Keywords:
  • Spin-off
  • Prequel
  • Ensemble cast

STARRING:  
Eric Stoltz - Daniel Graystone
Esai Morales - Joseph Adama
Alessandra Torresani - Zoe Graystone
Paula Malcomson - Amanda Graystone
Magda Apanowicz - Lacy Rand
Sina Najafi - William Adama
Polly Walker - Clarice Willow

Season 1

Transmitted: January - March 2010 Seasons: 1
Overall Rating: Last Updated: 11th June 2010

Prequel series to the spectacular reimagining of Battlestar Galactica, this had a hell of a lot to live up to and, for the most part, falls a little short.
Set roughly fifty years before the events of its parent show, here we see the development of the Cylons, and follow the lives of the families whose future members will become important in the coming war and near elimination of mankind.
The main characters:
Daniel Graystone: Head of a technology company attempting to fulfill a contract to supply mechanised drones to Caprica's military.
Amanda Graystone, wife of Daniel, tormented by the loss of her daughter and the suspicion that Daniel is acting criminally.
Zoe Graystone, daughter to Daniel and Amanda, one of a group of three who deliberately blew up a train, an act of terror designed to reinforce the beliefs and principles of the Soldiers of One. Though dead, an avatar of her survives, implanted into the software of the first Cylon prototype.
Joseph Adama, another man who lost a daughter in the terror attack, desperately searching for her in the V World, a virtual reality environment where, potentially, you can live forever.
Whilst not as sci-fi heavy as BSG itself, this instead fuses futurism with 'normal' society, an intriguing mix that lends itself to some excellent set design.
Whilst the tone is comparable to BSG, here the focus is very much on characters rather than the impending dread of coming calamities.
One of the major complaints of the show is the pacing and, truthfully, it is agonising at times, scenes seeming to drag on for a needless length of time and leaving the impression that, when an episode ends, nothing much has actually happened.
Whilst not averse to quality dialogue, this definitely tested my levels of endurance and I will ponder long and hard before committing to the upcoming ten episode season climax later in the year.
Intelligent, melancholic, sombre and dark, this should tick all the right boxes for me but, sadly, the crushing pace is a severe handicap.
Hopefully things will improve as the writers find their feet.

Season 1 Season Rating:  
   
Pilot 3 students, who frequent a virtual 'holoband' nightclub to escape reality, decide to head off world against their parents wishes, away from Caprica to Gemenon. En route, one of their number detonates an explosive on a city train, an act of terror which sparks a chain of events which will have repercussions far into the future.
The father of one of the deceased, Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) is a computer engineer and one of the projects he is working on is a prototype Cylon, to be used as a defensive weapon however, he has other plans, and believes he will be able to download the holoband avatar of his dead daughter into one to bring her back from the dead.
   
Rebirth Zoe Graystone's avatar is alive and functioning, though trapped within the body of one of the prototype Cylons.
Daniel Graystone can't understand why only one of the Cylon bodies will respond to the processor, the others remaining clumsy, none-responsive and useless as weapons, despite the fact he has a deadline looming to deliver 100,000 robot warriors.
Zoe's mother, on memorial day for the train bombing, reveals to the watching crowd that she believes her daughter to be responsible for the tragedy.
   
Reins of a Waterfall The Graystone's face a backlash after Amanda Graystone's shocking public confession about their daughter.
Joseph blackmails and threatens Daniel, insisting that he be allowed to see his daughter's avatar in the holoworld once more.
A crippling slow episode, this, giving rise to doubts about my continued viewing. Also, no hot Cylon action to keep me happy.
Disappointed.
   
Gravedancing Daniel appears on Caprica's most popular talkshow, Backtalk, o defend his daughter and his family. Reciting a script, he starts to stumble, but is spared humiliation when his wife storms on stage and takes over. The couple pledge to cease making profits from sales of holobands or any V-world software.
Amanda is kidnapped by a Tauron shortly after the show and her life is very much at risk.
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There Is Another Sky

Daniel Graystone faces a vote of no confidence from the board of his company, but uses his pet Cylon to convince them otherwise.
Tamara Adama finally begins to realise that she is trapped in the V-World, but will not accept that she is dead.
Joseph Adama seems to be losing touch with his son, who begins to show signs of his Tauron temper, following the example set by his Uncle Sam.
   
Know Thy Enemy Daniel Graystone is accused by a rival, Tomas Vergis,of stealing a next generation microchip and murdering two of his employees to do so. As a Tauron, Vergis vows vengeance until the debt is repaid.
Sister Clarice, a teacher at Zoe's school before she died, pays a visit to the Graystone's house to steal Zoe's avatar.
   
The Imperfections of Memory Amanda confesses a period of mental instability when her brother died to Sister Clarice.
Zoe tells Daniel's assistant of a possible way to make artificial worlds and life act in a more realistic manner.
Vergis ups the pressure on Daniel to sell his team.
Joseph continues to search for his daughter in the V-world, encountering a woman who claims she can act as his guide. He is warned that, should he die in the V-world, he will not be allowed access to the game again, and will lose her forever.
   
Ghosts in the Machine Daniel tests Zoe's resolve to conceal her presence in the prototype Cylon: 1st, he sets fire to the robot, trying to trigger her pyrophobia then, makes her shoot the family dog.
Vergis pays a visit to Amanda to tell her of his belief that Daniel killed 2 of his employees and stole his technology to win the robotic soldier contract.
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End of Line Barnabas seems to be targeting Sister Clarice.
Lacy switches Clarice's key fob.
Daniel claims he is on target to meet his deadline, even though he only has one prototype completed, and is accused of stealing the technology from his rival. As a result, the deadline is brought forward.
Daniel demands that the prototype Cylon's chip is wiped clean, effectively killing Zoe once and for all.
Amanda wants answers from Daniel about the murders.
Tamara kills her father in the V world, to spare him a life of pain.
Zoe is betrayed and takes a life before fleeing.
Amanda leaps to her death; Lacy detonates the bomb; Zoe runs a roadblock.
   
 
   
   
   
   
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