KOOL TV REVIEW: "V": THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON

The mother(s) of all battles between Human Resistance fighter Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell) and alien leader Anna (Morena Baccarin) in Season Two of the re-imagined V. All images: WARNER BROTHERS.

V: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON (Also available on DVD)

Released by WARNER BROTHERS HOME VIDEO

Reviewed by Scott Weller

WARNING: This review contains possible SPOILERS!

Red Sky at Night does not mean Shepherd’s Delight as humanity grimly discovers in the opening episode of Season Two of the highly popular re-imagined V series, now available in its season entirety on two disc Blu-ray (and DVD) box set form from WARNER BROTHERS.

The new phenomena, and its planet altering rain, would prove to be unleashed as part of the true start of the final domination of mankind by the cruel alien leader Anna, the vengeful, survival charged leader of the Visitors- or V’s for short- devastated by the loss of her alien babies/soldier broods-to-be and experiencing forbidden mood swings that would scare the hell out of any mothers possessing the highest concentration of Post Natal depression! It’s through this entire new ten episode season that lovely actress Morena Baccarin continues to be the main force and focal point for watching this sci-fi invasion of Earth show, keenly re-imagined by Scott Peters from the original and much beloved 1980’s iconic and ground-breaking series created by Kenneth Johnson. Cleary relishing every moment of her time on the show portraying Anna, Baccarin’s toned attractive figure, precisely cut clothes and hairstyle, plus her commanding posture and body language alongside the fake friendly smile- “They are of peace, always!”- mask her character’s false countenance. Behind all that “benevolence” lurks a vicious and intelligent killer whose instincts for the survival of her Bliss-controlled people knows no limits as planet Earth undergoes its raping by her words of deceit and the physically dangerous technology being subtly initiated by her race to “save us.” With the look of a homicidal Meerkat about her, Anna proves herself far more of a monster than anyone-ally or enemy- can predict or contain, performing experiments that would make Nazi Josef Mengele’s green with envy!

Tyler Evans (Logan Hoffman) and mum Erica discover Red Rain.

Basement battle! Anna clashes with her imprisoned mother, the original alien leader Diana (Jane Badler).

This incident packed first episode would get the show off on a very positive note, continuing and deepening the plot threads set up from the prior Season One finale, whilst its second tale brings us some nice referencing to the original 1980’s mini-series (and its one off season), none more so crowd pleasing to fans than with its first full on appearance of that previous series top villainess star, Jane Badler, the original evil Diana: Visitor scientist, bi-sexual killer and gerbil eater, returning in the new series in a new character interpretation-as the original and now deposed/banished Queen of her people, and mother of Anna: the daughter that removed her from office and told her people she was dead. Badler’s welcome reappearance, decked in red and oozing mature sex appeal, gives the new V a much welcome boost in publicity, too, for what was originally planned as three episode arc that ended up, much to everyone’s surprise and delight, being almost being in the entire second season, and whose on-screen chemistry with Baccarin clearly shows to the series advantage. At times there were some fun moments, small reminders, of the old Diana in Badler’s performance, markedly in her fascination with humanity in general, defying Anna with her beliefs that the V’s should ultimately co-exist in peace with humanity if they are to survive. More importantly, though, and in a brilliant homage to Diana and her earlier consumptions from 1983’s V, we got a scene where Anna pulls out a rat by it's tail and eats it to provide nourishment for Fifth Columnist hero Ryan Nichol’s captured Human /V hybrid baby! Proof if required, that gross can be fun!

So bad she's great. Morena Baccarin excels as the evil Anna.

But, beyond the original Diana, this V’s lead alien has become a far more intriguing, nightmare-ish enemy. Striking family members and seemingly more infected with human emotion than ever- and that’s a bad thing, Anna’s timetable to build on her desires for the domination of all existence are almost complete-as her Blue Energy and Concordia projects get underway in the seasons mid-point and gain ground for the series finale. Her attempts to find and destroy the human soul emerge and gain momentum, as does the launch of her new V species through her daughter, and Queen-to-be, Lisa’s (the lovely Laura Van Der Voort) bonding with the ultimately doomed, alien genetics influenced Tyler Evans (an improved and more likable performance from Logan Huffman). In this world according to Anna, its ultimately a dog eat dog world where nothing, not even your own bloodline, is sacred, of which she’s more than willing to sacrifice anyone who stops her from achieving her dreams of power and glory for both herself and her people or shows the slightest hint of weakness and human emotion/infection…

Fighting back: Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans.

Creating, writing and building such villainy for our regular Sirian baddies each week was probably a renaissance period for the shows behind the scenes writing team, but at what price to the characters of the Human resistance force fighting against them? All of our heroes in Season Two see in a little bit more character development and things to do, led by blonde supermom and formidable FBI agent Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell, looking far more relaxed in her lead series role (and nice to hear that her participation in the series, like Baccarin’s was due to her enjoyment of the original eighties series)) becoming a darker souled alien fighter, and getting a world cohesive resistance force together following the death of Eli Cohen (more on him later…), though her own small band have never been more dangerously fractured and secrets keeping within a season that also sees in some intriguing role reversals, like heroic alien hero Ryan (always well played by Morris Chestnut) now encapsulated by Anna, exiled from the V’s and his captured daughter, and having no choice but to spy on his human resistance friends- becoming an isolated and fragmentedly vulnerable hero in the process, whilst alien Fifth Columnist Joshua (Mark Hildreth), now back from death, resumes his status for real as a cruel scientist henchman for Anna for the most part of the season (though its not long before his Fifth Column heart starts beating again…), and Aussie mercenary Kyle Hobbs (Charles Mesure) now unwillingly working across both side of the coin, is forced into betraying the resistance and performing certain terrorist acts for the V’s second-in-command, Marcus (Christopher Shyer) from episode five onwards. Torn between his duties to Humanity and to God, Jack Landry (Joel Gretsch) also goes through it a bit, too, as he’s soon persecuted by the Church, via the actions of the Visitors who soon have him on the radar screens as a potential threat, and resulting in his faith in the holy words and the cloth taking a big hit when he fails to stop Erica from adopting measures of resistance fighting that he feels is akin to those of the Visitors, and ultimately loses her valuable friendship.

Erica and mercenary Kyle Hobbs (Charles Mesure) find out more about the V's presence on Earth in Red Rain.

Father Jack Landry (Joel Gretsch) tries to help alien Fifth Columnist Ryan Nichols (Morris Chestnut) show his humanity over the death of his wife.

