Caprica (1 Viewer)

mattCR · Jan 24, 2009

News is beginning to come out regarding the upcoming new series in the Battlestar Galactica Universe.

'Battlestar Galactica' veterans move on to 'Caprica' | The Watcher

Jane Espenson, of Buffy / Angel / etc. fame, also a writer of several eps of Battlestar will be the show runner on the new series "Caprica" set as a prequel to Battlestar Galactica.

I'm just not sure how they can place the creation of the cylons so close - only 50 years before the current series. I thought they had made peace with the Cylons after a first war, and this was the second where they were nuked out of their homes.

Am I remembering wrong? (because here was thought in "razor" that the violation of the neutral territory may have started the war?)

Jason Seaver · Jan 25, 2009

Well, it's also got to be close enough that Adama could have served in it, and this does sound like the time frame mentioned way back in the miniseries.

Anyway, good to see Jane Espenson getting the big chair; I'd argue that she was the best writer on Buffy during that series' latter years and has done great work since. Looks like this means her time working on Dollhouse is short.

Joseph Bolus · Jan 25, 2009

The first Cylon/Colonial war took place 40 years prior to the start of the BSG miniseries. So this series is apparently starting 10 years before the first war.

That sounds like a reasonable time frame.

Of course, it has yet to be explained as to how Cylons could have made up the entire 13th Colony 2000 years ago. Hopefully that will be explained before the conclusion of BSG's fourth season. I suppose it will be part of that whole "All this has happened before and will happen again" mythology.

joshEH · Jan 25, 2009

Actually, the timeframe of the series has it set only a year or so before the First Cylon War erupts -- the pilot opens 51 years prior to the BSG miniseries, and it was established that the first war lasted 10 years (ending 41 years before the original show, per the Razor flashbacks).

So, we're looking at roughly a decade-long conflict against the toasters, with L'il Willie Adams becoming "Husker" just in time to get shot down over that ice planet (Zero?). Given that the first series stretched its first two seasons over just six months of in-universe time, I'm confident that we'll still get plenty of juicy pre-war stories over that year across a number of seasons, long before the big "booms" start going off.

Incidentally, the entire Caprica pilot script had been posted online (draft dated 10/6/06) by a particular website, which is still hosting Ron Moore's Virtuality pilot script, but it looks like it recently got pulled off there by the studio in the past week or so.

Lots of great stuff in it. According to RDM, not much really changed from his early drafts to the final shooting version, which means that it was a likely foretaste of what will eventually hit the airwaves, come next year. In fact, the recent clip posted by Sci-Fi online (depicting Eric Stoltz investigating his daughter Zoe's death in a virtual nightclub) was exactly word-for-word identical to the scene as it appeared in the script.

Kevin Hewell · Jan 25, 2009

When was that mentioned? I don't remember that.

joshEH · Jan 25, 2009

It's been mentioned at several points in the series to date when conversations came up about the war, and the excellent BSG Wiki has an article on the conflict.

Interestingly, according to the wiki, the war actually lasts some twelve-and-a-half years, but that's using real-world Terran date-conversions (ending with the armistice on the 4,571st day, per Razor), which may or may not correspond to the celestial dating conventions used in the Twelve Colonies.

In other words, ten years there might (very roughly) equal 12.5 years here.

KevinGress · Jan 26, 2009

My question is, how prevalent will technology be in this series? BSG got off light in a lot of areas because they went with the idea that the Cylons could hack into any network, etc. and that's why everything had to be hard-wired. So, given the timeframe here, I'd expect to see a lot of technology in play, otherwise they better have a VERY good explaination, again.

Mikah Cerucco · Jan 26, 2009

For me, the technology is the least interesting aspect of the show. I care only to the degree that it helps set the mood/environment. The exterior establishing shots of Galactica and the fleet helped set the tone. Showing an FTL jump here and there helped as well. I don't care how their computers and networks work unless it's integral to the story they're telling. Hopefully they don't feel the need to go back to the traditional view of what Science Fiction is. I'll take solid characters and story over dilithium crystals and warp drive anyday.

