Top products from r/BSG

You can try the following books:

Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy: Knowledge Here Begins Out There
> What’s the point of living after your world has been destroyed? This is one of many questions raised by the Sci-Fi Channel’s critically acclaimed series Battlestar Galactica. More than just an action-packed “space opera,” each episode offers a dramatic character study of the human survivors and their Cylon pursuers as they confront existential, moral, metaphysical, theological, and political crises.

> This volume addresses some of the key questions to which the Colonials won’t find easy answers, even when they reach Earth: Are Cylons persons? Is Baltar’s scientific worldview superior to Six’s religious faith? Can Starbuck be free if she has a special destiny? Is it ethical to cut one’s losses and leave people behind? Is collaboration with the enemy ever the right move? Is humanity a “flawed creation”? Should we share the Cylon goal of “transhumanism”? Is it really a big deal that Starbuck’s a woman?

Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy: Mission Accomplished or Mission Frakked Up?
> In attempting to retain her "human" side, does Sharon really have free will? Is killing a Cylon murder or garbage disposal? These are some of the questions addressed in this thoughtful collection of writings on the philosophical underpinnings of Battlestar, Galactica. The book includes a brief analysis of the original 1970s and 80s series but concentrates primarily on the episodes, characters, and issues from the entirely reimagined current series (including its fourth and final season, scheduled for airing in early 2008) as well as the two-hour TV movie and direct-to-DVD release Razor.

Battlestar Galactica and International Relations (Popular Culture and World Politics)
> Looking at a television franchise like Battlestar Galactica (BSG) is no longer news within the discipline of International Relations. A growing number of scholars in and out of IR are studying the importance of cultural artifacts – popular or otherwise – for the phenomena that make up the core of our discipline.

>The genre of science fiction offers the analyst an opportunity that cannot be matched by more mimetic genres, namely the chance to look at how sets of widely-circulating expectations of the social serve to constrain authors as they work to introduce as yet unexplored problematiques, the fantasy aspect in much of science fiction storytelling is premised simply on a material difference. As such, while the physical setting of a science fiction tale might appear novel, its imaginative life world will likely retain many elements of the world we already live in and which we can readily recognize as similar to our own. For Critical IR scholarship then, BSG presents an opportunity to examine how these purported homologies or elements of redundancy between the fantastic and the real have been drawn and perhaps to consider, too, whether the show can teach us things about world politics, its various logics and structures, which we might not otherwise be sensitive to. Tackling some of the key contemporary issues in IR, the writers of BSG have taken on a range of important political themes and issues, including the legitimacy of military government, the tactical utility of genocide, and even the philosophical implications of artificial intelligence technologies for the very category of what it means to be 'human'. The contributors in this book explore in depth the argument that one of the most important aspects of popular culture is to naturalize or normalise a certain social order by further entrenching the expectations of social behaviour upon which our mentalities of rule are founded.

>This work will be of interest to student and scholars of international relations, popular culture and security studies.

So Say We All: An Unauthorized Collection of Thoughts and Opinions on Battlestar Galactica
> The science-fiction television series Battlestar Galactica is known for raising thought-provoking questions concerning martial law, artificial intelligence, power and corruption, and ultimately what it means to be human. What ethical complexities come into play when one mistake could mean the anihilation of the human race? How do you maintain faith in the Gods when you're involved in an Armageddon of your own creation? What is the distinction between a terrorist and a freedom fighter? These questions are given an intelligent and insightful examination in this engaging collection of essays.

I'd recommend buying the soundtracks. I listen to them all the time while I'm writing.

SPOILERS BELOW IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE ENTIRE SERIES



Miniseries

Richard Gibbs is the primary on this one and Bear McCreary assists. The twinkling bells of Six's theme may seem repetitious at first, but the seeds of BSG's sounds can be found here.

Season One

Great stuff, without question. "Passacaglia" and "Shape of Things to Come" are truly beautiful.

Season Two

Thanks to the arrival of Pegasus and the attack on the Resurrection Ship, the action drums of this album are fantastic.

Philip Glass' "Metamorphosis One"

Thanks to Starbuck's dad, I had to buy this. A truly great piece. Without it, my Season Two sounds empty.

Razor/The Plan

Since these are both Season Two based movies, I placed the tracks here. "Apocalypse" kicks ass.

As far as watching The Plan (I'm assuming you already saw Razor), I would suggest waiting until you watch the series for a second time. Pop it in right after the scene in "Lay Down Your Burdens" wherein in Roslin passes sentence on the duplicate Cylons in the brig.

Season Three

The lead up to "Watchtower" is magnificent and I always crank the volume for the New Caprica action sequences.

