TV SERIES · 2003–2003 · USA
Battlestar Galactica
- Created by
- Ronald D. Moore
- Network
- Syfy
- Seasons
- 1
- Episodes
- 2
- Studio
- Tall Ship Productions
112 archived facts 6 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
A re-imagining of the original series in which a "rag-tag fugitive fleet" of the last remnants of mankind flees pursuing robots while simultaneously searching for their true home, Earth.
112 Interesting Facts About Battlestar Galactica
Interesting Facts (31)
- #001
George Lucas and 20th Century-Fox sued the producers, claiming the series was too similar to Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). To capitalize on the film's popularity, the series was redesigned from its original concept using the same special effects team and the same concept designer. The suit was initially dismissed in 1980, but Fox appealed, and the case was finally settled out of court in 1983.
- #002
The Cylon voice was later incorporated into K.I.T.T. on Knight Rider (1982). Both the Cylons and K.I.T.T. have a single red eye that moves side to side. The sound of a Viper launching from the Galactica was the same as K.I.T.T.'s sound, which was made when David Hasselhoff activated Turbo Boost to make the car jump.
- #003
- #004
- #005
John Colicos became so identified with the role of Baltar that his performance earned him the part of Mikkos Cassadine on General Hospital (1963) in the summer of 1981 in the "Ice Princess" storyline. In 1991 he appeared on stage at a theater in his hometown of Toronto, where after the shows audiences applauded him and chanted "Baltar Lives!" He also appeared as Kor in Errand of Mercy (1967), which introduced the Klingons, and reprised the role in several episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993).
- #006
- #007
- #008
- #009
- #010
The story was a complete rewrite by Glen A. Larson of a pilot he had originally titled "Adam's Ark," in which Earth is destroyed and the survivors are sent into space. All Twelve Colonies of Kobol are named after the signs of the Zodiac, and "Kobol" is a reworking of "Kolob," a star or planet in Mormon scripture. Larson developed it under the tutelage of Gene L. Coon, one of Star Trek's (1966) most successful but unfortunately also most obscure showrunners.
- #011
- #012
- #013
As a tribute to the series, U.S. Air Force pilots began calling the F-16 Fighting Falcon the Viper when it entered service in 1980. There were similarities between the real-life F-16 and the Colonial Viper, and the name stuck. The Viper, however, was not based on any real-world fighter aircraft.
- #014
- #015
- #016
- #017
Terry Carter was originally set to play Viper pilot Lieutenant Boomer, but he lost the chance to play the character when he was injured while roller skating. Glen A. Larson then offered him the role of Colonel Tigh, which had initially been intended for a white actor. As a result, the series avoided the racist cliché of having only one minority character on television at the time.
- #018
- #019
Cassiopea was not originally meant to appear at the pilot's side. When Laurette Spang was cast, Saga of a Star World (1978) was planned as the first of three "Battlestar Galactica" television movies, and her character was supposed to die at the hands of the Ovions on Carillon. When ABC decided to pick up the series, the change in format created a need for more female characters, and Spang thus became a series regular. In the second episode she became a "medtech."
- #020
- #021
The Lost Planet of the Gods: Part 2 (1978) included second-unit shots of Adama, Apollo and Serina walking among the ruins at Karnak and Giza in Egypt. Two weeks before the episode was to air, the premiere was postponed because the signing of the Camp David Accords, which brought peace between Egypt and Israel, was broadcast live.
- #022
- #023
- #024
- #025
- #026
- #027
The insignia pin repeatedly attached to the uniform jackets and shirt collars was the officer's Service Branch emblem pin of the U.S. Army's G-2, or Military Intelligence Branch, worn upside down. For the tan and brown uniforms worn by the Colonial Warriors, this badge is the same gold tone as the one worn on Army uniforms; for the blue uniforms worn by the Core Command bridge officers, it is in a nickel-plated silver tone, which is not recognized as an official Army regulation insignia.
- #028
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- #031
Production Story (42)
- #032
After this series was cancelled, ABC decided to make its most successful new program, Mork & Mindy (1978), somewhat more serious and to move it from Thursday nights to Sunday nights. Instead of improving its Sunday evening ratings, the sitcom actually performed worse than this series and never regained its earlier popularity. ABC began reconsidering its decision to cancel this series, which led to the development of Galactica 1980 (1980).
- #033
Plans to revive the 1970s television series date back to the late 1990s. Richard Hatch, star of the original series, made a short film titled Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming (1999) that continued the story years later, but Universal Studios rejected the idea. In 2001, a television film project to be directed by Bryan Singer and conceived as a continuation of the original series was shelved at the last moment. The 2003 version developed by Ronald D. Moore is described as a "reimagining" of the original story rather than a continuation, and it contains both obvious and subtle references to the 1978 series.
