Stargate Universe
Stargate Universe DVD (2010, 20th Century Fox)
This third TV spin-off from the successful 1994 movie changes the formula quite a bit, mixing things up and dividing the loyal fan base considerably. Those who loved the tongue in cheek interaction of the main cast, whether it be in SG:1 or Atlantis, will find nothing of the kind here. Instead, there’s gritty realism and political tension – pretty much what you’d expect in a post-Galactica era. But where Galactica didn’t seem to pause for breath all that often, the vast majority of SGU’s first season moves at a snail’s pace. And while that does give us a chance to get to know all the characters very well indeed (credit due here to the actors assembled, not one of which give a duff turn), it does mean you have to stick with the show in order to get the full benefit when everything kicks into faster than light speed later on.
The pilot, ‘Air’, split into three parts, gets us straight into the action – as the Icarus Base is attacked, forcing a ragtag team of civilians and military personnel to launch through the Stargate – after the mysterious ninth chevron has been activated – and into unknown territory. Where they end up is The Destiny, an ancient spacecraft at the other end of the universe. Conflicts soon begin to appear, especially between Col. Everett Young (Louis Ferreira) and Dr Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle), both vying for the right to lead the group – with characters like Eli Wallace (David Blue), Camile Wray (E.R’s Ming - Na) and T.J (Alaina Huffman) constantly in the middle of their tug of war. The majority of episodes that follow, however, concentrate on survival: finding either water, or food, or sustaining the oxygen levels. This means quick trips to planets through the Stargate on the ship, but throwing in a ticking clock as teams must get back before Destiny makes its jumps through hyperspace. In fact, one of the most exciting arcs of the first season (followed through the episodes ‘Human’, ‘Lost’ and ‘Sabotage’) deals with exactly that: what happens when crew members get left behind?
There are a fair few character-centric episodes, as well. For example, we find out more about First Lieutenant Matthew Scott’s (Brian J. Smith) religious background in part three of ‘Air’, Sergeant Greer (Jamil Walker Smith) and Chloe Armstrong’s (Elyse Levesque) contrasting relationships with their fathers are tackled via hallucinations in ‘Pain’, and we get insight into the marriages of both Young and Rush – the former using the ‘communication stones’ device (allowing people from the Destiny to switch bodies with folk back on Earth), the latter when Rush’s mind is hooked up to the ship itself. But there are some action episodes scattered between, for example ‘Time’ allows the writers to mess with the timelines and add some creepy ‘aliens in the shadows’ at the same time, while ‘Space’ sees Rush and Chloe kidnapped by more intelligent E.T.s, bent on taking Destiny for themselves.
It isn’t really until the end of the first series, however, that SGU begins to show us its true potential – with the cracking episodes ‘Subversion’ and two-part finale ‘Incursion’. These reintroduce the Lucian Alliance, who manage to sneak aboard Destiny and take hostages. The last few minutes of the season are guaranteed to leave you gasping for more.
In spite of the cameos by former SG actors, like Amanda Tapping (as Carter), Michael Shanks (as Daniel Jackson) and Richard Dean Anderson (as O’Neill, now in charge of SG operations), this is definitely not the Stargate you’ve come to know over almost twenty years. Whether that’s good or bad is subjective, but at the very least SGU has provided an excellent jumping off point for season two. The wealth of extras in this box set include commentaries, video diaries and interviews. Paul Kane
