Stargate Universe

[Schot 407]

Now the Stargate series has never really been my thing. I do love the original Stargate film though. The film had great originality within it's story and the well equiped cast that was chosen to portray the story performed excellently in the telling of a well thought out journey.

 

With the arrival of the first Stargate series came what I can only recall and call a budget series. I thought it was awesome that Richard Dean Anderson(MacGyver) had found a place for himself and although I watched MacGyver religiously as a kid I guess my expectations were a lot higher when it came to the first of the Stargate series, SG•1. After watching SG•1 when it came out years ago I quickly wrote it off as a very low budget series. The plot lines were creative but it seemed just too predictable and worst of all, almost everything seemed "kitch".

As for Stargate Atlantis, I never did watch it at all. I just assumed it would be the same quality as the previous. Out of curiosity

from one of it's episodes and I can't say that it looks promising. Albeit it's only a clip of a single episodes but I'm going with my gut feeling anyway, heh.

 

Skipping ahead now to Stargate's most recent installment is Stargate Universe. When it premiered in October last year, 2009, I was very reluctant to watch it. Desperation got the better of me though and I'm glad it did. Us tech heads don't have much of a selection these days so any sci-fi is a welcome addition. I had hopes for Caprica but I'm finding it to be a some sort of slobbering futuristic Degrassi High. Anyway!

From the start Stargate Universe does seem a bit untrained. Some of the actors are a bit rough around the edges; acting their parts instead of being their parts, but the cast selection as a whole is pretty good. As good as the Battlestar cast? Well.... Who knows. They could definitely get there in my opinion. I've watched all 12 episodes now and I'm happy to say that I'm really getting into it. The story and characters are still in their infancy and yet to fully take shape but there has been one element in this new series that has kept me wanting more. The creative direction is stellar. I've been thrilled by the expert level of music creation and selection, stunts and CG. I just can not believe the mood they've been able to set into the show, much of which is through the selection of music. Now that I think of it the music was also the thing I noticed most in Battlestar. That said Stargate Universe is sounding promising.

 

That's my quickie review. There's toooons more I would love to say about it but I just wanted to sort of put out the idea of, "Try this! You just might like it." The show seems to pick up more and more momentum with each passing episode. The first 5 or so take a bit of getting used to and now that Earth is less involved I'm finding it even better.

 

Here's a couple samples for yahs:

 

 

A clip from the most recent episode called "Divided". This is the first scene in the episode. Mind you it's not a trailer to an upcoming episode; it is a clip of the episode. It is such an impressive scene and the reason for this topic.

 

 

This is a very cool fan made mash of the first several episodes put to some cool music. Really shows off the quality and creative ambition of SGU. No doubt very expensive production.

 

 

 

If you loved Battlestar then by all means give this a try. It definitely looks like it has some strong Battlestar influence.

[Vivicloud01 0]

I love stargate ( ) I have all of the box sets and most of the Atlantis. I've watched a few of the new one and I'm likeing it. Eventually I mite pick up the box set. You should check out V. I've noticed that some box sets that come out are broken down into parts, not very happy about them doing this. Like for SGU they have a box set out but its version 1. something. Nice write up by the way.

 

Cheers Vivi

[FrostElfGuard 9]

I was exposed to Star Gate Atlantis (SGA) when visiting a friend in the great southern neighbour, the United States.

I liked the show. It was basically a rehash of the Apollo 11 problem. Solving a problem with a time limit in a vaccuum.

They had something else happening at the same time... and I thought, wow! I like this.

 

Then I returned to the Great White North... and tv-less-ness again. Eventually I picked up all the seasons of SGA. I like it. It can be a bit boring at times... but I liked it. The action hero isn't typical: he's calm and soft spoken... but he gets the job done. I like that a lot.

 

SG: I heard the show got much much better when the imported Ben Browder and Claudia Black (late of Farscape fame). So, I picked up SG8 and later seasons. Still haven't watched it... but it is somewhere in the 'to do' list.

 

I, like you, think the original movie was GREAT. It was just that: original. And thus, unpredictable. At least, for me!

 

 

In the dearth since then, I've been watching a lot of cop dramas, and the Unit.

 

I miss Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I looked up Jane Espenson, a former writer from BtVS. She did great work.... so I looked her up on imdb (had to go to the show to find her name, took a while). Looked up her latest projects... Dollhouse and Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, Tru Calling. (really like that last one). So. She's a producer now. Guess she growed up!

Edited April 12, 2010 by FrostElfGuard

[Katran 0]

I am a big Star Gate fan. Schot you have missed a great show. The point about it being cheap is not true. It may look that way at the start but thats the case with almost all show they look cheap since they are going in the unknown. SG-1 was the longest running SF show it had 10 years and thats a lot. It had some of the best stories and most original villains. Atlantis was also very good.

