TV show - "Battlestar Galactica - Experiment in Terra" (1979) **

My least favourite BG episode, despite having a promising title, mainly because it smashes on the logic rock and also partly taints the memory of 'War of the Gods'. Apollo is kidnapped by the Ship of Lights again, who, even though they say they can't intervene, get him to intervene on Terra to stop a war. OK so they can't help - but they put him in the body of a Terran solider and also offer lots of advice and then help Starbuck when he arrives. the Apollo-in-someone-else's-body (similar to that later found in Quantum Leap) is only really used for a few gags - they really may as well just had Apollo being Apollo for all the use it is (he could attract the necessary attention by rocking up in a viper). This episode is the third in the three-part Terra trilogy, in which the show promotes the message that "the military is always right". They partly make up for it here by having the sucky traitorous peace lover here be the Western Alliance president, while the war mongers are the Western Alliance parliament (this is a bit more believable that "Baltar's Escape", where all the Council of the Twelve were sucky traitorous peace lovers - but the actions of the president here are so silly they don't make sense). Still the military are shown to be the wise, loyal ones. The way its shown here is a bit less offensive than in the other two episodes. But so many unanswered questions: isn't Terra now at threat from the Cylons? Why don't the colonials stay there? They could run the place. Is earth going to be that much more better? I liked the slight creepieness of Terra, kind of like earth but not Earth, but the fact it was such a flourishing human colony made it too confusing. Edward Mulhare (as John) and the regulars invest their lines with commitment lacking in the story.