Battlestar Galactica: Season 2 (Episodes 1-10)

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA is simultaneously one of the most celebrated and one of the most reviled shows in the history of television Sci-fi, a distinction that I regard with a sense of bafflement. The original 1978 series has never been enjoyed a high reputation among either serious Sci-fi fans or among television critics of any stripe, yet a surprisingly large number of devotees have reacted with abject hatred to the new version of the series. A smaller number of STAR TREK fans also hate it, since in many ways the revived BATTLESTAR GALACTICA is the anti-STAR TREK. As far as fans of the original show go, I have very little to say. There is simply no way in which the earlier show was in any way truly a good show, while the new one in virtually every way a truly great one. The original would not rank in the top ten (and perhaps not the top 20) of the best Sci-fi shows ever, while the current BATTLESTAR GALACTICA is one of the best shows ever made regardless of genre. The debate between the new versus the old version of the show is ludicrous.The disaffected STAR TREK fans, however, goes to the heart of how BATTLESTAR GALACTICA differs from most prior Sci-fi series. The truth is that STAR TREK has had far more influence on the new BATTLESTAR GALACTICA than the earlier show did, though the influence was entirely in terms of how creator Ron Moore (and STAR TREK alumni) wanted his show to differ from the STAR TREK shows. The differences are manifold. STAR TREK features aliens; BATTLE STAR GALACTICA does not, though it does have robots. The Enterprise and all other space ships on the show have shields; neither Galactica nor any other ship has anything approximating a shield (you never hear a character yelling, "Shields down to 20 %!"). Weapons on STAR TREK emit pulses or rays; weapons on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA throw projectiles. Crew members don't fight on STAR TREK; much of the action on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA surrounds interpersonal conflicts and struggles among crew members. If a crew member gets stranded on a planet's surface on STAR TREK, they are beamed out; if a crew member gets stranded in BATTLESTAR GALACTICA they only survive if someone goes and gets them. On STAR TREK there is a magical reserve of everything, including smaller ships, equipment, fuel, and whatever; on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA they run out of crucial supplies, including fuel, water, food, and aircraft. On STAR TREK if someone is hurt you hold a healing beam over them and in a few minutes they are healed; if someone injures a knee on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, it takes weeks of healing and therapy to get over it. On STAR TREK none of the characters have serious personal problems; on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA characters struggle with depression, alcoholism, drug abuse, anger, sexual promiscuity, and a host of other problems. STAR TREK is famously optimistic about the future; BATTLESTAR GALACTICA struggles with the issue about whether the human race can survive and even whether it has a right to survive. On STAR TREK characters rarely make major mistakes; on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA even the strongest characters are flawed and make both errors of morality and errors of judgment. And none of this begins to get at the enormous difference in the narrative strategies of the two shows. For the most part the STAR TREK shows are episodic in structure (this is certainly true of the original series as well as STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION; both STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE 9 and STAR TREK: VOYAGER mixed some serial elements into the shows, though they still largely adhered to the episodic form). BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, however, is serial in structure, leaving a large amount of conflict unresolved each week and telling a long, involved story that only gradually reveals itself.There is one more difference between BATTLESTAR GALACTICA and both the original version and the various STAR TREK series: the latter shows appeal to people who are fans of Sci-fi television, while BATTLESTAR GALACTICA appeals more to those who love quality television, regardless of genre. There are people who will love nearly every Sci-fi show, while there are others who will love only Sci-fi shows that would be loved even by non-Sci-fi fans. My own tastes lie somewhere in between. I can go as far as LEXX or ANDROMEDA, but I love a show like STARGATE SG-1. But while I would not rank SG-1 among the best shows on TV, not up there with BUFFY, SIX FEET UNDER, LOST, or VERONICA MARS, I easily rank BATTLESTAR GALACTICA with any show ever made.Season One ended and Season Two began with almost everything on the show as shattered as it was possible for things to be. Adama had been shot by Sharon when her sleeper programming kicked in. Tigh had taken command and managed to make a string of bad decisions. Starbuck is back on Caprica to recover an object crucial for finding the way to earth. The Sharon on Caprica has gone away to protect her baby when it is obvious to her that Starbuck may kill her. Laura is in jail after Adama imprisoned her and declared martial law. Apollo is in the brig because he sided with Laura and opposed his father. Season Two would end just as messed up, but I kept thinking in early Season Two whether Humpty Dumpy could put everything back together again. The plotlines that are developed in the first ten episodes of Season Two are uniformly superb. Over and over when watching these episodes I kept thinking: TV is just not supposed to be this good. Eventually Adama comes out of his coma and recovers slowly from his wounds. The Sharon on Galactica is shot and killed while the Sharon