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This article encompasses all the media that use the name ''Battlestar Galactica'' is a franchise of American Science Fiction Films and Television Series , the first of which was produced in 1978. There are also a series of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, and video games that have been based on the concept. All of the ''Battlestar Galactica'' productions share the same general premise. In a distant part of the galaxy, there exists a civilization of humans who live on planets known as the Twelve Colonies . The Colonies have long been at peace with a cybernetic race known as the Cylon s, but with the cooperation of a human collaborator named Baltar , the Cylons launch a sudden, coordinated, and unprovoked attack on the Colonies, laying waste to the planets and devastating their populations. The last few thousands of human survivors flee into space aboard any spacecraft they can reach. Of all the Colonial Fleet, the Battlestar Galactica appears to be the only ship which survived the attack. Under the leadership of the famed military leader Commander Adama , the Battlestar Galactica and her crew take up the task of leading the ragtag fleet of survivors into space in search of a fabled refuge known as Earth. The title is sometimes formatted with a colon as ''Battlestar: Galactica'', but it is more commonly seen without. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978) See Also: Battlestar Galactica (1978) Glen A. Larson , the Executive Producer of ''Battlestar Galactica'', has stated in interviews that he originally conceived of the Galactica premise in the late 1960's, which he originally called ''Adam's Ark.'' However, he was unable to get the project greenlit for many years. ''Battlestar Galactica'' was finally produced in the wake of the success of the 1977 film ''''. In fact, 20th Century Fox sued Universal Studios (the studio behind ''Battlestar Galactica'') for Plagiarism , claiming that it had stolen 34 distinct ideas from ''Star Wars''. Universal promptly countersued, claiming ''Star Wars'' had stolen ideas from the 1972 film '' Silent Running '' (notably the robot "drones") and the '' Buck Rogers '' serials of the 1940s. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed in 1980. Initially, ''Battlestar Galactica'' was envisioned by Larson as a series of made-for-TV movies (a three-hour Pilot and two two-hour episodes) for the ABC television network. The three-hour pilot was released in theaters, and instead of two additional movies, a weekly television series followed. As this press photo shows, Tektronix, Inc. , manufacturer of test and measurement equipment (especially known for their oscilloscope product line) and computer equipment, supplied their 7000-series of oscilloscopes, TM500-series of test and measurement equipment and their 4000-series of computer graphic equipment and associated software for the show's Galactica props. The "radar" style images of Cylons attacking the battle group were Tektronix graphics displays. In the photo, a Tektronix 4051 (or it could be the later 4052) graphics computer system is shown. The original film See Also: Battlestar Galactica (film) The three-hour-long pilot episode starred Lorne Greene , Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict . To defray costs, the pilot was recut as a theatrical release which played in Canada, Europe and Japan. Opening on July 7 , 1978 , the theatrical release did quite well given modest expectations. It was first broadcast on ABC on September 17 , 1978 . The original series See Also: Battlestar Galactica (original series) During the eight months after the three-hour pilot episode aired, 17 original episodes of the series were aired (five of them two-parters), totaling 24 hours of broadcasting. Citing declining ratings and cost overruns, ABC cancelled Battlestar Galactica in April, its last episode "The Hand of God" premiering on April 29 , 1979. ''see also List Of Battlestar Galactica (1978-1980) Episodes '' Galactica 1980 See Also: Galactica 1980 During the autumn of 1979, ABC executives met with Galactica's creator Glen A. Larson to consider a relaunch of the series. A suitable concept would be needed to draw viewers, and it was decided that the arrival of the Colonial Fleet at contemporary Earth would be the storyline. A new television movie entitled Galactica 1980 was rushed into production. Again, it was decided this new version of Galactica would be made into a weekly series. Despite the early success of the premiere, the weekly series failed to deliver and Galactica 1980 was unceremoniously cancelled after only ten episodes. In this 1980 sequel series, the fleet finds Earth and covertly protects it from the Cylons. This series was a quick failure due to its low budget, widely-panned writing, and ill-placed time slot (Sundays at 7:00 PM, a time slot generally reserved for family-oriented programming and, more specifically, 60 Minutes ). The show also included obviously recycled space battle sequences from the original program, to the great dismay of fans. Some Syndication packages for ''Battlestar Galactica'' incorporate the episodes of this series. REVIVAL ATTEMPT The original series maintained a ," was displayed at Science Fiction Convention s but did not lead to a new series. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (2003) See Also: Battlestar Galactica (2003) Despite attempts to revive the series over the years, none came to fruition until it was Reimagined in 2003 by the Sci-Fi Channel with Ronald D. Moore as the creative force behind it. Edward James Olmos stepped into the role of Commander Adama . A weekly New Galactica Series on Sci-Fi followed in October 2004. Miniseries See Also: Battlestar Galactica (2003 miniseries) In December 2003, the American Sci Fi channel broadcast a four-hour Miniseries that Reimagined ''Battlestar Galactica''. This miniseries was so successful that Sci-Fi opted to develop this new, reimagined version of Galactica into a television series. Television series (2004-) See Also: Battlestar Galactica (2004 television series) Featuring critically acclaimed veteran actors such as Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell , the new series began in earnest in October 2004 in the UK, and January 2005 in North America. A highly edited version of the miniseries aired on NBC —a corporate sibling of the U.S. Sci Fi Channel —on January 9, 2005, five days before the American debut of the series. NBC additionally aired three selected first season episodes as a sampler, to entice new American viewers in advance of the second season premiere in July 2005. The sampler strategy was similar to past efforts at NBC to assist other cable siblings' shows, such as a counter-programming block of '' Queer Eye For The Straight Guy '' opposite the Super Bowl airing on a competing broadcast network. In January 2006, the second half of the second season began broadcasting in the United States, while the full season premiere ("Scattered") aired on Sky One in the UK on 10th January 2006. The second season ended on 10th March 2006 with the two-part season finale episode "Lay Down Your Burdens". Renewed for a third season, production is set to begin in April in Vancouver, with a season premiere set for October 2006. ''see also List Of Battlestar Galactica (2004 Television Series) Episodes '' OTHER MEDIA A number of Battlestar novels based upon the series have been published over the years, including a mixture of novelizations based upon televised episodes (including the pilot episodes of both the original series and ''Galactica 1980'') and original stories. In the 1990s, original series star Richard Hatch co-wrote several new novels based upon the series as part of his efforts to spark a revival. Marvel Comics published a short-lived Comic Book series based upon the show between 1978 and 1981. A ''Battlestar Galactica'' Video Game has been published on the Sony PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Xbox platforms. WizKids,inc (a collectible game manufacturer) announced in August, 2005 a Collectible Card Game based on the 2004 TV show. This game is to release in May, 2006. RELIGIOUS AND MYTHOLOGICAL REFERENCES The twelve colonies are named after the Astrological Sign s of the Greek Zodiac ; for example, Scorpia ( Scorpio ), Caprica ( Capricornus ), and Aquaria ( Aquarius ). Several of the characters in the series have names corresponding to significant characters in Greek mythology, including Apollo and Cassiopeia . The word "Adama" in Hebrew means "Earth." The character Count Iblis in the 1978 series was inspired by the demon Iblis in Islam ic mythology. He tries to convince members of the colonial fleet to follow him, as demons do in Christianity and Islam. In the 1978 pilot episode, the president of the Colonies referenced that they were "approaching the seventh millennium of time." Some Bible scholars assert the seven days of creation described in the Book of Genesis occurred in the fourth millennium B.C. If the universe began then, the 21st century would have marked the seventh millennium. Less apparent are references to the Theology of the Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints (more commonly known as the Mormon church). Original series producer Glen Larson is a member of this church. Parallels include:
Other mythical references include:
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