Saving Caprica: A new avenue to try?

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