Caprica - Galactica Prequel Is A Go(ner)!

Well the podcast titled The Doctor And Mrs. Who said Caprica production would have started two weeks from their podcast. No other website has confirmed this. I'm still holding out hope for Caprica. I'd like it to replace 'Crap Gordon' on SFC. But if wishes were tauntauns they all would be ate by Wampas. Sigh. Well I'm slightly revising how I'd do the storyline arc of Caprica. So here is a bit more personal speculation-

Caprica

Cue soundtrack - 'Capricorn Rising'

Opening captions:

"One of thirteen worlds settled by Man."

"A rising world-state among the known twelve."

"To be tested in both war and peace."

"Seen through the eyes of a family named for the first Man."

1. Mini-series 'pilot' episode

A. The secret expedition to the fabled planet of Kobol by the Greystone Institutute of Science and Technology. This after CEO of GIST makes a deal with a mysterious benefactor that knows the way to Kobol. Once there the mission members discover ancient Kobollian androids that believe they are the Lords of Kobol. A Faustian-like pact is made. Humans and machines seal the deal.

B. GIST retro-engineering the ancient Kobollian tech. Creating and demostrating the first modern Cylon unit. Because of the war this unit is a military model. GIST has invited members of the former Quorum of Twelve. I say former because the twelve worlds are no longer united and in a state of violent civil war. Saggitaria and its allies have broken the Quorum of 12. Caprica and its allies represent the other side.

C. Third Colonial Conflict rages on planetary surfaces and in the depths of space. Seen through the eyes of a Adama family member serving in the military. Most likely aunt(s)/uncle(s)/cousin(s) of a very young William Adama. This family member(s) is witness to the use of the modern Cylon military system. The use of this cybernetic army wins the war for Caprica and its allies. Caprica becomes the dominant colony.

D. Homecoming. The surviving aunt(s)/uncle(s) of William Adama return to the Adama estate. Young Billy will be the first to greet them. The change in the older relative and war veteran is shocking to both Billy and his father Joseph Adama. During the Third Colonial Conflict the use of Kammala became widespread. It helped to keep the troops 'buzzing'. It unfortunately creates addicts.

E. Colonial Day. This year's celebration and election will be a major event for both the Greystone CEO and the Adama estate. A day of hope and joy. The war to end all wars is finally over. Or so everyone believes. GIST now converts the Cylon system over to a civilian market. Every facet of society will have some measure of Cylon tech.

End of TV mini-series 'pilot' episode.

Season One-

Adapting to peacetime has been hard on Billy's relative. The addiction to Kammala is epidemic. It has led to a falling out between Billy's father and aunt(s)/uncle(s). Ironic since Joseph Adama serves as a defense lawyer for drug addicts and what-not. The addicted relative wrecks his/her vehicle and prompts Joseph to buy one of those new Cylon system cars. This vehicle looks like a certain black Trans-Am from a certain Glen Larson produced TV series on the long-lost 13th colony. The point is the Cylon tech inside the vehicle can take over if the driver blacks-out. Billy also is given a Cylon related gift. The young boy is given a Cylon playmate unit. The kid and machine take to each other quickly. Especially after the death of Billy's dog.

Meanwhile wartime reparations are forcefully paid by the Saggitarians. The former rogue colony is bankrupted and can not pay the high costs of damages. A post-war secret society forms on the rogue colony. They are labeled terrorists and Cylon police units are sent out across the 12 colonies to hunt the terrorists down. This especially becomes important after the CEO of GIST is assassinated. The Cylon police units can not seem to determine who is responsible for the CEO's death.

In another sector of Caprica or another colony a factory disaster occurs. Many Humans are killed. Evidence seems

 

PRODUCTION OF CAPRICA CONFIRMED!!!

Entertainment industry magazine Variety corfirms that Caprica is to start production this Spring. Casting will start soon. The backstory of the First Cylon War will be televised!!! Ronald D. Moore, David Eick and Rene Aubercon (producer of 24) are the show runners. The prequel will begin with a two hour 'pilot' episode. A weekly series might follow soon after.

 

Another thing about Caprica has come to mind. It might be influenced by Shakespeare. Word is two family estates are involved and come into conflict with one another. The Adama estate versus the Greystone estate. Of course Dune also comes to mind - House Atreides versus House Harkonnen.

 

Sci-Fi Channel's official press release, with comments by Ron Moore.

Also confirmed here:

http://tv.ign.com/articles/860/860595p1.html

Shooting this spring, airing in the fall.

They know they're losing BSG after '09, and it's been confirmed by a number of people on the inside that Sci-Fi aren't wanting to lose Moore along the way as a showrunner/creative force, and thus are "locking" him down for the foreseeable future.

