Season 3 DVD of Battlestar Galactica(2008).
© Universal Pictures Home Entertainement
Series: Battlestar Galactica (Season 3)
Rating: Not Rated
Starring: Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer, Grace Park, Michael Hogan, Aaron Douglas, Lucy Lawless
Written By: Ronald D. Moore, Anne Cofell, Jane Espenson, David Weddle, Bradley Thompson, Michael Taylor
Directed By: Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, Michael Nankin, Michael Rymer, Ron Hardy, Wayne Rose, Robert M. Young
Distributor: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Original Year of Release: 2008
Extras: DVD exclusive version of the episode Unfinished Business containing 25 additional minutes of never-before-seen footage. Podcast Commentaries, David Eick's Video Blogs
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BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: Season 3
By: Robert T. TrateDate: Friday, March 21, 2008
When last we left the crew of the Battlestar Galactica, at the end of season two, their settlement on New Caprica was being invaded by the Cylons. Both Admiral Adama (Edward James Olmos) and Commander Adama (Jamie Bamber) decide to jump away from New Caprica to come up with plan to save the day. Those that were left behind were to fend for themselves. This was quite possibly one of the best cliff hangers to a TV show. Ever. It drove you crazy and left you wanting more.
Season three of Battlestar Galactica arrived on DVD this week to satisfy those who have been in need of more Battlestar. Season three on DVD also means those without cable, patience or time can now catch up on what is simply the best show on television.
The show encompasses several mini story arcs throughout the season as the crew gets closer to Earth. The journey must be experienced and not really read about. I decided to break down the best, worst and the one episode that I felt might be the key to everything.
Spoilers Alert from This Point On:
The worst:
“Dirty Hands” was directed by Wayne Rose and written by Anne Cofell and Jane Espenson. This episode started out tackling a big issue. The seeds for this episode had been sewn since Tom Zarek (Richard Hatch) first came onto the show in “Bastille Day” (Season one). “Dirty Hands” brought about an important issue: how long can these people cope with doing the same job every day with no end in sight? No pay, no reward and little hope for the present let alone for their children’s future.
Adama, who usually finds a solution to all problems, goes with a cut throat military tactic to resolve the problem. This does keep with his new diplomacy policy established in this season’s “Unfinished Business”. However, here it felt totally off character for Adama to be uncompromising in his position. Towards the end of the episode Chief Tyrol (Aaron Douglas) has this defiant look towards Adama and the screen should have gone to black with those dreaded words, “to be continued” fading in. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. I know that there is a greater story to be told but the quick fix of a sit down chat with the President Roslin (Mary McDonnell), some feel good smiles accompanied by a promotion of a smaller cast member, Diana Seelix (Jen Halley) felt cheap. This show has never been about the easy choices and that is what makes this show great. Now I know the issue of Chief Tyrol standing up for the workers isn’t as huge as Roslin deciding to rig an election, steal a baby, defy Adama and go off on a holy quest, but this show is about tough answers and tough consequences.
Unfortunately the labor/ class issue gave way to larger Sci-Fi issues. I know it wasn’t as sexy as the Cylon plan or Baltar’s trial, but grounding this show a real world with real problems lends itself to real issues. If the proper time isn’t going to be spent then just skip over it completely. “Dirty Hands” could have played out for at least two more episodes. It is my least favorite for its quick fix and waste of an episode.
The key:
Many answers about the Cylons, Humans, Angels and those that see them may all lie in “Maelstrom” directed by Michael Nankin and written by David Weddle and Bradley Thompson.
The LOST type flashbacks and a look into Starbuck’s (Katee Sackhoff) childhood were unnecessary. A few scenes in any episode make it clear that she has emotional problems. At first I thought, two back to back thumbs down for the writers of Battlestar Galactica. Although I didn’t understand the importance of the flashback until Starbuck realized Leoben (Callum Keith Rennie), her Cylon stalker, wasn’t actually the Leoben.
This brings us to the interesting parallel that the Cylon Baltar (James Callis) sees isn’t the Cylon known as Caprica (Tricia Helfer), but then again she never has claimed to be. So who are these beings and why do they look like Cylons? Further questioning would lead me to ask, who is Caprica talking to? She sees someone that looks like Baltar, but clearly he isn’t. Could these beings be a part of the Cylon’s plan? That question leads to the greatest question of all, what is the Cylon plan? I honestly don’t think it was to eliminate mankind. That would have been too easy and too boring. Was it to co-exist on New Caprica? Well that didn’t work. Now I guess it is to find Earth. But isn’t that mankind’s plan? So what is it really?
With the introduction of yet another “Cylon in the Psyche” character I am being to think that perhaps “they” are what Baltar suspected his “Cylon in the Psyche” to be. He believes that is a messenger from God. These messengers are there to put mankind on the path towards a new beginning and new era of enlightenment. Mankind has been tossed from its Eden forcing humanity to rebuild and redefine itself on the journey to Earth. The “Cylons in the Psyche” are to help them on that journey. Though what about Caprica? She is not human yet she has her own messenger. Perhaps because she wants to be human she sees her own messenger. I like to think that God has sent her a messenger to atone for her sins. She has a part to play in humanities journey to Earth. She played a big part in humanity’s exile, so why not?
