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Yes!!! Blood And Chrome Is Appearantly back on track.  One suggestion, though. PLEASE Don't drag out storylines like they did with Caprica! "How the Cylons got Religion" was boring as frak! action mixed with Strong Characters will do just fine, thank you.

Walt Atwood's look at the second half of this two-parter...

The Gun on Ice Planet Zero (Part 2) Analysis
By Walt Atwood

STORY SYNOPSIS

The Galactica fleet is at a dead stop in space, waiting for its commando team on the icy asteroid Arcta to disable the powerful weapon on Mount Hekla. Baltar is upset that the crash-landed commandos were never found and killed. On the surface of Arcta, Apollo and his team, lead by the Arcta clones, hide in a frozen crevasse while a Cylon foot patrol passes by. Once the way is clear, the clones lead Apollo's party to a vast underground network of interconnecting caves which form a village.

Apollo breaks off from his expedition to be led by a bearded male clone, Series 5, Culture 9 (Denny Miller) to meet the "Father-Creator", Dr. Ravashol (Dan O'Herlihy) in his laboratory. Apollo confronts the human scientist about the use of the Pulsar as "a weapon of war". At first, Ravashol pleads ignorance, "I have no control over the use of my creations; no responsibility!" But Apollo presses on and reveals that Ravashol's clones do not use the "energy lens" for benevolent purposes. Indeed Ser 5-9 insists the clones "would be whipped if they came near" the mountain-gun. But three Cylon centurions come calling, cutting the debate short. Apollo is able to secret himself in a curious trap-door inside an electronic "research stack", but Ser 5-9 is taken by Vulpa's centurions to be punished; a "worker clone" is not permitted to visit Ravashol, only "planners" are. Once the Cylons are gone, Apollo comes out of hiding and confronts Ravashol again, this time revealing the clone are secreting offspring in the underground village. Ravashol relents, showing Apollo plans to the mountain-gun and garrison and advising him on how to effectively destroy it. Ravashol warns the clones will be reluctant to help in destroying the very weapon which makes the Arcta outpost such a threat; without the Cylon garrison, the clones will want the mountain-gun as insurance. One of the convict/commandos, Thane (James Olson), secretly attacks a clone and steals his clothes just before being captured by the Cylons and paraded around before the villagers. Starbuck later reports back that Wolfe was killed.

Baltar presses Lucifer to keep the Cylon fighters from his base-ship in the environs of the Galactica. He keeps ordering the attack craft to attack and then withdraw to give Adama the impression that the pursuit force is actually closer to striking the Galactica fleet than the Cylons really are. Lucifer quarrels with Baltar over this strategy, arguing it jeopardizes the body of fighters. Baltar also radios ahead to Vulpa, ordering the Ravashol Pulsar gun to begin a random sweep of Arcta's approach corridor to further harass the refugee fleet. Vulpa gives up on the cerebral cortex scan of the captured pilot, Cadet Cree (Alan Stock) and orders the prisoner locked in a cold cell. The mountain-gun's skyward assault begins.

Ravashol accompanies Apollo to the village to meet with the clones. The clones resist the notion of destroying the Pulsar, but their "Father-Creator" urges them to regard the fleet of human refugees as their "brothers". The clones agree to assist Apollo in climbing Mount Hekla. Starbuck and Boomer set out with the female clone Tenna (Britt Eckland) to attack the garrison. The clones lead Apollo, Croft (Roy Thinnes), Leda (Christina Belford), and Wolfe (Richard Lynch) up the side of the mountain. As the Pulsar fires, the noise triggers an avalanche. The falling debris injures one of the clones, forcing Apollo to go on without them. Once up to the garrison heights, Wolfe pulls a blaster-pistol on Apollo and declares himself free. Croft intervenes, and in a struggle, gets the blaster. Wolfe escapes into the blizzard. Croft, Leda and Apollo continue their ascent. Inside the garrison, Starbuck and Tenna separate from Boomer's force. The two break into the Cylon brig and free Cadet Cree. They then rejoin Boomer and get into position to place explosive charges for their timed assault on the Cylons. Apollo's team reaches the summit, entering through an air-intake vent. Once inside, they secret themselves near the base of the gun so they can strike on schedule.

The Galactica fleet is forced to move forward in the corridor. Baltar has two more base-ships escorting his own into the area. The brilliant weapons fire from the mountain-gun is zeroing in on the Galactica. Adama has Tigh order all ships to accelerate through the corridor. On schedule, Apollo, Leda and Croft attack the base of the gun, taking out a few Cylons there. They plant the bombs on the gun's mechanism. If Ravashol's plan works, detonating the base of the gun will cause a chain reaction, destroying the entire facility. As Apollo is about to lead his team out, Vulpa appears and kills Leda.

Starbuck, Boomer, Tenna, and Cree attack the garrison's control center. With the Cylon forces in the dark, the team withdraws and meets Apollo for their descent in the elevator. The force reaches the bottom and evacuate the other clones and their children. As the Galactica is set in the sights of the mountain-gun, the surviving Cylons at the summit prepare to fire. The entire top of the mountain explodes. Far below, Apollo asks Ravashol what the Arcta community will do now. The "Father-Creator" promises that they will not bow to the Cylons again. He apparently has more defenses in mind for Arcta.

Baltar and Lucifer spar over the failure of the Pulsar plan. How will they explain this disaster to Barkol, the Cylon Imperious Leader?

A Second Look

The episode suffers from so many bloopers and non-seqitors it can barely be taken seriously. The weirdest continuity goofs come from the use of Vulpa, the golden Cylon command centurion on Arcta. Starting with the Ravashol scene in the laboratory, Vulpa is the first golden centurion to use a deeper voice. Later in the story, when Vulpa orders a probe of Cadet Cree's brain, that voice reverts back to the usual one used for silver Cylon centurions. To make matters worse, Vulpa is shown in two places at once. First, Vulpa is in command of the Pulasar's fire control station. Then, as Apollo's team is about to withdraw, Vulpa is shown surprising Leda. Vulpa is destroyed by Starbuck in that scene. Later, Vulpa is back up in the fire control station. These goofs underscore the need for Vulpa to be an Lucifer-like IL-series Cylon, if not of some other variety.

It doesn't make any sense for the commando team to split up. It seems more logical to board a few Cylon fighters at the garrison, launch them up to the summit, and attack the gun from below. They may not destroy the gun by doing so, but they could certainly disable it long enough to usher the fleet through. (The only new footage needed would be the gun being hit by weapons fire and some scenes with commandos in the cockpits of the Cylon fighters.) And the whole notion of the convicts expecting to use Cylon ships to escape sounds absurd. It would make more sense for them to seek asylum in the village. That would seem like an equitable trade where everyone, even Ravashol, would be happy.

The convenient way Apollo is hidden in the "research stacks" points to Ravashol being a double-agent all along. Ravashol doesn't seem too surprised by the notion of the clones having children, either. It is as if he had his own secret endeavors in place all along, and Ser 5-9 knew of them. It makes one wonder why there were no follow-up episodes or novels done on the exploits of Ravashol and his Arcta society. They seem to be more powerful than anyone else in the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA universe, except for the beings of light. It looks like Ravashol had designs on the Cylons; they seemed to have him right where he wanted them. Isn't it neat how the centurions have to ask for permission to enter the laboratory? And the centurions do nothing while Ravashol calls their commander on them.

Only on 1970's prime-time television would a kid (Boxey) refer to other kids (the offspring of the clones) as "children". That poor boy needs some starch taken out of his collar.

When Baltar's fighters begin harassing the fleet, Blue Squadron is called on to patrol the rear. In the ever-rudundant launch sequences, we see female pilots manning the vipers. Where were they in Part 1, when those cadets were in trouble? :-)

It is a forgone conclusion that a Colonial centon is analogous to a minute, give or take a few microns. Mount Hekla must be a pretty small hill if the climb to the summit takes only 200 centons. Maybe someone took the cable-car. Those Cylon fighters are looking mighty sensible.

Baltar orders Vulpa to begin random sweeps of the corridor leading to Arcta. This leads to a few perplexing issues:

1: What corridor? The images of Arcta and the fleet in space look like there's a backdrop of vast openness. Somebody forgot to insert some FX to make the image of the corridor more convincing.

2: Every time the Pulsar fires, a brilliant spear of light shoots skyward. Adama even has time to order evasive maneuvers to avoid the beams. This seems to suggest the weapon operates at the speed of light, though this is never made clear. So how much of a threat is this gun?

3: With the number of viper-squadrons the Galactica has available, how can that one gun possibly stand a chance in the event of an advance assault? (Of course, who's gonna volunteer to go in first?)

4: How come the spear of light keeps exploding in deep space, every time it passes the Galactica? Shouldn't it just keep going on into the galaxy, merrily evaporating any unsuspecting comets that get in the way?

The drama involving Ravashol seems to draw some small substance from THE HEROES OF TELEMARK, in which captive scientists are forced to live in their laboratory which the Nazis demand they accelerate their heavy water experiments. It seems more than a little ironic that Richard Hatch would appear on THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO as Inspector Dan Robbins, a character who succeeded Inspector Steve Keller, played by Michael Douglas. In "The Gun on Ice Planet Zero," Hatch's Apollo plays much the same role in the story as Kirk Douglas (Michael's father) played in TELEMARK. In light of these parallels, it should be noted that TELEMARK was no critical darling, and "Gun... Part 2" didn't pack the dramatic punch it could have. Too much fireworks and not enough plot and character development.

The basic plot rotates around the mission to neutralize the Pulsar so the Galactica fleet can escape. Still, what is this story really about? Is it about Baltar's obsession with avenging himself? Is it about Apollo confronting Ravashol about the scientist's responsibility? Will Starbuck begin warehousing girlfriends? There are so many sidebars going on that the story winds up being convoluted, a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none.

Spectacle Value

The viper combat footage in this episode adds nothing to the story. It wastes valuable time.

The mountain blowing its top was a beautiful effect, although ridiculously derivative. The detonation scene in THE GUNS OF NAVARONE and Count Blofeld's self-destructing volcano in the James Bond flick YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (British/MGM-UA, 1967) had already done this more than a decade before.

IF BATTLESTAR GALACTICA WERE NEW TODAY:

The Pulsar weapon effect could be done more effectively, as an expanding bolt of energy instead of a straight laser beam. STAR TREK provides a few decent examples: in the "Classic" episode "Balance of Terror", the Starship Enterprise tries unsuccessfully to evade a Romulan weapon that resembles an expanding ring of fire. In STAR TREK - THE MOTION PICTURE (1979), the alien V'Ger launches plasma-energy weapons that can engulf whole vessels. But perhaps the best effect was the "shock wave" resulting from the explosion of the Klingon moon Praxis (STAR TREK VI - THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY, 1992) or the forced super-nova explosions (STAR TREK - GENERATIONS, 1995).

The drama between Apollo and Ravashol would have to become the focal point. Getting someone in Ravashol's position to take responsibility was a golden opportunity to show both characters in a genuinely compelling controversy with no easy answers.

Instead of just running from the Cylons all the time, doing this story differently (setting it up so Apollo's forces could damage the gun temporarily with a view toward taking it over intact) would allow Adama to briefly turn the tables on Baltar. The fleet could lure the Cylon base-ships to Arcta on the pretense the fleet was trapped there. Once Baltar advanced, Apollo could turn the Pulsar on the Cylons. This would put the Adama in a position of power the Cylons would have to respect, and assuring Ravashol would maintain that respect even after the Galactica left.

The Baltar-Lucifer drama would have to be even better than this. The two often come across as bickering fools. If the whole Cylon allegory is supposed to remind us of the atrocities committed by the Nazis and Japanese imperial forces during World War II (only magnified), then we should see more realistic depictions of the war-criminal mentality. Lucifer could still be calculating, using that buttery-smooth voice, but what these characters would say would be much more sinister.

TIDBITS & NITPICKS

Again in this episode, there's another use of naval protocol: in the scene when the Galactica bridge crew realizes the Pulsar is destroyed, Tigh answers Adama's command with an "Aye, sir."

If Cree was being kept in a cold cell, how come he isn't suffering from hypothermia? He isn't wearing a hat or helmet, and much of the body's heat is lost through the head. Once Starbuck releases Cree, the cadet seems fully ready for combat. Cree should be incapacitated.

This is the first episode where the Cylon Imperious Leader is referred to by a name, not just a title: Barkol.

We also get to see Baltar in direct telecommunication with Cylon forces off his base-ship (he confers with Vulpa at the Arcta garrison). The scene leaves the impression that Baltar has clout as a Cylon leader, albeit at Barkol's whim.

They would have to put Dirk Benedict in a Fonzie-like scene where he's kissing three women. Why not just show him reporting for duty in red-velvet pajamas? Strangely in contradiction to this display, Tenna is shown speaking for her people in telling Starbuck the clones will not aid in an attack on the pulsar.

Bridge aide Rigel (Sara Rush) is given a little extra time at the end of this story to do something other than say "launch when ready" or recite a count-down.

The scene where Thane suicidally encourages the centurion to tamper with a "hand mine", thus resulting in both he and the Cylons being blown up in front of the villagers, was an important occurrence in the original airing of this story. This passage was omitted from the Sci Fi showing. Disappointing since Thane's death along with the Cylons probably helped fuel the revolt the plot seems to depend (at least a little bit) on.

Lucifer's sentiment "we are all machines, even you" seems odd for a race that seems to disrespect humans. The Cylon enslaving of the clones, rather than killing them, seems to mesh well with both Baltar's designs to seize control of the Colonial fleet, as well as Barkol's use of Baltar to be a "more charitable" dictator over the humans once they are captured. Perhaps extermination is only seen as a wartime tool, with the desired goal being subjugation. Apollo obviously doesn't see it that way. He believes that if the Cylons didn't kill him, he'd be better off dead than under their rule.

The Battlestar Galactica Fan Club had the pleasure of speaking with Fred Armisen, an alumni of Saturday Night Live as well as his new series Portlandia.

Fred also was featured in such films as Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo & Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy with Will Farrell.

Here's another little thing to throw into the mix, he is a BIG Battlestar Galactica Fan & if you tune into the show this (1/13) Friday night you'll see just how big a fan he is....

Shawn; I hear that you are a really big Battlestar Galactica fan?...

So what's the history on that?

Were you a fan of the orignial series to start with?

 

Fred: A few years ago, somebody told me to watch it.  

They insisted.  

And I started and totally loved it.  

I continued on into the next year.  It was DVDs and also iTunes downloads.  

I also remember a long time ago, watching Patton Oswalt do standup at this club.  

He went on and on about how great Battlestar Galactica is.  

It's so good and I got into the humanity (?) of all the characters.  

I liked how flawed they made everyone, but not in a show-offy way.  

And they visually addressed how objects would fly through space.  

I know that's a weird thing to bring up, but the way the vipers move through space, they stop and turn so quickly.  

It makes sense that it would be that way out there.  

And Gaius.  

It was so cool trying to figure out what he was about.  

I didn't know very much about the original series.  

I like that Richard Hatch is so present in this one.  

I like when things like that happen.

  

Shawn: What's your take on Caprica?

 

Fred: It moves everything forward and keeps it alive, and I'm always a fan of that. It makes me optimistic too that more can still be made.

 

Shawn; You are obviously well known for your comeidic turns on film & with Saturday Night Live....

Talk to us about Portlandia....

Where did the idea for this show come from?

 

Fred: I used to make these short videos with my friend and musician Carrie Brownstein.  

They were just these weird little videos, not quite comedy, and we called it "Thunderant".  

We shot them in Portland which is where Carrie lives.  

After a while, we had enough to try to think of another venue for them.  

So we pitched it as a TV show.  

 

Shawn You think you'll be using the BSG theme on Portlandia in the future?

 

Fred: I'd like to.

 

Shawn: Anything you'd like to say to the folks in the Battlestar Galactica Fan Club & out there to the World directly?

 

Fred: I just want to say thank you for reading this and for having me on here.

I will tell you first hand that meeting the people from BSG was a HUGE thrill and I was completely starstruck.  

They are really cool.  

We got the crew of Portlandia hooked on the series too.  

On the episode, which comes out this Friday night, we built it so that the tension is like BSG.  

We cut it similarly and added that tense music.  

I love the show (Battlestar Galactica I mean) and this is a great site!  

Thank you!

Fred!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNZPRsrwumQ&feature=email

Walt's take on this two-part episode featuring Denny Miller & Britt Eckland

The Gun on Ice Planet Zero (Part 1) Analysis

By Walt Atwood

STORY SYNOPSIS

Starbuck and Boomer are leading three cadets on a probe mission out ahead of the Galactica, when they come upon a frigid, though habitable, planetoid known to the Cylons as Arcta. Brilliant flashes from the surface draw in one cadet, whose ship is destroyed from long range by a powerful laser-like blast; the Cylons are manning a huge, long-range weapon built into a mountain. This valuable information comes at a cost: interceptors from the Cylons' Arcta garrison force Cadet Cree (Alan Stock) to land. Starbuck is guilt-ridden at having to leave Cree behind. Adama now sees a pattern in the Cylons' strategy. It seems the Galactica is being shepherded by the Cylons in the direction of Arcta; apparently, this weapon could destroy a battlestar with one direct hit.

Adama orders a search found for qualified commandos for an expedition to attack the mountain garrison on the ground and destroy the super-weapon. The search turns up a list of convicted violent criminals, including Croft (Roy Thinnes). On the surface, Cadet Cree is captured by a Cylon foot patrol and taken to a golden-outfitted command centurion, Vulpa.