Newsman turned hero Chad Decker is hindered by an ambitious fellow reporter, Kerry Eltoff (Ona Grauer).

Sadly, despite character plotting changes that make him more noble after having seen the result of the Visitors live-aboard programme first hand, and a situation that sees him square off against a rival newscaster to challenge his on screen “positive” views on the Visitors, the series greatest asset and ace in the hole, Scott Wolf, in his playing of newsman Chad Decker, doesn’t quite get enough to do this year, which is a real shame…

Now a shuttle pilot for the V's, Tyler, alongside alien girlfriend Lisa (Laura Vandervoort), has no idea what lies in store for him by the series finale. 

And then there’s Erica’s son Tyler, “The Phosphorous Kid”, still a plaything for the Visitor’s destiny, and still a bit of a dope, though interestingly he does becomes a little less entrenched with the V’s later in the season, and despite some notable temptation in the shapely form of Lisa and the chance to be a shuttle pilot! By his eventual death, I had started to actually like him and felt sorry for him when fake “Lisa”- Anna’s new alien Queen-to-be- tore him to shreds with sexually carnivorous rage!

Erica orders the brutal "skinning" of alien FBI infiltrator Malick (Rekha Sharma) in Laid Bare.

As all these character elements brew, and with series developer Scott Peters seemingly away from the major writing aspects of the show, Season One writer and Producer Scott Rosenbaum, most well known as one of the big creative talents of THE SHIELD and now the main anchor for the sci-fi series, had apparently been happy with the previous season and its continuing story nature and character directions, but decided that this new year needed to see the plotlines speeded up as much as possible, with the need to push the show towards a much needed sense of urgency, grittiness and danger. For most of this final season this new policy works, with the help of other producer/writers including LOST’s Gwendolyn M. Parker and ex-SEAQUEST/TWILIGHT ZONE writer/producer Rockne S. O’Bannon, but the lack of audience satisfying victories against Anna during the continuing storyline duration proves occasionally frustrating- more often than not Erika and chums simply cause a stalemate situation or discover important information against the aliens which then can’t be used without threatening all life on Earth because of the V’s immense technological firepower and abilities. Such story drawbacks may have hurt the show in the eyes of the regular audience, and perhaps ABC, who screened the series and ordered the episodes. Though a major resistance conflict of sorts had been planned if third and fourth seasons were to have happened, I personally think there should have been at least one major battle for our heroes to win this season so as to give the audience some satisfaction, as well as a mid-season confrontation of some sort between Anna and Erica, whose toughening up as a leader was certainly shown this year, and as early as episode three, when she orders of the skinning of FBI agent/V spy Sarita Malik (a memorable performance from Rekha Sharma).

A spate of human suicide bombings against the V's causes unrest in the shows early episodes.

Not shy of giving viewers further links/nods to themes from the original eighties series, the new series writers also develop further the alien interest in Earth religion. The first incarnation of Diana, in particular, had been fascinated and scared of the concept: her fear ultimately showing as she rejects and destroys the Bible and cuts down the Irish priest stereotype that tries to seek a peaceful co-existence for the two warring species. This time around, Anna realizes the power and danger of religion as a rallying cry for freedom and Human expression ever more so, and is determined to control it, silencing Resistance fighter Father Jack Landry (Joel Gretsch) and vandalizing his local church with the help of her human controlled V youth, led by a hateful, misled Tyler and his goon/loon fiends.

On the other side of the coin, there are also attempts to introduce more sexual elements to the series, with only a modicum of success, and presumably in order to gain more male teenage audience titillation. Lisa gets between the sheets with Tyler, whilst Erica gets into an unlikely moment of lust with Kyle Hobbs, whose sexual tension had been building slowly towards the end of the series, in one of the few storylines for the show that fails to spark, and now remains seemingly unresolved.

New Resistance scientist Sid (Bret Harrison) develops a new virus against the aliens.

To help bring in fresh audiences and publicity, new characters along for the ride in helping and hindering our heroes include a talented young scientist with past knowledge of the aliens and their early visitations to Earth, Sid Miller, played by Bret Harrison, whilst THE SHIELD’s Jay Karns also makes a welcome appearance for several episodes as an ex-FBI partner to Erica, now back on the scene to assist and ultimately ending up being of major importance by the series finale…

In Bangkok, Erica and Hobbs liaise with the World Resistance forces.

Another plus for the new season, unlike the original V weekly series and under request from ABC, is that our heroes and villains get to do a bit more globetrotting in the stories, going to places like Bangkok, Hong Kong and Italy in several episodes, thanks to clever photography and CGI matte paintings.

Anna doesn't take too kindly to disobedience and disloyalty from her alien commanders!

Alongside Anna’s heightened aggression and evil, and her tug of war for control of young Tyler away from Erica, the series also gets even more gruesome as the Human experimentation by the V’s continue-it seems that not even children are immune from their cruel testing, of which writers, as well as piling on the gore, also make it a point this season to develop the alien race further, providing us with intriguing looks at their history and physiognomy, alongside a deadly new alien queen, in addition to last seasons introduction of the aforementioned human/alien hybrid. The episode with the brief launching of the Visitor disease created by the Human Resistance also has some memorable moments, as V’s across the world collapse and die- their eyes literally bleeding out in some gruesome Yuk! moments. Great work by the series make-up and effects teams.

World Resistance leader Eli Cohen (Oded Fehr) captures Ryan Nichols in The Siege.

As for the rest of the episodes, overall there are some smashing moments that make it worthy television, and KOOL TV. From Episode Three, there’s the fight between Erica and Malik, splaying her claws and alien teeth now that her identity as a sleeper V was revealed, and later leading to the aforementioned captured aliens deserved skinning in a hard edged scene showing our imperfect heroes acting almost as badly and desperately as the enemy they’re fighting. Then comes the interesting episode arc involving the albeit too brief introduction of ex-MUMMY star Oded Fehr as battle hardened Israeli V fighter Eli Cohen, and a game changing bloody siege by episode six that sees the obvious-to-be death of Erica’s ex-husband, Joe (Nicholas Lea), whilst caught in the machine gun bullet crossfire between the Earth resistance and the FBI machine guns. As all this is happening, Anna is sitting back in her mothership and enjoying the carnage she has initiated (with the help of Kyle Hobbs) on the viewing screen. If she’d had a cup of coffee and some additional chocolate Hob-Nobs, the day would no doubt been complete for her!

Ultimately, THE SIEGE succeeds in giving the series a notable boost in critical popularity, whilst also seeing in the start of the mid-season onwards slaughter.

