In Memoriam: Fallen Stars of 2017

This past weekend, it was announced that actor Martin Landau, best known to readers of this site and children of the Seventies as the humanistic Commander John Koenig of Space: 1999, had passed away at the age of 89. A renowned performer, Landau's screen career began on television in the early 1950s, and included memorable roles on The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. After turning down the role of Spock on Star Trek, the actor became a household name with a three-year stint on the hit spy series Mission: Impossible, on which he co-starred with his then-wife, Barbara Bain. (Ironically, Leonard Nimoy replaced him on M:I when Landau left the show.)

In 1975, he and Bain co-starred on the British science fiction series Space: 1999. His role as the intellectual commander of Moonbase Alpha, an artificial habitat on the surface of the wandering Moon, was iconic. After a career slump in the Eighties, the actor received acclaim and Oscar nods in the 90s, with his  win for his portrayal of legendary horror star Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton's Ed Wood being especially notable.

Godspeed, Commander.

As this blog was on hiatus for the last few months, I didn't post notices of the passings of two other Space: 1970 icons (although I did note them on this site's Facebook page.) I want to correct that now.

• On May 24th, Jared Martin, star of the 1977 sci-fi series, The Fantastic Journey, died at age 75. A prolific television actor, Martin not only portrayed the enigmatic, time traveling futurian Varian on Journey, but made guest appearances on The Incredible Hulk, Wonder Woman, Logan's Run and The Six Million Dollar Man. In the late Eighties, he starred as Dr. Harrison Blackwood on the War Of the Worlds television series for two seasons.

I always liked Martin - he possessed an otherworldly quality that served him particularly well in genre roles. He will be missed.

• Back in February, we lost Battlestar Galactica's original Captain Apollo, Richard Hatch. He passed away on February 7th, at the age of 71. As the heroic, responsible fighter pilot, Hatch's Apollo was a genuinely positive role model for 70s Star Kids, and his loss is heavily felt. His connection with the role and the show never faded; in the 90s he produced a "pilot film" for a proposed revival and co-authored several novels continuing the adventures of the Galactica and its multi-generational crew.

When the series was finally rebooted in the early 2000's by the SyFy channel, Hatch joined the cast as Tom Zarek, and provided the voice of Apollo for the 2003 Galactica video game.

I like to think that he has been taken aboard the Ship of Lights for an eternal journey among the stars...

Let's hope that I don't have to write any more obituaries this year.

The Origins Of The Cylons

After the cancellation of the original Battlestar Galactica, Universal re-edited the episodes into two-hour movies and offered them to independent stations as a syndication package.

At least one of these, the "Experiment In Terra" telefilm, included a prologue that showed American astronauts discovering the Battlestar Galactica's log book floating in space. Within it, Adama details the origins of the Cylon race as reptilians who were ultimately conquered by their own cybernetic creations.

Since those telefilms were not released on home video, nor aired anywhere that I ever lived, I never saw this footage until today. Check it out!

Behind-The-Scenes Pix #53: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA

While Lieutenant Starbuck (Dirk Benedict) catches up on the day's news between takes, the talented (and extraordinarily patient) chimpanzee who portrayed the robot daggit, Muffy, gets some fresh air. I'll never understand how the producers ever found a  chimp who could stand working in that suit, especially since that head had so many little motors in it. Good thing he (or she) wasn't claustrophobic!

The Official BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Scrapbook (1978)

One of several Galactica book tie-ins from 1978, James Neyland's Official Battlestar Galactica Scrapbook was a reasonably in-depth look at the making of the "Saga Of A Star World" pilot film, and featured tons of cool stills from the show (including an 8-page "cosmic color" photo insert).

The book includes interviews with Glen Larson, John Dykstra, costume designer Jean-Pierre Dorleac, and pilot director Richard Colla, as well as extensive background on all the major cast members and the characters they portrayed.

There's a lot of stuff crammed into its 104 pages, but the one note that always stuck in my head was the revelation that the much-derided Colonial motorcycles seen in the Galactica: 1980 spin-off were actually planned to be part of the heroes' land transportation "fleet" as early as the planning of the pilot!

I still have my copy of this book sitting on my film/TV reference shelves, although it is, admittedly, a bit scuffed and dented after all these years.

(Yes, I have mentioned this book here on the blog before, but thought it worth revisiting.)

