Nov 17 | Originally hired as co-executive producer to help with the second half of the show's first season, Kevin Murphy has now taken the reins of Caprica, the Battlestar Galactica prequel on Syfy, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He now serves as an executive producer along with Ronald D. Moore, David Eick and Jane Espenson and oversees the day-to-day functions of the show.
Nov 12 | Star Trek star Zachary Quinto is loosely attached to star in the romantic dramedy Whirligig, reports Risky Business.Quinto would play the lead role in the independent Canadian film, which is aiming to shoot early next year. The movie centers on a man who, in a misguided attempt to woo an older woman, befriends the woman's adopted son.Chaz Thorne is directing the pic, based on a screenplay by Michael Amo, creator of the Canadian supernatural series "The Listener."
Nov 11 | The CNS Foundation, is hosting an on-line charity auction at www.charitybuzz.com. One of the items they are auctioning is a signed movie poster of the new Star Trek movie which has all the cast members and writers. The president of our organization is Carol Abrams, JJ's mother, and she arranged for the donation from Bad Robot Production Company. J.J. Abrams is also a major donor to their organization. The funds raised will go to help find a cure to neurological disorders in children. The auction link is here.
Nov 10 | Candice Bergen, Charles Lisanby, Don Pardo, Gene Roddenberry, Tom and Dick Smothers and Bob Stewart have been selected as the next inductees into the Television Academy's Hall of Fame. They will be honored at a Jan. 20 ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel. "This year's inductees have challenged and shaped popular culture, changed television for the better and entertained us royally while doing so," TV Academy Chairman-CEO John Shaffner said. More info at the Hollywood Reporter
Nov 08 | Unreality-SF.net has interviewed Star Trerk author James Swallow about some of his upcoming projects. He talks about Titan: Synthesis and Seven Deadly Sins: The Slow Knife, as well as some forthcoming Doctor Who and Stargate stories.
For a brand-new series such as BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, Universal Home Video has really stepped up to the plate and offered a generous amount of extras that really flesh out the experience.
There are lots of audio commentaries on this new set. The miniseries commentary is the same with Ron Moore, David Eick, and Michael Rymer that was on the previous DVD release of the miniseries. All of the participants share their enthusiasm about making the new incarnation of GALACTICA stand on its own and not simply be a rehash of the campy original series. Their attention to careful detail and strong characterization permeates this audio discussion. Commentary with Moore, Eick, and Rymer is also included on '33', while Moore and Eick go for a dual commentary on 'Act of Contrition' and 'Bastille Day'. Moore flies solo on the audio commentaries for 'You Can't Go Home Again', 'Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down', 'The Hand of God', 'Colonial Day', and 'Kobol's Last Gleaming, Parts 1 and 2'. Of the nine commentaries presented on this DVD, many of them are ported from the recent podcast audio commentaries originally featured on SciFi.com. For somebody who's just coming into this series cold for the first time, based on the audio commentaries alone, you can tell right away whose influence is all over this series.
Aside from the audio commentaries, the bulk of the extras are found on Disc 5 of the set and are broken down into Sketches and Art, Deleted Scenes, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: The Series Lowdown, and Behind-the-Scenes featurettes. All of the bonus features are presented in full-frame format with English Dolby 2.0 Surround sound, also with your choice of English or Spanish subtitles.
The Sketches and Art section provides a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of some of the many designs used throughout the first season. In this feature we get to glimpse a number of production sketches of ship sets, ship models, and planet sets that closely mirror their final on-screen counterparts, and we also get to see several before-and-after set photos that required the integration of design paintings and CGI designs. As opposed to the production art and sketch sections on many of the STAR TREK DVD sets, which are assembled as a step-through feature, this feature is assembled as one continuous running feature. If you want to view individual sketches or art designs, you'll have to use the pause button on your remote to check out the details that go into these sets. Running time: 4:18.
