Battlestar Galactica *** (1978, Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, Lorne Greene, Ray Milland, John Colicos, Patrick Macnee, Lew Ayres, Jane Seymour, Wilfrid Hyde White) – Classic Movie Review 13,732  

The edited 125-minute version of the iconic American science-fiction film Battlestar Galactica was first released in cinemas outside the US on 8 July 1978 in Sensurround.

Director Richard A Colla’s 1978 American science-fiction film Battlestar Galactica stars Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, Lorne Greene, Ray Milland, John Colicos, Patrick Macnee, Lew Ayres, Jane Seymour, and Wilfrid Hyde White.

Lorne Greene (from Bonanza) stars Commander Adama, who leads a planet’s last survivors to find somewhere to live, in this cinema feature edited, rather clumsily, from the pilot episode of his brief TV series. It also stars Richard Hatch as Captain Apollo and Dirk Benedict as Lieutenant Starbuck.

It is a serious, well-mounted attempt at Star Wars for the TV audience, though it was promoted to a successful cinema release. Battlestar Galactica is entertaining, bright and jolly, despite some dull acting and flat scripting, but it is full of impressive hardware and striking special effects by John Dykstra and Apogee Inc, the visual effects studio formed by Dykstra and several other former artists from George Lucas’s Industrial Light and Magic.

It runs 125 minutes, with the long TV version at 148 minutes.

The Battlestar Galactica series TV pilot episode was one of the most expensive ever at that time, with a budget of $8 million. The edited 125-minute version was released in Sensurround in cinemas on 8 July 1978 in several countries, including Canada and Japan, as well as in West Europe. Then the full 148-minute pilot episode premiered on American TV on ABC on 17 September 1978, achieving high ratings. Later, in May 1979, the 125-minute cinema version received a US cinema release.

Cast: Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, Lorne Greene, Ray Milland, John Colicos as Baltar, Patrick Macnee, Lew Ayres, Jane Seymour, Wilfrid Hyde White, Maren Jensen as Lieutenant Athena, Noah Hathaway as Boxey, Laurette Spang as Cassiopeia, Terry Carter as Colonel Tigh, John Fink, Rick Springfield, Ed Begley Jr, and David Matthau.

Battlestar Galactica (1978) was originally shown in cinemas in Sensurround sound to lend extra realism to the battle scenes, pumping up audience sensations. It is the last of only four films released in cinemas in Sensurround. The others are Earthquake (1974), Midway (1976), and Rollercoaster (1977). Sensurround required special speakers to be installed in cinemas, limiting its audience. It was a good idea, successful and fun up to a point, but ultimately it was only a gimmick.

Battlestar Galactica, created by Glen A Larson, aired on the ABC network from 17 September 1978 to 29 April 1979, but high production costs and declining ratings led to its cancellation after 24 episodes. ABC’s lower-budget revival, Galactica 1980, was cancelled after only ten episodes.

Glen A Larson was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and incorporated many themes from Mormon theology into Battlestar Galactica.

In June 1978, Star Wars producers 20th Century Fox sued Universal Studios, alleging their production Battlestar Galactica had stolen 34 ideas from Star Wars. Universal countersued, claiming Star Wars had stolen ideas from their 1972 film Silent Running, notably the robot drones, and their 1930s Buck Rogers serials. It was finally resolved without trial.

The second episode Lost Planet of the Gods featured a costume change with the warriors’ dress uniform having a gold-trimmed cape falling to the upper thighs. So part of the pilot was reshot for the version released in US cinemas in 1979. 

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,732

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com