BEHIND THE SCENES: GUN READY!

At Apogee, model maker and technician Jon Erland manipulates the lower cannon of one of the Galactica's formidable weapons bays, either for the filming or as a test, in this great behind the scenes image for Saga of a Star World.

REUNITED IN LOVE AND GLORY!

It's a time of joy for the Colonial Fleet as the legendary Cylon killer Commander Cain is discovered very much alive and well, alongside the brave men and women of his equally legendary Battlestar Pegasus. For Cain, its great to be reunited with other members of humanity, especially his lost love Cassiopeia, in this scene from The Living Legend, Part One.

'GALACTICA 1980': EARTH EXPLORATIONS!

The skies of Earth are now penetrated by a different kind of flying vehicle than the norm - the Colonial Vipers of the Battlestar Galactica, newly arrived to carefully check out the human civilisation and assess its technological strength, in a nice effects composite shot from Galactica 1980.

THE CAPTIVE HUMAN!

The ice planet Arcta's efficient Cylon outpost has successfully destroyed the majority of the Colonial Patrol entering its system with their pulsar weapon emplacement, and now they have a crash-landed, captive warrior ripe for interrogation. Watch out, Cadet Cree!

A memorable scene from Gun On Ice Planet Zero, Part One.

THE CONTINUING SPACE JOURNEY...

Another great, rarely seen angle of the massive Galactica model from the series' opening episodes, as one of its impressive landing bays prepares to receive an inbound shuttle.

I wonder how much more unused Apogee shot footage of the Galactica resides in the Universal Studios Archives...?

CLASSIC ART: WHEN CENTURIONS ATTACK!

Locking on to their human prey, the Cylon Centurions will not stop in their mission in this evocative fan art showing the series' classic enemies at their best.

If anyone knows the artist of this great piece, please get in touch.

INSIDE THE KINGDOM OF THE OVIONS!

The discovery of the Ovion civilisation inside the Tylium mine caverns of Carillon sees Apollo and his recon party encounter the aliens' mysterious Queen leader, Lotay, in a reshot sequence from Saga of a Star World.

It's a shame that the series couldn't reveal more alien creatures during its singular season run.

ON THE BRIDGE!

Its a busy time on the Galactica bridge as its main command officers confer on their ongoing flight with the Cylons. I assume that this must be from the filming of Gun on Ice Planet Zero rather than the pilot episode (unless its a deleted scene).

CLASSIC ART: STRANGE NEW WORLDS!

Another of the iconic Ralph McQuarrie's gorgeous and evocative production painting for Galactica's pilot episode, featuring a lone patrol Viper landed on Carillon. I love the purple sky and the use of the alien moon.

CLASSIC ART: FRIENDS AND WARRIORS!

There have been many great pairings in film and TV science fiction over the years, but the relationship between the serious Apollo and the fun loving but daring pilot Starbuck was easily one of the best, despite the series all too brief existence, and captured well in this fine art by genre great Matt Busch.

BEHIND THE SCENES: TUNNEL VISION!

At Apogee, effects legend Richard Edlund handles the camera for the background shots of the Viper tunnel, to be used as back projection for the launching pilots, in this great shot from Saga of a Star World that I'd never seen before.

MASTER AND SERVANT!

Within his vast throne area located deep within a Cylon Basestar, the all-powerful machine creature that is the Imperious Leader (played by actor/stuntman Dick Durock) sits atop his mighty pedestal to issue the latest orders to destroy the pest that is mankind, in another classic image from Saga of a Star World that was so effectively used for worldwide publicity.

DRIVING BUDDIES!

On their way to the Serenity outpost to acquire new seeds vitally important to the Colonials survival, Starbuck and Boomer must pose as farmers, but soon find themselves in a whole host of problems, during the humorous adventure that is The Magnificent Warriors.

ORE SHIPS' DEPARTURE!

Two distinctive Ore/Mining vessels leave an alien world in a clearly composited photo that appeared in an early issue of the American Fantastic Films magazine circa 1979/1980. Whether this composition was handled by Universal or ILM for publicity is anyone's guess. At least one Ore Ship would be seen in several shots within the pilot episode as part of the Rag-Tag fleet, and as part of a matte painting on the surface of Carillon.

CLASSIC IMAGE: FUN WITH 'CAPTAIN DIMITRI'

It seems that everyone wants to get in on the act of posing for fun pictures with the legendary Fred Astaire, as a happy Lance LeGault sheds his villainous Borellian Noman machinations of revenge for this great pic taken during the filming of The Man With Nine Lives in 1979.

BEHIND THE SCENES: BASESTAR DESCENDENT!