on Caprica returns and not only rescues Kara and Lelo there but goes with them to Kobol where she proves crucial in finding the path to earth. Adama reconciles with Laura and repledges his support of a civilian-led government. And the half season ends with the unexpected appearance of the Pegasus, a battlestar commanded by Admiral Helena Cain, who is magnificently portrayed by Michelle Forbes. The half season ends with Adama relinquishing command of the fleet to the overbearing and dictatorial Cain.As great as the show was in Season One, it just kept getting better and better in Season Two as it continually tried to push to the limits what it was possible not merely to do in television Sci-fi but in television in general. There were just so many fascinating and riveting plotlines and conflicts. The character of Sharon got a lot of development in the season. I love the metaphysical and existential complexity of her character. The Galactica Sharon shot Adama without being aware that she was doing so and was fully committed to a conscious level to the humans. The Caprica Sharon was aware that she was a Cylon, yet in a scene that precisely aped the other Sharon's attempt to assassinate Adam, made a fully self-consciousness decision to side with the humans. Her character would later safe Galactica from a Cylon attack fleet and would provide the catalyst for the split between Adama and Laura on the one side and Cain on the other when a Pegasus "interrogator" would attempt to traumatize Sharon by raping her. Because both of the two Sharons who have been involved with Galactica have the capacity for resurrection, I suspect that her character will continue to be one of the most fascinating aspects of the show. Again, many fans of the original show hate this Boomer, but anyone who finds the original in any way a more interesting character really needs to reevaluate.I have only one complaint about these DVDs and it is one that I'm sure is shared by a host of fans of the show: the cost. This is probably the most expensive DVD set I have ever bought. Even for my very favorite shows if the cost is over $40 for a season I will usually skip buying it and will instead just keep renting from Netflix. But I'll end up paying just under $70 for Season Two. The price is steep indeed and I would very much have preferred having all of Season Two in a single package. At least the set is rich in commentaries and special features. The only reason I bit the bullet and dropped the bucks for this was the fact that this is one of my three favorite shows on TV (along with LOST and VERONICA MARS) and I want to do all I can to support it. I have a gut feeling that Season Three will be the last (though I hope we'll see a Season Four). Because Universal produces the show, makes the DVDs, and owns the Sci-fi Channel, renewal isn't impossible. So, perhaps we will see a Season Four. However much of this show we get, it clearly has established itself as not merely the finest Sci-fi series ever made, but one of the best shows as well.

This renewed series settles down a bit in its second season. That doesn't mean there is any less action, excitement or story line but it does appear more coherent. The stories are easier to follow with slightly less reliance on flashbacks and fast cuts between story lines. The actors are learning more about their characters and everything is falling into a groove. It is an improvement over the first season.Synopses of the Episodes appear below:Scattered - The season opener for the second season picks up right where the finale of the first season ended. Kobol has been found but Adama has been shot by a Cylon sleeper agent. His condition is critical and a Cylon base star makes hanging around Kobol dicey. The order goes out for the fleet to jump. They do only to find that there has been an error. The fleet is not at the location where the Galactica has jumped. The coordinates for the emergency jump had not been passed along. To make matters worse, the ship's doctor is not aboard. He was visiting another ship and Adama needs surgery quickly. The only workable solution involves jumping back and recalculating the jump to figure out where the fleet has gone. This will be estimated to take 12 hours and there is no way the Galactica can survive in the hostile environment for that long. The only other option involves networking the ship's computers so that the calculations can be done faster. This will make them vulnerable to Cylon attack. There are no good choices.Valley of Darkness - Things are looking grim. The Galactica has managed to find the fleet but there have been consequences. The Cylons managed to infect the Galactica's computers while they were networked to calculate the jump. To make matters worse, the Cylons also managed to land a boarding party which is working its way towards the Galactica's destruction. Things are not going to well on Kobol either. Those crew members who had to ditch there at the end of season one are still on the run and Baltar is being further and further seduced into the camp of the Cylons. Meanwhile, back on Caprica, Starbuck and Helo are stranded without a ship deep in enemy held territory; that consists of the entire planet and all surrounding space.Fragged - Things remain ugly as the Galactica tries to mount a rescue mission for their raptor crew stranded on Kobol. In the first place, the president is under arrest for inciting a mutiny and is losing her mind. Other politicians are glad to stir things up further and the worst politician of all is Tigh's wife who sees the situation as an opportunity for her husband (and her) to gain in power. Adama is still unconscious and it is driving TIgh back to drink. Meanwhile, on the planet, an inept officer conceives a plan to attack a Cylon missile installation with his fellow strandees composed mostly of maintenance types and the Vice president. In a strange twist, the some of the military forces