Stargate Universe: The Worst Stargate Yet, the Best of the Worst, or Somewhere In-Between?

Take a glance at our reader comments section on our “Stargate: Universe” posts, and you’ll start to notice a couple of patterns: loyal fans of the previous two “Stargate” shows have almost no interest in the new “Universe” show besides going out of their way to call it every name in the book; meanwhile, non-fans of the franchise have grappled onto “Universe” but in doing so are making it be known that the previous two incarnations were utter shit in their opinion. And then there are those guys in-between, like me.

As a fan of “Stargate: SG1″ (I have seen every single episode more than once), but only a casual fan of “Stargate: Atlantis” (more of the same to me, but without the characters I loved), I approached “Universe” with great trepidation. Then the pilot aired, and as you can tell from my review, I dug it. In my opinion it has great potential, and its pluses far outweigh any minuses. Yes, I had issues with it. The sex scene in the beginning made me shake my head, not because I’m a prude or have anything against sex on TV, but my oh my it was just so … gratuitous.

The rest of the show? Dug it. I like the characters. The military types are still the tough and hands-on kind that I loved about the military characters on all the “Stargate” shows. The one major addition is the civilians. Let’s face it, civilians just never had all that much to do in “SG1″ (and to a similar extent, on “Atlantis”) except to show up every now and then to make our military guys’ life miserable with their bureaucracy and civvy nonsense. As you may have surmised, I was never a big fan of “SG1’s” planet-focused episodes, many of which were designed primarily to save money on production while the show geared up for its more space-focused episodes.

The premise of “Universe” remains excellent, and the pilot (and last week’s episode) continues to exceed my expectations. There are interpersonal conflicts, as there must be, but the people aren’t going around the ship shagging in corridors as I had feared ala “Battlestar Galactica”. At least, not yet. When it comes right down to it, this is still very much a “Stargate” show; it just isn’t the often-times vanilla-flavored brand that many “Stargate” fans have become accustomed to. Change is not an easy thing to accept, and I will admit I feared it as much as the rest of you after seeing all the promos, teasers, and pictures, but for the life of me, I don’t see why many think “Universe” is a complete repudiation of the franchise, because it is not by a longshot.

I opened this article by talking about patterns I’m seeing from comments on our “Stargate: Universe” posts, which basically boils down to two passionate sides: the one that believes this is not a “Stargate” show, therefore it must be hated with a passion; the other side seems to agree that this is not a “Stargate” show, but comes to a very different conclusion, which is because this is not a “Stargate” show, they are loving it.

One of the primary objections seems to be that the show features too many unlikeable characters. Robert Carlyle’s Nicholas Rush has not become a hit with “Stargate” fans as the producers probably thought. But the very reason why most people don’t like Rush is precisely the reason why he’s so interesting: he’s not supposed to be likeable, and you’re supposed to question this guy’s every motive. What fun would it be if Rush just fell in lock-step with our military heroes? There are plenty of likeable characters on the show: young Lieutenant Matthew Scott, when he’s not shagging a fellow soldier in the back room of a kitchen, has the makings of a fine leading man. Colonel Everett Young is an immensely likeable George Hammond-type. And Chloe Armstrong, though a tad bracing at first, is quickly growing on me. Even the ill-tempered Ronald Greer is becoming a favorite; he’s such a hardass, you can’t help but love the guy, especially since he values loyalty almost as much as he dislikes Rush and the rest of the civvy population.

One of the reasons why I believe some longtime “Stargate” fans may be reacting poorly to the new show is all the non-“Stargate” fans coming onboard with “Universe”; specifically, these non-fans’ reasons for finally jumping on the “Stargate” bandwagon. The newcomers seem unable to like “Universe” without throwing around terms like “cheesy” when it comes to the franchise up to this point, which I’m sure rubs a lot of “Stargate” loyalists the wrong way. And I don’t blame them, it’s only human nature. Think of it this way: it’s your party, but the guest list is different and the decorations are a little bit darker than you usually like it; then your neighbor shows up and starts chowing down on the nachos and gulping beer and tells you, with that condescending tone, that he digs this party, but only because it’s not as shitty as your previous parties. Yeah, that tends to rub people the wrong way, alright.

But let’s further follow up on this “I like ‘Universe’ because it’s not like the previous shows” train of thought. I will grant you that “SG1″ rarely ventured past the PG landscape, but that was one of its charms. It managed to tell an exciting, intergalactic story without having to indulge in crass language, gross violence, or flashing T&A. “SG1″ was good old fashioned storytelling that parents knew they could sit down to watch with their kids and not have to constantly cover the little one’s ears or eyes at the inappropriate parts. Those who are praising “Universe” while gleefully insulting the two previous series (but in particular “SG1″) are misguided. “Universe” is still very much a “Stargate” show, it just has a new cast, a new setting, and a tad grittier approach. But it’s still the same writers and producers, so really, how much different could it possibly be? You’re deluding yourself if you think “Universe” is a complete departure from the franchise, because it’s not.

So, conclusion: “Stargate: Universe” is a different version of “Stargate”, but it’s still “Stargate”. Sure, the corridors are darker, the characters greasier, and the civilians more prominent, but three episodes in and it’s still very much a “Stargate” show to me. For those who are hating on it because it’s not “Atlantis”, my advice is to get over it, and enjoy “Universe” because I promise you, it’s really not as bad as you may have heard, or initially thought from the pilot. And for those who tuned into “Universe” and liked it, do yourself a favor and actually watch “SG1” with an open mind. You’ll be surprised how much you end up digging it, PG “cheese” and all.

Can't we all just get along?