HAPPY CHRISTMAS FROM CLASSIC 'BATTLESTAR GALACTICA'

May the Lords of Kobol bless all fans of Classic GALACTICA during the Holiday Season.

See you in '14!

CLASSIC ART: A GERMAN SPACE ODYSSEY!

The German adaptation of the iconic, classic GALACTICA movie art from 1978. Capturing all the spirited visuals and action, it would be a winning composition worldwide!

CLASSIC IMAGE: "THEY'RE HUMAN!"

Believing she had a Cylon kill ready, Pegasus Silver Spar group leader Sheba is quickly surprised to discover Apollo and Starbuck's viper patrol, during the exciting start of The Living Legend.

BEHIND THE SCENES: TO FLY A BATTLESTAR!

At the Apogee studios in 1978, the impressive Battlestar Galactica model is readied for the cameras, in this intriguing behind the scenes image.

CLASSIC IMAGE: STARBUCK, MEET STARBUCK!

Meeting, where else, but at a Starbucks, Classic Galactica Starbuck, Dirk Benedict, meets his later female interpretation, Katee Sackhoff, in a pleasing promotional image for the re-imagined BATTLESTAR GALACTICA of 2003 - a modern sci-fi success story now celebrating its Tenth Anniversary. Happy Birthday!

Both charismatic actors would enjoy playing the iconic role - also the most popular with both series fans - and each would reap the rewards of their success with other film and TV projects soon after.

CLASSIC IMAGE: APOCALYPSE NOW!

The streets of the once wondrous and benevolent Caprica come under unceasing Cylon Fighter fire, in this destructive scene from Saga of a Star World part of a sequence filmed in both Malibu and exteriors located at Universal Studios' production offices.

CLASSIC IMAGE: ROUGH DUTIES...

Below decks on the passenger liner Rising Star, Starbuck and Boomer get concerned that they might be sent out looking for dangerous solium leaks, in a scene from Saga of a Star World.

DELETED SCENE: LAUNCHING THE TRAP!

Estimating that the full content of Galactica's Colonial Warriors are now down on the surface of Carillon, a Cylon Centurion reports to the Imperious Leader, ready to spring their trap on humanity, in a deleted scene from Saga of a Star World.

CLASSIC ART: OF GODS AND MONSTERS!

Another terrific composite photo/art cover for Volume Four of the limited edition CD releases of Stu Phillip's classic GALACTICA incidental music scores, courtesy of INTRADA, covering the middle to later part of the series.

CLASSIC IMAGE: ENJOYING THE NIGHT LIFE...

Having found love with Captain Apollo, Serina enjoys some quality time in the Carillon Casino, during the second half of Saga of a Star World.

CLASSIC IMAGE: TARGETS ACQUIRED!

Manning the Ravashol Pulsar Cannon, the Cylons make plans to attack the approaching Colonial Fleet, in this scene from Gun on Ice Planet Zero.

CLASSIC IMAGE: WHERE NEXT?

Against the massive space map of explored space, Captain Apollo discusses the next destination of the Rag-Tag Fleet, in a decisive moment from Saga of a Star World.

CLASSIC IMAGE: A HAPPY WARRIOR!

Dirk Benedict enjoys a smile for the stills photographer in this publicity image taken during the weekly series production of 1979.

CLASSIC ART: A FIGHTING FORCE...

The formidable Galactica and her Colonial Viper squadrons get ready for a major attack on the Cylons in this great cover to the fourth issue of the Classic Galactica comics mini-series: Cylon Apocalypse.

CLASSIC IMAGE: THEIR DESTRUCTION IS COMPLETE...

Atop a high point on Caprica, the traitor Baltar surveys the destruction of humanity, alongside two Cylon escorts, in a scene from Saga of a Star World.

CLASSIC IMAGE: WHEN 'PEOPLE' MET 'GALACTICA'

The launch of the most ambitious sci-fi weekly TV series of the time would certainly attract the attention of the most popular news magazines of the period, particularly PEOPLE, which ran a special cover and feature on GALACTICA's eagerly anticipated launch.

CLASSIC ART: A CLASH OF SPACE FORCES!

A lovely piece of retro celebration art for the Classic GALACTICA series, similar to the original MATTEL toy campaign materials, that appeared at this year's mega COMIC CON event in the US.

Image: via The Retroist Guide to 2013 Comic Con | The Retroist

CLASSIC IMAGE: BROTHERS AND WARRIORS

Singer/actor Rick Springfield and Richard Hatch pose for a nice publicity image as Zac and Apollo, two fine Colonial Warriors, and sons to the legendary Commander Adama, in Saga of a Star World.

CLASSIC IMAGE: ATHENA's SEXY WARDROBE CHANGE

Out of Colonial uniform, in her zero-gravity pressure suit lycra, Athena gets to briefly show off her sexy figure, for a scene shot with Dirk Benedict as Starbuck, handled at the start of the series filming, which would then be added to the syndicated three episode versions of Saga of a Star World.

CLASSIC ART: THE CYLONS ARE BACK!

