Eric Stoltz as 'Daniel' ' in Caprica

When it comes to great storylines that keep you guessing and guessing, Battlestar Galactica surely ranks up with the best of them – if it’s not THE best.  But where many series fail to answer the questions they raise, its latest episode, titled No Exit, brought in the answer sledgehammer.

Warning: Spoilers to follow

No Exit, in fact, perhaps went too far – too far if you’re not prepared to watch the episode more than once.   Or perhaps too many answers too quickly is the right way to put it.  We get to see Anders, who is one of the final five Cylons, being prepped for an operation to remove a bullet from the brain, an injury he sustained in the previous episode.  But the injury seems to have opened his mind, and prior to the operation he claims to know everything about the history of, well, everything.  And so he begins to blurt out answer after answer in the time he has left before the operation which, of course, comes with the risk that he will lose all his memories.

To be specific, he chronicles a big chunk of the last 3000 years of history in under 45 minutes.   Suffice to say the episode thus became very confusing to understand or at least to keep up with.  Try as I might to soak it all up like a sponge, it is a simple fact that it was too much and a second, if not third viewing will be needed.  But to that I say bring it on, because what a brilliant and totally re-watchable episode it was.

Back to the sledgehammer.  No Exit opened with a perfect flash back to the original Cylon’s dishing out the first Cylon war.  Within seconds the fate of Ellen, the final Cylon, is discovered – she was in fact resurrected after Tigh poisoned her.  But there’s more to Ellen then we could have imagined. We learn that she is in fact the creator of the skin jobs and with that revelation we learn there is another important Cylon in the mix that nobody has yet seen – yes, a new final Cylon or, to be specific the first Cylon – or perhaps to be even more specific, the 11th Cylon – or if we want to be even more specific, number 7 – but wait, his name is also Daniel.  (Confused yet?)   Such was the nature of this revealing episode.

But forget all the numbers for a moment and think of this Cylon as Daniel, and something amazing becomes clear – here lies the biggest sledghammer revelation blow of the episode, though I wonder how many actually picked it up.  The new prequel series of Galactica stars Eric Stoltz as, wait for it, Daniel Graystone who on Caprica creates the first Cylon.  Yes, his name is Daniel?  Given the spectacular story telling of the series, I can’t help but think there’s no coincidence there.  And so it is with expectation that I see Eric Stoltz appearing in one of the final five episodes of BSG as a Cylon version of his Caprica counterpart, or something along those lines.  And if that’s what occurs, then what an absolutely awesome and brilliant way to lead into the new series, Caprica.

I’ll be watching very closely during the next episode, titled Deadlock for his appearance or, if not, even more closely to the episodes that follow.  Here’s the trailer for Deadlock:

Caprica - In what I think is a brilliant move, Caprica is coming to DVD before it will air on the Sci Fi Channel.  I’d be hazarding a guess that it will be a huge success and no doubt lead to future premieres being slated for DVD before airing.  It’s a good move for the fans, and a good move to test the viability of a potential new series.  Not that that really matters for Caprica which has already had its first season green-lit.  It will be available in April.

Dollhouse – Joss Whedon has stated he intends his new Sci Fi series Dollhouse to make viewers uncomfortable.  Whedon has said, “Part of the mandate of the show is to make people nervous, to make them identify with people they don’t like and get into situations they don’t approve of and also look at some of the heroic side of things and wonder if maybe they were wrong about what motivated those as well.”  I like the sound of that.  Dollhouse premieres on Feb 13.

Green Lantern – Casino Royale director Martin Campbell is in negotiations with Warner Bros to direct the Green Lantern live-action feature film.  Although many people thought this movie was on hold and would possibly never be made, it seems Warner Bros are intent on moving it forward.  The script has been remodeled something like three times, and according to Michael Green (the third screenwriter) Warner Bros is now happy with the script. Green told IGN, “Warner Bros. doesn’t do green-lights the way a lot of places do. They sort of always inch towards it, so there’s never a day where they’re like, ‘Boom! Magic bomb! We’re green-lit!’  But we’ve had very good conversations with them. From what I’m told, they really like the last script we gave them and are hoping to find a way to make it, which would be thrilling.”  If Campbell can make a super hero movie with action like the opening ten minutes of Casino Royale, then I’m all for it.  However the rest of Casino Royale makes me worry… Read the rest of this entry »

Bear McCreary has completed recording over an hour of original orchestral score for use in the new Battlestar Galactica prequel series, Caprica.  Caprica has also been given the green-light for a first season of 20 episodes and yes, Bear McCreary will be staying on to score those as well.

The score to Caprica will have a new tone that is distinct but still connected to his Battlestar Galactica score.  In his words: “The score, like the tone of new series, is quite different from Galactica.  I am introducing a new ensemble, soloists and distinct musical themes, expanding the sonic boundaries of the Battlestar universe, while still keeping the soul of the score connected to my previous work.  And don’t worry… Chris Bleth, MB Gordy, Paul Cartwright and the other unique musicians who play on Galactica are on board as well.”

Visit Bear McCreary’s blog for more.

After what seems like an eternity, on January 16 the Sci Fi channel will commence airing the final half of the last ever season of Battlestar Galactica.  There are eleven episodes in total and from all accounts, they promise to be nothing short of superb.

The series has been brilliant from day dot, but whether you agree with this statement or not, there is one thing that is absolutely certain – there are a lot of unanswered questions yet to be resolved.  No, Battlestar Galactica hasn’t been like Lost, where every answer just continues to lead to another unanswered question (I concede, this may change with Lost’s final season).  But its storyline has been deep to say the least, and with such depth comes many loose and tangled ends.

Executive Producers Ronald  D. Moore and David Eick have teased fans with an exclusive interview over at TV.Guide, where they state that questions will be answered…with the caveat word of ’sort of’, and add a few tid bits of information regarding the upcoming Battlestar prequel, Caprica.  I don’t really know what ’sort of’ means, but I’m sure roughly 12 weeks from now that’ll change.

In the meantime, go have a read of the interview at TV.Guide, it’s short but interesting.

Watch the official promo for the upcoming Battlestar Galactica prequel, ‘Caprica’.

In March it was announced that Sci Fi had given the green light to Caprica, a two hour pilot for a new prequel series to the current hit, Battlestar Galactica. If you’re already a fan of Battlestar Galactica, this was great news, particularly in light of the fact that it is also common knowledge that the current season of Battlestar Galactica is the last. Now, the trailer is out.

Athough most of the trailer looks more like a modern day drama than a prequel to Battlestar Galactica, my mouth is watering. It is scheduled to air in December on the Sci Fi channel, although rumor has it that it may be held off until 2009 – not surprising given the Sci Fi channel’s decision to hold off the last half of Season 4 of Battlestar Galactica until 2009. I imagine they want to screen Caprica at the end of Battlestar to ensure the audience is kept for the new pilot and, hopefully, the new series. Or, just maybe, they’ll finalise Battlestar before December of this year, and retain the December 2008 premiere for Caprica. Here’s hoping on that one. Read the rest of this entry »