Check out this exclusive Caprica sneak peek

Can't wait until Friday night at 9 p.m. ET/PT for another dose of Syfy's Caprica? Then check out this sneak peek of the upcoming episode "Reins of a Waterfall," in which Amanda Graystone's confession sends shockwaves through the Colonies.

Find out which Caprica co-star Esai Morales calls "White Heat"

What does Esai Morales, who portrays the Adama family patriarch in Syfy's Caprica, think about his co-stars? Who does he consider the mascot, who does he refer to as "White Heat," and who would he listen to read the phone book?
Watch the second half of our exclusive new video interview and find out!
Caprica airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

'I Don't Feel Like a Copy, Daddy'

The pilot for Syfy's series "Caprica" was first made available to the public last April, so it's fair to say that the second episode (tonight from 9-10 p.m. ET) has been a long time coming. Those with time on their hands can argue about whether the wait was worth it until the Cylons come home. The cool thing is that even the most casual viewer may discover food for thought here.
"Caprica" is a prequel to Syfy's "Battlestar Galactica," and purports to explain the origins of that franchise's conflict between humans fighting for their survival and robot-slaves turned aggrieved aggressors.
Thankfully, "Caprica" can be enjoyed without any reference to the literal past or the figurative future. Far from the realm of ramming spacecraft, deadly rays and tylium ore, it is set in a modern metropolis where digital enhancements and futuristic gadgetry adorn otherwise recognizable living rooms and office suites. The residents, no matter what their planetary origin and cultural quirks, take human form.

In the "Caprica" pilot we were introduced to two men who will drive the main plot—and innumerable side stories—from now on. One is industrialist Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz), who has grown rich inventing devices like the holoband, which works as a pair of virtual-reality glasses for customers interested in escaping the illusion of a mortal coil to frolic in a cyber world. On a bigger scale, he is now vying for a government contract to sell the military a Terminator-like robot capable of blasting all enemies to oblivion.
The other man is Joseph Adama (Esai Morales), an immigrant from the planet Tauron. He is a reluctant lawyer for organized crime who adopted the WASPy surname Adams until a terrorist explosion that took his wife and daughter unleashed his simmering planethnic pride. Adama and Graystone meet when they discover that each has lost a beloved teenage daughter in the explosion.
Or have they? Fiddling around with the computer and holoband of his dead daughter Zoe (Alessandra Torresani), Graystone stumbles into a virtual room where she has left an avatar of herself: a copy so lifelike, and so stuffed with Zoe's own memories, that his initial shock and revulsion melt as the two embrace. From now on, his quest will be to find a way to bring the avatar of his daughter from the cyber world into the real one.
This subject is not virgin territory, and it never seems to end well. Graystone's first attempt to marry the digital record of Zoe's mind with a physical form is a poignant disaster of the Frankenstein sort. Nearly two centuries after the novel that named the pitiful monster, the movie "AI: Artificial Intelligence" explored the theme of using technology and science to make loveable copies of lost ones, also with heart-wrenching results.
But still we respond to, even cling to, the idea of replicating that which we have lost or desire. As Zoe and her father point out, the human brain is basically information and a data processor. So much information about us already exists outside our physical heads—in everything from phone records to email to home video and CAT scans—that the concept of artificial selves resonates. We know that the scientific barrier may be unbreachable. But the mental one has already been crossed. Cyber dating, even blogging—all that contact with people we will never meet, touch or smell: If this is enough for numbers of us, and even satisfying to some, can avatar friends and lovers be far behind?
All they may have to do is display a tiny shred of unmistakable humanity. In "Caprica," Graystone is disgusted by the hologram of his daughter and at the suggestion that he could bond with a digital image. But all it takes is for the digital image to act human: "I don't feel like a copy, Daddy," she weeps—and his resistance is over.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Caprica's naughty hot nun reveals her secrets

Last week's premiere of Syfy's Caprica introduced fans to Sister Clarice Willow (Polly Walker), the headmistress at the Athena Academy, and Walker tells us that there's a lot more to the character than is apparent at first blush. (Spoilers ahead!)

"She's not what she seems, obviously, because she's not just the head of the girls' religious academy," Walker told us in an exclusive interview this month. "She's a religious terrorist, and she's the head of the terrorist organization. She's incredibly dangerous, and she runs into all the different characters and manipulates and is scheming. She has a conscience as well, but she feels like she has direct access to God. She feels like she's God's messenger."
When Walker (HBO's Rome) filmed the pilot, she sought assurances that there would be more to play in the extended run of the show. "I was promised it," Walker said. "It becomes pretty huge, what I have to do. So that's why I wanted to do it. I was promised that it's going to get crazy. It's a crazy character that I play. She's out there."
The show will deal in part with the conflict between monotheists and polytheists, and Clarice's mission is supporting the One True God philosophy. That means she'll want to see the Cylons come into common use.
"She wants that," Walker said. "That's what she wants with all her heart. She's a monotheist, and Cylons believe in One True God."
The Graystone family will be the key to Clarice's mission. Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) created the first Cylon to manifest his late daughter Zoe's (Alessandra Torresani) personality. Clarice will manipulate him through the Graystone matriarch, Amanda (Paula Malcomson).
"I have a very strong connection with Graystone's wife because, basically, the Zoe character is the reason for my faith and everything like that," Walker said. "His wife, to me, is like the Virgin Mary. I don't actually have anything to do with [Daniel]. I'm stuck in my own crazy little world."

