Battlestar Galactica 2003

The orginal Battlestar Galactica series fizzled out in 1980 (mostly due to budget problems). We then had to wait 23 years until the franchise was back on the small screen (too long!)

Battlestar Galactica reappeared in 2003 , and was created and produced by Ronald D. Moore. The plots were a bit darker, and the action faster and it became a huge hit. This new series remains one of the more successful relaunches of a TV series from the seventies and eighties, and has been followed by 2 prequels: Caprica and Blood and Chrome. Check out this opening scene to get an understanding of why this series was so successful.

2003 Opening Scene

There are plenty of 21st Century themes in this series to get your teeth sunk into, including civil rights, terrorism, and religion, This series is all about the survival of the human race, whose numbers have dwindled to under 50,000. 

The Battlestar Galactica (the last remaining warship of any note- even if it is 50 years old and was about to be decommisioned) heads a motley band of survivors in a rag tag fleet away from the obliterated Twelve Colonies of Kobol on a mission to find Earth.

The story unfolds with the destruction of the Twelve Colonies. Given that this series hit the screen in 2003, just 2 years after the appalling tragedy of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the US, it hit a pretty raw nerve.
The actual battlestar looks pretty recognisable for anyone who was a fan of the show in the seventies and eighties. Other than that, things went through a major face lift. They obviously had a lot more budget in 2003 than they did in 1980, even after inflation. The commander, William Adama, was nearing the end of his career when The Twelve Colonies were hit. He's been around the block a few times, we'd say, and makes for a great lead character.

Other main characters include, Lee "Apollo" Adama, his son and and the ace pilot, Kara "Starbuck" Thrace (who is female in the 2003 edition showing how the show moved with the times).

Battlestar Galactica has received multiple awards and nominations, (several Emmy nominations, a Peabody Award, a Saturn Award, and a Hugo Award). It's well worth a watch if you are a Sci-Fi fan.

Following the pilot, the new show officially launched at the beginning of 2004, thanks to a late investment by UK's Pay TV channel: Sky. The story is continued after the Cylons had carried out a surprise attack on the Colonies, with a fleet of spaceships headed by the Battlestar Galactica forced to search for the Thirteenth Tribe of mythical legend.

In the 2003 series, there are quite a few differences in the underlying plot. For example, the Cylons were created by the human race itself (shades of The Matrix? Terminator?).

Also, certain types of Cylons look human, right down to having flesh and blood (again, shades of Terminator 2 here?), which cause considerable problems for the humans when they are trying to work out who is with them and who is against them.

Battlestar Galactica (2003) stars:

Edward James Olmos as William Adama
Mary McDonnell as Laura Roslin
Katee Sackhoff as Kara "Starbuck" Thrace
Jamie Bamber as Lee "Apollo" Adama
James Callis as Gaius Baltar
Tricia Helfer as Number Six
Grace Park as Number Eight.

Our Recommendation? Watch it!