CAPRICA: PILOT {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The premiere in this fantasy series prequel to “Battlestar Galactica,” set fifty-eight years earlier and focusing on the creation of the robotic Cylons by ancestors of various "Galactica" characters. As the episode opens, teenaged genius Zoe Graystone attends a virtual nightclub with her friends Ben Stark and Lacy Rand, courtesy of a “holoband” – thin, laser-powered glasses which wrap around the top of one’s head and access the brain – invented by her father, industrialist Daniel Graystone. Zoe glories in being inspired by her father’s scientific leanings, having secretly discovered a way to create an avatar of individuals that function like a clone. Her visions are interrupted by nosey student Caston at exclusive Athena Academy, resulting in Zoe being sent home for using the holoband and skipping classes. Zoe’s mother, physician Amanda Grayfield, has a violent argument with her daughter, which Daniel tries to settle. The situation culminates when Zoe insults her mother and Amanda slaps her face. Zoe then uses the holoband to return to the virtual party, where she consorts with Zoe-A, a girl which she made to look exactly like her. The next day, Amanda drops off Zoe at school, but the girl joins Ben and Lacy in their scheme to jump a train and run away. Meanwhile, Joseph Adama, an immigrant lawyer, arranges to meet wife Shannon and daughter Tamara for the birthday party of his young son, Willie. Shannon and Tamara board the same train as Zoe and Ben, though Lacy wimps out at the last minute. After the train departs, Ben declares his love for God before exposing explosives strapped to his chest. Despite Zoe’s protestations, he defuses the bomb and all aboard are killed. Two weeks later, Amanda and Daniel are still struggling with their grief. In the downtown area, Detective Jordan Duram makes a speech in which he blames the tragedy on the Soldier of One organization – a terrorist group that believes in one omniscient God rather than the worshipping of Greek/Roman gods per the dominant custom. Later, Joseph and Daniel meet on the street and discuss how they both lost a daughter in the inferno. Back at Athena Academy, Sister Clarice Willow tries to assuage Lacy’s feelings of guilt at having averted disaster, and encourages her to continue Zoe’s scientific work. Lacy subsequently goes to the Graystone home and uses the holoband to enter the virtual nightclub. There, she finds the bloodied Zoe-A, who admits that she’s not a person – even though she feels like one. When Daniel arrives home and sees Lacy sporting the holoband, she hurriedly leaves the house. In court, Joseph defends a client from a crime syndicate with ties to Tauron, Joseph’s former home. After Daniel works on an advanced robot prototype, he’s inspired to see if the holoband can get him into the virtual nightclub. The plan works and he sees Zoe-A, though she manages to lose him. Detective Duram later asks Amanda if Zoe was part of the Soldier of One group. He says that Zoe is suspected of being among the bombers on the train. When Lacy returns to the Graystone mansion, Daniel confronts her. After telling how Ben showed she and Zoe “the way to God,” Lacy helps Daniel find Zoe-A. Upon meeting Zoe-A in the virtual club, Daniel tries to discern if Zoe-A is different from Zoe. Soon, Zoe-A’s ability to recall intimate family memories convinces Daniel that she’s more than an avatar. When Daniel and Zoe-A hug, Daniel “captures” the code that Zoe used to create an avatar. Outside the courtroom, syndicate chieftain The Guatrau asks Daniel to deliver a threatening message to Minister of Defense Chambers, on behalf of all Taurons. Daniel hedges, though family member Sam Adama later tells him that The Guatrau means business. The next morning, Detective Duram asks Lacy and Sister Clarice if Ben was the ringleader for Soldier of One. Both Lacy and Clarice deny any knowledge of the organization. When Daniel and Joseph meet again, Daniel invites Joseph to visit the virtual nightclub, and explains that he’s prepared to make an avatar of Tamara. Daniel also tells Joseph of his plan to bring Zoe-A back to the real world, though he needs a metacognitive processor that