Was Caprica Not Initially Intended as a Battlestar Galactica Tie-In?
Here is the latest in a series of examinations into urban legends about TV and whether they are true or false. Click here to view an archive of the TV urban legends featured so far.
TV URBAN LEGEND: The TV series Caprica was originally pitched NOT as a Battlestar Galactica tie-in!
Caprica was a television series…
that worked as a prequel to the acclaimed television series, Battlestar Galactica.
Starting 58 years before the first episode of Battlestar Galactica, Caprica showed the rise of the artificial intelligence known as the Cylons (while also, of course, showing what human society was like at the time, as well).
The series starred Eric Stoltz and Esai Morales.
Amazingly enough, though, the genesis of the series began with a screenplay having nothing to do with Battlestar Galactica at all!
You see, around 2006, Battlestar Galactica producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick were working to develop a spin-off series of Battlestar Galactica for the Sci-Fi Channel. Their plan was to do a prequel for the series. However, as both men were still in the midst of producing the series itself, they did not have a lot of time to develop the idea.
In stepped screenwriter Remi Aubuchon, who tried to sell Universal Pictures a screenplay about artificial intelligence in 2006.
Universal Pictures turned him down, but forwarded the script to Universal TELEVISION, who realized that Aubochon’s screenplay might work beautifully with the idea that Moore and Eick were developing, so they arranged a meeting, and soon, the two ideas were merged into one and Caprica was born!
Actually, I wish it were that simple – but at the same time this was going on, the ratings on Battlestar Galactica were doing so poorly that it took a long time before the Sci-Fi Channel was willing to give Caprica a chance, and the direct-to-DVD pilot of the series JUST managed to come out in 2009, with the series following in 2010. Sadly, it lasted just one season.
The legend is…
STATUS: True
Feel free (heck, I implore you!) to write in with your suggestions for future urban legends columns! My e-mail address is bcronin@legendsrevealed.com
