“There are those who believe that life here began out there, far across the universe... There may yet be brothers of man who even now fight to survive — somewhere beyond the heavens!”

Forty years ago this month, Battlestar Galactica debuted on ABC. Veteran actor Patrick Macnee’s opening narration for the series set the stage for an incredibly ambitious sci-fi series. In the wake of Star Wars, Glen A. Larson’s Battlestar Galactica carved out its own place in genre history. While the original Battlestar Galactica lasted only a single season, its influence has been immense. Almost as soon as the show was canceled, it was successfully brought back in a different form, thanks to a very passionate fan base.

While SYFY’s 2003 Battlestar Galactica reboot received acclaim from fans and critics alike, the latest installment of SYFY WIRE’s Everything You Didn’t Know series is taking an extended look at the original Battlestar Galactica. In this video, we explore the origins of the show, the Star Wars connection, and we’ll even tell you the difference between a Centon and a Yahren.

Do you remember BSG’s robotic dog, Muffit the Daggit? Let’s just say that they didn’t have CGI back in 1978, and the creative team’s solution just wouldn’t fly today. Plus, we get to revisit Frak/Frack, our favorite word in the show’s invented language. We really fraking love it!

We also briefly look back at Galactica 1980, the even shorter lived revival series that jettisoned most of the original cast amid a much campier premise and setting. It took the better part of three decades for the show to return. But when the reboot series finally brought the Battlestar back to TV, it finally fulfilled the promise of the first series and took its place among the all-time great shows.

For more on the history of the Battlestar Galactica franchise, check out the full video!