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978) "Super Sets"

From the Miami Herald's TV section for the week of August 6-12, 1978, here's a fairly in-depth interview with the original Battlestar Galactica's art director Jack Chilberg, discussing the forthcoming space epic's impressive sets and production design. Hell, even today, the Galactica's bridge is still one of the most impressive sets from any science fiction series, with its vast, multi-leveled size and functioning details.

News: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978) & GALACTICA 1980 Blu-rays Coming in May

In a nice bit of synchronicity (since I was talking about it in the previous post), Universal announced just today that the original 1978 version of Battlestar Galactica - as well as the follow-up series, Galactica 1980 - will be coming to Region 1 Blu-ray in May, 2015, in two editions with some significant differences. Here's the official Press Release:

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA:
THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION

AND

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA:
THE REMASTERED COLLECTION

COMING TO BLU-RAY ON May 12, 2015
FROM UNIVERSAL PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT


UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Nov. 24, 2014 - From renowned writer/producer Glen A. Larson, the creative force behind Knight Rider, The Six Million Dollar Man, and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, comes the groundbreaking TV series that launched one of the most beloved sci-fi franchises in history, now available in widescreen and high definition as both Battlestar Galactica: The Definitive Collection and Battlestar Galactica: The Remastered Collection come to Blu-ray on May 12, 2015 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. These essential collections for Battlestar Galactica devotees include all 24 explosive episodes of Battlestar Galactica: The Original Series plus the complete 10-episode spin-off series, Galactica 1980.

Newly remastered in 16:9 widescreen presentation for the very first time, Battlestar Galactica: The Remastered Collection features both pioneering series meticulously reformatted to be optimized for the HDTV viewing experience. Battlestar Galactica: The Definitive Collection also includes both series in 4:3 Full Frame as they were originally televised, plus the theatrical version of the premiere episode "Saga of a Star World" presented in 1.85:1 Widescreen for the ultimate collector.

This epic adventure, which provided the inspiration for the critically acclaimed 2004 Syfy reimagined series, comes with over 4 hours of bonus features, including over 3 hours of deleted scenes from Battlestar Galactica: The Original Series! These collections also includes featurettes such as "Glen Larson on the Creation of Battlestar Galactica" and "Stu Phillips: Composing the Score" with an inside look at the genesis of this remarkable production, and "Remembering Battlestar Galactica," a 45-minute retrospective documentary featuring cast and crew on the making of this ground-breaking series.

In Battlestar Galactica: The Original Series, the Twelve Colonies, hopeful for lasting peace following centuries of intense warfare, gather to sign a treaty with their dreaded enemies, the Cylons. But after an act of treachery on the eve of the ceremony, the Cylons launch a devastating surprise attack, destroying the Colonies' home planets and most of their military strength. A lone flagship battlestar, the Galactica, remains to aid the surviving colonists on their epic journey to a new home on a far-off, legendary planet-Earth.

Battlestar Galactica: The Original Series stars Richard Hatch (The Streets of San Francisco), Dirk Benedict (The A-Team), Lorne Greene (Bonanza), Herbert Jefferson Jr. (Apollo 13), John Colicos (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Maren Jensen (The Love Boat), Noah Hathaway (The Never Ending Story), Laurette Spang (Airport 1975), Tony Swartz (Dynasty) and Terry Carter (McCloud).

Galactica 1980: The Complete Series picks up 30 years after the events of Battlestar Galactica, as the original crew finally makes the long-anticipated descent to Earth. With time running out and the Cylons closing in on their trail, Commander Adama and the Galactica team work harder than ever to help Earth create the technology necessary for battle.

Galactica 1980: The Complete Series stars Kent McCord (Emergency), Barry Van Dyke (Diagnosis Murder), Robyn Douglass (Breaking Away) and Lorne Greene.

Battlestar Galactica: The Definitive Collection includes:

    Battlestar Galactica: The Original Series (Widescreen and Full Frame)
    Galactica 1980: The Complete Series (Widescreen and Full Frame)
    Battlestar Galactica - The 125-minute theatrical edit of the premiere episode "Saga of a Star World"


Battlestar Galactica: The Remastered Collection includes:

    Battlestar Galactica: The Original Series (Widescreen)
    Galactica 1980: The Complete Series (Widescreen)


BONUS FEATURES ON BLU-RAY

    Over 3 hours of Deleted Scenes
    Remembering Battlestar Galactica - a 45-minute retrospective documentary featuring cast and crew on the making of this ground-breaking series.
    Episode Commentary with Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict and Herbert Jefferson Jr.
    Glen Larson on the Creation of Battlestar Galactica
    Stu Phillips: Composing the Score
    And More!



THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION - TECHNICAL INFORMATION - Blu-ray
Street Date: 5/12/2015
Running Time: 57 Hrs. 7 Mins
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen, 4:3 Full Frame
Languages:

    Full Frame & Widescreen Versions: English
    Full Frame Version: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese

Subtitles:

    Full Frame & Widescreen Versions: English SDH, Spanish, French
    Full Frame Version: Dutch, Italian, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Japanese, Portuguese

Sound: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS Digital Surround 2.0 Mono (Battlestar Galactica: The Original Series), DTS Digital Surround 2.0 (Galactica 1980: The Complete Series)


THE REMASTERED COLLECTION - TECHNICAL INFORMATION - Blu-ray
Street Date: 5/12/2015
Running Time: 27 Hrs. 31 Mins
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen
Language: English

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Sound: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS Digital Surround 2.0 Mono (Battlestar Galactica: The Original Series), DTS Digital Surround 2.0 (Galactica 1980: The Complete Series)

I don't like at all that they're presenting the TV episodes in an artificial, widescreen aspect ratio, especially since that's the only option with the "Remastered" set. Presumably, this means they're matted, and thus, eliminating information at the top and bottom of the original image. (At least, I hope they're matted rather than horizontally stretched! The Invisible Man Blu-rays a couple of years ago stretched the image to fill 16x9 displays, and it was awful!) At least the "Definitive" set includes the original 4x3 versions as well. That's the one I'll be buying.

I'm also not too upset by the lack of new CGI effects. One of the charms of these shows and movies for me are the handcrafted practical effects, and Galactica's were groundbreaking at the time, and worthy of preservation. I genuinely pity people who can't abide by classic (or "cheesy," as they call them) special effects and want everything to be slick and shiny and soulless. In my opinion, it's an insult to the talented and hardworking craftsmen who created them.

Here at Space: 1970, we're obviously all about practical effects and original aspect ratios.

Captain's bLog: 1124.14

• Five Years In Space:  This blog was five years old on November 2nd. Quite coincidentally, I'm sure, a couple of weeks ago, right in time for the anniversary, the Space: 1970 page on Facebook started getting dozens of "Likes" out of the blue. This was unusual, because the Facebook page has averaged only one or two "Likes" a month for years. Suddenly, there was a huge influx of new fans (presumably), and before too long, the page had surged past the 2,000 "likes" milestone. Needless to say, this sudden interest got me thinking about this site and how badly I've neglected it over the past year or so.

I recently wrapped up my two weekly webcomics (Perils On Planet X and the crime comic Gravedigger), and completed a couple other long-gestating writing projects. As I slowly clear my commitments from my desk, I'm looking forward towards the new year, and figuring out what I want to do next. One thing I definitely want to do is get back to regular posting here on this site.

I doubt I'll ever get back to the nigh-daily updates of a few years ago, but I'd very much like to manage a post two or three times a week. I have a surprising number of unfinished articles, dating back a couple of years. One of my goals is to finish those up, along with a few long-belated reviews (The Aliens Are Coming, Star Maidens, Beyond Westworld, Space Stars, Meteor, Saturn 3, etc.) and get back to some old features (like "Fave fives" and "Favorite Episodes"). I'm also considering doing an episode-by-episode review of The Fantastic Journey television series, one of the few shows from the era that's still not on DVD (many episodes can be found on YouTube, though). We'll see how I do over the next few months, I guess.

For what it's worth... I have been re-watching a lot of 70s sci-fi shows over the last few weeks....

• HD News: Basically, it's all good news/less-good news on the hi-def 70s sci-fi front. Rumor has it that Universal will be releasing a Region 1 Blu-ray set of the original 1978 Battlestar Galactica in early 2015. That's the good news. The less-good news for some folks is that it will apparently not include any re-done CGI special effects (although it seems that they were considering it for a while), but will instead use the same HD masters as the German Blu-rays from a couple years ago.

To be honest, though, I'm kinda glad they didn't replace the effects with new CGI, no matter how nice and slick it might look. Part of my love for these shows is the handcrafted practical effects, and I'm glad they're being preserved.

The long-awaited second season Blu-rays of Space: 1999 appear to finally be on the way, as well. Network has announced that Year Two will be released on Blu-ray in the UK in the Autumn of '15. There will also be a standalone HD release of the two-part "Bringers Of Wonder" episodes.

Before American fans get too excited though, here's the less-good news: there has been no official word as yet about a Region 1 Blu-ray release through A&E, the show's US licensors.

• Stuff to Check Out: My virtual pal Rob Kelly has recently revived his Power Records blog, which means, of course, lots of cool Star Trek, Six Million Dollar Man, Planet Of the Apes and super-hero 45 rpm audio bliss, not to mention scans of the fantastic comics and album covers that graced these nostalgic faves. He's posting pretty much daily, so click over and visit.

I've mentioned it here before (a long while back), but I'm quite taken by what I'm seeing of Spectrum Games' Retrostar RPG, which endeavors to recreate the feel of the kind of 70s space operas we celebrate here at Space: 1970. I get a very strong Star Frontiers vibe off the thing, so you Old School gamers might want to give it a look.

• Space: 1970 Still Wants You: As mentioned in my last "Captain's bLog" (back in July!), I've always been open to - and grateful for - submissions from my readers. Now I want to outright encourage you folks to send me any cool Space: 1970-era stuff you might think would be interesting to your fellow Star Kids. Rare photos and production art, behind-the-scenes stills, nominations for "Space Babes" or Reader Polls, personal photographs of you and your friends with your favorite 70s sci-fi toys, pretty much anything, really. Hell, even if you'd like to write a Guest Post, just e-mail me. I'll do my best to credit any contributions I use, of course.

That's it for now, I guess....

Obit: Glen A. Larson, R.I.P.

Television producer Glen A. Larson, who created the original Battlestar Galactica and developed Buck Rogers for the small screen, passed away Friday night of esophageal cancer at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica. Larson was 77.

An extremely successful producer - although not always a respected one - Larson was responsible for a ton of Seventies and Eighties television, including such hits as Knight Rider, Magnum P.I., B.J. And The Bear, The Fall Guy, Switch, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Alias Smith And Jones, Manimal, Quincy M.E., and more. He produced the second and third Six Million Dollar Man telefilms, and brought the 90's comic book hero NightMan to television.

But for Star Kids, it was Galactica that stands as his shining achievement, an epic-scaled space opera with groundbreaking, theatrical-quality special effects and production design, and themes inspired by Larson's Mormon faith. It debuted in the Fall of 1978 as a Top Ten show, and finished the season as the 25th most popular show on television, only failing to get renewed because of its extravagant million dollar (plus) weekly budget. Despite its abbreviated run, it lived on in novels, comic books and a brief 1980 revival series, eventually being retooled and resurrected in 2004 for the Sci-Fi Channel.

He also worked with Leslie Stevens (The Outer Limits) to update the classic comic strip hero Buck Rogers for Universal and NBC in 1979. The pilot film so pleased the studio that it received a theatrical release in the Summer of 1979, before going on to a two-season run on television.

Although Larson was notorious for ripping off popular movies with his shows (he was even sued by 20th Century Fox and George Lucas over Galactica's similarities to Star Wars), his programs were undeniably entertaining, filled with action, humor and glamor, aimed solidly at family audiences.

I count more than a few of Larson's shows (Magnum P.I., The Fall Guy, Knight Rider) among my all-time favorites, and would rather watch most of them even now than much of what currently airs on TV. If Glen Larson was a hack (as his detractors insist), he was a successful one, and he'll  be missed.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978) Lobby Cards

A number of familiar publicity stills (including the always-popular "beheading of Baltar" scene) grace these theater lobby cards for the 1978-79 (depending on the country) theatrical release of the Battlestar Galactica pilot film ("in Sensurround!).

As you might have noticed, I'm easing back into regular updates here on the blog, even if they've mostly been photos and videos with only brief commentary. I am working on some more substantial posts, though  - some of which I've been working on for a long time. I even have a Space Babes post in the works for July! So stay tuned, Star Kids!

Universal Announces: THE BATTLE OF GALACTICA... LIVE!