The Deleted Scenes section contains over 48 minutes of scenes cut from the original telecasts of these episodes. All of the deleted scenes are presented in anamorphic widescreen format with Dolby Digital 2.0 sound and are taken from work prints of each episode, so the sound quality in each segment is production sound only. At the start of the deleted scenes is an alternate opening sequence used for the UK telecasts (the UK version of Season 1 was previously released as a Best Buy exclusive set), so having this alternate opening sequence on the full U.S. version is a plus for the fans. The rest of the deleted scenes are from the bulk of the first season, all of which contribute great character moments involving the different cast members. Only one scene has any sort of incompleteness to it; the rest include finished visual effects among them. Granted, it would have been nice to have some sort of indicator where each of these additional scenes would have fallen in context throughout each episode, but these are wonderful additions nonetheless.
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE SERIES LOWDOWN was originally shown on the SciFi Channel to hype the first season's 13-episode run. Moore (who has obviously changed a lot since his clean-cut preppy days on STAR TREK!), Eick, Rymer, and the cast discuss working on the new season and their thoughts of producing a quality science fiction series with heart and drama to it. Who would have thought that Jamie Bamber had a British accent? He certainly had me fooled, as I had watched this documentary after finishing up with the miniseries. There are also some fun outtakes with the cast at the start of the program, and they even address viewers' e-mails during the course of the program. Granted, this program contains some serious spoilers for the course of the season, so it may not be wise to watch this program prior to viewing the season's episodes. Running time: 20:20.
Finally, the eight Behind-the-Scenes featurettes presented on Disc 5 are taken directly from the official BATTLESTAR GALACTICA web site from SciFi.com. FROM MINISERIES TO SERIES is a brief look at the folding of the miniseries into a weekly format. Eick, Moore, and Rymer discuss how important it was for them to reinvent science fiction, to put people into a realistic catastrophe to provide that sense of realism through a documentary-style lens. Moore and Rymer were concerned about the ratings on Part 1 of the miniseries, knowing the impact of the Internet, and were incredibly surprised at the ratings surge for Part 2. Clips from the miniseries and from the season premiere '33' are featured, as they and the cast members briefly recap the events of the miniseries and of '33', all the while being aware of the fans' expectations for surprises and challenges. As Tricia Helfer and Grace Park point out, the new series opens doors for the fans who are ready for a new niche in science fiction. Nobody apologizes for the changes in this new version of GALACTICA, and according to Moore it's not the only way to do a science fiction series, but rather it's the way they've chosen. Running time: 8:30.
CHANGE IS GOOD, NOW THEY'RE BABES looks at the evolution and comparison of Starbuck, Boomer, and the Cylons from the original series to the new series. Moore, Eick, Sackhoff, Park, and Helfer all discuss their contributions to the new series, and the obvious thing in common is that while they provide strong female parts to this new GALACTICA, the first order of business is a strong performance on the series. Sackhoff had no clue about Dirk Benedict's portrayal of Starbuck in the original series, but is careful to draw comparisons and contrasts to the original series. Eick notes how Starbuck had been modeled after Harrison Ford's role of Han Solo in STAR WARS and how important it was to steer away from it in the new series. Park expresses how fans were particularly upset with the changes to Boomer and the serious contrasts to Herb Jefferson's portrayal, but she is not apologetic about it. Moore and Helfer discuss how the new Cylon on the scene, Number Six, is a more open portrayal, how the character has multiple agendas about her, and Moore points out how the heart of the Cylons ties in with Boomer's progression throughout the first season. Running time: 7:30.
THE CYLON CENTURION analyzes the changes from the stormtrooper-like portrayal in the original series to the current version. Visual effects supervisor Gary Hutzel describes how the Cylons had been created by a race of aliens to destroy humans, and how in the original series they wound up as guys in suits. Hutzel discusses the CGI approach to the Cylons, how they initially filled in the background but had such presence that they stole the scene and wound up being used more frequently. Visual effects artist Richard Hudolin briefly speaks about the need to create the Cylons with CGI, to make them more believable. Hutzel also discusses tracking the Cylons' movements with human models and using cardboard models on set to give eye line references to the actors in the various scenes. While they were not fully explored in Season 1, Hutzel believes that there is fertile ground for more exploration in Season 2. Running time: 5:31.
