Battlestars (game show)
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Battlestars was an American game show that aired on two separate runs on NBC during the early 1980s. The show's first run aired from October 26, 1981, to April 23, 1982; while an updated version - called The New Battlestars - ran for 5 months, from April 4 to July 1, 1983.
Battlestars was similar to The Hollywood Squares in its gameplay and use of multiple celebrities (leading some fans to dub it "The Hollywood Triangles"). The show was produced by Merrill Heatter Productions, one of Heatter's first shows produced without Bob Quigley.
The host was Alex Trebek, and the announcers were Rod Roddy (1981-1982) and Charlie Tuna (1983). This was Trebek's last game-show before the re-birth of Jeopardy! in September of 1984.
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[edit] Front game format
Two contestants - one a returning champion - competed; the one in the champion's seat (on the right) was designated "blue," the other "red." They faced a six-member celebrity panel, who sat in a large space-like set made up of triangles. Each triangle had three numbers (1-10) attached to their points; hence, they were called "points of light" (1-4-5, 2-5-6, 3-6-7, 4-5-8, 5-6-9, and 6-7-10).
The contestant in control would push a plunger on his/her podium to stop a flashing randomizer, and the number it stopped on determined what celebrity would be asked a question. 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 they did that, the contestant was asked whether he/she agreed or disagreed with the celebrity. A correct response meant that he/she kept control. If the contestant was wrong, control passed to his/her opponent. Regardless of how the contestant in control answered, the point of light was lighted and it was then taken out of play.
If the player in control lights the last "point of light" around a celebrity, even if his/her opponent was responsible for the other two lights, the player "captured" that star. The first contestant to "capture" three stars won $500 and the game, and played the bonus round.
If a number was attached to two triangles, the contestant chose which celebrity to play with, although the choice defaulted if it meant a star could be "captured" (unless of course more than one star can be captured). Also, if a contestant managed to "capture" all six celebrities (a rare feat), he/she won a bonus prize on the original version and $1,000 cash on the 1983 revival.
One of the sound effects used was a Pac-Man-esque sound when a player captured a celebrity; the electronic "time's up" bell carried over to Scrabble sometime in 1986, used to indicate speedword rules were in effect. The former of the two also carried over to Scrabble to indicate a player guessed a word immediately after landing on a pink or blue square, resulting in bonus money, but that effect was later discontinued.
[edit] 1983 changes
The rules were identical except for these minor changes:
- The points of light were now extinguished regardless of the contestant's decision.
- The randomizer was only used when control passed between contestants. Upon getting a correct answer, the contestant in control simply chose a number verbally.
- The celebrity, and studio and television audiences saw two possible answers (one of them was correct). The contestant never saw them.
[edit] Bonus game format
[edit] 1981-1982: 'Battlestars Two'
A famous celebrity face was completely hidden under 16 numbered blocks. The winner of the game chose three cards, which Trebek would put in a scanner on his podium. After the three blocks were removed, the contestant picked one more square that would help them most, then they had a chance to identify the celebrity for $5,000.
However, if they gave a wrong guess or couldn't 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.
The game ended when one of the two things happened:
- A correct answer was given, which netted the contestant the value of the jackpot.
- He/she failed to identify the face after four attempts, in which case the contestant 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 (everybody sees the three answers in this game). After the celebrity offered his/her choice, the contestant was asked whether he/she agreed or disagreed. If the contestant was correct in disagreeing, he/she had to choose the correct answer from the two remaining choices to win any cash.
The first two questions were played for $500 each. If the contestant answered all three questions correctly, he/she won a jackpot that started with $5,000 and a prize package (the "Battlestars Bonanza"), (usually, $10,000 or more to start) with another prize added everytime it was not won.
[edit] Scheduling/Ratings
Probably regretting having cancelled Squares a year before, NBC placed the first version of Battlestars at 11:30 a.m./10:30 Central, replacing Card Sharks and switching places with Password Plus, in the hopes that the slot, where Squares had run for many years, would help the new show. 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, leaving only Wheel of Fortune as the sole game on its daytime schedule for the rest of the year.
Still, NBC did not give up; after a retooling, the game returned one year later, at Noon/11 Central. Like practically all shows since Jackpot! in 1975, though, Battlestars proved no match at all for CBS' Young and the Restless and ABC's Family Feud. Packager Merrill Heatter would stage only one more network daytime game after this, ABC's Bargain Hunters, in 1987.
[edit] Trivia
Jerry Seinfeld appeared as a panelist in 1982. At the time he was a relatively unknown comic working the stand-up circuit.
In a 1983 episode of "The New Battlestars", after answering several questions wrong, Debbie Reynolds, as a panelist, ran away from the studio, panicking, screaming and crying at the same time. (the last question would have won it for the contestant if answered correctly.) When the show returned from the commercial break, security officers caught Debbie in the hallway, brought her back to the studio and put her back in her seat.
among her incorrect answers (correct answer in parenthesis):
"who pleads with you to open your heart and empty your hand" : The Salvation Army (The Red Cross)
"According to Ann Lnaders which denture is usually more secure in your motuh": The Lowers (The Uppers)
"In which Key do the majority of American-made car horn beep in?": Key of C (key of F) after this miss Debbie got up and left.
