Caprica is a science fiction show spun off from Ronald D. Moore’s space saga Battlestar Galactica. It premiered with a two-hour pilot movie on DVD in April 2009. The show itself aired from January 22, 2010 to January 4, 2011. There are 18 episodes in total.
Season one was released on DVD in two parts (three counting the pilot), Caprica: Season 1.0 and Caprica: Season 1.5. The show has not been released on Blu-ray.
Clips and episodes of the show are available on Hulu.
SYNOPSIS:
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.
Daniel Graystone, a computer genius, is owner of a large computer corporation that is spearheading the development of artificial intelligence. He and his wife Amanda, who’s a brilliant surgeon, are both relentless in their scientific pursuits. The Adama clan is helmed by Joseph Adama, a renowned criminal defense attorney and father of future Battlestar commander William Adama. When tragedy strikes both families, lines are drawn that will determine the fate of the human race.
CAST:
Eric Stoltz (Daniel Graystone), Esai Morales (Joseph Adama), Alessandra Torresani (Zoe Graystone), Paula Malcomson (Amanda Graystone), Sasha Roiz (Sam Adama), Brian Markinson (Agent Jordan Duram), Polly Walker (Sister Clarice Willow), Hiro Kanagawa (Cyrus Xander), Genevieve Buechner (Tamara Adama), John Pyper-Ferguson (Tomas Vergis), Scott Porter (Nestor Willow), Panou (Olaf Willow), Peter Wingfield (Gara Singh), Kendall Cross (Agent Youngblood), Karen Austin (Ruth)
EPISODES:
1.01 Pilot
WRITTEN BY: Remi Aubuchon, Ronald D. Moore
DIRECTED BY: Jeffrey Reiner
RELEASE DATE: April 21, 2009
AIR DATE: January 22, 2010
58 years before the fall, two families, the Graystones and the Adamas, live together on Caprica, a colony many light years away from Earth, where a startling breakthrough in artificial intelligence brings about unforeseen consequences.
1.02 Rebirth
WRITTEN BY: Mark Verheiden
DIRECTED BY: Jonas Pate
AIR DATE: January 29, 2010
In the wake of the MAGLEV bombing that killed his daughter, Daniel Graystone plunges himself into work. He tries to figure out why he can only create a single intelligent robot, not understanding that the answer lies within the fact that part of his daughter survived the explosion and is closer to him than he could imagine. Consumed with grief, Amanda Graystone is obsessed with discovering who her daughter really was, and slowly begins piecing together the details of Zoe’s life.
1.03 Reins of a Waterfall
WRITTEN BY: Michael Angeli
DIRECTED BY: Ronald D. Moore
AIR DATE: February 5, 2010
Following Amanda’s public revelation that their daughter was responsible for the MAGLEV tragedy, the Graystones must face the wrath of angry Capricans. For Daniel, this includes a confrontation with Sam and Joseph Adama, in which Joseph demands that Daniel reunite him with his daughter’s avatar. Daniel also realizes he can’t deal with his grief in private — this is all going to play out on a public stage.
1.04 Gravedancing
WRITTEN BY: Jane Espenson
DIRECTED BY: Michael Watkins
AIR DATE: February 19, 2010
As the fallout from Zoe’s involvement in the MAGLEV bombing grows, Daniel prepares to defend himself and his company on the hugely popular talk show Backtalk with Baxter Sarno. His plan to distance himself from Zoe finds him alienating Amanda, who is still reeling from her own public detractors. As Daniel steps in front of the cameras for show time, Amanda arrives at the studio, with no intention of staying backstage.
After ordering the death of Amanda Graystone, Joseph is wracked with a heavy conscience and desperately tries to stop Sam from carrying it out…but hitman brother Sam is already closing in.
Agent Duram uses his GDD resources to circle closer and closer to Clarice and the youth of the STO, forcing Lacy and Keon closer together and possibly into an unexpected romance.
