Battlestar Galactica, episode 12: The Living Legend, part 1

release year: 1978
genre: sci-fi
viewing setting: home DVD 2/9/13

synopsis: Just as the fleet runs out of fuel in the middle of Cylon territory, a lost battlestar commanded by a legendary war hero appears to help out.

impressions: This was one of the most popular episodes, and with good reason: it features space battle, which is always good in sci-fi series. It also has a supposedly-lost battlestar showing up, full of skilled warriors ready to mix it up with the bad guys, plus a commander who's a war hero and legend. So Cain wants to combine forces and try to capture the Cylon base, while Adama has to worry about all the fleet ships that would be unprotected if he went along with the plan. And of course, the Cylons attack while the two commanders are arguing. This is part one of a two-part super-episode. Worth noting: around 48:00, there's some hilarious banter between an overconfident Baltar and his Cylon pilot.

activation point: 5:00 - this is the point where Apollo and Starbuck realize that they really have come upon another battlestar full of humans.

acting: I won't discuss the series regulars, but rather the new characters introduced here: Lloyd Bridges is outstanding as a grizzled old war hero whose best defense is a good offense. Anne Lockhart is his daughter, who's also a great fighter pilot.

final word: Good space-battle two-parter from this series.

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