Erica cradles her dead husband, Joe (Nicholas Lea), in The Siege.

Anna’s cruel plans for humanity continue with the worldwide Concordia project (thanks to the help of a new Visitor engineer/lackey, Thomas (played by Martin Cummins), who then fills in for the almost slain second-in-command, Marcus), of which our heroes launch an assassination plot that would have worked had Ryan not been forced into becoming an enemy spy so as to get nearer to his Mothership held daughter, whose abilities and presence soon fascinate Anna –again another intriguing link/remembrance to the original V, in the way that Diana was so fascinated with the powers of the Starchild Elizabeth Maxwell. Alien destinies intensify further in episode seven and eight, as Tyler becomes an unaware pawn alongside a helpless Lisa (soon to find out she has a grandmother after all) for the continuation of the V species, amidst the arrival of Anna’s back-up mating rival, Rafael. Plus we also get to find out more about Erica’s mysterious birth of Tyler, and why he’s so special to Anna and the V’s.

That's gotta hurt! Diana is finally impaled by her daughter in "Mother's Day".

Not used as centrally to the early plots as I'd hoped and thought she’d be, and now discovered by a more defiant Lisa, Diana finally comes out of the basement, away from her sparring with Anna (and the previous bitch slap she received from her beloved daughter in episode two), to get stuck in with some meaty revolution drama as she tries to win her Bliss-controlled people back and turn the tide. Lisa, afraid of her mother but realizing how dangerous she has become, finally chooses a side this season and tries to aid Grandmammy and the Human Resistance as best she can. But, in the end, the love and hope she still has for her mother proves to be not only her undoing but the eventual savage death knell for Diana, too, who goes on to receive a quite gruesome tail penetration and a white gown that will never be rid of its blood stains!

Original V series veteran Marc Singer returns in the season finale.

Overall, some episodes of year two were ultimately better structured than others, but I still think that more characterization and plotting could have been stronger. However, there’s no denying that any shortcoming the series had were soon redeemed with a knockout finale episode of power play, surprise, dramatic incident and murderous gore that deserved to give the show a third season renewal and a stronger episode commitment to iron out future niggles. Certainly, the closing scenes of the finale, including the return of original V series star Marc Singer as one of the important members of the Earth’s military-linked Aries Project, are very memorable.

Bloodbath! The evil "Lisa" kills Tyler after a heady bedroom session!

By those fast and furious events of the bloody season, and series, finale- we should have guessed things were up when ABC’s series order, originally for 12 episodes, ended up being the shorter run of ten instead- the deaths of certain characters were both vicious and quick: love finally meant death for Tyler Evans- the two important ingredients never more closely linked, whilst puppy-eyed Lisa’s reluctant attempt to kill her mother failed so spectacularly that it sent Anna on an even worse path of determination to enslave the humans as the true Bliss powers of Ryan Nichol’s daughter, Amy, finally emerged, and his dedicated love for his daughter ultimately blinding him to his gruesome fate: quickly slain-throat ripped out- by his own brood. And then, as if things couldn’t possibly get any worse, Hobbs does a bunk and deserts Erica, whilst Father Jack sees the light and may never recover from it! Finally, spare a thought for brave Chad Decker, as he soon finds himself, his voice having been identified amongst the Resistance, now on the way to Anna and, most likely, the execution chambers. It seemed as though our world had been finally conquered once and for all, alongside the stillness of a Bliss-trapped humanity in the tales closing scenes!

A captured Erica discovers new allies in the final episodes closing scenes...

Despite some critics belief that the show was now on overkill to attract viewers, here was a downbeat but interesting finale, creating an intriguing and memorable situation that could have been resolved for a third year with some inspired writing imagination. Regardless of how it al turned out for fans and viewers, the finale ends the series on a frightening and memorable note, and with such quality story-telling now evident it’s a real shame that, just as V was starting to have some emotional and story pay-off, and create its own identity from the original eighties series, its conclusion wasn’t given a deserved TV movie wrap-up…

The show may now be over, but these ten episode can at least be savoured by fans in the stunning picture quality of the Blu-ray disc set, and looking far superior to many of the HD showings of the series I’ve seen so far on UK cable television (I’d say that the Blu-rays are about twenty per cent sharper than the screenings on the SYFY HD channel from 2010). The set also comes with a solid bunch of special features, including deleted scenes from all the episodes that helps fill in some of the questions unresolved (of which the series finale has some terrific sequences cut due to time), as well as some good, albeit too brief, looks at the ambitious work behind the scenes with the series writers and actors, and how their words and actions are heightened and expanded on by the shows dedicated effects team. Sadly, the producers fail to capitalize on the opportunity of having any proper behind the scenes features on the return of Jane Badler or Marc Singer-a move which older V fans would have appreciated!, though there’s some amusing bloopers that show Morena Baccarin at her funniest…

Despite the current limbo, it’s best to remember that V has now been cancelled as a series twice, but, with such a good format and characters that have made their indelible mark in television viewing history, I have no doubt that the series format will eventually return in one re-imagined shape or another in the not too distant future, so as to further enthuse and entertain audiences who love the limitless potential of science fiction fused with exciting and memorable action/ adventure.

John May still lives!

Cover art for the Blu-ray box set.

Both Seasons of the new V are available separate or together on WARNER BROTHERS Blu-ray and DVD box sets.

An attempt by fans worldwide is underway to get the new V a third season. Add your voice to the cause here: (3) Project Alice

The classic V series from the eighties, and its one-off season, are also available on DVD.

KING (AND QUEEN) OF THE "CASTLE"

Cuffed couple! Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) and Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) return in CASTLE. Images: ABC TV.

Sharing an emotional and professional attachment beyond being handcuffed together, the on-screen adventures of the amiable duo of novelist/criminal behaviourist Richard Castle (FIREFLY's Nathan Fillion) and tough and resourceful NYPD detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) have continued to win over audiences worldwide in the quirky hit ABC series CASTLE, which, over three seasons, has showed an evolving relationship between the pair (a sort of upgraded version of MOONLIGHTING without the terrible final third season!) that's been full of spiky action and suspense mixed with fun and wise-cracking, with additional knowingly playful pop culture references, lots of sure-fire character/acting chemistry and entertainment value. As the series continues its showings of its first three seasons in the UK, the all-new Season Four arrives on US television from September 19th and its opening episode looks set to resolve the shocking cliff hanging question mark around Beckett's fate, after taking a bullet whilst pursuing her continuing story arc: finding the assassin previously responsible for her mother's murder. And, with all the recent darker edges of the previous season, plus the equally surprising loss of Captain Roy Montgomery (Ruben Santiago-Hudson), too, whats going to happen to the 12th Precinct with the arrival of its new leader, ex-Internal Affairs cop, Captain Victoria Gates (DEEP SPACE NINE/24's Penny Johnson Jerald)?

