First Time Watching Battlestar Galactica - 33 (S1E1) 

THE JOURNEY BEGINS! Battlestar Galactica Season 1 schedule Sundays - RU-vid Reactions Tuesdays - UNCUT Reactions on Patreon (ep2 up now) Performance of Season 1 will determine if we continue! SO SAY WE ALL!

Dreary, horrible, tragic, traumatic. Yes, this is BSG, and it fracking rocks

"Is this show going to be that bleak the entire time?" Viewers: ... ... ... BSG: "Hold my fracking beer."

Battlestar Galactica = down with happiness, joy is for losers, trauma Hell Yeah! but it can be exciting and the actors and characters are amazing

I like these guys don't realize they're going to love this show.

This is a perfect episode of television. If you never watched any more BSG, this one episode contains basically every good element of the show.

No rain machine, guys. The Caprica scenes (and those of another planet you’ll see later) were filmed in the Temperate rainforests of British Columbia, Canada - a natural “rain machine”

You have to be mentally prepared on how to watch BSG, it's PTSD - The Show. But it's just so fraking good and well written.

the music on this show is beyond amazing

Perfect timing boys, I just convinced my husband to start Battlestar Galactica with me!

gotta be said, i think the only reason that the president lady in this one didn't look quite so tired as everyone is actually reasonable... she was already covering up late stage cancer with makeup. almost everyone else was meant to look like they were exhausted and had no cosmetics on.

I kept checking in on the mini series numbers. I was like "dude, this one's numbers are doing great, how can they not watch this?"

One thing I didn’t catch until I saw your TNG reaction to Measure of a Man is that Maddox calls Data a “toaster”. In this series, “toaster” is the derogatory term the humans use for Cylons. I wonder if that was a callback or just coincidence?

I expect this will be mentioned but initially when Lee looks into the Olympic carriers windows he would have seen civilians waving back at him, they were cut for being too dark.

Interestingly "33" and "Water" were originally broadcast on SyFy channel here in the states back to back to celebrate BSG's first season premiere. Minor historical note.

Fyi: Helo wasn't intended to be part of the show. Moore said they were asked a lot about him after the miniseries aired so added him in.

15:52 The original version of that scene was a lot darker. In the DVD commentary Ronald D. Moore and David Eick go into detail how originally Apollo was going to see that the civilians were still alive and on board the Olympic but he still had to give the kill order. The network basically told them that the episode was dark enough as it was and wouldn't let them do it.

These guys clearly...are awesome. Also I'm curious to find out if, by the end of this series, your opinion of Mary McDonnell will have changed.

Edward James Olmos said "if theres a single alien on this show I'm not doing it".

In "33," the fleet is on the run, A relentless chase, never done. Every thirty-three minutes, Cylons appear, Bringing destruction, feeding their fear. Tired and weary, the crew holds fast, Fighting for survival, as each moment's passed. Adama leads with a steely resolve, Endurance tested. A crisis they can't solve. Sleep-deprived, tension mounts high, Lives on the line, under the black sky. Gaius and Six, in a twisted dance, Faith and doubt, in a perilous trance. A decision looms, the Olympic Carrier’s fate, To save the fleet, their hearts full of weight. With heavy hearts, they make the call, Sacrifice one, to save them all. Despair and hope, in a fragile blend, A struggle for survival, until the end. The human spirit, tested and tried, In the darkness, where shadows hide. To 33, we see the crew exhausted stuggling just to fight. Raging againt the dying of humanity's light. A tough choice, a deadly call. They made the right one. So say we all.

My favourite show of all time, I hope you enjoy the ride.

@16:09.. Some of the Air Force pilots responding to the hijacked airliners on 9/11 understood that they might have ram the airliners in flight - even though the passengers and crew would be killed as well the hijackers - and the fighter pilots might not be able to eject to ensure the airliners were taken down. The fighter planes weren't armed with either missiles or ammo since it was in peacetime, and there wasn't time to arm them.

Ron Moore said this is his fave ep The best ep of the show and it’s the first. Amazing. None of that “find our feet shit”

I remember Katie Sackhoff saying that Edward James Olmos was adamant that they should all be actually sleep-deprived and do some method acting, like really commit to the craft. Sackhoff meanwhile said she was young, irreverent and a little full of herself, and basically said “f that, I’ll have a nap and just _act_ instead” :)

I discovered you guys during season 2 of TNG, and I really enjoy your reactions, more thoughtful than most. I'm here mostly for the trek, but this one is going to be fun too.

Madame President didnt look tired because she doesn't have the same job as the military and ships' crew.

regarding the cylon talking about God: The cylons, after leaving humanity, found religion. Ironically, the Cylons are monotheistic, believing in one God, while the humans believe in many. For the Cylons, their decision to attack humanity is a holy war.

Look carefully when they show the entire fleet...You'll find a tiny Federation ship

being a fan of TNG. Moore wrote the darker episodes of TNG, arguably the best episodes. which translates to BSG perfectly.

You guys need to remember and keep in mind when this was made! Clearly, you guys don't get it and were talking over the dialogue, not paying attention which is why you didn't understand or missed the point of the show and I am sad you don't appreciate this. I... I couldn't help myself... Did I win the perfect ban?? 😝

Tigh's "bad cop" routine is typical for XOs (Second in Command). At least in the US Navy, where the XO would usually be the hard ass so the CO didn't have to be.

I heard that the actor that plays Commander Adama actually gave the idea of depriving everyone of sleep when shooting this episode, so the "everyone looks horrible" part is not makeup lol

As with all good sci-fi, this reflects the time it was made but also tells stories about human nature that are timeless.

the 2003 Battlestar Galactica is genuinely my favourite scifi series, found your channel because I googled which streaming services have it at the moment and youtube was watching my search history. Hope you love it

Why the Mary McDonnell hate I don't get it..

Star Trek and now BSG, viewers getting spoiled, I love it! so say we all! excited to go on this journey with you guys. If you haven't seen it, I'd highly suggest watching the tv series Stargate once you're done with the current series and keep the Sci-Fi going! have a great day

This and DS9, Ronald D. Moore has an incredible TV legacy.

15:15 Everyone is so focused on the Cylons, no one has noticed TA has been infiltrated by owls.

A season? Ha. It is to laugh. After watching the season finale I call no way they walk away from this show.

I know it's only two days in but confused at the view count on this vid versus the mini series, especially given the esteem in which '33' is held! I hope this isn't a sign of things to come, wanna see these guys go the distance with this!

It's my favourite episode of season 1, it's also in the top 3 of the whole show.

Let's go!!!!

So the episodes are like this.. Cold opening scene Intro to story ( "The Cylons were created by man....They evolved...." ) Drum music with brief images of the episode ( slightly spoilery ) Next scene of episode with main cast and guest star credits Some people close their eyes during the episode spoilery images; they stop when the drums do The photo being tapped by the Viper pilots is a Colonial soldier watching the destruction on Caprica. There was a little scene or two connected to it; ended up being cut out. Not really important to the full story.

Awww, you don't like Mary?

I'm pretty sure you will be hooked by the end of the first season. And some of the better arcs take place during seasons 2 and 3. (Not that Season 4 is lacking.) I hope you plan to include the webisodes and telemovies as appropriate in release order. (Those don't really start showing up until after Season 2 concludes.)

The cylons belive there is only one god, and the humans have a whole pantheon of gods. I wont go into detail as how the cylon came to believe in a single god but you will found out

I am THRILLED you have decided to watch BSG! As a Star Trek fan from 1966 (I'm old), I found BSG to be an amazing show! I was glued to it for its entire run!

"This is the situation: it sucks," pretty much sums up the whole series.

12 planets worth of people, actually.

You guys make a cute couple.

Oh, if you only knew who the Cylons are.

I watched BSG when it first came out and liked it a lot up until the final season. I had been debating whether to sign up for a streaming service just to rewatch the series despite my misgivings about the ending. Your reaction to the mini-series was what pushed me over the edge to sign up for Prime and start watching again.

I don't think the director forced them to go without sleep, but there is a story that Eddie Olmos reacted to this script by saying "this is great - I'm not going to sleep for five days!" The rest of the cast were horrified and said "you can't do that, you'll kill yourself!" Eddie says in that deep gravelly voice... "you gotta get inside it!" I don't know if he skipped any sleep before filming this episode, but I imagine you're so exhausted at the end of a season of long hours making episodic TV that the last thing you want to do beforehand is not sleep for five days...

I really hope you guys end up watching the whole series, I enjoy your special take coming in having watched the original 1978 show. I always knew that the attention to detail in the remake was on point, but having you guys notice and point out the little homages is just cherry on top!

No ones going to be mad about you guys watching Battlestar, its excellent

The original cut of this episode had people in the carrier. They were removed later because it was too much.

Interesting start to the series, showing everyone sleep deprived and having to potentially kill a whole ship full of civilians.

ass allways a great reaction with you guys, I dont know if you are aware that the producer of this BSG remake is very well related to Star Trek, 62 episodes in total with all 3 (TNG, DS0, VOY) as well as 2 movies.

I love this show, and I'm sad to say I missed it on initial release. I grabbed a bargain bin DVD collection of the first season at a Walmart a few years later and watched the entire thing in two days before rushing out to grab the rest of the series. Interestingly, though, I couldn't watch it all in one go. Much though I loved it, it was just too much to sit and watch episode after episode. The story was so bleak, the atmosphere so oppressive, that I needed to take breaks and watch something a bit happier here and there just to keep myself from falling into depression. In hindsight, I felt like this first episode really did a great job of letting you know what you were in for and setting the tone for the series. Fair warning, faith and religion do play an increasing role in the series as it goes on. That was a major turn off for some people, but I thought it was rather fascinating to see that in a sci-fi show, which usually pretty much sidesteps such questions.

It’s worth noting that there were 12 Colonies, 12 worlds-Caprica was only one of the planets nuked.

Without a doubt this is easily one of the very best SF shows ever made.. you won’t be disappointed if you watch this masterpiece,it’s original,intelligent,thought provoking,brilliantly written and acted and action packed… yes it’s dark in places but it’s also very funny in others. Definitely worth your time.

FYI it wasn't stress makeup, they made all the actors involved awake all night for good day to film it. With their permission obviously.

You guys almost got it right. :) It wasn't the director, it was Edward James Olmos ( Cmdr. Adama ) who kept people awake for about a day before they started shooting. I personally don't mind the shakycam and they will get better at it. It really grounds the scene and make me feel like I am actually there peeking behind a corner watching them having a situation. And If I want to be honest I personally wouldn't mind having visions of Tricia Helfer constantly trying to pull me into bed lol

This episode won the 2005 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form. It really was something else at the time.

I was impartial to the miniseries, though I liked the seriousness in the tone and the way we believed the characters were suffering. But I wasn’t sold But this episode “33” is what hooked me to the show.

10:48 "The Cylon CGI is not horrible." Thanks for making me remember that this show originally aired 20 years ago, guys

The photo that people were respecting near the beginning is "Lest We Forget". In universe, it was taken during The Attack as a pilot saw the destruction unfolding, and a photographer snapped a photo as they were fleeing Aerilon's capital city (Gaoth). Helo, originally, was not going to be brought back at all- but people liked Tahmoh so much they essentially made this running "B Story" with him on Caprica The Olympic Carrier 100% had its crew and passengers aboard and alive (MOST of them); the network thought Apollo seeing them (for sure) would be "too dark"; however, I'll take the director and writer's words, as well as the references later, over executive meddling... Oh, and one last WTF- imagine that poor mother who gave birth at the end of the episode- was she in labor before the 33'ing stopped?

The religion thing is actually very interesting. In BSG humans still believe in multiple Gods, which is generally considered a more primitive belief system, whereas the “soulless” cylons believe in the one true God, which we consider more advanced thinking about religion. It inverts what you would expect, with the cylons more like us than the humans.

3:25 - Dunno if anyone has mentioned this already… But there is a bit of a Trek connection by way of the VFX. Doug Drexler was a 20 something fan in the 70’s that produced a few Star Trek related poster magazines and so on. He would eventually move out to Hollywood and become involved in the Makeup FX industry. He won an Academy Award for his work on Dick Tracy in 1990. He joined the makeup team on TNG around that time. He worked all over the various art departments there. Eventually he moved over to the digital art in 1992 with DS9. He continued to work in that capacity until ENT where he became senior illustrator and CG designer. After ENT ended he was hired by former Trek VFX supervisor Gary Hurtzel to work on the New Battlestar Galactica series as CG Supervisor. He won two Emmy’s for his work. Doug is considered by many fans to be one of the most important minds in the background of Trek through the Rick Berman era along side Mike Okuda and Rick Sternbach. There guys are kinda the unofficial keepers of the lore and history of Trek. At least until the JJ/ Kurtzman Era after which all such brain trusts were willfully purged in favor of new minds and ideas.

Two tidbits about '33'; Edward James Olmos suggested that the Cast go without sleep for two or three days to give them more of a realistic feel dealing with sleep deprivation. In the scene with Adama and Tigh at the beginning where Tigh eats part of Adama's food (which you cut), the Director asked Edward James Olmos "What would Commander Adama Eat?" to which he replied "Japanese Udon Noodles." It becomes a recurring Character trait of Adama throughout the Series' run.

Edward James Olmos actually paid out of his own pocket for a sleep-deprivation expert to train up the cast between the miniseries and this episode, in order to scientifically-accurately depict this sleeplessness-condition onscreen. (Watch the DVD documentaries, and listen to the audio commentaries for more details), etc.

