A review of the Battlestar Gallactica miniseries on DVD

The Battlestar Galactica miniseries was first aired on the (then) Sci Fi channel in December 2003 and acted as a form of pilot for the series that followed. The miniseries was then released on DVD in 2004, in March for the UK and December for the US and Canada. Below is a review of the miniseries.

Summary

The basic premise for the miniseries is explained clearly in the opening sequence. The Cylons were robots created by humans to make life easier but they rebelled and war followed. Set forty years after this war, the miniseries follows the events after the Cylons decide to return home.
The Cylons look human now and have decided to wipe out humanity by bombing all twelve human worlds. All that is left are the people who were on ships at the time of the attack and these civilian ships must form a fleet under the protection of the Battlestar Galactica in order to continue the human race. However what makes Battlestar Galactica so engaging is its complexity.

Reaction and review

Realistic characters The miniseries doesn't shy away from the nastier side of life and the genocide of the human race is shown with brutal realism. Not everyone is a hero, not everyone acts nobly and not everyone is going to survive.
The miniseries also sets up the main characters and a massive number of the supporting characters extremely well. All are deeply flawed but they are realistic and you can't help rooting for their survival. Camera The camera work is similar to a documentary style with plenty of snap zooms and objects falling out of focus. This is even carried on in the digital effects, which look amazing, and this again roots the series in a very believable world. The ship Setting itself apart from other science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica does not have the best of the best in terms of crew or ships. The ship which is the focus of the miniseries, the Galactica, is not state-of-the-art with limitless technology. This is not shiny, safe Star Trek; Galactica is an old ship and when we first see her, she was about to be turned into a museum. The cast The cast are stunning and contain strong female leads such as Katee Sackhoff as Starbuck and the superb Mary McDonnell as Roslin. James Callis shines as Baltar and is brilliantly over the top as the unimaginably selfish doctor. However, it is Edward James Olmos who steals the show as Commander Adama. Conclusion This miniseries sets up the story beautifully with the perfect balance of background story and action. Full marks for this DVD - I recommend anyone to watch the Battlestar Galactica miniseries.