Happy New Year! Today we've got this colorful 1980 magazine advertisement announcing Universal Studios' then-new "Battle Of Galactica" attraction. Part of the Hollywood Universal Studio Tour for a decade or so, this immersive, Battlestar Galactica-themed attraction featured animatornic Cylons and other sinister aliens (including a few insectoid Ovions) attempting to hijack a tourist-filled tram for nefarious purposes.

You can view a video of the attraction HERE.

Happy 35th Anniversary BATTLESTAR GALACTICA

"Fleeing from the Cylon tyranny, the last battlestar, Galactica, leads a rag-tag fugitive fleet on a lonely quest: a shining planet, known as... Earth." On this date in 1978, the three-hour world premiere of Glen A. Larson's Battlestar Galactica aired on ABC, and like most of you, I was sitting on the living room floor about three feet from the TV, enjoying every minute of it. Happy 35th anniversary to the epic series that refuses to fade away!

Captain's bLog: 0612:13

Not a lot new to report here; still buried in my comics writing commitments (including the Perils On Planet X webcomic), and still trying to carve out some time to finish up some longer posts. So, in short... new stuff on the way; stay tuned.

• It's possible that I'm simply not looking in the right places or that my Google-fu isn't as strong as I think, but I've been trying unsuccessfully to find a complete list of the Space: 1999 paperbacks published in the U.S. by Pocket Books (Year 1) and Warner Books (Year 2) online. Now that I have a (nearly) complete set of Battlestar Galactica (I'm still missing one volume - haven't found an affordable copy of # 9 yet) and Man From Atlantis novels, I'm now concentrating on filling in the gaps of my Space: 1999 library.

I'm not particularly interested in the Powys Media re-issues, or any modern/new novels; at the moment, I'm focusing on the 70s U.S. volumes. If anyone can direct me to a complete list, I'd appreciate it.

•  So... Best Buy didn't cancel my order properly (despite the fact that I cancelled it a full ten days before I received notification that it had shipped), and I frankly don't trust them to correctly refund my money if I try to return it, so I've got an extra copy of the Battlestar Galactica Blu-ray on my desk. Now I have to figure out what to do with it. Hmmmmm....

•  The Space: 1970 blog has seen huge amounts of traffic lately, due mostly to my post on that unused Star Wars poster art, which garnered links from a number of high-profile sci-fi fansites and on Reddit. The Star Wars Burger Chef commercial has proven popular, too. I only hope that some of these new visitors take a few minutes to explore the rest of the blog and maybe become regular followers. In related news, the Space: 1970 Facebook page now has nearly 1400 "Likes." Cool! The more Star Kids, the better!

•  Blatant Cross-Promotion: I want to remind you all again that my weekly sci-fantasy webcomic, Perils On Planet X, drawn by the talented Gene Gonazles, can be read for free at perilsonplanetx.com.  This serialized interplanetary swashbuckler has a new page posted every Friday, and chronicles the adventures of modern-day Earth astronaut Donovan Hawke, stranded on the lost planet of Xylos, hundreds of millions of years in the past. The story is packed with monsters, beautiful women and lots of Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers-styled thrills. I hope you'll check it out, bookmark it, and follow the comic each week.

Anyone who enjoys my writing and the reviews on this blog should check out my DVD Late Show site, where I have been reviewing B-movies, cult films and genre television shows on DVD and Blu-ray disc since 2005. Among the over 700 reviews on the site are plenty of Space: 1970-era favorites, like Battle Beyond The Stars, Damnation Alley, Starcrash, The Starlost, the Space: 1999 Blu-rays, and many more.

News: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978) Blu-ray Wide Release in August

According to the TV Shows On DVD website today, Universal will be offering the "35th Anniversary Edition" Blu-ray edition of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica feature as a wide mainstream retail release on August 6th, 2013.

The suggested retail price is $19.99. It is now available for pre-order at Amazon via the following link: Battlestar Galactica [Blu-ray]

As regular readers of this site know, the disc is already available as a Best Buy exclusive, and I reviewed it - and my Best Buy experience - HERE at Space: 1970 few days ago.