- #034
One of the first proposals was to make the story as a film to be shown in theaters (the original television film Battlestar Galactica (1978) had been shown in theaters in 1979). However, although Universal Studios held the television rights, the film rights belonged to creator Glen A. Larson; therefore any theatrical release would have required Larson's approval. The producers of the new series, despite giving Larson the titles of Creator and Consulting Producer and a salary, did not want to obtain his approval, and Larson had no say in the new production.
- #035
- #036
- #037
Glen A. Larson was given the titles "Creator" and "Consulting Producer," ensuring that he received significant royalties from this miniseries and its continuation. However, apart from the original series material, Larson made no contribution to the new productions, and no contribution was requested from him.
- #038
In the advertisement and trailer broadcast by the SyFy Channel for the miniseries, there was a scene in which a Viper exits light speed and advances toward a planetary body. This scene was actually taken from a cut section of the Xbox game Battlestar Galactica (2003); the Vipers in the miniseries do not have an FTL drive. The trailer also shows lasers being fired from the Vipers, while the miniseries uses projectile weapons; the trailer also features the original Cylon Basestars, which are likewise not in the miniseries.
- #039
Ryan Robbins, who plays the officer on Armistice Station, appears in his only scene wearing aging makeup. The reason was that the original version of the opening teaser planned for his character to visit the station several times over 40 years, appearing older each time. However, after filming, all scenes except the final one were cut.
- #040
When Col. Tigh burns his wife's photograph, the woman in the photo was actually producer David Eick's wife, Jenny. But when Tigh's wife Ellen was played in the weekly series by Kate Vernon, the scene had to be reshot with Vernon's photograph, so that the photo could be added to the recap of Ellen's first episode.
- #041
- #042
- #043
The DVD contains deleted scenes with unfinished visual effects: Laura meeting Billy for the first time on the spacecraft; an extended version of Apollo's arrival on Galactica; Boomer landing the Raptor on Galactica; Cally stopping Socinus from going to the tool room; Billy meeting Dualla; Galactica's actual decommissioning ceremony; Apollo's missile chase; the spacecraft picking up Apollo and Starbuck dealing with the Cylon attack; Cally scolding Tyrol; Tyrol taking Boxey to the pilot quarters; Billy explaining to Laura that she needs to think in military terms.
- #044
- #045
- #046
- #047
According to the official website, the officer ranks in the Colonial fleet are: Ensign, Lieutenant (junior grade), Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel, Commodore, Admiral. There is also a Colonial Marine Corps, but their rank structure is unknown; they appear only in the weekly Battlestar Galactica (2004) series, and few of them remain.
- #048
The Botanical Garden ship (the ship carrying the young girl Cammie, played by Haili Page) is actually the VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver. This location was used frequently because of its beauty and should be remembered by fans of Andromeda (2000), particularly as it appears in the episode A Heart for Falsehood Framed (2001).
- #049
- #050
- #051
- #052
- #053
- #054
Immediately after the 14th second of the first episode, 'Commander Adama' asks 'Colonel Tigh' whether he will reconsider the disciplinary action against 'Starbuck'. Tigh replies, 'Not possible, Jesus...' This was probably improvised by the actor, but the word 'Jesus' would not be used as a curse in the Galactica universe, since the historical Jesus was on Earth.
- #055
- #056
- #057
Plans to revive the 1970s television series date back to the late 1990s. Richard Hatch, star of the original series, continued the story years later by shooting a short film titled Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming (1999), but Universal Studios rejected the idea. In 2001, a television film project to be directed by Bryan Singer and serving as a continuation of the original series was shelved at the last moment. The 2003 version developed by Ronald D. Moore is described as a "reimagining" of the original story rather than a continuation, and contains both obvious and subtle references to the 1978 series.
- #058
One of the first proposals was to make the story as a film for theatrical release (the original television film Battlestar Galactica (1978) had been shown in cinemas in 1979). However, although Universal Studios held the television rights, the film rights belonged to creator Glen A. Larson; therefore any theatrical release would have required Larson's approval. The producers of the new series, despite giving Larson the titles of Creator and Consulting Producer along with a salary, did not want to obtain his approval, and Larson had no say in the new production.
- #059
- #060
Glen A. Larson was given the titles of "Creator" and "Consulting Producer," ensuring that he received substantial royalties from this miniseries and its sequels. However, apart from the original series material, Larson contributed nothing to the new productions, and no contribution was requested from him.
