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Battlestar Galactica

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A DVD Techtite Review

The Film : As ambiguous as it sounds, this was as much of a knock-off as it was unique! On the one hand, it was obviously riding on the large coattails made by the then-recent 1977 blockbuster, Star Wars. On the other hand, it had an intriguing idea; that ancient structures on Earth trace back to tribes of humans from space, who fled here to survive. Those who did not flee are still fighting in space, "somewhere beyond the heavens..."

Among these fighting ships far away is the Battlestar Galactica. It is among twelve other gigantic vessels which defend the twelve human colonies (each colony is named after a zodiac symbol, for an amusing what-if plot effect). These colonies have finally reached a peace agreement with their eternal enemy; robot beings called the Cylons. The rendezvous with Cylon peace ships turns out to be merely a trap, however, set to catch the Battlestars off guard. Only the Galactica, whose Commander (Lorne Greene) suspected the attack, survives the battle.

The choice of the only remaining Battlestar is to lead a rag-tag bunch of smaller space ships --the last survivors of the twelve colonies-- to a possible sister world. This world, mentioned only in ancient texts, is Earth. Along the way, however, Galactica must make an important stop at a planet for fuel and supplies; the first episode of the series, which makes for a good, standalone, 2 hour movie.

The flaws of the series itself were numerous; it will surely be the subject of Techtite.com's "What Went Wrong" column someday (if it hasn't already, by the time you read this). What did not go wrong, however, was this first episode/movie; the series' first goof was taking away everything that went right in this film! Aliens are foreboding looking insects and chrome-plated robots; nice consumes and make up galore. Cast members include Jane "Doctor Quinn" Seymour, Dirk "A-Team" Benedict, and Richard Hatch, who's working a script for a modern Galactica remake. If the comeback is anything like this pilot episode, I'm all for it.

The DVD : Few remember that this "TV movie" was in fact a feature film in theaters. As a result, very rarely (never, actually) do modern movie fans get to see the Widescreeen version. Here, on DVD, they get their chance!

Fans of the series will wail at one omission, however; the actual series pilot. Instead, only the "theatre version" is included, with many scenes omitted, added, or completely different. As a result, many scenes someone would remember, from "the TV version" of the film, are not present. Gone is the scene where Athena and Starbuck confess how they really feel about each other, in Athena's sleeping quarters (one of the most character-developing moments of the whole series!). Gone is the alternately shot scene where the traitor Baltar lives to fight another day (i.e., episode). Sure, that first shot of the dunce-capped robot, "Lucifer," is not present either --and that's pretty much of a plus-- though the choice of director's cut and "actual" cut should've been present. This is a feature on other Sci-fi DVDs (like Stargate and The Abyss) and it should've been offered here, too.

There's a smaller gripe as well. While it seems unlikely to bring back all the stars for a comeback featurette, DVDs like Animal House and Fast Times at Ridgemont High showed that it is possible. Such a featurette for Galactica's DVD would be a must-see; it would be nice to see what anecdotes could be said by Hatch, Greene, Benedict, and Maren "Athena" Jensen, to name just four castmates. An audio commentary track, or a nostalgic featurette, would have been an awesome addition. I guess it sounds odd, though a DVD that includes merely the movie just doesn't cut it anymore...

The end result is a mixed review. It's nice to have a cult hit on DVD for posterity. On the other hand, it's a shame more thought wasn't put into this DVD. After all, this is probably the first and last time Universal will give the go-ahead for such a DVD, of such a less-heard-of "hit." One might hope that, by 2003, Universal approves a collector's DVD of the show, with the commentary and featurette it deserves. I won't hold my breath hoping they will, though; this appears to be it...

	Final Rating : Small Crater. Oh, what this show could've been, if Jane Seymour didn't leave in Episode 2! The initial film is still intriguing, though; good fun for fans.
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