h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Battlestar Galactica - A1016399
Author: JH_Gargleblaster - U224234

I just want to see what others think

I would suggest links to some web pages about the show.

And somebody's going to suggest putting it into GuideML and getting some headers in there.

(John Colicos and Lorne Greene -- Should have been Battlestar GaCanada)

I have made some changes based on the peer review posting(s). Some links to websites were added, thats all.


JH_Gargleblaster

Hello again,

I have just converted the entry into Guide ML format. Hope you like it.


-JH_Gargleblaster

If I remember correctly, Lucas filed a lawsuit again Larson claiming that he had ripped off Star Wars. Larson's defence was that he actually ripping off The Bible. Specifically, the children of Israel, led by Moses, wandering in the desert for 40 years. Hence Adama is Moses, and Appolo and Starbuck are Joshua and Caleb. The rest of the crew of the rag-tag fleet being the children of Israel as a whole.

You could mention something about the design. The uniforms (particularly the helmets) were meant to have a kind of Incan/Mayan look about them, thus giving the crew a look that is a futuristic take on ancient human design.


Geggs

there was also a massive credibility problem with the series, due to being science fiction with very little connection being made with the science aspect.

examples of these problems include arbitrary and inconsistant use of different time and distance measures, various technically implausable techniques being mentioned, and then commpletely re-designed in later episodes, and a whole host of problems due to poor continuity checking.

A mention of the somewhat ridiculous premise of Galactica 1980 wouldn't go amiss- the fleet reaches Earth, only to discover that it only has 80s technology, and needs protecting from the Cylons

Mention of Patrick 'Avengers' Mcnee as the voice of the Cylon Imperious Leader would also be good.

Plus the fact that Larson was quite famous for vaguely dodgy SF in the 70s and 80s, sort of the Erwin Allen of his time.

Hey JHG,

Can you let me know when the updates have been made so I can process this fine entry for the EG?

Many thanks

Ashley

I've a nasty feeling the man himself might have Elvised Ashley If it ends up Flea Market bound, it's *mine*

Glen A Larson's other great creation Knight Rider, also took things from Battlestar Gallactica, specifically the red "eye" of the cylon for KITT's sensor.

And in the first series of the A-Team, Dirk Benedict (Face, who also played Starbuck in the series) passed a cylon at a sci-fi convention and does a double take. This scene was incorporated into the opening titles, complete with cylon "sweeping noise" as the eye moves.

Oh yeah, I remember that. Funniest joke in the whole show, that.


Geggs

JH, is this ready yet?

I don't really think ths ought to go off without the three sets of suggestions above incorporated Sam

Not to nit pick, but could you turn the web addresses at the bottom into hyperlinks so we can click on them.

It's only a small niggle. I like your entry.

You'd have thought for $1 million per episode, how much of an impact in the budget would a continuity checker have made?

I mention the cylons in my "Androins in Science Fiction" entry: A1013545#cylons

"The show was revived in 1980 as Galactica 1980. The show was a failure and is not too popular with fans."

Does it have fans?? (only joking)
You could always have an episode guide and summary of the plot of each episode for both series. Wasn't there an episode in the second series where they find Starbuck, stranded on a desolate planet?

Mmm, I'm always leery of including episode reviews in EG entries- after all, there are plenty of sites without such guides on, do we really need to duplicate them?

You don't have to review them, just the titles will do.

It's not my entry

That's the sort of thing I meant tho- you can go to a dozen fan sites and see that sort of information, why replicate it here?

Yes, the final episode of Galactica 1980 was a cheap ripoff of "Enemy Mine" with the return of Starbuck, stuck on a planet with a Cylon and having to cooperate to survive...

Definitely one of those shows that seemed good when you were ten, but looked at now is... less good.

H.

One thing that puzzled me.

It was shown that a Battlestar at flank speed could outrun a cylon fighter. When they saw them coming why didn't someone say:

"Arse! Run for it!"

Like Adama did?