"Galactica 1980" (1980) TV series

Creator:

Glen A. Larson
(more)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

27 January 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Plot:

When the Battlestar Galactica finally arrives at the planet Earth, they find they must subtly raise its tech level & protect it from the Cylons.

Plot Keywords:

Year In Title | Space | Space Carrier | Cult Favorite | Digit In Title

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Kent McCord	...	Capt. Troy (10 episodes, 1980)
Barry Van Dyke	...	Lt. Dillon (10 episodes, 1980)
Robyn Douglass	...	Jamie Hamilton (10 episodes, 1980)
Lorne Greene	...	Commander Adama (10 episodes, 1980)
James Patrick Stuart	...	Dr. Zee (7 episodes, 1980)
Fred Holliday	...	Mr. Brooks / ... (5 episodes, 1980)
Herbert Jefferson Jr.	...	Colonel Boomer (5 episodes, 1980)
Mike Brick	...	Super Scout / ... (5 episodes, 1980)
Ronnie Densford	...	Super Scout / ... (5 episodes, 1980)
Mark Everett	...	Super Scout / ... (5 episodes, 1980)
Georgi Irene	...	Super Scout / ... (5 episodes, 1980)
Tracy Justrich	...	Starla / ... (5 episodes, 1980)
Lindsay Kennedy	...	Super Scout / ... (5 episodes, 1980)
D.G. Larson	...	Super Scout / ... (5 episodes, 1980)
Eric Larson	...	Moonstone / ... (5 episodes, 1980)
Michelle Larson	...	Super Scout / ... (5 episodes, 1980)

Series Directed by
Sidney Hayers		(3 episodes, 1980)
Barry Crane		(2 episodes, 1980)
Sigmund Neufeld Jr.		(2 episodes, 1980)

Series Writing credits
Glen A. Larson		(10 episodes, 1980)

Series Produced by
Glen A. Larson	....	executive producer (10 episodes, 1980)
Gary Winter	....	co-producer / producer (10 episodes, 1980)
Dean Zanetos	....	producer / co-producer (10 episodes, 1980)
Ben Kadish	....	co-producer (7 episodes, 1980)
Tim King	....	associate producer (7 episodes, 1980)
Frank Lupo	....	producer (7 episodes, 1980)
David G. Phinney	....	associate producer (7 episodes, 1980)
Jeff Freilich	....	producer (5 episodes, 1980)
David M. Garber	....	co-producer (3 episodes, 1980)
David J. O'Connell	....	supervising producer (3 episodes, 1980)

Series Original Music by
Stu Phillips		(10 episodes, 1980)
John Andrew Tartaglia		(3 episodes, 1980)

Series Cinematography by
Mario DiLeo		(4 episodes, 1980)
Frank Beascoechea		(3 episodes, 1980)
Ben Colman		(3 episodes, 1980)

Series Film Editing by
David Howe		(3 episodes, 1980)
Michael Berman		(2 episodes, 1980)
Buford F. Hayes		(2 episodes, 1980)

Series Casting by
Phil Benjamin		(7 episodes, 1980)
Mark Malis		(3 episodes, 1980)

Series Art Direction by
Sherman Loudermilk		(4 episodes, 1980)
Fred Tuch		(3 episodes, 1980)
Bill Taliaferro		(2 episodes, 1980)
David L. Snyder		(unknown episodes)

Series Set Decoration by
Morris Hoffman		(4 episodes, 1980)
Leslie McCarthy-Frankenheimer		(3 episodes, 1980)
Jennifer Polito		(3 episodes, 1980)

Series Costume Design by
Jean-Pierre Dorléac		(7 episodes, 1980)
Al Lehman		(3 episodes, 1980)

Series Production Management
John C. Chulay	....	unit production manager (7 episodes, 1980)
Charles E. Walker	....	unit production manager (2 episodes, 1980)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Patrick A. Duffy	....	first assistant director (5 episodes, 1980)
Bob Bralver	....	second unit director (3 episodes, 1980)
Dick Erickson	....	second assistant director (3 episodes, 1980)
Phil Cook	....	first assistant director (2 episodes, 1980)
Gary Grillo	....	first assistant director (2 episodes, 1980)
Charles Watson Sanford	....	second assistant director (2 episodes, 1980)

