Extra Features

Battlestar Galactica Extra Features

These are just the on disc extra features on the Battlestar Galactica collection detailed. For the review proper, click here.

Season 1: Disc 1 – The Miniseries

You get 21:11 of deleted scenes from the show presented in letterbox SD. These are rough cuts and where appropriate with un-rendered CG.

There’s a 4:12 SD slideshow of Sketches and Art to appreciate.

There are 8 Behind the Scenes Featurettes running to a total of 63 minutes. Interviews with the cast and crew look at the reimagining of the show, but focus more on season 1 than the mini-series, or rather the transition between the two. There’s a lot here that is of interest, and some of it is repeated in re-edited form in the PiP featurettes.

You also get audio commentaries for both parts of the Miniseries from Executive Producers Ronald D. Moore, and David Eick, and director Michael Rymer. I only sampled the two, but I’ll have to find a spare lifetime somewhere to go back and take them in properly, as they are interesting to listen to and informative, with no dead air or gaps. There’s lot to learn about the mini-series, the initial process of making it into a full series (the commentaries were recorded a few episodes into the production of season 1), and the critical reaction from fans of the original series like me.

Season 1: Discs 2-4

You get deleted scenes for selected episodes, 46 minutes in total. You can select Play All, or watch each episode’s specific scenes separately.

You get audio commentaries recorded for the DVD release with Ronald D. Moore and David Eick for 33, Bastille Day, Act of Contrition, and You Can’t Go Home Again.

There are also podcast commentaries recorded for the original broadcast from Ronald D. Moore on Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down, The Hand of God, Colonial Day, and Kobol’s Last Gleaming Parts 1 and 2. The podcast commentaries are a little more informal, and prone to external noise, but you do hear everything that is being said. You can also hear some of the tantalising ideas that never made it onto screen, such as Dirk Benedict as God?!

Finally on disc 4 there is an Are You A Cylon? Personality Quiz for a bit of fun.

Season 2: Discs 1-5

Once again, you get deleted scenes for most of this season’s episodes, a whopping great 1 hour and 49 minutes worth.

There’s an audio commentary with Ronald D. Moore and David Eick on the extended Pegasus episode. From the comments it seems that they also recorded a podcast commentary for the broadcast version, but that isn’t in this collection.

Podcast commentaries from Ronald D. Moore start right from the off, with Scattered, and then Valley of Darkness, Resistance, The Farm, Final Cut, Resurrection Ship Parts 1 & 2, Epiphanies, Black Market, Sacrifice, The Captain’s Hand, Downloaded, and Lay Your Burdens Down, Parts 1 & 2. There is a podcast commentary with Ronald D. Moore and his wife Terry Dresbach on Lay Your Burdens Down, part 1. There are also podcast commentaries from Ronald D. Moore with David Eick on the episodes Home, parts 1 and 2, and Lay Your Burdens Down, part 2. Writers/Producers David Weddle and Bradley Thompson join Ronald D. Moore on a commentary for Scar.

On Disc 2 there is also a Sizzle Reel - Sneak Peek at Episode 11 that lasts 3½ minutes and is presented in SD letterbox.

The rest of the extras are on disc 5, and comprise a fun Battlestar Galactica Career Assignment Quiz. Just six multiple questions will put you through the Galactica’s equivalent of the Sorting Hat. I’m a Viper Pilot apparently, probably callsign Jolly.

You also get 28 minutes of David Eick’s Video Blogs, 7 of them with a convenient Play All option, presented in SD, stereo, and with optional subtitles. They take a look behind the scenes of the show, with an occasionally irreverent eye.

Finally the RND logos are those little animations after the end credits, all compiled into one 2½ minute showreel, and featuring the bits from Seasons 1 and 2.

Season 3: Discs 1-5

Deleted scenes for the majority of episodes across all five discs amount to 69 minutes.

