Caprica: Season 1.0

Battlestar Galactica—the Syfy channel's first critical hit—may be over, but the franchise lived on briefly in this terra-firma-based prequel that winds back 58 years before the robotic Cylons attacked humankind. Set on the Caprican homeworld, Caprica charts the development of the Cylons in a culture where technology is becoming increasingly dangerous and religious terrorists are killing in the name of the one true religion. Set against this backdrop is a dynastic family drama that follows the fortunes of technology guru Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) and mob-connected lawyer Joseph Adama (Esai Morales), the future grandfather of Commander William Adama. The pair have only one thing in common: both lost daughters in a terrorist attack, and both girls are brought back as living entities trapped in the digital world. As much soap opera as science fiction, the sprawling story struggles to establish an identity across an array of plotlines involving artificial intelligence in combat robots, gangster culture, a terrorist subculture, and ghosts of the dead trapped in cyberspace. Presenting the first nine episodes from the 2010 debut (and only) season, DVD extras include an extended, unrated version of the pilot, episode audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, video blogs, podcasts, and deleted scenes. Although well-produced, Caprica just didn't have the dramatic strength or mythic resonance of its superior predecessor. Caprica: Season 1.5, compiling the last nine episodes (including five never aired), is also newly available. Optional. (S. Axmaker)