Caprica

It's not to often that I get excited about a fictional television show, but I am excited about the premiere of the new series Caprica.

The series is a prequel spin-off to the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series, taking place decades before the events of Battlestar Galactica.

I didn't become interested in the Battlestar Galactica series until late in its run.  Once I saw the series finale, I was disappointed that I hadn't gotten interested in it earlier.  In contrast to a lot of other sci-fi programs that take place in space sometime in the future, Battlestar Galactica takes place in the distant past.  The people in the series are very similar to us.  Their technologies are only slightly beyond what we have today.  In many ways, those people are a reflection of society today.  They dress like us, they talk like us, and they act a lot like us.

The characters of Caprica will be a reflection of society today too.  But the premise of Caprica will be different than that of Battlestar Galactica.    Battlestar Galactica takes place during a post-apocalyptic era where the survivors are struggling to live and trying to find an opportunity to start over fresh.  Caprica takes place decades before the cylons attack the planet Caprica and the other colonized human planets.  According to Wikipedia:

Whereas the dark, post-apocalyptic reimagined series revolved around a final bid for survival, Caprica is preoccupied with a world intoxicated by success. "It's about a society that's running out of control with a wild-eyed glint in its eye," states Ronald D. Moore. The Twelve Colonies are at their peak, self-involved, oblivious and mesmerized by the seemingly unlimited promise of technology. Framed by the conflict between the Adamas and the Graystones over the resurrection of loved ones lost in an act of terror, the series will explore ethical implications of advances in artificial intelligence and robotics.

 The show will be a prime time drama that the producers are hoping will appeal to an ever wider audience than Battlestar Galactica did.  According to Wikipedia:

Though a critical success, Galactica had a predominantly male audience, and both Moore and the network felt the "war in space" backdrop was a major deterrent to female viewers. With these considerations and Caprica's storyline already focused on events taking place before the two Cylon Wars, the series has a different identity, with its own tone, content and style. While Caprica contains some Easter eggs for Battlestar fans, the series is intended to be accessible to new fans and as such, no prior knowledge is required.

The original pilot for the show was released as a direct to DVD release.  I think it has a lot of potential as a series.  Hopefully I won't be disappointed.

Here's a trailer: