Remember how Deep Space Nine was the game changer for the Star Trek series, taking the concept in a gritty, new direction? Stargate Universe sees that challenge and raises it. What a difference one measly chevron makes.
The best way to sum up Stargate Universe is the Bob Marley tune Buffalo Soldiers: “Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival”. For those that don’t speak rasta, understand that the plight of Stargate Universe is a gritty struggle wherein the winner gets to live another day. The heretofore unheard of ninth chevron dictates the shift of Stargate Universe. Previously in the Stargate universe, characters used eight chevrons to dial up a planet. In order to dial into this mysterious ninth chevron, the Stargate requires massive amounts of power. A team of scientists stationed off-world attempt to discern how to channel that planet’s energy into the Stargate to activate the ninth chevron not fully realizing exactly what’s on the other side. When the planet falls under attack, they use the gate as their means of escape and find themselves trapped aboard The Ancients’ ship Destiny. I’m sure back in the day this was quite the flagship, but it has fallen in disrepair over the many years of abandonment and our hodgepodge crew must think fast to acquire just the rudimentary necessities to live. So important are these little things we take for granted that episodes take on the necessity as a title such as Air, Water and Time. More after the jump.
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The series differs from the previous Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis in a couple ways. New additions include the Kinos, little floating ball cameras (think Phantasm, but not spikey) that are used to both explore and record personal messages. Also, because of the distance separating Destiny and Earth, the crew uses communication stones that shift a person’s consciousness across the vast reaches of space. This gives our crew a chance to walk Earth, albeit in someone else’s skin. It also gives Earth a glimpse into the lives of the Destiny’s crew. It also leads to a couple plays for power, specifically between Young and Telford, but we’re getting to characters.
Their situation is dire, but the crew is anything but. The character’s eyes through which the viewer relates to this ongoing tale are those of Eli Wallace (David Blue – Ugly Betty, Moonlight). He was unaware of Stargates and such, but found himself cracking the indecipherable code of a video game, drawing the attention of the government and earning a one-way ticket into the Stargate program. Eli sees the world through pop-culture colored glasses, but make no mistake, he’s an intellectual rivaling his boss Dr. Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle – Trainspotting, The Full Monty). Rush reminds me most of Lost in Space‘s Dr. Zachary Smith, a man of science who follows his own hidden agenda. It is hard to nail down Rush to any allegiances beyond himself and his motivation is revealed when we learn he wasn’t going to be on the mission team had it been under normal circumstances. Standing opposed to Rush is Colonel Everett Young (Louis Ferreira – 1-800 Missing, Hidden Hills). Young is a strong leader and able to stop being by-the-book enough to improvise for the welfare of his crew. Young’s right hand man is Lieutenant Matthew Scott (Brian J Smith). Scott is a total Boy Scout who has eyes on the US Senator’s beautiful daughter Chloe Armstrong (Elyse Levesque). Of course, so does Eli. There’s other romantic tension on the ship as the soldier with the most medical experience Tamara “TJ” Johansen (Alaina Huffman – Smallville, Painkiller Jane) shares a past with Young. Walking the fine line between helpful and loose cannon is soldier Ronald Greer (Jamil Walker Smith – Hey Arnold!, Waynehead). Working (over) the crew from back on Earth is Colonel David Telford (Lou Diamond Philips – Wolf Lake, Young Guns), who trusts neither Rush’s nor Young’s leadership. Every good space story needs their “company man” on the inside and in Stargate Universe that is International Oversight Advisory’s Camile Wray (Ming-Na – Vanished, ER) who just wants to get home… to her lady.
The first ten episodes included here ramp up to a delicious cliffhanger and probe all aspects of the human condition from unfettered ego to unrequited love. It’s hard to believe that Earth and Time could be from the same series as both are brilliant consecutive episodes with little more than the characters in common.
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Audio English 5.1 DTS HD, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, subtitles English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and French.
Disc 1:
On startup, Stargate Atlantis Seasons 1-5 and Stargate SG-1 Seasons 1-10 on DVD.
