Caprica Promo Poster

Earlier this year, ‘Battlestar Galactica’ finally left our screens after four (technically five, for those pedantic amongst you) wonderfully dark and gritty seasons in space.

We witnessed the beginning of the second war between the Colonials (humans) and the Cylons (intelligent machines who rebelled against their masters), the destruction of the twelve colonies of Kobol and the subsequent exodus of the remnants of the human race in a rag-tag fleet of ships as they attempted to find a new home called Earth, whilst being hunted by the Cylons they created.

However, with ‘Caprica’, the prequel series to ‘Battlestar Galactica’ and brain child of Ronald.D.Moore and David Eick, the executive producers behind the re-imagined ‘Galactica’, we’re faced with a different type of television show, albeit still in the ‘Battlestar’ universe.

Jane Espensen, a writer and producer who worked with Moore & Eick on ‘Galactica’ is also along for the ride, as are several other members of the production team including Bear McCreary, the wonderfully talented composer of the Battlestar score. Unfortunately, those of you hoping for cameo appearances from ‘Battlestar’ actors will be disappointed as ‘Caprica’ takes place many years prior.

Before I dive into the actual review, it is certainly worth saying that if you haven’t seen or heard of ‘Battlestar Galactica’, you won’t enjoy ‘Caprica’ any less. You don’t need any to know any of the story (either the history or the events that unfold in the future), you don’t need to know about any of the characters; you just have to pay attention from the beginning of the story and it is all pretty self explanatory.

So, lets talk about the ‘Caprica’ pilot in more detail shall we?

As I said earlier, ‘Caprica’ takes place many years prior to the events depicted in ‘Battlestar Galactica’; fifty eight years ‘before the fall’ to be exact. The Twelve Colonies of Kobol mimick a society that very closely mirrors that of present day Earth in our universe, however they are further down the path of technological advancement than we.

Caprica's citizens going to work

One of the things that strikes you about ‘Caprica’ very early on is that their society is incredibly similar to ours, although they do have various culturual differences, a majority of the population choosing polytheism (the worship of more than one god) over monotheism (the worship of a single god) and of course twelve different planets to inhabit rather than one.

However, you easily believe that ‘Caprica’ depicts a future that isn’t a million miles away from what we have right now; a tone that I’m sure Ron Moore and co have purposefully striven for when developing the show.

This certainly isn’t a perfectly utopian world, no sir, but then again that is why I loved ‘Battlestar’ so dearly; it wasn’t afraid to be realistic instead of idealistic.

The opening three or four minutes is certainly some of the most interesting footage I’ve seen from the early output of any show, and is going to keep most viewers (excluding perhaps the ultra conservative among you) glued to the screen and wondering where the hell things are moving. Hundreds of teenagers, some naked, cavorting in a holographic simulation wasn’t exactly what I expected. During this scene we are introduced to Zoe Graystone, the teenage daughter of Daniel & Amanda Graystone. Zoe is inside the simulation with two of her friends, along with a digital version of herself.

After a little plot foreshadowing where we see Zoe and her friends outside school in the real world and learn of their allegiance to a cult of sorts, we are quckly thrown into a stereotypical family mini-crisis. Zoe is the arrogant, cocky teenager who has everything she wants yet has been found skipping classes to indulge her interests in the holo-simulation, and subsequently her digital avatar. Her mother Amanda makes her feelings clear about how unhappy she is, and a fight between the two eventual reaches boiling point.

Zoey Graystone

Another visit to the holo-simulation later by Zoe, where she has a substantial conversation with her digital doppleganger, and we’re at the school drop-off the next morning. However, it’s clear that Zoe and her friends have other things in mind, as they make a swift exit from the school to carry out their plan.

Their destination is the planet Gemenon, and both Zoe and her boyfriend Ben Stark quickly board a car on the Caprican equivilent of their subway/monorail system, but Zoe’s best friend, Lacy Rand (wisely) backs out of their plan to leave Caprica at the last minute.

At the same time, the wife and daughter of one Joseph Adams board the same car at the same station, Joseph making a promise to his daughter to make an important social event before the call cuts out.

It is at this point, approximately twelve minutes into the pilot, that tragedy strikes. The transport car that Zoe, Ben and Joseph’s family are traveling in is destroyed by an explosion, killing all of the characters that boarded it. The incident, and it alone could arguably be described as the catalyst leading to the events of  ‘Battlestar Galactica’. Anyway, enough foreshadowing for now.

