Battlestar Galactica

release year: 1978
genre: sci-fi
viewing setting: home DVD 3/7/23 and 2/7/13 and home laserdisc 9/9/97 and several other times in the 1980s

synopsis: In the far future, the humans of 12 colonies are at war with the hostile, robotic Cylons. After a massive double-cross wipes out their home worlds, the humans take to the stars in a ragtag fleet, searching for a new homeworld.

impressions: This movie led to a TV series (actually, two of them) and the whole thing still holds a special place in my heart. Yet...this movie was cheesy. It had the requisite furry little creature and accompanying irritating kid. It had Cylons, perhaps the most ineffective mass shock troops since Stormtroopers. It had a ruling council that was weak, spineless, and stupid; in a real situation of this kind, the military forces would have taken over...martial law. You don't like it, we'll leave you behind to fend for yourselfes. But I digress.

activation point: 10:00 - this is the point where the scouts realize that the Cylons have secretly massed a huge fleet to attack

acting: Lorne Greene is the commander of the last battlestar and father to two major characters, Apollo and Athena. Richard Hatch is Apollo, fighter pilot and all-around stable guy. Dirk Benedict is Starbuck, fighter pilot, gambler, and ladies' man - perhaps the most entertaining character. There are others, but none of them had major roles like these three.

final word: It's the starting point for the other big sci-fi franchise from the late 1970s.

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