As I said in my review: the disc looks very good, and it's great that fans will be able to find it and purchase it this Summer without having to deal with the corporate incompetence and related hassles of dealing with the Best Buy chain.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978) Capsule Blu-ray Review

So... I pre-ordered the Best Buy Exclusive Battlestar Galactica Blu-ray from the Best Buy website two weeks before its release date of May 14th. That date came and went without any notification that my disc had been sent until yesterday, when I received an e-mail telling me that my order had been delayed, and was not expected to be sent until mid-June. It also stated that if I didn't wish to wait, I could "cancel my order at anytime."

So today I drove over to my local Best Buy brick & mortar location, and after some searching, I finally found their one and only copy. When I got home, I called the telephone number provided in their e-mail and attempted to cancel the order. I won't detail that heinous experience except to say that I still don't know if the order was cancelled or not. Best Buy keeps blaming Amazon and other online retailers for their financial woes, when the truth is, they simply suck. In the 90s, they were okay. Now? Not so much.

Their own online ordering is - as evidenced by this screw up - a bad joke, their in-store employees are - without exception - lazy and uninformed, and their customer service overall is half-assed. I wouldn't shop there at all if not for their Exclusives and clearance DVD/Blu-ray bins.

Enough of that particular rant. So, Chris, how was Battlestar Galactica's Blu-ray presentation? 

Very good. The 1080p HD remaster is framed at a 1.85:1 aspect ratio approximating the original, matted, theatrical format, and Galactica has never looked this good. Colors are strong, vibrant and obviously re-timed/corrected, looking much better than the previous home video releases on VHS and DVD. While the effects work shows its age and the limitations of the 1970s process work (the image degrades with each additional element in the composite shots), it still looks surprisingly good - much better than I anticipated. Some shots are truly spectacular - especially on my big-screen monitor - and there is no evidence of extensive DNR or other digital tweaking. The audio has been remastered in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.1 with Sensurround! There are no bonus fetaures included on this edition, but there is a trailer for the recent Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome release.

Overall, it's a really solid HD upgrade. It doesn't look like a modern digital special effects film - it can't - but it is a fine presentation of the 1978 feature. At a SRP of $14.99, it comes highly recommended for all Star Kids - too bad it's only available from the Best Buy chain.

NOTE: What a difference a typo makes! I intended to type "and there is no evidence of extensive DNR," not "there is now evidence of extensive DNR." Sorry for the confusion. To repeat, I've been reviewing digital video formats professionally for nearly a decade, and I saw no evidence that this Battlestar Galactica Blu-ray transfer was anything but a straight 1080p HD remaster from a clean 1978 source print, aside from some welcome and appropriate color correction.

NOTE #2: I never, never, never noticed this before, but every time they show the Imperious Leader from above in the movie, the improved resolution reveals that he/it appears to have a small green lizard perched on his/its left shoulder! What the frak?!

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978) Action Figures Commercial

Today we've got a 1978-vintage kid's TV ad for Mattel's new Battlestar Galactica "Colonial Warrior" and "Cylon Centurion" action figures. Have a great weekend!

Captain's bLog: 0506.13

• Well, I did a slightly better job keeping up with this blog in April than I did in March. Still have a number of long-ish posts/reviews in the works, waiting for a spare hour or two to finish them up....

• I've pre-ordered the Battlestar Galactica Blu-ray from Best Buy (at present, it is exclusive to that chain). As soon as I get my hands on it - which should be in just over two weeks, depending on how efficiently Best Buy fulfills their online orders - I'll let you all know how it looks.

I did pick up Shout! Factory's DVD of Kinji Fukasaku's Message From Space last week, and it looks very good, although I think Shout's source print is a little more beat up (more specks and pops) and the transfer a bit darker and less detailed than the Eastern Star import DVD. The Shout disc's English-only mono audio is crisper and clearer than the optional English language track on the Eastern Star disc, however.

• Star Kid Tim Snider sent me a note a few days ago to let me know about a forthcoming role playing game from Spectrum Games called Retrostar. Why? Well, because apparently, it's designed to emulate exactly the sort of movies and TV shows this blog was created to celebrate. From the Spectrum website:

While most people associate the 1970s with disco, polyester, feathered hair and eight-track tapes, many of us were far too busy being enthralled by the unprecedented amount of sci-fi programming on television to even notice those things. The television landscape was rife with these shows, from all the primetime series to the Saturday morning kid-vid fare. And that was just fine by us.

