The second season of the reimagined science fiction television series ''

Battlestar Galactica ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series), original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel se ...

'' premiered on the

Sci-Fi Channel Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Launc ...

in the United States on July 15, 2005, and concluded on March 10, 2006. The season was split into two parts, each containing 10 episodes. "Season 2.0" aired from July to September 2005, and "Season 2.5" aired from January to March 2006.

Cast and characters

Main cast

* Edward James Olmos as

William Adama William "Bill" Adama (callsign "Husker") is a fictional character in the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica'' television series produced and aired by the SyFy cable network. He is one of the main characters in the series, and is portrayed by Ed ...

* Mary McDonnell as

Laura Roslin Laura Roslin is a fictional character in the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica'' series, portrayed by Mary McDonnell. She is the President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol and is one of the primary characters in the show. Character biography Ba ...

* Katee Sackhoff as Kara "Starbuck" Thrace * Jamie Bamber as Lee "Apollo" Adama *

James Callis James Nicholas Callis (born 4 June 1971) is a British actor. He is known for playing Dr. Gaius Baltar in the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica'' miniseries and television series, and Bridget Jones's best friend Tom in ''Bridget Jones's Diar ...

Gaius Baltar Dr. Gaius Baltar is a fictional character in the TV series '' Battlestar Galactica'' played by James Callis, a reimagining of Count Baltar from the 1978 '' Battlestar Galactica'' series. He is one of the show's primary characters. Personality G ...

Tricia Helfer Tricia Janine Helfer (born April 11, 1974) is a Canadian-American actress and former model. She played the enigmatic Cylon model Number Six in the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica'' series (2004–2009). She also voiced Sarah Kerrigan in ''S ...

as Number Six * Grace Park as Sharon "Boomer" Valerii (Number Eight) * Michael Hogan as

Saul Tigh Saul Tigh is a fictional character on ''Battlestar Galactica'' played by Michael Hogan. He is one of the main characters of the show. Biography Overview and personality Saul Tigh is a line officer assigned as executive officer on the Galacti ...

* Aaron Douglas as

Galen Tyrol Galen Tyrol (commonly referred to as The Chief) is a character on the television series ''Battlestar Galactica''. Tyrol is responsible for the maintenance of the Vipers and Raptors aboard. Battlestar ''Galactica''. After the events of the mi ...

* Tahmoh Penikett as Karl "Helo" Agathon * Nicki Clyne as Cally Henderson * Kandyse McClure as

Anastasia Dualla Anastasia "Dee" Dualla, portrayed by Kandyse McClure, is a fictional character in the reimagined ''Battlestar Galactica (reimagining), Battlestar Galactica.'' Character history A native of Sagittaron, Anastasia Dualla joined the Colonial Force ...

* Paul Campbell as

Billy Keikeya Billy Keikeya is a fictional character in the miniseries and television remake of '' Battlestar Galactica''. He is portrayed by Paul Campbell. Billy appeared until late in the second season, at which point he was killed by terrorists. Paul Campb ...

* Alessandro Juliani as

Felix Gaeta Lieutenant Junior Grade Felix Gaeta is a fictional character on '' Battlestar Galactica'' played by Alessandro Juliani. Arc Character overview in his early career Felix Gaeta is known for his friendly, encouraging, trusting, and idealistic na ...

Recurring cast

* Sam Witwer as Alex "Crashdown" Quartararo * Donnelly Rhodes as

Sherman Cottle Major Sherman Cottle is a fictional character in the reimagined '' Battlestar Galactica'' series. The battlestar ''Galacticas Chief Medical Officer, Cottle is played by Donnelly Rhodes. Character biography Cottle is gruff, sarcastic, and po ...

* Rekha Sharma as Tory Foster * Callum Keith Rennie as

Leoben Conoy Leoben Conoy (Number Two) is a fictional character portrayed by Callum Keith Rennie appearing in the reimagined '' Battlestar Galactica'' series. Leoben is a humanoid Cylon agent who portrays himself as possessing philosophical and religious e ...

(Number Two) * Lucy Lawless as

D'Anna Biers D'Anna Biers (Number Three) is a fictional character from the re-imagined '' Battlestar Galactica'' television series, played by Lucy Lawless. Within the fictional universe of Battlestar Galactica, Number Three is a Humanoid Cylon Model. Char ...

(Number Three) *

Matthew Bennett Matthew Ray Bennett (born April 9, 1968) is a Canadian actor, writer and director. He is best known for portraying Detective Len Harper on ''Cold Squad'' and his recurring roles as Aaron Doral cylon model number five in the reimagined ''Battles ...

as Aaron Doral (Number Five) * Dean Stockwell as

John Cavil John Cavil (Number One) is a fictional character and the main antagonist from the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica'' television series. He is portrayed by Dean Stockwell. In the fourth-season episode " Six of One", Cavil's model number was reve ...

(Number One) *

Rick Worthy Richard "Rick" Worthy (born March 12, 1967) is an American actor. He is best known for appearing in a variety of science fiction and fantasy television shows. He is perhaps best known for his recurring role as Simon O'Neill cylon model number fo ...

as Simon (Number Four) * Richard Hatch as

Tom Zarek These are lists of characters from the various ''Battlestar Galactica'' incarnations. Original 1978 movie and series People from the ''Galactica'': * Commander Adama - played by Lorne Greene * Commander Cain - played by Lloyd Bridges * Captain ...

Kate Vernon Katherine Elizabeth Vernon (born April 21, 1961) is a Canadian-born American actress. She is known for her roles as Lorraine Prescott on the CBS primetime soap opera ''Falcon Crest'' (from 1984–1985), the stuck-up and popular Benny Hanson in t ...

Ellen Tigh Ellen Tigh is a fictional character from the re-imagined '' Battlestar Galactica'' series. She is played by the actress Kate Vernon. Overview Ellen Tigh is the wife of Colonel Saul Tigh. At the beginning of the series, he believes she has been ...

Lorena Gale Lorena Gale (May 9, 1958 – June 21, 2009) was a Canadian actress, playwright and theatre director. She was active onstage and in films and television since the 1980s. She also authored two award-winning plays, ''Angélique'' and ''Je me so ...

as Elosha * Michael Trucco as

Samuel Anders These are lists of characters from the various ''Battlestar Galactica'' incarnations. Original 1978 movie and series People from the ''Galactica'': * Commander Adama - played by Lorne Greene * Commander Cain - played by Lloyd Bridges * Captain ...

* Michelle Forbes as Helena Cain *

Graham Beckel Graham Stuart Beckel (born December 22, 1949) is an American character actor. He is known for his guest appearances on television but has had roles in several major films as well. He is known for his roles as Franklin Ford in the drama film '' Th ...

as Jack Fisk * Leah Cairns as Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson *

Bodie Olmos Bodie James Olmos (born August 27, 1975) is an American actor. He is the son of Edward James Olmos and Kaija Keel, and grandson of Howard Keel. His older brother is actor Mico Olmos, and his younger sister is Daniela Olmos. His first on screen ...

as Brendan "Hot Dog" Costanza * Luciana Carro as Louanne "Kat" Katraine * Alonso Oyarzun as Socinus * Jennifer Halley as Diana "Hardball" Seelix

Episodes

Production and reception

Following the success of the 13-episode first season, the Sci-Fi Channel ordered a 20-episode second season on February 23, 2005. The season premiered in the United States on the Sci-Fi Channel on July 15, 2005, with the UK, Ireland, and Canadian premiere in January 2006. In fall 2005, airing of the second season halted, as it was part of Sci-Fi Channel's standard airing schedule normally used for its ''Stargate'' series, which was to split a 20-episode season into two parts (a "winter season" and a "summer season") to avoid heavy competition with major networks that follow a spring/fall schedule. Universal Home Video took this break as an opportunity to package the episodes aired thus far into a DVD set, calling it "Season 2.0". The final episode of the first half, "

Pegasus Pegasus ( grc-gre, Πήγασος, Pḗgasos; la, Pegasus, Pegasos) is one of the best known creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine stallion usually depicted as pure white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as hor ...

", was originally 15 minutes too long for broadcast, but according to creator Ronald Moore, the production team decided to cut the episode to time rather than pad it out to fill 90 minutes, as this was deemed impractical. The longer version of "Pegasus" appears on the ''Battlestar Galactica'' Season 2.5 DVD set, which was released in the U.S. on September 19, 2006.

Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space. In the field of astronomy, ...

did not contribute financially to the second season, though UK broadcasts credit the company at the end of every episode. The second half of season two ("Season 2.5") began airing on January 6, 2006, after a three-month hiatus, during which the Sci-Fi Channel mounted a huge publicity effort. ''Battlestar Galactica'' picked up considerable critical acclaim from the mainstream press, including being named the #1 show of 2005 by ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' magazine, and being listed on numerous top ten lists of both 2005 and 2006 by publications such as the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'', ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'', ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...

'' and ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

''. The

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

also named it one of the ten best television shows of 2005. There was some criticism that a few episodes following " Resurrection Ship, Part 2" were not up to par with previous episodes, such as the episode "

Black Market A black market, underground economy, or shadow economy is a clandestine market or series of transactions that has some aspect of illegality or is characterized by noncompliance with an institutional set of rules. If the rule defines the se ...

