It's common knowledge around these parts that I kneel at the altar of
Battlestar Galactica. Because of this, I admit to being skeptical when I first heard that a prequel series,
Caprica, was in the works, and that it would focus on the years leading up to the Cylon rebellion and the eventual fall of man.
From the beginning, Ronald Moore and David Eick pitched it as a family drama that just happens to be set on another planet. I wasn't sure what to make of this idea and I can't say that I was particularly excited about the whole thing -- until I finally sat down and watched the two-hour movie that acts as the show's pilot a couple of months ago.
It's astonishingly good. Better in some ways even than
Battlestar. The damn thing is honestly some of the best two hours of "television" (and I qualify that because the DVD version I watched included nudity and violence not shown on TV) I've seen in a very long time. It's must-see viewing for any fan of
BSG.
Now comes the series, which will initially be marketed through screenings at various national film festivals and via an already controversial ad campaign. Granted, it's only being called controversial because when
a sneak peek at the campaign was posted on iO9, some of the commenters went freaking ballistic.
What they're concerned about is an ad featuring Zoe -- the rebellious teenage girl whose mind and spirit become the very soul of the Cylon race -- assuming an "Eve" position and looking over her shoulder seductively while offering an apple. Granted on the show, Zoe is supposed to be a high school student (and the actress who plays her, Alessandra Torresani, is in reality 22), but at least one outraged commenter complains that "she looks like she's only
eight years old!" Now let's be honest: Any sort of controversy is good for a show's ratings. But the question is, is
this controversy justified?
In a week where we've seen
the arrest of Roman Polanski on a child rape conviction and
the removal of an infamous picture of a naked, 10-year-old Brooke Shields from a London museum, the debate over what constitutes the acceptable sexualization of youth -- and whether there even is such a thing -- is front and center in the public consciousness.
It's rare that I don't offer an opinion on a subject and just put it out there for open debate, but I'm doing it this time because I'm curious what the response will be.
So, is the
Caprica ad catnip for pedophiles or this a lot of felgercarb? (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