Adama recruits the unruly band of cut-throats to serve under Apollo's command. Before leaving for the mission, Apollo stops to check on his stepson Boxey. Boxey wants to see "what snow is like." Apollo takes one last look at Boxey and his pet robot-daggit (dog) Muffet, and leaves. The expedition launches in a shuttle with a single-viper escort. Cylon interceptors shoot down the shuttle, which crash-lands some distance from the mission's objective. The viper is destroyed. As the Cylons swoop over the shuttle, Apollo readies a "snow ram" personnel carrier. He discovers Boxey and Muffett secreted inside. The expedition boards the snow ram, and Starbuck uses the ram's top-mounted blaster turret to shoot down a menacing Cylon fighter. As the ram nears the mountain, a fight between the criminals ensues and results in the ram being disabled. The expedition sits tight inside as they await a deadly storm to pass. Muffet gets loose and runs off into the blizzard.

The team awakens in a warm, well furnished cave inhabited by a race of humanoid clones (Denny Miller, Britt Eckland) who tend to the newcomers' wounds and needs. Muffet brought the clones to rescue the expedition. When Apollo asks how these clones came to be here, they give credit to the "Father-Creator", the mysterious Dr. Ravashol. The clones offer to escort the humans to a village near the mountain. On the way through a frozen crevasse, the clones hide the humans from a Cylon infantry platoon. Muffet's growling leaves the last centurion in the column to look around for the noise, not realizing the clones and the expedition are hiding close by.

On a Cylon Basestar in deep space, Lucifer comes to the throne room to report on fighter sightings from the garrison on Arcta. Baltar surprises Lucifer by having already anticipated the Galactica's movement in that direction. He reveals the Cylon shepherding operation to be his idea. He wants to call for reinforcements to he can push the Galactica from behind and let the Arcta gun destroy the last battlestar once it is forced to move ahead. As Lucifer goes to summon more basestars, a fuming Baltar hisses to himself, "Soon, Adama. Soon..."

A Second Look

This show put sci fi TV onto the Ice Planet Hoth two years before THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. Detractors claim that BATTLESTAR was imitation STAR WARS. Maybe George Lucas and company saw fit to return the favor.

One basic notion about the nature of planetary bodies that this story ignores could undo the entire plot: rotation. Even the conniving Baltar could not time his scheme so perfectly so that the Galactica fleet could not slip by while the Ravashol Pulsar gun is facing away. The only way to discount this would be to assume that the mountain is located at one of the planet's poles. If this were the case, the Galactica would have to approach from directly "above" the mountain. Surely the ships of the Colonial fleet would not be that limited in their approach vector. Again, Glen Larson and Donald Bellisario, the Hollywood whiz-guys that made BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, show little regard for just vast outer space, even interplanetary space, can be.

Funny how a screen-saver for us Earthlings looks perfect for a Cylon computer readout. Ah, the 1970's were a different time. :-)

For as brilliant as these recruited criminal/commandos supposedly are, one would think they could stop fighting each other long enough to accomplish their goal. The whole fight scene on top of the snow ram was a rather convoluted plot device. It would've been more interesting (and not necessarily more expensive) if the firefight with the Cylon interceptor had resulted in damage to the ram which eventually lead to its breakdown. In the end, the team had to leave the ram behind anyway. You can't use a machine like that to climb a steep mountain. So, why not show the ram just driving up to a group of clones? The clones could tell the expedition that you can't take the ram any further without being spotted by the Cylons, and then the team would follow the clones to the village on foot. Same end result.

The first part of this two-part story already establishes that this is a watered-down remake of THE GUNS OF NAVARONE (Columbia, 1961) and THE DIRTY DOZEN (MGM/UA, 1967), this time served up with outer space trappings. This story seems to be the perfect opportunity to tell an allegory tale about the life of commandos, like the U.S. Navy SEALS. Instead "The Gun on Ice Planet Zero" will start a bad habit of espionage and sabotage stories on BATTLESTAR which would seem more at home in the Word War II farce HOGAN'S HEROES (CBS/Bing Crosby, 1965-71). If this series was going to keep doing stories about commando raids, they should've made at least some recurring characters into full-time commandos. Thus far in the story, Richard Hatch's Apollo looks like a fish out of water. Why risk the Galactica's top fighter pilots like this? Starbuck might be understandable as the shuttle pilot. The whole notion of criminals participating in this mission is as poorly conceived of a plot device as using a child and his robo-mutt. The time devoted to these silly asides could've been more wisely used showing Starbuck (and maybe Boomer) having some kind of personality conflict with Nomen or some black-sheep team of SEALS which wound up on the Galactica after the Cylon ambush at Cimtar.

If this pulsar gun is so fearsome, the expedition's shuttle should never have been able to approach Arcta, let alone make planetfall.

Here we go again with Starbuck and women. Three blonde models who look like clones of Tracy Vaccaro. At least BATTLESTAR's makers gave Starbuck some foresight. (Vaccaro would ultimately become PLAYBOY's Miss October, 1983. Maybe Hugh Hefner and his centerfold-recruiting operation were "inspired" by this show.) And isn't it neat how the male clones speak without inflection, but the Vaccaro-alikes have that Euro accent? Funny how Starbuck has time to leer at the ladies while he's feeling guilty about leaving Cree behind.

The single-scene appearance of Baltar and Lucifer is much improved from "The Long Patrol", but still leave much to be desired. If this maneuvering is all Baltar's scheme, we should've seen more of his involvement. The only thing different we see is a more serious vindictive edge to his speech. These two characters are dying of neglect before our eyes.

Did Vulpa have to use the main gun to shoot down the viper when it was right on top of the mountain? Haven't these Cylons ever heard of secondary AA batteries?

If the Cylons have their own fighters in the air to fend off the good guys, what's to stop them from shooting down one of their own? Presumably, a garrison doesn't have an infinite supply of ships to expend.

Spectacle Value

There is the legitimate complaint that GALACTICA recycled many pieces of FX footage so many times they loose their effect. This show could've done without so many viper launchings. Still, this particular BSG outing gave us some atmospheric adaptations of that footage which were nicely done.

The pulse generator effect itself, revealing the guts of the weapon in operation, was an impressive effect.

The crash of Cree's Viper, combined with the full-scale mock-up of the ship in the fake snow set, were good. They could've been excellent if we had seen Cree's breath.

Use of the snow ram, especially Starbuck's shooting down of the Cylon fighter, was beautiful. A shame we don't get to see more of it. (Actually, it would've been neat to see suped-up work snowmobiles, or even STAR WARS-style moto-gliders, but that would've been even more expensive.

The notion of a Cylon hit rupturing the hull of the shuttle and resulting in a whole in the bulkhead was also nicely done.

We see, for the first time in BATTLESTAR, multiple conversations taking place between centurions outside of a fighter cockpit. Some conventions are adopted. One, a command centurion, Vulpa, is golden while its subordinates are silver. This is a nice touch. Another, clumsier device is the motion of the front of the Cylons' helmets when one centurion is talking in a room full of them. Since they all sound the same and all look the same, the Cylon scenes are often confusing anyway. Maybe they could have used the illuminated mouthpiece seen on Lucifer to better facilitate Cylon dialogue. For that matter, maybe they should have made Vulpa an IL-series Cylon. Jonathan Harris, the smooth-talking voice of Lucifer, could've done a creepier job torturing Cadet Cree. The real problem here is the lack of distinguishing varieties of Cylons. The show's makers should've developed at least two more series of them, or made more IL-series units with distinguishing characteristics. It would've been a nice touch to see an IL-series Cylon wearing a helmet-like cone, instead of having the glittering brains exposed. Maybe a different-colored face and cape would also have helped.

The computer graphics in this episode were a let-down. That goes for both Cylon and Colonial graphics. No excuses here; even for 1978 they were lackluster.

The superimposition of fog-like blowing snow in the "outdoor" scenes is tolerable. Again, it would be better if we could see the human and clone characters' breath. That would bring the cold home to the viewer. Instead, this comes of as sanitized, canned '70's TV. Fake, fake, fake.

IF BATTLESTAR GALACTICA WERE NEW TODAY:

This episode would be a tough sell. Even without the planetary rotation issue and THE GUNS OF NAVARONE/DIRTY DOZEN criticism, the characters would have to pursue this adventure in a more serious tone, like the espionage tale THE HEROES OF TELEMARK (British, 1965).

The time spent on the planet, both the Cylon scenes and the commando scenes, would have to be more extensive.

The clone society would have to be better developed than the plastic, bearded-men-and-model-turned-actresses. It could be quite interesting, exploring why the Cylons consider them sub-human. The groundwork for it is laid in this show. Perhaps the sameness of these clones could have a psychological effect not unlike the alteration imprisoned Jews endured in the Nazi concentration camps during World War II, when the prisoners' heads were shaved and they were made to wear simple clothes, if any. This demoralized the prisoners.

There are close connections between this episode and the novel. While the novel itself could've been better science fiction, it points to the very real possibility that television could follow a more intense, literary model, not unlike motion pictures. Perhaps is GALACTICA were more sci fi oriented, it would give the franchise more depth and drama.

The ill-fated viper escort for the expedition's shuttle underscored that GALACTICA needed an armed class of shuttle, not unlike the Runabouts of STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE or the Delta Flyer of STAR TREK: VOYAGER. How ridiculous that the only way the mission team could defend themselves from a Cylon strafing run was to get out the snow ram and use its weapons. Why can't the ship itself pack firepower? The bombers of World War II relied on fighter protection, but they also bristled with machine guns.

If the plot's basis in the notion that the Galactica is being "herded into this safe passage" were to make any sense to today's audience, there would have to be significant astronomical circumstances. Perhaps if the Galactica's fleet were being funneled through a star cluster or nebula, where there were all kinds of hidden hazards to linear space travel, the notion could be accepted. This would require an appropriate starfield backdrop for the spaceships to be set against. The best way to show Arcta as the key to the strait would be an imposing asteroid field. Would that not be out of the question for modern, computer-generated FX?

TIDBITS & NITPICKS

This is one viewer who doesn't see the point in showing a bunch of centurions standing in a row moving a couple of large slide-dials up and down. It looked silly.

True to form, we've already forgotten about the female viper pilot cadets. All boys again, and disobedient ones at that. Neat how they are entrusted with a ship before they are taught discipline.

This episode built up the Starbuck character. He is shown not only in a command situation, but with a commensurate attitude. He worries about the pilots under his command. He even says "that's a direct order!" In the strangely discontinuous scenes where Dirk Benedict wears shorter hair, he looks a little more military, by the way. There is a nice little scene where he is shown sneaking into a computer station and apparently inputting bogus career data to make it look like he's qualified so he can go on this expedition. Another beautiful scene is when Boomer is having a hard time accepting Starbuck's qualifications, even to the point of wondering aloud to Starbuck's face whether the records have been altered.

Another Starbuck special moment in this show, which some would dismiss as a blooper, is when he appears to address Adama in a naval discipline. He refers to the commander as "Captain", and says "Aye, sir" more than once. It's actually a nice touch. Too bad it is dismissed by some as a blooper. If Starbuck were a naval full-lieutenant, he would have the commensurate rank for the probe mission that a more junior airforce or marine lieutenant would lack. It would make more sense for him to command a small wing of fighters, piloted by trainees. And the reference to Adama as "Captain" opens up some intriguing lines of thought as well. Perhaps the term "Commander" is Adama's title, not his rank. And if this is true of "Colonel" Tigh as well, it casts a new light on how the Colonial military is organized.

I recently discussed evolution and conventions of naval rank with a former petty officer who was in the U.S. Navy. I learned that in some non-English-speaking nations, navies employ a ranking system that does not use the term "commander" as a stratum of rank, like the U.S., U.K. and Canada do. Here is an excerpt for an e-mail dialogue I enjoyed with this gentleman:

==========BEGIN TRANSCRIPTION================

Other European nations pretty much have the same number of ranks as the US, +/- one. Most nations use the basics of "admiral," "captain," and "lieutenant," just like we do. The subdivisions have come between different admirals (who commands fleets, who commands squadrons, who commands divisions), different captains (who commands bigger or smaller vessels) and lieutenants (who are senior enough to be command vessels, be seconds in command &c.). Most countries in the 1800s modified their navy ranks so they lined up with their army ranks. It's easier to transliterate the officer titles than the enlisted ones. You'll notice the odd-sounding title "captain-lieutenant," this is equivalent to our lieutenant commander and originated to indicate a lieutenant in command of a small vessel.

FRANCE Admiral Vice Admiral (Chief of Staff) Vice Admiral (Fleet Commander in Chief) Vice Admiral Rear Admiral Ship's Captain Frigate's Captain Corvette's Captain Ship's Lieutenant Ship's Ensign 1st Class Ship's Ensign 2nd Class GERMANY Admiral Vice Admiral Rear Admiral Captain Frigate Captain Corvette Captain Captain-Lieutenant Senior Lieutenant Lieutenant RUSSIA Fleet Admiral Admiral Vice Admiral Rear Admiral Captain 1st Rank Captain 2nd Rank Captain 3rd Rank Captain-Lieutenant Senior Lieutenant Lieutenant Junior Lieutenant

===========END TRANSCRIPTION=================

This opens the door for Adama's title of "Commander" to mean "Commander-in-Chief", a term often used to describe the top brass in a given theater, fleet or operation. If Tigh's "Colonel" is a title indicating his supervision of pilots and other infantry-style troops stationed aboard the Galactica (it's a mighty big ship; there must be some troops aboard her) then perhaps he fits into this naval scheme of things as well. As for Flight Captain Apollo, perhaps his rank connotes something like a "Captain-Lieutenant", or "Corvette Captain". This would make him similar to a lieutenant commander in the U.S.N. This rank would match his responsibilities aboard the Galactica, while still giving him room for advancement.

The notion of stated ranks of "Sergeant", "Flight Sergeant" and "Corporal" in GALACTICA need not conflict with this naval convention, either. Many navies of Earth use land ranks as assignment titles in naval infantry regiments and other atypical land-based operations. Hence a petty officer can be referred to as a "platoon sergeant". Italian and Dutch navies even incorporate "sergeant" and "corporal" as part of their basic naval rank stratum.

This kind of naval discipline would go a long way to more adequately defining the military culture, and thus the characters, of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.

Introducing the review of the fourth regular episode of the original series...

The Long Patrol Analysis
By Walt Atwood

STORY SYNOPSIS

Filled with anticipation, Adama, Apollo, young Boxey and Colonel Tigh watch as the Battlestar Galactica leads the fleet out of a field of asteroid dust. When the ships emerge, they will have left their native Cyrannus Galaxy for an entirely new one, which "no human in this fleet has ever seen."

Adama is eager to begin scans and probes of this unexplored region of space. At the top of the list of volunteers to go on deep probe is Lieutenant Starbuck. Starbuck put his name in for the reward of a date on the Rising Star cruise ship. The warrior bribes his way into a private dining suite for himself and Cassiopeia. Lieutenant Athena finds out about Starbuck's whereabouts, and catches him alone in the dining suite waiting for Cassiopeia. She throws herself at him. Starbuck pulls Athena away from one suite and into another. He starts playing musical chairs between the private rooms, patronizing both women, when he is recalled to the Galactica for the patrol. He departs, leaving each lady with one of his warrior-pins. The Athena and Cassiopeia discover each other in the corridor, and realize what Starbuck is up to.

Starbuck, meanwhile, is reporting to Recon Viper 1, dressed in civilian garb. Life signs are indicated in sector alpha-6, and Adama ordered the lieutenant to conceal his warrior identity. Apollo and Boomer see Starbuck off. Apollo lets Starbuck know this fighter has double the ordinary speed and range, the drawback being the weapons were replaced with engine boosters. Once in space, Starbuck tries out the boosters. They prove to bit every bit as potent as Apollo promised. Starbuck discovers the ship is also equipped with a sentient on-board computer with a female voice that criticizes his flying as "sloppy." C.O.R.A., for Computer Oral Response Activated, advises her pilot that there is activity in the planetary system within sector alpha-6. An old, "sixth-millennium" sublight fighter is harassing an antique shuttle. Starbuck shocks the fighter pilot Croad (Ted Gehring) with a quick pass kicking in the boosters. The old fighter drops away, but the shuttle was forced to land on a nearby planetoid. Starbuck goes down to investigate. He finds a shuttle pilot, Robber (James Whitmore, Jr.) bootlegging ambrosia (cosmic wine? champagne?) of a stellar vintage. The shuttle pilot jumps Starbuck and steals away in Recon Viper 1. Starbuck is left to follow in the old shuttle, but is quickly apprehended by Croad, the enforcer from the Proteus prison colony. The two old ships set down there and Starbuck is imprisoned in an Aerian dungeon.

On the Galactica, Tigh is alarmed that Recon Viper 1 is beaming long-range signals in an unknown code back to their home galaxy. He fears a Cylon has taken control of the viper while on the asteroid's surface, and is using the transmitter as a beacon to attract more Cylons. This is exactly what happens: on a basestar in the Cyrannus Galaxy, Lucifer reports strange signals. Baltar orders interceptors launched to investigate. Apollo and Boomer are dispatched to track and destroy Starbuck's viper. Athena asks Cassiopeia to come to the bridge; with Starbuck's ship about to be shot down, Athena wants to tell Cassiopeia the news. But Cassiopeia recognizes the code as originating from the merchants of Aeries. Decoding the message reveals Robber is asking Aeries for coordinates; the renegade has no idea Aeries is in Cylon hands. Apollo's search-and destroy mission is called off. He and Bommer land on the asteroid Crodus to find Starbuck. Instead, Robber plays cat-and-mouse with the warriors on foot. Finally, Robber fears for his wife and daughter and surrenders. The "Robber" family tells of how the prison class has been trapped on Proteus for generations, serving Aerian Enforcers who have nothing better to do than manufacture ambrosia. Robber wanted to return to Aeries, but didn't have the ship to make it.

