By Paul Ruditis and Mark Wright

Hero Collector, out now

 

 

Background information and original designs of the ships from the original 1970s Battlestar Galactica series and its reimagined 21st Century versions.

Anyone familiar with Hero Collector’s range of books of Star Trek ships will know what to expect from this look at the vessels the Battlestar Galactica universe – detailed research accompanying blueprints, sketches and computer renders – and it doesn’t disappoint.

Much of the original series (1978) artwork is concept and pre-production designs by Ralph McQuarrie, fresh off his work on Star Wars, and its reproduction here is stunning. The Galactica, the Viper Mk 1, Cylon Raider and Cylon Baseship all come under the microscope, and it’s fascinating to see that one of the Viper designs would become Buck Rogers’ starfighter.

For the reimagined series (2003) we get the pages on the Galactica, Vipers Mk II and VII, Colonial Raptor, Pegasus, Blackbird, Cylon Raider, Cylon Basestar, Resurrection Ship, Colonial One and the ragtag fleet, and the Valkyrie. For this series, there’s a lot more designs and schematics, including some impressive CG renders. The Cylon Raider went through a lot of designs before reaching the version seen on screen. Finally, for the Blood and Chrome miniseries (2012) we look at a Cylon Raider, Raptor, the Galactica, Osiris and Viper Mk III.

Verdict: A great reference guide to the vessels of Battlestar Galactica, old and new to sit alongside your Battlestar Galactica Shipyards volume. 8/10 

Nick Joy

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