Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series Blu-ray

Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series

 (TV) (2003-2009)

Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi



The world ended with no warning, and all that was left … was hope. The Cylons were created by the people of the Twelve Colonies. Intelligent robots, they were used as slaves and soldiers to fight humanity's wars. But the Cylons became sentient and they rebelled. Man and machine fought to a bloody stalemate, and then the Cylons withdrew to a remote region of space.

A truce between the Twelve Colonies and the Cylons lasted for 40 tense and silent years. Each year, on the anniversary of the treaty-signing, humanity sent an envoy to the neutral ground of Armistice Station to meet with a Cylon envoy. For 39 years, no Cylon envoy came. Then, on the 40th anniversary, a stunning blonde — a Cylon in human form — met the human envoy … moments before the Cylons vaporized the station and launched a genocidal attack on the Twelve Colonies. In one devastating day, billions of human lives were consumed by nuclear fires. Only those souls fortunate enough to be aboard starships were able to band together and escape and flee into deep space, led by the sole surviving Colonial warship, the battlestar Galactica. The Galactica and its crew seemed to be unlikely saviors for humanity's fewer than 50,000 desperate survivors. The ship was old and had been about to be decommissioned and turned into a museum when the Cylon attack occurred. In the aftermath its commanding officer, William Adama, found himself responsible for safeguarding the last remnants of the human race.

Meanwhile, the annihilation of the Colonial government on Caprica resulted in the succession of Laura Roslin, the Secretary of Education, to the presidency. Driven by prophetic visions and political necessity, she set the fleet upon a quest that will take it into the farthest reaches of unexplored space … in search of the mythical, lost "13th colony" — Earth.

For more details about Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series on Blu-ray, see the Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series Blu-ray Review

Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


While longtime fans won't bat an eye at the faithful 1080p/AVC-encoded transfers spread across The Complete Series' twenty BD-50 discs (note the first season utilizes VC-1 encoding), others may be taken aback by the presentation's grainy picture, soft scenery, and gritty aesthetics. To be clear, Battlestar Galactica will never be -- nor was it ever meant to be -- a flashy, hyper-polished series ripe for Blu-ray consumption. Executive producer Ron Moore always intended to submerse his version of Galactica in the grimy, grim fringes of space; to achieve a harmony of atmosphere and photography befitting a series as bleak and desolate as his creation. To that end, Universal's high definition presentation is worthy of praise, if for no other reason than it pays tremendous respect to Moore's every intention. Colors are at the mercy of overblown contrast, absorbing shadows, and rampant noise (more on that in a moment), yet skintones remain relatively natural, primaries remain strong and stable, and blacks remain inky throughout. Likewise, detail soars and plummets with each lighting and scenery change, but nevertheless delivers an unexpectedly consistent experience over the course of The Complete Series's seventy-plus episodes.

It can be disconcerting at first, but anyone who spends the smallest amount of time with Galactica will soon realize how immersive the effect actually is. Sure, delineation is poor and shadows are overly aggressive (particularly when it comes to swallowing the backgrounds), but it becomes clear with every passing shot that Moore wouldn't have it any other way (he says just as much in a brief video introduction that accompanies each season). Universal has also gone to great lengths to ensure viewers aren't confused by the series' appearance. As each disc loads, a message states: "The Blu-ray release of Battlestar Galactica accurately preserves the artistic intentions of the creators. The stylized visual elements within certain scenes are intentional and faithful to the broadcast presentation of the television show." Message overkill? Perhaps, but it should help keep disappointment at bay for any newcomers to the series.

Anyone watching the episodes in quick succession will notice some discrepancies between the first four discs and the other sixteen. The original miniseries pales in comparison to the rest of the series' episodes (contrast is duller, fine detail is middling, and blacks aren't as fully resolved), and Season One is a bit rough around the edges compared to the three seasons that follow it. However, any weaknesses associated with these episodes should be attributed to the fledgling production values of Battlestar's humble beginnings. Budgets were tighter and network support wasn't as robust as it became in later years. Moreover, the special effects weren't as refined, the sets weren't as impressive, and the costumes weren't as elaborate. Thankfully, even in the face of more problematic source material, Universal's technical presentations remain resilient and proficient.

The aforementioned noise on each transfer is trickier to evaluate. At times, it's an unobtrusive and welcome filmic addition, lingering atop the image without interfering with the integrity of Stephen McNutt's cinematography. At other times, it's brash and unsettling, flooding the picture with detail-sapping grain (scenes on the Cylon basestars tend to be the most distracting). That being said, Moore's use of noise doesn't bother me per se, but it does make digital anomalies more difficult to identify. Look closely and you'll notice that the studio's technical presentation isn't perfect -- faint artifacting, minor banding, and crush leave their mark on several scenes, and edge enhancement makes its fair share of appearances. Mind you, none of these issues are nearly as annoying as they were in the HD DVD release of Season One (which suffered from more frequent macroblocking, more noticeable banding, and other technical mishaps), but they still pop up (again, to a lesser extent) on several occasions.

All things considered, I'm quite pleased with the results. Even a quick comparison to the standard DVDs reveal a variety of obvious improvements, making the Blu-ray edition of each season well worth the upgrade. I'm confident anyone approaching Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series with appropriate expectations will be just as satisfied with the overall presentation.

Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


The Complete Series' bold and bombastic DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround tracks are even more impressive, packing enough nuclear blasts and ship-to-ship combat to thoroughly demolish your home theater. The thundering rumble of colliding basestars, the heavy kick-kack of gunfire, and the recurrent bah-dah-dah-dah of composer Bear McCreary's infectious version of "All Along the Watchtower" (among many other memorable musical cues) erupt as powerfully and precisely as any uber-fan like myself could hope for. LFE output is vigorous and convincing, dipping deep to come up with some sternum-rattling bass. I grinned every time an explosion jarred the crew on the Galactica bridge, and marveled at the immediate rush of sound that accompanied the Battlestar's sudden, low-atmosphere appearance. By the time the crew prepared for their last stand and final assault, I was enthralled by every clanking hunk of metal, every tick-tack-tock of Raptor fire, and every upbeat and beatdown of McCreary's phenomenal score.

Better still, the shrill sheen of every FTL jump is crisp and clean, the desperate cries of fallen heroes are crystal clear, and the shunk-shunk-shunk of approaching toasters is unnerving enough to make an audiophile mutter, "fraaak." Rear speaker activity is just as potent, filling panicked hallways and shuddering officers' quarters with the same rich ambient atmosphere that graces planetary surfaces and Cylon complexes. Simon the Cylon's baby factory is filled with eerie echoes, the inside of a hijacked Raider pulses with the strange biomechanic rhythm of the machine's integrated guts, the advanced operating systems of the Pegasus hum and quiver with life, angry winds meander across the desolate surface of an enslaved New Caprica, and the stony confines of an ancient temple sound just as vast as they should. I couldn't get over how easily effects panned across the soundfield or how accurate their placement was (especially for a television show). Dynamics hit me just as hard, leaving little to the imagination and even less to grumble about.

If I have any complaint it's that dialogue, while exceedingly sharp and intelligible for the most part, sometimes (once or twice an episode, tops) sounds a bit hollow. Lines occasionally sit above the soundscape instead of dwelling within it, leading to a few instances of pinched voices and shallow conversations. It's more apparent on the original miniseries and several first season episodes -- more often than not, something I'd attribute to production values -- but the issue also rears its head, strangely enough, in the series finale. Even so, the attributes of the Complete Series audio presentation far outweighs such minor (and infrequent) oddities, leaving little for astute listeners to whine about. Fans will be enraptured by the experience, newcomers will nod their heads in approval, and ardent audiophiles will give this lossless powerhouse their blessing.

Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series Blu-ray, News and Updates

• New Packaging for Battlestar Galactica Blu-ray Revealed - February 12, 2010


• Battlestar Galactica Blu-ray Exchange Packaging for First-Edition... - February 5, 2010


• Battlestar Galactica Series Blu-ray Repackaged, Adds The Plan - February 1, 2010


• Battlestar Galactica Season Two Blu-ray Announced - January 14, 2010

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has announced the Blu-ray release of 'Battlestar Galactica: Season Two', which is set to hit store shelves on April 6. This box set will consist of five discs, identical to those included on 'Battlestar Galactica: The Complete ...

• Battlestar Galactica Season One Announced - October 7, 2009

Our friends over at TV Shows on DVD have the scoop that Universal Studios Home Entertainment will release 'Battlestar Galactica - Season 1' for Blu-ray on January 5th. These discs have already been released as part of the 'Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series', ...

• No Face of the Enemy in Battlestar Galactica? - May 28, 2009

When we listed the special features for the upcoming 'Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series' Blu-ray set, some forum members pointed out that the extras list made no mention of 'The Face of the Enemy'. Indeed, it seems that this series of ten webisodes will ...

• Battlestar Galactica Blu-ray Extras Detailed - May 22, 2009

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has detailed the extensive special features for the Blu-ray edition of 'Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series', which will hit store shelves on July 28, day-and-date with the DVD release, in a "Limited Edition Telescopic ...

• Battlestar Galactica Seasons Announced for Blu-ray - April 22, 2009

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has announced that they will bring 'Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series' to Blu-ray on July 28th, day-and-date with the DVD release. Every episode will be include in this twenty-disc set (all of which are BD-50s), and ...