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Please choose a specific reference for the title, '''Saga of a Star World''':
{{DisambigTab|Saga of a Star World|Saga of a Star World (Book)|Saga of a Star World (Trade Paperback)}}
 
* [[Saga of a Star World]], the premiere for the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original Series]].
* ''[[Saga of a Star World (Book)|Saga of a Star World]]'', the novelization for the pilot written by [[Robert Thurston]].
* ''[[Saga of a Star World (Trade Paperback)|Saga of a Star World]]'', the omnibus for the [[w:Marvel|Marvel]] comic books based on the Original Series and the pilot.
 
{{disambig}}

Latest revision as of 02:59, 9 January 2023

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Saga of a Star World
"Saga of a Star World"
An episode of the Original Series
Episode No. Season 1, Episode 1
Writer(s) Glen A. Larson
Story by
Director Richard A. Colla
Alan J. Levi (uncredited)
Assistant Director
Special guest(s)
Production No. 50280/1/2
Nielsen Rating
US airdate USA 1978-09-17
CAN airdate CAN {{{CAN airdate}}}
UK airdate UK
DVD release 2004-12-28
Population survivors
Additional Info Series Premiere
Full Credits
Episode Chronology
Previous Next
None Saga of a Star World Lost Planet of the Gods, Part I
[[IMDB:tt{{{imdb}}}|IMDb entry]]
Listing of props for this episode
Related Media
Photo Gallery @ BW Media
Promotional Materials
Online Purchasing
Amazon: Standard Definition | High Definition
iTunes: [{{{itunes}}} USA]



The Human-Cylon peace accords are a ruse by the genocidal Cylons, determined to exterminate all humanity. Only the battlestar Galactica and a ragtag Fleet survive, journeying across the galaxy in search of a long-lost sister civilization, Earth. On the first leg of their journey, the Fleet is lured to the planet Carillon for fuel and relaxation—and barely survives a trap by the Ovions, an underground, insectoid species in league with the Cylons.

Summary[edit]

Prelude to Destruction[edit]

  • The episode opens with a shot of five battlestars that comprise the Colonial Fleet assigned to the Peace Treaty. They are the battlestars Galactica, Atlantia, Acropolis, Pacifica and Triton.
  • As the Seventh Millennium of Time approaches, President Adar toasts his Quorum of Twelve on the celebration of peace between humanity and the Cylon Empire. In the Quorum are Adama and Baltar.
  • Aboard Galactica, Lieutenant Zac, Apollo's younger brother, convinces Starbuck to let him take his patrol with Apollo so he can prove that he is a worthy warrior. Apollo, aware of the deception, agrees and Apollo and Starbuck reminisce of their younger days and Apollo teases Starbuck about his stomach (the "ailiment" that Starbuck uses in front of Zac and Apollo as the excuse to allow Zac to fly).
  • Flight Corporal Rigel clears Apollo and Zac for launch and the two launch on their patrol of the Lianus Vector.
  • Aboard Atlantia, Adar congratulates Baltar on his work on the armistice. Adar later meets with Adama, who gives his misgivings about the peace treaty and the Cylon's hatred of humanity and freedom. Adar assures him that the Cylons have sued for peace.
  • On patrol, Zac notices two targets above the old moon of Cimtar. Apollo flies ahead and identifies one target as an empty Cylon tanker. On reaching the second ship, a freighter, Apollo's scanners are jammed. Suspicious that the freighter is hiding something, Apollo continues flying through the mist and encounters a huge armada of Cylon Raiders.

Battle of Cimtar[edit]

  • Apollo and Zac engage four pursuing Raiders, but Zac's top engine is damaged in the attack. Apollo assures him that they can easily handle four to one odds. Zac's scanner soon shows the odds are worsened to a thousand to one. Zac tells Apollo to warn the fleet of the impending Cylon ambush. Apollo reluctantly leaves his younger brother behind.
  • Commander Adama and Athena return to Galactica to find the whole ship on alert. At Core command, Colonel Tigh informs Adama that their patrol ran into some trouble but the reports are being jammed. Adama reports this to the President and asks to launch a patrol to intercept. Baltar convinces Adar not to launch fighters due to the delicate nature of the peace treaty. Adama then asks that the fleet be brought to a state of alert. Adar says he will consider it.
Adama and Tigh survey the situation nervously
  • Tigh informs Adama that the patrol is under Apollo's command and that Zac is with him. Adama now realizes the gravity of the situation.
  • Zac continues his journey home ahead of the Cylon fighter fleet, but his damaged Viper is slowly losing ground.
  • Ignoring orders, Adama begins a battle station drill to avoid direct violation of the President's orders while allowing him to scramble his fighters for an initial defense.
  • Starbuck enjoys a game of Pyramid with some Gemonese warriors. His hand, a full Pyramid, wins. The alert klaxon sounds just as he tries to collect his winnings.
  • Zac's Viper is destroyed by the Cylons in sight of the fleet. When Adar asks what that explosion was, Adama sadly answers, "That was my son, Mr. President."
  • The Cylons commence their attack on the battlestars. Only Galactica is in a sufficient state of readiness to fight; none of the other battlestars can launch their fighters.
  • Apollo returns to the bridge and reports on the Cylon ambush and asks to go back to escort Zac back in. He is informed of Zac's death.
  • Apollo informs Tigh and Adama that he found no basestars in the area that supported the fighters. They realize that the tankers were used to re-fuel the fighters, allowing the basestars to be elsewhere.
  • Adama realizes the basestars are gathering to attack the Colonies themselves. Adama contacts Adar and requests permission to leave the battle in order to attempt to defend their home planets. During this transmission the Cylons bear down on battlestar Atlantia and destroy her.

Flight to Caprica[edit]

  • The Imperious Leader, on a basestar near the Colonies, orders the planetary attack to begin.
The infamous Lights of Caprica scene!
  • Adama orders Galactica to head for Caprica to defend the colony. Viper pilot Greenbean and other pilots notice the battlestar leaving the battle zone.
  • As Galactica closes in on the Colonies, the jamming clears to allow them to view a news report from the surface of Caprica from Serina. As the attack begins, Serina ends her report abruptly to find her son Boxey, whose daggit is killed. Galactica's crew watch helplessly as the destruction of the colonies continues. Even the outer colonies such as Sagitara are not spared.
  • Adama elects to go down to the surface of Caprica in his shuttle. Fearing for his father's safety, Apollo convinces Adama to accompany him in his fighter.
  • Rigel informs Tigh that 67 fighters returned from the battle; only 25 belong to Galactica. Omega informs Tigh that they are also the only surviving battlestar.
  • Starbuck returns with battle damage and crash lands successfully. Angry over Galactica leaving during the battle, Athena tells him of something more serious: the Colonies are destroyed.
  • On Caprica, Adama finds the ruins of his home. His wife, Ila, is presumed dead, and Adama's grief overwhelms him temporarily.
  • Apollo is confronted by angry colonists. Adama informs the colonists that only Galactica is left to guard the survivors.

