Continuity errors (TOS)

Part of the series on Continuity Errors

Original Series Galactica 1980 Re-imagined Series Caprica

This is a listing of continuity errors in the Original Series.

Logic errors

"Saga of a Star World"

• When Galactica arrives at Caprica after the Cylon attack, Adama tells a group on Galactica's bridge that he wants to take his shuttle to check on his home and wife there. Apollo overrides him, stating that it's too dangerous to take a shuttle and instead will take him on his fighter. However, the fighter they take (shown parked outside Adama's home) is a one-seat Viper. There would have been no room for both men on the same fighter, and no other fighter was shown.

• After the bombardment of the colonies, Starbuck returns to Galactica, but his Viper does not work. Athena tries to help him and reviews the diagram of the ship on her computer. The point is that in the information about the Viper we clearly see "Made in USA."

"Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II"

• At 00:19:08, when Adama, Apollo and Serina look to see the landram on Kobol's surface, the landram footage is flipped, as betrayed by the flipped number "4" on the side of the landram.

"The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II"

• As the pulsar fires and misses the Fleet, it causes an explosion just past the Fleet. However, a laser beam should continue on at the speed of light relatively indefinitely, until coming close to a black hole or hitting an object.
• At ~00:33:20, as a shot of the Fleet is established, a ship at the extreme right of the screen suddenly snaps into existence, whereas the ship did not appear there before the previous second earlier.
• When Thane tricked the Cylons and detonated the bomb, the violent explosion that neutralized the Cylons did not affect the Thetas.

"The Young Lords"

• During the approach of the Cylon Raiders in the teaser, Boomer's scanner shows three ships–but four are seen commencing their attack.

"The Man with Nine Lives"

• When Chameleon tells Starbuck to "hit the deck," Starbuck lands near the front of the Viper as Chamelon fires the Viper's lasers into the launch tubes. After the volley is fired, the next scene finds Starbuck jumping out of the launch tube, which is filled with smoke, as if he were running the whole time.
• In Adama's ready room, when Chameleon is ordered to report to Siress Blassie on the Senior ship for rehabilitation, Apollo is first seen with his pistol belt. When the shot cuts to Apollo and Sheba around 00:48:04, Apollo is seen without the belt. The belt reappears only 12 seconds later as Starbuck and Chameleon walk by to leave the room.

"Greetings From Earth"

• Sire Geller said "lieutenant" to Jolly. Whereas, Joly is a sergeant.

"Baltar's Escape"

• At ~00:03:37, when Adama visits the Prison Barge to question Commandant Leiter, the Council Security guard moves to open the door to the cell—which slides open before he is even able to slide his keycard.

Prop errors

"Baltar's Escape"

• The bell Serina uses in "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II" is missing when Tigh approaches Starbuck and Apollo at the same table where the female warriors sat at. In addition, much of the furniture has changed.

Footage used from other sources

The snowram suddenly has a hood?

"The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part I"

• At 00:33:53, the viewer is shown the perspective from the left front window looking out from what we're to believe is the snowram. However, this is a serious gaffe, as the snowram does not have a hood and it appears that there have been other vehicles in the path they are traveling in, when clearly traveling to Death Point Plateau is inadvisable due to the di-ethene levels.

"The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II"

• At various times during the trek up Mount Hekla, footage from other sources is used. Typically, the footage depicts a four-man team, however during the initial climb there are six people (Wolfe, Leda, Apollo, Ser 5-9, Tenna, and Croft) until Tenna and Ser 5-9 go back down the mountain after Ser sustains injuries to his leg due to an avalanche.

Misplaced reused footage

"Saga of a Star World"

A Raider follows the Vipers as they start their patrol?

• At 00:06:06, just as Apollo and Zac are launching on their patrol a Raider swoops in out of nowhere for a moment. This is likely footage from later in the episode.

"The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part I"

• At 00:31:01, when Starbuck destroys the lone Cylon Raider with the snowram's turret, the scene depicting the Raider's destruction is the same explosion scene that depicts the basestar's destruction over Carillon in "Saga of a Star World". Note the orange glowing background and, at ~00:31:01, the basestar's exterior which is the most noticeable at the top right of the screen.
• At 00:40:34, a misplaced shot of three Tennas is placed after Tenna says that the Thetas prefer the term "Theta class life-forms" instead of clones. The shot of the three Tennas seen at 00:40:34 is taken from the second part of the episode, where Starbuck is dragged away by Boomer.