TV's top bad girl, and 24's late Sherry Palmer, Penny Johnson Jerald makes her welcome debut in the new season. 

This must be one set of intriguing storylines that Mister Castle himself had surely wished he'd penned!

Season Four teaser: Castle - Season 4 - Promo (2) - YouTube

The new Season 4 cast pose for a noir-ish promotional image.

The first two seasons of CASTLE are available on DVD from ABC. Season Three is released in September.

KOOL TV IMAGE OF THE WEEK: "KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER"

Unlikely monster fighter! News hound Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin) in THE NIGHT STALKER. Images: UNIVERSAL PLAYBACK.

Whilst intrepid and industrious investigative reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were chasing a paranoid Richard Nixon and a lot of his corrupt cronies out of the Oval Office, another more fictitious, albeit no less determined and fiery reporter, was also chasing monsters of an altogether different and diverse kind within early seventies America. Enter grizzled, seedy looking, straw hat wearing Carl Kolchak, played with likable charm and tenacity by the late Darren McGavin-a much under-appreciated character actor who effortlessly played heroes with a heart and baddies with a grudge on the big and small screen. Originally created by author Jeff Rice, whose novel: THE KOLCHAK PAPERS, would prove a huge success in the horror/thriller genre, the tale was developed by TV producer/writer Dan Curtis in 1973 to become THE NIGHT STALKER, for UNIVERSAL/ABC TV, where, with its intriguingly blended plot of light comedy and horror, deftly directed by John Llewellyn Moxey, saw a much derided, Las Vegas-based hack journalist, Carl Kolchak, getting involved in the story of a lifetime, and placing himself in mortal danger, when he stalks and confronts a serial killer soon revealed to be one of the most cruel and vicious Vampires ever to have walked the face of the Earth (played with creepy relish by Barry Atwater), with our hero reporter having to use all of his skills and humanity to defeat it. Filmed on location in some of the less glamorous parts of Las Vegas, the THE NIGHT STALKER would swiftly become one of the biggest rated TV movies ever at that time in American small screen viewing history, and a second tale was quickly commissioned for the popular character- as well as another intriguing monster for him to confront- in an even better and more sophisticated tale a year later, once again from the pen of distinguished horror writer Richard Matheson, THE NIGHT STRANGLER, about a Jack the Ripper-esque, almost immortal creature that strikes from beneath the remains of the fictitious old-time Seattle to steal the vitality and youth from its victims, with a great guest supporting cast including THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN's Richard Anderson, Jo Ann Plug and John Carradine, opposite the return of second lead Simon Oakland as Kolchak's always aggravated, put upon boss and News Editor, Tony Vincenzo. The sequel was just as successful as its previous launch film and UNIVERSAL, keenly smelling the potential hit possibilities of a regular spin-off series, scrapped a planned third TV movie (THE NIGHT KILLERS, about android replicas) and soon initiated it into reality for the new 1974/75 programming, alongside careful creative support from the lead's own production company, FRANCY PRODUCTIONS, with star McGavin, worried that the series and lead character may become somewhat diluted and less sophisticatedly written, wanting to keep a strict quality control policy on what had become "his baby" with the emerging popularity of Kolchak as a character with audiences.  The twenty episode series that followed, now re-located to Chicago, with Kolchak and Vincenzo now working at the INS freelance service, would ultimately begin with a mixed bag of storytelling (some tales being better developed than others) and its diverse range of creatures, but there would soon be some terrific episodes fighting their way into birth, with a lot of talented writers, directors and stars of the time involved in their making, which would be much admired over the years by horror genre fans and Cult TV audiences. Sadly losing major viewer interest in the monster of the week story-telling, and fighting against some tough competition on rival channels, ratings for KOLCHAK would eventually decline mid-way through its one and only season and, with a weary McGavin unhappy with the growing direction of the series, it was never renewed, but, despite such actor and cancellation woes, it had certainly made its mark with a generation of impressionable young viewers (including THE X-FILES creator Chris Carter, who has publicly stated that the whole idea of his show came about because of his love and admiration of the classic series-so much so that he even created a fun guest star character in his show especially for McGavin to appear in during the shows fifth and sixth seasons, as well as a different part in the spin-off, MILLENNIUM), with the TV movies in particular continuing to this day to be highly regarded entities in their own right. In the UK, the one and only series would get an almost part-time, throwaway filler airing on and off within the ITV schedules in the seventies and early eighties on late night ITV, but it wasn't until a much welcome and highly deserved, fully networked run on the UK's BBC 2 channel in the early nineties that it fully made its mark, and has since re-surfaced on DVD to continued popularity for the UNIVERSAL PLAYBACK run.

In pursuit of the truth, Kolchak often locked horns with his newsman boss, Tony Vincenzo (Simon Oakland).

Atmospheric title sequence: Kolchak: The Night Stalker Intro‬‏ - YouTube
SCREAM CHANNEL trailer: Kolchak the Night Stalker Promo on Scream‬‏ - YouTube
and Kolchak The Night Stalker (Canadian tv promo)‬‏ - YouTube

Now, nearly forty years on, the recent news has come in that quirky Hollywood mega-star Johnny Depp, currently in London to film the movie version of Dan Rice's other hit TV series-the Vampire soap opera DARK SHADOWS, alongside his good friend, director Tim Burton, has bought the rights to make KOLCHAK anew for the big screen (KOOL TV publicly ignores the awful, still-born 2005 TV series re-imagining from X-FILES writing veteran Frank Spotnitz-a true disaster of an idea, with actor Stuart Townsend woefully miscast in the lead role). With an already diverse range of eccentric but heroic characters, like the now iconic Captain Jack Sparrow in the incredibly popular and slickly made PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN movies, under his belt, Depp's eventual playing of Kolchak should prove to be another winning star vehicle, especially if the Hollywood script-writers manage to concoct a really good tale for him that mixes horror and comedy as well as its original TV movies did.

Yep, it's another one of those creepy, cob-webbed houses!

Though in his fictional world Kolchak never quite managed to get the much desired proof of his battle with the super-natural so as to win a more successful career as a newsman, nor garner appreciation from his unknowing protectorate masses, the Cult TV populace watching behind the sofas enjoyed and appreciated his daring exploits, safe in the knowledge that, through his bravery and dedication, the world of horror and fantasy would be a lot better and safer with Carl as their first line of defence against the creatures of the dark side!

