Stargate Universe – The Final Verdict
By stephanie - Monday, July 11th, 2011
I never watched Stargate SG-1 regularly; it was almost too bubble gum for me and I enjoyed the darker Farscape. But I thought I’d give Stargate Universe a try – seeing as we are short on good outer space shows lately. But SGU went too far in the opposite direction of bubble gum – it was dark, dreary, and depressing. It was trying to take its cue from the Battlestar Galactica remake but failed miserably out the gate.
Instead of being sharp and gripping, SGU (especially in season 1) was a dismal outer space soap opera that relied too heavily on characters returning to earth via the communication stones. While SGU perhaps thought it was being edgy by showcasing a lesbian relationship on the show, the relationship itself was dull, boring and didn’t advance the plot whatsoever. Who cares about the strains of being in outer space on a long-distance lesbian relationship? We want to see some action! If we cared that much more about characters’ love lives then we’d be watching Desperate Housewives and not science fiction – and the writers forgot that.
Fortunately, the worst excesses of the relationship drama were weeded out by season 2. So the question is:
Did SGU redeem itself? If you haven’t watched it yet, is it worth it to sit through season 1 to get to the improved season 2?
Yes and no. Yes, in that, if you’ve watched all of Star Trek, all the Star Wars films, Firefly, Farscape, BSG, and every other conceivable space show out there, then by all means, you’ll want to rent SGU and watch it. It’s got some good points. I’d recommend, if you are really hating the relationship drama in season 1, to simply fast forward past it. Trust me, you aren’t missing anything.
By season 2, SGU started to gel a little bit and the writers added some much needed comic relief to the dreary landscape. By the end of season 2, the show had started to get its legs. Despite that, it was still a highly flawed series and suffered from a variety of problems, including (in no particular order):
1. Too much death and disappointment. Yes, it’s realistic, but in today’s “Great Recession” we need more hope and vision than that. I got tired of people dying, getting sick, or otherwise ending up deflated and disappointed.
2. Too much in-fighting, not enough camaraderie. We get it, Rush is an asshole, and the Colonel doesn’t like him. Next!
3. Wooden female characters. Camille Ray (the aforementioned lesbian) was the absolute worst and bypassed Chloe as my most hated female character. The female medic was only somewhat appealing. The best female characters were peripheral ones who outshone the main performers in their brief appearances on the show.
4. Big gaping plot holes or unresolved issues. (SPOILERS: Eli’s and Rush’s electronic girlfriends being put into quarantine with nary a mention or sniffle afterwards; the descendants of the alternate Destiny being dumped on a planet without us getting to see this, never mind that they were traveling in a hostile universe filled with psychopathic drones bent on destruction.)
5. Lack of a common goal. Rush wanted to find out what the message was from the edge of the universe, and everyone else wanted to get home. Or did they? No-one seemed to be motivated or excited about anything. Such a far cry from the optimism and vision of Star Trek.
There were a few things I liked about SGU: I actually liked Eli, as well as Rush, and Greer was probably my favorite character. The two science geeks on the bridge ended up being quite funny and they added much in season 2. I only wish they’d done more with the alien Chloe.
The bottom line for me is that SGU was an extremely flawed show that might have gotten a bit better if given a little more time. But in this instance, I don’t blame SyFy for dumping it, as much as I hate SyFy’s lack of loyalty to its shows and its fans. All that said, in two seasons of SGU, there were many decent moments and interesting things going on. If you’re jonesin’ for some outer space scifi then SGU might not be a bad thing to catch up on. Just don’t have high expectations for it.