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Caprica Is Like The Godfather

Esai Morales wants you to know that Caprica (premieres Friday, 9/8c on Syfy) is no Battlestar Galactica. "BSG is BSG, and we will never touch BSG because we're not in that business. We don't want to be," he tells TVGuide.com of the prequel. "We're trying to show that someone's parents and someone's pre-life is different than their children's." Set 58 years before the post-apocalyptic events of Battlestar, Caprica focuses on the thriving, technologically advanced Twelve Colonies that eventually create the Cylons. Morales plays Joseph Adama, a lawyer and father to BSG's Commander William Adama.

The elder Adama meets inventor Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) when they both lose daughters in the same terrorist bombing. Graystone attempts to bring the girls back as robots, and it's from there that a "morally gray family saga unfolds," Morales says. Find out what else is in store this season and why the actor thinks the show is similar to The Godfather.

TVGuide.com: How did you get involved with the show?
Esai Morales: My manager told me to take a look at this. "This is a really classy show," she said. "The creators are geniuses. It's on Syfy, but they're doing a whole rebranding thing. This could be a flagship show for them." I wasn't a BSG guy per se. I had kind of grown away from sci-fi in my adult years. I'm really happy to be back in a way that I don't feel like I'm regressing to my childhood! There is nerd appeal, but at the same time, it's something many people can identify with. It's just a smart show and unlike anything I've seen on television.

Watch the extended pilot of Caprica now

TVGuide.com: Joseph Adama is sort of mythological since we've never met him until now. How would you describe him?
Morales: In reality, the myth is not as grandiose. We will be deconstructing a bit of the statue of the man and showing the human being. I'm not playing him as some sort of hero. I'm playing him as a man who is just trying to survive, stay on the right side of the law and be a good role model to what's left of his family. He'd like to reconnect with the digital aftereffects of his own daughter. When he hugs and holds her, it's as if [she's real] — except for one little thing: He can't feel her heartbeat, which is that poetic representation. What are these things if they are not people? What do they feel? Where do they go when they're in limbo?

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What to expect from 'Caprica,' Syfy's 'Battlestar' prequel

Source: The Watcher

"Caprica" (8 p.m. Central Friday, Syfy)
Who is on the creative team? Ronald D. Moore ("Battlestar Galactica") and Remi Aubuchon ("24") wrote the pilot; the show's executive producers include Moore, David Eick, Jane Espenson (all of whom also worked on "Battlestar") and Kevin Murphy, who joined the show mid-way through the 19-episode first season (9 hours air this spring and then the show will return in the second half of 2010; for more on the show's background, look here).

What's the "Battlestar Galactica" connection? "Caprica" is a prequel series set more than five decades before the events of that acclaimed drama. However, you do not need to have seen "Battlestar" to watch "Caprica."

What's the "Buffy" connnection? Espenson has written for "Buffy," "Angel" and "Dollhouse."

What's the premise? Mega-wealthy technology genius Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) and conflicted lawyer Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) are united by a tragedy -- they both lose family members in a terrorist bombing. The show examines how they and their families deal with that loss and how the government responds to the terrorist threat posed by an underground religious group.

How much sex is there? The normal amount for a basic-cable drama.

Are there robots? Yes, there are a number of robots, and viewers get to know one robot well.

How's the first episode? The two-hour pilot is quite compelling. Morales and Stoltz are well-matched in their subtle approaches to their characters, and the pilot asks the kinds of questions you'd expect from the creators of "Battlestar": When should we let go of what we've lost and how do we use technology to avoid painful truths? (My full review of the "Caprica" pilot, which came out on DVD a few months ago, is here.)

How many episodes have you seen? I've seen the pilot and two additional episodes, and the post-pilot episodes are less focused and more melodramatic than the pilot. In its early going, "Caprica" doesn't have quite enough narrative drive; there's a certain choppy quality to the proceedings, as episodes jump around among the characters' somewhat separate story lines. Still, it took "Battlestar" a while to find a consistent tone and to hit its creative stride. If the handsome-looking "Caprica" can beef up the urgency, unify the storytelling and make me care more about the characters' dilemmas, it should take its rightful place as Syfy's flagship drama.

Why did you feel a little guilty when watching it? I didn't love it as much as I loved "Battlestar," but I had to remind myself that my affection for that show developed over several seasons. "Caprica" is a different show with a different tone and goals and I'm OK with giving it time to prove itself. If the show is guilty of anything in the first few episodes, it's of trying to do too much, which is preferable to a lack of ambition.

What's the reason to watch? Did I mention the robots? No, seriously, "Caprica's" cast (which includes Paula Malcolmson as Amanda Graystone) is very good and the questions "Caprica" is asking about our reliance on technology to supply (or replace) intimacy are certainly timely.

Who's the breakout actor? The wonderful Polly Walker imbues the mysterious Sister Clarice with a steely mystery, and I look forward to seeing more of Patton Oswalt as Baxter Sarno, the host of an irreverent "Daily Show"-type program.

What should viewers not expect? This is not a show set in outer space. There are no aliens, there are no space ships and there's not much of a military element at all. "Caprica" is much more of a prime-time soap than a sci-fi adventure tale, so don't be expecting multi-tentacled visitors from the planet Gorp.

What silly nickname did you give this show? I don't have one yet. Feel free to make suggestions.

Rating: Three stars. "Caprica" is still finding itself, but it's worth your while, and if it can knit its various elements into a more coherent whole, it could get even better.

David Eick and the history of Caprica

After a minor interruption, the "Caprica" countdown continues with just three days left until the pilot re-airs and reaquaints viewers with the characters and quirks of the Syfy show. We're coming back strong too, posting a conversation with executive producer/writer/whatever's-needed guy David Eick. Before that, a quick introduction to another of the 12 Colonies: Leonis.

