Filming locations (RDM)

All of the Battlestar Galactica series, from the original through Galactica 1980 to the Miniseries and beyond, have made use of location shooting to provide some of the background and scope for the storyline.

The Re-imagined Series is filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and most of the location shoots have been done within the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. The primary reference for RDM filming locations is the fan site battlestarlocations.com, built with participation from production personnel; Pat Suwalski's Season 1 guide at pat.suwalski.net is an additional primary source for early season locations.

Miniseries filming locations

• Galactica standing sets

The Miniseries was shot at a larger studio facility than the regular series, in which all interconnected sets were built: Adama's quarters, an airlock, CIC, several multipurpose rooms, many hallways, Colonial One and the hangar deck. This made it possible to follow a character continuously from the hallways to the hangar deck in a single shot. When production moved to the regular series, a smaller studio required the sets to be split apart.

• Colonial One interior

The cargo bay/storage area scenes aboard Colonial One were shot on the car deck of one of the BC Ferries vessels running between Vancouver and Victoria.

• Baltar's house on Caprica

The house used as Gaius Baltar's Caprica home in the Miniseries — and reused in "33", "Valley of Darkness," and other early episodes — is a private residence on Tidewater Way in Lions Bay, British Columbia, on the Sea to Sky Highway north of Horseshoe Bay. Ronald D. Moore comments about filming at this location and the noise of nearby construction in the podcast for "Resurrection Ship, Part I". Note: a different house in West Vancouver (designed by the same architect) was used for Baltar's home in "Daybreak, Part I" and "Daybreak, Part II"; a third, smaller house in West Vancouver served as Baltar's father's home in those episodes. Do not conflate these three locations.

• Laura Roslin's doctor's office

Roslin's doctor's office, where she receives her cancer diagnosis, was filmed at the Waterfall Building, 1540 West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver, BC — a concrete and glass live-work loft complex designed by Arthur Erickson with Nick Milkovich Architects (completed 2001), notable for its water-screen courtyard near Granville Island. The same building recurs throughout the series: it serves as Kara Thrace's Delphi apartment (Season 1–2), Sharon's apartment on Caprica ("Downloaded"), Kara's detention cell on New Caprica ("Occupation," "Precipice," "Exodus"), Lee Adama's flashback scenes ("Black Market"), Laura Roslin's New Caprica apartment, and Kara's apartment in "Daybreak, Part I."

• Caprica City Riverwalk Market

The Riverwalk Market scene — labeled "Riverwalk Market, Caprica City" on screen — was filmed at the Academic Quadrangle of Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. The same quadrangle is visible again in "Epiphanies."

• Botanical Cruiser interior

The interior of the sublight Botanical Cruiser was filmed at the Bloedel Conservatory atop Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver (4600 Cambie Street; east park entrance at 33rd Avenue and Ontario Street). The only set piece added was the bench on which the young girl sits; the dome roof was modified in post-production to show a window into space. A conservatory receptionist confirmed the location to location scout Pat Suwalski. The conservatory opened December 6, 1969 as Vancouver's Canadian Centennial project; it is a triodetic dome of 1,490 plexiglass bubbles set into a 2,324-piece aluminum framework, standing 70 feet at its apex. It holds City of Vancouver Class-A Heritage Building status and is listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

• Ragnar Anchorage

Ragnar Anchorage was filmed across two separate private locations. The exterior of the station was filmed at Vancouver Wharves in North Vancouver. The interior — including the dark corridor scenes and the large ordnance room where Aaron Doral is abandoned — was filmed at the Lantic Sugar mill on the Vancouver waterfront, using an abandoned potash silo and an inter-building walkway. During production, seagulls landing on the walkway and audibly squawking caused repeated interruptions. The interior potash silo was subsequently reused as the Temple of Five for "The Eye of Jupiter" and "Rapture."

Season 1 filming locations

• "33"

The forest sequences where Karl "Helo" Agathon draws the Cylons into his claymore trap were filmed at Lynn Canyon Park, south end of the Bear Trail, 3663 Park Road, Lynn Valley, North Vancouver. The Helo/Sharon camp scenes were filmed at the Quarry Picnic area in Cypress Provincial Park, West Vancouver.

• "Bastille Day"

The Caprica City street scenes where Helo and Sharon are on the run were filmed near the Vancouver Public Library (Library Square, 350 West Georgia Street, Downtown Vancouver) — a Colosseum-inspired nine-storey building designed by Moshe Safdie, Richard Archambault and Barry Downs, which opened May 26, 1995.

The interiors of the Astral Queen prison ship were shot at the Port Mann Power Station, 14300 117th Avenue, Surrey, British Columbia.

• "Act of Contrition"

Zak Adama's funeral was filmed at Mountainview Cemetery, north of 33rd Avenue, Vancouver. The Caprica City bomb shelter where Helo and Sharon make camp was the interior of The Alibi Room restaurant, 157 Alexander Street, Vancouver.

