Syfy Orders ‘Krypton’ To Pilot, Part of My Soul Dies a Little

So for the last couple of years, David Goyer has been trying to get a television series called Krypton off the ground. The show would take place on the birth planet of Superman and Supergirl, but a couple generations prior to it exploding into green fiery chunks.

The show would follow members of the House of El (y’know – the previously mentioned Super-family), which has to pull itself out of disgrace and rise to power. You know, before the planet explodes and the last few refugees go off and find Earth.

…does this sound like Caprica to anyone else? I can’t be the only one who thinks this sounds like Caprica.

Well after sitting on the concept for quite some time, Syfy has finally chosen to bite the bullet, ordering a pilot for the show.

Ugh.

Look, I’m going to level with you guys for a minute: I hate this so much I can’t even begin to describe it. Prequels like this are rarely good – Caprica (the prequel series to the rebooted Battlestar Galactica) was passable, but I could never get into it because I knew the whole place was going to burn in nuclear fire. I mean, that’s literally how every version of Battlestar Galactica starts.

Likewise, it’s hard for me to care about some existential threat to Kryptonian society, because I will always know while watching this series that Krypton is going to explode.

Prequels only work if you know that at least a good number of the cast have at least the possibility of an open ending. I mean, I don’t particularly like Gotham, but as a concept it works because even in the current part of the timeline the damned city exists. Our main character on that show is very much alive in most versions of the continuity.

To stick with the Man of Steel, Smallville likewise genuinely worked as a prequel because adult Clark Kent still goes back and visits every once and a while in later set stories.

While I have no problem watching a prequel film, that’s only investing a few hours into a doomed cast. Don’t ask me to invest thirteen hours into a full season of this kind of thing. It’s just not something that I ever feel like I can build any connection with. I’d honestly rather see Syfy invest in a current DC property or just do something original.

Krypton hinges on the eventual destruction of Krypton… and that’s just not good television.

Anywho, Damian Kindler is executive producing the pilot, and Colm McCarthy is directing. David Goyer and Ian Goldberg co-wrote the original draft of the pilot, and a version of that is likely to be used.

But Syfy, I’m begging you — don’t let this thing go any further.

Via /FILM