'GALACTICA 1980': STRANGERS IN A STRANGE LAND!

It's a world that's surely stranger than anything they've ever encountered before. Nonetheless, Galactica's Earthbound recon team of Troy and Dillion must investigate with their arrival in the land called the United States, in these great images from the (still) mostly disappointing Galactica 1980.

The photo blow-up Colonial Viper is put into position on location.

BEHIND THE SCENES: EVIE's TRANSFORMATION...

Much as we loved seeing Muffey on screen, it must have been tough behind the scenes time for the lovely Evie the Chimp when inhabiting the robot creature during her time on Galactica. Hopefully, animal standards in filming were in force for her during the series filming. 

BEHIND THE SCENES: RAIDER SUPERVISION!

At Apogee, Joe Johnston and colleague look towards a Cylon Raider in what was likely its original colour scheme, presumably for test footage filming? A similar colour scheme was later used by Mattel toys with its modelling of the craft for Galactica merchandise. An intriguing behind the scenes image.

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.

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.

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.

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.

BEHIND THE SCENES: A CYLON ARMADA!

Another great, sadly unused effects shot image from Saga of a Star World, this time showcasing an armada of Cylon Raiders coming in for the kill on Colonial targets. Interestingly, bar one model on a Blue Screen support pole, the other craft images are all seemingly cut out images assembled together on a glass sheet backing. I would love to have seen this shot completed!

BEHIND THE SCENES: VIPER TRAIL!

Making the most of all the effects filmmaking talent at their disposal, refining their past work seen with Star Wars, and creating all new ideas and techniques, the Apogee team would bring Galactica to spectacular life for the small (and big) screen, as seen here with the unique Colonial Vipers fuel blasting into action and battle.

'MISSION' AT 45: THE KAMIKAZE ATTACK!

A catastrophe on the bridge!

A spectacular sequence from the film (with great stunt work and pyrotechnics), even if it had been pinched from the weekly series episode Fire in Space, as the Galactica bridge and its crew are caught in a brutal kamikaze attack by a Cylon fighter packed with Solenite explosives that near destroys them, bringing many casualties and critically wounding Commander Adama at the worst possible time, his injured body soon taken to the Life Centre medical area for upcoming dangerous surgery amidst a now compromised, fire-stricken Galactica.

Running from a major explosion.

Tigh and Lt. Omega tend to the fallen Adama in the international lobby card for the film.

Lorne Greene is given his 'wounds' by the Universal make-up team.

'MISSION' AT 45: THE CYLONS OF GAMORAY!

A diversity of Cylon technicians, drones and ranked Centurions gather en mase on Gamoray for the inauguration of their technologically advanced city by the beloved Imperious Leader, unaware that it will soon have the pogees blown out of it by the enthused Viper forces of the Galactica.

The Cylon control centre and its occupants are swiftly destroyed by the blaster and explosive skills of Starbuck and Boomer.

Various Cylons gather on the city concourse...

As seen in an international lobby card.

... before its strafed by newly arrived Colonial Vipers!

'MISSION' AT 45: INSIDE THE CYLON CITY!

As Apollo's covert assault team begins planting explosives across key areas of Gamoray city, Starbuck and Boomer begin their interior search for the enemy control centre that also needs to be neutralised prior to Viper air assault. Incredulously, their current locale is seemingly deserted, our duo unaware that the Cylon's Imperious Leader has now arrived at the base for an important gathering...

In a deleted scene, Starbuck and Boomer follow the Gold Centurion and his guards to the command centre from the audience chamber corridor, once the Colonial bombings of the city have started.

Dirk checks his script between shooting action scenes.

A US TV/celebrity magazine covers Dirk Benedict enjoying Starbuck's new all-black combat outfit, during The Living Legend's location filming.

'MISSION' AT 45: NEW RECRUITS FOR THE GROUND FORCE!

Two new additions for a special mission.

