"The Cylons were created by man. They rebelled. They evolved. There are many copies. And they have a plan."

The debate over whether or not the ending to the reimagined 2004 series still rages on in many sci-fi forums across the internet.  As many fans believed that the ending failed to answer any questions as there are those that felt it to be a perfect close to a great space opera.  Which ever camp you belong to, Universal and Edward James Olmos thinks they have the answer in "The Plan".

This straight to DVD movie chronicles the events of the majority of the TV series from the point of view of the Cylons, namely the initial six "skin-jobs".  What seems like a great idea on paper unfortunately falls short in delivery.  Told through the interactions of Number One (Brother Cavil), The Plan aims to clarify for the audience what exactly the Cylons' plans were from the beginning.  This would be a great idea and some of the best stories ever told was from an alternate point of view, such as Rosencratz and Guildenstern, the Song of Ice and Fire series, and the 08th MS Team (for you anime and Gundam lovers).  But the lack of commitment and lack of focus in The Plan caused it to never reach its full potential.

Not every actor from the series returned for The Plan, which meant a lot of cutting in previous footage and scenes to fill in gaps.  This led to a jarring experience for the viewer and provided a stack contrast to the otherwise spectacularly produced series.  Because the major characters didn't return, this provided ample screen time for the minor characters, namely Sam and the minor Skin-Job Cylons.  The story arc of Sam and Brother Cavil on the occupied Caprica is one of the better revelations of the film.  This also provides for a contrasting tale to the other Brother Cavil residing on Galactica, which is The Plan's main plot.

The CG in The Plan is hit and miss at times.  While some very excellent sequences are rendered with great detail, such as the initial attack on Caprica, other scenes seem to have been an afterthought.  In general, there wasn't much to animate during The Plan since much of the film was recycled from the series anyway.

Was The Plan necessary?  That depends on how you felt about the ending of Battlestar Galactica.  If you were a fan of the end, such as myself, you would have probably been content not ever having seen The Plan.  And truth be told, the actual "plan" is rather simple and is almost laughable when explained and spoken on screen.  The bottom line is if you are a fan of the series, you most likely would have already picked up your pre-ordered Blu-ray copy.  But if you were anything like me and was waiting to see if you should pay for the Blu-ray complete series collection or the complete-complete series that bundles in "The Plan", I say pick up the series as it stands now because The Plan adds very little to the Battlestar experience.