Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

The most important thing I can say about the telefilm Battlestar Galactica:Razor, now released on DVD, is that if you haven’t watched the show through it’s third season, much of what’s on the DVD won’t make sense. It’s not something you can pick up and watch thinking you’ll get into the series from here. It’s something aimed at the fans of the series as a way to fill in some of the gaps in the story as well as keep them interested betweent he two seasons.

That said, for those following the series this is an excellent piece of work. It doesn’t have the feel of having been slapped together to get a few bucks or to shut up some of the discussions on message boards. The production values are high and the story is excellent, dedicating itself to a few of the gaps in the story as well as giving much-needed background on a few of the characters.

The main focus of Battlestar Galactica:Razor is Admiral Cain (portrayed by Michelle Forbes). Cain was ruthless and cut-throat in her brief appearance in the series, leading many to wonder how she could rise to the position she did when it would seem that everywhere she went resulted in a blood bath, and not just of the enemy. Everyone hated the Cylons, but in Cain’s case there was a viciousness that seemed to go beyond the universal hatred displayed by the rest of the colonists.

Battlestar Galactica:Razor fills in the gaps of what happened to Cain’s ship, the Pegasus, in between the time it disappeared when the Colonies were attacked to when it stumbled on the Galactica and the fleet. It does jump around a bit and tells the story of Commander Adama’s (portrayed by Edward James Olmos) experiences in the First Cylon War as well as Lee Adama’s (portrayed by Jamie Bamber) experiences commanding the Pegasus once Commander Cain was summarily dispatched by a Cylon she had tortured.

One point that will definitely bother some is that Battlestar Galactica:Razor establishes that Cain was a lesbian. The whole gays in the military thing doesn’t seem to be an issue in their world. The storyline follows the interaction between Cain and Kendra Shaw, who is not her lover, as Shaw evolves through her tutelage under Cain and eventually becomes Lee’s first Executive Officer. Who Cain’s girlfriend is goes a long way to explaining some of her actions witnessed earlier in the series.

I always wondered how Cain managed to become an Admiral when Adama seemed older than her and yet was her subordinate. Battlestar Galactica:Razor fills that in by showing her brutal style of leadership that kept her crew in line, although the attack on the Colonies might have gone a long way to making her actions even more desperate. When she gives an order that her XO cannot in good conscience obey because he thinks it is sending pilots to inevitable slaughter, she takes his sidearm and kills him with it right on the deck. Her singular vision as to the end result of her actions rather than taking into account the human cost or the collateral damage due to her choices keeps her crew dedicated to her by fear.

Battlestar Galactica:Razor finally really plays homage to the original Battlestar Galactica series as well. There are some awesome scenes with older model Cylons that are the ones from the original series, complete with "By your command".  There's a lot of Razor that's a homage to the original series and plenty that I missed when I viewed it that's discussed in the commentary.

If you’ve only seen Battlestar Galactica:Razor on the Sci-Fi network and are interested in the background and motivations in the series, I highly recommend checking out the DVD. There are enough extras to make it worthwhile, as well as a version of Razor that is longer and contains more background information. I found the extended version far superior to the version that was aired.

Fans of the series will find Battlestar Galactica:Razor worth watching. Others shouldn’t even toy with the idea of watching it unless they watch the three seasons of the series prior to this. This si strictly something for fans in between the seasons of the show. If you don’t watch it, you won’t be lost as it doesn’t really add to anything that happened at the end of season three or give new information you need to have before starting season four. It’s just something good for fans of the show.


BONUS FEATURES:

• Commentary with Executive Producer Ronald Moore and Writer Michael Taylor
• Deleted Scenes
• The Look of Battlestar Galactica
• My Favorite Episode So Far
• Season 4 Sneak Peek
• Season 4 Trailer
• Minisodes


Related reviews:

Battlestar Galactica - The Mini-Series ~ Battlestar Galactica - Season 1 ~ Battlestar Galactica - Season 2.0 ~ Battlestar Galactica - Season 2.5 ~ Battlestar Galactica - Season 3 ~ Battlestar Galactica: Caprica ~ Battlestar Galactica - Season 4.0 ~ Battlestar Galactica - Season 4.5 ~ Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

The complete one and only season of the original Battlestar Galactica on DVD: The Complete Epic Series on DVD

Two novels written by Richard Hatch: Battlestar Galactica: Armegeddon and Battlestar Galactica: Warhawk
 


© 2009 Patti Aliventi

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD