An Analytical Guide to Television’s Battlestar Galactica

When the space drama Battlestar Galactica debuted on ABC in 1978, it was expected to be the most popular new program of the year. Instead, it was attacked as a Star Wars rip-off and canceled after a mere 17 stories. The author acknowledges the show was full of dramatic clichés and scientific inaccuracies, but despite these shortcomings, Battlestar Galactica was a dramatically resonant series full of unique and individual characters, such as Commander Adama (Lorne Greene) and ace warrior Captain Apollo (Richard Hatch). The author contends that Battlestar Galactica was a memorable attempt to make science fiction accessible to mainstream television audiences. The brilliant work of artist John Dykstra brought a new world of special effects to network television. Battlestar Galactica also skillfully exploited legends and names from both the Bible and ancient mythology, which added a layer of depth and maturity to the weekly drama.

John Kenneth Muir is an American literary critic and award-winning author of more than 35 books in the fields of film and television, with a particular focus on horror and science fiction as well as the creator of the award-winning web series Abnormal Fixation and the audio drama Enter the House Between. He is an associate professor of humanities and communication, and lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.

John Kenneth Muir

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 244
Bibliographic Info: photos, notes, bibliography, appendices, index
Copyright Date: 2005 [1999]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2455-9
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0656-9
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments       vii
Introduction      1
Part I. The History      9
Part II. Battlestar Galactica      37
Part III. Galactica: 1980      119
Part IV. Morality and Mythology      151
Part V. The Galactica Universe Today: Converts, Computers, and Collectibles      175
Part VI. Epilogue: A Shining Quest      205
Appendices      209
Notes      217
Bibliography      221
Index      223

• “details the program from inception through to cancellation…provides…all the requisite cast, credit, and episode details, as well as synopsis and in-depth analysis…very well indexed…detailed bibliography and videography”—Booklist
• “fascinating information…useful and appealing”—Classic Images
• “everything you could possibly want to know is here”—Psychotronic