Commander Cain's bold plan to take the Gamoray fuel depots, approved by a desperate and wary Adama, needs experienced pilots/warriors who have prior flown over the Cylon City. Enter Sheba and Bojay, controversial but necessary choices to the Galactica's parachuting-in assault team led by Apollo, with Lt. Starbuck (who doesn't believe in any kind of one-way missions that this could prove to be!) and the ever-reliable Lt. Boomer.

Soon enough the Galactica shuttle is away, its occupants heading into one of the most dangerous missions of their lives...

Using her status as a med-tech, Cassie joins the mission, whilst Sheba has suspicions about her father's upcoming battle tactics.

Buddies behind the scenes: Richard Hatch and Jack Stauffer on the landing deck set.

BEHIND THE SCENES: SPACE LUXURY THE 'RISING STAR' WAY...

Before but also during the Cylon War, the humans of the Twelve Colonies would carry on enjoying the realms of commercial space travel where they could, and what better way for them to begin their vacations than boarding the beautiful and luxurious Rising Star passenger vehicle (created by the people of Scorpio), which, with the original TV series pilot launcher, would become a home to women and children refugees for the most part. It would ultimately return back to a more leisure-related existence with the regular series, once the Galactica's Rag-Tag fleet had become more organised and efficient for its surviving peoples.

Enjoy these behind the scenes images from the Apogee filming for Saga of a Star World in Summer, 1978.

Concept design.

Jon Erland works on the model at Apogee.

Model filming.

Photographed by Richard Edlund with the Dykstraflex camera. Interesting that the model is quite small but looks bigger on screen. The same visual trick was used with the original Star Destroyer model used with the beginning of the first Star Wars movie of 1977.

Rear view of the impressive model ultimately sold at auction.

BEHIND THE SCENES: LADIES WHO LUNCH!

Backstage from their busy work onscreen ensnaring audiences within the Ovion's cannibal casino of death on Carillon, the actresses playing the intriguing and talented Toucana Sisters (including actress/singer Patty Brooks),still in special make-up, take a break during filming of Saga of a Star World. 

CLASSIC IMAGE: POWER OF LIGHT, POWER OF DARKNESS!

Two powerful forces for good and evil meet in Commander Adama and Count Iblis, as Lorne Greene and Patrick Macnee share great character scenes together during the storytelling within the fan favourite War of the Gods.

CLASSIC IMAGE: A STAR AMONGST STAR PATTERNS!

Adding some extra zest to being on the Galactica bridge, the gorgeous Cassiopeia helps us find our way across the heavens searching for Earth, in another glorious image making the most of Laurette Spang's beauty. An image captured during filming of Saga of a Star World.

CLASSIC IMAGE: HAVE SPACESHIP WILL TRAVEL...

That criminal descendant Robber's spaceship isn't the most attractive vehicle to escape a penal colony in, but the battered freighter soon proves worthy enough for the task. And even more so when poor Starbuck is forced to use it when his own sleek recon Viper is stolen. An interesting image of the full-size prop craft on the Universal outdoor backlot, during filming of The Long Patrol. 

BEHIND THE SCENES: THE HEROES AND VILLAINS OF 'ICE PLANET ZERO'

In the company of Cylons!

Here's a nice little addition to the exhaustive coverage we gave to the original version of The Gun on Ice Planet Zero last year, a selection of images that have surfaced online of some of the main cast members taken outside one of the main Galactica filming soundstages at Universal Studios back in mid-1978, some of which sadly never appeared in promotional coverage. There's probably even more images like this out there waiting to be discovered.

Roy Thinnes back in the sci-fi genre as Croft.

Background artists Walt Davis as Sgt. Vickers.

Bond girl turned Clone Warrior! Britt Ekland as Ser 5-9

Apollo and Starbuck captured by the Cylons!

BEHIND THE SCENES: THE ARTISANS OF 'GALACTICA'!

Bringing the same kind of high quality model making and filming to the Galactica saga as they did to the launch film of the Star Wars franchise, producer John Dykstra and colleague Doug Smith look to a specific section of the detailed Battlestar model, for a great posed publicity image linked to Saga of a Star World.