Destiny SML (Star Map and Log). By using the remote you access Destiny “log entries”. Fourteen production entries: Robert Carlyle, Louis Ferreria, Lou Diamond Phillips, Ming-Na, David Blue, A Brand New “Universe”, Designing Destiny, Inside Destiny, Stargate 101 presented by Dr. Daniel Jackson (The Stargate, The Goa’Uld, Hyperspace, The Ancients, Ascension, Lucian Alliance), Kawoosh! 2.0, Chatting with the Cast: Shooting on Destiny, Director’s Minutes: Andy Mikita (Air), No Day at the Beach (Air), White Sands, NM (Air).
Kino Video Diaries includes Kino 101 with Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper (explains what Kinos are in the SG:U U as well as how they’re used within both the episodes and the production) and six Kino entries with play all functionality.
Commentary on Air (parts 1&2) by Executive Producer Robert C. Cooper, Director Andy Mikita and VFX Supervisor Mark Savela.
Commentary on Air (extended version), Darkness and Light by Brian J. Smith, David Blue and Elyse Levesque.
Disc 2:
On startup: Stargate: The Ark of Truth, Stargate Continuum and Defying Gravity: The Complete First Season.
Destiny SML: Seventeen featurettes: Alaina Huffman, Brian J. Smith, Elyse Levesque, Jamil Walker Smith, Director’s Minutes: William Waring (Water), Falling Through Ice (Water), On the Ice (Water), Setting the [Alien] Mood (Water), Out On The Town (Earth), A Stunt in Tight Places (Earth), Director’s Minutes: Ernest R. Dickerson (Earth), Helmet-Cam 101 (Time), Shooting in the Rain (Time), Let It Rain (Time), Fight! (Justice), Future/Past: The New Stargate, A New Look for SG:U.
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Kino Video Diaries: Nine additional Kino-related video diaries.
Commentary on Water by Director William Waring and actors Louis Ferreira, Brian J. Smith and Elyse Levesque.
Commentary on Earth by Brian J. Smith, David Blue and Elyse Levesque.
Commentary on Time by Executive Producer Robert C. Cooper and David Blue.
Commentary on Life by Ming Na, Brian J. Smith and Louis Ferreira.
Commentary on Justice by Director William Waring, Louis Ferreira, Brian J. Smith, Elyse Levesque and Jamil Walker Smith.
FINAL WORD
The concept is straightforward: a ragtag mix of scientists and soldiers fight to stay alive on the outer edges of the universe. The execution, however, is exemplary. The writing and performances probe into the human condition which makes Stargate Universe a lot more than just another Stargate or even science fiction show for that matter.
Final Grade – A
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Finally someone without an agenda to bash Stargate Universe. Nicely done review I must say. It is a well done show.
Keep telling that history:
Read the novel, Rescue at Pine Ridge, “RaPR”, a great story of black military history…the first generation of Buffalo Soldiers.
How do you keep a people down? ‘Never' let them 'know' their history.
The 7th Cavalry got their butts in a sling again after the Little Big Horn Massacre, fourteen years later, the day after the Wounded Knee Massacre. If it wasn't for the 9th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers, there would of been a second massacre of the 7th Cavalry.
Read the novel, “Rescue at Pine Ridge”, 5 stars Amazon, Barnes & Noble and the youtube trailer commercial…and visit the website http://www.rescueatpineridge.com
I hope you’ll enjoy the novel. I wrote it from my mini-series movie of the same title, “RaPR” to keep my story alive. Hollywood has had a lot of strikes and doesn't like telling our stories…its been “his-story” of history all along…until now. The movie so far has attached, Bill Duke directing, Hill Harper, Glynn Turman and a host of other major actors in which we are in talks with…see imdb.com at; http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0925633/
When you get a chance, also please visit our Alpha Wolf Production website at; http://www.alphawolfprods.com and see our other productions, like Stagecoach Mary, the first Black Woman to deliver mail for Wells Fargo in Montana, in the 1890's, “spread the word”.
Peace.
finally this series is starting to rock -n- roll!!
absolutely brilliant show and you are completely correct, it has been a game changer in a DS9 sort of way, but even more so I'd wager!
I cannot wait to see Robert Carlyle back in action on SGU.
http://www.sciencefictionstuff.com
Here we see an author with an obvious, yet undisclosed, incentive to put a professional positive spin on SGU. Happens all the time.
FYI, Nico, a little more research on your part would have uncovered the fact that SEVEN chevrons dialed a location inside the current galaxy; in your parlance, 7 chevrons 'dialed a planet.' Eight chevrons extended the dialing to another galaxy.
Then again, this really isn't a show for true Sci Fi fans, much like Collider doesn't seem to be for true Sci Fi fans, so your misled and likely compensated glossy enthusiasm for SGU is understandable.
Here we see an author with an obvious, yet undisclosed, incentive to put a professional positive spin on SGU. Happens all the time.
FYI, Nico, a little more research on your part would have uncovered the fact that SEVEN chevrons dialed a location inside the current galaxy; in your parlance, 7 chevrons 'dialed a planet.' Eight chevrons extended the dialing to another galaxy.
Then again, this really isn't a show for true Sci Fi fans, much like Collider doesn't seem to be for true Sci Fi fans, so your misled and likely compensated glossy enthusiasm for SGU is understandable.
the BIG difference between SGU and Atlantis and what does it a LOT LESS fun to watch: Atlantis is a sci-fi story. SGU is 1/3 of a sci-fi story and the rest its just some bits of plots you can watch in a soap-opera. In fact, the so called “background stories” of the characters are just a way of filling up episode time. IF the story writers cannot find ideas to make full 40 minute episodes of true sci-fi… Well maybe they should drop the entire thing and just turn to writing soaps. It was about time for someone to say this.They had a excelent oportunity to make something new. A more dark and deep Stargate? OK… And what they came up with? A re-run of “Lost” crippled by constant “back to the past” scenes mixed with soap-opera crap. They just blow it. Throw everything down the gutter. They had the chance and the means to do something great and..and they blew it. Just go home.
Sir: I dont want to offend you in any way, but: you are not a sci-fi fan. You are a “Lost” fan, im more ways then one. And, when you wrote “absolutely brilliant show” about SGU, I am totally convinced that you were under the effect of some kind of allucinogenic substance. And not a very good one. Really.
P.S:: Or you are one of the plot-writers.
C'mon buddy, don't be a hater. I am not actually a 'Lost' fan at all. I have never actually seen one single episode. Many of my friends who love 'Lost' absolutely hate Sci Fi. Which is why I figured it will not be for me.
SGU is brilliant. But I don't think I would have liked it if I were in my early 20's. I do think that SGU is an absoutely brilliant show. It is miles ahead of all the other crap on TV and definitely a fresh approach to Sci Fi tv.
We can draw comparisons of SGU to other shows such as Voyager, but SGU has a hell of a lot more complex character interaction and development than many other shows, with the exception of BSG and B5 perhaps.
I do think however that this show is definitely for the mature sci fi fan and not just the die hard SG1 and Atlantis Fan.
(don't get me wrong, I am a fan of them all!)
I realise what you are saying. But I think you are wrong. This show has managed to mix contemporary drama into a Sci Fi backdrop and also use all the plot devices to ramp up said drama.
BSG had a great deal of dramatic character interaction, did you hate that too? I hope not.
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All is seemingly well; so far. You wells fargo bank locations arrive at your destination, usually happy to stand and stretch. You go inside and eat your meals; so far everything is going smooth and as planned.
I do like the fact that SGU is treated as a stand alone and not a spin off from previous SG Adventures. I do like the more realistic look and feel. The acting, the heightened realism in the drama. The lighting, and the fact that its mostly handheld camera work (ala Law & Order).
Whereas SG-1 was a direct decedent of the movie and seemed to pick up right were it left off then cleanly transitioned into SGA with a fascinating, and plausible story about ancient humans, feeding into the popular mythologies of “Ancient Astronauts”, SGU has a small group trapped on a ship with nothing. No brilliant scientists, except one (Rush), who is more sleezy & secretive than anything else.
Eli is brilliant but hardly has the credibility of McKay from SGA. Its basically a bunch of civil servant politicians and the military together on SGU.
It is starting to resemble Law & Order in one of my least favorite episodes called “Justice”. Not necessarily the creative direction I prefer to see this series go in as far as story telling goes. However kudos for the New Fresh look of the overall production.
-ted
It is a well done show, No Doubt. But I am just not taking to it like the other ones. At times I just think it gets too “DRIPPY” with the drama, and these scenes of characters playing through endless emotional dialog makes me scrub the timeline slider faster forward to get tot he point. I guess I am just used to the old formula followed by SG-1 and SGA. Both shows that I wish had the same kind of lighting and camera work that SGU does but without the melodrama.