It's been a long wait to see whether SCI FI Channel would commit to the potential Battlestar Galactica prequel/spinoff Caprica. A two-hour pilot TV movie was shot for Caprica earlier this year, but what remained in question was whether it would air as a standalone movie or be the beginning of a continuing series. Now, fans know the Battlestar story will continue on past Galactica's end in March, as SCI FI announces Caprica is going to series.

SCI FI has announced a 20-episode first season for the series, which stars Eric Stoltz (Milk, Chicago Hope), Esai Morales (Jericho, NYPD Blue), Paula Malcomson (Deadwood, ER) and Golden Globe nominee Polly Walker (Cane, Rome).

Says SCI FI, "Set 50 years before Battlestar Galactica, Caprica follows two rival families – the Graystones and the Adamas – as they grow, compete, and thrive in the vibrant world of the 12 Colonies, a society recognizably close to our own. Enmeshed in the burgeoning technology of artificial intelligence and robotics that will eventually lead to the creation of the Cylons, the two houses go toe-to-toe blending action with corporate conspiracy and sexual politics. Caprica will deliver all of the passion, intrigue, political backbiting and family conflict in television's first science fiction family saga. Production on the series is slated to begin summer '09 in Vancouver for a 2010 premiere. Jeffrey Reiner (Friday Night Lights) directed the pilot."

As the series begins, a startling development is about to occur - the creation of the first cybernetic life-form node or "Cylon" – the ability to marry artificial intelligence with mechanical bodies. Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) – father of future Battlestar commander William Adama (Sina Najafi) – a renowned civil liberties lawyer, becomes an opponent of the experiments undertaken by the Graystones, led by Daniel Greystone (Eric Stoltz), owners of a large computer corporation that is spearheading the development of these living robots: the Cylons.

Caprica is executive produced by Battlestar Galactica's showrunner Ron Moore and David Eick and Remi Aubuchon (24). The pilot was co-written by Aubuchon and Moore.

This summer, I spoke to Ron Moore about Caprica and he told me the origins of the project, which date back several years.