drama shows on TV today. So say we all."