Alternative to "Caprica"

[andhol]

I haven't seen my idea posted before, so here it goes:

Instead of producing Caprica, IMHO, I think a series about the 1st Cylon war would be more entertaining. You could have each season be about a different battlestar at different times during the war and maybe follow some of the characters as they transfer to other ships (i.e. Col. Tigh) and some more background about the other colonies.

[frakk`up]

i would like that, could mix it up with the caprica setting, do some civi characters and some military

[DrWho42]

I enjoy the idea, although if Caprica proves successful: we may enjoy more spin-offs (and/or continuation to the Cylon War... presuming the show doesn't get cancelled as Star Trek: Enterprise did before the Romulan/Earth Wars (http://www.memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Earth-Romulan_War)...*).

*Given that it didn't so much relish the idea that it was supposed to be a prequel till the fourth season (and only sparingly before then).

[Jennings7]

I really cannot see myself enjoying a spin-off that isn't comprised of my favorite main characters: Helo, Starbuck, and Lee Adama. I would like to see some type of prequel involving them, although I doubt they could come up with a concept that would have enough meat to comprise a long series.

[OrionFour]

I just don't like the idea of it supposedly being this big "soap opera" family drama thing. No action? Why not?

[Mingus]

What about a Lost-style prequel show that takes place during the Cylon War with lengthy flashbacks about how it all happened? Sometimes an 'Adama' family flashback while, er, Husker's big brother fights the Cylons. In the flashback, courtroom battles about morality in creating sentient robots, how the first Battlestars and Baseships were developed, maybe the season 1 cliffhanger would show the moment the war began, etc.

[frakk`up]

thats a nice idea!

[The Nubs]

That would be pretty nice. I really don't want the soap opera feel though. And mark my words if heather locklear shows up as a character I'm out faster than and FTL jump.

[Orion]

Far better than a Caprica planet-bound series would be a Kobol-based series.
Gods and men, conflicts, myths told and created... and behind everything the dark certainty that the paradise is doomed... hm. doesn't really make for a family series, eh?

[TitanimRex]

I like the mix of realistic characters and action. I'd love to see a series about the first cylon war with colonial Battlestar Groups mixing it with Cylon fleets. Characters without the action just wouldn't cut it for me.

Ok, if the idea of a series doesn't work then maybe some stand alone episodes on a straight to DVD format would like Razor or Babylon 5's Lost Tales.

[ShadowEnigma]

Far better than a Caprica planet-bound series would be a Kobol-based series.
Gods and men, conflicts, myths told and created... and behind everything the dark certainty that the paradise is doomed... hm. doesn't really make for a family series, eh?

I think when you start pulling Gods in as actual characters, it might stray from the underlying theme of Battlestar. I think it is better to leave that stuff as just scriptures and not actually try to make a show out of that stuff in particular.

However a prequel, even just a straight to dvd, or a another mini movie of the events before and of the first cylon war could be a real hit I think. You could definitely mesh in the morality, flashbacks or cut scenes of life of the Adama's, and everything. It would really give them a chance to blend the drama and action that they've been doing since the Miniseries. (And even maybe a little extra action for those of us that like to watch a Raider get royally frakked =D) Maybe (Hopefully) they'll consider doing something like that after Season 4 is done.

[JDS]

I haven't seen my idea posted before, so here it goes:

Instead of producing Caprica, IMHO, I think a series about the 1st Cylon war would be more entertaining. You could have each season be about a different battlestar at different times during the war and maybe follow some of the characters as they transfer to other ships (i.e. Col. Tigh) and some more background about the other colonies.I'd love to watch this series, although I suspect it wouldn't be as well received as the current series...I mean I don't think the public in general has much of a stomach for a couple seasons of Red Storm Rising in space, though I certainly would. On the other hand, the Sci Fi channel fills its timeslots with dozens and dozens of useless, terrible, unpalatable one-off movies, so it's not like their standards are very high or anything. I think it could get made, if it had a real advocate, like if Richard Hatch got behind it.

[ShadowEnigma]

I would definitely watch it, at least the first few episodes. I have a feeling I would like it, and would continue to watch it. The idea is interesting, and with how well they have written BSG's story, I think they would do equally as well with Caprica.

[Serenity]

I just don't like the idea of it supposedly being this big "soap opera" family drama thing. No action? Why not?
It really depends on the execution. If they just mean character drama, and even if it's family drama, then sure. That's what I watch the show for. I couldn't care less about the action, the search for Earth or the final five. That just distracts from the meat of the show.
And a series about the Cylon War wouldn't offer anything new. The unexplored part of the Cylons lies shortly before that, while we've already had many war stories.

A lot of sci-fi fans use "soap opera" derisively for too much focus on love relationships (and that's indeed not really necessary). But I've also seen it used to deride shows or episodes that focused on characters instead of story, and even to moan about heavy continuity.
Now, that the producers - who don't buy into that BS - use it, is something different of course. For now, I hope they really mean family drama. I'm a bit worried that they just don't say that and use a term with such a negative connotation instead, but until I see it, I'll not get hung up on that.

As said, the concept is interesting and has potential, but it all hinges on how it's done and the tone it has. It's certainly won't be as dark as BSG, but that's no reason to make it completely lightweight. Can be good, can be very bad...

Or take "Friday Night Lights". The stories are sometimes very pedestrian and even clichéd, nothing much that hasn't been done before, but the way it's brought to life transcends nearly everything else on network television. Not that I think Caprica will be anywhere near that quality as far as the actors go, but it may be better than it sounds

[CAW]

Far better than a Caprica planet-bound series would be a Kobol-based series.
Gods and men, conflicts, myths told and created... and behind everything the dark certainty that the paradise is doomed... hm. doesn't really make for a family series, eh?

i would LOVE to see this, although i can agree that it might not be quite in the battlestar vein we'd expect. perhaps in book form, but they'd have to find some competent writers first...

[Georgiotje]

What about a movie that would focus on certain individuals at the time of the attack and some time before the attack? That would be a movie that would zoom in on the characters and the fear.. just like a 9-11 movie but then bsg-style?

[ShadowEnigma]

That could be an interesting segway between Caprica and BSG if they could do it right. You have to be careful connecting two series like that, so that they don't mess anything up. That could be a cool way to wrap up the whole story, Caprica, BSG, everything.

[Asiriya]

I hope they make it a family drama that can be as dark as people are willing to see it, but I don't want it to be light-hearted, and I don't really see how it could be. It should be a very dark view of a man's daughter who dies and he recreates her as a robot, show the pain that he suffered, and show how this new 'invention' was seized upon. Knowing as we do what happens to the Cylons, it can't be happy. The war should be carried out from the view of civilians. They might see pilots leaving, or battlestars rising, or even attacks on the colonies by breakaway cylons, but it shouldn't be as intense as it is atm, or perhaps more so.
i don't think a pure war series would work though, it would get old very quickly.