Old School Galactica musings

[UnderdogDJLSW]

RTV was playing the Count Iblis episode with the ship of lights and that episode along with an earlier episode use the stock SFX from the Universal movie "Silent Running" as their Agro Ships. As a kid, I had just assumed that it saved them time and money to use the set and models from that movie rather than create new pieces for Galactica.

Recently, though, I had read (from another post) that Universal, when sued by Fox stating that BG was ripping off SW, Universal counter-sued saying that Lucas stole from "Silent Running. I am wondering if the inclusion of those Agro Ship designs into the show were done because it helped prove Universal's owner ship of the items they were talking about? I am probably reading too much into it

[johnmiic]

Universal owns Silent Running and Galactica. Using the footage of the Valley Forge as the Agro-ship was a cost-cutting measure. They could use the footage and not have to pay someone to design a new ship or build a new model to film for a weekly TV series. So they saved money and time because they didn't have to go thru the design process and have it composited either. On a weekly series, especially Galactica where the SFX were predominant, it is really tough to do spaceships every week.

You will also notice if you watch Buck Rogers they re-cycled everything used on Galactica because they are also Universal/Glen Larson productions. The Buck lasers are from The Eastern Alliance. The Earth Starfighter was the original Viper design. The hallways of the Draconia, The Lyrann Queen and The Searcher first appeared in Galactica in shots where the Warriors take the fast-tram to their vipers. The Galactica shuttle and various Rag Tag Fleet ships pop-up throughout Buck's run.

Universal's counter-suit against Lucas was that the robots from Silent Running, Huey, Dewey & Lewey, were ripped off in the form of R2-D2, (and I guess R5-D4), because they portrayal was similar: short, squat robots are cute and endearing, awwwww... The counter-suit is total B.S. and was a way for Universal to fight back against Lucas. Physically SW Robots do not look like Silent Running robots. If anything some SW robots look like the Daleks from Doctor Who.

Glen Larson has a rep in the TV industry as being a thief as far as making TV shows. His nick-name is Glen Larceney. Haralan Ellison has referred to him as such in print and in the Logan's Run TV soundtrack the author of the insert also mentions it. He claimed he wrote the Galactica TV movie long before SW but if that's the case he would have registered his script with the Writer's Guild. They would have had a copy to present as evidence in court. If that had happened I think it would not have gone as far as it did. I have to side with Lucas in this one.