October 30th, 2009 7:31 pm

‘Caprica’ Pilot

It’s time to go right back to the start. Space opera becomes family drama in ‘Caprica’, where we finally see the lives of two families whose actions will inevitably set in motion the cylon rebellion that chronicled ‘Battlestar Galactica’.

Warning: This review contains possible spoilers

So, after four seasons of one of the greatest series ever made, ‘Battlestar Galactica’ came to an end earlier in 2009. And the world well and truly mourned.

The series practically redefined science fiction for the modern era; adding politics, human struggle and dramatic character arcs that were more well-defined that even some of the very best drama series on TV.

It was so much more than just science fiction, it was a critique of humanity, of society, a series that delved deep into the psyche of the human condition and posed questions and ideas that few shows would ever touch.

And now, in the wake of its demise, the hole left in the world with ‘BSG’s’ absence is now in the early stages of being filled with yet another look at the same fractured, futuristic world where humans are again toying with the very nature of their existance. ‘Caprica’, to those who followed BSG for the last 5 years, is of course the ill-fated metropolis that falls at the start of ‘Battlestar Galactica’.

This new series chronicles the preceeding generations lives 50 years before the fall, showing us the first steps in what will eventually be the Cylon rebellion that is humanities undoing.

The two hour pilot here clearly sets into motion the chain of events that will result in the future that is destined. We see the who, the why and the how… and again, it’s political and religious undertones ironically mirror that of the characters future ancestors regarding deep ideals and beliefs. Like ‘BSG’, ‘Caprica’ delicately threads together the existances of its characters into a rich mosaic of events and its provocative disposition.

Starting with a shocking “terrorist attack” that will obviously prove to be more than just the catalyst that sees Greystone Sr adapt his daughters technological advancements into something more tangible, it soon becomes aparent that all the characters here have skeletons. All of which will undoubtedly come back to bite them when things go pear-shaped.

Visually, ‘Caprica’ has its similarities to the ‘BSG’ universe, but the focus is clearly much more on the characterisations and the origins plot of this generation and what their actions will do in regards to what happens in ‘BSG’. It’s a brighter series obviously being set in ‘Caprica’ itself, but it certainly doesn’t make things any less dark – that much is clear very early on. It’s easy to see this will become the confronting, stark series that ‘BSG’ was.

It’s easy to get excited about the potential that ‘Caprica’ holds, and thankfully we get a full series early 2010 to see where the deliciously taut plot threads set up in the pilot go as the series progresses.

Those going into this with ‘BSG’ in mind will need to put that series out of their minds, as this is an entirely different creature even considering its existance within the same universe of characters, events and places. Minus much of the action ‘BSG’ had, this prequel will be more about people than its predecessor was, but should keep its cutting-edge dramatic flair that made ‘BSG’ so damn good. Bring it on!