Battlestar Galactica (1978)

After the destruction of the Twelve Colonies of Mankind, the last major fighter carrier leads a makeshift fugitive fleet in a desperate search for the legendary planet Earth.

Directors:

Richard A. Colla, Alan J. Levi (uncredited)

Writer:

Glen A. Larson

Stars:

Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, Lorne Greene

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Hatch	...	Captain Apollo
Dirk Benedict	...	Lieutenant Starbuck
Lorne Greene	...	Commander Adama
Herbert Jefferson Jr.	...	Lieutenant Boomer
Maren Jensen	...	Lieutenant Athena
Tony Swartz	...	Flight Sergeant Jolly
Noah Hathaway	...	Boxey
Terry Carter	...	Colonel Tigh
Lew Ayres	...	President Adar
Wilfrid Hyde-White	...	Sire Anton
John Colicos	...	Count Baltar
Laurette Spang	...	Cassiopeia
John Fink	...	Dr. Paye
Jane Seymour	...	Serina
Ray Milland	...	Sire Uri

Storyline

The story of how the Twelve Colonies of Mankind are destroyed after 1,000 years of war with the evil Cylon Empire. Through deceit, the Cylons are able to destroy the Colonies' entire fleet, except for the Battlestar Galactica, captained by Commander Adama. Adama gathers up the few remaining humans left on all the twelve worlds and embarks on a journey to find the mythical planet Earth, the supposed thirteenth colony, lost millennia ago when humans first left the motherworld Kobol. With food and fuel running out, the fleet heads for a mineral planet, Carillon, hoping to get what they need. The Ovions, who populate the planet, are being controlled by the Cylons, who set a trap for the Galactica. Under a clever ruse, Adama convinces the Cylons that his pilots are on the surface at a banquet, while the real pilots are at full combat readiness. The fleet gets their food and fuel, and escapes, destroying Carillon and a Cylon Baseship hiding behind the planet.

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Plot Keywords:

orchestral music score | outer space | fictional war | chase | ambush | 

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Taglines:

A billion light years from Earth, the human race is fighting for survival.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 May 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kampfstern Galactica

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Glen A. Larson Productions,Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

148 min 122 min (Ontario) 125 min (Québec) 125 min (theatrical)

Sound Mix:

Mono Sensurround (theatrical print)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The numbers in the Ovian elevator are Mayan, a combination of dots and bars, with the rows of dots representing one through four, and a bar representing five.

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Goofs

When Athena is trying to help Starbuck fix his fighter remotely, her monitor clearly shows "Made in USA" on one of the schematics she views.

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Quotes

Commander Adama: [closing narration] Fleeing from the Cylon Tyranny, the last battlestar Galactica leads a ragtag fugitive fleet on a lonely quest: a shining planet known as Earth.

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Alternate Versions

There are two versions of this film: A stand-alone TV movie, and a pilot/first episode of a series. In the stand-alone version, Count Baltar is executed halfway through. This version was actually released theatrically first in Canada before the TV version aired in the United States. It was eventually released to theatres worldwide (including the United States). When it became apparent that the series would in fact be made, an alternate ending and version of Baltar's execution scene was filmed. In the series version, Count Baltar is held for public execution instead of being beheaded at once. When the Cylon Imperious Leader who ordered his execution is killed in the explosion of the planet Carillon, his successor orders Baltar's release so Baltar can command the Cylon Basestar that will chase the human refugees throughout the series. All this information is given in an "Epilogue" tacked on at the film's ending.

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Connections

Referenced in Half in the Bag: Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Cyphan Con 2011 (2011)

User Reviews

The new widescreen DVD

Having just seen a "restored" theatrical print a couple of months ago and now having seen the new DVD, I can say that it is virtually flawless. The subtlety of color makes many sequences appear almost three dimensional (especially on the Galactica). They appear to have removed most of the annoying matte lines from some scenes, although a few garbage mattes are visible. Some scenes that were almost unviewable blurs on the VHS have been restored to almost crystal clarity. Also visible are occasional film scratches, but it is far superior to anything I have seen since the 70's theatrical release in "Sensurround" or however they spelled it.

If you are a Galactica nut or even a fan, you will cherish this in your collection.

P.S. I don't work for Universal!