Battlestar Galactica 2004

Watching order

Because there are some issues with watching this, here is the order.

Copying from the site in case it ever goes down, but this info came from here: http://thunderpeel2001.blogspot.com/2010/02/battlestar-galactica-viewing-order.html

It's probably more confusing here on trakt, so go to the above linked site for a better layout.

The Miniseries
Night 1
Night 2

Season 1
1.01 33
1.02 Water
1.03 Bastille Day
1.04 Act of Contrition
1.05 You Can't Go Home Again
1.06 Litmus
1.07 Six Degrees of Separation
1.08 Flesh and Bone
1.09 Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down
1.10 The Hand of God
1.11 Colonial Day
1.12 Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I
1.13 Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II

Season 2
2.01 Scattered
2.02 Valley of Darkness
2.03 Fragged
2.04 Resistance
2.05 The Farm
2.06 Home, Part I
2.07 Home, Part II
2.08 Final Cut
2.09 Flight of the Phoenix
2.10 Pegasus (56 minute extended version)
2.11 Resurrection Ship, Part I
2.12 Resurrection Ship, Part II
2.13 Epiphanies
2.14 Black Market
2.15 Scar
2.16 Sacrifice
2.17 The Captain's Hand

Razor (101 minute extended version - not the 81 minute broadcast version)

Important note: This was originally broadcast just before Season 4, but chronologically it fits here, telling more of the Pegasus's story. Some people argue it's better to watch after Season 3, as originally broadcast, but it makes most sense to watch it here.

The reason that the placement of Razor is a hotly contested issue among BSG fans is because of a bit of dialogue at the very end (in the last 10 minutes) which sets the tone for Season 4 (barely even a spoiler). Everything else in this TV movie is not a spoiler.

So why place it here, and not where it was originally broadcast, if there's any sort of issue? Because, chronologically, the story is set here, and by the time you reach the end of Season 3, the story of Pegasus will feel like ancient history. Indeed, that was the complaint echoed around the internet from fans after Razor originally aired -- it had nothing to do with what was going on in the story at that time.

As a result of this, most fans agree it's better to watch Razor here. In doing so, you'll appreciate the story more and it will have greater emotionally resonance. In short: I highly recommend that you follow my advice and watch it here.

There is one small caveat, however: In order to deal with the above dialogue issue, and so not to unintentionally alter the tone of Season 3, I have two, very specific instructions that I recommend that you follow for your absolute optimum enjoyment.

I will try not to spoil anything with these instructions, so pay attention. You need to press MUTE on your TV (and/or turn off any subtitles) in the following two moments. Both of these moments occur in the last 10 minutes of the story, so you can relax and enjoy the first 90 mins before you need to worry.

Press MUTE when:

1. The hybrid touches Shaw. (You can unmute as soon as the hybrid lets go.)

and shortly afterwards:

1. When Red One contacts Pegasus. (You will literally hear the dialogue, "This is Red One come in" and see Pegasus respond -- mute before Red One can give their message to Pegasus.) You can unmute when you see Red One on your screen -- actually before that, but there's no other visual clue I can give you.

That's it! That's all you have to worry about. Two very small moments, and even if you don't unmute it, it's not a huge spoiler, it just unintentionally alters the tone of Season 3 if you don't, so do try your best to follow my instructions.

2.18 Downloaded
2.19 Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I
2.20 Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II

The Resistance
A 10 episode web-based series bridging seasons 2 and 3. (25 mins.)

Season 3
3.01 Occupation
3.02 Precipice
3.03 Exodus, Part I
3.04 Exodus, Part II
3.05 Collaborators
3.06 Torn
3.07 A Measure of Salvation
3.08 Hero
3.09 Unfinished Business (70 minute extended version - Note: Not included on Region 2 DVDs, but is included on ALL Bluray releases.)
3.10 The Passage
3.11 The Eye of Jupiter
3.12 Rapture
3.13 Taking a Break From All Your Worries
3.14 The Woman King
3.15 A Day in the Life
3.16 Dirty Hands
3.17 Maelstrom
3.18 The Son Also Rises
3.19 Crossroads, Part I
3.20 Crossroads, Part II

Razor: Yes, this again. (Well this is where Razor was originally broadcast, after all.) Remember the last 10 minutes where I told you to MUTE two small moments? Well, guess what, now is when you get to go back and hear what was said. Watch the last 10 minutes of Razor here.

