The show's production order is probably the best viewing order as well, since this is the order the series originally aired in and is what most people viewed the series in. This also best protects later spoilers and crucial plot revelations.
When BSG was rebooted in 2003, it first returned as a pilot mini-series consisting of two 90-minute episodes. This was initially released by itself on DVD. Later on, it was incorporated into the US Season 1 DVD box set but not in the UK Season 1 DVD box set. For UK DVD watchers, the mini-series still has to be purchased separately. The mini-series is included in the Complete Series Blu-Ray set.
- 101: 33
- 102: Water
- 103: Bastille Day
- 104: Act of Contrition
- 105: You Can't Go Home Again
- 106: Litmus
- 107: Six Degrees of Separation
- 108: Flesh and Bone
- 109: Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down
- 110: The Hand of God
- 111: Colonial Day
- 112: Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I
- 113: Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II
- 201: Scattered
- 202: Valley of Darkness
- 203: Fragged
- 204: Resistance
- 205: The Farm
- 206: Home, Part I
- 207: Home, Part II
- 208: Final Cut
- 209: Flight of the Phoenix
- 210: Pegasus
- 211: Resurrection Ship, Part I
- 212: Resurrection Ship, Part II
- 213: Epiphanies
- 214: Black Market
- 215: Scar
- 216: Sacrifice
- 217: The Captain's Hand
- 218: Downloaded
- 219: Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I
- 220: Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II
Between Seasons 2 and 3, NBC requested that the BSG team produce ten short "webisodes" to advertise the return of the show. The producers agreed and filmed ten short segments which, when combined, form a 24-minute "prelude" to the third season. However, a legal dispute over pay for the webisodes (which also affected studio-mate series The Office) caused delays in production. As a result, The Resistance was issued only in standard definition (even on the Blu-Ray release) and with a minimum of post-production. However, they do set up the state of play at the start of the third season. They can be found on the American Season 3 DVD release, but not on the UK DVD release. They are included in the Complete Series Blu-Ray set in all territories, however (under the special features for Disc 2 of Season 3).
- 301: Occupation
- 302: Precipice
- 303: Exodus, Part I
- 304: Exodus, Part II
- 305: Collaborators
- 306: Torn
- 307: A Measure of Salvation
- 308: Hero
- 309: Unfinished Business
- 310: The Passage
- 311: The Eye of Jupiter
- 312: Rapture
- 313: Taking a Break From Your Worries
- 314: The Woman King
- 315: A Day in the Life
- 316: Dirty Hands
- 317: Maelstrom
- 318: The Son Also Rises
- 319: Crossroads, Part I
- 320: Crossroads, Part II
Produced as a straight-to-DVD special between the third and fourth seasons, Razor was a 90-minute TV movie set towards the end of the second season and expanded on the backstory of the battlestar Pegasus. A series of webisodes set during the First Cylon War preceded Razor, but these have been integrated into the episode itself on the home media releases.
- 401: He That Believeth in Me
- 402: Six of One
- 403: The Ties That Bind
- 404: Escape Velocity
- 405: The Road Less Travelled
- 406: Faith
- 407: Guess What's Coming to Dinner?
- 408: Sine Qua Non
- 409: The Hub
- 410: Revelations
The fourth season of Battlestar Galactica was announced as being the last. However, SyFy delayed transmission of the season by several months due to problems caused by the 2007-08 Writer's Guild of America Strike. They then split the final season in half, airing the two halves a year apart. Although this gave more time for post-production, it caused great irritation in the fanbase.
These webisodes were produced between the two halves of Season 4. However, due to some slight confusion, they are set between Sometimes a Great Notion and A Disquiet Follows My Soul rather that directly between the two halves of the season. This is because Season 4, Part 2 was originally supposed to end with Sometimes rather than Revelations, but it was decided that Revelations made for a more shocking cliffhanger. Fortunately, the webisodes do not contain any major spoilers for Sometimes. They are not included on either the US or UK DVD sets, but can be found on the Complete Series Blu-Ray set.
- 411: Sometimes a Great Notion
- 412: A Disquiet Follows My Soul
- 413: The Oath
- 414: Blood on the Scales
- 415: No Exit
- 416: Deadlock
- 417: Someone to Watch Over Me
- 418: Islanded in a Stream of Stars
- 419: Daybreak, Part I
- 420: Daybreak, Part II
- 421: Daybreak, Part III
Season 4 was never released as one whole. Instead, the first half was listed as "Season 4" and the second half as "The Final Season" on DVD releases.
