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The Living Legend

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"The Living Legend"
Battlestar Galactica episodes
Episode nos.Season 1
Episodes 12 and 13
Directed byVince Edwards
Written byGlen A. Larson
Story byGlen A. Larson and Ken Pettus
Production codes50919 and 50920[citation needed]
Original air date
    • November 26, 1978 (1978-11-26) (Part 1)
    • December 3, 1978 (1978-12-03) (Part 2)
Guest appearances
  • Lloyd Bridges as Commander Cain
  • Rod Haase as Tolan[1]
  • Junero Jennings as Pegasus bridge officer[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Young Lords"
Next →
"Fire in Space"
List of episodes

"The Living Legend" is a two-part episode of the American science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. Written by series creator Glen A. Larson and directed by Vince Edwards, the episodes were originally broadcast on ABC on November 26 and December 3, 1978.

"The Living Legend" introduced the character of Commander Cain (Lloyd Bridges) and the Battlestar Pegasus, both of which were revived in the reboot series episode "Pegasus" in 2005. It also introduced the recurring characters of Lieutenant Sheba (Anne Lockhart) and Bojay (Jack Stauffer), and included the final appearance of the recurring character of the Cylon Imperious Leader.

The episodes were later edited and released theatrically in 1979 under the title Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack, which also included material from the episode "Fire in Space".

Plot

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The Battlestar Galactica encounters the Pegasus, a battlestar previously assumed to have been destroyed, which is under the command of Commander Cain. The two battlestars fight the Cylons.

Production and broadcast

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"The Living Legend" was directed by Vince Edwards and written by series creator Glen A. Larson,[2] from a story by Larson and Ken Pettus.[3]

The episodes introduced the character of Commander Cain (Lloyd Bridges) and the Battlestar Pegasus,[2] both of which were revived in remake series episode "Pegasus" in 2005.[4] They also introduced the recurring characters of Lieutenant Sheba (Anne Lockhart)[2][5] and Bojay (Jack Stauffer),[2][6] and included the final appearance of the recurring character of the Cylon Imperious Leader.[citation needed] Nigel Andrews said the narrative concerning Galactica's shortage of fuel, and the Cylons' possession of an abundance of it, was influenced by the 1970s energy crisis that was happening at the time.[7]

Part one aired on ABC on November 26, 1978, and part two aired on December 3, 1978.[8][1]

Reception

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John Kenneth Muir praised "The Living Legend",[2] and Krystal Sim called the episodes "memorable".[9]

Novelization

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The novelization Battlestar Galactica 6: The Living Legend was written by Glen A. Larson and Nicholas Yermakov, and was published by Berkeley Books in New York in 1982.[10]

Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack

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The episodes were later edited and released theatrically in 1979 under the title Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack,[11][12][13] which also included material from the episode "Fire in Space".[3]

The reviews of this film were described as "not so good".[14] This film has been described as "glossy",[15] "flimsily constructed"[16] and a "cosmic yawn".[17] Wishart said the film was liable to "fuel the imagination".[18]

The film was broadcast in Germany under the title Mission Galactica: Angriff der Zyclonen[19] or Mission Galactica: Angriff der Zyklonen[20] and shown in sensurround in cinemas there under the title Mission Galactica: Angriff der Zylonen.[21] It was shown in France under the title Galactica: Les Cylons Attaquent.[22]

Mission Galactica was released on VHS, Betamax[23] and LaserDisc.[24] The book Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack was published by Grandreams in London in 1980.[25]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Battlestar Galactica: Episode Guide". Starlog. No. 27. October 1979. p. 39. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e Muir, John Kenneth (1999). "8. 'The Living Legend' (Parts I and II)"". An Analytical Guide to Television's Battlestar Galactica (2005 ed.). McFarland & Company. pp. 81–84. ISBN 978-1-4766-0656-9 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b Willis, Donald C. (1982). Horror and Science Fiction Films II. Scarecrow Press. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-8108-1517-9 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Moore, Ron (September 24, 2005). "Battlestar Galactica episode 210 commentary: 'Pegasus'" (Podcast). Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  5. ^ Phillips, Mark; Garcia, Frank (1996). "Battlestar Galactica". Science Fiction Television Series: Episode Guides, Histories, and Casts and Credits for 62 Prime-Time Shows, 1959 through 1989. Vol. 1. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-1-4766-1030-6. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  6. ^ Cullen, Ian (June 19, 2002). "Jack Stauffer Chats about His Ongoing Interests in Theatrical Works and Gives Us His Views on the Battlestar Galactica Revival". Sci Fi Pulse. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  7. ^ Andrews, Nigel (May 2, 1980). "A Thunderous Tempest". Financial Times. p. 21.
  8. ^ "Episode List: Battlestar Galactica (1978–1980)". TV Tango. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  9. ^ Sim, Krystal (November 19, 2014). "Battlestar Galactica Complete Original Series Blu-ray Review". SciFiNow. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  10. ^ Pederson, Jay P., ed. (1995). St. James Guide to Science Fiction Writers. Vol. 1 (4th ed.). St. James Press. p. 423. ISBN 978-15586-2179-4. Retrieved February 24, 2024 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ "Battlestar Flys on Sky". TV Zone. No. 27. February 1992. p. 5. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  12. ^ Fulton, Roger (1990). The Encyclopedia of TV Science Fiction. Boxtree. p. 54. ISBN 978-18528-3277-3 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ Parish, James Robert; Pitts, Michael R. (1990). The Great Science Fiction Pictures II. Scarecrow Press. p. 37. ISBN 978-08108-2247-4 – via Google Books.
  14. ^ Crawley, Tony (September 1980). "A Starburst Interview: Glen Larsen (Part One)". Starburst. No. 25. p. 53.
  15. ^ "Today's Movies". Sydney Morning Herald. 28 June 1982. p 14.
  16. ^ Doug Anderson. "Pick of the Day". Sydney Morning Herald. The Guide. 8 October 1984. p 13.
  17. ^ "Sydney TV movies". The Sun-Herald. 7 October 1984. p 88.
  18. ^ Eric Wishart. "War - real and fictional" in "Entertainment/Review". Glasgow Herald. 30 June 1980. p 2.
  19. ^ "Fernsehen" (1987) 41 Der Spiegel 304 (No 46: 8 November 1987)
  20. ^ (1983) 36 Film-Dienst. (1994) 18 Zitty
  21. ^ Klaus Braeuer. "Mission Galactica: Angriff der Zylonen". Cinema. Number 8: August 1979. pp 20 & 21.
  22. ^ Ecran. Fiches du cinéma: Tous les films 1979.
  23. ^ Your Movie Guide to Science Fiction/Fantasy Video Tapes and Discs. 1985. p 62
  24. ^ Daynes and Butler. The Videodisc Book: A Guide and Directory. 1984 Edition. John Wiley & Sons. p 357. 36 Cinefantastique 52
  25. ^ Mission Galactica. ISBN 0 86227 005 7.
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