Battlestar Galactica...when?
 

Has anybody heard any rumblings of rumors when the new series of Battlestar Galactica will be on DVD in the US? It is coming to DVD in the UK the end of this month, but won't be exactly cheap after currency conversion. I am tempted to order it but was curious to know what the US specs and prices would be....

Not to mention this information states it is part one, suggesting it's only half the season, but it is four discs, enough to fit 13 episodes.


Battlestar Galactica: Season 1 Part 1


List Price: £49.99
Our Price: £34.99
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Release date: March 28, 2005. Not yet available: you may still order this title. We will dispatch it to you when it is released by the studio.

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Well considering that it won't finish airing here in the US till April 8th, we'll be lucky to see it by late Summer.

Also that print of it just being Part 1 is a misprint. I believe they corrected that shortly after they put it up. ie. It's the full 13-episode season.

I'd be interested in hearing if the 4 hour miniseries (i.e., the pilot) is included in the Season 1 boxset. I've been holding off buying the miniseries because I don't want to double-dip.

Well, I too wished that Sci-Fi Channel would have just waited to include the mini-series on the eventual season set, but something tells me that they won't so I went ahead and bought the 2-disc set back in late December when it first came out.

I'm glad they put out the miniseries separately because this way I was able to catch up with the series while it was still young (thanks to the 5-episode marathon a couple of weeks back).

I hope the series comes soon, with the mini-series included. I love this show.

As a sidenote, in case it hasn't been mentioned, Stargate Atlantis S1 is coming to DVD in November. The 2-part Pilot will be released in June. So of course it begs the question, will this pilot be included in the S1 box.....somehow I doubt it.
http://www.gateworld.net/news/2005/0...dscoming.shtml

SciFi Friday is the best night of television!

I would love to see this come to dvd soon , i missed some episodes (forgot to setup my replaytv) and would like to catch up!

I would also like to see the mini series included with the set, that would bring the pseudo episode run from 13 hrs to 17 hrs, very close to season two's 20 episode slating.

Plus it would be nice to have it all packaged together in one set.

Now I wouldn't go so far in saying that. The reason why they're releasing the pilot for Atlantis separately might be because it was kind of a cross-over between SG-1 and Atlantis, and for those who only wish to collect SG-1 could get that part of the story without having to buy the Atlantis set.

The first season of Atlantis only has 20 episodes as it is, so to exclude that 2-part pilot from the first season set would only leave it with 18 episodes, and I very highly doubt that MGM would do that.


As for the probable possibility of the exclusion of the BSG mini-series from the season set is simply that the mini-series is just that...a mini-series. Although it is more or less the pilot, it wasn't billed that way in TV terms. Going back to the Stargate franchise, if I recall correctly, the last few seasons of SG-1 (I think since Season 6) have aired its 2-part season opener on the same night. And they've never not included those in the season sets. So I doubt the Atlantis "pilot" will not be included in the season set. Let's put it this way, I'll be very surprised, and a bit pissed if they don't.

While I wouldn't mind it either, the mini already has its own extras, albeit it's just a Sci-Fi Channel "The Lowdown" special and few deleted scenes plus a commentary.

BSG and SG-Atlantis will definitely be at the top of my purchase list!!!!

I will be very surprised if the miniseries is included in the S1 set. Imaging the storm of complaints (justified) from people who already bought the mini (which was not cheap)!

Besides, the product is already out there; it's mastered, it's packaged, it has a UPC.

I would NOT be surprised if we see a significant price-drop on the mini when S1 comes out, along with some sort of bundle/rebate offer.

I've been following the series religiously -- I think it's the best thing on TV right now -- but I'll buy the series box just for easy rewatchability, whatever extras are included, and to support the show.

RichC

I too have been following the show religiously, I just hope the remaining episodes get a bit better. I'm tired of the "Let's play 'Guess who the Cylon is this week.' game." I want to see some more space battles, dammit!

Well, look at the 1978 BG series as an example. You can buy the original 2-hour movie as a single DVD. Or you can buy the box set of season 1 (or the "entire epic" in this case since there was only a single season). But the original 2 hour movie *is* included with the season 1 box set. So this leads me to suspect that there is a fair chance that the new BG pilot (or "miniseries") will be included in the season 1 boxset. If not, then I will simply buy the miniseries separately when the boxset is released. But in the meantime, I'm gonna wait because I don't want to double-dip.

I agree with almost everything you said and I think BSG is the best thing sinced sliced bread. But since it is allready masterd (which to me is a plus not a minus) cost wise it would take nothing at all to dump it into the season 1 set.

and as we all know the studios are dead set against making the consumer double dip.

Aren't the pilot (included in the box) and the theatrical cut (the separate release) different? Not necessarily substantially different, but different masters, and different enough so that purists would have objected had the theatrical version been included in the box *instead* of the real pilot?

I don't think this is really a valid precedent.

RichC

Yeah, even though I'm not an expert on the theatrical version vs the 3-part pilot version, I know from several sources that there were some differences. Same thing could be said about the Buck Rogers movie and TV show pilot.

Well, it would require an extra side for the movie, plus whatever space was needed if they were to include the extras from the original release. It would certainly raise the price of the set, probably by at least $5.

If they *do* decide to double-dip, I'd expect a significant rebate -- $10 at least -- or some other offer to appease people who just spent $15-20 on the miniseries DVD a few months earlier.

Personally, I hope that *do* include the miniseries in the S1 box, since I didn't buy it.

RichC

Yeah, the pilot and the theatrical version are really two different beasts. The pilot is about 30 minutes longer, and there are even different shots/scenes between the two (most noticably, the fate of Baltar).

On top of that, the DVD transfer of the theatrical cut is matted (to make it pseudo-widescreen)... a decision with pretty disasterous results in terms of composition.

yes the original pilot(included in the box set) differs from the theatrical release slightly.

But I do not consider the mini a stand alone work, its the PILOT that then got picked up as a series and should there for be included in the set. Any purist would want it included (since there is only one version, not counting the cut version shown on NBC).

I have doubble dipped on a more than a few titles and its standard practice for the studios to do this, although it is nice when they inform consumers ahaed of time ala the LOTR series.

Would I rather have two all inclusive box sets for both seasons, or two box sets and one lone dvd? Easy question to answer to me.

While I agree with you wholeheartedly, I don't see it happening for the various reasons already stated above. And judging by the package deal offered in R2, it's looking more and more like that it won't be included in the season set. Oh don't get me wrong, I'd love for it to be included for the reasons you state, but unfortunately, I doubt it'll happen.

TV shows on DVD has info on this release finally!

http://tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=3600

If I had thought Universal would find new & inventive ways to screw consumers over, I would have just bought the R2 back in April or May when it came out. These store exclusives suck.

Man $70 is a little high. I don't think I will be buying it at that price since I already saw every episode....and to think how excited I have been to buy it. What a major bummer!!

Like Paramount, Universal hasn't figured out TV on DVD yet. They keep looking at genre shows and assume the geekboys & girls will fork over an insane amount of money to own the show, never bothering to market the stuff at a lower price point to try & expand the base of the shows and increase their popularity. It's just stupid, short-sighted thinking. Fox on the other hand...I mean look at what DVD sales did for first run episodes of The Shield, 24 & Alias and what I'm willing to bet it will do for Lost.If Paramount had gotten Enterprise out there on DVD earlier and at a price point that didn't scream customer rape, I think there might have been a chance fans would be looking forward to a season 5 of that show. And all the Best Buy exclusive does is prove why choice is a good thing.