1.05 There Is Another Sky
WRITTEN BY: Kath Lingenfelter
DIRECTED BY: Michael Nankin
AIR DATE: February 26, 2010
The avatar of Tamara Adama wanders V-World, scared, lost, and unaware that she died nearly a month ago in the MagLev bombing. Falling in with a group of gamers, Tamara discovers a new side to V-World — New Cap City, a place where people live random lives of violence and crime in search of the game’s elusive meaning. Forced into aiding a digital crime spree, Tamara befriends a young gamer, until she discovers a devastating secret that threatens everything she knows.
Joseph, realizing he hasn’t been emotionally present for Willie’s grief, tries an impromptu fishing trip to bond with his son. The trip reveals new layers of torment for Willie and leads Joseph to the conclusion that, for both their sakes, he may need his Tauron roots more than he realized.
Daniel, after his public promise to forgo future holoband profits, finds himself fighting for his professional life.
1.06 Know Thy Enemy
WRITTEN BY: Patrick Massett, John Zinman
DIRECTED BY: Michael Nankin
AIR DATE: March 5, 2010
Rival industrialist Tomas Vergis arrives on Caprica demanding a meeting with Daniel, threatening to reveal proof that Daniel stole the chip that is key the U-87 Cylon, and Graystone’s military contract. Vergis whirls up a publicity storm that steals the heart of the Caprican public, and surprisingly serves up a friendly offer to Daniel that could save Graystone Industries. But there’s a catch to his proposal that could haunt Daniel for years to come.
Clarice, panicked that off-world STO leadership has been backing a rogue named Barnabas, steps up her plans to acquire Zoe’s avatar program and may find her answer through befriending Amanda. Meanwhile, wanting to fulfill her own promise to Zoe, Lacy goes with Keon to meet the enigmatic Barnabas, opening herself up to a new world of danger.
After the revelation that the avatar of his daughter Tamara is still lost in V-World, Joseph starts his quest to find her in a virtual world he knows nothing about.
1.07 The Imperfections of Memory
WRITTEN BY: Matthew B. Roberts
DIRECTED BY: Wayne Rose
AIR DATE: March 12, 2010
Amanda fears for her sanity while Daniel and Joseph close in on their daughters. Rival industrialist Tomas Vergis drops in on Daniel at a Bucks game informs him that the gossip is that Graystone only has one working MCP. He further attempts to pressure Daniel by telling him that he knows that the MCP never worked. Daniel, however, sees this as an advantage – if the MCP didn’t work for Vergis, but does work for him, it will seem as proof that the MCP is a Graystone creation.
Philomon shares his revelation about an analog component to the MCP, bringing Daniel one step closer to realizing the source of the U-87 Cylon’s abilities.
1.08 Ghosts in the Machine
WRITTEN BY: Michael Taylor
DIRECTED BY: Wayne Rose
AIR DATE: March 19, 2010
Daniel Graystone, also seeking his daughter, is pursuing his breakthrough discovery that Zoe’s avatar exists within the U-87. In a desperate attempt to communicate with her, Daniel presses her with a story of their burning home, and the fire that almost killed her – but to no avail. As Daniel’s desperation increases, so do his methods. Playing on Zoe’s traumatic fear of fire, he commands the U-87 to stand still as he constructs a blazing pyre around her. She can end the torture and reveal her presence by simply walking out. Although Zoe is agonized by her terrifying memories and the current distress her father is inflicting, she does not reveal herself.
In a surprise visit to the Graystone house, Tomas Vergis relate to Amanda the gruesome tale of the death of his employees and the theft of the MCP. Amanda stands with her husband, but the news troubles her. Meanwhile, Daniel presents a final test: Placing a loaded gun in the U-87′s hand, he orders it to shoot his dog. Zoe masters her revulsion and carries out the orders. Frustrated and tearful, Daniel cedes the game, and reveals that the gun was loaded with blanks.
1.09 End of the Line
WRITTEN BY: Michael Taylor
DIRECTED BY: Roxann Dawson
AIR DATE: March 26, 2010
When Daniel finally sets a deadline for resetting the U-87 Cylon, and unknowingly ending Zoe’s existence as she knows it, she makes a desperate attempt to save herself. But when her plan backfires, she finds herself out of time and out of options. Furious with a recent comeuppance, Barnabas ignites his feud with Clarice into an all-out war. Trapped in the middle is Lacy, who is forced to make a decision she may regret forever. Daniel makes a confession to an already reeling Amanda that sends her over the edge.
