Friday, February 5 at 9:00 on Syfy.

Following Amanda’s (Paula Malcomson) public revelation that their daughter was responsible for the MagLev tragedy, the Graystones must face the wrath of angry Capricans. For Daniel (Eric Stoltz) this includes a confrontation with Sam (Sasha Roiz) and Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) in which Joseph demands that Daniel reunite him with his daughter’s avatar — the essence of his daughter Tamara (Genevieve Buechner), living on in virtual space. Daniel also realizes he can’t deal with his grief in private — this is all going to play out on a public stage.

At the same time, Zoe Graystone (Alessandra Torresani) adjusts to her Cylon form and hopes Lacy (Magda Apanowicz) will help her escape to neighboring colony Gemenon. Lacy is concerned, however, that she is rousing the suspicions of headmistress (and STO leader) Clarice Willow (Polly Walker). While in the V-World, the girls meet a frightened Tamara Adama who doesn’t understand what she is or how she came to be here.

At the Global Defense Department, Agents Duram (Brian Markinson) and Youngblood escalate their efforts to track down the terrorist group responsible for the bombing.

Pictured: (l-r) Polly Walker as Clarice Willow, Magda Apanowicz as Lacy Rand — Syfy Photo: Eike Schroter

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Air Date: Friday, January 29 @ 9:00pm on Syfy

Zoe (Alessandra Torresani) struggles with being trapped in the robot while grief and pressure mount on the Adamas and the Graystones. Joseph (Esai Morales) makes a decision that drives him to confront Daniel (Eric Stoltz), and Amanda (Paula Malcomson) makes a shocking public confession.

CAPRICA — Pictured: (l-r) Eric Stoltz as Daniel Graystone, Esai Morales as Joseph Adama — Syfy Photo: Joe Pugliese

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Prequels aren’t easy. People already know how the story turns out so you have to find a different way to build suspense. And then there are all the ground rules and backstories that are already set in stone, so the road is already fairly well mapped before you get there. To make this work, they have to deliver characters that we can relate to and characters are something Ronald D. Moore and his gang are good at.

SPOILERS AHEAD

I came into Caprica with very little knowledge of what it was about and how it was going to proceed (I made it a point to stay away from spoilers on this one) so I was a little confused by the opening club sequence and the introduction of the three teenage characters. It felt a little a scene from Hogwarts Gone Wild and I’m not sure it was the best place to start the story but I stayed to see where it was going. I wasn’t compelled to stay, though, until Ben revealed the bomb under his coat. That’s when I realized that this wasn’t going to be an easy ride. That there would be no clear-cut heroes and villains. Every character in the series is living in the grey area. Some are crossing the line because they think it’s for the greater good, others out of loyalty and some out of greed. In the pilot episode we were handed political corruption, terrorism, religious extremists, racial profiling, and the struggle of teens trying to find a place in this world. As a parent of a teen, that last one really hit home!

In the middle of all this, you have a story about a man with the ability to create life, or a close facsimile, and therein lies the question. What are little girls made of? Are we simply a collection of data that can be stored in either a human or mechanical brain? Or are we more than that? As Joseph Adama says, what about the soul? Is that the one thing that separates us from a cybernetic copy? On the other hand, if it walks like a duck, and sounds like a duck. . .

Caprica isn’t popcorn TV. It’s a show you have to pay attention to and probably watch over and over in order to pick up on all the nuisances. The performances are subtle, the emotion runs deep and there are way more questions than answers.

Visually, it’s a beautiful painting underscored by another Bear McCreary haunting melody. The effects are good to great and the costuming and sets are stylish. It’s like a scifi version of Mad Men.

On the downside, the pilot was incredibly slow in spots. The moody meetings between Graystone and Adama had me reaching for the remote. They may be an advanced society, but obviously they haven’t done the studies on the effects of smoking. Then there were the virtual club scenes which felt like nothing more than a reason to include gratuitous kissing between two girls. I felt the same about the counterpoint piece between the Graystone sex scene and the murder of the official – I get what they were going for but I felt like it went on for way too long.