In the Proteus prison, Starbuck meets a bizarre cast of inmates who take on the crimes of their convicted ancestors as names: Forger (Ian Abercrombie), Adultress (Arlene "Tasha" Martel), and Assault (Sean McClory). The prisoners are glad to serve the war effort by making ambrosia, which the Enforcers feed back to the inmate population. Starbuck discovers this drunken social order has endured the centuries, despite the cell door locks no longer work; the people voluntarily remain and drink to their heart's content. But Starbuck reveals his true identity and tells of how this penal asteroid has long since been forgotten. He leads a revolt and all of the population rushes to the surface in time to see Recon Viper 1 landing, escorted by Apollo and Boomer. Three Cylon fighters are approaching, and Starbuck must lure them in so the other two ships can destroy the raiders. The plan works, but much of the stockpile of ambrosia is set ablaze by a crashing Cylon ship.

Even though the fleet changed course on learning of the Cylon fighter incursion, Starbuck and C.O.R.A. lead Apollo, Boomer and Robber's ships back to the Galactica. On the Rising Star, Adama hosts a banquet to welcome Robber and his family. Young Boxey presents Apollo with a drawing of a solar system Adama taught the boy about. Starbuck corrects the drawing, which he remembers from the cell walls on Proteus. Robber recalls a fellow inmate, "the Silent One," was wandered space before being imprisoned on the asteroid. The drawings belonged to the Silent One. This system included Earth.

A Second Look

Where "The Lost Warrior" failed to take the notion of an abandoned distant colony seriously, this episode at least begins to explain how it got there. There are vague similarities to isolated island-colonies in the South Pacific, and to Japanese soldiers secluded for years after the end of World War II. Still, it would be nice if we knew who the people of Aeries were, and what their relationship was to the Tribes of Kobol, if any. If "The Lost Warrior" had come after "The Long Patrol", things would've made a little more sense.

The notion of a backwards, Botany Bay-style penal colony is turned on its ear in this story, with hilarious results. While some people talk of how BATTLESTAR GALACTICA championed a supposedly conservative, militaristic theme, "The Long Patrol" illustrates that theme twisted around by an abusive social order kept in place by a mixture of misguided patriotism and booze. Here, Starbuck is ironically in his full glory leading an uprising against the establishment.

Nobody seems to care what will happen when the Cylons loose three interceptors in an inhabited planetary system. Will Baltar send more ships to investigate this loss? Does that not spell doom for the Aerian colonists on Proteus and Crodus?

This episode typifies how Baltar and Lucifer could be replaced by cardboard stand-up dummies and nobody could tell. "Launch fighters." "By your command." At least the basestar's eerie background noise explains Baltar's insanity. It would be enough to make anyone genocidal after a while.

Athena and Cassiopeia get air time in this episode, but the air seems used up by heavy breathing over Starbuck. The legitimate criticism has been made that women are depicted as either subservient junior personnel or as promiscuous teenage girls. Such is the case with "The Long Patrol", which gives away its 1978 origins. To be fair, one must remember that this was the era of disco, the first designer jeans, and the heyday of Hugh Hefner and Bob Guccione. The only era-inappropriate behavior of Starbuck is he was smoking a "fumarillo" (cigar) instead of some illegal substance. It is too bad that Athena, still listed as a viper pilot in this episode, wasn't shown piloting a ship instead of looking like an overglorified stenographer. They could've at least made her a lieutenant-commander; that would've given sitting in a chair reporting to Tigh and her father a little more credibility.

Donald Bellisario wrote a good premise in this show, but like all episodes of this series, we are left with questions. How did the Galactica fleet get from one galaxy to another? A vast, universal network of wormholes? What happened between Baltar and Lucifer? And why doesn't Adama want Starbuck to go on patrol in his regular uniform? Were the Aerians coopted by this "alliance"? How do the Cylons fit into this "alliance"? Do they lead it? In this show, the waiter of the Rising Star talks of what it was like "before the war". Later, the Aerian colonists on Proteus talk of how they helped the war effort hundreds of yahrens ago. Was there more than one war? Maybe a string of wars, spread out over more than a thousand yahrens? Or maybe one war, that was alternately hot-and-cold? These possibilities make more sense than just one hot war for a thousand yahrens straight.

How Starbuck leads Apollo and company back to the Galactica is not made clear. Do the same advanced abilities Robber used C.O.R.A. for to initiate long-range transmission prove useful in relocating the fleet?

The Irish metaphor in this episode sends it over the top. The curiosity exhibited by Adultress (Arlene "Tasha" Martel), as to what "Starbuckin'" is about was purely R.O.F.L.

Too bad BATTLESTAR GALACTICA slammed the door on galactic intrigue by totally wiping out the home planets. By the looks of the old "sixth millennium" fighter Croad was flying, and the loose intimations of other civilizations and intrigue, maybe they should've had refugees of only one or a few satellite worlds wandering space. The homeworlds could've been in chaos from internal divisions. If the Cyrannus Galaxy were teaming with schemes and counter-schemes of a variety of civilizations, the Galactica would have to navigate a more interesting course for its fleet.

Speaking of "sixth millennium" ships, how old could those ships be? If the events of the series occur in the 7000's, then that's the eighth millennium. This Aerian colony and ships would have to be over 1,000 yahrens old. Yet the Croad's fighter looks to be of the same lineage as the Colonial viper. By the way, that ship looked beautiful. Yet we never saw anything like it again.

C.O.R.A. is a pure joy. Her exchanges of sarcastic wit with Starbuck were worth a chuckle, even if the computer was too colloquial. Never explained was how Robber could steal the Viper and use it as a communications platform with C.O.R.A.'s cooperation. The computer can get smart with Starbuck, but never challenged Robber. And how did Apollo get the Starchaser operational again so quickly, after Robber had been stripping it down?

There is just a hint of science fiction in this episode, though only just a hint.

Spectacle Value

Funny how you can land on any one of a handful of asteroids and they each have agreeable climate. Funnier still that Crodus (Robber's refuge) has settlement and vegetation galore, yet it looks like a barren, airless rock from space.

The painting of the Proteus penal colony seen from a distance looked interesting, if a bit vague, shrouded in darkness. The combination of combat footage, fire and background imagery added in was beautifully done.

The most-used special effects in this outing were either recycled stock fighter footage or computer screen "tactical" graphics. There is very nice use of the full-scale mock-up of the viper ships.

We do see one brief scene of an alien world (Crodus) during the daylight hours when Robber's family talks to Apollo and Boomer about the prison situation on Proteus. Inexplicably, that's the only such scene in this episode. Every other planetary scene is at night.

Where did they conjure up that outfit for Starbuck's mission? At least the Colonial helmets offer some pretense of being useful as part of a spacesuit.

IF BATTLESTAR GALACTICA WERE NEW TODAY:

C.O.R.A. would have to be different. Even though C.O.R.A. arrived years before KNIGHT RIDER's talking K.I.T.T. car, everyone would still be saying "they made the talking Trans Am into a spaceship!" They really should've used C.O.R.A. more in the series to help the characters articulate more complex and interesting situations as part of the flow of the plot. It also would've opened the door to stories of encounters in space and on other worlds which had less to do with combating Cylons and more to do with exploring the Universe. In the absence of any teleportation device the characters could use to "beam down" anywhere, C.O.R.A. would've served as a better flight companion than the ubiquitous Federation computer (voice by Majel Barrett-Roddenberry) heard in STAR TREK.

There would have to be a little more background as to how those Aerian colony-asteroids got there, and why. There would also have to be an explanation of how the Aerians would evade more Cylons.

This would also serve as the perfect story, if done in two-part form, to introduce characters in the fleet who would mutiny for the chance to disembark and settle on such a world. This would have the double-edged effect of showing how the Galactica deals with discipline while also showing seeds of the defeated Colonists' legacy being spread across the Universe. If GALACTICA were to continue on for years, these worlds could be revisited, showing how the planted seeds sprouted into civilizations sympathetic to the Colonial cause.

The whole love triangle thing would have to be dropped. Either that or Arnie Becker would have to get caught red-handed and dealt with decisively.

Athena could still be beautiful and have a thing for Starbuck, but she could also have a career. Maybe she could've volunteered to fly in Boomer's place or Apollo's.

It would be nice to see some kind of craft sized between a viper and shuttle. Such a combination "bomber"/scoutship would seem more practical than stuffing a pilot into a cockpit for extended periods in deep space. Design cues could be taken from the Eastern Alliance destroyers. To use an analogy from STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE, they need a Runabout, or STAR TREK: VOYAGER's Delta Flyer.

If you don't like C.O.R.A., the answer is simple: use two-seat Vipers, as in GALACTICA: 1980. Maybe Athena could've been assigned to co-pilot on Starbuck's mission. The fight between them would've been more dangerous than the Cylons.

TIDBITS & NITPICKS

The performance of Starbuck's Viper, the Starchaser, combined with the implications of the missions of both Apollo/Boomer and the Cylons, make it clear that fighter craft in the eighth millennium are capable of faster-than-light speeds. C.O.R.A. even mentions that the Starchaser is slowing to sublight speed prior to engaging Croad's antique fighter, not to mention the braggadocio that the ship "can outrun anything in the Universe."

Taking C.O.R.A.'s assertion that Starchaser can outrun any ship in the Universe at (near) face value, (well, at least, the ships in the known Universe) just how fast can that thing go? Does this mean it could out-drag-race a battlestar? It was mentioned in "Take the Celestra" that the Celestra's top speed was "factor four", without elaborating what that meant. If that meant four times the speed of light, that would be too slow for the kind of interstellar travel seen in GALACTICA. The whole fleet must be faster than that. Warp factor 4? Don't laugh. Admiral Asimov of BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY once ordered the Starship Searcher to "slow to Warp 3". Or maybe the "factor" is a logarithmic order of magnitude, relative to the speed of light. Ten to the fourth power would mean 10,000 times the speed of light. Maybe that's Celestra's battlespeed for limited periods. And maybe Starchaser can do double *that* speed, or 20,000c, for brief "turbo" bursts.

While I like the Omega character, it seems all his lines could've been spoken by Athena, giving her more involvement in this story. This really isn't a "ship" story. So bridge banter should concentrate strictly on what's relevant to the story, namely: the detection of life and the mission. Athena could've done that.

The scene where Tigh and Adama make an elaborate stroll around the bridge of the Galactica was beautiful. The set was huge, but they did an effective job as making it look bigger and more active than it was.

Apollo makes the reference to "eating" the Starchaser's "ion vapors". It is never really clear where ships in this show derive their power from, much less how it is used to create the fantastic speeds which are obviously achieved. One thing is for certain: this does not sound like a reference to simple, chemical-reaction thrust rockets, at least not such rockets alone.

Starbuck concedes to Apollo that encountering Cylons makes Starchaser's probe into "a one-way mission." But if this recon viper is so powerful and swift, why can't Starbuck dodge the Cylons long before they can catch him? Surely, a doubling in speed and range makes it possible for the probe to plot a roundabout return course so the Cylons are fooled and the pilot still gets to return to home base. In a situation as desperate as theirs, it doesn't make sense for the Galactica to throw away a good pilot and a good ship.

At the beginning of this episode, Athena pulls up a duty roster on her computer screen:

PERSONNEL STATUS - BLUE SQUADRON

APOLLO CPT. LDR GAL RED ATHENA LT. HD GAL RED OMEGA SGT. HG GAL GREEN RIGEL SGT. HQ GAL RED STARBUCK LT. F/LDR TSS RISING STAR GREEN

Don't you just hate it when some nit-picker uses the pause button on the VCR? :-)

First of all, it is nice to see Athena is still considered part of Blue Squadron. The first column is obviously the character's name, the second the rank/rate, the third may be some kind of positional title, the fourth their current location, and the fifth their current readiness status for routine work. By the looks of this, and referring to what the characters say, Omega and Starbuck are off-duty "for the centon". But where's Boomer, Jolly, and Greenbean? Of all of them, at least Boomer must be in Blue Squadron. What about Brie, and the other female warriors? And what are Omega and Rigel doing on that list? It would seem that a squadron would include at least a dozen, if not twenty or more, pilots and ships.

One interesting notion: Apollo and Boomer joke about Starbuck's fitness as a warrior. They needle their buddy constantly. Yet Starbuck is apparently the "flight leader" if this roster means anything. This seems to imply Starbuck is second-in-command in the squadron. So they are sending the squadron's XO on a dangerous scout mission alone? (It seems that Boomer should be the XO of the squadron anyway.)

The story in this episode rests on the notion that this is a new galaxy and the Cylons don't know the Galactica left the Cyrannus Galaxy. Robber unwittingly puts an end to that. It is never made clear if the Cylons report anything back to the basestar. But it is made clear that the Galactica somehow guided the fleet through a dust cloud from one galaxy to another. What is going on here? Could the dust cloud have something to do with a naturally occurring wormhole? Or maybe the fleet plunged into a black hole at faster-than-light speed and emerged on the other side from a quasar, or "white hole", clearing the spat-out debris field in its wake. Whatever passage permitted this intergalactic travel, Robber is able to send some kind of long-range transmission through it. We know this because Lucifer reports on receiving the signals. So this episode establishes that at least some crude form of intergalactic travel and communications are possible.

It is possible that the Cylons picked up Robber's second transmission after emerging from the dust; the fighters would then fixate on the signals and head straight for them. This does not mean that the basestar, apparently still in the Cyrannus Galaxy, would have any idea where specifically the signals came from. It is a forgone conclusion that Baltar ordered his basestar to pass through this mysterious dust cloud to follow the Galactica's wake. It is not clear that the Cylons know what happened to their fighters or where they went. That could get Proteus off the hook insofar as Baltar's forces are concerned.

One wonders if Starbuck didn't leave behind anything with the colonists on Proteus; plans to a new Viper for them to build, maybe?

The Lost Warrior Analysis
By Walt Atwood

The third review to come up of the classic series...look at Walt's take on it...

STORY SYNOPSIS

Flight Captain Apollo is on a solo Viper mission when he encounters a Cylon patrol. Hopelessly outgunned, he keeps hailing the Galactica for help while he tries to evade his pursuers near an unknown planetary system. Though the warrior is successful at outmaneuvering the Cylons and even destroying one of their ships, his mayday goes unanswered. Adama declares his son's mission a loss, writing off the transmissions as "meant for Cylon ears." Even though Starbuck and Boomer are eager to seek out Apollo, Adama refuses.

The Cylons regroup after Apollo's counter-attack, but choose not to continue pursuit. The new course the Viper chooses leads out of their range. The Cylons deduce the new heading is a ruse, away from the Galactica. Apollo, meanwhile, chose the heading because he is running out of fuel, with no hope of return to his home battlestar. He finds a habitable planet and glides down into what appears to be nighttime in wooded, hilly farm country. He declares himself lucky for making such a soft landing. He is discovered by mother-and-son homesteaders Vella (portrayed by Katherine Cannon) and Puppis (Johnny Timko). Though Puppis is thrilled with Apollo's arrival, Vella seems weary. She insists the Viper be concealed in the brush. Once done, the homesteaders welcome the warrior back to their ranch, on a world they identify as Equellis.

While Apollo samples the homesteaders' hospitality, a strange horse approaches outside. Everyone is surprised to see a battered Cylon centurion, whom the natives call Red-Eye (Rex Cutter), perched atop the horse. Apollo hides inside the house and watches as the mother and son greet Red-Eye. The Cylon was sent by the ever-watchful town gangster, LaCerta (Claude Earl Jones) to investigate a strange disturbance in the night sky. Just then, Red-Eye is startled by another strange horse. The apparently malfunctioning Cylon swiftly draws a Colonial blaster to greet Vella's approaching brother, Bootees (Lance LeGault). Red-Eye warns all of the homesteaders not to defy LaCerta's will; their "tribute" (shake-down) is overdue. The menacing centurion rides back into the town.

Back inside the house, Vella introduces Bootees to Apollo. Bootees is ecstatic at the notion of a Colonial warrior-- a flight captain, no less --who is armed and can rid the village of Red-Eye. Vella explains that Puppis' father, Martin, crashed his fighter in the desert. Vella nursed Martin back to health, they married, and she bore their son. When Puppis was still very young, Red-Eye appeared and the Cylon killed Martin for his blaster. Townspeople who challenged the LaCerta's centurion enforcer with the local air-powered weapons ultimately wind up dead.

On the bridge of the Galactica, young Boxey visits Adama while Starbuck, Tigh and Boomer fidget at the thought that Apollo will not be returning. The little boy is staying up late to greet his step-father. Nobody is ready to break the news. Starbuck and Boomer offer to keep the child company.

Apollo sets out on horseback for the village, determined to learn about where Red-Eye came from. Could there be a Cylon garrison on Equellis? In the town saloon, LaCerta spots newcomer Apollo immediately, and dispatches henchman Marco (Red West) to size-up and harass the pilot, who is now unarmed and wearing indigenous clothing. But Apollo insists on sitting in the corner with Red-Eye. The obviously malfunctioning Cylon is instantly suspicious of Apollo, and starts threatening violence. The exchange catches LaCerta's attention. The boss invites Apollo over for a drink. It becomes clear the centurion follows LaCerta's every command. Apollo offers to work for the town boss, much to the gangster's amusement.

In the pilots' barracks aboard the Galactica, Starbuck, Boomer, Jolly and Greenbean are playing cards with Boxey, who beats them all. Cassiopeia (Laurette Spang) scolds the warriors for drinking, smoking and playing cards before the boy, who is staying up too late. The warriors defend their innovative approach to baby-sitting, insisting they are drinking fruit juice. As Starbuck's girlfriend relieves the men of custody of the boy, the warriors consider a plan to determine their strike commander's fate.

In Adama's quarters, Tigh insists that Adama is bending over backwards to avoid the appearance of wanting to rescue the "Commander's son." The Galactica will only be in range a short time if they are to attempt a recovery. Adama relents, and Tigh immediately walks over to a comm-link and orders recon Vipers to launch. Starbuck and Boomer are in flight almost immediately.