Season Four

With "Watchtower" fully revealed, it gets used to great lengths. Includes the full, haunting version of Gaeta's song. Plus, "Kara Remembers" floors me every time and the full orchestral sounds of "Daybreak" are worth rattling the speakers.

Jimi Hendrix - "All Along the Watchtower"

Of course, I have to cap off the BSG experience with Hendrix's version. I mean, c'mon.

Caprica pilot

Lastly, for completeness' sake, I have this one in the playlist, too. I only hope they can release the rest of Bear's great work on this show in the future.

As for watching Caprica, I do recommend it. It starts slow, no question, but it picks up in the last six or so episodes and by the end, you'll be cursing SyFy's name (yet again) for not giving the show another season.

Now if only they'd release a Blu-ray of the series ...

There are two I'd recommend: Three Kingdoms and Monkey.

Three Kingdoms is obviously what you and I slightly discussed. It's a period in China after the fall of the Han Dynasty where three kingdoms fought for unified control. The Han Dynasty was so significant Chinese people still refer to themselves ethnically as Han, among other groups like Hakka, Uighur, etc. And the Japanese term kanji comes from the Chinese han ji = "Characters of the Han". Anyway, the book I referenced above is a novel written about the three kingdoms. If you've seen the movie Red Cliff, that was about a decisive battle during this period.

Monkey is my favorite Chinese novel. It's also known as Journey to the West. Historically there was a Chinese monk named Tripitaka who traveled to India to fetch scriptures for his people. He made it back and succeeded his journey. Now this book, however, was written about 100+ years since this monk and the author threw in some really esoteric and crazy shit. Using the monk's journey as a backbone for his story, the author actually writes about an extremely intelligent monkey who learns the ways of the gods, wages war against the gods, and somehow found himself becoming Tripitaka's bodyguard on his journey to India. There are two other characters that follow on the journey, but it's mostly focused on Monkey. It's amazing how much more human Monkey seems than the gods/people he meets.

Even though Monkey was a fictional character, some Chinese people actually worship him now. Strange, I know.

I'll be honest, Three Kingdoms is a bit more dry. It jumps back and forth and goes on and on about certain characters and events. If you've read the Iliad, it's along those lines but not as bad. Well, I read the unabridged English translation of the Iliad which was a challenge.

Monkey is an easier read and it still inhibits some lengthy scenes but it's more comical and fun. All the Chinese gods are involved in this book. From Buddha to the Bodhisattva, they're in here.

Fun fact: The Bodhisattva was originally a male in Indian Buddhism. As Buddhism traveled east other cultures changed the Bodhisattva to a female. If you ever come across Korean Buddhist paintings you might just notice she'll have a mustache.

tl;dr

1. Three Kingdoms
   
2. Monkey aka Journey to the West
   
3. The Monkey King himself

If you want some free streaming options, I watched some of the series on Project Free TV. The movshare.net links worked best for me. Project Free TV has all the episodes, at a passable video quality.

I also found a lot of the episodes, at a better quality, on this guys Dailymotion channel. Not all the episodes are on here, but the picture quality is much better so I'd recommend it over Project Free TV when it is available. The exception to this is the last episode, which is cut up weird. So I'd watch that on Project Free TV.

But your best bet is to buy the Blu ray box set. On Amazon it usually hovers around $100-$170. Saw it on black friday deal for $90 once.

I concur with the second point. If you can't afford to at the moment but you end up really enjoying the series, i suggest buying the blu-ray of BSG which has a plethora of additional content. It's super worth it. This is the one i bought (and also one of the cheapest, but it's very good quality).

I purchased this set for my first watch of the series: Amazon Link. No issues with compatibility that I experienced; good quality.

It's got the mini-series, the complete series including extended versions of some episodes, and Razor. It's missing The Plan, but I think this box set is a pretty good value - it's really decently priced compare to other box sets.

It was released on DVD and Blu-Ray, so you just so happen to be in luck. http://www.amazon.com/Battlestar-Galactica-Blu-ray-Digital-UltraViolet/dp/B00A3718IS

I believe it did quite poorly even for a web release (despite it premiering on Syfy). It was easily my least favourite entry in the franchise, it just seemed all fake and lens flare-ish.

One of the reasons I like the reboot series so much was just how great the visual effects were, to the point where you forget everything happening is all CG and not actual massive-scale dogfights and volleys between Battlestars and Basestars.

There have been a few individuals involved that believe Blood & Chrome isn't dead (namely Richard Hatch, who wouldn't really know anyway), but I think that's just wishful speculation on their part. I would love to see more BSG, but I don't know how they would do it.

You will not regret watching this (and the director's comments) on blu-ray. It looks absolutely fantastic. Also be prepared for lots of grain/noise. It's there on purpose.