The Plan was produced as an attempt to address fan concerns that the Cylons had never actually had "a plan" (as described in the opening to every episode of the first three seasons), and effectively presented everything that happened in the first two seasons from the Cylon POV. However, fan response to the TV movie was muted, especially coming after the conclusion of the series as a whole. The Plan is not part of the Complete Series Blu-Ray set and has to be purchased separately.
Season 1 (2010)
- 101: Pilot, Part I
- 102: Pilot, Part II
- 103: Rebirth
- 104: Reins of a Waterfall
- 105: Gravedancing
- 106: There is Another Sky
- 107: Know They Enemy
- 108: The Imperfections of Memory
- 109: Ghosts in the Machine
- 110: End of Line
- 111: Unvanquished
- 112: Retribution
- 113: Things We Lock Away
- 114: False Labour
- 115: Blowback
- 116: The Dirteaters
- 117: The Heavens Will Rise
- 118: Here Be Dragons
- 119: Apotheosis Caprica is a prequel series to BSG, taking place fifty-eight years years prior to the mini-series. It depicts the creation of the Cylons and the sequence of events that led to the First Cylon War. Although cancelled prematurely, an extended coda in the final episode does indicate how the story would have resolved and the war would have started.
Caprica is readily available on DVD, but has not been released properly on Blu-Ray in the UK or USA. Oddly, complete series box sets on Blu-Ray are available from France, Germany and Sweden.
Blood and Chrome was a proposed second prequel series, taking place sixteen years after the events of Caprica and forty-two before the events of the mini-series. The planned series would have covered the final two years of the First Cylon War. However, the series was never made leaving the pilot as a stand-alone TV movie.
With so many off-shoots, extended episodes, webisodes, one-off movies and weird bits and pieces it's very hard for a new Battlestar Galactica fan to know exactly what order to watch everything in.
That's why, with the help of the kind folks at the Home Theater Forum, I decided to piece together a recommended viewing order for the entire series. But not just that, I've put together information on which versions of episodes you should watch and where you can find them, too. This really is the ultimate guide! (At least, it should be.)
I hope you find it useful, and if you do think I've missed something, please leave a comment and let me know!
Note: I heartily recommend watching the deleted scenes featured on your DVDs/Blurays after watching each episode. Some scenes (especially in Season 4, in my opinion) add a lot to the story and character's motivations. If you're ever confused as to why a character should suddenly do something, you may find your answer on the cutting room floor.
Let's begin:
Night 1 Night 2
- 1.01 33
- 1.02 Water
- 1.03 Bastille Day
- 1.04 Act of Contrition
- 1.05 You Can't Go Home Again
- 1.06 Litmus
- 1.07 Six Degrees of Separation
- 1.08 Flesh and Bone
- 1.09 Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down
- 1.10 The Hand of God
- 1.11 Colonial Day
- 1.12 Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I
- 1.13 Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II
- 2.01 Scattered
- 2.02 Valley of Darkness
- 2.03 Fragged
- 2.04 Resistance
- 2.05 The Farm
- 2.06 Home, Part I
- 2.07 Home, Part II
- 2.08 Final Cut
- 2.09 Flight of the Phoenix
- 2.10 Pegasus (56 minute extended version)
- 2.11 Resurrection Ship, Part I
- 2.12 Resurrection Ship, Part II
- 2.13 Epiphanies
- 2.14 Black Market
- 2.15 Scar
- 2.16 Sacrifice
- 2.17 The Captain's Hand
Razor (101 minute extended version - not the 81 minute broadcast version) TV movie. If you have this on DVD or Bluray, you have the extended version.
Important note: This was originally broadcast just before Season 4, but chronologically it fits here, telling more of the Pegasus's story. Some people argue it's better to watch after Season 3, as originally broadcast, but it makes most sense to watch it here.
The reason that the placement of Razor is a hotly contested issue among BSG fans is because of a bit of dialogue at the very end (in the last 10 minutes) which sets the tone for Season 4 (barely even a spoiler). Everything else in this TV movie is not a spoiler.
So why place it here, and not where it was originally broadcast, if there's any sort of issue? Because, chronologically, the story is set here, and by the time you reach the end of Season 3, the story on the Pegasus will feel like ancient history. Indeed, that was the complaint echoed around the internet from fans after Razor originally aired -- it had nothing to do with what was going on in the story at that time.
As a result of this, most fans agree it's better to watch Razor here. In doing so, you'll appreciate the story more and it will have greater emotionally resonance. In short: I highly recommend that you follow my advice and watch it here.
There is one small caveat, however: In order to deal with the above dialogue issue, and so not to unintentionally alter the tone of Season 3, I have two, very specific instructions that I recommend that you follow for your absolute optimum enjoyment.
