'Caprica': Watch the premiere online

Syfy is giving its fans an early Christmas present: An extended version of the pilot episode for "Caprica" is available online, more than a month before the series officially premieres.

The cable channel has already released the "Battlestar Galactica" prequel's pilot on DVD, way back in April. Those who didn't pony up the money for it then can now see what they missed, along with some extra footage that probably won't make it into the first hour of the Jan. 22 premiere (the cut online runs about 52 minutes, a good deal longer than the 42-44 minutes for a typical episode of an ad-supported show).

"Caprica" is set 58 years before the events of "Battlestar" ("before the fall," as the show puts it) and will focus primarily on two families, the wealthy and powerful Graystones and the Adamas, an immigrant family from one of the other 12 colonies. Eric Stoltz stars as Daniel Graystone, a computer genius whose work will give rise to the Cylons and Esai Morales as Joseph Adama, a lawyer with mob ties and father to future Admiral William Adama (played here by Sina Najafi).

The pilot is streaming at Syfy.com.

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Photo credit: Syfy