Stargate: Universe

Doomboy · Post by **Doomboy** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 2:37 am

I'd think Chloe and Eli are too young. I guess it will have to be someone "new". Although someone that fits the bill suddenly being discovered amongst them seems like a bit of deus ex machina.

It probably would have been a good idea to have a charismatic civvie from the start, one that consistently didn't take one side over the other. Unless they never intended for a civvie leader, and that isn't the direction they are headed. But if not, I can't see this getting resolved, and it will become irritating to watch it constantly. Heck, I am already a bit sick of the military/civilian conflict.

Odin · Post by **Odin** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 7:52 am

From Young's point of view, this was always a military operation. Things went wrong and they got cut off from home - that's not a reason to establish a new civilian-run government. They have a civilian-run government, it just happens to be back home on Earth.

From the civilians' perspective, it's not so much that they really have a right to self-governance, it's more that they're frustrated and scared and want to be able to exert some control over their lives. So they resent the people who do have some degree of control (the military, in this case). The only one who has any remotely legitimate claim to civilian power is Ming-na's character, because she represents the IOC which has a precedent of taking over on SG-1 and SG: A.

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. It's hard for me to envision any scenario where Young gives up control, but then he doesn't always behave the way I'd expect him to, either.

I wouldn't rule out Chloe - she's a Senator's daughter, I can see them playing that into a justification that she's got the training (if not the experience), blah, blah blah.

It's all awfully hard for me to predict. Related to the fact that the characters are generally unlikeable to me is the fact that they often don't behave how I'd expect them to behave.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 11:06 am

I like the military/civilian conflict. It's not as sophisticated as the one in BSG...but then, this is a very small group of people who aren't entirely cut off (thanks to those accursed stones), so it's much more ambiguous whether they should even be having this conversation. I do agree that the civilian coup was clumsy but it did establish the lesbian as a power to be reckoned with.

Chloe is worthless; I hope they either give her something better than damsel-in-distress roles or write her out. Or replace her with the real Summer Glau.

Odin · Post by **Odin** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 11:16 am

Ironrod wrote:replace her with the real Summer Glau.

That's funny - I hadn't seen that resemblance until you mentioned it. Now that you have, I'll never be able to look at her any other way. That, in turn, really makes you appreciate Glau's strength as an actress - Elyse Levesque comes off as a limp dishrag by comparison. Which isn't necessarily entirely fair to her - she hasn't been written as a character with the kind of opportunities to be strong as the ones Glau has played, but I think there's a notable difference just in the way each of them projects force of character onto the screen.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 11:16 am

Chloe might be able to take the role of civilian leader. Doesn't she have an advanced degree in political science or something? I thought I remembered her soon to die pop proclaiming that at a dinner during the pilot.

Ming Na, as hot as she is, could never take the role now. Not after all the moves she's made against Young.

Eli, who I absolutely loathed as a chubby Wesley Crusher in the first few episodes, has become sort of the audience's proxy for everything that's happening. He's outside both groups and therefore able to give the viewers an almost objective view of the dynamic of the crew.

Overall, I'm pleased that the discussions surrounding the show are more about the political aspects of their situations. It means (to me) that the show has some legs. If it dissolves into an alien of the week show though, I think it will suffer greatly.

Odin · Post by **Odin** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 11:28 am

hepcat wrote: If it dissolves into an alien of the week show though, I think it will suffer greatly.

One thing I think is clear is that the writers get this. They're inclined toward "disaster of the week" and it sometimes involves alien life (like that time-travel episode where everybody got killed), but I don't see them throwing lots of different sentient species at us anytime soon.

I thought it was fascinating that the little pod we saw release itself from Destiny way back in the second or third episode (and I commented on it here, but I'm too lazy to find it and link to it) at the very very tail end of the episode turned out to be one of the tracking devices that the blue-guys were using. Nice job on the part of the show's producers to plant that so far in advance. THAT's exactly the kind of stuff I really enjoyed about Babylon 5 and that so few other shows have bothered to do since (LOST being probably the most notable exception).

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 11:46 am

Sith Lord wrote: I thought it was fascinating that the little pod we saw release itself from Destiny way back in the second or third episode (and I commented on it here, but I'm too lazy to find it and link to it) at the very very tail end of the episode turned out to be one of the tracking devices that the blue-guys were using. Nice job on the part of the show's producers to plant that so far in advance. THAT's exactly the kind of stuff I really enjoyed about Babylon 5 and that so few other shows have bothered to do since (LOST being probably the most notable exception).

nice, i'd forgotten about that.

