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One of the most discussed and celebrated Science Fiction drama of our time, Battlestar Galactica, arrives on the home front in its entirety for the Blu-Ray audience. This Emmy and Peabody award winning series artfully re-imagines the 1978 series of the same name with vigor and bite.
BSG has won many viewers regardless of their familiarity with the previous series with its discussion of the human condition and what defines one’s humanity. This comprehensive box set of the entire BSG series allows the audience to enjoy and explore a series that has helped to redefine the Sci-Fi genre. Always on the cutting edge, this series is thought provoking with its examination of subjects including love, war, terrorism, the treatment of prisoners, loss, and religion which are all germane to the human condition while repeatedly taking the audience on an unforgiving ride of twist, turn, surprises, and reversals.
When this arrived at the office we were all pleasantly surprised that the Blu-Ray discs are packed in a 7.5”x7.5”x8.5” cube (instead of the standard bookshelf format) with each of the seasons on one of the four side faces of the cube. Each season comes in its own box and all of which adorn a Cylon Centurion face on the cover. Stowed in the top of this box is the Cylon Centurion figure which is a whooping 8.5” tall.
The packaging will immediately grab people’s attention and is sure to provide a point of interest for fans and non-fans alike. Setting it on the desk here at the office caused quite a stir as passers-by stopped to marvel at it.
This 20 disc Blu-Ray set contains all of the extras and goodies that were included in the previously released DVD sets and this collection marks the first time that the complete series is available in the High Definition format. When the first disc of each season is played, the user is greeted by series creator Ronald D. Moore who briefly explains that these Blu-Ray discs are the first time that he himself has been watch BSG in HD (this introduction is the same across all four introductions).
An interesting side note about this High Def rendition is that it (the HD version) allows us to see the technological progression of the effects that were used to create this series. The early pieces, such as the pilot, are quite grainy and have noticeably improved as the crew gained a better understanding of the requirements that needed to be met for this new format. A sure example of this is that the earlier extras are filmed in the standard format while those extras made for later seasons are filmed in HD.
Also included in this set is the unrated and extended version of Battlestar Galactica: Razor, which is a movie that further explores the events that transpired on the Battlestar Pegasus.
In additions to the tons of features that were packed in each season/half season’s box set, this compilation includes previously unavailable bonus material that takes the audience deeper into this richly imagined universe like never before. The Battlestar Galactica Complete Collection Blu-Ray edition features the U-CONTROL mode across the entire series, which allows the home audience to further explore the making of this phenomenal show with out ever having to exit the feature or return to a menu to access this mode. When in this mode the user is able to access features such as “The Oracle” which provides an interactive guide to the ships and characters of the BSG universe, “Battlestar Actual” which is a glossary of terms that are unique to the BSG universe, “Battlestar Blips” in which quick explanations are appear, and “What The Frak Happened To You” which is a series of video clips or relevant facts that explore the history and connections of the BSG characters.
The picture-in-picture feature contains video commentary from the creators as well as the cast of this epic saga while “The Oracle”, “Battlestar Blips” and “Battle Star Actual” provide small pop-up windows with either pictures or factoids. For those who need a quick series recap, the “What The Frak Happened To You” feature will take the user to an environment that re-caps important moments in a specific character’s history during the show via video clips and text while the episode plays in the background. One of the features that would have been nice to include in this complete set is an automatic marker system that keeps track of where the user is with in the disc/episode. As it stands now, if the disc is removed and reinserted or the Blu-Ray player is turned off and then back on, the user must find the place where they have left off. There is a feature to create a bookmarker (via the Green button) yet it would have been nicer to have an automatic feature to do so.
When watching this series on an internet capable Blu-Ray player, the audience is given access to BD-LIVE mode which grants access to online features such as the latest trailers. One of these features is Battlestar Galactica Ultimate Battle Card Game in which players can connect with their friends online to battle one another using strategy and luck to achieve victory as either the Colonial or Cylon forces. Another interesting feature is the MY SCENES mode in which favorite scenes can be chosen then juxtaposed to create a video montage.
The Brass Tax: If you’ve got a Blu-Ray player and are planning on owning Battlestar Galactica then the wait is frakkin’ over! This collection of the entire series is sure to bring hours of viewing pleasure with all of its great features and extras.
