Back in 1978, shortly after Star Wars hit the cinemas, Battlestar Galactica smashed into the USA's tv screens and was an initial mega success. Unfortunately for viewers in the UK, they had to wait several years to see this inventive, action packed series. London's regional ITV screened it first, but the rest of the country had to wait until 1982/3 to follow the adventures of Apollo, Starbuck and the crew led by Lorne Greene's Commander Adama as the survivors of the colonies set out on their quest to find sanctuary at the last surviving - though mythical - planet called Earth.
Like many viewers, I was initially blown away by the series - but it ended rather suddenly. A second series entitled Galactica 80 followed in the USA, but when this finally made its way to the UK, UK viewers were denied the full 3 part opening story when the crew go back to Nazi Germany as the producers had released a theatrical version which used part of the second season's first episode but then continued with hefty slices of some later episodes of the series which we later got to see in their original form. It would be over a decade until the series was repeated on BBC2 before mid 90s viewers got to see the original three parter as it should have been seen.
I tried to get into the remake in the noughties, but I have to admit it defeated me after just two episodes. I just couldn't take to it in its radically altered format. I'm sorry, but I just don't like "reboots" of anything when - to me - the original always seems far more superior and inventive.
I have a large Mattel Cylon Raider which I bought in a toy shop in Norwich whilst there on holiday in 1980, long before I got to see the series but I just liked the design of the craft as soon as I saw it. In 2019 I bought a Konami one, and a Konami Viper, but it was only in October 2022 that I finally managed to find an already built Battlestar itself. With the collection ready for photographing, here is what I had planned to do for so many years.