Bears… Beets… Battlestar Galactica!  Frack yeah!

Long before we had Miami Vice play Commander Adama, who led a rag-tag fugitive fleet on a lonely quest to a shining planet known as Earth, we had Bonanza occupying the very same role. Or respectfully, I should say Edward James Olmos played the role more recently, but the role was originated by the now departed Lorne Greene. Greene gave a more fatherly portrayal of the overburdened Commander whereas Olmos performance was a bit more militaristically grounded and less approachable (and grumpier). And don’t get me wrong, I loved Olmos’ portrayal. He played it just perfectly for the reboot.

But I always had a special place in my heart for the original “Battlestar Galactica.” It was more Star Warsy fun than the reboot. Of course, the reboot kicked it’s ass in terms of quality and storytelling. But I really did like that robot dog.

“Battlestar Galactica” premiered on ABC from 1978-1979. It only ran for one season. But what about “Galactica 1980”you ask? Wasn’t that another season?  And to that, I answer “That never happened. I repeat… THAT NEVER HAPPENED!” Now look, I got all worked up. The following clip better defines my feelings on that “Galactica 1980” fiasco.

Okay, I feel better. Where was I?

“Batttlestar Galactica” was Universal’s way of jumping on the “Star Wars” bandwagon which exploded a year earlier.   Fox didn’t care very much for Universal’s entrance into this new financially lucrative sci-fi realm so they sued Universal for copyright infringement. Universal, of course, countersued, claiming “Star Wars” ripped off many different properties as well. Ah, highschool!

Even though the show premiered to big ratings originally, ABC cancelled it after only one season. Their reasons were that the ratings (which dropped a bit) didn’t justify the huge price tag per episode. Of course, when they realized they made a mistake they tried to bring it back, but most of the core cast had moved on, and well, it just didn’t happen. Yeah, that’s right. It never happened. Don’t make me play that “Stooges” clip again.

So what I have here is an article from TV Guide from the week the show premiered in 1978 that gives some behind the scenes info along with the original 2-page Ad and the show’s TV Guide description.

Just click on the Pic below to open the TV Guide article. And remember, resistance is futile. Oh frack, wrong show! Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica. That’s the one! Some videos also follow for your enjoyment.