The first season of the reimagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica, was commissioned by Sci Fi in February 2004. The first episode, "33", was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on October 18, 2004, on Sky1, three months before its premiere in the United States on January 14, 2005 on Sci Fi. Sky1 had negotiated first-broadcast rights of season 1 as part of its financial backing terms. The first episode of the series received a Hugo Award and the season's 13 episodes were recognized with a Peabody Award "for pushing the limits of science fiction and making it accessible to all."
The first season is a follow-up to the miniseries that first aired in December 2003.
Cast and characters
Main cast These actors are credited during the opening sequence: Edward James Olmos as William Adama Mary McDonnell as Laura Roslin Katee Sackhoff as Kara "Starbuck" Thrace Jamie Bamber as Lee "Apollo" Adama James Callis as Gaius Baltar Tricia Helfer as Number Six Grace Park as Sharon "Boomer" Valerii (Number Eight)
These actors are credited after the opening sequence: Michael Hogan as Saul Tigh Aaron Douglas as Galen Tyrol Tahmoh Penikett as Karl "Helo" Agathon Kandyse McClure as Anastasia Dualla Paul Campbell as Billy Keikeya Alessandro Juliani as Felix Gaeta Sam Witwer as Alex "Crashdown" Quartararo Connor Widdows as Boxey (only episode 3)
Recurring Richard Hatch as Tom Zarek Lorena Gale as Priestess Elosha Donnelly Rhodes as Sherman Cottle Jill Teed as Sergeant Hadrian, Master-at-Arms Matthew Bennett as Aaron Doral Kate Vernon as Ellen Tigh Alonso Oyarzun as Socinus Nicki Clyne as Cally Henderson Bodie Olmos as Brendan "Hot Dog" Costanza Christina Schild as journalist Playa Kohn/Palacios Biski Gugushe as journalist Eick/Sekou Hamilton Colby Johannson as Dwight "Flat-Top" Saunders Luciana Carro as Louanne "Kat" Katraine Cailin Stadnyk as Ensign Davis Terry Chen as Perry/Chuckles Leah Cairns as Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson Jennifer Halley as Diana "Hardball" Seelix
Guest Dominic Zamprogna as James "Jammer" Lyman Callum Keith Rennie as Leoben Conoy Robert Wisden as Wallace Gray David Kaye as journalist James McManus Alex Zahara as Valance Patrick Gallagher as Leon Grimes Malcolm Stewart as Marshall Bagot
Episodes In the following list, "Survivor count" refers to the number of surviving Colonial citizens and military, provided at some point during the episode.
Notes
Production Battlestar Galacticas first season of thirteen one-hour episodes was ordered by the Sci-Fi Channel on February 10, 2004, with production taking place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Produced in 2004 by David Eick and Ronald D. Moore, and starring the original cast from the 2003 miniseries, it began airing in the United Kingdom and Ireland on October 18, 2004. The series proved successful, attracting favorable comments from reviewers, and generating considerable anticipation in the U.S.
It began airing in North America three months later, on January 14, 2005, in the United States, and January 15 in Canada. The first episode aired in the U.S. became one of the highest-rated programs ever on Sci-Fi, with 3.1 million viewers. The series' first season became the network's highest-rated original series to date.
Battlestar Galacticas first episode was later made available for viewing in its entirety, and without charge from the Sci-Fi website. Moore also sought to address the "Internet Generation" by posting podcast commentaries on individual episodes on the official Sci-Fi website.
Reception Critical response On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 90% with an average score of 8.4 out of 10 based on 20 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "A captivating combination of riveting political drama and science fiction fantasy make Battlestar Galactica must-see sci-fi."
Awards Wins 2005 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form ("33") 2005 Peabody Award 2005 Spacey Award for Favorite Limited TV Series
In its statement accompanying the announcement of the show's Peabody Award, the Peabody Board noted "Battlestar Galactica is not just another apocalyptic vision of the future but an intense drama that poses provocative questions regarding religion, politics, sex and what it truly means to be 'human'.... Writers Ronald D. Moore, Toni Graphia, David Weddle, Bradley Thompson, Carla Robinson, Jeff Vlaming, Michael Angeli, and David Eick take full advantage to give us plotlines that are deeply personal and relatable, while never compromising their affinity and passion for science fiction".
Nominations 2005 Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series ("33", "The Hand of God") 2005 Saturn Awards for Best Television Release on DVD Season 1 2004 Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Performance by an Animated Character in a Live Act on Broadcast Program ("33")
Home video releases The first season was released on DVD in region 1 on September 20, 2005, in region 2 on March 28, 2005 and in region 4 on August 15, 2006. It was also released in region 1 in HD DVD on December 4, 2007 and on Blu-ray Disc on January 5, 2010.
The sets include all 13 episodes of the first season and the miniseries. Special features include commentary on the miniseries and "33" by executive producers Ronald D. Moore, David Eick and director Michael Rymer. Moore and Eick provide commentaries for "Bastille Day", "Act of Contrition" and "You Can't Go Home Again". Beginning with episode 9, Moore began recording podcast commentaries for the episodes on the official Battlestar Galactica website; Moore provides commentaries for "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down", "The Hand of God", "Colonial Day", "Kobol's Last Gleaming (Part 1)" and "Kobol's Last Gleaming (Part 2)". Behind-the-scenes featurettes include a collection of individual featurettes—"From Miniseries to Series", "Change is Good, Now They're Babes", "The Cylon Centurion", "Future/Past Technology", "The Doctor is out (of his mind)", "Production", "Visual Effects" and "Epilogue". Also included is a featurette titled "Battlestar Galactica: The Series Lowdown", deleted scenes for various episodes, and a montage of sketches and art for the series.
References
External links