LOS ANGELES, CA. (February 19, 2004) - BATTLESTAR GALACTICA strikes back with a new TV series on the Sci-Fi Channel in December; and MAJESTIC STUDIOS strikes back, in mid-October, with 12-inch premium collectible figures from the original 1979 TV series.

"All your favorites will be here," according to Majestic Studio's CEO Rick Phares. "The first three good guy figures will be Richard Hatch as Captain Apollo, Dirk Benedict as Lieutenant Starbuck, and Lorne Greene as Commander Adama with more figures to follow. The villainous Cylons will be represented by the famous chrome robotic Cylon Centurion and the rarely seen, but equally evil, gold robotic Cylon Centurion."

Battlestar Galactica follows the travails of the twelve tribes of Mankind after their search for peace with the evil Cylon Empire ends in the largest military sneak attack in the history of galactic warfare, leaving all twelve worlds utterly destroyed. The surviving citizens of these worlds are forced to take flight into the stars under the wing of their race's only surviving warship, a 4,100-foot-long fighting and carrier craft named the Galactica.

Galactica and 'Ancient Astronauts'

Their only hope is to find the mythical planet Earth, the supposed thirteenth colony of Mankind, lost millennia ago when humans first left the mother world, Kobol. The series was heavily influenced by author Erich Von Daniken's book, Chariots of the Gods. The book, which sold over forty million copies, presented his theories that the Earth was visited by extra-terrestrials some 10,000 to 40,000 years ago.

While the aliens were here, Von Daniken suggests, they built the great pyramids in Egypt, laid down airfields that can still be seen today in Peru, and interbred with early humans to produce Homo sapiens. The inhabitants of the Galactica don't know what Earth holds in store, but they hope it will give them a base to fight back against the Cylons and rebuild their race.

Background of the Original Production

Many people say Universal Studios was inspired by the runaway success of Star Wars to quickly put into development, Exec. Producer Glen A. Larson's sci-fi project from the late 60's, "Adam's Ark," later to become Galactica. But, more to the point, was the fact that Universal had listened to George Lucas' pitch for Star Wars after they had released his highly successful American Graffiti, and then, in one of the worst business moves ever, they passed on it.

To make up for this mistake, they committed to the largest budget ever for a sci-fi TV production, over $1 million per episode, unheard of in 1978. They brought in Star War's Ralph McQuarrie as pre-production designer and John Dykstra as head of special effects. McQuarrie's early renditions appeared quite similar to what had been seen in the first Star Wars movie. George Lucas immediately filed a lawsuit. The legal action continued well into actual production, but it had a positive affect on the designs and execution. It forced the designers to create a truly unique universe.

The writers followed suit by creating stories different from Star Wars or Star Trek, but still involving universal themes such as political corruption, class division, mass starvation, religious fanaticism, without ever losing sight of personal stories about family and romance. The show effectively detailed the desperate plight of these space refugees who are forced to draw a line in the stars and fight back when all odds are against them.

John Dykstra's Impact on Popular Culture

The coming of Star Wars in 1977 spurred many movie & TV producers to explore outer space. It signaled that ultra realistic special effects were now within the reach of every major motion picture studio. It even reinvigorated the Star Trek franchise, which released its first theatrical film, Star Trek The Motion Picture, in 1979; and continues today with TV's Enterprise.

The first major impact of Star Wars was seen at Universal Studios in 1978 when Exec. Producer Glen A. Larson joined with the special effects wizard from Star Wars itself, John Dykstra, to create the epic survival saga Battlestar Galactica for broadcast on ABC-TV.

Much of Star Wars' and Galactica's impact was due to Dykstra's camera hardware knowledge, having studied industrial design at California State University at Long Beach. He created the 'Dykstraflex' system, which was the first computer-controlled motion control camera. All of today's in-camera special effects are based on this system, which can remember multiple movements from miniatures and/or live action actors, and allow seamless integration of the two or more images.

The Origin Story of Battlestar Galactica (Episode 1)

The 12 colonies of man are destroyed after a 1000-year war with the evil Cylon Empire. Through deceit, the Cylons are able to destroy the Colonies' entire fleet, except for the Battlestar Galactica, captained by Commander Adama. Adama gathers up the few remaining humans left from the twelve worlds and embarks on a journey to find the mythical planet Earth, the supposed thirteenth colony of Mankind, lost millennia ago when humans first left the mother world, Kobol. With food and fuel running out, the fleet heads for an ore planet, Carillon, hoping to get what it needs. The Ovions, who populate the planet, are being controlled by the Cylons, who set a trap for the Galactica. But, the fleet does get food and fuel, and just barely escapes, destroying Carillon and a Cylon Base Star on its' way out.

More information about accessories and packaging of the 12" Classic Battlestar Galactica figures will be released closer to the mid-October, 2004, release date.