The Apogee team were hard at work blue screen filming lots of models in mid 1978, and the impressive and formidable Cylon Basestar must have been one of the most interesting, as seen here in the great image.

CLASSIC ART: 'LAUNCH FIGHTERS!"

A superb early storyboard for Galactica's pilot episode showing a vast array of Colonial Fighters launched from the mighty Battlestar against the oncoming surprise attack by the Cylons. In the final version of the episode we got a looking down side shot of only three vipers launching outwards.

CLASSIC IMAGE: STARBUCK GOES SIGHT SEEING!

He may be imprisoned on a far off prison colony bizarrely still holding people hostage for the crimes of their ancestors, but that doesn't stop the fun-seeking Starbuck from enjoying the fine company of the enchanting gypsy-esque criminal Adultress 58 (Arlene Matrel - aka Tasha Martel), in these fun publicity images for one of the earliest shot Galactica series episodes, The Long Patrol.

CLASSIC IMAGE: CHEERING ON THEIR GREATEST HEROES!

An innocent man once again, Starbuck rejoins his loyal-to-the-end friend and Triad game partner Apollo, where he is also cheered on by sports fans across the Colonial fleet, as well as his dearest friends, in this warm-hearted character scene that the Classic Galactica series always did best, closing Murder on the Rising Star.

CLASSIC IMAGE: SPACE WARFARE!

I don't think any fan of Classic Galactica ever got fed up with seeing the sleek Colonial Viper craft in epic space conflict with the deadly Cylon Raiders, and this great T-shirt image composition (I assume from 1978/79) certainly kicks-in the nostalgia in all the right ways!

CLASSIC IMAGE: LIKE A DAGGIT ON A SUN SPOT!

It's a bad time to be cooped up in a cockpit for Lt. Starbuck, agitated after his recent steam burn injuries, and especially at a time when he, Apollo and comrade Boomer are about to go flying near-blind into the middle of an ultrabright starfield, the Nova Madogan, littered with Cylon mines!

A classic scene for our Colonial hero trio from Saga of a Star World. 

CLASSIC IMAGE: COMMERCIAL TRAFFIC!

With the state of Cylon pursuit seemingly gone, the Rag-Tag Fleet begins to organise itself and establish a star community of sorts, with civilian travel becoming more accessible to vessels like the Rising Star, now open for business with its casino, and even video communications of sorts too. 

A great effects shot showing the Galactica shuttle and a transport shuttle at work, one of the very rare new or re-composite shots for the latter half of the show's singular season, as seen in The Man With Nine Lives...

CLASSIC IMAGE: THE ORIGINAL 'SAGA' VILLAINS!

A true image gathering of the terrifying creatures encountered by our Colonial Heroes from the original pilot episode, Saga of a Star World, where the Cylons (and their Imperious Leader) were genuinely scary in their intent to destroy humanity, and the Ovions strikingly creepy as they attempted to eat the Twelve Colonies survivors within the underground depths of their Carillon-based casino.

A DARK WELCOME TO THE GALACTICA!

Soon given free run access to the Galactica by Sheba, even within its secure areas, it's as if the young beauty/warrior is spellbound with the Colonial discovery of the mysterious and enigmatic Count Iblis, played with dark intensity and charm by the legendary Patrick Macnee, during the opening episode of War of the Gods.

'GALACTICA 1980': INTRODUCING ROBYN DOUGLASS!

We all wanted Galactica 1980 to succeed back in the day, but it failed in so many ways to capture the spirit of the original series. Thankfully, at least, we had the lovely former model Robyn Douglass as some visual compensation, portraying Jamie Hamilton, the essential human aide and reporter to our Colonial heroes as they discovered Earth.

BEHIND THE SCENES: RAIDER SPOTTING!

One of the Universal Heartland's talented crew members looks towards the impressive Cylon Hangar bay model set and its housed Raiders, during effects filming for the excellent series finale, The Hand of God.

CLASSIC IMAGE: BROTHERS AND WARRIORS!

Captain Apollo couldn't have a better wingman on the 'Armistice' patrol than his fresh out of the Academy brother Zac, who scored higher skills ratings than even the formidable leader of Blue Squadron himself. 

Anther great posed image of TV heart-throbs Richard Hatch and Rick Springfield, linked to a deleted scene from Saga of a Star World. 

FACE-FRONT 'GALACTICA'!

A detailed angle of our classic, beloved Battlestar that we never got to see in the original series (and presumably captured when the model was auctioned off a while back) showcasing the face-like front of the mighty Galactica, still one of the best spacecraft vehicles ever created for US TV.