Josh Dial · Jan 26, 2009

Well, a key plot-point seems to be (from the trailer) the creation of artificial life-forms, so I would say technology will play a major role. Perhaps not in the "whiz-bang" sense, but rather the same way technology impacts modern society (the ubiquitous iPod, for example).

KevinGress · Jan 26, 2009

First, BSG is not the only sci-fi show to sport solid characters. I think too often lately people confuse low lighting and dark tones with the only way to tell a good sci-fi story.

But, second, it DOES need to make technology more apparent in this series, if it's to be honest.

Remember, this is before the first Cyclon war, so to be true to its own mythos, I'd expect to see all sorts of AI floating around - from robots carrying things to computers talking to military and political figures, etc. It's because of the Cyclons going all Skynet on them that they turn away from it. At this point in their history, they'd be replete with AI and robotics, etc.

So, while I'm certain they'll tell an interesting tale, I'm not so sure they'll tell an honest one.

Mark Leiter · Jan 27, 2009

Just a minor point and I'm not sure if this has been discussed before.

Since there are/were 12 coloniels then presumably each one would have a different orbit around thier home star meaning each of the 12 colonies would have varying lengths of what a "year" is. They must have established a standard as to how long a "year" is. If they did do that then how would each planet make up for the difference to what the standard was and what the actual length of a paticular orbit is? After all the reason the concept of a year was created was so that farmers would know when to plant thier crops.

I suppose that they could get around that by establishing 2 definitions of time. One as a standard for all the colonies as a whole and a second for each of all the individual planets in the colonies. That has got to get confusing trying to keep track of 13 total definitions of time.

Josh Dial · Jan 27, 2009

Sort of a "zulu-time," but for years.

David Forbes · Jan 27, 2009

The whole idea that there are 12 habitable planets to begin with is really not possible. Look at how far our nine planets are spaced apart, and how different they are. Unless the Colonial system has planets where humans live beneath domes or in the upper atmospheres of gas giants, there is really no way to make the concept work. If you move orbits too close together you will have tidal friction making the orbits unstable.

The year is probably the Capircan year, since I believe that was the capital planet. The other colonies would probably have their own, but as I said, you're not going to be planting crops on a planet much beyond the distance of where Mars is in our solar system, or much closer than Venus.

Mark Leiter · Jan 27, 2009

That makes total sense. I am not completly knowledgable about the BSG universe, but I always assumed that the 12 colonies implied 12 different planets. I also assumed that these 12 planet revolved around more than one star. Perhaps even 12 different stars. Making the colonies meaning 12 star systems. It dosen't make sense to me for all 12 colonies to have inhabited the same planet. Unless all those colonies really meant different countries. But then perhaps I just dont know enough about BSG mythos.

joshEH · Jan 27, 2009

Interestingly, in the early draft of the miniseries script, RDM had the "Twelve Colonies of Kobol" actually being twelve different nation-states on the planet Kobol, which then got attacked by the Cylons as we see onscreen. This would've significantly affected the direction of the show, as there would've been no "ancient homeworld" of Kobol to rediscover later on, as we got at the end of Season 1, and it would've confined humanity to just the one world.

As a matter of fact, when you read the script, very, very little actually changed from what eventually hit the screen, apart from stuff like the Adama/Leoben fight at Ragnar being much more expensive-looking on the page, and a few other minor alterations here and there.

(Part 2 can be read here.)

joshEH · Feb 5, 2009

The Caprica pilot to hit DVD on 4/21.

Very nice. Looks like we're gonna get to see it very, very soon after all.

From the official Universal press release:

The Highly Anticipated Feature-Length Prequel to the Series Phenomenon, Battlestar Galactica Premiering Exclusively on DVD and Digital Download

FROM THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS OF SCI FI CHANNEL'S BATTLESTAR GALACTICA RONALD D. MOORE AND DAVID EICK AND UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Caprica, the highly anticipated prequel to "Battlestar Galactica," will enjoy its world premiere exclusively on DVD on April 21, 2009 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. In a groundbreaking move sure to delight fans of the long-running television phenomenon, the feature-length prequel will be available on DVD as a limited-edition uncut and unrated version before the series' broadcast premiere on the SCI FI Channel in 2010. Caprica is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick ("Battlestar Galactica") and Remi Aubuchon ("24"). Exclusive bonus features that take viewers behind the scenes of the creation of Caprica make this DVD a landmark event for any fan of "Battlestar Galactica." The film will also be available at selected online destinations for digital download transactions.