Several weeks later, the two fathers, Daniel Graystone and Joseph Adams come together over a cigarette, after the press conference the mayor of Caprica gives in response to the ongoing development of the criminal investigation into the attack. Daniel has lost his daughter, and Joseph has lost loved ones as well; although he is left to care for his son, one William Adams, who is now without a mother.

Daniel is a very wealthy owner of a large technology company that is particularly adept in the field of artificial intelligence and robotics, whilst Joseph Adams (the spelling of the surname will be explained) is a lawyer with a mysterious tie to an underworld organisation who is a native of the planet Tauron, another of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol.

The two form a basic friendship over cigarettes and coffee, and find solace in one anothers company as they continue to grieve for their loved ones. It is the relationship between these two characters that is ‘front and centre’ throughout the remainder of the pilot, and the two actors have a natural on-screen chemistry.

The two have absolutely nothing in common other than the fact that they are grieving, and want their loved ones back; this proves to be an important factor as the pilot progresses.

Daniel Graystone goes on to make an interesting discovery, which he is lead to by Lucy, Zoe’s friend whose choice not to follow her friends to Gemenon saved her life, using the holo-simulation in Zoe’s room to which she has been granted access.

What he discovers is the digital avatar Zoe had created, which he, after a great deal of scepticism, realises is a near perfect copy of his daughter that Zoe has created after making a significant breakthrough in the field of artificial intelligence. Daniel copies all of the data of the program of his daughter and moves it to his own computer laboratory; and it is quite obvious at this stage what his intentions are.

From this point on, the pilot is almost all about the relationship between Daniel and the Zoe A.I, as well as the relationship that develops between Daniel and Joseph. Naturally excited about the prospect of seeing his daughter again, Daniel extends the privilege to Joseph in the form of a similar simulation of his daughter in return for his hand in acquiring a computer processor.

Meta-Cognitive Processor

The processor would enable a cybernetic body in the real world, to process the data contained within the program Zoe created, but this eventually leads Joseph to reject the project on the grounds that it is un-ethical, and that the being created wouldn’t be real; it would be a digital brain in a mechanical body and therefore not human.

Thus the beginnings of the conflict between Graystone and Adama (yes, it’s the Adama family) are illustrated for all to see, and that conflict will form the foundation of the series when it comes to our screens next year.

A couple of interesting sub-plots that I’ve not gone into in any detail in this blog will develop a little before the end of the pilot, but they take second place to the development of Real World Zoe ™ concept that Daniel continues to push which will introduce you to…the first self aware cybernetic life-form node, a Cylon. Yes, yes, you’ll see the early prototype Cylon in the pilot.

Conclusion

Well, the review ended up a little longer than planned, but what the hell.

I have to say, I was very, very sceptical about ‘Caprica’ prior to watching it. After ‘Battlestar’ left our screens, I think I was in the same boat as many other fans when I heard ‘Caprica’ was coming; I was afraid of another show set in the same universe. Well I have to say I was absolutely wrong to doubt Ron Moore and his team.

‘Caprica’ is by far one of the most polished pieces of television I have seen for a long, long time. The production as a whole is superb, with excellent production design, CGI, photography, acting, score and not to mention good writing. I felt that the pace of the show was well balanced, and the show left me with enough questions to warrant my interest in episode one of the first season; due early in 2010. The tone was perfect, the focus on the characters was unwavering, and it there is enough going on in the pilot for the writers to flesh out for a single season at least.

As a huge fan of ‘Battlestar’, there were several links and visual references within the pilot to make me smile, especially the Greystone’s house being the same house Gaius Baltar lived in and dreamed about in the early seasons. I swear the rug on the floor in Daniel’s office is the same from Bill Adama’s quarters on Galactica, maybe the internet will clear that up for me.

Whether you are a seasoned frakker or completely new to the universe Ron Moore created, ‘Caprica’ is a must-see for any fan of science fiction, especially if you have an interest in artifical intelligence; Terminator fans I’d love to hear your opinion! I’ll be posting ‘Caprica’ season one news and updates on the blog, and am eagerly awaiting a UK release date for the DVD which is already available in the U.S and Canada.

If you happen to watch ‘Caprica’, feel free to leave me a comment below and share your opinions on the show. It’s available on the usual BitTorrent websites such as mininova.org right now; not that I condone such behaviour.

Five frakkin’ stars out of five. So Say We All!

Good night, and good luck.

Related Links:

SCI FI Caprica (official website)

Caprica Show (community fansite)