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Trying to bring someone back from the dead is never a good idea. Look at Dr. Frankenstein and his monster, look at Willow and Buffy. It always leads to disaster. And when it comes to the world of "Battlestar Galactica," it can also lead to the destruction of the human race.
That's the basic life lesson Daniel Graystone (Eric Stolz) of the "BSG" prequel, "Caprica" will have to learn the hard way.
The pilot of the new series was released a couple of weeks ago on DVD and as a digital download from several selected websites for a fee. When it became available, I hesitated for about two seconds before I clicked my "purchase" button on Amazon and had the DVD in my hot little hands two days later. It's a good thing too, because I've been in the heavy throes of "BSG" withdrawal so "Caprica," set 58 years before The Fall, went a long way toward easing my pain. The series won't air on the Sci Fi Channel until sometime in 2010, but that's no reason for you not to hear my opinion right now.
The setting is the bustling metropolis of Caprica City and two fathers, Daniel Graystone and Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) are brought together by their grief after a suicide bombing in which both their daughters and Adama's wife are killed. The terrorist attack is part of a growing movement of people who worship one God as opposed to the multiple Gods the majority in the Twelve Colonies worship.
And you guessed it, Joseph Adama is "BSG's" Admiral William Adama's father and Lee Adama's grandfather.
The worlds of Graystone and Adama are very different. Adama and his son William live modestly. They are from the planet Tauron and Adama has mob-like connections. Graystone and his wife live in a magnificent glass palace overlooking a gorgeous lake view. He's a technological mogul and works for the defense department, attempting to build robot soldiers.
After her death, Graystone discovers his daughter Zoe was a computer genius and when he gets the opportunity to use her work to try and bring her back, he takes it. He convinces a reluctant Adama to help him and that sparks a series of events which lead to the creation of the Cylon race.
Like "BSG," the themes in "Caprica" continually force us to consider the questions: What is human? What constitutes life? However, unlike "BSG," the pilot is not slam, bam action. Instead, we have an urban world, sort of like our own, except with cool futuristic gadgets. There are robots who control everyday tasks and paper computers that can be folded up and put in your purse.
The most familiar technology "BSG" fans will recognize however is Graystone's creation, the precursor of the "BSG" Cylons we all know and hate.
Bottom line, I liked the pilot and was mildly entertained. I'm probably more excited about the potential of the series than I was about the pilot itself, but I'm not sorry I bought the DVD. As far as the acting, Eric Stolz and Esai Morales bring familiar acting faces and strong acting skills to this otherwise primarily unknown cast. The two are well matched and it'll be interesting to see how they interact as the drama becomes even more intense for their characters.
And speaking of characters, one major problem I had was with Zoe Graystone (Alessandra Toressani). She was written as such an obnoxious teenager, I wondered why her father would even want her back. Her friend Lacy Rand (Magda Apanowicz) is smart but low key and hasn't been given much more to do other than go in and out of the V Club, a teenager's virtual paradise of sex, drugs and human sacrifice.
The commentary on the DVD by executive producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick and writer Remi Aubuchon provides some interesting production tidbits, like the fact that the V club set is the same one that was used for the opera house in "BSG."
I liked that the show was subtle about planting its technological advances, and the decision to keep human connections in the forefront of the sci fi glitz was a good one. It's one of the reasons "BSG" was such a excellent show.
"Caprica" however is very different, and all you "BSG" fans have to go
