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''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program, o ...
created by Glen A. Larson. It began with the original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel series, ''
Galactica 1980 ''Galactica 1980'' is an American science fiction television series and a spin-off from the original ''Battlestar Galactica'' television series. It was first broadcast on ABC in the United States from January 27 to May 4, 1980, lasting for 1 ...
'', a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games. A reimagined version aired as a two-part, three-hour miniseries developed by Ronald D. Moore and
David Eick David Eick () (born 1968) is an American writer and producer, best known as the executive producer of ''Battlestar Galactica'', for which he also wrote several episodes. Eick executive produced '' Caprica'' and '' Battlestar Galactica: Blood & C ...
in 2003, followed by a 2004 television series, which aired until 2009. A prequel series, ''
Caprica ''Caprica'' is a 2010 American science fiction drama television series, which is a prequel spin-off of the 2004–2009 series ''Battlestar Galactica''. ''Caprica'' is set 58 years before the main series, and shows how humanity first created the ...
'', aired in 2010. All ''Battlestar Galactica'' productions share the premise that in a distant part of the universe, a human civilization has extended to a group of planets known as the Twelve Colonies, to which they have migrated from their ancestral homeworld of Kobol. The Twelve Colonies have been engaged in a lengthy war with the Cylons, a cybernetic race whose goal is the extermination of the human species. The Cylons offer peace to the humans, which proves to be a ruse. With the aid of a human named Baltar, the Cylons carry out a massive nuclear attack on the Twelve Colonies and the Colonial Fleet of starships that protect them, devastating the fleet, laying waste to the Colonies, and destroying all but a small remaining population. Survivors flee into outer space aboard a motley fleet of spaceworthy ships. Of the Colonial battle fleet, only the Battlestar ''Galactica'', a gigantic battleship and spacecraft carrier, appears to have survived the attack. Under the leadership of Commander Adama, the ''Galactica'' and the pilots of "Viper fighters" lead a fugitive fleet of survivors in search of the fabled thirteenth colony known as
Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...
.


Television series


Original continuity


''Battlestar Galactica'' (1978–79)

Glen A. Larson, the creator and
executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...
of ''Battlestar Galactica'', claimed he had conceived of the ''Battlestar Galactica'' premise, which he called ''Adam's Ark'', during the late 1960s. As James E. Ford detailed in "''Battlestar Galactica'' and Mormon Theology", a paper read at the Joint Conference of the American Culture and Popular Culture Associations on April 17, 1980 (and published as "Theology in Prime Time Science Fiction: ''Battlestar Galactica'' and Mormon Doctrine", ''Journal of Popular Culture'' #17
983 Year 983 ( CMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – Diet of Verona: Emperor Otto II (the Red) declares war against the Byzantine Empire and the Emirate of Sicily ...
83–87), the series incorporated many themes from
Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...
theology, such as
marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
for "time and eternity", a " council of twelve", a lost thirteenth tribe of humans, and a planet called Kobol (an anagram of
Kolob Kolob ( ) is a star described in the Book of Abraham, a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement, where it is described as the heavenly body nearest to the throne of God. Several List of denominations in the Latter Day Saint movement, La ...
), as Larson was a member of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
. However, he was unable to find financial backing for his
TV series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...
for a number of years. ''Battlestar Galactica'' was finally produced in the wake of the success of the 1977 film ''Star Wars''. The original Cylons of ''Battlestar Galactica'', robotic antagonists bent on destroying all humankind, owe much to Fred Saberhagen's
berserker In the Old Norse written corpus, berserkers () were Scandinavian warriors who were said to have fought in a trance-like fury, a characteristic which later gave rise to the modern English adjective ''wikt:berserk#Adjective, berserk'' . Berserkers ...
stories, including Saberhagen's fictional race the Builders whose "sliding single red eye" became the signature design element for the Cylons. Larson had envisioned ''Battlestar Galactica'' as a series of made-for-TV movies (a three-hour
pilot program A pilot experiment, pilot study, pilot test or pilot project is a small-scale preliminary study conducted to evaluate feasibility, duration, cost, adverse events, and improve upon the study design prior to performance of a full-scale research ...
and two two-hour episodes) for the
American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast Television broadcaster, television and radio Radio network, network that serves as the flagship property of the Disney Entertainment division ...
(ABC). A shortened version of the three-hour pilot, '' Saga of a Star World'', was screened in Canadian theaters (before the TV series was telecast) and in American, European and Australian theaters later on. Instead of two additional TV movies, ABC decided to commission a weekly TV series of one-hour episodes. In 1979 at the sixth annual
People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the fans and general public. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls un ...
, the TV series won in the category of "Best New TV Drama Series". The first episode of the TV series (the long pilot TV movie) was broadcast on September 17, 1978. About 30 minutes before the scheduled end, that broadcast was interrupted by the signing of the Egyptian–Israeli
Camp David Accords The Camp David Accords were a pair of political agreements signed by Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin on 17 September 1978, following twelve days of secret negotiations at Camp David, the country retre ...
. After the interruption (which was nearly an hour in length), the episode picked back up where it left off. During the eight months after the pilot's first broadcast, 17 original episodes of the series were made (five of them two-part shows), equivalent to a standard 24-episode TV season. Citing declining ratings and cost overruns, ABC canceled ''Battlestar Galactica'' in April 1979. Its final episode " The Hand of God" was telecast on April 29, 1979.


