New Beginning for "Battlestar" By Josh Grossberg
April 27, 2006
Do you ever wonder what happened before a certain ragtag fugitive fleet set off on its lonely quest?
Well, Battlestar Galactica fans, does the Sci Fi Channel have a treat for you.
The Viacom-owned cable network has unveiled plans for Caprica, a prequel to the cable network's update of the '70s sci-fi. The spinoff series will apparently be set about 50 years before Battlestar Galactica and centering on the cataclysmic events that inform the current series.
Sci Fi Channel execs announced Caprica Wednesday in New York during the net's upfront presentation, when broadcasters traditionally pitch their most buzz-worthy new shows to advertisers and journalists.
Caprica is being developed and executive-produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick, the duo responsible for re-engineering the 1978 Battlestar (masterminded by TV veteran Glen L. Larson) first into a smash 2003 miniseries and then a full-fledged series that's garnered a massive cult following and just won a Peabody Award.
Just as the 1970s Battlestar Galactica took its inspiration from (or, as some would say, "ripped off") George Lucas' first Star Wars, the new series will take a page from the latter-day Jedi tales and focus on the bad guys' rise to power.
Details are still sketchy, but Caprica will presumably detail how robotic Cylon Alliance rose to power and decimated the 12 Colonies of Kobol (Caprica is the name of the largest planet in the system). The wanton destruction forced a group of refugees to launch the interstellar colonial spaceship the Galactica into deep space in search of a mythical planet known as Earth.
Producers have tapped 24 scribe Remi Aubuchon to write the script.
No premiere date has been announced, but given the popularity of the updated Battlestar, starring Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell and Katee Sackhoff as a female Starbuck, you can bet the suits at Sci Fi will try and get it on air next season.
During Wednesday's upfront announcement, the cable net also showcased a slew of other projects in the pipeline.
Among them is Persons Unknown, a mystery thriller from Usual Suspects screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie; Blink, a paranormal series executive produced by Will & Grace's Eric McCormack about a group of ghostly gumshoes who intervene in the lives of people about to make a fatal decision; The Bishop, an hourlong drama written and exec produced by Freddie Prinze Jr. and Conrad Jackson about a Gen X slacker with a supernatural gift; and Snap, a suspense series centering around an Internet conspiracy from Lost producer Jesse Alexander.
Sci Fi has also given the go-ahead to two miniseries for next year: the six-hour Chariots of God, based on the bestseller by Erich von Daniken; and Motel Man, an eight-hour series about a police detectives who discovers seemingly commonplace items imbued wtih supernatural powers.
The cable channel is also working on Destination Truth, a reality series that will try to unlock some of the world's great mysteries.
Finally, Sci Fi is going broadband, offering up Pulse, a new multiplatform initiative that will feature Webisodes of Battlestar Galactica and other prime-time series as well as serving as a vehicle to test show pilots online.
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Update (4/28)
SCI FI Wire gave the official word on its BSG prequel, Caprica.
Thu 27th Apr
Source: SciFi Wire
SCI FI Channel announced the development of Caprica, a spinoff prequel of its hit Battlestar Galactica, in presentations to advertisers in New York on April 26. Caprica would come from Galactica executive producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick, writer Remi Aubuchon (24) and NBC Universal Television Studio.
Caprica would take place more than half a century before the events that play out in Battlestar Galactica. The people of the Twelve Colonies are at peace and living in a society not unlike our own, but where high-technology has changed the lives of virtually everyone for the better.
But a startling breakthrough in robotics is about to occur, one that will bring to life the age-old dream of marrying artificial intelligence with a mechanical body to create the first living robot: a Cylon. Following the lives of two families, the Graystones and the Adamas (the family of William Adama, who will one day become the commander of the Battlestar Galactica), Caprica will weave together corporate intrigue, techno-action and sexual politics into television's first science fiction family saga, the channel announced.
Newshound: koenigrules
Posted by Blade Runner
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SCI FI announces Galactica spin-off!
Thu 27th Apr
Source: Gateworld
By the Lords of Kobol ... The SCI FI Channel has stunned fans today with the announcement of Caprica, a spin-off series from its top-rated Battlestar Galatica. SCI FI calls the potential new show "television's first science fiction family saga," centering on the history of the Adama family and the birth of the Cylons.
Set more than 50 years before the events of Battlestar Galactica, Caprica takes place on the capital world of the Twelve Colonies. There humankind thrives, living in a peaceful society with the benefits of high technology. But the development of an advanced, robotic, artificial life form is about to change everything.
The show is in development by Galactica executive producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick, 24 writer Remi Aubuchon, and NBC Universal Television Studio.
Here is the network's own description of the series:
The people of the Twelve Colonies are at peace and living in a society not unlike our own, but where high-technology has changed the lives of virtually everyone for the better. But a startling breakthrough in robotics is about to occur, one that will bring to life the age-old dream of marrying artificial intelligence with a mechanical body to create the first living robot -- a Cylon. Following the lives of two families, the Graystones and the Adamas (the family of William Adama, who will one day become the commander of the Battlestar Galactica) Caprica weaves corporate intrigue, techno-action and sexual politics into television's first science fiction family saga.
The announcement comes as part of SCI FI's development slate of original scripted series, mini-series, reality shows, and new late-night programming, with no word on when Caprica might go into production or premiere on the cable channel. The development slate is a long-look ahead at what the network has planned and likely not a formal pick-up of the show -- and some series, for one reason or another, never see the light of day.
If the show receives an order to go into production, certainly don't expect to see it air this year.
Count on GateWorld to continue to follow developments as they happen. The third season of Battlestar Galactica premieres this October on SCI FI.
Posted by Blade Runner
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