Series Art Department
Jim Zemansky	....	property master (unknown episodes)

Series Sound Department
Samuel Reynolds	....	sound effects editor (8 episodes, 1980)
James F. Rogers	....	sound (7 episodes, 1980)
Earl Crain Jr.	....	sound (3 episodes, 1980)
Dick Wahrman	....	sound effects editor (2 episodes, 1980)
Barney Cabral	....	adr editor (unknown episodes)

Series Special Effects by
Greg C. Jensen	....	special effects coordinator (10 episodes, 1980)
William H. Schirmer	....	special effects supervisor (unknown episodes)

Series Visual Effects by
David M. Garber	....	miniatures and special photography supervisor (10 episodes, 1980)
Alan G. Markowitz	....	visual effects artist (10 episodes, 1980)
Wayne Smith	....	miniatures and special photography supervisor (10 episodes, 1980)
David Stipes	....	visual effects (unknown episodes)

Series Stunts
Richard Epper	....	stunts (3 episodes, 1980)
Bob Bralver	....	stunt coordinator (unknown episodes)
Hubie Kerns Jr.	....	stunts (unknown episodes)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Rick Fee	....	assistant camera (1 episode, 1980)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Mark Peterson	....	costume supervisor (5 episodes, 1980)

Series Music Department
Glen A. Larson	....	composer: theme music (10 episodes, 1980)
Herbert D. Woods	....	music editor (7 episodes, 1980)
Stu Phillips	....	composer: theme music (6 episodes, 1980)
Ted Roberts	....	music editor (3 episodes, 1980)

Series Other crew
Chris Bunch	....	story editor (7 episodes, 1980)
Allan Cole	....	story editor (7 episodes, 1980)
Rob Gilmer	....	story editor (5 episodes, 1980)

Production Companies

• Glen A. Larson Productions
• Universal TV

Distributors

• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1980) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• AXN (2010) (Hungary) (TV)
• Studios USA Television
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Universal Hartland (miniatures and special photography)

Also Known As:

"Battlestar Galactica" - USA (syndication title)

Runtime:

60 min (10 episodes) | UK:60 min (7 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Stage 12, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Glen A. Larson Productions

Trivia:

At the end of several episodes a message appeared on the screen that said: "The United States Air Force stopped investigating UFOs in 1969. After 22 years they found no evidence of extra-terrestrially visits and no threat to national security."

Quotes:

Captain Troy:[after taking off in a Viper from the Galactica] Well, how did you like that?
Jamie Hamilton:Don't bother me, I'm praying.

Movie Connections:

Follows "Battlestar Galactica: Pilot (#1.0)" (1978)

Laugh out loud bad

After Battlestar Galactica was canceled, the network decided to try and wring some more dollars out of the series by giving us this low budget thing. It was incredibly childish, featuring a bunch of little kids who could jump really high, like up into trees. I think they could turn invisible as well. They used these powers to throw apples at bumbling cops and stuff like that. The cops would look around, all confused, like "Where are the apples coming from?! I can't figure it out!". You get the idea. Then there were the two main characters who gave comically bad performances. When they first got to earth, they couldn't figure out what a phone booth was, and had trouble with our vocabulary. It could have been done in such a way as to make it realistic, or perhaps even funny, but the way it was done just came off as these two guys being idiots. And yes, they were the stars.

Plots were very much like a Saturday morning cartoon of the '70s, like Isis or Shazam. Packed full of "educational" material (did you know that cars have internal combustion engines?) and environmentalist schlock - the same guys who didn't know what a phone was got upset that people didn't like environmentalists.

Then there was Dr. Zee, the little kid who was supposed to be really smart. But because he was so smart, he spent a lot of time staring off into space, almost as if in a coma, and spoke his lines as if reciting from a cue card. Definitely in the top 10 most laughably bad character I can remember in any TV show right now.

I have to say this thing rates extremely high on the "so bad it's good" scale. I mean, you just can't help but laugh at it.