Battlestar Galactica - Razor (Unrated Extended Edition) Reviews

• Decent plot, gorgeous FX, and an intriguing insight into Season 4

  
  By A3R56AWX8PRQLP on 2007-11-12
  "Razor" is a satisfying addition to Battlestar Galactica in what is more a couple extra episodes from Season 2 than a standalone movie. 1 star off for a slightly plodding second plot line and a half star off for an incomplete set of extras on the DVD leaves 3.5 stars, which I round up to 4 stars for both getting to see more of Michelle Forbes as Admiral Cain and one DVD-only scene that gives hints about Season 4.
  
  Razor combines past and present storylines of the Pegasus through focusing on a new character, Pegasus deck officer Kendra Shaw, and how her experiences in the past storyline transformed her into the unfeeling tool of the title that Cain believes is the ideal squared away leader. The past storyline is the better of the two, with the backfill of what happened to the Pegasus until it met up with Galactica providing some riveting scenes. While generally the best forty minutes of the show since Exodus II thanks to a couple of intriguing additions like the background of Gina and Cain, by only developing Fisk's drunken stories and largely neglecting character development outside of Shaw, the writers don't quite get this up to the superb quality of the rest of the Pegasus story arc.
  
  The present storyline is less compelling, set in between "Captain's Hand" and "Lay Down Your Burdens" as Apollo runs his first mission as commander of the Pegasus with some help from his father and Starbuck. Once "Razor" begins focusing on this latter storyline in the second hour things begin to drag somewhat; on the commentary, Ron Moore explains that a good slug of the second plotline was his brainchild for the sake of continuity, and while probably easier to follow than the original script it feels somewhat like the padding it is.
  
  Despite that, Razor is still fun stuff. The season 2 version of Starbuck is a lot more enjoyable to watch, and the interactions between Apollo, Shaw and her make one hope that the writers remember her importance for the final season. Another plus is Michelle Forbes' superb performance, which makes you wish they could somehow bring Cain back. This also has the best special effects of the entire series; having seen them in a theater as well as the DVD, they're just eyepopping. FX wiz Gary Hutzel got a real budget for once and Ron Moore admits that some of his CGI work actually drove parts of the plot rather than the reverse. Considering Moore once said the original Pegasus sets were limited to a corridor, a multi-purpose utility room, the CIC, and Cain's quarters, props to him and his effects guys for figuring out how to make things work around mostly those locations. The DVD is worth buying on this alone.
  
  The majority of the new material is visually stunning but doesn't add much. The "favorite episode" feature reveals "33" as the choice of the wise, another brief feature reveals a bit about the production, Adama and Cain have "formulative experiences" during the first Cylon war (the former having already been shown in the webisodes), Shaw and Apollo have their own pre-war sequence, and Baltar and his dream Six make a brief appearance. None of this adds much to the characters or plot, and weirdly Moore and Taylor refer to some additional footage that didn't make it even into the deleted scenes category during a commentary that is good but essentially similar to the average podcast. Slightly disappointing.
  
  However, what's truly compelling in the new material are the additional Cylon prophecies given to the hybrid, which both flesh that character out as more than "babbling" and provide some tantalizing insights into Season 4 well beyond the spoiler at the end of the movie. Taylor admits its inclusion may be a creation of the home video department, but it's the one must-watch bit of new material that makes the DVD worthwhile on its own. 4 stars.
  
  

• Surprise twist at the end, minisodes, season 4 preview, all in the format we love.

  
  By AGJ0NQD5T6WFG on 2007-11-21
  First: Razor.
  
  Razor itself is an episode that serves both as a prequel of what happened to the Pegasus from the attack on the shipyards to her meeting with Galactica through the viewpoint of a new character, Kendra Shaw (and a recap of everything leading up to Lee's command), as well as back story from the first Cylon War told through the viewpoint of a young Bill "Husker" Adama. All of these events serve to foreshadow a surprising revelation at the end that should tie in the cliffhanger of Season 3 with the beginning of Season 4. All of the story lines going on at once work surprisingly well together, though I found myself wincing that none of this had been referenced in the main series for the most part.
  
  Was it worth watching? Oh yes. If nothing else this will tide you over as well as make you anticipate Season 4 even more. I was worried I'd be 'out of it' with such a long delay, but the twist at the end of this DVD makes you wonder what is really going on as Season 4 starts.
  
  Second: The Extras.
  
  Some of these I felt like I had seen, or at least experienced through Moore's podcasts. They basically dealt with the special effects of Battlestar Galactica, with discussions on where they got the look, the camera work, and other things anyone familiar with the series has probably heard by now.
  
  The Webisodes/Minisodes deal specifically with young Bill "Husker" Adama and fill in more of what happened during to and prior to his place in Razor. This was enjoyable, though short, and showed the final battle of the first Cylon War, and the genesis of his dislike for the toasters.
  
