battlestar galactica razor

Those of us left slack-jawed by the return of presumed-dead Starbuck in the final minutes of the third-season finale of "Battlestar Galactica" -- how could she be alive? Her ship exploded -- will have to wait until April, when Season 4 begins, for our answers. "Battlestar Galactica: Razor," a two-hour movie designed to keep us happy in the interim, delves into the show's past to find, of course, foreshadowing and peril for the future.

It tells the story of Kendra Shaw (Stephanie Jacobsen), who served on the crew of the Battlestar Pegasus under the command of both the formidable Adm. Helena Cain (Michelle Forbes) and later first-time commander Lee "Apollo" Adama (Jamie Bamber). Shaw, we learn, joined the crew of the Pegasus mere moments before the Cylon attack that destroyed the 12 colonies. "Razor" goes back in time to explain what happened aboard the Pegasus before it met up with the Galactica in Season 2. (And if none of this means anything to you, the reader, then that might serve as a clue that "Razor" is not for the uninitiated viewer: Prior knowledge of "Battlestar Galactica" is required here.)

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Forbes' Cain, who was featured in that memorable Season 2 story arc, is tough enough before the Cylon (near) genocide of the human race; when she realizes her ship may be all that remains of humanity, she becomes utterly ruthless in her desire for revenge. Though some of the crew rebel against Cain's extreme measures, Shaw admires her steely resolve, making choices in Cain's shadow that did not seem possible before the Cylon attack.

These haunt her years later when she is excavated from lowly kitchen duty by the newly appointed Pegasus leader Apollo, who needs a strong XO (executive officer) to shore up a mission to destroy a mysterious weapon the Cylons have guarded for years. Now a "razor," a slang term for a human weapon, Shaw struggles to find redemption, or obliteration, in her task.

"Battlestar Galactica" has always been sci-fi at its best -- an exploration of politics and morality in their purest state: post-apocalypse. As Apollo said outright at the end of Season 3, the battlestar community is no longer a civilization in the traditional sense. All rules have been broken or bent beyond recognition. The necessities of war have stripped society down to its essence, for better and worse.

In "Razor," written by Michael Taylor, those issues and tensions are embodied by Cain and Shaw. How much collateral damage can the greater good afford? What is the greater good? How far is too far when survival is at stake, and what decisions will the soul simply refuse to bear?

If all that sounds a bit Shakespearean, it is. Science fiction, good science fiction, has always dealt with that which plagues the poets and the playwrights -- the nature of love, the value of loyalty, the nature of power, the split-second decisions that change our lives. Shaw is not the only character haunted on "Battlestar Galactica." With its metallic blues and grays, its eerie lighting, echoing corridors and New Age drumbeats, the ship itself is ghostly at times, its inhabitants all damaged, by events and the choices they have made; resilience has become the new heroism.

"Sometimes we have to leave people behind so that we can go on," Cain tells Shaw when she promotes her for what some would consider a war crime. "This war," she continues, "is forcing us all to become razors. Because if we don't, we don't survive and then we don't have the luxury of being simply human again."

Hanging in the air is the question of whether the transformation to "simply human" is even possible for people like Shaw, or any of the battle- and betrayal-tempered members of the Galactica crew. Will finding Earth be enough to restore these warriors to anything approaching normal?

"Razor" distills the themes of the series into one powerful relationship, setting the tone for the final season this spring. It connects more than a few dots, explaining how the Cain we saw in previous episodes came to be so brutal, as well as the circumstances around her death. (Hell hath no fury like a Cylon scorned, and tortured.) As Cain, Forbes is as steely and unblinking as any gimlet-eyed Queeg, or Rutger Hauer character for that matter.

Jacobsen's Shaw -- as the blueprint for the razor -- is different. From fear is born anger and resolve, and with resolve comes the single-mindedness that drives both bravery and madness. With her Aussie accent and shining dark eyes, Shaw is a cinematic wonder -- a pretty thing who has become a weapon. Next to her, Starbuck looks positively sappy. Next to her, Dirty Harry looks positively sappy. The incident that gnaws at her could have been taken from any war, any army, any era, but that doesn't dilute the power of the image, or the realization that some actions are not erasable, that all choices must be paid for in the end.
Tonight's must-see: "Battlestar Galactica: Razor," 8-10 p.m., Sci Fi Channel.
On an ordinary week, "Galactica" is far above most shows. It's written and directed with a fierce, life-and-death intensity.

Now comes an extraordinary week. Through the eyes of young officer Kendra Shaw (Stephanie Jacobsen), we see two pivotal moments.

There are the early days of the first Cylon attack, when Adm. Helena Cain (Michelle Forbes) took steps that stunned even her tough troops.

And there was the first mission of the Battlestar Pegasus, after Lee Adama (Jamie Bamber) took charge. Shaw and Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) faced impossible odds.

Wrapped in are surprises, shocks and ethical dilemmas. A great series hits a peak.

Tonight's might-see: "The Incredibles," 7 p.m., NBC.

For the second time in three days, NBC runs this animated comedy from Pixar.

A family of superheroes lives under witness protection. Then it's called back for a mission.

Other choices include:

"No Direction Home: Bob Dylan" (2005), 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., VH1. If you missed Martin Scorsese's superb documentary miniseries on PBS, here's a second chance. The fun is in tracing a deliberate enigma, following the twists and detours of a singer-songwriter who is deceptive, erratic and brilliant.