As Apollo returns to Vella's ranch, he finds Puppis, who just barely managed to shoot a wolf-like "lupus" with his air-gun. Apollo is proud of the boy. Once back in the house, they learn that Bootees' livestock were raided by LaCerta for the "tribute." Vella is worried that her brother will get into a confrontation. True to form, Apollo enters the saloon, unarmed, in time to see a drunken Bootees die in a gun fight with Red-Eye. Apollo quickly grabs any loose air-guns and surrenders them. This outrages Puppis, but it also stops the violence. Apollo learns from one of LaCerta's ladies that Red-Eye was found damaged in the crash site of a downed Cylon fighter. The centurion has regarded LaCerta as if he were a Cylon commanding officer ever since. Vella is about to depart with a resentful Puppis in a horse-drawn carriage when Apollo has second thoughts. The warrior retrieves his blaster and, much to his hostess' chagrin, confronts LaCerta. Red-Eye appears, and Apollo wins the gun draw. The Cylon falls in a shower of sparks. Back at the ranch, Apollo must dampen Puppis' enthusiasm by reminding him that the "heroic" gunfight with the Cylon was no different than the confrontation the boy had with the lupus. Vella offers to show Apollo the crash site where Martin landed; maybe the ship still holds some fuel.

In space, Starbuck keeps encouraging Boomer to stretch their probe a little further in pursuit of Apollo. Boomer warns that they are nearing the point of no return. Apollo's ship emerges from Equellis, and the three Vipers head for home.

A Second Look

While GALACTICA did put considerable effort into reviving the Western at a time when it was long-since dead, the series makers did not try hard enough. Other sci-fi and action-adventure series have attempted to graft a re-treaded COOL HAND LUKE plot onto a decidedly non-Western series format. It is a dubious endeavor. In this case, the Western homestead-and-corrupt-village seems to serve as more of a window dressing or a transparent plot device than a serious discovery of another human-inhabited world. To see how a series takes the notion of a prize fighter stumbling into a frontier dictatorship and raising a hand for freedom more seriously, one need look no further than the 1972 made-for-TV movie/pilot for KUNG FU, or any of a number of the subsequent episodes of the series, especially the 1973 outing "The Hoots." This series, sometimes referred to as a "far-Eastern Western" because it featured David Carradine as Kwai Chang Caine, an outcast Shaolin priest and Kung Fu master who escapes to the American south-west of the 1870's to find his American relatives, proved a drama focusing on a nomadic character could exhibit superior story-telling and win high audience ratings (the show was canceled by Carradine, not flagging popularity or troubled returns) while showing greater depth and conviction, all without breaking the bank.

What could have been a higher quality story as yet another two-part adventure instead becomes a chopped-down all-nighter which leaves the viewer with more curiosities than messages. Granted, it is time that action-adventure television showed a hero who was understandably afraid and worried about children being exposed to violence. But this GALACTICA outing fumbled the opportunity to give that important moral a better hearing. In the end, Apollo doesn't even want to tell his fellow warriors what happened.

To use of LaCerta and Marco as frontier tyrants was a waste. Claude Earl Jones seems to have trouble conjuring up a believable strongman, and Red West seems longing to appear in a parody of a Western instead of the real thing. At least we get to see Rex Cutter quick-draw in a Cylon suit. Ironic that the Cylon's appearances save the day for this lackluster imitation of a tried-and-true Hollywood theme. It takes a very poor effort to bungle a plot like this. What is so sad is how GALACTICA managed to pull in this kind of guest cast and not fully utilize them. Clearly, less time should've been spent off-world so more time could be devoted to the story on Equellis. Instead, Apollo simply shoots the Cylon, sermons the boy and then is next seen in space. How did he get to the desert to forage for fuel in Martin's fighter? Did the townspeople help him? Interesting how Apollo, defender a freedom and protector of human interests, just dethrones LaCerta and walks quietly into the night without another thought. Here was a golden opportunity for Richard Hatch to use the Apollo character to exhibit some leadership outside of GALACTICA's war theme. The people of Equellis could've been recruited to help find the other Viper. Giving them a goal as a newly freed community of citizens would not necessarily have been a difficult or expensive thing. Showing a crowd congratulating their hero could've led to a quest to help him return to space. Such a quest, while a simple plot device, would allow for Apollo to lead the people in doing something constructive, a more worthy "tribute" which could've restored their self-respect through accomplishment. Instead, all we see is one of the townspeople snatching up Red-Eye's weapon. No doubt this would set the stage for more abuse and hardship on Equellis.

This episode also missed out on the opportunity to show how a clearly human colony could exist with no apparent knowledge of the Twelve Tribes. Was Equellis settled by a stray offshoot of the Thirteenth Tribe? Where did Martin come from? Another Battlestar? The Pegasus, perhaps? The Equellisians (?) themselves are a curious lot. They live in metal houses and socialize in a metal saloon, all illuminated with artificial lighting. They apparently posses power sources to perpetuate Red-Eye's reign of terror. Yet all we see is an isolated, backwards village and homesteading. These people seem to know about space travel, and appear receptive to the idea of the Great Colonies and the war. Yet they are obviously not interested in these ventures. Could Equellis have been colonized by other lost warriors who abandoned all attempts to rejoin their comrades in space? Could these Equellisians be descendants of castaways (or even deserters) of some downed expedition who choose not to teach "the whole truth" to their children? These are obvious questions Apollo could have, and possibly should have, explored in a better-prepared two-part story which would serve as a better follow-up to "Lost Planet of the Gods."

What this episode did do well was allow Terry Carter to put in a good performance as Tigh. The guy gets to show some passion in taking a stand.

Where is Athena in all of this? She doesn't even show up to express concern or report on Apollo's transmissions. Maybe instead of showing Boxey at the card game, they could've shown her talking with Adama and Tigh.

There is not a hint of science fiction in this entire episode. To see a slightly more genuine sci-fi attempt at a vaguely similar story, watch the STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE episode from 1994 entitled "Paradise", in which Sisko and O'Brien are stranded on a planet inhabited by community of humans who have rejected any form of technology. The tyrant versus outsider theme, in which weapons become a precious commodity, is executed much more effectively.

Spectacle Value

Metal-colored cowboy hats and a synthesizer-player in a saloon who sounds like a perverse parody of disco. Only in the 1970's. I love that decade!

Another '70's-only vignette: the kid gets all the spoils in a "pyramid" card game.

A curious pattern is already forming in this series: all the action happens at night. Even the townspeople congregate at the saloon through the wee hours, as if they sleep all day. Or is there any daylight at all?

Another curious pattern is how we have to watch each individual pilot launching from the Galactica. A bit tedious, this adds nothing to the story, while arguably detracting from it. It's great spectacle, but also time consuming.

In case this section of the review hasn't betrayed the hint yet, this episode contained little spectacle except from the shoot-out near the ending. Maybe that was good for this story. It should not have been about space battles or FX. Too bad a stronger story didn't fill the vacuum.

IF BATTLESTAR GALACTICA WERE NEW TODAY:

They would not likely get away with such a lackluster attempt as this episode. It would have to be a two-parter, with at least a brief mention of what happened to Baltar and Lucifer. While the story could not heavily involve the Cylons in space, it would have to at least briefly explain the fate of those two characters in part 1. Maybe they could briefly reappear in Part 2, pursuing the wrong course and finally coming to realize it. If GALACTICA were to be even semi-serialized in a revival attempt, obligatory scenes like these would be mandatory.

The main thrust of the story would have to be Apollo saving the Equellisian community and recruiting their aid in foraging for Viper fuel. (But, then again, maybe the "lost warrior" should've been someone other than Apollo.) The "lost warrior", whomever that would be, would have to interact with more of the villagers, exhibiting a curiosity about their origins. Maybe a rediscovery of the Equellisian heritage could serve as part of the boy's-- and the community's --coming of age.

How about seeing some daylight on Equellis? A two-parter might make the cost of daytime scenes easier to swallow.

Think of what they could've done by rearranging the characters: instead of the widowed mother Vella, they could've used a widower-father in Bootees. And the "lost warrior" could've been Athena. Apollo would've been arguing alongside Tigh about rescuing "the Commander's daughter." It would've given Richard Hatch a different role, as the leader of the rescue. That role could easily have its own "B story" in a two-parter, without diminishing Hatch's star-status on the show. Maren Jensen would also have had a chance to do something other than counting fighters on a tracking display or piloting a Viper.

TIDBITS & NITPICKS

Just what is the strike commander of a battlestar doing, acting as a solo decoy on a recon mission? Major no-no. It makes no sense for the fleet's top-ranking active pilot to throw his ship-- and life --away, alone. This argument especially resonates after what Apollo said about risking shuttle pilots in "Lost Planet of the Gods."

Richard Hatch's performance in this episode resonates the notion that Apollo's rank of "flight captain" may not indicate a marine/airforce grading (O-3, between 1st lieutenant and major) but instead a higher, naval or British airforce connotation. (Roughly O-6, like a captain of a ship; equivalent to a colonel). The way that Tigh, Adama and Apollo banter with one another seems to indicate their ranks are all high and all close to one-another. Maybe Apollo is a ladder-climbing, risk-taking prodigy. In a related bit, Tigh, who would later take command of the Battlestar Pegasus in "The Living Legend, Part 1", again identifies himself as a fighter pilot. While we never see Tigh serving in this role, he seems to establish his character as having done that. It makes one wonder why he didn't hop into a Viper during the "Lost Planet of the Gods" outings when there was a "manpower" shortage.

Obviously the Cylons are familiar with this region of space; they've been here at least once, maybe twice, before. So why do they leave Equellis untouched? Maybe the Cylons don't bother with homestead planets which exhibit little or no space flight interest. This would explain why so many human colonies are left alone by the Cylons. Or maybe the Cylons only occupy undeveloped planets (by space faring standards) when they offer some strategic value, such as location.

The people of Equellis live what appears to be a somewhat simple, homesteading lifestyle. Vella even keeps a fire going at night. Yet this Spartan existence seems to clash with her Toni Tenille hairdo, and he son's bushy coif. Another dead giveaway as to when this was made.

Vella's homestead looks conspicuously like the ranch which Hector and Vector kept waiting for Michael and company on Paradeen in "Greetings from Earth". At least then we get to see it in daylight.

Neat how Tigh had Starbuck and Boomer in their cockpits at the ready in the launch tubes. Adama's tutorial in sneakiness in "Saga of a Star World, Pt. 3" stayed with the colonel.

This is the second part of Walt's analysis of the two part episode "Lost Planet of the Gods"...

Lost Planet Of The Gods Part II Analysis
By Walt Atwood

STORY SYNOPSIS

As the infected pilots recover in the Galactica's infirmary, the maverick shuttle pilots brag up their victory in the Officer's Club. Starbuck and Apollo are relieved to hear that the bridge crew has detected an unknown blip trailing the Galactica fleet, just beyond tracking range. At first, Tigh approaches Apollo about leading a recon patrol to see what's out there. Then Serina appears and insists she is assigned as Apollo's wingman. In the confusion, Starbuck launches in Apollo's fighter. Apollo takes after Starbuck, followed by Serina.

The Cylon lure works. A slew of their raiders descend on Starbuck's ship before he knows what hit him. Without a shot fired, Starbuck is lost at the void's fringe. Aboard the Cylon Basestar, Lucifer and the Centurions escort their catch to Baltar. It is here that we learn of Baltar's plan to approach Adama with this new hostage as a peace offering. The encounter is as much a surprise to Lucifer as it is to Starbuck.

On the Galactica's bridge, Apollo cannot resist staring into the scanner, hoping to see Starbuck's Viper reappear. Serina consoles Apollo, but he still cannot accept that their comrade could disappear so suddenly. Serina presses on for marriage, saying that the predicament they are in may never end, and Starbuck would've wanted them to move on. As Adama performs the "sealing" ceremony on the Galactica's amphitheater deck, Tigh notices a star appearing. If Adama is right, the planet orbiting that star is Kobol: the birthplace of the human race.

Lucifer reports that the Galactica has been sighted approaching a dead planet orbiting a lone star. Baltar figures out what is happening and orders his personal craft readied. Lucifer cannot accept Baltar's confidence in approaching the humans with a peace plan.

On the planet's surface, Adama wants camp set up on a site of pyramids, a sphinx and other great ruins he suspects were once the thriving city of Eden, "the first to fall" on ancient Kobol. Apollo and Serina are grateful to have a dead planet to themselves for a honeymoon. As the warriors ready to bivouac among the ruins, Adama orders a guard to be posted.

As Adama, Apollo and Serina probe the pyramid "temple", which turns out to be the tomb of "the ninth Lord of Kobol," they discover an elaborate protective access system, which can only be opened by a Medallion from the Council of Twelve. Apparently, the ninth and final lord returned to Kobol to die after the thirteen tribes left to form new colonies beyond the void. The writings in the temple reveal the "last days" of this civilization. As Adama pays his respects to the dead, Baltar appears, wearing his own Medallion. When the traitor greets Adama as "old friend", the beleaguered Battlestar commander lunges for his enemy's throat.

Baltar insists he has been defamed by these treason charges. He tells of how he has seen the Cylon seat of power in chaos; how the Galactica could strike their capital and devastate the Cylons. Adama hisses to Baltar: "you have the tongue of an angel, and the soul of a serpent." Apollo takes Baltar into custody.

Back on the Basestar, a Centurion is paged to Baltar's throne room... to find Lucifer perched on the pedestal and ready to declare Baltar's peace envoy a failure. Though the Centurion is certain Baltar will deliver the Galactica fleet to Cylon, Lucifer is "thinking out loud" about why he was not chosen to be the new Imperious Leader over his "IL-group" competition; perhaps a military victory under his command might change his stature. "What is your command?" the Centurion asks.

On the planet's surface, the rookie warriors are enjoying their open-air evening on Kobol, when Starbuck appears. Apollo orders the warriors to ready themselves and demands that Baltar explain what is going on. When Apollo takes the traitor back into the tomb to talk to Adama, Serina notices that the sunlight is intensifying. As the light beams into the tomb, it is caught by Adama's Medallion. the focused rays activate the temple chamber's secret mechanism, and a deeper chamber is revealed. Once inside, Adama discovers more writings of what happened here. But then the tomb begins to shudder: the Cylons have begun a bombardment of the ruins.

Starbuck and Athena begin launching a counter-strike from the camp. On the Galactica, Boomer and some of his fellow warriors report for duty. "Lieutenant, obviously you can't even stand", Tigh warns Boomer. Boomer replies "The Viper is flown from the seated position, sir." Just when all seems lost for Starbuck and Athena, Boomer and company rout the Cylon attack. On Kobol, the Cylon attack nearly kills those left in the tomb. Adama is just about to learn of the thirteenth tribe when a Cylon attack shatters the tomb, leaving the writings destroyed and Baltar trapped under the rubble. While Adama's party try to free Baltar, they eventually give up and abandon him. The traitor vows to get even with Lucifer, "you have not heard the last of Baltar!"

Back on the surface, Adama, Serina and Apollo are reunited with Starbuck and Blue Squadron when Cylon infantry guns down Serina. She is mortally wounded but evac'ed to the Galactica before Apollo and Boxey say good-bye. Apollo now must rear the little boy on his own.

A Second Look This BATTLESTAR outing makes splendid use of John Colicos as Baltar, and the phenomenal robot Lucifer, animated by Felix Silla and voice by Jonathan Harris. The duel of the titan egos on the Basestar takes a strange turn, mixing doses of comedy with treachery. The sight of the IL-Cylon on Baltar's throne approaches farce. But the show belongs to Colicos' Baltar, whose con-artist tour-de-force comes into full bloom on Kobol.

The notion of a star appearing overhead at the very moment when Apollo and Serina are sealed was well played, if a bit too coincidental. When later Baltar apologizes to the air for defiling the ancient crypt, and then begs Adama to "use your power... get us out of here", the whole Kobolian mystery is a bit over the top. It is not clear if the show's makers want us to believe that Adama is tracing the footsteps of history for a well-grounded cause, or if his quest is based on some magic from the dead. One good thing is clear: Adama's Medallion beat Indiana Jones' staff-jewel laser to the Well of Souls by a few years. :-)

Missing from the Sci Fi channel "syndicated" version of this episode was a nice shot of Starbuck's Viper on approach to the Basestar. Other scenes seem chopped down to allow for commercial time. The explanation for Boomer's sudden recovery isn't adequate, either. Way too abrupt. This detracts significantly from the serialization aspect of the series. Speaking of which...

This episode underscores the serialized, soap-opera nature of the series does work well when it is allowed in the oven for long enough, and with the right ingredients. "Part 2" capitalizes on all the events that came before and does well on its own.

Jane Seymour turns in an improved portrayal of Apollo's bride, Serina. Too bad it was her swan song in the role. She was really starting to make something with it. But what was she doing out there on recon probe? That whole scene almost made a farce out of Starbuck's abduction. It's like Mom insisted on following Dad on his trip outta town. "Can I have the keys to the station wagon?" More proof positive that the show's makers did not take the war and military aspects of the series as seriously as they should have.

Spectacle Value Maren Jensen gives a nice cameo appearance as Athena, ready to fight the Cylons: fluffy hair, makeup and all. If Calvin Klein ever needed a female fighter pilot for a designer jeans ad campaign, Athena would be the lady. Speaking of ladies, at least the "girl" demeaning was toned down. Too bad they had to dub in those silly "Eeeee!" screams when the Cylons attacked the camp. Maybe showing one of the ladies hopping into the turret atop a land-ram would've been a better use of footage. They didn't even have to show the turret firing; just one lady ready to fend off the attackers while the others get clear to their fighters. But this was 1978, after all.

This two-part story cemented the status of Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict as stars of the show. Make no mistake, even though some remember it as "BATTLESTAR PONDEROSA", Apollo and Starbuck are at the top of the characters list.

While this episode recycles some space and combat footage, the real spectacle is the focus of the plot: the ancient ruins. Every Kobol scene was effective, shot and performed better than anything thus far in the series. Even the Cylon attack worked beautifully. That great success also fuels the confusion behind what the series is trying to communicate about this quest for thirteenth tribe: the physical manifestations seem to suggest the quest is based on ancient heritage, while the magical/legendary aspect suggests mysticism.

