"Caprica" (2009) TV series 2009-????

Creators:

Remi Aubuchon
Ronald D. Moore

Seasons:

1

Genre:

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The end of humanity has a beginning...

Plot:

Two families, the Graystones and the Adamas, live together on a peaceful planet known as Caprica, where a startling breakthrough in artificial intelligence brings about unforeseen consequences. A spin-off of the Sci Fi Channel series "Battlestar Galactica" set 50 years prior to the events of that show.

Plot Keywords:

Artificial Intelligence | Prequel | Terrorism | Clone | Gun

Cast

Eric Stoltz	...	Daniel Graystone (11 episodes, 2009-2010)
Esai Morales	...	Joseph Adama (11 episodes, 2009-2010)
Alessandra Torresani	...	Zoe Graystone (10 episodes, 2009-2010)
Brian Markinson	...	Jordan Duram (8 episodes, 2009-2010)
Hiro Kanagawa	...	Cyrus Xander (6 episodes, 2009-2010)
Panou	...	Olaf Willow (5 episodes, 2010)
Alex Arsenault	...	Philomon (5 episodes, 2010)
John Pyper-Ferguson	...	Tomas Vergis (5 episodes, 2010)

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English | Greek

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

BC Place, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

David Eick Productions

Trivia:

Was originally pitched to NBC/Universal by Remi Aubuchon as an independent series with no connection to the "Battlestar Galactica" (2004) franchise. NBC/Universal read the pilot (an allegorical story about slavery with robots) and suggested Aubuchon meet with Ronald D. Moore and David Eick (who were considering a Battlestar Galactica spin-off series at the time). Aubuchon, Moore and Eick met and within a couple of months the "Caprica" series was born.

Movie Connections:

Spin off from "Battlestar Galactica" (2004)

An intriguing beginning, which suggests great potential.

Overall I was rather impressed with the pilot. The initial first fifteen minutes were worrying, as it did feel the creators were trying to create a science fiction version of The O.C but this fear is rectified when a terrorist incident occurs and from here the show steps into themes and situations that I very rarely see television tackle.

BSG dealt with themes such as monotheism, existentialism, reality, death and terrorism but they were primarily subtext, there for the viewer to contemplate on or ignore if they so choose. Here on the other hand these subjects are the focus of the show and I personally found myself evoking such works as Ghost In The Shell and The Matrix as reference points while watching and being surprised by how well the themes were being discussed. I think if you are a fan of the two I just mentioned or other films/television shows, which deal with the subjects I referenced, I think you will find at least something here.

In terms of a starting point to explain how the situation we know in BSG came about I believe they handled it in a very interesting way, I especially liked how they explained where the Cylon's belief in one God came from and the creation of Caprica had just enough advanced and contemporary technology thrown in to make it appear in the future but not completely alien to us as viewers.

The only real weak points I noticed were the relationship between the Greystone parents and the actress who plays 'Lacy Rand'. While I like Eric Stoltz and Paula Malcomson individually, together their scenes seemed to lack chemistry, at this point it could simply be down to developing their characters, but this is something I think needs work. I also found Magda Apanowicz to be unconvincing in her role. This again could be down to experience and time needed to develop, but throughout the episode her acting appeared forced and not completely confident.

Based on the pilot I greatly look forward to seeing where 'Caprica' goes in the future and hopefully it will touch the greatness that BSG once did.