Thank you. I'm loving ypur "natural" reaction. You will love the show for sure!!

Apologies for th elong post, but I hope you will read it some time: I understand why you guys are going for this series to react to - it's just a pity you are jumping into it so soon. I understand you have watched the original Battlestar Galactica (BSG) TV series - I remember seeing it on TV as a kid, not long after Star Wars came out, and at the time it was good because we did not have so many decent sci-fi series - Star Trek of course, but many others were pretty lame. My problem with you jumping into it now is that it is modern sci-fi (post-2000, let's say) and there is still so much from before that you have not seen - all the Star Trek series for starters. Whilst I very much enjoyed the BSG reboot it was just that - a reboot, not an original idea - so I took it in that light. At the time I enjoyed the dark mood and the shaky-cam documentary style visuals, the driving drum-beat of the opening titles and the moody score that matched the dark storyline. What you may be lacking in going into it is the rest of the sci-fi genre that many of us went into the new BSG series with - the excellent series like Star Trek and Babylon 5, the many wannabe series that missed the mark, and the new twist of darkness BSG brought along - which has now been overdone - it worked for BSG, but we don't need it everywhere. So I cannot join you on most of this journey for two reasons - I will pop in from time to time, but will stick to your Trek reactions for now, my reasons being: (1) This BSG series is too dark for me to endure again in full - it was well made, it did had some plot holes and annoying plot devices to move things along later, but in general an enjoyable story, but it is heavily dark, oppressively so at times, and although it may be more accurate sci-fi in terms of how humanity would likely react to a near genocidal disaster (i.e. we as a species are basically evil arseholes), I prefer to have more hope in my sci-fi, even if misplaced. (2) I think you are diving into this one too soon - you need more Trek as background, and you need other great preceding series first, like Babylon 5. I get why you did not like the TV movie "The Gathering" - it's not the strongest opener to draw you in, but then again neither was "Encounter at Farpoint" and some of the early Trek TNG episodes - same with all the Trek series spin-offs. But B5 was truly the heir to the Trek legacy at the time, of deep, thought-provoking, yet hopeful sci-fi. It was episodic, but with a deep through-line of continuity that built through the series, which was mapped out by the writer from that start as a 5 year story. It had great, I mean epic, character development, it was tragic yet hopeful, inspiring yet frightening, it paved the way for many series that came after, including IMHO some later Trek. You really are doing yourselves a disservice by not exploring B5 and doing a reaction to that - I understand you have limited time, and now with BSG and Trek you will be stuck for the next year or two, but you really need to take a look at B5. As much as BSG is likely better made in most aspects like visuals, effects, and maybe even score, drama and tension, B5 is an epic series and more like what I want and need from my sci-fi. I can appreciate and enjoy the quality of BSG, but B5 is life-changing. I hope you get to it some time. P.S. I will join you on your journey through Trek, as my son who is 11 years old is also starting out as I introduce it to him. But anything beyond Star Trek Enterprise is not Trek - it may be part of the official franchise, but it shares no DNA with anything that went before. Even Enterprise is borderline as it is too "American" for my liking, but it tries and somewhat does a decent job. But once Jar-Jar Abrams and Bad Reboot got their hands on the franchise and Kurtzman was installed to make that abomination known as Discovery (rather aptly known as STD), the franchise was slaughtered on the alter of woke and social engineering - it became a platform for a minority of activists rather than a beacon of hope for all people. Every series since then has been utter trash and I refuse to watch it. You may feel you need to see it for yourselves, but I warn you - IT IS NOT TREK in any way, shape or form. P.P.S. There is only one last glimmer - Star Trek Picard season 3 - the utter failure that was seasons 1 and 2 led to this series dying and being given to a flunky, who actually came from the old Trek TNG days - he made an epic season 3 which was basically a 10 episode TNG movie that farewelled the characters as they should have been - jump straight from Enterprise to this and skip STD and everything else.

You guys need to remember to keep in mind when this was made. These guys clearly, meaning you, don't get it. You were talking over, not paying attention. How did you not understand? Oh, that's right, because you missed it! Really sad you don't appreciate . . .

Really appreciate this watch series, it's similar to watching my dad, an original trekker, watch TNG for the first time. I've rewatched BSG too many times now, so watching it through your perspectives makes it novel again.

"Back to to the 'A-story" Holy s*y dude...just wait until the final episode of Season 4.

