The Man With Nine Lives
Original Airdate: January 28, 1979
Writer: Don Bellisario.
Director: Rod Holcomb.
Guest Cast: Fred Astaire (Chameleon), Anne Jeffreys (Siress Blassie), Lance LeGault (Maga), Robert Feero (Bora), Anthony DeLongis (Taba).
Running from the Borellian Noman, an aged conman named Chameleon seeks out Starbuck and leads him to believe that he might be his father.
Producer Don Bellisario picked up the telephone receiver, not knowing that a true living legend was waiting on the other end. The voice said, “this is Fred Astaire.”
After explaining that his grandchildren were enormous fans of the series, Astaire asked if it would be possible for him to play a small guest part. Bellisario answered enthusiastically, “Mr. Astaire, I will write a two-hour episode around you!”
For cast members, the opportunity to work with Astaire was a once in a lifetime opportunity. "It was my favorite episode," recalls Benedict, "and Fred and I consequently were friends for the rest of his life as the result of that.”
“Fred didn't want to dance on camera," says story editor Terrence McDonnell. "I know we had a few sessions about this and we got it in. As far as I know, that may be the last time he danced on film. It’s very tight on him but he's still dancing. For trivia games, where did Fred Astaire dance last? No, it wasn't That's Entertainment Part 2 it was on Battlestar Galactica!"