The Exodus Begins[edit]

  • Adama tells the colonists to assemble the people in every ship that will carry them. In all, 220 ships leave the ruined worlds to gather behind the last battlestar.
  • At a ship's representative meeting aboard Galactica, Adama tells them of their destination: The home of the Thirteenth Tribe on a planet called Earth.
TV Guide ad for Saga of a Star World
  • Starbuck apologizes to Athena (who is in the process of taking off her pressure suit) for his behavior in the landing bay. Starbuck realizes they may have only tomorrow to live, for but Athena says she cannot commit to a relationship.
  • Boomer and Starbuck are on fleet maintenance on the freighter Gemini to check for battle damage. Apollo is also there, checking for solium leaks with Beta company.
  • They head below decks to find the sad condition of colonists living there. The warriors are told of food and water shortages.
  • As they attend to the wounded, one colonist, Cassiopeia, attempts to help by translating for an ill Geminese man, but is ridiculed for being a socialator.
  • The warriors learn that some people on board the liner Rising Star are living in luxury with hoards of supplies.
  • Apollo re-routes the shuttle to Rising Star and finds Jolly, who indicates most of the food there has Pluton poisoning. They try to salvage some of the food but are told to keep it quiet in fear of a mutiny.
  • The Cylons become aware of Galactica and her escape with survivors. Imperious Leader instructs flight leader Serpentine, a Centurion, to inform Count Baltar of his displeasure, ordering Baltar to deliver either Galactica or his own head.
  • Aboard Rising Star, Serina asks Apollo to help cheer up Boxey. Apollo gives Boxey one of his rank insignia and promises to find him a daggit. Serina thanks Apollo for his help.
  • Boomer and Apollo find Sire Uri and his party. They are appalled by Sire Uri's gluttony and celebration. Ignoring Sire Uri's refusal to give up his supply of food, Apollo orders Boomer to instruct Jolly to gather a crew to distribute the food to others. Boomer asks Apollo if he hasn't overplayed his hand since Sire Uri is a newly elected member of the Council of the Twelve.
  • Cassiopeia's arm is healed by Galactica medical staff and Starbuck agrees to help her find somewhere else to go in lieu of the freighter Gemini.
  • Rigel reports to Tigh that long range patrols report no signs of Cylon pursuit.
Serina, Athena and Cassiopeia

The Path to Carillon[edit]

  • The Council of Twelve debate the Fleet's destination. Believing Carillon is too far to travel because of the food shortage, Uri suggests the planet Borallus, but Adama believes it too dangerous. Apollo suggests a shortcut to Carillon via the Nova of Madagon. However, the Cylons had mined the passage, so Vipers are needed to clear a path for the Fleet. Starbuck and Boomer are "volunteered" for the mission.
  • Apollo gathers Serina and Boxey. Apollo and Doctor Wilker surprise Boxey with Muffit Two, a mechanical daggit. Apollo and Serina share an embrace.
  • Cassiopeia and Starbuck spend some intimate time on the flight deck before a jealous Athena activates a steam purge in the area and burns Starbuck.
  • The Vipers launch with shielded cockpits to protect from the brightness of the nova. They succeed in destroying the mines, and the fleet reaches Carillon.
  • Adama orders landing operations to begin at once with mineral ships and Landrams. Blue Squadron is ordered to vector in the landing parties.
  • Aboard the main basestar, Baltar appears before the Imperious Leader. The Imperious Leader alters his bargain to spare Baltar's colony and orders Baltar's immediate execution, but stops short and orders him removed for public execution.
  • Boomer and Starbuck come upon strange bright lights and startle a female Tauran coming out of what is apparently a chancery. The woman's excitement over her winnings make it apparent that she is completely unaware of the Colonies' destruction. Starbuck and Boomer enter the casino to investigate.
  • Apollo, Jolly, Serina, Boxey and Muffit travel to the old mine.
  • Boomer questions the validity of the chancery and is amazed that Starbuck can think about making money in light of their plight.
TV Guide cover - Sept. 16, 1978
  • Boxey chases after Muffit when he escapes the landram, with Jolly not far behind. Serina and Apollo share a tender moment alone. Muffit and Boxey are "kidnapped" by the Ovions.

Refuge?[edit]

  • Jolly, Apollo and Serina search for Boxey but are also taken captive by the Ovions and brought below the surface to the Ovion's domain. They are re-united with Boxey, Muffit, Starbuck and Boomer. Apparently the Ovion Queen has offered her friendship and all that Carillon has to offer.
  • On hearing of the events on Carillon, Adama questions the Ovion's hospitality and notices that only small amounts of fuel are arriving from the surface.
  • Cassiopeia and Athena both attempt to rendezvous with Starbuck on Carillon. They discover each other, and Starbuck is left without a companion.
  • Some guests of the hotel enter an elevator to go their rooms, but the elevator takes them below to Ovions, who capture them.
  • Adama and Tigh realize that they have been deceived about the amount of tylium on Carillon, and suspect Cylon involvement.
  • Aboard Galactica, the council meets with Adama to discuss the dismantling of arms. During this meeting the history of the war and the humans involvement with the Hasari is discussed. Adama balks at the discussion of laying down their arms and leaves the meeting. The council decides to let the colonists decide their fate at a function to award Apollo, Starbuck and Boomer for their heroism in leading the Fleet through the Straits of Madagon.
  • Cassiopeia enters an elevator on Carillon and is also captured by the Ovions. She witnesses the three previous colonists being cocooned by The Ovions.
  • Aboard Galactica, Tigh meets with Adama in secret to devise a plan to keep their warriors battle ready while fooling Sire Uri and the Ovions, giving the impression that actual warriors are in attendance. To aid in the ruse, Adama decides to launch routine patrols to appease the Council, but will be used in truth to await a Cylon trap. Tigh is put in charge of gathering uniforms and people to fill them.
  • Starbuck, Boomer, and Apollo gather on the surface. Uri is satisfied that most of the warriors are in attendance. Boomer motions to Starbuck that there are three unknown men wearing the insignia from Blue Squadron. Starbuck goes to investigate and runs into Apollo. Starbuck reports the imposters, and all enter an elevator to head below the surface.
  • Uri impatiently informs Boomer to find Starbuck and Apollo.
  • Starbuck and Apollo continue their search for the imposters while a Cylon Centurion receives a report from an Ovion of the warrior count at the party.
The Anthem scene - A deleted scene occurring after the flight from Carillon in which the entire cast attends a ceremony, and Apollo learns of Serina's illness.