Those days may be long gone, but the shows still live on in our hearts and memories -- shows about the doomed human race attempting to escape its robotic oppressors; shows about a time-tossed astronaut making his way in a future world; shows about the occupants of a moonbase on an unwitting journey when the moon itself gets knocked out of Earth's orbit; shows about an individual who was rebuilt into a bionic man to be better... stronger... faster; shows about scientists traveling across the post-apocalyptic wasteland in a futuristic RV to find remnants of civilization and to help rebuild it.

These are the shows that -- despite their campiness, hit-and-miss acting and limited budgets (or perhaps partly because of such factors) -- have stuck with us for decades. With Retrostar, you'll relive all the magic and excitement of the sci-fi shows of yesteryear, right at your game table. 

I wonder if the folks at Spectrum are fans of this site?

•  Blatant Cross-Promotion: First, I want to remind you all again that my weekly sci-fantasy webcomic, Perils On Planet X, drawn by the talented Gene Gonazles, can be read for free at perilsonplanetx.com.  This serialized interplanetary swashbuckler has a new page posted every Friday, and chronicles the adventures of modern-day Earth astronaut Donovan Hawke, stranded on the lost planet of Xylos, hundreds of millions of years in the past. The story is packed with monsters, beautiful women and lots of Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers-styled thrills. I hope you'll check it out, bookmark it, and follow the comic each week.

Anyone who enjoys my writing and the reviews on this blog should check out my DVD Late Show site, where I have been reviewing B-movies, cult films and genre television shows on DVD and Blu-ray disc since 2005. Among the over 700 reviews on the site are plenty of Space: 1970-era favorites, like Battle Beyond The Stars, Damnation Alley, Starcrash, The Starlost, the Space: 1999 Blu-rays, and many more.

News: 1978 BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Movie Blu-ray Confirmed - Coming In May!

Looks like the earlier rumors are true. According to various sources, Universal will be releasing a high-def Blu-ray of the 1978 theatrical release version of the Battlestar Galactica pilot on May 14th, which they are labeling as the "35th Anniversary Edition."

As long-time fans know, in order to help recoup some of its high production costs, Universal released a theatrical version of the Battlestar Galactica pilot, "Saga Of A Star World," around Christmas, 1978. It primarily played in non-U.S. markets, but it got some domestic distribution too, the theatrical experience augmented by the studio's patented Sensurround audio process.

Very few details about this edition are available as yet. Presumably, this will be the matted, 1.78:1 widescreen version that Universal previously released on DVD. No bonus features or supplements have been announced. It also appears that it will be Best Buy exclusive, so bear that in mind if you want to pick it up. (It's already on their website for pre-order HERE.)  

I'll be buying it for sure.

70's Sci-Fi Topps Trading Card Flyers

I collected a lot of Topps bubblegum cards back in the 1970's. I had tons of Star Wars cards (blue, red, yellow and green series) almost all of the Galactica cards (and still have most of them), and a small stack of Buck Rogers cards. I didn't collect the Superman or Hulk cards, but I seem to remember buying some Star Trek - TMP sets.

Anyway, here, courtesy of Star Kid (and Dark Shadows aficionado) Cousin Barnabas (of the Collinsport Historical Society), are a selection of colorful promotional flyers produced by Topps to interest retailers in carrying their various Space: 1970-era photo cards. Enjoy!

Behind-The-Scenes Pix #38: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA

A squadron's-worth of Colonial Viper miniatures await the call to combat in Universal's Battlestar Galactica at John Dykstra's Apogee model shop, circa 1978.

News: Original BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1978) Coming to Blu-ray Soon?

Maybe. I've read reports in a couple of places now that folks who bought the new Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome miniseries on Blu-ray found an insert inside the case that promised "The Original Movie That Launched A Phenomenon" and "Own it on Blu-ray High-Def!"

Star Kid Jerome Wybon posted a photo of that insert on the Space: 1970 Facebook page. I haven't found a listing for it on Amazon yet, nor any official online announcements. If - or when - I get more information, I'll update this post. If anyone finds anything, please pass it along.

Hopefully, this is true, and Universal will have put at least a little effort into cleaning up the source material and remastering it for HD, although based on the studio's track record, I'm not going to bet on anything. Still, I've said several times that I'd love to have this on Blu-ray, and I'm thrilled by the possibility. Hell, the standalone DVD I own of the Battlestar Galactica pilot isn't even anamorphic, so I'll be buying any new Blu-ray edition without hesitation. Stay tuned.