Two major landmasses differentiate this beautiful colony, ideal for a variety of outdoor activities thanks to its predictable climate. Leonans are an overambitious and wealthy society that is increasingly isolationist and even xenophobic, making modern Leonan democracy and inter-colony relations deeply troubled.

And now, on to Mr. Eick and his thoughts on the optimistic, technologically enhanced culture of Caprica.

So how long ago did the idea for "Caprica" actually come about?
The first time that myself, Ron Moore and Remi Aubuchon got together to discuss it was was five years ago. It's crazy cause it doesn't seem that long. Ron and I came from these franchises that had spawned offspring. In Ron's case it was "Star Trek" and in mine it was the "Hercules"/"Xena" world. At some point during the second season of "Battlestar," we started kicking around the idea of another story rooted in this world. We started kicking around the idea of a more human-based, terrestrial-based soap opera with a sci-fi undertone that would take place in the years before the events that were depicting in "Battlestar." In affect, it would be Dallas where the McGuffin would be artificial intelligence instead of oil.
We had a general conversation with execs at Universal, then we tabled it as we continued to make "Battlestar." We got a call from those execs some time later and they said that at some point in time they heard a pitch from Remi Aubuchon that they felt crossed paths in many ways with what we'd talked about for our "Battlestar" prequel. It just made sense to Ron and I to have another partner since we were so into just making "Battlestar" at the time.  So we sat down with Remi and started to hammer out where this spinoff would be.
So I don't really need to ask if it was a harder sell than the original 'reimagined' "Battlestar" premise?
Our reimagined "Battlestar" premise was held back by a couple of things at different stages. One was title, which was a blessing and a curse. It opened certain doors, but there's a whole contingent ... who would not watch a show called "Battlestar Galactica" no matter how many trophies you win. And Bonnie Hammer said to me, 'You're gonna have to explain to me again when you come in to pitch this why the world needs another space opera.'  And I think we did.
In this case, we had a leg up, you could say. We were coming at the "Battlestar" mythos at what did not feel like a lot of other shows.  As unique as "Battlestar" is, it's still easy to lump it in with "Stargate" and "Star Trek" and "Andromeda" and I can't even name them all. Whereas with "Caprica" I think we're operating in very unique territory.
So, what were your fears going into production?
Fears? Well, I think that we got really, really lucky with "Battlestar" in one respect and that was the cast. We had Oscar nominees and really accomplished actors and young actors who were doing if not their first thing then their second thing, all side-by-side. So whether or not that was going to hold together and gel to create a long-running series was always a risk. And when it happened the way that it did -- I can't tell you the number of actors that we cast out of local Vancouver dinner theater who, two or three years later we were writing entire arcs around.  But they were so good and so reliable that we knew we could go in a variety of different places that we may have never intended or expected. Certainly coming back to another emsemble show, you just wonder how or if lightning can strike twice.  And I have to say, I think we got lucky. I think between your critically acclaimed actors like Polly Walker and Eric Stoltz and Esai Morales to your younger actors who American audiences may not have seen much of before with Alessandra [Torresani] and Magda [Apanowicz]. I think that once again, we can look to side stories. Sasha Roiz, who plays Sam Adama, is Caprica's answer to Tahmoh Pennikett  or Katee Sackhoff or Jaimie Bamber. People who really hadn't been established, but in very short order, we found ourselves writing around.

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The music of the master, Bear McCreary

Counting down until the Jan. 22 premiere of "Caprica," we take a look at a man who has helped shape the mood and tone of the "Battlestar Galactica" universe as much as anyone acting, lighting, writing or directing an episode: composer and musician Bear McCreary. His arrangements bring huge crowds of not only "BSG" fans but also general music fans out to concert venues around the country.

Hard-core fans realize the intricacy with which McCreary crafts tunes, creating themes for characters that define who they are, and even who they will be. The young accordion player (among other things) turns 31 soon, making him an Aquarius (or right on the cusp). And that transitions into our latest description of another planet making up the 12 Colonies, Aquarion:

A frigid ocean world, Aquarion functions as little more than a scientific research outpost to the rest of the colonies. There are small landmasses, usually volcanic, and there are native communities, both small and tolerant enough to effectively use a unique communal governing system.

And "unique" takes us back to McCreary. I saw the maestro play a concert in 2009 down the street from the Los Angeles Times building in downtown L.A. I felt like a final five cylon following the melodic sounds to the venue. The crowd assembled was the opposite of intimate, but the communal mood was palpable as McCreary and the band played to a raucous audience. That's where we begin our interview.
Doesn't seem like a lot of composers command the types of crowds and adulation you do. How are you handling that?
It's interesting 'cause that side of my musical life is not something that I ever pursued actively. I didn't become a TV and film composer because I wanted to play sold-out rock concerts, but that's what's ended up happening. And it's fun. I'm grateful for the opportunity to play the music that means so much to those people, and to me, live in a concert setting with all of the musicians that I work with in the studio. And it's an extraordinary chance for the fans to not only see it live, but to see it performed by the same men and women who play it on the series. It's very different than seeing something in the Hollywood Bowl conducted by a composer or a guest artist 'cause these are the exact same artists who play it on the series.

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Will Caprica Be More Than a Prequel?

Source: Space

The much anticipated Battlestar Galactica follow-up Caprica is set to debut on SPACE Friday night. As you may have heard, it rewinds viewers 58 years before the Cylons destroyed the 12 Colonies and set into motion the epic events of the hugely popular BSG. This prequel is set on (spoiler alert!) Caprica and it promises to explore the origin of the Cylons and the life and times of the Old Man’s old man. Still very much in the realm of science fiction, Caprica is the family saga of the Adamas and the Graystones – two families that become intertwined after a tragic terrorist attack. It promises to be a drama focusing largely on relationships, personal demons and political turmoil – all set against the backdrop of a future (or is it historical?) world.