  The Deleted Scenes make for a very good backstory of Bill and Lee, and show when Lee first transferred into flight school, and his crossing paths with Kendra albeit briefly.
  
  In all, if you have $20.00 to spare, this entry into the Battlestar series is worth it, though I hesitate to spoil anything about it beyond a general synopsis of the content. I was unsure what they were going for prior to watching, but I have to say that it fills in a lot of the gaps in the story, and ties quite a few things together. No small feat.
  
  

• The Movie

  
  By AIX8ET9X8JNZ on 2007-09-21
  The Battlestar Galactica Movie Razor. This does not come between Seasons 3 & 4. The intention of this is to give us a BSG fix before the new season starts. This is an "untold tale" of the Battlestar Pegasus. It airs on Sci-Fi in November and will be out before Christmas. Amazon has adjusted the price. The original suggested retail may have been upwards to $40. The $19.99 price tag seems to have become the standard of new releases. Anyway, I am looking forward to this event.
  
  

• I Cain Dig It

  
  By ATSR3TLAQ074H on 2007-11-13
  Razor is the type of experience that will remind you why you fell in love with newer iteration of the BSG universe. Superb acting, poignant cut scenes, mostly-seamless special effects, and haunting prophecies. Admiral Cain is completely believable as a hardened and somewhat reckless admiral. And believe it or not, her questionable decisions are adequately rationalized, though still not agreeable.
  
  My only complaints about Razor was the look of the old cylons. I know they're from the original show, but they seemed a bit too shiny in this film - sort of like plastic action figures. Also, the brief scenes with a young Commander Adama were lacking. If you had no problem with this in the webisodes, you'll probably be fine when watching this film.
  
  Great experience, and definitely better plot-wise and CGI-wise that many of the made-for-theater movies I've seen this year.
  
  

• 'Razor' falls apart for the same reasons Season 3 dissapointed

  
  By A14J4IMAJM6XBE on 2007-12-22
  This movie/episode/whatever was a big fat waste of time for anyone still objective about BSG output. BSG has been my favorite TV pleasure since it began airing, but Season 3 was a mess because the writers have clearly lost the thread of their story in a blizzard of pointless subplots. 'Razor' shows that things have not improved.
  
  First of all, 'Razor' provided little information not already covered in the series. Cain was out of control, killed civilians to strip ships for spare parts, shot her XO, and tortured a Cylon. Knew it all guys, so why retread it in an episode with plodding pacing continually broken up by flashbacks (which BSG writers have been overusing of late).
  
  'Razor' also continues season 3's mistake of dwelling on secondary characters while the main characters fade to the background. 'Razor' should ostensibly be about Admiral Cain, but instead the story is driven by a paper-thin character named Shaw who's nowhere near as interesting.
  
  'Razor' also continues the BSG writers' fixation on trite back story to explain characters. Unfortunately, their imaginations extend to nothing more than alcohol, child abuse, and love gone wrong as causes for every human flaw and foible. In 'Razor,' we find Cain flipped out because her lesbian lover turned out to be a Cylon. Gee, I preferred seeing Cain as an Ahab-like character who you could almost understand, especially since Adama could have gone the same way but for Laura's balancing influence. Am I supposed to prefer Cain as a spurned woman? That's soooooo tired!
  
  With writing ike this, I have to say I'm not hopeful about Season 4. Seems like all the good storylines were killed off for that New Caprica mess. The main characters are withering away while the writer's focus on endless flashbacks, Kat, Deanna, the Chief's marital life, soap opera ready love quadrangles, and speeches by smarmy lawyers defending Giaus.
  
  The writers need to review the first two seasons of BSG and get back to what made this series successful: tight in-the-moment writing, complex main characters with complicated relationships, difficult decisions in terrible times, and those small victories that keep you hoping despite the horrible odds.
  
  
• Selling stuff twice
  By A2LVXOKUFIOR3H on 2007-09-29
  This review is NOT about the series, which I love, but about Univesal questionable marketing decisions.
  
  As they did with the 2003, two hours miniseries, Universal shall make money twice out of this. First they'll sell the RAZOR movie as a standalone product, and a year later when they release the 4th season, they'll include it in the package (or in the first package, if they break the season in two as they did with the 3rd season.)
  
  I'd rather wait then.
  
  
• How can you review something that hasn't been released?
  By A3TR3SKOIJAGI4 on 2007-09-26
  It's not out yet. How can you review it? I'm sure it's going to be good, BSG hasn't let me down but seriously people......
  
  
• Lost interest
  By A1PPDBGCKM9AM0 on 2007-10-08
  Sick and tired of these marketing gimmicks for TV Shows. Wife and I were really anxious to watch season 3 after getting hooked on back copies of the series this summer. Now we just don't care and will make a point of not watching the remainder of the series. What a waste.
  
  
• Another good episode
  By A1E5W7IUPW4SCV on 2007-11-03
  OK. I've actually seen it. It's an hour and a half long episode that jumps between "present" days and 10 months ago, when the Pegasus was still docked and retrofit.
  
