Comments about ‘Scott D. Pierce: 'Caprica' is not 'Battlestar Galactica'’

Pierce has missed the mark again. The issue is not that the stories of these two so-called shows are different, the issue is that both shows are tied together in their relentless promotion of gratuitous nudity, indiscriminate sex, and violence committed simply for the sake of violence. This represents everything that is wrong with the modern entertainment industry. Whereas the original version of this show promoted positive values such as honesty, loyalty, and respect for others, the modern versions promote dishonesty, greed, and every type of immorality. With modern Hollywood's constant promotion of these evils, it is no wonder that modern society is such a mess.

"Pierce has missed the mark again."

No, not really. Pierce actually comments on the story, and provides a little context for the "nudity, sex, and violence" that you singlemindedly focused on. (Incidentally, he mentions in this very article that what nudity was in the DVD version has been edited out of the pilot.) Yes, those elements you mention are generally used gratuitously in film and television - but there are also cases in which their use is justified, and non-gratuitous. I haven't seen either of the modern series, but by most accounts "Caprica" (and "Battlestar Galactica") is quite a lot more complex and intelligent and not quite as full of "violence for the sake of violence" and other gratuitousness as you claim it to be. And, for the record, depicting violence and "indiscriminate sex" doesn't always equal promotion of those things (though it certainly does in some cases.) Some people may choose not to watch based on those elements - and that's perfectly justified - but context is more important than you'd like to think.

Scott Pierce is the best reviewer I've read. I have watched Battlestar Galactica (both the old and new series) and Caprica on DVD. The early stuff was fun, but the new stuff is down right mind-blowing. Fantastic television. Intelligent, creative, inspiring, thought-provoking. The world is not black and white. Huge complicated messy world events are not easily put in little boxes of "good" or "bad." Battlestar was not afraid to explore the ideas that the modern world is tangled in. Most of what is on television is insipid and pointless. Battlestar, amazingly, defied the odds and stayed on long enough to tell one remarkable story.

Scott D. Pierce is the best local journalist we have. Seriously. I know he's writing about something as "trivial" as television but every column is full of honesty and candor and he doesn't pander to the reader at all, unlike virtually every other columnist in either paper.

I agree with the last two comments. Scott Pierce has great taste and know how to write a TV preview/review like no other. SyFy's Battlestar Galactica remains one of the best TV dramas ever made period. I'm encouraged by what Scott has to say about "Caprica." Hopefully the quality will be comparable.