Review of Battlestar Galactica (Season 2)

Introduction

The re-imagined Battlestar Galactica has been a bit of a success. Playing on Sky One in the UK, this series seems to have found wide spread approval amongst critics and viewers alike. Very much an ensemble piece, S1 effectively had two plot threads winding their way through the season. The first was clearly going to be about the Galactica and escorting of the colonial fleet away from the pursuing cylons as per the original series. The second, in a bit of a break and a chance to do something different, was about the adventures of Helo (Sharon Valerii`s co-pilot) on radiation-soaked Caprica after he elected to stay behind, giving up his seat in the Raptor for Baltar.

This year we have a third that develops late on where we actually get to see cylons download into their new bodies and what their experiences do to them. In another bold move, we not only have Number Six trying to convince Baltar he`s going mad, but the downloaded Number Six gets a deliciously vicious Baltar to keep her company too. This just adds another layer of complexity to the story, and one that leads directly to the `cliffhanger` at the end of the season.

Romances flourish and partners change, with Starbuck, Lee Adama, Dee and Billy being stuck in some elaborate love triangle type thing that`s not quite a triangle. Then there`s the more triangle-shaped triangle between Helo, Sharon and the Chief, even though it`s not the same Sharon (if you get my drift) and the emotional fallout for everyone on the realisation that Sharon is a Cylon. The human aspect doesn`t end there either as Adama, Tigh, Roslin and Baltar all see their fortunes rise and fall across the season. We also see the death of one of the major supporting characters, which was a bit of a shock as I thought this character had a lot of potential.

One of the best things about this particular season is the link with the original series arc and the reappearance of the Pegasus. It`s handled slightly differently this time and Michelle Forbes removes the ridges on her nose and moves seamlessly from Star Trek into BSG as Admiral Cain. She looks a lot younger than Adama, but also follows the stereotype of hard-assed ambitious officer which you just know is going to cause problems as this approach isn`t going to work while trying to escort the remnants of the human race to safety. And it doesn`t. The good news is that this set contains a longer edit of the Pegasus episode than the R1 release, and as it`s a bit of a corker this can only be a good thing.

So, in summary then, the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica is very much a human story. It may be wrapped in sci-fi trappings with machines and vipers and space travel, but it`s essentially a story about the human condition. It`s action and consequences, and in that respect draws ever nearer to J.Michael Stracynski`s vision of Babylon 5 but without the long arcs that he set up (so far…). It`s a gritty future but one that ultimately gives you hope, and thankfully will see a third season that should follow on in the quality that has now been shown in abundance across two proper seasons and one mini-series. The re-imagined BSG has now surpassed both the original and the lamentable Galactica 80 follow-up in terms of airtime and to be honest I can see it having the impetus to go a couple more seasons yet.

Video

Not really any different to S1, so here it is again:

1.77 Anamorphic Widescreen that looks gorgeous if not 100% sharp. Not sure if this is due to conversion between NTSC and PAL or just meant to be that way. There is grain on some of the picture, but then there`s grain on just about every US TV show on DVD, and it also seems part of the cinematographer`s palette these days.
The look of the Galactica and space carries on much the much same as the initial mini-series, the Galactica also has a number of wide panoramic shots that accentuate the shape and texture of the ship as well as giving you a real feel for battleship grey. Radiation-soaked Caprica is filmed with a high contrast and yellow filter mostly, in order to convey the appearance of a nuclear wasted planet.

Also, the attention to detail on this series is something special. This futuristic spaceship/battlestar is kitted out just like a battleship with the same style of phones, etc rather than touchpad communicators or the like of other series. One really nice touch (a blink and you might miss it kind of thing...) is one of the occasions when Helo is talking to Sharon in the brig and you see the wear and tear cracks on the mouthpiece of her handset. It may not mean much, but attention to detail just adds to the overall feel of realism.

Audio

Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround soundtrack that puts you in the centre of the action. Not too intrusive, but certainly not skimped on with a wall vibrating low end even at low volume.

English subtitles on both the main features and the deleted scenes.

Features

In what seems to be a complete waste of the DVD format, the final disc only has deleted/extended scenes for the first nine episodes and nothing-else. As per S1 you can still watch these all in one go, but they seemed to have listened this time and you can watch them per episode now as well.

Podcast audio commentaries from executive producer Ronal D. Moore on Scattered, Valley Of Darkness, Resistance, The Farm, Home (Parts 1 & 2) and Final Cut episodes. Not sure why they haven`t been included for all the other episodes as they are all available on scifi.com. Oh well…

Seems to me that either the review copy of the R2 release is either unfinished or no-one thought to include anything for the second half of this season. On the plus side, we finally have an R2 TV boxset that is superior to the R1. I`ve complained for ages that we get ripped of over here with these half-baked two part boxsets, it`s clearly a money spinner and nothing-else. Well this time the R1 set comes in two parts and we get all the episodes in a single set. Still I`m pretty sure that R1 Pt 2 will have the equivalent extras on it. We should be thankful that we only have to buy the one boxset this time, but you can`t help but feel that this is still very sloppy overall…

Conclusion

Well, the best thing on TV just gets better and better. Battlestar Galactica ended on a humdinger of a cliffhanger with Boomer finally facing the proof that she was a Cylon and then put a couple of bullets into the chest of her Commander. Adama was seen slumped backwards over a blood soaked command console, and you really wondered what was going to happen next. The initial series was relatively short and this time we get even more crammed in over a full twenty episodes. And boy, is it good…

Politics, intrigue, military ritualistic drinking and some goddamn big space battles are the order of the day this series. Same as the last really, but the story moves onto the next part à la Babylon 5. True, this doesn`t have the same level of depth that B5 has, but it is clearly working to a long-term arc as the story progresses of the episodes. It may be episodic but this ain`t Star Trek, baby. Things happen, they have consequences. One of the most surprising for me was the completely shocking way the Chief reacted when Cally woke him near the season end, coming as it did as a consequence of the discovery of another Boomer who had originally died in the Chief`s arms.

One of the highlights of this season is the way that the Pegasus was worked into the arc. Let`s face it, Lloyd Bridges and the Pegasus was one of the real highlights of the original series; and so it proves here. The Pegasus this time is not lead by a gung-ho space cowboy with a gun at his hip, but a hard ass female Admiral who only believes in military discipline and instills loyalty through fear in her crew. Anyone from outside the Pegasus is viewed with suspicion, which is a somewhat strange view when you consider how few humans are actually left. The aftermath of the Pegasus storyline is felt acutely before Adama deals with it in the only way he knows how.

The Cylons feature more prominently this series, not just viewing events from afar as previously. Not only do we discover another three of the models, but we also learn more about how they work. We see the regeneration ship and understand how Cylons never die, just download into a new body with all memories intact. We also see the regeneration process in action when both Number Six and the original Boomer regenerate, their experiences changing both themselves and potentially their race.

The ending is telegraphed but still comes as a bit of a shock, particularly the last few scenes as you see relationships that have developed in their own way across the episodes come to fruition. I don`t really want to give too much away, but I`ve not been excited about a TV series since the peak of the 90`s with early X-Files, Babylon 5, American Gothic, and Space: Above & Beyond. BSG now joins this illustrious list.

Just get it.

Now.