Battlestar Galactica - The Mini Series [2003] [DVD] [2004]

When writer/producer Ronald D. Moore recently won an award in Los Angeles for his work on the 'reimagined' Battlestar Galactica, host and noted science fiction critic Harlan Ellison congratulated him for taking the 'worst SF TV show' of all time and turning it into the best. Perhaps hyperbolic - there's far worse shows out there than the 1978 iteration of Battlestar Galactica - but an increasingly common sentiment that has seen publications such as Time Magazine, Rolling Stone and the New Yorker declare the new BSG to be the best thing on television, in any genre.

Most of these comments stem from the excellent second and third season. Rolling back to the mini-series, it is a surprise to see how fully-formed this show leapt onto the screen. Ususally there is a long 'breaking-in' period that has to elapse before writers and actors really start to feel comfortable on their show. Here, however, the characters appear fully fleshed-out from the start, with Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell turning in sterling performances from the start, with James Callis also particularly worthy of mention. The plot is straightforward: the Twelve Colonies of Mankind are destroyed in a nuclear holocaust unleashed by the Cylons, killing machines humanity created forty years earlier which rebelled and disappeared into deep space. 50,000 survivors flee to reach the safety offered by the last major warship to survive the attack, the Battlestar Galactica, along the way generating plenty of conflict between the democratic, civilian viewpoint (espoused by McDonnell's President Roslin) and the military, pragmatic one (personified by Olmos' Commander Adama). A feeling of paranoia creeps in once it is confirmed that some Cylons now resemble humans and have infiltrated the colonists for their own ends.

At three hours long, the pacing in the mini-series is well-handled, although a couple of scenes near the end feel a bit superfluous. There is a lot of story to handle here and a lot of characters to introduce, however, and this fills the time admirably. The 'naturalistic' shooting is a success and the effects are superb, rivalling or exceeding most of their big-screen counterparts, although the jumpy camera work takes a while to adjust to.

There is little wrong with the mini-series. Perhaps some scenes are not explained well (a brutal murder near the start of the story is supposedly self-justified as a mercy killing by a Cylon agent aware of the imminent nuclear holocaust, but this excuse, feeble though it is, is never even voiced in the episode) and there are a few wince-inducing lines, but the uniformly good acting and writing more than make up for this. The semi-cliffhanger ending also leaves you eager to pick up the Season 1 DVD box set. Overall, an impressive and enjoyable work.

I don't have Sky at home and ignored this DVD for years, despite the great reviews and friends raving about it because I grew up with and loved the original series so much. But this year I relented and was totally blown away and hooked!

Its so dark, so real and so brilliant. I loved the fact that Cylons have human looking agents now to confuse and infiltrate. Starbuck is now a hard good looking woman but still gambles, chews cigars and resents authority which is great twist too.

I would recommend this to any fans of the original series, I watched this and then went out to buy Season 1 and Season 2 on DVD. Now waiting for Season 3 to appear. This really needs 10 stars!

I was a jaded sci-fi fan who had seen it all. I was totally unimpressed by CGI, space fights and mortal enemies of the human race. Attractive men and women in uniforms did not interest me. 'Vulnerable' characters with 'pasts' left me cold. I had no interest in yet another space opera from the States. Then I saw the pilot for a new series of Battlestar Galactica and was blown away. It has all those elements yet it is totally fresh, totally original: totally unlike anything I have ever seen before.

Galactica is made by people who seem to be as jaded by sci-fi cliches as its prospective audience. Given that one of the brains behind it is Ron Moore of long Star Trek association I'm probably not far wrong in that assesment. It has a giant space ship, but it's not filled with top notch officers and high tech gismos. In fact, most of the crew members are (realisitically) sqauddies and NCOs and the rest are either fighter pilots, comissioned officers who weren't quite up to being posted elsewhere or both. Yet never once to you feel as if you are watching the token screwed-up kid, feminist or dipsomanaic. These characters are far too well written for that. The ship is a technological antique from a war in which networks and computerisation meant vulnerability to the enemy. It's a giant aircraft carrier in space, complete with cramped quarters, cabin fever and the most impressive dog-fight sequences I have ever watched.

The action is immediate and the CGI is naturalistic - at one point a piece of shrapnel hits the 'camera', terminating a frame. The focus moves in and out as the shot zooms from huge mothership to tiny one-man fighter ships. These 'Vipers' flip and handle in a totally new way, complete with visable thrusters and unprecedently full use of the 360 degree axis. And the music - none of your full orchestra melodrama but tense, understated drum tattoos and vocal chants lend an air of urgency and otherness.

The background culture of the series is thoroughly thought through, down to the religions, architectural and design themes (they use pentagons like we use quadrangles) and social history of the 'Twelve Colonies'. Furthermore the production and costume designers have outdone themselves in giving clothing and archetectural styles that we recognise from our culture a fresh twist then consistenly applying it across the board.

The scripting of this pilot works excellently, exploiting the episodic nature of television expertly, setting up at least 5 sub-plots that will develop troughout the course of the series and, best of all, doing it all with great slickness. I won't throw out any plot spoilers except to add that the interaction between the military and the civilian government is refreshingly unusual and realistic. Our guys aboard Galactica are accountable for their actions, if grudgingly. Furthermore, although the civilian characters are outnumbered by the military they are just as well thought out and the acting is universally of high quality. The understated talent of Mary McDonnell and Edward James Olmos shines and James Callis and Katee Sackhoff in particular make what could potentially be two very flat characters totally convincing.

In terms of extras, the DVD features only a short teaser movie - presumably aired before the mini-series to hook potential audiences. Given the quality of the three hours worth (it's amazing how short these things become when you take out the ads) of film however, don't let this put you off.I cannot praise this pilot highly enough - there is something for everyone, whether they think they like sci-fi or not. Although some fans of the earlier series are unhappy with the (rather extensive) changes I would urge them to look at this as something new and be inspired by the justice it has done to the concept - because it takes everything that has gone before it to new heights. Well worth 5 stars and certinly worth spending a few quid on.