Audio commentaries on this season include David Eick on Hero, and Ronald D. Moore and editor Michael O’Halloran on the extended version of Unfinished Business (a nice insight into the business of editing).

Podcast commentaries abound in this season. You’ll hear Ronald D. Moore and wife Terry Dresbach on Occupation, Precipice, Exodus, part 1, Rapture, Maelstrom, The Son Also Rises, and Crossroads Part 1 & 2. Ronald D. Moore flies solo on the commentaries for Exodus, part 2, Collaborators (audio really poor on this one), A Measure of Salvation, Hero, The Passage, The Eye of Jupiter, Taking a Break From All Your Worries, The Woman King, A Day in the Life, and Dirty Hands. Ronald D. Moore and Terry Dresbach are joined by Grace Park (Boomer/Athena) and Tahmoh Penikett (Helo) on the podcast for Unfinished Business. The podcast commentary for the episode Torn is a little different, taking place in a university lecture theatre and with Ronald D. Moore finding room for a fair bit of Q&A with a class of media students. There are also bonus podcast commentaries on the final three episodes, The Son Also Rises, and Crossroads Parts 1 & 2, where you can hear actor Mark Sheppard (Romo Lampkin), and he’s joined for the first of these by writer Michael Angeli.

On Disc 2 you will also find Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance Webisodes, 10 in total running to 26:24 thanks to a Play All option. They’re presented in SD letterbox with stereo audio, and fill us in on what happened to put Jammer and Duck on their respective paths during the early days of the Cylon occupation on New Caprica.

There are also 5 David Eick Video Blogs running to 15:37, more behind the scenes hijinks, disc 3 has 6 more Video Blogs from David Eick, running to 20:52, while there are Video Blogs running to 39:42 on disc 5.

Finally the Colonial Military Assessment Quiz on disc 5 offers you ten varying multiple choice questions. Get them all right and you’ll unlock an extra deleted scene from The Passage.

Season 4: Disc 1 – Razor

Although this is packaged as part of Season 4, it looks to be the previous Razor single disc release with a new label. Insert the disc, and you first get the option of the broadcast or extended version of the film, before the disc loads up the main menu, although you can chop and change from the menu as well.

You get just under 4 minutes of deleted scenes for this film.

The Look of Battlestar Galactica lasts 8 minutes and as you would expect, quizzes the cast and crew about the show’s visual aesthetic.

My Favorite Episode So Far is a 10½ minute featurette, which again does what it says on the tin.

You get a Season 4 sneak peek with a few soundbite interviews, as well as the Season 4 trailer.

You also get 19½ minutes worth of the Razor minisodes, 7 in total which expand on young William Adama’s mission during the first Cylon war. Incidentally, most of this footage is edited into the Extended Unaired Version of Razor.

Finally on this disc is the Feature Commentary with Ronald D. Moore and writer Michael Taylor. This is an interesting track that looks at how the final film version differs from the original script, and the choices made to reshape and refocus the story in editing.

Season 4.0: Discs 2-3

Season 4 is split into two, Season 4 and The Final Season in the booklet and the sleeve art, Season 4.0 and the The Final Season on the disc labels, and Season 4.0 and Season 4.5 on the disc Menus. Some people refer to it all as Season 4. Nevertheless, the extra content follows much the same format as before.

There are deleted scenes across all ten episodes, and run to a total of 85 minutes.

There are 10 David Eick Video Blogs running to 40:05 on disc 2.

On disc 3 you get featurettes beginning with The Journey (20:55) which looks at the character arcs over the four seasons.

Cylons: The Twelve lasts 15:56 and profiles the known humanoid cylons with interviews with the relevant actors.

Season 4.5: The Untold Story – Untold is a 1:21 trailer for the concluding episodes of the show. There’s also a 1:33 trailer for the short-lived Caprica series.

The Music of Battlestar Galactica lasts 22:35 and is a disposable bit of nonsense with very little information about the music of Battlestar Galactica, instead a spoof documentary following composer Bear McReary as he tries to get into the wrap party.

