Battlestar Galactica facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battlestar Galactica
Franchise logo
Creator	Glen A. Larson
Original work	Battlestar Galactica
Owner	Universal Pictures
Print publications
Books	List of books
Comics	List of comics
Films and television
Films	Razor (2007) The Plan (2009) Blood and Chrome (2012)
Television series	Battlestar Galactica (1978–1979) Galactica 1980 (1980) The Miniseries (2003) Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009) Caprica (2010)

Battlestar Galactica is a popular science fiction story. It is a franchise that includes many different things. You can find TV shows, movies, books, and comic books. There are also toys and other items you can buy.

The stories are all named after a special spacecraft. This ship is called the Battlestar Galactica. A Battlestar is a very large warship that travels in space.

The First Battlestar Galactica TV Show

The very first Battlestar Galactica TV show came out in 1978. It was created after the movie Star Wars became very popular. The show was on the American TV network called ABC.

The first series lasted for about eight months. It had 17 episodes before it stopped. One reason it ended was because it cost a lot of money to make. The main characters were Commander Adama, played by Lorne Greene. He was the captain of the Galactica. Richard Hatch played his son, Apollo, who was a pilot. Apollo's friend and fellow pilot, Starbuck, was played by Dirk Benedict.

In 1980, ABC made a new show called Galactica 1980. This show happened after the space fleet reached Earth. But this series was not very popular. It did not do well in the ratings and ended quickly. Later, several movies were made. They used parts of both of these TV series.

The Newer Battlestar Galactica Series

In 2003, Universal Television and the Sci-Fi Channel worked together. They made a three-hour mini-series based on the old show. People really liked this new mini-series. Both the audience and critics thought it was great.

Because it was so popular, the Sci-Fi Channel decided to make it a full TV series. This new series started in 2004. By 2007, over 119 million people had watched it. This made it one of the most watched shows on cable networks.

In this newer series, Edward James Olmos played Commander William Adama. His son, Lee "Apollo" Adama, was played by Jamie Bamber. Katee Sackhoff played Kara "Starbuck" Thrace. Starbuck was originally a male character. But in this new series, the character was changed to a female.

The Story of Battlestar Galactica

All the Battlestar Galactica stories share the same main idea. Far away in the universe, there is a civilization of humans. They live on planets called the "Twelve Colonies." A long time ago, these Colonies were at war with a race of cybernetic beings called the Cylons.

A human named Gaius Baltar helped the Cylons. They launched a surprise attack on the Colonies. This attack caused a lot of damage to the planets. Most of the populations of humans were killed. But a few thousand humans managed to survive. They escaped into space on any spacecraft they could find.

Of all the Colonial Fleet's ships, only the battlestar Galactica seemed to survive. It was the only military ship not destroyed. Commander Adama, a strong military leader, took charge. The Battlestar Galactica and its crew led and protected the group of survivors. They traveled through space looking for a special Thirteenth Colony. This colony was said to be on a fabled home planet called Earth.

Images for kids

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  Mattel Battlestar Galactica game, made around 1978

See also

In Spanish: Battlestar Galactica para niños