The other great thing about GALACTICA is the music. The score here was much better than in "Part 1." This series championed the power of music, even freezing an occasional touch of Colonial pseudo-disco in time. It is a treat to listen to.

IF BATTLESTAR GALACTICA WERE NEW TODAY:

This episode would be the most viable. Even though the Cylons have definitely worn out their welcome by now, the quest and the pursuit are tightly bound in a drama that works well against the backdrop of ancient ruins. Despite this, I also just watched a STARGATE SG-1 rerun of "The Fifth Race," in which Colonel O'Neil is accidentally "programmed" to make contact with the Askard race in another galaxy by reconfiguring the Stargate portal. Ironically, STARGATE seems to borrow from BATTLESTAR's theme of ancient mystery, underdog exploring the unknown, and the serialization of drama. Maybe now, if the older franchise is revived, it can learn from its younger student. STARGATE goes a step further by layering its cosmic history. It isn't just found in ancient historical texts in one place or time. The cosmos is much bigger than that. "The Fifth Race" shows us multiple legacies that are ongoing and more complex. What if this thirteenth tribe branched off, settling in more than one place? Or what if the thirteenth tribe intermarried with another race, and turns out not to be human anymore? Or what if it turns out that the Galactica unknowingly is leading the thirteenth tribe, and will ultimately settle on Earth? Or what if Earth is humanity's point of origin, which then spread to Kobol, and lost track of its roots? (Maybe the Great Colonies are thousands of years in humankind's future.)

They would have to do a better job depicting the abyss.

If they ever got their hands on another casting coup like Jane Seymour, they had better not let go of her. Mistakus collossus!

They would have to be a little more clever with their allegories. Some say the series reminded them of the Mormon legacy. Others say it was derived from THE AENID by Virgil. There is also a whiff of the original American colonists arriving from England to escape persecution under the Crown. This was impossible to define in one year's slate of episodes. If a revival were to champion an agenda, it would have to choose a direction (or directions) to go in and be more thorough in defining them.

They would also have to be more careful how they treat regular characters, like Baltar and Lucifer. Even a non-serialized drama cannot show scenes like the one with Lucifer on the throne or the one where Baltar is trapped in the tomb without showing how they are reconciled. Irresponsiblus galacticus!

They should do what is necessary to lure Patrick MacNee back to the show, if only for brief appearances and/or voice-overs. The introductory "There are those who believe..." narrative is best kept alive, and delivered by him.

TIDBITS & NITPICKS

Neat: the Cylons are supposed to still be hidden in the void, yet there are stars everywhere.

Apollo's plea to Adama to flee Kobol "while the star is still dormant" makes it clear that Kobol is in the heart of the abyss, not its far edge. So why do we see so many stars there? Does the abyss mask a wormhole or something that sends the ships across hyperspace to emerge in a new galaxy, a la "The Long Patrol" and "The Hand of God"? This is never fully established, one way or another.

Kobol must have a peculiar rotation. When they go into the tomb, it is day, when Starbuck reappears, it is night. When Adama unwittingly opens the tomb's deepest chamber, it is as if mid-day is near. When the Cylons attack, it is night again. If these sudden changes occur because of the fluctuations in the star, it's a miracle this world isn't in an ice age.

It makes no sense... ... for Apollo to allow his green pilot-trainees to make planetfall with their Vipers. They don't need fighter-craft down there, much less that many pilots.
... for the Cylons to attack the ruins, not the Galactica first.
... for so many pilots to be with their ships on the planet, and then Boomer and his squadron launch with even more ships from the Galactica. I don't think they are supposed to have that many Vipers at this stage in the series.

Again, in order for the "endless" nature of this void to make any sense, all craft in the Galactica and Cylon fleets, especially fighters, must be capable of at least the speed of light, if not several times that speed. The generic term "lightspeed" must apply to varying magnitudes of faster-than-light travel.

Nice to see that Sara Rush's "Woman on Duty" is instead listed as Rigel. She made a nice little supporting cameo in "Part 1", and again in "Part 2". She delivers a professional sounding "launch when ready." Too bad we don't get to see more.

Even though Hatch's Apollo and Benedict's Starbuck get the top billing, everyone else still gets the best lines, from Athena needling Starbuck to get into battle, to Adama's parting shot to Baltar "It seems your friends have sealed your fate as well as ours." And the best scene in this episode was when Baltar first appeared in the tomb and Adama lunged at the traitor. Lorne Greene still had some action in him! :-)

You have to love the charitable nature of Adama and his family. There's Baltar, a guy who would make Hitler look like a pussycat, trapped under that rubble, and Adama, Apollo and Serina are risking their lives and giving themselves a hernia just to save that crazy, corrupt S.O.B. That's compassion of Biblical proportions!

I'm going to be featuring a series of reviews that were orginally posted on my maiden website Battlestar Galactica: Resurrection...these are all authored by Walt Atwood with a keen eye to detail & covers the original series from start to finish...

Lost Planet Of The Gods Part I Analysis
By Walt Atwood

STORY SYNOPSIS

The Galactica Fleet, having escaped the Holocaust and having unknowingly destroyed the Cylon Imperious Leader at the battle of Carillon, continues to explore deep space far away from their war-ravaged homeworlds. The new Cylon leader spares the disheveled human traitor Baltar and sends him after the rebel fleet with a Basestar, entirely under the human's command. Baltar is escorted to his new assignment by Lucifer, a Cylon android who seems to have more in common with the Imperious Leader than with the crude, robotic Centurions.

On the Galactica, Apollo announces his engagement to Serina. At this point, Serina is still in civilian dress. But later, Apollo visits Serina in her quarters to discover she is wearing a cadet's uniform; the Colonial journalist wishes to become a shuttle pilot. While Apollo first objects, his fiancee assures him she will serve her new role well.

Apollo joins Starbuck on a Viper reconnaissance mission beyond the Fleet's tracking range. The two "buddies" discover a great black void , which inhibits all forms of tracking, navigation and communication. After nearly getting lost in this void, the two turn return to the Galactica to report their discovery. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Boomer and Flight Sergeant Jolly probe another direction with their Vipers. The two discover a Cylon outpost built into a rockface on an asteroid. They leave the area, not suspecting the Cylons are tracking them.

On returning to the Galactica, Boomer and Jolly sneak past decontamination procedures to join Apollo's bachelor party. Both collapse and reveal a strange plague which incapacitates and could kill everyone in the Fleet. Doctor Salik orders a quarantine of all personnel (exclusively male personnel of the Galactica's bridge crew and pilot roster) who came in contact with Boomer and Jolly. One by one, all of those affected are stricken. Salik insists he will have to journey to the asteroid to discover what caused this disease. With so many Viper pilots incapacitated, Adama must recruit shuttle pilots, apparently all female, to train for Viper simulation. Apollo and Starbuck ultimately lead a reconstituted Blue Squadron, including Serina, to escort Doctor Salik's shuttlecraft to the asteroid.

Baltar and Lucifer spar over what to do about capturing the Galactica and her fleet. Baltar insists on no aggressive action or revelation of his Basestar. Both seem concerned about how to handle the rogue Battlestar, and content to bicker about it.

Apollo and Starbuck seem to have their hands full just keeping their squadron in formation. They catch the outpost by surprise. The Cylons get several fighters launched, but Apollo starts destroying them before more can do so. Starbuck and Athena lead the rest of the squadron in picking off the Cylons. It seems everyone got the hang of flying and fighting. Blue Squadron reports their mission was a success.

Both Lucifer and Baltar are bewildered by the attack on the outpost. What could the Colonists have gained by this incursion? Even more puzzling are the reports of erratic flying of the attacking Vipers. Baltar tires of bickering with Lucifer and orders the capture of one of the Galactica patrols.

A Second Look Baltar seems to get way too familiar with Lucifer in a hurry, doesn't he? For a man who was nearly executed at the hands of the Cylons, he seems all too confident to tell Lucifer "Don't fence with me, my friend." And why does Lucifer often visit Baltar with an armed guard in tow? Fear of assassination, perhaps?

The scene where Apollo announces his engagement to Serina in Adama's dining room seems very stilted. The starched dialogue seems dated, even for the 1970's. This kind of thing makes the whole story look half-baked.

Why would Boomer and Jolly assume they had not been detected by the Cylons on a Cylon-held asteroid? Shouldn't an evasive procedure be in place in the event these probes make such a discovery?

Obviously, the sickness which incapacitates these pilots is a device which the entire story's sense of jeopardy rests on. But that still doesn't explain why they got away with skipping their decontamination process. (Looks like it wouldn't have mattered, since both men were already afflicted.)

There are presumably enough capable folks throughout the fleet who were not at that party that would make better Viper pilot candidates than a trainee who's never even flown a shuttle before! It's one thing to recruit shuttle pilots to fly Vipers, another to recruit cadets who've never flown a shuttle. One would think Serina could've said something about having flying hours back on Caprica, but this is yet another missed opportunity that makes the show look half-finished.

Spectacle Value Some fans grouse about seeing stars in the abyss. This really wasn't a problem. The blackness was sufficient to get the message across, while those few stars showed the edges of the abyss.

The Cylon outpost looked like a miniature. It would've been different if they would've superimposed the images of tiny Cylon warriors guarding the encampment's periphery on foot, a la Gamoray.

Some may not buy into Lucifer's appearance, but this is one Cylon effect that looked perfect for the show. It may scream "disco robot" and the use of Jonathan Harris' voice makes one think of Lucifer as a descendant of Robot from LOST IN SPACE. Still, Lucifer is a shining example of something this show did perfectly the first time. This is the most alien character in the entire series, outside of the being of light seen in "War of the Gods." Sadly, one is left with the impression the all there is to a Cylon Basestar is computerization, launch bays, and a big throne room. If the Cylons are supposed to be part of the story, they should be treated as characters. Does Baltar do nothing but sit on his throne and run his back massager while he passes gas all day? What a waste. If the Basestar is under his command, why not show him in a planning room with Lucifer, studying a star chart? If the show's makers can suit up a Centurion to be on hand, why not show the Centurion interacting with them?

This episode recycles internal footage of the Cylon Basestar over Carillon from "Saga of a Star World, Pt. 3". It shows Cylons standing next to a wall of electronic equipment, apparently monitoring Colonial activity and responding to it. It looks like they just took a hunk of the Galactica's bridge and posed some Cylons in front of it. Cheap, and campy looking. At least for "The Hand of God", the Cylons had their own bridge.

There was one nice computer graphics shot used: when Apollo is being dogged by a Cylon fighter, we see an attack computer display showing a nicely done graphical representation of a Viper approaching with a Cylon behind. Very nice, especially for 1978.

He said, she said Much has been made of how this episode looks dated, how it underscores a male chauvinist attitude in late 1970's television. There are some interesting passages throughout the episode.

The scene between Apollo and Serina in her quarters was nice, but not substantial enough to do either character justice. Again, like the dining room scene, the conversation seems stilted and awkward, over-simplifying the characters' dilemma. Apollo has the nerve to ask his fiancee, "Are you any good?" instead of a more caring and diplomatic "How good was your score?" This scene seems to have been shot to show off Jane Seymour in a tight uniform. (How often do we see so obvious an exhibition of "the Jordache look" in hour-long primetime dramatic fare today? With the exception of STAR TREK: VOYAGER's Seven of Nine, not very often.)

Then there's the scene with the ladies in the crew bunkroom wearing slinky "G-suits", which would make men look ridiculous as well. (Funny, but how often do we see Richard Hatch or Dirk Benedict wearing these same suits? For that matter, wouldn't it have been wiser to avoid this kind of nonsense by designing a flightsuit-and-helmet combination that doubles as a spacesuit? Hindsight being 20/20, guess nobody ever thought of that.) Just what we need to see is Apollo and Starbuck lecturing a bunch of giggling "girls". Somebody should've been soooooo fired for that scene, they should OWE their Hollywierd employers money for it!

Athena is shown piloting a Viper, both in simulation and in battle. She was previously portrayed as a bridge officer. Despite the accusation that Athena's poor piloting carried a sexist message with it, it seems more logical that the show's makers threw Maren Jensen's character into a cockpit because they didn't have a female pilot character readied from "Saga of a Star World." Athena's amateurish flying can be considered understandable if the bulk of her experience is in other areas. If the show would've been better showing her as a pilot, then that's something which should've been addressed earlier. Barring that, Apollo and Starbuck's attitudes are understandable.

Perhaps the biggest embarrassment about this episode is the unprofessional conduct of almost all the Galactica personnel. Is this a cruise ship, or a military vessel? Apollo's pilot friends may celebrate, but all at once? After what's happened to their people? Not only is this "party" an affront to military ideals and readiness, it also serves to make the Galactica look more like MCHALE'S NAVY or a cruise ship, not a carrier on the run escorting refugees. Glen Larson and company seem not to take the nature of their characters or the dangers of their war seriously enough. To the credit of the giggling female pilots, at least they seemed to take their duties more seriously once they got into their cockpits.

Isn't it neat how everyone in the restocked Blue Squadron is a lieutenant? Conveniently, none of these ladies outrank Apollo and Starbuck. Still, if some of these ladies are green, you'd expect to see an ensign. (It's never made clear if Athena's lieutenant rank is air or naval-based. As a Bridge officer, her rank would likely be naval, which would at least put her as equal to Starbuck, if not Apollo. This would also explain the way these characters address each other, personal familiarity aside.)

IF BATTLESTAR GALACTICA WERE BRAND-NEW TODAY...

They would've had to better develop this episode. It was obviously not thought through as well as it should've been. The disease still could've incapacitated several pilots, but the whole business of throwing inexperienced pilots into space would be avoided. Serina piloting a Viper did nothing for the character or the story. Baltar seemed over-eager to do the Imperious Leader's bidding to start with; his life depended on it. So why was he shown lounging in his throne room? What is he doing in there? Daydreaming? Baltar and Lucifer would have to be more than just cardboard standups, ordering Cylon maneuvers. And the discovery of the Cylon outpost should've been handled more cleverly, as with the discovery of the Basestar in "The Hand of God."

The show did not take its military/war aspect seriously enough. Had the show more clearly defined the military culture of the characters and the hardship it imposed on them, it would've been a double-edged sword. It would've made drama easier for the writers and the actors to portray, and it would've given the characters and their situations more substance.

The show's dogfights would have to be more three-dimensional. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA did a surprisingly good job of showing there's no "up" or "down" in space, but even today's sci fi can do a better job.

And maybe instead of showing a Cylon airstrip on a vulnerable asteroid's surface, we could see a new type of Cylon space station or mini-Basestar in orbit.

Isn't there enough canonical evidence that not all refugees and warriors from the Colonies are Earth-type homo sapiens? There are Nomen and many others. So why are they not seen on the Galactica's bridge or in her Vipers' cockpits? All of the characters in this episode are either human or Cylon. Break out the weird makeup! Put a squid on the bridge next to Sara Rush! Put an octopus in that Viper!

TIDBITS & NITPICKS

This episode clearly underscores that both Colonial and Cylon fightercraft are capable of at least lightspeed. (Probably shuttles, too.) There is the loose implication that the Cylons at the outpost dispatched fighters to Baltar's Basestar, rather than revealing the discovery of Boomer and Jolly's intrusion over an open comm-link. There is also the loose implication that Baltar was ordering Cylon fighter patrols to "hang back" and not reveal themselves to the hunted Fleet. Lucifer indicates that accelerating to lightspeed would allow the Basestar to intercept the Galactica in a short period of time. This means that the Cylon patrols trailing the Fleet must be capable of at least lightspeed to have caught up with the Fleet's periphery, and still be able to report back while apparently maintaining radio silence.

They had to give the most beautiful line in the whole episode to one of the bad guys: "Isn't he wonderfully devious?" -Lucifer

It would seem readily evident that a significant period of time passed between the aftermath of Carillon and the events in this episode. That is the only way to explain the new routines, Baltar's familiarity with Lucifer, and Apollo's engagement to Serina. So, why not say so?

Funny, but if this "G-suit" technology is supposed to protect the human body from tremendous G-forces a Viper will face in flight, why doesn't this suit cover a pilot's hands? Maybe human hands are immune to hypergravity?

And what is an enlisted man (Flight Sergeant Jolly) doing piloting a fighter? Shouldn't that kind of thing be left to warrant officers and commissioned officers?

Yes that's right. I've created the Cruiser Yatleau Group here for us here on the Battlestar Galatica Fan Club website. It is awaiting approval. Hopefully it'll be approved and anyone who wants to join the group can do so.

James Cecil

I know I haven't wriiten anything in quite a long long time here. So I thought I would let my fellow colonials here know about two play by eMail games. The first one I certain evey Coloinal here knows about all reay and that is Battlestar Columbia the other is one that I'm restarting back up called Battlestar Cruiser Yatleau Galatica. Battlestar Columbia has a group here on the Battlestar Fan Club web site and Battlestar Crusier Yatleau Galatica does not have a group here yet but does have a website at http://usscommonwealth.org/yatleau I do plan on forming a Yatleau group here on the Battlestar Galatica Fan Club site stickly for non game play chatter.

The Battlestar Columbia game I believe if I'm not mistaken, and those whom are inctrol of this game can correct me if I'm wrong, is set during the first Cylon war erra. Battlestar Cruiser Yatleau Galatica is set during the same time frame that Battlestar Galatica currently occured in. That's right during the Cylon blitz of the colonies to wipe out mankind once and for all. Now the Cruiser Yatleau was not at Coloinal ship yards during the Cylon attack infact the Yatleau has just returning from a five year exploartion mission when it finds that the Coloinal ship yards has been blown to hades and back. Do the Cylon detect the Yatleau? Not until the Yatleau gathers together any reamining civilian ships left in the colonies and embarks on a journey to fule, food, water, ammunations, raw minerals and anything eslse that the fleet will need before heading further out into the vasness of space.

