The re-imagined Battlestar Galactica has been repeatedly honored both from within the sci-fi genre and from television critics with a wider scope. As well as the series as a whole, individual episodes, cast and crew have also been nominated for, and have also won, various awards and honors listed below.
The Emmy® Awards are United States television production awards, similar to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment. The nominations below are for the annual Creative Arts Emmy awards, presented by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
2004 Emmy Awards
- Nominated: The Battlestar Galactica Miniseries, for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
2005 Emmy Awards (Season 1)
- Nominated: The season and series premiere "33," for Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Series[1]
- Nominated: The episode "The Hand of God," for Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Series[1]
2006 Emmy Awards (Season 2)
- Nominated: The season finale, "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II," for Outstanding Costumes for a Series
- Nominated: The episode "Scattered," for Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing for a Series
- Nominated: The episode "Resurrection Ship, Part II," for Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Series
Emmy Nominations Commentary
The three 2006 Emmy nominations for Battlestar Galactica were met with disappointment by the show's creators and fans, as the series was overlooked in the Best Drama Series category and received no acting nominations despite a heavyweight campaign by the Sci Fi Channel aimed at securing nominations for the series and stars Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell.[commentary 1] Battlestar Galactica had also headed Entertainment Weekly's choices for the Best Drama Emmy in the run-up to the nominations' announcement and was mentioned in an Emmy report in the influential US film and TV trade magazine Variety.[commentary 1]
Ronald D. Moore immediately addressed the show's absence from key Emmy categories, explaining: "Sci-fi movies and novels have always been considered second-class material. You start with the premise that it's science fiction, it's called Battlestar Galactica and it's on Sci-Fi Channel. So our show has a lot of obstacles to overcome before anyone's even seen it."[commentary 2]
2007 Emmy Awards (Season 3)
- Nominated: The episodes "Occupation" and "Precipice," for Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series
- Nominated: The episode "Exodus, Part II," for Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series
- Winner: The episode "Exodus, Part II," for Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Series - awarded to the creative team including VFX supervisor Gary Hutzel, senior VFX coordinator Michael Gibson, CG supervisor Doug Drexler, and CGI sequence designer Adam "Mojo" Lebowitz, with work by Atmosphere Visual Effects team Jeremy Hoey, Tom Archer, Andrew Karr, Alec McClymont, and Brenda Campbell[2]
- Nominated: The episode "Exodus, Part II," for Outstanding Sound Editing For A Series
2008 Emmy Awards (Season 4)
- Nominated: "Razor," for Outstanding Cinematography For A One-Hour Series
- Nominated: "Razor," for Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One-Hour)
- Nominated: The episode "He That Believeth in Me," for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Drama Series
- Winner: The episode "He That Believeth in Me," for Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Series - awarded to Gary Hutzel, Doug Drexler, Kyle Toucher, Pierre Drolet, Derek Ledbetter, Sean Jackson, and David Takemura[3]
- Nominated: The episode "Six of One," for Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series
- Winner: The "Razor Featurette #4," for Outstanding Special Class - Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Programs
The Hugo Award is presented each year in recognition of outstanding work in science fiction. They are given for the best science fiction or fantasy works of the previous year and the awards are handed out at the annual World Science Fiction Convention, or "WorldCon".
2005 Hugo Awards
- Winner: The first season premiere episode "33," for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
2006 Hugo Awards
- Nominated: The mid-season 2 cliffhanger episode "Pegasus," for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
2007 Hugo Awards
- Nominated: The Season 2 episode "Downloaded," for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
2008 Hugo Awards
- Nominated: The Season 4 episode "Razor" (televised version) for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
At the 2006, 2007, and 2008 awards, Battlestar Galactica's "nemesis" has been British writer Steven Moffat, who each year defeated Galactica and others in the category with his teleplays for Doctor Who.
The Peabody Awards are annual international awards given for excellence in radio and television broadcasting and cable television. The awards are generally regarded as "the most prestigious awards within the fields of broadcast journalism, documentary making, educational programming, children's programming, and entertainment."