By the way I got the series on a special through slickdeals a few years ago. You can find the combo here on amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Battlestar-Galactica-Edward-James-Olmos/dp/B0036EH3U2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411579221&sr=8-1&keywords=blu-ray+battlestar+galactica

I second Hola! Unblocker. It's simply incredible. In reply to your question: $700 US is way too much. Amazon.co.uk has "The Complete Series for £39.99, which is 876.648 pesos (something like $60USD) according to XE.com. The set is advertised as region free, although it does also say it's region B further in to the ad, so you might want to ask and make sure. They also ship to Mexico, and state that it takes 7-10 days. From a review: "The Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] DOES NOT CONTAIN:

• The Plan (TV Movie)
  
• The Face of the Enemy (Webisodes x10)
  
• Blood & Chrome (a seperate spin-off prequel series that shouldn't be expected to be included in this box set. Can be purchased seperately)
  
• Caprica (another seperate spin-off prequel series that shouldn't be expected to be included in this box set. Can be purchased seperately)".
  
  I'd double-check the region thing and make sure the set is actually region-free, but that's a steal at that price.
  
  Here's the URL for the ad:
  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Battlestar-Galactica-Complete-Series-Blu-ray/dp/B0027UY8B8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407973489&sr=8-1&keywords=bsg
  
  here's the URL for shipping info:
  http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=11072981
  
  here's the URL for the currency conversion site I used:
  http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=40&From=GBP&To=MXN
  
  here's a URL for a happy baby horse: http://www.redbubble.com/people/kathycline/works/5929015-happy-foal
  
  Hope this helps.

Here's the US store link.

I can confirm it has everything except The Plan. (It doesn't have Blood and Chrome, but that is a prequel-type thing.)

I bought this and watched it all (for the first time) a few months ago. There were some questions about what players it would work on - all I know is it played fine on my PS3.

I saw some of the reviews commenting on transferring issues/quality issues... I never saw the original airing or the show on DVD, but I thought the quality on blu ray was good and had nothing to complain about.

This is the set I purchased not too long ago. It ended up being a UK version but it worked fine on all my players (PS4, Xbone, and some at a friend's house)

https://www.amazon.com/Battlestar-Galactica-Complete-Blu-ray-Packaging/dp/B0027UY8B8

Came with extended versions of episodes (I recommend watching these over the regular ones!), a bunch of extras such as deleted scenes, concept art, commentary. It had a little pamphlet full of spoilers that I recommend new viewers avoid. It has the miniseries, every episode of the show, and Razor (in standard and extended), but it's missing The Plan.

The packaging was neat and fairly sturdy and will definitely last a while. Doesn't look bad either. The price is terrific too.

As for 4K releases, I'm not sure. BSG is kind of a dead franchise like Stargate. At least for now. BSG came back from the dead once and Star Trek did it twice. The problem with 4K and BSG is I'm not sure how well a lot of the shots and effects would hold up and it might require a bit of investment for Universal to make. There would have to be a pretty substantial show of interest among fans for such a project.

Galactica-Actual, I'm impressed. You certainly know your BSG. Have you by chance read The Science of Battlestar Galactica?

I own this version, it's the full series that also comes with optional extended episodes, bonus features, and Razor. Well worth the $60:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027UY8B8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Battlestar-Galactica-Ultimate-Collection-Blu-ray/dp/B0146L092C

"Experience the complete Battlestar Galactica adventure in all it's High Definition intensity. Includes all 4 complete seasons, plus the Razor, Plan and Blood & Chrome TV Movies. Plus the complete Caprica prequel series, available on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK. Bonus Features Deleted Scenes Extended Episodes Behind the Scenes Featurettes Razor Minisodes David Eick's Video Blogs The Music of Battlestar Galactica Audio Commentaries Caprica Video Blogs And much more "

I got this exact set last December from the same link for £24. It has everything but The Plan. Still a really good deal right now.


edit: this one from the US store is only $59.99
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0027UY8B8/

This is what I have and I love it, it has everything.

uhm, FYI, at least in the US, the Bluray boxset is now only $65!!!

20 left in stock at time of posting this (10:45PM EST, Sept 4)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027UY8B8/

keep in mind, this is just the series, there is a better collection, with EVERYTHING of new BSG in one box, here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0146L092C

Well, the silver box one is on sale on Amazon right now:

http://www.amazon.com/Battlestar-Galactica-Complete-2004-Blu-ray/dp/B0036EH3U2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1322767548&sr=8-3

Here are some books: http://www.bol.com/nl/s/boeken/zoekresultaten/Ntt/battlestar+galactica/Ntk/internat_books_all/Nty/1/N/8299+8292/Ne/8299+8292/search/true/searchType/qck/index.html?_requestid=170784

There are some novels available. But haven't read any of them

This one might be interesting: http://www.amazon.com/Cylons-Secret-Battlestar-Galactica/dp/0765315793

Definitely worth getting on Blu-ray. If you don't mind the rating logos on the box, get this UK set: http://www.amazon.com/Battlestar-Galactica-Edward-James-Olmos/dp/B0027UY8B8/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1393855633&sr=1-1&keywords=battlestar+galactica
It's cheaper than the US, and it's only missing The Plan.

