Caprica City

A panoramic view of Caprica City, before the Fall.

Caprica City was the capital city of the planet Caprica and The Twelve Colonies of Kobol. The city was itself divided into a number of smaller districts and neighborhoods that are given placeholder names for easier reference.

History

Caprica City before the Fall...

...and after.

Caprica City - or "C-City" for short - was a major metropolitan area and the capital city of the planet Caprica before the integration of the Twelve Worlds under a single government. Following that integration, Caprica City was the home to the Twelve Colonies' government offices, including the Office of the President and those of his cabinet (TRS: Miniseries, Nights 1 & 2, "Epiphanies", "The Plan", CAP: "Pilot").

In the years leading up to the First Cylon War, Caprica City was a center of scientific discovery in which both holoband technology was created, as well as the first integration of the meta-cognitive processor (developed on Tauron) with Caprican U-87 Cyber Combat Units - ostensibly the birth of the Cylons. Throughout the Colonies and within the city itself, Caprica City was scorned by groups such as the Monotheist Church's Soldiers of the One for the decadence and moral decay demonstrated within in its limits and was targeted by terrorist attacks (CAP: "Pilot", "Gravedancing", "Know Thy Enemy", "End of Line", "Unvanquished", "Things We Lock Away", "False Labor").

In the Virtual world, Caprica City was the template for New Cap City, an illegally hacked game in which holoband users indulged in sex, drugs and gangster-style violence. New Cap City perfectly duplicated Caprica City, even integrating current events into its matrix, though with a gritty, noir stylization (CAP: "There is Another Sky").

During the second Cylon attack, Caprica City was hit by a 50 megaton nuclear detonation as well as multiple independently targeted missiles launched from orbiting Cylon baseships. The result was the near total destruction of Caprica City (TRS: Miniseries, Night 1, "The Plan").

Geography

The planet Gemenon seen from downtown Caprica City.

Before the Fall, Caprica City was a thriving urban center; home to trade, industry, entertainment, and Colonial Military installations and spaceports. The city was located between the Caprican Bay and a range of hills, covering a wide expanse of land, divided by a number of waterways (TRS: Miniseries, Night 1, "Daybreak, Part I", "The Plan", CAP: "Pilot", "Rebirth", "Know Thy Enemy", "End of Line").

The skyline of Caprica City was distinguished by a number of immense skyscrapers, with ultramodern glass and metal architecture intermingled with older, brick and stone buildings. The city was also populated by a number of statues bearing the likenesses of the Lords of Kobol (TRS: Miniseries, Night 1, "Daybreak, Parts I & II", "The Plan", CAP: "Pilot", "Gravedancing").

At night, the city was illuminated by hundreds of neon lights and animated billboards. During optimal conditions, Caprica's twin world, Gemenon, could be seen from within the city limits from the naked eye (TRS: Miniseries, Night 1, "Daybreak, Parts I & II", "The Plan", CAP: "Pilot", "Know Thy Enemy", "The Imperfections of Memory", "Retribution").

• Various locales and weather conditions in Caprica City, before its destruction by the Cylons.

Landmarks

Parks & Recreation

Caprica City featured many municipal parks as well as shopping promenades and a large, worlds famous pyramid stadium.

Apollo Park

Main article: Apollo Park

Apollo Park during the Maglev memorial ceremony.

Among Caprica City's most prominent locales was Apollo Park, a sprawling recreation area located above street level. Essentially a large amphitheater with cafes, landscaped with trees and a grassy area. Apollo Park was also distinguished by a large statue of the God Apollo (CAP: "Rebirth").

Fifty-eight years before the Fall of the Twelve Colonies, Apollo park hosted the memorial service for the victims of the bombing of MLMT train #23 (CAP: "Rebirth").

Apollo Park was shot on location at the Jack Poole Plaza atop the Vancouver Convention Centre [1], the location was augmented by a digital matte painting and set extensions. Photos of the set and filming of scenes for "Rebirth" appeared on the photo sharing website Flickr in July, 2009 [2].

