Those gifted folk at Hero Collector– the very same people who make all those unbelievable models of sci-fi spacecraft– have released a brand name brand-new “Battlestar Galactica” compendium that focuses purely on the conceptual artwork used to produce the remarkable spacecraft seen in both the original and the reimagined series. Readily available to pre-order now for $34.95 at Amazon, “Battlestar Galactica: Designing Spaceships” takes a deep dive behind the scenes on two generations of the traditional sci-fi series and tells the story of how visual results pioneers produced the iconic spacecraft for the original Universal Pictures show “Battlestar Galactica” in 1978 and how a digital revolution saw those designs interpreted for Ronald D. Moores reimagined series in 2003. You can also pre-order it directly from Hero Collector here for ₤ 20.99 (about $29 USD) and save ₤ 7 off its normal ₤ 27.99 price.This book, includes 202 pages of amazing art work, including original designs by Eric Chu, Andrew Probert and Ralph McQuarrie. Accompanying the remarkable illustrations is details about the styles and interviews with much of the individuals accountable. Needless to state, the books author, Mark Wright, is a huge fan of “Battlestar Galactica.””Growing up, I was a sucker for anything with spaceships and ray guns and the Galactica, the original series Galactica, is among the finest screen starships of all time. Oh yeah, I put that up there with the Enterprise, the Liberator from Blakes 7 and the Eagle transporter from Space: 1999– theyre all up there,” he informed Space.com.Some of the really finest conceptual artwork ever seen comes from ideas for sci-fi films; all you have to do is take a look at the work of Syd Mead and Rob Cobb, the legendary artists behind many, if not most, of the iconic production styles seen in “Blade Runner,” “Alien” and “Aliens,” “Robot Jox,” “Back to the Future” and many more movies. And now for the very first time, the artwork related to “Battlestar Galactica” has been congregated and released for fans of the show to enjoy.”From McQuarries style of the initial Galactica and its Cylon equivalents, to the digitally rendered, more modern equivalents, weve discovered the stories behind their production, inside and out. And weve tried to be as comprehensive as possible, although unfortunately there are undoubtedly omissions where principle art and CG renders have been lost to the years and fast-moving television production schedules,” Wright said.Related: Real-Life Astronaut Dishes on Battlestar GalacticaThe launch tubes and hanger bays were an iconic component of “Battlestar Galactica” from the very start (Image credit: Hero Collector)Tragically, many of these great artists are no longer with us. McQuarrie passed in March 2012, Mead in September 2019 and Cobb in September 2020. With changing innovation, it means this method of production design is something we will see significantly less of in the future. The book likewise includes designs from the excellent prequel mini-series “Blood & & Chrome. ” This is set before the events in the reimagined show, during the very first Cylon War and focuses on a then-young Viper pilot called Lt. William Adama, callsign Husker, (played by Luke Pasqualino). Its only 90 minutes long in total and was first shown as a webcast in 2012. Considering that it had a considerably smaller sized budget than the four-season long 2004 program, improvisation was needed and CGI was utilized much more extensively. This also suggested that the production style, which needed backwards engineering from both the Colonial Viper Mk II and the Cylon Raider– from the 2004 program– in order to produce earlier versions, was all done by computer.”There was no information since all the foundations were done on the re-imagined series by the time they d got to Blood & & Chrome therefore that chapters a bit different in the book. Thank God for Doug Drexler [computer graphics manager] who was there on the ground dealing with that show and had the ability to give us some commentary on these ships. I d state thats more of a commentary chapter due to the fact that it was produced so differently to even the re-imagined series. That leap in digital VFX strategies by that stage is enormous,” Wright said.For Ron Moores reimagining, designers had to believe what the successor to the original Viper may appear like. (Image credit: Hero Collector)In addition to consisting of stunning artwork and never-before-seen illustrations, Wright has spoken to and talked to a few of the gifted minds who dealt with “Battlestar Galactica” consisting of Jose Perez, Pierre Drolet, Ray Lai and Richard Livingston.”In the production of this book, we have been given invaluable insight from the concept and storyboard artists, CG supervisors, digital model makers, and art directors that brought these ships to the screen,” Wright said.The shipyards of the Colonial fleet were pointed out in the two-part mini-series as having actually been damaged in the Cylon attack. (Image credit: Hero Collector)One of his preferred chapters is the one that covers the Blackbird. This was a totally new concept to the existing BSG universe and the story of its production is told in the impressive episode “Flight of the Phoenix” (S02, E09). Frustrated at the dwindling variety of offered Vipers due to loss, fight damage and wear-and-tear, Chief Tyrol (Aaron Douglas) starts to develop a brand-new fighter from scratch. In the beginning, his concept is made fun of, however as the struggle of everyday life on the Galactica continues, lots of see the task as a creative outlet, offering a sense of purpose and something favorable to distract their minds from the bleakness of their situation. The already short supply of replacement parts implies some imaginative solutions have actually to be executed and as soon as the airframe is ended up, Tyrol marvels where he will find enough metal to make the aircrafts skin. That is, till Lt. Agathon (Tahmoh Penikett) recommends using a carbon composite rather, a material that as yet, isnt in short supply onboard the Battlestar. Therefore the extremely first “Colonial stealth fighter” is built in one of the best episodes of “Battlestar Galactica.”Despite being called the MK III, this reverse engineered Viper chronologically appeared prior to the MK II in “Blood & & Chrome.” (Image credit: Hero Collector)”Oh yeah, I love that chapter,” Wright chuckles. “I like it since the Blackbird was, generally, produced by the art department, rather that the effects team. It was constructed physically, from scratch rather than being created first. I enjoy how theres lots of little sketches, showing various components of its building and construction that were drawn as they went along. And that we had the ability to cover this in so much detail in the book, is terrific.””Battlestar Galactica: Designing Spaceships” is offered to pre-order now for $34.95 at Amazon. You can also pre-order it straight from Hero Collector here for ₤ 20.99 (about $29 USD) and save ₤ 7 off the normal ₤ 27.99 price.All 4 seasons of the 2004 “Battlestar Galactica” are available on Amazon Prime for $1.99 per episode or $24.99 per season. The New York Comic Con “Battlestar Galactica Retrospective” panel featuring Edward James Olmos (Cmdr. Adama) and Mary McDonnell (President Laura Roslin) live, personally, can be discovered here. Todays best Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series dealsFollow Scott Snowden on Twitter. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
Offered to pre-order now for $34.95 at Amazon, “Battlestar Galactica: Designing Spaceships” takes a deep dive behind the scenes on 2 generations of the traditional science fiction series and informs the story of how visual results pioneers produced the iconic spacecraft for the original Universal Pictures reveal “Battlestar Galactica” in 1978 and how a digital revolution saw those styles interpreted for Ronald D. Moores reimagined series in 2003.”Growing up, I was a sucker for anything with spaceships and ray weapons and the Galactica, the original series Galactica, is one of the finest screen starships of all time. And now for the very first time, the artwork associated with “Battlestar Galactica” has been collected together and published for fans of the show to delight in. And weve tried to be as substantial as possible, although unfortunately there are inevitably omissions where concept art and CG renders have actually been lost to the years and fast-moving TV production schedules,” Wright said.Related: Real-Life Astronaut Dishes on Battlestar GalacticaThe launch tubes and wall mount bays were a renowned aspect of “Battlestar Galactica” from the very beginning (Image credit: Hero Collector)Tragically, so many of these fantastic artists are no longer with us. You can also pre-order it directly from Hero Collector here for ₤ 20.99 (about $29 USD) and save ₤ 7 off the typical ₤ 27.99 price.All four seasons of the 2004 “Battlestar Galactica” are readily available on Amazon Prime for $1.99 per episode or $24.99 per season.