The series premiere of Battlestar Galactica was written by Glen A. Larson, the show's creator, and directed by Richard A. Colla, who was already an experienced television director at a time when the space genre was gaining popularity, following the tremendous success of George Lucas' Star Wars. Regardless, it turned out to be quite the costly enterprise for Universal Pictures, with the studio spending nearly $8,000,000.00 to produce it, making this one of the most expensive made-for-television movies of the decade. In an attempt to regain some of their initial investment, the pilot episode was actually released in movie theatres prior to its original broadcast in the US on September 17, 1978. This may be the reason why not only the opening titles, but Stu Phillips' epic score and Patrick Mcnee's short, but memorable, narration allude to a more cinematic experience. However, even though it was intended to be a 3-hour television event, this feature length outing has since been separated into three episodes for syndication. But what truly elevates this episode are both the story and its pacing. And this is how it goes: in the seventh millennium of time, the human race is on the verge of achieving peace with the Cylons, the robotic remnants of an extinct alien race, in what is widely considered to be the most significant event in the history of mankind, as it will bring about the end of a war that has raged on for the better part of a thousand years. It is at this point that we are introduced to Commander Adama (Lorne Greene), a member of the Quorum of Twelve and the commanding officer of the Battlestar Galactica, who is gathered with President Adar (Lew Ayres) and his fellow representatives of the United Colonies of Kobol at the President's own Battlestar, the Atlantia. Meanwhile, during a routine patrol run, Adama's sons, Apollo (Richard Hatch) and Zac (Rick Springfield), find a Cylon Tanker and a Cylon Freighter hiding above an old moon and decide to investigate further, only to find countless Cylon Raiders on their way to ambush the unsuspecting fleet with the sole purpose of annihilating the entire human race. It doesn't take long for the Cylons to detect the pair of Colonial Vipers and engage them in combat, while jamming their transmissions to prevent them from warning the fleet about the impending assault. Commander Adama requests that the fleet is placed on alert and their fighters are launched to counter this unknown threat, but the President rejects this, under the advice of Count Baltar (John Colicos), as he is fearful that any show of force might put the already fragile peace treaty at risk. This decision doesn't deter Adama from ordering a battle stations drill and increasing the readiness level of his own Battleship. Even though Apollo manages to reach the Galactica in time, Zac is far less fortunate and his ship is destroyed just short of the fleet, as the Cylons begin their deadly attack. At this stage, the Galactica is the only ship that is ready to repel the assault from the enemy fighters, so they open fire with their laser batteries and order all their fighters to launch, among which are Lieutenant Starbuck (Dirk Benedict) and Lieutenant Boomer (Herbert Jefferson Jr.). However, this doesn't stop the Cylons from their executing their plan, as they focus their attack on the Battlestar Atlantia instead. During the battle, Commander Adama is informed that Cylon Baseships are approaching the Inner Colonies to lay them to waste, so he decides to withdraw from the battle, as the Atlantia explodes in the distance. Alas, they are too late. While on route to their homeworld, Caprica, the crew of the Galactica tap into a live broadcast feed and are crushed by an overwhelming sense of hopelessness, as they watch the vicious attack and destruction of the areas surrounding the Caprica Presidium. At the end of this devastating assault, all of the twelve colonies, along with all remaining Battleships, are utterly destroyed, nearly wiping out all of mankind from existence. While some of the surviving fighter pilots struggle to make it back to the Galactica, Adama decides to go down to the planet's surface to look for his wife and is confronted by a small group of survivors, where we find Serina (Jane Seymour) and her son Boxey (Noah Hathaway). In an attempt to ensure that mankind has a fighting chance, he asks them to send word to anyone who survived the attack on the colonies to board any ships that are fit to travel and meet up with the Battlestar Galactica, so that they can venture together into deep space in search of the mythical 13th Colony, a planet called... Earth. The episode ends with Count Baltar basking in the glory of the destruction of Caprica, while Cylon Centurions carry out the orders they had been given by their Imperious Leader -- the extermination of any surviving humans. For me, this was a near-perfect way to start a season-long story arc, which was an extremely rare quality in science fiction shows of that era. Not only are we introduced to compelling characters, but also to the universe where these events take place. It was also surprising to see how ethnically diverse the cast of this show really was. The main cast is truly exceptional, particularly Lorne Greene, and are accompanied by a very strong supporting cast, who constantly deliver solid performances throughout. It also takes the subject matter seriously, allowing the audience to witness a holocaust that nearly wiped out all of the human race, adding a certain level of tension and setting a very dark tone from the onset of the series. And this is why I'm really looking forward to see what awaits us in Part 2.
