1978 Production/Format/Character Timeline Questions (Long)

[Joe Atari]

I'd love to see a comprehensive production timeline for the 1978 series that addresses the following questions I still have to this day, but I'll bet some of you can shed some light on some aspects of this. My questions mainly revolve around the following:


It's well-known that Galactica was conceived as a series of 3 telemovies (the 3-hour premiere and 2 2-hour follow-ups). "Saga of a Star World" was the first of course, and "Gun on Ice Planet Zero" was supposed to be the second. By my understanding of this original format, the following was established:

1. Baltar was executed by the Cylons (exactly as depicted in the U.S. and Canadian theatrical releases) and never intended to return, with the Imperious Leader being the ongoing baddie.

2. Likewise, sexy socialator Cassiopeia died (was either eaten by the Ovions or otherwise killed) and never intended to return (I'm pretty sure she wasn't present in the never-used closing "Colonial Anthem" singing scene).

3. Serina (originally "Lyra") died of her originally filmed "space cancer" offscreen sometime after the events of "Saga" but before "Gun".


By the time "Lost Planet of the Gods" began shooting the final weekly series format had been established as follows:

1. Baltar was made the primary continuing villain -- dramatically the right choice IMO even though the Cylons' rationale in sparing him never really made sense to me ("There can be no survivors." "As long as one human remains alive, the Alliance is threatened." Logical.) and the idea of Baltar as peace emissary / Trojan horse mentioned in the tacked-on "Saga" epilogue was quickly forgotten.

2. Cassiopeia (at ABC S&P's behest) went from sexy socialator to boring medtech -- wrong choice IMO =)

3. Serina was temporarily resurrected only to die again onscreen in "Lost Planet".


Based on what I can gather from available evidence (including clapper shots from the deleted scenes on the DVDs), this seems to be a rough listing of the order and dates of principal photography on the early episodes (with production numbers):

Saga of a Star World
50201
3/78-4/78

Gun on Ice Planet Zero
50202
6/78

The Long Patrol
50902
7/78

Lost Planet of the Gods
50205
8/78

The Lost Warrior
50908
9/78

The Young Lords
50905
10/78


My questions:

1. Was the Imperious Leader's demise at the end of "Saga" always intended? If so, with Baltar dead what was the plan for a successor? Was he going to appear in the follow-up "Gun", or was Vulpa going to be the new lead heavy? For that matter, was the destruction of Carillon always intended? Evidence they may not have:

- I don't have any early shooting scripts (would love to see the first shooting scripts for "Saga" and "Gun" -- workprints or rough cuts of both episodes would be AMAZING), but the earliest Marvel comic adaptation (with Lyra, bald-Baltar, etc.), the novelization, and the children's storybook -- which were probably based on early drafts of the script -- seem to omit the Apollo / Starbuck basestar encounter at the end (the original release of the soundtrack omits the score from this major scene as well). There is also a rather convoluted "hyperspace" sequence where (I think -- my recollection's a little fuzzy here) the bulk of the ragtag fleet was left behind somewhere while only the Galactica (and maybe a couple of other ships) hyperspaced to Carillon (explaining how 220 beaten-up ships could make it through the treacherous nova even after the mines had been cleared -- they may have remained behind instead while Galactica went ahead (much like the 2003 reboot really).

- The Apollo / Starbuck lines about the strange notion that ENTIRE PLANET of Carillon was destroyed by the fires touched off by small arms fire seem to have been reshot and looped in post-production (and it's unclear if this was intentional or accidental depending on which version you watch). Perhaps the basestar's errant weapons fire really did the trick (and what was with the "lightning"?). Further, Starbuck references having to "go back and live on that rock."

- I speculate that it may have been decided late that the show needed a big Death Star-like splosion at the end and Carillon's ultimate fate was embellished.

- Baltar was obviously never originally intended to appear in "Gun" as his scenes are kind of awkward, stand-alone inserts added in post-production once he was written back into the format. I think the same holds true for "Long Patrol".


2. What was the third telemovie going to be? Evidence seems to indicate that the actual third segment that began filming was "Long Patrol", but this surely could not have been a 2-hour telemovie (it was a stretch making it a 1-hour episode IMO).

- Cassiopeia is back for the first time since "Saga", the decision having been made to bring her back AS SEXY SOCIALATOR as evidenced by the deleted scenes on the DVD box set where she wears her signature slinky red dress on the bridge while being ogled by the crew and in the cabin with Starbuck where she is specifically referred to as still being a socialator. Those shots were trimmed of course, so we're left to assume in the aired episode (post "Lost Planet") that she is a medtech even though we never see her in the life station during the episode.

- ILM (aka MCA-57) constructed the miniature ships for "Long Patrol" (Bootlegger's shuttle and "6th Millenium" Viper). It has been mentioned that the antique Viper model was lost when the VFX work moved to Universal Hartland and had to be rebuilt for shooting there.