  ***There are SPOILERS below so read at your own risk***
  ***There are SPOILERS below so read at your own risk***
  ***There are SPOILERS below so read at your own risk***
  ***There are SPOILERS below so read at your own risk***
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Razor tells the story of what happened on the Pegasus right when the Cylons attacked. It has several sub-stories, one of them is the one that you've started seeing in the online flashback episodes. Another sub-story is that of Lee Adama's first XO on the Pegasus, and her relationship with Admiral Cain. Both are tough cookies. You'll learn about the brutality of Cain even more than what you've already seen. You'll also see how Gina,a number 6 cloned Cylon that was on the Pegasus in season 3, was captured. A lot of the actors from both ships are back again to reprise their role. There's some usage of the old Cylon models which I really liked, and their ships too. Finally, you'll get to see where "modern-day" Cylons got the real humans to model their clones after.
  
  
• Disappointing Tales of Bad People Doing Bad Things
  By A1F92EK0MUNOVR on 2007-11-29
  Razor just seems to be off base in a number of ways.
  
  Most of the story is centered around the misdeeds of the Pegasus, her captain and her crew's capitulation in the madness. All in all, it makes me have even less sympathy for some characters that didn't garner a lot of it to begin with. It's like an entire show based around The Wicked Witch of the West where we're sitting there watching a character we don't like do things we don't approve of. What's the point? There were no emotional highs and it just wasn't very entertaining. We're introduced to a new "one off" character that doesn't drive the plot and is just another person we can't sympathize with.
  
  I feel like BSG has been injecting too much politics into the show lately. Cylons as the occupiers? Colonials as terrorists engaging in suicide bombings? Ruthless officers who shoot civilians and leave the rest of them to die, then shoots anyone who objects?
  
  I mean really, where is this show even going anymore? It started out strong but lately it's been injecting an awful lot of rubbish.
  
  We even find that the younger Adama is willing to sacrifice his friends for military objectives of rather dubious, vaguely defined importance -- something he certainly didn't seem willing to do in Exodus II (season 3, ep 4).
  
  Am I watching epic sci-fi or am I watching MSNBC?
  
  Lets get back to a powerful show with powerful characters. If I want to feel bad about humanity I can watch Pan's Labyrinth again, or the evening news.
  
  
  For BSG fans, I think you can skip this episode entirely. It doesn't really fill in anything you cared to know about and is decidedly less awesome than you probably thought it would be. It feels more like some Hollywood writer on a personal crusade than it feels like the epic sci-fi story it could have been.
  
  
  
• Marketing MArketing Marketing
  By A3U20HLIQRR17Y on 2007-10-10
  We have all been waiting forever for season three and word on the street is that fans are fed up. We may all just as well go torrent the whole thing and forget about being the few remaining loyal fans who would actually purchase the set...real stupid!
  
  
• Excellent, excellent!
  By A3KEZLJ59C1JVH on 2007-11-27
  I'm so glad that loyal "Battlestar Galactica" viewers like myself were able to get our BSG fix before the holidays! It's been a long time since the Season 3 cliffhanger left us all with our jaws on the floor, and even though the new season won't begin until March 2008, "Razor" gives us a lot to look forward to.
  
  This extended episode/movie is not a continuation of the last season. Instead, it offers a glimpse of events that occurred off-camera several seasons ago, back when Admiral Helena Cain (Michelle Forbes) was in charge of the Pegasus following the initial cylon attack, and also when Lee Adama (Jamie Bamber) took over as commander of the ship many months later. There are two stories that interweave simultaneously and focus on Cain's motivations, as well as her interactions with young officer Kendra Shaw (Stephanie Jacobsen), who eventually becomes Lee's XO. Although Cain has generally been perceived by viewers as a ruthless you-know-what, "Razor" forces us to put ourselves in her shoes and think about how we would have acted if we'd been placed in similar situations.
  
  There are some great moments in this movie, including an interesting revelation about Cain's personal life, a shocking appearance by the original cylons (I'm talking about the ones from the crappy 1970's series), and a cryptic message regarding Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) that never gets passed along, which can be interpreted in a variety of ways and is guaranteed to leave fans clamoring for Season 4 to begin.
  
  "Razor" is yet another great chapter in the BSG saga. Watching it made me want to go back and watch every single "Battlestar Galactica" episode over again before the new season starts, just to guarantee that I get the most out of my BSG experience.
  
  
• One of the best...
  By A3PERYDJM3XT7J on 2007-11-06
  Saw Razor last night and this is amongst the best work they have done on BSG. Without getting in to things that might be considered spoilers, the story is solid and provides both insights to Cain and other on the Pegasus as well as giving the viewer some insight on how the final season may evolve.
  
  Razor will just continue to solidify BSG's reputation as one of the best Sci-Fi programs ever produced.
  
