Interview with Ron Moore and Esai Morales (London MCM Expo)

The first interview with Ron Moore and Esai Morales from the London MCM Expo showed up online earlier today. For the full article, go to HeyUGuys.co.uk. Here are the parts that mention Caprica:

HUG: Was Battlestar written in the same way [as DS9]?

Ron Moore: It’s changed a bit, but the fundamental is still the same. It’s still a writing staff gathering in a room and putting cards up on the board, and arguing about which scene should go first, and what’s the best story. We thought we were telling this story, but it’s turning into that, or this doesn’t work, or ‘I’ve got a better idea’. The fundamental of working in a writer’s room is really the same.

For me personally it’s different, because shows like Battlestar and Caprica, I create and I’m running so I have more idea and control of what I want to do, whereas Trek was more somebody else’s to begin with and then I was more on the team rather than leading the team. My particular role shifted but the job is still kind of the same. It’s still sitting there and finding the best story. (...)

HUG: Esai, moving into a spin off of Battlestar: you hadn’t watched the show prior to working on Caprica?

Esai Morales: Not really. I was aware that it was a lauded show, but there is so much stuff that I can’t see because I don’t have the time. I just didn’t happen to be a fan, not that I wasn’t a fan on purpose.

HUG: Have you seen it since?

EM: I’ve seen much more of it now, but I remember asking how much should see and what I should prepare. They were like ‘you don’t have to see any of it’. This takes place before hand. If you’re going to do a story about Ancient Rome, you don’t need to know about how Italy does today. I mean, you could, but they didn’t want us to colour it.

RM: They didn’t want him to lead, always trying to get to where Adama, where his son, would be this person. We didn’t think that was necessary.

HUG: Writing and working on a prequel would presumably be a very different process from working on a new concept or an original series or sequel. Do you feel at all constrained by the overbearing and overwhelming Battlestar fifty, sixty years in the future?

RM: Not so much. We had the luxury of developing Caprica while Battlestar was still on the air. We wrote the pilot a long time ago, but they didn’t make it for a long time. So we had the opportunity to separate the two projects and we were careful to end the last couple of seasons of Battlestar in a way that wrapped up all of the internal Battlestar mythology. So there weren’t big, giant hanging questions that we then had to go back and answer in Caprica.

We were also able to set up Caprica in a way that it could just start from its own course, fresh. There was really not a lot of direct continuity between the two that we’re constantly having to make sure that this lines up, or go ‘we can’t do that in Caprica, because that would contradict this’. We really separated them in terms of time, and in terms of storyline. We don’t really feel that much of a burden while developing the story, about trying to make it match up to Battlestar. It’s not like the Star Wars prequels that are so integrated, that it must have been a challenge to try to make sure it all lines up. We’re just separated.

Renewal/cancellation update & James Marsters Q&A (Phoenix Comic Con)

Michael Hinman over at Airlock Alpha has an article that addresses some of the concerns about the show possibly not getting picked up for another season. No concrete news, but if you are trying to keep a positive outlook, check it out: Caprica's Chances at Renewal? Strong.

Key paragraph contradicts what Craig Engler tweeted the other day about the show not getting picked up before the fall:

And news should be announced later this month both on when "Caprica" will return, and if Syfy is ordering more episodes for a second season. So keep your fingers crossed.

Granted, it's all coming from an anonymous source, so no one's committing to it, but at least there is a possibility that we may hear something in the near future.

As a sidenote, Ron Moore and Esai Morales attended the London MCM Expo this weekend, but there aren't any extensive reports out there yet. An interesting bit of info comes from this blog and isn't really related to Caprica, but to the other Battlestar spinoff, which hasn't been mentioned in a while either:

Ron Moore confirmed that they are discussing several possible further BSG spinoffs with the studios. Apparently there are multiple possible directions they could take, and no one in particular has been favoured over the others so far; consequently he was reluctant to discuss them. We will also see at least Gemenon and potentially more of the Twelve Colonies in Caprica.

