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The original Battlestar Galactica, developed for TV in 1978 by producer Glen A. Larson in response to the phenomenal success of Star Wars, was a space opera in the grand old tradition: floridly melodramatic and more than a little campy. That can't be said of the 2003 miniseries, which reimagines Larson's show with relative sobriety and downplays the original's outlandish elements. As the story begins, it has been 40 years since the end of the First Cylon War, and the human survivors of Earth's 12 Colonies are about to decommission their last battleship, the Galactica. At precisely this moment the long-dormant Cylons mount a new offensive designed to wipe out humanity once and for all. Edward James Olmos makes a less avuncular and more hard-nosed Commander William Adama than did Lorne Greene in the earlier version. Jamie Bamber portrays Adama's son Lee, code-named "Apollo." In a welcome bit of surprise casting, Lee's buddy "Starbuck" -- Dirk Benedict in the earlier series -- is played by a woman, Katie Sackhoff, and the male-female competition creates a dynamic that heightens tension and supplies some gently humorous touches as well. Olmos also gets support from Mary McDonnell as Laura Roslin, an administrator who has assumed responsibility for thousands of civilian refugees. Usually seen in more serious fare, McDonnell makes an interesting foil for the grizzled combat veteran played by Olmos. And, of course, let's not forget the human turncoat Baltar (James Callis), whose treachery facilitates the Cylon scheme. Callis isn't as overtly smarmy as his Larson-era counterpart John Colicos, but his villainy is no less deep-dyed. Producer Ronald D. Moore, who created the Star Trek spin-off Deep Space Nine, mounts a very elaborate production, and director Michael Rymer eschews flamboyant heroics in favor of darker shadings in the material. As a result, this miniseries will appeal not only to lovers of the Larson show but also to sci-fi fans accustomed to the more complex and sophisticated genre offerings that have blanketed the small screen over the last decade. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

One of the most popular television series of the late '70s science fiction boom gets a new look for the new millennium in remake, created as a made-for-cable miniseries. Four decades after the Cylon Wars, the Cylon robots (some of whom have since assumed human form) have launched a vicious nuclear attack, leaving only a few Colonial forces to lead the survivors to safety. Led by starship commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) and politician and possible presidential successor Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), the crew of the Battlestar Galactica searches the galaxy for the mythic 13th Colony of Kobol (otherwise known as Earth), their destination and only hope for survival. Battlestar Galactica: The Miniseries also stars Jamie Bamber, James Callis, and Grace Park. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 025192446627
• Source: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Language: English
• Time: 3:03:00
• Sales Rank: 13,538

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Battllestar Galactica: the Complete Series
• Battlestar Galactica - The Complete Series

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