 

Not sure if spoilers are allowed on this thread, but if your open to them, there's some in this link.
Note: please feel free to edit, if this is to be a spoiler free thread.

 

So the Adamas are actually from Tauron? Interesting.

 

Interesting indeed..

 

Very cool. Looking forward to it.

D_M_S_L

 

Interesting.

SyFy Portal - Caprica Casts Former Deadwood Star

TrekWeb - New Details of Galactica Prequel, Caprica, Pilot Episode Storyline - Major Spoilers

TrekWeb - New Details of Galactica Prequel, Caprica, Characters Descriptions - Major Spoilers

 

The role of Joseph Adama/Adams has been cast. The actor's name is Esai Morales. Nice bit o' casting! He looks like an Adama.

 

Check him out in Jericho Season 2 (www.cbs.com/jericho) --he was aweomse!!!

 

SFC is most likely preparing for the actors strike. According to the website The Doctor And Mrs. Who SFC has ordered a full first season for the BG prequel. Despite the fact filming of the TV-movie 'pilot' has yet to begin. Also might be a show of confidence in Ronald Moore. Other news is that a trilogy of post-season four TV-movies are in the planning stage. Seems Moore has more to reveal beyond season four. Interesting!

 

Spoiler-laden review of the Caprica pilot-script, at E! Online.

It's quite favorable, and allays any fears that this show won't live up to the bar raised by its progenitor. Some highlights:

---

[color=blue][b]But TV Is the Idiot Box![/b] Hard to believe this script is the spinoff of a remake of a '70s schlockfest based on Mormon cultural mythology. As densely written and layered as any novel, this script feels original and, most important, deeply thoughtful. Plus, all your major [i]Frontline[/i] feature-story topics get a nod: racism, terrorism, industrial espionage, black-ops government agencies, religious fundamentalists, the perpetual panic about teen sex and, last but not least, that pesky, troublesome Internet.[hr][/blockquote][/color]
More still:

[blockquote][hr][color=blue][b]Perfect Casting:[/b] Eric Stoltz will be beyond perfect as billionaire industrialist Daniel Graystone. A substantial man in many ways, Daniel's gravitas is largely intellectual, and only minimally moral or psychological. If Joseph Adama is the actual ancestor of Bill and Lee Adama, Daniel is some kind of spiritual ancestor to Gaius Baltar. In a similar vein, as I was following chilly, self-destructive Amanda on her path through the script, I realized I couldn't imagine anyone but Paula Malcolmson in this scenery-chewing role.[hr][/color][/blockquote]
Nice to hear that we're gonna get to see Trixie start some more ****. Ron Moore's a huge [i]Deadwood[/i] fan, and he's undoubtedly tailored the role with Malcomson in mind.

Lots of other spoilers to be found at the link.

 

Reports now indicate that Caprica has received a 13-episode series order from Sci-Fi.

Somewhat-spoilery Caprica set-visit report, including the first look at the now-brunette Paula Malcomson playing Amanda Graystone during the shooting of a particular scene.

And some comments from the Arclight "Q&A" session, from Ron Moore and the cast, concerning Caprica and their thoughts about the new movie/series:

---

[color=blue][b][u]Q:[/u] You mentioned a couple of years ago that there was a prequel series. Is that still in the works?

[u]Ron Moore:[/u][/b] Not only is it in the works, they're shooting it as we speak. [i]Caprica[/i] is being shot in Vancouver right now. Jeff Reiner is directing it. He's one of the directors on [i]Friday Night Lights[/i]. Dailies look great. I was up on the set last week. It's very cool, the cast is tremendous, Eric Stoltz and Esai Morales headline the cast. We have high hopes for it. It's a two-hour backdoor pilot. We have great hopes that it goes to series, and it's a very different piece. It's not this show. It's a different mood, it's a different flavor, it's a completely different concept for a series that lives within the same [i]Galactica[/i] universe, and we'll just see what happens.

[u][b]Mary McDonnell:[/b][/u] I snuck out of [i]Battlestar[/i] the other day...[spoiler removed] and I went over to watch [i]Caprica[/i]. I, first of all, scared them, because they didn't know who I was, this mad woman [spoiler removed], and then they said, "Mary!" I sat there and watched, and it was absolutely thrilling. They were beautiful and adorable, and it was startling to watch. I just wanted to share that because we all feel, I don't know, we all feel paternal.

[b][u]Katee Sackhoff:[/u][/b] I was just going to say that they all kind of treat us like their parents. It's very interesting.[hr][/blockquote][/color]
It's also being reported by sources close to the production that [i]Caprica[/i] was pitched to Sci-Fi by Ron Moore and the other producers as a "limited-run" series. (Make of [i]that[/i] what you will.)

