One of the most interesting things about the 2003-2009 reboot of Battlestar Galactica was how quickly into went from being a risky show that old-school fans mistrusted, to being one of the most popular word-of-mouth shows ever. Immortalized in the Portlandia sketch “Battlestar Galactica,” it seemed like, at some point, the whole world caught up on Battlestar via a binge, which meant, by 2009, when the finale aired, the show was a genuine crossover hit. This is impressive considering that streaming TV was still emerging and that the series aired on the SyFy Channel, which, just a decade later, would be a kind of purgatory that briefly murdered viewership for The Expanse.
But just like its ragtag, fugitive fleet, BSG was an underdog show that achieved a scrappy victory. And because it set the standard for what big sci-fi TV could be like in the 21st century, a follow-up BSG spinoff was almost assuredly going to be great, too. Right? Well, not exactly. While noble in its originality and uniqueness, the BSG prequel, Caprica, is still a strange beast, 15 years after its premiere on January 22, 2020. Here’s why the show is cool, but why it also kind of betrayed the mystique of Battlestar.
