Conquest of the Earth (1980)

The Battlestar Galactica and its ragtag fleet of ships finally locate the Earth, only to discover that the planet is not prepared for the inevitable Cylon invasion.

Directors:

Barry Crane, Sidney Hayers

Writers:

Glen A. Larson (creator), Glen A. Larson

Stars:

Kent McCord, Barry Van Dyke, Robyn Douglass

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kent McCord	...	Capt. Troy (archive footage)
Barry Van Dyke	...	Lieutenant Dillon (archive footage)
Robyn Douglass	...	Jamie Hamilton (archive footage)
Lorne Greene	...	Commander Adama (archive footage)
James Patrick Stuart	...	Dr. Zee (archive footage) (as Patrick Stuart)
Richard Lynch	...	Commander Xavier (archive footage)
Robbie Rist	...	Dr. Zee (archive footage)
John Colicos	...	Count Baltar (archive footage)
Robert Reed	...	Dr. Donald Mortinson (archive footage)
William Daniels	...	Norman (archive footage)
Lara Parker	...	Shirley (archive footage)
Pamela Susan Shoop	...	Dorothy Carlyle (archive footage)
Sharon Acker	...	Anne (archive footage)
Fred Holliday	...	Mr. Brooks
Peter Mark Richman	...	Colonel Briggs (archive footage)

Storyline

The Battlestar Galactica and its ragtag fleet of ships finally locate the planet Earth, only to discover that the Cylons have followed them there. Captain Troy and Lieutenant Dillon are dispatched to speak with nuclear physicist Donald Mortinson and obtain his help by gathering scientists to defend Earth against the Cylon invasion. Arrested as anti-nuclear demonstrators, Troy and Dillon befriend feisty television reporter Jamie Hamilton who helps them understand Earth culture. Troy are Dillon are then dispatched to find a crashed Cylon Raider, only to find that the Cylons have stumbled into a Halloween party.

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Plot Keywords:

star wars imitation | space opera | aircraft carrier | edited from tv series | sequel | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Did You Know?

Trivia

In Galactica 1980 (1980) (the TV series from which this movie is pieced together) the character of Dr Zee was played by Robbie Rist in the pilot, but was subsequently replaced by James Patrick Stuart. However, footage of both actors turns up in this movie. To get around this continuity issue, some lines have been re-dubbed to split Dr Zee into two separate characters. Rist remains Dr Zee, whilst Stuart becomes "Dr Zen".

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Connections

Followed by Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming (1999)

User Reviews

All round, a bit of a shame.

Recently, I had the opportunity to watch this film again on video. I hadn't seen it since it popped up on TV many years ago, but I was always a fan of the Battlestar Galactica concept.

Sadly, this is not really worth watching. Essentially, it is cobbled together from a few episodes of the Battlestar Galactica II (or even III) TV series. It represents a complete departure though. Virtually all cast members from the original are gone, with the exception of Lorne Greene, reprising his role as Adama. The leads are played by Kent McCord (Adam-12) and Barry Van-Dyke (later from Diagnosis Murder). Watching these three actors, and the infrequent appearance of Robert Reed (from the Brady bunch, in one of his last roles)provides most of the interest in this film. The story is shot full of wholes, but only some of that is due to squashing of the episodes together. But really, compared to the unique and incredible concepts from which it was born, this installment is best forgotten (which appears to have been the attitude taken by Richard Hatch and the producers of the upcoming Battlestar Galactica 2000). Conquest of the Earth looked bad in 1980 - its a lot worse in 2000. Roll on the new movie.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Galactica III: Conquest of the Earth

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1