I will try not to spoil anything with these instructions, so pay attention. You need to press MUTE on your TV (and/or turn off any subtitles) in the following moments. These moments occur in the last 10 minutes of the story, so you can relax and enjoy the first 90 mins before you need to worry.
Press MUTE when:
- The hybrid touches Shaw. (You can unmute as soon as the hybrid lets go.)
and shortly afterwards:
-
When Red One contacts Pegasus. (You will literally hear the dialogue, "This is Red One come in" and see Pegasus respond -- mute before Red One can give their message to Pegasus.) You can unmute when you see Red One on your screen -- actually before that, but there's no other visual clue I can give you.
-
When Starbuck is talking to Lee, mute after Lee says, "Well, ever think you might deserve it?". You can unmute when she turns to leave.
That's it! That's all you have to worry about. A couple of very small moments, and even if you don't unmute it, it's not a huge spoiler, it just unintentionally alters the tone of Season 3 if you don't, so do try your best to follow my instructions.
Note: This was billed as a "seven episode web series", but really they are just deleted scenes from the shorter broadcast version of Razor. In fact, most of these scenes are now reintegrated into the extended version of Razor (the one on DVD and Bluray), making what's left even more unessential.
They are mentioned here only for the sake of completeness, and because they're often a source of confusion. Don't worry, they are far from necessary. The only "episodes" not reintegrated are 1, 2 and some parts of 7, so they're the only ones to note.
All 7 of these "episodes" were originally released online before Razor was broadcast, and I'd recommend watching 1 and 2 beforehand, and 7 afterwards. They don't really add much to the story, though.
- 2.18 Downloaded
- 2.19 Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I
- 2.20 Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II
A 10 episode web-based series bridging seasons 2 and 3. (25 mins.)
This should be included on your DVDs/Blurays.
- 3.01 Occupation
- 3.02 Precipice
- 3.03 Exodus, Part I
- 3.04 Exodus, Part II
- 3.05 Collaborators
- 3.06 Torn
- 3.07 A Measure of Salvation
- 3.08 Hero
- 3.09 Unfinished Business (70 minute extended version - Note: Not included on Region 2 DVDs, but is included on all Blu-ray releases.)
- 3.10 The Passage
- 3.11 The Eye of Jupiter
- 3.12 Rapture
- 3.13 Taking a Break From All Your Worries
- 3.14 The Woman King
- 3.15 A Day in the Life
- 3.16 Dirty Hands
- 3.17 Maelstrom
- 3.18 The Son Also Rises
- 3.19 Crossroads, Part I
- 3.20 Crossroads, Part II
Yes, this again. (Well this is where Razor was originally broadcast, after all.) Remember the last 10 minutes where I told you to MUTE two small moments? Well, guess what, now is when you get to go back and hear what was said. Watch the last 10 minutes of Razor here.
- 4.01 He That Believeth In Me
- 4.02 Six of One
- 4.03 The Ties That Bind
- 4.04 Escape Velocity
- 4.05 The Road Less Traveled
- 4.06 Faith
- 4.07 Guess What's Coming to Dinner?
- 4.08 Sine Qua Non
- 4.09 The Hub
- 4.10 Revelations
- 4.11 Sometimes a Great Notion
The Face of the Enemy A 10 episode web-based series (although it plays together like an intense mini-episode). (36 mins.)
These episodes have not been included on any DVD or Blu-ray releases -- except for the Japanese Blu-ray release of Season 4. A real pain.
They are not presently available anywhere else in the world to my knowledge, but I highly recommended you do your best to find them. Not only were they hugely enjoyable, but they explain a few important things that set up the next episode.
Update: You can watch the entire webseries online here. (Thanks to an anonymous reader for the tipoff.)
- 4.12 A Disquiet Follows My Soul (53 minute extended version - only on Bluray releases)
- 4.13 The Oath
- 4.14 Blood on the Scales
- 4.15 No Exit
A stand-alone movie that shows (approximately) the first two seasons from the Cylons' perspective. (You finally get to see "The Plan", mentioned all those times in the opening sequence!) Although The Plan was originally released after the show had finished, it is generally agreed that it should be watched here, so that everything is all tied up when you do reach the end.
- 4.16 Deadlock
- 4.17 Someone to Watch Over Me
- 4.18 Islanded In a Stream of Stars (62 minute extended version - only on BluRay releases and Region 1 DVDs)
- 4.19 Daybreak (150 minute extended version - only on BluRay releases and Region 1 DVDs)
This is where this DVD/Bluray movie was originally released (after the show had finished). It seems universally agreed that it's preferable to watch this after No Exit, instead of after you've finished the entire series, but there's no harm in waiting until now.