", for which even Ron Moore expressed some disdain. Moore stated in his blog that he felt this was a result of the larger workload the series faced with twenty episodes, instead of thirteen in season one. However, episode 15, "

Scar A scar (or scar tissue) is an area of fibrous tissue that replaces normal skin after an injury. Scars result from the biological process of wound repair in the skin, as well as in other organs, and tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a na ...

", was thought to bring the series back up to its high level of quality, and subsequent episodes " The Captain's Hand", " Downloaded", and the two part finale " Lay Down Your Burdens", were hailed by fans and critics alike. Moore expressed that the longer break between seasons two and three (seven months instead of two) would help to ensure that all episodes were up to the high level of quality that the production team strove to maintain.

Reception

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the season has an approval rating of 100% with an average score of 9.5 out of 10 based on 12 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "In its second season, ''Battlestar Galatica'' doubles down on the series' high-minded themes and satisfyingly complex storylines."

Awards

;Wins * 2005

Saturn Award for Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series The Saturn Award for Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series was presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, honoring the best syndicated or cable television series. It was first introduced in 1996 and discontin ...

* 2005

Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television The Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television is presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, honoring the work of actors in science fiction, fantasy, and horror fiction on television. As of the 47t ...

–

* 2005 Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television – Katee Sackhoff * 2006 Scream Award for Best Television Show * 2006

Spacey Awards The Spacey Awards (also referred to as The Spaceys) was an annual award presented by the Canada, Canadian cable network Space (Canadian TV channel), Space from 2003 to 2007.John McKay, "Rings topp winner of Spacey Awards". ''The Province'', June 27 ...

for Best Television Show * 2005

Visual Effects Society Award The Visual Effects Society (VES) is an entertainment industry organization representing visual effects practitioners including artists, animators, technologists, model makers, educators, studio leaders, supervisors, PR/marketing specialists and p ...

for Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Broadcast Program, Commercial, or Music Video (Cylon Centurion in "Fragged") ;Nominations * 2006

ALMA Award The American Latino Media Arts Award or ALMA Award, formerly known as Latin Oscars Award, is an award highlighting the best Hispanic and Latino Americans, American Latino contributions to music, television, and film. The awards promote fair and ...

for Outstanding Actor in a Television Series – Edward James Olmos * 2006

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series ("Resurrection Ship, Part 2") * 2006 Emmy Award for Outstanding Costumes for a Series ("Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2") * 2006 Emmy Award for Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing for a Series ("Scattered") * 2006 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form ("Pegasus") * 2005 Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television – Jamie Bamber * 2005 Saturn Award for Best Television Release on DVD (Season 2.0) * 2005 Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Broadcast Program, Commercial, or Music Video (Cylon in "Valley of Darkness")

Home video releases

Season 2.0 and 2.5 were released on DVD in region 1 on December 20, 2005, and September 19, 2006, respectively. The complete second season was released on

Blu-ray Disc The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and c ...

in region 1 on April 6, 2010. The complete second season was released on DVD in region 2 on August 28, 2006 and in region 4 on April 4, 2007. The Season 2.0 DVD set includes the first 10 episodes of season two. Special features on the set include creator

Ronald D. Moore Ronald Dowl Moore (born July 5, 1964) is an American screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for his work on ''Star Trek''; on the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica'' television series, for which he won a Peabody Award and an Em ...

's podcast commentaries for 7 of the 10 episodes; a podcast for "Fragged" was not recorded, while the podcasts for "Flight of the Phoenix" and "Pegasus" were not recorded in time for the DVDs, but are available on the official website. Also included are deleted scenes for 9 episodes and a sneak peek promo for the second half of the season. The Season 2.5 DVD set includes the last 10 episodes of season two, plus the extended hour-long version of "Pegasus". Special features include Moore's podcast commentaries for all 10 episodes; he is joined by writers

David Weddle David Weddle is an American television writer and producer known for episodes of '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1996–1999), ''The Twilight Zone'' (2002–2003), '' Battlestar Galactica'' (2004–2009), ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' (200 ...

and

Bradley Thompson Bradley Thompson is an American television writer and producer known for episodes of '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1996–1999), ''The Twilight Zone'' (2002–2003), ''Battlestar Galactica'' (2004–2009), ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' ( ...

on "Scar", his wife Terry Dresbach on "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 1" and executive producer David Eick on "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2". Moore and Eick provide audio commentary for the extended version of "Pegasus", a commentary specifically produced for the DVD. Also included are deleted scenes for 8 episodes, 7 of David Eick's videoblogs, and a collection of the R&D logos that appear at the end of each episode.

Soundtrack

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Battlestar Galactica (season 2) *2 2005 American television seasons 2006 American television seasons Split television seasons