{"id":2157,"date":"2009-10-26T07:00:43","date_gmt":"2009-10-26T11:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onceuponageek.com\/?p=2157"},"modified":"2009-11-02T23:28:52","modified_gmt":"2009-11-03T03:28:52","slug":"stargate-universe-my-thoughts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/onceuponageek.com\/wordpress\/2009\/10\/26\/stargate-universe-my-thoughts\/","title":{"rendered":"Stargate Universe… my thoughts"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"After seeing three hours of Stargate Universe<\/em><\/a>, I’m very impressed.\u00a0 According to Wikipedia<\/a>, the “industry” (whoever they are) has dubbed Stargate Universe<\/em> as “dark and edgy”, a sentiment I would agree with.\u00a0 It’s a solid show and I’ll continue to watch.<\/p>\n

So far I’ve only seen the pilot and the first episode.\u00a0 After seeing just the pilot, I felt it was incomplete and I wasn’t totally vested in the series.\u00a0 While I enjoyed the concepts, it just didn’t feel right.\u00a0 I chalked it up to new series jitters, but wasn’t sure I’d be coming back for more.\u00a0 Then I watched the first episode. Now I would recommend any new viewers watch the pilot and the first episode together.\u00a0 The pilot is entitled “Air” Parts 1 & 2, the first episode is entitled “Air” part 3.\u00a0\u00a0 After seeing “Air” part 3 it all came together for me.\u00a0 Together it’s a complete story that encourages the viewer to come back for more.<\/p>\n

Being a self-respecting Geek, I simply have to find things to pick apart about the show.\u00a0 First, the show doesn’t feel like any previous Stargate <\/em>series.\u00a0 I jokingly refer to Stargate Universe<\/em> (SGU<\/em>) as “Stargate Galactica” with my friends.\u00a0 The series creators appear to be going for the high-drama, super-high-tension, claustrophobia, shaky-cam, and folksy music from the recent Battlestar Galactic <\/em>series.\u00a0 That isn’t a bad thing, it’s just a big departure for Stargate<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Second, I find it ironic that the Stargate <\/em>franchise has followed Star Trek’s<\/em> path pretty faithfully.\u00a0 Stargate SG1<\/em> = STNG (new planet each week); Stargate Atlantis<\/em> = DS9 (fixed location deep in space); and Stargate Universe<\/em> = Voyager (Lost in Space<\/em> formula).\u00a0 I guess that means the next Stargate <\/em>series will be a prequel.\u00a0 Maybe it will be about the Stargate program of the 1950s.\u00a0 Given the Lost in Space<\/em> aspect of SGU<\/em>, Dr Rush is totally Dr Smith.\u00a0 He’s also got some Gaius Baltar in him.\u00a0 I like to call him Dr. Gaius Smith.<\/p>\n

Third, while I like the character of Eli, it’s a little too obvious what he’s supposed to represent.\u00a0 He represents two things: (1) the humor of the previous Stargate <\/em>series, and (2) he’s supposed to be our geek-window into the show.\u00a0 My guess is that some producer thought us geeks wouldn’t associate well enough with the characters, so they added someone like us in the show for us to relate to.\u00a0 Again, I enjoy his character, but it feels a bit forced.<\/p>\n

Fourth, I find nearly all the characters on the show interesting, with the exception of Chloe.\u00a0 She doesn’t do anything for me and is already grating on my nerves.\u00a0 I’m usually pretty accepting of characters.\u00a0 I even find Lou Diamond Phillips character and the Dr Rush character interesting.\u00a0 Both are jerks and I wouldn’t want to hang with them in real life, but on the show they are fascinating characters to explore.\u00a0 Chloe… nothing, nada, zip.\u00a0 Hopefully she’ll become more interesting, or fall out an airlock.<\/p>\n

That’s really all the griping I’ve got.\u00a0 I really dig Colonel Young, the commanding officer.\u00a0 His willpower and presence is inspiring (and he looks like Stallone – cool!).\u00a0 I also like Lt. Johansen, the field medic.\u00a0 She’s tough and interesting.\u00a0 I think her character has lots of potential.\u00a0 The ship itself, Destiny, is really interesting and I look forward to learning more about it.<\/p>\n

In conclusion, I like the show and will watch more.\u00a0 I need to catch the two more recent episodes over on Hulu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This post began life as an e-mail to my friend, Ed<\/a>.\u00a0 Thanks Ed for inspiring this post!<\/em><\/p>\n

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