The burning question on every frakkin’ BSG fan’s mind is whether these new characters, new situations and the practically unknown world of pre-Fall Caprica can recapture the magic of the original. Can a prequel hold the interest of an audience when they all know what will happen in the end?

Star Wars may be our greatest touchstone when it comes to discussing prequels, and if George Lucas’ prequel trilogy is anything to go by, things might not bode well for Caprica. While the new Star Wars movies interested millions who wanted to see how Skywalker the Elder became Skywalker the Darth, the films suffered horribly in execution with disinterested scripts, wooden acting and cheap, childish sight gags. That said, viewers still tune in every week to understand more about how Clark Kent became Superman on Smallville.

So perhaps the curiosity in prequels is there, but their success comes down to the way the backstory is told – for every awful Dumb and Dumberer or Hannibal Rising, there’s a solid Red Dragon or even a brilliant Godfather Part II. Thankfully, Caprica boasts a top-notch cast (including solid lead actor Eric Stoltz) and the strong point of BSG was always its mature, nuanced writing. If these qualities can carry over to Caprica, my hunch is that the interest will follow suit.

What do you think? Is Caprica a non-starter for you? Or can you not wait to explore the rise of the Cylons and the history of the Adamas?

'Caprica' countdown: Sasha Roiz says, 'Something ominous is coming'

Source: LA Times

Today we're continuing the "Caprica" countdown to the show's Jan. 22 premiere on Syfy with actor Sasha Roiz, who plays Sam Adama (brother to Joseph and uncle to William).

Roiz has gotten a lot of questions about what "Battlestar Galactica" fans can look forward to, so we address them here before we even get to the Q&A. First off, he says that fans already familiar with the style of "BSG" will watch it and be able to appreciate it even more on a secondary level, but should "leave 'BSG' at the door." He understands the loyalty, but believes that "there's always gotta be room for some sort of evolution and creativity. We always want to push the boundaries."

Sam is a Tauron loyalist, as we'll come to find out, so what better 12-Colony world to describe before talking to the actor who plays him than Tauron. Here's a quick planetary guide:

A red, arid planet, Tauron is home to a culture of great tradition. Its surface soil grants no favors, so all agriculture is hard won; something seen by the pride in its people. Family and honor are placed above all else in life, until you can finally be at rest and 'return to the soil.'

And on to Sasha Roiz, starting with what I thought would be a curveball. He hit it anyway.

How's it feel to be a Tauron assassin?
Interesting question. Well it feels really great that they've imbued this character with so many dynamic elements. It's not just a cookie cutter monster; he's got so many complexities to him that it's just a joy to play him.

What's the relationship like between Joseph and Sam?
At the beginning of the series, it's relatively strained. Obviously, the circumstances of the tragedy exacerbate the difficulties that the brothers had, and the brothers have a very different opinion of the world that they live in. Joseph is someone who's been trying to assimilate into the Caprican life while Sam is steadfast in staying loyal to Tauron and the Tauron community and has absolutely no interest in assimilating into the Caprican world. So those differences sort of come to a head, especially in the aftermath of the bombing and the loss of his wife and daughter.

The Ha'la'tha seems like a "Godfather" or yakuza type of organization. Where did you get your influences?
Yeah, it is of sorts. It's very much an ethnic organization not unlike what you said; it's kind of like a mafia or Yakuza. It's very similar to the way other mobs were formed in our world, say a century ago. When Italian and Irish and Jewish immigrants came over and were ghettoized and treated as second-class citizens, they formed organizations to protect themselves and their own ways of life and enforce their own laws. The Ha'la'tha have created a community and a life and a force on Caprica, and Sam's a soldier in that organization.

Sam Adama the role model ... is this all that good for for his nephew Willie, the future Admiral William Adama?
Ha! Well, Sam thinks so and has no doubts about it. Like I said, it's a very difficult time for the family, and Joseph's focus begins to spin a little bit out of control as he starts to chase after this avatar of Tamara [Adama, his deceased daughter] and he leaves Willie behind. So this is where Sam comes in almost as a surrogate and starts to raise this young boy. Sam always feels like the kid needs more Tauron influence, and along with that is a certain pride and strength that he wants to imbue in Willie.

Were you a "Battlestar" fan before getting the role?
Well, I wasn't a "Battlestar" fan, but I had a lot of respect for the show. I had a lot of friends who worked on the show and I had seen a few episodes. but i was more attracted to it from afar from the respect and awards it had received to the loyal viewership that it had. That piqued my interest a lot when the opportunity for "Caprica" arose. Subsequently, I have been watching a lot [of "BSG"] and I like it very much, but I didn't come into it as a fan.

So, the aftermath of how Willie becomes the admiral isn't a factor in how you approach the role of uncle?
Well, and I can't speak for the entire cast, but there isn't a general feeling of obligation to connecting those dots. I think we leave that to the writers and the creators, and I'm sure they'll do a great job with it, but we just sort of focus on our characters and the world that we live in. We don't really feel a lot of pressure to bring "Battlestar" into this. It works on its own.

How would you describe the style and tone of "Caprica?"
I guess there's a sense of foreboding. Even when I'm in it or when I'm watching some of the cuts that we have or the lighting, and the music, there's the sense that something ominous is coming. I love that mood. It brings an intensity to the show. And that being said, we have moments of lightness and laughter and love, but there's definitely an intensity that I love.