The Battle of Carillon[edit]

  • Apollo and Starbuck jury rig the elevator to go lower below Carillon. They encounter the Ovions and Cylons.
  • Starbuck questions the connection between the surface and the Ovions below. Starbuck suggests that Apollo go back up and gather the colonists while he stays below to set fire to the tylium. Apollo refuses, remembering his abandonment of Zac.
  • Boxey comes out of an elevator in pursuit of Muffit. As a Cylon aims his weapon at Boxey, Apollo and Starbuck intervene.
  • In the battle, the warriors find the cocoons of the humans that the Ovions are feeding on, as well as Cassiopeia, who they rescue in the nick of time.
  • The Imperious Leader orders the springing of the Cylon trap.
  • Starbuck and Apollo, with Cassiopeia, Boxey and Muffit in tow, begin their escape, while the Cylons begin their attack run at Galactica and the Fleet.
  • Boomer joins in with Starbuck and Apollo as they escape back to the surface to warn everyone of the danger. Apollo and the others reach the surface and warn the others to leave. Uri balks at this idea until a Cylon appears, and hastily changes his mind.
  • Jolly and a series of Landrams arrive to help in the escape. Apollo and Starbuck find out that the Landrams were ordered in place by Adama.
  • Boxey tells Serina that he wishes Apollo could be his dad. Starbuck kisses Cassiopeia goodbye.
  • The warriors launch from Carillon as the attack on Galactica begins, engaging the Cylons as Galactica takes heavy hits.
  • Apollo, along with Starbuck, goes after the lone basestar with Imperious Leader hidden behind Carillon. Adama refuses to authorize the warriors to chase the base ship but Apollo and Starbuck continue their pursuit using the Cylon frequency to give the impression of four squadrons (Blue and Green, Red and Yellow).
  • The Imperious Leader receives news of the counterattack and orders the baseship behind Carillon.
  • Adama is astonished at the ruse that Starbuck and Apollo are planning.
  • The Imperious Leader is given a report of the six squadrons approaching them and the destruction of their entire Raider complement. He orders the basestar lower to the surface but is warned of the temperature reaching critical points.
  • Starbuck and Apollo reach the baseship. Tigh reports the planet reaching vapor point.
  • The Cylons now realize that the plan is a deception and open fire on Apollo and Starbuck. Starbuck and Apollo escape just as the planet and basestar are destroyed.
  • Baltar is brought before another Imperious Leader, who explains he has examined Baltar's epistle and spares his life: Not to serve the Cylon Empire, but to serve his people. Baltar is given the task of extending the hand of truce to the humans. Baltar explains that the humans are not likely to be receptive.
  • The Imperious Leader gives Baltar command of a basestar with an IL-Series Drone named Lucifer to serve at his aide to accomplish this task.

Adama's Notes[edit]

And the word went forth to every outpost of humanity, and they came - the Aries, the Gemons, the Virgos, the Scorpios, the Pisceans and the Sagitarrans. In all, two hundred and twenty ships, representing every colony, color and creed in the star system. The human race might have one more chance, but first it would have to survive the alliance, the elements and the unknown dark and sinister threats that would lie ahead.

We've come so far, so quickly. There's been little time for reason. What is the secret behind the existence of this outpost on the outer rim of our star system? There are many such oases for intergalactic travelers, but none so far off the known arteries of trade, and none so curiously close a tylium mine. Fuel has begun to arrive from the Ovion mines, but in curiously small quantities. Now I feel the growing need for extraordinary measures of precaution. The ships continue to hover over the planet, supported by maintenance crews whose spirits are depleted as their numbers. Everyone seems to have forgotten our flight from the Cylons. The beauty and wiles of Carillon hold our people spellbound.

Notes[edit]

General[edit]

  • There are (at least) three different versions of this pilot episode: a theatrical release originally shown in movie theaters around the world, a three-part pilot for television, and the original 1978 home video release (in addition to the original 3 hour television broadcast). The DVD box set includes this episode complete—with all the parts restored that were deleted, shortened, or altered to some degree.
  • The original transmission of this episode was interrupted on the East Coast for more than an hour due to the signing of the Camp David Peace Accord between Israel and Egypt. President Jimmy Carter hosted the signing between Israel's Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egypt's President Anwar Sadat. ABC chose to continue the transmission from the exact point of the interruption since it had heavily promoted the show and was committed to the new series.
  • Saga of a Star World aired as a tv movie in a single installment on September 17th, 1978, and was thereby the only episode of the show which did not have a running time of approximately 50 minutes. With commercial breaks, the episode ran 3 hours. For subsequent television showings, in the USA and overseas, it was re-edited into three 50-minute episodes.
  • The 3-hour television movie with which the show premiered has always been known (unofficially) as Saga of a Star World, but this title nowhere appears on screen. The title credits describe the production only as Battlestar Galactica. In the course of production, early in 1978, Glen Larson signed a contract to hire virtually the entire special effects team who, until 1977, had been employed by George Lucas on the movie Star Wars; but Lucas, worried by the similarity of the term Star World to the title of his hit movie, threatened legal action if Larson used the term in connection with the proposed project, then known as The Galactica. Lucas would later hire back most of his original effects team, to work on his proposed Star Wars sequel, due out in 1980, making it impossible for them to continue working on Galactica project after the initial mini-series, and forcing Larson to re-cut the effects footage from the 1978 feature film and re-use it on all of the following 18 episodes, instead of new footage.
  • Carol Baxter, who portrayed the talkative woman in the elevator on Carillon, would later portray Macy in "The Lost Warrior."

Behind the Scenes[edit]

  • Galactica's Warrior uniforms were still being manufactured during filming of this episode, thus the pyramid game scenes featured Boomer (Herb Jefferson Jr.) and Jolly (Tony Swartz) with the creative use of towels. For Jefferson, while he had both pants and boots, his tunic was still being assembled and thus he had a towel around his neck. As for Swartz, he did his first day of shooting with a towel around his waist, as neither tunic nor pants were available.[1]

Changes and Sub-Plots[edit]

  • There are two plot threads which were filmed, but later dropped:
    • All the lines of dialogue pertaining to Serina's "space cancer," and thus a majority of Doctor Paye's scenes, were removed. Serina's illness occurs instead because she is affected by the pluton poisoning, which is briefly mentioned by Jolly aboard the Rising Star.
    • In addition, a subplot revolving around Adama's attempt to resign as fleet commander is dropped. All that remains of this is Adama's conversation with Athena, where he reflects on one event on a colony world concerning a woman with a small child.
  • Originally, the "steam purge" scene was shot with a shirtless Starbuck. However, because of the Network's concerns over depicting him partly undressed with a woman, the scene was re-shot with a shirted Starbuck. This re-shoot forced Laurette Spang to return from visiting her family in Michigan.[2]
  • In the feature film version (seen in theaters and on the 1978 videotape release of the feature film), Baltar is beheaded after betraying the Twelve Colonies of Man, on the orders of, and at the feet of, the Imperious Leader. For the series, this was re-edited and his character spared to lead an ongoing pursuit of the remnants of humanity in the televised version of this episode. This change was in part a result of the Cylons becoming a less menacing enemy, due to the Network's Standards and Practices guidelines relating to acts of violence on television, as there could only be a maximum of six "acts of violence" per episode. Thus the need for a more sinister threat portrayed to great dramatic effect by classically trained Shakesperian actor John Colicos, alongside his foil, Lucifer, voiced by Jonathan Harris.

