The first episode of Caprica, a new prequel spinoff of Battlestar Galactica is being released as a 2-hour direct to DVD movie. Its offical release date is April 21, but it has leaked on the internets, and I had a chance to watch it.

If you liked BSG, you'll probably like this show. They setting is different, and there's far less action in Caprica (though there is a very cool sequence with an early-model Cylon centurion), but it's a great way to see the BSG universe from a totally different perspective.

The first 20 minutes were a little heavy on WB-style teenage melodrama, but in the second half, once all the characters have been introduced, it really hits its stride.

My only disappointment is that I have to wait almost a year for the regular series to begin.

Oh, and since the pilot is going straight to DVD, unrated, it's pretty gory, and there's plenty of boobs. I assume that aspect will be toned down when it airs on TV, and I doubt the show will suffer at all for it. In fact, with most of those scenes, it seems like they were included just because they could be.