Battlestar Galactica: The Plan -- DVD Review

Standalone TV Movie Based on Popular Series Fills in the Blanks

Oct 31, 2009

The Cylons were created by man, rebelled and had a Plan. We weren't told the full details, and so Edward James Olmos opted to direct this addendum for the fans. 8/10

Without providing anything new to the existing four-seasons which graced the airwaves on the Sci-Fi Channel, the producers of Battlestar Galactica opted to offer some story filler from a different perspective, in order to help viewers rationalize many of the series' Cylon-related plot points.

The timeline is roughly the same as that of the series, with about a year passing in the lives of the crew of Galactica, as well as the other ships in the fleet. On the run from the Cylons, they are on a search for a new permanent home, to settle the remaining tens of thousands from the Twelve Colonies.

Now we go back to the very first few moments of the show, when Baltar (James Callis) and his buxom blonde companion (Tricia Helfer) were leaving the Ministry of Defense Building on Caprica. Whereas they originally were seen leaving together for Baltar's lakeside home to frolic the hours away, we now learn she was to meet Brother Cavill (Dean Stockwell), also known as the Cylon designated as One.

As Cavill/One explains quite bluntly to Six (Helfer), there is no real need for emotional or sexual attachment to the humans, as the plan is to exterminate them. Six hesitates, but recognizes One's plan to be a good one.

Jump to the series' pivotal scene showing Caprica being bombed by the Cylon Basestars. though this scene was originally shown in passing, we now are able to bear witness to the simultaneous destruction of each planet in the colonies, in a coordinated attack.

What the Cylons did not count on, was for one of the old decommissioned Battlestars (namely the Galactica) to be immune to the Cylon weapon which disables any modern technology built with Cylon like hardware. As a result, the ship commanded by William Adama (Edward James Olmos) is able to gather what's left of humanity, and head off into the stars.

The rest of this insightful TV movie deals with how the Cylons find themselves working their way into the lives of the survivors, and how they try to get the upper hand in destroying them once and for all. The big question becomes whether they can succeed.

What's brilliant about this two-hour movie directed by lead actor Olmos, is how it constructively builds on what the fans already know so well. By offering even just a slightly different visual perspective on an already popular or famous scene from the show, it allows the viewer to have an almost voyeuristic view of their favorite tale. If a comparison had to be made with existing works out there, you'd have to compare The Plan to a 1990 movie called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, in which the audience is presented the world of the Hamlet play, but from the next room, by secondary characters.

Much like this, The Plan focuses almost solely on all of the known Cylon Humanoids from the series (with the exception of Lucy Lawless' Three, who is mysteriously missing from this sequel), and how they may have a plan, but also have some reservations as to their motives.

Much of the film's focus centers around Cavill/One, mastermind and figurehead for his fellow Cylons. Dean Stockwell (TV's Quantum Leap) carries much of the narrative for the film's running time, but having spent several decades playing in this genre, he performs his task admirably.

Kudos go to Rick Worthy as Simon/Four, who also displays greater range than in his contributions to the series, and Grace Park, whose tortured Boomer/Eight is torn between her purpose as a Cylon, and her good life as a pilot on the Galactica.

It must be assumed that Olmos had a very limited budget for this one-off project, and so he cleverly re-inserted existing footage from the series, tweaking some additional footage here and there to build on what's already been shown on TV. The magic in his direction, is what he does once he gets there. Olmos has a vested interest in the project, as a principal cast member. It's good to see that the job went to someone closely connected to the series.

First off, understand this: If a viewer hasn't really bothered to see all four seasons of the hit show prior to watching this film, then there's very little point to do so. The Plan is first and foremost a companion piece to the excellent series it is named after. To walk into this film unaware, will only confuse anyone who'd try to make sense of the various flashbacks, or who the Cylons are, what they're doing there, etc...

That being said, those who did see the entire series and are looking to get a better understanding of the very dense mythology behind the show, will be spoiled. This film is clearly a labor of love made for fans, as a show of thanks for the support they've given the series, until it ended last year, with a finale that still is the subject of discussion in several sci-fi circles.

8 out of 10, for avoiding the useless re-hash of known story lines, and offering a fresh perspective, adding to the original product.

The copyright of the article Battlestar Galactica: The Plan -- DVD Review in Sci-Fi TV is owned by Dominic Messier. Permission to republish Battlestar Galactica: The Plan -- DVD Review in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.