Battlestar Galactica 1978 (2024)

Battlestar Galactica is a science-fiction TV series created by Glen A. Larson, and produced by Universal for ABC. It aired on ABC between 17 September 1978 and 29 April 1979 when it was cancelled.^[1][2]

Production[]

Writing[]

With the emerging success of 1977's Star Wars, the science-fiction industry hastily began production of comparable series to piggy-back on the popularity with varying success. Alongside Star Wars, Glen A. Larson drew inspiration from Erich von Däniken's 1968 opus, "Chariots of the Gods? Unsolved Mysteries of the Past", one of the major entries in the "Ancient Astronaut" literary genre. Larson's initial premise became that of a far distance human civilisation freshly defeated from a genocidal war by the Cylon Empire, a totalitarian mechanical race bent on universal domination. A fleet of refugee ships escape with the last human warship, Galactica, and go out in search of Earth, a mythical planet settled on by an offshoot of their early colonial ancestors.

While incorporating effects-heavy science fiction elements comparable to Star Wars, even using Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic, the storylines quickly drifted away from Star Wars and became their own series over time. The first half of the series consisted of Planet of the Week stories, with Lost Planet of the Gods, The Lost Warrior, The Long Patrol, Gun on Ice Planet Zero, The Magnificent Warriors and The Young Lords each involving the Galactica or its crew stumbling upon a lost human civilization that may or may not be found by the Cylons. Following the Living Legend two-parter, many of the later stories would take place primarily within the fleet itself, better exploring the nature of colonial society with episodes such as "The Man with Nine Lives" and "Murder on the Rising Star", though also saw the emergence of a new alien race of angelic beings in "War of the Gods" which would grant Galactica information on how to find Earth. Starting with "Greetings from Earth" and ending with "Experiment in Terra", the series followed the possibility of Earth being found, revealed - by help of the angels - to be an off-shoot of the Thirteenth Tribe called Terra.

Episodes[]

1. "Saga of a Star World"
2. "Lost Planet of the Gods"
3. "Lost Planet of the Gods Part 2"
4. "The Lost Warrior"
5. "The Long Patrol"
6. "Gun on Ice Planet Zero"
7. "Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part Ⅱ"
8. "The Magnificent Warriors"
9. "The Young Lords"
10. "The Living Legend"
11. "The Living Legend, Part Ⅱ"
12. "Fire in Space"
13. "War of the Gods"
14. "War of the Gods, Part Ⅱ"
15. "The Man with Nine Lives"
16. "Murder on the Rising Star"
17. "Greetings from Earth"
18. "Baltar's Escape"
19. "Experiment in Terra"
20. "Take the Celestra"
21. "The Hand of God"

Errors and Explanations[]

Internet Movie Database[]

Continuity[]

1. The members of the council were elected in the first episode. Yet every time we see the council, there are different members. New members were probably elected off screen to replace those who leave.
2. The Rising Star brought Uri from his home, which had to be on one of the other eleven planets (the novelization says that he was Leon.) This makes sense, as we can see when Apollo leaves Jolly below decks, we see the writing L.S.S. Rising Star on the bulkhead. Yet, in "The Long Patrol," Athena's computer lists it as T.S.S. Rising Star, making it Tauron. The Rising Star could have been transfered from Leon to Tauron control, to avoid association with Sire Uri after the incident on Carrilon.
3. The Gemini Freighter was filled with Gemons who followed Gemon religions and spoke Gemonese. It left Gemini during the exodus. Yet, in "Murder on the Rising Star," Cella says that both were on Caprica during the attack. Cella and the Gemini Freighter could have been on Caprica during the attack, and travelled to Gemini to collect Gemon survivors during the start of the exodus.
4. In "The Magnificent Warriors," Tigh states that two of the three agro ships are destroyed. Later, in "War of the Gods," Tigh states that Iblis is with Sheba visiting Agro Ship Nine. Other ships in the fleet could have been converted for Agro Ship duty.
5. The fuel issue is addressed in "Living Legend Part One" as they plot the attack on the tankers, yet never again. The raid on Gomorray must have provided enough fuel to keep the fleet going for a long time.

Revealing Mistakes[]

1. In various scenes where "radar" displays are seen, the same "readout" is reused numerous times. Most of the scences requiring radar displays involve similar situations, usually a Cylon attack force approaching the fleet.

References[]

External links[]

• SciFi Stream Episode Guide
• The Battlestar Galactica Spot: News, Video, Links & More

  Battlestar Galactica
  Original continuity	"Saga of a Star World" (pilot) · Battlestar Galactica · Galactica 1980
  Reimagined continuity	Battlestar Galactica · Season 1 (2004) · Season 2 (2004) · The Resistance · Season 3 · Razor · The Face of the Enemy · Season 4 · The Plan · Caprica · · New Battlestar Galactica
  Dynamite Entertainment	Battlestar Galactica · Battlestar Galactica: Zarek · Battlestar Galactica: Season Zero · Battlestar Galactica: Pegasus · Battlestar Galactica: Origins · Battlestar Galactica: Ghosts · Battlestar Galactica: Cylon War · Battlestar Galactica: The Final Five · Battlestar Galactica: Six · Classic Battlestar Galactica · Classic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 3 · Battlestar Galactica: Cylon Apocalypse · Galactica 1980 · Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck · Battlestar Galactica Annual 2014 · Steampunk Battlestar Galactica 1880 · Battlestar Galactica: Death of Apollo · Galactica 1981 · Battlestar Galactica: Twilight Command · Classic Battlestar Galactica Vol. 4
  Maximum Press	Battlestar Galactica: War of Eden · Battlestar Galactica: The Enemy Within · Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck · Battlestar Galactica: Apollo's Journey · Battlestar Galactica: Journey's End
  Other series	Marvel · Look-In · Télé-Junior · Grandreams (Battlestar Galactica · The Cylon Attack)