Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979): Dog of War

There is no real reason the original Battlestar Galactica (Larson 1978-1979) is the second post (and the first ship) on this blog. I was just in the mood. It is that sort of blog. If I ever finish the book version of this idea (or make it into a wiki, or etc.), it will be in chronological order.

OK, is it just me (sadly, it usually is) or is Battlestar Galactica (1978) conceptually the Bullitt (Yates, 1968) of outer space?  If 2001 (1968) was high-concept near-future, realistic science fiction film, Star Trek (1966) was an egalitarian (mostly) utopian future of exploration and green chicks, and Star Wars (1977) was archetypal space-opera, Galactica was the real war show. Seriously, despite the title and a few plot elements, Star Wars was not really about a war, it was about the archetypal battle between good (in this case low-tech mysticism) and evil (technocracy). You can do that in a war, sure, but you can also do that in a living room. We only really see a war at the end. Saying Star Wars is actually a war film is like saying Casablanca (Curtiz, 1942) is a war film. The events happen during a war, sure, but it ain't The Guns of Navaronne (Thompson, 1961) for crying out loud.

Battlestar Galactica, on the other hand, is about a freaking war and the titular ship shows it. Yes, I can hear you now thinking Bullitt was not a war show either. But it is--it is a personal war and the film is very war-like. In any case. I am totally exaggerating because that is how I think and that is just what I am doing here. But let's admit it, compared to Enterprise, Galactica is a hog. She's a big piece of metal in space whose "mission" is to blow shit up. Yes, yes, I know "protect the people and save humanity from the evil Cylons" and all that . . . by blowing them up. Duh.

Does Galactica look like it is protecting anything? The monster ship is shaped like a cross between a casket, usually used for burying dead people, and a six-legged troglodyte which turns people to stone with its gaze, an aircraft carrier which also specializes in blowing shit up, and a ginormous heavily-armed rocket  (have you seen the ass on that thing they call an engine?) that shoots hundred of heavily-armed space planes at whatever happens to be in the way. 

I mean the show starts with the near destruction of an entire species. Twelve whole worlds. That is a war in space, forget your mamby-pamby Alderon (sorry, Princess Leia. I love you, but I am working a point here).

In essence, Galactica does not look like it goes anywhere particularly fast, it looks like it goes everywhere really loudly. Like an aircraft carrier, the point of the design is to announce that it is there. It is not like some species is going to look around and suddenly say "Hey! How long has that Galactica thing been in here?"

References
"Battlestar Galactica (ship) on Wikipedia
http://media.battlestarwiki.org/wiki/Main_Page