I'm a major fan of this show. Unfortunately, compared to other companion books for other shows and movies (like Serenity and Firefly), this is a rather disappointing work. It doesn't have the depth it needs, and some of the facts are wrong. I also did not see much here that I have not previously seen in magazines. They're not digging very deep into the production archives.

I've acquired a number of books on my favorite television shows over the years. For the most part I've learned to avoid the "official" guides or companions, because more often than not they tend to be antiseptic, unilluminating, and uncritical. But just as BATTLESTAR GALACTICA is a brilliant exception to what one normally finds on commercial television, so this companion is a delightful exception to the typical "official" publication.

There are several reasons for why this guide far surpasses the usual guide. First, too many guides merely tend to regurgitate the contents of each episode, add a few quotes from the episode to fill out pages, and then perhaps identify the music used on an episode. If you are lucky, you'll learn what previous shows guest stars have appeared on. This book, however, truly is a companion. It actually provides very little in the way of summing up individual episodes. In fact, the average length of space devoted to summing up the events of a show is less than a page. This means that in this 157 page book only 15-18 total pages of text is devoted to summarizing the events of the miniseries and the 13 episodes of Season One. The rest of the book is filled with a wealth of supplemental information, such as explaining the genesis of a script, of major changes it underwent before shooting, of changes made in an episode following shooting, of decisions made in altering the special effects, and so on. There are also many quotes provided by the show's many actors, who were clearly interviewed especially for this book.

There is also an openness in this book that is quite refreshing. For instance, it reveals how specific actors turned down particular roles (e.g., Lucy Lawless turning down the role of Ellen Tigh). There is a great deal of information provided on the casting process and who was responsible for discovering which performer.

The book not only deals with the background to each individual episode but also with how the recreation of the 1978 show developed. Individual chapters explain such things are the special effects work on the show, the music, and the art design. Substantial summations of each major and many supporting characters are provided at the end.

As a result of all these factors, this is easily one of the most helpful and illuminating season guides I own to any television series. I strongly recommend them to any fan of the series. I will only add that a couple of reviews suggested that the book doesn't provide much for a serious fan. I've watched the entire series at least five times, I have read exhaustively on the Internet, I have made hundreds if not thousands of posts about the show on various forums, and have listened to all of the podcasts and commentaries. But I learned a great deal from reading the book. So I think it safe to say that this is for serious fans as much as casual ones.

Battlestar Galactica is an amazing show. I'd read all the articles I could, watched and re-watched the shows, listened to commentary tracks, etc, and still wanted more -- trying to hang on until the new season starts. Well, this official companion has been a thoroughly enjoyable read and the it's been informative too.

It starts with a chapter about how the show came back, and then offers lengthy synopses of each episode (and the miniseries)y, with trivia, information about the writer(s) and guest cast and comments from the participants. There are lots of black and white pictures throughout and a center section of color pictures. After the episode guide there are 4-page chapters devoted to each main character (William and Lee Adama, Roslin, Kara, Baltar, Six, Sharon and supporting characters). The volume ends with chapters on production design, visual effects and music. There is a forward by Ronald Moore and an afterword by David Eick, and lots of input from the cast and crew throughout the book.
I enjoyed this very much and look forward to the season two guide. It really helped me cope with the between-seasons doldrums, and made re-watching old episodes even more fun.

Highly recommended.

Overall this is a decent little guidebook into the world of the new Battlestar Galactica series. Most people will find a lot of good general information.

However, for serious fans, there is very little we don't already know contained in this book. Also, apparently this guide was thrown together quite hastily, and by people not that closely associated with production, because it contains many pieces of information which are in direct contradiction to statements/info/events in the show and on RDM's weekly podcasts.

Overall, meh, it could use some work. Thankfully the quality of the guide does not reflect the quality of the show.

After reading all the magazine and newspaper articles and listening to all the podcasts and the commentaries on the new DVD box-set, I honestly thought I knew everything there was to know about the start of the superb new Battlestar Galactica. But The Official Companion not only covers everything we already knew about the show's launch in far more detail than ever before, but its also loaded tighter than Chief Tyrol's pants with surprising new revelations and information.
From the producer's alternate casting choices (Susan Sarandon as President Roslin? Stargate SG-1's Ben Browder as Apollo? Richard Hatch as Elosha?) to storyline developments and Universal's unwillingness to launch the episodic series without the help of an international broadcaster (thank for the Lords of Kobol for Sky One!), everything you need to know about the miniseries and season one is here. David Bassom interviews all of the key players from Edward Olmos down, and covers everything in depth.
Every true BSG fan must have this book.