Now the show that you are talking about is in my opinion the worst one yet. The basically tried to make a SG version of Battlestar galactica. Keep in mind they had 11 episodes running and no aliens. and this is star gate for gods sake. I think that all the screams from people got to them from the spring restart we get some aliens. even some ship to ship battle. its not all cry me a river thing. And the music oh my god a BSG copy nothing like star gate at all. They even had to bring sex in the show just like in BSG nothing like star gate

[Schot 407]

Yay. I'm not alone!

 

Now what I'm getting from all three of you is that Atlantis is worth a go so now I just gotta see more of it. Do you guys have a suggestion to get me hooked? A fave season/episode?

 

I love stargate ( ) I have all of the box sets and most of the Atlantis. I've watched a few of the new one and I'm likeing it. Eventually I mite pick up the box set. You should check out V. I've noticed that some box sets that come out are broken down into parts, not very happy about them doing this. Like for SGU they have a box set out but its version 1. something. Nice write up by the way.

 

Cheers Vivi

 

Wow, you ARE a fan, haha. If only I could connect to your pc and watch them. ^^

 

 

I was exposed to Star Gate Atlantis (SGA) when visiting a friend in the great southern neighbour, the United States.

I liked the show. It was basically a rehash of the Apollo 11 problem. Solving a problem with a time limit in a vaccuum.

They had something else happening at the same time... and I thought, wow! I like this.

 

Then I returned to the Great White North... and tv-less-ness again. Eventually I picked up all the seasons of SGA. I like it. It can be a bit boring at times... but I liked it. The action hero isn't typical: he's calm and soft spoken... but he gets the job done. I like that a lot.

 

SG: I heard the show got much much better when the imported Ben Browder and Claudia Black (late of Farscape fame). So, I picked up SG8 and later seasons. Still haven't watched it... but it is somewhere in the 'to do' list.

 

I, like you, think the original movie was GREAT. It was just that: original. And thus, unpredictable. At least, for me!

 

 

In the dearth since then, I've been watching a lot of cop dramas, and the Unit.

 

I miss Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I looked up Jane Espenson, a former writer from BtVS. She did great work.... so I looked her up on imdb (had to go to the show to find her name, took a while). Looked up her latest projects... Dollhouse and Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, Tru Calling. (really like that last one). So. She's a producer now. Guess she growed up!

 

Ah yes. I remember sharing topics with you about the infrequency of our tv watching. We're both the same on that point and no doubt you share the same feeling that if we're going to get in a tv show it's got to be pretty impressive for our own tastes. I'm not completely convinced in SGU yet but at this point I can't really see myself leaving it either. I tried Dollhouse too. I had heard a lot of great things about Joss Whedon's talent so I gave it a shot. Great idea and really great actors but it was going wrong somehow...

 

I am a big Star Gate fan. Schot you have missed a great show. The point about it being cheap is not true. It may look that way at the start but thats the case with almost all show they look cheap since they are going in the unknown. SG-1 was the longest running SF show it had 10 years and thats a lot. It had some of the best stories and most original villains. Atlantis was also very good.

Now the show that you are talking about is in my opinion the worst one yet. The basically tried to make a SG version of Battlestar galactica. Keep in mind they had 11 episodes running and no aliens. and this is star gate for gods sake. I think that all the screams from people got to them from the spring restart we get some aliens. even some ship to ship battle. its not all cry me a river thing. And the music oh my god a BSG copy nothing like star gate at all. They even had to bring sex in the show just like in BSG nothing like star gate

 

 

Uhhhh oh! Ok Kat. I'm ready, lol.

 

First of all the point about the previous series being cheap is kinda true actually. But not in terms of content but rather production costs. I think it may have been their limited budget that ultimately caused me not to enjoy it. To me the Stargate series always kinda came off to me as a sort of "Space Cowboy" comedy sci-fi which comes off as unbelievable to me. There was never any real sense of dread, tragedy, doom or even just simple danger. I'd watch battles and whatnot in SG-1 and be thinking, Bah! They'll get out of it. The good guy is in there. And they pretty much always did. But I don't really need to say it myself. In an interview Robert Cooper sums up pretty well how the series made me feel:

 

The production value was spectacular, but yet we didn't have the money. And, you know, I am a television fan. I love television and I think there are things that television does very, very well, and that is telling stories over the long term and getting you invested in characters and people.

 

And not to say that Stargate Universe isn't going to be spectacular. I mean if you've seen the sets, and ... Well, one day you will ... [Laughter] You're going to see, it's got tremendous production value.

 

 

"We don't really want to do another version of the show, you know, SG-3 or whatever ..."

