Adama Family
The Adama family we have all grown to know and love from the previous Battlestar Galactica series is set to play a key role in the new Caprica TV Series prequel. It’s pretty exciting news because we have come to know the family over the years, watching them while we eat dinner or visit PartyPoker.com. We are genuinely interested as to where they will go next as characters.
The Adama family come from a long line of Tauron peasants, many of whom died during the Tauron civil war. In fact, at that time, all of the family except for Joseph Adama and his brother were killed during that uprising. The two of them were taken to Caprica and put into an orphanage.
In the pilot episode, we meet Joseph Adama, who had changed his name to Adams in order to avoid the bitter racism felt on Caprica against the Tauron’s. Joseph is often referred to as Joe by those who know him and Youself by Tauron friends and associates. We also are introduced to young William Adama, also called Will or Willie, who will later become Admiral Bill Adama. We also get to meet Shannon Adama, wife of Joe, and Tamara, their daughter (sister of Willie). We even get a glimpse of William’s grandmother in one scene.
Joe Adama is a dichotomy on many levels. For example, he is associated with the Halatha Crime Syndicate, run by the Guatrau. This group paid his way through law school and now require his services from time to time. Though he complies with their wishes, he shoes great angst and remorse for the consequences of his involvement.
Joe is a stoic man who often follows the ‘old ways’ such as not shedding a tear, wearing black gloves when in mourning, though does show glimpses of emotional undertones which run throughout. He did admit that the one and only time he shed a tear was the first time he saw flowers, something that doesn’t exist on Tauron, as they were approaching the orphanage in Caprica for the first time.
We see Shannon Adama for only a few minutes in the pilot episode, as she boards the fateful lev (train) prior to the terrorist attack, a lead-in for the escalating battle which will surely boil over at some point in the Caprica TV Series.
Tamara Adama, Willie’s sister, appears to be stereotypical in many ways. She gives her father Joe a lot of attitude in reminding him it’s Willie’s birthday, and that he better not be home late for the party. Later, she is terrified of her new surroundings, as she is reborn in the virtual world.
William Adama, the youngest in the family, attends classes at Wilson Elementary School. Like most boys his age, he enjoys shaved ice, going to a Bucs game (the pyramid team owned by Daniel Graystone), doesn’t fully understand life and death, and also comes across as very stereotypical. He has no moments of rage or joy, but is seen throughout the pilot episode as a rather flat, sad creature, mourning the loss of his mother and sister in his own way. The only time he lights up at all is following the pyramid game (lost by the Bucs) in which he gets to meet with the team while Joe and Daniel discuss important matters (about the whole virtual world concept and bringing dead family members back to life).
Casting:
Joe Adama – Esai Morales
William Adama – Sina Najafi
Tamara Adams – Genevieve Buechner
Shannon Adams – Anna Galvin
Post-Pilot Episode Conclusions for the Adama Family:
Esai is a very believable Joe Adama. The stoic, troubled, yet strong father of the family… very well done. The jury is still out on all the rest, but Joe is a character that is easily liked, identified with, and one that we want to see more.
Caprica Pilot Episode
Unsure about the concept of releasing a pilot on DVD and digital download, we were hesitant about the entire concept at first. However, the new Caprica TV Series is one which immediately gets your attention and then draws you in, deeper and deeper throughout.
Will the product of combined efforts from Ronald D. Moore, David Eick, and Remi Aubuchon amount to anything on par with Battlestar Galactica? It’s doubtful! Will it be better than The Sarah Connor Chronicles? We think so, definitely.
The new series has more draws than an all night poker game! From the gratuitous sex, drugs, violence in the opening scene, through the plot twists and turns in the middle, and to the end with Zoe-R coming to life, this 1.5 hours had us entertained and engrossed throughout. This is NOT for young children. There is plenty of topless nudity, automatic weapon fire, blood and guts splattering. There are youth who believe in a cause and make sacrifices in their pursuit. Of course there has to be cool sci-fi gadgets, opulent settings, robots on steriods and more. Those wanting a some thought required? Yes, there is corporate espionage, betrayal, mafia-esque underpinnings, love, hate, racism, you name it! Definitely something for everyone…
When we heard that this was going to be more sci-drama than space shooter, we immediately discounted any chance for this being a success, recalling the Firefly flop. The talk of this being a space-soap, more akin to Dallas than Star Trek, made us think there would never been another sci-fi series worth watching. Boy were we wrong!
We didn’t bother to do a boob count or a bullet count, instead sitting back an enjoying the story unfold. The first minute in the V-Club gets your attention – how could it not 
From then on, scene by scene, we were wanting to know more about what had happend, and what was going to happen next. Yes, three 16 year olds, in a virtual nightclub where sex, drugs, fight-club and human sacrifices sounds a bit like 90210 meets the Holodeck, but it works.
The lead characters of Daniel Graystone and Joseph Adama (Adams) are rock-solid. They were cast well, given good scripts, and executed them to the letter. You can feel their ups and downs, joys and sorrow, learning their history (and guessing at their future) along the way. Zoe Graystone plays so many parts, that you’d think this was bit much conceptually. But again, it fits, it works, and by the end, it left us absolutely wanting to see what would happen in the next episode, regretfully nearly a year away, ARGH!
The one let-down in the cast has to be little William Adama. We’ve not fully resigned ourselves that he will always be a dull, flat little boy, with no variation in mood or delivery, but we are cautiously hopeful that there’s something good in the works. Yes, given his sister and mother being killed by the terrorist bombing on the lev, we expect some mourning. Yes, he is curious about death and the afterlife. But for the love of Athena, he needs something, anything, to spice him up a bit. No, Bill Adama on BSG wasn’t exactly a manic sort of guy, but at least he showed some feelings when things went wrong…
As with any good pilot, there are many questions answered and many left open. Who is behind the Soldiers of The One? Is Sister Clarice? What can Lacy do to help Zoe-R? Will there be a Ben-R? Are Tamara and Shannon gone forever? When will Joe’s affiliation with the Halatha Crime Syndicate finally catch up with him? Is a cubit worth more or less than a dollar? How much does a holoband cost, and where can I buy one?
If you haven’t already purchased the DVD, then stop what you’re doing, and go get it!
Caprica Widget
Test out the New Widget from discovercaprica.com, which features clips, trailers, download and purchase links for the DVD pilot episode and more.