All of these featurettes and trailers are in SD.

There are audio commentaries on Faith, with Ronald D. Moore and Supervising Producers Bradley Thompson and David Weddle, Guess What’s Coming to Dinner with Ronald D. Moore and writer Michael Angeli, and Sine Qua Non, with Ronald D. Moore and writer Michael Taylor.

Podcast commentaries this season comprise Ronald D. Moore on He That Believeth in Me, Six of One, The Ties That Bind, Escape Velocity, and The Road Less Travelled. On The Hub he is joined by Co-Executive Producer and episode writer Jane Espenson, Editor Mike O’Halloran, and Supervising Editor Andrew Seklir. On Revelations, he’s joined by writers Bradley Thomson and David Weddle, and Editor Julius Ramsey.

The Final Season Discs 1-3

The BD Live links are back for this collection, although only on disc 1. One thing that’s missing from this collection, indeed any Western home video release, is the Face of the Enemy set of webisodes. They are arguably the best webisodes, award-winning, and telling the story of Felix Gaeta prior to the events of A Disquiet Follows My Soul, The Oath, and Blood on the Scales, and fortunately at the time of writing they are still accessible on the Daily Motion website. They did get a Japanese release on their season 4 Blu-ray though.

You get deleted scenes for most of the episodes totalling some 43 minutes in runtime.

On Disc 1 there are three featurettes, beginning with The Journey Ends: The Arrival, which is a 15:48 piece, presented in 720p, which looks at the end of the series, with interviews with the cast and crew. Disc swapping is recommended, as it’s replete with spoilers, and by all rights should have been on the final disc of the series.

Evolution of a Cue lasts 23:14 and is in SD. In the previous collection, the Music of Battlestar Galactica was a comedy skit with composer Bear McReary, which explained little about the music, and goofed off a lot. This redresses the balance, and has Bear McReary and cohorts go through the process of composing music for the show. This featurette is also presented with DD 5.1 audio.

What the Frak is Going on with Battlestar Galactica lasts 8:18, is in SD, and serves as a comedy recap of the entire series up to the start of season 4.

Disc 2 has the David Eick video blogs, 11 of them in total this time, running to 44:47 in length.

On disc 3, you get 3 lots of featurettes. A Look Back comprises 6 mini featurettes that offer a retrospective for the show, interviewing the cast and crew. This runs to 37:05 in total and is presented in 720p.

... And They Have a Plan is a 4:27 (720p) promo piece for the spin-off TV movie, The Plan.
The Musicians Behind Daybreak is presented in SD, and Bear McReary takes a look at the score for the final episodes, and the evolution of the music over the series, introducing the artists that contributed to the show. It’s also interesting to see how what sounded like a mere surfeit of drums at the beginning of the series turned into something epic and orchestral for the final episodes. As all music featurettes should be, this one is presented with 5.1 audio.

Audio commentaries for this season begin with one for the Extended Version of A Disquiet Follows My Soul, with Ronald D. Moore talking more from a director’s perspective, although there is still some overlap with the podcast for the broadcast version. You also get an audio commentary on the Extended Version of Islanded in a Stream of Stars with director and star Edward James Olmos. It’s about as voluble a commentary track as you would expect. He used to say more in an episode of Miami Vice! Finally there is an audio commentary on the extended version of Daybreak, and bookending the series, you get to hear director Michael Rymer, and Executive Producers David Eick and Ronald D. Moore once more.

There are podcast commentaries with Ronald D. Moore on Sometimes a Great Notion, The Oath, Blood on the Scales, No Exit, Deadlock, Someone to Watch Over Me, and Islanded in a Stream of Stars. Ronald D. Moore is joined by his wife Terri Dresbach on the commentary for A Disquiet Follows My Soul, Daybreak Part 1, and Daybreak Parts 2 & 3.