1.10 Unvanquished
WRITTEN BY: Ryan Mottesheard
DIRECTED BY: Eric Stoltz
AIR DATE: October 5, 2010
Having lost his daughter, his wife, his company, even his pyramid team, Daniel Graystone is desperate enough to seek a meeting with Joseph Adama and his Guatrau, the head of the “family,” offering him partnership in the business of eternal life – the avatar program he had tried so mightily to create with Zoe’s chip. The Guatrau offers Joseph the duty of representing him in the deal, and though Joseph despises Daniel, he must accept this powerful gift. After Joseph makes the Taurons’ bloody philosophy clear, however, Daniel decides he’s not cut out for business with gangsters and slinks away.
Hope is revived for Daniel when Cyrus visits him with an update on the Cylon development: although Vergis’s robots fight and shoot well enough for the army, they don’t have the artificial intelligence that the prototype had. Cyrus is infected by Daniel’s vision, and decides to store the mangled prototype, instead of melting it down as commanded by Vergis. Daniel’s newly lit fire prompts him to revisit the Guatrau, and enter into the shadowy project with him.
Clarice has the same idea as Daniel, but calls it “Apotheosis” and pushes it forward in a meeting with religious leaders on Gemenon.
1.11 Retribution
WRITTEN BY: Patrick Massett, John Zinman
DIRECTED BY: Jonas Pate
AIR DATE: October 12, 2010
In his new partnership with Tauron mobsters, Daniel learns the dirty business of blackmail: In order to tip a vote in his favor, he digs dirt on board members of his former company. Although he finds it unsavory, he plays the game and plays it well – so well that the terror he sows ends in the suicide of one of his former colleagues.
Cyrus is ever faithful to Daniel, and brings the remnants of the U-87 to him. Though grieving his estrangement from his wife, Daniel regains some hope at the thought of the promise of the avatar program.
Meanwhile, a planned bombing goes awry, causing Clarice and Barnabas to come to a final blow-up. And Amanda starts to get suspicious of Clarice, thinking she might be involved in Zoe’s death.
1.12 Things We Lock Away
WRITTEN BY: Drew Z. Greenberg
DIRECTED BY: Tim Hunter
AIR DATE: October 19, 2010
Zoe, believing that Tamara holds the key to a higher purpose, seeks the girl known to New Cap City as the Death Walker in the most dangerous places. But when Tamara shows herself, she brings a world of hurt to Zoe.
Daniel’s conniving has paid off, and the board vote turns in his favor. But now he is presented with a new dilemma, as Joseph tells him that the next, unavoidable step is Vergis’s murder.
Daniel convinces Joseph to give him a shot at reasoning with Vergis, but Vergis, knowing the Ha’latha as he does, understands that there can be no upshot but his own death, and asks Daniel for the mercy of present murder.
1.13 False Labor
WRITTEN BY: Michael Taylor
DIRECTED BY: John Dahl
AIR DATE: October 26, 2010
Amanda has just moved into Clarice’s home, but she’s having trouble bonding with the rest of Clarice’s family.
Daniel is frustrated with the superficiality of his wife’s avatar and misses the real deal. He struggles to recreate Zoe’s avatar program, and is shaken when he finds out just how much control the Ha’la’tha really have over Graystone Industries.
The conflict that orphaned the Adama brothers on Tauron has begun again, and the turmoil has spilled over to Caprica. Sam does his part by sending guns to his homeworld, but runs afoul of the Guatrau who demands he make amends. He uses Daniel’s invention to settle a personal score with a fellow Tauron.
1.14 Blowback
WRITTEN BY: Kevin Murphy
DIRECTED BY: Omar Madha
AIR DATE: November 2, 2010 (Canada), January 4, 2011 (USA)
Lacy arrives at Gemenon and on the way to the training retreat, she and the new recruits were high-jacked by another ship who claim to be devotees of multiple gods.