- #061
In the advertisement and trailer that the SyFy Channel released for the miniseries, there was a scene in which a Viper exits faster-than-light speed and heads toward a planetary body. This scene was actually taken from a cut segment of the Xbox game Battlestar Galactica (2003); the Vipers in the miniseries do not have FTL drives. The trailer also shows laser fire coming from the Vipers, whereas the miniseries uses projectile weapons; the trailer also features the original Cylon Basestars, which likewise do not appear in the miniseries.
- #062
According to the DVD commentaries, the Botanical Garden ship carrying the little girl and housing all the plants was a reference to the botanical ships in the 1972 film Silent Running. However, in the original Battlestar Galactica series, footage taken from this ship was used as an agricultural ship, creating a double homage.
- #063
Among the items displayed in the newly built museum in Galactica's starboard landing bay are many props from the original series. All of them are labeled in the font style used in the original series' main title. Among the visible props are a Cylon Centurion, a Cylon Raider, a Cylon Basestar model, a Colonial Shuttle, a Landram and even an original Colonial Viper from Battlestar Galactica (1978).
- #064
- #065
- #066
- #067
Humans live on 12 planets and moons known as the 'Kobol Colonies,' whose names are taken from the zodiac signs. In the second season, Laura Roslin states that the zodiac signs are the 'ancient' names of the colonies: Aerelon, Tauron, Gemenon, Canceron, Leonis, Virgon, Libron, Scorpia, Sagittaron, Caprica, Aquaria and Picon. At the end of the miniseries, Commander Adama mentions a 13th colony called Earth. These references were influenced by the religious beliefs of series creator Glen Larson: the Twelve Tribes of Israel, with the 13th tribe being a group of Israelites who migrated. 'Kobol' is a misspelling of 'Kolob,' a place near the throne of God according to the Latter-day Saints.
- #068
- #069
- #070
When Commander Adama delivers the famous 'So say we all!' funeral speech, he says, 'Life here began out there. Those are the first words of the sacred scrolls.' This is a reference to Battlestar Galactica (1978); in the weekly opening credits, narrator Patrick Macnee says: 'There are those who believe that life here began out there; far across the universe, with tribes of humans who may have been the forefathers of the Egyptians, or the Toltecs, or the Mayans. Some believe that there may yet be brothers of man who even now fight to survive somewhere beyond the heavens.'
- #071
When Boomer reads out the numbers for the passenger lottery, the last number is 47. 47 was a number used in nearly every episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which Ronald D. Moore also worked on, either directly or hidden in the background or in props. The inclusion of this number comes from Pomona College.
- #072
After the display case featuring the Cylon Centurion from the original series, at around 27:48, a series of images from the original 1978 Battlestar Galactica pilot episode can be made out on a visual screen to the right of the Cylon Basestar model: Carillon, the Galactica on red alert, Baltar, President Adar, a Colonial Viper, a squadron of Cylon Raiders and the Galactica's starboard landing bay.
- #073
As the first attack begins, Gaius tells Six, 'There must be some way out of here.' This line echoes the lyric 'There must be some way out of here' from Bob Dylan's 'All Along the Watchtower,' a song that will become a significant plot component at the end of the series and in the Galactica's eventual discovery of Earth.
Behind the Scenes (12)
- #074
Although they aired as the sixth and seventh episodes of the series, The Gun on Ice Planet Zero (1978) and The Gun on Ice Planet Zero: Part II (1978) were filmed immediately after Saga of a Star World (1978). At that time the series was planned as a three-part miniseries, and "Gun" was to air as the second of three television movies. While the film was being shot, the network decided to pick up the series and turn it into a regular series format. Because their characters were not originally meant to appear after the events of the first film, Laurette Spang and John Colicos were not available during the filming of "Gun" (although the scenes featuring Baltar were shot later and worked into the story).
- #075
Ryan Robbins, who plays the officer at Armistice Station, appears in his only scene in aging makeup. This is because the original version of the opening teaser planned for his character to visit the station several times over 40 years, appearing older each time. However, after filming, all scenes except the final one were cut.
- #076
When Col. Tigh burns his wife's photograph, the woman in the photo was actually producer David Eick's wife, Jenny. But when Tigh's wife Ellen was played by Kate Vernon in the weekly series, the scene had to be reshot with Vernon's photograph, so that the photo could be added to the recap of Ellen's first episode.
- #077
- #078
- #079
The DVD contains deleted scenes with unfinished visual effects: Laura meeting Billy for the first time on the spacecraft; an extended version of Apollo's arrival at Galactica; Boomer landing the Raptor on Galactica; Cally stopping Socinus from going to the tool room; Billy meeting Dualla; Galactica's actual decommissioning ceremony; Apollo's missile chase; the spacecraft picking up Apollo and Starbuck dealing with the Cylon attack; Cally scolding Tyrol; Tyrol taking Boxey to the pilot quarters; Billy telling Laura she needs to think in military terms.
