Miniseries, Night 1

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Overview[edit]

After 40 years of peace with the Humanity's bastard children, the Cylons, Humanity finds itself victim of genocide and is forced to flee from the 12 Colonies of Kobol.

Backplot[edit]

  • The Cylons were created by the Colonials as a labor and military force. 40 years prior, the Cylons turned on their Human creators and the Cylon War ensued. The Cylons were exiled from the 12 Colonies and were never seen again in any known form.
  • The Battlestar Galactica is the last relic from the Cylon War and is being decomissioned. It was slated to be turned into a museum piece.
  • The Colonies, who were once technophobic due to the Cylons, are recovering from their phobia and are integrating technology back into their normal lives and, as a result, military crafts.
  • The Cylons are capable of infiltrating any networked computer system and disrupting electrical equipment.
  • The Colonials descended from a mother world, known as Kobol.
  • There is a myth about a 13th Colony of Kobol, known as Earth.

Questions[edit]

  • What happened to the Cylons over the course of their 40 year exile?
  • What events transpired that made the Cylons hate their human masters? When did this occur?
  • Where is the Cylon homeworld?
  • Are there other life forms or powers that exist in the universe?
  • Does Earth truly exist, despite Cmdr. Adama's disbelief?
  • What happened to Helo on Caprica? (Answer)
  • We know of 7 of 12 Cylon models: Boomer, Number 6, Aaron Doral, Cylon Centurion (old), Cylon Raider, Cylon Centurion (new), and Leoben Conoy. What are the other 5?
  • If the Cylons hate Humanity so much, why did they mimic human form? Was it for strategic purposes? Or was there something greater?

Analysis[edit]

  • The basic story is still present: robotic Cylons surprisingly attack the 12 Colonies resulting in a holocaust, thus forcing a "rag-tag, fugitive fleet" to coalesce around the last surviving battlestar, Galactica, to seek a mythical 13th Colony where refugees hope to find shelter from the Cylons. However, many of the fine details are changed, such as:
    • The Cylons were created by Humanity, not by a reptilian race (also called Cylons) who hated Humanity.
    • The Galactica is a 50 year old relic on the verge of decommission.
    • The names of "Apollo", "Boomer", and "Starbuck" are changed to call signs. Characters have standard names: First and Last Names.
    • The futuristic (and often confusing) terminology used to denote distances, measuring, and time have been replaced with understandable terminology, such as "years" from "yahren".
    • The ship designs, save for some revisions to the Mark II Viper and the Galactica and a few noteworthy background, have been redone.

Notes[edit]

  • Initially, there were 12 battlestars, one representing each Colony. Battlestar Galactica represented Caprica. These were built with antiquated technolgies, as were their fighter craft, to avoid the Cylons's tactical advantage of disrupting complex electrical and computer equipment.
  • Networked computers were susceptible to Cylon infiltration, forcing the Colonials to react by reducing their dependance on technology.
  • The Cylons believe in God, whereas the Colonials believe in a pantheon of Gods mirroring the Greek pantheon of deities.
  • Cylons are also called "walking toasters", mainly for their original apperance (a nod to the original series).
  • All pilots have call signs.

Noteworthy Dialogue[edit]

Official Statements[edit]

Statistics[edit]

Guest Stars[edit]


Writing & Direction[edit]


First Run Air Dates & Releases[edit]

  • UK Airdate: 17 February 2004
  • US Airdate: 8 December 2003, 9 December 2003 (2-night engagement, Sci-Fi Channel)
  • Canadian Airdate: 17 January 2004
  • DVD Release: 28 December 2004