"Men in Black" (1997), 6 p.m., TNT. Barry Sonnenfeld ("Pushing Daisies") beautifully directed this offbeat comedy, with Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith policing outer-space aliens. That's followed at 8 p.m. by "Men in Black II," which isn't held in the same regard.

"CSI: Miami," 7 p.m., CBS. A woman is being charged with a terrorist plot against Miami. When her group tries to kill her, she escapes.

"Saturday Night Fever" (1977, TV Land), "From Here to Eternity" (1953, Turner Classic Movies), "Elf" (2003, USA Network), "Spider-Man 2" (2004, FX) and "March of the Penguins" (2005), Discovery, all 7 p.m. Now, this is a great movie night. "Fever" and "Eternity" have some darkly dramatic moments. "Elf" is a fun comedy, "Spider-Man 2" is a high-energy drama adventure and "Penguins" is a great documentary, sometimes warm and funny.

"CSI:NY," 8 p.m., CBS. Hawkes is arrested because he fits the description of a killer in a robbery. Mac must work on his own to clear him.

"A Grandpa for Christmas," 8-10 p.m., Hallmark Channel. At 90, Ernest Borgnine remains a vibrant and likable actor. This film, however, is relatively simple and predictable. After his estranged daughter is injured in a car accident, he temporarily cares for a granddaughter he's never met.

Battlestar Galactica: Razor is the title of a television film of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series which premiered in the United States on Sci Fi Channel[3] and in Canada on Space channel[4] on November 24, 2007. It will premiere in the UK on Sky One on December 5, 2007.[5] Leaked copies of the movie began appearing on bit torrent sites at the end of October 2007.[6]

Sci Fi Channel confirmed on March 21, 2007 that part of the show's renewal for a fourth season of 22 episodes includes a television film to be released sometime in the fall of 2007. The film will comprise two of the 22 episodes.

Since original series creator Glen A. Larson still holds all film rights regarding the show, "Razor" will be aired first on television but will be quickly released to Region 1 DVD on December 4, 2007, 10 days after the airing on cable television,[7], while the Region 2 DVD will be released on December 26, 2007.[8] The DVD versions will feature an extended cut and include extras such as the cast members discussing their favorite episodes. SciFi.com also allowed fans to choose the cover art for the DVD release. The winning cover was announced on September 14, 2007.[9]

Contents
1 Plot
2 Details
3 Cast
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Plot
The film takes place during Apollo's first days as commander of Pegasus and uses flashbacks to show Admiral Cain's first missions following the Cylon holocaust, as well as events during the end of the first Cylon War. A new character, Kendra Shaw, links the past and present, as she witnessed many of Cain's actions.

Apollo's first mission as Pegasus commander involves rescuing a science team from a squadron of early Cylons who are guarding the original hybrid, the link between the robotic and humanoid Cylon forms. This forces Admiral Adama to reflect on his own experiences during the war, which involved finding a Cylon lab where they experimented on humans.

[edit] Details
According to IGN, "the movie will indeed focus on an untold story about the Battlestar Pegasus, and feature Admiral Cain (Michelle Forbes) ... While this story with Cain occurs before she and the Pegasus crew joined up with Galactica, the entire cast of the regular series will appear in the movie, as the Pegasus portion is portrayed via flashbacks".[10]

Ronald D. Moore has stated, "The story will be set on the Battleship Pegasus and will take place in the past, relative to where we are in Season 3. But the events set up in that story will then pay off in Season 4."[11] He added, "One of the story lines everyone had really liked was the Pegasus story and the character of Admiral Cain, so we decided to go with that."[11] Moore has also said, "We'll try to reassemble most of the Pegasus cast."[10]

The show includes flashbacks to the original Cylon War, complete with original series Cylons, Raiders and Basestars. The homage even includes a golden Centurion commander, and another Cylon saying "By Your Command."

Steve Bacic will guest star as Colonel Jurgen Belzen; the original Pegasus's Executive Officer,[12] who (as Jack Fisk said in an earlier episode) was shot in the head by Cain for daring to question an order. The film depicts this incident, as well as Cain's orders to shoot civilian families to coerce compliance with her effort to strip civilian ships of usable parts and crew.

Pegasus' "Cylon Interrogator" Lieutenant Alastair Thorne will also return, as can be seen in the Sci Fi Channel's online trailer.

"Razor" will also reveal that Cain watched her parents and sister be killed by Cylons. Also, Cain's utter hatred towards the Cylon prisoner Gina will be revealed as the fallout of a lesbian relationship between them and Cain's feelings of betrayal.[13]

The main portion of the story is set during the second season, shortly after "The Captain's Hand," after Lee Adama takes charge of Pegasus and deals with his attempts to restore order to the ship with his new executive officer, Lieutenant (later Major) Kendra Shaw, and their first mission together with the Pegasus.[14] Because of the flashback structure of the story, the episodes fit nicely into the season two continuity, between "The Captain's Hand" and "Downloaded."

The SciFi Channel and Microsoft partnered on a special early screening of Razor in theaters two weeks before it airs on television. Screenings took place on November 12, 2007, in New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Dallas, and Seattle.[15] The screenings were interrupted in the middle with 2 Microsoft-related advertisements.[citation needed]

The primary theme of the film is the effect of war on a person's instincts to survive. The title refers to the steel resolve needed to do what must be done for the greater good, and is symbolized by a knife passed in the film between several different characters.