CLASSIC IMAGE: COUNCIL DRAMA

Captain Apollo discusses his plans to traverse the Nova of Madagon with the newly formed Council of Twelve, and a concerned Commander Adama, in a tense scene from Saga of a Star World.

CLASSIC IMAGE: TIGH'S CONCERNS...

A concerned Colonel Tigh (Terry Carter), ever loyal to his friend and commander, Adama, poses for a series publicity image for BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.

Check out Terry Carter's official site, which has some very good GALACTICA material on it: Terry Carter - official site

CLASSIC IMAGE: DEVIL'S DUE...

Amidst the wreckage of Count Iblis spacecraft, Apollo tries to hide the manipulated Sheba from the truth about the remains of the alien leader's late followers, in a classic scene from WAR OF THE GODS Part Two. A close-up shot of an aliens remains were deemed too horrific for broadcast and were prior cut from the episode.

CLASSIC ART: GERMAN 'GALACTICA'

An interesting fusion of stills photography, effects shots and Ralph McQuarrie conceptual art for the sixth and final volume of the 2000's German DVD release for the classic series.

CLASSIC IMAGE: VIPER GAMBIT

Braving the intense heat and light within his shielded viper, Captain Apollo leads Starbuck and Boomer through the nova star field of Carillon, in a tense scene from Saga of a Star World.

'THE BATTLE OF GALACTICA'!

Back in Spring 1980, and on our first family visit to Los Angeles, me (then an enthusiastic ten year old who couldn't wait to get to America!), mum, brother and sister-in-law visited UNIVERSAL STUDIOS and were caught in the Battle of Galactica experience-the now legendary Cylon/Colonial shoot 'em up that was part of the backlot tram ride. We greatly enjoyed it and I wished it had stayed at the theme park for a few years longer.

Here's some original footage of the time from goldcylon on Youtube: Battle of Galactica Universal Studio theme park tram ride - YouTube

CLASSIC IMAGE: SERINA'S DESTINY...

The very alluring British actress Jane Seymour, as she appeared in the original pilot episode as newscaster and mother, Serina. Spared an off-screen death in Saga from radiation poisoning, the character would return for the two-parter Lost Planet of the Gods and become a Viper pilot and colonial warrior, marry Apollo and then be killed off!

CLASSIC IMAGE: BROTHERS-IN-ARMS

Richard Hatch and Rick Springfield pose for a promotional image as brothers Apollo and Zac within the Colonial Warrior quarters, linked to a deleted scene from Saga of a Star World.

CLASSIC IMAGE: IN-HUMAN HUMAN!

Having betrayed the entire Human race and its Twelve Colony worlds to slaughter, the cruel and duplicitous, power-mad Count Baltar (John Colicos) surveys the destruction on Caprica, flanked by Cylon bodyguards...

BEHIND THE SCENES: YOUR PLACE OR MINE?

Dirk Benedict has some fun with one of the alien gods in an outtake from WAR OF THE GODS Part Two, from a fine collection of classic GALACTICA 1978/79 bloopers (which includes deleted scene material from The Man With Nine Lives) put up on Youtube by StingoftheScorpion78.

Link: Battlestar Galactica (1978): bloopers/outtakes - YouTube

CLASSIC ART: ANOTHER FINE MESS...

You couldn't get a more dangerous combination within a military Battlestar-an inquisitive child and his equally inquisitive pet robot daggit, when Apollo's adopted son, Boxey, and Muffet get caught in another perilous situation, this time in the 1979 BATTLESTAR GALACTICA MARVEL COMIC issue 14 of the short but memorable run, with great cover art from the iconic Walter Simonson.

Check out the restoration of the original Muffet costume from 2011: Muffy the Daggit restored - YouTube

CLASSIC IMAGE: CASINO ESCAPE!

Their presence now revealed, the Cylons rampage through the fake Carillon casino, determined to destroy Humanity once and for all. But they haven't reckoned on the skills of Captain Apollo, Lt. Starbuck and the other Colonial warriors as they successfully hold the metal monsters at bay until their surviving peoples can flee the planet...

CLASSIC IMAGE: SPACE INVADERS!

Here's a great image/statistics file on the Colonial Vipers and Cylon Raiders, as seen in the first UK BATTLESTAR GALACTICA annual from Grand Dreams circa 1979. With its mixture of behind the scenes info on the original film release, nice B/W and colour stills, details on the main cast and crew, text stories and an intriguing multi-part comic strip where the Cylons allied themselves with some nasty shape-changing creatures to try and infiltrate/destroy the Galactica, this was a top-notch annual which I read constantly in the Summer holidays.