- #080
- #081
- #082
- #083
- #084
According to the official website, the officer ranks in the Colonial fleet are as follows: Ensign, Lieutenant (junior grade), Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel, Commodore, Admiral. There are also Colonial Marines, but their rank structure is unknown; they only appear in the weekly Battlestar Galactica (2004) series, and few of them remain.
- #085
The Botanical Garden ship (the ship carrying the young girl Cammie, played by Haili Page) is actually the VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver. This location was used frequently because of its beauty and should be remembered by fans of Andromeda (2000), especially as it appears in the episode A Heart for Falsehood Framed (2001).
Characters & Cast (25)
- #086
- #087
- #088
- #089
- #090
- #091
- #092
Immediately after the 14th second of the first episode, Commander Adama asks Colonel Tigh whether he will reconsider the disciplinary action against Starbuck. Tigh replies, "Not possible, Jesus..." This was probably improvised by the actor, but the word "Jesus" would not be used as a curse in the Galactica universe, because the historical Jesus was on Earth.
- #093
- #094
- #095
According to DVD commentaries, the Botanical Garden ship carrying the little girl and housing all the plants was a nod to the botanical ships in the 1972 film Silent Running. However, in the original Battlestar Galactica series, footage taken from that ship was used as an agricultural ship, creating a double homage.
- #096
Among the items displayed in the newly built museum in Galactica's starboard landing bay are many props from the original series. All of them are labeled in the font style used in the original series' main title. Visible props include a Cylon Centurion, a Cylon Raider, a Cylon Basestar model, a Colonial Shuttle, a Landram and even an original Colonial Viper from Battlestar Galactica (1978).
- #097
- #098
- #099
- #100
- #101
- #102
- #103
Humans live on 12 planets and moons known as the 'Kobol Colonies', whose names are taken from the zodiac. In the second season, Laura Roslin states that the zodiac signs are the 'ancient' names of the colonies: Aerelon, Tauron, Gemenon, Canceron, Leonis, Virgon, Libron, Scorpia, Sagittaron, Caprica, Aquaria and Picon. At the end of the miniseries, Commander Adama mentions a 13th colony called Earth. These references were influenced by the religious beliefs of series creator Glen Larson: the Twelve Tribes of Israel, with the 13th tribe being a group of Israelites who migrated. 'Kobol' is a misspelling of 'Kolob', a place near God's throne according to the Latter-day Saints.
- #104
- #105
- #106
- #107
When Commander Adama gives his famous 'So say we all!' funeral speech, he says, 'Life here began out there. Those are the first words of the sacred scrolls.' This is a reference to Battlestar Galactica (1978); in the weekly opening credits, narrator Patrick Macnee says: 'There are those who believe that life here began out there, far across the universe, with tribes of humans who may have been the forefathers of the Egyptians, or the Toltecs, or the Mayans. Some believe that there may yet be brothers of man who even now fight to survive somewhere beyond the heavens.'
- #108
When Boomer reads out the numbers for the passenger lottery, the last number is 47. 47 was a number used in almost every episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which Ronald D. Moore also worked on, either directly, in the background or hidden in props. The inclusion of this number comes from Pomona College.
- #109
Following the display case featuring the Cylon Centurion from the original series, at around 27:48, a series of images from the original 1978 Battlestar Galactica pilot episode can be made out on a visual screen to the right of the Cylon Basestar model: Carillon, the Galactica on red alert, Baltar, President Adar, a Colonial Viper, a squadron of Cylon Raiders and the Galactica's starboard landing bay.
- #110
As the first attack begins, Gaius tells Six, 'There must be some way out of here.' This line resembles the lyric 'There must be some way out of here' from Bob Dylan's song 'All Along the Watchtower', which would become a significant plot component at the end of the series and in Galactica finally finding Earth.
Easter Eggs & References (1)
- #111
The respected fantasy artist Frank Frazetta was commissioned to paint four promotional pieces for the series, all of which appeared in "TV Guide" and various other magazines. One of the paintings (first used for Saga of a Star World (1978)) appeared on the cover of Glen A. Larson and Robert Thurston's Berkley novel "Battlestar Galactica 2: The Cylon Death Machine," published in early 1979.
Deeper Meaning (1)
- #112
Various character names were taken from Greek mythology. Starbuck and Boomer are characters from "Moby-Dick;": Starbuck is the Pequod's second officer, while Boomer is the captain of another ship. In the remake, Apollo, Athena, Starbuck and Boomer are not real character names but radio call signs for the main characters of Battlestar Galactica (2004). "Adama" (Hebrew for "ground" or "Earth") is also a reworking of the Hebrew "Adam," meaning "man." Coincidentally, Lorne Greene was Jewish.
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