Review of Battlestar Galactica: Razor

Introduction

The reimagined Battlestar Galactica has been one of a few TV highlights over the last few years, but all good things come to an end, and so it is with the fourth and final season due to air in the UK within the next month. To tide us over, Ronald D. Moore and chums produced Razor which aired on Sky over the Christmas break as a stand alone story set between series two and three, and therefore separate from the events described in either.

One of the highlights of the second series of BSG was the reappearance of the Pegasus and Commander Cain. The original two parter had Lloyd Bridges in fantastic form, but to be honest Michelle Forbes is much better in portraying Cain as the hard ass no-nonsense military commander. Forbes portrayal of Cain returns here and she has a protégé in Kendra Shaw (Stephanie Chaves-Jacobsen).

The storyline in Razor takes place not long after Lee Adama (James Callis) takes over command of Pegasus and his dad Bill Adama (the ever excellent Edward James Olmos) has a mission for him. Lee already has Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) installed as his Commander Air Group (CAG) but needs an Executive Officer (XO). Kendra Shaw is down in the galley peeling spuds on jankers after falling out with her last two CO`s, but Lee has a feeling she`s cut from the right cloth.

Razor is set in three story cycles which cut in and out over the course of the episode. The first is set in the present timeline, the second shows the events that shaped Shaw under the influence of Cain and the third shows a young Bill Adama on a mission at the end of the last Cylon war, played superbly by Nico Cortez.

Video

Anamorphic 1.78:1 picture in the grainy grimy look that is deliberately typical of this series. A lot more CGI than normal as there are a number of battle sequences, the CGI also extends to the `old` cylons that make a reappearance after a lot time away - including an aerial battle between a freefalling Adama and Centurion.

Audio

Choice between 5.1 Surround and Stereo 2.0 soundtracks, guess which one is better? Also has subtitles, always a good thing…

Features

Commentary - didn`t listen to this with Ron Moore, maybe I should…

7 x minisodes - each about 2-3 minutes in length and cover the young Bill Adama mission that is part of the storyline for Razor. Most, but not all, of the footage is included in this version of Razor.

Deleted Scenes - only two, but as interesting as they are I`m just not sure where they`d fit into Razor comfortably.

Season 4 Sneak Peek - brief look at forthcoming series, not too far away now…

Season 4 Trailer

Conclusion

Razor reminds me of J.Michael Straczynski`s Babylon 5. The Battlestar Galactica series as a whole is already very similar in that it isn`t just escapade of the week and deals with bigger issues and long story arcs. Straczynski also created a number of TV movies as stopgaps between series as well (In The Beginning, Third Space, River of Souls and A Call To Arms). Unfortunately with the fourth series of BSG already declared as the final series outing, this probably means that this will be the only standalone movie, at least with the majority of the main cast.

It`s tricky when you set something in place back down the timeline, as you have to be careful not to mess up plotlines you`ve already laid foundations for. That essentially means either expanding on something already seen (lazy and probably unattractive to an audience) or putting something in place that is isolated from the series as a whole but carries some resonance with the fans. Razor does that and a bit more. Most people knew before viewing that Razor was just a precursor to Season 4 but whilst it`s not the best thing ever from the pens of the BSG scriptwriters, it`s certainly worth seeing and owning. The reason? Well, there`s a couple.

The first is Cain. Michelle Forbes role as Cain may be dead and buried, but certainly isn`t forgotten. Her emergence was a real highlight in Season 2 and I can`t remember any of the bluster over her replacing a popular male character as there was with Starbuck. The second is a link to the past with the reappearance of original BSG Cylon Centurions with their Knight Rider visors and distinctive Raider ships. They`re now CGI as well and so move much more smoothly and mechanically then the old blokes in suits did.

Kendra Shaw is a good strong character but kind of pales in comparison to both Cain and Starbuck. It doesn`t help that you know just where this character is going, but it`s an interesting ride there nonetheless. The story is an interesting one with some nice character insights into both Shaw and Cain, especially the latter. And despite it`s setting between Seasons 2 and 3, there`s also a link to Season 4 right at the end to just raise a few more expectations amongst fans.

This release is an extended version of the Razor shown on TV with a few extra character scenes and a few more battle scenes. I enjoyed the TV version but the new length is better and carries the story better, well worth a purchase for any BSG fans.