Atlas Arena

Main article: Atlas Arena

Atlas Arena during game time.

Atlas Arena was the home court of the Caprica City Buccaneers pyramid team. Owned by wealthy industrialist Daniel Graystone, the statdium hosted teams from many of the Twelve Worlds, including the Gemenon Twins and the Tauron Bulls, as well as the Pyramid Worlds Championships games. Able to accommodate more than 30,000 fans, Atlas Arena stood in downtown Caprica City - along one of its waterways - and featured a large statue of Atlas himself (CAP: "Pilot", "Rebirth", "Unvanquished").

According to BSG and Caprica visual effects supervisor Doug Drexler, Atlas Arena was based upon the architectural designs of Santiago Calatrava, "We decided that it’s architectural inspiration would come from renowned architect Calatrava. This ties nicely to the the Cylon Resurrection Ship from BSG, also Calatrava inspired. Atlas stadium was built by modeling maestro Pierre Drolet." [3]

Atlas Arena in the pilot episode of Caprica was shot at the General Motors Place in downtown Vancouver, home rink of the Vancouver Canucks. These scenes were later reshot on the Caprica sound stages for the aired version of the episode and all other subsequent episodes featuring Atlas Arena.

The Riverwalk

One of the most prominent sections of Caprica City before the Fall was the Riverwalk section - a beautiful open-air bazaar distinguished by a landscaped park with large reflecting pools and fountains. Many from within Caprican society converged on the Riverwalk section for its various vendors and amenities, from laborers to businessmen and even the rich and famous Doctor Gaius Baltar, who visited the area with then undercover Cylon agent "Caprica-Six" shortly before the Fall (TRS: "Miniseries", "Epiphanies"). Due to its proximity to Colonial Government offices and her own home, Secretary of Education (and future President of the Colonies) Laura Roslin also visited the area (TRS: "Epiphanies", "Daybreak, Part I"). It was here, however, that final plans were set into motion by "Caprica-Six" and her contact within the Cylon government, a One, that would eventually lead to the destruction of the Twelve Worlds (TRS: "The Plan").

The Riverwalk complex and garden is actually the campus of Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.

Industry

Graystone Industries Campus

Main article: Graystone Industries

The campus and headquarters of Graystone Industries.

Located near the waterfront of Caprica City was the sprawling campus of Graystone Industries, the Caprica-based technology company owned by industrialist, scientist, and former owner of the Caprica Buccaneers, Daniel Graystone (CAP: "Pilot", "Unvanquished"). Graystone industries housed various labs, offices and testing facilities where the technologies of the company - including simple servant robots, complex Cyber Combat Units and the sophisticated Holoband technology - were pioneered (CAP: "Pilot"). The Graystone Industries complex was surrounded by a perimeter fence and security posts to prevent potential break-ins and boasted a high-tech internal security system. Unfortunately, these safety systems failed when a malfunctioning Cylon prototype managed to escape Graystone Industries by ramming one of the company's vans through a locked gate (CAP: "End of Line"). Some time after the security breach, the complex served as the fabrication site of Graystone Industries' (under new owner Tomas Vergis) 100,000 Cyber Combat Units (CAP: "Unvanquished").

The unaired "extended" version of the Caprica pilot episode featured an entirely different matte painting of Graystone Industries, depicting the installation as a much smaller location apparently some distance from downtown Caprica City. A new, expanded version of the complex was created for the aired version, situating Graystone Industries among the skyscrapers of the city.

Neighborhoods

Little Tauron

Main article: Little Tauron

Little Tauron located in Downtown Caprica City.