You mentioned laughs, and I think that Sam provides that levity a bit, even though he's not 'the funny guy'...
Yeah. It's interesting that you say that. It does come out a bit. Sam's just this character that's, in a way, so removed in the way he lives his life and the way that he perceives the world around him that there's just no room for any argument. Especially when you watch him and Willie together. You take this intense character and throw in a little kid, and to watch them interact is sort of amusing.

Because he's so rooted in his Tauron background, and I don't want to get too spoilery, but does he get to go back to Tauron, and was it what you as the actor thought it would look like?
I'm not sure if I can address that directly, but as the series unfolds, there is more and more detail about the background of Joseph and Sam, and the tragedy that they come from. They came out of the civil war on Tauron and everything that leads to that. They came over to Caprica as orphans. Being raised in the Ha'la'tha, all of that is sort of an extension of the tragedy they lived through in life. At one point we will see flashbacks to them when they were younger, and we will unfold the story of the tragedy itself. It's a great episode.

Though he's a real free-spirit on Caprica, is there anything that Sam does in future episodes that surprises you?
I would say absolutely. There comes a point where he questions certain loyalties that he has. It's going to be really interesting to see what kind of choices he makes. I mean, this whole show is about choices, which is just a reflection of life. I mean life is all about choices, and we're all faces with difficult choices at some point in the show. From there, we sort of springboard into this wonderful, crazy and fascinating storylines that are going to be a lot of fun to watch.

-- Jevon Phillips

The five faces of Zoe that you'll see in Caprica

Caprica star Alessandra Torresani plays Zoe in Syfy's upcoming Battlestar Galactica prequel series Caprica. Actually, she plays five different versions of the character, the daughter of industrialist Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz). (Spoilers ahead!)

In the show—which premieres Jan. 22 and airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT—Daniel Graystone is a computer engineering genius and owns a large corporation that is spearheading the development of artificial intelligence. His unwavering professional pursuits are driven to extreme measures when personal tragedy strikes him and his wife, Amanda (Paula Malcomson), as their strong-willed daughter, Zoe (Torresani), dies in a terrorist bombing fueled by an underground religious dogma. Unbeknownst to her parents, the teenager had also been dabbling in these radical teachings, which were secretly propagated by her school's headmistress, Sister Clarice Willow (Polly Walker).

"I've done a scene where I play three characters in one," Torresani said. "Season 1.5, the second half, third episode into it. Besides just that, I get to play five completely different characters, which is not like any female 16-year-old show character that I've ever seen before in my life."

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Full Details on Battlestar Galactica The Complete Series on Blu-Ray and DVD

TV Shows on DVD posted the the box artwork and full content of episodes and bonus material for the releases of Battlestar Galactica The Complete Series coming on Blu-Ray and DVD on July 28th, and also for Battlestar Galactica Season 4.5 on Blu-Ray and DVD.

The Blu-ray Disc version of Battlestar Galactica - The Complete Series comes on twenty "BD-50" Discs, running 4077 minutes (approx. 68 hours), in Premium Packaging described as a Limited Edition Telescoping Box Set with Collectible Cylon Figurine. 1080p high-definition widescreen video, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio, and subtitles in English, French and Spanish. $349.98 SRP. Discs 18-20 describe the content of Battlestar Galactica - Season 4.5 on Blu-ray (3 discs, $69.98 SRP), which ships on the same date.

More box artwork images and the full info can be found here.

Review: Caprica Spins Religion, Race Into Worthy Galactica Prequel

Source:Wired

Caprica is a religious experience.

That's not to say the highly anticipated Battlestar Galactica prequel, which comes out on DVD Tuesday, is a blinding experience that will transform you forever. But the movie-length pilot makes it clear that theology will play a huge part in the series when it hits the airwaves in 2010, just as it did in Galactica.

In the "uncut and unrated" Caprica pilot, there are no nuclear explosions, no grimy spaceships, no sexy or deadly encounters with robotic Cylons.

Aside from a bloody assassination and some gratuitous topless shots, the show almost completely lacks the action and hard-edged sci-fi eye candy that helped give Galactica its gritty appeal.

Instead, Caprica delivers a broad, deliberately paced introduction to the themes that will presumably drive the show: the tension between science and religion, the dangers of religious zealotry, the racism that can simmer in a societal melting pot, the nature of humanity in a world filled with sentient machines.

(Spoiler alert: Minor plot points follow.)

None of this is new, especially to fans of the recently wrapped Galactica, but luckily producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick have imported to Caprica other hallmarks of their award-winning Sci Fi Channel series as well: the lean writing, the strong acting, the exceptional soundtrack by Bear McCreary, the Cylons.

Galactica fans get their first glimpse of the shiny cybernetic creations about a third of the way through the 93-minute pilot. It's a welcome blast from the future past that boosts the show after a somewhat sluggish start.

Like one of Galactica's less-frenetic episodes, the Caprica pilot unfolds languidly, introducing the Graystone and Adama families and framing the show's central themes.

The clans' wounded patriarchs, successful Caprican roboticist Daniel Graystone (played by Eric Stoltz, The Butterfly Effect) and tough Tauron lawyer Joseph Adama (Esai Morales, Jericho) are drawn together in the wake of a terrorist attack that shatters their families.

Lots of languid cigarette-smoking follows. The two men become unlikely friends, only to eventually be pushed apart as Graystone becomes obsessed with bringing his dead teenage daughter Zoe (the perpetually wide-eyed Alessandra Toreson) back to life, or something like it.

Stoltz transforms from a shallow Caprican technoyuppie to a Frankenstein-inflected mad scientist. And Morales brings the kind of backbone needed to convincingly play the father of the boy who will eventually helm Galactica.

