Battlestar Galactica (TV Series) 33 (2004) User Reviews

Contrary to popular misunderstanding, this is not the pilot episode

[jeffbabies · 10/10 · 16 April 2022]

The poor reviews posted here seem to be based on a common misunderstanding: that this is a nonsensical and boring introduction to a supposedly highly praised series. This is due to a huge flaw in the way in which Battlestar Galactica is presented on IMDb and on streaming services. "33" is technically not the first episode of the series. In actual fact, there is a two-part pilot miniseries (running 180 minutes) which sets up the events of the series. It's typically packaged separately, which causes a great deal of confusion for those who are not aware of the proper viewing order. A serious flaw on the part of the creators, to be sure. But one might understand better if the series is viewed from the proper beginning.

Additionally, one should also be aware that this is not a traditional sci-fi. If you're looking for blinking lights and transporters and long-winded conversation about fancy futuristic technology... look somewhere else. This show is about human behavior and the human condition. It's about people first and foremost; it just happens to take place in space. In the same way that a show taking place in the western United States doesn't automatically make it a Western genre series about the Wild West. Do Battlestar fans consider it sci-fi? Absolutely. But it's a reinvention of sci-fi.

Those who take issue with the mention of god/gods have clearly missed the point of the underlying social commentary. They've also overlooked the obvious possibility for sci-fi to put science and reason to the concept of gods and higher powers, or to view all of these concepts from a philosophical view, which is where Battlestar differs from sci-fi of the past. While previous shows in this genre took a more literal approach with "cool technology" and gimmicks, Battlestar sets the stage with how people react emotionally to fear, and war, and loss, and trauma, and all of the flaws in the human condition. It makes us think about our own humanity-and what makes us human. One needs only to look at present day sci-fi to see how Battlestar influenced the genre and changed everything (even current Stark Trek incarnations) to embrace serialized dramatic storytelling with darker tones and more human substance, now preferring that structure over old-fashioned isolated, self-contained episodes in which everything resets back to normal at the end of the hour.

Best Series Premiere In History!

[startrekmaniac · 10/10 · 5 March 2008]

Right off the bat we start in the midst of intense action and pressure, clock is ticking for something, but they don't reveal what it is right away which is genius. Right off the start they are exhausted, barely surviving, no time to rest. So much better than any other show in existence yet, the entire show we are drawn in.

Even better, right off the first episode the newly elected president is forced to order the destruction of an entire civilian ship in fear that there is a cylon aboard, Apollo and starbuck also face the task of being the trigger pullers.

It works, but it really puts into question whether or not there is such a thing as the right thing to do, what is the limit to the right thing to do, how many lives does it take for that right thing to become a wrong thing.

And to conclude, the population of the earth is so small and you can see in Roselyn's face that she hates to put the numbers down, and the loss of the Olympic traveler and the mysterious professor bearing information on a traitor in their midst. The best part is when Billy announces that a baby was born, and they can put the population up one, that was a great moment in the show.

I am sorry, this is really the conclusion. Gaeus Baltar, the genius who sees cylon number six in his head is worried that the professor will expose him, and then six tells him to have faith in God and what happens? They get left behind, but when he loses faith they make it back so after she convinces him again the destruction of the Olympic traveler is ordered. Coincidence or true divine power? I guess that's for the viewers to decide, one thing is for certain, God or the Gods have a very important role in many of the characters in BSG and in the plot itself. With all this I say this was an awesome way to start a promising series, I bought season 1, season 2.0 and season 2.5 so I know it gets better, I just want to share my love for this remarkable better than the original series.

Exhaustion!

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 3 September 2010]

After the excellent introduction to the new Battlestar Galactica in the miniseries of 2003 it is not surprising that a full series was commissioned. This first episode starts off just after the events shown in the miniseries. The fleet is being pursued by the Cylons, every time they jump the Cylons catch up with them thirty three minutes later causing them to jump again. After doing this for several days everybody is exhausted, short tempered and starting to make mistakes. After one jump one of the ships, a liner carrying over a thousand people, gets lost. Strangely thirty three minutes later the Cylons don't appear this time. It looks like things are going well at last when the liner reappears claiming to have had problems with its jump drive. Something is wrong however, it is flying directly towards the fleet and ignores warnings for it to stop so that it can be confirmed that it wasn't compromised when it was left behind. As it gets closer the Cylons reappear and a tough decision has to be made. While all this is going on aboard the fleet we learn that Helo is alive on Caprica and fleeing from the Cylons; at one point it appears that he has been captured but a friendly face comes to his rescue... strange that we know that she is also flying a raptor at the time.

