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Original Battlestar Galactica

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Let me tell you about my favorite ship.
Back in '78 it seemed pretty hip.
Wasn't the Millennium Falcon or the Enterprise.
It was the Battlestar Galactica that took that prize.

Sure back then, the effects were kind of cheesy,
but I loved it like George Jefferson loved his Weezie.
It didn't worry about gravity or anything inertial,
and Apollo's hair looked like a shampoo commercial.
- Dave Doré, "A New Crew in Town"

This model of Battlestar Galactica from the original 1978 TV series was on display at the Shizuoka Hobby Show.  It represented Caprica, largest and most prosperous of the Twelve Colonies of Man, and its crew was led by Commander Adama (Lorne Greene), who wore long robes, and Colonel Tigh (Terry Carter), who was black and sober in the original series. 

Battlestar Galactica carried two Viper starfighter squadrons led by Apollo (Richard Hatch) and Starbuck (Dirk Benedict), and was also armed with 32 turbolasers and several fusion missiles, which made it a powerful match for Cylon basestars and raiders.  The ragtag fugitive fleet was quite lucky to be led by this battlestar on its quest for the mythical world of Earth. 

By the 2000s, BSG would be remade, and several things would change.  Commander William Adama (Edward James Olmos) would wear a regular military uniform, Colonel Saul Tigh (Michael Hogan) would be white and drunk, Lee "Apollo" Adama (Jamie Bamber) would trade his puffy '70s hair for a crew cut, and Kara "Starbuck" Thrace would be a woman.  But the basic concept would remain the same. 

I have heard rumors that the old BSG, while mostly based on Mormon mythology (lost tribes of Israel, Kobol/Kolob, angels), also drew a bit of inspiration from the classic anime series Space Battleship Yamato (AKA Star Blazers).  There are some similarities (older, paternal captain, quest for Iscandar/Earth) but also a few differences (Galactica leads a fleet while Yamato/Argo flies alone). 

The 2010 live-action Yamato movie and new Space Battleship Yamato 2199 series have, in turn, borrowed a few elements from both old and new Galactica.  In the live-action movie, Yuki Mori became a fighter pilot and Iskandar (like Earth) was made up to inspire the crew, while the new anime has added several women to the crew and crossed Starbuck with Neon Genesis Evangelion's Rei Ayanami to create Kira "Rei" Yamamoto, who is a female remake of a male character (like Starbuck) and a white-haired, red-eyed soldier (like Rei). 

Has anyone else found parallels between Battlestar Galactica and Space Battleship Yamato?  If so, I would be interested in hearing them.
Image size
3058x2426px 1.51 MB
Make
NIKON
Model
COOLPIX S6300
Shutter Speed
10/250 second
Aperture
F/5.0
Focal Length
23 mm
ISO Speed
400
Date Taken
May 16, 2015, 3:47:33 AM
© 2015 - 2024 rlkitterman
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Galactica replaced the Enterprise as my favorite starship