Battlestar Galacticais one of the best-known sci-fi television series of all time, having been a popular series long before the rebooted series brought a more modern audience to the franchise. With two primary television series in the franchise, as well as multiple television spin-offs and even a few movies, there is plenty for fans to explore in the world ofBSG.
With the franchise gearing up for a return after a quiet period, with new shows and films both on the way, theBattlestar Galacticaseries is ripe for a revisit. Fans and newcomers to the franchise alike will love checking out some of the amazing sci-fi action available in what can be described as a more militaristicStar Trek.
Updated August 02, 2025, by Chris Harkin:TheBattlestar Galactica franchisestill doesn’t look ready to move forward with many new projects. But the long history of the series has continued to fascinate fans as they argue eternally about which of the shows and movies released under theBattlestar Galacticabanner are the best. This sci-fi franchise has encouraged creativity in the genre, showing a different style that few other major series work with so successfully. Fans continue to hope that it will receive more new additions in the future, as other franchises likeStar Warscontinue to rejuvenate the television side of science fiction.
12Galactica 1980
IMDb Score: 5.4/10
This follow-up/spin-off series to the original 1978 show involved the crew of the Galactica finding Earth after a generation. However, they discovered that the planet could not defend itself from Cylons. Thus, Commander Adama sends his people to Earth in the past in an attempt to begin integrating with the population and preparing them, raising their technological level.
This was a bold attempt to add new sci-fi elements like time travel to the franchise, and simultaneously bring down the cost of making the show. Being set on Earth and in a more contemporary time was a much easier style and format. The problem came from the overall plot, and a number of former cast members not returning. Characterization was also poor for figures like Commander Adama, who was a much weaker leader in this show. Unfortunately, it was a failed project, and the ten-episode first season was all that was ever made forGalactica 1980.
11Battlestar Galactica (1978 Movie)
IMDb Score: 6.7/10
The original pilot episodes for the firstBattlestar Galacticaserieswere released separately as a film, which can be watched today as a great project in its own right. It remains the only theatrically released film in the franchise. It deals with the Cylons, after a 1000-year war, attempting to make peace. However, they reveal their betrayal as they destroy most of the Battlestar ships in one fell swoop.
For the time, and with the constraints of a television-level budget,Battlestar Galactica(released in some territories asSaga Of A Star World) looked great. It also managed to generate a lot of interest for the ensuing series. It ended with a great victory and the humans deciding to set out for the legendary planet Earth made for a perfectly rounded-out standalone film, with the leftover tease of more to come in the series.
10Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
IMDb Score: 6.9/10
A fascinating special event, the television filmThe Planfeatured many of the events from throughout the newerBattlestar Galacticaseries. These events were retold and expanded upon from the perspective of the Cylons hiding among the humans. It followed them from their initial genocidal plot in the human colonies, onward through the events of the first two seasons of the show.
Released to expand upon the secretive nature of many characters in the show, the focus ofThe Planwas on the two different versions of Cavil, known as Number One. Their story is about how they argued over the fate of humankind.The Final Five are also brought into more focusby this event, which was a great piece of lore and world-building for the villains of the franchise. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a fantastic film in its own right.
9Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome
Initially released as a web series but later compiled into a film,Blood & Chrometook place during the first Cylon War, decades before the events of theBattlestar Galacticaseries. It followed a young William Adama, having just graduated as a pilot from the Academy and joining the fight against the Cylons aboard the Galactica. This younger version of Adama was a brash character, but a fascinating one to explore.
Assigned to a mission aboard a transport ship, instead of getting his own Viper, Adama is frustrated and learns throughout this adventure about the lengths his compatriots are willing to go to beat the Cylons. His acquiescence to this reality shows how he manages to rise through the ranks to the position he is seen in the main series. While this prequel was an interesting look at the earlier days of Adama and the Cylons, it wasn’t the fantastic victory and pilot for a prequel series that the creators hoped it would be.