• "Litmus"

The rooftop scenes depicting Cylon-occupied Caprica — where Six, Doral and Sharon watch Helo — were shot on the roof of Pub 340, 340 Cambie Street (Helo's fire escape side), and on a rooftop to the east across the street from the Dominion Building, 207 West Hastings Street; the Dominion Building's distinctive red roof is visible in the background and the BC Hydro Building appears in the far distance. The wide shot of the Cylon-occupied city skyline reveals a ScotiaBank building at 650 West Georgia Street, which first made it apparent to viewers that the series was filmed in Vancouver. The old Woodwards Building on West Hastings Street was also used for Six, Doral and Sharon on the rooftop; the Woodwards Building was subsequently demolished.

• "Flesh and Bone"

The dream sequence where Laura Roslin runs through a field, and the swing set scene with Six and Doral, were both filmed at the south end of Robert Burnaby Park near the baseball diamond, located off Edmonds Street and 4th Street in Burnaby.

• "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down"

The bridge interchange where a Six and a Five discuss the search for Helo was the sunken parking garage ramp on West Cordova Street (westbound, just after Burrard Street). The ramp occupies the middle lanes of the road; the round green-glass Fairmont Waterfront Hotel is visible at the top of the ramp in the background.

• "The Hand of God"

The farmhouse where Helo and Sharon spend the night was filmed at the North Shore Equestrian Centre, 1301 Lillooet Road, North Vancouver (near Capilano University; private — contact before visiting). The gravel road where Six is seen walking was Inter River Park, also in North Vancouver.

• "Colonial Day"

The Cloud 9 garden scenes and the reporters' flagpole lawn were filmed at the UBC Rose Garden, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. The Quorum of Twelve meeting and the Cloud 9 interior scenes were filmed at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, 6265 Crescent Road, UBC — a cylindrical zinc-clad concert hall designed by Bing Thom Architects (opened May 1997). The scenic crew covered the building's name with a painted sheet, though the bottom of the letters remains faintly visible in some shots. The scene where Helo runs from two Number Sixes was filmed at the Koerner Library, UBC.

• "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I" and "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II"

The steps in front of the SFU Academic Quadrangle (off Gaglardi Way, Burnaby) served as the location where Helo shoots Sharon. The exterior of the Delphi Museum was the West Mall Centre of Simon Fraser University; the underground stairs and the stairs on Gaglardi Way were the Transportation Centre. The Orpheum Theatre (on Smithe Street at Seymour, Downtown Vancouver) was used for Gaius Baltar's opera house vision — new footage was shot there again for "Rapture" and "Crossroads, Part I." The Orpheum opened November 7, 1927 and was designated a National Historic Site of Canada on November 15, 1979.

The Raptor crash site on Kobol was Widgeon Slough (private access road), within Pinecone Burke Provincial Park near Port Coquitlam, BC. This forest location was reused for subsequent Kobol scenes through "Fragged" and the "Home" two-parter.

Season 2 filming locations

• "Valley of Darkness"

Kara Thrace's Caprica apartment and the car garage scenes were filmed at the Waterfall Building (see Miniseries entry above). The Adama drowning-baby sequence was also filmed at Widgeon Slough.

• "The Farm"

The exterior of Kara's hospital on Caprica was Riverview Hospital, 2601 Lougheed Highway, Coquitlam, BC. Riverview opened in 1913 as the "Hospital for the Mind" and operated until July 2012; its grounds have served as a filming location for dozens of productions including The X-Files, Supernatural, and Deadpool 2. It is now the səmiq̓ʷəʔelə/Riverview site, managed by BC Housing in partnership with the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation. The scenes of Kara being shot and escaping with Helo on Caprica were filmed at Robert Burnaby Park.

• "Home, Part I" and "Home, Part II"

Elosha's death and the Kobol campsite were filmed at Lynn Canyon Park (off the gravel access road and south end of the Bear Trail). The exterior of the Tomb of Athena and the mountain path sequences were shot at a private quarry (active and dangerous — not accessible to the public). The interior of the Tomb — including the field representing "Earth" — was filmed at Deer Lake Park, at the intersection of Royal Oak Avenue and Deer Lake Parkway, Burnaby.

• "Epiphanies"

The Caprica Riverwalk flashback scenes and President Richard Adar's office were filmed at Simon Fraser University (Academic Quadrangle and other campus buildings).

• "Downloaded"

Sharon's Caprica apartment and the outdoor Cylon hangout were filmed at the Waterfall Building.

• "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I" and "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II"

The scenes of Starbuck reuniting with Samuel Anders on occupied Caprica were filmed at Capilano Park, 3735 Capilano Road, North Vancouver. The New Caprica City tent settlement was constructed near Richmond, BC, on a private site off Blundell Road (the site now has warehouses). The New Caprica Police graduation ceremony interiors were shot at BC Place Stadium, Vancouver.

Season 3 filming locations

• "Occupation," "Precipice," "Exodus, Part I," "Exodus, Part II"

Kara's detention cell in the New Caprica Detention Center was the same room used for her Delphi apartment — the Waterfall Building. The New Caprica City exterior was the Richmond site (as above). Breeder's Canyon was Upper Coquitlam River Park, 1791 Pipeline Road, Coquitlam. The Cylon firing squad location was the private quarry used for Kobol scenes in Season 2 (active and dangerous).

