Blu-ray review: Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series

Posted by Chris Smith on Mon 12 Oct 2009

High frackin' definition!

Plot

The human race is on the verge of extinction, victims of a genocidal attack on civilisation by its very own creation. The 12 human-like Cylon models and their many copies have waged war against humanity, infiltrating the civilian population at unthinkable levels. Spread across a fleet of ships, less than 50,000 survivors plot a course for the mythical planet of Earth, hoping to reach the promise land before the machines. The Battlestar Galactica, skippered by Admiral Adama and his crew, leads the charge.

The Review

What started out as a cheesy, sentimental romp, (with more unnecessary sex scenes than a Russ Meyer discography), has grown into arguably the greatest science fiction show ever to hit the small screen over the course of four brilliant series'. With a troupe of wonderfully engaging characters, accessible-but-stimulating plotlines and enough twists to settle the most insatiable appetite for drama, Battlestar Galactica can rightly claim lordship over the sci-fi universe. And what better way for Galactica to show its might than with this beautiful box set which brings together every episode of the cult show in a display case sexier than a "Six" - revealing red dress and all.

Graduating with first class honours from the Terminator school of "what's the worst that can happen?" if the onset of artificial intelligence ever comes to fruition, Battlestar brilliantly exploits one of the most primal fears currently facing the human race - the very real prospect of Armageddon at our own hands. While nuclear winter or climate change might be a more realistic means of self destruction than an army of synthetic clones returning to eliminate us, the themes of starvation, drought, political and religious turmoil and the struggle to simply survive as a species could soon be very real. While all this sounds terrifying, thankfully there's still plenty of entertainment to be had.

Amid the themes of death and destruction ,Battlestar's most endearing strength lies in its characters. The swashbuckling and reckless Kara "Starbuck" Thrace is sci-fi's most endearing female badass since Sarah Connor - sexy and sassy. Lee "Apollo" Adama is the show's conscience, while the brilliant Admiral Adama is biological father to Lee, spiritual father to the survivors and a dad-of-sorts to the entire audience.

The enigmatic Gaius Baltar spends the four series switching between traitor, triumphant genius and everything in between. Most of the time, its up to you to decide which. President of the colonies Laura Roslyn is wonderfully sympathetic figure, but even some of the Cylon models have their redeeming features, especially when the switch is flicked during the incredible Season 3 finale when some beloved characters turn out to be "toasters".

Looking back over the series as a complete entity, it's easier to appreciate how the show evolves so brilliantly throughout the seasons. Plot themes become deeper and more challenging, forcing the audience to make difficult moral choices as the human/cylon worlds become further intertwined, while the tension of the crew's struggle to make it to Earth before being destroyed will keep you on tenderhooks. It's ridiculously compelling stuff, screaming more about the human condition than any sci-fi show before it and breaking down endless genre barriers along the way.

The Verdict

We're still a few episodes from the end of this titanic show, and while we're desperate to discover the conclusion, its a mixed blessing as with each passing episode, we're more hesitant to put the next disc into the Blu-ray drive because once season four is complete, it's going to be the end of a wonderful ride.

A Blu-ray buy?

Go on, admit it, you're a sucker for a flashy box set and they don't come much sexier than this tin edition. Science fiction shows and movies, laden with explosions, large scale battle set pieces and gorgeous nebulars are obvious fodder for the spectacle of Blu-ray and the improvement in quality offered by hi-def is worth shelling out a considerable £113 for a wonderful 20-disc set.

Extras

All of the extras that we've seen on the original boxset and a brand new disc of unreleased material, plus a sweet 25-page booklet.

Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series is available on Blu-ray from Play.com now

User Comments

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