  
• Not as good as advertised
  By A39VKDG484JXXA on 2007-12-06
  I might have somewhat of a unique perspective on this DVD from some of the other reviewers. I have been watching the new series on DVD as my current TV package does not include SCI-FI and I am not willing to double my monthly cost for TV just to add that station. I also have not purchased or pirated the digital copies of Season 3, so at the time I watched this DVD I have only seen the mini-series, season 1 and season 2. I watched this "movie" a couple of months after finishing season 2.
  
  I loved the mini-series. I am a die-hard fan of the original show from the 70s and a friend of mine got me hooked on the new series be lending me his copy of the mini-series. To say that I have been blown away by the new series is nothing short of an understatement. I can't remember how long it has been since I have been so totally captivated by a television series, well, it has probably been since the original aired in 78.
  
  Taking into account the purchase price, the content of the DVD, and the special features this is really quite a mediocre offering compared to any of the previous DVD releases of this series. Most of the useful footage in the short webisodes is a part of the actual show itself, so their inclusion is just duplicating footage. There's a sneak peek and a trailer for Season 4 which are nice. The deleted scenes are also quite lacking on this release as compared to others.
  
  The story itself does not stand on its own. You are more likely to turn someone off to the show as a whole by using this DVD to introduce them to the series than to get them hooked on it. The story is centered around events from seasons 1 and 2 and even though I have seen both of them recently, I still found myself struggling to keep up with the story. The pivotal character is shallow, useless, and merely a placeholder for continuity, and she doesn't even perform that role very well. We are given graphic dipictations of events related about the history of the Pegasus prior to its meeting up with the Galactica. There is nothing much new or relevant here. Is it important to know how Pegasus discovered their cylon spy? No. Is it important to know of her relationship with Cain? No. It's all filler. This is supposed to be the better of the two story lines.
  
  The other main storyline is told as "present day", but it's not present day post season 3, it's present day mid season 2 after Lee Adama has been given command of the Pegasus. Other than the event called the "surprise twist", there is nothing even moderately interesting about this storyline. We are not given enough time to connect with any of the characters in any of the storylines to even gain a spark of empathy with their character save with Bill Adama. The flashbacks could have been handled in a much more linear fassion without having to jump between time periods every few minutes leaving the viewer dazed, confused, and reaching for their drammamine.
  
  The story line I found the most interesting is during the flashback to the first cylon war. Some of the events leading to the conclusion of the war are depicted, including the battle where the Columbia was lost. These are some really touching parts of the show, because the original cylon units from the original series make a comeback with their accompanying raider fighters. Even the show's original theme makes an appearance in the battle sequence. The most revealing information about the series to date comes from this continuity where the origins of the modern humanoid cylon units is introduced.
  
  My biggest beef with this show is the about-face depiction of some of the pivotal characters personalities. Bill Adama essentially defends Admiral Cain's egregious crimes against humanity by attempting to justify her decisions due to her not having characters of morality at her side to oppose her. Come on. To say that Adama's son and the Colonial President are the only people that made sure Bill Adama made moral decisions is a complete reversal of the character of Bill Adama that has been developed since the very first episode. The only errors I have seen Adama commit, and maybe this is more due to my lack of memory, is he has been restrained at times by counsel from his associates where he would have unnecessarily risked an excessive amount of resources for objects of little strategic importance. Cain was a war criminal. Period. There is no justification for the deplorable acts committed under her command in any time period.
  
  This DVD more closely resembles excerpts from a fanboy video encyclopedia than it does a stand-alone movie or even a "good" episode. This is easily the weakest offering of the entire series to date. I pray this is not a sign of the quality we can come to expect from seasons 3 and 4.
  
  
• Big BSG Fan, but disappointed....
  By A1FGOX1XHXHYY4 on 2007-11-29
  I'm a huge fan of the show and had great hopes and expectations for this Pegasus movie, but I found it to be a huge let down. You could skip this purchase while filling out your BSG library of DVDs and not be missing anything.
  
  Most of the effects were good (I thought some of the effects for the old model centurions were horrible, looking like place holder, low quality renders that were never replaced with the final renders). The overall story was a bad idea. The writing was sub-standard for the show, as was the direction and the acting from about half the cast. Almost all the "dramatic moments" were events we already knew about from the series and which didn't benefit at all from being shown to the audience. (A definite case of imagination completely trumping the rendition on the screen). Add in the poor pacing, writing and direction (and even the soundtrack, which seemed lacking as well) and the entire effort really falls completely flat. We are thrown a couple interesting bones, but they don't make up at all for the rest of this mess.
  
  One of my hopes was that this would be a great DVD with which to show off the quality of the series, but it turned out being something I would never want to show anyone. I just pray it's not an indication of the quality of season 4!
  
  
• Price
  By AXL9LKR9NM4RZ on 2007-12-08
  I gave this a one-star rating solely because of Amazon's price. I rate the show at five stars. Why would anyone want to pay so much to buy the download when it can be rented at Blockbuster for under five dollars? Really, folks, you should at least make the download available to rent! I have been eagerly anticipating the release of Razor, but Amazon has lost my money to Blockbuster.
  