Yeah, this one was $89.99 I think.

They offer that price every so often if you're patient.

Do yourself a favor and buy it. It's on sale at Amazon now. (I don't know what it's normally priced at, but this is a decent price)

http://www.amazon.com/Battlestar-Galactica-Edward-James-Olmos/dp/B0036EH3U2/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415462656&sr=8-1&keywords=battlestar+galactica

Its cheap on Amazon!
https://www.amazon.com/Battlestar-Galactica-Edward-James-Olmos/dp/B0027UY8B8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1484810580&sr=8-3&keywords=Battlestar+Galactica

Here's what I found on Amazon. I don't anything about the books, though.

https://www.amazon.com/Paradis-Battlestar-Galactica-Richard-Hatch/dp/0743474414

What is the difference between this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0027UY8B8/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484833227&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=battlestar+galactica&dpPl=1&dpID=51raz7klTQL&ref=plSrch

And this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0036EH3U2/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1484833276&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=battlestar+galactica

see the first review comment here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027UY8B8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

buy it here £30 is more than reasonable

http://www.amazon.com/Battlestar-Galactica-Songbook-Piano-Solo/dp/1617803677/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1301784685&sr=8-4

Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0036EH3U2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_0rloDb45E6Z96

This is the only complete set. It's the remastered Blu-ray set with Razer, plan, minisodes and webisodes. You would still need Blood and Chrome and Caprica but those aren't technically a part of BSG2004.

Here you go:

https://www.amazon.com/Battlestar-Galactica-Edward-James-Olmos/dp/B0036EH3U2

The grain was intentional with this show. I got the under 50 dollar box set and it is absolutely phenomenal.

Season 2 OST CD

This box set has it: http://www.amazon.com/Battlestar-Galactica-Edward-James-Olmos/dp/B0027UY8B8/

I got the silver box Bluray collection, and it including most everything. None of the webisodes, but all the extended episodes, Razor and the Plan. Got it for $90 before tax.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036EH3U2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's the title of a book
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Science-Battlestar-Galactica-Patrick-Justo/dp/0470399090

Battlestar Galactica Map of the 12 Colonies TV Poster 39 x 26in https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004KUW4VE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_k8ZNzbQY8SC12

Or you can buy it on Amazon Prime for the same price and watch it on any platform, not just Apple products.

Here's the one I'm purchasing: https://www.amazon.com/Battlestar-Galactica-Ultimate-Collection-Blu-ray/dp/B0146L092C

Get THIS VERSION instead.

It has everything but The Plan.

As far as I can tell, the longer versions seem to be only in the Blu-Rays.

But you can get the whole set for as low as $28 (used) on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Battlestar-Galactica-Complete-Blu-ray-Packaging/dp/B0027UY8B8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1494265025&sr=8-3&keywords=battlestar+galactica

Actually, you don't need to hope for it.

"EP zero" would be the mini-series, which is absolutely essential to watch before Season 1 Episode 1. Unfortunately, it's twice the price of all of season 1 right now: link

Unfortunately, google says that's the biggest one on the whole internet. You can grab the poster from amazon for $10 if you're wiling to risk the mediocre reviews, though.

Not sure if it's an autocorrect but it's "fell swoop." Having been someone who misused a phrase for ages until finding out in an embarrassing way, I wanted to mention it.

Also you may not quite be done! In addition to the movies that took place in the main series, there's also Blood and Chrome that takes place when Adama is getting his start. It sits between Caprica and BSG. It was a web series that got released as a movie: https://www.amazon.com/Battlestar-Galactica-Unrated-Blu-ray-UltraViolet/dp/B00A3718IS

This may be moot if you know that already.

It looks incredible but one warning, the miniseries and about the first half of the first season are grainy as hell in 1080p. There is even a RDM bit before watching the show saying that this is how it's supposed to look. It's not that bad but sometime during the first season they start toning down the film grain and then the show looks even better (to me). Just thought I'd warn you if you started watching and think there's something wrong.

Also here's a tip, the UK series release works in all regions and is only 40 bucks which is a third the price of the US release. Neither include The Plan so you'll have to get that seperatly if you want it.