Daniel discovers that the Guatrau is using Graystone Industries to support STO terrorist activities in exchange for money. If caught, Daniel could be executed for treason, and Sam is outraged that the weaponry isn’t going to Tauron freedom fighters. Daniel demands a one-on-one with the Guatrau, in which he warns him of the expense this venture will take on the Avatar program. The Guatrau agrees to hold the export for two weeks, during which time Daniel must complete the Avatar program.
Clarice finally gets her hands on Zoe’s pin, where a back-up of her program might be stored, by using her secret STO contact in the GDD, which in turn caused his cover to be exposed.
1.15 The Dirteaters
WRITTEN BY: Matthew B. Roberts
DIRECTED BY: John Dahl
AIR DATE: November 9, 2010 (Canada), January 4, 2011 (USA)
Through flashbacks, the audience gets to see what happened to Joseph and Samuel’s parents in Tauron, and how the brothers come to an important decision. Daniel catches the hint that the Guatrau will want him dead next and searches for options to prevent his assassination. He finds an easy target in the disillusioned assassin, Sam, and offers to ship a Cylon to the Tauron freedom fighters in exchange for his life.
Meanwhile, Zoe and Tamara have made a name for themselves in New Cap City as the Avenging Angels, and their new-found fame eventually draws Daniel’s attention to Zoe’s whereabouts.
1.16 The Heavens Will Rise
WRITTEN BY: Patrick Massett, John Zinman
DIRECTED BY: Michael Nankin
AIR DATE: November 16, 2010 (Canada), January 4, 2011 (USA)
Through some underhanded manipulation, Agent Duram is cast out of the GDD, but he continues working with Amanda and asks her to steal Clarice’s holoband for evidence. At the same time, Clarice and her family find out that they’ve killed the wrong person.
In the training camp, Lacy inadvertently discovers that she has control over STO’s robot army, and wonders if Zoe might still be alive in the robot.
Tamara and Zoe have locked themselves away from Daniel, but Daniel is desperate, and kidnaps Tamara. When Zoe finds out, she attacks him, and Daniel realizes he must hire a specialist in order to gain audience with his estranged daughter. He approaches Sam to help him as hired muscle. Disturbed by the proliferation of Avenging Angels paraphernalia, Sam agrees to Daniel’s proposal but, still not believing it is actually her, has a plan to end the Angel’s life.
1.17 Here Be Dragons
WRITTEN BY: Michael Taylor
DIRECTED BY: Michael Nankin
AIR DATE: November 23, 2010 (Canada), January 4, 2011 (USA)
Daniel and Amanda go into the virtual world in search of a reconciliation with Zoe, but Zoe is not yet ready to forgive and unleashes her anger on them instead.
The Graystones continue their pursuit, but are themselves the target of a hunt, as Clarice and her husbands have discovered Amanda’s betrayal, and intend to kill her and retrieve Clarice’s stolen holoband.
Meanwhile, the Guatrau finds out about the Adamas’ betrayal and sends assassins after them.
1.18 Apotheosis
WRITTEN BY: Jane Espenson, Kevin Murphy
DIRECTED BY: Jonas Pate
AIR DATE: November 30, 2010 (Canada), January 4, 2011 (USA)
Daniel, Amanda and Zoe race to stop Clarice’s master plan and save thousands of lives before Caprica is changed forever.
INTERVIEWS:
io9.com (July 2008):
How did you get involved in Caprica?
I was sent the script out of the blue, and loved it. To be honest, I wasn’t looking to do a pilot — I’ve spent the last four or five years concentrating on directing, phasing out acting. But this script drew me in — I found it smart and compelling and different.Were you a fan of Battlestar Galactica? Did you watch the series before to prepare for Caprica?
I’d seen some of it, and thought it quite good. But watching a series that’s meant to take place after our story didn’t make much sense to me, especially when we had the creators available to us to answer any questions, and point us in the right direction. (…)Do we get to see any future glimpse of the first Cylons? What do they look like, are very heavy on the mechanical side?
I don’t know either- it’s all created in post production effects. We acted our scenes with lights tied to poles — kind of like trained seals. “Look over here! At the bright shiny light!”.What were you most shocked about in the script?
