Well I could not resist

[goldcylon1]

[Hope It Is The Grog]

Don't blame you. That issue stayed in my desk drawer for a long time and no doubt is still somewhere in my possession.

[Cylon-Knight]

Now that is NICE - and very interesting. The slight differences are fun to find. The Galactica is the first BIG difference and then the trim on Adama's uniform with the red checks... very cool art! Great buy GC1

[Red Eye]

The ship in the background rather looks like an updated version of the Discovery from "2001 - A Space Odyssey":



Nevertheless, it's a great piece of artwork. Congrats on adding it to your collection!

[Hope It Is The Grog]

^ Good catch. It's had a Viper nose and wings stuck on it, apparently. They must have only had the design for the Viper completed at the time, so the artist combined the Viper with the rear end of the Discovery.

[Red Eye]

Good thinking, could be possible.

[goldcylon1]

The thought was to combine it with the 1978 tv guide along side as a conceptual and then finished art project

I saw the red checkers and the i wanna be the galacica in the background however i remember that tv guide growing up and thought well what an oppourtunity.

[137th Gebirg]

It's weird - I wonder if someone got a hold of B&W publicity stills of Greene, Hatch & Benedict in costume (as evidenced by the photo-realistic look of the faces) and colorized it without seeing what the colors really should be (as evidenced by the garish colors they chose for the uniforms). The ship behind...well...they probably didn't know what the Galactica looked like at the time and they took something that looked "spacey", modified it (badly) and VOILA! Instant space kitch.

[goldcylon1]

It's weird - I wonder if someone got a hold of B&W publicity stills of Greene, Hatch & Benedict in costume (as evidenced by the photo-realistic look of the faces) and colorized it without seeing what the colors really should be (as evidenced by the garish colors they chose for the uniforms). The ship behind...well...they probably didn't know what the Galactica looked like at the time and they took something that looked "spacey", modified it (badly) and VOILA! Instant space kitch.

I think thats exactly what happened

[Hope It Is The Grog]

Here's an explanation I just found from the artist himself:

This art was for the debut of Battlestar Galactica. The art director wanted a "mother ship," but they had no reference from the actual show, so they sent me a photo of a ship from the Star Wars film. This did not seem to bother anyone at the time, though artists, fans and other purists always notice it now. In those days everyone was in a big hurry and any old spaceship would do! My apologies to fans, but I had no control over this. My little "joke" was to put the Purina Checkerboard on Lorne’s cape (Lorne Greene was the spokesperson for Purina Dog Chow at the time). No one noticed!

(Evidently he has confused Star Wars with 2001, and Purina with Alpo -- Alpo was not owned by Purina until, coincidentally, 2001.)

Source: http://www.david-edward-byrd.com/illos4-5.html
Alpo source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpo_(pet_food)

[goldcylon1]

Here's an explanation I just found from the artist himself:

This art was for the debut of Battlestar Galactica. The art director wanted a "mother ship," but they had no reference from the actual show, so they sent me a photo of a ship from the Star Wars film. This did not seem to bother anyone at the time, though artists, fans and other purists always notice it now. In those days everyone was in a big hurry and any old spaceship would do! My apologies to fans, but I had no control over this. My little "joke" was to put the Purina Checkerboard on Lorne’s cape (Lorne Greene was the spokesperson for Purina Dog Chow at the time). No one noticed!\

(Evidently he has confused Star Wars with 2001, and Purina with Alpo -- Alpo was not owned by Purina until, coincidentally, 2001.)

Source: http://www.david-edward-byrd.com/illos4-5.html
Alpo source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpo_(pet_food)

Too funny. There we have it

[Cylon-Knight]

AWESOME info, Grog!
Love the red check tie in, how fun is that?!

[Cylon-Knight]

The ship in the background rather looks like an updated version of the Discovery from "2001 - A Space Odyssey":

I always thought "The Searcher" from Buck Rogers second season was a Discovery knock off too... The Discovery really inspired a lot of ships. I think the Rebel Blockade Runner also pulls inspiration a bit from the Discovery.

[Red Eye]

Never noticed it before, but you're right. The Searcher indeed could be the little missing brother of the Discovery. Good eye.

And thanks for investigation on the artwork, Grog!

It would have been VERY unwise using any Star Wars-related ships on a cover depicting anything Galactica. If they really had gone through with it, Fox may had used it as one more point for their lawsuit again Universal.

[Hope It Is The Grog]

Wonder how many other pet food in-jokes were being made with the show. For example, who thought of the title "The Man with 9-Lives"?...

And then there's this actual freeze-frame from Saga of a Star World: https://www.dropbox.com/s/xjv45a3ogjrbf11/alpo.jpg?dl=0