"A Look Back" (HD, 37:05) is a six-part feature of interviews with the cast and crew on various aspects of the show, from initial thoughts of the pilot treatment to more easter egg trivia bits from their experiences on set.
"...And They Have A Plan" (HD, 4:27) is nothing but a tease for the upcoming Battlestar postlude, The Plan. All titillation, no revelation.
"The Musicians Behind Daybreak" (SD, 30:29) is a counterpart to the "Evolution Of A Cue", and explores the different instruments and themes used, not only throughout the series but also how everything culminated in the expansive finale. It has a more free-flowing structure than the previous music feature, but is still an interesting watch.
There are three extended episodes included in the set:
The first is "A Disquiet Follows My Soul", which has the least amount of deleted footage. Much of it simply extends scenes from the original airing, and while good it's not a required viewing. Ron Moore's commentary on the episode moves at his usual rapid pace, giving a wealth of information, and most interesting because he is able to recount his experiences as a first-time director.
"Islanded In A Stream Of Stars" is much extended from the original, and reveals a good pacing, but with almost twenty minutes of additional footage it was simply too long for the network time slot. Edward James Olmos directed this episode, and provides a very sparse and quiet commentary track. It's not very informative, and the extended episode is best viewed as is.
The real prize, of course, is the extended three-part finale, "Daybreak." Although there are no major revelations in the additional twenty minutes of footage, the simple fact that it is presented all together as a balance to the opening mini-series movie helps bookend the series, while the pacing is kept measured and rich. The commentary by Ron Moore, David Eich, and finale director Michael Rymer is packed with information, as the trio discuss not only the process of sculpting the end of the series, but much of the journey involved with the series as a whole. In general, the commentary tracks on this set are spectacularly generous with information.
There are three Interactive modes that can be accessed, offering extended information during episodes. "The Oracle" is a feature that provides a pop-up widget throughout episodes that lets you explore a particular character and ships in the series. "Battlestar Actual" is pop-up of terms used in the show. The most visual of the three is a slick 3-D effect called "What The Frak Happened To You?", which is only available on the extended version of the three-part finale. It highlights characters of the show, played during one of their key scenes in the finale, and recaps some of their back story through text and superimposed shots from previous shows.





.jpg?t=20130517094513)

Article comments