Battlestar Galactica

President Adar with his counsel Count Baltar (John Colicos) are with the fleet preparing to sign a peace treaty with the Cylon Alliance. Captain Apollo (Richard Hatch) is out on patrol with his green younger brother Zac in place of Lieutenant Starbuck (Dirk Benedict). They are ambushed by Cylon fighters. With signals jammed and treacherous advise from the traitor Baltar, the President orders the fleet to stand down. Commander Adama (Lorne Greene) nevertheless orders a battle drill. When the fleet is attacked, his Battlestar Galactica is the sole survivor. Meanwhile, the twelve colonies are devastated by a Cylon sneak attack. Adama gathers a fleet of survivors to journey to the legendary thirteenth colony Earth of unknown location.

Coming one year after Star Wars, there were some complaints of copying and even a lawsuit or two. This is certainly inferior to Star Wars and there are elements copied from the movie. However, it's also undeniable this is one of the best TV sci-fi series of that era. It's also not a complete copy. There are plenty of compelling original ideas such as the twelve colonies, the designs from the spacecrafts to the Egyptian-like helmets, and also the music. Some of it seems cheesy compared to modern TV. The writing can be melodramatic but it must be compared to writing during that time. The Battlestar Galactica series is an important sign post for the sci-fi genre on TV despite its later deterioration. This pilot movie is a great setup for that series.

After many years of war, the humans from the Twelve Colonies are near to celebrate an armistice with the evil Cylon. Out of the blue, the Cylons betray the pact and destroy the Colonies and the entire fleet except the Battlestar Galactica. Commander Adama (Lorne Greene) summons the survivors from the Colonies to follow him in a journey to the planet Earth. However they are short of water, supplies and fuel and they head to the planet Carillon to replenish the fleet and get the supplies. Adama's son, the warrior Captain Apollo (Richard Hatch), and his partners Lieutenants Starbuck (Dirk Benedict) and Boomer (Herbert Jefferson Jr.) destroy the mines left by the Cylons and they reach the planet. They are welcomed by the inhabitants and find the paradise. Meanwhile the human leader Sire Uri (Ray Milland) wants to destroy their arms and live in the Cylon Empire despite the contempt of Adama. Sire Uri decides to give medals to Apollo, Starbuck and Boomer for their bravery on Carillon and invites the warriors to come to the party. However Adama believes that it is a trap for the Galactica. What can he do?

"Battlestar Galactica" is a cult sci-fi for people of my generation. I was one of the big fans of the movie and the series in the 70's and 80's, and it was delightful to see this movie again, indeed a travel in time. It is impressive that almost forty years later, the special effects and sets of the Galactica are still great. Impressive how beautiful Jane Seymor is in this film. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Galactica: Astronave de Combate" ("Battlestar Galactica")

for over 20 years poeple have slammed BSG for not being as good as star wars.......excuse me? but sci fi series is. QUIT SLAMMING IT AND WATCH IT AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME.what you'll discover is a wonderful tale about tragedy,exodus,survival,conflict,strategy,and even romance.you'll find a group of people who are forced to draw a line in the stars and fight back when all odds are agianst them . the story is actually better than star wars. and maybe even better acted than star wars. what it fails to do is capture your immagination the way star wars did. the specail effects hold up even by todays standard. i'm going out on a limb to say that the 2 1/2 hour pilot movie is arguably the best space opera ever behind the star wars trilogy.if you love great looking space battles,good special effects, and a great story. this film is a must see.you owe it to yourself to own a copy of this movie. it is a classic treat your gonna wanna see over and over and over...and just like star wars you'll never get tired of it

This is one of my favorite sci-fi shows, but I certainly recognize its flaws.

The Good:

* the concept

---> I liked the historical context of the 12 tribes of Kobol, the Pearl Harbor-like attack, the "ragtag fugitive fleet" seeking Earth. This really framed the series well.

---> The look of the Ceylon base ships and the bat-wing Ceylon fighters was terrific. I also liked the look of the battlestars and Colonial vipers. The command center of the battlestar seemed believable.

* the casting:

---> Lorne Greene as Adama brings a commanding screen presence

---> Richard Hatch as Apollo is well-cast and believable as a leader/captain of a fighter wing

---> Dirk Benedict as Starbuck the amiable sarcastic sidekick

---> John Colicos as Baltar oozed evil with perfection

---> other minor cast members like Herbert Jefferson Jr as Boomer and Terry Carter as Colonel Tigh were very well cast too

---> I thought the three most visible female characters were all good, though not standout. Maren Jensen, Laurette Spang, and Anne Lockhart just also happened to be beautiful too.

---> visiting cast members like:

-------> Lloyd Bridges as Commander Cain was truly memorable

-------> Patrick McNee as Count Iblis was also highly memorable

-------> Ray Milland and Fred Astaire were good guest stars too

* the costumes

---> I liked the Colonial Warrior uniforms - they still have a style to them today. I liked the Warrior helmets with their Egyptian-like motif.

---> The Ceylon warriors with their shiny armor, had a great look to them too. The red strobe they used for vision was a great menacing concept.

* some episodes with great plot lines

---> the return of Commander Cain and the Pegasus stands out

---> I thought the visit to the "home" planet of Kobol, with its Egyptian motifs, was terrific. This is part of the pilot's introductory three episodes.

---> I also liked the encounter with the Ship of Lights and Count Iblis - this was especially well done.

* the music - I still like the theme song to Battlestar Galactica

* the behavior of the Ceylons was entertaining. "By your command" spoken in a tinny voice was a favorite.

The Bad:

* some cheesy special effects (by today's standards)

---> ...and reuse of the same special effects

---> why was Count Iblis' crash site off-color in one moment, and clear blue the next?

* quite a lot of cheesy cringe-inducing dialogue

* the little kid Boxie and his robot dog

* some of the episodes had really horrible plot lines, especially later in the series

---> the Lost Warrior where the kids attack the Ceylon outpost

---> why did Baltar return to the human fleet again?

The Ugly:

* the original show was cancelled after one season

* Galactica 1980, the follow-on show in which the battlestar finds earth, was pretty horrible

All in all, I am willing to forgive Battlestar Galactica's flaws and remember with fondness its strengths.

Rick

I quite enjoyed this film, so at first it may seem strange that I only gave it 5 stars, but there is an explanation for that. The story is original and intriguing, and the special effects are good with great model work and vector based computer graphics. You get more than two hours of worth while space adventure, but there are a couple of things that makes me to deduct a star or two. Many of the special effects scenes, while gorgeous, are reused more than once in the film, which is sometimes a bit of a distraction. Especially a couple of times where whats taking place in the story does not match the reused effects scene. Also, as this is essentially a TV-show tie-in, the movie ends somewhat abrupt leaving a bit of an empty feeling if you do not plan on watching the show. It can definitely be watched on its own though, and it is possible to look past the things i mentioned here, but my rating here has to be fair and comparable to other movies in the genre. The obvious comparison is Star Wars which came out the year before, and Battlestar Galactica the movie is definitely not near that level overall.

I would recommend any sci-fi fan to watch Battlestar Galactica.