Battlestar Galactica
i0 's season 2.5 (i.e., the final 10 episodes of the second season) picks up where season 2.0 (the first 10 episodes) left off:
i Galactica
i0 's giddy reunion with the
i Pegasus
i0 had taken a sour turn when Admiral Cain (Michelle Forbes) went back on her word to Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) and decided to integrate the crews, moving Apollo (Jamie Bamber) and Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) to
i Pegasus
i0 . The animosity, combined with an attack on Sharon (Grace Park), threatens to derail a golden opportunity for the fleet to strike the Cylons where they'll hurt, and stay hurt--their resurrection ship.
In many ways, Sharon is the central character. The attack lands Helo (Tahmoh Penikett) and the Chief (Aaron Douglas) in hot water; her impending baby remains the subject of heated debate among president Laura Roslyn (Mary McDonnell), Commander Adama, and others; and a rebellious movement determined to force
i Galactica
i0 to give up the Cylon ends up threatening both Apollo and Starbuck and putting further strain on their already-shaky relationship. Dr. Baltar (James Callis) becomes even more intertwined with the Cylons when he discovers another version of Number Six (Tricia Helfer) on the
i Pegasus
i0 , but is also in line to take over the presidency as Roslin's cancer reaches a critical stage.
i Battlestar Galactica
i0 's inexorable dramatic arc sagged in a couple episodes during this run, but the terrific two-part season finale involving a presidential election, a glimmer of hope for humanity, and some unexpected turns of events makes for a thrilling springboard to season 3.
i Battlestar
i0 is often called the best sci-fi show on television, but that seems like damning it with faint praise; it's the best
i drama
i0 on television.
In addition to the 10 episodes, the three-DVD set has an extended version of the last episode of season 2.0, "Pegasus"; the extra 15 minutes include a longer conversation in which Cain reveals her plans to Adama. That episode has a commentary track by executive producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick, Moore's podcast commentaries are on every other episode, Eick's "video blogs" serve as casual featurettes on series production, and there are numerous deleted scenes.
i --David Horiuchi
i0