How smart it was.How many episodes are you planning on filming, I heard two more scripts are in the works for future episodes?
I haven’t the faintest idea, I know the cast would like to film as many as possible, certainly if the scripts are as good as the pilot and if Jeffrey Reiner, our director, comes back to guide us.
iF Magazine (Sept. 2008):
iF: Can you talk about your character in CAPRICA?
STOLTZ: I play Daniel Greystone, a cross between Prospero and Bill Gates, if Bill Gates had a little more money.iF: It’s been picked up as a full series, hasn’t it? Or is it still waiting for the greenlight from SCI FI?
STOLTZ: I haven’t heard a word from them. Your guess is as good as mine.iF: Are you a fan of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA? How different is it from the original series – it being a prequel and all?
STOLTZ: This is a tricky question. I am indeed a fan of BSG, but CAPRICA really doesn’t have much in common with it other than one character who appears as a child in our show and an adult in BSG. There are no space ships, no battles, no constant relentless pursuit. What it shares with BSG is wonderfully rich writing, themes, and characters that are smart and complicated. I hope the BSG fans will enjoy it too, and think of it not so much as a prequel to BSG, but as a distant relative.iF: If BLANK SLATE did get picked up to series, would that interfere with your role in CAPRICA if that was greenlit, or would you be able to do both?
STOLTZ: I have no idea. Those things are rarely left up to the actors involved.
Cleveland.com (Jan. 2010):
What did you hear about the plans for “Caprica” that made you want to be part of the project?
I was shooting something in Utah and the script was sent to me, but I didn’t get around to reading it right away — and then it went missing from my room. It turns out one of the guys at the hotel was a big “Battlestar [Galactica]” fan and had bribed the maid to take the script so he could read it. It was a very interesting introduction to the passion and fervor the fans hold for that show.In any case, this prompted me to read the script, and it was so rich and complex that I decided to meet with the creators to see what they were like in person. (…)
How would you describe your character, Daniel Graystone, and his relationship with Joseph Adama?
He’s a captain of industry, a billionaire not unlike Bill Gates, someone whose imagination and creativity and knowledge have richly rewarded him. He’s united with (main character) Joseph Adama by loss — they are both deeply wounded (not literally) by a terrorist bombing — and although they are bound by this event, they really are like chalk and cheese in that they have nothing else in common. (…)How will “Caprica” go about exploring the ethical implications of artificial intelligence?
It presents both sides of the argument. AI is a wonderful tool that can help our world, certainly, but at what point does it become dangerous? At what point does the monster turn on Frankenstein and try to destroy him? Ray Kurzweil has a wonderful site that explains all the possibilities in great detail.
Los Angeles Times (Jan. 2010):
With the acclaim for “Avatar” and the quality of “Battlestar Galactica,” sci-fi is being seen in a different light. Are you a big fan of the genre and did that color your decision to join “Caprica”?
I’ve been pretty lucky — or slothful — in that I’ve never been a “career builder,” I take the jobs that come along that feel right, and that’s left me fairly open to all genres, really. But with “Caprica,” the complex, dark and very smart script was the draw.Paula Malcomson [who plays Amanda Graystone] described Daniel Graystone as a “Bill Gates-type” on “Caprica.” How would you describe him?
That’s fairly accurate. With some Oppenheimer, some Dr. Frankenstein, and a little Icarus tossed in as well. A driven, ambitious, creative man who is on the verge of recognizing his limitations and flaws — always an interesting place to be. (…)Sasha Roiz called the mood of the show a bit “ominous.” Can you give a quick description of the culture on Caprica?
In the city itself, there are pockets of violence, the disaffected poor bumping up against the isolated and privileged rich. It’s a near future dystopia struggling to find its way — a society at an interesting breaking point, with two conflicting historical dispensations at their peak, each one kind of canceling out the other — which will lead to another movement that has to take place so that the culture can move forward…We do all know what is going to happen, so how do you ‘keep it in the moment?’
Well, we all know what’s going to happen to us at some point in this life, there are no surprises, really — the question is how do we enjoy the ride….How do we navigate the waters of chance and choice and blessings and loss?