''Galactica 1980'' (1980)

During the autumn of 1979, ABC executives met with ''Battlestar Galactica''s creator Glen Larson to consider restarting the series. A suitable concept was needed to draw viewers, and it was decided that the arrival of the Colonial Fleet at present-day Earth would be the storyline. A new
TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a terrest ...
called ''
Galactica 1980 ''Galactica 1980'' is an American science fiction television series and a spin-off from the original ''Battlestar Galactica'' television series. It was first broadcast on ABC in the United States from January 27 to May 4, 1980, lasting for 1 ...
'' was produced. Again, it was decided this new version of ''Battlestar Galactica'' would be made into a weekly TV series. Despite the early success of the premiere, this program failed to achieve the popularity of the original series, and it was canceled after just ten episodes. In this 1980 sequel series, the Colonial fleet finds the Earth, and then it covertly protects it from the Cylons. This series was a quick failure due to its low budget (e.g., recycling footage from the 1974
Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...
movie ''Earthquake'' during a Cylon attack sequence), widely panned writing, and ill-chosen time slot (Sunday evenings, a time generally reserved for family-oriented programming and, more specifically, also for the ''
60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who distinguished it from other news programs by using a unique style o ...
'' newsmagazine program). The TV series also had to adhere to strict content restrictions such as limiting the number of acts of violence and being required to shoehorn educational content into the script and dialogue. To cut costs, the show was set mostly on the contemporary Earth, to the great dismay of fans. Another factor for fan apathy was the nearly complete recasting of the original series:
Lorne Greene Lorne Hyman Greene (born Lyon Himan Green; February 12, 1915 – September 11, 1987) was a Canadian actor, singer, and radio personality. His notable television roles include Ben Cartwright on the Western ''Bonanza'' and Commander Adama in ...
reprised his role as Adama, Herb Jefferson Jr. played "Colonel" Boomer in about half of the episodes (with little screentime), and
Dirk Benedict Dirk Benedict (born Dirk Niewoehner; March 1, 1945) is an American actor and author. He is best known for playing the characters Lieutenant Starbuck in the original ''Battlestar Galactica'' film and television series and Templeton "Face" Peck ...
as Starbuck for one episode (the abrupt final episode, though his character was to have also appeared in the unfilmed episode "Wheel of Fire", which was a semi-sequel to "The Return of Starbuck"). Richard Hatch (Apollo in the original series) was sent a script for ''Galactica 1980'', but he turned it down since he was not sure what his part in the series would be now that all the characters had changed. Some TV syndication packages for ''Battlestar Galactica'' incorporate the episodes of this series.


Reimagined continuity


Miniseries (2003)

Despite attempts to revive the series over the years, none came to fruition until it was reimagined in 2003 by
Universal Television Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a division of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming#Universal Studio Group, Universal Studio Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which, in turn, is ...
as ''
Battlestar Galactica ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. It began with the original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel series, '' Galactica 1980'', a line of book adaptat ...
'', a three-hour
miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
where a long-standing armistice following a war between humans and Cylons is broken by a second Cylon War, when the machines launch a sneak attack wiping out virtually all of humanity. Commissioned by the Sci-Fi Channel, screenwriter Ronald D. Moore and producer
David Eick David Eick () (born 1968) is an American writer and producer, best known as the executive producer of ''Battlestar Galactica'', for which he also wrote several episodes. Eick executive produced '' Caprica'' and '' Battlestar Galactica: Blood & C ...
were the creative forces behind it.
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
-nominated actor
Edward James Olmos Edward James Olmos (born February 24, 1947) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Detective List of Blade Runner (franchise) characters#Gaff, Gaff in ''Blade Runner'' (1982) and its sequel ''Blade Runner 2049'' (2017), Lieuten ...
was cast in the role of Commander Adama, while two-time Academy Award nominee
Mary McDonnell Mary Eileen McDonnell (born April 28, 1952) is an American film, stage, and television actress. She received Academy Awards, Academy Award nominations for her roles as Stands With A Fist in ''Dances With Wolves'' and May-Alice Culhane in ''Pas ...
was cast as President Laura Roslin. Starbuck and Boomer were now female characters, portrayed by
Katee Sackhoff Katee Sackhoff (born April 8, 1980) is an American actress known for being Lieutenant Kara "Starbuck" Thrace on ''Battlestar Galactica'' (2004–2009), Niko Breckenridge on '' Another Life'' (2019–2021), Victoria "Vic" Moretti on '' Longmire' ...
and Grace Park respectively. Other cast members included
Jamie Bamber Jamie St John Bamber Griffith (born 1972/73), known professionally as Jamie Bamber, is a British actor, known for his roles as Lee Adama in ''Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series), Battlestar Galactica'' and Detective Sergeant Matt Devlin in t ...
(Captain Lee 'Apollo' Adama),
James Callis James Nicholas Callis (born 4 June 1971) is an English actor. He is known for playing Dr. Gaius Baltar in the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series), Battlestar Galactica'' miniseries and television series, and Bridget Jones' best ...
(Dr. Gaius Baltar), and Tricia Helfer as a Cylon-humanoid known as "Number Six". The mini-series was a ratings success for the Sci-Fi Channel and they commissioned a new weekly ''Battlestar Galactica'' series to follow.


