Blu-Ray Review: Second Season of ‘Battlestar Galactica’ Available in HD

CHICAGO – Releasing seasons of hit shows that have only been available for a few years in the first place on Blu-ray can be a tricky proposition, especially when it’s not the first. What fan of “Battlestar Galactica” doesn’t own the second season of this great show? If you’re one of the few who hasn’t completed their collection because you’ve been waiting for HD, today’s your lucky day.

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

The first decade of the new milleniuum has arguably been the best in history for television science fiction and one of the most important programs of this new golden age has been Syfy’s (God, I hate that new name) “Battlestar Galactica”. The show has been completed and all of its seasons now available in standard and HD versions with season two getting the standalone treatment for the first time this week, after being only available in the Complete Series box for the show.

Battlestar Galactica: Season Two was released on Blu-ray on April 6th, 2010.
Photo credit: Universal Home Video

I wrote the following last year when the Blu-ray Complete Series was being released - “It’s a little odd that they didn’t upgrade the non-HD seasons like 4.5, but that’s the only conceivable complaint. What I mean is that if you missed a season in your collection and don’t want to spring for the full Blu-ray set, you’re going to have to have a mix of standard DVD and Blu-ray. All of the seasons should be available as stand-alone Blu-ray releases along with the “Complete Series” set.”

Well, now that process has begun. Finally. But what’s taking so long and why not just release them all individually? So, now, you can get 1, 2, 4.5, and “The Plan” in stand alone HD sets or buy the complete series. This mix-and-match release pattern is annoying.

Having said that, the releases themselves are spectacular. The second season of “Battlestar Galactica” looks amazing in HD with a 1080p High-Definition Widescreen transfer with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio and sounds perfect with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.

The 5-disc set for “Battlestar Galactica: Season Two” includes hours of detailed, spectacular special features, several of which take advantage of the Blu-ray functionalities of “U-Control” and “BD-Live,” making them, technically, “new features” for those of you considering the upgrade of your standard set.

The “U-Control” feature is called “The Oracle,” which is an interactive guide including ships and characters. “BD-Live” functionality allows for more bonus content, “Battlestar Galactica Trivia Challenge,” and “Battlestar Galactica: Ultimate Battle Card Game,” an interactive feature in which you can challenge your buddies, as Colonials or Cylons, in the ultimate battle of strategy.

Specific special features:

o Deleted Scenes
o Ronald D. Moore Podcast Commentaries
o “Sizzle Reel - Sneak Peek at Episode 11”
o “Pegasus” Extended Episode Commentary
o “Battlestar Galactica” Career Assignment Quiz
o RND Logos
o David Eick’s Video Blogs

[15]	By BRIAN TALLERICO [16] Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com [15]