Battlestar Bonanza

Apollo, Adama, and Starbuck, flashlights at the ready

Television back in the late 1970's was pretty sweet for a kid who loved sci-fi. Star Wars (the original '77 film) had changed the world. Every TV network was jumping on that bandwagon, hoping to grab some cash while the craze lasted, though little did they know that the face of pop culture and what was considered "cool" would change forever. 

Let's be honest here, anyone who obsessed over sci-fi or fantasy up until the 80's was considered an undesirable. Not a terrible person, but he or she simply wouldn't fit in with the so-called cool gang. Ostracized by that clique, the nerds generally created their own community, but even that notion was in its infancy.... Star Trek conventions were among the very few new-ish "socials" for the bookish, science-oriented, or introverted types. As the decades wore on, Star Wars and Star Trek picked up steam rapidly in the public consciousness, and eventually, character names from those shows and movies became household knowledge.... even Mom and Dad (not mine, though) talked about the Wookiees and the Klingons. And more and more movies and TV shows of that genre were on the menu at any given time. They began to dominate pop culture. 

Then everyone liked that stuff, even the "cool" kids. Nowadays, people young and old who would have been considered geeky back in the 70's or 80's are the cool ones. Sci-fi is everywhere, so just enjoy it (if you like it), whoever you are.

In 1978, Battlestar Galactica hit the TV airwaves, sending up a resounding cheer within the Star Wars fan camp. We loved Star Wars and we wanted more! Even if it was only slightly similar... in tone, in look, conceptually, story-wise... the fans wanted - no, needed - a longer fix of science fiction and space fantasy. Battlestar did the trick.

The original TV show was a combo of Star Wars styling with biblical story themes. The spiritual ideas that were apparently in the mix were lost on me, just a dumb tween, at the time. The show's creator, Glen A. Larson, blended his own religious beliefs into the show's story, much to the dismay of some viewers (the critics). Veteran Canadian actor Lorne Greene, who played the lead role of Commander Adama, even wore robed outfits that resembled those of a religious minister.

Possibly the weirdest thing about the show

But the rag tag fleet of cruiser ships and the Viper fighters, the eerie warbling Cylons, the robot puppies, the Han Solo-style duds, Egyptian space helmets and the short cloaks... it all resonated with familiarity and yet brought a fresh approach to the show's viewers. Slick and punchy. Not quite as talky as Star Trek and not as fantasy-laden as Star Wars, Battlestar struck a decent middle ground.

The show's budget allowed for good special effects, which according to my memory (but not necessarily fact) rivaled those of Star Wars. Space dogfights, laser gunfights, the Cylons, and anything SFX-oriented were impressive enough to win over followers of the genre. 

Battlestar, like Star Trek and Star Wars before it, spawned a barrage of toys, games, model kits, comics, and books. I built a Viper model myself.... it's not terribly impressive, but hey, I was a beginner way back then. The model is still kicking around and is in fine condition, as you can see:

Given my recently revived interest in scale modeling,

maybe I could go back and spruce up this old Viper

Unfortunately, Battlestar didn't have the legs to take it very far.... just one season in, the show was cancelled. It was revived briefly in a weaker and drastically changed state as Galactica 1980, but lack of interest from anyone killed it in the water. As everyone in this and surrounding galaxies knows, the Galactica reboot in 2003 was a huge success, beginning as a mini-series, then regular series, movies and webisodes. I saw the original mini-series, but that's as far as I took it. Maybe I'll revisit the show someday and follow it further. Or not. 

I think I'd just like to hang onto the memories of the original, space puppies and all.