''Battlestar Galactica'' (2004–09)

The new television series was co-funded by the UK's Sky Television, and premiered in the United Kingdom on the
Sky1 Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989 ...
satellite channel in October 2004. The series was then broadcast in North America on the Sci-Fi Channel in January 2005. Continuing where the 2003 mini-series left off, the main cast all returned to reprise their roles. Several new characters were introduced, and Richard Hatch, who played Captain Apollo in the 1970s ''Battlestar Galactica'' TV series, also appeared in several episodes as
Tom Zarek ''Battlestar Galactica'' is a 2004 American military science fiction television series, and part of the ''Battlestar Galactica'' franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore and executive produced by Moore and David Eick as a re-imagi ...
, a former political terrorist who later becomes part of the new Colonial government. An edited version of the pilot miniseries was aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
on January 9, 2005, five days before the Sci-Fi series premiere. NBC also aired three selected first-season episodes to promote the show in advance of the second-season premiere in July 2005. The series ran for four seasons between 2004 and 2009. The second season was split into two halves screened several months apart. Due to production delays caused by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild strike, the fourth season was also split into two parts, with a seven-month hiatus in between. The series has won widespread critical acclaim among many mainstream non-SF-genre publications. ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' and ''
New York Newsday ''New York Newsday'' was an American daily newspaper that primarily served New York City and was sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The paper, established in 1985, was a New York City-specific offshoot of ''Newsday'', a Long Island- ...
'' named it the best show on television in 2005. Other publications such as ''The New York Times'', ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'', ''
National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief is Rich L ...
'' and ''Rolling Stone'' magazine also gave the show positive reviews. The show has received a
Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...
for overall excellence, several
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
s for Visual Effects, and Emmy nominations for Writing and Directing. ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine named it one of the 100 Best TV Shows of All Time.


''Caprica'' (2010)

''Caprica'' is a
prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...
television series to the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica''. It premiered on Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi) on January 22, 2010, and was described as "television's first science fiction
family saga The family saga is a genre of literature which chronicles the lives and doings of a family or a number of related or interconnected families over a period of time. In novels (or sometimes sequences of novels) with a serious intent, this is often ...
". It was a two-hour back door pilot for a possible weekly television series, but on December 2, 2008, Syfy gave the go-ahead to expand the project into a full, 20-episode series. ''Caprica'' is set on the titular planet, 58 years before the events of ''Battlestar Galactica''. The show revolves around two families, the Adamas and the Graystones, and the creation of the Cylons. The pilot was directed by Jeffrey Reiner and starred Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales,
Paula Malcomson Paula Malcomson (born 1 June 1970) is a Northern Irish actress. She is sometimes credited as Paula Williams. She is known for playing Trixie in ''Deadwood'' (2004–2006), Maureen Ashby in ''Sons of Anarchy'' (2010), and Asterid Everdeen in ''T ...
, Alessandra Torresani, and Polly Walker. The pilot was released on DVD on April 21, 2009, and the series was broadcast in January 2010. On October 27, 2010, Syfy canceled ''Caprica'' due to low ratings. The final five episodes were aired in the US on January 4, 2011, though they had aired a couple of months earlier on the Canadian network
Space Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless ...
. The entire series was released on DVD in 2011.


Web series


''The Resistance'' (2006)

The first set of
webisode A webisode (portmanteau of "web" and "episode") is an episode of a series that is distributed as part of a web series or on streaming television. It is available either for download or in streaming, as opposed to first airing on broadcast or cab ...
s were a series of shorts produced in 2006 to promote the third season of the re-imagined show. Made as an "optional extra" to Season 3, the webisodes filled in some of the events between the second and third seasons and featured some of the main cast, though did not reveal what would happen in the beginning of Season 3, nor was viewing them essential to follow the story of the third season. Each of the ten webisodes was approximately three minutes long, and they were released twice a week leading up to the U.S. Season 3 premiere in 2006.