IESB.net (Feb. 2010):
Q: What drew you to this project?
Eric: To be honest, I was not looking to do a series at all. I started directing more this year. But, the script was very rich and complex, and 90% better than the scripts I read, so I thought I’d meet with the creators. They seemed to have a great deal of integrity and, despite the fact that it’s a little show without a lot of money, we’re all deeply invested in the stories and the characters. It’s kind of wonderfulQ: What do you like and what can you relate to about this character?
Eric: Not much. He’s really a morally ambiguous, difficult man. He puts his entire soul into his work, so his personal relationships suffer, like so many men, and probably like myself.Q: How aware were you of Battlestar Galactica?
Eric: Not that much, to be honest. I don’t watch a lot of television or go to the movies a great deal. When you’re working 16- or 17-hour days, you’re not gonna go home and watch 50 hours of programming.Q: What can viewers look forward to this season?
Eric: All kinds of stuff happens. Some people get killed that you don’t expect. There’s some death. And there’s some sex. We go to another planet, in my episode. We take Polly Walker’s character to Gemenon and reveal Gemenon for the first time.Q: How has it been to move to Vancouver to work on it?
Eric: It’s quite wonderful. It’s a really fresh and clean place to live. The community is lovely and friendly, and the healthcare seems to work.
Total Sci-Fi Online (Nov. 2010):
Is it difficult directing yourself?
Oh, yes, I’m a pain in the ass! I’m one of the actors that just gives nothing but guff to the director, especially when I’m directing.Actually, in all seriousness, I asked my fellow actors, Paula [Malcomson] and Esai [Morales] and the people that I was in scenes with to help direct me, because I was so focused on how I wanted to shoot the scenes that I was oftentimes unaware of the acting in the scene. So I relied on my fellow actors a great deal.
What sort of resonance do Caprica’s themes have for you?
I love stories like the Icarus myth, where an incredibly talented person creates something that then is destroyed because of an overwhelming feeling of power.I think one [theme] that really interested me about the show was how our leaders, our scientists and our captains of industry need to be questioned more. It strikes me that in this day and age, we would love to think that our leaders and our politicians are motivated purely by altruism rather than greed or personal demons. And I think what’s interesting about this show in relation to that is that it shows how men and women are not always motivated by the best intentions.
There are things happening in our world that are staggering – the atom collider in Geneva and even little things like the H1N1 vaccine. No long-term testing. Billions of dollars. We buy it. We hope it’s good for us. Who knows what’s going to happen in 10 years? We put so much faith in scientists and leaders and politicians that I think it’s achieved a ridiculous level…
Den of Geek (Jan. 2011):
It’s a shame to do it, but I suspect it works better to go from back to front here. Where were you when you heard about the Caprica cancellation? Did you fear it was coming?
I have no idea where I was – that was months ago. But yes, the fear of cancellation was always hanging over us like the sword of Damocles. We’d gotten used to it. In a way it sort of fueled us on. (…)Do you think that the show fell on the wrong side of a double-edged sword, following Battlestar?
I don’t think it was what the majority of Battlestar fans wanted, for the most part. It probably would’ve served us all better to have not even been connected to it.It’s interesting to see just how far the production team managed to stretch the budget in terms of some interesting effects work. How did that manifest itself for you when shooting the show?
Our effects guys were wizards. The episode I directed (Unvanquished) was one of the most effect-heavy up to that point, and I was lucky enough to work with them in pre-production, figuring out ways to shoot it in interesting evocative ways that wouldn’t break the budget. We were always aware of our limitations, which can be kind of fun and annoying at the same time. (…)It’s rare to find characters so instantly complex as we got in Caprica. How do you balance the many levels of Daniel Graystone? How do you set about giving the audience a way into a character like that?
That’s a very thick question, one which really requires a three page answer, which I won’t bore you with. The levels of the character were largely in the scripts, and usually left to the directors’ control: a little bit more malice here, a little more loving there.That being said, there were certain relationships, like Graystone and his wife, that seemed to take on a life of their own, even beyond Paula Malcomson and myself. And that was wonderful to be a part of.
TRAILERS:
Back to TELEVISION
Back to DIRECTING