Richard A. Colla's "Missing Battlestar Footage" (Over an Hour's Worth), Joins Michael Mann's "The Keep" Movie as Having That Same Amount of Footage Missing

 

"So Say We All!!"

What Was Richard A. Colla Filming When He Began Working on 'Saga of a Star World?"

 

This Blog believes that he was filming Leslie Stevens "Script", that somehow became the "Shooting Script" without the knowledge of Glen A. Larson, ABC-TV, and Universal Studios. These Three entities thought that Glen A. Larson's "Shooting Script" was being filmed. Thus, the three of them left Richard A. Colla alone during the vast majority of the shoot, not knowing that Mr. Colla was filming large sections of the "Ovion Catacombs" sequences underneath the "Carillon Casino" as a "graphic horror movie."

This primarily went against what ABC-TV had ordered from Glen A. Larson and Universal Studios. ABC wanted a fun, family friendly, "Star Wars" style space adventure. 

At some point during the filming....Larson, ABC, and Universal began checking in on what Richard A. Colla had been filming. What they saw was Colla's "graphic, horror movie footage" of "Ovions" immobilizing humans in incubation pods, and consuming them. An outraged ABC-TV then said, "This isn't what we ordered. Not what we paid for." ABC-TV then told Glen A. Larson to "Fire Richard A. Colla."

It was then when director Alan J. Levi was brought in to "wipe clean" all of Colla's "horror movie footage" and replace it with family friendly, light hearted footage.

"Saga of a Star World" was filmed twice. By Richard A. Colla and Alan J. Levi. One of the reasons why the "1978 Battlestar Pilot Episode" cost so much.

At some point, the question obviously had to be asked, "how did Glen A. Larson's family friendly, "Shooting Script" become Leslie Stevens graphic horror movie "Shooting Script?" And how did it end up in Richard A. Colla's hands? And why were Larson, ABC, and Universal initially not checking in on what Richard A. Colla was filming? 

The extra time needed to deal with the 'Star Wars" lawsuit?

And where is all of the "horror movie footage" that Richard A. Colla filmed?

"So Say We All!!"

Additional Scenes of What Richard A. Colla Filmed For "Saga of a Star World"

 

1. Cassiopia inside of an "Ovion Incubation Pod" being prepared to be consumed by "Ovion" young. Rescued by Starbuck and Apollo.

2. The actual decapitation scene of Baltar. Richard A. Colla showed everything. Another actor wearing a rubber, prosthetic head with blood everywhere. The separation of the head.

3. Tourists on "Carillon" entering an elevator with lighted, "egyptian hieroglyphs" on the console of the elevator going down to the cavern levels. Doors opening and the tourists being seized by "Ovion" guards to be hauled off to incubation pods.

A good year before the "Alien" movie directed by Ridley Scott was ever released in theaters, Richard A. Colla was filming a pretty graphic horror movie himself with "Saga of a Star World", the pilot episode of "Battlestar Galactica 1978." 

4. Lots of footage of Richard A. Colla's camera doing panning / tracking shots along and over the bannisters on the "Galactica" bridge. Darker lighting as well.

5. Explosives too powerful to really be used anywhere, being ignited on the "Phantom of The Opera" stage, where the "Ovion Cavern" sets were housed.

ABC-TV, Universal Studios, and Glen A. Larson seized all of this footage, never to be seen by anyone.

"So Say We All!!"

Any and All "Galactica Activity" Always Being Generated Everywhere Except at "Universal Studios"

 

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Did Anyone Miss These? You Can Watch Them While You're Playing With Your New "Comic-Con Galactica Toys"

Did "Universal Studios" move the "Goal Posts" for itself once again?

Remember when "Universal Studios"  still wasn't bringing back "Battlestar Galactica" even when the "Rick Berman Era of Star Trek" was doing phenomenally well? From 1987-2002....

1. Star Trek - The Next Generation

2. Star Trek - Deep Space Nine

3. Star Trek - Voyager

4. Star Trek - Enterprise

And when the new "Star Wars" reboot films were doing phenomenally well?

1. Star Wars - Rogue One

2. Star Wars - The Last Jedi

3. Star Wars - The Force Awakens

4. Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker

Universal Studios Has completely exhausted, all of its "Decades Spanning Excuses" for not bringing back "Battlestar Galactica." And none of its excuses ever did hold water.

 

Only a couple months left to go, and we would have had a new "Battlestar" Series? On any "Streaming Network" other than "Peacock", we would have.

Everyone, try not to pay attention as to what the second syllable of "Peacock" spells out.

"So Say We All!!"

Name Any Other Corporation Other Than "Universal Studios" That Has Made Nothing But "Consecutive Disastrous Decisions" With The "Battlestar Galactica IP" (1978-2026)

"So Say We All!!" 

While Glen A. Larson's Name is On The Shooting Script For The "Galactica 1978 Pilot Episode"...

 

....Something else was apparently going on as to what Richard A. Colla was actually filming while the "Galactica 1978 Pilot" was in production in the Spring of 1978.

ABC-TV, Glen A. Larson, and Universal Studios wanted a family friendly, light-hearted space adventure to mirror 'Star Wars." How they expected to achieve that however, with the entire destruction of a human civilization as its core premise, is anyone's guess.

Richard A. Colla began the project by filming concepts and ideas apparently belonging to Leslie Stevens. Whether he was working off of a "different shooting script" not authored by Glen A. Larson is unknown.

Colla was filming an incredibly dark, theatrical quality, slow moving, and character based space adventure with adult themes. 

Apparently, Universal Studios, ABC-TV and Glen A. Larson didn't begin checking in on what Richard A. Colla was filming until towards the end of the scheduled shooting. 

One of the things ABC-TV apparently noticed earlier on, was that Mr. Colla was using extremely dark lighting to illuminate the bridge. To the point that all that was apparently seen in the background of the bridge (Core Command), was the illuminated equipment from "Tektronix Inc." Mr. Colla's apparent concept being, that the "Galactica" was like a submarine in operational procedures. ABC-TV then ordered Colla to begin brightening the bridge with more light, so that the television audience could see the millions of dollars ABC had spent building the bridge.

With only four days left of scheduled filming, Mr. Colla was apparently fired because Universal, ABC, and Glen A. Larson had seen up to that point, all of the "Adult Galactica Pilot" Mr. Colla had filmed, and weren't happy. What they saw was apparently, human consuming "Ovions", prostitution and moral decay within the "Rag Tag Fleet", and a very slow moving, character based space adventure.

Alternate Director Alan J. Levi was brought in to re-film many things. Without getting screen credit, Mr. Levi brightened things up in the premise, and brought the pilot more in line with what Universal, ABC, and Mr. Larson wanted.

Unfortunately, there is apparently no happy ending with Richard A. Colla's discarded footage. As there was with "Nightbreed" and Richard Donner's "Superman II." It may have been intentionally disposed of decades ago, and is apparently not sitting safe and sound in a "climate controlled vault" somewhere.

With only four days left of filming to go, Richard A. Colla had what? Over 90% of "Saga of a Star World" in the can?

"So Say We All!!"