By MELANIE McFARLAND
P-I TELEVISION CRITIC
Underneath the explosive special effects, "Battlestar Galactica" examines what it means to be human, in all its facets.
WATCH IT
"Battlestar Galactica: Razor"
9 p.m. Saturday
Sci Fi Channel
Executive producers Ronald D. Moore, David Eick and their co-writers have used the series to explore the sustaining and destructive power of religion, the ways in which crises bring out our best and most deplorable instincts, and how far we'll go to survive.
The will to survive is the story's spine, personified in every episode by the stalwart Admiral William Adama (Edward James Olmos), President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), the headstrong Kara Thrace (Katee Sackhoff) and Adama's driven son Lee (Jamie Bamber).
But Adama and Roslin wrestle with Galactica's priorities more than the others. Their job is to ensure the survival of the human race, but each challenge forces a struggle to maintain their humanity in spite of desperation and temptation.
Thus our second season introduction to Admiral Helena Cain (Michelle Forbes), the ruthless leader of Battlestar Pegasus, shocked the system of "Battlestar" watchers. Cain, whose command at last receives a close examination in the two-hour extended episode "Battlestar Galactica: Razor," was everything Adama is not. She cared nothing about being loved, seeing fear as a more effective leadership tool. She did unspeakable things, without hesitation, to her own people as well as the Cylons.
The darker side of will is a lot of things, but in "Razor" it is fueled by Cain's need for vengeance. Cain, in her limited time on the series, left wounds that never quite healed.
"Razor" does nothing to soften the unsympathetic portrait of Cain. If anything, the episode makes a more permanent cast of her as a cold, unyielding leader in peacetime who exploded into a singularly focused despot after the Cylons destroyed Caprica.
Cain was similar to Adama in one sense, however -- survival was all that mattered. Her priority was to wage war on behalf of a race the Cylons nearly extinguished, and if atrocities had to be committed, so be it. Every war has its collateral damage.
This is what it means to be a Razor. Cain at one point explains to her obedient protege Kendra Shaw (Stephanie Jacobsen), "Sometimes we have to do things that we never thought we were capable of if only to show the enemy our will." Her voice breaks as she adds, "This war is forcing us all to become Razors, because if we don't, we don't survive."
But the chilling truth is that by the end, you'll have a better understanding of why Cain did what she did, both tactically and emotionally.
Shaw survives Cain, but not the toll she took on her conscience. When Shaw becomes second in command to Lee, she continues her former leader's uncompromising legacy while wrestling with her grimmest memories.
"Battlestar Galactica" has presented a number of influential auxiliary characters throughout its run, but none as complex and compelling as Shaw. In spite of the actor's pixielike appearance, Jacobsen believably hardens the office into steel as "Razor" develops. Never a clear hero or villain, she's a tortured shade torn between vendetta and the fear-driven culture of Pegasus and Galactica, with a crew Admiral Adama considers to be family. Shaw's inner turmoil gives "Razor" its tragic bites and crags.
And "Razor's" best service, beyond reminding us why "Galactica" is one of the best television shows on the air, is in filling in the story's historical gaps -- particularly a deeper examination of the lives of the demoralized crew.
In addition to seeing what happened on the Pegasus and getting a first-hand look at a rumored war crime, writer Michael Taylor and director Felix Alcala also segue into the final season by dropping in a nostalgic visual treat that might as well be a red-eyed love letter to longtime fans.
Surely we deserve something for going for a year without new episodes. Season four of "Battlestar Galactica" won't start until April (although "Razor" is, technically, part of it). But it's better to think of "Razor" as a bridge between the seasons rather than a sustaining, hunger-curbing snack. This will not hold you over -- no, not in the least. On the contrary, "Razor's" revelatory conclusion makes the waiting more difficult to bear.
But for "Galactica" fans, it probably goes without saying that "Razor" is not to be missed, even if watching will make April seem a lifetime away.
P-I TV critic Melanie McFarland can be reached at 206-448-8015 or tvgal@seattlepi.com. Follow her TV Gal blog at blog.seattlepi.com/tv
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Posted on Wed, Nov. 21, 2007
TV REVIEW: 'Battlestar Galactica: Razor' will please dedicated fans
By CARY DARLING
McClatchy Newspapers
The fourth and final season of "Battlestar Galactica" doesn't hit the air until April, but diehard fans don't need to wait. In addition to a series of seven mini-sodes that have aired on Sci Fi in recent weeks, there's now "Battlestar Galactica: Razor," a two-hour movie that pivots between last season and next, offering enlightening back story while also providing a tantalizing glimpse of what might be in store.