3. When during the production of "Saga" was the decision made to eliminate or spare Cassiopeia and when was the decision made to tone down her socialator profession? Again, IIRC she's not present in the original "Colonial Anthem" ending, but she can be seen in the crowd fleeing from Carillon, and it's unlikely these scenes (directed by Richard Colla) were restaged and reshot. She was clearly meant to be dead by the time of "Gun", which was in pre-production during the lengthy post-production on "Saga" with Alan Levi moving quickly from his work replacing Colla on "Saga" to shooting "Gun". Maybe Laurette Spang was just never scheduled for "Gun" and was brought in for "Long Patrol" as a socialator, but I always figured ABC was okay with a "space hooker" in the telemovies but not in a Sunday early-evening weekly series so that's when the directive came down. But they were shooting a 1-hour episode for the weekly series at this point?


Miscellaneous questions related to Galactica's early convoluted production history:

- Exactly when was the decision made to go from telemovies to weekly series? I understand it probably wasn't a split-second decision and of course it led to Dykstra leaving the production, but knowing this might help fill in some gaps. My best guess is in July 1978 during the shooting of "Long Patrol", but again, they were already well into filming a 1-hour episode?

- This had probably been discussed to death, but in a similar vein, when was the decision made to make the Cylons robots instead of reptiles in armor? Andy Probert has said he designed the Cylons as the latter, and I always assumed this directive came down from ABC S&P when the weekly series was greenlit along with the socialator thing. This would explain the reshot landram insert where Apollo explains the Cylons' origin to Boxey.

- In "Gun" the whole angle of Starbuck reprogramming the computer to select the inmates for the mission was added via reshoots (notice the length of his hair) along with Baltar (reference is made to the female Viper pilots from "Lost Planet"). In the episode as originally conceived surely the idea was that the warrior pool had been depleted by the events of "Saga" and the computer just picked the best candidates for the mission and they happened to be inmates. So in the aired version, was Starbuck trying to sabotage the mission by programming the computer to select the inmates? Spare warrior lives? Was this just badly written filler? I never understood this then or now -- 35 years later.

- Looking at the deleted scenes for "Long Patrol", why was the whole Bootlegger scene on the planet reshot? IIRC the dialogue is not hugely different, the performers are the same, and restaging the entire scene had to have been expensive. Was there a goof or other continuity issue I missed?

- As I understand it Richard Hatch began filming "Saga" as "Skyler", and one of the first scenes he shot -- if not THE first scene -- was the discarded exchange with Zac in the ready room before their patrol (later rewritten and reshot to include Starbuck). I think Hatch says his character was still named "Skyler" at this point although the name is never spoken. Did Jane Seymour also film scenes as "Lyra"?

- Finally, for that matter with Star Wars-mania still raging were the creators REALLY going to call the show "Star World" (or "Starworld"), with characters like "Skyler" (Skywalker) and "Lyra" (Leia)? I've never been on the "Galactica as Star Wars ripoff" bandwagon but wow, those naming choices would have been really unfortunate, no? It even seems like it entered principal photography using these names, a fact not generally known to the shows detractors back in the day.


I know this is long-winded, and I hope I've made my points clearly enough. I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts!

[Hope It Is The Grog]

Just one minor answer out of all of those questions: I always thought Starbuck's intention in reprogramming the computer was to make sure he was selected, either as part of his quasi-death-wish personality or as a substitute for Apollo.

[Hammer3246]

My 2 cents.

They were changed to robots because, back in the day you could only have a certain number human death in a television show.

[Reaper63]

Just one minor answer out of all of those questions: I always thought Starbuck's intention in reprogramming the computer was to make sure he was selected, either as part of his quasi-death-wish personality or as a substitute for Apollo.

Starbuck was making sure he was picked to go on the mission. to rescue Cree. That was his only concern during most of the mission. Rescue Cree and save at least one of the Cadets he lost on that patrol.

[Hope It Is The Grog]

Just one minor answer out of all of those questions: I always thought Starbuck's intention in reprogramming the computer was to make sure he was selected, either as part of his quasi-death-wish personality or as a substitute for Apollo.

Starbuck was making sure he was picked to go on the mission. to rescue Cree. That was his only concern during most of the mission. Rescue Cree and save at least one of the Cadets he lost on that patrol.

That's it. I'd forgotten about the whole Cree thing...

[Scott]

I have a large collection of magazines (Starlog, Fantastic Films, Media Scene, Future, and more) bought back in the 70's with production coverage of Galactica. I know a couple for sure mention that Star World was indeed the original title.

Most articles talk about the mini-series schedule with the 3 hr. pilot, followed by 2 two hr. TV movies. It might be possible to construct a timeline with those articles indicating when it was switched over to a weekly series.

I'll dig out all this material and see if I can answer anything you've asked about.

[Hope It Is The Grog]

- Finally, for that matter with Star Wars-mania still raging were the creators REALLY going to call the show "Star World" (or "Starworld"), with characters like "Skyler" (Skywalker) and "Lyra" (Leia)? I've never been on the "Galactica as Star Wars ripoff" bandwagon but wow, those naming choices would have been really unfortunate, no? It even seems like it entered principal photography using these names, a fact not generally known to the shows detractors back in the day.

