Battlestar Galactica aired for only one season but had many episodes that were more than 2-hrs long because it was originally intended as a mini-series. There were three movies made out of the series that was released in various countries around the world & is widely available on on home video. The original series aired from September 1978 to August 1979 on ABC. After the series was cancelled, there was much outrage over this & ABC soon realized they had made a mistake. The show was quickly revived under a different premise that took place 20 years later (& with a much smaller budget). The result was Galactica 1980, which aired from January 1980 to May 1980. The second series only included Lorne Greene from the original series. Its also important to note that the original series was made into "Tele-movies" & was sold to stations this way. This was done by added two episodes together with a little bit of new footage. It is rare to see the show on TV anymore but both series are shown on the "Sci-Fi network" (in the U.S.) and on "Space: The Imagination Station" in Canada. Saturday's at 6pm EST and Sunday's at 9am EST.
PRINCIPAL CAST:
Commander Adama .................Lorne Greene
Colonel Tigh ...............................Terry Carter
Captain Apollo ........................Richard Hatch
Lt.Starbuck ............................Dirk Benedick
Athena......................................Maren Jensen
Cassiopea ...............................Laurette Spang
Lt. Boomer ..........................Herb Jefferson Jr.
Jolly ...........................................Tony Swartz
Bojay .........................................Jack Stauffer
Sheba ......................................Anne Lockhart
Boxey ...................................Noah Hathaway
Dr. Salik .............................George Murdock
Dr. Wilker ............................. John Dullaghan
Flt. Corp. Rigel ............................Sarah Rush
Flt. Officer Omega ..................David Greenan
Brie ...............................Janet Louise Johnson
Greenbean...................................Ed Begley Jr.
Muffit the Daggit ......................Evie the Chimp
Baltar ..........................................John Colicos
Imperious Leaders Voice ........Patrick Macnee
Lucifer's Voice ........................Jonathan Harris
Created By
Glen A. Larson
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA EPISODES: An in-depth summary of each episode can be found a the KOBOL site.
*can be found on home video
*Saga of a Star World
Personal rating: 10/10
Original Air Date: September 17, 1978
NOTES: 3-hr pilot edited down to a 2-hr movie for theatres in Canada & a few other places around the world. Baltar being killed is one of the things added to the 2-hr version. Guest stars include Jane Seymour & Rick Springfield as Apollo's brother Zak. If new to the series, get this one first!
*Lost Planet of the Gods
Personal rating: part 1- 8/10, part 2 - 10/10
Original Air Date: Part 1 - September 24, 1978; Part 2 - October 1, 1978
NOTES: In my opinion pt. 2 of this one is the best the of the series. Includes guest star Jane Seymour.
*The Lost Warrior
Personal rating: 4/10
Original Air Date: October 8, 1978
NOTES: I personally found this to be one of the weaker episodes.
*The Long Patrol
Personal rating: 8/10
Original Air Date: October 15, 1978
NOTES: Very strong entry for for fans of Starbuck. Lots of fun with Starbuck's women.
*The Gun on Ice Planet Zero
Personal rating: 9/10
Original Air Date: Part 1 - October 22, 1978, Part 2 - October 29, 1978
NOTES: Released on video at the same time with "Lost Planet of the Gods"in May 1997. Also very strong. Guest star Britt Ekland. Story wise, it borrows heavily from "The Guns of the Navrone" but what fun though.
*The Magnificent Warriors
Personal rating: 5/10
Original Air Date: November 12, 1978
NOTES: It was fun to see Adama go on a mission for a change and the love interest for him was interesting but overall its pretty so-so.
*The Young Lords
Personal rating: 6/10
Original Air Date: November 19, 1978
NOTES: Weak story but TONS of cylon screen time, which is always good.
*The Living Legend
Personal rating: 10/10
Original Air Date: Part 1 - November 26, 1978; Part 2 - December 3, 1978
NOTES: Released on video & in theatres around the world as "Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack" . Features the late Lloyd Bridges as Commander Cain & introduces Anne Lockhart as Sheba & Jack Stauffer as Bojay. Absolutely a classic episode!