Why not stop by either the Battlestar Columbia group here on the Battlestar Galatica Fan Club websiet and check the Columbia game out or stop by Battlestar Cruiser Yatleau Galatica website at http://www.usscommonweath.org/yatleau and check it out as well and watch for the Yatleau group to pop up here on the Battlestar Galatica Fan Club website soon.

James Cecil

George is a really good guy...no doubt, so check it out...and hear what he had to say when I talked to him just a few years back.

Thanks George!

George "Sulu" Takei Field: Actor Website: www.GeorgeTakei.com Email: Fan Mail Form

Battlestar Galactica: Resurrection recently spoke with George Takei, "Sulu" from the original Star Trek series and movies. We discussed his work and his thoughts regarding the future of Star Trek.

BGR: Well, to start with.. how did you begin your acting career? ..what was it that drew you to the field?

GT: As far back as I could remember, I have been a "ham." I was always performing as a child for my parent's guests. I guess it was inborn. As to what drew me to acting, I first became aware of a performer's magic as a kid in one of the World War II American concentration camps in Arkansas. About once a month, they would show us an old movie in the camp mess hall after dinner. They were usually Hollywood movies from the '30s. However, occasionally, they showed old Japanese samurai movies. But the sound track was missing so a man accompanied the screenings by providing the dialogue. One man provided the voice for the samurai hero, the Shogun, the beautiful princess and the fearful servants. I was mesmerized. I found the narrator more fascinating than the film itself. This was when I first experienced the power and the magic of an actor's art.

BGR: What was your first serious acting role?

GT: My first serious acting role was in an episode of Playhouse 90 titled "Made it Japan." It starred Dean Stockwell, E.G. Marshall, Harry Guardino, Dick York, Robert Vaughn and Nobu McCarthy. This was a live telecast of a 90 minutes drama. I write extensively on this first and heady experience of working with these outstanding professional actors in my autobiography, "To The Stars." Do pick up a copy and read my discovery of Harry Guardino's secret acting trick when doing a long monologue in a live telecast drama.

BGR: Do you think that you were automatically drawn to the sci-fi genre?

GT: No. I was automatically drawn to the prospect of working regularly. When my agent called to tell me about an interview he had set up for me with a man named Gene Roddenberry, I knew nothing about him. When he told me that it was a sci-fi project, it did nothing for me. But when he told me that it was the role of a regular character in a pilot film for a television series, I was really excited. It would mean regular work.... if I got cast. I desperately wanted the role.

BGR: I'm sure everyone must ask this...but was it intimidating to work with John Wayne?...actually along the same lines, what is the difference in doing film as opposed to Television production?

GT: I was awe struck when I went in for the interview. Here was a man I had seen so often on that giant screen in close ups. And here he was right in front of me telling me about this movie he was producing and starring in. A face so familiar that I knew every squint and wrinkle. It was an unforgettable experience. But he was not an intimidating guy. Very down to earth and exactly like he was on screen - decent and straight-forward.

As for the difference between film and television, very simply put --- money. The budget is much bigger for a major feature film than for an episode of television. So you have more time, more care to details and better everything, sets, costumes, props etc.

BGR: When you started on Star Trek, did you have any idea.. deep down.. that it would be the success that it has proved to be?

GT: I knew we were working on a quality project, produced with much care and integrity. But in television, it is all a big throw of the dice. One never knows whether it will hit or not. When the ratings didn't come in, we worked that much harder to earn the ratings. But it didn't come in time to save us from the disastrous numbers of the third season.

BGR: What were your first thoughts on hearing that the show was canceled?

GT: Disappointment. Sadness. But not unexpected. We were proud of what we did, but the ratings gave us the foreshadowing of the cancellation to come.

BGR: Since the premiere of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, do you feel that the TOS film met their potential?

GT: The original series films seemed to fit the now famous "odd" "even" phenomenon of the Star Trek movies. The even numbered ones always seemed to be better than the odd numbered ones. Odd ones usually turned out .... well, ... odd. My favorite is Star Trek VI, The Undiscovered Country or "Captain Sulu to the Rescue."

BGR: Now that we've seen The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and now Voyager... do you think that the franchise has benefited from the various Trek incarnations... since the premise has drifted a bit from the original themes of ST?

GT: The Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry that saw the human future as a bright one, where people confident of their capacity for challenge worked together in concert to overcome common adversaries, seems to have strayed a bit. Deep Space Nine was much darker and pessimistic. The Voyager crew seemed to suffer from more internal conflict than from without. I wonder if the franchise created by Gene Roddenberry has benefited from these more recent incarnations.

BGR: What was it that personally motivated you regarding Excelsior?

GT: To demonstrate Sulu's capacity for leadership as well as his loyalty to his friends. Also to prove that there was no "glass ceiling" with Star Fleet. The meritocracy that Star Fleet was had to be, in fact, verified with Sulu's promotion.

BGR: Do you feel that an Excelsior series will re-energize the franchise?... and how?

GT: Most definitely. It will knock your sox off. Just give us the opportunity.

BGR: While the same can be said regarding Universal and Battlestar Galactica... why do think Paramount seems to be so reluctant to embrace the fans desires?... It is a given that the fans make or break a television program/film, so in that sense do you find the studios attitude to be counter-productive?

GT: It is absolutely baffling. The marketplace has been well defined and sustained by the fans. Why the studio has to constantly be reminded of this simple fact is eternally puzzling.

BGR: What do you see as the future of Trek?... especially the potential legacy of Excelsior?

GT: As Spock would say, "There are always possibilities." Certainly with the Excelsior, there are a myriad possibilities. Who is the mother of Sulu's daughter? What happened to that woman? What happens with the daughter. What happens with the Excelsior in that 80 year span between Star Trek VI and the next generation? There are endless story lines that could be developed.

Great interview I did with Jack...hope you enjoy!

"I recently sat down with Jack Stauffer... Jack on the west coast, myself on the east and had a little chat about Battlestar Galactica and just as importantly his other various works on television, cinema and theater...the insights on All My Children will be very interesting I think! Enjoy!" - Shawn O'Donnell

BGR: First off, let's look at Bojay or rather the character of Bojay...when you went into that role what things do you think you brought to it or what was the outline for that particular character?

JS: The character of Bojay, the reason he was brought in was to stir the pot, The plot dynamics at that point in time seemed to be the same every week – the fleet vs. The cylons. They wanted a very dynamic force to come into the Galactica fleet, and create chaos.

"The Living Legend" introduced the Pegasus and its crew. Cain, Sheba, and Bojay were all strong characters. They immediately challenged the power structure of the Galactica. Commander Cain challenged Adama, and Bojay challenged Apollo for authority. Sheba, aside from her warrior and leadership qualities was to be a love interest for Apollo. Anne Lockhart was hired to be a full-time cast member from the beginning. I wasn’t. In the original draft of "The Living Legend" Bojay got killed!

So when we actually got into filming, it was obvious the Richard and I got along very well. We really bounced off each other. The line producer, Guy Magar, noticed this right away and sort of became my champion. I assume it was he who suggested to Glen that I be kept on board. So, about the third week of shooting – somewhere in the second hour of "Living Legend" I get summoned to Glen’s office. Naturally, I figured I was going to be fired – typical actor paranoia.

But, as it was, Glen said to me "Look it's very obvious that you would be a great asset to the show...I'd like you to stay on". I can still remember the first thing that flashed in my head. I wasn't available! I was booked to go off and do a two hour "How The West Was Won" right after "The Living Legend". Unbelievable! All the time you sit around waiting for your agent to call. It never rains but it pours!

So I explained all this to Glen and he was very, very gracious to me. He said that, in reality, he had no idea what to do with me anyway. The show was really man heavy! If you look at it, you had Richard, Dirk and Herb - three pretty strong personalities. What are you going to do with another strong male personality? There wouldn’t have been enough dialogue to go around.

Also, I think it would have raised havoc with the female leads whose characters by this time had been ripped apart. Laurette's solicitator, which was a wonderful role in the pilot, was now because of network censorship, a med-tech! What is that? Maren Jensen got less and less to do every week. So basically there were no strong women’s parts. Annie’s character at least gave some dignity to the females. But, there was no way you could have immediately added another male presence.

Glen told me that my immediate unavailability would be a blessing. He would include me in several episodes as a presence and in the second year Bojay would become a regular character.

So it was always my understanding that Bojay would eventually become an integral part of the show. My guess, and I'm only surmising, because we never got to that second year, is that they would have eliminated some lesser characters. I have nothing to base that on, of course, except my own intuition.

This is the reason why there are no cards or toy figures of Bojay. The merchandising rights belonged to Universal, and I wasn't contracted to Universal. I was just hired to do the show as a weekly player.

BGR: So that was the Bojay story?

Yep – although I am told the episodes that the fans seem to like most are "The Living Legend" and "War of the Gods" - four out of the five I did.

BGR: I guess another question is of course, what do you personally think the future of Battlestar Galactica is?

JS: I remain optimistic. I think there's a tremendous opportunity for it. You couldn't have better timing than you have now. I think as I said in the three-part interview on BattlestarGalactica.com, Babylon 5 is off the air, Star Trek is gone, Star Wars has been played out. There's really nothing really good sci-fi wise on the air right now, in my opinion, with the exception of The X-Files.

Now, again I'm not a die-hard science fiction fan. For me to watch it, it has to be really, really good dramatically and not just CGI effects. I thought Stargate was good when it first started, but to me the quality of that show has deteriorated - and Richard Dean Anderson is a fine actor! I tried watching all the sci-fi cable shows. Now, I hesitate to bad-mouth other shows and other actors - I am the one who is out of work. But, I can't watch! I just don't understand, with all the good actors and writers that exist, why they don't put better people in these things.

And here comes the old man talking, maybe it's because they make twenty-year-old children, with no acting experience, the stars! The best thing you could do with a show is take new people and put them in with veteran actors that can help them. I will say that till the day I die.

One of the great things about Galactica was the presence of Lorne Greene and when I came on the show, the addition of Lloyd Bridges. These two incredibly good actors set a standard that the young people had to adhere to. I've said it many times; I would have been scared to show up on the set not fully prepared with those two people there! And it's not a matter of intimidation; it's a matter of professionalism.

I was fortunate. I had been well trained from my theatre experiences and from my four years on "All My Children". I was taught to show up knowing all my lines.

But, getting back to your question - what do I see as the future of Galactica? If the rights issues can be resolved, there are endless possibilities. I see this as a terrific series of mini-movies or even as a weekly series with Richard's concept of combining the original cast with a newer cast of younger warriors born in space. This will allow for all sorts of plot scenarios other than just kicking the Cylons around!

The people born in space don't all necessarily have to be humanoid either. If the fleet in its journey came upon other civilizations, you could have other races of individuals. But again, I support the generation aspect of the show. When you combine older actors with younger actors, you just have more to do. That's where I see the future of Galactica going. The CGI effects will take care of themselves - they always do! Look at the special effects in the trailer. They were wonderful.

BGR: What do you think makes Galactica work?

I think it was probably the mythology of the show. If you go back to the original three-hour movie, it was the highest rated movie in the history of television. It was the one that beat "Brian's Song". The fact is - it wasn't supposed to be a television series. They rushed it into production. That’s why some of the early episodes leave a little to be desired.

But, the mythology of Galactica, this search for origin, I think offers up a scenario for the viewers that challenges their imagination. I think that's what really makes Galactica special. You could explore all sorts of philosophies and could go anywhere. That's why Galactica: 1980 was such a travesty, because they found their origin!

I think what made Galactica good was this long-range scenario that kept viewers coming back. I think the closest thing to compare today is the long-range aspect of The X-Files. Every four or five episodes or so of The X-Files, they will come back to the original plot line - "The Great Conspiracy". In between, Chris Carter writes wonderful individual episodes. But, I don't ever see Carter solving that plot line till it goes off the air.

To me, a lot of the sci-fi stuff is just shoot em up - local threat and stuff without any long range scenarios.

Along with Galactica’s premise, you also had very likeable and interesting characters. You also had good actors in the show, like Lorne and Lloyd. Richard's a good actor. Dirk's a good actor. Herb, Annie, and Laurette are certainly fine actors. Hell, John Colicos is renowned Shakespearean actor. And, why not - I think I'm a pretty good actor! You had quality people in that show. Good acting will hold a show together; it'll hold viewers too.

BGR: Let’s change the subject. All My Children - I'm sure that you have some interesting stories!

JS: I have lots of them! I can honestly say my years on All My Children were the happiest. If I could go back and undo one decision, it would be my decision to leave that show.

"All My Children" was unique. This was the first time daytime television ever attempted to make young actors the stars of the show. This is no big deal now given today’s television lineup, but in 1970, this was a huge risk. ABC went out and got four untested actors in Karen Gorney, Susan Lucci, Richard and myself and said we're going to build a daytime drama around you.

However, as I so adamantly stated before, they took us four young people and surrounded us with the creme de la creme of daytime television. Rosemary Prince, Mary Fickett, Ray McDonald, Ruth Warrick from Citizen Kane Fra Heflin (Van Heflin’s sister), Hugh Franklin, Kay Campbell - all these people were veteran daytime actors. AND THESE PEOPLE TAUGHT US! These people set a standard for us, they helped us, they were on our team, and they were our mentors. I learned most of what I know about acting from these people.

Now today - take a look at the teen shows. Do you really think the acting is good? Take a look at shows like Pacific Heights and stuff like that – you tell me.

AMC was a family environment that lent itself to being really, really creative. The producers and writers of All My Children were incredibly good about giving us creative freedom with our characters. Our suggestions and ideas about character, dialogue, etc were always listened to. Sometimes they agreed with us and made changes; sometimes they didn’t. The point is, THEY ENCOURAGED US TO THINK! I can remember years later when I was doing another soap, I raised several questions about character and dialogue. I was told to shut up and just say the words that were written. I left that show after nine months.

I don’t want to give the illusion that we ran the show on AMC. Once decisions were made, we stuck to our scripts. But even then, in rehearsal, we could transpose a line or change some wording if we felt it helped our character, as long as it stayed in the storyline. It wasn't - Do it this way! Do as your told!

OK – stories. One thing that most people don’t know today is 1970 was the early days of videotape. AMC was done "live on tape". What this means basically is we did the show live. Unlike today where every show has its own tape facilities, we shared with "One Life To Live" and ABC News. We had forty minutes to do a half-hour show. Then we lost the tape facilities!

The show was shot from beginning to end - like a play. And like doing a play in front of an audience, if you made mistakes or forgot a line you had to get yourself out of trouble. There wasn’t a lot of time to go back and edit. Editing also cost extra. So - you had to know you're words and your blocking, because if you didn't, they fired you!

There were several very well known actors who did not make it on that show. Robert Urich was one. Joanna Miles, the original Anne Tyler - wonderful actress - couldn't handle the stress of doing the show and not being able to make mistakes. It drove here crazy. They had to let her go. A year later, Joanna Miles won an Emmy for "The Glass Menagerie". She just couldn’t handle the stress of daytime.

We had forty page scripts to learn every day. You blocked and rehearsed it in the morning. You got into your makeup and wardrobe and had a dress rehearsal. Then you shot it like a play. They rolled the tape, and they went from beginning to end - and you tried not to screw up!

Naturally there were goofs - and, there were some wonderful, funny stories of stuff that happened!

A classic sequence was in the Martin living room with Tara, Phil, Chuck, Ruth, and Joe coming in on a winter day when it's snowing outside. There were big rollers up above the set, full of foam or ivory snow or whatever it was up in there, and they would turn them, and the snowflakes would come down outside the windows. The sequence was that Ray McDonald and Mary Fickett, (Joe and Ruth) Karen and Richard and myself come into the Martin living room, and the dialogue was something like, "Kids, give me your coats and I'll hang them up," and Ray hung them up in the closet. Richard and Karen (Phil and Tara) were having some teen crisis, and they went around the fireplace to have this secret conversation. That was kind of the whole sequence.

Well, we walk in the door and Ray McDonald says, "give me your coats", and Richard and Karen give him their coats. They then walked to the fireplace. Ray says to me "Chuck, give me the coat, and I give him my coat, and he opens the closet door - and it's snowing in the closet! THE ROLLER HOLDING THE SNOW IS EXTENDED TOO FAR. Now the tape is rolling and Ray McDonald never bats an eye. He looks at me and says "Chuck, y'know, when the storms over we gotta get up and fix the hole in the roof!" Well, that did me in! I just blinked my eyes! Mary Fickett choked - she was laughing so hard. I thought, My God, they're going to have to stop the tape! BUT THEY DIDN'T! I'm dying - 'm dying. - it was my line. I couldn't say it. I didn't know what to say! So Ray said my line. Then Mary Fickett started to gag, and went up to the bay window and started looking out the window, and all I could see were here shoulders going up and down, she was laughing so hard. So Ray said all of her lines. Then Richard walks up and just stands there with his mouth open, so Ray said all of Richard's lines. Ray just did this monologue, and finally everybody got laughing so hard, they had to cut. That was one of the few times that we stopped! That was a classic example of stuff that could go wrong!

BGR: Did they manage to keep any of the sequence?

JS: No, that was one they had to redo. There are a couple other classics. My Grandfather on the show, Hugh Franklin, played the elder Dr. Charles Tyler. Ray played Dr. Joe Martin, and I think this was the third year of the show, and I was a young intern at this point. Now, for some reason Hugh always got the medical terminology, and he had the worst time saying those eight syllable medical terms. And naturally Ray knew this, and he would look at Hugh with this "I know you are going to screw this up" expression on his face. And, of course Hugh would screw it up.

The sequence has Chuck going into the doctor's lounge, and his Grandfather and Joe are there, and he says, "Grandfather, I'm having a problem with this diagnosis, can you help me out?" Hugh's line was, "Chuck, it's very simple. That’s a classic case of myocardial infarction." Well, Hugh couldn't say it!