 

I'm not selling it short, but my point is that the mentality was to go into it with the idea of not trying to reach beyond the means of our budget. Not trying to make a hundred million dollar film with significantly less than that, but rather make a great television show and shoot it in such a way that would embrace the elements that are going to be spectacular, which are the actors and the stories and the characters, and not reach beyond our capabilities -- budget wise -- of making something that, at the end of the day to certain audiences might come across as being silly.

 

He's right. To certain audiences it does come across as silly. Really silly! It's great for some people but for others we're in need of something vastly different.

 

I completely agree with you on the very large influence the Battlestar must have had on SGU. Frankly I'm SO glad for that, lol. Us BSG addicts need a fix too yah know. How long have you SG guys had you r fix for huh! Move over. Oh and hey, whie we're at it why don't we just call Stargate Universe "Battlegate Gallactiverse" instead, hehe. I don't mind. I'll confess that the show seems to have *cough* borrowed *cough* elements from BSG but in my books that is a very good thing. They were smart. They're taking some great qualities from BSG and using what they have learned to tell their own story. With any luck a lot of people will watch it and that's what this is all about.

 

For your point on music I think I have to disagree with yah. Isn't BSG's music made up of nearly all classical? Whereas SGU seems to be largely rock much to my surprise.

 

Oh and lol @ sex. Hey man. Even space veering folk need their nooky. More importantly though.... Sex sells, haha.

[Katran 0]

Well I have everything Star Gate. Even the animated series. I will tell you that the show does have it fear factor they dont get away always and I know you like star trek so you cant tell me that when you watched star trek you didnt know it was all going to be alright. I say to you watch SG-1 first then from season 5-6 you can start watching atlantis at the same time the run in the same time.

The thing I dont like SGU is the doctors opsesion with the ship which is pointless. The ship is old and crap. Humanity at this point in time has the Asgard core and Asgard ship tech plus we have Atlantis and we have it back on earth. So we have superior tech to anything Destiny has. Now this in on it self beats any sense that he would not be working around the clock to find a way home and just explore the ship around. So all the reasons for the main characters conflict make no sense.

 

Heres a SG space battle.

 

[Schot 407]

I can see why you love SG-1 and SG-A Kat. I watched your youtube as well as many others and there are certainly a lot of special effects, battles and overall action. I think it's that very thing that differentiates our appreciation for the series. I do love the awesome battles and powerful weaponry but it isn't what sells for me. I could easily be captured by a sci-fi from just character and plot development. In fact that's where my love for sci-fi is these days. It's the turmoil that space prompts that grabs me. The concept is pretty simple really, a "space drama", but to actually pull it off in an entertaining way takes tremendous talent in my opinion.

 

The fear factor that I mention isn't, for me, in regards to the risk of losing hoards of innocent lives. It's the risk of losing an important main character. Main characters are what set the level of risk and are usually only a handful of them. Around 10 at most I think. When a series kills off one of those main characters it makes me worry about the rest of the mains. Especially the ones I've connected with.

 

Funny you should mention Rush because he's the one element that kept me watching the show. When I saw that he was cast in the show I just had to watch. I love his acting. He's a real pro imo. The first and only time I saw him perform was in the movie 28 Weeks Later and omg I couldn't believe how well he was able to portray the gravity of his situation. Again, in Stargate Universe I'm finding that his talent is well and good, exercising his acting abilities with great sincerity. The New York Times reviewer Mike Hale said that Robert Carlyle/Doctor Nicholas Rush is the shows "Ace up it's sleeve" and I couldn't agree more. Of all the cast I think he is the one that will set the "bar" so to speak in terms of professionalism in acting. I'm certain that his example is going to help the rest of the cast to really improve their talent and effect. In fact I think he already has. As for his obsession I believe it isn't with the ship so much as it is with the 9th, and final, chevron. They are of course intertwined but it isn't quite so simple as taking them to a new place. It did take them to a new place but ultimately that place is just a vessel to a greater concept. An idea. A journey. And a journey for which the destination is yet to be understood and thereby the meaning of the 9th chevron is yet to be understood. Therein lies the object of conflict. Dr. Rush is indeed obsessed; by the entire purpose of the 9th chevron and not just the ship. The rest of the crew are obsessed as well but instead are obsessed with getting home again. And then some others are obsessed by the ship. 3 factions are emerging out of these obsessions and as they tug and pull the story just gets deeper and deeper. For myself there is so much for me to take and enjoy from the show that it's actually difficult for me to imagine even more elements such as other alien life, space battles and anything else. but I'm looking forward to them as I know they are coming!

 

The show in essence is very very pensive. It's a sharp turn from the previous series' but I think it is a necessary turn. If only for Wright and Cooper. They said it themselves that in order to maintain their own desire to keep the creativity going that they needed to move away from the old style of telling Stargate stories. I for one am enjoying everything they've done so far in SGU. The character and plot development seems to be moving along excellently imo.