I'm not new. I've been with you for awhile now but I wanted to say that this was what I always wanted from a "reaction" channel. In my mind it's supposed to be like watching something with a friend and talking about it. I have tried a lot of channels that seemed solid only to devolve. So glad I found my way here and that you're watching both Star Trek and now BSG. Two of my favourites. Well...favourite franchise and one of my favourite series respectively.

Okay, Pay attention. You guys clearly need to remember to keep in mind that when this was made, you missed it. You were talking over the part you don't understand. You don't get that you don't appreciate,... it. 🤔😜 I know. It fizzled out at the end there but I was trying to fit them all it somehow.

I had to drop Star Trek for now because life got busy for me, but I’ll catch all of BSG reactions since I’ve seen this amazing masterpiece back when it aired! Looking forward to more!

I fucki g LOVE the space camera work in this!!!!

One of the best features of the show was how well it stitched together 33 to the miniseries though they are produced like a year apart. Now it's common and the standard but not so much back in those days. I'm sure I missed some giveaways but I don't think there are many.

Director (Michael Rymer - the key director for the show) did not force anyone not to sleep. Edward James Olmos decided on his own to consult a sleep specialist to understand the symptoms. Then he shared this with Rymer, who selected one symptom for every actor (to give variety). But Olmos and some other actors following his example decided to go further and slept only 3 hours a night during filming of the episode.

I hope this won't slow down your journey on Star Trek. Some episodes in the second half of the 3rd season will blow you away.

The Cylon god thing is interesting mostly in that the Cylons seem to believe in a singular, capital-G god like the Abrahamic faiths, while the humans have their Greco/Roman pantheon of deities. And of course interesting that the machines have a faith at all; they’re not just robotic antagonists. Again it’s very “of its time” to have some clash of civilizations undercurrents.

This is what Alex Kurtzman tried to twist Star Trek into with "Picard" ... and failed miserably.

This is a great show, but this is the first time I have come back to it in any measure. It is too grim, even 20 years later. Those who know, know.

guys did you watch Babylon 5 or plan to? I enjoy both of your star trek reactions and discussions. Babylon 5 is really interesting series. I checked you watched the intro movie. I recommend it to any star trek enjoyer, because it has great characters and very different type of future.

Also after star trek and BSG I highly recommend "The Walkihg Dead". You can thank me later.

I dont think you should watch this in parallel with TNG. The two are from different times and I think this will spoil your enjoyment of TNG. Finish TNG first then go on to battle star.

I was an "original" fan,...and even watched "1980",...hearing that a new version would be made, I was curious, and worried,....yet, I liked it, quickly, the mini series at Xmas 2003 -I quickly got into this, and got two friends, one who was in the US Army and liked the military aspect to the series,...Frack!!!! ;)

Love that you're doing this. And, even better, love that you say you're not like what most people would expect from 'typical reactors'. Far too often these days, 'reactors' try to hard to be reactors... Keep up the great, natural work.

I never thought BSG was "bleak". The truth is that the situation is bad and the characters are very flawed, but the show is ultimately very optimistic and that comes through in the characters inherent goodness and themes of loyalty and duty

Oh good, if they're watching BSG with TNG, then that means they should be ready to watch DS9 and B5 together

The Battlestar Galactica effects team was so incredibly angry with "Attack of the Clones" because they worked so hard to be the very first to use the "handycam in space" effect. Attacks of the Clones beat them by mere months, and it didn't even fit the cinematic style of the rest of the movie, which made the insult worse.

You guys are in for a hell of a ride. BSG is easily one of the best shows ever made. Enjoy...!!!

Fun fact: when Apollo looks into the windows of the olympic carrier he doesn't see anybody. The original premise was for him to see people on the ship and to have to destroy it anyways. It was changed in the script stage at the networks request for being too dark

@1:35 I don't watch typical reaction channels. Can't stand them. The chillin on the sofa vibe and chats afterwards is what has made me subscribe and watch your videos.

I like how they keep updating the survivor count each episode in the OP. The showrunners could have gone the easy route and keep the number vague, but they didn't. They went the extra mile. The actors can be glad this show wasn't directed by Stanley Kubrick. I bet he'd have kept the actors awake for a couple of days to make it as real as possible. ^^ I don't know how it was for the American release, but over here in Europe, the TV run started with the mini-series recut into a multipart episode, that was just seamlessly part of the regular broadcast. I didn't even know there was a miniseries until much later and just assumed those were the regular starting episodes.

Everything is just horrible. Great Sci Fi series. Horrible for personal moral.

The shakeycam was part of the general lo-fi feeling of the show, not a decision by the FX studio. In the original pitch for the reboot, in fact, all space shots would have been from the point of view of a diagetic camera on one of the ships or probes.