2006 Peabody Awards
- Winner: Battlestar Galactica and Sci Fi Channel received a 2006 Peabody Award for its "revitalized sci-fi television with its parallax considerations of politics, religion, sex, even what it means to be human." [4]
Peabody Award Ceremony
Series developer and executive producer Ronald D. Moore and executive producer David Eick attended the Peabody Award presentation ceremony at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on June 5, 2006, along with cast members Edward James Olmos (Admiral Adama), Mary McDonnell (Laura Roslin), Jamie Bamber (Lee Adama), Katee Sackhoff (Kara Thrace), and Grace Park (Sharon Valerii).[commentary 3]
In their acceptance speeches, Moore and Eick paid tribute to the work of the show's cast and crew, plus the staff at Universal Studios and the Sci Fi Channel.[commentary 3] Moore stated: "I'm often asked about the politics of the show: who's Bush? Who's Al-Qaeda? What are we saying about Iraq? The truth is, the show's about all of those things and about none of them. We ask our audience to think about the world in which they live but draw their own conclusions. Our characters are simply people like you and me: flawed creatures caught between their hopes and fears, struggling towards the light."[commentary 4] He concluded: "Thank you for this moment, thank you for this tribute and thank you for recognizing our work."[commentary 4]
Other 2006 Peabody Award winners included the long-running animated series South Park.[commentary 5] South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone used their acceptance speech to praise Battlestar Galactica, with Parker saying: "I think Matt and I will always be grateful to the Peabody Awards for introducing us to Battlestar Galactica. I know a lot of the honoraries have kept their time short by not mentioning Battlestar Galactica, so we'll just say for all the honoraries, 'Congratulations Battlestar Galactica'!"[commentary 6]
Parker's comments sparked this response from Eick: "If Kenny's not a Cylon next year, I'm going to be pissed!"[commentary 7]
Widely considered the most prestigious accolade a US TV show can earn, a Peabody Award recognizes "distinguished achievement and meritorious service" in electronic media.[commentary 8] The awards are bestowed annually and are voted for by the 16-member Peabody board, which comprises television critics, industry executives and arts/culture experts.[commentary 8]
2004 2nd Annual VES Awards
- Winner: Zoic Studios for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Television Miniseries, Movie or a Special, Miniseries (Gary Hutzel, Kristen L. Branan, Emile E. Smith, Lee Stringer)[5]
- Nominated: Zoic Studios for Outstanding Compositing in a Televised Program, Music Video or Commercial, Miniseries (Stefano Trivelli, Patti Gannon, Chris Jones, Sean Apple, Jarrod Davis)[5]
- Nominated: Zoic Studios for Outstanding Models and Miniatures in a Televised Program, Music Video, or Commercial, Miniseries (Lee Stringer, Jose Perez, Gabriel Koerner, Mike Enriquez)[5]
2005 3rd Annual VES Awards
- Nominated: Zoic Studios for Outstanding Performance by an Animated Character in a Live Action Broadcast Program, episode "33," "Cylon Character"
2006 4th Annual VES Awards
- Winner: Atmosphere Visual Effects for Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Broadcast Program, Commercial, or Music Video, episode "Fragged," "Cylon Centurion"[6]
- Nominated: Zoic Studios for Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Broadcast Program, Commercial, or Music Video, episode "Valley of Darkness," "Cylon"
2007 5th Annual VES Awards
- Winner: Gary Hutzel, Michael Gibson, Alec McClymont and Brenda Campbell for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Series, episode "Exodus, Part II"[6]
- Winner: Steve Graves, Jose Peretz, Mark Shimer and Steve Gravese Peretz for Outstanding Models and Miniatures in a Broadcast Program, Commercial, or Music Video, episode "Resurrection Ship, Part II"
- Nominated: Ryan Cronin, Louie Hinayo, Andy Asperin and Trevor Adams for Outstanding Performance by an Animated Character in a Live Action Broadcast Program, Commercial, or Music Video, episode "Downloaded"[6]
- Nominated: Lane Jolly, Don Kim, Matt Smith and Chris Zapara for Outstanding Compositing in a Broadcast Program, Commercial, or Music Video, episode "Resurrection Ship, Part II"
2008 6th Annual VES Awards
- Winner: Mike Gibson, Gary Hutzel, Sean Jackson and Pierre Drolet for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Miniseries, Movie or a Special, episode "Razor"[7]
- Nominated: Mike Gibson, Gary Hutzel, Michael J. Davidson and Kyle Toucher for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Series, episode "Maelstrom"
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video.
2004 30th Annual Awards
- Nominated: Battlestar Galactica Miniseries, for Best Television Presentation
- Nominated: Katee Sackhoff for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series
2005 31st Annual Awards
- Winner: Battlestar Galactica TV Series, for Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series
2006 32nd Annual Awards
- Winner: Battlestar Galactica TV Series, for Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series
- Winner: James Callis as Gaius Baltar, for Best Supporting Actor on Television
- Winner: Katee Sackhoff as Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, for Best Supporting Actress on Television
- Nominated: Jamie Bamber as Lee "Apollo" Adama, for Best Supporting Actor on Television
- Nominated: Battlestar Galactica, for Best DVD Television release Season 1 & 2.0 (Universal)
2007 33rd Annual Awards
- Winner: Battlestar Galactica TV Series, for Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series
- Nominated: Edward James Olmos as William Adama, for Best Actor in a Television Program or Series
- Nominated: Katee Sackhoff as Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, for Best Actress in a Television Program or Series
- Nominated: James Callis as Gaius Baltar, for Best Supporting Actor on Television