The Cylons make their presence felt once more, this time as the cover stars to the original VHS release of GALACTICA 1980's feature compilation movie Conquest of the Earth. The poster campaigns, of which this one featured some adapted Ralph McQuarrie artwork, were ultimately better than most of the Galactica spin-off's end product!

CLASSIC IMAGE: LOVERS AND WARRIORS

Even on the spacious plains of the re-discovered home planet of Kobol, Colonial Warriors and married couple Apollo and Serina can't get enough quality time together, in this scene from Lost Planet of the Gods Part Two.

CLASSIC ART: DEADLY CONSPIRATORS

Inside a Cylon Raider, the traitorous Baltar watches the destruction of humanity, alongside two Cylon Centurions, in this intriguing early conceptual art for Saga of a Star World by the legendary Ralph McQuarrie.

CLASSIC IMAGE: SET 'EM UP!

A distinctive Boray serves the gambling tables at the Carillon Casino- one of the many aliens seen in the pilot episode: Saga of a Star World.

Boray, Ovions and Tylium fuel would get a later mention in the STAR TREK: VOYAGER two-parter Flesh and Blood. Obviously someone in the show's writing staff was a Classic BG fan in his formative years!

CLASSIC IMAGE: COLONIAL PAYBACK TIME!

One of my favourite effects shots from the classic series, of the Colonial Viper squadrons assembling and ready to get some revenge on the Cylons, as seen at the end of Saga of a Star World.

CLASSIC IMAGE: SOCIALISING SOCIALATOR!

The gorgeous Laurette Spang poses for a publicity image as Cassiopeia, the former Socialator (or spiritual healing prostitute!), on the Carillon casino set of Saga of a Star World. After the pilot, the character's unique job position was changed to the more audience friendly position of Med-Tech.

DELETED SCENE: THE LORDS OF KOBOL PROTECT US!

The original ending of Saga of a Star World wasn't have to have been with Apollo and Starbuck returning to the Galactica after helping to destroy a Cylon Basestar above Carillon. Instead, there was to have been a finale scene where our heroes, including a sadly survived Sire Uri, gather for a celebration sing-along of their flight into the unknown, in which the dying Serina abandons Apollo and Boxey and disappears to bravely face her lonely demise from Cylon weapon poisoning. When put together, the sequence was ultimately deemed unsatisfactory and deleted-though Lorne Greene did prove that he had a very good singing voice!

REMEMBERING 'BATTLESTAR GALACTICA' BOOK 2: 'THE CYLON DEATH MACHINE'

Following hot on the heels of their novel success with the adaptation of the movie version of Saga of a Star World, Glen A. Larson and Robert Thurston would return to pen a second novel based on the scripts for the next planned TV movie of the series, Gun on Ice Planet Zero, which ultimately went through varied adjustments and re-filming before it eventually made the screens as a two-part episode during the end of the shows first quarter run. Book two doesn’t quite have the depth of the original, but it’s a terrific and exciting read nonetheless, featuring new and expanded material that I wish could have been in the TV version. One day, it would be interesting to compare all three versions of the story: its original scripts, its eventual shooting script and the novel (if anyone can help with the first one please get in touch…)

For the moment, though, here are some of the intriguing differences and additions within the FUTURA published novel:

The location of the Cylon pulsar weapon is Tairac, and, in a nod to the original idea, located on an unusual planetoid rather than a planet. The Diethene storms present there are a by-product of Cylon weapon technology. In charge of the Cylon pulsar and garrison, Vulpa was a lieutenant with great brainpower who had been exiled to the ice planet because he was a threat to the current Imperious Leader

The Cylons now have Ghost Fighter ships that are remote controlled, armed with a powerful missile, to attack the Colonial Fleet. They are amongst the Cylon ships attacking the Galactica and herding it into the range of the Pulsar- prior to the opening patrol discovering Tairac, the Cylons press another of their attack the Colonial Fleet, where we also get to see one of its vessels holding the in-training, up and coming viper pilots, and there’s mention of a foundry ship making new combat craft from raw materials. These newcomer vipers are a little clunkier than the original ships but are a necessity to protect the fleet…

A lot of CDM is told from newcomer Croft’s point of view, presenting his backstory, the relationship with his renegade team, and how they were captured and arrested by a younger Commander Adama (unnamed in the TV version) after raiding a Cylon platinum mine. By books end, with his success in destroying the weapon, he returns to being a Colonial Warrior. The book also some has some more history on the characters and situations in the Adama Journals.

Despite her presence in the previous book and not being killed off it, CDM has no mention of Apollo’s love, Serina, or what happened to her since the first book. The same with Cassiopeia, who wouldn’t be introduced back into the TV series until the later filmed Lost Planet of the Gods (ultimately shown before Gun).

The accompanying Galactican warriors alongside the experienced criminals are introduced during a pep talk given by Adama, as in the deleted scenes for the story on the DVD release.

Viper pilot and escort to the Galactica ground force, Killian, has a braver death than on TV (where he's destroyed by the Ravashol pulsar weapon)- here he destroys several Cylon ships and suicide rams into one of their Ghost Fighters before it can get to the shuttle.

