Movie
It seems almost inevitable that Battlestar Galactica would have found its way to the small screen in one form or another. The series aired in 1978 hot on the heels of the cinema phenomenon that was Star Wars. The studio executives, never ones to shy away from jumping on a lucrative bandwagon hastily commissioned seasoned writer Glen A. Larson to produce a space epic to ride on the coat tails of the success of Star Wars. Larson was no stranger to science fiction developing iconic series such as The Six Million Dollar Man and Buck Rogers.
The result was Battlestar Galactica, which rapidly ballooned to become the most expensive TV series ever to be filmed at that time. The big budget was both the series strength and the greatest weakness. Mindful of the enormous financial outlay studio executives exerted influence on the scripts which were dumbed down to become suitable for children and a family audience, in an attempt to boost ratings by airing as a family spectacular early in the evening. In reality, the ongoing overhead coupled to a disastrous re-working caused the series to be cancelled at the end of its first season. It has to be remembered that this was television before the advent of VHS and DVD meaning that a revenue stream of home purchase was unavailable to the studio, forcing them to solely rely on syndication and strong ratings.
It seems ironic then that some 30 years later that Battlestar Galactica, a series that was cancelled at the end of its first season has become iconic amongst the “thirty-somethings” who grew up with the original airings. With the release of a new version of Battlestar Galactica remade for a modern audience the old series has once again found itself in the spotlight, leading to the release of the original pilot movie which is reviewed here.
The plot is centred around the crew of the Battlestar Galactica and their quest to lead the remants of humanity, devasted by the Cylon race of machine warriors, (nicknamed “toasters” for their chrome armour), to safety in a mass exodus in search of a new planet to call home. That Battlestar Galactica is a child of cold war paranoia is obvious throughout the plotting. The concept of failed peace talks and an evil empire launching a pre-emptive attack whilst diplomats attempt to open a window for dialogue is hardly a hidden sub-text on the concerns of US-Soviet relations in the 1970s and the very real fear of nuclear pre-emption. Added to this is Larson’s own mormon ideology that filters through the plotting that not so subtly mirrors the exodus of the tribes of Israel. Despite the rather predictable plotting and religious overtones coupled to sometimes less than perfect acting Battlestar Galactica still manages to provide solid entertainment that the whole family can enjoy. The early episodes that have been concatenated into a single movie format presented on this disk certainly proved to be the highlight of the entire series run and single-handedly created an army of fans that maintain a fanatical devotion to the present day. Compared to the modern re-imagining by Ronald Moore the 1970’s original seems somewhat pedestrian in its plotting and lacking in gritty realism. We see a crew that after the destruction of their homeworld hardly find the time to shed a tear and are more than willing to gamble and live the high life on a pleasure planet rather than contemplate the recent near genocide of the human race. Compared to the stark reality of new Galactica this seems rather jarring but in the original series Larson was writing for a family audience, intended to appeal to all ages and all genders.
Presentation
For those willing to be swept along for the ride and forgiving enough to not be distracted by Larson’s theological moralising that entwines itself into the script there is much to enjoy. The video and audio has been beautifully restored to the point where the presentation appears modern rather than a 30 year old piece of television. Unfortunately, and especially given the classic nature of the series, the disks are bereft of extras. What we are left with is lightweight, Disney style science fiction that is terrifically enjoyable and suitable for family viewing. Battlestar Galactica has endured over 30 years for a reason, and that reason is that this is compelling science fiction that inspired a generation. This classic of the small screen has now reached the digital age and is set to inspire the new DVD generation. The good news for those that enjoy this slice of space nostalgia is that the entire series is also available as a box set.