The network formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel has now “officially” set the date for the first episode of Caprica to premiere on that network. According to the network that we shall now refer to as Syfy, that date is Jan. 22 and as we are big fans of the show around here, we could not be more enthusiastic.

However, in case you’re not quite as big a fan of the show as we are, here’s a little info by way of backstory. Caprica is a prequel to the award-winning Battlestar Galactica, which just concluded its fourth and final season on March 20. The Caprica storyline predates BSG by 58 years and leads up through the creation of the Cylons, the war and the near annihilation of the human race.

The two hour pilot, which was written by Ronald Moore and Remi Aubuchon and directed by Jeffrey Reiner, was completed last year, already aired on the network and has dropped on DVD. Syfy has ordered an additional 20 hours in addition to the pilot but its not known at the moment if they will split the order into two seasons.

Production on brand new episodes began July 15 in Vancouver. Caprica, which features Esai Morales, Eric Stoltz, Paula Malcomson and Polly Walker and is exec. produced by Ron Moore, David Eick and Jane Espenson, will air at 10/9C on Friday nights.

Writer and producer Jane Espenson has written, or co-written, episodes of some of the most popular and successful TV shows in recent memory. Getting her start on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Espenson also worked on hugely popular shows such as Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, Angel, and one of the most celebrated series ever on TV, Battlestar Galactica.

More recently, Espenson has written for Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse, wrote the BSG TV movie The Plan and she is now Executive Producer on the upcoming BSG prequel series Caprica. Recently, I had an opportunity to talk with Espenson about, among other things, The Plan, Caprica, Dollhouse budget cuts and the move to the internet from traditional media.

CHRIS ULLRICH: What can you tell us about The Plan? It supposedly shows Battlestar Galactica entirely from the Cylon perspective, correct?

JANE ESPENSON: Technically, that’s correct, but perhaps misleading. It shows events from the series from the POV of two very specific Cylons, not from the point of view of them as a group.

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Besides Marvel and DC, one of the biggest comic book companies around is Portland based Dark Horse Comics. With a diverse lineup of titles such as Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, Hellboy, B.P.R.D., Star Wars, Umbrella Academy and Solomon Grundy, and a lots of movie and TV tie-ins as well, the company is a major player.

Fortunately, Dark Horse is bringing pretty much everyone they work with to Comic-Con in San Diego next week so if you happen to be there and are a fan of one or more Dark Horse properties, you’ve got lots of opportunities to see and interact with your favorites.

Here’s all the info about Dark Horse’s plans from the official press release:

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