Add to that the Macnee monologue ending in "...far, far away amongst the stars" and the word "droid" (hastily overdubbed with "drone") and you've got a compelling case for a ripoff. Even the word "battlestar" sounds like an inversion of "star wars," with "Galactica" echoing the Galactic Empire.

[Scott]

Likewise, sexy socialator Cassiopeia died (was either eaten by the Ovions or otherwise killed) and never intended to return (I'm pretty sure she wasn't present in the never-used closing "Colonial Anthem" singing scene).


Was the Imperious Leader's demise at the end of "Saga" always intended? If so, with Baltar dead what was the plan for a successor? Was he going to appear in the follow-up "Gun", or was Vulpa going to be the new lead heavy? For that matter, was the destruction of Carillon always intended? Evidence they may not have:

Well at some point early on (after shooting started) it must have been decided to let Cassiopeia live. I'm sure I have a trading card showing Starbuck in his regular "battle" outfit, jacket, boots, etc, not the dress cape starting the run across the bridge beneath Carillon with Cassie on his arm. I've always assumed Colla directed that sequence originally, and somewhere down the raod it was decided for the warriors to be in their dress capes and Levi reshot all of that. Besides the remain material to be shot, Levi has said he spent days reshooting some of what Colla had already done.

I was under the imprssion Vulpa was going to be a reaccuring character, but that was abandoned when it was decided to keep Baltar. As for Carillon being destroyed, I'm pretty sure in one of the issues of Media Scene that covered the show, maybe a Jan/Feb 78 issue, or maybe a June/July 78 issue there is a synopsis of the pilot, some things the same as aired, some different, but Carillon blowing up was there. One can assume that the magazine had a big lead time, so a issue might have been getting put together a good 2 or 3 months before hitting the stands.

One of those issues has a foldout of artwork showing the Galactica, with it being called Starship: Galactica!

Anyway, enough of my rambling, and as I said in my earlier post I'll dig out some material.

[Scott]

- Finally, for that matter with Star Wars-mania still raging were the creators REALLY going to call the show "Star World" (or "Starworld"), with characters like "Skyler" (Skywalker) and "Lyra" (Leia)? I've never been on the "Galactica as Star Wars ripoff" bandwagon but wow, those naming choices would have been really unfortunate, no? It even seems like it entered principal photography using these names, a fact not generally known to the shows detractors back in the day.

Add to that the Macnee monologue ending in "...far, far away amongst the stars" and the word "droid" (hastily overdubbed with "drone") and you've got a compelling case for a ripoff. Even the word "battlestar" sounds like an inversion of "star wars," with "Galactica" echoing the Galactic Empire.

Oh for sure "droid" was going to be used. You've probably seen the photo of Dykstra holding some sort of control box while standing next to a Ovion, and on a wall or door in the background there's a sign that says something like: DROID MANT.

[Hope It Is The Grog]

^ I don't think I have, but I knew that word was one of the bones of contention between the studios.

[Red Eye]

I'm pretty sure in one of the issues of Media Scene that covered the show, maybe a Jan/Feb 78 issue, or maybe a June/July 78 issue there is a synopsis of the pilot, some things the same as aired, some different, but Carillon blowing up was there. One can assume that the magazine had a big lead time, so a issue might have been getting put together a good 2 or 3 months before hitting the stands.

One of those issues has a foldout of artwork showing the Galactica, with it being called Starship: Galactica!

Anyway, enough of my rambling, and as I said in my earlier post I'll dig out some material.

Both Mediascene mags covering BSG are available in the gallery:

http://www.byyourcommand.net/cylongalle ... album=1033

http://www.byyourcommand.net/cylongalle ... album=1034

http://www.byyourcommand.net/cylongalle ... album=1035

http://www.byyourcommand.net/cylongalle ... album=1036

http://www.byyourcommand.net/cylongalle ... album=1039

[Red Eye]

Oh for sure "droid" was going to be used. You've probably seen the photo of Dykstra holding some sort of control box while standing next to a Ovion, and on a wall or door in the background there's a sign that says something like: DROID MANT.

Here it is:

http://www.byyourcommand.net/cylongalle ... Scenes.jpg

[Scott]

Yep, those are the issues I have.

Red Eye, do you know if Media Scene covered the series in any other issues?

I have another that covers Buck Rogers, but I could never find any others spotlighting Galactica.

Thanks for posting up the Dykstra photo!

[Red Eye]

Glad it helps.

The pilot episode was featured in Mediascene issues #29 (January 1979) and #30 (March 1978).

To my knowledge, there are no articles dealing with any of the regular episodes.

[Scott]

What was the third telemovie going to be? Evidence seems to indicate that the actual third segment that began filming was "Long Patrol", but this surely could not have been a 2-hour telemovie (it was a stretch making it a 1-hour episode IMO).

I've started digging thru my Galactica material and can give you at least one concrete answer. Fire in Space was meant to be the third tv movie produced. There's a script dated June 22, 1978 with the production number #50203, it is a 2 hr script. If I remember correctly some of the script is different from what was eventually filmed as the one hour episode.

There is also a Tombs of Kobol script dated July 31, 1978 that has a production number of #50204.

Hope this is a start in coming up with a Galactica production timeline.