FUTURE/PAST TECHNOLOGY analyzes the development of the series' sets. Hudolin talks about how the GALACTICA art department was comprised of only three people but wound up with 13 people contracted to design 20 sets for the series. Among the largest sets Hudolin describes are the command center and corridors, followed by the hangar bay, all of which had to be believable and comparable to a naval carrier. Unlike STAR TREK, there is no captain's chair for Adama, and the command center reflects that mentality. Moore studied real naval ships to get a feel for the design of the Galactica and further stresses the departure from future-based ships like the Enterprise for this series. Artist Doug McLean mentions how the ship is meant to be physical and steeped in humanity. Both McLean and Hudolin describe how the props used on the ship are taken from real submarine and naval carrier technology, and how everything is a cross of high-tech and low-tech, contributing to the believability of this version of GALACTICA. Running time: 7:43.
THE DOCTOR IS OUT (OF HIS MIND) focuses on the development of Gaius Baltar in the new incarnation and how he is viewed throughout the series. James Callis talks about how Baltar is continually manipulated throughout the miniseries and the series, and how Baltar has a colorful personality that is not typically tied down to one character trait. Callis bases his portrayal on an acquaintance with multiple degrees yet is a pathological liar who cannot adequately function in society. Is Baltar really nuts, as Callis portrays him, or is there a deeper agenda at hand? Very similar to Michael Rosenbaum's continued descent into evil as Lex Luthor on SMALLVILLE, Callis knows, like the fans, that Baltar is destined to become the villain of GALACTICA as John Colicos originally played the character, despite the fact that he may do something heroic from time to time. Running time: 7:43.
PRODUCTION analyzes the importance of addressing realism within a science fiction setting. Hudolin, McLean, and director of photography Steven McNutt mention how the fans have wanted to see something not done before in science fiction, a true sense of realism, which high-definition cameras bring out to great detail. The final look gives GALACTICA a greater sense of urgency, as McNutt points out that the weight of the cameras on the cameramen only add to the frantic action on the series. Ron Moore points out that STAR TREK hadn't really changed its look over the past 20 years and never addressed real everyday life aboard the Enterprise, which left the audience simply watching and never really living the experience. McNutt mentions that while the actresses get to look beautiful on screen, Edward James Olmos prefers the gritty look of it all, which adds to the series' texture. Makeup designer Patricia Murphy, hair designer Gerald Gibbons, wardrobe supervisor Glenne Campbell, and stunt coordinator Mike Mitchell also chime in on the realistic look of the series' production, giving the cast their modern-day look and style of fighting, which for some of the actors involved had never been done before. Moore states that it takes lots of effort to produce what is shown on screen, and it's ultimately about the satisfaction of seeing on film what had been discussed months before. Running time: 9:09.
VISUAL EFFECTS features Hutzel discussing the creation of the believable effects for the series. As opposed to standard visual effects, Hutzel and the show's staff put the emphasis on the cast and the stories, with the effects framing the story and integrating into the live action shots. Hutzel addresses the need for maintaining physics in outer space, though they do take license with transporting the ships across space, as opposed to using warp drive on STAR TREK. Moore's original approach was origami in space, but when that proved to be unfeasible to the context of the show, they went for the quick yet convincing light-speed jumps. The need for placing the audience in the cockpit with the characters is also essential, making everything believable. There's some good green-screen footage used here, as we see some visual effects shots filmed. In all, the trick to doing good visual effects, Hutzel notes, is working with the director and producers to make believable effects that do not distract from the story. Running time: 8:54.