This was a great first episode for the series proper; the viewer can almost feel the crew's exhaustion as the whole cast looked genuinely fatigued, this was especially true of the overstretched deck crew. The destruction of a ship than may have had a thousand people on board showed that the series was not about to lighten up, if anything things are getting bleaker than they were in the miniseries; at least there the losses were due to enemy action. There is a small amount of light relief in the form of Gaius Baltar who continues to have conversations with Cylon number Six, whether he is going mad, under Cylon influence or something else altogether is unclear, James Callis and Tricia Helfer are great together as Baltar and Six. I was pleased to see that Helo is still around and it will be interesting to see how things go now he has been reunited with 'Boomer'.

to be continued

[nemod12 · 10/10 · 7 October 2011]

I am writing this review, and i have seen the complete show carefully and many times now. First i want to say that the bad comments and reviews i've read before on IMDb, all over the show, I truly believe that they all never really got the big picture here. This wasn't meant for them to understand(yet)?! But there were plenty of reviews that i cannot compare to yet. They confirmed just the things i knew already. This is the best 4 year movie the human race has ever met/made. And yes, it is a drama in the first place and the science fiction, well, you get that for free with it. You have to have a deep soul to watch this, cause it makes you cry for sure at times. But it is that what makes it so damn good. It is not just a show. it is just art in its purest form. It does let you almost feel as if you are on the Battlestar Galactica yourself.

This Is The First Day of the New Era of Science Fiction TV!!

[Ricimer · 26 January 2006]

After seeing the pilot Miniseries, I liked the show, but the thrown-back in your seat first regular episode is what made me throw up my hands and say "Best. Series. Ever." When Scifi Channel premiered the series, they ended the first night with a "this year on Battlestar Galactica" quick set of clips, and at the end Zarek says "This *is* the first day of the New Era!" And on my couch I just couldn't help but shout "YES!": Science fiction television had been reborn.

It's hard to do a Battlestar Galactica review and not have the recent cancellation of Star Trek come up (well, in the first season), because that's how you can understand how it "re-invented" TV science fiction. Long story short, the last "good" Star Trek was Deep Space Nine. After this, executive producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga created Voyager, which was seen as the downturn of the franchise, and Enterprise, in which so many mistakes were made that Star Trek was canceled. Ron D. Moore, creator of BSG, was a disgruntled old DS9 writer, who quite literally, fixed every single thing that Star Trek was doing wrong which led to it's cancellation.

For example, the biggest problem was that there were no *consequences* on Star Trek anymore. It became a cliché that every episode ended with someone spouting off some "technobabble" which fixed the situation with everyone happy at the end. The problem is, without consequences, there is no drama.

"33", which won a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presenation, Short Form, does just that; show consequences. The problem they face is that Enemy agents have hijacked a passenger liner carrying 1,300 people, and are going to crash it into their ship and detonate a nuclear bomb. What happens? Do they come up with some "we can jam their signal!" solution at the end? No. Galactica's fighter pilots are ordered to destroy the liner, and in the end they destroy it. Is it right? Is it wrong? We're not sure; the Galactica crew didn't "suceed"; their only reward was survival. It was a frightening parallel of the real world possibility that if terrorists hijack another plane, our military may have to shoot it down.

The best part about the series that's hard to explain to some new viewers is that "This isn't Star Trek"; the people in this are *never* happy, they never get R&R. This is a post-apocalyptic TV show.

"33" begins a matter of days after a civilization of 12 Billion people has been killed off in a surprise attack, and only some 50,000 refugees have escaped. The Cylons have pursued them relentlessly for days, and the crew hasn't slept for 5 days as a result. The cast actually discussed their reactions with a sleep deprivation expert. Instead of just walking around constantly yawning and saying "wow am I tired", they give an incredibly realistic portrayal of what would happen. Everyone is agitated, one character might be snapping at the others, another constantly forgetting things, etc.

There are standout performances by practically the entire cast. Many episode might focus on 2-3 characters at a time (although everyone has something meaningful to do in every episode), but every character gets really good development in here.

