When I first saw the pilot of Stargate Universe, I didn't have the reaction I'd had when I watched the first episodes of SG-1 and Atlantis. I fell in love with them from the first start. They were light-hearted fun and the characters sassy and heroic.
SGU offered dark sets. My aging eyes found it hard to adjust to it, especially as I watch more often than not on my computer. Not everyone in the family is such a sci-fi lover as I am. I don't hog the TV.
The characters were a bit reserved, with the exception of Dr. Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle) whose 'pure scientist' attitude revealed an in-your-face type Machiavellian ego-centric leader of the scientist cadre. Colonel Everett Young (Louis Ferreira a.k.a. Justin Louis in Amazon.com's IMDb)seemed like he could be heroic, but he was injured and reticent. The leader of the military took a back seat, hardly a Colonel/ General Jack O'Neill type, or Major/Colonel John Shepherd type. They jumped off the screen. Young receded into it.
Still his military leadership shone through and he looked the hero.Eli Wallace (David Blue) stole the show for me. His natural humor and brilliant mind that states the obvious, was the closest to Jack O'Neill that I grew to love. Never take oneself too seriously. LTS, was Richard Dean Anderson's phrase. Life's Too Short. He has the potential to be as funny as Rodney (David Hewlett) but he's taking it slow.
Chloe Armstrong (Elyse Levesque) is a beauty, but they didn't give her much of a role except to look pretty. Her father, Senator Alan Armstrong (Christopher McDonald) was much more heroic than anyone, although he started out a little full of himself.
I reserved judgment. I kept watching through the first half. "Justice" nearly made me quit. When they had Col. Young beat up Dr. Rush and leave him for dead on the deserted planet, I felt I was ready to pull out the old DVDs and watch SG-1 and Atlantis episodes for the hundredth time. Reading the blogs, it seemed that the writers and producers were listening to the anger of the fans.
One the the key things that the fans asked for was more spaceship battles and genuine aliens, not the blurry things of the first episodes.
The second half of the season has been much better. "Space" offered bona fide aliens in blue suits and greyish tones. They were an upgrade on the Aasgard alien and they wore clothing. The space battle was true Stargate franchise. Great CGI and fun encounters that border on near anihilation...until the last moment, when they are saved by the bell. It was a definite improvement. "Human" was a touching intro into Dr. Rush's mind and his past. "Faith" dealt with issues of 'faith vs. science' in a wonderfully thoughtful manner. I like the dribbles and drabbles of information that we are retrieving. There is not always time to extract it all or go back for it. The constraints give the story arcs a greater time.
I love that Daniel Jackson and Jack O'Neill visit. I'm looking forward to the Lucien Alliance antagonist, Robert Knepper in Season Two.
I wonder how they will deal with TJ and Alaina Huffman's pregnancy. Will she be killed off, like they did Frasier in SG-1 (I cried at that loss) and Beckett on Atlantis (come to think of it, I cried when he died, too)? The doc is always the one character that people love that they can kill without killing a primary character.
If so, who will take the place of the doctor? Will Chloe, who has been studying Dr. Jackson's works (How they get her reading his stuff, is amazing in itself. We know he's never been one to organize well.) be the one to take over? Will they incorporate a healing person extracted from an alien civilization like Teyla and Tealc' joined with the teams? It remains to be seen. I'll read up and check out the scuttlebutt around the water cooler. Anyway, here's a great CGI explosion for a space battle to leave you with.
Meanwhile, keep watching and have a starcrazed day.
Lyn
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Thanks to MGM.com and the Stargate photos.
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