Battlestar Galactica (1978)

:This article is about the original movie and television series; for other versions, see Battlestar Galactica (disambiguation).

Other versions of Battlestar Galactica

Galactica 1980

In this 1980 sequel series, the fleet finds Earth and covertly protects it from the Cylons. This series was a quick failure due to its low budget, widely-panned writing, and ill-placed time slot (Sundays at 7:00 PM, a time slot generally reserved for family-oriented programming and, more specifically, 60 Minutes). The show also included obviously recycled space battle sequences from the original program, to the great dismay of fans. Some syndication packages for Battlestar Galactica incorporate the episodes of this series.

Related Topics:
60 Minutes - Syndication

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Revival attempt

The original show has maintained a cult fandom, which has supported efforts by Glen Larson and Richard Hatch (independent of each other) to revive the premise. Hatch even went so far as to produce a demonstration video in the mid-1990s which featured several actors from the original series combined with state-of-the-art special effects. This video, titled "," was displayed at science fiction conventions but did not lead to a new series.

Related Topics:
Cult - 1990s - Science fiction convention

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Battlestar Galactica (2003)

In December 2003, the American Sci Fi channel produced and aired a four-hour miniseries that reimagined Battlestar Galactica. The success of the miniseries led to a new series (October 2004, UK; January 2005, North America). A highly edited version of the miniseries aired on NBC on January 9, 2005, five days before the American debut of the series.

Related Topics:
December - 2003 - Sci Fi channel - Miniseries - Reimagined - October - 2004 - January - 2005 - NBC - January 9

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Notable changes from the original series include: some Cylon models that closely resemble human form for infiltration; Starbuck is a female character; Boomer, formerly an African-American man (and genuinely human), is now portrayed by a Korean woman and is covertly a Cylon infiltrator; and Col. Tigh, formerly also portrayed by an African-American actor, is now portrayed by a Caucasian actor. In addition, characters have been given full names (in the original series they were only known by one name). For example, Adama is now William Adama, and Starbuck and Apollo are said to be the callsigns/nicknames of Kara Thrace and Lee Adama, respectively.

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Commander Adama is now played by Edward James Olmos. Olmos's Adama is still a paternal figure, but differs from Lorne Greene's characterization. The new incarnation of Adama believes Earth is a myth and only makes it the fleet's destination to keep hope alive. Greene's character was both a military commander and a spiritual leader who had been part of the civilian command structure; Olmos's Adama has a definitively military background. In both series, Adama is a capable and insightful leader.

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There are fewer humans living in this series than the original, only fifty ships are in the fleet (while the original series had more than 200), and only fifty thousand people are alive. The ships are in much better condition and are capable of hyperspace travel. Space battles take place using Newtonian physics, first seen in the landmark sci-fi series Babylon 5.

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Overall, the new series pays a lot more attention to the logistics of survival than the original series. It aims for a darker and more serious tone than the original. There is heavily suggested sexual content and the violence is more realistic. There is also a more socially conscious approach to character development and plot lines, addressing addiction, divided loyalties, and coping with personal and community grief. Much of the early criticism from original series fans cooled down once the mini-series proved to be generally better than most people expected. The new series has earned all-time record high ratings on the Sci-Fi Channel.

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