prove to be cowards and Baltar grows a set of cojones. It is one set of twists after another.Resistance - Things are falling apart all over. Colonel TIgh declared martial law in the last episode and in this one the fleet is falling into mutiny. Tigh is not doing a good job in command and his social parasite wife just drives him on to make worse and worse decisions in the hope that her own start will rise. Some of the officers are getting edgy about Tigh also and an effort to spring the president comes to the fore with Starbuck taking the lead. Meanwhile, back on Caprica, Boomer and Helo encounter a real enclave of human resistance. Each suspects the other of being Cylon. There is hope. Adama is getting better and may even recover from his coma soon.The Farm - While Adama tries to regain control of a mutinous fleet, he must contend with a son who has chosen to work with the opposition and a dying president who sets herself up as a religious zealot and savior. The president persuades a sizable portion of the fleet to jump with her back to Kobol and the Cylons waiting there. She is convinced by her religious beliefs that she will be able to save them. Starbuck, on the other hand, is still with the resistance on Caprica. During a raid she gets shot, left behind, captured by Cylons and faces the prospects of being used as a broodmare.Home Part 1 - Starbuck finally makes it back to the fleet from Caprica and she has the mythical arrow with her. She also has the Cylon, Boomer, who in another incarnation, tried to assassinate Commander Adama. This does not make for good relations with Apollo. Nobody really trusts Boomer but she is allowed to live because she promises to lead the president to the tomb where the way to earth can be found. IT will be a dangerous mission and people will die. It is even more dangerous for Apollo because some of the rebels see him as an obstacle to their own power.Home Part 2 - Adama takes his portion of the fleet back to Kobol in an attempt to reunite with the president and heal the divisions in the remnants of humanity. The president and her party are looking for the tomb and are being aided by the version of Boomer that did not try to assassinate the president. Still, the confrontation does not lead to a harmonious reunion. Meanwhile, the Cylon known as number six is still up to her mindgames with Baltar. He is becoming less tractable and subject to control. She still wants a baby but allows as how she does not necessarily have to be the mother. From there, she morphs to appear like Starbuck and really gets his hormones running at overtime. He is half convinced that he is going crazy. He is, of course, but not in the way he suspects. The tomb does get found but the answers found there are not as easy to understand as would have been hoped. It does seem, however, that political fences are being mended if one discounts the occasional betrayal, scheme and sudden plot twist.Final Cut - I had watched all of the episodes of this new version of a venerable old series with a mild degree of interest but never with any sense of engagement. That changed with this episode. A muckraking reporter is allowed access to the Galactica. The access is virtually unfettered. It is obvious that the reporter intends a hatchet job and is a "typical" reporter in that the military is bad, always and without exception and that nothing is more important than the career of the reporter. That includes the survival of humanity. During the course of her investigation, though, she uncovers a lot of ugly stuff. She also uncovers some of what it is like to serve. In her final cut, she has not produced a hatchet job. She has produced a piece that shows the heroism as well as the failings of the fleet. All of that is for the good but that is not what hooked me. During the final viewing, I heard some familiar strains of music. This is music that has been in my memory since the 70s. After all of the pseudo-music (at least its not to my taste) of all the previous episodes, the triumphal strains of the theme from the original series begin to emerge just as it is clear that the warriors of the fleet are not going to have their lives, sacrifices and mission further compromised. That silly little bit hooked me. The hook was set when the identity of yet another Cylon agent was revealed in the final few moments of the episode.Flight of the Phoenix - in an episode that is a bit more light hearted than usual, not a difficult task with such chaos being the norm, there are only two primary plot lines in this one. The first involves a Cylon computer virus set to disable the Galactica and leave her open to attack from a large Cylon task force. The only hope to beat them involves trusting Boomer the Cylon and making themselves completely defenseless. The other story line involves the crew chief. As an article of faith, he tries to build a viper from scratch. Everyone says he is crazy but, eventually, many of the crew get sucked into the project. When it is done, it has some previously undersigned capabilities.Pegasus - In this season finale, a plot line is lifted from the original BATTLESTAR GALACTICA series. At least part of it is. The Galactica encounters another colonial Battlestar, the Pegasus, commanded by the legendary Admiral Kane. Needless to say, the Admiral outranks Commander Adama. Their command styles are...different. Adama is not known for his warm and fuzzy ways but is a teddy bear compared to the Admiral and the Admiral is not pleased with the way he has been running his command. Still, the two launch a combined reconnaissance against a Cylon task force. While the mission is away, however, the Admiral arrests two of the Galactica's crew, charges them with treason and issues a summary judgment of guilt and decrees execution. Adama will not accept that and commences an operation to get his crew back. The stage is set for a conflict and the episode and season end on that note.