 

I think this scene is what really captured me. It's the end of the 3rd episode and I really felt the relief from all the trouble the crew had gone through as they themselves were feeling relief. The selection of music, the way all the audio tracks were so well overlayed, lighting, the camera work and unique angles, the expressions on the crew's faces, props, the dialogue and overall expressiveness from the actors all really just came together for me. It's a good example of the quality that SGU is striving for.

 

Spoiler to help explain the convo between the girl and the injured guy:

She recently lost her father.

 

 

[FrostElfGuard 9]

I was exposed to Star Gate Atlantis (SGA) when visiting a friend in the great southern neighbour, the United States.

I liked the show. It was basically a rehash of the Apollo 11 problem. Solving a problem with a time limit in a vacuum.

They had something else happening at the same time... and I thought, wow! I like this.

 

Then I returned to the Great White North... and Tangled Vine-less-ness again. Eventually I picked up all the seasons of SGA. I like it. It can be a bit boring at times... but I liked it. The action hero isn't typical: he's calm and soft spoken... but he gets the job done. I like that a lot.

 

SG: I heard the show got much much better when the imported Ben Browder and Claudia Black (late of Farscape fame). So, I picked up SG8 and later seasons. Still haven't watched it... but it is somewhere in the 'to do' list.

 

I, like you, think the original movie was GREAT. It was just that: original. And thus, unpredictable. At least, for me!

 

 

In the dearth since then, I've been watching a lot of cop dramas, and the Unit.

 

I miss Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I looked up Jane Espenson, a former writer from BtVS. She did great work.... so I looked her up on imdb (had to go to the show to find her name, took a while). Looked up her latest projects... Dollhouse and Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, Tru Calling. (really like that last one). So. She's a producer now. Guess she growed up!

 

Ah yes. I remember sharing topics with you about the infrequency of our Tangled Vine watching. We'Reflective Emanation both the same on that point and no doubt you share the same feeling that if we'Reflective Emanation going to get in a Tangled Vine show it's got to be pretty impressive for our own tastes. I'm not completely convinced in SGU yet but at this point I can't really see myself leaving it either. I tried Dollhouse too. I had heard a lot of great things about Joss Whedon's talent so I gave it a shot. Great idea and really great actors but it was going wrong somehow...

 

If you want great character development in a sci-fi setting, I really recommend Wonderfalls. I won't tell you the premise, because there is no good way to sell it.

However, that being said: the writing is superb. The acting is superb. The uncertainty creates tension. The actors are superb. The show is superb. It just can be "sound-byte"ed.

And thereby came it's downfall. But it is superb.

 

Tru Calling is superb as well. Same deal, except the sound-byte works: Stunningly gorgeous young woman gets a weird psychic ability: the dead talk to her and request her help in

Reflective Emanation-doing her day--often preventing their deaths or getting something really important done for them.

 

Dollhouse---I just couldn't get too interested either. (Even if it has the star of Tru Calling in it too, and is a Joss Whedon vehicle.)

[Vivicloud01 0]

Have you tried Hulu? For SG-1 they have all the seasons. Here is the link http://www.hulu.com/stargate-sg-1#show_expander Hope that helps

 

Vivi ~(^-^)~

[Vivicloud01 0]

I was exposed to Star Gate Atlantis (SGA) when visiting a friend in the great southern neighbour, the United States.

I liked the show. It was basically a rehash of the Apollo 11 problem. Solving a problem with a time limit in a vaccuum.

They had something else happening at the same time... and I thought, wow! I like this.

 

Then I returned to the Great White North... and tv-less-ness again. Eventually I picked up all the seasons of SGA. I like it. It can be a bit boring at times... but I liked it. The action hero isn't typical: he's calm and soft spoken... but he gets the job done. I like that a lot.

 

SG: I heard the show got much much better when the imported Ben Browder and Claudia Black (late of Farscape fame). So, I picked up SG8 and later seasons. Still haven't watched it... but it is somewhere in the 'to do' list.

 

I, like you, think the original movie was GREAT. It was just that: original. And thus, unpredictable. At least, for me!

 

 

In the dearth since then, I've been watching a lot of cop dramas, and the Unit.

 

I miss Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I looked up Jane Espenson, a former writer from BtVS. She did great work.... so I looked her up on imdb (had to go to the show to find her name, took a while). Looked up her latest projects... Dollhouse and Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, Tru Calling. (really like that last one). So. She's a producer now. Guess she growed up!

 

At first when then added Ben Browder and Claudia Black into the series I wasent happy, but evnetually they grew on me. But recently I watch Farscape and I liked them even more.

 

I was sad when Captain Janet Fraiser, the resident Chief Medical Officer of the SGC no longer was in the show.

Watching Sg-1 got me to watching the Macgyver series.

I loved Teal'c , some of the things he did really cracked me up.

Edited April 13, 2010 by Vivicloud01