Back in 1978, someone at either Universal or ABC actually had the smart idea of commissioning renowned fantasy illustrator
Frank Frazetta to paint three pieces to be used in promoting their expensive new science fantasy epic,
Battlestar Galactica. These three paintings were used as the basis for
TV Guide ads promoting the first three episodes ("Saga of A Star World," "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part 1," and "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part 2."), although they were subsequently used on book covers, etc.
What I love about these pieces - even beyond the fact that they exist at all - is how Frazetta interpreted the universe of
Galactica through his own sensibilities and style. Clearly, very little in these paintings accurately reflect the cast or production design of the actual series, yet, to me anyway, they capture the epic scale that
Glen Larson and his crew were trying so hard to accomplish on their television budget.
I agree totally, my fondness for the original Galactica never seems to go away, and it's art like this that helps keep the flame alive.
ReplyDeleteI think that the first pic really captures the element of family and how it was them against the universe.
The second pic, while focusing on all the ladies, doesn't have any politics in it at all. It's focused on them just being pilots.
As you stated, the third pic does the best job at displaying the grand scale of the series and the concept.
The first picture was on the cover of the second novelization (Cylon Death Machine). The interesting thing is that the image is reversed left to right on the book cover. Originally I though it was Athena, Apollo and Starbuck, but after reading the novel, I wonder if it isn't Tenna and Ser-9 (or was that Ser 5-9) flanking Apollo.
ReplyDeleteWow, I remember those now. Love Frazetta, and I enjoyed the original BG, season one.
ReplyDeleteBut those are awesome paintings.
I prefer the original series over the new darker version. I don't like it when people refer to Battlestar Galactica as Star Wars-Lite.It had it's own personality and compared to the last three Star Wars films a lot more fun.
ReplyDeleteI've always loved these paintings... I remember staring at the fuzzy reproductions in TV Guide (when they were used for the double-page ad spreads) in utter fascination. As you say, they don't look like the series, but somehow they capture the series.
ReplyDeleteYears before I knew who Frazetta even was, or what else he'd painted, I was a fan.
These are also consistent with the look of the original Star Wars posters.
ReplyDelete