Battlestar Galactica is a science-fiction franchise created by Glen A. Larson, which began in 1978 with the eponymous TV series. By the 21st century, it includes two TV series, two spin-off TV series, TV movies, two film movies (three if you count the original being re-edited for movie release), comic books, tie-in books for both TV series, a board game, and video games.
Titles in the franchise include:
- Battlestar Galactica (1978): The original 1970s series by Glen A. Larson.
- Galactica 1980: A sequel series to the original, largely considered Canon Discontinuity.
- Battlestar Galactica (2003): The 2000s remake by Ronald D. Moore.
- Caprica: The first spin-off of the 2000s remake, a prequel series.
- Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome: The second spinoff of the 2000s remake, the pilot of which debuted online.
- Marvel Comics
- Battlestar Galactica (1979-1981)
- Maximum Press
- Battlestar Galactica: War of Eden (1995)
- Battlestar Galactica: The Enemy Within (1995-1996)
- Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck (1996)
- Battlestar Galactica: Apollo's Journey (1996)
- Battlestar Galactica: Journey's End (1996)
- Dynamite Comics
- Original Continuity
- Classic Battlestar Galactica (2006)
- Battlestar Galactica: Cylon Apocalypse (2007)
- Galactica 1980 (2009)
- (Classic) Battlestar Galactica (2013-2014)
- (Classic) Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck (2013)
- Li'l Battlestar Galactica (2014): Spin-Off Babies one-shot as part of the Lil Dynamites line.
- Steampunk Battlestar Galactica 1880 (2014-2015): A reimagining of the series in a steampunk style.
- Battlestar Galactica: Death of Apollo (2015-2016)
- Battlestar Galactica (Classic) (2016)
- Battlestar Galactica BSG Vs BSG (2018): A 6-issue miniseries Crossover between the original 1978 series and the 2000s reimagined series.
- Battlestar Galactica (Classic) (2018-2019)
- Remake Continuity
- Battlestar Galactica (2006-2007)
- Battlestar Galactica: Zarek (2007)
- Battlestar Galactica Season Zero (2007-2008)
- Battlestar Galactica - Pegasus (2007)
- Battlestar Galactica: Origins (2008)
- Battlestar Galactica: Ghosts (2008-2009)
- Battlestar Galactica: Cylon War (2009)
- Battlestar Galactica: The Final Five (2009)
- Battlestar Galactica: Six (2014)
- Battlestar Galactica: Gods and Monsters (2016-2017)
- Battlestar Galactica: Twilight Command (2019)
- Original Continuity
Literature
- Tor Books
- Battlestar Galactica (2005): Novelization based on the 2005 miniseries.
- Battlestar Galactica: The Cylons' Secret (2006)
- Battlestar Galactica: Sagittarius Is Bleeding (2006)
- Battlestar Galactica: Unity (2007)
- Battlestar Galactica Role Playing Game (2007): The Role-Playing Game using Margaret Weis Productions' Cortex Universal System.
- Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game (2008): A semi-cooperative game of strategy from Fantasy Flight Games.
- Battlestar Galactica: Starship Battles (2018): A Tabletop Strategy Game from Ares Games.
- Battlestar Galactica (2003): A Space-Combat Simulation for the Playstation 2 and Xbox set in an Alternate Continuity from both the 1978 and 2004 series.
- Battlestar Galactica Online (2011): An Internet-based MMO inspired by the 2000s remake.
- Battlestar Galactica Deadlock (2017): A turn-based strategy game prequel to the 2000s remake.
Recurrent tropes in the franchise:
- Space Cossacks: In both the 1978 and 2003 versions, the remnants of the Twelve Colonies flee to Earth in a rag-tag space fleet who Survived the Beginning. On one occasion, the fleet has to ration supplies because resources are extremely scarce when you are running from a Robot Empire.
- Survived the Beginning:
- Battlestar Galactica (1978): Billions are killed in the Cylon attack but once safely away, the fleet manages to avoid substantial losses for quite a while.
- Battlestar Galactica (2003): Helo was supposed to die, having been left behind on Caprica, but the
fandom took a liking to him, and he showed up in the series as a main character.
- Truce Trickery:
- Battlestar Galactica (1978) opens with the Twelve Colonies celebrating a peace agreement between themselves and the Cylons, only for the Cylons to suddenly attack amidst the celebrations, killing most of humanity.
- Battlestar Galactica (2003): The Cylons have had a peace treaty with the Twelve Colonies for forty years, but without warning they launch a massive attack that kills all but a few tens of thousands of humans who escape on ships.
