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23 Griffith L. Rev. 612 (2014)
'I Don't Feel like a Copy': Posthuman Legal Personhood and Caprica

handle is hein.journals/griffith23 and id is 614 raw text is: Griffith Law Review, 2014 I Routledge Vol. 23, No. 4, 612-633, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10383441.2014.1014454 F lor&Fran ciGroup 'I don't feel like a copy': posthuman legal personhood and Caprica Steven S. Kapica* English Department, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA What embodiment secures is not the distinction between male and female or between humans who can think and machines which cannot. Rather, embodiment makes clear that thought is a much broader cognitive function depending for its specificities on the embodied form enacting it. N. Katherine Hayles Synopsis Failed science fiction series Caprica (2009-2010) presents its audience with a skilfully articulated vision of a future civilisation grappling with redefining the human in the face of exponential technological advancement. The series serves as a robust text around which legal scholars can explore the jurisprudential problems inherent in authorising the posthuman: The contested existence of a free-thinking, independent avatar (Zoe Graystone) challenges humanist conceptions of person- hood and encourages rearticulation of a posthuman legal personhood. This article places Caprica in conversation with posthumanism and the law and proposes that Zoe Graystone's avatar exposes the problems inherent in contemporary construc- tions of legal personhood; furthermore, it highlights the impossibility of granting full subjectivity to a non-corporeal intelligence within the matrix of humanism. Introduction Battlestar Galactica (2003-2009) spin-off Caprica (2009-2010), cancelled after only one season, is a marvellous failure. Riding the critical and moderate commercial success of BSG, Caprica was charged with exploring the Galactica universe and mythos, with explaining the origins of Cylon technology and situating the cultural, religious, and political forces at play in the 2003-2009 BSG television series. Its wildly ambitious agenda -weaving together family drama, political intrigue, terrorism and religious fanaticism -was very likely the cause of its demise. While it attracted immediate attention from the rabid BSG fan base, it never matched the earlier show's ratings and failed to spark significant interest in but a small fraction of loyal BSG fans. The Syfy Channel's commitment to maintaining the property lasted less than a year and when the decision to cancel the show came down in October of 2010, the last five episodes, already completed with the anticipation of a second season, were pulled from the schedule and burned off in a marathon in January of 2011.1 *Email: s.kapica@neu.edu 'Syfy was originally launched as The Sci-Fi Channel on September 24, 1992 and is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. The name 'Syfy' was C 2015 Griffith University

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