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.

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: THE FANTASY LEGACY!

We've come a long way since the days of blue screen filming and optical compositing of our popular classic series models. So far, in fact, that CGI/animation effects can be created at home showcasing the iconic Vipers, Cylons and Battlestars at a heaper price than ever before. Fan films celebrating the ever-cool series have become more popular than ever as they take advantage of such advances. Take, for instance, the below labour of fan love called Perseverance. Enjoy! 

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: CRASH-LANDING!

The Cylon Raider attack has crippled the Colonial shuttle. Nonetheless Starbuck's talents piloting skills alongside Boomer sees their vessel ultimately crash-land on Arcta.

A terrific behind the scenes shot of the crash-landed model landing in a pile of baking soda. Note a mask protected Richard Edlund handling the camera for the scene at Apogee.

As seen in the episode.

'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: A MODEL MANEUEVER!

An impressive model creation from any angle, the Battlestar Galactica is about to be camera captured in a rare back angle, presumably linked to it departing the Colonial Fleet destruction from the opening to Saga of a Star World.

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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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...