2008 34th Annual Awards
- Nominated: Battlestar Galactica TV Series, for Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series
- Nominated: "Razor," for Best Presentation on Television
- Nominated: Edward James Olmos as William Adama, for Best Actor in a Television Program or Series
2006 Leo Awards
- Winner: Tricia Helfer in Battlestar Galactica episode "Pegasus" for Best Lead Performance By A Female in a Dramatic Series
2007 Nebula Awards
- Nominated: "Unfinished Business," for Best Script
Critical Recognition
2005
- American Film Institute's top 10 Television shows of the year 2005
- American Film Institute's Moments of significance 2005: Movies and Television Picture a Post 9/11 World
- Time Magazine's Best of 2005: Television (Position: #1) [8]
- TV Guide's and TV Land's The 100 Most Unexpected TV Moments for "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II" (Position: #98)
2006
- Salon.com recipient of the Buffy Award for Season 3 of Battlestar Galactica "the most underappreciated show in all of TV land"[9]
- American Film Institute's top 10 Television shows of the year 2006 (Position: #1)[10]
- Time Magazine's Best of 2006: Television (Position: #7) [11]
- IGN.COM Awards
- Winner: "Best Television Program," "Best Sci-Fi Series" and "Best storyline" (for the New Caprica arc)
- IGN.com's recipient of the Editor's Choice Award for the Season 3 premiere "Occupation."[12]
- IGN.com's recipient of the Editor's Choice Award for the Season 3 episode "Exodus, Part II". [13]
Various critic's Best of 2006
- Arizona Republic (Position: #7)
- Chicago Tribune (Position: N/A)
- Entertainment Weekly's (Position: #3)
- Metacritic (Position: #2)
- Newsday (Position: #3)
- Pittsburgh Post Gazette (Position: #3)
- San Jose Mercury-News (Position: #5)
- TV Guide (Position: #5)
2007
- Calvin Awards Best TV Show (Position: #1)
2008
- People's Choice Awards Nominated: Favorite Sci Fi Show
Comments and Quotes
- Edward James Olmos, quoted in Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion[15]
I didn't get into this business to get awards or get acclamation. I did it because I was searching for my own sense of who I was as a human being.... --
See Also
- Awards and Honors (TOS)
- The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, home of the Emmy Awards
- The Hugo Awards information from the World Science Fiction Society, its official servicemark holder
- The Official Peabody Awards site
- The Visual Effects Society Awards
- The Academy of Science Fiction Fantasy & Horror Films Awards (Saturn Awards)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Series Nominees / Winners 2005 (backup available on Archive.org) (in English). Television Academy. Retrieved on 2025-08-31.
- ↑ Battlestar Galactica & Nightmares Take VFX Creative Arts Emmy Awards (backup available on Archive.org) (in English). Animation World Network. Retrieved on 2025-08-31.
- ↑ Atlantis gets visual effects Emmy nomination (backup available on Archive.org) (in English). GateWorld (2008-07-17). Retrieved on 2025-08-31.
- ↑ Press release of winners (backup available on Archive.org) (in English). Peabody Awards. Retrieved on 2025-08-31.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 2nd Annual VES Awards (backup available on Archive.org) (in English). Visual Effects Society (2004-02-18). Retrieved on 2025-08-31.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Awards (backup available on Archive.org) (in English). Atmosphere VFX. Retrieved on 2025-08-31.
- ↑ Greg Behrens VFX Portfolio (backup available on Archive.org) (in English). Greg Behrens VFX. Retrieved on 2025-08-31.
- ↑ Best of 2005: Television (backup available on Archive.org) (in English). Time Magazine (2005-12-15). Retrieved on 2006-10-27.
- ↑ And the Buffy goes to... (backup available on Archive.org) (in English). Salon.com (2006-08-26). Retrieved on 2006-11-23.
- ↑ BBC reports the American Film Institute's top 10 TV shows of the year (backup available on Archive.org) (in English). BBC News (2006-12-11). Retrieved on 2006-12-12.
- ↑ Best of 2006: Television (backup available on Archive.org) (in English). Time Magazine (2006-12-17). Retrieved on 2007-01-14.
- ↑ Battlestar Galactica: "Occupation/Precipice" Advance Review (backup available on Archive.org) (in English). IGN (2006-10-19). Retrieved on 2006-10-27.
- ↑ Battlestar Galactica: "Exodus, Part 2" Advance Review (backup available on Archive.org) (in English). IGN (2006-10-19). Retrieved on 2006-10-27.
- ↑ Bests of 2006 Television (backup available on Archive.org) (in English). Metacritic (2006-12-17). Retrieved on 2007-01-14.
- ↑ Bassom, David (2005). Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion. Titan Books, p. 99.
Commentary and Interviews
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 (October/November 2006) "Battlestar Galactica gains three Emmy nominations". Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine (7): 9.
- ↑ (October/November 2006) "Battlestar Galactica gains three Emmy nominations". Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine (7): 9.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 (October/November 2006) "Battlestar Galactica collects Peabody Award". Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine (7): 7.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 (October/November 2006) "Battlestar Galactica collects Peabody Award". Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine (7): 7.
- ↑ (October/November 2006) "Battlestar Galactica collects Peabody Award". Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine (7): 7.
- ↑ (October/November 2006) "Battlestar Galactica collects Peabody Award". Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine (7): 7.
- ↑ (October/November 2006) "Battlestar Galactica collects Peabody Award". Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine (7): 7.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 (October/November 2006) "Battlestar Galactica collects Peabody Award". Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine (7): 7.