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.

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...?

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.

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.

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.

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: CRAFTING MOVIE EFFECTS MAGIC!

One of the finest talents in the Hollywood and world effects business, the legendary Dennis Muren puts his keen eye towards filming the ever-impressive Galactica model on the Apogee/ILM blue screen stage at Van Nuys during middle 1978, for Saga of a Star World. 

Presumably this camera work is for the point of view scene where a Cylon Raider, amidst Colonial protective fire, dives down to attack the vessel's hull, in what would become a memorable stock footage image used across the series.

'ICE PLANET ZERO' AT 45: RETURNING TO GALACTICA!

The Colonial Viper, forty-five years on, remains one of the coolest spacecraft design/models ever created for US sci-fi TV, as seen here in the model filming set within one of the Galactica's landing bays, for Saga of a Star World back in 1978, and reused with an additional Viper optical element for Starbuck and Boomer's return to the vessel from Arcta in Gun on Ice Planet Zero.

BEHIND THE SCENES: VIPER PILOTING!

One of the ever-impressive, larger Viper models is put through its filming paces by an effects technician (presumably from the Universal Heartland facility), possibly for the filming of extra effects shots needed for the exciting opening to The Young Lords.

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EXPLORING THE CYLON TANKER - CLOSE-UP!

The vessel discovered by our Colonial Warrior heroes that was the precursor to the final war that destroyed the Twelve Colonies of Man: the ominous Cylon Tanker, as seen in the original pilot episode, and shown here in all its model built glory, originally designed by Joe Johnston, when sold at prop auction a few years back.

LUXURY IN CLOSE-UP: THE 'RISING STAR'!

A great look at the vessel as seen in auction a few years back.

The Galactica series equivalent of a luxury super cruise liner like the Queen Mary, the striking Rising Star vessel, a proud commercial vehicle that sailed the stars around the Twelve Colonies, would eventually become home, at first, to orphans, separated families, and, sadly, as a bolt hole of sorts to the corrupt super rich. But as time went on, and the Colonial Rag-Tag Fleet re-organised itself, it would became a place for recreation and sports for the human survivors to enjoy once again.

The vessel made a fine place for drama and comedy in the second half of the original series run and soon became one of its classic space vehicles.

CLASSIC IMAGE: THE MAJESTIC BATTLESTAR!

Impressive on screen but equally so as a model ready for filming in the ILM blue screen stage in Van Nuys in mid 1978, the Battlestar Galactica, last hope of human kind, remains one of US TV sci-fi's greatest space vehicles...

BEHIND THE SCENES: MODEL PIONEER!

It's a busy day at the Apogee model shop during those halcyon years of 1977/78, as effects industry legend Lorne Peterson is immersed in two ambitious, genre-changing cinematic franchises: Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica, supervising and building the superb varying sized models used for blue screen filming and pyrotechnics across both.

Conclusive proof that, in life and work, you can have too much cake and thoroughly enjoy eating it! 

BEHIND THE SCENES: THE VIPER - CLOSE-UP!

The greatest weapon in the Colonial arsenal against the continued Cylon menace- the fast and maneuverable 'Starhound' Colonial Viper, as seen in all its superb detail model-form. 

The gorgeous images come from an auction brochure of a few years back, as one of the stunning models built by Apogee for the series in 1978 went under the hammer...

BEHIND THE SCENES: INSPECTION DUO!

At the former ILM premises at Van Nuys, soon respected effects veteran Dennis Muren and Don Dow inspect the mighty Galactica vessel model prior to bluescreen filming, circa Summer 1978, for the pilot episode. It;s because of talents like these that the show's quality effects legacy has endured... 

CLASSIC IMAGE: ASPECTS OF GALACTICA!

The mighty, legendary Battlestar called Galactica, home of the last surviving Colonial Warrior heroes, and a beautiful yet formidable sight either moving across the heavens or going into battle, as seen here in this great modern reference photography composition.

BEHIND THE SCENES: THE REAL VIPER BUILDERS!

In the fictional world of Battlestar Galactica, our heroes had few Vipers to regularly protect the surviving human fleet, but no such problems in the real world of Apogee Studios in 1978, as model-making legend Steve Gawley and the model shop work on numerous versions of the magnificent craft prior to filming.

BEHIND THE SCENES: FLEET INSPECTION!

A great side angles look at the primary Rag-Tag fleet models used in the pilot/series filming, including the Colonial Movers vehicle, the prison barge, the later-named Celestra, a three-tier fuel processing ship (seen approaching Carillon in the pilot episode) and another unknown vessel. 

BEHIND THE SCENE: PULSAR PIONEERS!

The excellent model making talents of Lorne Peterson and Steve Gawley, both of whom would be veterans of the original Star Wars saga, are well showcased with the construction of the Ravashol Pulsar in this great behind the scenes image for The Gun on Ice Planet Zero. 

CLASSIC IMAGE: COMING IN LIKE A MISSILE!

Starbuck's heavily damaged fighter within one of the Galactica landing bays is memorably captured in this great behind the scenes image taken during Apogee's model effects filming of Saga of a Star World, in mid 1978.