Battlestar Galactica’s Richard Hatch dies aged 71 – Battlestar and sci-fi actors pay tribute

Richard Hatch, star of the original Battlestar Galactica (and the 2003 reboot), has died aged 71 from pancreatic cancer. Hatch, best known for playing Captain Apollo in the 70s sci-fi classic, leaves a sci-fi legacy as great as any other – and stars past and present have responded with an outpouring of tributes on social media.

The Battlestar Galactica community was a tight-knit, passionate one and the actors from the 2003 reboot of Battlestar Galactica, including the new Apollo (Jamie Bamber) and Dr Gaius (James Callis), paid tribute to the actor.

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Battlestar Galactica’s Starbuck, Katee Sackhoff, also posted a tribute to Hatch on Twitter, with a wonderfully heart-warming photo. 

Edward James Olmos and Sackhoff both included the iconic BSG line ‘So say we all’ in their tributes.

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Mary McDonnell, who also starred in 2003’s Battlestar Galactica alongside Hatch, described him as “a Prince” upon hearing of his death, with social media being flooded with stories of Richard Hatch’s kindness, including one from the creator of the BSG reboot, Ronald D. Moore:

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Richard Hatch’s influence spread far and wide for lovers of sci-fi, and even with stars of Star Trek and Star Wars. George Takei and Walter Koenig, stars of the original Star Trek, mourned the passing of one of sci-fi’s great heroes.

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Dave Prowse, Darth Vader himself, shared a really cool photo of the two together – the ultimate baddie with the swashbuckling hero – joined together by their love of appearing at conventions.

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Sci-fi mainstay Doug Jones also felt the loss of Richard Hatch, calling him “A passionate teacher of the craft.” 

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Hatch’s family released a statement upon his death, which you can read in full below.

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All of us at GamesRadar+ would like to extend our condolences to the Hatch family.

Image: Getty/ABC

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.