Battlestars (game show)
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| (The New) Battlestars | |
|---|---|
 Logo for Battlestars (1981). |
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| Format | Game show |
| Created by | Merrill Heatter |
| Written by | Bob Logan Gary Johnson |
| Directed by | Jerome Shaw |
| Presented by | Alex Trebek |
| Narrated by | Rod Roddy (1981–1982) Charlie Tuna (1983) |
| Theme music composer | Mort Garson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 65 (1983 run) |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | NBC Studios Burbank, California |
| Running time | approx. 22-26 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Original run | October 26, 1981 – July 1, 1983 |
Battlestars is an American game show that aired for two separate runs on NBC during the early 1980s. The show's first run aired from October 26, 1981 to April 23, 1982. An updated version–titled The New Battlestars–ran for 13 weeks, from April 4 to July 1, 1983.
Battlestars was produced by Merrill Heatter Productions, Heatter's first show produced without Bob Quigley.
The host was Alex Trebek and the announcers were Rod Roddy (1981–1982) and Charlie Tuna (1983).
Contents |
[edit] Main game
Two contestants—the champion sitting at the blue podium and the challenger at the red podium—competed to capture celebrities from a six-member panel, who sat in a large space-like set made up of triangles. The numbers 1–10 were positioned around the triangles so that each edge was attached to a number (1-4-5, 2-5-6, 3-6-7, 4-5-8, 5-6-9, and 6-7-10). The numbers were referred to as "Points of Light" throughout the game.
The champion began the game and pushed a plunger on his or her podium to stop a flashing randomizer, and the number it stopped on determined which celebrity would be asked a question. If a number was attached to two or more triangles, the contestant chose which celebrity to play with, although the choice defaulted if it meant a star could be captured. The questions were asked in the style of The Hollywood Squares, except that a celebrity was given two possible answers and had to choose between one or the other. Once the celebrity chose an answer, the contestant was asked whether he or she agreed or disagreed with the celebrity. A correct response meant that point of light remained lit and the contestant kept control. If the contestant was wrong, control passed to the opponent and the point of light remained in play. Regardless of how the contestant in control answered, the point of light was lit and was taken out of play. However, similar to Hollywood Squares, if a miss resulted in the capture of a celebrity to an opponent by default, the point remained in play.
If the contestant in control lit the last point of light around a celebrity, even if his or her opponent was responsible for one or both of the other lights, the contestant captured that star. The first contestant to capture three stars won the game, $500 and played the bonus round. If a contestant managed to capture all six celebrities, he or she won $1,000.
Because it was possible for the champion to win the game without the challenger ever being in control, a challenger who lost in such a manner remained for the next game. Champions continued to play until defeated.
When the program returned in 1983, points of light were extinguished rather than lit, and the point was taken out of play regardless of whether or not the contestant's decision was correct. Also, the randomizer was only used when control passed between contestants. Upon providing a correct answer, the contestant in control chose another number verbally. The two answer choices provided to the celebrity were also displayed for the home audience; however, the contestants were unable to see them.
[edit] Bonus game
[edit] 1981–1982: Battlestars Two
A famous celebrity face was hidden under 16 numbered blocks. The winner of the game chose three cards, each representing blocks on the board, which Trebek inserted into an electronic scanner in his podium. After the three blocks were removed, the contestant verbally picked one more square that would help him or her most. The contestant then had a chance to identify the celebrity for $5,000.
However, if he or she gave a wrong guess or could not answer, the contestant drew up to three additional cards (one at a time) and could solicit help from the celebrities. The prize value dropped to $3,000 for the first card, then $2,000 and $1,000. If the contestant failed to identify the face after four attempts, he or she won nothing.
[edit] 1983: The Main Event/Battlestars Bonanza
The winner and the three captured Battlestars (or three of the contestant's choice if more were captured) played a three-question bonus round. Each multiple-choice question had three possible answers which were displayed to both the contestant and the celebrity in play. After the celebrity offered his or her choice, the contestant was asked whether he or she agreed or disagreed. If the contestant was correct in disagreeing, he or she had to choose the correct answer from the two remaining choices to win any money. Each correct answer earned $500. If the contestant answered all three questions correctly, he or she won the "Battlestars Bonanza", a jackpot that started with $5,000 and a prize package (generally a combined value of $10,000 or more), with another prize added each time it was not won.
[edit] Broadcast History
NBC scheduled the first version of Battlestars at 11:30 a.m./10:30 Central, replacing Card Sharks and switching places with Password Plus. However, it became yet another in a long line of victims of CBS' Price is Right, and NBC pulled it after a six-month run.
After a retooling, the game returned one year later, at Noon/11 Central, replacing Just Men!. Battlestars proved no match at all for CBS' The Young and the Restless and ABC's Family Feud, nor was it widely cleared by local stations, which opted to show local news instead. After the program ended, the NBC death slot was occupied by The Facts of Life for three months until Go hit the airwaves.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Battlestars at the Internet Movie Database
- Battlestars at TV.com