The adult female leads — Graystone's wife, Amanda (Paula Malcomson, Deadwood), and Clarice Willow (Polly Walker, Rome) — get less screen time, but these strong actresses will undoubtedly shine as the series continues.

Playing the part of a religious school administrator with ties to the monotheistic cult Soldiers of the One, which is seducing teens on the technologically advanced planet Caprica, Walker shows just a smidgen of the deliciously manipulative creature she played so well in Rome. Let's hope Moore and Eick give her plenty of room to turn up the heat in future episodes.

Set 58 years before the Cylons' sneak attack on humanity, the Caprica pilot does not deliver the kind of explosive action that turned Galactica into a nail-biting sensation. Instead, it is a little like the "begat"-riddled genealogical sequence that opens the New Testament: It draws much of its tension from the knowledge of what lies ahead.

The characters are richly drawn and ripe for further exploration. And the show's willingness to tackle religion, immigration, corporate espionage and racism right out of the gate indicates that Moore is framing up another thoughtful sci-fi series.

Caprica could become another sacred text for sci-fi fans yearning for brainy television.

Wired: Old-school Cylon robovoice; hacked Holoband; cameo by The X-Files' "cigarette smoking man."

Tired: Virtual nightclub looks like Saturday night in San Francisco (except for the human sacrifice).

Addendum: In the press release announcing Caprica's premiere, Sci Fi Channel makes it clear that there are two reasons for the pilot's release so long before the series will be aired.


One is to capitalize on the buzz from Galactica's series finale. The other reason: To "get viewers' feedback before production on the Caprica series begins this summer," according to Mark Stern, Sci Fi's executive vice president of original programming.

'Battlestar' items to be auctioned of

Source: UPI

More than 900 items from the recently wrapped TV show "Battlestar Galactica" are set to hit the auction block at California's Pasadena Convention Center.

NBC Universal Television, DVD, Music and Consumer Products Group said it is teaming with Propworx for a live auction May 8-10.

A portion of the proceeds from the auction will benefit United Way.

"We were incredibly happy with the first 'Battlestar Galactica' auction in January and we know the fans will be just as thrilled with this final auction as well," Kurt Ford, senior vice president of production services at Universal Media Studios, said in a statement. "We saved key items, which were pivotal to the series, and we are pulling out all the stops to create a truly unique event that will do justice to the series."

"A lot of experienced collectors, and just plain fans, felt that the first 'Battlestar Galactica' auction was the most exciting and fun 'prop and costume' auction ever," added Propworx Chief Executive Officer Alec Peters. "We intend to make the second and final auction even bigger and better, with more of the show's stars, more fun activities at the auction preview day, and an even more impressive display of the items up for auction."

Battlestar Galactica Spinoff Caprica – 8 New clips Just Released

Source:Scifi Examiner

See them here. Universal just released 8 new clips from the Battlestar Galactica spinoff series Caprica. I reported earlier that the movie “The Plan” would be released on DVD on April 21, then would be the two-hour pilot for the new series Caprica. Wet your appetites with these clips.
Caprica stars Esai Morales (Admiral Adama's lawyer father) and Eric Stoltz as two fathers confronted with a life or death situation. The decisions they make will change Caprica forever and lead directly into the events that unfold in the Battlestar Galactica series pilot.

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Battlestar Galactica: The Plan - Teaser

Source: Craveonline

Providing more closure to Battlestar Galactica will be the 2-hour television event titled, Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, which focuses on the Cylons. While Battlestar Galactica might have just finished its season, between Caprica and The Plan, fans of the long-running series will discover some surprising insight into the addictive story arc. The Plan premieres on television this Fall the teaser can be found on the link below

Teaser

Battlestar's Ronald D. Moore talks Starbuck's fate, DVD extended cut

Source: SciFi Wire

Battlestar Galactica executive producer Ronald D. Moore told SCI FI Wire that he was "very satisfied" with the series finale, which aired Friday night on SCI FI Channel. (Spoilers ahead if you haven't seen the finale!)

Moore added that he makes no apologies for the surprising and controversial revelation about Kara Thrace (Katee Sackhoff), who, after a "mortal death," turned out to be an "angel, demon or some other form of life" that "fulfilled her destiny" by leading the Galactica crew back to Earth.

And Moore promised that there will be some extended scenes on an eventual DVD version of the finale, including backstory that had to be cut for time.

SCI FI Wire caught up with Moore in New York last week, following the one and only preview screening of the Battlestar Galactica series finale, "Daybreak, Part 2." Following are edited excerpts from our exclusive interview.

How pleased were you with the finale and the reaction you saw from the audience that just watched it with you?

Moore: I'm very pleased with the finale. It pretty much is exactly what I wanted it to be, and I'm very satisfied with it. That's how I wanted to end Galactica. And in the room I felt happy. I felt that people weren't fidgeting, and they seemed riveted and into what they were watching. They weren't texting and checking their cell phones. There were a few tears here and there. The feeling I got from the room was that they were there and invested in the story, and I hope they found it satisfying.

Some characters lived, others died. Some characters proved heroic and others took another way out. What was the hardest decision to make creatively?

Moore: I don't know that those were tough choices. A lot of it had to do with just dealing with the characters and making sure that we focused the finale on the characters, that it didn't all just become about the plot about how to rescue Hera. That was where we started. We started these discussions in the [writers'] room about how we were going to rescue Hera and what the twists and turns would be, and we got really bogged down in that for a while. It was very frustrating.

And then I just said, at some point, "Screw that. It's really not about that. Let's just assume we'll have a good plot. We'll figure that out. What are the characters' stories?" And I said, "The first image I had was, OK, somewhere there's a man trying to chase a bird out of his house with a broom. I don't know who that is, and I don't know what it means, but that's an image. Put it up on the board." And then we just started [embellishing] on these ideas and characters and what could be the characters' stories. Then, once we cracked that, everything else kind of flowed.