Check out this fun fan creation from David Kerin that successfully mixes old style effects footage and new CGI work in a fun and interesting way-an attempt to get UNIVERSAL's interest in a revised update of the original classic in the same way that CBS PARAMOUNT have won kudos for their updated Sixties TREK releases. Link: Battlestar Galactica (Enhanced) Trailer - YouTube

CLASSIC IMAGE: FATHER AND SON?

Here's another fun bit of nostalgia-one of those great US TV GUIDE clippings promoting the series, in particular THE MAN WITH NINE LIVES, guest-starring the late, great Fred Astaire in a fine performance as the con-man Chameleon, who may, or may not, be Starbuck's father. A fun episode, with a terrific pairing of Astaire and Dirk Benedict, and a great introduction to the Borellian Nomen.

CLASSIC IMAGE: HOSTILE BORAY!

One of the aggressive pig-like Boray hunters takes time out from terrorising a small human community for a publicity image from the comedic western homage episode, The Magnificent Warriors.

CLASSIC ART: LOOK OUT FOR LOOK-IN!

Anyone in the UK who loves classic GALACTICA and originally watched it on the ITV channel in 1979/1980 will know all about the excellent LOOK-IN children's magazine picture strips that accompanied it. With sterling art by now film storyboard artist Martin Asbury, they were great fun and full of action and adventure that mostly captured the spirit of the series.

From October 1979, this special cover was the issue that launched the strip and had an accompanying introductory feature.

For more on LOOK-IN and the GALACTICA strips, head over to this excellent fan site/tribute:
Hi and welcome to John's Look-out! (Look-in - TV Times)

Interview with artist Martin Asbury: Look-in - A Tribute to the Junior TVTimes and a selection of his BG art for sale: The Book Palace Martin Asbury Art

CLASSIC ART: DEATH OF THE PEACE PROCESS!

A victim of the Cylon fleet sneak attack, the mighty Battlestar Atlantia is destroyed in this excellent effects storyboard (by Joe Johnston?) from 1978 for Saga of a Star World.

For more intriguing boards from the pilot and other episodes, check out ANTHONY'S COMIC BOOK ART sales: Anthony's Comic Book Art :: Original Comic Art :: Galactica Battlestar

Thanks to the Colonial Files website for the heads-up...

CLASSIC IMAGE: ANGRY AFTERMATH

Having just crash-landed in the Galactica's Alpha landing bay, an angry Starbuck, unaware of the destruction of the Twelve Colonies, takes umbrage on Athena, watched by one of the Colonial ground crew (Bruce Wright).

CLASSIC IMAGE: AN ALIEN 'THREE DEGREES'!

"Everyone in the universe is out to exterminate us, and you want to hire a vocal group!"

Boomer was, of course, referring to the three unique alien singers of the Carillon Casino, whose double faced, double mouthed multiple singing abilities and glass-shattering acoustic frequency talents soon catch the eye of an opportunistic, smelling the cubits Starbuck.

COMING SOON: BY YOUR COMMAND

Here's the great cover to a brand new book dedicated to Classic GALACTICA: By Your Command. Let's hope that the inside text can live up to the classy front, and that the publication isn't one of those very fan-ish over-analysed, everything about the show was rubbish apart from a couple of things type book, of the kind you see a lot of cult/hit TV series get trashed through (especially on this series, which has had way too much flak given to it over the years). In fact, it would be nice if this BG book could be written by people who actually are fans of the show and not just by individuals who want to make an ambitious mark and show they can be as bitchy as the rest of today's pop culture critics!

Fingers crossed!

You can get the book here: By Your Command: the Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Battlestar Galactica: Original Series and Galactica 1980 Volume 1: Amazon.co.uk: Alan Stevens, Fiona Moore: Books

CLASSIC IMAGE: LETHAL LOVELIES!

Looking absolutely delicious in combat leathers, two of the sexiest ladies of seventies sci-fi: the lovely Anne Lockhart as warrior Sheba, and Laurette Spang as medtech Cassiopeia, take a break from the action on the Cylon world of Gamoray for a publicity still from the GALACTICA two-parter: The Living Legend.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: GERMAN STYLE!

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA was a deserved worldwide success, none more so than Germany, where the series was known as KAMPFSTERN GALACTICA and enjoyed many of the same kind of merchandise releases seen in the US and the UK in the late seventies. Here's the cool box art for the TOPPS Bubble Gum card releases.

Image via the Filmalbum website.

CLASSIC IMAGE: REPTILE SCHEMER!

High atop his throne perch, the evil machinations of the multi-brained Imperious Leader (played by actor/stuntman Dick Durock, voiced by Patrick Macnee) against his human enemies continue. Intriguingly, many of the close-ups of the creature filmed for the pilot episode were apparently deemed too scary looking for viewers-hence the often long shots seen. Other behind the scenes legends reveal that Glen A. Larson was unhappy with its final look and asked for their to be no close-ups of the creature in the series. The Imperious Leader is certainly a reptilian cyborg hybrid of long-standing rule, and even has a pet lizard on his arm if you look close enough in early shots.

GALACTICA: A BOOK EXPEDITION...

With only the first three or so books in the novel series officially released in the UK's book stores during BG's original film and TV run into the early eighties, it took quite a while for me to get hold of the entire series of 14 US novelisations-TV adaptations of episodes and original stories, but I finally got 'em over time. This book: Experiment in Terra, by Glen A. Larson and Ron Goulart, and featuring some great imagery of Starbuck and Apollo, was one of those later books I acquired.

Image from the mycomicshop website.

CLASSIC IMAGE: COLONIAL FAMILY

Two of the reasons why the original Battlestar Galactica continues to endure after so long: the warmth and strong pairing of actors Lorne Greene and Richard Hatch as father and son Adama and Apollo. On-screen they had a believable humanity about them and a charming family relationship of trust and confidence, off-screen they were also great friends.

Check out this nice recent interview with Richard Hatch about the series and his life and career. Interview with Richard Hatch « Scott Holleran's Blog and this great video interview (which features good quality footage of Hatch's bold BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE SECOND COMING): Richard Hatch - Extended Interview on Vimeo

CLASSIC ART: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA COLOUR COMICS

Here's one of the fun US paperback covers of MARVEL'S COLOUR COMICS adaptation of Saga of a Star World from 1979. I was always very fond of that original BG comic book series, and was very sorry that it ended its run after only a couple of years. MARVEL was always quite cut-throat about the way they killed titles off-most of the time it just suddenly happened with very little warning!

Image: mycomicshop.com

CLASSIC IMAGE: JAPANESE 'GALACTICA'

The Japanese did such fantastic move posters in the seventies and eighties, and here's one of the greats for the second GALACTICA movie release: Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack, incorporating Ralph McQuarrie's artwork and a still of Starbuck (obviously the most popular character in the territory) from the first film.

Image from eMoviePosters.com

And check out more of Ralph's great work on the original GALACTICA here: Ralph McQuarrie Concept Paintings | Battlestar Galactica

BEHIND THE SCENES: BUILDING GALACTICA

Effects legends Douglas Trumbull, GALACTICA producer John Dykstra and Jon Erland watch Ken Swenson and David Beasley continue their model-kit building work on the Galactica.

CLASSIC IMAGE: SNEAK ATTACK

The Cylons begin their Pearl Harbour-style attack on the Colonial Fleet, from the beginning of Saga of a Star World.

CLASSIC IMAGE: THE END OF HUMANITY?

A Caprican news reporter watches the city ablaze in this image from the Cylon attack on the Colony worlds of Mankind from the opening episode...

CLASSIC IMAGE: INSIDE THE FLEET

Blue Squadron veteran LT. Boomer (Herb Jefferson Jr.) discovers life isn't great inside the cramped ships comprising the 220 rag-tag fleet of humanity, in this great image from the show's pilot.

CLASSIC IMAGE: EMERGING RAIDER!

An ultra-cool Cylon Raider ship emerges from the surface of an alien world in this lovely composite image. I'm not sure if it's from 1978 or modern fan art, but it's great!

CLASSIC ART: 'TV GUIDE' DEBUT

Here's the classic art for the series launcher that appeared on the cover of the US TV GUIDE magazine, from artist David Edward Byrd. Check out this site for more info on the composition: David Edward Byrd - Battlestar Galactica

CLASSIC IMAGE: ATHENA MAKES A STAND

An interesting image of the lovely Athena (Maren Jensen) in a scene, and on a set, from the series/film I don't remember. Anyone out there able to help with any info?

BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE CLASSIC SERIES

Frank Frazetta's stunning art for the original series.

