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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

The super-reality of SENSURROUND takes you into an intergalactic war...Experience the sensation of laser beams, space explosions and battlestar attacks...all in Academy Award winning SENSURROUND.

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

---

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

To construct the ragtag fleet that follows the Galactica on its lonely quest, the model makers were given a free hand to let their imaginations run wild. Ken Swenson constructed the livery ship (that was supposed to carry all the livestock) out of three film cans, one behind the other.

---

Goofs

After Zac's Viper is hit by Cylon fire, the camera shows the left side of Zac's cockpit missing in a few scenes. The first time is shortly after Zac says, "Come on, baby. Not much farther." This happens again after he says, "Patrol to fleet. I need help."

---

Quotes

Lieutenant Zac: Nice shooting, but... they hit my high engine!
Captain Apollo: That's okay, little brother; we got all of them. The day those guys can outfight us without a ten-to-one margin.
Lieutenant Zac: Apollo, better look at your scanner.
[a solid wall of Cylon raiders is chasing them]
Captain Apollo: No, but a thousand-to-one, that's not fair.
Lieutenant Zac: [concerned] What does it mean?
Captain Apollo: It means there isn't going to be any peace! There might not be much of anything if we don't warn the fleet!

---

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.

---

Connections

Followed by Conquest of the Earth (1980)

User Reviews

better story than Star Wars but worse effects

Battlestar Galactica did have a heavy impact on my childhood. I remember all of my friends trying to rebuild Battlestars and Vipers in various designs out of our LEGO space edition tiles. And how much fun it was to blast the other's ships into pieces! LEGO must have earned millions through us. Never ever has there been another spacecraft as illustrious in design as the Galactica (forget Star Trek's clumsy saucers). Unfortunately, the special effects appeared a little simple, because they were persistently reused. And YES, another commentator was right: Maren Jenson is THE reason to watch the show! Of course, there are one or two things about the story which are quite dubious. For one, the praised military leadership being better than a civilian one is a little hard-core cold-war belief. And in the series, those partially overemphasized religious elements sometimes got a little annoying in the otherwise splendid science-fantasy plot. But after all, those elements formed a heterogeneous mix promoting tolerance and gave the show its uniqueness. Definitely worth watching!