CLASSIC IMAGE: DAGGIT IN COMMAND!

Every daggit deserves its special day on the majestic bridge of the Galactica, alongside its brave Colonial Warriors, of which Muffey certainly makes a fine fit. Evie the Chimp, playing Muffey, is seen here in posed images likely for either The Long Patrol or Fire in Space.

'ICE PLANET ZERO' AT 45: THE DAGGIT'S QUEST FOR HELP!

A determined expedition.

As the Cylon Centurion patrol heads towards the deadly plateau destination of the Colonial humans, Muffey the Daggit searches for help in the snowy wilderness, and soon sees a mysterious trio of hooded travellers in the distance...

Muffey braves the cold.

A mysterious trio emerges...

'ICE PLANET ZERO' AT 45: TRAPPED AT DEATH POINT PLATEAU!

The Snowram is now isolated at the plateau.

With the Snowram out of action, the trapped warriors, wearing breathing masks, try to weather the building cold storm and the di-ethene air poisoning. Survival time is running out now, and as Apollo checks on his son, Muffey rushes out from the vehicle and enters the snowy wastelands to look for help...

Boxey is starting to feel the cold, amidst an environment now air poisoned..

Muffey takes the initiative...

'ICE PLANET ZERO' AT 45: SNOWRAM STOWAWAYS!

"Muffit wanted to see snow.."

Charging up the Snowram, Apollo gets a shock when he discovers that Boxey and Muffey, prior managing to evade all of the likely security protocols on the Galactica, have amazingly stowed away in the vehicle, during the most dangerous mission the Colonial Forces have yet undertaken since leaving the destroyed colonies...

Lovely behind the scenes shot of Noah Hathaway and Richard Hatch during studio filming inside the Snowram at Universal Studios.

'ICE PLANET ZERO' AT 45: FAMILY MATTERS...

"Come here, ya little monster!"

In their quarters on Galactica, Apollo has fun with young adopted son Boxey and his robot Muffey the Daggit before letting the pair know that he will be departing on an important mission to an ice planet. Avoiding the details of the mission, Apollo tasks Boxey with a special task of his own, beyond regularly saying his prayers, to look after an important personal medallion. 

A sweet and tender scene between the characters nicely played by Richard Hatch and Noah Hathaway, who had great father and son chemistry together during the series. Though no reference is made at all to the tragedy of Boxey's TV version mother Serina (Jane Seymour) that was originally planned for the end of Saga of a Star World, music composer Stu Phillips does at least cleverly reprise a brief understated music cue from Serina's theme for the end of the scene.

Holding Boxey upside down to the amusement of Muffey.

Apollo tells Boxey of his upcoming departure...

Apollo gives Boxey his own special mission to accomplish in his absence.

Thinking about the tragic death of Serina (to have passed offscreen from radiation poisoning after the originally planned events of Saga of a Star World), Apollo watches with mild sadness as Boxey hugs Muffey.

But Boxey and Muffey are ultimately much more interested in seeing snow...

BEHIND THE SCENES: MUFFEY'S PROGRESS!

Not quite the screen realisation of Muffey the lovable and loyal robot daggit we'd see on screen from 1978, but this concept art for Saga of a Star World (artist unknown) certainly shows us a visual incarnation potentially designed to resemble an Alsation species, a type of dog equally as loving and very protective.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! (2022)

Muffey and junior Colonial Warrior Starbuck enjoy their snowboarding trip to an ice planet, though the pesky Cylons can't help but cause trouble, in this sweet cover by Art Baltazar for the 2014  Li'l Battlestar Galactica comic one-shoot for younger readers to enjoy, from regular Galactica comic strip publishing company Dynamite Comics.

SAGA OF A STAR WORLD wishes all its worldwide readers a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a safe, prosperous New Year! 

See you in '23 for Battlestar Galactica's 45th Anniversary.

 

CLASSIC MERCHANDISE: AND THEY CALL IT, MUFFEY LOVE...

Image: via PaidStallions.com

Every young girl loves a Daggit, as seen in this sweet advert for Muffit's debut as a string-pull talking soft toy in the late seventies. Released in the US, I certainly never saw this intriguing BG item ever make it to international toy stores back in the day, especially not in the UK market.

CLASSIC IMAGE: THE MUSHIES HUNTER!