He would go "Chuck, it's a classic case of myocranial infriction, myracladial infraction, iocardiowhatchit - OH SHIT!!!

This goes on through every rehearsal, and Ray is just standing there with "the look", and Hugh can’t look at Ray without laughing. So we get all the way to the air show, and now the tape is rolling. We get up to this scene, and I'm standing outside the door to walk in, and I realize the entire crew is now standing around this part of the set - to see if Hugh can get the words out. I walk in the door and I go "Grandfather, can you help me with this diagnosis?" and Hugh goes, "Well, Chuck, it's a classic... Joe, I taught you...why don't you tell him?" And Ray looks at me and goes, "Why, sure, that's a classic case of miocarido...miocarido...miocardiowatchit!..Chuck, why don't you just go look it up?" So I blinked my eyes and say, "Well okay, I'll do that!". and I walked out the door! And I had about ten more lines I was supposed to say. That went on the air! And if you listen to the tape you can hear the crew choking and spitting trying not to laugh out loud.

Another classic one was the day the building blew up next door to the studio. It did! They were tearing down an old building next door to make way for an addition to the studio, and a gas main, I guess, blew. We were on a soundstage that was sound proofed, .so you didn't hear the explosion - but you felt the concussion. And the flats that were the walls ( like on a stage) - when this thing blew up next door, this pressure wave went right through the studio. All these flats started to wave back and forth. Ray McDonald and I were doing a scene - on the air - and all of a sudden - "Whoomp! Whoomp!" And the flats are going "Whoosh! Whoosh!", and Ray just put his hand against the wall and kept going. I stared in awe at him. That went on the air!

I remember learning the hard way about memorizing your lines and not reading stuff off the prompter. A teleprompter has the entire script printed on a role that scrolls down as you say the lines. It’s there to help the actor pick up his line in case he forgets. Anyway, I got lazy one day, because I had this whole phone conversation with Mary Fickett. I thought, I’m all alone in the room with the phone. There isn’t any other actor to relate to. I'll just read it off the prompter!

Okay, so we do it in rehearsal – fine. Now the tape was rolling, and Mary and I are having this conversation and I’m reading my lines off the prompter. All of a sudden somebody comes up and taps Irwin on the shoulder, and he turns around to see who it is. AND NOW THE PROMPTER IS FACING THE WRONG WAY! I can't see it! I've got no idea what my lines are! So Mary Fickett said all her lines and all my lines. Basically it was something like this. She would say, "What are you doing this afternoon?" and my answer would have been something like, "I'm going with Phil to the movies." - something like that. I've got no idea what to say. I haven't got the prompter! So Mary would say, "What are you doing this afternoon?" and I'd go, "Well...uh...uh..uh..uh.." And Mary would go, "Didn't you say something about you and Phil going to the movies?" "Yeah....yeah, that's it...that's what we're going to do!" It went on like that. "Are you going to see that new movie at the Coronet?" "Yeah. .I guess we could do that. . mumble... mumble. Mary just paraphrased all my lines, said all her lines, they kept the camera on her and it went on the air like that!

Today they would just stop and do it over again - Not in those days, you kept going!

Finally, there is my favorite Susan Lucci story. I don’t know how I got away with this. I think I was just about to leave the show or something. Anyway I wasn’t actually fired for it. The scene was for Chuck and Erika to meet in the park and discuss some nefarious plot that Erika was hatching. They built this little mound on the set to look like I was coming up a hill. Now in rehearsal every time I walk up this mound to meet Erika, all I can think about is that this whole scene reminds me of something out of a bad Nelson Eddy Jeanette McDonald movie. So right before we go to tape I sneak into wardrobe and find this Mountie hat and a red coat. And I walked on to the set dressed like that, whistling "I’ll be Calling You". Susan just stared. Nobody said anything. The crew is dying. Finally, over the PA I hear, "Jack, will you come into the control room please". So anyway, those are a few All My Children stories!

BGR: So, how was it to act with Susan Lucci? This is actually kind of a two part question...besides acting with her, how did you feel about her finally getting the Emmy?

JS: Well, we all started together. In fact, Susan and I did our very first scene together. I can still remember half the dialogue. Susan Lucci bet me two Jefferson Airplane albums that she could break up Phil and Tara before Christmas!

Erika and Chuck did a lot of scenes together in the first years. Susan and I worked together all the time. We were very close friends. Her husband and I were very close friends. I still get Christmas cards from them. If I go to New York, I call Susan to see if she's on the set, and I go say hi to her. She's just an incredibly nice individual!

How glad am I that she won the Emmy? It was way, way overdue! A lot of this is jealousy. A lot of it is payback. Susan is the number one person in Daytime TV. In fact a few years ago some woman’s magazine did a survey on the most recognized women’s faces in the world. Number 1 was Princess DI. Number 2 was Susan Lucci. She is the highest paid performer in daytime and probably nighttime too. You don't have as much power as Susan and not create ill will within your peer group. I think a lot of people voted against her simply because they were jealous of her status.

I think after a while too, it became the "in" thing not to give it to her, and Susan always made jokes about it. But, if you looked at her face and watched her emotional turmoil when she finally got it, it became very obvious how much it hurt her all those years that she didn't get it, and how glad she was that she finally won it.

So, I was incredibly glad for her. However, there was a part of me that wished that they had had enough foresight to do something truly spectacular. She won it on the nineteenth try. What they should do now is create the Susan Lucci lifetime achievement award for excellence in daytime drama. And give her the first one! That's what I'd like to see happen.

BGR: You've been professionally acting since '68, and you started with All My Children in '70. What did you do those first two years?

JS: My Father was a producer. He did not want me to go into show business, but it was in my blood. It was what I wanted to do since I was seven years old...I always knew it!

My graduation present from college was a car, which I got in my junior year for my senior year. When I graduated my father said, "Look, your a big boy". You want to go and be an actor, you're on your own. You gotta sink or swim. Go sell your car and move to New York, become an actor if that's what you want to do. I'm not going to subsidize you". He did say, "What I will do is, if you want to take acting classes, or anything educational...I will pay for that...other than that, you're own you're own."

So I moved into New York with a friend of mine into a studio apartment and I started pounding the pavement. I also met my first wife, who I had actually spent four years at Northwestern with but had never known. Figure that one out. Her mother was a manager, and she took me on as a client. I think I had sold my car for $1,600, and I was down to $36 in the bank when I got my first commercial!

I started doing commercials and then in 1969 I did a season at the Coconut Grove in Miami, and then I started doing stuff like the auto shows - you did what you needed to do!

The auditions for All My Children started around September of 1969, so it was basically a year and a half before I landed All My Children. I did enough commercial work to keep my head above water, but All My Children was my big, big break.

BGR: What was that first commercial?

JS: The first commercial I ever did actually was something for the Heart Fund. I think the first big commercial I ever did was for Clearasil. I remember getting out of the phone booth and looking at these two teenagers next to me and going, "Well...I got MY date!" It was because my skin was clearer with Clearasil! You always remember the first one...and I think since then I’ve filmed around two-hundred and fifty commercials.

BGR: Why exactly did you leave "All My Children?"

Ah – one of my greater career decisions. When I started the show I was dating my first wife, an actress by the name of Renne Jarrett. We actually broke up when she moved to the West Coast to further her career. Bicoastal romances don’t do very well. She immediately became a hot property of Columbia TV and starred in a TV series called "Nancy". It was about the daughter of the president of the United States. It starred her, Celeste Holm, and an actor named John Fink. The show lasted a year and a half.

Anyway, she was out west filming, and at some point she came back to visit. We got together, told each other how much we missed each other, yadda yadda yadda, and decided to get married. But there was this big condition. Renne made me promise that when my contract expired on All My Children, we would move to the West Coast. Now, at the time (in hindsight, that was a very bad decision) at the time it didn’t seem like such a big deal. Daytime was not what it is today. All My Children was the bellwether of all modern daytime. But it wasn't till 1976 and General Hospital's Luke and Laura that it crossed over into fully big time. Ok, so at the time, I never made any bones about it. I always wanted to be a star and to achieve that goal you had to be on the West Coast. I agreed.

Renne and I got married in the fall of 1971 and my contract ran through 1973. Renne went on "Another World" for a year - we lived in New York – every thing was fine till my contract came up for renewal, and the All My Children producers took us to dinner. We go to this fancy restaurant and have a little gourmet food, some vintage wine, and over coffee, Doris Quinlan (the executive producer of AMC) says, "Jack we certainly want you to remain on the show, and I know you are planning to move to LA, but what if we doubled your base salary right away and then gave you 20% raises every year for the next three years?" Then she turned to Renne and offered her the same package. I almost fell of the chair. This was 1973 folks, and I can tell you that between the two of us, our base salary would have been over $100,000. And that was just the base salary. You always worked more than that. This also didn’t count commercials or anything. Now a hundred grand ain’t chicken feed today – hell I’d like to make a hundred thousand bucks this year. Figure what this was worth in 1973-74 dollars. – at least half a million, probably more.

I was calm – Oh yes, I was calm - I WENT CRAZY! It was the first huge fight that Renne and I ever had. I thought we were nuts to turn this down. I wanted to take the money! And then cam the tears, and the screamin', the yellin', the weepin' and the wailin'! So I called Doris and turned down the offer. I had to honor my promise.

BSR: I also wanted to touch on the episodic stuff you've done on television. What were some of those?

As I said, at the time Columbia Television wanted Renne big time. I was the player to be named later in the trade - y'know know how you trade for a big baseball player? - You get the slugger outfielder and two utility infielders - I was the utility infielder!

But, after we got to LA, Columbia Television kept every promise to me – and I will always be grateful to them for that. I wasn’t the one they really wanted, but they put me to work. In fact they put me to work before they put Renne to work. The very first thing I did on the west coast was an hour and a half movie of the week for daytime which was me, DeForest Kelley, and June Lockhart – Star Trek and Annie's mother of all things!

Anyway, we both just started to work. The whole system was different then. The studios had casting departments. Quinn Martin was a big production company. He had like five shows on the air. Universal Television had all these shows on the air. And you got in with these people. I was a regular with Quinn Martin. The very first show I did for Quinn was "The Streets of San Francisco". I did all the Quinn Martin shows every year. And I played the same character in every show! I got killed in every show! I was the victim.

Funny stories - One day, I was sitting in the commissary with the head of casting for Quinn Martin, and Quinn came over and sat down at the table. I looked at him and said, "Can I ask you a question?" He said, "Absolutely". And I said, "Why can’t I play the hero or the bad guy and be around till the end of the show? You're always killing me on page fifteen." Quinn said, "Nope! Never happen! You're the best victim I ever saw!" So, I got killed in every Quinn Martin show!

But that's what you did. You did a lot of episodic television. The television shows lent themselves to that in those days. If you go back and look at a "Streets of San Francisco", or a "Barnaby Jones" or any of these shows, each hour was an individual unit. There were no anthology shows. The anthology shows with big resident casts started with Dynasty. When that started, episodic television went the way of the dinosaur. If you weren’t a regular cast member you rarely got a chance to be on the show. Except for maybe a one line part or something like that. But I think over the years, I’ve guested on over forty different shows! I did four Streets, two Barnaby's. I did all the Quinn Martin shows. I think I was on every Bionic Show for Universal. I did The Six Million-Dollar Man, The Fall Guy, The Bionic Woman. I did The Rockford Files twice. I did all the Universal shows.

I did Police Story. That won an Emmy. In fact I did three or four Emmy shows. Police Story won it for best show of the year. I did Eleanor and Franklin, which won for best show of the year. Police Story will always be special to me because I became good friends with David Jansen. Now - there are some stories – The David Jansen stories. We will save them for another time.

I did pilots for my own series three times. The first one was a thing called "The Steamers" later renamed "Mobil Medics". It starred me and an actor named Ben Masters and really is what ER is today. It wasn’t picked up. The second pilot I did for my own series was called "The Incredible Island". That lasted two episodes and went down the toilet! I remember everyone in the cast called it "The Incredible Turkey".

That was another Columbia show. Then I did "Alex and the Doberman Gang" which was the Doberman Gang for television. That show was actually on the schedule and was replaced with Benji at the last second!

So, if you do three pilots and they don't sell for one reason or another, the studios and the networks feel you aren’t a bankable actor. They simply stop hiring you. You see - they always blame it on the actors. God Forbid the show they wrote, produced, and conned the network into doing was a piece of shit. If it fails, blame the actor. That’s why actors come and go but the producers always stay. Anyway, my status started to fall.

But, I had some great years. Galactica came along when I was working all the time. I think I have said before that I was hired because ABC thought it would be good to put Richard and me back together.

I would say that what notoriety I may have had reached it’s high point in the late 70’s and ended in about 1980-81. Then it just kind of slid downhill, and it kept sliding and sliding - until you're kind of an also-ran. But, I went back and started doing a lot of theatre, a lot of musical stuff - just whatever it took to pay the bills!

BGR: Another big thing to touch on is the Theatre work that you've done. What are you're thoughts on that?

JS: My roots are in theatre. If you're trained as an actor in college, you're roots are always in theatre.

My true love will always be theatre. I love theatre much more than I love television. There is immediacy to it. The audience is there in front of you, the instant feedback - it's wonderful. You get to go from beginning to end. You run the gamut of the emotions every night. I just love live performance. I also like being in front of the audience. I started out as a theatre major, did a lot of musical stuff early on. Then I had my throat ruined by a singing teacher in New York, and it wasn't till 1990 that I went back and started doing musicals again.

I founded my own theatre in 1983 - APTA - with my sister. We kept going for two years. I lost my shirt. You always lose money in theatre unless you’re endowed. For a while it was a tax write-off. When my studio income deteriorated it became just lost money. But I learned some valuable lessons. The success of any theatre production is in direct proportion to the size of the cast. They all bring relatives!

But, it was a great love. I learned how to produce. I learned why I hated producing! I lost money on APTA, but it was a wonderful experience. I remember fighting so hard with Equity. I tore up my Equity card and threw it in they're face! The cabaret that I do at the conventions is all show tunes from musicals that I've done. I'm always looking for a musical to do, or a good play to do.

BGR: You're a co-director of the Northridge Young Performers, right?

JS: Yes, I love to direct. I don't direct as much as I like to, but every summer I co-direct a youth musical for young people from seven to fifteen. I've been doing that for seven years. I avoid being the head director because that involves dealing with all the parents. Never deal with stage mothers. I stage a percentage of the show, but mainly I focus on dramatic interpretations of the music and dialogue. Until the last week – then it’s just walk over here and say it like I do. I have a confession though. Directing is a lot of fun till everyone goes up on stage. Then I stand in the back and bounce from one foot to the other and wish I were up there too!

BGR: You directed at the Westchester playhouse as well?

JS: I directed "Mr. Roberts" at the Westchester playhouse. It is absolutely my favorite play. I’ve done it four times and directed it twice. I think it's one of those rare perfect plays and it really strikes a cord in me. I think I've done practically every role in it except for Doc, and one of these days I'll do Doc in it!

BGR: it must be gratifying that Meilin Tu (former student) was the U.S. Open Junior Champion...what are you thoughts on that?"

JS: Meilin was a wonderful experience. She was one of those rare prodigies. Her older sister played tennis and went on to play for UCLA. Meilin started when she was 11 I think. She couldn't get enough of the game. Her mother was the pushiest Chinese lady I ever saw. The family didn't have enough money for lessons so her mom literally badgered everyone she knew to teach Meilin for free. And we did. I was part of a tennis club at the time. Mrs. Tu would schlep Meilin over after school. She wanted to play with everybody. If there wasn't a game, she did her homework. Five days a week for four or five hours she would be there. I know of at least four pros who taught her. Plus there were at least a dozen So. Cal. ranked players at that club, and they all played with her. I worked with her till she got too good for me. She then became part of the USTA junior program and went on to more prestigious instructors. I have the picture of the scoreboard at Flushing Meadows proclaiming her the US Open Junior Champion. The girl she beat in the finals - Martina Hingis. Unfortunately, Meilin never quite made the final jump to greatness. She plays alot in satellite tourneys, but just wasn't able to make that final step up to the big time.

BSG: What are your future plans in the acting profession and are you continuing discussions with David Kelley's people?

JS:I have been asked two or three times for availability. David changes his scripts and adds and deletes characters up till the last minute. I can only surmise that the part they wanted me for got written out.

"I want to thank Jack for the time he took out to chat with me...this has certainly been a show biz eye opener!"

This is something that I just pulled off my original site Battlestar Galactica: Resurrection...an intervew I did back "in the day"...hope you enjoy!

Richard "Apollo" Hatch Field:Actor, Producer, and Apollo from BSG. Website: RichardHatch.com Email: webmaster@richardhatch.com

Battlestar Galactica: Resurrection recently spoke with Richard Hatch about Battlestar Galactica's past and its future.

BGR: What was it that got you started in the acting profession?

RH: Well, it happened by default. Basically, I was going to college, not knowing what I wanted to do, taking a general liberal arts course and literally was more interested in sports, athletics and music.

I was a classical pianist, had studied classical piano from the time that I was a child and had always been drawn to music, but didn't really know if I was going to have a career in music or not.

I was really kind of undecided between the two and then I fell into an oral interpretation class, which was an elective, an English elective that was available to me or rather the only English elective available to me that I could take one semester, due to the fact that everything else was filled up.

So essentially what I got into was a public speaking class, which is probably the number one horror, actually I think it IS number one with death is number three on the list of horrors for human beings!

BGR: Did you have any idea as to what the class would entail?

RH: No .and for Richard Hatch, the shy, introverted, scared to death human being who could not even imagine talking face to face with a girl he was interested in!

And here I was standing up in front of a whole room of people having to talk about different subjects.

Essentially I almost failed the class, that is until I was given a particular challenge to go out and find an article that was meaningful to me and bring it in and read it.

So, I brought in an article based on the assassination of President Kennedy and I remember how touching it was.

