Main game
The six celebrities sat within two rows of triangular frames, oriented so that the lower edge of the top row became the upper edge of the bottom one. The numbers from 1 to 10 appeared at the corners of the frames. Two contestants competed, typically a returning champion and a challenger. To begin the game, the champion pushed a plunger to stop a flashing randomizer and highlight one number associated with a corner of a celebrity's triangle. If the number corresponded to one or more celebrities who could be captured on that turn, the contestant had to choose one of them; otherwise, he/she chose any un-captured celebrity marked by that number. The host asked a question and two answers appeared on a screen visible to the celebrity but hidden from the contestant. The celebrity chose the answer he or she believed to be correct. The contestant retained control by correctly agreeing or disagreeing with the response; otherwise, the turn ended and the opponent played. The celebrity was "captured" once all three numbers around their triangle were lit with the background for that position changing to blue for the champion and red for the challenger. Multiple captures on a single turn were possible. Each number remained lit after it was hit by the randomizer, unless it was needed to complete a capture and the contestant incorrectly agreed/disagreed. In this case, a new question was asked to the same celebrity and the opponent had a chance to capture. The first contestant to capture any three celebrities won the game and advanced to the bonus round. Any contestant who captured all six celebrities in a single game won a bonus (originally a prize, later $1,000 cash). Since the champion played first, it was possible for the challenger to lose without ever taking a turn, in which case he/she returned to play the next game. Champions remained on the show until they were defeated or had played the bonus round 20 times (it was reduced to five in 1983). The rules were changed slightly in 1983. All of the numbers were initially lit and had to be put out in order 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 for each question were displayed on-screen for the home viewers' benefit, but were still not shown to the contestant.Bonus game
1981–1982: Battlestars Two/Picture Game
A photograph of a celebrity was hidden behind a grid of 20 squares, with the corners left blank. The remaining squares were numbered from 1 to 16, each corresponding to a different card in a stack. The champion selected three cards, and the host inserted them into an electronic reader to determine which squares they represented. Those three squares were revealed, and the champion was allowed to reveal one more square of his/her choice and then offer one guess at the subject for $5,000. During a week of Christmas shows in December 1981, the top prize was doubled to $10,000. If the champion could not identify the subject after the four squares were revealed, he/she would draw up to three more cards. From this point forward, the six celebrities were also allowed to offer guesses; if the champion was unable to identify the subject by his/her self, he/she could also win the round by having a celebrity identify the person. Doing so after the first draw won the champion $3,000, while the second was worth $2,000 and the third $1,000. If the subject still had not been identified after this, the champion would select another square and the prize was reduced to $500. If still unsuccessful, the champion was allowed to select one last square and the prize was reduced to $250 if the subject was identified. During the first few weeks of the show's run, the champion chose a square to reveal before drawing the three initial cards. If the card for that square was chosen during the round, he/she was allowed to draw again. The free choice was later moved to occur after the three draws in order to save time.1983: The Main Event
The champion selected any three of the celebrities he/she had captured during the game to participate in this round, and decided the order in which they would play. Each celebrity in turn was asked one question with three answer options, which were displayed to both him/her and the champion. In order to win a question, the champion had to either agree with a correct answer given by the celebrity, or disagree with a wrong answer and then give the correct one from the remaining two choices. If the champion won all three questions, he/she won the Battlestars Bonanza, a jackpot containing $5,000 cash and a collection of prizes that grew in value for every game in which it was not won. Otherwise, the contestant received $500 for each correct decision. The typical starting total value of the Bonanza was usually over $10,000.Broadcast history
NBC scheduled the first version of ''Battlestars'' at 11:30 a.m./10:30 Central, replacing ''References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Battlestars (Game Show) NBC game shows 1980s American game shows 1981 American television series debuts 1982 American television series endings 1983 American television series debuts 1983 American television series endings Television series by Heatter-Quigley Productions American television series revived after cancellation American English-language television shows Television shows presented by Alex Trebek