An entire TV series set 58 years before the events of Battlestar Galactica, and revealing the events surrounding the creation of the Cylons. (Although it's worth noting that you don't have to have seen BSG to watch Caprica... and some people have decided to watch this series first, even though it was produced after BSG had finished.)
- 1.01 Pilot
- 1.02 Rebirth
- 1.03 Reins of a Waterfall
- 1.04 Gravedancing
- 1.05 There Is Another Sky
- 1.06 Know Thy Enemy
- 1.07 The Imperfections of Memory
- 1.08 Ghosts in the Machine
- 1.09 End of the Line
- 1.10 Unvanquished
- 1.11 Retribution
- 1.12 Things We Lock Away
- 1.13 False Labor
- 1.14 Blowback
- 1.15 The Dirteaters
- 1.16 The Heavens Will Rise
- 1.17 Here Be Dragons
- 1.18 Apotheosis
This was potentially a whole new show at one stage, but it appears to be now just a stand-alone TV movie. The story follows the exploits of a young William Adama during the First Cylon War, and is considered a sequel to Caprica and a prequel to Battlestar Galactica.
After disappearing off the radar for a long time (possibly indicating that it wasn't up to the standards set by BSG), the story was finally been release for viewing on Machninima.com in 10 episodes. Then it was released on DVD/Bluray as a movie in a rated and unrated form.
I've been told there are no BSG spoilers, so you can watch this anytime you want.
And so ends the incredible saga of the reboot of Battlestar Galactica, I hope you've enjoyed the journey.
اگه مجموعه رو ندیدید، حتی یک خطش رو هم نخونید.
ولی بعدا حتما بیایید و بخونید تا ترتیب اتفاقات به شکل خلاصه دستتون بیاد
Watching BSG in chronological order will likely be fairly confusing. BSG is reliant on backstory revelations delivered at key points in the narrative and watching later series and TV movies can result in significant spoilers. Therefore, this is only really recommended as a rewatch experiment.
This is the (rough) show timeline, sans spoilers.
c. 4000 BF (Before the Fall): The Thirteenth Tribe leaves Kobol to colonise Earth. The semi-canon comic book BSG: The Final Five begins.
c. 3600 BF: The Book of Pythia is written.
2000 BF (1,942 years before the events of Caprica): The remaining Twelve Tribes depart Kobol to colonise the Twelve Colonies.
58 BF: Caprica takes place. The epilogue to Season 1 takes place several years later.
52 BF: The First Cylon War begins.
51 BF: The semi-canon video game Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock takes place.
42 BF: Blood & Chrome takes place.
40 BF: The First Cylon War ends. The flashbacks in BSG: Razor take place.
30-20 BF: The flashbacks in BSG: Occupation (episode 201) take place. The semi-canon comic book BSG: The Final Five ends.
c. 6 BF: The flashbacks in BSG: Hero (episode 308) take place. Dialogue in this episode suggest it is more like 1-2 BF, but this was a continuity error.
0: The Fall of the Twelve Colonies. BSG: The Plan begins. BSG: The Mini-Series takes place.
0-1 AF (After the Fall): BSG: Seasons 1-2 and the remainder of The Plan and Razor take place.
2-4 AF: BSG: Seasons 3-4 take place.
The chronological viewing order of the franchise is therefore as follows. I do not recommend you watch the show in this order for a first watch:
- Caprica
- Blood & Chrome
- BSG: The Mini-Series
- BSG: Seasons 1-2
- BSG: Razor takes place between Season 2, Episodes 17 and 18.
- BSG: The Plan takes place betwen the mini-series and Season 2, Episode 20.
- BSG: The Resistance webisodes
- BSG: Seasons 3-4 (Part 1)
- BSG: The Face of the Enemy webisodes
- BSG: Season 4 (Part 2)
One further thing to consider (alluded to above) is Battlestar Galactica: The Final Five. This is a four-issue comic book written by show scriptwriter Seamus Kevin Fahey. Most of the BSG comics are non-canon, but The Final Five is interesting because it was directly based on the ideas and concepts developed by Ronald D. Moore and the rest of the production team whilst they were planning the final few episodes of the series (particularly the backstory-heavy episode No Exit). This comic book begins over 4,000 years before the rest of the series and tells the story of Kobol, the Thirteenth Tribe, the colonisation of Earth, what happened there and the later activities of the Final Five. Although I would hesitate to take the comic book as canonical, it certainly gives us our best look at what was going on in the deep backstory of the series, as the writers and producers were conceiving it.
In 2017 the video game Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock was released. This was an approved product worked on by some of the team at SyFy who worked on the show, although Ronald D. Moore was not involved. The video game tells the story of the first year or so of the First Cylon War.
Any chance you can update this: https://www.thetvdb.com/series/battlestar-galactica-2003