Galactica 1980 is a science-fiction television series, and a spin-off from Battlestar Galactica. It was first broadcast on the ABC network in the United States from January 27, 1980 to May 4, 1980.

Synopsis

Set a generation after the original series, the Galactica and its fleet of 220 civilian ships have finally discovered Earth, only to find that the planet cannot defend itself against the Cylons as originally planned. Therefore, teams of Colonial warriors are covertly sent to the planet to work incognito with various members of the scientific community, hoping to advance Earth's technology.

Commander Adama and Boomer—now second-in-command in place of Colonel Tigh—send Captain "Boxey" Troy, who is the adopted son of Adama's own son Apollo, and Lt. Dillon to North America, where they become entangled with TV journalist Jamie Hamilton. The three of them devise ways to help Earth's scientists and outwit the Cylons.

Cast

• Lorne Greene - Commander Adama
• Robyn Douglass - Jamie Hamilton
• Herb Jefferson Jr. - Boomer
• Richard Lynch - Xavier
• Kent McCord - Captain Troy
• Allan Miller - Colonel Sydell
• James Patrick Stuart - Dr. Zee
• Robbie Rist - Dr. Zee
• Barry Van Dyke - Lieutenant Dillon

Greene (Adama) and Jefferson (Boomer) were the only major cast members of the original series to return, with Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict both refusing to return after reading the initial scripts.

Short life

The series had a promising start with a three-hour adventure that saw Troy, Dillon and Jamie sent back in time to Nazi Germany to save the future, but the series could not sustain this momentum; it was unceremoniously cancelled after only ten episodes, many of which were multi-part stories, or what would be referred to now as arcs. The final episode featured the return of Dirk Benedict as Lt. Starbuck from the original series in a flashback episode, but it wasn't enough to save the series.

Many fans do not consider Galactica 1980 to be canonical with the original series; many cite Galactica 1980 as one of the worst shows in science fiction history.

Syndication and beyond

The ten Galactica 1980 episodes were rolled into the television syndication package for Battlestar Galactica and were given the same title as its parent program. Several episodes were also released on home video under the title Conquest of the Earth.

Episode list

1. "Galactica Discovers Earth" (aka "Galactica 1980"), Part 1 – January 27, 1980
2. "Galactica Discovers Earth" (aka "Galactica 1980"), Part 2 – February 3, 1980
3. "Galactica Discovers Earth" (aka "Galactica 1980"), Part 3 – February 10, 1980
4. "The Super Scouts", Part 1 – March 16, 1980
5. "The Super Scouts", Part 2 – March 23, 1980
6. "Spaceball" – March 30, 1980
7. "The Night the Cylons Landed", Part 1 – April 13, 1980 (guest-starring Wolfman Jack)
8. "The Night the Cylons Landed", Part 2 – April 20, 1980 (guest-starring Wolfman Jack)
9. "Space Croppers" – April 27, 1980
10. "The Return of Starbuck" – May 4, 1980

• Another episode called The Night they Kidnaped Cleopatra had begun shooting when the series was cancelled.

See also

• Battlestar Galactica (2003), the 2003 miniseries and following regular series
• Battlestar Galactica , the video game

External links

• UGO Galactica 1980 site
• Battlestar Galactica Wiki