  
• Wow....well worth the wait :)
  By AQYGKHVIG4QKT on 2007-11-05
  I finally saw this over the weekend and I have to say they nailed it perfectly. The "current" portion of Razor was awesome, with some sweet surprises towards the end. A bit of foreshadowing for what the 4th season will bring. The best part is by far the story of what happened to the Pegasus after the Cylon attack. I remember getting hints during the regular show and always wondering what happened, and now you get to see it firsthand. Kudos BSG, this one was a great "tide me over" present :D
  
  
• Can't Compete
  By A316O8WZ4DUGKX on 2007-11-25
  BSG is pretty much the best entertainment on television, but this addition to the lore gets an awful lot wrong. First the good: It's great to see Starbuck and the Adamas back on TV, and their performances don't disappoint. Also good is the decision to travel back to the initial Cylon attack-- so much has happened to "humanize" the Cylons since the pilot that I'd forgotten the way they were initially presented. And the few revelations sprinkled around are very good, along with a surprisingly creepy moment. I'm definately more excited for Season 4 after seeing this.
  
  The bad, for me, was largely in the execution. Many have applauded the visual effects but I felt they were a step down from past seasons. Everything seemed a touch too smooth and shiny, and that "shaky cam" I liked so much was less convincing here. Perhaps the f/x budget was stretched too far. Much more dire, however, is lame featured character Kendra Shaw. Not that it's all her fault: Her character arc saddles the viewer with so much belabored, melodramatic moralizing, you'd think you were watching one of those awful "Saint Helo" episodes. The most effective BSG for me lies in what characters don't have time to say, because they have to push on (see "33"); slow-motion sad faces and silly razor allegories need not apply. Above all, there's the feeling that all of the elements in this story have been handled before (and better) in seasons 1 and 2.
  
  At the end of the day, I'm delighted with the new ideas brought into the universe, and this is still much better and gutsier than most anything else on TV, even if it isn't the best BSG. Fans will enjoy.
  
  
• This must be the listing for Season 3 NOT Razor
  By A162XB5PJ87ZQN on 2007-08-23
  The 2 hour BSG Razor movie airs around Nov. 24th. It won't be $40. It won't be on DVD 2 weeks afterwards. This has got to be for Season 3. The price is right.
  
  
• Even at the new price seems a bit steep
  By AM9MWTO42TH2N on 2007-09-22
  I know very little about this upcoming "made for tv" movie, but I think it very odd that this DVD can come out a few DAYS after it is first on tv but season 3 is currently rumoured not to be coming out until spring 2008, after Season 4 starts. Which makes me think this "made for tv" movie will also be included in that season 3 boxset. Yeah, I know, that would be crazy and really piss off fans, but you know what, they already did this with the miniseries and season 1.
  
  
• Saw this in the theatres
  By A3JHC8O59WDHFZ on 2007-11-21
  I saw this in the movie theatre when they did their Special Showing, and to me it was just a long-ish episode.
  
  There's one thing that totally explains an otherwise peculiar aspect of the Pegasus progression, one line that makes you sit up and say, "What?!", but other than that... it was standard-issue Battlestar. Of course, standard-issue Battlestar is better than almost everything else on TV, but with the hype, the theatre screenings, i had hoped for so much more.
  
  While on the one hand i hope the extended scenes expand Razor into an amazing bridge from season 3 or 4, on the other i'm a little angsty that i waited in line for the special screening only to find out that we, the hardcore fans, were only being shown a castrated version of the actual story.
  
  
• The best film I've seen this year
  By A2CZ8H0MJY8LPS on 2007-11-29
  I got the chance to see this unrated version in the theater and it was the best film I've seen all year. I've only seen a few of the episodes on TV and wouldn't call myself a 'fan' per se, so I didn't know all the history going in, but it didn't really matter. This was definately a stand alone piece. The writing, acting, plot, characters, action sequences were so amazing and engrossing that I can't believe this is not being released as a movie. I even felt it is the best depiction of the brutality and sacrifice of war I've seen in a long time.
  
  All the things that were great in this movie were the things missing from the last 3 'Star Wars' films. (Granted this was more 'grown up'. And the lead actress in this did an amazing job. I will definitaly pick this up, hopefully on HD at some point.
  
  
• All About the Mission
  By A1B4NBFZJY2FIZ on 2008-05-11
  This discussion is based on the extended version in the DVD and not the broadcast version.
  
  WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW
  
  I just watched Battlestar Galactica: Razor (the movie-length extra that chronologically fits between Series 3 and Series 4 of one of the best TV dramas of recent memory) a couple of nights ago. Wow. This was certainly one of the most intense peices of TV I've ever watched in my life.
  
