Galactica 1980 

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

Creator:

Glen A. Larson

Stars:

Kent McCord, Barry Van Dyke, Robyn Douglass

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Kent McCord	...	Captain Troy 10 episodes, 1980
Barry Van Dyke	...	Lieutenant 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	...	Sunshine / ... 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

Storyline

Thirty years after the events of the series "Battlestar Galactica", the fugitive starfleet finally reaches its legendary destination. But Commander Adama discovers that the planet Earth in 1980 is not technologically advanced enough to help them battle the Cylons. Indeed, by coming to Earth, the Galactica has inadvertently exposed the helpless planet to attack by the android race bent on exterminating all humanity. Therefore, teams of Colonial warriors are covertly sent to the planet to work incognito with various members of the scientific community, hoping to advance Earth's technology.

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Plot Keywords:

cult tv | outer space | battlestar galactica | extraterrestrial human | starship | 

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Genres:

Sci-Fi

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Details

Official Sites:

Sci-Fi.com

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 January 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Battlestar Galactica

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Glen A. Larson Productions,Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min (10 episodes) 60 min (7 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

Aside from Adama and Boomer, the series was to originally include Apollo, Starbuck, and Baltar, with the remaining original characters excluded for budgetary reasons. Dirk Benedict was unavailable (aside from his guest appearance in the last episode), and Richard Hatch turned it down, unclear on what Apollo's role would be in the revised format. As a result, Apollo and Starbuck were re-written as Troy and Dillon, with Kent McCord and Barry Van Dyke cast in the roles, respectively, largely due to their resemblances to Hatch and Benedict. The reformatting also resulted in he creation of Commander Xavier to replace Baltar as a regular villain.

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Goofs

At the beginning of the series, the Galactica arrives at Earth in the year 1980. It is said by Adama that their voyage has taken 30 years which means that the events of Battlestar Galactica took place around 1950 in Earth time. However, at the very end of the original series (in the episode "The Hand of God"), the Galactica receives a television transmission that shows the 1969 Apollo moon landing. Since the fleet's journey to Earth had only started a few months prior, it means that the events of Battlestar Galactica must have taken place at least in the late 1960s Earth time. In fact it would be at least in the 1970s since television signals travel at the speed of light and the Galactica was obviously far more than a light year away from Earth at the time they received the transmission.

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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.

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Crazy Credits

Several episodes end with the disclaimer: "The United States Air Force stopped investigating UFOs in 1969. After 22 years, they found no evidence of extra-terrestrial visits and no threat to national security." This is due to the series featuring an Air Force division dedicated to looking for UFOs.

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Connections

Edited into Conquest of the Earth (1981)

User Reviews

Fun show!

I have no problem at all admitting I like "Galactica 1980". I deliberately avoided buying any bootlegs of the show because I figured the new (and bad) Galactica show would eventually see this released.

Sure it's flawed, but it was a fun show. It actually started off with a really good three-parter, when Troy and Dillon first come to Earth to check things out for the Galactica. I liked that Apollo did appear in a photograph and that one of the main adult characters was a grown-up Boxey. And seeing Boomer again was also great.

I remember as a kid being disappointed that the Cylon attack on Los Angeles was "fake" (a "computer simulation" to see what would happen if the Cylons found Earth) because it was done so clever and well, using the "Earthquake" movie footage. The subplot with Robert Reed as the doctor who makes friends with Troy and Dillon starts off good but Reed's character is simply forgotten about after a few episodes unfortunately. Instead, an Earth woman befriends the Galactica guys and the focal point eventually becomes a bunch of bratty kids, which is where the show starts to get a bit annoying.

The plots are cool, but frankly there just were not enough Cylons in the series. Finally towards the end of the series they start to appear, but in a goofy Halloween setting.

The last episode is generally regarded as the best because it shows the return of Starbuck, who actually makes friends with a Cylon after being stranded from the fleet in flashback. It was very cool seeing Boomer behind the controls of a Viper again. Even this episode has a few problems, such as the Cylon's voice, and where DID he find that girl? The ending is downright sad. Also, there was no Troy and Dillon for this final episode (the actors must have loved that).

So yeah, it has tons of stock footage, goofy kids and thin plots. But it is a fun show, and definitely a fun watch. I for one and very glad it is on DVD, although no extras is a disappointment.