Story Background[edit]

  • The conflict with the Cylons has raged for 1,000 yahren.
  • Each Colony of Man has one representative on the Quorum of the Twelve. After a meeting of the Quorum, each representative returns to "his" battlestar.
    1. Adama represents Caprica and commands the Galactica.
    2. Adar is president and returns to the Atlantia.
  • The Cylons have a hierarchical imperial society, ruled by an emperor (never described as such), who is referred to as the Imperious Leader.
  • The Cylons seek to exterminate all human life, because the Colonials interfered with Cylon efforts to enslave the Hasari's "nation".
  • Nuclear weapons are not a technology used by the Cylons in the Original Series, instead "weapons of mass destruction," in the form of pluton bombs, were used on the Colonies. These are a "lesser" technology used on Terra by both the Eastern Alliance and the Nationalists. In contrast, the Cylons of the Re-imagined Series do use these type of weapons against the Colonies, to devastating effect (TRS: "Miniseries", "The Plan").
  • Apollo points out to Sire Uri at their first meeting that "some 100 people have died since our deliverance from the Cylons," though not due to starvation. Additional people died whilst on Carillon, however, when the Cylons sprang their trap.

Analysis[edit]

  • Adama asks if any of the other ships could launch their Vipers, to which he receives a report that they didn't. Yet Rigel reports that out of the 67 Vipers returning to Galactica, 25 fighters belonged to Galactica. Obviously, the other battlestars launched some of their Vipers, but in few numbers and not in time. Additionally, there might have been patrols from other battlestars that were deployed at the time, but returned to the main fight.
  • Apparently the Ovions have manufactured or acquired human food supplies, but prefer humans to eat over human food, or could not digest human foodstuffs.
  • Baltar's ascension in the Cylon ranks after the Battle of Carillon occurs after the succeeding Imperious Leader finds Baltar's ability to think like humans a valuable asset. The Cylons apparently realize that they are not able to outwit humans using logic, as humans were capable of feats of illogic and daring despite statistical odds. Since Baltar had already shown his willingness to destroy humanity for his own gain, the Cylons may have felt that Baltar would garner the Empire a second, final success in ridding them of the last of humanity for good. Perhaps, as well, with the bulk of the Twelve Colonies gone, the Imperious Leader considered the issue of humanity's existence virtually over, leaving Baltar to "mop up" the remaining mess.
  • It is difficult to imagine that only five battlestars would be the only means of defence for a race made of twelve planets or colonies, especially when there is mention of the Fifth Fleet in "The Living Legend, Part I". In addition, given the length of the Thousand Yahren War, it is very likely that many battlestars and other warships were built. Over time, attrition left the Colonials with fewer (albeit stronger) battlestars, with fighters that outmatched the Cylons even when the Colonials were outnumbered 10 to 1, according to Apollo.
  • The only way to ensure complete destruction is total planetary annilihation. Humanity's destruction is like the ridding of a nest of cockroaches in a home. While it is possible to destroy most of them, a house is so large (with nooks and crevices to hide that cannot be found by pesticides) that complete removal of them is impossible unless the house itself is destroyed. The same is true for the humans scattered in non-urban areas, in shelters, or off-planet. (This is also shown in the Re-imaged Series, as the Caprica Buccaneers pyramid team was able to survive the planetary bombing in the mountains outside of Delphi.)

Questions[edit]

Clerical[edit]

  • If Cimtar is a moon, what planet did it orbit?
  • What happened to the Hasaris?
  • How large is the Cylon Empire? What is the size and disposition of the Cylon forces?
  • How large is the Colonial sphere of influence in the galaxy?
  • Is each colony on a planet or are some of them on moons orbiting another colony's planet?
  • If the Ovions got their food supply from harvesting the Colonials, what were the humans being fed at the casino, and what was sent to the fleet as supplies?
  • From what colony does Baltar originate?

The Fleet[edit]

  • What is the population of the Fleet?
  • Are any of the ships in the Fleet capable of defending themselves?
  • When did the survivors have time (or the resources) to vote for candidates to the Quorum of Twelve? How was this process handled? Who or what body decided the candidates?
  • What was the strength and disposition of the Colonial Fleet?
  • Why weren't the Warriors sent to inspect the ships in their new Fleet not provisioned languatrons? This would have helped Apollo, Starbuck, and Boomer in understanding the elderly Gemonese woman aboard Gemini.

The Cylons[edit]

  • How did the Exodus happen? If the Cylons were instructed to exterminate all of mankind would they not make sure the job was finished and not leave anything behind or any means of escape?
  • If the Cylons wanted to kill all humans, why put one in charge of a basestar?
  • Aside from the Ovions, what other races were part of "the Alliance" referred to by Commander Adama?

Answered Questions[edit]

  • Are the civilian conditions on the Gemini freighter typical of those on the other ships? (Answer #1, Answer #2)
  • It is implied that Baltar did not act alone, as the reports regarding Carillon were filed by his people. Who else conspired with Baltar? (One answer)
  • Did the Colonies have a planetary defense system? (Answer)

Official Statements[edit]

Cast[edit]

  • Richard Hatch discusses reshooting a scene in the episode depicting Ovions eating human flesh from a 1978 interview:
Richard Hatch: "Most companies have to continuously cut corners, settle for less than the best. Not Galactica. We still have to work quick, and there's only so much money, but the producers are determined that everything be the best it possibly can be. They know it's the little places that count. For instance, we have these alien creatures that feed on human flesh. In one shot of them, the lighting wasn't quite right, and their walk was just not convincing. They could have let that go, but they went back and reshot the entire sequence to get the right look, the right texture."[3]

Crew[edit]

  • Richard A. Colla discusses what lead to his termination from the production in a 2008 interview:
It seemed to be, because...I mean it's just that I don't understand it. When you set something loose like that, you've either got to step in and carry the thing yourself, and finish it yourself, or somebody's got to come in and do it. Well, that's kind of what I did for George [Santoro]. George had always been very good to me, and when he need help, I was there for him. So it wasn't about Glen [Larson]. It was about making this thing work for George, and when in the end Glen kept finding little faults, I just told him he was an ungrateful bastard, because everybody was working so hard to pull his ass out of the fire here, and now he's in there pretending like he's the one who has all the ideas here. Well it was his idea originally. Nobody can fault him for that. You know, it's him and the Mormon church. So if you say ok, this is mine, well that's just fine, and I applaud his ability for all of the work that he's able to do in television, all of those opportunities that he saw in movies and then made television shows out of, all that stuff that he was able to convert. So I could even understand where he would want to feel like he was back in control of it once the major roaring fire of this thing was out, and some hope was in the air, but I just found him very ungrateful to all the people who worked so hard for him.[4]
Glen [Larson] didn’t like the way the exterior of the casino was shot, just didn’t have any great feeling of murder and escape and such. That was my first night of shooting, and everybody’s looking at me like I’m the new kid on the block and they’re going, ‘you want me to do what?’ And I’m screaming through the megaphone and people are running back and forth and this and that and the cameras are racing from here to there…well, I wore everybody out, but it turned out to be a good sequence. It did kind of put a feeling of respect for me in people’s minds as to what I was after.[5]
[T]his still holds up, after all this time. Not that I was necessarily surprised by that, but it was nice to see. Because a lot of shows you have fond memories of and then you see them years later and you go: "Oh, geez..."[6]

Noteworthy Dialogue[edit]