Head over to the KOOL TV site for their first comprehensive behind the scenes feature on the original series, starting off with the three-hour feature length 1978 pilot: Saga of a Star World: SAGA OF A STAR WORLD. THE LAUNCH OF THE ORIGINAL "BATTLESTAR GALACTICA"

CLASSIC IMAGE: SIRE URI'S PLEDGE

Within the Carillon casino, the corrupt Sire Uri (Ray Miland) confers with rival Apollo (Richard Hatch) and Serina (Jane Seymour) about deliverance from the Cylons, in this classic image from the series pilot: Saga of a Star World.

CLASSIC IMAGE: SLICK VIPER

A great side shot of one of the superb Colonial Viper models filmed for the show by the early ILM effects team headed by John Dykstra, and later by the UNIVERSAL HEARTLAND facility as the series went to full weekly series mode.

CLASSIC IMAGE: SENTRY DUTY

A dreaded Cylon Centurion stands ready for battle within the castle garrison on the planet Attila, home of The Young Warriors, from the classic episode of the same name. A great night-time filmed image from a fun Starbuck-showcasing story, on a castle set located on the Universal Studios backlot, later used for an explosive action sequence in the hit series Airwolf.

REACHING OUT TO A (BATTLE) STAR

Our trio of galactic heroes: Apollo (Richard Hatch), Adama (Lorne Greene) and Starbuck (Dirk Benedict). Image: UNIVERSAL.

Welcome to this new blog site devoted to the original and enduring science fiction adventure series that is the original BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. The most expensive weekly TV series ever made for its time- of which its stunning pilot episode was also released in 1978/79 as a theatrical event in the UK, Europe and Canada- GALACTICA may ultimately have only lasted one season, but its well-cast actors, great special effects and timelessly enjoyable story-telling remain as compulsively addictive to fans old and new across the world. 


Our first feature linked to the original, classic GALACTICA series comes from 2008, and a piece from the STAR WARS AFICIONADO web/blog sites, written by your truly, celebrating the TV series then thirtieth anniversary, born in the wake of STAR WARS stratospheric launch and success in the cinemas:


The birthday anniversary celebrations continue- this is one, though STAR WARS related, that is not actually about the saga itself. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, often considered as almost the seventies bastard child of the original STAR WARS movie, has, as of 17^th September 2008, now reached that mighty milestone many people thought it never would. Originally conceived in the mid-sixties (according to it’s creator, Glen A. Larson), and first known as ADAM'S ARK,  then, in the seventies, as the bold STAR WORLDS (you couldn't get a more catchy I wonder what that sounds like title, eh?), before post-WARS finally settling as BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (and getting a mighty story polish with the visual impact of the theatrical release and success of Lucas’s film at the same time!!), the series, a space age re-telling of the sneak attack on Pearl Harbour, going beyond it to focus on the last remnants of humanity's search for the sanctuary of the far off planet Earth, away from the rampaging hordes of the evil robotic/lizard Cylon Empire chasing them, was, on its original 1978 transmission and European theatrical release (it was released by UNIVERSAL in SENSURROUND sound in selected cinemas -remember that!!?), quickly to become one of the most costly pilots and regular episodic series of all-time to make-and also one of the main reasons why it was eventually cancelled way too early in it's one and only season run.

It may not have had the commercial success and wide ranging appeal of STAR WARS, but the legacy of the show, quickly commissioned by UNIVERSAL after their disastrous move in turning down Lucas’s “sci-fi project” in 1974/75 (and seeing how much money they now had to gain in that medium), has endured in many ways due to the huge amount of talented people from the first STAR WARS movie who went on to work for it- Ralph McQuarrie on the conceptual art (check out the artists excellent book for some of his stunning work on the project), John Dykstra as producer, and Dennis Muren and Richard Edlund on model camera work, all of whom contributed on the critical first seven hours of the show (when it was originally planned as a mini-series).

 BG also created/ induced a frenzy of paranoia in George Lucas that has remained to this day-the idea of having to protect his saga from the army of film studio rip-off artists that would need only one blurbed out secret from his production camp to ruin an entire film and audience's surprises for his future WARS sequels-and possibly damaging future box office sales as well. Ideas of security that would create conditions that, at the time, and even since (with the arrival of RETURN OF THE JEDI, where the situation was soon at its zenith), were unheard of, and continue at his organisation to this very day on all of his other projects. By the time of GALACTICA’s transmission, the new show, and Larson, were deemed a heavy threat to FOX/LUCASFILM. And yet, the year before, both Lucas and Producer Gary Kurtz had been aware of the show and the fact that their artists/visual effects people, many of which were not under any firm contracts, were out of work with no idea at that time as to when the next WARS sequel would be happening after the first films completion, and with ILM as a company not totally cemented, had no financial choice but to work on work on Project: GALACTICA. By the time of the series first three hour pilot, SAGA OF A STAR WORLD, Kurtz even saw/ made some recommendations to its creator Larson about things that should be changed in the series so that they didn't clash with the unique visual aspects of STAR WARS. Hell, Lucas originally gave his blessing to it and indeed let his out of work people work on it (including Dykstra, though their relationship had probably deteriorated to the point where Lucas was probably never going to re-hire him for a possible STAR WARS sequel anyway) and said in an interview quote in 1977, after the first WARS release and continuing success at the Box Office, its creator was going to take a step back and enjoy watching all of the sci-fi films that would be spawned in his films wake. That mindset ultimately changed when GALACTICA came out, though, cutting a little too close to the bone inn his mind with it's Cylon warriors that looked like Darth Vader, heroes Apollo and Starbuck that both had elements of Han and Luke in their characters, and ships that darted about with the visual and fast paced effects similarities to X-wing fighters.




And then there was that infamous copyright infringement court case between Lucas and FOX against UNIVERSAL, which, after three years, Lucas and FOX were destined to lose (after UNIVERSAL unleashed their trump weapon: the Huey, Lewey and Dewey robots from their earlier sci-fi flick SILENT RUNNING, which Lucas in the seventies would actually, to some degree, use as an inspiration in part for the development of Artoo Detoo (as revealed in THE MAKING OF STAR WARS book from J.W. Rinzler), and that all parties, at the end of the day, probably thought they'd wished they'd never bothered to go to court and waste so much money on in the first place. Ultimately, the only ones who enjoyed the court case were the world's press vultures, always hungering and leaping on their prey and any other dead carcasses in their wake, when it comes to a good old fashioned creative battle they can report on ad nausea.

 


Like STAR WARS, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA has also spawned off into many other new avenues over the years-there has been a healthy amount of merchandise, a spin off show-GALACTICA 1980-which could almost be considered it’s own version of THE HOLIDAY SPECIAL (only BG’s fan base had to endure a more painful thirteen episodes of that instead of WARS one and only slice of bad-ness)- and, to many fans joy, spawned a new re-take on the original series, with a further spin-off to come-CAPRICA, produced by wunderkid Ronald D. Moore of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION fame, which, in many ways, has been more successful with a modern audience of viewers, and critically, than the original parent that spawned it.

Yes, the modern version of BG has great effects and terrific acting, but the storylines at time are so serious and depressing, and the characters so grumpy and unhappy that it makes you want to slash your wrists watching it at times. I'll stick with the happy go lucky, brave and adventurous storytelling of the original-the re-hashes of THE GUNS OF NAVARONE, THE TOWERING INFERNO and SHANE-yep, I love 'em- and the brave heroics of the boys and girls of Blue Squadron. Yes, they all wore flares and long hair styles that would make a 1977 Mark Hamill envious… Yes, the Cylons weren't dangerous enough (the result of Network viewing standards interference), and the great model effects were re-used time and time again…but the original series still retains a tremendous, exciting charm and it feels very STAR WARS'y in the best way thanks to the input of the aforementioned production personnel that worked on it. There was also the riding the crest of the STAR WARS wave which was, to me, as an eight year old sci-fi adventure nut, very appealing- I loved collecting the BG bubble gum cards, the figures and the toys, and, whist waiting for the next stage in STAR WARS theatrical future, it proved a very welcoming and still enjoyably diverting part in my life- and an interest in that first season that has continued on to this very day..

So, whatever your poison is, let's raise a glass in toast to the thirtieth anniversary of BATLESTAR GALACTICA and all the STAR WARS people who worked on it.

 To Cylons, Starbuck, the Pegasus and it’s Commander Cain, “Felgercarb”-possibly the daftest swear word in sci-fi history!, fighter pilots wearing scarab like helmets, and the Imperious Leader, amongst so many other notable characters and moments- A GREAT BIG CHEERS, AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!


Here's a nice fan tribute to some of the series greatest moments: Battlestar Galactica 30th Anniversary: Favourite Scenes - YouTube

Classic Trailer German fan compilation: Battlestar Galactica Classic Trailer - YouTube