The Caprica pilot packs a lot into two hours. Maybe too much. A dozen characters are introduced along with some intense and complex plot points. If you came in to it from Battlestar Galactica then you had an advantage. I’d be curious to know how it faired with people who had never seen any version of Galactica prior to this. Then again, if you hadn’t seen Galactica, would you even have bothered to turn on Caprica?

Right now, I’d say the story does stand on its own merit. So if you didn’t watch because you weren’t a fan of Battlestar, give it a shot. It’s a different kind of scifi. More Terminator meets VR5 meets Total Recall and Surrogates. It’s not a “space opera.” It’s another story about man as the architect of his own destruction and in this case, we already know how it turns out.

Caprica airs Fridays at 9:00 on Syfy. Next week, Buffy’s James Marsters guests along with Scott Porter of Friday Night Lights. I’m looking forward to it.

Want to learn more? Syfy has a whole collection of goodies and it begins on the official website. Follow Twitters, Facebook, Vlogs and more at http://www.syfy.com/caprica/

Syfy Photos: Jeff Weddell & Joe Pugliese

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Air Date: Friday, January 22 @ 9:00pm – 2-Hour Series Premiere

On the vibrant world of Caprica, in a culture recognizably close to our own, two dynamic families – the Graystones and the Adamas – live separately on opposite ends of society until they are brought together by tragedy.

Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz), a computer engineering genius, 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): their strong-willed daughter Zoe (Alessandra 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). (Pictured: (l-r) Eric Stoltz as Daniel Graystone, Paula Malcomson as Amanda Graystone — Syfy Photo: Joe Pugliese)

Also living on Caprica but deeply entrenched in a cultural heritage that sets them apart from the rest of civilization, is the Adama clan. The family is helmed by Joseph Adama, a renowned criminal defense attorney – with questionable ties and sometimes-devious methods – and father to William (Sina Najafi) and Tamara (Genevieve Beuchner). When Joseph’s wife and daughter perish in the same attack that befell Zoe Graystone, Joseph’s path soon crosses Daniel’s, and the two become united in their grief.

Soon after, Daniel lets Joseph in on a sinister secret: he’s discovered that Zoe, a computer genius in her own right, had been experimenting with perilous virtual reality technology along with her friend Lacy (Magda Apanowicz), and managed the impossible: she created a life-like avatar of herself, a perfect digital copy. Obsessed with the possibility of seeing his daughter once again, and preying on Joseph’s shared emotions, Daniel implores his new confidante to help him make Zoe’s vision a complete reality. Appalled by the ethical implications of recreating a soul, but aching to bring his own daughter back to life, Joseph complies…and the fate of the human race is altered forever.

Pictured: (l-r) Sasha Roiz as Sam Adam, Sina Najafi as William Adama, Esai Morales as Joseph Adama — Syfy Photo: Joe Pugliese

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Go HERE and leave a comment stating which TV show you’d like to see have a prequel. We got some great answers so far including Torchwood, True Blood, Supernatural, Fringe, X-Files and Firefly and someone wants to see Jack Bauer in grade school.

Remember there will be two winners:

– The first prize winner will receive a Caprica DVD [Run Time: 1hr. 33min.] and a Caprica T-Shirt.

– A second winner will receive a T-Shirt.

Next up will be giving away  Farscape: The Complete Series on DVD. This is an amazing box set for both the Farscape fan and anyone interested in discovering a new scifi series.

Keep watching SFUniverse for your chance to win.

Photo: Syfy

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– The first prize winner will receive a Caprica DVD [Run Time: 1hr. 33min.]  and a Caprica T-Shirt.

– A second winner will receive a T-Shirt.

Set 58 years before Battlestar Galactica, Caprica follows two rival families – the Graystones and the Adamas – as they grow, compete, and thrive in the vibrant world of the peaceful 12 Colonies, living in a society close to our own. Entangled in the burgeoning technology of artificial intelligence and robotics that will eventually lead to the creation of the Cylons, the two houses go toe-to-toe, blending action with corporate conspiracy and sexual politics. Caprica will deliver, intrigue, political backbiting and family conflict in television’s first science fiction family saga.

