Battlestar Galactica - The Complete Epic Series(1978) Review

Let me start off by saying that I really enjoyed the original series -- when it was first broadcast.  I was in elementary school and the entire idea of a "ragtag fugitive fleet" escaping from a bunch of tin metal robots seemed pretty awesome at the time.  Of course, the fact that it was on opposite 60 minutes meant that I watched it alone while my parents watched their program but when I considered that the alternative was "The Wonderful World of Disney", it was a no brainer.

Having reclaimed my childhood with the series and comparing it to the new Battlestar Galactica shows that it really has not stood the test of time.  The special effects are quite weak in comparison to modern ones and the storylines are not as compelling as I once thought they were.

Although there are a few good episodes (the one where the fleet encounters a gambling resort that seems too good to be true -- and is -- is one example), most of them revolve around a good human/bad cylon relationship that isn't what you find with the new series.  Baltar is hopelesses evil and weak, whereas in the new series, he is more amoral and weak.  Commander Adama is a paragon of virtue and Starbuck and Boomer are guys!  The characters are more one-dimensional here and that makes it for a less satisfying experience than the more recent series of the same name.

The episodes are rather campy, evoking the 50s and 60s sci-fi series. Several of the space battle scenes seem to be redone each episode with little variation.  There are few defeats at the hands of the Cylons for the fleet and you really do not get the idea of it being a "cat and mouse" chase and this makes the entire series unrealistic.

Still, if you can suspend you disbelief and enjoy it on its own terms, it can quite enjoyable and it certainly is better than a number of other less memorable series from the same time period (Space 1999; Buck Rogers; Logan's Run; etc.).