Adama: Forgive me, Mr. President, but they hate us with every fiber of their existence. We love freedom. We love independence—to feel, to question, to resist oppression. To them, it's an alien way of existing they will never accept.
Adama: Mr. President, a wall of unidentified craft is closing in on the fleet.
Baltar: Possibly a Cylon welcoming committee.
Adama: Sir, may I suggest we launch a welcoming committee of our own?
Zac: Patrol to fleet, patrol to fleet! I need help!
President Adar: What was that?
Adama (sotto voce): That was my son, Mr. President...
Imperious Leader: The final annihilation of the life form known as Man, let the attack begin.
Serina: We must fight back.
Adama: Yes, we are going to fight back. But not here. Not now. Not in the Colonies. Not even in this star system. Let the word go forth to every man, woman, and child that survived this holocaust. Tell them to set sail at once in every assorted vehicle that will carry them.
Adama: Our recorded history tells us that we descended from a mother civilization, a race that went out into space to establish colonies. Those of us here assembled now represent the only known surviving colonies save one—a sister world far out in the universe, remembered to us only through ancient writings. It is my intention to seek out that remaining colony, that last outpost of humanity in the whole universe.
Serina: Commander Adama... This Thirteenth Colony—this other world—where is it and what is it called?
Adama: I wish I could tell you that I know precisely where it is, but I can't. However, I do know that it lies beyond our star system, in a galaxy very much like our own, on a planet called... Earth.
  • After being chastised by Apollo:
Boomer: Just keep it up, old buddy. You're going to get us into real trouble.
Starbuck: 10,000 light years from nowhere, our planet shot to pieces, people starving, and I'm going to get us in trouble?
Boomer: All I'm saying is—
Starbuck: What's the matter with you? I tell ya, may as well live for today. We might not have many left.
Adama: You didn't see them down there. Their faces—the old, the young—desperate. Begging, screaming for a chance to come aboard—a chance to live. And there I was like God, passing out priorities... as if they were tickets to a lottery. There was one—one woman... with a child in her arms. She tore at my arm as I was boarding the launch to come back.
Athena: Father, don't—
Adama: Guard came up. I saw him out of the corner of my eye and tried to stop him. He shoved her away, pushed her. He didn't see the child. I don't know what happened to that woman. But, God, I don't want it anymore. Let someone else do it.
Athena: Father?
Adama: Take this burden from me.
Serina: Thank you.
Apollo: For what?
Serina: For saving my son's life.
Apollo: You're getting things a little out of proportion... In a way, maybe I should be thanking you.
Serina: You don't know anything about me, or what happened to Boxey's father, or...
Apollo: When you're ready, you'll tell me. In the meantime, nothing that's happened before really counts for much. As far as the human race is concerned, we're all starting over.

Guest Stars[edit]

Uncredited[edit]

External Links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. Altman, Mark A.; Gross, Edward (2018). So Say We All: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Battlestar Galactica. Tor Books. ISBN 9781250128942, p. 73.
  2. Altman, Mark A.; Gross, Edward (2018). So Say We All: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Battlestar Galactica. Tor Books. ISBN 9781250128942, p. 69.
  3. Houston, David (December 1978). "Two Crazy Kind of Guys". Starlog: 29.
  4. Egnor, Mike (29 April 2008). Richard Colla GALACTICA.TV interview (backup available on Archive.org) (in ). Retrieved on 2 June 2019.
  5. Paxton, Susan J.. Battlestar Zone interview with Alan J. Levi (backup available on Archive.org) (in ). Retrieved on 30 April 2008.
  6. Egnor, Mike (17 September 2009). Terrence McDonnell GALACTICA.TV interview (backup available on Archive.org) (in ). Retrieved on 12 June 2019.


This article has a separate continuity.
This article is in the Berkley books separate continuity, which is related to the Original Series. Be sure that your contributions to this article reflect the characters and events specific to this continuity only.


Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica
A book of the Berkley Books line
Book No. 1
Author(s) Robert Thurston
Adaptation of Saga of a Star World
No. of Pages 256 (reprint)
Published September 1978
ISBN 0425039587
Chronology
Previous Next
None Battlestar Galactica The Cylon Death Machine
Paperback Version
Available at Amazon.comPurchase
Available at Amazon.co.ukPurchase
Available at BOOKSAMILLION.COM - Purchase
Available at Half.com by eBay - Purchase
Audiobook Version
Available at iTunes – [{{{itunes}}} Purchase]


Saga of a Star World is a novelization of the premiere episode, "Saga of a Star World," for the Original Series.

This book was reprinted by iBooks Inc. on September 30, 2005.

Summary[edit]

"From the Adama Journals"[edit]

  • First Entry (Before Chapter 1): Adama talks about how the Cylon war began abruptly with an outright attack on the Colonials' merchant ships, resulting in the destruction of thousands of ships. He tells of the first Cylon offensive against the twelve worlds, which the Colonial Fleet repulsed, thus beginning the thousand year war. He later notes that the humans later forgot the extent of Cylon treachery, and should never have trusted the peace offering the Cylons offered "just as abruptly as they had initiated hostilities". He believes that the Cylons were able to prey upon the humans' desire for peace, and blames himself for not trusting his suspicions.[1]
  • Second Entry (between Chapters 1 and 2): Adama notes that there is often debate between the significance of individual death and mass death. Adama doesn't believe there is a difference, noting that either set of deaths—a singular individual death (like that of his son, Zac) and the mass deaths caused by the Cylons in the same act—is "no less intense, no less meaningful, no less important".[2]
  • Third Entry (between Chapters 2 and 3): Adama reflects on his withdrawal from the Battle of Cimtar to rush to the Colonies and the misconceptions that surrounded it, particularly those from his own pilots, Boomer and Starbuck. In this entry, Adama tells of the legend of Gavin and the Villain[3]; a moon miner from the solar system that contained Earth who spends his life looking for a villain after trying to best said villain in a game to prove his bravery. Adama relates to the legend, saying how his times of "apparent cowardice" made him feel like Gavin.[4]
  • Fourth Entry (between Chapters 3 and 4): Adama reflects on the assemblage of the rag-tag, fugitive fleet, astonished at the tenacity of disparate groups of survivors to assemble and coordinate efforts to evacuate, all while the Cylons were bent on exterminating any survivors. Adama tells of how Apollo improvised a camouflaging force field that made their rendezvous point invisible to Cylon patrols. He notes that many among the Fleet believe that a higher power was involved in making all these events occur; regardless of what one believes, Adama claims that the assemblage of the Fleet was a miracle.[5]
  • Fifth Entry (between Chapters 4 and 5): Adama reflects on being a benevolent tyrant, noting that if everyone were told the full truth around his plans, the Fleet and its people would succumb to ennui and fear once comprehending the full nature of the odds that they face. As he marvels at how resilient the survivors had become in repairing damages, converting ships to hyperspace ability, and dealing with the problems they faced, he notes that he remained aloof and emotionally detached so that work could be done.[6]
  • Sixth Entry (between Chapters 5 and 6): Adama discusses his first and only attempt to capture a young Ensign Starbuck in the act of illicit gambling aboard Galactica. He discovers that Starbuck and the other crew members have been betting on when Adama will die. Initially irritated at this, he discovers that all of the crew members have said "never"; Adama believes that Starbuck played him the whole time, knowing that the Commander was looking to nab him on something, and Adama never tried to catch Starbuck red handed again.[7]
  • Seventh Entry (between Chapters 6 and 7): Adama remembers a piece of advice that his father gave after transferring command of Galactica to him: to look for things that were absent when things appeared to be in place. He notes that he is odds with what he sees, or doesn't see, when it comes to the idyllic refuge of Carillon.
  • Eighth Entry (between Chapters 7 and 8): Adama notes that the idea of paradise is something contrary to what it suggests ("an expansion of human potential") and is instead the complete reverse ("usually a reduction, generally to the state of inertia"). He notes that humanity has an "unfortunate tendency to welcome traps if we can find some way to call them paradises," noting that such traps included Count Baltar's peace initiative and the "Carillon paradise," and that humanity often doesn't "pay heed to the slaves who are the rest of the population in our ideal imaginary lands [...] be[ing] content if we don't have to think of the slaves or the inertia".[8]
  • Ninth Entry (between Chapters 8 and 9): Adama tries to make sense of Baltar's betrayal of humanity, but finds more understanding in the motivations of the Cylons and Ovions than in Baltar's evil nature.[9]
  • Tenth and Final Entry (between Chapters 9 and 10): Adama recalls his meeting with Adar during a lull in the Thousand Year War; Adar had been successful in filing his petition to run for a minor political office on Sagitara, and vowed to bring the War with the Cylons to an end, blaming the corruption of the politicians that ran the war. Adama discusses the gradual changes in Adar's outlook on things as he grew more powerful, up to the point where Adar was no longer welcomed by Ila, Adama's wife, into their home. (Also included is a brief story about a then-two-year old Apollo and his own daggit, an animal with a penchant of tripping people, and some memories of Ila.)[10]