“Maelstrom” gets the Galactica back on the journey to discover Earth and reiterates it the show’s focal point. With three episodes remaining that, unfortunately, will have to wait. Baltar must have his day in court.
The best:
Disc three has two versions of “Unfinished Business”. The episode as it originally aired on TV and a 25 minute extended version called, “The Ron Moore Version”. “Unfinished Business” was directed by Robert M. Young and written by Michael Taylor.
“Unfinished Business” takes place during the dance. The dance is a boxing tournament on the Galactica for crew members to work off steam. They are to work out any grudges and, above all, bring back the camaraderie that has left them. As members of the crew fight each other glimpses of the lost year that was skipped over in that final episode of season two’s “Lay Down Your Burdens” are revealed. Here there is the chance to see brighter moments on New Caprica when there was still hope.
For the most part the two main plots remain the same in both versions of “Unfinished Business”. Great character moments are developed and revealed all from what we did not see in that year. All the tension which seemed to be derived from the hard life on New Caprica for some characters came from their own misguided feelings and not Cylon torture. Here, producer Ronald Moore and crew really let all the demons out of the bag for Starbuck and Apollo. Their biggest problem isn’t surviving the Cylons. It’s their love for one another. It is revealed that they were, in fact, “fraking” each other. Apollo’s commitment to her seemed absolute. We would learn the next day that Starbuck, having cold feet, would get married to Anders (Michael Trucco). In turn, Adama can’t have feeling or love anything for his crew because if he gets too close he could lose them all like he did before. Adama saw his crew on New Caprica as people with families, not soldiers. Believing this lead them to be captured he challenges Chief Tyrol in the ring to illustrate that the man in front of you is not your friend, he may be someone you have to order to die. These two problems are bigger than killer robots. They are identifiable in our own lives. How much can we love? How long can we love? Are we allowed to love?
“Unfinished Business” closes the New Caprica arc of the season three. “The Ron Moore Version” only illustrates this point further. There are many moments that dealt with interesting subplots. For example, Cally (Nicki Clyne) and Chief Tyrol asking for Adama’s permission to leave the Galactica is further explored. Also, Michael Hogan and Katee Sackhoff finally get that light hearted moment between Colonel Tigh and Starbuck. There scene is reminiscent of a father and daughter relationship where they discuss her problems.
The scenes that truly stand out in “The Ron Moore Version” of “Unfinished Business” are Dualla’s (Kandyse McClure). In the original TV version she stomps around upset about the boxing match between Starbuck and her husband Apollo, knowing full well that there is something else going on between them. In the “The Ron Moore Version” she is a major player to the story and all of her scenes with Apollo add a weight to the story and to her character like never before. Originally she seemed like a distraction to Apollo, all the while knowing that Starbuck is his first choice. Here, Dualla acknowledges this and accepts it. She wants to be with him as long as possible. Life may only last one more day and she wants to spend it with him. If he leaves her for Starbuck so be it. Dualla also lays it out that this boxing match isn’t about settling a grudge. It is about burning off sexual frustration, a child like crush where they pull each other’s hair because they like each other. Suddenly a light has gone on over the character and Kandyse McClure goes from side player to, finally, a full blown cast member. This does happen later in the season but “The Ron Moore Version” could have brought her into the game much sooner.
There is a lot to this expanded version. It is the real treat of the season three DVDs. Savor it and wait for it. Don’t watch it first. Watch the episodes as they happen and watch the characters develop over a shorter time span than week to week. That is the reason to watch them all over again. To see it unfold as should without commercial interruptions.
Special Features:
There are numerous deleted scenes and podcasts which should keep any Battlestar Galactica junkie completely satisfied. The podcasts with their behind the scenes looks are interesting but have all been on the Sci-Fi Channel website. So they really aren’t anything new. The true gems of the DVD’s are the numerous deleted scenes.
The one that stood above all the rest was from part one of the two part finale called “Crossroads”. Apollo and Romo Lampkin (Mark Sheppard), Baltar’s lawyer, sit in the court room before the trial, talking. Apollo asks Romo if he thinks Baltar is guilty. Romo believes that he is guilty of something but he isn’t exactly sure of what that may be. Romo believes that the real reason why Baltar is on trial is because he broke with the new emerging aristocracy. Romo then asks Apollo is he ready to break from that aristocracy as well by standing with him and Baltar. Can you indeed stand outside of the herd and say that’s bad when the herd says that’s right? Unfortunately this moment was cut from the episode.
Battlestar Galactica will return for its fourth season April 4th at 10pm on the Sci-Fi Channel. Check your local listings and set up your Tivo and DVR.