''Razor Flashbacks'' (2007)

The ''Razor Flashbacks'' were a series of seven webisodes produced in 2007, set some 40 years earlier during William Adama's fighter pilot days during the later stages of the First Cylon War. They were released on the Internet as "webisodes" leading up to ''Razor'' release. They are now available on the DVD and Blu-Ray releases of ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor'', and some are inserted into both the broadcast and extended cuts of the movie on DVD and Blu-Ray. The installments that did not make the final cut include 1, 2, and the latter half of 7.


''The Face of the Enemy'' (2008)

A set of ten webisodes were released during the seven-month hiatus between episodes 10 and 11 of Season 4. Titled ''The Face of the Enemy'', the web series premiered on December 12, 2008, on SciFi.com.


''Blood & Chrome'' (2012)

''Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome'' was to be a spin-off series from the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica'' series.Syfy Greenlights "Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome"
, ''TV By the Numbers'', October 22, 2010
Syfy approached show runner Ronald D. Moore to produce another spin-off set in the reimagined ''Battlestar Galactica'' universe, which was to begin as a two-hour pilot focused on William "Husker" Adama (portrayed by
Luke Pasqualino Luca Giuseppe Pasqualino (born 19 February 1990) is a British actor. He is best known for portraying Freddie McClair in the television series '' Skins'' (2009–2010), d'Artagnan in the television series '' The Musketeers'' (2014–2016) and ...
) during the First Cylon War (as was glimpsed in ''Razor'' and the corresponding webisodes). Syfy decided against moving forward with the ''Blood and Chrome'' TV series, but aired a 10-part webseries over four weeks via Machinima.com, beginning on November 9, 2012. The webseries was also aired as a 2-hour movie on Syfy on February 10, 2013, and was released on DVD shortly afterwards.


Films


''Battlestar Galactica''

''Battlestar Galactica'' is a re-edit of the pilot episode of the 1978 TV series, ''Saga of a Star World''. It was released theatrically in Canada before the television series aired in the United States, in order to help recoup its high production costs.The Different Versions of the Battlestar Galactica Pilot Episode
/ref> Later, the
standalone film A standalone film is a film whose story that does not have any relation with other films but happens in the same universe. In the late 1990s, it was typical to create standalone films with no plans for sequels. The term "standalone film" appeare ...
edit was also released in the United States.


''Razor''

''Battlestar Galactica: Razor'' is a 2007
television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...
produced and broadcast in the gap between Seasons 3 and 4 of the re-imagined series. ''Razor'' is also the first two episodes of Season 4 though it chronicles events on Battlestar ''Pegasus'' in two time periods, both of which are "in the past" with respect to the Season 4 continuity. The "present day" framing scenes are set during Lee Adama's command of the ''Pegasus'' in the latter half of Season 2, while "flashback" scenes depict Helena Cain's command in the period between the Cylon attack (shown in the 2003 mini-series) and the reunion with the ''Galactica'' in the second season. It aired in the United States and Canada on November 24, 2007, and in the UK and Ireland on December 18, 2007. An expanded version of the movie was released on DVD on December 4, 2007.


''The Plan''

Sci Fi Channel produced a two-hour TV movie which was planned to air after the final episode of the series in 2009. The movie began production on September 8, 2008. The movie premiered exclusively on DVD, Blu-ray and digital download on October 27, 2009 and aired on January 10, 2010, on Sci Fi. Written by
Jane Espenson Jane Espenson (born July 14, 1964) is an American television writer and producer. Espenson has worked on both situation comedies and serial dramas. She had a five-year stint as a writer and producer on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and shared ...
and directed by
Edward James Olmos Edward James Olmos (born February 24, 1947) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Detective List of Blade Runner (franchise) characters#Gaff, Gaff in ''Blade Runner'' (1982) and its sequel ''Blade Runner 2049'' (2017), Lieuten ...
, ''The Plan'' storyline begins before the attack on the Twelve Colonies and shows events primarily from the perspective of the Cylons.
Edward James Olmos Edward James Olmos (born February 24, 1947) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Detective List of Blade Runner (franchise) characters#Gaff, Gaff in ''Blade Runner'' (1982) and its sequel ''Blade Runner 2049'' (2017), Lieuten ...
reprised his role as Adama, and ten of the eleven actors who played Cylons appeared, including
Michael Trucco Edward Michael Trucco (born June 22, 1970) is an American actor known for his role as Samuel Anders on the reimagined ''Battlestar Galactica'' and his recurring role as Nick Petteruti in ''How I Met Your Mother''. He also appeared on the 2017†...
, Aaron Douglas, Dean Stockwell, Tricia Helfer, Grace Park, Rick Worthy, Matthew Bennett,
Callum Keith Rennie Callum Keith Rennie (born 14 September 1960) is a Canadian actor, based in British Columbia. His breakthrough role was as punk rocker Billy Tallent in the music mockumentary ''Hard Core Logo'' (1996), followed by a starring role as Det. Stanle ...
, Michael Hogan and Rekha Sharma. The only "Cylon" actor not present was
Lucy Lawless Lucille Frances Lawless (; born 29 March 1968) is a New Zealand actress and director. She is best known for her roles as Xena in the television series ''Xena: Warrior Princess'', as Number Three (Battlestar Galactica), D'Anna Biers on the re-im ...
(although previously filmed footage of her was included).


