Stargate Universe: The First Four Episodes

Because Dollhouse is off for the next couple weeks while Fox shows us sci-fi nerds what for with their sports and stuff, I decided now would be a good time to take a look at Stargate: Universe. During its last two seasons, Stargate: SG1 was a guilty pleasure of mine. I originally started watching it for two reasons. First, it aired before Battlestar Galactica on Friday nights so I usually caught it as a kind of science fiction appetizer. Second, the show took on the two actors who played the principle human characters on Farscape and I am a shameless proselytizer of that wonderful little series. While I never really considered myself a true Stargate fan, I appreciated what the show tried to do with its never-too-serious tone and mostly episodic storytelling. I was not, however, so impressed with the first spin-off, Stargate: Atlantis. So, when the newly re-branded SyFy announced yet another series in the franchise, I decided to give it a shot, hoping it would provide something different from its predecessors. So, let's see Stargate: Universe has fared so far.

From what I can tell, SGU is an attempt to marry the dark, murky drama of Battlestar Galactica with the pure ratings power of SG1. However acclaimed it was, BSG had less than favorable viewership, especially in its last season. SG1, on the other hand, regularly drew in some of the network's highest numbers. It's too soon to say whether or not this formula works, but I'm actually rather enjoying the way SGU keeps itself from being too terribly serious.

This is not to say it doesn't stumble rather noticeably. The nadir of the first few episodes was definitely when Matthew Scott, or as I shall henceforth refer to him Hunky McCatholic, starts hallucinating his dead priest father figure in the middle of the alien desert. I really don't want SGU to play that game, especially not after how it turned out on BSG.

One thing that SGU has above other shows in the franchise is a really strong cast. Robert Carlyle is astounding as the frayed, temperamental Dr. Rush and Justin Louis brings a respectable stoicism to Lt. Young, the obligatory military commander role. David Blue also manages to keep Eli, the genius geek, from being just the comic relief.

The Stargate franchise has always been built for episodic storytelling but both of the previous series quickly got bogged down in increasingly incomprehensible wars with alien bad guys. In SGU, the enemy is time, food, air and social tension. Where SG1 always felt crowded and SGA relied on silly characters, SGU feels a lot more accessible. The conflicts arise organically from circumstance and the character interactions seem a lot more genuine than anything else with Stargate attached to it. There's certainly plenty of room in the premise to create a new problem each week, but the human element seems to be developing a decent pace over the course of the entire series.

One of the most interesting elements of SGU is the use of the communication stones to return some of the action to Earth. Allowing the castaways aboard the ancient ship Destiny to briefly interact with their loved ones back home simultaneously grants the series extra depth as well as a funereal tone. It may just be the best re-appropriation of a gimmicky MacGuffin in TV history.

With four episodes down (counting the premiere as two), the inhabitants of Destiny are slowly learning to work together and manage their environment. The sense of mystery and a general lack of control gives the show a unique tone, though undertones of that old Stargate feeling. Stargate: Universe is certainly worth watching, though I haven't decided whether or not to add it to TV World's coverage roster just yet.