Rogue turned medic Leda’s intentions to desert the Galacticans and the mission takes place in the book earlier than the TV version’s part two.

Starbuck, with no Cassie in the story, keeps many of the skirt-chasing characteristics of the pilot, heavily enamoured with the Tenna clones females. He is still also not the best friend to Apollo he would be by the series.

To further understand the humans and their plans, the Imperious Leader creates a simulacrum of Starbuck in order to guess their next moves. Suffice to say, this Starbuck is imbued with the original's personality and proves an irritant to the Cylon.

Five Clone Planners, looking like more youthful versions of their Father Creator, run the colony near the garrison, of which Ser 5-9 and Apollo see them in order to get permission to meet Ravashol. One of these Planners then goes on to tell the Cylons of the Colonials arrival in the village, resulting in their disruptive search beginning (as seen in the TV version). A Planner with blue stripes and white hair resembling Ravashol can be seen in the TV version’s finale (played by Liam Sullivan) but his role in the final two-parter is pretty much removed, also looking different to the way the Planners are described in the book.

Unrestricted once again by the TV censors as the weekly series had been, this is another tougher, novelization. An about to escape Thane almost tries to force himself on to Leda and almost kills her, but she grabs his throat and almost kills him in response.

Originally, Ravashol was part of a research team on the planet. The Cylons arrived and killed the others but spared him, recognizing his potential usefulness with the pulsar weapon. Ravashol then used some of the genetic material from his dead friends to research and create the evolving clones over the years.

Their hiding place discovered, Boxey and Muffey lead an escape with the clone children from the Cylons and go outside into the garrison airfield containing Cylon fighters, which they then stow away on.

Going upwards on their dangerous mission, the book has believable passages about mountain climbing for the Galactican party, especially from the viewpoint of Croft- obviously some major research into the field has been done here by the writers.

The ending of the book has some notably different scenes than the TV version. Ser 5-9 and the main Tenna are with the party all the way to the end of the mission with Apollo’s party. Wolf doesn't make a run for it- instead he and Leda are forced by Croft into helping to attack the pulsar. Taking on a Cylon gunner commander lieutenant in physical combat, Wolf is killed- his neck broken and thrown to the floor like a rag doll. Leda survives the battle and helps lay the charges to destroy the weapon. After the top of the mountain is destroyed, the group, having escaped in the elevator shaft, finds that their journey is cut short through power and mechanical failure, resulting in their having to rappel down to the bottom of the shaft. Sadly, Leda is killed here, falling to her death, with Croft, guilty with her loss, unable to save her.

With the weapon destroyed, Athena leads a rescue shuttle with full Viper escort, and soon gets to show off her piloting skills. Vulpa, having survived the garrison attacks, takes command of a fighter and several Ghost Fighters to attack them, one of which contains a trapped Boxey. As Athena tries to avoid destroying Boxey’s ship, and with the vipers unable to do further battle, Apollo and Croft take a Cylon fighter and perform a risky mid-air rescue of Boxey, with Croft descending on a ladder in mid-air motion to get him. Then the remaining Cylons are shot down by the eager Vipers.

The book ends with Vulpa’s ship crash-landed, the warrior damaged but not destroyed, going into a hibernation state in order to conserve power, though likely soon to die in the icy wastelands around the destroyed gun mountain. 

CLASSIC IMAGE: BRIDGE FIREWORKS!

The Cylons shocking kamikaze attack on the Galactica reaches its zenith with their destructive shockwave hitting the bridge, and critically injuring Commander Adama. A spectacular action sequence, well-staged and remembered by cast and crew, from the popular episode Fire in Space.

HAPPY 35th BIRTHDAY, 'BATTLESTAR GALACTICA'!

Celebrating the 35th Anniversary, I'm presenting the third and final Classic Battlestar Galactica adventure that I wrote waaayyy back in the late late-nineties. It was originally published in the much-missed UK BG fan club magazine: The Thirteenth Tribe, and, I believe, it proved quite popular.

Only this original draft remains, so sorry for the spelling mistakes and grammar of the time, but I think the tale, titled Message in a Bottle, is a worthy tribute and celebration of the classic series and its characters. It's humbly dedicated to Glen A. Larson and all the cast and crew who worked on the original series and helped to make it such an enduring, worldwide success...

I and other members of that shiny planet known as Earth raise a chalice of vintage ambrosia to you!

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B80ITjM31EVRZjR2RDZSdDFzR1k/edit?usp=sharing

Happy 35th Birthday, Battlestar Galactica!


With thanks to the By Your Command website for the main image.

CLASSIC ART: PURSUED IN 'PARADIS'

Out amongst the cosmos, Humanity's battle against their pursuant Cylon enemies sees some new twists and turns emerge within Richard Hatch's enjoyable original novel series continuation of the Classic GALACTICA series. Paradis, one of his later books, co-written with Brad Linaweaver, is another enjoyable romp for our older heroes, alongside their equally brave next generation of warrior children, and features this great cover composite art.

One of the old and modern series greatest ambassadors, plus an all-round nice guy, check out Mister Hatch's website here: RichardHatch.com: Actor, Director, W