You’ve heard about it, some of you have dreaded it, and others have been anticipating it. It’s the 2-hour premiere of Stargate: Universe, the third series in the long-running sci-fi franchise that helped launched the Sci Fi Channel and now, the SyFy Channel. As you may have heard, the idea behind Universe was to take the old and spice it up with the new. Did it work? Is it all one big FUBAR? Let’s find out together, shall we?
The early promos for Universe sparked interest from non-Stargate fans (which was the intention), while at the same time putting off a lot of longtime fans of the series (which was probably not so much the intention). The promos seemed to scream “Battlestar Galactica copycat!”, but I’m glad to say that the show itself (at least judging by the 2-hour pilot) doesn’t necessarily go in that direction. It makes overtures in the general vicinity, to be sure, but as to its overall feel, Universe did remind me of a Stargate show, admittedly one with a nod or two towards those fans seeking something grittier than SG1 or Atlantis. There’s a little bit of grit to be found here, but not too much.
The pilot opens onboard the Destiny, a crewless Ancient ship that has transverse many galaxies for many thousands of years on its way to some unknown destination. Into this lifeless, decaying ship arrive our characters, soldiers and civilians seeking shelter from a Lucien Alliance attack. They are led by Colonel Everett Young (Justin Louis), who is badly wounded during the evacuation; inexperienced Lieutenant Matthew Scott (Brian J. Smith), who is forced to take command; a Senator (Christopher McDonald) and his daughter (Elyse Levesque); medic Tamara “TJ” Johansen (Alaina Huffman); temperamental Sergeant Ronald Greer (Jamil Walker smith); and the geniuses, Eli Wallace (David Blue) and Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle). Lou Diamond Phillips has a glorified cameo as a Colonel in the pilot, though promos point to a bigger role in future episodes. Likewise for Ming-Na, who plays a bureaucrat name Camile Wray.
The bulk of the pilot is split between the survivors probing their way through the ancient ship, desperately trying to keep the air flowing, while flashbacks intercut to show us how we got here. Eli, we learn, was chosen because he solved a game that Rush created; Chloe is a Daddy’s girl; and Rush and Young, it would appear, don’t always see eye to eye. In fact, they’re downright antagonistic – the military officer, trying to keep everyone alive, versus the overly devoted scientist, who feels restrained by the lesser brains around him. Rush is the wild card on Stargate: Universe and it’s easy to see why Robert Carlyle decided to take a chance on TV work to play him. Rush is easily the show’s most complex character, whose motives are wholly questionable.
The pilot also features cameos by some Stargate favorites. Richard Dean Anderson once again slips on the uniform to play Jack O’Neill, who is curiously looking less than in Air Force shape nowadays. Put down the donut, RDA. Michael Shanks has an amusing cameo as Daniel Jackson, who is seen via recordings to introduce noobs to the mysteries of the Stargate. I can’t do it justice, but if you’re a fan of SG1, you should really enjoy his cameo. Amanda Tapping has the most to do, cameo’ing as the Captain of the Earth starship U.S.S. George Hammond, in honor of the Hammond character and, of course, the late Don S. Davis, who played the role for many seasons. Christopher Judge, sadly, is nowhere to be found. I guess they couldn’t find a way to shoehorn Teal’c in there.
I will admit that I approached Stargate: Universe with a healthy amount of trepidation. One of the minuses of the job is that I tend to see more than the average viewer, and surprises are rare. I’ve seen all the promos, all the images, and read all the interviews when it came to Universe, and everything screamed, “This is not a Stargate show!” How happy was I to discover that, yes, it’s very much a Stargate show, and except for one very unfortunate sex scene, Universe should be welcoming to longtime fans of the franchise.
But yes, there is that sex scene. That completely gratuitous shagging in the back room of some kitchen. There was a similar scene to that when the first Stargate: SG1 show debuted on Showtime many moons ago, a nude scene that seemed tacked on to please the Showtime audience. Likewise with this scene in Universe: it doesn’t fit, it doesn’t work, and it oozes pandering. “Look, we’re just like Battlestar Galactica – soldiers are having totally inappropriate sex on our show, too!” Oh how I wished writers/producers Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper had realized how off-putting and totally unnecessary it was and gotten rid of it, especially in light of how regretful they were when it came to that nude scene in the Stargate: SG1 pilot.
Except for that one incident, the Stargate: Universe pilot was effective at setting the stage for an intriguing season. It’s definitely a slightly more mature version of Stargate, but that in itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The humor is still there, the characters are still strong (Colonel Young in particular is reminiscent of a young Jack O’Neill), and the premise is certainly engaging enough to carry future seasons. Aside from Rush and Young, Eli Wallach is also a great character, as is his awkward relationship with Chloe Armstrong. Or is that more of a Scott-Chloe thing? Speaking of, Scott’s growth as a soldier and leader will be fun to watch, and it’ll be interesting to unravel the mess that is TJ’s life.
NOTE: A promo at the end of the show indicates that the Universe boys haven’t gotten the sex out of their systems with the pilot, so we can expect more inappropriate shagging in corridors with future episodes (unless they go in and excise them, which is unlikely). I bring up the sex in Universe not because I’m some prude, but because I know Stargate has become a family show over the years, and I think it’s only fair that people realize that yes, while this feels like a Stargate show to me, it does have moments that aren’t necessarily safe for younger viewers.
Andy Mikita (director) / Brad Wright, Robert C. Cooper (screenplay)
CAST: Robert Carlyle … Dr. Nicholas Rush
Justin Louis … Everett Young
Brian J. Smith … Matthew Scott
Elyse Levesque … Chloe Armstrong
David Blue … Eli Wallace
Alaina Huffman … Tamara Johansen
Jamil Walker Smith … Ronald Greer
Patrick Gilmore … Dale Volker
Julia Anderson … Vanessa James
Peter Kelamis … Adam Brody
Jennifer Spence … Lisa Park
Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman … Darren Becker
Ming-Na … Camile Wray
Josh Blacker … Sgt. Spencer
Lou Diamond Phillips … Colonel David Telford
