Battlestar Galactica: The Plan comes together… or falls apart…

Yesterday marked the release of the direct-to-DVD Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, directed by Edward James Olmos. Remember when the Cylons had a plan? Now you can see the events of BSG (especially seasons one and two), from the Cylon point of view. Here’s what the reviewers are saying:

  • Wired says not to put too much hope in this mediocre coda, which would more aptly be titled A Tale of Two Cavils.
  • Geeks of Doom loves the inner struggles among the Cylons, but feels that the flow is a bit off. However, they totally agree with Olmos’ proclamation that after seeing “The Plan”, you’ll want to re-watch BSG again to see how it all fits in. They also have a giveaway contest for “The Plan” DVDs.
  • Ellen Gray at philly.com likes when the Cylons try to be human… but wishes there was more of that.
  • Alan Sepinwall of the NJ Star-Ledger likes Dean Stockwell’s and Grace Park’s performances, but overall says, “As one small bit of bonus material tied to a classic series, it’s fun, but it doesn’t really stand on its own.”
  • FilmThreat calls it “a mess” that ends up with epic fail, but also closure for Boxy.
  • The Salt Lake Tribune gives it a brief C+, saying that diehard fans will enjoy it, and that’s about it.

Hyping “The Plan”, PopStar gets a few questions with Dean Stockwell about playing against himself and his views on a Quantum Leap reunion. UGO has a contest where you can win dinner with Admiral Adama, Edward James Olmos.

Overall, most reviews feel like “The Plan” is more like a series of deleted scenes than a coherent story.

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan is released today on DVD and Blu-Ray. Several reviewers note that it is unrated and contains sex and nudity, which will most likely be cut for the Syfy broadcast of it next year.

Ready for the end of Battlestar Galactica?

First off, the absolute most important thing you should know tonight is that the finale runs a whopping 11 minutes over, so set your DVRs accordingly. Reviews have been mixed – Los Angeles Times’ Mary McNamara says it’s “everything a fan.. could hope for,” while the Boston Herald’s Mark A. Perigard calls it “wildly uneven.” And over at the San Francisco Chronicle, Tim Goodman asks if the BSG void can be filled, equating it to The Clone Wars in the process. Uh-huh.

From the fannish side, io9 has 12 plotholes that must be filled tonight, and Sci Fi’s DVICE reveals the winners of their Steampunk Cylon contest.

Of course, this won’t be the last we’ll see of the old Galactica: in addition to the Caprica prequel, there’s a spinoff movie directed by Edward James Olmos, The Plan, coming in the fall.

Battlestar Galactica cast, crew at the United Nations

Photo by Brian McDermott/SCI FI Channel, via io9

io9’s Meredith Woerner has a fantastic report from the floor of last night’s Battlestar Galactica retrospective at the United Nations. Ronald D. Moore, Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell and David Eick were on hand to talk about the human rights and other issues that BSG has addressed over its four seasons. I really hope there’s video, particularly after Woerner wrote this:

At one point the discussion lit a fire under the Admiral, and the talk of human rights turned personal for Edward James Olmos. The “Old Man” launched into a passionate speech about casting off the idea of race as a cultural determinant, and said we were one race, the human race. His voice echoed throughout the chamber growing louder until – I kid you not – he was yelling, “So Say We All,” and the crowd answered right back.

That proved a bit controversial to some of io9’s commentators… But in short, sounds like a rousing night and a real example of how science fiction can address and open up dialogue on real-life issues.

Battlestar Bits

Edward James Olmos (Bill Adama) and Katie Sackhoff (Kara “Starbuck” Thrace) talk about Battlestar’s end.

Bodie Olmos (Hotdog) talks about how tough it is to be a recurring character.

Executive producer Ron Moore doesn’t seem to be focusing on that, though, and is talking about the upcoming movie.

As for future movies of this reimagining? Well, you’d best be starting to bribe Glen Larson (producer of the original) right now, because he’s not so enthused….