For the longest time, those on board the starship Galactica and its retinue of smaller ships - on the run across the galaxy from the robot-human hybrid Cylons who've destroyed most of the human race - thought they were the sole human survivors. But they've recently discovered another crew, aboard the Battlestar Pegasus under the command of the coldly brutal Admiral Helena Cain (Michelle Forbes).
"Razor" fleshes out Cain as she's viewed through the eyes of Kendra Shaw (Stephanie Jacobsen), a young officer assigned to the Pegasus on the eve of the Cylons' surprise attack on humanity. Shifting between the Pegasus of the past and the Galactica of the present, "Razor" uses the battle-hardened but conflicted Shaw as a template for a soldier torn by duty and morality.
Of course, Shaw doesn't get along with the equally feisty pilot Kara "Starbuck" Thrace (Katee Sackhoff), though the two ultimately come to an understanding of sorts. But then Starbuck's loyalties may not be what they seem.
Meanwhile, Admiral William Adama (Edward James Olmos) is being forced to relive some unpleasant memories as the fleet runs across a primitive Cylon ship containing the remains of the first human-cyborg experiments.
Though not as rife with the easy symbolism and parallels to contemporary politics as some episodes, "Razor" nevertheless makes the well-worn point that war can offer both hell and redemption. But, for fans of the series, the best part comes in the last few minutes, and it has nothing to do with gee-whiz special effects (of which there aren't that many in "Razor").
It has more to do with Starbuck's fate and a decision that Commander Lee "Apollo" Adama (Jamie Bamber), who has been her lover, has to make.
April can't come soon enough.
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: RAZOR
9 p.m. EST Saturday
Sci Fi Channel
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'Battlestar Galactica' goes on the search for Earth
Sci-Fi channel to premiere telemovie titled 'Razor'
Fernando Ramos, Staff Writer
Issue date: 11/21/07 Section: Tempo
Don't let the goofy name and the fact that it's a remake fool you. Starting its final season next year, "Battlestar Galactica" is one of TV's great overlooked dramas. While April 2008 seems a long way away, fans can at least satiate themselves with the new "Battlestar" film premiering on Sci-Fi channel, "Razor."
For those unacquainted with the complicated (and in some cases, convoluted) backstory behind the show, "Razor" may prove unfriendly. However, the main premise is surprisingly simple: The remainder of mankind, after having its colonies devastated by the rebellious sentient robots called Cylons, takes to the stars in search of Earth, which has been reduced to a Biblical-style legend.
Within this premise lie characters and stories that are better realized than most major Hollywood productions. Executive produced by fan-favorite "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" writer Ronald D. Moore, this is TV with nuance and texture. It's also worth re-watching to catch all those fine details missed on first viewing.
Also, the show frequently addresses real-life situations through ingenious screenwriting that harkens back to the days of the original "Star Trek" or "The Twilight Zone," when science fiction actually meant something.
"Battlestar" has tackled nothing less than the concept of life when civilization has been reduced to nothing. What is a leader? What is a government? What is God?
It's tense, riveting and chock-full of movie-quality action sequences for those who just can't watch sci-fi without something blowing up. Few episodes go by wasted, instead weaving into each other to form a spectacular storyline.
"Razor," from all reports, will continue this tradition. However, instead of dealing with the so-juicy-it's-dripping cliffhanger that ended the third season, "Razor" goes back in time to the second season onboard the Battlestar Pegasus.
In the series, the Pegasus was run by the seemingly maniacal Admiral Helena Cain (Michelle Forbes), who dealt with her crew with an iron-clad fist, in contrast to the more benevolent Galactica and her commander, William Adama (Edward James Olmos).
Even with Moore being infamously mum on the film (despite several online outlets distributing it illegally), details have emerged, including shedding light on an executive officer named Kendra Shaw (Stephanie Jacobsen) who has a connection with Galactica's pilot Kara Thrace (Katee Sackoff) which may hold grave consequences for humanity's (and season four's) future.
Rent the previous "Battlestar" seasons on DVD and study up, nuggets, because "Razor" is bound to be sharp.
-'Battlestar Galactica: Razor' will premiere on the Sci-Fi Channel at 9 p.m on Saturday.
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