Battlestar Galactica: The Miniseries Episode #1.1
Battlestar Galactica: The Miniseries Season 1 Episode #1.1
In a distant part of the galaxy lie The Twelve Colonies of Man, a civilization that has been at peace for some forty years with an empire of machines, the Cylons, who were created generations before as worker drones for mankind, but became independent, rose in rebellion, and launched war on their masters. Now, the Cylons have evolved into more human form, into machine-created biological beings, who seek to exterminate true biological humans. To this end they use a human scientist, Gaius, to help one of their infiltrators, known as #6, penetrate the Colonies’ master defense mainframes; Gaius is reluctant but smitten by #6, a Cylon woman of seemingly insatiable sexual desire, and the result of their affair is a nuclear sneak-attack that obliterates the Colonies and the star navy deployed for their protection. One ship, however, survives, an obsolete battlestar known as the Galactica; scheduled for decommissioning, the Galactica instead must lead 50,000 surviving humans on a quest for a new home world, where they must bear children to rebuild their race. First, however, the Galactica must lead surviving ships of the Colonies to a weapons deployment base within a spatial storm, a rendezvous that leaves them trapped when two Cylon base stars track them down and open fire.
Also Known As: Battlestar Galactica: The Miniseries
Creators: Ronald D. Moore, Glen A. Larson
Director: Michael Rymer
Star Cast: Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer
Producer (s):
Production House: R&D TV, Sky TV, USA Cable Entertainment, David Eick Productions, R&D TV Enterprises, Studios USA, NBCUniversal Television Distribution
Original network / Official Sites: Sky One, Sci Fi Channel
Release Year: 8 December 2003 (USA)
Runtime: 135 min
Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Language: English
After a 40-year armistice in a war between the Twelve Colonies (the homeworlds populated by humans) and the Cylons (human-created robots), the Cylons launch a surprise nuclear attack intended to exterminate the human race. Virtually all of the population of the Twelve Colonies is wiped out. Most of the Colonial military is either rendered ineffective or destroyed due to malware in the military computer network that renders it vulnerable to cyber attack. The malware was introduced by Number Six (Tricia Helfer), a Cylon in the form of a human woman, who seduced the famous scientist Dr. Gaius Baltar (James Callis) and exploited their relationship to gain access codes under the cover of an insider contract bid.
The Battlestar Galactica, a hybrid battleship/aircraft carrier in space that fought in the earlier war, is in the final stages of being decommissioned and converted to a museum when the attack occurs. During her decades of colonial service the Galactica’s computer systems had never been networked so the Galactica is unaffected by the Cylon sabotage. Its commander, William Adama (Edward James Olmos), assumes command of the few remaining elements of the human fleet. He heads for the Ragnar Anchorage, a military armory station where the Galactica can resupply itself with weaponry and essential supplies.
Caprica under bombardment during the Cylon attack.
Secretary of Education Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) is sworn in as President of the Twelve Colonies after it is confirmed that the President and most of the government have been killed (Roslin is 43rd in line of succession). The government starship carrying her (Colonial One) manages to assemble a group of surviving civilian ships.
When a Colonial Raptor shuttle from the Galactica lands briefly for repairs on the Twelve Colonies’ capital world of Caprica, the two-person crew, Sharon Valerii (callsign “Boomer”) (Grace Park) and Karl C. Agathon (callsign “Helo”) (Tahmoh Penikett), offer to evacuate a small group of survivors. Helo remains on the stricken planet, giving up his seat to evacuate Baltar, whom he recognizes for his celebrity status as a scientific genius.