Battlestar Galactica – Downloaded
Inside the Universe of the Critically Acclaimed TV Series
By David Bassom

It’s been over 2 months since we last saw the Battlestar Galactica fly off into space for it’s final voyage, and if you’re like me, you’ve been feeling the loss every Friday night. While it won’t quite quench the desire for new stories, the good folks at Titan Books have given us a little something to help fill the void: Battlestar Galactica Downloaded – Inside the Universe of the Critically Acclaimed TV Series.  This official companion focuses on season 1 and 2 of the highly praised series, as well as taking an in-depth look at the 3-hour miniseries that started it all.

The first thing you’ll notice when you get your hands on this book, is just how gorgeous it is! Really. I wanted to handle it with care so as to not mar it’s beauty. From the thick glossy paper, to the full color images, to the red Cylon pulse that runs across the top of the pages, this book is as shiny as a centurion soldier!

Downloaded opens with a section called Battleplan, which I found completely fascinating. David Eick talks about changes that were made from the original version of the show and why, and also explains things like casting choices and character names. There are so many gems of information in this section – like how they (wisely) decided to add lower ranking officers to the main cast of characters in order to allow them portray different walks of life and character interactions.

The bulk of the book is made up season 1 and 2 episode guides, which far surpass any episode guides I’ve found online. Each episode gets 2 pages consisting of an episode description, notes and thoughts from the writers of the episode, as well as insights from actors featured in the episode. And a gorgeous full page, full color image accompanies the information for each episode!

Interspersed among the episode guides is a wealth of information with features such as Character Profiles, Visual Effects, Costume Design, Production Design, and the Music of Battlestar Galactica. One of the features that I particularly enjoyed is From Mini-series to Series – an in-depth look at how the show went from a successful mini-series to become the new Battlestar Galactica series.

“Our goal is nothing less than the reinvention of the science fiction television series.” — BSG Bible

The section on the mini-series is packed with interesting information, as are the many character profiles… Did you know that Jamie Bamber was a fan of the original series? Or that Katee Sackhoff found it “exhausting but fun” to play Kara’s emotional turmoil?

Even with all that excellent information and so many stunning photos, I have to say that my absolute favorite aspect of Downloaded are the “Surveillance: Additional” sidebars.  Almost every page in the companion book has a sidebar or inset that gives us some little-known insider tidbit of information.  One of my favorite discoveries from the Surveillance sidebars is that Serenity can be seen flying over Caprica in the pilot episode.  See? Geek goodness on every page!

With its loads of information, abundance of cast and crew commentary, and amazing collection of beautiful photos, I can’t imagine any fan of Battlestar Galactica will be disappointed in Battlestar Galactica – Downloaded. Pick up your copy to tie you over until the much anticipated prequel Caprica begins!