The DVD series release cover from UNIVERSAL PLAYBACK

KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER, THE NIGHT STRANGLER and the weekly series are available on DVD. In the US, MOONSTONE BOOKS publish regular new KOLCHAK comic adventures.

KER-POW!! THE RETURN OF "BATMAN"!

Crime fighting never goes out of fashion. Even when you're wearing coloured tights! Yep, BATMAN's back! Image: ABC TV

Long before he was Mayor of Quahog in FAMILY GUY, and a long time before Christian Bale was telling people to "get out of my eyeline, Man"!, Adam West was the original TV caped crusader, BATMAN, alongside Burt Ward as his partner in crime-fighting, the Boy Wonder, Robin, as they fought a variety of brilliant actors playing numerous ingeniously realised baddies, in the hilariously colourful, goofy and camp, but always brilliant, TV series, which viewers of all ages worldwide have loved and enjoyed in repeats since its mid sixties original screenings on the US ABC channel.

Groovy early trailer/presentation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abe01Udzmrs

With little or no publicity for the re-screenings, which started today weekdays (3pm, and repeated each weekday morning at 8.45) on the UK's ITV 4 station, the digital channel must be congratulated for re-showing the series after it has been so long away from TV screens in this country, but they've also made a big blunder in their lack of promotion for it-the series, which is very much a definition of KOOL TV, is not commercially available on DVD or Blu-ray bar the 1966 one-off movie, so they could have have earned a lot of kudos for themselves in promoting it! A big opportunity wasted.

Let's hope that long time fans/viewers, as well as new youngsters who've never seen the show, are quick to find the repeats and enjoy them!

For more info on the classic BATMAN TV series, check out our previous Bat-entries in the links.

SAGA OF A STAR WORLD. THE LAUNCH OF THE ORIGINAL "BATTLESTAR GALACTICA"

On the run from the Cylons, Apollo (Richard Hatch), Commander Adama (Lorne Greene) and Starbuck (Dirk Benedict) in the sci-fi classic BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. All images: UNIVERSAL/ABC TV

With industry insider interest starting to rise on George Lucas’s upcoming project called STAR WARS just prior to the films May 1977 release (the period of 1976 predicting doom and gloom for what was being called a B movie for kids project), the Hollywood film and TV studios suddenly began to wake up to the idea that if the young director, then riding high for several years with the success of his wonderful love letter to Southern California teen car dating film, AMERICAN GRAFFITI, one of the most successful low budget movies ever at the box office, was shrewd enough to consider the universe of science fiction worth resurrecting after so long, then they should too. Many would be slow out of the gate in their actions, eventually waiting to see how big the box office returns for STAR WARS would ultimately be (and they would prove to be world encompassinginly enormous!), but one TV player quick to sprint out would be legendary American producer Glen A. Larson. A shrewd and talented writer with a keen eye in finding movies that have been successful and then transferring similar ideas to television, such as the case with Clint Eastwood’s film COOGAN’S BLUFF, which he would re-imagine as the long running Dennis Weaver detective series McCLOUD, Larson would dust off an old story idea he had conceived in the mid sixties when the original STAR TREK TV series, a show he always admired, was on the air. ADAM’S ARK was the title of the project, which saw the human race in deep space fleeing a catastrophe to find a new home, but the intriguing concept was soon abandoned when TREK began to lose its way in the ratings, and was eventually buried and left to die in its third year by its makers/ NBC and PARAMOUNT within a late night Friday time slot (and despite what would ultimately prove to be very high demographics with TV’s most desired audiences: young teenagers). With the launch of STAR WARS, however, the tide seemed to be turning, and especially with the word WARS in that films title, Larson saw the opportunity to heavily re-work the concept and make it more exciting for modern film and TV audiences, incorporating other sci-fi related concepts that he’d been enjoying over the last seven to ten years, including the idea of spacemen from other galaxies influencing our ancient history, as had been theorized by Eric Von Daniken in his successful books of the seventies, the first of which had been titled MYSTERIES OF THE GODS, as well as elements from his own Mormon religious background. The revised ADAM’S ARK tale, now an ambitious and epic 500 pages long, would be called STAR WORLDS. Set in the time frame of the Seventh Millennia of Mankind, a race of humans belonging to the Twelve Colonies of Man would finally be all but decimated in an epic sneak attack (Pearl Harbour in space style) by their long time reptilian/cyborg enemies, the Cylons, of which the few remaining survivors would gather together in a rag tag fleet of 220 decrepit ships, protected by the only surviving Colonial Fleet warship, the huge aircraft carrier-like Battlestar Galactica, in their search for a new home…a shiny long distant planet from ancient history carrying the lost Thirteenth Tribe of Humanity- a place of land and sea called Earth.

Key STAR WARS visualist Ralph McQuarrie's evocative conceptual art showing the Cylon sneak attack on the Human Colonial Fleet.

Sworn enemy of mankind: one of the fearsome Cylon Centurion warriors.

Having previously, and foolishly, turned down STAR WARS in the early seventies as being too big and impractical to make, and seeing potential with the new project from their in-house producer, UNIVERSAL TELEVISION quickly greenlighted it into pre-production whilst they found a US TV channel willing to fund and show it. That TV channel would be ABC TV, purchasing STAR WORLDS for a undervalued 1.8 million dollars, who would decide with Larson/UNIVERSAL on a seven hour TV mini-series that would do the project the justice it deserved. The first three hours of STAR WORLDS would be a mammoth event TV movie (which, to help recuperate the shows expensive production costs, and against Larson's ultimate wishes, would also be released as shortened down theatrical releases from July 18^th 1978 in the Canadian, European and Japan markets (the former seeing it before the US TV premiere)), whilst the final four hours would be two, two part movies carrying on from the opening film. Pulling together his creative team on the project, Larson would assemble some of the finest and experienced names in TV, including his friend, writer/ producer Leslie Stevens, who had worked in the sci-fi series realm with the popular sixties anthology series THE OUTER LIMITS (and whom, in the same 70's period, would also assist Larson in developing a re-imagined TV series of BUCK ROGERS as well, soon to star Gil Gerard and Erin Gray). One of Stevens biggest tasks on the show was becoming entrenched with all the new department heads and helping to establish its visual aspects-making reality a believable and consistent new universe beyond anything previously attempted on television. The director assigned to the project was Richard A. Colla, who had experience with TV movies of the week (including sci-fi of a smaller scale) and other UNIVERSAL made series, whilst respected clothes designer Jean- Pierre Dorleac, brought in over the in-house UNIVERSAL designers, would handle the many distinctive military and civilian costumes needed for the series intriguing futuristic, but with nods to the past, new universe (as well as working on the distinctive Cylon robots (later played by six foot Baseball players and stuntmen) with their huge armour, swords (whose use was cut down after the pilot and during the TV series for violence reasons), and constantly moving red eye light) alongside series Art Director, John Chilberg (who would create the expansive bridge (one of the most budget absorbing sets ever built for either the series or television, and one which underwent last minutes changes-the removal of several large and heavy columns- in a move that was originally demoralizing to the set building crew but needed to be done so as to improve camera filming), quarters and corridors of the Battlestar itself and the huge casino interior of the alien planet/ sanctuary world of Carillon, with its accompanying deadly lower cave catacombs). Importantly rounding off the core team would be another of Larson’s old friends, composer Stu Phillips, who would be in charge of bringing the shows memorable theme tunes (and then regular series music) to life.

