Battlestar Galactica – Season Two, 5-Disc Blu-ray set (2005-2006)
Starring: Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Jamie Bamber, Katee Sackhoff
Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Video: 1.78:1 for 16:9 1080p HD
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD MA
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Extras: Ronald D. Moore Podcast Commentaries; David Eick’s Video Blogs; “Pegasus” Extended Episode Commentary with Executive Producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick; Battlestar Galactica Career Assignment Quiz; RND Logos; Sizzle Reel; U Control – The Oracle; deleted scenes; BD-Live
Length: 959 minutes
Movie Rating: ***** Video Rating: *** Audio Rating: ****
In the first season of Battlestar Galactica, the second war against the robot Cylons ended and The Twelve Colonies were destroyed. Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) of the spaceship Battlestar Galatica and President Laura Roslin (Mart McDonnell) led a fleet of refugee survivors in a search for the fabled lost Thirteenth Colony, Earth. In the second season, the fight to save humanity from the Cylons continues on. The Cylons are not the only danger that the refugee humans face, however, as a civil war looms between the followers of President Roslin and Commander Adama.
The entire twenty episodes from the second season are included on five discs. (Disc One: Scattered, Valley of Darkness; Fragged; Resistance; The Farm. Disc Two: Home Part 1; Home Part 2; Final Cut; Flight of the Phoenix; Pegasus. Disc Three: Pegasus Extended Episode; Resurrection Ship Part 1; Resurrection Ship Part 2; Epiphanies. Disc Four: Black Market; Scar; Sacrifice; The Captain’s Hand. Disc Five: Downloaded; Lay Down Your Burdens Part 1; Lay Down Your Burdens Part 2). This television remake of the previous Battlestar Galactica series of some years ago has been a hit with both fans and critics alike. In addition to boasting a great ensemble cast, the show is more than the typical science fiction TV series. Much of its appeal can be attributed to its willingness to explore more controversial topics like politics, racism and religion. Highly recommended.
The overall high-definition video quality for this set is good (although it should be noted that the video is intentionally stylized to appear gritty and cold). Images are clean and display fine detail. Colors are accurate and often under-saturated. Black levels are consistently inky black throughout the episodes. Picture defect mastering is solid with no major flaws or compression artifacts but there is a fair amount of artificial grain that has been inserted for effect. The overall audio quality is very good. The soundtrack is largely dialogue-driven, but still does a nice job of incorporating all of the discrete channels into its mix. Dialogue is intelligible and firmly rooted in the center channel. The surround channels are moderately utilized for the ambient sound effects and music score, plus they include several split rear effects. The low frequency effects channel produces deep, palpable bass particularly in the battle scenes.
– Calvin Harding Jr.
