Stargate Universe, “A very different kind of show?”
More news about the “feel” of Stargate Universe. I cannot tell you how nervous I am about the premiere of this show. On the one hand, I’m very excited to see the universe expand and for Stargate to keep going. On the other, I worry about the stark differences I’ve been hearing about in the news between this Stargate and previous Stargate series.
I wrote “Will Stargate Universe stay true to Stargate as we know it?” a while back and in it I quoted Joseph Mallozzi as saying “there will still be plenty of opportunities for humor and the series will be firmly rooted in established Stargate mythology.” That humor is essential to my enjoyment of the series.
I love science fiction, but I have a pattern of abandoning shows that don’t show a lighthearted side often enough to keep the show from being a dark morass of emotion and anxiety (The Sarah Conner Chronicles, Deep Space Nine).
Battlestar Galactica is one of the few dramatic sci-fi series that has ever held my attention to the end, and likely the only reason I stayed with it was because of the overly long breaks and the knowledge that it had a set end date coming up at the end of season four.
Here are what I consider the most important parts about Stargate Universe from a recent interview with Michael Shanks posted by Sci Fi Wire. If you’re interested in more that just the bits about SGU, follow the link to read the entire interview.
…it’s obviously a very different show than the previous Stargates. There are some darker elements to it. It’s visually stunning. Great cast. And I really look forward not only to seeing it [completed, with finished visual effects], but also the audience’s reaction to it. It’s not your father’s Stargate. It’s a very different kind of show. “It won’t be quiet on the bulletin boards” is the best way to put it.
Followed by the news that Shanks has a cameo in the two-hour premiere in October on SCI FI.
It’s a cameo. It’s a popping in, popping out kind of thing. They’ve got a lot of cast that they definitely need to facilitate. Certainly the Stargate audience knows my character and Richard’s character and Amanda’s character and the others that show up very well. So they have to spend some time developing their world and fleshing out their characters. So I’m just a face.
He (Daniel Jackson) apparently won’t be back in season one of SGU, but I don’t see how that would work out anyway. If the ship does as all reports indicate, there’ll be no opportunity for beloved characters to appear in the series, unless they’re on Earth, while the new crew is not.
Do you think it would be a good idea to find a way to work in beloved characters from previous Stargate series into Stargate Universe?
May 15th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Well if you don’t mind spoilers
They are planning on having the Ancients communication seen in episodes like origin the body swap will be a large part of the show allowing for earth based episodes, which then gives some old faces the chances to appear.
May 15th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
The body swap could be really interesting. That device is able to cover enormous distances, isn’t it? I actually love those kinds of episodes. Origin was one of my favorites of the later seasons.
May 16th, 2009 at 5:23 am
Yeah i believe that the first earth based episodes is going to be earth. Lou diamonds philips character is going to be the main character who is left behind who will the body swap thing to almost inspect the ship.
May 27th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
I just hope there wont be too much drama in SGU (Battlestar Galactica was gay… no offence). I would love to see Daniel in the new series, I really hope the directors gonna make something special for this new series and avoid boaring dead end story lines such as ‘Michael’…
October 3rd, 2009 at 11:39 am
Being a huge fan of SG-1 and Atlantis, I was very disappointed with the pilot for Universe. There were too many characters popping in and out, and I was distracted by the camera movement. It seemed like I was watching a home video. The characters in SG-1 and Atlantis were dynamic, commanding attention just by being in a scene. In Universe, the characters were lost, especially with the camera jerking, flashing back and forth and trying to zoom in on faces. The first show reminded me of Battlestar Gallactica – and why I didn’t watch it. It also reminded me of a video game – and why I don’t play them. The sex scene was completely unnecessary and did nothing to contribute to any story line. You can have romance without being crass. I didn’t enjoy that part, and I certainly didn’t like having my daughter watch it.
I hope it improves as the season goes along, with more humor and more character development. I’m very sad that Atlantis was cancelled for this.
October 3rd, 2009 at 8:23 pm
I agree on many points. As soon as I finish getting over the flu I’m going to write up something about my own thoughts. There were definite issues with the show that I didn’t find compelling as a Stargate “universe” series. My major issue with it was the lack of likable characters. I’m not sure who I like, if anyone. Didn’t care for Greer, Eli was wishy-washy, and frankly none of the other characters stood out very much from the others. Chloe seemed OTT in a silly way, which is hard to explain considering her situation. Still, things are early and getting to know these characters is supposed to be part of the fun. I can only hope there with be a little more lightness ahead. I enjoyed BSG, but I didn’t find it very watchable on a week to week basis. I would hate to have to say the same for Stargate Universe. The good news is that Dollhouse is shaping up to be very watchable this season and if you haven’t checked it out you might want to consider it. :) Not that it’s a replacement for the missing Stargates! Stargate SG-1 remains my one-true-love SFF tv show!
November 22nd, 2009 at 8:04 am
I am a big fan of SG-1 and Atlantis. but this show up to E-9 is not Stargate related. you can say it is LOST or any other show but for sure it is not Stargate. There is no Sci-fiction on it except the introduction of the show when it says ” it is an inceint ship”. The sex scene is to much in this type of shows, I can’t watch it with my kids. in the end I think the writers lost it and they don’t know what they are writing any more, it is just cheap soap drama show.
December 1st, 2009 at 3:01 pm
I NEVER thought that I would turn off a Stargate program. But this SG-U is the worst. BattleStar was a cheap Space Soap and now Stargate has fallen to the BS-G level trying to do “drama” and producing a mid afternoon soap that does nothing to further the Stargate brand. PLEASE kill the turkey before it kills Stargate!