Hollywood has been chasing the blockbuster excessive of “Star Wars” since 1977 — and infrequently falling quick. One of many first and most clear copies, although, was on tv. In 1978, Glen A. Larson created an area opera for serialization on ABC: “Battlestar Galactica.” Set in far-away house, the collection kicked off with the TV film “Saga of a Star World.” People, residing on 12 planets named for the astrological indicators, are at warfare with a robotic race referred to as the Cylons. A shock assault sees the Cylons laying waste to their enemies — the remaining people flee in a “ragtag fugitive fleet” led by the eponymous starship.
The “Star Wars” similarities are apparent, each in narrative and aesthetic. Lieutenant Starbuck (Dirk Benedict) in “Battlestar Galactica” is a cocky starship pilot, clearly modeled on Han Solo (Harrison Ford). Just like the X-Wings in “Star Wars,” the heroes fly one-man, fighter jet type ships (“Vipers”) into battle. A destroyed homeworld echoes the Dying Star atomizing Alderaan. On the aspect of evil, the Cylon Centurions put on helmets resembling Darth Vader’s and performance like Stormtroopers. The huge frames and clunky hull plating of the Cylons’ ships, aka Basestars, evoke the Empire’s Star Destroyers.
Each exhibits additionally characteristic people residing on planets moreover Earth. Whereas the galaxy far, far-off continues to be unconnected to ours, “Battlestar” makes the absence of Earth a plot level. The survivor fleet is trying to find a brand new residence and chasing down myths {that a} thirteenth tribe of males settled on a planet referred to as “Earth.”
Nevertheless, this and different superficial variations weren’t sufficient to appease the homeowners of “Star Wars.” Actually, “Battlestar Galactica” wound up the lynchpin of the 1978 lawsuit Twentieth Century-Fox Movie Corp v. MCA, Inc.
How the Star Wars/Battlestar Galactica lawsuit was determined
The case was initially filed within the Central District Court docket of California. Fox and Lucasfilm argued that “Battlestar Galactica” was too just like “Star Wars” to be something however a clear rip-off. MCA, Common, and ABC naturally contested this and pushed for a abstract judgment (the place a court docket decides in favor of 1 social gathering, with out a jury or trial).
District Court docket Decide Irving Hill granted the abstract judgment in October 1980, however the plaintiffs appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court docket. After arguments in 1982, the circuit court docket launched a call overruling the abstract judgment in January 1983. “After viewing the ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Battlestar’ movement photos, we conclude that the movies do actually increase real points of fabric reality as as to if solely the ‘Star Wars’ thought or the expression of that concept was copied,” the Ninth Circuit judges wrote.
The judges didn’t, to be clear, declare there was plagiarism from “Star Wars” in “Battlestar,” solely that the query of there being so was not open-and-shut sufficient for a abstract judgment. “At a minimal, it’s a shut sufficient query that it needs to be resolved by means of a trial. We intimate no opinion whether or not the movies are considerably related as to both thought or expression, however state solely that affordable minds might differ on these key factual points.” No trial ever occurred, although, as a result of Fox and co. and MCA and co. settled the case in November 1983. $225,00 was paid to Fox the next March, in keeping with “The Making of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Again” by J.W. Rinzler.
What got here subsequent for Battlestar Galactica?
An enormous cause for the similarities between “Star Wars” and “Battlestar Galactica” is as a result of they shared a number of key designers. “Star Wars” idea artist Ralph McQuarrie additionally supplied idea artwork for “Galactica.” In the meantime, the visible results in “Battlestar Galactica” have been dealt with by John Dykstra (who’d labored on “Star Wars”) and his firm Apogee inc. Dykstra had created Apogee with different alumni from Industrial Mild and Magic (ILM), the results firm Lucas based to make “Star Wars.” When you’ve gotten overlapping crews engaged on two productions in the identical style, similarities are inevitable.
In accordance with Rinzler’s aforementioned e book, Dykstra utilizing strategies he’d refined at ILM to assist make “Battlestar Galactica” is a key cause why Lucas was peeved on the present’s existence. That, and since an (in his view) inferior product like “Battlestar Galactica” would shut off curiosity in an actual “Star Wars” TV present. (“They’ve already spoiled the tv market.”)
However by the point of the settlement, “Galactica” had already been canceled; it solely ran for one season of 24 episodes, and the revival “Galactica 1980” ended after 10 episodes. 40+ years would move earlier than a live-action “Star Wars” tv collection (“The Mandalorian”), however Lucas’ house franchise, not Larson’s, continues to be simply the victor within the court docket of public opinion.
It took till 2003 for “Battlestar Galactica” to turn into a success, with a darker “reimagining” that ran for 4 seasons on the Sci-Fi channel. The brand new collection forged off the pulpy house journey really feel of the unique, as an alternative taking extra after “Star Trek” (co-creator Ronald D. Moore was a long-time “Trek” author and used “Galactica” to inform tales he could not at his previous job) and “Blade Runner” (the reimagined Cylons have been created by man and try to exist of their creators’ picture). With a camp deficit (“BSG ’03” performed up the post-apocalyptic aspect of the premise way more than the unique), social relevance in put up 9/11 America, and glorious performing/characterization among the many lead forged, “Battlestar Galactica” lastly turned a success 25 years late. Not unhealthy for what started as a tacky, quickly-canned “Star Wars” knock-off.