Edward James Olmos as usual *exudes* gravitas in all of his scenes. Michael Hogan puts in a great performance as the alcoholic first officer, who because of the attack has risen to the occasion, stopped drinking (for the last few days) and to the surprise of all transforms into one of the few characters trying to drive the others onward. Dualla also gets some good moments in when she visits Galactica' impromptu memorial wall. Mary McDonnell gives a great performance as well, as the exasperated newly sworn in President, who has to give the order to destroy the passenger liner.

Hats off also to the deck crew. This episode began the "Upstairs/Downstairs" vibe that the series would continue to use as it progressed. Commander Adama or President Roslin makes decisions, and then we see the worn-thin flight deck mechanics (Tyrol, Cally, Socinus). being affected by it.

This is also one of the first episodes where Baltar really gets to do one of his excellent two-way conversation scenes with Number Six, and they're some of his best, when he's talking to "real" people and Number Six at the same time.

Other amazing developments were that it turns out that Helo didn't die when left behind on Caprica when it was getting nuked. Now it's been occupied by the Cylons, and Helo's running for his life (originally, he was supposed to just die, but the fans really liked Helo so he's back). Plus they introduce a second copy of Sharon-Valerii (the "evil" one) to manipulate him. (Fans use the terms "Galactica-Sharon" and "Caprica-Sharon" to tell the two apart).

The special effects are great, there's a good scene with the new Centurians, and literally every scene is enthralling. The direction in this episode is fantastic; Michael Rymer is admittedly their best and favorite director, and they give him all of the "important" episodes, for good reason. The entire show looks like a documentary almost, witch incredibly realistic camera shots, zooms, constant moving cameras, etc.

This episode set the bar for all of the others that followed it, and only maybe 5 or so ever equaled or surpassed it. There are better episodes...for a single character. But this was the best "capsule" episode ever, with each cast member giving great performances (i.e. Starbuck has incredible acting in "Act of Contrition", but some of the other characters don't do as much in it.). And it's really balanced. Some other episodes are more about action, some are devoted entirely to drama (better than here), but this episode has a little of everything.

Good episode, but in my opinion "33" isn't as good as the previous two episodes

[pjgs200 · 8/10 · 24 August 2016]

I don't have much to say about this episode. The first two episodes before this were really, really good- they mixed intrigue, mystery, action and character development flawlessly, and packed pretty good cliffhangers at the end of each episode (especially episode 2). The directing, writing, and acting continue to be great, but for some reason I didn't feel as engrossed throughout this episode as in the previous two. The scenes where Starbuck and Captain Lee Adama were passing by the Olympic Carrier were very tense, but aside from that there weren't any other scenes that caught my attention. I love the religious overtones in this series so far. Many shows try to use religion in some episodes, but so far none have done it as well as Battlestar Galactica. I really enjoy seeing the contrast between the beliefs of the humans and the beliefs of the Cylons.

Overall, 33 is a really good episode, but it's not as great as the two that came before it. It's not a 10/10 like some people are saying, but in no way is it anything near a 1 or 2/10.

7.5/10

Best of Science Fiction -- Best of Television

[deerich2 · 10/10 · 10 October 2006]

This is not a remake of the cheesy series from years ago but a completely re-imagined universe. No more "poofy" haircuts, capes, and pseudo-Egyptian helmets. These Colonials dress in flight suits, uniforms, and clothing that suggest another world as well as ours.

It's science fiction at its best. Thought provoking. Well written. Well acted. Unafraid to tackle controversial topics head on.

And when you think you know what's going to happen next -- Duck! Because the new Battlestar Galactica will upset all your expectations and expose you to new ways of looking at television, science fiction and life.

For the thinking person this show should be at the top of your "must see" list.

Edward James Olmos (William Adama) and Mary McDonnell (Laura Roslyn) are fantastic. Their on screen chemistry is amazing and their abilities to communicate non-verbally unmatched. The nuances of their scenes together are enough to propel this show to the top 10 of all time.

James Callis (Gaius Baltar) is wonderful as well. His mixture of brilliance, insanity, comic relief, and religious zealotry brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "evil genius."

Watch this show!

It's the best show on TV.

And by the way, the show won a Peabody Award. These are given to "outstanding works exhibiting excellence, distinguished achievement, and meritorious service by radio and television networks, stations, cable television organizations, producing organizations, and individuals."