John Dykstra (left) and an ILM colleague ready the Galactica model for filming.

With the now release of STAR WARS, the world had gone mad for the movie, its characters and its amazing special effects, and knowing that he needed effects for his newly titled STAR WORLDS to rival WARS, Larson was quick to find out that Lucas’s effects company, INDUSTRIAL LIGHT AND MAGIC, headed up by the legendary technician John Dykstra, was in a state of limbo: having now completed work on the space opera, they were all tired and exhausted in a period prior to STAR WARS release where no one knew whether the about to disband company would be re-formed for any sequel. The effects group was now out of work and all its members desperately needed further financial security to survive. Intrigued by the idea of the new sci-fi project being done for television, though aware of its possible similarities to STAR WARS, Dykstra and the ILM team were swiftly snapped up to handle the mini series effects work (with Lucas and TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX (which owned partial rights and distribution to the first STAR WARS film at that time) agreeing to loan out the Van Nuys based facility and equipment to Larson/UNIVERSAL- FOX, in particular, were desperate to get any money back on their investment return for STAR WARS, on what they once thought was a doomed project that may sink the company! In this early stage, Lucas was happy to see that his STAR WARS might see in more fantasy and science fiction projects, though he hoped that they would be original and have interesting characters and storylines that would make them uniquely different to the tales he was telling with STAR WARS, and he had no idea how similar much of Larson’s STAR WORLDS concept would ultimately be. As Dykstra, now a confirmed producer on the entire seven hour mini-series, and his brilliant technicians began the first pre-production work designing creatures, spaceships (including the Galactica herself and the superb fighter craft called the Vipers), vehicles, weapons and alien civilizations, set building at the UNIVERSAL STUDIOS was equally frenetically underway, as was writing and revising of the opening scripts and the formation of the regular characters, of which the casting search for the actors and actresses to play them followed suit…

Richard Hatch as Captain Apollo.

Dirk Benedict as the roguish Lt. Starbuck

Then relative TV newcomer Maren Jensen as Lt. Athena.

Protector of the Human race: Commander Adama (Lorne Greene)

Adama, Colonel Tigh (Terry Carter) and Athena discuss their next move on the Galactica bridge, in an image from the first two part episode filmed after the pilot: GUN ON ICE PLANET ZERO.

STAR WARS had proved that science fiction was truly for the young at heart, the kidult in all of us, and this was shown with its core trio of equally youthful heroes, which would influence all other science fiction projects for a long time to come, and STAR WORLDS would be no exception, with its similar group of Colonial Warriors-the main protectorates of the surviving human species, working alongside their leader/father, Commander Adama, the ultimate custodian of their race and in charge of the mighty Galactica in protecting these last vestiges. Adama’s son, Skyler (later changed to Captain Apollo), would be the main character in this ever dangerous quest and the head of an elite fighter group called Blue Squadron, played by TV series veteran Richard Hatch (who had just finished his year stint on the final series of THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO, replacing the departed Michael Douglas, and working alongside legendary film actor Karl Malden. For GALACTICA, Hatch would beat hundreds of other hopeful actors for the role of Apollo, taking on a character allegedly intended for Kent McCord, an actor friend of Larson's who would ultimately not be available for the role (though he would be the star of the eventual GALACTICA spin-off, the much-derided GALACTICA 1980). Larson saw in Hatch, who was previously fascinated in all things sci-fi (having even tested for the part of Luke Skywalker in STAR WARS in 1975), all the great heroic possibilities, and viewer accessibility, that he could bring to the role. To counter balance the good hearted Apollo would be the roguish Han Solo-like Starbuck, also a crack pilot, a cool shot with a laser, and a bit of a ladies man, gambler and all round likable rogue, whom, though friends with Apollo, would often challenge some of his decision-making and do his own thing. Originally cast in what would become one of the series most popular roles would be Missouri born rising star Don Johnson (then known in Hollywood as the boyfriend of Tippi Hedren’s daughter Melanie Griffith, and later to be well received by the public for his iconic TV roles in NASH BRIDGES and MIAMI VICE). On the feisty heroine front, the lovely Californian actress/model, born to Hawaiian and Dutch parentage, Maren Jensen, a new face in the Hollywood industry, would be cast as the important series female lead, Athena, a vital member of the Galactica bridge technician team and a warrior in her own right, who just happened to be the sister of Apollo, on and off girlfriend to Starbuck (one of his many romantic conquests) and daughter to the protective Commander Adama. (In the original conception for the role, and as seen in the three hour pilot, Athena was also a shuttle/Viper pilot, though this all changed as it became a weekly series. Actress Anne Lockhart, later to join the weekly series as the popular Sheba, was originally approached to play the Athena role but, feeling that the potential for the role hadn't yet been developed properly whilst the series pre-production character bible was being formulated, turned the role down). As for the critical choice of Adama, Larson knew that he needed a man of strong character and bearing but one who also had the ability to play tender scenes with great humanity, emotional depth and audience appreciation. The actor chosen had to be an experienced “name actor” who would help give the series some distinctive and respectable clout in selling the concept of the series to worldwide audiences, but who could also act as father figure of sorts not only in the role to the younger characters but to the actors playing them, too. Larson’s excellent choice would be the popular Canadian actor Lorne Greene, who, for nearly fifteen years from the fifties to the early seventies, had showed all those desired traits in his performance as Ben Cartwright in the eternally popular western series BONANZA. Working tirelessly alongside Adama would be his longtime friend and second in command, Colonel Tigh, a nicely layered performance from another Larson TV series stalwart, again from McCLOUD, Terry Carter (who originally had tested for the role of fighter pilot Lt. Boomer). STAR WORLDS main cast had been found.