*Fire in Space
Personal rating: 7/10
Original Air Date: December 17, 1978
NOTES: Released on video but half the episode is also included on "Mission Galactica". This episode is slagged alot but I happen to like this one.
War of the Gods
Personal rating: 9/10
Original Air Date: Part 1 - January 14, 1979; Part 2 - January 21, 1979
NOTES: Guest stars Patrick Macnee (The Avengers). More talk and less action for this episode. It takes the series to a higher level. Hint: You learn where the cylon empire got its evil start. A must-see for fans.
*The Man with Nine Lives
Personal rating: 7/10
Original Air Date: January 28, 1979
NOTES: Guest star Fred Astaire as Starbuck's father. Pretty good episode that has the Borellians introduced.
*Murder on the Rising Star
Personal rating: 6/10
Original Air Date: February 18, 1979
Greetings from Earth
Personal rating: part 1- 6/10, part 2 - 4/10
Original Air Date: February 25, 1979 (2-hour Special)
NOTES: Very weak episode. The first 1hr is quite watchable but the 2nd hr is a total mess. Introduces the alliance but the 'robots' are totally annoying.
*Baltar's Escape
Personal rating: 7/10
Original Air Date: March 11, 1979
NOTES: Anything with the Borellians is a good fun!
Experiment in Terra
Personal rating: 6/10
Original Air Date: March 18, 1979
NOTES: This episode had huge potential but didn't live up to it. If done right it could have been as good as 'War of the Gods' but it got silly and complicated adding up to big plot holes.
Take the Celestra
Original Air Date: April 1, 1979
The Hand of God
Original Air Date: April 29, 1979
GALACTICA 80
PRINCIPAL CAST:
Commander Adama: Lorne Greene
Captain Troy: Kent McCord
Lieutenant Dillon: Barry Van Dyke
Jamie Hamilton: Robyn Douglass
Doctor Zee (Pilot): Robbie Rist
Doctor Zee (Series): Patrick Stuart
Colonel Boomer: Herbert Jefferson, Jr.
Mr. Brooks: Fred Holliday
plus a bunch of Superscouts!
Galactica Discovers Earth
Original Air Dates: Part 1 - January 27, 1980; Part 2 - February 3, 1980; Part 3 - February 10, 1980
NOTES: Released on video & to theatres in Europe & Australia as "Conquest of the Earth". It is parts of the 3-hr pilot with pieces of "The Night the Cylons Landed" compressed to 2-hrs. The first 20 minutes is actually quite watchable but then quickly falls apart.
The Super Scouts
Original Air Dates: Part 1 - March 16, 1980; Part 2 - March 23, 1980
Spaceball
Original Air Date: March 30, 1980
*The Night The Cylons Landed
Original Air Dates: Part 1 - April 13, 1980; Part 2 - April 20, 1980
NOTES: As stated above, fragments of this is featured on "Conquest of the Earth" Also features Wolfman Jack. The segments of John Colicos on the basestar is actually from "The Young Lords" with new dialogue dubbed overtop.
Space Croppers
Original Air Date: April 27, 1980
*The Return Of Starbuck
Original Air Date: May 4, 1980
NOTES: Released on video just under the name "Battlestar Galactica" at one point. Features Dirk Benadick guest starring as Starbuck. Excellent episode that ends the series on a high note.
Video Covers
"Battlestar Galactica: Saga of a Star World" (pilot episodes 1,2, & 3 edited into feature film)
"Battlestar Galactica: Lost Planet of the Gods" (Note: All regular 1hr & 2hr video all have the same cover.)
"Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack" (Living Legend 1&2 and parts of Fire in Space episode)
"Galactica 1980: Conquest of the Earth"
"Battlestar Galactica: The Return of Starbuck" (Note: Keep your eyes out for this one, its rare to find!)