Take 4 TV: Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica: The Miniseries/Season One (2003/04)
What's Going On?: The Cylons, highly-intelligent robots that rebelled against their human creators decades ago, have finally come out of hiding and, in one blow, almost completely wipe out the human race. A fleet of random ships groups together under the protection of the Battlestar Galactica, as the few remaining humans in the universe search for safety and a place to call home.
Leading the Line-Up: Edward James Olmos plays Commander of the Battlestar, William Adama. Very low key, but does a great job…he doesn’t come off as an infallible military leader…he comes off as human, prone to the same flaws and errors as the rest of us. Also up there is Mary McDonell…she plays Laura Roslin, the former Secretary of Education who rises to take the position of President of the Colonies (she was 43rd in line). Great role, and she does an excellent job of being soft-spoken yet powerful.
Things to Look Out For: Parallels between this and the original movie/television series. I’d never seen it, but some of the things are called out in the commentary tracks. It’s best described as a “re-imagined” version of the original. It also has great mystery elements woven throughout…because now the Cylons also look human. So who is human and who is Cylon? That’s part of the draw of the series. Oh…and it has one of the best season finales I’ve ever seen.
Special Features to Catch: First off, it’s not really a special feature, but make sure you rent Battlestar Galactica: The Miniseries before you start to watch Season One. It provides a LOT of the necessary background on the story and characters and I think you will enjoy the series immeasurably more because of it. Second…you’ve got your episode commentaries…9 out of the13 episodes have a commentary audio track, as does the miniseries. While these do give a lot of insight into the making of the episodes…they also give away a lot of plot spoilers, even some extending into Season Two. For that reason, if you do decide to catch a couple, only do so after watching Season One in its entirety. Next, if you got a few minutes to spare, check out the sketches and artwork from the show…really isolates some of the great visual elements that you take for granted while embroiled in the series. Deleted scenes your thing? There’s also close to 50 minutes of footage that didn’t make the air. Watching it straight through is kind of like getting a sneak peek at what happens “off-stage” during the series…the action where the cameras aren’t rolling. Finally, you’ve got about an hour of behind-the-scenes footage and a 20-minute television special on the making of the series…I caught both of these, and found them pretty damn interesting.
Random Trivia: The hand-held camera shot of Secretary Roslin being sworn in as the new President of the Twelve Colonies is a direct reference to the historic photograph of Vice-President Lyndon Johnson taking the oath of office aboard Air Force 1 following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
And I Quote: Baltar: ‘The last time anybody saw the Cylons they looked more like walking chrome toasters.’ Number Six: ‘Those models are still around. They have their uses.’
Life Lessons From Battlestar Galactica: 1) Spaceships don’t move like planes…they move like spaceships. 2) Never leave a man or woman behind. 3) Sometimes you just can’t fight your programming.
Curt's Take: “Must See” – I’m surprised I’m giving it this rating. My buddy David in Chicago recommended this one to me, and I have to admit…I was hesitant at first. I’m not the biggest fan of sci-fi stuff. But the story and characters here…just amazing. It feels gritty and “real,” almost like a war documentary…it just happens to be set in space. The story keeps unwinding and becoming more intricate and involved…I came to the end of the first season, and almost put Season Two right at the top of my rental list.
Next Time on Take 4: Okay, I’ve had enough non-stop television entertainment. Time to start putting some movies back in the review list. So, next time, let’s start up with Issue #4 of some Viewer’s Choice suggestions!
What's Going On?: The Cylons, highly-intelligent robots that rebelled against their human creators decades ago, have finally come out of hiding and, in one blow, almost completely wipe out the human race. A fleet of random ships groups together under the protection of the Battlestar Galactica, as the few remaining humans in the universe search for safety and a place to call home.
Leading the Line-Up: Edward James Olmos plays Commander of the Battlestar, William Adama. Very low key, but does a great job…he doesn’t come off as an infallible military leader…he comes off as human, prone to the same flaws and errors as the rest of us. Also up there is Mary McDonell…she plays Laura Roslin, the former Secretary of Education who rises to take the position of President of the Colonies (she was 43rd in line). Great role, and she does an excellent job of being soft-spoken yet powerful.
Things to Look Out For: Parallels between this and the original movie/television series. I’d never seen it, but some of the things are called out in the commentary tracks. It’s best described as a “re-imagined” version of the original. It also has great mystery elements woven throughout…because now the Cylons also look human. So who is human and who is Cylon? That’s part of the draw of the series. Oh…and it has one of the best season finales I’ve ever seen.
Special Features to Catch: First off, it’s not really a special feature, but make sure you rent Battlestar Galactica: The Miniseries before you start to watch Season One. It provides a LOT of the necessary background on the story and characters and I think you will enjoy the series immeasurably more because of it. Second…you’ve got your episode commentaries…9 out of the13 episodes have a commentary audio track, as does the miniseries. While these do give a lot of insight into the making of the episodes…they also give away a lot of plot spoilers, even some extending into Season Two. For that reason, if you do decide to catch a couple, only do so after watching Season One in its entirety. Next, if you got a few minutes to spare, check out the sketches and artwork from the show…really isolates some of the great visual elements that you take for granted while embroiled in the series. Deleted scenes your thing? There’s also close to 50 minutes of footage that didn’t make the air. Watching it straight through is kind of like getting a sneak peek at what happens “off-stage” during the series…the action where the cameras aren’t rolling. Finally, you’ve got about an hour of behind-the-scenes footage and a 20-minute television special on the making of the series…I caught both of these, and found them pretty damn interesting.Random Trivia: The hand-held camera shot of Secretary Roslin being sworn in as the new President of the Twelve Colonies is a direct reference to the historic photograph of Vice-President Lyndon Johnson taking the oath of office aboard Air Force 1 following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
And I Quote: Baltar: ‘The last time anybody saw the Cylons they looked more like walking chrome toasters.’ Number Six: ‘Those models are still around. They have their uses.’
Life Lessons From Battlestar Galactica: 1) Spaceships don’t move like planes…they move like spaceships. 2) Never leave a man or woman behind. 3) Sometimes you just can’t fight your programming.
Curt's Take: “Must See” – I’m surprised I’m giving it this rating. My buddy David in Chicago recommended this one to me, and I have to admit…I was hesitant at first. I’m not the biggest fan of sci-fi stuff. But the story and characters here…just amazing. It feels gritty and “real,” almost like a war documentary…it just happens to be set in space. The story keeps unwinding and becoming more intricate and involved…I came to the end of the first season, and almost put Season Two right at the top of my rental list.
Next Time on Take 4: Okay, I’ve had enough non-stop television entertainment. Time to start putting some movies back in the review list. So, next time, let’s start up with Issue #4 of some Viewer’s Choice suggestions!
posted by Curt at 9:36 PM
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