By Your Command, sound familiar? It should, Sc-Fi Channel’s new TV series is born on DVD with Caprica.

Caprica is a television series set in the fictional Battlestar Galactica universe. Beginning 58 years (not 40) before the events seen in Battlestar Galactica, Caprica tells the story of how Colonial humanity first created the robotic Cybernetic Lifeform Nodes or Cylons, Centurion models who would later plot to destroy human civilization in retaliation for their enslavement. This is where we get the 40 year time line, used in BSG, when they talk about the first Cylon war.

This extended uncut, unrated version of the pilot premiered exclusively on DVD for $19.95 on April 21, 2009 and also through a digital download on scifi.com. In early 2010, the first season, composed of the two-hour pilot and 18 hour-long episodes, is expected to begin airing on Sci Fi Channel in the United States. Far, far too long too wait or keep interest, Mr. Moore!

From the get go you are hooked again into all the human and Cylon myths and truths. This movie-length pilot makes it clear that theology (the stories underling belief in the worship of many Gods and others who believe in one true God) will play a huge part in the series, just as it did in Galactica.

In Caprica, Esai Morales, left, and Eric Stoltz play the patriarchs of families that prove important in the Battlestar Galactica universe. Images courtesy Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Our main characters are Daniel Greystone (Eric Stoltz), a technology wizard who invented the Caprica equivalent of the internet (Al Gore you did not invent this on either), a virtual reality world accessed via the holo-band; and Joseph Adams (Esai Morales), a lawyer who changed his name from Adama to downplay hide his status as an immigrant from the hated colony of Tauron.

The two men come together when Daniel’s teenage computer genuis daughter Zoe (Alessandra Toreson) and Joseph’s wife and daughter are victims of a terrorist bombing, and Daniel , the name of the missing Cylon mentioned by Ellen from BSG) discovers that Zoe had been developing an artificial intelligence program — based on her own personality, inside the holo-band. Over Joseph’s objection, Daniel wants to use the technology to create new versions of both daughters.

Kind of the beginnings of Resurrection for the human-looking Cylons of BSG, if you ask me.

Joseph’s 11-year-old son, Willie, will grow up to be Fleet Admiral William “Huckster” Adama of BSG, and Daniel’s quest to recreate Zoe is inevitably going to lead to the creation of the robotic, self-aware, monotheistic Cylons, who will fight in a war, 18 years later and much later destroy most of humanity in 58 years’ time. It helps a little if you have seen Battlestar Galactica,  but I found Caprica can stand on it’s own.

(Spoiler alert: Read if the Lords of Kobol command you.)

· Galactica fans get their first glimpse of the not yet shiny cybernetic creations about a third of the way through the 93-minute pilot. These are the Cylon Centurions that fight in the first war; they yet have no outer skin so we seem them in an endoskeleton version ala the cyborgs of Terminator fame. I loved it and the CGi is high end and starts to explain the self aware part. Yes you hear “By Your Command,” and find out why they say that.

·“Caprica” has an underworld for teens that is sacrey. The VR nightclub where Zoe and her friends meet in secret, is an online den of sin right out of The Ten Commadnemts,  when the childern of Isreal waited for Moses to come down from the moutian with God’s law. Just like then, this place is filled with (virtual) sex, drugs and even human sacrifice. It’s is like every parent’s worst nightmare about what  yours kids are up to on Facebook, Twitter and the rest of the web.

You think we are kidding, the Myvu Personal Media Viewer all ready allows you to see movies and videos via your iPod hook up. The future is nearer than you think, just look at the end of BSG,  were robots in our own world are getting closer to becoming a Cylon. What has happend before will happen again. hmmmmm

· Playing the part of a Athena religious school administrator Clarice Willow (Polly Walker, Rome) shows just a a little of the manipulative female she played in Rome. She could be the Caprica 6 of this series.

FINAL WORD

Caprica is not Bsg,  it is not not ment to be, if you looking for space battles, forget it for now. But I bet you will see things ratch up during the series as techolgy goes amuck. The character of Daniel Graystone and Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) are played are  dead on. The fact the show wants to engage the topics religion, immigration, corporate espionage, the mafia and racism, makes for a first season to wait for. Just not until 2010, how about Fall 2009.

Why the lag time between the pilot release ad the series première in 2010 you ask?

According to the press release the Sci Fi Channel want to capitalize on the Galactica‘s series finale. Also they want  viewer feedback before production on the Caprica series begins this summer.

By Your Command!

Today marks the release of the preview pilot DVD for the Caprica TV Series to air in 2010!