Excellent: continues the quality of the introductory 2-parter

[grantss · 9/10 · 13 October 2023]

Battlestar Galactica and its rag-tag fleet are fleeing the Cylons and should be largely free of them. However, every 33 minutes the Cylons appear, necessitating a Hyper Space Jump. This has been going on for days - the crew hasn't slept for 130 hours. There seems no end in sight.

This 2-part intro mini-series was excellent. The main plot was highly intriguing and engaging and the sub-plots were great, giving depth to all the characters, tightening the plot development and generally making things grittier and more credible. Quite complex, intelligent and emotional.

Great action scenes and special effects rounded off an excellent mini-series

This, the series proper, continues in the same vein. While the mini-series was scene-setting we now have episode-long plots while still moving the main plot forward. This all hangs together extremely well. This episode's plot is a very interesting one too.

Sleepless in Galactica

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 13 August 2008]

The crew of Galactica is exhausted after 237 consecutive jumps in intervals of 33 minutes and 132.25 hour without sleep to escape from the Cylons. When Galactica is contacted by the Olympic Carrier, a vessel with more than 1,300 persons, Commander William Adama (Edward James Olmos) and (Mary McDonnell) are advised that there is a traitor on board. However, Dr. Gaius Baltar (James Callis) convinces both leaders that the Olympic Carrier is a menace to the refugee fleet led by Galactica.

In the end of the 70's, "Battlestar Galactica" was a charming series with Capt. Apollo, Lt. Starbuck, Cmdr. Adama and the crew and survivors in this warship. This "updated remake" is reasonable, with a female "Starbuck" and better special effects, but without charismatic characters and the charm of the original show. President Laura Roslin is an awfully ridiculous, useless and inconsistent character, since the hopeless woman has cancer and is a secretary of education that hates politics, but suddenly she thinks that she is a military strategist, sharing the leadership of the survivors with experienced military commanders in times of war. With regard to "33", I am still trying to understand why the Cylons have not simply destroyed the vessel to protect the despicable Gaius. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "33"

33

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 7 October 2020]

After the two part mini series. The launch of the new series did not need to do a character introduction. That was already established.

Instead we see a tired crew of the Galactica who have been doing jumps every 33 minutes to escape the Cylons but they keep turning up.

Going without sleep, fatigued, one carrier gets left behind during a jump. When it reappears there is a fear that the carrier has been infiltrated by the Cylons.

Commander Adama has a difficult decision to make. This is a grungy looking episode with a downbeat vibe.

I did think that the scenes with Gaius talking with himself/Number 6 was getting irritating. You would think that others watching him thought he was either deranged or a security risk.

Award-winning schlock is still schlock

[dennismontoya · 4/10 · 29 September 2006]

This is the award that made me lose all respects for the Hugos.

If such a "distinguished" panel can't see or care about the obvious story-telling problems of Battlestar Galactica, then what worth is their award? The answer: not much.

Award-winning shows should be examples of creativity and excellence, neither of which are in evidence in BG, in this episode or any other that I've seen.

Shooting in drab video is not "artistic", it's just cheap. Shaking the camera is not "creative" it's vomit-inducing and lazy as can be.

All BG has shown is how corrupt most award-giving "academies" really are and how easy it is to buy awards with a lot of PR money.

There's no middle ground regarding this series

[Paularoc · 4/10 · 12 October 2012]

I've read well over a hundred reviews of this show and one thing is clear, people either love it or hate it. For me, it was hands down the most boring show I have ever seen, but given all the positive reviews I suffered through to the end of the pilot episode. The camera work is abysmal, not artistic; the characters are two-dimensional and often unlikable, the acting spotty, the production values barely adequate, but most of all it is neither entertaining nor interesting. Olmos mumbles and stumbles through his role and McDonnel's character is blah. Even so, given the huge number of rave reviews, I am tempted to try another few episodes. It has got to get better and maybe the pilot episode was necessarily boring to establish all the background elements needed to provide a logical development of the storyline. Maybe.

Soooo boring!

[infinitumd · 1/10 · 20 April 2020]

This was dreadfully slow. There wasn't any explanation as to what was happening except one character saying something like 'why do the cylons come every 33 minutes'. They were writing on a dry erase board and one guy was wearing a shirt and tie??? This is supposed to be Sci Fi??? I got so bored I fell asleep 33 minutes in. THAT should be why it's called 33.