Battlestar Galactica Continuity?

June 1, 2008 7:24 PM

I'm working my way through Battlestar Galactica on DVD and I've watched the 1st and 2nd seasons so far. Now I've a bit of a conundrum. Do I watch season 3 first or Razor? And where do those webisodes I keep hearing about fit in? No spoilers, please! I just want to know what order to watch things in (sigh, why does everything have to be so complicated?)
posted by pwicks to media & arts (20 comments total)

Webisodes: The Resistance, then Season 3, then Razor, then Season 4 (current season).
posted by Jacqueline at 7:31 PM on June 1

Season 1,
Seaon 2,
Season 3,
Webisodes,
Razor,
Season 4.
posted by tiamat at 7:31 PM on June 1 [4 favorites]

There are two sets of webisodes: one labelled "Resistance" and another that go along with Razor.

Watch the Resistance webisodes first, then season 3, then Razor (with or without the webisodes; half of them are included in Razor itself), then Season 4. Razor's a bit of a standalone, so I think you'd be okay to watch it pretty much any time after season 2, but most people will have seen it in between seasons 3 and 4.
posted by chrominance at 7:32 PM on June 1

ooh yeah, I guess there were two sets of Webisodes.

I was refering to the ones about Adama.
posted by tiamat at 7:32 PM on June 1

(Those are the order they aired in, and I believe the producers intended them to be watched in that order even though that's not the BSG universe chronological order. If you try to watch them in BSG universe chronological order instead of air date order you will be spoiled.)
posted by Jacqueline at 7:33 PM on June 1

You should watch season three first. I can't recall anything within the Razor episode itself that is a spoiler of season three or requires season three to understand (and they will clarify details that are directly related to season two); however, I know for fact that the director's commentary on the disc gives away things that are major spoilers at the end of season three. So at least from the perspective of the directors, they expect season three to be completed first. And if you have any interest in watching the commentary, you most definitely do not want to watch it quite yet.

So tiamat is right on the money, taking into account the correction for the second set of webisodes.
posted by SpacemanStix at 7:41 PM on June 1

Yeah, the Adama webisodes tiamat mentioned are the Razor ones (just so the OP's clear).
posted by chrominance at 7:42 PM on June 1

Coming by to express my agreement with tiamat and chrominance.
posted by rtha at 7:43 PM on June 1

tiamat has the information you require.
posted by turgid dahlia at 8:13 PM on June 1

oh, and so does Jacqueline. sorry, Jacqueline.
posted by turgid dahlia at 8:14 PM on June 1

Battlestar Galactica has been recommended to me and this post is encouraging me to get off my lazy butt and add it to my netfliz queue. Should I watch the old 1978 episodes before embarking on the new ones?
posted by silkygreenbelly at 8:32 PM on June 1

silkygreenbelly, no. Unless you like painfully cheesy TV.
posted by fings at 8:40 PM on June 1

I wouldn't recommend it. It'd be kind of like watching a couple seasons of "CHiPs" to warm up for Homicide: Life on the Street.
posted by Lazlo at 8:42 PM on June 1 [5 favorites]

silkygreenbelly: It's a complete re-imagining of the original, from the ground up, not a sequel. You won't miss anything by skipping it, and.... well, actually I think Lazlo puts it pretty well.
posted by Tomorrowful at 9:03 PM on June 1

silkygreenbelly - You'll miss a couple of "yay, design references to old stuff" moments in Razor, that's about it.
posted by Artw at 9:31 PM on June 1

silkygreenbelly, if you're into exploring how something can be deconstructed and then put back together again to make a greater work, I would recommend watching some, and certainly not all, of the old 1978 series. I get a hoot out of seeing the references, but also seeing exactly how characters and plotlines were reimagined (e.g. old series Baltar is essentially a cartoon character with zero guilt over his role in the initial attack; new Baltar is a terrifically complicated fellow). It's a great compare-contrast exercise if you're into screenwriting, or writing new material for established characters and settings.

But you certainly don't need to watch the old series. The new series is totally self-contained, as mentioned above.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 10:00 PM on June 1 [2 favorites]

But do watch the miniseries before the 1st season...
posted by advil at 10:00 PM on June 1

You can watch the original series at Hulu (listed in reverse order).
posted by D.C. at 6:49 AM on June 2

I would consider myself a pretty big new-BSG fan, and I didn't watch any of the webisodes or Razor, and I haven't lost out on any backstory or information that I've noticed. Granted, Razor is on my shelf and waiting for me to get some free time to watch it, but still.
posted by joshrholloway at 9:55 AM on June 2

following up Spaceman Stix: I just watched Razor this weekend, and there are major Season Three spoilers in a couple of the other bonus features, so you might want to skip those if you haven't gotten there yet. Also, almost all of the Adama webisode content is now incorporated into the "extended director's cut" of Razor on the DVD -- just the webisodes' framing of the story is missing (and IMO is not that important).

But don't skip the Resistance webisodes -- as chrominance said they are located between seasons 2 and 3, and are very helpful in understanding some of the early part of season 3.
posted by harkin banks at 2:39 PM on June 2