Battlestars (game show)

Lore & Background

Battlestars was developed and produced by Merrill Heatter, marking his first solo production after his former partner Bob Quigley retired and their company dissolved in June 1981. The show featured six celebrities seated in two rows of triangular frames, with numbers 1 to 10 at the corners. Two contestants competed: a returning champion at a blue desk and a challenger at a red one. The champion pushed a plunger to stop a flashing randomizer, highlighting a number associated with a celebrity's triangle. The host asked a question with two answers shown only to the celebrity; the contestant had to agree or disagree with the celebrity's response to retain control. A celebrity was 'captured' once all three numbers around his/her triangle were lit. The first contestant to capture any three celebrities won the game and advanced to the bonus round. Capturing all six celebrities in a single game won a bonus (originally a prize, later $1,000 cash). Champions remained until defeated or after playing the bonus round 20 times (reduced to five in 1983).

The rules changed slightly in 1983: all numbers were initially lit and had to be put out to capture celebrities. The first question of a contestant's turn used the randomizer, but a correct answer allowed him/her to choose the number at stake for the next question. The two answers were displayed on-screen for home viewers but not shown to the contestant.

The bonus round in 1981–1982 was called 'Battlestars Two/Picture Game,' where a celebrity photo was hidden behind a grid of 20 squares. The champion selected cards to reveal squares and guess the subject for $5,000 (doubled to $10,000 during Christmas shows in December 1981). If unsuccessful, the champion could draw more cards and involve celebrities for lower prizes. In 1983, the bonus round was 'The Main Event,' where the champion selected three captured celebrities to answer questions with three answer options. Winning all three questions won the Battlestars Bonanza, a jackpot of $5,000 cash and prizes that grew each game; otherwise, the contestant received $500 per correct decision.

Reader's Guide

Battlestars was notable as a game show revival that occurred less than a year after its original cancellation. The original version aired on NBC from October 26, 1981, to April 23, 1982, scheduled at 11:30 a.m./10:30 Central, replacing Card Sharks and switching places with Password Plus. It failed to find ratings against the second half of CBS's The Price Is Right, and NBC did not renew it after two thirteen-week cycles, removing it and Blockbusters to accommodate the soap opera Texas. The revival, The New Battlestars, premiered on April 4, 1983, in NBC's 12pm Eastern/11am Central time slot, replacing the cancelled Just Men!. It faced ratings trouble due to the popularity of ABC's Family Feud, CBS's The Young and the Restless, and preemptions for newscasts and other programming on various affiliates. NBC did not renew The New Battlestars when its thirteen-week contract expired, replacing it with The Facts of Life reruns. The show's legacy is that of a short-lived revival that did not find a hit audience, with NBC not trying another game show in that slot until the short-lived Go later in the year, and not finding a hit until Super Password premiered in 1984.

Did You Know?

• The show was developed and produced by Merrill Heatter, his first solo production after his partner Bob Quigley retired in June 1981.
• The original version aired from October 26, 1981, to April 23, 1982, and the revival aired from April 4, 1983, to July 1, 1983.
• The revival's bonus round, 'The Main Event,' featured a jackpot called the Battlestars Bonanza, containing $5,000 cash and a collection of prizes that grew in value for every game it was not won.