It was actually in the sports section of the paper, which at that time was about the only page I read.

It started out with "Today we're not going to talk about basketball, we're going to talk about...."

It was a very moving article.

BGR: So this is what you presented to the class?

RH: Yes, So I started in about President Kennedy and I remember how emotionally it affected me and as I started reading it, it was like every other thing I'd done in class.

I could barely whisper I was so nervous!

Nobody could hear me and everybody thought I had a speech impediment because the fear would make my tongue do weird things!

But what happened was as I started reading the material, I slowly started to get into it and as I got into it I got emotionally moved by it and then I basically forgot myself and all of a sudden my voice came out and I started speaking like a human being.

My so-called speech impediment went away and all of a sudden I started making eye contact and projecting, it was like a transformation took place!

By the end of it I got this standing ovation in class and all of the kids in class, most of whom were actors came up and said, "God! You should take acting!" and "What happened to you?" and "Jesus! that was amazing!", it was like everyone COULD NOT BELIEVE that this shy scared to death kid who could not do anything right in that class all of a sudden metamorphosed into this performer.

BGR: So this is what started to steer you towards the acting field?

RH: I didn't know what had happened, all I know is that it was an incredible experience and after that I got more and more interested in the world of theater and also I got more involved in politics and got more involved in the arts altogether.

That included music of course and slowly after a couple of years the curiosity led me to an acting class.

There is a back-story to my getting into the class, though.

In the meantime I had started dating a girl from Beverly Hills, I had met her during the summer when I was down at the beach lifeguarding and surfing...which was my big profession during the summer.

So I started meeting all these other kids whose parents were producers, directors, actors and stuff, so I started getting introduced to the Hollywood scene, but I still considered myself a surfer, kind of one of those guys from the other side of the tracks. And here I was, little surfer boy... in the midst of all this money and wealth and fame and it was a very, very weird place to be! But I did meet some very interesting people, one of which was a man by the name of Elliot Mintz, who was a radio disc jockey and also was a manager for Sonny and Cher, before they became Sonny and Cher... back at that time they were called "Caesar and Cleo"! Actually he was managing a bunch of people.

This man was THE YODA of Hollywood, I mean he used to talk for hours about philosophy, religion, spirituality, politics, about anything in life.

We'd just sit around and talk and talk and talk. Anyway, one day he recommended something to me, he said "You should go to this acting class!" and I said, "Me? an actor?", and then he said, "Well, you know its a class where you learn about yourself", he knew how shy I was and he says "Everybody recommends this class, a lot of my friends have gone to it". And here I was, me, surfer kid, going to this acting class, walking in and it had a sign up above the door saying "NO ACTING PLEASE"...and I thought how interesting for an acting class to have a sign that said "NO ACTING PLEASE". On entering the class found a lot of very New York types, very artsy and there I am,, a California surfer boy feeling very out of place.

BGR: Some interesting people in that class I take it?

RH: Oh, yeah..I mean people like Jack Nicholson and Sue Lyon who played the original Lolita and Hampton Fancher who co-wrote the screenplay for "Blade Runner" were hanging out in that class.

So anyway, they thought I would come and go like so many other people did, but for whatever reasons I really ended up getting a lot out of the class and I learned how to be comfortable in front of people. I learned how to deal with my emotions and feelings and how to embrace those emotions and feelings and not feel so weird about them. Also I got comfortable expressing them.

I mean the whole class was teaching me how to undo all the bad habits I had learned in life, how a person holds it all in, the insecurities that keep us from being honest and true to ourselves and here was a class, an acting class, by God, that was teaching me how to be more honest with my emotions and feelings

Basically teaching me how to communicate and express what was going on inside of me and how to really open up and creatively express myself. So, I ended up really loving the class, but never thinking about acting at all as a profession, but I really loved that class!

BGR: So was it long before you found yourself performing?

RH: Well, after about a year I did a scene from This Property is Condemned in class.

Now, this was after all the millions of exercises our teacher, Eric Morris would put you through to get in touch with what you were feeling and how deal with your parents, etc., etc.

The man dealt from a psychological place, he was always helping you to work through your psychological walls and blocks and fears.

And after about a year of this work I got to the point where I could relax enough in front of the class and doing the dialogue from that play, and for the first time I started to connect to the material.

I started to connect to the other actors and all of a sudden it was like breathing.

We were really all relating to each other and from moment to moment this organic life was happening.

Just like that experience in speaking class, just like that transformation, another transformation took place and I realized this incredible feeling of expanding beyond this concept of who I thought I was into this magical place where I felt like anything was possible.

I realized this acting experience was a lot more than I thought!

BGR: So that's when the acting bug bit?

RH: Well, Eric Morris said to me after that, "You know Richard, if your willing to work very hard and really deal with all these little insecurities and issues and stuff that get in the way of expressing yourself, you could be an actor, a professional actor if you really wanted to".

And at that point I still didn't take it seriously, but I continued to take the class and then I started getting advice from the other actors who suggested that I go out and do a play etc., and I went out and auditioned for a couple of things, and all of a sudden I was starting to enjoy getting up on stage and performing and having my parents come see me!

Slowly I was starting to do a lot of community theater and then I got into another acting group...an acting company actually.

Then I started doing plays and theater... again still not taking it too seriously...just thinking it was fun, having no concept or idea or ever even imagine myself being on television or movies, that was another world!

But I did get into this acting company with a bunch of serious actors who wanted to go to New York, and I ended up going with them.

BGR: That must have been an experience going from California to New York City, quite a change.

RH: Yes, I ended up living in a little, empty ballet studio, sleeping on the floor and eating Campbell's soup for about six months and doing one act plays and poetry readings.

That was when some agents came out to see some of our readings and one of them decided to handle me.

That was when I actually started getting sent out for television stuff, commercials and that type of thing.

So did I ended up getting a couple of commercials.

Of course four or five months had gone by and New York was going to Spring to Summer to Fall and into Winter, which was a very scary thought!

I had never been through a frozen Eastern Winter before and I was sleeping in this VERY cold empty ballet studio and all of the people in my group decided to leave for Italy

That's when I decided I wasn't about to leave New York!

BGR: What made you decide that?

RH: Well, I thought... here I am in New York... I'm thinking I'm an actor and this is a cool place to be and I ended up staying.

I actually ended up moving into an even SMALLER room about nine flights up, it was the basically the size of a bathroom, with no kitchen, no stove, no nothing.

You had to walk nine flights down to go to the bathroom!

NINE COLD FLIGHTS DOWN!

So finally around Christmas, I auditioned for a soap opera called "All My Children" with Susan Lucci... and I got the role!

I read about twenty-two times and tested three times and finally they went with an unknown, inexperienced actor and it was my first big break.

I finally got started to get paid for what I do and obviously I started to earn the money to be able to get myself a small little apartment, which I did, but that was the beginning of the acting.

BGR: Regarding Battlestar Galactica, what impassions you so much about doing the project?

RH: First of all, I love science fiction, I love the genre.

I'm not that much into the B-movies that science fiction has been relegated to though, but more into the science fiction that explores the human condition, that explores theoretical

probabilities and possibilities and really deals with it in a more philosophical, more spiritual way.

I just think great science fiction has the ability to tell phenomenal stories that allow us to peer into where we're going as the human race, or where we could go, depending on the choices or the decisions we make and I just think that it stimulates the brain, but it also stimulates the heart and emotions.

I think it's a great one-two three punch when it's done right.

Those are the kinds of movies I've always wanted to make and I've always felt that Battlestar was that kind of a story, it was very epic, it was about the human struggle, it was political, it was spiritual, it was philosophical, and the mythology was wonderful.

I just love those type of stories, they are very archetypal, and I think that's why most people love to go see them.

That's also why people fell in love with Battlestar.

BGR: So you see a lot of untapped potential in Battlestar Galactica?

RH: I've always felt that this show never really got the chance to do what it was capable of doing.

If your an actor and your going out and auditioning for lots of shows after five or ten years of doing the same stuff, you realize that you didn't get into this business to do the same thing over and over again

You get into the business to do something extraordinary, to go on a journey.

For me everything is a journey to expand and explore my soul, my spirit, who I am and all those unanswerable or unanswered questions that constantly confront us...and Battlestar did that, and I couldn't shake that Battlestar Galactica story!

Finally, after hearing so many people talking about Battlestar but nobody doing anything about it, I thought, God, somebody's got to do something!

This show deserves a real FIRST chance!

So I just started, from the point of view of an actor and somebody not really empowered or very confident about putting anything together...just started on a journey of exploring how one would bring back a show like this.

BGR: So how did you go about it?

RH: Over the last four or five years I just began learning and reading books and then slowly moved into developing the comic books, then the novels that brought back Battlestar.

And of course getting more involved in the business end and learning how to put projects together.

Then finally putting together the Battlestar trailer.

It just kind of grew, little step by little step.

BGR: As far as epic stories, what really stands out to you?

RH: I think for me, Battlestar really epitomizes the kind of story that I love the most.

There are other science fiction stories that I love as well.

The Dune trilogy for instance.

There are a number of great science fiction writers... Philip Wiley who wrote "The Disappearance" is one.

That was a wonderful book I would love to do as a movie.

I also developed my own story, "The Great War of Magellan".

It has allowed me to develop and create and expand into an entire Universe and fill it with wonderful characters and really kind of create all those things that I love so much about Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar, all those shows.

BGR: How would you describe the thinking behind The Great War of Magellan?

RH: Well it's an original story with new characters and I'm able get into those issues and explore those challenges that we as a human race are facing and I can put it into a very, very interesting context which I think will illuminate and allow us to look at it from a new perspective.

Again, that's my whole purpose as an artist.

I think that's what an artists reason is, to explore the underlying mystique of who we are, why we are, where did we come from, where are we going and I think any story I would be involved with would deal with some of those elements and The Great War of Magellan certainly does.

BGR: There has been quite a bit of suspense regarding the revival, who will make it and so on.

Universal up to now hasn't made any kind of commitment, what are your thoughts on that?

RH: I would love to do Battlestar Galactica!

And if not Battlestar Galactica, I'll do Great War of Magellan, actually I want to do both.

Regarding Battlestar...if down the road they finally come to a point of decision...which may be sooner than we think...I would be very, very willing to put together a team to do a new series and/or movie, but again the issue is not the will, its not the ability. It's not even the assets.

We have all of those, I think we have some of the most talented, gifted people in the industry!

We have the money that we need, we have everything we need to make a great Battlestar Galactica series and/or movie, and we have all the companies and artists, all the technicians who have come on board.

The key again is Universal, Universal has to come to a point of decision.

They have to recognize the worth of Battlestar and they have to be willing to either come onboard and do a joint partnership or put together a deal themselves.

The problem is: we don't know if Universal does it alone or with another company, or if they will turn out a great movie.

But, who knows?

In the past, most of these big companies haven't done a good job of bringing back wonderful shows and making them into new series or new movies.

They seem to forget the very core essence of what made those shows special, they throw that away and they sometimes just take the more superficial elements of the show and try to work with that...and fill that vessel with new water.

Unfortunately, very rarely does that work.

Very rarely does any show work.

When your dealing with a successful show you have to break it down and understand what made it successful in the first place and not just recreate it, but take that essence, that core heart of the show and then progress it, expand upon it, evolve it.

But if you lose the core essence, the core heart of the show, then you've lost any chance of succeeding as far as I'm concerned.

So, we'll keep our fingers crossed.

So if Universal does it or if Universal does a partnership with Glen or Glen does it or if they give our team a chance to do it...my whole premise is that this show, if its done right, with the right heart, the right spirit, the right people could be a monumental success and franchise for Universal.

The question is up to God.

I always say not my will, but "Thy will be done".

BGR: What's the best advice you have for the fans?

RH: I would say this, I feel it in my gut that Battlestar Galactica is coming back.

Whether its now or twelve months from now, or eighteen months from now...I feel very strongly that something is going to happen here.

I think that Battlestar Galactica has a destiny, Battlestar has a story, and it has something about it that has touched people very profoundly.

And people...and this is just like anything in life...we have to commit to what we believe in, we have to do what our heart believes in and we to have to have patience.

You have to be willing to forgive, you have to be willing to build bridges but you have to be willing to keep going the distance doing whatever is necessary in order to follow your heart, follow your truth.

If you believe in something enough, there's always a way to either bring something back or to create something that has the same spirit that something had before, you know there are more ways than one to skin...

BGR: A Daggit?

RH: Skin a Daggit!

I think the key in life is to be creative and realize that every challenge is just an opportunity to challenge yourself to go to a higher level of your ability.

What I've learned in life is that no is just one step closer to a yes, every no gets me ten times tougher, ten times more creative, gives me ten times more energy and I go out there because there's always a way.

That's what I'm looking to do and I'm going to find every way I can to do Battlestar Galactica.

Like I said, if for some reason I can't do Battlestar I'll do another show that I can believe in with the same heart and the same spirit, because in my life, what's the use of doing something if you don't believe in it?

I mean, I've made millions of dollars, I've been famous all over the world.

You know, for me just to be famous or make more money is not enough, I want to do something in my life that means something that touches peoples hearts and challenges peoples minds and foremost inspires them.

I think the greatest joy of any artist and certainly myself is to inspire people to go out and know that anything is possible if you believe

Life is unlimited and though it sounds corny maybe, I believe it, I've seen it, and I've experienced it myself.

That's why I speak the way I do at conventions and that's why I'm doing what I'm doing now.

No matter what happens with Battlestar, I have learned a tremendous amount, I've gotten a college education in filmmaking.

I've gotten a college education in building self worth.

I've learned how to deal with fear and rejection.

I've learned how to deal with humiliation.

I've learned how, again, to take no's and turn them into yes's.

And I've really in a sense, grown up as a human being.

I don't feel like I'm a child waiting for someone to love me anymore, I feel like I'm empowered and I have the ability, the God given ability to go out and create it!

To mobilize people and bring them onboard and create something extraordinary.

People are dying to be part of something wonderful and if you have the courage to step out there and go for it, you'll find that there are a lot of people out there that will come onboard and support you and you learn nothing ever gets done alone.

Honestly, everything ultimately everything becomes a collaboration, its a synergistic relationship between you and a bunch of wonderful people who believe in something and co-create it together.

From the President of BFC

Charter of the Battlestar Galactica Fan Club

Preamble

The Battlestar Galactica Fan Club, to ensure stability & to maintain more effective communication regarding the affairs of the organization, to better promote the agenda of the organization & to ensure the best possible experience be brought to its members, does establish this charter.

Article I

Section I

Member Rights

The Battlestar Galactica Fan Club is declared to be based upon basic fundamentals, firstly as a gathering place & organization for fans of Battlestar Galactica in all its incarnations.

This organization respects the equality & diversity of its membership & the international nature of said membership.

Section II

The Battlestar Galactica Fan Club will neither tolerate nor condone any policy or policies of discrimination against any person wishing to join the organization, nor will it discriminate for any reason against a person wishing to obtain a leadership position within the club.

Section III

The specific categories of non-discrimination, but not limited to are based upon: Race, Religion, Sex, Color, Nationality, National Origin, Political Beliefs, Disability or Sexual Orientation.

This policy explicitly will not tolerate any form of discrimination, either verbal or in practice by one or more members against one or more members or by policy or by an outside source.

Section IV

All members are guaranteed the freedom of expression in the form of commentary, written & visual as long as the commentary is not of a nature that infringes upon the rights of other members.

Article II

Section I

Leadership of the Battlestar Galactica Fan Club

Executive authority for the Battlestar Galactica Fan Club is vested in the office of the President.

The President sets overall policy for the organization upon the advice & consultation of the collective leadership known herein as the Directorate.

Section II

The office of Vice President is the second ranking position within the organization. The Vice President will assume the office of President upon the vacancy of that office.

The Vice President will assist the President in his/her duties & will serve as the Chairperson of the Directorate.

Section III

The office of Deputy Vice President is the third ranking position within the organization. The Deputy Vice President will assume the office of Vice President upon the vacancy of that office.

The Deputy Vice President will assist the President & Vice President in their duties.

Section IV

The three offices listed herein are hereby known as the Presidium.

Section V

Upon the vacancy of the office of Deputy Vice President, the President shall appoint a new Deputy Vice President.

Article III

Section I

Site Maintenance

The Webmaster is empowered with discretionary authority over all aspects of the website in form & function working in consultation with the Presidential Authority.

The Director of Graphics will work in conjunction & in active participation with the Webmaster on agreed upon design & updates therein.

Section II

The Directorate

The Directorate is chaired by the Vice President who shall act as its chief presiding officer.

The Director of Communications is responsible for internal correspondence with the various members as well as sources outside of the organization.

The Web Store Master/Mistress is responsible for the upkeep & maintenance of the store & graphic content within plus reporting sales on a timely basis to the full Directorate.

The Director of the Colonial Defense Forces shall be the formal liaison officer to the fleet & shall direct all activities of said fleet within the Battlestar Galactica Fan Club.

The Director of the Battlestar Fan Club Fleet will work in conjunction with The Director of the Colonial Defense Forces as the active Commander of all Battlestar Galactica Fan Club Fleet members.

The Director of Site Security is hereby empowered to approve all new members, disallow memberships based upon violation of stated regulations & infringements.

All moderators will report to the Director on issues of site security.

Effective Date: 1/1/2012

I am very happy that syfy will be airing the pilot of blood and chrome in 2012. all the letters sent has made the execs at syfy realize there are allot of bsg fans out there and that we have a strong voice.

SO SAY WE ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am very happy that syfy will be airing the pilot of blood and chrome in 2012. all the letters sent has made the execs at syfy realize there are allot of bsg fans out there and that we have a strong voice.

SO SAY WE ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just wanted to take the time to wish everyone in the fleet a very safe and happy holiday season and hope that you all get what you want this year like new FTL Drives or Tylium and by all means A DRADIS.so marry charismas and hope we all find earth. (or in my case.... a job this New Year) SO SAY WE ALL!