Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack (1978) (TV)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Directors:

Vince Edwards
Christian I. Nyby II

Writers:

Glen A. Larson (screenplay) and
Jim Carlson (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

2 December 1983 (Finland)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Their very existence menaced by a strange civilization.

Plot:

Running low on fuel, the Galactica receives the help of the supposedly lost Battlestar Pegasus which is taking the offensive with the Cylons.

Plot Keywords:

Space | Aircraft Carrier | Sequel | Edited From TV Series | Spacecraft

Cast

Richard Hatch	...	Capt. Apollo (archive footage)
Dirk Benedict	...	Lt. Starbuck (archive footage)
Lorne Greene	...	Cmdr. Adama (archive footage)
Herb Jefferson Jr.	...	Lt. Boomer (archive footage)
John Colicos	...	Count Baltar (archive footage)
Maren Jensen	...	Lt. Athena (archive footage)
Laurette Spang	...	Cassiopeia (archive footage)
Tony Swartz	...	Flight Sgt. Joly (archive footage)
Anne Lockhart	...	Lt. Sheba (archive footage)
Terry Carter	...	Col. Tigh (archive footage)
George Murdock	...	Dr. Salik (archive footage)
Jack Stauffer	...	Capt. Bojay (archive footage)
William Bryant	...	Fireleader (archive footage)
Rod Haase	...	Col. Tolan (archive footage)
Lloyd Bridges	...	Cmdr. Cain (archive footage)

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Sensurround (Japan theatrical release)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:G | Finland:K-8

Company:

Glen A. Larson Productions

Quotes:

[under the personal command of Baltar, an enormous armada of Cylon raiders attacks the Colonial Fleet]
Count Baltar: [from the command seat of a Cylon raider] This time the Galactica hasn't a chance. Concentrate our fighters on the Galactica's landing bays! Her warriors won't be able to refuel, reload, or land!
[Cylon raiders converge on the Galactica's Alpha flight bay and one breaks through the bay's force field and punches into the interior wall, exploding into a raging fire]
Flight Cpl. Omega: Fire in the bay.
Cmdr. Adama: Danmage report.
Flight Cpl. Omega: It's out of control. Alpha Bay is completely cut off.
[Cylon raiders blast away at the Galactica and the Fleet's civilian ships as the Galactica's viper squadrons fight back]
Count Baltar: Continue leading her warriors away from the main fleet. They can't stay aloft using full battle thrusters for very long.
Cylon Centurion: A word of caution. We too are expending great amounts of fuel in a sustained attack.
[Baltar's raider joins a Cylon phalanx as it shoots down several vipers directly ahead]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Edited from "Battlestar Galactica" (1978)

And it STILL works for me...

As I said in my comment about the first part: These two movies are better than most Science Fiction Fans confess.

The scenario in the second movie is not that moving as we don't see the destruction of human civilization, but the aftermath, thousands of refugees fleeing in tiny space cans, protected by only one powerful spaceship.

But when Battlestar Pegasus appears, the story heats up, carrying the battle back to the Cylon Planets. Okay, it has a little bit of Mad Max because all they fight for is fuel for their spaceships to travel on to find the distant Earth, but it works for me. It is thrilling Science Fiction entertainment featuring fine actors and decent special effects (even though those tend to repeat themselves, to say the least :-) ).

I would have loved a continuation with Starbuck and Apollo on board. Instead, we got a second sequel with no name characters who proved that the story had worked before especially because the feature characters were so well-chosen...

So thumbs down for the productions of 1980, but thumbs up for the two movies from 1978.