𝘽𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧 𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖 was over, canceled, gone. For nine months there had been no new episodes. So, you can imagine the freak-out that Sunday morning of January 27, 1980, when I opened the Houston Chronicle TV listings and saw 𝘽𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧 𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙀𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝 listed for that night! (Galactica Discovers Earth was another title seen in even more papers.)
If only it had lived up to expectations...over the weeks, even at 11 years old I knew something wasn't right. Over the decades, we've learned why it was so bad, and an entire book could be written about this failed production.
The show's premise involves the last battlestar, Galactica and its ragtag Colonial fleet discovering Earth in 1980, some 30 decades after the original series. However, they find that Earth is not advanced enough to defend itself against the Cylons or aid the Galactica. The Galacticans then make it their objective to influence Earth's development so they can fight off the inevitable arrival of the Cylons.
In the first three episodes, the Galacticans realize that the humans of Earth were not unified and were technologically inadequate in both helping the fleet fight the Cylons or defending themselves. Mysterious prodigy Dr. Zee (Robbie Rist) simulates on screen what would happen if the Cylons arrived. (In reality, scenes from the movie 𝙀𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙠𝙚 with Cylon Raiders and laserblasts superimposed over the destruction of Los Angeles.) Zee instructs agents be sent to trusted scientists to influence scientific breakthroughs, though this will take time. Rogue Commander Xavier (Richard Lynch) works against the wishes of the fleet and travels to the 1930s to provide advanced technology to the Nazis. Captain Troy (Kent McCord, playing the now-adult Boxey) and Lieutenant Dillon (Barry Van Dyke) are sent to chase him through time, attempting to restore history. They befriend reporter Jamie Hamilton (Robyn Douglass) as their guide and potential liaison to the media.
ABC was unhappy with the time travel storyline, and this was dropped, and after a month hiatus, the "Super Scouts" storyline was introduced, where Troy and Dillon protect Colonial children on Earth masquerading as a scout troop....what? The story element of the Galactica children (and adults) having enhanced abilities on Earth due to differences in gravity and physiology was also added. Zay. Zee. Zy, lo, do. Zay. Zee. I know you. Ask me, I told you. Zay. Zee. Zy, lo, do. The series only went downhill from here, with the ironic exception of the final episode.
The show's premise involves the last battlestar, Galactica and its ragtag Colonial fleet discovering Earth in 1980, some 30 decades after the original series. However, they find that Earth is not advanced enough to defend itself against the Cylons or aid the Galactica. The Galacticans then make it their objective to influence Earth's development so they can fight off the inevitable arrival of the Cylons.
In the first three episodes, the Galacticans realize that the humans of Earth were not unified and were technologically inadequate in both helping the fleet fight the Cylons or defending themselves. Mysterious prodigy Dr. Zee (Robbie Rist) simulates on screen what would happen if the Cylons arrived. (In reality, scenes from the movie 𝙀𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙠𝙚 with Cylon Raiders and laserblasts superimposed over the destruction of Los Angeles.) Zee instructs agents be sent to trusted scientists to influence scientific breakthroughs, though this will take time. Rogue Commander Xavier (Richard Lynch) works against the wishes of the fleet and travels to the 1930s to provide advanced technology to the Nazis. Captain Troy (Kent McCord, playing the now-adult Boxey) and Lieutenant Dillon (Barry Van Dyke) are sent to chase him through time, attempting to restore history. They befriend reporter Jamie Hamilton (Robyn Douglass) as their guide and potential liaison to the media.
ABC was unhappy with the time travel storyline, and this was dropped, and after a month hiatus, the "Super Scouts" storyline was introduced, where Troy and Dillon protect Colonial children on Earth masquerading as a scout troop....what? The story element of the Galactica children (and adults) having enhanced abilities on Earth due to differences in gravity and physiology was also added. Zay. Zee. Zy, lo, do. Zay. Zee. I know you. Ask me, I told you. Zay. Zee. Zy, lo, do. The series only went downhill from here, with the ironic exception of the final episode.
The show was plagued by production issues, a limited budget, tight deadlines, and network interference. Since ABC slotted it Sundays at 7/6pm Central, this meant they needed not only a very family-friendly show, but also FCC-mandated educational storybeats. (You know all about this if you've listened to the podcasts.) Thus, you would have the action halted for characters to explain how the rain cycle or internal combustion engine worked. This led to repeated conflicts between the writers/producers and the ABC network censor Susan Futterman, who repeatedly gave them flak, claiming innocent lines of dialogue were somehow sexual references, and disputing scientific facts included - even when they came right out of the latest encyclopedia. For example, she objected to references of meatballs (a dish being served at a party), resulting in producer Glen Larson adding even more instances of the word and withholding the episode until the last minute to prevent edits!
MEATBALLS!
Did you think I was kidding?
Casting was also an issue. Kent McCord says he was hired the night before filming began, with the network not happy with their original choice. Lorne Greene and Herb Jefferson Jr. were the only returning cast members from the original series, as the others were not available or declined to participate. The role of Dr. Zee was changed from Robbie Rist to James Patrick Stewart for an unexplained reason, with Rist finding out he was recast when the show aired with a new actor in his place. Xavier also changes actors to Jeremy Brett later in the show. All the child actors also complicated the filming schedule due to the limited hours they were legally allowed to work.
The series was canceled due to continually declining ratings in the middle of production of the 11th episode, "The Day They Kidnapped Cleopatra", and filming on this was abandoned. However, the already-in-the-can final episode, "The Return of Starbuck," was aired, and was well-received by fans. In this episode, Dirk Benedict returned to the role of Starbuck, who had been stranded on a desert planet with a Cylon and a mysterious woman. A planned sequel episode titled "The Wheel of Fire" confirming the woman as a Seraph from the Ship of Lights, went unproduced.
Although there was arguably a cool element here and there, such as the flying Turbines (modified 1979 Yamaha MX175 motorcycles), and wrist computrons (hey, I was 11 and easy to please) most of the sci-fi was gimmicky and poorly executed...invisibility, hand lasers that would now 'freeze' people (that Susan Futterman again) instead of stun them, etc. The episodes "The Night the Cylons Landed" offered potential, presenting a humanoid Cylon...a direction foreshadowing what would be depicted in the Ronald Moore reimagining.
The series was canceled due to continually declining ratings in the middle of production of the 11th episode, "The Day They Kidnapped Cleopatra", and filming on this was abandoned. However, the already-in-the-can final episode, "The Return of Starbuck," was aired, and was well-received by fans. In this episode, Dirk Benedict returned to the role of Starbuck, who had been stranded on a desert planet with a Cylon and a mysterious woman. A planned sequel episode titled "The Wheel of Fire" confirming the woman as a Seraph from the Ship of Lights, went unproduced.
Good thing these fly. Traffic on the 405 is brutal.
The ten episodes were eventually included in the syndication package for the original Battlestar Galactica, under the same title. There was also a feature film, 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝, pieced together from various episodes, which was released on home video. In 2009, a Galactica 1980 comic series was released, reimagining the original series. Galactica 1980 was released on DVD on its own, as well as in a Blu-ray box set with the original series.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗶𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗙𝗢𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝟭𝟵𝟲𝟵. 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮-𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗶𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗙𝗢𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝟭𝟵𝟲𝟵. 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮-𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆.
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