Feature film

In 1999, the producer of ''Wing Commander'', Todd Moyer, and the producer of the original TV series, Glen Larson, planned to produce a
motion picture A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...
based on the TV series. It would have featured Battlestar ''Pegasus''. Creator Glen A. Larson entered negotiations with
Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
for a film adaptation of the 1978 series in February 2009.
Bryan Singer Bryan Jay Singer (born September 17, 1965) is an American filmmaker. He is the founder of Bad Hat Harry Productions and has produced almost all of the films he has directed, as well as multiple television series. After graduating from the Univ ...
signed on to direct the
reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
the following August, but was obliged to direct ''
Jack the Giant Slayer ''Jack the Giant Slayer'' (previously titled ''Jack the Giant Killer'') is a 2013 American heroic fantasy, fantasy adventure film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Darren Lemke, Christopher McQuarrie and Dan Studney, from a story by Lemke ...
''. In October 2011 John Orloff was hired to write the script. "I have wanted to write this movie since I was 12 years old, and built a Galactica model from scratch out of balsa wood, cardboard, old model parts and LEDs", Orloff told ''
Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. It is updated several times a day, with en ...
''. By August 2012 the script was being rewritten, with Singer explaining that "It will exist, I think, quite well between the Glen Larson and Ron Moore universes". On April 7, 2014, the studio hired Jack Paglen to write the script for the film. On February 12, 2016, Universal signed
Michael De Luca Michael De Luca (born August 13, 1965) is an American film studio executive, film producer and screenwriter. He is also the former president of production at both New Line Cinema and DreamWorks. De Luca has been nominated for three Academy Aw ...
,
Scott Stuber Scott Stuber is an American film producer. He was the chairman of Netflix Films. Career After graduating from University of Arizona with a film degree, Stuber worked at Universal Pictures as a publicity assistant to Lew Wasserman. Stuber wa ...
and Dylan Clark to produce the ''Battlestar Galactica'' film. On June 9, 2016,
Lisa Joy Lisa Joy (born May 23, 1977) is an American screenwriter, director, producer, and lawyer. She is best known as the co-creator, writer, director, and executive producer of the HBO science-fiction drama series ''Westworld'' (2016–2022). For her ...
was reportedly writing the film, and
Francis Lawrence Francis Lawrence (born March 26, 1971) is an American filmmaker and producer. After establishing himself as a director of music videos and commercials, Lawrence made his feature-length directorial debut with the superhero thriller ''Constantine ...
was in talks to direct. On December 18, 2018, it was reported that Jay Basu ('' The Girl in the Spider's Web'') had been hired to rewrite Joy's script. On October 22, 2020, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that
Simon Kinberg Simon David Kinberg (born August 2, 1973) is an American filmmaker. He wrote and produced a number of films in the X-Men (film series), ''X-Men'' film franchise for 20th Century Studios, 20th Century Fox, and had produced a number of other projec ...
will be writing and co-producing the film with Dylan Clark.


Cinema releases

Besides a re-edited version of the pilot, released in Canada, Europe, parts of Latin America, and, following the broadcast of the series, in the U.S., two other ''Battlestar Galactica'' feature films were released in cinemas. ''Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack'' and ''Conquest of the Earth'' were made up of various episodes of the original series and ''Galactica 1980'' respectively. (See List of ''Battlestar Galactica'' (1978 TV series) and ''Galactica 1980'' episodes § Theatrical releases)


Attempted revivals

The original series maintained a
cult Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...
fandom, which supported efforts by Glen A. Larson, Richard Hatch, and
Bryan Singer Bryan Jay Singer (born September 17, 1965) is an American filmmaker. He is the founder of Bad Hat Harry Productions and has produced almost all of the films he has directed, as well as multiple television series. After graduating from the Univ ...
(independently of one another) to revive the premise.


Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming

Richard Hatch produced a demonstration video in 1998 to 1999 which featured several actors from the original series combined with state-of-the-art special effects. This video, titled '' Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming'', was screened at some
science fiction convention Science fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of the speculative fiction subgenre, science fiction. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of ex ...
s, but it did not lead to a new series.


Brian Singer Revival

In 2000, the director and an executive producer of the ''X-Men'' movie, Bryan Singer and Tom DeSanto, began developing a ''Battlestar Galactica''
TV miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
under the auspices of Studios USA for the Fox TV network. A continuation of the original series but set 25 years later, Singer and DeSanto's version included several members of the original cast reprising their original roles and the introduction of newer characters. It was intended to be telecast as a
backdoor pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...
in May 2002, and pre-production commenced and sets had even been partially constructed with a view to filming starting in November 2001. However, production delays caused by the
September 11, 2001 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
meant that Bryan Singer had to drop out, due to his commitment to direct the ''X-Men 2'' movie. This caused the executives of Fox TV to cancel the project.


