Richard Hatch Movies

Season Three of The Waltons begins with the first half of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single, two-hour episode). The great Beulah Bondi (she was James Stewart's mom in It's a Wonderful Life) guest stars as Aunt Martha, the elderly sister of Grandpa Walton (Will Geer). The US Government has evicted Martha and her family from their home, which is slated for demolition to make way for the Blue Ridge Parkway. Although she has been compensated with a new house and patch of land, Martha refuses to budge--and Grandpa and John-Boy (Richard Thomas) are pressed into service to halt the Government construction crew in its tracks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), the Walton men have gathered at the home of Grandpa Walton's elderly sister Martha (Beulah Bondi), whom the government has evicted in so as not to impede construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Although certain authorities have promised to reconsider the eviction, certain others go back on their word--and now the Waltons and the Feds are facing each other down, both sides fully armed. As the lone voice of reason in this standoff, John-Boy (Richard Thomas) does his best to avoid unnecessary bloodshed...only to be the first one caught in the crossfire! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Waltons are advised of the plight of their city-dwelling relative Wade (Richard Hatch), whose marriage is on the brink of collapse. Convinced that Wade has been stepping out with other women, Wade's wife Vera (Lindsay V. Jones) tales refuge in the Walton home. The good news is that Wade is not cheating on Vera, merely working overtime to make ends meet: the bad news is that Wade's new job involves running illegal moonshine! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Even after all these decades, there remain those loyal Streets of San Francisco fans who argue that the series would have survived long past it fifth and final season had there not occurred a radical (and somewhat controversial) casting change. Though Karl Malden remained on the job during Season Five as veteran SFPD homicide detective Mike Stone, Michael Douglas, cast as Stone's youthful partner, Inspector Steve Keller, would exit the series after the spectacular, star-studded two-part season opener in order to focus his energies on producing the Oscar-winning theatrical feature One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (On the series, it was explained that Steve Keller had retired from active duty to teach a college criminology class). Keller's replacement was another young idealist, albeit a tad handsomer and more athletic, Inspector Dan Robbins, played by Richard Hatch (not the future American Idol contestant!) Despite the best efforts of the series' writers and directors, Stone and Robbins never developed the same warm rapport that had been the hallmark of the Stone-Keller relationship, nor were Michael Douglas' legions of fans satisfied with his relatively unknown replacement. For this and several other reasons (including the stiff competition of CBS' Barnaby Jones, the ratings of Streets of San Francisco tanked during its fifth year on the air, and was cancelled after 119 episodes in September of 1977 (the series had previously gone on brief hiatus in the spring of that year to make room for a new ABC drama, Westside Medical. In fairness to Richard Hatch, his character did have a few memorable moments, notably the episode in which Robbins falls in love with a "bleeding-heart" public defender, played by a pre-Lou Grant Linda Kelsey. This year's "cast-against-type" candidates include Susan Dey of The Partridge Family and Maureen McCormick of The Brady Bunch, respectively portraying a baby-faced urban terrorist and 16-year-old call girl. And as in seasons past, the series provided a good showcase for young players on their way up: Mark Hamill as a street-gang member, Carl Weathers as a cop, Don Johnson as a reckless motorcycle cop, and, best of all, future "Governator" Arnold Schwarzenegger as a short-tempered professional bodybuilder who turns lethal whenever someone makes fun of him! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In Part Three of Battlestar Galactica's pilot episode, the survivors of the war between the Cylons and Mankind have been lured into a trap on the planet Carillon. Thanks to some quick thinking on the part of Galactica's Cmdr. Adama (Lorne Greene), Adama's son Apollo (Richard Hatch), and Apollo's best friend Starbuck (Dirk Benedict), an escape from Carillon is successfully carried out--and in the bargain, Apollo has found happiness with his new bride Serena (Jane Seymour). But the Cylons, headed by traitorous human Baltar (John Colicos), are still determined to prevent Galactica from reaching its destination of the lost 13th colony (known centuries ago as Planet Earth). Originally telecast as a three-hour special, "Saga of a Star World" has since been divided into three separate episodes for syndication, and an edited 125-minute version has been released theatrically as Battlestar Galactica. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In part one of Battlestar Galactica's pilot episode, the 12 colonies of humankind are poised to sign a peace treaty with the Cylons, a race of mechanical men with whom the colonies have waged war for the past millennium. In truth, however, the peace conference is a trap, arranged by traitorous human Baltar (John Colicos) for the purpose of wiping out humankind for good. Of all the colonies' battlestars, only the Galactica, helmed by Commander Adama (Lorne Greene) -- who, wisely, never completely trusted Baltar in the first place -- manages to escape the Cylon fleet. Led by Adama, his Viper-pilot son, Captain Apollo (Dirk Benedict), and Apollo's best friend, Lieutenant Starbuck (Dirk Benedict), the survivors of the Cylon ambush board Galactica and head for the long-lost 13th colony, which once bore the name of Earth. Originally telecast as a three-hour special, "Saga of a Star World" has since been divided into three separate episodes for syndication, and an edited 125-minute version has also been released theatrically. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Adama (Lorne Greene) clashes with Commander Cain (Lloyd Bridges), a legendary--and extremely egocentric--colonial warrior. Cain wants to use the combined forces of his battleship Pegasus and Adama's Galactica for an all-out resistance against a massive Cylon attack, but Adama, worried about the human cost of such an undertaking, is dead set against the plan. Even so, by the time the episode is over, the crews of the Pegasus and the Galactica are battling shoulder-to-shoulder--and it may be a battle to the death. Parts one and two of "The Living Legend" were later combined with excerpts from the Battlestar Galactica episode "Fire in Space" and released theatrically overseas as Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the first episode of a two-part story, a recon mission led by Apollo (Richard Hatch) and Starbuck (Dirk Benedict) confronts a fleet of Vipers from the long-lost Battlestar Pegasus. Ultimately, Cmdr. Adama (Lorne Greene) comes face to face with the Pegasus' skipper, legendary colonial warrior Cain (Lloyd Bridges). Unfortunately, Cain's heroism is dwarfed by his ego and his recklessness--and he is determined to lead his vessel and the Galactica on a suicidal attack against the Cylon forces. Anne Lockhart makes her first series appearance as Cain's daughter, Sheba. Parts one and two of "The Living Legend" were later combined with excerpts from the Battlestar Galactica episode "Fire in Space" and released theatrically overseas as Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this sci-fi drama, pieced together from the Battlestar Galactica television series, handsome-hero Starbuck's womanizing gets him thrown into a space prison during a revolt. When the dreaded Cylons attack, real mayhem ensues, culminating in a special-effects-laden final battle. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The first (and only) season of ABC's lavishly mounted sci-fi/fantasy series Battlestar Galactica begins with a spectacular (and spectacularly "hyped") three-hour opener, which in blatant Star Wars fashion rapidly establishes time, place, and characters. The time is the seventh millennium A.D. The place is Galactica, the only battlestar to survive a brutal attack by the evil Cylon androids (originally created as a worker race), which had the overall effect of virtually obliterating humankind and destroying the balance of interplanetary peace. The principal characters on the "good" side are Commander Adama (Lorne Greene), chief officer of the mile-wide Galactica; his only surviving son, Captain Apollo (Richard Hatch), head of Galactica's Viper (fighter) squadron; the resident "Han Solo" type, Apollo's cocksure ace pilot and all-around con artist, Lt. Starbuck (Dirk Benedict); Starbuck's fellow pilots, Boomer (Herbert Jefferson Jr.) and Jolly (Tony Swartz); Athena (Maren Jensen), Adama's daughter and second in command; Cassiopeia (Laurette Spang), Starbuck's erstwhile girlfriend; Colonel Tigh (Terry Carter), Galactica's first officer; Boxey (Noah Hathaway), Apollo's stepson; and, in the R2D2 tradition, a mechanical dog named Muffit. Leading the bad guys is the swarthy Count Baltar (John Colicos) and Baltar's willing if slightly dimwitted cyborg henchman Lucifer (voiced by an unbilled Jonathan Harris). In the course of the season, the crew of the Galactica, as well as those of the 220 minor space vehicles remaining in Galactica's fleet, race desperately toward the last known inhabited planet in space, an obscure little orb called Earth, with the relentless Cylons hot on their heels. Halfway through the season, the two-part episode "The Living Legend" introduces Sheba (Anne Lockhart), daughter of Colonel Cain, legendary skipper of the battlestar Pegasus. Sheba is briefly united with Adama and company when the Galactica and Pegasus join forces to ward off the latest Cylon assault. Beset by various lawsuits instigated by the creators of Star Wars and weighed down by low ratings, Battlestar Galactica comes to a climax after 24 episodes. The property, would, however, be revived in a dramatically altered format (set in the 20th century) as Galactica 1980; and a quarter of a century later, a new Battlestar Galactica (described as a "re-imagining") premiered over the Sci-Fi Channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When a long-range recon mission in a new, computer-equipped Viper goes awry, Starbuck (Dirk Benedict) is captured and shipped off to a forgotten prison planet. Starbuck's fellow inmates are all descendants of the planet's original criminal population, condemned to a lifetime of blind obedience to unknown superiors, and forced to manufacture ambrosia for a fleet that has long ceased to exist. It is up to Starbuck to convince these hopeless souls to revolt against their centuries-old bondage. "The Long Patrol" was later combined with the Battlestar Galactica episode "Take the Celestra" and reissued as the two-hour "TV movie" Space Casanova. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Crashlanding on the Cylon garrison planet Trillion, Starbuck is "rescued" by a group of children -- the only surviving human inhabitants of the planet. It soon develops that the kids comprise a guerilla organization, led by their father. In order to ransom their dad from his Cylon captors, the youngsters are willing to use Starbuck as a bargaining chip. This episode, originally scheduled to air on November 12, 1978, was later combined with the Battlestar Galactica episode "Murder on the Rising Star" and reissued as the two-hour "TV movie" Murder in Space. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide