Editing Battlestar Galactica: A Companion to the Original Series

{{Book Data
| image=Battlestar Galactica - A Companion to the Original Series - Cover.jpg 
| title= Battlestar Galactica: A Companion to the Original Series
| author= [[w:Lee Fratantuono|Lee Fratantuono]]
| pages=208 
| publisher= [[w:Pen and Sword Books|White Owl Books]]
| publocation= Barnsley, South Yorkshire
| pubdate= January 30, 2025
| isbn= 9781036141691
| genre= Reference
| series= Unauthorized Original Series Companion
| prev= 
| next= 
| amazon= 1036141691
}}

'''''Battlestar Galactica: A Companion to the Original Series''''' is an unlicensed, independent reference work published by White Owl Books in 30 January 2006, authored by classical scholar Lee Fratantuono. The volume examines the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original ''Battlestar Galactica'' series]] through the lens of classical mythology, biblical sources, and ancient literary traditions, positioning the series as a significant cultural artifact that draws heavily from the classical canon.<ref group="external" name="amazon_companion_description">{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Battlestar-Galactica-Companion-Lee-Fratantuono/dp/1036141691#:~:text=For%20all%20its%20popularity%2C%20however%2C%20Battlestar%20remains%20a%20largely%20unstudied%20series%2C%20with%20relatively%20few%20resources%20available|title=Battlestar Galactica: A Companion to the Original Series|publisher=Amazon|accessdate=December 6, 2025}}</ref>

== Content and Structure ==

The companion provides detailed episode synopses and commentary for the complete run of the original series, along with scholarly analysis of the show's mythological and religious influences.<ref group="external" name="amazon_companion_description" /> The book explores how ''Battlestar Galactica'' borrows extensively from classical mythology, biblical sources, and myths associated with nation-building and travel narratives.<ref group="external" name="amazon_companion_description" />

Fratantuono's analysis positions ''Battlestar Galactica'' as an [[w:Aeneid|Aeneid]] in outer space, drawing parallels between the series' narrative and Virgil's epic poem about exiled Trojans seeking a new homeland.<ref group="external" name="amazon_companion_aeneid_comparison">{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Battlestar-Galactica-Companion-Lee-Fratantuono/dp/1036141691#:~:text=In%20many%20regards%2C%20Battlestar%20is%20nothing%20less%20than%20an%20Aeneid%20in%20outer%20space|title=Battlestar Galactica: A Companion to the Original Series|publisher=Amazon|accessdate=December 6, 2025}}</ref> The book examines how the series tells the story of defeated, exiled people seeking their ancestral home while surmounting countless perils along the way.<ref group="external" name="amazon_companion_aeneid_comparison" />

=== Special Features ===

The volume includes several distinctive features:

* A foreword by actress [[Cathy Paine|Cathey Paine]], who provided the voice of [[C.O.R.A.]] in the episode "[[The Long Patrol]]"<ref group="external" name="imdb_cathey_paine_cora">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0519754/characters/nm0656826#:~:text=Cathey%20Paine%20as%20C.O.R.A.|title="Battlestar Galactica" The Long Patrol (TV Episode 1978)|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=December 6, 2025}}</ref>
* New interview questions with series star [[Dirk Benedict]], who portrayed Lieutenant [[Starbuck (TOS)|Starbuck]]
* Character analyses examining the development and significance of major characters
* Color plates featuring imagery from the series
* A detailed index for reference purposes

== Author Background ==

Lee Fratantuono is a professor of classics and chair of the Classics Program at [[w:Ohio Wesleyan University|Ohio Wesleyan University]], where he also holds the William Francis Whitlock Chair in Latin.<ref group="external" name="owu_fratantuono_profile">{{cite web|url=https://www.owu.edu/news-media/details/ohio-wesleyan-classics-professor-is-co-editor-of-new-book/#:~:text=professor%20and%20chair%20of%20Ohio%20Wesleyan%27s%20Classics%20Program|title=Ohio Wesleyan Classics Professor Is Co-Editor of New Book|publisher=Ohio Wesleyan University|accessdate=December 6, 2025}}</ref> He received his undergraduate degree from the [[w:College of the Holy Cross|College of the Holy Cross]], his master's in classics from [[w:Boston College|Boston College]], and his doctorate in classical philology from [[w:Fordham University|Fordham University]].<ref group="external" name="owu_fratantuono_profile" />