Proposed Peacock series

In September 2019,
NBCUniversal NBCUniversal Media, LLC (abbreviated as NBCU and Trade name, doing business as NBCUniversal or Comcast NBCUniversal since 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media and Show business, entertainment conglomerate (comp ...
was planning a new series as part of their
Peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...
streaming service, set in the same continuity as the 2004 ''Battlestar Galactica'' series, and produced by Sam Esmail. In March 2021, writer and producer Michael Lesslie had reportedly left the project, leaving production plans in doubt. In July 2024, '' Variety'' reported that Peacock were no longer developing the series, though the project was planned to be shopped to other networks.


Books

Both the original and the reimagined series have had books published about the series, academically oriented analysis, novelizations, and new works based on the characters.


Original series books

These ''Battlestar Galactica'' softcover novelisations were written by Glen A. Larson with the authors listed below. They were critically disparaged, but proved popular, with the first novel selling over a million copies within its first year. The first ten novels adapt the episode of the same title except as indicated. All novels except ''Battlestar Galactica 14: Surrender the Galactica!'' (ACE publishing) were originally published by Berkley, and have been republished, recently, by I Books, which called them ''Battlestar Galactica Classic'' to differentiate it from the reimagined series. The episodic novels featured expanded scenes, excerpts from "The Adama Journals", more background on the characters, and the expansion of the ragtag fleet to almost 22,000 ships as opposed to the 220 in the TV series. A new book series written by series star Richard Hatch starting in the 1990s continued the original story based on his attempt to revive the series, and ignored the events of ''
Galactica 1980 ''Galactica 1980'' is an American science fiction television series and a spin-off from the original ''Battlestar Galactica'' television series. It was first broadcast on ABC in the United States from January 27 to May 4, 1980, lasting for 1 ...
''. His series picked up several years after the TV series ended, and featured Apollo in command of the ''Galactica'' after the death of Adama, a grown-up Boxey, who was now a Viper pilot, and the rediscovery of Commander Cain and the battlestar ''Pegasus'', who had started a new colony and was preparing to restart the war with the Cylons. Episodic novels * ''Battlestar Galactica'', with Robert Thurston (novel version of "Saga of a Star-World") * ''Battlestar Galactica 2: The Cylon Death Machine'', with Robert Thurston (novel version of "The Gun on Ice Planet Zero") * ''Battlestar Galactica 3: The Tombs of Kobol'', with Robert Thurston (novel version of "Lost Planet of the Gods") * ''Battlestar Galactica 4: The Young Warriors'', with Robert Thurston (adapts "The Young Lords") * ''Battlestar Galactica 5: Galactica Discovers Earth'', with Michael Resnick (adapts the ''Galactica 1980'' three part episode) * ''Battlestar Galactica 6: The Living Legend'', with Nicholas Yermakov * ''Battlestar Galactica 7: War of the Gods'', with Nicholas Yermakov * ''Battlestar Galactica 8: Greetings from Earth'', with
Ron Goulart Ronald Joseph Goulart (; January 13, 1933 – January 14, 2022) was an American popular culture historian and mystery, fantasy and science fiction author. He worked on novels and novelizations (and other works) being published under various ps ...
* ''Battlestar Galactica 9: Experiment in Terra'', with Ron Goulart (adapts the titular episode as well as "Baltar's Escape") * ''Battlestar Galactica 10: The Long Patrol'', with Ron Goulart Original novels * ''Battlestar Galactica 11: The Nightmare Machine'', with Robert Thurston * ''Battlestar Galactica 12: "Die, Chameleon!"'', with Robert Thurston * ''Battlestar Galactica 13: Apollo's War'', with Robert Thurston * ''Battlestar Galactica 14: Surrender the Galactica!'', with Robert Thurston Original novels by Richard Hatch * ''Battlestar Galactica: Armageddon'', with
Christopher Golden Christopher Golden (born July 15, 1967) is an American writer. Early life Golden was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. He graduated from Tufts University. Career As well as novels, Golden has written com ...
* ''Battlestar Galactica: Warhawk'', with Christopher Golden * ''Battlestar Galactica: Resurrection'', with Stan Timmons * ''Battlestar Galactica: Rebellion'', with Alan Rogers * ''Battlestar Galactica: Paradis'', with Brad Linaweaver * ''Battlestar Galactica: Destiny'', with Brad Linaweaver * ''Battlestar Galactica: Redemption'', with Brad Linaweaver


