For any self-respecting die-hard fan of Battlestar Galactica, tonight’s series premiere wasn’t exactly must-see television. I mean, you all saw it already, right? Besides, there was a heart-wrenching telethon on every other network that anyone without a black heart was tuned into. So, call me black-hearted for tuning out of the telethon an hour early to catch the Caprica premiere one more time.
I wrote my early feelings about the premiere , so I’ll try not to get too much into that all over again here. However, my feelings about the show and its direction have changed a bit since then, after giving the pilot another watch and mulling it over some. Where I initially wasn’t all that completely crazy about the show (though I did like it better than I thought I would), I’m now thinking I’d be missing out on a whole hell of a lot of good story if I decided to bow out now.
First of all, having Eric Stoltz playing a lead role in the series isn’t going to hurt it one little bit. I’ve always dug Stoltz’s acting chops, and I’m sure we ain’t seen nothing yet when it comes to what he’s got left to show us. His scenes with Adama were some of the best of the pilot, and things are just going to get more intense as the series progresses.
I also lost focus of where this series is ultimately supposed to take us, namely right smack into a Cylon war. The likelihood of us actually getting to see any of that war takes place in this series — other than with flash-forwards and such — is rather slim, but the road heading there is going to be an interesting one. Is Zoe the one Cylon responsible for driving the rest of them to believe in one god versus many? When do the Cylons start experimenting with making “skin jobs?”
I also admire the thought put behind the technology used in the show. I can truly believe that we’d have computers that could be displayed on a simple piece of paper, or holobands that allow you to immerse into a realistic, simulated world. Then there’s Surge, the robot butler and, of course, putting a person’s full consciousness into pure data; hell, Dollhouse did the same thing.
Let’s not forget that the great Jane Espenson is penning most if not all of the episodes of the series. Buffy, Warehouse 13, Battlestar Galactica, and now Caprica — she’s behind quite a few shows I’ve been a fan of, so I’m ready to see what more she can do. It’s just too bad there doesn’t seem to be many opportunities for her sense of humor to shine through.
One other thing that Caprica has going for it is that my wife, Deb, actually digs it, whereas she didn’t like BSG at all (yeah, I forgive her). It sucks when we have shows one likes but the other doesn’t. One of us winds up either sitting through and enduring the crap the other loves, or the DVR gets filled up for late-night viewing when the other goes to sleep. No more with Caprica … at least for now.
Now, one quick thing about this episode and the rest of the series. I’m betting that the Graystones eventually have another child, and then Cylon Zoe gets pretty jealous and upset about it when Papa Graystone starts paying a lot more attention to it. I can only imagine it will all go downhill from there. Got any theories of how things go down, other than, y’know, what we know from Battlestar Galactica?
Clacked by Keith McDuffee 
on Jan 22, 2010 @ 23:00 EST5EDT
I had no idea what to expect. But, I must say after I got over the shock of the opening scenes, which were abhorrent, I saw that they were necessary to show how Caprican society was in full decay. By the end, oooh especially by the end, I knew I could get behind this show.
The quality of the Caprican world is amazing. So believable. I think I’ll gladly go on this journey with the Capricans to their doom!
Well said! All I have to add is that I agree completely and we’ll be watching, too.
I watched the DVD when it came out, but since then I’ve gotten my first flatscreen HDTV, a 52″ model. So I’m definitely going to watch it again from an HD recording off SYFYHD.
I don’t watch these things until they actually air on Syfy through my DVR, so I’m not a very monetized viewer. I thought this was unexpectedly brilliant with great performances all around, and will be watching at least the entire first season.
I watched NCIS instead of the Haiti thing and my heart is the same color as everyone elses. :-p
I don’t think Zoe is going to be upset by another child, because her love of family was already in question with her plan to leave them to in the first place. She believed in one God. Her father played god by bringing her back to “life” in the form of an awkward machine. I think THAT will be the instigator. All cylons will be created by men, and apparently with a human remnant. To become something not created by God when they believed in one God would be enough to make them want to rise up in rebellion if our own worlds take on organized religion is any indication.
Rewatching the pilot was satisfying, and I look forward to more. it also made me wonder if all the booby scenes were re-shot, or if they used cgi to put outfits on everyone. ;-)
Mod: I think its most likely that they shot two versions at the same time.
I haven’t gotten a chance to watch the aired version of the pilot, but hope to this weekend, if for no other reason than to see the big budget Pyramid stuff.
I will probably, still, be disapointed in the changes made from the script stage. There was a lot more of Polly Walker’s character originally, and the exploration of the religious themes, something I think we missed out on in the shot version.
*POST AUTHOR*
FYI, the Pyramid stuff, from what I noticed, was about 30 seconds long.
If I understood the comments made my Eick this week, they filmed fill in shots of Pyramid for the whole season at once. I guess it didn’t impress, though?
*POST AUTHOR*
The stadium was very cool looking, but the interior shots didn’t cover up the CGI very well. But it certainly wasn’t enough to go through and watch if that’s all you wanted to see.
What amuses me about “Caprica” is that it’s a perfect example of the outlandish coincidences that pop up in television. For years on BSG we heard about Joseph Adama, renowned lawyer, father of Admiral Adama, grandfather of Lee who as a child admired him and was fascinated by his law books. Now, after the Fall and the end of the Twelve Colonies, we learn that Joseph Adama was not only present at, but actually had a hand in the origin of the Cylons that would destroy them. How convenient is that?
Perhaps the writers could say it is divine intervention from The One True God. In that vein, Bill Adama’s efforts redeem his father’s errors of the past. Remember the theme: No Sanctification Without Sacrifice. I guess the writers can play it any way they want to make it fit.
Alex: The character and backstory was created, for the most part, simultaneous to the creation of Caprica.
“For any self-respecting die-hard fan of Battlestar Galactica, tonight’s series premiere wasn’t exactly must-see television.”
After the ridiculously terrible finale to BSG, is there really such a thing as a self-respecting fan of BSG anymore? I will never again watch anything that RDM is a central part of.
(Raises hand) Yep, I’m still there. I surely do hate it for people that let a subpar ending ruin an incredibly great story.
The ending was horrible, but so way 90% of the last two seasons of the show. However the sad thing is that the show was still one of the best on.
The ending was interesting, it had a good foundation but it just sucked. However that said who cares? This is Caprica, it’s a new show, it will most likely get canceled before there ever is a series finale planned anyways. lol