Anyone who ever watched Battlestar Galactica, to which "Caprica" is a prequel, knows that the show is more than just a simple "stranded in space hunted by destructive robots" show. When Ronald D. Moore stepped in to help revamp the concept, the show became an intelligent look into various socio-political issues that the world currently faces. Themes of government and religion, their interaction and place in society, became the undercurrents for the show's plot lines. The milieu of the show was also intelligent and realistic, not the glamor-rock sci-fi of the 80s and 90s.
"Caprica" continues in a similar suit. It is intelligent, engaging, innovative, and just plain excellent. This show is the prequel to "Battlestar Galactica," taking places several decades before. The show's main character is Daniel Greystone, a tech-industry tycoon.
Unbeknownst to him, his daughter develops a program to create a duplicate of herself that exists permanently in the virtual world, an Internet-type universe that is accessed through holobands, a device developed by her father's company.
When she becomes the victim of a terrorist attack, bringing back in the religious conflict themes Battlestar fans will recognize, Daniel discovers her program and become obsessed with bringing her back, as well as finding methods of utilizing her software for military applications in order to win a national defense contract for mechanized soldiers, later dubbed, "Cylons."
However, the show's main plots are not limited to Daniel's story. Those he crosses paths with begin to play a part in his story and subsequently, complications begin to arise. Daniel's company begins to suffer, his wife is struggling to come to terms with her daughter's death, and he continues to be consumed with cracking his daughter's software.
The world crafted by the writers and art directors is superb, including fashion motifs from the 40s and the 50s, including the fedora, used to unexpected effect, suspenders, and many other smaller details.
Indeed, "Caprica" fails to disappoint fans and newcomers alike. No review can truly do it justice. My only advice: watch it. You will be enchanted, captured, and held hostage to its roller coaster of plot lines, a situation which, in my opinion, is hardly undesirable.
Channel: SyFy Channel
Genre: Sci-Fi
Rating: TV-14
Recommendation: MUST SEE