Reimagined series books

Tor Science Fiction has published the following works in both hardcover and paperback format. * ''Battlestar Galactica'' by
Jeffrey A. Carver Jeffrey A. Carver (born August 25, 1949) is an American science fiction author. He was born in Cleveland, graduated from Brown University, and lives outside of Boston, Massachusetts with his family. His 2000 novel ''Eternity's End'' was a nomine ...
* ''The Cylons' Secret'' by
Craig Shaw Gardner Craig Shaw Gardner (born July 2, 1949) is an American author, best known for producing fantasy parodies similar to those of Terry Pratchett. He was also a member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America (SAGA), a loose-knit group of Hero ...
* ''Sagittarius Is Bleeding'' by
Peter David Peter Allen David (September 23, 1956 – May 24, 2025), often abbreviated PAD, was an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films, and video games.Buxton, Marc (March 29, 2014)"From 'Future Imperfect' to '2099': Peter David's Grea ...
* ''Unity'' by Steven Harper


Academic analysis

* ''Somewhere Beyond the Heavens: Exploring Battlestar Galactica'', by Rich Handley and Lou Tambone * ''Cylons in America: Critical Studies in Battlestar Galactica'' * ''So Say We All: An Unauthorized Collection of Thoughts and Opinions on Battlestar Galactica'', edited by Richard Hatch * ''Battlestar Galactica and International Relations'' by Nicholas J. Kiersey and Iver B. Neumann (editors) * ''An Analytical Guide to Television's Battlestar Galactica'' by John Kenneth Muir


Comic books

A series of comic book publishers have adapted ''Battlestar Galactica'' since its inception.
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
published a 23-issue comic book series based upon the show between 1978 and 1981. Walt Simonson, who later wrote and drew ''Thor'' and had a long stint on Marvel's ''Star Wars'' comic, was the artist for the series at its conclusion. Other comics have since been published by Maximum Press, Grandreams, ''
Look-in ''Look-in'' was a children's magazine centred on ITV's television programmes in the United Kingdom, and subtitled "The Junior '' TVTimes''". It ran from 9 January 1971 to 12 March 1994.Dynamite Comics Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...
.
Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...
was the last company to publish comic books featuring both the classic and reimagined ''Battlestar Galactica'' series. They also released a 4-issue ''Galactica 1980'' comic miniseries written by
Marc Guggenheim Marc Guggenheim (born September 24, 1970) is an American screenwriter, television producer, comic book writer, and novelist. He is best known as the creator of the television series ''Eli Stone'' (2008–2009), ''Arrow'' (2012–2020), and ''Lege ...
. The limited miniseries was a re-imagining of the original series but at the end featured a second, smaller ''Battlestar'' (replacing the original which was destroyed) also named ''Galactica'' but strongly resembling the ship seen in the reimagined Sci-Fi Channel series.


Games


Video games

In 1978, Mattel Electronics released a handheld electronic
LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (corresp ...
game based on the series. The player tries to defend ''Galactica'' from
kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...
Cylon Raiders by manipulating a switch on the game unit to direct their fire, triggered by a red button to the left of the unit. In November 2003, shortly before the premiere of the re-imagined TV series, Sierra released a 3D space combat ''Battlestar Galactica'' computer game for the original
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...
,
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
, and PC. The game took place 40 years before the original series and featured an ensign Adama flying a Viper during the Cylon war. The game was developed by Warthog. There is also a 2D Xbox 360 Live Arcade title called ''Battlestar Galactica'' wherein players can co-op or dogfight with up to 8 people over
Xbox Live The Xbox network, formerly known and commonly referred to as Xbox Live, is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Gaming for the Xbox brand. It was first made available to the origina ...
. ''
Battlestar Galactica Online ''Battlestar Galactica Online'' was a browser-based massively multiplayer online game (MMO) loosely based on the 2004 television series ''Battlestar Galactica''. Released in open beta on February 8, 2011, it was developed by Bigpoint Games and ...
'' was a 3D browser-based
MMOG A massively multiplayer online game (MMOG or more commonly MMO) is an online video game with a large number of players to interact in the same online game world. MMOs usually feature a huge, persistent open world, although there are games th ...
released as an open beta on February 8, 2011, by Bigpoint Games. ''Battlestar Galactica Deadlock'' is a 2017 3D turn based strategy game (released on PC, Xbox One and PS4) featuring the First Cylon War. The game is developed by Black Lab Games and published by the Slitherine Software.