 

Interesting. I forsee Caprica being a bit like Babylon 5, then. It will run for a set number of seasons, maybe two or three, and then stop.

 

Well the news of Caprica being a 'limited-run' series should be no surprise. The structure of Caprica is VERY serial in nature. Not unlike British shows like I, Claudius from the 1970s. Or perhaps a bit like Herman Wouk's The Winds Of War - TWOW takes place mostly prior to WWII. Caprica is also about the prelude to a war (First Cylon War). Here's something else to chew on. If Caprica as a prelude to the First Cylon War does well then we might get a third series set in the new B-star-G mythos. That being another limited-run series set firmly during the First Cylon War. I think this is the 'master plan' of the producers. So if Caprica is The Winds Of War then a third series would be War And Remembrance (sequel to TWOW). Or it might be that Caprica will evolve into the First Cylon War. BUT as we know Caprica is the backstory of the conflict with the Cylons. So as has been stated Caprica is not a action-adventure space opera thing. But it will pave the road toward that. I urge people to watch I,Claudius, The Winds Of War, War And Remembrance to get a kind of idea of what Caprica might be like.

 

The Winds of War and War and Rememberance were great! If this is like that at all, then I'm totally game. And I sincerely hope it opens the door for a full 1st Cylon War series.

 

Sources on the set of Caprica describe the costumes as 1940s New York meets 21st/22nd century gadgetry. Think 1930s/1940s style society with cell phones and other higher tech tools. Sounds like I might be correct to suggest that Caprica being like The Winds Of War. Here is another comparison to chew on - the tech noir and corporate intigue of Bladerunner. Caprica is a cautionary story about technological gluttony as was Bladerunner. The Twelve Colonies of Kobol are in the middle of a Roaring 1920s-like boom. BUT the 'shadows of the 1930s' are upon them. Only these 'shadows' are cybernetic in nature rather than a completely flesh and blood derived fascism. Caprica will be of two families and society in general heading toward a trainwreck fueled by a coupling between a progressive tech movement and underground monothesitic revolution. I think in time we will see Caprica as the main story and the current B-star-G as the smaller coda. Caprica is ultimately going to be the grander composition that begat the series we are now enjoying. If Caprica is the Illiad - then B'-star-G is the Odyessey.

 

So do I. I think the way to look at this franchise is like a three act play. Caprica introduces us to the Adamas in particular and to the Galactiverse in general. Everything goes to hell during the Cylon Wars and the all of the plot threads are tied up in Battlestar Galactica.

 

Yes I think that hits the nail on the head. Funny thing about that approach to a three-act play by starting backwards. That's what Lucas did more or less with SW. Started with second trilogy first and then went back to a prequel trilogy in terms of original release. But with somewhat mixed results story wise. Ronald Moore is doing much the same thing. However thus far the quality of storytelling with the new B-star-G mythos has remained very high brow. I bet Moore will demonstrate what a prequel can and should do. Again I strongly urge people to prepare for what Caprica might be like. Watch the BBC's I,Claudius. It will I think give you a sense of what a tight serial is all about. It also is about internal/external family based intrigue. Then move on to The Winds Of War for a sense of how a family gets drawn into the whirlpool of politics that lead to WWII. Also it will give you that 1930/1940s style that Caprica apparently will strive for. Then for the issues of technological gluttony and its ramifications watch Bladerunner. It also has that 1930s/1940s film noir appeal that might be adopted by Caprica. Eventaully Caprica will evolve into the First Cylon War or it will maybe spark another series dedicated to that conflict. Not unlike how The Winds Of War led to War And Remembrance. We are likely to be only at the tip of the iceberg with the new B-star-G mythos.

 

Next week's TV Guide contains the first official image of Esai Morales and Eric Stoltz during a scene from Caprica.

So Joe Adama is channelling Sam Giancana, huh?

 

Here's another link Leto, I couldn't get yours to open up (?)
http://bp3.blogger.com/_Q2iQkra7ffU/SHNQ483jS_I/AAAAAAAAAS4/sXwNCWGmWNI/s1600-h/BSG_-_Caprica.jpg
(rest of the article here... http://bp2.blogger.com/_Q2iQkra7ffU/SHNQ1wLa3QI/AAAAAAAAASw/XV2Vy_mIflA/s1600-h/BSG_1.jpg )

 

SAG meets today to decide "what to do" after rejecting the producers' "final offer".

Getting closer to a strike, which could throw a monkey wrench into this show.

*keeps fingers crossed*

Peace,

V-03