Caprica

Good show.

The basic background is that humanity is at a crossroads. There is a set of moral dilemmas that are being faced. Mankind has made a number of technological breakthroughs, but is mankind mature enough to deal with the its new toys? There is moral decadence in a virtual world. There are religious fanatics who are willing to kill to get attention. I predict (based on the BSG background) that there will be an issue with Cylons and slavery. In addition to this, there are all the other problems that we humans bring upon ourselves.

This show is not BSG -- at least not as far as mankind being on the run from a ruthless problem that was ultimately of their own making. There are not a lot of shoot-em-up or space-based special effects either - at least not in the first few episodes I have seen so far.

What it does have are very good stories, characters, and themes. It also has good performances from the actors. They can make a culture which is similar to modern-day society, but alien at the same time be completely believable. Like BSG, this show is about humanity - our strengths, weaknesses, potential, and flaws. It may seem a little odd that a human society on a different set of worlds has neckties, antique cars, and chicken. But those things are really more to create a semi-familiar background than anything else. Anyone who gets stuck on those details is really missing the point. Whether you are from a mafia-style culture or an affluent and high-tech culture, humans and human nature aren't that different 150,000 years ago in a high-tech past than what we see in the world today. Wonder if the writers are trying to tell us something.

This is real character and story driven drama at a level that shames most of what we see on TV at the mo.

I was impressed right from the start. Don't be put off if your not a sci fi nut (like me...) This could be happening on earth, the fact that its in another galaxy just makes the show more interesting. there are no space ships or laser guns (None yet anyway) So far I've seen up to s01 e04 and I'm gripped and wondering whats going to happen next as there are so many possibilities.

The cast play there roles with pasion. Eric stoltz is especially strong.

This show really stands alone well, it doesn't matter if you watched BSG or not, in fact they are quite different. I've read some negative reviews from sci fi geeks who expected less drama and more aliens and ray guns etc but I would say ignore them.

This is a really positive start to a show. Lets hope they don't cann it after 1 or 2 seasons like they normally do with good shows these days.

Caprica, pronounced with a small i sound and not an e sound like Paprika (or have I been saying Paprika wrong my whole life?), loosely takes place in the home planet of the Battlestar Galactica crew, 50ish years before the cylons demanded retribution for decades of suffering from verbal abuse, constantly referred to as the "N" word for Robots, and I'm not sure if I'm allowed to use this word on IMDB: toasters.

Perhaps I would have scored this higher if they had a second season, so they could better connect how we get from point A to the world of BG. I was rarely bored with the engaging acting and artistic shots, but I was frequently hoping for more.

The overall plot was slow moving as the show instead mostly focused on the examination of a few families. The main character (Zoe) is often ignored and becomes less important as the show goes on, and there is not enough to care too much about many of the other character arcs which are less arcs and more circular, obviously, since their world is doomed as we know. So, even the weird preaching in the final episode, where it seems the writers are speaking to the viewers about the importance of big government (eyeroll), doesn't hold meat since that system collapsed in a generation or two and also sounded weird coming from a teenage robot girl.

Other issues include an unsolved death and lack of resolution for several characters including one who has a nickname and is pretty important but ignored in the finale.

Overall, this feels more like a CW show at times and not the precursor to a powerful sci-fi show, but I would have tuned into a second season since a successful framework was firmly in place - they just needed to do more with it.

To all the haters out there: condemning a TV series with one episode is like judging an entire book after reading the first few pages. That being said, I was a huge fan of BSG, thought it was some of the best TV drama (not just sci-fi) on the air. But it was time for it to end and the story to move on. I liked the BSG epilogue "The Plan", but it raised as many new questions as it answered, so I eagerly anticipated "Caprica" and I was not disappointed.

I was hoping it would not try to be another BSG, and I was pleased that "Caprica" is something different, and I personally found the story exciting, in a different way than blazing space battles, explosions and sci-fi special effects (don't get me wrong, I like that stuff too). Eric Stolz and Esai Morales give solid performances, and Alessandra was just wonderful. I can't wait until next week.

I must admit, I was one of the skeptics who prematurely judged this show before relatively any information was disseminated about it. I determined that it was going to be a cheap spin-off guided by Ronald D. Moore wielding the retcon-wand.

I was wrong!

The pilot leaves an excellent impression upon the viewers. The accessibility is marvelous! Of course, seasoned BSG veterans will find themselves immersed in the plot, which is focused on the development of the Cylons before the first War. (58 years before the events of the BSG pilot). The pilot also allows for newcomers, clearly presenting its plot and ideas in the first part of the episode.

Don't be mistaken: "Caprica" is not BSG. We are presented with an immersive, cerebral drama dotted by provocative, daring, and controversial ideas.

The casting maintains BSG's standards; Stoltz and Morales are simply astounding. Morales' portrayal of Joseph Adama, inspired by Olmos' portrayal of William, gives a wonderful glimpse of William's heroic father. Stoltz's portrayal of Dr. Graystone provokes a lot of thinking and questions.

If the quality of the pilot is any indication of what's yet to come, RDM and the creative team are set to continue BSG's legacy of first-rate television programming with another masterfully created television masterpiece.