10 Most Notorious Battlestar Galactica Urban Legends

10. Was Caprica Always Meant As A Spin-Off?

Caprica, a prequel set 58 years before the events of Battlestar Galactica, ran for one season in 2010 before being cancelled due to low ratings. It charts the creation of the first Cylons by humans, before the androids turned against them and very nearly wiped them out. Given the obvious connections, you could be forgiven for thinking that Caprica has never been envisioned as anything other than a loyal spin-off.

The truth however is more complex. In 2006, 24 screenwriter Remi Aubuchon was already working on a film about artificial intelligence for Universal - completely unaware of any plans for a BSG prequel series. While the film proposal was ultimately rejected, Universal put Aubuchon in contact with BSG showrunners Ronald D. Moore and David Eick, who had begun thinking about a wider BSG universe. A meeting between the three men resulted in the basic outline of a show.

Had that meeting not occurred, it is possible that what became Caprica would have been a show completely unrelated to BSG. As it was, Caprica ended up in 'development hell' following disagreements between the Sci-Fi Channel and Moore, before a two-hour pilot was finally greenlit in March 2008.