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I have to admit up front I hate Daggits. Why is that important? Because that annoying mechanical animal was front and center in the pilot for the original “Battlestar: Galactica”. There’s also no Egyptian motifs, no disco inspired space outfits. The only thing I do miss in this remake are the Cylons. Sure, they looked clunky but they had robotic charm and made the series unique. Number Six the resident baddie here looks much, much better in short skirts and high heels though so that is an improvement in some respects. These are all good things because an updated series that doesn't take into account a different audience will fail. . ***

Ronald D. Moore (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”, “Deep Space Nine”) updated Glen A. Larson’s inspired mix of Buck Rogers and “Star Wars” for a 21st century audience. I actually felt that was a good thing as what worked in 1980 would not work in 2004. Edward James Olmos brings regal authority to his role as Commander Adama and Mary McDonnell makes her character of Laura Roslin (which I don’t recall in the original series at all) brings a sense of presidential authority to the roles they play. The plot is, essentially, the same. The Cyclons want to wipe out humanity and stage a major attack on humanity. The survivors form a “ragtag fleet” (to quote the original series) of space ships in search of the legendary planet Earth. The Cyclons are, needless to say, in hot pursuit throughout the mini-series. Moore has done a terrific job of revisiting many of the characters and turning some of the relationships inside out through casting changes (hotshot pilot Starbuck is a woman here played by the marvelous Katee Sackhoff). ---

The extras are a bit light but aren’t bad for a two disc set. We get one featurette where those involved in “reimagining” the series discuss the original, the changes that were made and why they were made. There’s also much discussion about the potential for character conflict and creating more realistic, more complex characters than aired during the original series run. There’s also a number of deleted scenes that don’t really add all that much to the movie so it’s pretty clear why they were cut.