  
  The stellar performances of Michelle Forbes as Admiral Helena Cain and Stephanie Jacobsen as Major Kendra Shaw just have to be seen to be believed. Forbes brings charisma and a riveting coercion to her role while Jacobsen is utterly absorbing. One of the interesting aspects of both these characters is the way in which they are played so internally. You feel more than see a lot of the tensions that each woman experiences and this is a very hard act to pull off. The kind of micro-expressiveness you have to use in body language as well as facial expression only comes from being able to mentally inhabit the world of the character you are creating.
  
  "Razor" kind of works as a standalone episode but is much more effective if you have seen Seasons 2 AND 3. It is structured in a much more intelligent way than most TV episodes, and in some ways is more like "Memento" or "Mulholland Drive" in it's use of flashbacks and multiple points of view.
  
  Much has been made of the way in which the movie brings alive the back story to Admiral Cain, and the way in which the main protagonist, Major Shaw evolves through her relationship both actual and inspirational with Cain to become the Razor of the title: an instrument with neither feelings nor volition other than the will to carry out the mission.
  
  The obvious subtext to the whole Pegasus/Cain story arc is the notion of Military Necessity and what it means. Helena Cain believes so thoroughly in the pre-eminence of her goals that she will sacrifice anything and anyone in order to follow her purpose through to the end. She articulates layers of "truth" with one explanation for the crew, and one for her command staff and finally the need for revenge that blinds her to everything else in its path (her escalation of the raid on the "relay station", her execution of her only real friend among the crew, her deliberate handing over of her lover to the interrogator).
  
  Of course Cain's anger and venom towards Gina is amplified, not only by the notion that Gina was a Cylon agent, but that she (Cain) was also literally sleeping with the enemy: a double or triple betrayal given Cain's own personal history with the Cylons.
  
  In fact, betrayal and conflict in many different forms lurks throughout the whole episode. The actual gunfights with the Cylons are easy by comparison with everything else and this I think is another reason why BSG as a whole is such a rich literary milieu.
  
  It is of course, as the series from the very beginning has been, an extended exploration of the ethical and humanist consequences of the so-called war on terror and the military occupation of Iraq. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? (Who watches those who watch?) in the words of Juvenal. Invoking Military Necessity, Cain shoots her XO through the head on the bridge of her own ship. Invoking Military Necessity she has her crew cannibalize, massacre and abandon civilian ships and their passengers and crew. Invoking Military Necessity she grinds her officers down until they become what she imagines herself to be: efficient tools in the prosecution of military objectives.
  
  Kendra Shaw stands here for the modern junior career military officer (and by extension, the eyes of the viewer): intelligent, ambitious, a bit cynical, yet anxious to show her superiors she has what it takes. A product of wealth, she nonetheless believes in the military, and when her home is destroyed she makes the military her home and military people her emotional and professional center. Cain looms large on Kendra's horizon as the charismatic and successful mentor many of us have orbited hopefully in the beginning stages of our professional lives. Cain strives for achievement and uses a Prussian style of discipline to run her outfit. She lets her personal side show only in brief unguarded moments, and for the rest, she is all about the mission. But what are her default parameters? In the end, Cain has nothing to hold her in the world of human relations. She has duty, purpose and determination, but the center is filled with nothing but homicidal rage.
  
  Can there be a more stunning indictment in modern popular culture of the dangers of excessive commitment to "the mission"? This dilemma lies at the heart of any military engaged in an occupation. Or indeed in anyone whose career significantly involves the prosecution of the interests of one's leaders. Modern military training has emphasized the notion that military personnel cannot indulge in the luxury of second-guessing the civilian leadership. "If they say go, we go". And while this is a good idea in theory, like all theoretical positions, it is capable of cynical manipulation especially by those in ultimate command.
  
  
  Cain did what she did because she believed it was the best way to achieve her goals and for the survival of her crew (as long as they did what she told them to). Too often, we confuse a concern for the mission with a concern for the soldiers who carry it out. If you show caring for people in order to carry out the mission, do you care about them or are you more concerned with being able to continue to succeed militarily? The same quandary flitted across the mind of Henry V on the eve of Agincourt, and must inevitably haunt the minds of any leader of conscience. What and who do you sacrifice in order to carry out your goals?
  
  In a way, Cain's decision to hand Gina over to the interrogators was the last act in her slide away from humanity. For not only was she encouraging torture (even of a "thing"), she was aiding and abetting the destruction of her own desire for love and companionship. As Adama argues at the end of the episode, it was the notion that he would be accountable to his own people that kept Adama from going down the same path as Admiral Cain. This sense that we are part of something for which we have a moral responsibility is what separates tools from people whether they be human or machine, us or them, "Americans" or "terrorists". Without that sense, we become slaves to the mission and in the process, as RDM and the cast and crew of "Razor" show us so brilliantly, we lose what it is that makes us people in the first place.
  
  
  
  
  
• Stop reviewing early.
  By A1R7C2C0DXI0Y2 on 2007-10-25
  I love how people are writing reviews for this when it hasn't even aired yet. Stop being stupid and rating what you dont know.
  