Finally, an update that's actually fun (i.e. involves someone on the creative side of things discussing the show itself.) James Marsters did a Q&A at the Phoenix Comic Con yesterday and the podcast & clips are online. You can listen to the podcast here and, for the videos, go to the Multipleverses YouTube channel. James talked about playing Barnabas and his last day on the Caprica set. If you don't already know whether or not Barnabas makes it through the season alive, the first clip with spoil that for you. The second one is spoiler-free. 

Syfy: Caprica not officially cancelled, just not getting picked up any time soon

Caprica hasn't been officially cancelled, but it won't be renewed any time soon either. At least not before the actors' contracts expire this summer.

This is what Ron Moore told Sci Fi Wire about the show's renewal prospects at the upfronts in March:

When must the decision be reached?

"I think ultimately it comes down to when the actors' contracts come due," Moore replied. "That's the real trigger, and I don't think those are due until August. However, I think that the other factor is [the network's] schedule and when they'd want the show to be on the air. So they would probably pull the trigger before that in order to start production in time to get the show on the air for their schedule."

And this is what Craig Engler (senior vice president of Syfy Digital and Syfy's resident PR guy on Twitter) tweeted earlier today:

The second half of season 1 won't air until the fall so, from the looks of it, we won't be getting any news at all about season 2 -- which, yeah, likely won't happen at all if the math is anything to go by -- until then. Except maybe an empty PR tidbit like this one here and there.

TV alerts: Sasha Roiz, Peter Wingfield, Esai Morales

A few cast alerts today.

Sasha Roiz guest stars on In Plain Sight tonight (Wednesday, May 12, 10 p.m. on USA). You can watch the teaser on YouTube. Also, if you haven't already, make sure you check out the Q & A he did with his fans on Facebook.

Here is the  synopsis for tonight's episode: 

IN PLAIN SIGHT "Love's Faber Lost" Season 3 Episode 7 - FBI Agent Mike Faber returns to Mary's life when he gives her a new witness: Natalie, a key witness and co-conspirator in a nationwide mortgage fraud scheme which was operated by major gangs to raise millions for drugs and weapons. Mary is forced to work closely with Faber, who appears to have an alternate agenda: sparking a romance between the two.

Next Tuesday, you can catch Peter Wingfield playing his third bad guy in the last couple of months (after Riverworld & Human Target) on NCIS: Los Angeles. Steve Bacic from Razor also guest stars in the episode. Here is the synopsis:

FOR THE NCIS: LA TEAM'S SAFETY, CALLEN IS FORCED TO CUT ALL TIES WITH NCIS AFTER HIS COVER IS BLOWN, ON "NCIS: LOS ANGELES," TUESDAY, MAY 18


"Burned" - After Callen's cover is blown and compromises the unit, the NCIS team races to find out who is behind the security breach, on NCIS: LOS ANGELES, Tuesday, May 18 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Finally, a week after that, Esai Morales will make an appearance in the CSI: Miami season finale. I'll tweet the previews if/when they show up, for now here is the synopsis:


“All Fall Down” – A serial killer taunts the CSIs by leaving them cryptic hints, and the longer it takes them to decode these puzzles, the higher the death toll rises, on the eighth season finale of CSI: MIAMI, Monday, May 24 (10:01-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Interviews: Michael Nankin & Leah Gibson

A couple of really great interviews for the dry spell.

Galactica Quorum has a 40 min. podcast with Michael Nankin, who directed four episodes of Caprica this season (1x05, 1x06, 1x16, 1x17) and chalked an impressive bodycount on BSG back in the day. In the interview, he offers some interesting insights into the behind-the-scenes process on both shows and talks about introducing New Cap City in "There Is Another Sky" as well as the two recurring darlings, Vergis and Barnabas, in "Know Thy Enemy."

The interview doesn't have any spoilers for the rest of the season, but if you've listened to the official Caprica podcasts, you'll probably remember that Mr. Grim Reaper will strike again when the show returns in the fall. (Geek trivia: he and Bear McCreary also offed Cromartie on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.)