Season 4
4.01 He That Believeth In Me
4.02 Six of One
4.03 The Ties That Bind
4.04 Escape Velocity
4.05 The Road Less Traveled
4.06 Faith
4.07 Guess What's Coming to Dinner?
4.08 Sine Qua Non
4.09 The Hub
4.10 Revelations

Season 4 Continued (aka "Season 4.5" or "The Final Season")
4.11 Sometimes a Great Notion

The Face of the Enemy
A 10 episode web-based series (although it plays together like an intense mini-episode). (36 mins.)

4.12 A Disquiet Follows My Soul (53 minute extended version - only on Bluray releases)
4.13 The Oath
4.14 Blood on the Scales
4.15 No Exit

The Plan (DVD/Bluray movie)
A stand-alone movie that shows (approximately) the first two seasons from the Cylons' perspective. (You finally get to see "The Plan", mentioned all those times in the opening sequence!) Although The Plan was originally released after the show had finished, it is generally agreed that it should be watched here, so that everything is all tied up when you do reach the end.

4.16 Deadlock
4.17 Someone to Watch Over Me
4.18 Islanded In a Stream of Stars (62 minute extended version - only on BluRay releases and Region 1 DVDs)
4.19 Daybreak (150 minute extended version - only on BluRay releases and Region 1 DVDs)

The Plan : This is where this DVD/Bluray movie was originally released (after the show had finished). It seems universally agreed that it's preferable to watch this after No Exit, instead of after you've finished the entire series, but there's no harm in waiting until now.

Then Caprica the series: http://trakt.tv/show/caprica

This show is a complete mystery to me in the way I perceive it.

I know the original since being a kid. Always loved it and watched it many times. Read the books, too. When the mini-series came I hated it. Everything was different, especially the characters. So I never bothered with the rest that came later.

For whatever reason, years on, I decided to buy the DVD box. I watched the whole show and I was so drawn into it. The day hadn't enough hours in it to watch the episodes. One day I went through thirteen episodes in one sitting. Still a record. I thought it was amazing from start to finish and rated it accordingly "9".

Now, ten years later, I wanted to watch it again. Aside from knowing the main story line, which spoils a lot, I was really exited at the beginning. But that subsided pretty fast and by the middle of the first season I was getting bored. Is that the great show I watched before ? I don't like the story or the characters. And there are so many holes and logical problems in the plot.

By the end of season one I don't care any more and decide it's better to stop then ruin my memory of it being what it was.

I'm waaay overdue watching this, and finally did. In 2022, so many movies and TV shows spoon-feed the narrative to the viewers: look, this is the bad guy, he's doing evil stuff and looks evil. This is the good guy: he may have flaws, but he's just human, you know? Or here's a guy you originally thought was evil, but turns out that he was just hurt badly. Character development, because he's good, actually.

Watching BSG in 2022 is a breath of fresh air. The characters are complex, multi-dimensional. They make mistakes and more importantly: those mistakes have consequences. There is a lot of nuance in the relationships between the characters and the writers kept these relationships extremely consistent.

There is also real character development. Not only for the better: very often, quite the opposite. These changes are real: they affect the story and the characters relationships as well. And why wouldn't some people change for the worse? They are experiencing unprecedented hardships, injustice and tragedy.

Finally, something we don't see often: the story is a complete arc. I'm not claiming that the writers knew from the start where the story would end up, but they had a lot of foresight. So when the finale came, it felt complete, logical, like things were flowing in that direction from the beginning.

Good show though like many and in particular sci-fi it has its faults, humans up against a far superior force with the end result, humans survive. Like with pretty much all sci-fi it is what is in my opinion their downfall, they are predictable and it makes the end result boring which spoils many otherwise good series! The amount of times I've seen a sci fi series were the humans are up against some alien foe often a foe that is just simply in another dimension in terms of advancement with the humans always finding a way to save the day is now quite frankly boring. It's the same old rinse and repeat over and over and over again.
In terms of battlestar galactica, there are some characters I grew to detest very quickly with Mary McDonnell (President Laura Roslin) at the top of the list, she’s irritating obnoxious, vindictive and crooked, one could say she was basically everything politicians are, there wasn’t a single episode were I didn’t wish someone would put a bullet in her head and finish her!
Another one I grew to detest very quickly was Edward James Olmos (Admiral Adama), not as bad as president Laura Roslin in that he had his moments but was also plenty obnoxious and vindictive!
So to summarise, good series with the usual predictable ending which ditracted a lot from the series for me.
Also spoiled for me by the two characters I mentioned above which as I said I grew to immensely dislike with each passing episode. I progressively wished they would get killed off as the episodes passed and I have to say I would have had great satisfaction had they both been killed off very early in the series. I started to want to fast forward the series anytime they were on, that’s how much I grew to dislike their characters, especially Roslin!!! They really put me off the series!