This is a very smart move, I think. A fair proportion of BSG’s fan base has grown out of DVD circulation, especially during the (agonizingly) long breaks between seasons (and half seasons). There will be another very long break between the end of BSG in a few weeks and the launch of the new series in 2010. The pilot episode is done now, so they might as well capitalize; with an early release on DVD, they are hoping fans will talk up the series over the next several months, making a built-in audience when the first episode launches.
There’s a little bit of advance word on Caprica. The script was leaked, and some fan sites have reported it’s very impressive (minor spoilers). Also, SciFi greenlighted the series on the strength of the pilot shot from that script, and a few people who have seen it say that as good as the script was, the actual show is even better. (Some additional links and discussion here.) The cast appears fairly strong: Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales, and Polly Walker (from HBO’s Rome) are the recognizable stars.
There’s an official promotional site here, but it doesn’t have much information yet.
I’m not a fan of BSG, and have never seen any episodes. But my brother and me were in Las Vegas walking through the mall that connects Mandalay Bay and the Luxor (I think). We were approached by someone asking if we would be willing to watch a TV program, blah, blah, blah.
A “few minutes” of our time translated into spending the next hour and a half watching a really terrible TV show. As we watched, we were supposed to press a green button when we were enjoying what we were watching, a red one when not. That red button got quite a work-out.
After the sucking stopped (nearly an hour later!), we answered an electronic questionnaire where we could explain why we thought it sucked, and in what ways. I took it as the opportunity to mention other non-dreadful SF programming like the new Doctor Who. In brief, I hated every character in this show and didn’t much care for the actors playing the characters. If I ever see an episode of it again, it will be far too soon. I didn’t know the BSG connection until the end when:
A traditional Cylon appeared, scanning red eye lights and everything.
So, there’s an HD version out there, but they’re not releasing a Blu Ray? WTF?
(that stands for What The Frak, by the way)
Anyways, really liked the pilot, but they could go a few different ways from there, some of which I would enjoy and some of which I wouldn’t. Morales and Stoltz were great.