Image courtesy of Fanpop.com

I would be remiss to not include this amazingly addictive reboot of Battlestar Galactica in my series of posts. It’s just one of those shows that is so clearly filmed in the Lower Mainland that it was almost painful for me to not write about it sooner.

For those of you who haven’t watched the show, Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction franchise created by Glen A. Larson in the late 70s. A remake aired in 2003 as a miniseries but a full TV series was launched in 2004, with various parts of the Lower Mainland playing different planets throughout the show.

The story arc of Battlestar Galactica is set in a distant star system, where a civilization of humans live on a series of planets known as the Tweleve Colonies. In the past, the Colonies had been at war with a cybernetic race of their own creation – the Cylons. With the unwitting help of a human named Gaius Baltar (played by James Callis), the Cylons launch a sneak attack on the Colonies, laying waste to most of the planets and devastating their populations. 

Out of a population numbering in the billions, only approximately 50,000 humans survive, most of whom were aboard civilian ships that avoided destruction. Of all the Colonial Fleet, the eponymous Battlestar Galactica appears to be the only military capital ship that survived the attack. Under the leadership of Colonial Fleet officer Commander William “Bill” Adama (Olmos) and President Laura Roslin (McDonnell), the Galactica and its crew take up the task of leading the small fugitive fleet of survivors into space in search of a fabled refuge known as Earth.

The series aired for a solid five years, with its final episode airing March 20, 2009. Let’s take a look at how the Lower Mainland was transformed into multiple planets, shall we?

First up, we have the UBC Rose Garden, which was in a scene in the first season:

Source: BSG Locations Guide

Then there’s the Opera House… which is really just The Orpheum. I love this theatre and I love how grand it feels so it makes sense that this location plays a role in the series.

Source: BSG Locations Guide

Joining the campus ranks, we also have SFU’s Quadrangle in one of the beginning episodes as well.

Source: BSG Locations Guide

And of course, the Vancouver Public Library.

Source: Battlestarwiki.org

Other locations include Richmond as New Caprica, Lion’s Bay where Baltar’s house is, Maple Ridge Justice Institute where the Cylon Base was, heck, even Riverview made an appearance as the Resistance base! For more information on ALL episodes filming locations, check Battlestar Locations.com out. It’s… scarily comprehensive!