Chapter One[edit]

Notes[edit]

  • Although Glen Larson is given co-author credit, he actually was not involved in the writing of the book at all. In fact, he did not contribute anything to any of the 14 Berkley books. Presumably, Larson's name was put on the books to make them more marketable.
  • Robert Thurston has said the novel originally had more sex in it, but the publisher edited most of it out. There were some copies of the original unedited version released, but they are difficult to find (and the differences are fairly minor). For example, there was a special version of the novelization printed with a plain blue cover for the 1978 ABA convention. It is also possible (though not certain) that the Canadian edition of the novel may be unedited.
  • In the Adama Journals, Adama states that the Cylons attacked the humans first without provocation more than a thousand years ago (There is never any mention in the novel of Colonial units of time such as yahrens, centons, microns, etc). This was contradicted in the movie and even later in the novelization when we hear Adama say during a meeting of the Council that the Cylons did not attack the Colonies until the Colonials aided a race that the Cylons had enslaved.
  • Zac, instead of volunteering to go on patrol, was forced to go on patrol by Colonel Tigh as punishment for "that little rest and recuperation escape with Pay's chief nurse in sick bay."
  • Apollo was famous among all the battlestars in the fleet for his war achievements.
  • Adama is a much more stern, strict man than he appeared to be in the TV series, as the members of his crew were said to have feared him as much as they loved him.
  • Baltar was a self-proclaimed count; a rich trader, a dealer in rare items.
  • Adama severely disliked Baltar from the beginning and didn't trust him.
  • Adama and Adar went to the space academy together and were assigned to the same battlestar.
  • The Colonial warfleet has five battlestars, not twelve. The fleet apparently had many other kinds of warships besides battlestars.
  • The Galactica is described to be quite different from the other battlestars, having both size and speed. It seems to be much bigger than it was in the TV series.
  • Adama and his wife Ila had not seen each other in over two years. In their married life, they had spent more time apart than they had spent together, but Ila always argued that their love was intensified as a result.
  • Starbuck's gambling is so famous that his name is part of fighter-pilot slang. To be starbucked meant that you had maneuvered yourself into a position where defeat was inevitable. It was applied toward both battle and gambling.
  • Boomer, Jolly, and Greenbean are with Starbuck in the card game. Starbuck loses a big hand to some Gemons, but then he comes back and wins just as the alert is sounded.
  • When the Cylons attack the Colonial warfleet, two fleet battlecruisers explode almost immediately (evidently, there were many other ships besides the 5 battlestars). The Galactica is the only battlestar that manages to launch all its vipers. By the time the other battlestars launch their vipers, the Cylons are able to pick off most of them as soon as they clear the launch tubes. Thus, Galactica warriors are left to lead the defense of the fleet.
  • The Solaria is the last battlestar left in the fleet. It is destroyed, and then the Cylons leave the remaining vipers. Starbuck, Boomer, Jolly and the others are able to find refueling stations that were shielded from Cylon scanners.
  • Starbuck, Boomer, and other pilots angrily confront Colonel Tigh on the bridge about Galactica's withdrawal from the battle. Tigh replays the footage of the Destruction for them. This scene can be found in the Missing Scenes section.
  • The Cylons are organic underneath their armor, unlike in the TV series. The way the Cylons look is not really described, but they must look very different than in the TV series because one of the Cylons on Carillon actually laughs. The Cylons in the TV series were incapable of laughter or displaying such emotion.
  • Imperious Leader has many eyes. He has three brains. Typical Cylons have one brain, and secondary officers have two brains. Imperious Leader uses part of his brain to access the human form of thinking as a way to anticipate what his enemies will do. He dislikes using that portion of his brain, but it is invaluable in battle. Leader sees the humans' notions of good and evil as ridiculous. As far as he is concerned, such things simply do not exist. The Leader wears a helmet that allows him to personally direct the battle.
  • Every Imperious Leader holds power for roughly three-quarters of a century, and then steps down after naming a successor.
  • Serina has auburn hair and green eyes. She does not know Boxey when she helps him during the Cylon attack (unlike in the TV series where she is his mother).
  • The rag-tag fleet is composed of 22,000 ships (not 220).
  • Apollo creates a force field that hides the fleet from the Cylons. This makes their escape from the Colonies more believable, and it shows that the early character of Apollo was much more scientifically skilled than the Apollo of the TV series.
  • Athena is a blonde and Cassiopeia is a brunette.
  • The original script has extra dialogue between Cassiopeia and Starbuck during their first meeting on the shuttle, and it survived intact in the novel. The novel has a number of scenes that were filmed but either partially or completely left out of the pilot due to length.
  • The novel makes it clear that a socialator is far more than a common prostitute. It takes years of preparation as one has to take endless courses concerning social behavior and human knowledge before a license is granted. A socialator has the ability to cure mild illnesses with intricate massage techniques.
  • In the launch bay, Cassiopeia openly tells Starbuck that she wants to make love to him.
  • When Athena sees Starbuck and Casseopeia in the launch tube, they are making love (not simply kissing as they were in the pilot).
  • In the Adama Journals, Adama talks about how a number of people even to this day still consider him to be a coward for leaving the Colonial warfleet during the surprise attack.
  • Adama once had a talk with Zac who said that he loved Apollo but he had to surpass his achievements. This reveals the rivalry between the two brothers that was never defined in the movie.
  • Imperious Leader considers Baltar to be the vilest of all humans because he is a traitor. When he orders Baltar to be executed, Baltar tries to bargain his life by offering information. Leader promises to spare him, and Baltar then tells him that he heard Galactica survives. The Leader then breaks his promise and Baltar is taken out of the chamber to be executed. A Centurion soon reports that Baltar has been beheaded and his corpse has been thrown in a garbage chute. But because we never see Baltar get executed, the continuity of the story is not disrupted when later novels reveal that Baltar survived. [11]
  • The term "year"—not "yahren"—is used throughout.
  • The names of the Colonies include: Aeriana, Caprica, Gemini, Virgon. The names of the occupants from each of the Colonies include: Aeries, Gemons, Virgos, Scorpios, Leos, Picons, and Sagitarians.[12]
