Battlestar Galactica 

When an old enemy, the Cylons, resurface and obliterate the 12 colonies, the crew of the aged Galactica protect a small civilian fleet - the last of humanity - as they journey toward the fabled 13th colony, Earth.

Creators:

Glen A. Larson, Ronald D. Moore

Stars:

Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Jamie Bamber

Top Rated TV #82 | Won 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 37 wins & 89 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Edward James Olmos	...	Admiral William Adama / ... 73 episodes, 2004-2009
Mary McDonnell	...	President Laura Roslin 73 episodes, 2004-2009
Jamie Bamber	...	Cpt. Lee 'Apollo' Adama / ... 73 episodes, 2004-2009
James Callis	...	Dr. Gaius Baltar / ... 73 episodes, 2004-2009
Tricia Helfer	...	Number Six / ... 73 episodes, 2004-2009
Grace Park	...	Lt. Sharon 'Boomer' Valerii / ... 73 episodes, 2004-2009
Katee Sackhoff	...	Captain Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace / ... 71 episodes, 2004-2009
Michael Hogan	...	Colonel Saul Tigh 69 episodes, 2004-2009
Aaron Douglas	...	Chief Galen Tyrol 66 episodes, 2004-2009
Tahmoh Penikett	...	Captain Karl 'Helo' Agathon / ... 64 episodes, 2004-2009
Alessandro Juliani	...	Lt. Felix Gaeta 59 episodes, 2004-2009
Kandyse McClure	...	Officer Anastasia Dualla / ... 54 episodes, 2004-2009
Bodie Olmos	...	Lt. Brendan 'Hot Dog' Constanza / ... 37 episodes, 2004-2009
Donnelly Rhodes	...	Dr. Cottle / ... 36 episodes, 2004-2009
Nicki Clyne	...	Crewman Specialist Cally Henderson / ... 38 episodes, 2004-2009
Michael Trucco	...	Samuel Anders / ... 35 episodes, 2005-2009
Leah Cairns	...	Racetrack / ... 34 episodes, 2005-2009
Rekha Sharma	...	Tory Foster 31 episodes, 2006-2009

Storyline

The second war against the Cylons is over, and The Twelve Colonies have been destroyed. Now Commander Adama of the Battlestar Galatica and President Laura Roslin lead a ragtag fleet of refugees in a supposed search for the fabled lost thirteenth colony, Earth. However, the dangers they face are many, which compound an already difficult situation. In addition to the Cylons hunting and attacking the fleet in space and their infiltrator units carrying out sabotage--even as their former unwitting pawn, Gaius Baltar, helps in the hunt for them while hiding both his own guilt and the strange presence that haunts his every thought--the fleet also faces internal political conflict in which the rabble-rousing figure Tom Zarek is merely the loudest dissenting voice, not to mention recurring shortages of food, water, and even oxygen. In the midst of these trials, however, clues begin to appear to suggest that Adama's bluff about finding Earth might hold more truth than anyone could have guessed.

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Plot Keywords:

human in outer space | nuclear weapon | totalitarianism | prophecy | extinction | 

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Taglines:

Destiny is not what it seems.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Sci-Fi Channel

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 January 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

BSG

Filming Locations:

Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB), David Eick Productions, NBC Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

44 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When the writers' strike happened, eleven episodes of season four had been filmed. Not knowing how long the strike would last or whether the show was going to return after it, the network and Ronald D. Moore decided not to wait and aired the first ten episodes, taking advantage of the cliffhanger that ended episode ten because it worked as a series finale. When the strike ended, the remaining nine episodes were green-lighted and the show could finish on Moore's terms.

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Goofs

Despite the fleet population being 50,000 people, the number on President Roslin's "White Board" is updated to only reflect changes in military/ govt personnel, but not births & deaths of the civilian population at large. Actually, this is not true and Roslin is seen adding the birth of a new born baby in an early episode. Additionally, the 10,000 people lost on New Caprica were mostly civilians.

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Quotes

Col. Saul Tigh: I can't believe you sided with that woman against the Old Man, I wouldn't do that if you put a gun to my head, and you did! As far as I'm concerned you're not fit to wear the uniform.
Captain Lee 'Apollo' Adama: Yeah, you're right about that part, I am not fit to wear the uniform.
[pause]
Captain Lee 'Apollo' Adama: And maybe I never was. Then again neither are you.
[turns to Tigh]
Captain Lee 'Apollo' Adama: But this isn't my ship, it sure as hell isn't yours. It's his, and when he wakes up, he'll decide what to do with the both of us.
[leaves sickbay to return to his cell]

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Crazy Credits

The second half of the opening credits for the first season is a montage of quick teaser clips from the current week's episode. Ron D. Moore said he took the idea from "Space: 1999". This was removed at the beginning of the second season, but later reinstated.

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Alternate Versions

For the first season, the British and American versions had different opening credit themes, and in certain American-version episodes, the episode title was shown after the previous episode's recap while in the British version it was not.

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Connections

Featured in James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction: Intelligent Machines (2018)

User Reviews

Sci-fi for Grown-Ups

Before I proceed, I'll just add a quick comment for those slating the series without seeing it: please, stop it. Instead, wait and see what the new show is about and give it a chance. Unless of course, you want to miss one of the best dramas currently airing...

BSG is a very human story. Yet unlike Star Trek, they're not resolved by the end of the episode. Here the characters are real people who make mistakes, grow and learn from their errors. Or maybe they don't...

The point is that in the new BSG, the impact of the loss of the Colonies is something everybody must deal with, be it on a resource-management level to dealing with the loss of their families. The impact of the Cylon attack - never explored in the original series - is a major emphasis in the show and the viewer genuinely does get the feeling of the "rag tag fleet."

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the original series as much as anybody, but it was a product of its time and audience-slot. The new BSG is a much more adult production, both in terms of the writing and performances and the intended audience.

Additionally, the show is very non-sci-fi, but in a good way. Whenever any "science" turns up, it's integrated in such a way as to have minimal impact on the plot and, unlike Star Trek, it isn't used as a Deus Ex Machina to simply resolve the "crisis of the week." In fact, I'd go as far as to say the show is closer to 24 or The West Wing than it is Star Trek or Babylon 5, with the focus being much more on the people and their individual actions, rather than a wide-scale "space opera."

Performances are all strong, with James Callis being the real star. His tortured performance as the guilt-stricken Baltar are a joy to watch as he flips from near-hysterical lunatic to scheming toad to smooth womaniser. Olmos has the presence to give Adama the air of authority required. Sackhoff's performance as Starbuck is "subtly obvious" - she plays the brash, cocky pilot a little too well, something that's explained in later episodes. And Bamber's Apollo is a mix of heroic action and self-doubt which balances well. Mention must also go to McDonnell's President Roslin who, over the course of the series, has grown in stature and presence in a very subtle manner.

Quite simply, Battlestar Galactica is one of the most consistently strong shows I've ever seen. Considering this is only the first of (hopefully) many seasons, it's amazing to see how the show has "hit the ground running," with each episode being an improvement on the last. And considering the high standard of the first one, that's quite the achievement.

Watch it. You won't be disappointed.