Battlestar Galactica comes to a triumphant end in early 2009, closing out what could be the best sci-fi television series ever made. And that coming from someone who thoroughly enjoyed many of the Star Trek TV series and who loves Firefly – all 12 episodes of it.
The show is a masterstroke of action, espionage, betrayal, alliances, love, relationships and, perhaps most importantly, social commentary. It took a great sci-fi premise and turned it into something more, a drama with complicated, interesting characters that just happens to be set in space. It’s a shame that some people still shrug Battlestar Galactica off as a sci-fi show, because even though it does feature an “alien” race, space battles and [admittedly, not-so-great] fate stuff, it is grounded in reality more than most shows.
So, when Sci-Fi Channel announces that they have ordered 20 hours of Caprica, the new original series spin-off of Battlestar Galactica, I should be thrilled, right? Wrong.
Sure, Caprica may be better than most shows on television, but:
- It’s going to be set on a planet, before any wars. Dramas are all well and good, but without the Cylons, this sounds a little too far removed from the Battlestar Galactica we know and love.
- It’s going to have different actors and characters. Can the writers strike magic twice?
- It’s about two human families competing against one another. Didn’t Shakespeare already write a masterpiece with this concept?
- The show will, eventually, lead to the first Cylon war, right? I sure as hell hope so. But how many seasons is it going to take to get there?
- From the first minute, it is going to be compared to Battlestar Galactica. And it just can’t be as good.
Again, Battlestar Galactica: Caprica could be very good. Still, it’s not going to be as good, so it’s setting itself up for poor comparisons. Beyond that, there is going to be so few similarities in terms of characters, plot and so forth that those wanting more BSG may be disappointed.
I love the drama and social dilemmas that are raised in BSG, but I love the balance it has with some kick-ass Cylon action. Without that balance, will I be that interested in watching a space drama that’s not set in space?
Of course, I’m still going to watch it. What do you think?
Tags: battlestar galactica, caprica, sci-fi, sequel, tv series
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Television/TV |
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December 16th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
A spin-off of a sub-par “re-imagined” series?
Don’t make me laugh.
If BATTLESTAR GALACTICA sucked the hairy tea bags of a donkey, CAPRICA will be as fresh as a plate of cheese that has been left out in the sun for a few days.
Bring back the continuation of the original series instead, I say! You know, the one that Singer was developing. The one that showed actual promise, remember?
December 16th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Are you serious? Have you actually watched Battlestar Galactica?
October 11th, 2009 at 11:34 pm
I just watched the Caprica pilot, and unfortunately I feel it’s quite “blah”. I agree with the remarks the author made about the reimagined BSG, including the fact the part of its success was balancing human drama with kick-ass sci-fi action. Caprica seems to be going more in the direction of the former only (and its not even really good character drama like in BSG). It has sucked the space travel element out of the franchise. The result is a show that feels more subdued and – I hate to say it – chick-ish. There were some good scenes and an interesting element that dealt with the issues of high-tech modern society and the ramifications of the rise of AI, but throughout much of the pilot I felt like I was watching some cheesy drama from ABC Family or the CBS soap line-up.
November 15th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
ok well… um i watched the pilot and i dunno what to say. well how express myself clearly so here goes… BSG like everyone said had a balance between drama and action. some episodes of bsg did bore me originally but it grew on me. i loved the space combat scenes. now with caprica…. i dunno it seems only based on drama. i’m sure they’d try and sprout new action oriented material such as the terrorist group that blue up the monorail but is that what people really want to see? kinda reminds mf of sarach conner chronicles… dont screw with something that has already made its imprint. now here’s an idea for caprica… establish the characters in the first season and inch towards the cylons more and more… then BAM kick it up a notch and do the first cylon war… that’s what it would need. action/drama/cylons… dont just mention the cylon name in every other episode… involve them thats what people want… action x1000/ drama x 4 / and cylons xeverything…