Tabletop games

The original series inspired a ''Battlestar Galactica'' board game. The game is set during a training mission, where two to four players maneuver pieces representing Colonial Vipers to capture a damaged
Cylon Raider The Cylons () are a race of sentient robots in the ''Battlestar Galactica'' science fiction franchise, whose primary goal is the extermination of the human race. Introduced in the original Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series), 1978 television s ...
. Play includes using terrain elements and a number of special-ability cards to the players' advantage. In 1979,
FASA FASA Corporation was an American publisher of role-playing games, wargaming, wargames and board games between 1980 and 2001, after which they closed publishing operations for several years, becoming an IP holding company under the name FASA In ...
released a tabletop counter piece game for ''
Battlestar Galactica ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. It began with the original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel series, '' Galactica 1980'', a line of book adaptat ...
'' based on the fighter combat, which included the ''Galactica'' and a Cylon Basestar to be launched from, attack with and be attacked/defended. The counters for the Vipers and the Raiders included three model versions MKI/MKII/MKIII, not just the MKII Viper and Raider MKI. Wiz Kids, Inc. (a collectible game manufacturer) produced the '' Battlestar Galactica Collectible Card Game'' based on the 2003 mini-series and 2004 TV show. The premier set of this game was released in May 2006. After the release of one expansion set, Wizkids cancelled the game on March 13, 2007. A ''
Battlestar Galactica ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. It began with the original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel series, '' Galactica 1980'', a line of book adaptat ...
''
role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out ...
was released in August 2007 by Margaret Weis Productions at
Gen Con Gen Con is the largest tabletop game convention in North America by both attendance and number of events. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, live action role-playing ...
. In 2008 Fantasy Flight Games produced '' Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game'', based on the 2003 re-imagined series. It is a semi-cooperative game of strategy for 3–6 players with some players being Cylon agents, either aware at start of the game or become aware later, as
sleeper agent A sleeper agent is a spy or operative who is placed in a target country or organization, not to undertake an immediate mission, but instead to act as a potential asset on short notice if activated in the future. Even if not activated, the "sle ...
s. Each of the 10 playable character has its own abilities and weaknesses, and they must all work together in order for humanity to survive, as well as attempt to expose the traitor while fuel shortages, food contaminations, and political unrest threaten to tear the fleet apart. The game had three expansions, ''Pegasus'', ''Exodus'' and ''Daybreak''. In 2018, Ares Games released ''Battlestar Galactica: Starship Battles'', a miniature game by Andrea Angiolino and Andrea Mainini simulating space duels between Vipers and Raiders, with expansions including further models. The game is based on the 2003 re-imagined series, but the license will also allow use of spaceships from the original series, with a game approach similar to Wings of War.


Theme park attractions

Battle of Galactica opened June 9, 1979, as an event on the Studio Tour at
Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios Hollywood is a film studio and Amusement park, theme park located in Universal City, California, near Hollywood, Los Angeles. It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood film studios still in use. Its official marketin ...
at a cost of $1 million, the most expensive special effects attraction ever built at the park at the time. This high-technology attraction featured animatronics and live actors in a spectacular laser battle based on the television series, with a 200-foot long spaceship that "swallowed" the passengers. This was the first themed attraction to feature
Audio-Animatronics Audio-Animatronics (also known simply as AAs) are a form of Mechatronics, mechatronic animatronics puppetry created by Walt Disney Imagineering and Trademark, trademarked by The Walt Disney Company for use in designed shows and attractions at Disn ...
characters outside
Disney Parks Disney Experiences, commonly known as Disney Parks, is one of the three major divisions of the Walt Disney Company. It was founded on April 1, 1971, exactly six months before the opening of the Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort. Led ...
, and was the first
dark ride A dark ride—or ghost train when horror themed—is an indoor amusement ride on which passengers aboard guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain Animatronics, animation, sound, music and Special effect#Live spe ...
to combine sophisticated animatronics and lasers with live actors. It was replaced in 1992 by the foundations of '' Back to the Future: The Ride''. A Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon
roller coaster A roller coaster is a type of list of amusement rides, amusement ride employing a form of elevated Railway track, railroad track that carries passengers on a roller coaster train, train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements, usua ...
opened March 18, 2010, at
Universal Studios Singapore Universal Studios Singapore (abbreviation: USS) is a theme park located within the Resorts World Sentosa integrated resort at Sentosa in Singapore. It features 24 rides, shows, and attractions in seven themed zones. It is one of the five U ...
.


See also

* ''Battlestar Galactica'' comics * ''Battlestar Galactica'' ship * List of space science fiction franchises


Notes


References


Bibliography

* Chris Klassen "Research Note: Rejecting Monotheism? Polytheism, Pluralism, and ''Battlestar Galactica''". ''Journal of Contemporary Religion''. 23,3 (2008), 355–362. * Eftychia Papanikolaou. (2007). "Of Duduks and Dylan: Negotiating Music and the Aural Space". i
in America: Critical Studies of Battlestar Galactica''
edited by Tiffany Potter and C. W. Marshall, 224–236. New York and London: Continuum.


External links


Syfy's ''Battlestar Galactica'' site
* * * * Battlestar Wiki, a ''Battlestar Galactica'' Wiki {{Universal Studios franchises Mass media franchises introduced in 1978 American science fiction television series American television series revived after cancellation Military science fiction Science fiction franchises Space opera Television franchises Television series by Universal Television