  
• Poor conceptualization and execution
  By AX94K1A0KBGZ3 on 2007-11-26
  Utter disappointment. I consider myself a fan of this show and had hoped for the coherency we've come to appreciate - this wasn't it. So much jumping through time I was looking for my jump rope! The writers never gave us time in each setting/mini-story to connect or understand what was happening. Unless you live, eat and breath BG, you're likely to be lost in this movie (I gave up after an hour and wished I'd done so earlier). Honestly you're better off buying videos of the seasons than this.
  
  
• Way Over Hyped
  By A1RDHBBZE1NPS3 on 2007-11-30
  The way SciFi channel promoted this you would think that the show was going too blow away all previous Galactica episodes. In fact it was about as good as your average Galactica episode and revealed just about as much, unfortunetly most Galactica fans are so starved for new stuff that this is like feeding a starving man a hamburger, filling, but not the Steak most of us where looking for.
  
  The Producers and Directors of Galactica have lost all respect for the Fans, there is no other show that would dare take this kind of 1 year break! It shows that they feel they can treat the Fans in any manor that they see fit and you guys will still tune in when the time comes. Galactica is not nearly that good and they are going to realize this by the drop in viewership that will come in 2008.
  
  
  
• $14.99 for a 2 hour TV show?
  By A1GDBGLRLZCJA0 on 2007-12-05
  I haven't seen this yet, but other BSG fans have expressed their approval. I can't believe that it's priced as a FL movie. That's
  outrageous! This shouldn't have a higher price than any of the
  other episodes, except for the fact that it's really two episodes in length. I suppose I'm gonna have to pass on seeing this one.
  
  
  
• Oh My Gods! They Got the Quality Back Up; Better Than Most of Season 3
  By AQFGSOIZXWRS7 on 2007-12-09
  Just finished watching the entire DVD, 'extras' and all, and I was moderately impressed. It's not quite up to par with the best of the new Galactica (the Miniseries, '33', 'Home', 'Scar'), but it's a lot better than most of the terribly mediocre Season 3, which gives me hope.
  
  Before I go on, let me say that the above point is important because Galactica has been in a downward quality spiral ever since they switched from 13 episode seasons to 20 episode seasons. As showrunner Ronald Moore said once, when you have so much less time, it's harder to make each episode special, and that's exactly what happened when the new production schedule started to catch up to Galactica late in Season 2.
  
  Thus we had such memorably mediocre episodes as "Black Market" and "Sacrifice", and BSG fans started to wonder what the heck had happened, when such a great show had seemingly become so hit-or-miss from episode to episode.
  
  Season 3 unfortunately confirmed our worst fears. BSG's creators worried that putting everyone on a planet (New Caprica) would be a leap too far, but really, the idea was fine. It was the EXECUTION of that idea that was lacking. Honestly, if it wasn't for the uber-cool way they got off New Caprica (burning Battlestars and such), it would have been a total wash.
  
  Then we got a bunch of mostly filler episodes (anyone remember 'The Woman King'? Bad, huh?), and then, FINALLY, a good story arc in the middle of the season with the 'Eye of Jupiter' two-parter. Then back to bunch of mostly filler/bad episodes, until the courtroom season finale, which was a lot less cool and a lot more forced/contrived than we'd like to remember (Galactica REALLY needs to get away from the idea that one of the 'Big Three'- Apollo, Starbuck, Adama- has to be front and center in EVERY subplot. Apollo as a lawyer in a key trial is even more silly/out of place than Starbuck as a sniper/SWAT team member, as she has been at times. If you need a central marine character for some episodes, make one. New characters are good.
  
  What's next, Adama elbowing Doc Codell aside to perform open-heart surgery? Yeesh.)
  
  Then there was Starbuck coming back from the dead, which was great, except that we kinda all saw it coming, and we, sadly, didn't care that much when she died in the first place, because the character had been allowed to degenerate so much since her glory days in Seasons 1 and 2.
  
  Whew! Sorry about all that, but it helps put my comments on 'Razor' into context.
  
  For example, if you've had to suffer through the crappy, childish, unsympathetic dud of a Starbuck that was Season 3 Kara Thrace (and we all have), then watching 'Razor' will be a revelation. "Ohhh-hhh!", you'll go. "That's the OLD Kara, the one I actually LIKED! Why the FRAK did they stop writing her like that?!?".
  
  There's also a certain increase in the passion and energy level in general. I dunno, it's hard to put one's finger on it, but watching most of Season 3, you get the feeling sometimes that everyone was sort of going through the motions... the writers, directors, producers, some of the actors, the crew, the entire food chain from top to bottom in general, not because they're bad at what they do (on the contrary, they're some of the best), but because they were being pushed along at an unreasonable pace, and just had to get the damn episode DONE.
  
  For what it's worth, this was a huge problem on the original Battlestar Galactica as well, with, in some cases, actors having to read lines off of cue cards. I doubt things got quite THAT bad with the new series, but you can definitely feel the energy/sharpness difference between Season 3 and S1/early-mid S2.
  