Review by WebSorveBlockedParent2021-02-14T17:50:45Z
The series premiere of Battlestar Galactica was written by Glen A. Larson, the show's creator, and directed by Richard A. Colla, who was already an experienced television director at a time when the space genre was gaining popularity, following the tremendous success of George Lucas' Star Wars. Regardless, it turned out to be quite the costly enterprise for Universal Pictures, with the studio spending nearly $8,000,000.00 to produce it, making this one of the most expensive made-for-television movies of the decade. In an attempt to regain some of their initial investment, the pilot episode was actually released in movie theatres prior to its original broadcast in the US on September 17, 1978. This may be the reason why not only the opening titles, but Stu Phillips' epic score and Patrick Mcnee's short, but memorable, narration allude to a more cinematic experience. However, even though it was intended to be a 3-hour television event, this feature length outing has since been separated into three episodes for syndication. But what truly elevates this episode are both the story and its pacing. And this is how it goes: in the seventh millennium of time, the human race is on the verge of achieving peace with the Cylons, the robotic remnants of an extinct alien race, in what is widely considered to be the most significant event in the history of mankind, as it will bring about the end of a war that has raged on for the better part of a thousand years. It is at this point that we are introduced to Commander Adama (Lorne Greene), a member of the Quorum of Twelve and the commanding officer of the Battlestar Galactica, who is gathered with President Adar (Lew Ayres) and his fellow representatives of the United Colonies of Kobol at the President's own Battlestar, the Atlantia. Meanwhile, during a routine patrol run, Adama's sons, Apollo (Richard Hatch) and Zac (Rick Springfield), find a Cylon Tanker and a Cylon Freighter hiding above an old moon and decide to investigate further, only to find countless Cylon Raiders on their way to ambush the unsuspecting fleet with the sole purpose of annihilating the entire human race. It doesn't take long for the Cylons to detect the pair of Colonial Vipers and engage them in combat, while jamming their transmissions to prevent them from warning the fleet about the impending assault. Commander Adama requests that the fleet is placed on alert and their fighters are launched to counter this unknown threat, but the President rejects this, under the advice of Count Baltar (John Colicos), as he is fearful that any show of force might put the already fragile peace treaty at risk. This decision doesn't deter Adama from ordering a battle stations drill and increasing the readiness level of his own Battleship. Even though Apollo manages to reach the Galactica in time, Zac is far less fortunate and his ship is destroyed just short of the fleet, as the Cylons begin their deadly attack. At this stage, the Galactica is the only ship that is ready to repel the assault from the enemy fighters, so they open fire with their laser batteries and order all their fighters to launch, among which are Lieutenant Starbuck (Dirk Benedict) and Lieutenant Boomer (Herbert Jefferson Jr.). However, this doesn't stop the Cylons from their executing their plan, as they focus their attack on the Battlestar Atlantia instead. During the battle, Commander Adama is informed that Cylon Baseships are approaching the Inner Colonies to lay them to waste, so he decides to withdraw from the battle, as the Atlantia explodes in the distance. Alas, they are too late. While on route to their homeworld, Caprica, the crew of the Galactica tap into a live broadcast feed and are crushed by an overwhelming sense of hopelessness, as they watch the vicious attack and destruction of the areas surrounding the Caprica Presidium. At the end of this devastating assault, all of the twelve colonies, along with all remaining Battleships, are utterly destroyed, nearly wiping out all of mankind from existence. While some of the surviving fighter pilots struggle to make it back to the Galactica, Adama decides to go down to the planet's surface to look for his wife and is confronted by a small group of survivors, where we find Serina (Jane Seymour) and her son Boxey (Noah Hathaway). In an attempt to ensure that mankind has a fighting chance, he asks them to send word to anyone who survived the attack on the colonies to board any ships that are fit to travel and meet up with the Battlestar Galactica, so that they can venture together into deep space in search of the mythical 13th Colony, a planet called... Earth. The episode ends with Count Baltar basking in the glory of the destruction of Caprica, while Cylon Centurions carry out the orders they had been given by their Imperious Leader -- the extermination of any surviving humans. For me, this was a near-perfect way to start a season-long story arc, which was an extremely rare quality in science fiction shows of that era. Not only are we introduced to compelling characters, but also to the universe where these events take place. It was also surprising to see how ethnically diverse the cast of this show really was. The main cast is truly exceptional, particularly Lorne Greene, and are accompanied by a very strong supporting cast, who constantly deliver solid performances throughout. It also takes the subject matter seriously, allowing the audience to witness a holocaust that nearly wiped out all of the human race, adding a certain level of tension and setting a very dark tone from the onset of the series. And this is why I'm really looking forward to see what awaits us in Part 2.