"The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II"

• At 00:25:30, the scene where Stabuck is putting on his helmet is inserted here as the Viper launch to intercept the phalanx of Raiders, who are going to reengage Galactica a second time. However, Starbuck is on Arcta leading a strike force against the Cylon garrison on Mount Hekla.
• At 00:45:16, when the Solonite charges destroy the energy exchange pump, the explosion scene is the same one that depicts the basestar's destruction over Carillon in "Saga of a Star World".

"The Living Legend, Part I"

• Around 00:02:41, as Starbuck and Apollo are being attacked by two other unknown craft (actually Colonial Vipers piloted Bojay and Sheba from Pegasus), blue laser bolts streak past. Vipers fire red bolts; Raiders fire the blue.
• Around 00:45:17, Adama orders "positive shield" and the batteries commencing fire. The scene is archive footage is from "Saga of a Star World". This is telling due ot the fact that Adama sports a cape and Omega's being replaced by another officer. When the scene resumes around 00:45:55, Adama's cape suddenly disappears and Omega reappears, reporting that there's a fire in the bay.

"The Living Legend, Part II"

• Around 00:45:18, Adama orders "positive shield" and the launch of Vipers. The scene is archive footage is from "Saga of a Star World". This is telling due ot the fact that Adama sports a cape and Omega's being replaced by another officer. When the scene resumes around 00:45:54, Adama's cape suddenly disappears and Omega reappears, reporting that there's a fire in Alpha bay.
• As Pegasus engages the Cylons, the scene where the core command offers wince and react to the explosions is too ripped from "Saga of a Star World". Note the caped Adama in the blue uniform with Colonel Tigh on core command.

• During Pegasus is closing to Basestar, "Galactica" is written on landing bay of Pegasus as right to left.

"Fire in Space"

• Around 00:03:54, Sheba is shown putting on her Pegasus crested helmet as she launches her Viper, but once out in space (around 00:05:48) she has the "hawk" like the rest of Galactica pilots. It continues to switch back and forth (such as 00:06:56 when it goes back to the horse again).

"Hand of God"

• During Galactica is closing to Basestar, "Galactica" is written on landing bay as right to left.

Reused special effects

• In "The Young Lords," the scenes depicting circuit burn-outs after the leader of the Cylon's Canus patrol damages the undercarriage of Starbuck's Viper are taken from "Saga of a Star World," where Starbuck has circuit burn-outs as he approaches Galactica.
• In "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II," the approach of the mining ship to the planet Kobol at ~00:18:20 is the same footage first seen in "Saga of a Star World," where the mining ship approaches Carillon.
• In "The Living Legend, Part II," when Apollo and Starbuck begin strafing runs on the basestars to knock out their flank missle turrets, the turrets depicted are Galactica's laser turrets.

• Planet Attila and Planet Paradeen are seen as same planet.

Repeated usages of stock footage

A majority of the special effects shots involving various exterior shots of Galactica and her Fleet in space, to Viper and Raider skirmishes, as well as attacks on Galactica herself, are reused throughout the series with little exception. Some of the noteworthy reuses are noted below:

Effects reuses

• The scene depicting Galactica turning away from the fleet at Cimtar and heading back to the Colonies is reused in "The Living Legend, Part I" (depicting Pegasus's acceleration to lightspeed) and later in "Experiment in Terra" as Galactica heads toward Terra to prevent a nuclear holocaust.

Reuses from the Original Series to 1980

Main article: Continuity errors (1980)

• The scenes where the undercarriage of Starbuck's Viper is damaged from Cylon fire originate from "The Young Lords," and are reused in "The Return of Starbuck"–where Starbuck and Boomer essentially rehash the first act from "The Young Lords" in "Return of Starbuck".
• The attacks on the Agro Ships by the Cylons in "The Magnificent Warriors" is reused in "Space Croppers".

External links

• BattlestarGalactica.com: A list of gaffes in the original series, author unknown.

Original Series definition: interchangeable term for a computer monitor and television set (see: scanner)

Original Series definition: a title of nobility akin to "Sir," typically ascribed to a civilian of the male gender (e.g. Sire Uri, Sire Solon)

Galactica 1980 definition: When John Steadman asks if the Warriors know anything about these creatures, Dillon looks this up ^{(1980: "Space Croppers")}