#1: Saga of a Star World

[johnnybear]

They always say that the series was 24 episodes, but that's only if you split Saga into three parts and GFE as a two parter! It would have been nice to have a full twenty four episodes. Another clash with the Cylons before they finally left the vicinity of the colonies that or the Cylon outposts! Maybe that's why Lucifer never continued the pursuit or did Count Iblis blind the Basestar's scanners and detectors?
JB

[Croft2014]

It was considered 24 hours of TV inclusive of adverts. In syndication it was shown as 24 episodes (17 storylines).

[johnnybear]

I think I would have preferred it as 24 episodes on the DVD rather than the 2 hours and fifteen minutes premiere and the doubled up Greetings From Earth to be honest!
JB

[Scott]

I was 12 and glued to the TV the night of it's debut. Lucky for me, the parent's didn't care I stayed up. I was recording the show with a tape recorder, (as I did all the episodes) and no way was I going to miss the end.

At that time it was the best looking production I had ever seen for a television series.

I also went to the theater to see that cut of the pilot. I remember sitting through two showings of it back to back.

[Croft2014]

If you'd had the episodes of Saga of a Star World and Greetings from Earth segmented into multi-parts then you'd be missing footage. When they were cut into parts you need to have title and end credits, recaps etc. and that means something has to go.

[johnnybear]

Thames TV showed the first story as a three parter but whether or not it lost any footage I don't know! Strangely enough ATV Midlands showed it also as a three parter but placed the endings much earlier than Thames and they I feel did miss out scenes! The Baltar ending was definitely shortened!
JB

[Croft2014]

The definitive version is the 139 minute premiere version which we thankfully have on the 2003 DVD set and the BD sets that followed in the wake of the 2013 German one. The 124 minute edit in widescreen and Sensurround is also good to have for the alternate footage.

[johnnybear]

Is that the same version available on the DVD set? That lasts 2hours and 16 minutes as I recall!
JB

[Croft2014]

Yes, but it runs 2 hours 19 minutes.

[johnnybear]

Maybe those three minutes is the difference between PAL and NTSC?
JB

[Croft2014]

No, the NTSC is 138:58 and the PAL 133:24.