Enjoying a little quality time with his friends in the Rejuvenation Centre deep within the Galactica, Boxey has a special trick up his sleeve with regards to his robot daggit's abilities, in this sweet moment, and important later plot device function, from Fire In Space.

'GALACTICA' AT 40: DAGGIT VS. CYLON!

It's Muffey the Daggit's finest hour in the pilot episode, as he damages and wrangles a Cylon Centurion to the ground during the Carillon exodus. This was an insert shot that was presumably done at the end of the main filming. Note in the above uncropped shot that Evie the Chimp's jeans-wearing handler can be accidentally seen alongside on the far right side, as well as the corner of the soundstage on the other!

'GALACTICA' AT 40: INTRODUCING BOXEY AND MUFFIT!

A posed image taken during filming of Gun on Ice Planet Zero.

Apollo and Serina may do their best to keep them safe and away from harm, but there's no doubt about it-young Boxey (Noah Hathaway) and his lovable replacement Daggit in robot 'Muffey' (Evie the Chimp) are an absolute magnet in attracting trouble, be it from Cylons, reptilian-esque Ovions, and more, in the future beyond the Galactica's exodus from the Twelve Colonies. Intriguingly, the feature film version of Saga of a Star World does not state that Boxey is Serina's child, merely a survivor of the attack on Caprica, unlike the TV version and comic book adaptation.

CLASSIC IMAGE: AN EVENING FOR EVERYONE!

Boxey and Muffey enjoy the cabaret and social air of the Carillon Casino, before the chaos and danger begins, in a scene from Saga of a Star World.

CLASSIC IMAGE: THE CHIMP AND THE DAGGIT!

Despite her training, life can't have been comfortable at all for poor Evie the Chimp during filming of the early half of Galactica's singular season, but her on screen performance as the beloved and loyal Muffit the Daggit was always first rate, and her popularity with younger fans swiftly assured.

The History of the Daggit Costume | Battlestar Galactica

CLASSIC IMAGE: AND DAGGIT MAKES THREE!

Apollo proves the ultimate dad for young Boxey and Muffey when he agrees to let them go on an important Galactica away mission to find a new energizer for the fleet, in a charming moment from The Magnificent Warriors.

CLASSIC IMAGE: DARN THAT DAGGIT!

Muffey the Daggit, as inhabited with character by Evie the chimp, is likely getting up to mischief in this behind the scenes image during production of the weekly TV series.

CLASSIC IMAGE: NOT EXACTLY A ROMANTIC GETAWAY!

Pity Commander Adama, forced to court the overbearing and sassy Siress Belloby in exchange for her energizer unit, as our heroes arrive on the distant colony world of Sectar for the comedy actioner, The Magnificent Warriors.

OUT NOW: 'THE DEATH OF APOLLO' PART FIVE

Cover art by Mike Mayhew.

The penultimate chapter of the high quality classic series opus, The Death of Apollo, is now arriving in comic stores. Here's the latest story blurb:

The crew of the Galactica, and the fleet as a whole, comes to terms with Apollo's shocking fate. But there is no time for reflection. Apollo's mission woke up the Cylon threat, and the old enemy has become aware of the fleet again. The War has turned hot again, the fleet is in grave danger, and without Apollo's pilot skills and leadership, the human race may not survive. Epic, continuity-shaking storytelling from cosmic fan-favorite writer Dan Abnett and out-of-this-world artist Dietrich Smith.

Dynamite® Battlestar Galactica: The Death Of Apollo #5 (Of 6)

CLASSIC IMAGE: JUST ANOTHER ADVENTURE...

US science fiction series of the early to mid-seventies were often plagued with annoying kids, but I always enjoyed little Noah Hathaway's performance as Boxey in GALACTICA. He and Muffey the robot daggit were always getting into scrapes but it was never anything too cringe-worthy, and they were especially good together in the pilot episode and the disaster movie homage that was Fire in Space.

CLASSIC IMAGE: PET LOVE!

Little Boxey discovers the joys of having a new pet daggit, even if it is a robot one, in a classic moment from Saga of a Star World.

CLASSIC ART: THE STARBUCK WHO LOVED ME!

And here's the great artwork for Dynamite's third cover of their new BATTLESTAR GALACTICA comic series, with Starbuck very much in a Roger Moore/JAMES BOND meets Luke Skywalker/STAR WARS movie poster pose if ever I saw one!