CELEBRATING FORTY-FIVE YEARS OF 'MISSION: GALACTICA - THE CYLON ATTACK'!

Back in 1979, I was aware that the Battlestar Galactica saga was already a successful series in the US, but so far the British Thames/ITV channel that had purchased the one season run had had, at that time, some kind of delay in airing it, presumably because Universal/CIC were about to launch a second adventure on big screens - soon great news to this eager near ten-year old and I'm sure many many other fans like myself around the country. Mission: Galactica - The Cylon Attack was blasting its way to us, bringing us all-new action and all-new additional characters that would make an impact on the saga!

Though I'm sure I recall seeing poster promotions on selected red London buses about town, as well as the obvious Tube station publicity, plus promos in teen related magazine titles like Look-In and 2000AD on the actual release, as far as I was aware there was very little early publicity for the theatrical run - my mum and I literally found out about the movie whilst shopping in the West End and talking to someone at the Empire Leicester Square when we saw the coming soon poster outside of it. Once again, we would soon experience Galactica's second 'movie' in the seat-rumbling Sensurround experience they had there by release time, literally opening mere weeks before the return of the Star Wars saga with The Empire Strikes Back, which we'd also go on to see in the West End at the opposite Odeon Leicester Square. It was clear that Universal were trying to cash-in quick with their own sci-fi hit before Lucas's release, of which they still needed to make money back on the series enormous production costs of the time, but I didn't care, it was just great to have the mighty Battlestar and its heroes and villains back on the big screen, and would prove such a nostalgic experience! 

And my thoughts on the film at the time? Well it was very enjoyable - I always liked Lloyd Bridges as the unflappable and bold Cain, was surprised by the return of John Colicos as Count Baltar, and the spectacular Cylon kamikaze attack was impressive, a sequence which I later discovered was culled from another series episode and not specifically shot for the film. The reuse of footage from the original theatrical adventure of 1978 was noticeable and irked a bit, exemplified by the Cylon Tanker sequence (albeit with new space battle action woven around it) and the Ovion minefield of Carillon, but, to compensate, there were thankfully some noticeable new effects shots added to the film from Universal Heartland that were much appreciated - I remember loving the Viper strafing run on the shocked Cylon civilians in their city (part of some great action on Gamoray, of which I also certainly liked Sheba and Cassie in their black outfits!) plus certain exciting shots in the space battles against the Cylon Raiders. I wore my Galactica poster art jacket with pride at the cinema that afternoon on school holiday!

From the debut of the legendary Commander Cain and Sheba, to the bold attack on Gamoray, enjoy our Forty-Fifth Anniversary celebrations for Mission: Galactica - The Cylon Attack!

International poster for the film.

UK poster.

American poster release.

Argentinian poster.

Early 80's VHS release sleeve - UK.

STARLOGGED - GEEK MEDIA AGAIN: 1988: MISSION GALACTICA: THE CYLON ATTACK UK VHS SLEEVE (CIC VIDEO)

CLASSIC MERCHANDISE: A VHS TOUCHDOWN IN OZ!

Outside the UK and US, we've not had the chance to cover the series popularity in other territories, so its great to see these Australian VHS releases from back in the day (circa early 2000's, as the format was starting to die out), released there by Universal Playback. Though it's sadly more than clear, however, that the company had no idea (or were that too bothered) about getting the right photography for the represented episodes, showcased by their using an image from Galactica: 1980 for the original series two-parter War of the Gods.

It would be great to hear back from any Australian fans about what has been fully released there over the years on VHS, Beta and other formats...

CLASSIC IMAGE: HOME VIDEO HEROES AND VILLAINS!

Key icons of the series in Adama, Starbuck and a Cylon Centurion made for a memorable image composition in Universal Home Video's promotion of the original Battlestar Galactica as single episode tales released in the US during the noughties. Who out there managed to get a complete set, and who still has them?

CLASSIC MERCHANDISE: NICE - PRICE 'GALACTICA'!

There are many young people out there who don't know what a VHS is, nor its true place in commercial entertainment history. But for us Classic Galactica fans, the thrill of getting that first theatrical film on 'nice-price' cassette tape was certainly memorable. I always have great affection for this early CIC Video packaging, which I recall purchasing in the Piccadilly Circus branch of HMV in the late eighties.

CLASSIC IMAGE: BIG SCREEN, SMALL SCREEN!

Back now to the nostalgia fuelled days of home VHS entertainment, and the colourful MCA/UNIVERSAL sleeve for the original BATTLESTAR GALACTICA movie, when it debuted on sell through release from 1985.

GALACTICA 1980: CONQUEST OF THE EARTH (UK STYLE!)

It sure looks like Galactican warriors Troy and Dillion are on their own as the Cylon attack on Earth, 1980, begins, in the exciting UK movie poster art for CONQUEST OF THE EARTH eventually used for the CIC Video rental release back in the day. Great art- I just wish the cobbled together from three episodes "movie" had ultimately been better!

If anyone has a better quality scan of this image, please get in touch.

CLASSIC MERCHANDISE: THE VHS YEARS!

Remember the days of VHS? Well, Classic GALACTICA soon proved a worthy addition to the ranks of film and TV releases back in the nineties (and in Hi-FI sound too!), at a time when such things were done on a single episode basis in the US, as exemplified here with The Long Patrol. The UK releases were different by the late nineties, with two on each release.