Battlestar Galactica is an Americanscience fiction television series created byGlen A. Larson that aired on theABC network from September 17, 1978, to April 29, 1979. It stars an ensemble cast led byRichard Hatch,Dirk Benedict andLorne Greene.^[1][2] Canceled after 24 episodes, the series was revived asGalactica 1980, which aired for 10 episodes from January 27 to May 4, 1980, and featured only Greene andHerbert Jefferson Jr. from the original series cast.^[3][4]

Battlestar Galactica follows a group of human survivors fleeing the destruction of their homeworlds aboard thetitular spacecraft, searching for a new home while being pursued by theCylons, a fearsome society of robots intent on exterminating all humans. InGalactica 1980, set 30 years later, the fleet finds contemporary Earth with the Cylons still in pursuit.

TheBattlestar Galactica franchise was rebooted on theSci-Fi Channel with a2003 miniseries and a2004–2009 series, using new incarnations of some characters from the original series and inventing others.^[5]

Captain Apollo, portrayed byRichard Hatch,^[6][7] is a Viper starfighter pilot on theBattlestarGalactica, the son ofCommander Adama and brother ofLieutenant Athena. The leader of Blue Squadron, Apollo is typically partnered with his best friend,Lieutenant Starbuck. Early in the series, Apollo marries reporter-turned-Viper pilotSerina, but she is killed byCylons, and Apollo adopts her young son,Boxey.

Lee Adama (call sign "Apollo"), portrayed byJamie Bamber, is a reimagined version of Captain Apollo in the2003 miniseries and2004–2009 series.^[8] Hatch played a different recurring character,Tom Zarek, in the reboot series.^[8]

Lieutenant Starbuck, portrayed byDirk Benedict,^[6][7] is Apollo's charismatic best friend, a skilled Viper pilot known for gambling and womanizing. Over the course of the series, he develops a romantic relationship withCassiopeia. In "The Man with Nine Lives", Starbuck comes to believe that con manChameleon, who needs the pilot's help to evade revenge-seeking Borellians, may be his father.

TV Guide ranked Starbuck # 21 on its "25 Greatest Sci-Fi Legends of All Time" list.^[9]

Kara Thrace (call sign "Starbuck"), portrayed byKatee Sackhoff, is a gender-swapped version of Lieutenant Starbuck in the 2003 miniseries and 2004–2009 series.^[10][11]

Commander Adama, portrayed byLorne Greene,^[6][7] is the commander of the BattlestarGalactica and the refugee human fleet, and the father of Apollo and Athena. A religious man, he is also the spiritual leader of the surviving colonists, and leads the quest for the fabled planet Earth. Adama is suspicious of the offer ofarmistice by theCylons, a fearsome society of robots with whom the Twelve Colonies have been at war for a thousand years. He is the only battlestar commander to keep his ship on battle-stations drill, and as a result, theGalactica is the only battlestar to survive the Cylon sneak attack. Both his wife, Ila, and youngest son, Zac, are killed in the attack.

William Adama, portrayed byEdward James Olmos, is a reimagined version of Commander Adama in the 2003 miniseries and 2004–2009 series.^[10][11]

Lord Baltar,^[a] portrayed byJohn Colicos,^[6] is a member of the Council of Twelve, a quorum of representatives from the Twelve Colonies. Humanity has been at war against the Cylons for a thousand years, and Baltar comes to the council with an offer of peace from the Cylons. In truth, he has promised to aid them in destroying most of the human race in exchange for them sparing his own colony, plotting to rule as dictator with the Cylons as his enforcers. The Cylons, however, are intent on exterminating all humans. They fail to honor their arrangement and destroy all twelve colonies. A protesting Baltar is sentenced to death, but is granted a reprieve by the CylonImperious Leader, who realizes Baltar will be useful in helping the Cylons find and destroy the fleeing human fleet of survivors.

Gaius Baltar, portrayed byJames Callis, is a reimagined version of Lord Baltar in the 2003 miniseries and 2004–2009 series.^[10]

Lieutenant Athena, portrayed byMaren Jensen,^[6] is a starfighter pilot and communications specialist who serves in the Core Command bridge crew of theGalactica, and Commander Adama's daughter.

Sharon Agathon (call sign "Athena"), portrayed byGrace Park, is a copy of the Number Eight Cylon model in the 2003 miniseries and 2004–2009 series.^[10][11]

Boxey, portrayed byNoah Hathaway,^[6][7] is Serina's young son.^[b] After Boxey's pet daggit, Muffit, is killed in the attack on Caprica, Apollo arranges for a robot daggit, Muffit II, to be given to the boy.

Lieutenant Boomer, portrayed byHerbert Jefferson Jr.,^[6] is a starfighter pilot.

Sharon Valerii (call sign "Boomer"), is a gender and race swapped version portrayed byGrace Park, is a copy of the Number Eight Cylon model in the 2003 miniseries and 2004–2009 series.^[10][11]

Flight Sergeant Jolly, portrayed byTony Swartz,^[6] is a starfighter pilot.

