Those of you following this blog know that I’m a big fan of Caprica, the prequel to my beloved Battlestar Galactica. If you’ve been reading, you also know that SyFy has canceled Caprica just as the drama and action were really ramping up and that I’m not very happy about it — and neither are scores of other fans. Some are downright angry and bitter, which is why it really surprised me to find a post from SyFy yesterday on the Caprica Facebook page promoting a sale on a Caprica-branded toaster.

Click the image to view the post and comments.

Not surprisingly, the post has netted a deluge of negative comments — most flavored with a heaping helping of disgust and seasoned with prolific use of the word “frak” and its contemporary counterpart. Many found the post/offer downright insulting and I’ll agree that it’s incredibly brazen to proposition passionate, upset fans to drop money for merchandise related to a beloved show that’s just been canceled — especially on the eve of the airing of the last episode (at least in Canada – lucky, Canucks!).

That said, I received an email from a reader of this site the other day who noted that it was DVD sales of Firefly that paved the way for Serenity, a feature-film continuation of the FOX-canceled series. That bit of information made me think that we, as fans, have the power to show SyFy our devotion for Caprica in a similar manner.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating on behalf of SyFy/NBC/Universal or any other corporate entity that benefits financially from Caprica merchandise sales. Nor am I asking people to spend money they don’t have or to give it to the network many of us feel has betrayed us and our favorite show and genre. But if you’ve got the money, have the desire to own some Caprica-related goodies, then maybe it’s something to consider given the Firefly/Serenity example.

For better or worse, money talks and SyFy is ultimately a business. By making such purchases, we’d be showing SyFy our willingness to put our money where our mouth is and spread the word to others who might be interested in the show, helping to build the audience ourselves. There’s no guarantee, of course, that we’d get a second season or even a wrap-up movie, but it is an avenue available for us to try.

To that end, I personally have purchased a Caprica t-shirt and will be picking up the DVDs during the holidays to show my support, not for SyFy or NBC/Universal, but for Caprica itself, and the creators, writers, cast and crew who’ve given us this visionary and ambitious series. It certainly deserves a better fate than it’s been given and I’m willing to help however I can and will talk to anyone who will listen about the amazingly intelligent and thought-provoking Caprica.

For those interested: The NBC/Universal Store for Caprica

Amazon.com has a sweet deal for the Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series on Blu-ray or DVD.

Today (11/30/2010) ONLY, you can save 60% on the regular price. Also, you can save an additional $8 when you buy either set along with Caprica: Season 1.0. Savings are reflected when you add both items to your cart and proceed to the checkout.

You can order by clicking the picture above or HERE.

I realize at this point that I may be too late in getting these ideas to you and the ship may have sailed, but I want to air them anyway in hopes there’s still a chance you’ll reconsider the cancellation of Caprica.

I humbly make the following suggestions to help keep the show on the air for at least another season (or a TV movie or two) to allow writers a chance to bring the story to conclusion:

A Friday night schedule

Caprica performed well on this night during the first half of its season so it stands to reason it would have a better chance to perform in this slot rather than Tuesday nights, competing against entrenched programming on the big four networks. At the very least, a broader release of schedule change information and more time between announcement and implementation of changes would be of big help to viewers.

No long hiatus splitting the season in half

Caprica is a serialized drama telling a story and would be better served with a continuous airing schedule versus splitting it up with a lengthy hiatus between halves — especially with it being a new series and while it is laying the groundwork for the action to come. There are too many details to remember over such a long time, rather like reading a book halfway through then setting it aside and trying to pick it up a year later. Memory’s bound to be sketchy, and if you’re wanting an audience to stick with the show, you want to make sure they don’t have to go back and “reread” before they can watch again. They may not can do that right away, and as much as we love our favorite TV shows, we do have jobs and families that vie for our time as well.

Virtual sets

How about virtual sets, like you plan to use with Blood and Chrome? This is bound to save some dollars to go toward other production costs.

Blu-ray release

I, for one, prefer this format — as do a lot, if not most sci-fi fans — for the sheer visual and audio quality. In fact, I’ve actually been waiting for Blu-ray to make the purchase for my video library, and would order tomorrow were they available. As it stands, I still ready to purchase the standard versions — even though I also have an iTunes Season Pass — if only to send you a message that people are behind this show.

Promotion via news outlets and during other popular shows on the network

I’m not exactly plugged into TV all the time, but I can honestly say I’ve seen little promotion of the show. It would be great to know that it was getting promoted as much as Ghost Hunters, especially since every day I’m seeing people who are just now hearing its been canceled.

Syndicate to global markets

If the online petition to save Caprica has no chance of swaying you, at least take a look at the number of countries tuning into the show. More than 50 are represented, and folks Down Under are only now seeing the first eps of the show. There’s a global audience for Caprica.

Consider sharing production costs with another network

This is a definite possibility considering the popularity of the show on Canada’s SPACE Channel, which will be airing the last of the final five episodes this week. It doesn’t hurt to entertain the possibility, does it?

Juggle funds

You might consider diverting some of the outlying profits from cheaper-to-produce series to fund critically acclaimed, original and intelligent series, like Caprica, until they get their feet under them. I’m sure most fans wouldn’t mind wrestling on the network or even reality shows if real science fiction series are given a chance to tell their story. It doesn’t have to be an either/or programming lineup, does it?