Experiment in Terra (TV movie)

For the regular broadcast episode, see: "Experiment in Terra".

"Experiment in Terra" An episode of the TV movies
Episode No.	Movie {{{movie}}}
Writer(s)	Glen A. Larson
Story by
Director	Rod Holcomb Ron Satlof Gene Palmer
Assistant Director
Special guest(s)
Production No.
Nielsen Rating
US airdate	{{{US airdate}}}
CAN airdate	{{{CAN airdate}}}
UK airdate	{{{UK airdate}}}
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Population	{{{population}}} survivors
Additional Info	Telemovie on "Saga of a Star World", "Experiment in Terra", "The Return of Starbuck"
Episode Chronology
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Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack	Experiment in Terra	Conquest of Earth
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Overview

A longer, televised version of "Experiment in Terra" with scenes from other episodes, such as Galactica 1980's "The Return of Starbuck".

Summary

Teaser

• Event 1.
• Event 2.

Act 1

• Event 1.
• Event 2.

Act 2

• Event 1.
• Event 2.

Act 3

• Event 1.
• Event 2.

Act 4

• Event 1.
• Event 2.

Notes

• This TV movie comprises of content derived from the episodes "Saga of a Star World", "The Magnificent Warriors", "Fire in Space", "Experiment in Terra", and Galactica 1980's "The Super Scouts, Part I" and "The Return of Starbuck". The beginning act also has scenes spliced from "The Living Legend, Part I", in terms of closeups of the Pegasus.
• The movie shows us the first depiction of organic Cylons, with Adama claiming that they are serpent like beings.
• The Imperious Leader was created after the Centurions. It is after the Imperious Leader's creation that the Thousand Yahren War began, thus leading to the slaughter of the original Cylons and everything else in the "star system".
• The Battle of Molecay is known as the last major defeat before the end of the Thousand Yahren War.
• The Fleet is referred to as the "Galactican Fleet", a term used exclusively in Galactica 1980.
• The attack on the freighter Delphi is taken from "The Super Scouts, Part I".

Analysis

• This movie version of "Experiment in Terra" clarifies that there were only five battlestars left by the end of the Thousand Yahren War, Pegasus notwithstanding.
• There are contradictions with the established information which arise from information already provided in the television series:
  • The scenes of the Battle of Molecay are reused stock footage depicting the The Fleet; the Fifth Fleet would likely not have comprised of civilian ships, like the freighter Gemini or the Colonial Movers ship.
  • The scenes of a disheveled Baltar being presented to the succeeding Imperious Leader are explained as having happened before the Battle of Cimtar. It is implied that they had captured Baltar and subsequently released him based on his epistle. Of course, the footage is reused from the end of "Saga of a Star World", well after the Battle of Carillon and the death of the first Imperious Leader, hence Baltar's comment regarding the Imperious Leader's not knowing him and the Leader's comment about giving him command of a baseship entirely under his command.
• The implied destruction of Galactica before reaching Earth means that Galactica 1980 could not have happened.
• The collage of footage provided indicates a space-fairing Earth, but still not one as advanced as the Colonials were prior to the Colonial holocaust.

Questions

• How long has Adama's log book floated through space?

Official Statements

Refer to Noteworthy Dialogue for format.

Noteworthy Dialogue

• The opening credit dialogue done by Patrick Macnee:

Patrick Macnee: There are those who believe that life here on Earth began out there. Far across the universe with tribes of humans, who may have been the forefathers of the Egyptians, or the Toltecs, or the Mayans, that they may have been the architects of the great pyramids, or the lost civilizations of Lemuria or Atlantis. Again and again we launched our spacecraft into the solar system to probe and search for a planet having the same composition as our Earth. The planet with the air and soil so essential to life, as well as the necessary geological processes. A planet from which extraterrestrial visitors to Earth might live, or might once have lived, and although it became more apparent with each space exploration that such a planet could exist, it always eluded us.

It was on one such routine expedition that the astronaut, [indiscernible], accidentally saw an object floating in space. Disregarding the space hazards, he retrieved the object, which upon examination proved to be a log book from the battlestar Galactica.

It was the first documented proof that life as we know it, as well as other forms, exist or existed in the galaxy. But in the galaxy, as on Earth, where ever mankind is present, love and warfare prevail, as well as mankind's dream of everlasting peace.

• The astronaut reads from Adama's log book, learning the events that lead up to the Colonials' exodus from the Twelve Colonies, as narrated by Adama:

Adama: In case we do not survive, this is a true record of the war between the Cylon Centurions and the human race in the star system. Commander Adama, Battlestar Galactica.

Somewhere in sometime in our galaxy, there evolved an intelligent race of serpents known as Cylons. First they created machines of super-intelligence: the Cylon Centurions. Then they created the ultimate in machinery technology, the ruler known as the Imperious Leader. But due to a slight error in their programming, the Imperious Leader turned against his creators and ordered his subjects to exterminate all human life forms. Thus began a war with the Cylon Centurions that erased all of the human race in the star system.

One of our greatest defeats was the Battle of Molecay. The Fifth Fleet, including its flagship, the Pegasus, under our great military leader Commander Cain was destroyed.

After a battle alleging to depict the Battle of Molecay:

Now there remains only one fleet of warships consisting of five flying battlestars, with the flagship, battlestar Galactica, under my command, to protect the tired and weary Twelve Colonies.

After the new Imperious Leader spares Baltar's life to explain to the humans his policy of tolerance:

Unexpectedly, the Cylon Centurions sued for peace, asking for an armistice conference. They chose the ruthless and treacherous Baltar as their liaison. And unknown to our intelligence force was Baltar's bargain with the Cylons, whereby he would rule over our colonies after we were conquered. Nor were we or Baltar aware of the Cylons' real plans.

After Adama warns Adar of the incoming ships, which attack the battlestar fleet:

And so we were taken by surprise as a thousand Cylon Centurions attacked and engaged our fleet in battle.

Guest Stars

As ordered by the beginning credits.

• Lorne Greene as Commander Adama
• Richard Hatch as Captain Apollo
• Dirk Benedict as Lieutenant Starbuck
• Herb Jefferson Jr. as Lieutenant Boomer
• Maren Jensen as Athena
• Tony Schwarz as Jolly
• Terry Carter as Colonel Tigh
• Melody Anderson
• Lew Ayres as President Adar
• John Colicos as Baltar
• Peter D. MacLean as President Arends
• Nehemiah Persoff as Supreme Commandant
• Logan Ramsey
• Ken Swofford
• Edward Mulhare as John
• Patrick Macnee as Narrator/Imperious Leader

Galactica 1980 definition: a member of the Fleet; Hamilton first uses the term when replying to Stockwell's question regarding Xavier's affiliation ^{(1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part II")}