Speaking of that bird, you just know the fans are going to have a field day debating the fate of Kara, who seemed to have become an angel. People will ask why, for example, if an angel saw its dead body, it would react as strongly as Kara did when she came across her corpse in the Viper. How will you explain that away to fans who didn't see it coming or might take issue with it?

Moore: I don't know that I will. We made a conscious decision to say, "We're going to leave this opaque." You can certainly say that she's an angel or a demon or some other form of life. We know from the show that she died a mortal death, she was brought back to life in some way, and then she fulfilled a certain destiny and guided them all to Earth. What does that mean? And who is she really? It was a conscious creative decision to say, "This is as much as we're going to tell you, and she's connected to some greater truth." The more we try to answer what that greater truth is, the less interesting it becomes, and we just decided to leave it more of a mystery. I am sure that there will be a cadre of people who are angry that they never got a more definitive answer, but we just decided not to do that.

How much fun did you have with your cameo appearance?

Moore: It was actually a lot of fun. I was wearing a Jimi Hendrix shirt that you can't see. For rights issues and all of that, you couldn't see Jimi, but that's actually a Jimi Hendrix T-shirt that I'm wearing. I got a big kick out of that.

What got cut? What had to go to keep the running time at two hours and 11 minutes?

Moore: Well, there was a series of flashbacks that had to do with Boomer [Grace Park] and Helo [Tahmoh Penikett] and Tyrol [Aaron Douglas] back on Galactica when she was a rookie pilot. It was the first time she kissed Tyrol, the beginnings of that relationship, the beginning of Helo having his longing for her, and sort of establishing where that triangle was way back in the beginning. We cut that, just for time. It will be on the extended DVD version.

What else will be on that extended DVD?

Moore: Longer versions of the same scenes. There's another scene where, after Tyrol says, "We have to hook Anders into CIC," we're in Adama's [Edward James Olmos] quarters, and he's adamently opposed to it. It's a really hot, angry scene between him and Tyrol and Starbuck. Eventually he decides to do it. That was a great scene that was hard to cut, but we finally cut it. I don't remember what else. Oh, there are more scenes, flashbacks in the strip club, sort of fleshing out the Tigh [Michael Hogan] and Ellen [Kate Vernon] story a little bit more, things like that.

Battlestar Galactica: Daybreak, Part 2 (series finale)

Source: TV Squad

"Frakkity, frak. Don't talk back." (Apologies to Lieber and Stoller)

After four years of some of the best and most adult sci-fi in the history of television, Battlestar Galactica draws to a close with a bang and then a whimper, with an overall satisfying ending that was as morally complex as any episode in the series.

Ron Moore was pretty good about wrapping up a good chunk of the remaining questions and storylines. But there are a plethora that weren't answered.

To begin, what circumstances allowed for Kara's resurrection? What is her background that she knew so much about the original Earth? How did Hera know the things she knew? If "All Along the Watchtower" wouldn't be written for 150,000 years, how did the Cylons hear it? After that disappearing act at the end, was Kara even human? If not, what was she? An angel? Why did Cavil kill himself when he lost resurrection? Surely he knew that he wouldn't get resurrected. Perhaps they're saving all those questions for "The Plan".

This episode was nothing short of a symphony and wrapped up the major themes of the show, about individuals and faith and faith-in-conflict. The denouement seemed a little long, but since we've been with these characters for four years, it was nice to give each a send-off that was longer than a minute.

Things that happened that were predictable based on the foreshadowing of the previous years:

* The Baltar/Caprica Six reunion
* The death of Tory at Tyrol's hand
* The death of Roslin
* Athena's execution of Boomer
* Boomer's repentance
* The survival of Hera and the human race
* The discovery of the second Earth
* Roslin smoking. Now we know how she got cancer


And then there were the things that surprised me:

* They discovered the Earth that is eventually us (150,000 years later)
* The human/Cylon hybrid and the Galactica crew became the missing link
* Helo's survival (I thought he died during the attack on the Cylon colony)
* Baltar and Six suddenly seeing each other's visions


Stuff I really enjoyed:

* The cameo of Ron Moore at the end reading a magazine
* The quick riff of the old Battlestar Galactica 1970's theme as the fleet flew into the sun
* The old-style Cylons in battle
* Adama's quick attempt to explain what the Final Five were doing with transmitting the resurrection data (which I took as a riff on Ron Moore's old bosses at the Star Trek franchise who excelled at technobabble).


Things that touched me:

* Mary McDonnell's performance and Roslin's quiet passing
* The last scene between Lee and Kara
* Baltar's willingness to finally do something for the greater good (although it could be argued he was doing it to win Six's affection)
* Sam Anders' noble death


Based on the ending, if I had to describe this series as a whole, it would be an attempt to bring a concept like God (or Gods, or some sort of divine presence) into a rational and reasoned world. Granted, Galactica had spaceships and robots, but it never had aliens or technology that seemed impossible (it is possible to fold space and "jump". Black holes fold space like that). Hell, they were using bullets when other sci-fi series use lasers or phasers or plasma rifles or whatever.

In an age where too much television tries to spoon-feed morality and lessons to us, Battlestar Galactica takes it above all that by trying to get viewers to think. While that sort of television rarely has high initial ratings, it's the sort of thing that can live forever in re-runs as people watch it again to determine its lessons.

