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:

They were searching for a star called Earth, but first they had to win a great war.

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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 opening narration in the theatrical version concluded with the line, "who even now fight to survive far, far away amongst the stars." In the series, the narration concluded with the line, "who even now fight to survive somewhere beyond the heavens."

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Goofs

Right before Zac shoots down his first Cylon, they show his joystick. Instead of the normal "Fire/Turbo/IM" labels, it says "Stores/Camera Audio/Camera Pulse".

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Quotes

Lieutenant Boomer: Just keep it up, old buddy, you're going to get us into real trouble.
Lieutenant Starbuck: Ten thousand light years from nowhere, our planets shot to pieces, people starving, and *I'm* gonna get us in trouble? What the matter with you? I tell you... yeah, well, we may as well live for today! We might not have many left!

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Alternate Versions

In 1979, this film was reissued theatrically in the United States in "Sensurround", the same short-lived gimmick used for Earthquake, Midway and Rollercoaster.

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Connections

Referenced in Ready Player One (2018)

User Reviews

Colonial Insignia

I followed the original Battlestar Galactica during it's original airing and was an avid fan. What I did not notice during that time, and only noticed after seeing some of the original series' episodes being rebroadcast now that the new series is out, is the insignia on the colonials' collars. The insignia is the officer branch insignia for military intelligence for the U.S. Army. I was very surprised when I first noticed it. The insignia is described as follows: On a gold color metal dagger, point up, 1 1/4 inches overall in height, a gold color metal heraldic sun composed of four straight and four wavy alternating rays surmounted by a gold heraldic rose, the petals dark blue enamel. I just thought that this was interesting. I have not seen it posted anywhere else.