Caprica will premiere Friday, January 22^nd at 9/8c. on Syfy and stars Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales, Paula Malcomson, Alessandra Torresani, Magda Apanowicz, Polly Walker, and Sasha Roiz.

HOW TO ENTER

Since this is a prequel, leave us a comment naming a show that you’d like to see done as a prequel.

US Only

Deadline to enter is January 22 at 9:00 PST (which is, not coincidentally, the day and time that Caprica premieres on Syfy.)

2 winners will be chosen by random draw and notified by email, so please be sure to leave a working email addy. Winners will have 72 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen.

Good luck and have at it!

Photo: Syfy

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While you’re at the Caprica site check out the Vlog, the iPhone aps and the new art for the series.

Haven’t been keeping up? Here’s the 411 on the new series.

Set 50 years before “Battlestar Galactica,” “Caprica” follows two rival families – the Graystones and the Adamas. Bound together by tragedy, their ensuing struggle will determine the fate of the 12 Colonies.

“Caprica” is a society rife with advanced technology. Little do they know they are trembling on the brink of the creation of the first cybernetic life-form node, or CYLON.

Passion, intrigue and betrayal set the stage for the coming revolution.

Caprica comes to Syfy on January 22, 2010.

Pictured: Esai Morales as Joseph Adama — Syfy Photo: Jamel Toppin

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Caprica,

Syfy is launching Caprica at several film festivals including the Woodstock Film Festival which begins this Friday, October 2, and runs through Sunday, October 4.

Caprica Producer/Director Jeffrey Reiner and star Esai Morales will attend the Austin Film Festival Saturday, October 24 screening as well as participate on panels.

There was also a screening last week in San Diego, so if anyone was there, stop on by and tell us about it.

Want the 411 on Caprica? Here you go:

Humanity’s storyline takes completely new twists with Caprica, which follows two rival families and their patriarchs – Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) and Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) – as they compete and thrive in the vibrant realm of the 12 Colonies, a society recognizably close to our own. This original, standalone series will feature the passion, intrigue, political backbiting, and family conflict in an omnipotent society that is at the height of its blind power and glory…and, unknowingly, on the brink of its fall. Caprica also stars Paula Malcomson (Amanda Graystone), Polly Walker (Sister Clarice Willow), Magda Apanowicz (Lacy) and Alessandra Torresani (Zoe Graystone).

Pictured: (l-r) Esai Morales as Joseph Adams, Eric Stoltz as Daniel Graystone — SCI FI Channel Photo: Carole Segal

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Marsters will play dangerous terrorist leader Barnabus Greeley. Driven by moralistic and yet carnal desires, this unpredictable villain is constantly torn by his conflicting motivations.

Sounds like a role he was born to play!

It’s funny, years ago, I interviewed James when he was just starting out on Buffy. I asked him what he loved most about playing the role of Spike and he said he loved that he could fight all night long and not wake up in jail the next morning. That, and the boots.

In other casting news, Firefly’s Gina Torres will be joining Gossip Girl for a short arc. According to TV Guide, she’ll be playing Vanessa’s free spirit, home-schooling mother.

If you watch CBS this season, you’ll see a few more familiar sci fi faces. Point Pleasant’s Grant Show is a regular on the new Jenna Elfman comedy Accidentally on Purpose and I’m pretty sure I saw Reaper’s Christine Willes (Gladys) in the pilot for The Good Wife.

James Marsters, who stars in the new action film “Dragonball Evolution,” responds to reporters’ questions during a publicity event in Seoul on Feb. 18.

Photo: Newscom

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Though not generally known for his genre work, Patton has appeared on Dollhouse and Reaper. It’s more likely that you know him from Reno 911 or as a voice actor from anyone of a dozen popular cartoons and video games.

Caprica, premieres January 22, 2010 on Syfy.

NBC Photo: Paul Drinkwater

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