his industrial rival, Virgis Corporation, has perfected. Daniel notes that Joseph has connections to the Tauron-based corporation, and that he should secure the processor if he wants to see an avatar of Tamara. Joseph reluctantly tells Sam to steal the gizmo, after which he’ll take The Guatrau’s message to Minister Chambers as a form of payment. Joseph follows through on his promise, though the minister insults his Tauron heritage, as well as The Guatrau’s. Later that night, Sam slits the minister’s throat in an act of revenge. Elsewhere, Lacy recalls when Zoe told her why she followed the Soldier of One teachings. When Lacy confides her memory to Sister Clarice, the headmistress admits to being part of the group herself. The next day, Joseph brings the stolen processor to Daniel, after which Joseph meets the avatar of Tamara. However, the cloned girl hates being an avatar and makes her father realize the error of his ways. Back in the real world, Joseph tells Daniel that avatars are “an abomination.” Daniel then meets with Zoe-A, who says she’d rather remain in the virtual world. Ignoring the girl’s warnings, Daniel downloads Zoe into a cybernetic steel robot’s form. The robot initially walks, then collapses in a heap. When Daniel can no longer find Zoe-A in the virtual world, he assumes that she’s lost to him forever. As Joseph tells Willie that they’re going to start their lives anew, Daniel's bosses view his perfected robots – with Daniel dubbing them cylons and getting a government contract to mass-produce them. Finally, unbeknownst to Daniel, the robot into which he downloaded Zoe comes back to life and makes a phone call to Lacy, imploring her for help. A trailer for “Battlestar Galactica: The Plan,” an upcoming film directed by Edward James Olmos, is shown after the credits. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: Syfy
- DATE: January 22, 2010 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:33:14
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 100227
- GENRE: Drama, fantasy/science fiction
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, fantasy/science fiction
- SERIES RUN: Syfy - TV series, 2010
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Remi Aubuchon … Executive Producer, Writer
- Ronald D. Moore … Executive Producer, Writer
- David Eick … Executive Producer
- Clara George … Producer
- Paul M. Leonard … Co-Producer
- Gregg Tilson … Associate Producer
- Maril Davis … Associate Producer
- James Halpern … Associate Producer
- Sian McArthur … Associate Producer
- Glen A. Larson … Consulting Producer, Based on characters created by
- Michael D. Gibson … Visual Effects Producer
- Jeffrey Reiner … Director
- Bear McCreary … Music by
- Vicky Lambert … Choreographer
- Eric Stoltz … Cast, Daniel Graystone
- Esai Morales … Cast, Joseph Adama
- Paula Malcomson … Cast, Amanda Graystone
- Alessandra Torresani … Cast, Zoe Graystone/Zoe-A
- Magda Apanowicz … Cast, Lacy Rand
- Avan Jogia … Cast, Ben Stark
- Polly Walker … Cast, Sister Clarice Willow
- Sasha Roiz … Cast, Sam Adama
- Brian Markinson … Cast, Jordan Duram
- William B. Davis … Cast, Minister Chambers
- Sina Najafi … Cast, William Daniels
- Jorge Montesi … Cast, The Guatrau
- Hiro Kanagawa … Cast, Cyrus Xander
- Genevieve Buechner … Cast, Tamara Adama
- Anna Galvin … Cast, Shannon Adama
- Katie Keating … Cast, Prefect Caston
- Veena Sood … Cast, Secretary of Defense Joan Leyte
- Karen Austin … Cast, Ruth
- Nancy Kerr … Cast, Prosecutor
- Terence Kelly … Cast, Mayor
- Angela Moore … Cast, Judge
- Josh Byer … Cast, Defendant
- Vicky Lambert … Cast, Hecate
- Jim Thompson … Cast, Voice of Serge
- Jared Keeso … Cast, Rod Jenkins
- Kathryn Schellenberg … Cast, Dancer
- Maiko Miyauchi … Cast, Dancer
- Daina Ashbee … Cast, Dancer
- Adrienne Chan … Cast, Dancer
- Salma Allam … Cast, Dancer
- Shawn Stewart … Cast, Dancer
- Donald Sales … Cast, Dancer
- Paul Becker … Cast, Dancer
- Cara Long … Cast, V-Club Patron
- Jay Devery … Cast, V-Club Patron
- Keita Parker … Cast, V-Club Patron
- Chelsea Darden … Cast, V-Club Patron
- Megan Sehn … Cast, V-Club Patron
- Chantal Ayre … Cast, V-Club Patron
- Michelle Andrew … Cast, V-Club Patron
- Eva Hartkopf … Cast, V-Club Patron
- Edward James Olmos