  Doesn't hurt that Michelle Forbes is back as Cain, and as good as ever. The backstory on her and her rationale for what she does and how she does it is important, as it was too easy to see Cain as simply an over-zealous nutjob before, in the Season 2 Pegasus two-parter (and I think it says a lot about Michelle Forbes' ability that we mostly DIDN'T dismiss her as such back then, even without backstory, but it was close).
  
  You can actually understand why Kendra Shaw becomes her protege. Cain is strong, and there is no doubt, remorse, or second-guessing in her world. So when the Apocalypse hits and your entire civilization has been wiped out, who's more charismatic, and who are you more likely to follow... a strong, decisive leader, a 'razor', even if they have huge flaws; or someone who's merely human and let's you see it?
  
  We'd all LIKE to believe that we'd still choose the latter, but I have my doubts. There are parallels to 9/11 and a certain President I could name.
  
  Of course, if there is a flaw in 'Razor' (aside from the slightly confusing back-and-forth jumps in time between plotlines, as others have mentioned), it's that we aren't given quite backstory ENOUGH on Cain and the Pegasus' travails to fully come to see why she does some of the things she does. Her attack and pyrrhic victory over a Cylon base doesn't make much sense and needed a better explanation, as did her stripping of the civilian fleet for spare parts, food, fuel, and skilled personnel. Yeah, I suppose I can fill in the blanks on my own, but a couple of brief scenes along those lines would've made a big difference, and I sense I'm far from alone on this.
  
  And it would've helped 'Razor' actually EARN it's ending, where Adama basically says if he had had to walk a mile in Cain's moccasins, perhaps he would've done the things she did. It's a nice try, but it doesn't quite ring true, for the reasons I mention above.
  
  Another, though more minor, disappointment is that the extent of Cain and Gina's personal relationship is only touched on very briefly. There should've been at least one scene between the two of them as (no other way to put it) lovers, so that the extent of Gina's betrayal and Cain's horrifyingly brutal reaction would've had more power behind it.
  
  I'm making it sound like I don't like 'Razor', but actually I do. It's great to see Kara and Cain chew up the scenery like there's no tomorrow, the special effects budget was given a BIG boost (and boy does it show), the return of the original series Cylon centurions and raiders was a nice touch, and there's just more energy, grittiness, passion, and sharpness all around. Plus, the guy they have playing young Bill Adama in one of the flashbacks positively NAILS the role! (hope we see more of Adama's past in Season 4).
  
  In any case, THIS is the Galactica I've been missing since late Season 2, and if I'm pointing out weaknesses, its only out of frustration due to the fact that they were so CLOSE to knocking it out of the park on this one. This one's more like a solid ground-rule double.
  
  In the end, 4 stars out of 5 (didn't help that the DVD extras were so skimpy). I'm really REALLY hoping Season 4 is five stars... Ronnie D, don't get distracted by your other projects, the show needs you to have a tight hand on the rudder for Galactica to truly go out with the bang it deserves.
  
  So say we all.
  
  
• I'm watching this on SciFi Channel right now. One word: Craptacular.
  By AJ6BG2G5LHMA0 on 2007-11-24
  It's an hour and ten minutes into a two-hour program, and so far, there has been none of the heart-racing, suspenseful, tenterhook moments, or the fascinating character developement that we've all come to expect from this series. It feels like they're trying to throw a bone to all us fans who are impatient for the next season to start. It feels glib and overdone, and a little dumbed-down. They threw in a few scenes here and there with Apollo and Starbuck to make you think you're getting something. Like actual drama and suspense. Alas. Too bad.
  
  Here's hoping the extended version has a little more depth and content.
  
  
• out of character
  By A7UBSXGDDIMWR on 2007-11-26
  I really enjoy the new BSG series. I've seen seasons 1 and 2, and am anxiously awaiting the release of season 3 on dvd. I was a bit disappointed in Razor. On the plus side, I thought the special effects were good, and the surprise appearance of some "older" cylons was fun. Michelle Forbes is amazing as Caine. The revelation near the end about a main character is very intriguing, as is the glimpse into Adama's past experiences with the Cylons. On the negative side, the story line involving Kendra Shaw seemed a bit forced and unnecessary to me - we don't really learn much new about Caine through her recollections that we didn't already know. Also, Bill Adama seemed out of character to me. He shares some thoughts about Caine in a scene near the end that just don't seem like they would come from him. I was troubled by that.
  
  All that being said, BSG is perhaps one of the greatest shows in tv history, in ANY genre. If you haven't seen it, check it out!! But start from the beginning. Thanks for reading!
  
  

• Battlestar Galactica - Season Three
• Battlestar Galactica: Season 2.5 (Episodes 11-20)
• Battlestar Galactica - Season 2.0 (Episodes 1-10)
• Battlestar Galactica - Season One
• Stargate - The Ark of Truth