Introduction

Battlestar Galactica is a three-hour miniseries (comprising four broadcast hours) starring Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell, written and produced by Ronald D. Moore and directed by Michael Rymer.

It was the first part of the Battlestar Galactica remake based on the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series, and served as a backdoor pilot for the 2004 television series.

The miniseries aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel in the United States starting on 08 December 2003.

The two parts of the miniseries attracted 3.9 and 4.5 million viewers, making the miniseries the third-most-watched programme on Syfy.

Outline of Part 01

After a 40-year armistice in a war between the Twelve Colonies (the homeworlds populated by humans) and the Cylons (human-created robots), the Cylons launch a surprise nuclear attack intended to exterminate the human race. Virtually all of the population of the Twelve Colonies is wiped out. Most of the Colonial military is either rendered ineffective or destroyed due to malware in the military computer network that renders it vulnerable to cyber attack. The malware was introduced by Number Six (Tricia Helfer), a Cylon in the form of a human woman, who seduced the famous scientist Dr. Gaius Baltar (James Callis) and exploited their relationship to gain access codes under the cover of an insider contract bid.

The Battlestar Galactica, a hybrid battleship/aircraft carrier in space that fought in the earlier war, is in the final stages of being decommissioned and converted to a museum when the attack occurs. During her decades of colonial service the Galactica’s computer systems had never been networked so the Galactica is unaffected by the Cylon sabotage. Its commander, William Adama (Edward James Olmos), assumes command of the few remaining elements of the human fleet. He heads for the Ragnar Anchorage, a military armoury station where the Galactica can resupply itself with weaponry and essential supplies.

Secretary of Education Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), who was aboard the Galactica attending the decommissioning ceremony on behalf of the Colonial government when the attack begins, is sworn in as the new President of the Twelve Colonies, after it is confirmed that the President and most of the government have been killed (Roslin is 43rd in line of succession). The government starship carrying her (Colonial One) manages to assemble a group of surviving civilian ships.

During the attack, Galactica’s Viper Mk VII Squadron escorted by a Colonial Raptor shuttle from the Galactica encounters a group of 2 Cylon Raiders. Although thought to be piloted, they turn out be pilotless and are able to transmit the Cylon virus thus disabling the Vipers before they are finished by missiles. Meanwhile, the Raptor tries to escape but is damaged in the process and is forced to land briefly for repairs on the Twelve Colonies’ capital world of Caprica along with their two-person crew, Sharon Valerii (callsign “Boomer”) (Grace Park) and Karl C. Agathon (callsign “Helo”) (Tahmoh Penikett) who later offer to evacuate a small group of survivors. Helo remains on the stricken planet, giving up his seat to evacuate Gaius Baltar, whom he recognises for his celebrity status as a scientific genius.

During these events, Adama is reunited with his estranged son Captain Lee Adama (callsign “Apollo”) (Jamie Bamber), a Viper pilot who is scheduled to take part in the Galactica decommissioning ceremony. When the Cylons attack, Apollo is escorting Colonial One back to Caprica and he saves the ship from a Cylon missile attack. Apollo aids Roslin’s efforts to assemble a civilian fleet, but refuses his father’s orders to travel to Ragnar immediately. As Part 1 closes out, Colonial One, her fleet, Roslin and Apollo are apparently killed in a Cylon nuclear strike.

Battlestar Galactica TV Series, Films & Webisodes

You can find a full index of Battlestar Galactica TV series, films, and webisodes here.

Trivia

You can read interesting trivia and background details about the BSG franchise here.

Production & Filming Details

• Director: Michael Rymer.
• Writers: Ronald D. Moore and Glen A. Larson.
• Production: David Eick Productions, R&D TV Enterprises, and Studios USA.
• Distributor: NBC Universal Television Distribution.
• Original Network: Sky One and Sci Fi Channel.
• Release Date: 08 December 2003 (Part 01) and 09 December 2003 (Part 02)
• Running Time: 180 minutes.
• Country: US.
• Language: English.

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