John Colicos as Baltar, executed by his Cylon friends in the GALACTICA movie, but spared that fate for the weekly TV series.

It all looks a bit cruel now, but three Chimps played Muffey the Daggit during the series.

Realizing that the series main pilot needed more name actors to play supporting leads, especially as it was also going to be a theatrical release, Larson, Colla and their casting team secured some first rate, long time character actors in those slots, including Ray Milland as Adama’s treacherous council rival, the greedy and duplicitous Sire Uri, aging star Wilfrid Hyde White as fellow councilman, Anton, and Lew Ayres as the doomed President Adar who is tricked into seeing humanity destroyed by the traitorous Cylons and their human lackey, Count Baltar (played by the excellent John Colicos, who, with a track records of playing crafty and conniving villains, proved superb in the role. Though killed off in the pilot’s theatrical release, he was spared death in the TV series where he became the shows regular opponent). Also on the enemy side, the charming British ex-Avenger Patrick Macnee, now a resident of Hollywood film and TV production, would add his distinctive, un-credited voice to the reptilian Cylon leader, the Imperious Leader (replacing THE ADDAM’S FAMILY’s Ted Cassidy who voiced it prior to an abandoned vocoder sound distorting equipment test using the voice of THE INCREDIBLE HULK actor Lou Ferrignio, of which early tests proved too frightening audio-wise to use), as well as the series opening narration that would set-up the film and the latter series. On the ladies side of the guest acting talent, there would also be a love interest for Apollo in the form of the beautiful Caprica colony newsreader Lyra (later re-named Serina), played by the charming and beautiful young actress Jane Seymour (whom actor Richard Hatch would also develop a real life crush on during her filming stint), fresh from England with her success in the BBC drama series THE ONEDIN LINE and as a Bond girl in Roger Moore’s first James Bond movie outing, the very popular LIVE AND LET DIE. Alas, Serina’s part in STAR WORLDS would be consigned to the pilot episode only, as it was planned that she would contract a terminal illness (the result of Cylon weaponry used in their attacks on the human race that would see her off screen demise, whilst her son, Boxey, played by little Noah Hathaway, who would hopefully entice the series children viewing audience (alongside his daggit robot, Muffit (played by three often disgruntled chimps in a suit, one of which was named Evie)), entered the custodianship of Apollo. Seymour liked the original script for the pilot and was intrigued by the character, playing Serina with a doomed tragic quality in its second half, and was at first thrilled to be in a film/ TV production that looked big in every sense of the word.

Jane Seymour as the Caprican newscaster now refugee, Serina.

The lovely Jane Seymour as Serina, with her on-screen beau Apollo (Richard Hatch)

As the rush of pre-production into full production commenced for the mini-series set in stone transmission date of Sunday, September 17^th 1978, work on the pilot would be in a continued state of transmogrification. With so much money being spent on the pilot and its two parters than had ever been first anticipated, it was decided, with STAR WARS continued gargantuan success, to turn the event mini series into a regular series instead, a move that upped the ante pressure wise considerably for Larson and his ever growing team of writers and producers, and resulted in certain re-thinks with regards to characters and storylines already being developed during and after the pilot, of which ABC TV and UNIVERSAL had to be kept constantly in the loop and involved in the final creative decisions alongside its creator, during what would be a difficult and strenuous time. Additionally, George Lucas was unhappy with the series being titled STAR WORLDS (resulting in it being changed to the one word title GALACTICA, and then, just before the pilots completion, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA) as well as several of the series similarities to his own sci-fi universe, requesting, through his producer, Gary Kurtz, changes be made to the series, most notably some character names, the way certain designs looked and the way the human/Cylon weaponry were to be optically achieved on screen. Larson, not wanting any law suits and especially needing Lucas’s effects house at that critical time (in which he was already in strained relations with them, in particular Dykstra, due to time pressures in getting the now series made), acquiesced to their stipulations.

They may be lovers but Starbuck and Athena's relationship was often spiky at best!

Lt. Boomer (Herb Jefferson Jr.) covers for his escaping friends in part of an action scene cut from the pilot movie. 

With filming underway and over schedule (the planned 27 days eventually became 57), with scenes soon ether re-filmed (either due to studio/network interference or just for the film version of the pilot), or new ones added (some of which would be re-scheduled into the already tight filming schedules of the upcoming two-parter episodes), it was decided about four or five days into early shooting that, despite looking the part, Don Johnson wasn’t the actor whom ABC wanted to play Starbuck: allegedly, and primarily, they were not happy with his Southern accent. Larson, impressed with the young actor, was unhappy to let him go but had no choice (as far as we are aware no filming had taken place with Johnson at this point anyway), instead replacing him with an actor who would soon prove a more than acceptable replacement, and one whom the show’s creator had originally wanted but the network didn’t find sexy enough in an early screen test, Dirk Benedict (who would shortly make a name for himself after GALACTICA as Templeton “Faceman” Peck in the hit action series THE A-TEAM), quickly rushed into filming with very little preparation time, who became so popular with the writers and viewers as the series went on that there would end up being a kind of friendly rivalry on set between Benedict and Richard Hatch. Joining Benedict, who based his playing of the role on James Garner in MAVERICK, in filling out the rest of the series characters as close friends to Starbuck would be Herb Jefferson Jr., as his loyal Viper pilot wingman, serious buddy/straight man foil, Lt. Boomer, the portly Tony Swartz as the fighter pilot/technician Lt. Jolly, and the charming ex-escort (named a “socialator” in the pilot film), Cassiopeia, as played by the gorgeous Laurette Spang, who, as love rival with Athena for Starbuck’s attentions, would prove so popular behind the scenes that her character would becomes a series regular, in her new audience friendly role as a medical technician, by the start of production on the second two parter filmed (to become known as  LOST PLANET OF THE GODS). Finally, though briefly appearing in the opening twenty minutes alongside Starbuck, the character of Zac, the youngest son to Adama lost in the uncovering of the Cylon sneak attack, would be well played by American actor Rick Springfield, who would go onto have a popular singing career in the early eighties.

Laurette Spang proved a winning addition to the cast as Cassiopeia.

On the ground: at the Carillon casino, the Cylons spring their trap on the humans in the finale of SAGA OF A STAR WORLD

In space: the Cylons attack the Galactica, but Adama has a few surprises for them...

Despite the new and winning re-casting, production problems would continue with an alleged fall-out over the overall direction of the series between Pilot helmer Richard Colla and Larson, with the former leaving the project near the end of the shoot’s last four days, citing Larson as being ungrateful to the cast and crew for all the hard work being done to bring the series to life (despite his woes on GALACTICA, Colla would later direct more sci-fi with an early episode of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION in 1987), and resulting in Larson’s stalwart TV directing friend, Alan J. Levi, who had already been assigned to direct the series next heavily re-worked two part episode (set on an ice planet and eventually titled GUN ON ICE PLANET ZERO), coming into finish things off or continue in the re-shooting of certain sequences (Levi would tell the EMPIRE film magazine in 2011 that he came in to finish the pilot episodes last 15 days of shooting and then had a further nine days spent with re-shoots of previous Colla material, and would ultimately end up being very hurt that Larson did not live up to his promise and credit him as the pilots co-director). By the time of the films final editing, of which six hours of actual footage is believed to have been shot for the opener, editorial changes to keep it to three hours were still happening (including certain scenes considered too violent being trimmed or removed). It was also decided that the openers original ending, in which the survivors of the fleet, having gotten out of a new Cylon trap on the gambling resort world of Carillon (which would also involve the cannibalistic insectoids, the Ovions), get together for a final sing song celebration (whilst a seriously ill Serina sneaks away from Apollo and Boxey in order to die alone), felt flat and would be excised, consequently deciding to instead end it with the sequence prior to the celebration: namely a big bang finale where Apollo and Starbuck, in their Colonial Vipers, trick a Cylon Basestar ship into crashing into Carillon and causing that fuel rich planets ultimate destruction, which proved to be a much more satisfying conclusion. Bringing such major sequences to life effects-wise (including the stunning space battle opener with the destruction of humanity and the Colonial Fleet traversing a deadly space minefield), many of which would have to be filmed and re-filmed with the constant changes of the scripts and network decisions, would continue to cause problems in the relationship between Larson and John Dykstra/ILM, so much so that angry technicians sneaked in the words “F++k off Larson” in to a city lights display seen at the beginning of the opener’s Cylon Raider fleet attack on the planet Caprica (the twelve human colony worlds being name adjusted by Larson after popular star-signs). At first happy to do revolutionary new effects and sequences for television that were choreographically superior to many of the shots that had been achieved on film in STAR WARS, but unhappy that the GALACTICA work was being transferred, with possible quality flaws, to the big-screen, Dykstra, who, as producer, was also on the GALACTICA set full-time pilot-wise to oversee the demanding planning and technical live-action realization of certain effects and maintaining continuity with what was being filmed with the models, joined his ILM compatriots in quitting the full series run once it reached the end of its opening seven hours, with UNIVERSAL initiating from scratch its own effects company instead, newly christened UNIVERSAL HARTLAND, to take over the running of those duties and copy the technology that had been used to make the effects a reality (much to the chagrin of an angry ILM who had spent so much time revolutionising the equipment in the first place for use on STAR WARS!).

The devastating sneak attack on the planet Caprica in the opening hour of SAGA OF A STAR WORLD.

Terrific main theme for the series: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzyHxYxc-Mo

Early, effects heavy trailer for the series (featuring alternate scenes and different voiced Imperious Leader alien): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRcmTwqzggA

1978/79 trailer for the pilot movie’s theatrical release: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTjSckBBcHU

Behind the scenes effects filming footage by ex-ILM staffer Dave Berry for the episodes GUN ON ICE PLANET ZERO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lbBQ_QaI2k

Another important key art image used for the series promotion.

Finally airing as planned, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA launched its bravura three hour duration pilot episode (over the years there would also be many differing running time versions of it, with scenes/alternate footage, too numerous to catalogue, in TV syndication reruns and video/DVD releases), of which no series of that time would receive as much advance press publicity in the pages of so many American newspapers and magazines as this would, especially the all-important listings digest, TV GUIDE. First launched in movie form in Canada where it was a huge success, US Viewer expectations for the epic opener in the light of STAR WARS were very high, though its memorable start ultimately lived up to its spectacular promise with TV viewers and most sci-fi fans, with a huge record breaking Sunday night audience of 65 million ultimately tuning in, and despite heavy opposition on other channels and the mixed at best critical reaction it would receive (whilst everyone praised the effects, its familiarities to STAR WARS with regards to certain story and characters proved highly noticeable to many (so much so that an angry George Lucas, joined by TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX, soon handed a law suit to Larson and UNIVERSAL citing infringement on STAR WARS idea and its concepts, especially visually (an unavoidable cost of film-making, really, when you consider ILM’s heavy involvement in the creation of both sci-fi universes), in a legal process which was turned into quite a nasty and long running battle, and would take several ultimately wasted years to settle)).

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA’s opening adventure, titled SAGA OF A STAR WORLD, though immensely costly (with pricing ranged over the years between seven and fourteen million dollars), had indeed been successfully realised and enjoyed by the all important viewing public (overall, people liked the series concept and the reverse idea of humans in space looking for us rather than the other way around, the likable cast and the intriguing, if underdeveloped alien enemy chasing them), not only in the US but worldwide as the aforementioned film, whose sound was processed through UNIVERSAL’s unique SENSURROUND system in selected cinemas, made enough box office profit to have the studio initiate plans for future two part episodes to be released as sequels, and would also go on to spawn a reasonably successful line in merchandise, primarily consisting of books, toys, games and MARVEL comic books, and even a short term ride at the UNIVERSAL STUDIOS theme park in Los Angeles, titled BATTLE OF THE CYLONS.

Creating GALACTICA had not been easy and the pressure on its creators, cast and crew would be difficult in the next few months ahead as the weekly series evolved. Ultimately, the show would never totally recover from being rushed into production so early, and suffer from too many cooks interfering with its inspired but delicate birth.

But all that is another story….

Check out the KOOL TV companion site to the series: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA - SAGA OF A STAR WORLD


The entire BATTLESTAR GALACTICA 1978 series is available on DVD from UNIVERSAL PLAYBACK. Hopefully, someone at UNIVERSAL will eventually see sense and re-master the series for Blu-ray.

Check out a great photo gallery of black and white theatrical stills from the pilot episode here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28247036@N04/sets/72157623294687055/with/4350814899/, and the best GALACTICA related website, both modern and new, you’ll ever find, here:

http://www.galactica.tv/

Look out for more features on the original GALACTICA series in the not too distant future...