As "Battlestar Galactica" wraps its gripping final season on SCI FI on March 20, 2009, Caprica begins a brand new epic saga that continues the franchise's commitment to thought-provoking storytelling and extraordinary characters. Set over 50 years before the events of "Battlestar Galactica," Caprica is a world at the peak of its power, grappling with new science and technologies and the issues they create. The series will star Golden Globe nominee Eric Stoltz (Mask, Pulp Fiction), Esai Morales ("Jericho," "NYPD Blue"), Paula Malcomson ("Deadwood," "ER") and Golden Globe nominee Polly Walker ("Cane," "Rome") in a story laced with passion, intrigue and family conflict.

"We are thrilled to take the groundbreaking step of offering the world-premiere of the Caprica feature-length extended pilot episode on DVD prior to the new series' television debut," said Hilary Hoffman, Senior Vice President, Brand and Digital Marketing for Universal Studios Home Entertainment. "This innovative distribution model will serve to satisfy 'Battlestar Galactica' fans' appetites for a new content while building excitement for the franchise's next great adventure."

"Ever since fans first caught wind of the 'Battlestar Galactica' prequel Caprica, they have been eagerly following its development," said Mark Stern, Executive Vice President, Original Programming for SCI FI and Co-Head Original Content, Universal Cable Productions. "We wanted to give them a chance to see the pilot in its original form and experience the prequel to the BSG story while that series' finale was still ringing in their ears. It also affords the creative team an unprecedented chance to get viewers feedback before production on the Caprica series begins this summer."

"If 'Battlestar Galactica' offered us a way to shatter the conventions of space opera, Caprica will be a show which will challenge the conventions of science fiction storytelling as a whole," said Ronald D. Moore, Executive Producer/Writer.

"Part sweeping soap, part meditation on the dangerous moral ramifications of artificial intelligence, this is a truly unique opportunity to continue telling stories which will be as daring and shocking as the best of 'Galactica' -- and yet will be altogether different from 'Galactica,'" said David Eick, Executive Producer.

Universal Cable Productions will begin production on the "Caprica" series in the summer of 2009 in Vancouver for a 2010 television premiere on the SCI FI Channel. The DVD of Caprica is priced at $26.98 S.R.P. Preorder close is March 3, 2009.

BONUS FEATURES:

* Feature Commentary with Director Jeffrey Reiner and Executive Producer/Writer Ronald D. Moore and Executive Producer David Eick
* Deleted Scenes
* Video Blogs
o What the Frak is Caprica?
o The Director's Process
o The V Club
o The Birth of a Cylon

SYNOPSIS

Set 50 years before Battlestar Galactica, Caprica follows two rival families and their patriarchs -- Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) and Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) -- as they compete and thrive in the vibrant world of the 12 Colonies, a society recognizably close to our own. Enmeshed in the burgeoning technology of artificial intelligence and robotics that will eventually lead to the creation of the Cylons, the two houses go toe-to-toe blending action with corporate conspiracy and sexual politics.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Street Date: April 21, 2009

Pre-Order Close: March 3, 2009

Copyright: 2009 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Price: $26.98

Selection Number: 61109037

Running Time: 1 Hour 33 Minutes

Layers: Dual Layer

Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1

Rating: Not rated.

Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

www.CapricaDVD.com

Mikah Cerucco · Feb 5, 2009

Nice. These "screeners" can work. It's what got me hooked on Heroes before the show actually aired, whereas I anticipated it being a cheap 4400 knockoff before actually seeing it.

Adam Lenhardt · Feb 5, 2009

They can work if you stick them for free in a cereal box, or package them with another DVD set. I can't say I'm excited about the idea of paying $26 for the pilot to a show I've never seen.

Mikah Cerucco · Feb 6, 2009

I doubt you'll have to. That's a list price. Also, there's always rental.

TravisR · Feb 6, 2009

I'm renting it simply because if I like it, I'll pick up the S1 set down the road.

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