Fratantuono is a prolific scholar specializing in Latin epic poetry, particularly Virgil's ''Aeneid'', and Roman imperial history.<ref group="external" name="omics_fratantuono_biography">{{cite web|url=https://biography.omicsonline.org/united-states-of-america/ohio-wesleyan-university/lee-m-fratantuono-590982#:~:text=has%20particular%20interests%20in%20Latin%20poetry%20%28especially%20epic%2C%20lyric%2C%20and%20elegiac%29|title=Lee M. Fratantuono|publisher=OMICS International|accessdate=December 6, 2025}}</ref> His previous works include comprehensive studies of Virgil's ''Aeneid'', Lucan's ''[[w:Pharsalia|Pharsalia]]'', and Ovid's ''[[w:Metamorphoses|Metamorphoses]]'', along with military history volumes on Roman conquests and historical figures.<ref group="external" name="owu_fratantuono_publications">{{cite web|url=https://www.owu.edu/news-media/details/ohio-wesleyan-classics-professor-releases-first-book-in-new-trilogy/#:~:text=Madness%20Unchained%3A%20A%20Reading%20of%20Virgil%27s%20Aeneid|title=Ohio Wesleyan Classics Professor Releases First Book In New Trilogy|publisher=Ohio Wesleyan University|accessdate=December 6, 2025}}</ref>

His expertise in classical mythology and ancient history provides the scholarly foundation for analyzing ''Battlestar Galactica'''s mythological underpinnings.<ref group="external" name="amazon_companion_expertise">{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Battlestar-Galactica-Companion-Lee-Fratantuono/dp/1036141691#:~:text=Fratantuono%20brings%20his%20expertise%20in%20classical%20mythology%20and%20ancient%20history%20to%20bear%20on%20the%20series|title=Battlestar Galactica: A Companion to the Original Series|publisher=Amazon|accessdate=December 6, 2025}}</ref>

== Publisher Information ==

White Owl Books is an imprint of [[w:Pen and Sword Books|Pen & Sword Books]], a publisher based in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England.<ref group="external" name="white_owl_about">{{cite web|url=https://www.whiteowlbooks.co.uk/#:~:text=White%20Owl%20is%20the%20newest%20imprint%20to%20come%20from%20Pen%20%26%20Sword%20Books%2C%20a%20publishers%20based%20in%20Barnsley%2C%20South%20Yorkshire|title=White Owl Books|publisher=White Owl Books|accessdate=December 6, 2025}}</ref> The imprint specializes in producing accessible and entertaining books covering topics including lifestyle, wildlife, gardening, space, sports, and popular culture.<ref group="external" name="white_owl_about" /> White Owl was launched in January 2017 as part of Pen & Sword's expansion into hobby and lifestyle publishing.<ref group="external" name="memory_alpha_white_owl">{{cite web|url=https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/White_Owl_Books#:~:text=imprint%20of%20UK%20publishing%20house%20Pen%20%26%20Sword%20Books%20launched%20in%20January%202017%20and%20specializing%20in%20books%20on%20various%20topics|title=White Owl Books|publisher=Memory Alpha|accessdate=December 6, 2025}}</ref>

== Academic Approach ==

The companion addresses what the author identifies as a gap in scholarship surrounding the original series. According to Fratantuono, despite its popularity, ''Battlestar Galactica'' remains a largely unstudied series with relatively few resources available for those interested in learning about its development and afterlife.<ref group="external" name="amazon_companion_description" /> The volume positions itself as the definitive resource for fans, containing essential facts about each episode while uniquely exploring the scholarly and philosophical influences on the series.<ref group="external" name="amazon_companion_description" />

The book's methodology applies classical scholarship techniques to television analysis, examining how the series incorporates elements from the Aeneid, biblical exodus narratives, and ancient mythological traditions about displaced peoples seeking homeland. This approach contextualizes the series within the broader tradition of Western literature's foundation myths and journey narratives.

== Reception and Significance ==

The companion represents one of the first major scholarly works to examine the original ''Battlestar Galactica'' series through the lens of classical studies and comparative mythology. Its publication addresses the relative absence of academic analysis of the series, particularly in contrast to the extensive scholarship devoted to the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]].

The inclusion of new material from Dirk Benedict provides contemporary perspectives from one of the series' most iconic cast members, while Cathey Paine's foreword offers insight from a voice performer whose contribution to the series has been documented but rarely discussed in detail.

== References ==

=== External Sources ===
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