Forgotten Television: Galactica 1980

The Galactica and the fleet of 220 civilian ships finally make it to Earth circa 1980 and they discover that the planet has not advanced in technology in such a way to be able to help defeat the Cylons.  In addition, the Cylons, who haven’t been seen in years, have been patiently following hoping to be led to the lost colony of mankind.  Commander Adama (Lorne Green) is advised by Doctor Zee (Robbie Rist / James Patrick Stuart), a teenage prodigy warns Adama of such a threat and so instead of settling on the planet, they send down two officers to see what can be done to advance the human race without raising too many alarms.  Captain Troy (Kent McCord) who was known as Boxey growing up and Lieutenant Dillon (Barry Van Dyke) go to North America to try to make contact with the scientific community, and after a time travel adventure in order to stop a renegade Galactican from attempting to change the future, the two, along with a few Earth friends devise a plan to help Earth’s scientists and outwit the Cylons from destroying the Earth.  As the season progresses, it is revealed that Cylons have found a way to create a synthetic human body that would allow them to infiltrate their enemies, giving them an advantage.  The fate of most of the original crew of the Galactica like Adama’s son and daughter are hinted at but never explained.  The final episode before the show was cancelled, does show us the fate of Starbuck (Dirk Benedict) through flashbacks.  His ship crashed on a planet along with a Cylon ship.  For companionship, he rebuilds one of the damaged Cylons. At first the two put aside their differences for survival, but then a strange pregnant woman is found.  The Cylon experiences jealousy but ultimately admits that he is friends with Starbuck and willing to risk his life to protect him.  Starbuck and the woman fall in love.  She claims to be from another dimension and the child is Starbucks.  After giving birth, a new Cylon crew lands and Starbuck launches the baby into space set on the course to meet up with the Galactica.  The woman mysteriously vanishes, and Starbuck’s Cylon companion is “mortally” wounded saving Starbuck who survives.  The child is Doctor Zee, the genius who is really the one leading the Galactica and the fleet.

Where Battlestar Galactica could never be considered forgotten television, its spinoff Galactica 1980 is often overlooked and probably for good reason. After the cancellation of the original show, a massive write-in campaign began which prompted ABC to re-think their reasons for canceling the show.  The studio contacted the original creator, Glen A. Larson, to see if there was a way to revive the show but in a cheaper modified format.  Originally, the new series was to take place five years after the end of the original, with some of the cast returning to resume their characters, but later this was changed to be thirty-five years later.  The villain of the series was going to be Doctor / Commander Xavier (Jeremy Brett / Richard Lynch) and the series was supposed to revolve around time traveling through Earth’s history chasing Xavier on his mission to change the past in order to advance Earth so that in 1980 they would be technologically advanced enough to combat the Cylons.  Unfortunately, ABC didn’t like this aspect and only agreed to pick up the series if the time-travel element was dropped.  Larsen agreed and the focus became about Dillon and Troy protecting a group of special Colonial children while on Earth.  Galactica 1980 premiered on January 27, 1980, and lasted for 10 episodes with the finale being broadcast on May 4 of that same year. The series was critically panned and poorly received by audiences who did not like the new plot elements.  In syndication, the series was rolled into the original show and the title sequence changed to make it seem like one series.

There were few series in the late 1970s that I can recall that had the effect that Battlestar Galactica did.  Everyone I knew watched it (oddly enough I didn’t) and had the toys and went around saying “By Your Command” in a robotic voice.  And I remember how disappointed my friends were when it got cancelled.  They never once ever mentioned anything to me about Galactica 1980, possibly because it just didn’t feel like the same show.  The studio, in its infinite wisdom, to lessen the costs, removed everything that was sacred to the original story and tried to replace its stars with look-a-likes. They took strong characters like Adama and turned them into weak subservient leaders with the fleet really being led by Doctor Zee.  Don’t get me wrong, there was some fun aspects to the series and some of the banter between earthlings and the colonial officers were humorous, but for the most part, the very essence of the series was altered, and the new atmosphere did not capture the imagination of the audience.  The tenth and final episode was probably the most interesting, with Starbuck and Cylon making friends.  Larson was working on a sequel to that episode when the series was cancelled and production halted.  Overall, there was an awkward corniness to the new series that made it hard for viewers to connect.