DVD Review: Catch Current Season of ‘Battlestar Galactica’ Before Mid-Season Premiere

DVD Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – “Battlestar Galactica” returns to the Sci-Fi Channel on January 16th, 2009, at 9pm CST for the final arc of episodes of the beloved series. There’s still time to catch up with season 4.0 before the mid-season premiere of 4.5 in an excellent TV set from Universal. The “Battlestar Galactica” TV packages have been some of the most critically lauded and popular of the format and the new release is no exception.

With perfect video and audio and exhaustive special features, the only negative thing that can possibly be said about “Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.0” is that you’ll eventually have to replace it with a Blu-Ray set. Universal has revealed that “BSG” seasons will be released on the HD format as soon as later this year.

Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.0 is released by Universal Home Video on January 6th, 2009.
Photo credit: Universal Home Video

“Season 4.0” features ten episodes on three discs and the 101 minute movie, “Razor,” for a total of over seven hours of sci-fi goodness. In season four, the civil war amongst the Cylons has escalated and the quest for Earth continues. The fate of humanity hangs in the balance. Producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick dropped a few hints about what to expect from the conclusion of this season but you’ll want to catch up first.

Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.0 is released by Universal Home Video on January 6th, 2009. Photo credit: Universal Home Video

The first thing that’s notable about “Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.0” is the remarkable technical presentation. “Battlestar Galactica” is a beautiful show, shot more expertly than most feature films. The widescreen 1.78:1 picture and the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound transfers are among the best in the history of TV on DVD. It’s jaw-dropping to think about how great these are going to look on Blu-Ray.

The “Battlestar Galactica” sets have been praised for their extensive special features and “Season 4.0” is no exception. Just including the unrated version of the TV movie “Razor” will be seen as a special feature for some and that movie comes with deleted scenes, “The Look of Battlestar Galactica,” “My Favorite Episode So Far,” “Season 4 Sneak Peek,” and a commentary to the unrated extended edition by Moore and writer Michael Taylor.

“Razor” was previously available (and this disc is exactly the same as what was on the market in December of ‘07), but it’s great that Universal chose to include it in this set instead of making fans have an extra DVD outside of the season boxes. You can sell your stand-alone copy of “Razor” now.

Of course, fans are going to be most interested in the new special features for the ten episodes from season four itself. Most episodes includes the podcast commentary by Ronald D. Moore and deleted scenes. There are new commentaries on “Faith” by Moore and supervising producers Bradley Thompson and David Weddle, “Guess What’s Coming to Dinner” with Moore and writer Michael Angeli, and “Sine Qua Non” with Moore and writer Michael Taylor.

Disc three features “David Eick’s Video Blogs” - “Love in Space,” “Why Hath David Forsaken Us?,” “So, This Is It,” “What Next? What Now?,” “Digital Pressure,” “Space Cowboys,” “Lucy’s Breakdown,” “Are You Frakkin’ Kidding Me?,” “I’m a Frakkin’ Cylon,” and “Last Call”.

The behind-the-scenes featurettes are housed on the last disc and include “The Journey,” “Cylons: The Twelve,” “Season 4.5: The Untold Story - Untold,” “The Music of Battlestar Galactica,” and a sneak peek at “Caprica”.

A commentary on every episode, deleted scenes for every one, a perfect video and audio transfer, and exhaustive special features. What more could a TV on DVD season possibly include? There are a few series - “24,” “Lost,” “The Simpsons” - that stand head and shoulders above all others on the format. “Battlestar Galactica” is in that group.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com