Galactica 1980: When space heroes met Disco-era Earth and lost (retrospective).

Galactica 1980. The much-loved spin-off of Battlestar Galactica. Or, depending on your perspective, the well-meaning relative who turned up uninvited to the sci-fi family reunion, spilling punch everywhere and making everyone awkwardly talk about the weather. Either way, it’s hard not to feel a certain fondness for this oddball chapter in the Galactica saga.

Set a generation after the original series, Galactica 1980 boldly asked the question: “What if our heroic space-faring refugees finally found Earth… and it was rubbish?” Rather than a technologically advanced society eager to lend a hand against the Cylons, Earth turned out to be just like us in 1980: struggling with inflation, rocking questionable fashion choices, and completely unprepared for giant, killer robots. This left Commander Adama with the unenviable job of protecting Earth while keeping the Colonial fleet from collectively sighing and turning the ship around.

But this wasn’t the Galactica fans knew and loved. For starters, Apollo and Starbuck were mysteriously AWOL, replaced by Troy (formerly Boxey, all grown up) and Dillon, two characters who tried their best but mostly came across as Space Ken and his slightly baffled sidekick. And then there was Dr. Zee, a teenage genius who, depending on your patience level, was either a super-brainy oracle or the most irritating know-it-all since your cousin got that physics degree.

The show’s premise—sneaky efforts to upgrade Earth’s technology without anyone noticing—quickly gave way to a series of increasingly strange episodes. Who could forget the gravity-defying “Super Scouts,” a gaggle of Colonial children with superhuman abilities who came to Earth and promptly caused chaos? Or the time Troy and Dillon saved the world from the Cylons by fighting them during a fancy dress party? And then there was that finale, where Dirk Benedict’s Starbuck made a triumphant but isolated return, stranded on a desolate planet and proving once and for all that you really can’t keep a good smuggler down.

Let’s not even get into the abandoned time travel subplot. The idea of chasing a rogue Commander Xavier through history—possibly saving Cleopatra or foiling Napoleon—was scrapped after the pilot, leaving fans to forever wonder if Troy and Dillon could have handled disco-era Earth or the Middle Ages. Instead, they stuck to the present day, frequently helping clueless humans with their super-advanced gadgets while dodging Colonel Jack Sydell, Earth’s least-convincing government investigator.

Critics weren’t kind, with some calling it “the show that proves even space operas can be dull.” But Galactica 1980 had its moments of charm. Lorne Greene still brought gravitas as Adama, even if he spent much of the series looking like he’d rather be elsewhere. The Cylons were still menacing, albeit less frequently seen, and the theme music still stirred the soul, even if it was sometimes paired with visuals of Troy and Dillon pedalling BMX bikes like sci-fi paperboys.

The show ended after just 10 episodes, mercifully pulling the plug before we saw the script for the unmade “The Day They Kidnapped Cleopatra” (and yes, that was a real thing). But Galactica 1980 remains an essential piece of the Galactica lore. It’s the plucky underdog, the weird cousin who tried their best, and a strange snapshot of what happens when ambitious ideas meet budget constraints and network interference.

So here’s to Galactica 1980—a show that may not have reached the stars but still managed to make Earth feel just a little more interesting. For better or worse, it’s unforgettable.