Of all the series with multiple incarnations, has there ever been a more mismatched pair than the two versions of “Battlestar Galactica”?

The 2003 remake is considered by many sci-fi fans as the apotheosis of the space opera, a heady mix of fancy effects, sharp drama and intellectual underpinnings. The 1978 original had fancy effects – it was the most expensive TV series ever made at the time – and … well, it had fancy effects.

Fans will be able to get the best look ever at the “Star Wars”-influenced style of the original series with two new collections on Blu-ray.

Both feature the complete series, including the re-engineered “Galactica 1980” and the extended pilot that was released in theaters. “The Remastered Collection” ($149.99 list price) contains both a widescreen version of the series and the original full-frame edit. “The Definitive Collection” ($119.99) just carries the widescreen.

The far superior 2003 version has been on Blu-ray since 2009, although the complete series edition does not include the “Caprica” or “Blood and Chrome” spinoffs.

Both series follow the same premise: A race of intelligent cyborgs called the Cylons decides to destroy its human creators. A band of survivors flees in a fleet of spaceships, fighting the Cylons while searching for a legendary human home where they can settle.

In the original, the Cylons were purely evil robots, but in the remake they were indistinguishable from humans, and their ultimate goal was less clear – a change that imbued the latter with much more intrigue.

The original series is enjoyable in small doses as a campy bit of history. The remake is actually worth binging on.

‘BATTLESTAR GALACTICA’ (1978)

Starred: Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict

Binge commitment: 34 one-hour episodes

Watch it: Blu-ray and DVD; streaming on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and Vudu

‘BATTLESTAR GALACTICA’ (2003)

Starred: Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber

Binge commitment: 75 one-hour episodes

Watch it: Blu-ray and DVD; streaming on Amazon Instant Video, Vudu and M-Go

NEW AND NOTABLE

Streaming: “Grace & Frankie,” Netflix original series starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.

Disc: “Rawhide,” complete series, DVD; “Southland,” complete series, DVD; “Revolution,” complete series, DVD and Blu-ray; “Broadchurch,” Season 2, DVD; “The Wild, Wild West,” complete series, DVD; “Supercar,” complete series, DVD.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7724 or mhewitt@ocregister.com or @WatcherofTV on Twitter or The Watcher on Facebook.