Battlestar Galactica (1978–1979)

The last major Colonial fighter carrier leads a makeshift fleet of human refugees on a desperate search for the legendary planet Earth.

Creator:

Glen A. Larson

Stars:

Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, Lorne Greene

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Richard Hatch	...	Capt. Apollo (22 episodes, 1978-1979)
Dirk Benedict	...	Lt. Starbuck (22 episodes, 1978-1979)
Lorne Greene	...	Commander Adama (22 episodes, 1978-1979)
Herbert Jefferson Jr.	...	Lt. Boomer (22 episodes, 1978-1979)
John Colicos	...	Baltar (22 episodes, 1978-1979)
Maren Jensen	...	Athena (22 episodes, 1978-1979)
Noah Hathaway	...	Boxey (22 episodes, 1978-1979)
Laurette Spang	...	Cassiopeia (22 episodes, 1978-1979)
Tony Swartz	...	Flight Sgt. Jolly (22 episodes, 1978-1979)
Terry Carter	...	Colonel Tigh (22 episodes, 1978-1979)
David Greenan	...	Omega (19 episodes, 1978-1979)
Anne Lockhart	...	Sheba (11 episodes, 1978-1979)
Sarah Rush	...	Flight Cpl. Rigel (11 episodes, 1978-1979)

Storyline

The Human Colonial forces have agreed to peace with their mortal enemies the Robotic Cylons when a surprise attack destroys most of the Colonial Fleet. The remnants of the Colonials form up a "ragtag group of ships" on the surviving major ship, the Battlestar Galactica. They decide to go off in a search for the planet founded by missing tribe of the Colonials, a planet called earth as the Cylons continue to search for them.

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Plot Keywords:

commander | fugitive | space | refugee | corporal | 

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Genres:

Sci-Fi | Action | Adventure

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site Sci-Fi.com

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Battaglie nella galassia

Filming Locations:

Red Rock Canyon State Park - Highway 14, Cantil, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$750,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Glen A. Larson Productions, Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min (24 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

The exact size of Colonial battlestars such as the Galactica and of Cylon base stars was never properly explained in the show, leading to some disagreement over the years. A scale measurement comparison of the Galactica to one of her Vipers provided the final answer - the Galactica and identical battlestars were each 4,150 feet in length, with each of two flight bays measuring 1,977 feet in length and some 215 feet in width; each flight bay was thus nearly twice the length and almost the width of a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, and a battlestar could easily carry far more fighters than the listed 150 with 24 shuttles - a more accurate measurement would be 300 fighters (with perhaps a third in ready reserve; Saga Of A Star World listed the Galactica's pilot contingent at over 200 while in Lost Planet Of The Gods injured warriors hastily return to duty and fly what are presumably backup fighters stored in ready reserve) and 40 to 50 shuttles. A Cylon base star, based on scale measurement comparison, is 5,800 feet wide and can carry far more than its listed contingent of 300 fighters.

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Goofs

The members of the council were elected in the first episode. Yet every time we see the council, there are different members.

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Quotes

[repeated line]
Cylon Centurion: By Your Command.

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Connections

Referenced in Warehouse 13: Age Before Beauty (2010)

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Soundtracks

"It's Love, Love, Love"
by John Andrew Tartaglia, Sue Collins and Glen A. Larson
Performed by The Space Angels

User Reviews

Exodus in Space

Battlestar Galactica is one of those series you either love or hate, or else didn't watch. I loved it. It had a great concept and, generally good effects. The writing was a bit uneven at times, with the "homages" to other genres and movies getting way out of hand (Magnificent Seven, Guns of Navarone, Shane, Dirty Dozen, Perry Mason, Towering Inferno, etc.). As far as the criticism of "rip-off" goes, Battlestar Galactica was vindicated in court and in saga itself. The only real similarities with Star Wars are that both are space opera, both have bad guys in armor, both had dogfights in space, and both had John Dykstra supervising the effects. Otherwise, the biblical story of Galactica bore little resemblance to the mythical Star Wars. Besides, Star Wars was inspired by Flash Gordon, Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress, The Dam Busters, King Arthur, and the works of Joseph Campbell. I think a series based on Exodus and Erik Von Danekan can be cut a little slack.

The acting was generally good, although the child actors were not the most skilled (but, hey, they're kids). Lorne Greene was great as the fatherly Adama, leading his people on a search for their brethren. Richard Hatch was the mature and stoic Apollo; the cerebral hero. Dirk Bennedict is the reckless and fun-loving Starbuck, the true fighter pilot in space. John Colicos is the evil Baltar, traitor to his people; part Benedict Arnold, part Herod, part Hitler. Add a well rounded supporting cast and you have a fine ensemble.

Yes, there is much dated material here: feathered hairdo's, disco clothes, social interaction; but it doesn't detract from the better stories. The use of a unique slang was a nice idea, but a bit distracting. The music was good and the Egyptian influences were interesting in the designs. The uniforms were stylish and gave a sense of military symbol and function. The ship designs were cool (can't say it any other way).

The biggest fault in this series is the tendency to depart from the overall saga into homage episodes. "Gun on Ice Planet Zero" was a fine remake of the Guns of Navarone and the Dirty Dozen, but it also presented a threat to the fleet and a new obstacle they must overcome. Others, like "The Lost Warrior" or "The Magnificent Warriors" had little consequence for the fleet and tended to get bogged down. The series was at its best when the Galactica found a new clue to the lost tribe, or overcame the Cylons to live another day. Unfortunately, the producers didn't have a timeline in mind when they created this show, unlike Babylon 5. Had they determined how long the journey should take, they could have avoided unnecessary episodes and concentrated on the overall saga, bringing character development and drama into the story, without losing sight of their goal. As it was, we were teased with false Earths and little idea when the Lost Tribe would be found. Unfortunately, when it was found, the series took a complete nosedive.

It will be interesting to see what the future will bring for this series; but, for the present, I will continue to watch my tapes. Is it too much to ask for a DVD release for the entire series?