Soundtrack Review: Battlestar Galactica: Season 2

By Douglas Strassler Aug 9, 2006, 16:09 GMT

Battlestar Galactica received a bevy of critical acclaim in its second season, and released a soundtrack album covering just the last year’s worth of episodes, also scored by Bear McCreary.  McCreary himself has been quoted as saying “The first [release] was a soundtrack.  The second one is an album.”

Not only has McCreary rearranged the original’s theme, but provided enough to music to make up 78 minutes.   He utilizes a number of eclectic influences, including the Far East, the Middle East, even Celtic sounds like the flute.  This is seen in the tracks “A Good Lighter,” “Reuniting the Fleet,” and “Wander My Friends.”

McCreary, along with the Supernova String Quartet, places heavy emphasis on string instruments in such songs as “Allegro” and “A Promise to Return.”  “Scar,” on the other hand, has more percussive rhythms, while “Prelude to War” blends both drums and strings.

Like the show itself, the Battlestar Galactica: Season 2 soundtrack is easy to underestimate, just like the series itself.  But to anyone willing to give it a try, they will find a rich, versatile work that can truly be described as art.