Cassiopeia, portrayed byLaurette Spang,^[6] is a Medtech and love interest of Starbuck.^[c]

Colonel Tigh, portrayed byTerry Carter,^[6] is Commander Adama's second-in-command on theGalactica.

Saul Tigh, portrayed byMichael Hogan, is a reimagined race swapped version of Colonel Tigh in the 2003 miniseries and 2004–2009 series.^[10]

Lieutenant Sheba, portrayed byAnne Lockhart, is introduced in "The Living Legend" as a starfighter pilot and the leader of the Silver Spar Viper squadron from the BattlestarPegasus.^[6] She is the daughter of Commander Cain (Lloyd Bridges) of thePegasus, and is left behind on theGalactica when Cain and thePegasus go to battle and subsequently disappear. Initially a foil for Apollo, she ultimately professes her love for him in the series finale, "The Hand of God".

Serina, portrayed byJane Seymour,^[6][7] is a reporter-turned-Viper pilot, and Boxey's mother. She marries Apollo, but is subsequently killed by Cylons in "Lost Planet of the Gods".

• Ed Begley, Jr. as Ensign (later Flight Sergeant) Greenbean^[12]
• David Greenan as Flight Officer Omega^[12]
• Sarah Rush as Flight Corporal Rigel^[12]
• John Dullaghan as Dr. Wilker^[12]
• George Murdock as Dr. Salik^[12]
• Larry Manetti as Corporal/Lieutenant Giles^[12]
• Janet Louise Johnson as Lieutenant Brie^[12]
• Jeff MacKay as Corporal Komma^[12]
• Jack Stauffer as Bojay^[12]

Macnee also narrated the opening of several episodes,^[6] and voiced the Cylons'Imperious Leader.^[2][13]Jonathan Harris voiced Lucifer, anIL-Series Cylon, in nine episodes.^[2][14]

Captain Troy, portrayed byKent McCord,^[3] is an adult Boxey, now a Viper starfighter pilot.

Lieutant Dillon, portrayed byBarry Van Dyke,^[3] is a Viper starfighter pilot.

Jamie Hamilton, portrayed byRobyn Douglass,^[3] is an on-camera reporter for United Broadcasting Company's news program on contemporary Earth.

Commander Adama, portrayed by Lorne Greene from the original series,^[3] is the commander of the BattlestarGalactica and the human fleet

Colonel Boomer, portrayed by Herbert Jefferson Jr. from the original series,^[3] is a former Viper starfighter pilot who now serves as Adama's second-in-command.

Dr. Zee, portrayed byRobbie Rist in the first three episodes and byJames Patrick Stuart thereafter,^[3] is a superintelligent child who serves as a scientific advisor to Adama and the Council of Twelve. The episode "The Return of Starbuck" reveals that he had been sent to theGalactica by a stranded Starbuck, at the request of Zee's mysterious mother Angela.

Mr. Brooks, portrayed byFred Holliday,^[3] is the station manager, and Jamie Hamilton's superior, at United Broadcasting Company's television studios.

• Commander Xaviar, portrayed byRichard Lynch in the first three episodes, is a member of the Council of Twelve. With the discovery that Earth is not technologically advanced enough to assist in fighting the pursuing Cylons, Xaviar suggests they use Zee's time warp synthesizer technology to travel back in time to advance Earth's technological development from the past. Adama and Zee object to the idea, but Xaviar ignores them and goes to 1944Nazi Germany, where he attempts to introduce advanced weapons technology to the Germans via theirV-2 rocket program. The plot is foiled by Troy, Dillon and Jamie. The character returns, played byJeremy Brett, in "Spaceball", impersonating Lieutenant Nash (also played by Brett) in an attempt to holdGalactica's children hostage to secure his freedom.
• Dr. Donald Mortinson, portrayed byRobert Reed, is a renowned nuclear physicist whom Xaviar tries to enlist in his time travel plans.
• Colonel Jack Sydell, portrayed byAllan Miller, is an officer with the United States Air Force charged with tracking down UFO sightings.
• Lieutenant Starbuck, portrayed by Dirk Benedict from the original series, appears in the series' final episode, "The Return of Starbuck". At some point between the events ofBattlestar Galactica andGalactica 1980, Starbuck crash lands on a remote planet, and builds a robot companion from Cylon parts, which he names "Cy". As Cy tries to understand human relationships, Starbuck helps a mysterious woman, Angela (Judith Chapman), give birth to a baby boy. Starbuck sends Angela and the baby off toward theGalactica in an escape ship cobbled together with Cy's assistance. A Cylon ship arrives and Cy destroys its occupants to protect his "friend" Starbuck, though Cy is himself irreparably damaged in the encounter. Starbuck remains stranded on the planet, which he has named after himself. The escape pod arrives at theGalactica, containing only the baby, who will grow up to be Dr. Zee.

• Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series) characters
• Galactica 1980 characters
• Battlestar Galactica lists
• Lists of science fiction television characters by series

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