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Battlestar Galactica - The Complete Epic Series (Limited Edition Cylon Head Packaging)

Battlestar Galactica - The Complete Epic Series (Limited Edition Cylon Head Packaging)

List Price: $119.98
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: QUIT YOUR WHINING!!!
Review: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA might not have been sci-fi at its best (due to financial constraints), but it deserves its place for the depth, originality, and scope it tries to bring to the small screen. No other sci-fi show before it tried to do what it did. Yes. The acting was sometimes difficult to watch, but overall it offered something for its time other shows didn't.

It gave you hope that you could present a show that clearly tapped into the success of STAR WARS without being STAR WARS (by the way, will people realize that even when this came to court because of George Lucas suing over similarities between BSG & SW the court ruled in FAVOR of BSG?). No small feat, when you realize how many shows after tried to just rip off STAR WARS without trying to craft a plot!

I've read all the whining about the 2nd season, and read how the show wasn't ever cancelled before the 2nd season went into production. Obviously these reviews were written by children who don't research what they're talking about. As a card-carrying geek from waaaaay back, I can say that the original show WAS cancelled by ABC because it was too expensive to produce (even with using stock footage, the show still was becoming a problem for ABC). Because of the fan response, ABC decided to bring the show back...and when they did, the magic was gone. The characters viewers wanted to see were gone. What made BATTLESTAR GALACTICA memorable was lost.

Sure, there were two episodes I remember that were WORTH watching through once. Yes. The one with Starbuck & the Cylon on an alien planet (the title, BTW, was "The Return of Starbuck"). There was also one wherein a Cylon crashes on Earth, trying to reach a radio station to signal the Empire they had found Earth (this is the episode where HUMAN Cylons were first seen & it was hinted that there were other models of Cylons, finally). However, as good as those two were (out of TEN episodes that were made, I might add), it doesn't warrant the horrible abomination that was GALACTICA 1980 as a part of this boxed set. I'm glad someone realized that.

GALACTICA 1980 was rush-produced, and it showed. The dialogue was even WORSE that what a few people have already complained about BATTLESTAR GALACTICA...and so was the acting. Dick Van Dyke's son may be great in DIAGNOSIS MURDER, but he's no Dirk Benedict...and that was one of the reasons why they brought back Starbuck (for a one-shot deal) in the end.

The boxed set is well worth it. But to those who don't know what they're buying in advance...quit your whining...and leave the reviews to those of us who do know.

:-)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wonderful
Review: Great series, great job on the DVD. My only gripe (petty) is that there isn't some commentary on the series episodes as well. I really enjoyed the commentary by Hatch and co. on the pilot.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: disappointing
Review: I seem to remember when I was growing up a later series of battlestar galactica on TV with a totally new cast except for Lorne Greene, in it they finally reach earth...where is it?!?!
and therefore I find this set very disappointing.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A sci-fi show with wit, soul and charm
Review: I only remembered bits and pieces of the show from my childhood. Because I hardly remembered it, I didn't consider myself a die-hard fan of the series.

But I bought this, and to date it has been one of my favorite DVD boxed sets. I won't get into listing the episodes, actors, features, etc. (as others have done in great detail), but I will instead say this: "Battlestar Galactica" has the wit, soul and charm that is lacked by many shows of today--sci-fi or otherwise.

This boxed set has made me a die-hard fan of the show, and I now realize that this show has accomplished more in 24 episodes than many shows do in five seasons. After watching the last episode, I wished for more.

Keep in mind, this show did not get cancelled because it was bad--it was ABCs rating leader when it aired. Instead, the show was cancelled because the network thought it was too costly to produce.