Among Caprica City's more diverse locations was Little Tauron, an ethnic enclave home to a sizable population of Tauron immigrants. Within the neighborhood, residents often spoke the Tauron language and owned and operated shops catering to Tauron cultural needs, including grocery stores, butchers and printing shops (CAP: "Pilot", "Rebirth", "The Imperfections of Memory"). Despite the family residences and peace of the neighborhood, members of the Ha'la'tha crime syndicate were widely known operate in relative comfort within the confines of Little Tauron, walking the streets with near impunity and operating out of the back room of Connie's Place restaurant (CAP: "Rebirth", "The Reins of a Waterfall"). Prior to the first Cylon War, Little Tauron was home to Joseph Adama where he resided with his young son, future Battlestar Galactica commander William Adama. The area was considered "downtown" Caprica City (CAP: "Pilot").

Little Tauron featured a very prominent visual reference to the real world with the famous Pike Place Market sign from Seattle, Washington appearing in the digital matte painting of the location. [4] In the pilot episode of Caprica, Joseph Adama's Little Tauron apartment was shot in Vancouver's Waterfall Building, the same location used for Kara Thrace's Delphi apartment building, though in subsequent episodes, the apartment was a sound stage set.

Residential Areas

The luxurious Graystone Estate.

Like any major metropolitan area, Caprica City provided a wealth of residential areas of varying economy for its citizens, from high density suburban housing to luxurious seaside and lakeside homes (TRS: Miniseries, "Daybreak, Part I", CAP: "Pilot", "Rebirth", "The Reins of a Waterfall"). Away from the urban sprawl and skyscrapers of downtown Caprica, families lived in tract housing and middle-class neighborhoods, with trash pickup provided by the city (CAP: "Rebirth").

Some of the most lavish homes in Caprica City belonged to the brightest minds of Caprican society, the seaside estate of Doctors Daniel and Amanda Graystone being among the most opulent of its time - featuring a tennis court, multiple bedrooms, a robotic butler named Serge, and a private lab where Graystone conducted Defense Department work on the premises (CAP: "Pilot").

Schools in the area included Athena Academy, a private institute devoted to the teachings of the Goddess Athena as wells public schools like Wilson Elementary School, Promethia High School and Apollo University (CAP: "Pilot", "Rebirth").

Entertainment

Caprica City boasted nightlife as well.

Caprica City boasted a number of attractions for tourists and residents. Among them were Pyramid games at Atlas Arena, the city's many parks and gardens, as well as the Caprica City Museum of Contemporary Art (CAP: "The Imperfections of Memory"). Museums within the city also displayed unique artifacts from Kobol (CAP: "Know Thy Enemy").

Nightlife in Caprica City offered adult entertainment in the form of elaborate strip clubs and bars like Skybar (TRS: "Daybreak, Part II", "False Labor"). Hot spots like the Dive Bar also catered to residents seeking recreation in the form of chemical substances, serving as a bar and opium den (CAP: "Rebirth", "The Imperfections of Memory").

In the Virtual World, Caprica City was represented by a darker, more subversive counterpart, New Cap City - an action adventure game accessible through illegal holoband hacks (CAP: "There Is Another Sky").

Government

Caprica City Hall.

Global Defense Dept., Caprica City Bureau.

Following the first Cylon War, Caprica City was home to the Government of the Twelve Worlds, with the offices of the President, Richard Adar, and his cabinet just a short walk from the city's Riverwalk section (TRS: Miniseries, "Epiphanies"). Military installations were also present in Caprica City, including spaceports shuttling Colonial officers to various points in the Twelve Worlds including the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards (TRS: "Razor"). The Colonial Defense Mainframe was also accessible from government buildings within Caprica City (TRS: "Six Degrees of Separation", "Epiphanies"). Caprica City Police was charged with keeping the city safe, with patrolmen on the streets in the Riverwalk and Little Tauron sections as well as stations all over the city - including one on Gore Street near Caprica City's harbor (TRS: "Daybreak, Part I", CAP: "Rebirth").

