In September 1978, ABC and Universal Studios released the TV show Battlestar Galactica. The lavish production was part of Universal Studios attempt to create a franchise that would rival Paramount’s Star Trek or even Twenty Century Fox’s ‘Star Wars’.
The series began as three made-for-television movies, however, due to popularity, a weekly series began. Unfortunately, the cost of producing a high-quality weekly sci-fi show led to budget issues, and within a year the show was cancelled.
As the series was such a hit, Mattel got ahold of the rights to the toy-line, hoping to match the success of Kenner’s Star Wars toys. While the success of the Star Wars toys was never matched, Battlestar Galactica did fairly well for a short period of time. Unfortunately, tragedy saw the toy-line end after just two waves of toys.
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SERIES 1 (1978)
GALACTICA
Full list: Commander Adama, Starbuck, Daggit, Colonial Scarab, Colonial Stellar Probe, Colonial Viper
CYLONS & ENEMIES
Full list: Imperious Leader, Cylon Centurion, Ovion, Cylon Raider
THE BATTLESTAR GALACTICA TRAGEDY
Mattel’s troubles with the Battlestar Galactica toys started on December 8, 1978 when the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC – whose standards are given the force of law by Congress) announced that there had been three formal reports (and four more under investigation) of children inhaling or swallowing toy missiles.
Although the toys passed then-current safety regulations, Mattel agreed to put warning stickers on existing warehouse inventories.
Then on December 31st, 1978, less than a month after the CPSC had made their announcement, 4-year-old Robert Jeffrey Warren from Atlanta was playing with, or attempting to reload, a Mattel Colonia Viper when the missile discharged into his mouth and got stuck in his larynx, choking him to death.
On January 11, Mattel issued a recall order for the Viper and three other vehicles. It also issued a missile mail-in for those who had had already purchased a missile-firing version of the toys. In exchange for the little red missiles, Mattel provided a Hot Wheels toys, “for the loss in play value.” Mattel then redesigned the vehicle line to have non-firing missiles.
In March of 1979, the parents of Robert Jeffery Warren sued Mattel. The death of Robert would have implications for other toy-lines, in Cincinnati, Kenner was due to release a missile-firing Boba Fett figure.
The action figure, whose character would star in The Empire Strikes Back sequel, was part of a mail-away offer on the backs of other Star Wars figurines. Although Boba Fett’s original design and promotion included a rocket-firing backpack, this mechanism was removed from its design. No rocket-firing Boba Fett’s ever rolled off the production line, and only a handful of the prototypes exist.
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SERIES 2 (1979)
The second wave of toys wasn’t as large as the first, which was fairly small to begin with. After the death of Robert Jeffery Warren in 1978, the ships from the first series of toys all required redesigned rockets that didn’t fire. These toys were re-released in 1979, the same year as the second, and final, wave of toys.
GALACTICA
Full list: Baltar, Landram, Viper Launch Station
CYLONS & ENEMIES
Full list: Lucifer, Cyclon Commander, Boray
After just two waves of toys, it was the end of the road for the Battlestar Galactica toy-line, much like the TV show which had been cancelled a year earlier.
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA MERCHANDISE
While the toy-line had come to an end, there were numerous other pieces of merchandise available. This included 12″ doll figures, miniature gift-set figures, lunch boxes and more.
