Battlestar Galactica

Season 1 generally

Revealing mistake: Throughout the entire run of the series, special effects shots are repeated over and over, often half a dozen times in the same episode. Budget problems forced the practice, but at times it is so pronounced as to become a distraction. The same Cylon raider banking to the side, hit by laser fire and exploding outward to its sides, is probably seen more often than any other single shot in the show. It is flipped many times so that it can bank left, then be used to bank right, providing two shots for the price of one.

johnrosa

Season 1 generally

Revealing mistake: Several times, close up shots of the Cylon Centurions show the shoulders and chest moving slightly as the actor inside breathes. Though originally conceived as a reptiloid species, this never made it to screen. Centurions are robots who don't breathe.

Grumpy Scot

Saga of a Star World (1) - S1-E1

Revealing mistake: In the second shot showing the fleet of Battlestars (from the port side and slightly behind), two ghostly images fly in formation with the three Battlestars shown. They are just above the closest ship (where the narrow middle meets the larger rear section). It seems that the shot may have originally contained 5 ships and an attempt was made to 'remove' the most distant two, leaving the "ghosts". (00:02:45)

johnrosa

Saga of a Star World (1) - S1-E1

Revealing mistake: When a Viper is launched, it is catapulted forward from a standing start, and the pilot is thrown back forcefully into their seat. But the very first time Apollo's Viper is launched, the background image shows the Viper is already racing forward before Apollo is thrown backward- the actor missed his cue. (00:05:40)

johnrosa

Saga of a Star World (1) - S1-E1

Revealing mistake: It appears that just about every Viper that is launched has the exact same dark smudge on the canopy glass (along the forward, sloped edge of the side glass). Apparently the same full-scale mockup was used for most of these scenes. (00:18:45)

johnrosa

Battlestar Galactica mistake picture

Saga of a Star World (1) - S1-E1

Revealing mistake: During the sequence where Starbuck is attempting to land his damaged Viper on the Galactica flight deck, Athena begins running a diagnostic scan on her computer. In the first insert shot of her computer screen, near the top right hand side of the shot, the words "MADE IN USA" are legible in the diagram. These survivors of the "12 Colonies" are searching for a mythical 13th colony known as "Earth" that they've never been to, so having American software is quite out of place.

Battlestar Galactica mistake picture

The Lost Planet of the Gods (2) - S1-E5

Revealing mistake: When Galactica arrives at what they believe is the planet Kobol, Adama, Apollo and Serina all go down to the surface. As they approach the ruins in several shots from behind, the three are obviously, almost laughably, replaced by stand-ins. Adama's white hair is enormous, almost helmet-like, and Apollo's is nearly as bad. Serina's famously long, rump-length hair is suddenly much shorter and she has no gun on her right hip. When the three are seen entering a shot from the left, the normal actors are back, including Jane Seymour's abundant brown hair and her gun. The stand-ins appear again later, in all the exterior shots obviously filmed in Egypt. The normal stars were filmed on studio sets. (00:18:20)

johnrosa

The Long Patrol - S1-E7

Revealing mistake: Starbuck is romancing both Cassie and Athena in different rooms aboard the Rising Star. Odd that both rooms have the same wrinkle and tear in the wallpaper just under the window. There's also, in both rooms, what looks like a black thumbtack repairing the glitch. (00:08:25)

Jean G

The Long Patrol - S1-E7

Revealing mistake: When Robber starts shooting at Apollo and Boomer, it's comically obvious that the two warriors have been replaced by stunt doubles that bear almost no resemblance to the actors- most notably as they run for cover. (00:32:55)

johnrosa

Battlestar Galactica mistake picture

The Long Patrol - S1-E7

Revealing mistake: When Apollo fires at Robber, his shot hits a pillar, knocking a chunk of it off. As he runs behind the pillar, a circular device dangles from a wire in the damaged part of the pillar- the remnants of the effects charge that was used to cause the damage. (00:33:45)

johnrosa

Battlestar Galactica mistake picture

The Gun on Ice Planet Zero (1) - S1-E8

Revealing mistake: When the 'snow ram' loses power and stops, the crew jumps out to see what has happened. The snow surface behind the ram is undisturbed and trackless, as if the ram has been stationary long enough for its tracks to be erased. This is because it is actually on a set and has not moved at all. (00:34:00)

johnrosa

Battlestar Galactica mistake picture

The Gun on Ice Planet Zero (2) - S1-E9

Revealing mistake: When Adama orders the fleet to "Flank speed ahead", the next exterior shows Galactica, seemingly turning to port, but looking at the landing pod shows the image is a reversed shot of the ship turning to starboard, evidenced by the ship's name being backwards. (00:27:10)

johnrosa

The Gun on Ice Planet Zero (2) - S1-E9

Revealing mistake: After an avalanche, Apollo gets off a guy he has sheltered. Around them, in the fake snow, are several chunks of ice or snow. As Apollo moves forward, note how they move less like snow, and just like the Styrofoam that they actually are. (00:29:25)

johnrosa

Battlestar Galactica mistake picture

The Young Lords - S1-E11

Revealing mistake: In the opening scene, the canopy of Starbuck's viper is not fully lowered while in space flight, leaving a wide gap under its starboard side that would have allowed his air supply to be instantly sucked out into the vacuum of space. (00:02:50)

johnrosa

The Young Lords - S1-E11

Revealing mistake: As Starbuck's rescuers arrive, they are riding unicorns. The second from the right is bobbing its head energetically enough that the sheepskin cap it's wearing is bouncing loosely, along with its fake horn. (00:11:45)

johnrosa

The Living Legend (2) - S1-E13

Revealing mistake: As the gold Centurion Cylon approaches the camera, some very obvious human fingerprints litter the frame around his "mouthpiece"- as if left by a crew member that helped the actor put it on. (00:15:45)

johnrosa

Battlestar Galactica mistake picture

Saga of a Star World (1) - S1-E1

Continuity mistake: When Baltar turns to face the two setting suns, we see the lower one at the left has what could be a boat in its reflection on the water. The higher one on the right is over a mountainous area on the horizon. The next shot is of Baltar in close-up, then the next returns to the horizon to show us Baltar's view, which shows just ONE setting sun. The one on the left has vanished though there is room enough for it to have been seen in this shot. (00:40:15)

johnrosa

More mistakes in Battlestar Galactica

Commander Adama: Mr. President, a wall of unidentified craft is closing in on the fleet.
Baltar: Possibly a Cylon welcoming commitee.
Commander Adama: Sir, may I suggest we launch a 'welcoming commitee' of our own?

More quotes from Battlestar Galactica

Trivia: Episode 18 - "Baltar's Escape": This is likely a mistake, but it's a self-excusing one that, if intentional, was a nice bit of inspired continuity. In "The Man with Nine Lives", a Colonial Warrior, played by an actor not seen previously, is guarding new recruits that are confined in their quarters awaiting security clearance. He not only freely gives out classified information, but is eventually overpowered by two phony recruits and locked in a supply closet. Then, in "Baltar's Escape", the same actor appears as a member of the Council of 12's security team. It's likely the film makers thought no one would recognize him, but given the disdain that Colonial warriors have for the Council's security people, it is fitting to see this failed Warrior reassigned to the Council - a nice touch, even if not intentional.

johnrosa

More trivia for Battlestar Galactica

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