After a 40-year armistice in the war between the Twelve Colonies and the Cylons, the latter group launches a surprise attack with a goal of exterminating the human race, wiping out virtually everyone in the Twelve Colonies. Malware placed in the Colonial military's computer network renders most of the network ineffective or destroyed -- except for Battlestar Galactica, a space battleship that fought in the earlier war. Because it's older computer systems are not networked, the ship is not affected by the malware attack and it becomes the lead in the new battle with the Cylons.

After a 40-year armistice in the war between the Twelve Colonies and the Cylons, the latter group launches a surprise attack with a goal of exterminating the human race, wiping out virtually everyone in the Twelve Colonies. Malware placed in the Colonial military's computer network renders most of the network ineffective or destroyed -- except for Battlestar Galactica, a space battleship that fought in the earlier war. Because it's older computer systems are not networked, the ship is not affected by the malware attack and it becomes the lead in the new battle with the Cylons.

This update of the late-1970s series takes a decidedly darker tone as what's left of humankind struggles for survival against the robot Cylons, who have killed millions. The Galactica, led by William Adama, protects a patched-together fleet of civilians -- led by de facto president Laura Roslin -- in search of a mythical planet called Earth.

Within the ruins of the legendary city of Atlantis is buried a secret base left by the Ancients, originators of the Stargate. A new team of explorers travels to the distant galaxy where Atlantis is located, where a primitive human civilization is threatened by a sinister enemy.