The
Battlestar Galactica Scrapbook came out around the premiere of the series on ABC, and was less of a "Scrapbook" than it was a fairly in-depth (though written for teenagers) behind-the-scenes volume. I still have my copy, though it's been ages since I last looked through it. One thing I do remember, though, was the interesting tidbit that the flying Viper-styled motorcycles that showed up in
Galactica 1980 were on the drawing boards back when the original pilot was made. A chapter of the book described them alongside the tank-like Landram as one of the ground transport vehicles available to the Colonials.
The book was lavishly illustrated with B&W photos (some of which I've never seen anywhere else), plus an 8 pg color section. It was one of the better pieces of original Galactica merchandising, at least from my point of view, because it did actually get into the nuts and bolts of the production.
This hardcover withe the familiar
Robert Tannenbaum Galactica key art on its cover, was a 90-page kid's "novelization" of the pilot film, credited to author
Charles E. Mercer and
Glen A. Larson, and was fully illustrated with color stills. I never had a copy of this one, though I have thumbed through a copy or two at conventions.
Interesting to hear the flying motorcycle idea was around when the series began. I guess setting would make all the difference, as seeing them in "CHiPs" era California just seemed silly. It would be ironic if they had been originally left out of the series for budget concerns.
ReplyDeleteHuh. That Storybook stirs some sort of mostly forgotten memory in the old gray cells. I may have had it when I was a kid.
ReplyDeleteI still have my copy of the BSG "Scrapbook." It's really great, mostly for the wonderful photos. The text and photos lead me to believe that at the time of its publication, only the pilot, "Saga of a Star World," and the two part episodes "Gun on Ice Planet Zero" and "Lost Planet of the Gods" had been produced. The book has many shots of beautiful Maren Jensen and Jane Seymour. I've never seen the "Storybook."
ReplyDeleteI have Encyclopedia Galactica, but I'll have to hunt down that Scrapbook. I have heard it's pretty good for stock photos.
ReplyDeleteMmm, this scrapbook never arrived in the UK. Any chance of posting those rare Maren Jensen shots?
ReplyDeleteHey, this reminds me of something else that existed around the same time. Anyone remember the Star Trek Fotonovels? They were paperback books with pages filled with stills taken from an episode, with word balloons added, like a comic book or more like a Mad Magazine issue. Never owned one myself, but some friends had a few volumes.
ReplyDeleteHow about doing a Space1970 entry on those, Christopher?
Fotonovels have been on my "to do" list since I started this blog. I'll get around to them eventually... :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this.
ReplyDeleteJust bought a near new scrapbook on amazon at a great price.
The BG Storybook reads almost like a condensed version of the original Larson/Thurston novelization for kids. I think it was published to tie-in with the theatrical version of the pilot when it was released in the U.S. in 1979, like the BG Photostory published by Berkely.
ReplyDeleteYes, FINALLY got the scrapbook and the Galactica blueprints last month, both minty off eBay. Both were those items I KNEW I'd own one of these days..
ReplyDeleteI'd like to get the Blueprints (and the Trek ones, too) someday, but I never have much luck on eBay. Either the price gets way too high, way too fast, or I get snaked at the last minute. I generally find the experience so frustrating that I don't even bother to look for stuff there anymore.
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