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Brikar · 10-10-2009, 05:47 PM

The jury's still out on this newest entry in the franchise. The producers have said that this was going to be a very different show than SG-1 and Atlantis, but still very much 'Stargate'. From what I've seen so far, that's mostly true. The show still features the gate, and a team traveling to different worlds.

There are other aspects that are familiar: the jokey character, the scientist, the device sent through the gate to determine what's on the other side before the team will risk it. Ships fly through hyperspace, transporters, etc.

The elements are moved around, given new window dressings (much like it was on Atlantis, where everything from SG-1 was doubled and given a new name) but it's all very familiar.

Where do things differ, then? The characters, although built from the same archetypes, are very different. As we're repeatedly told, these are not the people that are supposed to be on that mission. As a result, a lot of them are unprepared for what's going on; they're anxious, unqualified, and a lot of them don't like each other. There's the beginnings of a brewing power struggle between Colonel Young and Dr Rush, a possible love triangle with Eli, Scott and Chloe and a whole lot of weirdness elsewhere.

The tone and pacing of the show are much different, as well. This three hour premiere features far less action and adventure than shows past. In fact, the only major action sequence at all in the premiere is the Lucian Alliance attack that sets things off. Other than that, the show focuses entirely on tension regarding the ship's life support system and character drama. As a result, the show has a slower pace.

In terms of tone, the show is far less jokey than previous Gate shows, as well. The only humor here comes from the nerdy Eli character, who, frankly, grows a little stale by the end of the the third hour. He starts out fine enough, but in hour three seems almost solely to be there to make "Planet of the Apes" jokes. Hopefully they'll manage to find a balance for him.

Another difference is the lack of a main 'villain'. Whereas SG-1 and Atlantis right off the bat were pushing long-term enemies in the Goa'uld and Wraith, Universe instead goes for setting up a mystery: Where is the ship going? What secrets does it hold? Where will they end up next? Exactly how smart is the ship's computer? At this point, the show seems more to resemble "Lost" than "Stargate" in that respect.

The other intriguing twist is that the cast ISN'T cut off from Earth, as Atlantis was in its first season. Through the use of the Ancient communication stones, the survivors of Icarus base are able to communicate with the SGC and others on Earth, which opens the show up to some new possibilities. Chloe gets a good scene where she visits her mother, and has to tell her that her father is dead. Colonel Young gets to visit General O'Neill. Also good is that it allows the Earth-bound characters to visit the Destiny, as well, which has the potential to change up the character dynamics on the ship in interesting ways.

But there's the key word - 'potential'. Universe is off to a decent start. There's a lot of setup here, but not too much else. With a slower pace, different tone (and radically different production design - this is by far the darkest and slickest 'Stargate' production yet) Universe has a lot of potential to grow into something really fun and involving. But we'll have to take much more of a 'wait and see' approach to it than previous shows.

10-10-2009, 05:47 PM	#1 (permalink)
Brikar The Dude Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 3,606	'Stargate Universe' The jury's still out on this newest entry in the franchise. The producers have said that this was going to be a very different show than SG-1 and Atlantis, but still very much 'Stargate'. From what I've seen so far, that's mostly true. The show still features the gate, and a team traveling to different worlds. There are other aspects that are familiar: the jokey character, the scientist, the device sent through the gate to determine what's on the other side before the team will risk it. Ships fly through hyperspace, transporters, etc. The elements are moved around, given new window dressings (much like it was on Atlantis, where everything from SG-1 was doubled and given a new name) but it's all very familiar. Where do things differ, then? The characters, although built from the same archetypes, are very different. As we're repeatedly told, these are not the people that are supposed to be on that mission. As a result, a lot of them are unprepared for what's going on; they're anxious, unqualified, and a lot of them don't like each other. There's the beginnings of a brewing power struggle between Colonel Young and Dr Rush, a possible love triangle with Eli, Scott and Chloe and a whole lot of weirdness elsewhere. The tone and pacing of the show are much different, as well. This three hour premiere features far less action and adventure than shows past. In fact, the only major action sequence at all in the premiere is the Lucian Alliance attack that sets things off. Other than that, the show focuses entirely on tension regarding the ship's life support system and character drama. As a result, the show has a slower pace. In terms of tone, the show is far less jokey than previous Gate shows, as well. The only humor here comes from the nerdy Eli character, who, frankly, grows a little stale by the end of the the third hour. He starts out fine enough, but in hour three seems almost solely to be there to make "Planet of the Apes" jokes. Hopefully they'll manage to find a balance for him. Another difference is the lack of a main 'villain'. Whereas SG-1 and Atlantis right off the bat were pushing long-term enemies in the Goa'uld and Wraith, Universe instead goes for setting up a mystery: Where is the ship going? What secrets does it hold? Where will they end up next? Exactly how smart is the ship's computer? At this point, the show seems more to resemble "Lost" than "Stargate" in that respect. The other intriguing twist is that the cast ISN'T cut off from Earth, as Atlantis was in its first season. Through the use of the Ancient communication stones, the survivors of Icarus base are able to communicate with the SGC and others on Earth, which opens the show up to some new possibilities. Chloe gets a good scene where she visits her mother, and has to tell her that her father is dead. Colonel Young gets to visit General O'Neill. Also good is that it allows the Earth-bound characters to visit the Destiny, as well, which has the potential to change up the character dynamics on the ship in interesting ways. But there's the key word - 'potential'. Universe is off to a decent start. There's a lot of setup here, but not too much else. With a slower pace, different tone (and radically different production design - this is by far the darkest and slickest 'Stargate' production yet) Universe has a lot of potential to grow into something really fun and involving. But we'll have to take much more of a 'wait and see' approach to it than previous shows. __________________ "A million monkeys typing until the end of time will produce the complete works of William Shakespeare. Ten thousand monkeys typing for ten thousand years will write a Hemingway. Ten monkeys typing over Columbus Day weekend will give you a Dan Brown." http://olympusmans.blogspot.com http://benforrealz.blogspot.com