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RE: It was a shame Caprica's storyline devolved into that New Cap City virtual reality storyline

Posted by user510 on December 18, 2015 at 15:13:59

In Reply to: It was a shame Caprica's storyline devolved into that New Cap City virtual reality storyline posted by Road Warrior on December 18, 2015 at 13:44:49:

"...Caprica's storyline devolved into that New Cap City virtual reality storyline....WTF was that all about? "

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I'll try to map it out.

Two key family histories -- and the beginnings of a new religion -- that lead up to the defeat of the humans on Caprica -- by the Cylons.

Families: Graystones and the Adamas.

It is Daniel Graystone: Billionaire industrialist and weapons manufacturer, who, through his efforts in developing the ultimate AI/mechanical warrior, inadvertently creates the Cylons.

On the other side we see the young William Adama who when he grows up will lead surviving humans into their space voyage toward a prophetic new world.

Zoe Graystone, daughter to Daniel dies in the Terrorist bomb blast on the train, (1st episode) but is resurrected in a VR world by her grieving father, Daniel Graystone.

I think this part is kind of interesting because it explores some of the fictional imaginings of William Gibson in his first three novels and early short stories. IE; the electrons dashing about within the circuitry of a computer might contain software (programs) so advanced as to become self-aware, sentient, able to respond to external stimuli. In a sense, to be alive.

And we see this in the Battlestar Gallactica episodes. The Cylons did indeed seem to be a life form. Perhaps some of the Cylon complaints against humanity might actually be valid!

William Gibson* also tinkered with the idea that a human conscience (spirit, soul) could be uploaded into the computer environment and become a sort of rogue program existing there. This idea gets explored within this series.

The VR environment is a construct having been created by Graystone Industries as an entertainment device. VR gaming. Not far from 20th century tech on Earth. But Daniel attempts to use the environment to make contact with his deceased daughter. It gets complicated. But we see the spirit of Zoe Graystone become a kind of rogue character that runs about freely and at will in this VR world. Some of these episodes seem a bit overly contrived.

Anyway, at some point, Daniel Graystone discovers that the spirit of his daughter seems also to reside within one of the Cylon warrior robots. We see scenes with Daniel talking to the damn robot like its his daughter.....and, ultimately, we realize that she indeed is in there.

Then Daniel decides to make an android body for his daughter to inhabit. He does. A lifelike mechanical Zoe. Now we've got two types of cylons. Robot warriors and cyborgs appearing as human.

The religions.
The Capricans (humans) had a multi-deity religion. The Battlestar Gallactica episodes don't really fully flesh it out, nor does Caprica the series but it seems easy to imagine this belief system as being similar to ancient Greece and their mythology. But we find in the Caprica series that there are small numbers of those who have another faith. A religion that believes in a single deity. This too is not fully fleshed out but it is easy to imagine single deity religions we humans on Earth know that might be similar. And the terrorists, when they're not busy putting bombs on commuter trains, are praying to this single deity.

Enter Clarice Willow: Leader of a terrorist cell on Caprica played by veteran character actor, Polly Walker. She answers to a higher leader on another planet which we travel to 2/3rds into this series.

Enter Lacy Rand. When Zoe was alive she and Lacy were friends. It is Lacy who comes into contact with the Cylon robot where the spirit of Zoe Graystone resides. And they converse. Lacy and the robot get along like Zoe and Lacy did when Zoe was alive.

Lacy gets tied up with the Terrorists/religious zealots and ends up becoming one of them. Ultimately it is Lacy who takes the reins as leader of this new religion.

How the Cylons got their religion: Zoe and Lacy.

The series leaves us with an explanation of how the Cylons came to be as well as their central belief system.

I thought it was pretty good stuff throughout.

-Steve

*William Gibson novels referenced:
Neuromancer
Count Zero
Mona Lisa Overdrive
and one short story: Johnny Mnemonic

Edits: 12/18/15 12/18/15 12/18/15 12/18/15

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