  • The novel hints that many people did not want to be part of Adama's quest to find Earth. Apollo wants to fight the Cylons. Serina simply objects to the idea of looking for Earth. Adama simply tells her she will do what he says. In the Adama Journals, Adama talks about how a leader, no matter how benevolently he regards himself, has to be something of a tyrant.
  • Solium is a fuel, a derivative of the fuel source called Tylium.
  • The Sire Uri of the novel is described as "handsome."
  • Adama resigns as President of the Council due to the burdens of leading the fleet despite protests from most of the Council members. This is why Adama is unable to simply overrule the Council when they later propose destroying their weapons. This subplot was filmed for the pilot but left out, presumably due to length.
  • There is not enough fuel for the entire fleet to make it to Carillon. One third of the fleet makes the journey and will return once the fuel is found. Uri votes for the plan only after he is guaranteed that his ship, the Rising Star, is one of the ships that is selected for the trip.
  • Droids were banned on Caprica because Capricans didn't believe in using mechanical substitutes for human effort. That helps explain the lack of robots among the Colonials.
  • The Muffit of the novel looks exactly like a real daggit (dog). He actually pants and has a tongue.
  • In the Adama Journals, Adama tells a story of how he once tried to catch Starbuck and reprimand him. He followed Starbuck down several hallways one time and walked in on a card game between him and several others. When Adama asks him what he was betting on, Starbuck tells Adama that they are betting on what will be the day that Adama dies! Adama becomes enraged, and Starbuck says the game was fixed; he knows the answer. Adama then asks what will be the day he dies, and Starbuck shows him the sheet of paper he wrote the answer on. It reads, "Never." Everyone, including Adama, bursts into laughter, and that was the last time Adama ever tried to catch Starbuck.
  • The Colonials are unaware of the mine field blocking Carillon. Adama picks Apollo, Starbuck, and Boomer to clear the minefield at the last moment. Athena protests this to Adama, mostly because of her feelings for Starbuck. The hopelessness of their situation makes her want him even more.
  • There are three different mines. The first are regular mines. The second are jamming mines that make the vipers controls go haywire if it gets too close. And the third are mines that send out a blinding light when they explode. This is why the viper cockpits are sealed. At one point, Tigh suggests to Adama that the mission be aborted when it appears the trio won't be able to destroy the mines.
  • The Ovions are selling all of their tylium to the Cylons, but they are forced to because the Cylons rule over them. The Ovions actually despise the Cylons.
  • Monogomy is prevalent on some Cylon worlds, and the Imperious Leader considers this to be a bad thing.
  • The boss of the casino gives Starbuck and Boomer free food and drink when they first arrive. The short simian waiters are "mildly telepathic," enabling them to serve Starbuck his favorite drink, Sagitarian straight-arrow, and his favorite dessert, Aquarian ambrosia cake, without him having to ask for them.
  • Jolly is the first to be captured by the Ovions. Muffit is also captured along with Boxey.
  • The Imperious Leader recalls a conversation he had with a captured human scientist. After several days of communication, the man became lethargic. When the Leader asked why, the man explained the concept of boredom. The Leader found the concept so loathsome that he refused to accept it and became incensed with rage. The man also became angry and argued that no one liked to be bored, but it was unavoidable. The Leader commented that the man now seemed much less bored, therefore talking about boredom must not be boring. The man screamed that he was now more bored than ever, that the Imperious Leader and all the rest of the Cylons were such smug hypocrites with little personality that any sensible human could not help but be bored after a few days in their company. Although Imperious Leader did not believe boredom to be a genuine state, he resented the man's claim of boredom in Cylon company, and he banished the man from his presence forever. He probably had the man put to death, but that was a piece of information he would not have bothered to preserve in any of his brains. Ironically, Imperious Leader was now feeling bored while waiting for the Carillon trap to be sprung on the humans. When he hears news of Galactica's arrival at Carillon, he orders the Cylon task force at Borallus to be ready to travel to Carillon.
  • Adama goes with the Council to Carillon, but he refuses to eat any of the Ovions' food. The food is drugged, and that explains why the rest of the Council so stupidly wanted to destroy their weapons.
  • Athena asks Adama for permission to go to Carillon, and he says yes. She dreams of one day having her own battlestar to command.
  • The three singers on stage are from the planet Tucan. They have two mouths each instead of three.
  • Serina uses her reporter skills to try to talk to one of the Ovions named Seetol, but her attempt is mostly unsuccessful.
  • We never hear Adama discuss his secret plan with Colonel Tigh. Tigh actually does go down to the surface for the party so he can report what is happening to Galactica.
  • Sire Uri comes on to both Cassiopea and Serina. Of course, they reject him.
  • Apollo and Serina spend a night together on Carillon. It is strongly implied that they have sex.
  • When Cassiopeia storms away from Starbuck, Athena angrily hands him the room key and leaves as well. Later, Athena regrets not having stayed with Starbuck.
  • When Cassiopeia is captured by the Ovions, she is wrapped in leaves inside a pod that at first make her feel peaceful and happy. Soon it wears off and the leaves grow painfully tight, and she begins to scream.
  • The captured humans' bodies are slowly absorbed into the leaves of the pod. They are diluted into a liquid used to feed Ovion babies when they hatch.
  • The Cylon attack force is referred to as the Cylon Supreme Star Force.
  • The Cylons discover the portion of the fleet left behind when a glitch occurs in the force field, but the Cylons decide to wait to attack because they don't want to alert Galactica.
  • Seetol and the Ovion queen, Lotay, are killed during Starbuck and Apollo's escape from the mines.
  • During the mass exodus from the surface of Caprica, Starbuck and Cassiopeia pilot a shuttle filled with highly volatile Tylium. They barely evade the attacking Cylons and return to Galactica.
  • The planet Carillon does not explode at the end.
  • Once the Cylons at Carillon are routed, Galactica warps back to the rest of the fleet which is also being attacked by Cylons. The Colonials win the battle. Imperious Leader is shocked at the turn of events. He realizes in his anger and hatred he has become like the humans, and that makes him more determined than ever to destroy them all.
  • Muffit is shot by a Cylon on the surface of Carillon. Boxey is very sad because of this, and the book ends with Doctor Wilker revealing that Muffit has now been repaired. Boxey is happy again, and Serina makes a toast to Adama: "To Earth," she said.

Contradictions[edit]

  • The book contradicts itself over how the Thousand Yahren War with the Cylons began. In the first entry of Adama's journals, Adama claims that the "war with the Cylons began abruptly—without warning, without even a formal declaration that war was to be". Adama explains that the Cylons first opened fire on Colonial merchant ships, destroying their ships by "the thousands," and, following this, the Cylons sent a fleet of basestar to the The Twelve Colonies. However, this attack was repulsed by the Colonial military, who had the military might to do so.[13] Later, in a discussion with the Quorum of Twelve over the issue of disarmament, Adama points out to the Quorum that the Colonials did not come into direct conflict with the Cylons (and thus start the conflict) until they defended their neighbors, the Hasaris, from the Cylons who sought to enslave them.[14] (This contradiction can likely be interpreted by the fact that Robert Thurston was given many rewrites of the pilot script, which radically changed from its origins, as noted here.)

Analysis[edit]

  • One of the jarring concepts of the Original Series was the fact that a large caravan of ships were able to successfully elude Cylon pursuit on mere sublight speed—its maximum speed being restricted to the maximum speed of the slowest ship in the Fleet. The book explains that the Colonials were able to construct camouflaging force fields to hide the Fleet. While mostly effective, the Cylons were able to periodically determine the Fleet's location whenever the field weakened, so as to get a general location of the Fleet.
  • While faster-than-light travel was rarely broached in the Original Series, the book mentions that that the ships in the Fleet underwent conversion to hyperspace capability.[12] Presumably, this term is neither inferred nor used because "hyperspace" is a term used in Star Wars for FTL travel, and was likely on the list of the various things that George Lucas and Glen A. Larson agreed not to use in Battlestar Galactica.

Official statements[edit]

  • Robert Thurston explains the differences between the novelisation and the episode:
"There were many changes done in the novelization as the film script changed. Each week or so I would recieve new script pages (new pages were in different colors), which presented new writing and indicated material cut out, and I diligently tried to incorporate each change into the novelization. Actually, this was one of the more exciting things about this particular novelization. Features of it were always changing in the way one alters a clay figure. However, the book was done several months ahead of the TV premiere, which explains some of the major differences between the film and the novelization. The most important one, as I’m sure you already know, was the nature of the Cylons. In the script they were always aliens. When I finally saw the film in a theatre in Canada, they were still aliens. But of course, apparently due to some network stricture about how many could be killed, they were changed to robots. The gambling planet section was extensively revised and was, I thought at the time, better in its original than in its reworking. I wish I could remember why."[15]
  • The back-cover description from the first edition:
A VAST AND ANCIENT STARSHIP PROBES THE UNIVERSE FOR THE LEGENDARY LOST PLANET "EARTH"
THE NEW DEEPSPACE SPECTACULAR WITH THE MOST EXCITING SPECIAL EFFECTS EVER PRODUCED
Zac and Apollo are brothers—and rivals—in the ultimate adventure, as humankind's heroic star-fighter crews battle the alien Cylon for control of the known galaxy! BATTLESTAR GALACTICA is an epic multi-media event: the triumphant ABC-TV spectacular with the most expensive special effects ever produced, designed by Oscar-winning genius John Dykstra... and a powerful science fiction novel, a gripping space-war saga of interstellar adventure!
  • "Preview given on the first page of the first edition:"
Flagship of the 12 Worlds fleet, she was as large as a planet, yet as swift as the Starhound fighters she launched from her bays. For generations the vast ship led the thousand-year war against the Cylons for control of the known Galaxy. Now that war was in its final phase, and Galactica had one final mission, win or lose: blast through the deadly grid of the Cylon Starfleet and dash for deep space in a desperate attempt to find the legendary "Stonehenge" of the universe - the lost planet the ancient microfilms call "Earth."
  • The back-cover description from the iBooks Inc. reprint:
At the end of a bloody thousand-year war against an invincible enemy, an uneasy peace has finally between been achieved between humans and the dreaded cyborg warriors of the Cylon Empire. But peace soon turns to bloodshed when the Cylons launch an unexpected attack against humanity's twelve Colonial worlds, wiping out most of the inhabitants. Pursued by Cylon forces, the survivors gather together a ragtag fleet of ships, their only protection the valiant warriors of Galactica, the sole battlestar able to escape the sneak attack. Led by Commander Adama and his son, Captain Apollo, the Colonials begin a desperate search for a new home: a planet called Earth, where legend says the long-missing Thirteenth Colony of Mankind will be found. Unfortunately, no one knows where, exactly, Earth might be, and the journey may be a long one-with the Cylons drawing closer with every passing moment.[16]

Alternate covers[edit]

References[edit]

  1. Thurston, Robert (September 1978). Battlestar Galactica. Berkley Books, p. 1-2.
  2. Ibid., p. 31
  3. This is a Battlestar Wiki descriptive term.
  4. Thurston, Robert (September 1978). Battlestar Galactica. Berkley Books, p. 53.
  5. Ibid., pgs. 75-76
  6. Ibid., p. 87
  7. Ibid., p. 121-123
  8. Ibid., pgs. 169-170
  9. Ibid., p. 187
  10. Ibid., pgs. 210-211
  11. Thurston, Robert (September 1978). Battlestar Galactica. Berkley Books, p. 80-81.
  12. 12.0 12.1 Ibid., p. 73
  13. Ibid., pgs. 1-2
  14. Ibid., p. 193.
  15. Paxton, Susan J. Battlestar Zone Interview: Robert Thurston (backup available on Archive.org) . Retrieved on 26 February 2008.
  16. Battlestar Wiki/Amazon.com US Store: Battlestar Galactica Classic: The Saga of A Star World (Battlestar Galactica) (backup available on Archive.org) (in ). Retrieved on 2007 October 14.
This article has a separate continuity.
This article is in the Marvel separate continuity, which is related to the Original Series. Be sure that your contributions to this article reflect the characters and events specific to this continuity only.
For other uses of the title of "Saga of a Star World," see: Saga of a Star World (disambiguation)


Saga of a Star World
Saga of a Star World
A book of the Titan Books line
Book No. 1
Author(s) Roger McKenzie, Ernie Colon, Walt Simonson
Adaptation of
No. of Pages {{{pages}}}
Published June 28, 2005
ISBN 1840239301
Chronology
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none Saga of a Star World The Memory Machine (Trade Paperback)
Paperback Version
Available at Amazon.comPurchase
Available at Amazon.co.ukPurchase
Available at BOOKSAMILLION.COM - Purchase
Available at Half.com by eBay - Purchase
Audiobook Version
Available at iTunes – [{{{itunes}}} Purchase]


Collects issues 1-5 and 15-16 of the Marvel Comics "Battlestar Galactica" title.

See the individual issues at the following articles:

Issue #1 - Battlestar Galactica

Issue #2 - Exodus!

Issue #3 - Deathtrap!

Issue #4 - Into the Void

Issue #5 - A Death in the Family

Issue #15 - Derelict!

Issue #16 - Berzerker

Notes[edit]

  • Contributors to the book include Mark and Janet Weller. Mark is also a contributor to the Battlestar Wiki under the handle of mokwella.



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