Estupenda calidad de imagen y sonido,extras subtitulados en español salvo los audicomentarios,una buena opcion de compra si no te importa verla en version original subtitulada en español,porque por desgracia universal no tiene intencion de sacarla en españa,aunque casi mejor ,sobre todo dado como la edito en dvd ,casi sin extras y con el formato amputado a 1:33

After the cliffhanger ending of BSG's surprisingly solid first season it's reasonable to say that season 2 has a lot to live up to. Not only does it have to continue the high number of well-developed character arcs and storylines, but it has to keep engaging it's audience and also maintain the level of intensely dramatic entertainment the last season delivered so strongly.Does it manage? Yes it does, and a whole lot more besides. Not only does this season stay as good as the last one, but it's repeatedly even better.Now, it's worth mentioning that if you haven't seen season one and the mini-series that preceded it, this season probably won't make a whole lot of sense since it's only real flaw is that it's not very forgiving on newcomers this far in.Season two is all about choices and consequences. Again and again the increasingly worn down fleet is faced with difficult choices that make the Olympic Carrier crisis from season one look easy. You will not be able to come down on one side or the other, there's way to much moral ambiguity in place at every turn for clear right-and-wrong distinctions to be made. This adds even more realism to a series already steeped in it, and that makes it even better since BSG's realism is one of it's strongest traits. With every hard decision comes ripples of consequence throughout the series, with no-one left unaffected and no plot-line untouched. Often tiny decisions lead to larger problems but then come the really big questions, where one wrong move could spell extermination, and we as an audience realize that we haven't any more idea what the right choice is than the protagonists.The population count the president kept in the previous installments is now placed (updated per episode) into the opening credits so we're given a constant reminder of how few people are left, with every loss (and very occasional gain) constantly pointed out to us this series never looses momentum and the perpetual sense of threat never lessens. This is one of the simplest and yet most ingenious devices ever deployed in a television series and deserves mention for it's sheer genius.One of the things that stands out having watched this season is just how smart it is. It's clearly written by a very intelligent group of writer's who have no problem infusing moral unease or philosophical debate into their show, and yet they manage to pull it off without a whiff of pretentiousness or boredom. You're being challenged, but you're not being lectured.The visual effects are as good as ever, with some very impressive battle sequences and dog-fights still kept firmly grounded in familiar science and technology. The musical score is as haunting, stirring and involving as before. From a standpoint of presentation values this series is unusually minimalist, but still manages to maintain incredibly high standards throughout.The performances from the large cast are all still excellent, as are those from the occasional new comers, every character is still as well realized and honestly three-dimensional as before with long-standing personal tensions and motives driving the storytelling for most of the episodes rather than the individual problems faced in each.The cylons are given a lot more screen time in season two, providing insight into life on the twelve colonies for everyday cylons as well as their true motives and feelings around the original attacks that started the story. The centurions (cylons that don't look human) appear much more as well, and continue to break sci-fi tradition by being not only intelligent and apparently self-aware but also incredibly dangerous, if you wanted a race of killing machines, you'd build them like this. The enemy getting this much fleshing out in any series like this is extremely unusual and BSG gains a lot from the way it treats it's villains - to the extent that on occasion, you might just come down on their side.In conclusion, Battlestar Galactica maintains and exceeds it's already towering standards of entertainment throughout it's second season. It consistently challenges, thrills and entertains it's audience with well-written scripts, great production values and true-to-life performances. If you enjoyed the first season then sit back, relax, and prepare to be blown away. It's just plain genius.

