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| The original main cast of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: Athena (Maren Jensen), Starbuck (Dirk Benedict), Apollo (Richard Hatch) and Commander Adama (Lorne Greene). Images: UNIVERSAL. |
They may have been slow off the bat in 1973 in not recognising the original potential for that little space project of George Lucas's that would soon become STAR WARS- having turned down the ambitious project in their first refusal option deal with the young film-maker, but UNIVERSAL STUDIOS were certainly the fastest out of the gate by 1978 with Hollywood's attempts to copy, mostly in the nicest possible way, the eventual juggernaut commercial and iconic success of the soon sci-fi favourite that launched Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and co. into the world. Theirs was to be the genre-busting space epic from veteran series maker Glen A. Larson: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, updated from his original ADAM'S ARK- a previously rejected sixties series concept spawned in the wake of the original STAR TREK- updated with the best STAR WARS vibes possible and quickly launched into cinemas, then followed as a weekly series which premiered today, thirty-five years ago, and using many of the incredible talents of Lucas's loaned out ILM company in the process- a prestigious
Who's Who roll-call including Oscar-winning John Dykstra, Dennis Muren, and Richard Edlund, plus influential artists like Joe Johnston and the legendary Ralph McQuarrie.
▶ Battlestar Galactica Opening Theme from 1978 - YouTube▶ Battlestar Galactica (1978) fan trailer - YouTube |
| Last protector warship of the Colonial Fleet: the Battlestar Galactica. |
But it isn't just the superb for their time, even if over-used special effects of space hardware and intergalactic conflicts, from such talented icons, that would help this particular series uniquely survive the test of time to become so beloved by audiences around the world, who said
"Felgercarb!" to the wrath of the critics. It was GALACTICA's central premise-the Pearl Harbour-esque bombing of the human race by deadly inhuman foes, resulting in its survivors fleeing out into the stars, protected by their last of its kind warship, the formidable Battlestar
Galactica, in search of their missing brothers with the long lost Thirteenth Tribe of Earth- that proved both relatable and fascinating, showing the best and worst of the human condition in their quest for survival, whilst the central casting of serious-hearted hero Richard Hatch as Captain Apollo, Dirk Benedict as lovable cigar chomping, dering-do viper pilot rogue Starbuck and BONANZA's charismatic father figure of Lorne Greene as the Moses-like Commander Adama, was inspired and a firm fixture of the groovy and spirited late-seventies, alongside a bevy of stunning and capable females including Jane Seymour, Maren Jensen, Anne Lockhart and Laurette Spang that swiftly captured male hearts, in an equal opportunities show where the girls could fly fighters and shoot those metal suited, red-eyed alien Cylons with the best of 'em.
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| The menace of the Cylons continues... |
All in all, GALACTICA, despite its short lifespan, was firmly, squarely, just great family entertainment: exciting, funny and with heart, alongside its excellent visual execution. And those are the reasons why, like the original STAR WARS film, which itself had been the nexus focal point for the reinvigoration of cinema and television to a more youthful audience, it continues to resonate and endure...
Happy 35th Birthday, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA!
Get hold of the original 1978 theatrical version on Blu-ray: Battlestar Galactica Blu-ray 1978 Region Free: Amazon.co.uk: Lorne Greene, Dirk Benedict, Ray Milland, Jane Seymour, Richard Hatch, Terry Carter, Maren Jensen, Noah Hathaway, Tony Swartz, Lew Ayres, John Colicos, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Ed Begley Jr, Richard A. Colla, Donald P. Bellisario: Film & TV
KOOL TV's previous GALACTICA features: KOOL TV: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
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