Forgive me if I missed anything. It was a pretty dense episode and as of this writing I've only watched it once. I'm sure I would find additional themes upon a second viewing (which I plan to do for the whole series as soon as the last DVD set is released). If anybody remembers any interesting tidbits, please share. Kudos to Ron Moore and company for a job well done and a fantastic series.

So say we all.

Watched The Finale? Still Got Questions? We’ve Got Answers!

Source: Discover

Earlier this week in New York, Battlestar Galactica’s co-creators David Eick and Ron Moore, along with cast members Mary McDonnell (President Roslin) and Edward James Olmos (Admiral Adama), sat down with the press for a Q&A session following a screening of the last episode. We were just as brimming with questions as you are about the finale, and here are some of the answers we got. Needless to say, what follows below the jump contains MASSIVE SPOILERS if you haven’t already seen tonight’s show, so don’t say you weren’t warned!

What exactly was Kara, and were people chasing down a rabbit hole when they assumed her father was Daniel, the missing 8th model cylon?

Ron Moore: Daniel is definitely a rabbit hole. It was an unintentional rabbit hole, to be honest. I was kind of surprised when I started picking up [that] speculation online.

For those of you who don’t know, there was a deep part of the cylon backstory that had to do with one of the cylons that was created by the final five [called Daniel. Daniel] was later sort of aborted by Cavill… it was always intended just to be sort of an interesting bit of backstory about Cavill and his jealously. A Cain and Abel sort of allegory. Then people really started grabbing on to it and seizing on it as some major part of the mythology. In couple of interviews and in the last podcast I tried to go out of my way to say “look, don’t spend too much time and energy on this particular theory,” because it was never intended to be that major a piece of the mythology.

David Eick: It’s like Boxey in that way!

Moore: Kara is what you want her to be. It’s easy to put the label on her of “angel” or “messenger of God” or something like that. Kara Thrace died and was resurrected and came back and took the people to their final end. That was her role, her destiny in the show… We debated back and forth in the writers’ room about giving it more clarity and saying definitively what she is. We decided that the more you try to put a name on it, the less interesting it became, and we just decided this was the most interesting way for her to go out, with her just disappearing and [leave people wondering exactly what she was].

We see Galactica jump away from the Colony. Are we to assume there are a lot of pissed off Cavills out there still, or were they destroyed?

Moore: The final [cut] came out a little less clear on that than I intended…. It was scripted and the idea was that when Racetrack hits the nukes—the nukes come in and smack into the colony—it takes the colony out of the stream that was swirling around the singularity and [the colony] fell in and was destroyed. I think as we went through the [editing process], when we kept cutting frames and doing this and that, one of the things that became less apparent was that the colony was doomed. The intention was that everyone who was aboard the colony would perish.

Click the link above to see the rest of the interview

Battlestar Galactica Series Finale Redux

Source: E Online

Battlestar Galactica, a visually grim and philosophically dark series for the duration of its run, had no obligation to end with twittering birds, romantic curlicues and happy, healing Helo. It was a gift, then, that it ended on such a triumphal, thoughtful note, and for that gift plus the entirety of four epic years with this great story, we offer a sincere and hearty thank you to the creators, cast crew.

But enough niceties. Let's get cracking into what went down in the series finale of Battlestar Galactica, and more importantly, what series creator Ronald D. Moore has to say about it...

Look Homeward: So, at last, Kara Thrace (Katee Sackhoff) goes to her hard-earned rest. She found Earth, yo! For the record though, that man teaching her piano (and therefore giving her the FTL-drive coordinates to our new home) was not Daniel. According to Ronald D. Moore at the BSG finale event last week, "Daniel's definitely a rabbit hole," that fans fell down, and not the key to Kara's everlasting mystery. Instead, says RDM, "Kara is what you want her to be. It's easy to put the label on her of angel or messenger of God. Kara Thrace died, was resurrected, and came back and took the people to their final end. That was destiny in the show."

The Vixen and the Geek: Well, after four years of sex, lies and hallucinations, we've learned that both Caprica Six and Gaius Baltar were haunted by each other, but what they were haunted by remains unclear. According to RDM, "We never tried to name exactly what we called the Head-Baltar and Head-Six throughout the show internally, and we never really looked at them as angels or demons because they would periodically say evil things and good things, and they tended to save people and tended to damn people. There was sense that they worked in service of something else—you could say a higher power or you could say another power—that was guiding and helping, sometimes obstructing, sometimes tempting the mortal people in the show. The idea at the very end was whatever they are in service of continues and is eternal and is always around. And they too are still around, and they too are still here with us, with all of us who are the children of Hera, and in one way, shape, or form they continue to walk among us and watch, and at some point they may or may not intercede at a key moment. That was the concept behind the last images." And if you ask us, those last images were quite magnificent. Also magificent? Caprica's declaration that she'd always wanted to be proud of Baltar, the revelation of their genuine love and affection for one another, Baltar's speech to Cavil about a leap of faith, and Baltar weeping in Caprica's arms about...farming. Were you happy with that coupling finally coming to be? Post in the comments.

Mountain Men: Were you happy with the lonely fates of the Chief and Lee Adama? The Chief is apparently off to be a great Scot, and Lee wandered the world...Was that the right ending for those two?

Heart: It's hard to call Helo and Athena a fairy-tale couple when there was that time that Athena was punitively raped for being a Cylon, and then that other time when Helo frakked Athena's "evil twin" Boomer, but still...Gotta love where those two started and that they ended up together, bickering adorably. Not to mention the fact that their cutest-kid-in-the-fleet moppet Hera turned out to be mitochondrial Eve.

Did the Agathon family ending make you happiest or were you more delighted by Adama posthumously making Roslin his wife?

Were you satisfied or disappointed with the series finale of Battlestar Galactica? Post in the comments!