Joe Adama

One of the lead characters in the new Caprica tv series is Esai Morales who plays Joe Adama.

Esai was born in Brooklyn, New York to Puerto Rican parents. Early on in life, Esai developed an interest in acting, and was fortunate to attend New York’s illustrious High School for the Performing Arts. This great start played a pivotal role in preparing and propelling Morales to a career in Hollywood.

Esai Morales made debuted in El Hermano at the Ensemble Studio Theater and further went on to appear in Joe Papp’s interpretative production of The Tempest at the Shakespeare in the Park festival. Further experience in theater also includes working with Al Pacino in Salome, as well as earning an LA Drama Critics Circle Award for a noteworthy performance in Tamer of Horses at the LA Theater Center. He’s even starred in musical theater with a lead performance in 2002′s The Mambo Kings in San Francisco.

Esai first appeared on the big screen in 1983 by appearing opposite opposite Sean Penn in Bad Boys before starring in La Bamba, the most successful commercial Latino-themed motion in history. He’s also starred in Fast Food Nation, The Burning Season, American Fusion, The Virgin of Juarez, The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca and Kill Kill Faster Faster.

Esai’s upcoming movie appearances include the character Pelon in La Linea, where he is head of the Salazar Crime Cartel, as well as roles in Cherry and King of the Avenue.

Esai’s next tv series is Caprica, prequel to the smash hit television series Battlestar Galactica, where he plays Joseph ‘Joe’ Adama. The two hour pilot episode has premiered on DVD and digital download, is available online, and will hopefully become a hit weekly series on the Sci-Fi Network starting in January 2010.

Esai currently lives in Los Angeles with his dog, Frankie.

This background on Esai Morales is great, but what Caprica fans care about is what is his role in Caprica, what has been revealed about his character, and what is to come…

*SPOILER ALERT*

We’re first introduced to Joe Adama, speaking to his mobile phone with his wife and daughter, having a cup of coffee, on his way to work, for what seems an ordinary day.

After a bit of conversation, we next see him immediately following the suicide bombing. Amazingly, he is close enough to hear the blast, and probably feel the shockwaves.

With incredible special effects right off the bat, Caprica has the right blend of energy, drama and effects to capture many segments. With actors like Esai Morales, we have characters that we can relate and get drawn into such as Joe Adama.

The relationship between Joe Adama and Daniel Graystone is a pivotal one in at least the early parts of this series, and the first meeting between Joe and Daniel comes shortly following the bombing.

There is a lot more to be seen of Joe Adama in the pilot episode of Caprica TV Series, but you’ll either have to buy the DVD, pay to download it, or wait for future installments in the promising new series.

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.