8Caprica
IMDb Score: 7.1/10
This prequel series, though, did pan out, at least for a single season.Capricawas released in 2010. Set 58 years before the re-imagined series,Capricafocused onthe creation of the Cylons by humans. The world, filled with success, peace, and order, was a far cry from what humanity would become, and this was a focus for the series, as humans began their own downfall. This made the series vastly different from previous entries in theBattlestar Galacticafranchise. It was a sci-fi drama series, not even coming close to the usual level of action and thriller aspects that fans expected.
Following the Adama and Graystone families, their heads begin attempting to find a way to bring their loved ones back to life. One of the main characters was Joseph Adama, the father of William. The plot followed their family as fans saw William starting to develop into the man he would become while shaping the world into the one he would have to fight to try and save.Capricawas a fascinating attempt to keep the IP alive following the conclusion of the mainBSGseries, but it fell a little flat when it came to longevity.
7Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV Series)
IMDb Score: 7.2/10
The original series, despite being deemed too expensive at the time to continue for more than one season, was a fascinating look at sci-fi in the late 70s. It is remembered for kick-starting this beloved franchise and for having what was, for the time, a truly all-star TV cast.
The series features Commander Adama leading a fleet of 220 surviving ships, protecting them with theBattlestar Galactica, on their way to try and find a new home, after the Cylon sneak attack which destroyed their home and most of their race. The series was beloved, and the early cancelation resulted in a huge write-in campaign filled with complaints. Despite thedifferences between this and the modern series, it is still beloved by many today.
6Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks
IMDb Score: 7.5/10
Leading to a TV movie set within theBattlestar GalacticaUniverse,Razor Flashbackswas a web series that featured a young William Adama when he was a fighter in the First Cylon War. It focused on him as he uncovered a plot by the Cylons involving a super weapon.
Adama is dealing with issues between him and his lover, whom Cylons have wounded. Meanwhile, the Galactica fights on and Adama himself is shot down. This leads to a horrible discovery about what the Cylons may be planning. This fun sequence of short episodes was made up of content cut from theRazorfilm, but it was well worth checking out.
5Battlestar Galactica: The Face Of The Enemy
A short web series created as additional content around the reimaginedBattlestar Galacticaseries,The Face Of The Enemytook place between episodes of the fourth season of the show, when the ship that Lt. Felix Gaeta was on with two Cylons and three humans made an error in FTL jump.
This led to them being stranded, potentially doomed to run out of oxygen before they could be found. Then murders start being committed, with everyone a suspect. This made for a short but hugely intriguing look at the distrust between the Cylons and humans, which has been the heartbeat of almost every entry in the franchise.
4Battlestar Galactica: Razor
IMDb Score: 7.6/10
Another television film that added to the lore of the series,Razorfollowed Lee Adama during his first mission in command of the Pegasus, set during the events of Season 2 of theBattlestar Galacticashow. Simultaneously, flashbacks are shown of the Cylon attack and events from the final day of the First Cylon War, providing more background on characters like Rear Admiral Cain.
This fascinating special was a great addition to the series, and fans loved the world-building that it added. However, many were surprised at the lack of main characters from the series appearing, as marketing hadn’t made it clear that this would be a standalone piece. The jumping between time periods helped keep an effective pace and expand further on the already massive universe of the series.
3Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance
IMDb Score: 7.8/10
Time jumps are always difficult to deal with in major TV series, and can create a lot of confusion. So, when the time jump on New Caprica occurred between Seasons 2 and 3 of the reimaginedBattlestar Galactica, the showrunners decided to help bridge the gap with a web series.
The Resistancewas the result, ten minuscule episodes that, added together, only totaled about 26 minutes. Nevertheless, it provided useful context for fans on the events around the formation of resistance against the Cylons and has been considered one of the better in-between projects the series had. Focus on different characters and a helpful explanation of the events that had occurred kept fans in the loop.