• "Torn"

The beach scenes with Six and Gaius were filmed at Third Beach in Stanley Park, Vancouver. The forest projection sequence was shot in the woods immediately north of the Third Beach parking lot.

• "The Eye of Jupiter" and "Rapture"

The outdoor surface and base camp sequences on the algae planet were filmed on private land near Kamloops, British Columbia — specifically at a formation of hoodoo rock pillars off East Shuswap Road. The location was referred to informally by crew as the "hot fudge sundae planet" during scouting. Location photography and behind-the-scenes images were provided to battlestarlocations.com by the Thompson-Nicola Film Commission, the regional film commission serving the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.

The interior of the Temple of Five was filmed at the Lantic Sugar mill — the same abandoned potash silo previously used for Ragnar Anchorage interiors in the Miniseries — partially redressed through visual effects to produce the temple's spires and lighting effects.

• "A Day in the Life"

The house seen in Adama's flashbacks with Carolanne was a private residence in North Vancouver.

• "Dirty Hands"

The tylium ship was filmed at the Lantic Sugar mill, the same facility used for Ragnar Anchorage and the Temple of Five.

• "Maelstrom"

Socrata Thrace's apartment was filmed at Gate 6, West 6th Avenue, Vancouver.

Season 4 filming locations

• "Faith"

Laura Roslin's vision of the afterlife shore was filmed at Barnet Marine Park, Burnaby. The vision boat was the MV Abitibi, which departed out of False Creek and up the Burrard Inlet; it was located at the Plaza of Nations, Dock B.

• "Revelations"

The irradiated first Earth surface scenes were filmed at Centennial Beach, Boundary Bay Road, Tsawwassen, Delta, British Columbia — a shoreline within Boundary Bay Regional Park, south of Vancouver.

• "Sometimes a Great Notion"

The Centennial Beach location was used again for Kara Thrace's tree. The separate scene of Kara, Leoben Conoy, and the wreckage of her Viper was filmed at Beach Grove Park, 6051 17A Avenue, Tsawwassen — a different location approximately 2 km from Centennial Beach.

• "Daybreak, Part I," "Daybreak, Part II," "Daybreak, Part III"

The Caprica flashback sequences used several Vancouver locations. Roslin swims in the Simon Fraser University fountain in the Academic Quadrangle. A new house in West Vancouver (designed by the same architect as Baltar's Lions Bay home) served as Baltar's Caprica home. A smaller house in West Vancouver, below the new Baltar house, served as Baltar's father's home. Lee Adama's apartment was the Ironworks Building, 235 Alexander Street at Main Street, Vancouver. Sam Anders' pyramid rehabilitation room was the exercise room at Vancouver Film Studios. The strip club scene was filmed at Butter nightclub, 11935 207th Street, Maple Ridge. Roslin's Caprica apartment was the Waterfall Building (east-side penthouse).

The new Earth settlement sequences were filmed on private land near Kamloops, BC — the same general area used for the algae planet in Season 3, this time using the Kamloops grasslands rather than the hoodoos. The present-day epilogue newsstand sequence was filmed at the plaza at the north end of Hornby Street along Hastings Street, Downtown Vancouver.

Razor filming locations

• The interior of the Cylon laboratory was Riverview Hospital, 2601 Lougheed Highway, Coquitlam (interior). The exterior of the laboratory was a stage building exterior at Vancouver Film Studios. Admiral Cain's childhood flashbacks were filmed at the Vancouver Fire Department Training Facility, Vancouver (private).

The Plan filming locations

• The pyramid training site was filmed at Mid Valley in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve, North Vancouver (accessed via Lillooet Road). The pyramid team base was the Northlawn Building on the Riverview Hospital campus, Coquitlam. The bridge scene was Cleveland Dam, Capilano Park, 3735 Capilano Road, North Vancouver. The train wreck site was the Justice Institute Training Facility, 13500 256th Street, Maple Ridge (restricted access). Both the Capilano Park and the Riverview campus locations were also used for Resistance and Kara pickup scenes. The interior of the Blue Moon bar was the Balthazar Bar; the building has since been demolished.

Standing sets

The show's sets include Adama's quarters, an airlock, CIC, several multipurpose rooms, many hallways, Colonial One and the hangar deck. The Miniseries was shot in a larger studio, in which all sets were interconnected. That made it possible to follow Kara Thrace from the hallways to the hangar deck in a single shot. With the beginning of the regular series, the production moved to another studio, which made it necessary to split some of the sets apart.

Images

• 
  Floor plan of Adama's quarters.
• 
  The CIC and its surrounding hallways.
• 
  The Vancouver Public Library ^{(TRS: "Bastille Day")}.
• 
  A ScotiaBank building in Vancouver ^{(TRS: "Litmus")}.

References

External Links

• Battlestar Galactica Season 1 Locations (Pat Suwalski)
• Battlestar Galactica Filming Locations (battlestarlocations.com)
• Battlestar Galactica Filming Locations (MovieMaps)

See also

• Original Series filming locations
• Galactica 1980 filming locations