Yesterday we found out that comedian Patton Oswalt had joined the cast of the Battlestar Galactica prequel series, Caprica. Now comes word that another well-known name to the geek community will be joining the cast as well.

MTV News is reporting that Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel star James Marsters has officially joined the cast of the show, which is set to begin it’s first season (after the prequel movie, of course) in January of 2010. Marsters will play a character named Barnabus Greeley, a terrorist who’s having troubles distinguishing whether what he does is right, or horribly wrong.

Patton Oswalt is hitting on all cylinders lately, starting as a hilarious stand-up comedian who also appeared in multiple movie and TV comedies. He then went on to voice the culinarily inclined rodent Remy the rat in Disney/Pixar’s Ratatouille before showing off his dramatic chops in the upcoming Big Fan. Now, it’s being reported that Oswalt will add the science fiction genre to his resume, as the actor has joined the cast of Syfy’s Battlestar Galactica prequel series, Caprica.

Though this will be a whole new genre for Oswalt, his character will still be more fitted to his roots. The actor will play Baxter Sarno, who is a humorous talk show host on the planet Caprica. At some point in the show, Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) and Amanda Graystone (Paula Malcomson) will appear on Baxter Sarno’s show — likely to talk about their daughter and the remarkable breakthrough that Graystone has had. No word on exactly how extensive the role will be, but we do know that it will be more than just one episode, which means we’ll probably see Mr. Oswalt on a lot of TVs and billboards in the background.

Caprica, the prequel spin-off series of Battlestar Galactica, will have its share of “Easter eggs” and nods to BSG along the way but will ultimately stand on its own, according to creators Ronald D. Moore and David Eick at a San Diego Comic-Con panel.

Some of these “Easter eggs” would be using some of the same scenes found in Battlestar, such as the Opera House that appeared in President Rosalin’s visions of the final five Cylons.

“We’re not trying to give you Battlestar. I think it would be a shot of pain to do that,” Moore said, adding that the show would have its own roots.

“It is like Battlestar in the sense that the answers are never what you expect them to be… but there is more potential for mass appeal because this is Rome before the fall,” said Eick. “It’s much more like our modern world.”

Caprica
Directed by Jeffrey Reiner
Starring Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales, Alessandra Toreson, Paula Malcomson, Polly Walker, Sina Najafi, Magda Apanowicz
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Release Date: April 21, 2009

“Find those things in life that make you cry.
That make you feel.
Because they’re what make you human.”

What is it to follow one of the greatest shows ever created? That is the task given to Caprica, and it is not an easy one. The show, which is set to air its first season in 2010, is a prequel/spin-off of the now-completed Ronald D. Moore and David Eick brilliance that was Battlestar Galactica. But to ease the waiting period just a little itty bit, the first episode — in the form of a two-hour-ish long movie — has been released on DVD, and I have the ultimate geek honor of reviewing it.

Caprica takes place 58 years before the BSG storyline picks up. It’s much simpler, much more similar to our own time, aside from some sweet technologies (computerized tennis courts with robo-refs? Let’s get on that one, scientists!). The story follows two men, Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) and Joseph Adama (Esai Morales), who meet in the wake of severe tragedy involving their families. Daniel, being a super-genius who is working on artificial robot life forms for the military to use, discovers that his daughter Zoe (Alessandra Toreson) was actually a genius herself before the tragedy, and she developed an amazing replication program. Daniel, thinking that he’s found a way to bring back his and Joseph’s family, presents the idea to him. Joseph is appalled by the idea at first, but the offer is too tempting to refuse, so he finds himself in a battle with himself trying to decide what is right, and where the line is drawn. Ultimately, Daniel Graystone’s work lays the blueprint for Cybernetic Lifeform Nodes, or as we know them: Cylons.

A while back it was announced that we were still in for a new Battlestar Galactica prequel, called Caprica. Soon after that, we were made aware that Caprica was not a movie, but that it would be an entire season of the prequel show. We rejoiced.

Now I may be the only one who wasn’t aware of this, but we’re actually getting BOTH. On April 21, 2009, Caprica the movie prequel will be released on DVD, and then later on this summer, production on the TV series will begin! The only thing better than this would be news that they changed their mind about ending BSG.

This format is brilliant, as we the fans will be able to catch the movie and shout our thoughts and opinions out on this glorious Internet, where the show’s producers will then be able to take everything into consideration before moving forward on the series.

Now that we can take solace in the fact that we’ll be getting some Caprica and the other spin-off The Plan soon — allow us to share some information on the DVD along with some clips. Who doesn’t adore a good clip?

Click over for full synopsis and videos!