Zoe Graystone

Zoe Graystone is a fictional character portrayed by Alessandra Torresani in the Caprica television series. The character becomes the first Cylon created by Daniel Graystone. She is one of the primary characters in the series.

Development
An interviewer asked Alessandra Torresani, "Alessandra, do you see all these different versions of Zoe as different facets of the same character, or do you see them all as separate people?" The actress replied, "No, I see them as the same blank pallette, and they all have different colors to them. The original Zoe will always only be the original Zoe, the avatar will only be the avatar, and so forth. They're all the same basis, but they're all very different, in their own way....The avatar is based off of the Zoe original....They're all equally the same. It's hard to play the avatar when I'm in the robot because that's very weird. No one sees me except for my best friend, so it's hard to play that. You can't imagine being in a room and everyone talking about you, but no one knows that you're there when you're actually really there. When does that ever happen in life? So, that's not hard, but it's weird. It's definitely something different that I've never acted before....She is human, though. She has emotions and a personality. She's not just this droid that walks around....The original Zoe is relatable because she's a teenage brat who is fighting for her own voice to be heard. The avatar is not that easily relatable. It's like a newborn child that's discovering things for the first time. And then, the robot is not relatable to anyone. The only way it would be relatable was if you were living this fake, superficial life and inside you feel like a completely different person. I guess that's somewhat relatable, but it's hard to relate to a 15-year-old girl stuck in a robot's body, when no one knows she's there."

Initial Background
Zoe is the daughter of Daniel Graystone and Amanda Graystone. She lives in Caprica City with her parents. Attending Athena Academy with her friend and classmate Lacy Rand, she developed a romantic relationship with Ben Stark.

Soldier of the One
After spending time in the V-Club her boyfriend Ben Stark shows her that there is only one true god, and that she should join the Soldiers of the One. It is during this time that she starts work on a self-aware avatar of herself. Zoe, Ben, and Lacy try to transport the avatar Zoe to Gemenon. Lacy becomes frightened and refuses to go. After boarding the train with Joseph Adama's wife and child, Ben tells Zoe that the One True God's will is for him to blow up the train. Zoe, Ben, and Adama's wife and child are killed in the explosion.

The First Cylon
After Zoe dies, her friend Lacy goes to the Graystone house to try to find avatar Zoe. Using Zoes' Holoband she returns to the V-Club room where avatar Zoe is stored. She finds avatar Zoe covered in blood claiming that she felt Zoe die. The avatar knows that she is not a real person, but claims that she feels like one. Lacy is caught leaving the V-Club by Zoes' dad. Daniel uses Lacy to unknowningly help him capture Zoes' avatar. After being captured, the avatar is downloaded into a prototype robot body by Daniel, thus becoming the first Cylon.

Reception
Jenna Busch writes that "Allesandra Torresani absolutely commands the screen, going from petulant teenager to religious fanatic effortlessly. So much so that the pace of the show suffers when she isn't on screen.  Her chemistry with Eric Stoltz, who plays her father Daniel Graystone brings an almost palpable tension to the screen."