Buy this boxed set--you will not be dissapointed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Revisit Your Childhood with Battlestar Galactica!!!!!
Review: As a child I was enamored with Battlestar Galactica. Having been bit by the Star Wars bug, I was sucked in to this, let's face it, Star Wars spin off.
I made sure that the BSG box set was at the top of my Christmas list for 2003. I have watched all of the episodes, and must admit how impressed I am with the quality of the transfer from film to digital. Although, I was a bit depressed with the format being full screen, and not widescreen, since I do have the pilot movie on DVD and it is widescreen. The audio seperation is impressive, since the original series was broadcasted in mono. That is one good thing about Universal Pictures, is that they always recorded the audio trax in dolby stereo, (the analog predecessor of Dolby Digital)and actually kept the individual audio trax, so that now, they could be converted to 5.1 digital sound. Although, it would have been better for them to transfer the trax to DTS sound. After all, this project was recorded well over 25 years ago.
The special features are incredible. The bloopers, and re-takes are fun to watch. I was especially touched by the featurette on the last disk, that interviews the cast 25 years after the show went off of the air.
I want to be clear about one important detail. There seems to be a bit of controversy between trekers and BSG fans concerning why BSG was cancelled and Star Trek went on to make three spin-off series and ten motion pictures. The answer is simple. Money!!! In 1977, Star Wars revolutionized cinematography. John Dykstra, who was the guru behind the special effects in Star Wars, was recruited by Glenn Larson, creator and executive producer for BSG to recreate the moive magic captured in Star Wars, and transform it to the TV screen. At a cost of one million dollars an episode, BSG is the most expensive televison series to date. Although the Neilson ratings were phenomenal, it wasn't enough to justify the million dollar price tag. This explains why stock footage was used to much, and the story lines did tend to become a little ridiculous, since the weekly story had to revolve around the limits of technology and the inability pump out brand new footage week after week. Rememeber, the technology Dykstra created to film Star Wars was the same equipment used in BSG. No CGI or Macintosh platfomrs to create lavish sets, and special effects with. Just two inch models. This process took time to perfect, since each explosion didn't want to explode the way the director envisioned it. BSG is classic story telling. Adamma, (Adam) leading a rag tag fugitive fleet( Noah, and the Ark) for a shinny planet known as earth.....(Moses leading the Hebrew's to the promised land) There is a lot of biblical character references in BSG, which is a good thing!!!!!!!
If you are not a BSG fan, then you can watch these episodes all you want and it's not going to register with you the way it registers with us.
If you are a BSG fan, then buy this box set, or hook up with someone who has it, and revisit your childhood. Trust me, it's worth it!!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best shows ever...
Review: I love this show....Had all 24 shows on vhs that I taped off a sci-fi channel marathon of the show....

And "ddsurf001" the show you are refering to is called The Return of Starbuck...Its not on the set because is was one of the Battlestar Galactica 1980 series shows..I have it on tape also, Bought it at a walmart years ago....And in that show Starbuck does not escape the planet....It goes off with him still on the planet...The one your thinking about when Boomer knows its him by wobbling, is there in the set you have.....Thats when Starbuck and Apollo fly the cyclon ship and put the transmitter in there so the rest of the fighter pilots will know its them, but it malfunctions and doesnt work.....

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Where is this episode?
Review: My favorite episode, when Starbuck crash-lands on a lonely planet with a single Cylon is missing... in the episode they become "friends". Other Cylons come to rescue and after a shoot out in which all the Cylons are shot Starbuck escapes in their ship. The Galactica knows it is Starbuck when Boomer shouts, "He's wobbling!" Does anyone else remember this episode or am I dreaming?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: battlestar galactica-complete epic dvd
Review: well this is to cooooooooooooolllllllll to have on dvd, well next to star wars too one of the two greatest movies or t.v shows to own and the greatest sci-fi to have of all time.
I don't own the set yet, but I remember it from my childhood.
I'm going to get it soon.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Original and Still the Best - Now in One Convenient Package
Review: First, let me say that I am an unabashed BG fan and have been since I was eight. Most people wonder why while extolling the virtues of "better" sci-fi. I counter with the fact that I like to look past the surface glitz and glammer at the substance of a show and BG had a wealth of that. When I heard there was finally going to be a boxed set, I was elated. And I was not disappointed.

This is one great set. Universal leads out with the opening episode that has many restored scenes and a great (and at times hilarious) commentary by Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict and Herb Jefferson. The following episodes are transferred perfectly to DVD and contain a wealth of deleted scenes, some of which are pretty amazing. For instance, watching how Viper scenes were shot against timed film on a rear projection backdrop made me realize just how old school some the special effects were. No blue screen acting here! It also made me appreciate the high quality they tried to instill in each episode.

Throughout the collection are other nice mini-documentaries and short commentaries from the cast and crew. There is also a really nice photo gallery with many great shots from the production of the show. Man those models were big!

About the only drawback to the whole production is that the clarity of DVD shows some of the rough edges of this 25 year old series. Matte outlines, wire rigging and such sometimes show up clearly on the screen. George Lucas took the time to wipe that stuff out of the first three Star Wars movies. Universal should have done the same.

Even with the rough edges, this is a fantastic set and one I highly recommend to anyone who is (or was) a fan of the series.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best DVD sets ever...
Review: Well worth the price! If you are a fan of the show, get this set! The 15 to 20 minutes of deleted scenes and alternate takes for almost every episode makes it worth the price, never mind the 20+ hours of program. Plus, there's also a documentary that lets us catch up with many of the surviving cast members as they reminisce about the making of the show. A fan's dream!


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