Film Review: Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

I think I can speak for many Battlestar Galactica fans when I say that the series ended somewhat abruptly, leaving me wanting a bit more insight into those last few episodes. Thankfully, right after the last episode aired there was a preview for an upcoming DVD called The Plan which was supposed to highlight the cylons’ perspective on this whole mess.

Instead, what we actually get is a recap of the entire series with a couple new scenes and one new character. Trust me, if you followed the show closely, this “film” is a waste of time. It’s basically the writers’ attempt at proving to us that they actually had this storyline planned the whole time (word to the wise, if you want to make people believe that, you shouldn’t have admitted that you made it up as it went in interviews). The film is mostly just snippets of scenes we’ve already seen, and it jumps around so much that anyone that hasn’t seen the series would be completely lost.

This is a product that really has no audience, since it’s too vague for newcomers and it hardly has any new content for devotees. Chances are fans are going to watch it anyway, but be warned – there are no revelations in The Plan.

Best line: “No more Mister Nice Gaius!”

Review: Caprica Pilot

Caprica is an upcoming TV series that serves as a prequel to the events of the recently-concluded Battlestar Galactica TV series. It’s set 58 years before the cylon attack that destroys civilization and forces humanity to take to the stars in search of Earth, their ancestral home (there’s a little BSG 101 for you). Considering this is a prequel and all, you don’t need to watch Battlestar Galactica in order to follow Caprica, although I’m sure they’ll be throwing all sorts of Easter Eggs in for fans in the coming episodes. The pilot episode of Caprica was released on DVD and digital download last week, and the series will start up in early 2010.

In the pilot, you follow Joseph Adama (father of William Adama and grandfather of Lee Adama, both pivotal BSG characters), who after a series of tragic and coincidental events, is witness to the invention of the cylon race. There are some characteristics to the populace that we didn’t really see in Battlestar Galactica; for instance, each planet/race has its own unique identifiers and cultures, which is a level of depth that wasn’t really fleshed out earlier. There’s also very little sci-fi to this series, at least at the moment – sure, it’s set in a futuristic world and there are new technologies, but this is a far cry from the “war in space” setting of the original series.

The show has been green-lighted for an 18-episode first season, and to be honest I’m not quite sure they can make compelling enough TV to last that long. A lot was already fleshed out in the pilot alone, and I feel like another 4 hours could finish of this storyline. Especially since we’re working with such a finite timeline – I’ve personally always been leery of prequels because knowing how it will eventually end up takes out half the fun. I expect the series to take a dramatic turn at some point and veer away from the cylon-production-centric pilot, simply because there isn’t enough content to fill a whole season.

Overall, it is an interesting (if not predictable) start to what could be a series that even my wife will probably enjoy.

Battlestar Galactica Recap: S04E20

It’s over. How did it turn out?

** Caution: major spoilers ahead. Read only if you’ve watched Battlestar Galactica up to Season 4, ep 20. **

The End Of An Era

Man, don’t these guys look young in this picture?

In less than four hours I will watch the final, two-hour episode of Battlestar Galactica. Interestingly enough, this will be the first time that I watch the show without downloading/DVR-ing it, so I’ll have to suffer through commercials (oh, the humanity!).

I watched the first four-hour miniseries in 2004, and didn’t like it one bit. And then I watched the first season, and liked it a little bit. It wasn’t until the second season when they really started to get heavy with the mythology stuff that I was really interested in it. Now the mythology has come full circle, and hopefully we’ll see some conclusive stuff tonight. Stay tuned for my final BSG recap.

Battlestar Galactica Recap: S04E19

BSG’s second-to-last episode did a fair job of setting up next week’s two-hour finale.

** Caution: major spoilers ahead. Read only if you’ve watched Battlestar Galactica up to Season 4, ep 19. **

Battlestar Galacitca Recap: S04E18

I actually watched this episode several days ago, but for some reason I thought I had already written up my recap. So I’m late, sue me.

Editor’s Note: Please don’t sue me.

** Caution: major spoilers ahead. Read only if you’ve watched Battlestar Galactica up to Season 4, ep 18. **

Battlestar Galactica Recap: S04E17

** Caution: major spoilers ahead. Read only if you’ve watched Battlestar Galactica up to Season 4, ep 17. **

Battlestar Galactica Recap: S04E16

Some familiar faces return to the fleet.

** Caution: major spoilers ahead. Read only if you’ve watched Battlestar Galactica up to Season 4, ep 16. **

Battlestar Galactica Recap: S04E15

Now that’s more like it; no politics, just storyline! Sorry this recap is late, I was a bit busy this weekend.

** Caution: major spoilers ahead. Read only if you’ve watched Battlestar Galactica up to Season 4, ep 15. **

Battlestar Galactica Recap: S04E14

You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
You tell me that it’s evolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don’t you know that you can count me out
Don’t you know it’s gonna be all right
all right, all right

** Caution: major spoilers ahead. Read only if you’ve watched Battlestar Galactica up to Season 4, ep 14. **

Battlestar Galactica Recap: S04E13

** Caution: major spoilers ahead. Read only if you’ve watched Battlestar Galactica up to Season 4, ep 13. **

Battlestar Galactica Recap: S04E12

“The Disquiet That Follows My Soul” had a few revelations but it was also held down by a lot of the same political mumbo-jumbo that has always plagued the series.

** Caution: major spoilers ahead. Read only if you’ve watched Battlestar Galactica up to Season 4, ep 12. **

Battlestar Galactica Recap: S04E11

Holy crap. I mean, holy frak. It’s been seven months since the last episode of Battlestar Galactica, and I woke up this morning to find that the show had started up again. For those of you that don’t remember, last year I would do a weekly recap of each BSG episode, complete with spoilerific commentary and questions. With only ten episodes left for the entire series, it’s time to start again.

** Caution: major spoilers ahead. Read only if you’ve watched Battlestar Galactica up to Season 4, ep 11. **

Battlestar Galactica Recap: S04E10

So this was the mid-season finale, and we have to wait seven months until the next 10 episodes, at which point the series will end. So, how are they doing at the midpoint?

** Caution: major spoilers ahead. Read only if you’ve watched Battlestar Galactica up to Season 4, ep 10. **

Battlestar Galactica Recap: S04E09

Last week I was treated to an early release of episode 408, but I had to wait all week for this one. That made my wait seem much longer than it probably was.

** Caution: major spoilers ahead. Read only if you’ve watched Battlestar Galactica up to Season 4, ep 9. **