Season 2 continues the travels of the battlestar "Galactica", focusing more on relationships between the characters we got to know in season 1. As a natural expansion of the series, both the subplots and the main plot grow. Some of the relationships become complex, others stay superficial.. and frankly I don't think they're always doing a good job on it. The acting is superb, although I question the probability of hardened soldiers sobbing over people they've met only recently. A couple of guest stars appear, most notably Lucy Lawless and a brilliant Dean Stockwell. The story is immensely gripping. It had me totally hooked from start to finish; I watched the whole season back-to-back, pausing only for sustenance and the occasional trip to the head.The production is excellent. Let me give you a few examples: someone says the words "body bags" and then the camera cuts to a different scene with someone wearing bag-like raincoats... someone gets hurt, and the film slows as a drop of blood hits the floor, making it clear that human or Cylon: they both bleed. In a later episode, another blood drop falls the same way, linking one wound to another... It's all so terribly well made! It's as if they have thought through every single scene, trying to make each one special. And they are.The episodes aren't as well interleaved as in season 1; you can't skip the credits after each episode, but at least you can still use the fast forward button. Instead of a single booklet with plastic holder "pages", the season 2 discs are held in separate holders with two discs in each; a solution I see as more cumbersome, but also more durable, than the layup for the season 1 set. As special features go, there are some nice deleted scenes, including one showing the first meeting between Tigh and Adama - a split second of which we have seen before - which is quite a nice moment, actually.Watch this like I did, and you may as well order the next season right away. The ending of season 2 opens up for loads of character developments, loads of flashbacks, loads of new subplots - all in all a very exciting prospect. You'll be wanting to see what happens next, believe me...

Reality tv shows have taken over as of late and if like me you cant stand them this is not a good thing, until a couple of years ago thats all you would find on tv. Nothimg really got my attention every thing seemed tired and done before Buffy and angel had run its course, Deep space nine and Friends was over, most new shows lacked any depth or drama(over here in england anyway unless you like soaps if you do shame on you!:). And then just like the bus your not waiting for they all turn up at once, Prison break, Lost , Supernatural, 24 and my favourite Battlestar galactica, if you have not seen this show i can not tell you how amazing it is you need to see for your self. Fantastic stories and excellent acting ensure you are not just waiting for the next bit of action or special effect which there are plenty of,im not going to give any plot lines away in case you are using these reviews to sway you into purchasing the box sets and you haven't seen them but you must start from the mini series and then season 1 which leads me up to my only complaint.The english box sets are a big let down while the picture and sound are good the packaging and extras really suck, if you just want the episodes then the uk box sets are fine, but there are next to no extras. The us sets are fantastic season 1 includes the mini series + season 1+commentries and other excellent extras, season 2 is in two parts 2.0 + 2.5 but again full of commentries and extras + both versions of pegasus and the art work is excellent, i sold my uk sets and got these i was not sorry as the episodes are even presented a lot better but again it depends how much you love this show or how fussy you are. The good news is it looks like this show is definately going to four seasons with a spin of show called caprica coming out in about two years with shows of this quility about it lookks like big bro and the rest are fragged!

I was formerly of the opinion that Battlestar Galactica, Series 3 had the most to offer in terms of variety and quality of drama. I would now like to change my mind, for the record. After having the luxury of owning, and wastching more carefuly both seasons, I must vote for Season 2 being my favourite. Firstly the variety of drama on offer. Season 2 deals with a larger variety of issues and beliefs on the struggling ship/ fleet than any other. Issues like hostage taking, politics, rape, and the human spirit in times of crisis is looked at from many different angles. At the outset, one may think that all of humanity after a nuclear holocaust would be united against the aggressor, the Cyclons 100%...By in large, they are; however, some use this crisis to their own ends greed for power, material assets, etc. Others seek revenge from the powers that be, to the detriment of everyone else. some become very heroic. Some are overwhelmed by the office they hold, some abuse the power they hold. Secondly, there are the practical, and scientific aspects of their survival. The well being of the ships and their inmates. This series is best described by being a blend of 'Survivors' Survivors - Series 1 [DVD ] meets Star Trek. Also, I feel I had to watch each episode more than once to fully appreciate the different characters and the varied problems they face. Obviously, one may want to begin with the Battlestar Galactica mini series Battlestar Galactica - The Mini Series [2003] [DVD] [2004 ] first. without the mini series, one would feel a bit lost. As a Trekkie, I always put Star Trek first, however, I found this to be just as much fun and addictive. Survivors - Series 1 [DVDBattlestar Galactica - The Mini Series [2003] [DVD] [2004