Now if you're a Battlestar fan, the interview is porn. Nankin talks about directing major character deaths, angel Starbuck, babies flying out of the airlock, Kat appearing in "Maelstrom," the list goes on. You can (and absolutely should) listen to the podcast at the Galactica Quorum.

Meanwhile, The Caprica Times has an excellent interview with Leah Gibson, who plays Emmanuelle, the virtual avatar of Bill Adama's (step?)-mother-to-be and Joseph's guide in New Cap City. Hit the link below to read the whole article.

The Caprica Times: The reveal of Evelyn made her seem like a villain. Do you think that her actions as Emmanuelle were devious?

Leah Gibson: I don’t. Though she exudes a femme-fatale charisma in the V-world, I think it’s clear that Emmanuelle is fueled with the best intentions in protecting Joseph. The fact that she wanted to hide her true identity from him is evidence that she wanted him to make discoveries in the V-world for himself, and find closure over Tamara’s death on his own ground. That speaks powerfully about her affections for him.

The Caprica Times: Were you comfortable with all of the violence surrounding your character and Joseph?

Leah Gibson: To be perfectly honest, I would have had a more difficult time with the violence had the scenes been reality-based. Knowing the violence was taking place in the V-world, and – strangely – knowing that Emmanuelle knew she wasn’t really ending a person’s life but merely ending their play in the game made me more comfortable with the violence. To understand a character’s intentions as an actor, I feel it is essential to receive and accept different perspectives without imposing judgment on them. I found it much easier opening to Emmanuelle’s and Evelyn’s justifications of violence in knowing that SHE understood it was exclusive to a false reality.

The Caprica Times: In the podcast for End of Line you received great accolades from David Eick, an executive producer of Caprica. He mentioned that your role in the second half of the season is very important. Is there anything you can elaborate on regarding that?

Leah Gibson: Oh my goodness, bless his heart. Thank you Mr. Eick! What an honor. There’s not much I can reveal… except that Evelyn/Emmanuelle’s intentions become much more clarified and firmly rooted as the story progresses… I love the movement forward. -- The Caprica Times

You can catch Leah on Supernatural next week and, for more updates, follow her on Twitter.

Caprica's tech consultant Malcolm MacIver on moral challenges of creating sentient robots

Discover Magazine has an excellent new article from Caprica's science consultant Malcolm MacIver.This time, he writes about military robots, advances in information processing in artificial intelligence, and moral challenges and responsibilities that come with creating robots capable of making informed decisions on their own.

You can read the complete article here.

Here, I’d like to push the idea that as interesting as the technical challenges in making sentient robots like those on Caprica are, an equally interesting area is the moral challenges of making such machines. But “interesting” is too dispassionate—I believe that we need to begin the conversation on these moral challenges. Roboticist Ron Arkin has been making this point for some time, and has written a book on how we may integrate ethical decision making into autonomous robots.

Given that we are hardly at the threshold of building sentient robots, it may seem overly dramatic to characterize this as an urgent concern, but new developments in the way we wage war should make you think otherwise. I heard a telling sign of how things are changing when I recently tuned in to the live feed of the most popular radio station in Washington DC, WTOP. The station had commercial after commercial from iRobot (of Roomba fame), a leading builder of unmanned military robots, clearly targeting military listeners. These commercials reflect how the use of unmanned robots in the military has gone from close to zero in 2001 to over ten thousand now, with the pace of acquisition still accelerating. For more details on this, see Peter Singer’s ‘Wired for War’, or the March 23 2010 congressional hearing on The Rise of the Drones here.

While we are all aware of these trends to some extent, it’s hardly become a significant issue of concern. We are comforted by the knowledge that the final kill decision is still made by a human. But is this comfort warranted? -- Keep reading

Caprica panel at the Toronto Comic Con - longer clip

Verbalbrew.com has uploaded a longer video with Magda Apanowicz and Luciana Carro from the Toronto Comic Con to YouTube. All three parts embedded below: