'GALACTICA' AT 40: "PURPLE AND ORANGE?"

The sneak attack by Adama's Colonial Forces has worked and the enemy has fled. Though he's denied them the chance to pursue the nearby Cylon basestar, Adama is soon told that Apollo and Starbuck's Vipers have gone after it on their own, pretending to be a mass number of ships via intercepted communications that the Cylons will also hear.

A fun little moment that I recall got some good laughs from the evening audience when seeing the film version of Saga of a Star World a second time at my local cinema.

'GALACTICA' AT 40: SPEEDY DEPARTURE!

"Boy, are they in for a surprise!", declares Starbuck, as the combined Viper squadrons of the Galactica depart Carillon and soon engage the Cylon armada attacking their home vessel. This time, however, the surprise factor has been turned directly to Humanity's advantage...

'GALACTICA' AT 40: UNDER THE CARILLON SKY

The secretly sent planet-side Blue Squadron vipers await their newly arrived piloting masters on Carillon, in this lovely matte painting art from ILM/Apogee (note the fuel tanker vessel in the background - in the official novelisation Starbuck was to perilously pilot it to the fleet amidst Cylon attack).

Whoever did the painting is unknown, though it was also used as a photo blow up for Carillon exterior scenes filmed at Universal, behind the close-ups scenes needed of the main pilots racing to their ships - primarily the full-scale build Viper prop and several cut-out dummies behind that, and a visual trick that had also been used with the Rebel hangar scenes of the original Star Wars during its London filming in 1976.

'GALACTICA' AT 40: SUICIDE RUN!

The second sneak attack by the Cylons on the Galactica has begun - soon enough Cylon Raiders are attacking key areas of its defence and its fighter launch bays in particular are compromised, as seen here in this great effects shot image.

'GALACTICA' AT 40: SURFACE TRAVELLERS!

In quick second unit filming, costumed background extras (possibly including members of the original ILM/Apogee), including one playing Boomer, travel the singularly-built Galactica Landram across the deserts outside California, for an insert scene for Saga of a Star World.

The location filming took place at Ridgecrest Trona Pinnacles. Its epic expanse was also used in several Buck Rogers in the 25th Century episodes (likely stock footage from what was shot for Galactica) and also for a lot of the action of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.

'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: CASINO ENTRANCE SHOOT-OUT!

Likely a mixture of shot but deleted action material alongside on set specially posed publicity photographs, Apollo and Starbuck hold down the Carillon Casino entrance and attack the oncoming Cylon garrison, buying escape time for the desperate Colonials and other humans fleeing the resort, some picked up by newly-arrived Landram vehicles. The TOPPS card above (of 1978) was sadly incorrect to the location of the shoot-out.

Boxey (as played by Felix Silla) holds on to Apollo before the rush to escape.