Before being elected President of the Colonies, Richard Adar was Mayor of Caprica City (TRS: Miniseries, "Daybreak, Part I").

Prior to the initial Cylon conflict, Caprica's Global Defense Department held a Caprica City bureau and the Caprican Defense Department held offices for former Defense Minister Val Chambers and his successor Joan Leyte (CAP: "The Reins of a Waterfall", "Pilot"). Caprica City Hall was located downtown (CAP: "Pilot)".

The Vancouver Public Library stood in for the Caprica City Hall exterior in the pilot episode of Caprica, though an establishing shot in the aired version showed a computer-generated vista. The interior was shot at Simon Fraser University. [5]

Transportation

Main article: Metropolitan Levitation Mass Transit

The Maglev train speeds through Caprica City.

Mass transit in Caprica City before the Fall was carried out a number of ways including city buses, taxi cabs and the Metropolitan Levitation Mass Transit system, or MLMT train (CAP: "Pilot", "Ghosts in the Machine"). Operating both below ground and on elevated platforms, the MagLev train provided public transport to destinations all over Caprica City, including Atlas Arena and the city's spaceports (CAP: "Pilot", "Unvanquished"). 58 years before the Fall, MLMT train number 23 was the target of fanatical monotheist terror group Soldiers of the One in a devastating bombing. In the days following the tragic event, a Memorial Walk was created, dedicated to those who lost their lives aboard the train and the system was eventually rebuilt (CAP: "Rebirth", "The Imperfections of Memory").

The MLMT train station appearing in the Caprica pilot was in reality the Granville Station, an underground SkyTrain station in Vancouver. [6] For the production, Vancouver signage was changed to represent Caprica and the SkyTrain itself was replaced with a digital model, though an H&M advertisement managed to sneak into the scene. [7]

Sea-going and space-going vessels docked at Caprica's harbor.

Carpica's waterways were also traveled, with ships and ferries crossing the Caprican Bay and landing at the city's docks which provided harbor for both ocean-going vessels and their space-going counterparts (including Colonial Heavy liners). The Pantheon Bridge also provided transit across the Caprican Bay as well as providing vehicle access to the Caprica Inter-Colonial Spaceport which offered off-world flights to locations such as Gemenon, Picon, and Tauron (CAP: "End of Line", "Retribution").

The Pantheon Bridge was in reality the Burrard Bridge in Vancouver. The Caprica Inter-Colonial Spaceport was filmed at Simon Fraser University in Surrey. [8]

Caprica City also maintained expressways, though they were sometimes prone to congestion (CAP: "Gravedancing").

Notes

The original look of Caprica City from the Miniseries.

The retconned appearance for "Daybreak, Part II" and Caprica.

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada stands in for Caprica City throughout Battlestar Galactica and Caprica, augmented by set dressings and digital matte paintings and set extensions. For its initial appearance in the 2003 Miniseries, Caprica was created as a series of computer-generated establishing shots by Zoic Studios; these establishing shots were later reused throughout the series, most prominently in "Epiphanies" and "Razor". For the series finale, however, a new digital model of Caprica City was unveiled, featuring far more detailed vistas that more closely matched the Vancouver practical locations. This new model, appearing in "Daybreak, Part I" and "Daybreak, Part II" as well as "The Plan" and finally throughout Caprica, serves as a sort of retcon for the previous incarnation of the city.

According to Caprica location scouts Anand Kanna and Scott Firth, "Vancouver is a very modern city - lots of sea-foam glass and steel and high-rises. And that's the scope of what the planet Caprica is. It's a forward-thinking society and very modern... In Vancouver, there's an area called Coal Harbour, which is very modern. That was perfect for establishing Caprica City itself, the steel and glass look of downtown Caprica and its really modern-looking buildings. And then there's another area of town in the series, and it's called Little Tauron, which is a little bit backwards. It's more of the run-down, '40s feel. So we would go to Chinatown for that." [9]