Finally, the EPILOGUE looks at where GALACTICA is headed. Moore, Eick, and the cast fee that the time for standard science fiction is over, that much has changed over the past 30 years, and that the audience is hungry for believability. Everyone agrees that by simply redoing the same GALACTICA from 30 years before, nobody would be interested, but by paying homage to the spirit of the original series could they properly bring it forward. The cast is in agreement that it's a good idea to update the series, especially in the wake of 9/11, as Park points out, and that it's successful because it brings something new and real to the science fiction genre. There's some candid behind-the-scenes footage of the cast getting along well with one another on the sets, which strengthens the quality of the series. And Eick mentions that if the first season was tense, then get ready for the second season (now airing on SciFi). Running time: 8:15.
Cylon Caveats:
With all of these wonderful extras and additions, there are two concerns I have with Season 1 of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. Porting over the original miniseries into this new set is a wonderful decision on Universal's part, but the previous DVD release of the introductory miniseries contained an equally good amount of extras in its previous release. On that first set was a 40-minute made-for-TV documentary entitled BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE LOWDOWN, which focused on the miniseries itself and featured a discussion with Katee Sackhoff and original series star Dirk Benedict discussing their views on the character of Starbuck. This documentary was not ported over into the new set. Also missing in action are the 20 minutes of deleted scenes from the miniseries. If you want everything that's been released to date, you're going to have to pick up the original DVD release of the miniseries. This is a bit of double-dipping that could have been easily avoided, had the documentary and previous deleted scenes been ported over into the new set.
Also missing in action are four original web documentaries from SciFi.com, WRITING A DARK, SEXY, POLITICAL SCI-FI SHOW, WOMEN IN PIVOTAL ROLES, LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON and DIRECTOR'S CUT. None of these documentaries were on the original single-disc release, nor are they on the new set. This is another glaring omission, as the eight other web documentaries were included on this new set. I'm a stickler for completion, so it would have made sense to have expanded this set to six discs and include the other features from the previous miniseries release and the other web documentaries onto that sixth disc.
On the up side, however, because this set was previously issued as a Best Buy exclusive with the UK telecasts of the first season episodes and the deleted scenes, everything that was on that set is present in this new release, so you're not missing anything used between the previous UK release and the new US release in terms of content.
Final Thoughts:
This is an incredible DVD release of an equally incredible television product, with production quality and meaty extras that are second to none. It shows that Ron Moore and his crew have put as much care into contributing to the DVD as they have into the series itself, and that's cool. Kudos must also be given to Universal Home Video for producing a high-quality product, one that leaves the fans hungry for more. If the deleted scenes and the original documentary from the previous miniseries DVD release had been ported over to this new set, and if the remaining web documentaries had been included, this set would be a complete hands-down winner all around. It's still an awesome set, nonetheless, despite having to get the previous disc to complete the experience. With the first season of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, the fans get what many STAR TREK fans have hungered for: quality. Everyone involved in this DVD preparation should take a bow for a job well done! To the producers and the studio: Keep up the great work, and keep giving the fans what they want on television and on DVD, and you will have a winner time and time again to be proud of!
Just bought season 1 of BSG, and I've watched the mini-series and the first 2 episodes. I'm totally enthralled and engrossed and completely agree that it deserves all the hype it's received.
I'm surprised that more people on this board aren't a little more vocal about the price of the set though. 50 bucks for 13 episodes (OK 16 if you include the mini-series) is almost in line with the Trek sets in terms of price for quantity. I'm not complaining. Thus far, it's worth every penny.
It does however, make me sad that people are turning their backs on Trek instead of appreciating both. But I don't want to engage in any debates.
Not to be completely morbid, but I'm hoping that BSG eventually will offer-up some sort of optimism for the survival of the human race as I get further into the story, 'cause it's not looking very hopeful at present. Although it's riveting; it's equally depressing to think of a future unfolding like that for us as a species. But perhaps the optimism that we'll actually survive beyond all that we know right now, to even continue to exist that long has to be enough.
God knows if a space-fairing colony of humans showed up tomorrow, looking for the mythical "promised land" of earth, they'd probably turn around and look for somewhere else to call home.
Anyhow, just out of curiousity (and left field) does the character of Starbuck turn out to be bisexual or a lesbian at any point?
Furthermore are there any gay or bisexual characters on BSG? Haven't noticed any, and I somehow thought for a show that's been held in such regard for being realistic that that barrier would finally be crossed.
Oh and their "swear" word; is it "frack"? I'm guessing this is a cheeky way of saying "fuck". Initially I thought it was lame but then once I learned they weren't "Earth humans" I thought it was mildly clever. (not that I'll be saying "frack off" to anyone anytime soon.)
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"Dignity and an empty sack is worth the sack. Rule of Aquisition #109." --Quark
Oh... and as an "add-on", I forgot to mention... before buying the show on DVD, I had never seen it at all; not even the original BSG. So I'm watching it with no previous knowledge of the story whatsoever. My interest in it was strictly based on all the positive things I've read here.
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"Dignity and an empty sack is worth the sack. Rule of Aquisition #109." --Quark
I have the BSG season 1 set. I bought it the day of its release (I had it preordered actually). It's the best 45 dollars I've ever spent on a DVD. Finally, a Sci-Fi show that appeals to my sensibilities.
I've been with this show since the mini-series first aired. It really is the best genre series currently on TV... and maybe the best ever (or, at the very least, its just as good as the original Star Trek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Deep Space Nine).
I just love how much of it a hit and critical darling it's become. It makes me feel so vindicated, considering the pummeling I took from the likes of TheeBlueWolf, Scorned and Jadzia Dax for daring to praise the mini. They can kiss my ass; I was right. ;)
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The autumn days swung soft around me, like cotton on
my skin. But as the embers of the summer lost their
breath and disappeared, my heart went cold, and
only hollow rhythms resounded from within.
I was watching these DVD's on my PC and noticed occasional areas with what seemed like interlacing of the video (especially during the end credits of any episode). Sadly I don't have an HDTV to try these on, but my understanding was that interlaced video looked awful when played back in 16:9.
Anyone seen these on an HDTV (they're anamorphic so the image should stretch to fill the full 16:9 frame)? Is the video interlaced and/or does it suffer quality-wise?
All in all, a very good set. To those of you who, like me, watched BSGs first season exclusively through Bittorent, you'll be in for the shock of hearing the crappy North American intro instead of the haunting vocals of the British version. That was my only complaint for the DVD set; the British intro is a helluva lot better!
Ohh yes, and hearing Bamber in the extras talking about how you can't say "Bugger!" in an American accent is quite funny!
I was also disappointed that they didn't include all the features of the original DVD miniseries release, as well as all the features that have appeared on the website. Having all the previous features of the miniseries would have allowed me to get rid of that disc, thereby gaining a tiny bit of valuable shelf space (I own more than 1200 DVDs). Also, the website probably won't be up forever - someday, when the show is wrapped, I'm sure they'll neglect the website and eventually take it down or remove some of the features. If they had put them all on the DVD then they would have been preserved forever --- regardless of whether or not the website stays online.
It would have also been nice to have included some of the blog texts that are on the BSG website, including the Richard Hatch diary...
This has been a big complaint that's appeared in most reviews for this set, so I can only hope that the folks at Universal take note and ensure they don't make this mistake again. They could even makeup for it by putting some of this missing stuff on the upcoming season 2, part 1 DVD release that is due in December.
1. Is the set worth getting if you already own the RC2 release of season 1 and the (to my mind) crappy RC2 DVD of the mini-series ?
I´d be especially interessted in the picture quality of the RC1 cause at least the picture quality of the original mini series release was terrible!
2. WIll they really release half season sets of season 2? My question then would be if they will only release those or if they will later on release the entire season 2 set ?
3. In case that (in regard to No.1) the set is worth bying even though I own the RC2 DVD, where did you buy it? (cheap cheap cheap please cause nooo money)
The current game plan is that Universal will release BSG S2.0 in December as a 3-disc set. This will be comprised of the episodes that are currently running on TV, along with a slew of goodies. But I wouldn't be surprised if we see a more comprehensive S2 set in 2006, after the next batch of S2 episodes air.
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