Arcanis · Post by **Arcanis** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 11:49 am

Sith Lord wrote:
hepcat wrote: If it dissolves into an alien of the week show though, I think it will suffer greatly.
One thing I think is clear is that the writers get this. They're inclined toward "disaster of the week" and it sometimes involves alien life (like that time-travel episode where everybody got killed), but I don't see them throwing lots of different sentient species at us anytime soon.

I thought it was fascinating that the little pod we saw release itself from Destiny way back in the second or third episode (and I commented on it here, but I'm too lazy to find it and link to it) at the very very tail end of the episode turned out to be one of the tracking devices that the blue-guys were using. Nice job on the part of the show's producers to plant that so far in advance. THAT's exactly the kind of stuff I really enjoyed about Babylon 5 and that so few other shows have bothered to do since (LOST being probably the most notable exception).

NCIS does this kind of thing as well, normally only a couple of episodes between them though. Lots of foreshadowing and references to previous episodes.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 11:59 am

when did they start introducing aliens into NCIS?

Arcanis · Post by **Arcanis** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 12:17 pm

hepcat wrote:when did they start introducing aliens into NCIS?

They ran out of creative ways to murder people without resorting to energy weapons and squids being abducted.

Kelric · Post by **Kelric** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 1:47 pm

Ironrod wrote:Chloe is worthless; I hope they either give her something better than damsel-in-distress roles or write her out. Or replace her with the real Summer Glau.

Damnit, now I won't be able to look at Chloe without thinking of Firefly. Thanks, dick.

Odin · Post by **Odin** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 2:12 pm

This week's episode was meh again. Did we learn ANYTHING at all about that spire thingy and I just missed it, or did they completely fail to examine it for an entire month? Overall, it just didn't seem line anything interesting happened. I don't know if that's because I had trouble paying attention to it, or if I had trouble paying attention because it wasn't very interesting.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 2:14 pm

+1

When showing the rear of the spacecraft taking off did we see another alien vessel attached?

pengo · Post by **pengo** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 10:03 pm

Spoiler:

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 10:37 pm

The episode fleshed out some series backstory. There was a lot of talk about destiny and free will...the ship is called Destiny...I do like that they're raising some big questions. Gotta admit, though, that I was half expecting a 2001-style scene with the humans clamoring like apes around the base of the mysterious obelisk. Arthur Clarke stirred in his grave when the monolith sent off a beacon to mysterious ancient aliens.

I could do without the pregnancy subplot, though. Too trite. Oh well, at least Chloe the Useless isn't the victim.

rshetts2 · Post by **rshetts2** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 11:04 pm

I thought this episode was a complete throw away. Unless theres a pay off down the road, this episosde was a waste of 45 minutes. Of course they set it up for a future payoff so I guess Ill wait and see. Still it was a pretty boring episode.

Quaro · Post by **Quaro** » Sun Apr 18, 2010 12:01 am

I felt like this was the first episode in awhile where the crew was acting like people, not dramatic devices. Except for the pregnancy the drama felt very natural. I was having a hard time imaging how Rush and Young could stand each other at all after what happened, but I kinda buy it after this episode. I hope it marks a turning point where the drama isn't always from the crew fighting among themselves. Please don't make Dr Rush into Baltar or Dr Smith.

Odin · Post by **Odin** » Sun Apr 18, 2010 8:16 am

Quaro wrote:Please don't make Dr Rush into Baltar or Dr Smith.

I've had trouble thinking of him as anything else pretty much since the first episode.

rshetts2 · Post by **rshetts2** » Sun Apr 18, 2010 8:22 am

Oh Rush is definitely SGU's Gaius Baltar. He's a self serving egomanic willing to sacrifice anyone or anything to advance his own agenda. Young was right, he shouldnt have left Rush on the planet, he should have spaced him long before they ever got that far.

Doomboy · Post by **Doomboy** » Sun Apr 18, 2010 4:13 pm

I don't understand how anyone with a brain would think staying on that planet was a good plan. You'd have to have total faith in an alien race that you've never seen before. You would have to believe that the sun they made is completely stable and will last as long as a real star, as well as the planet. Otherwise, staying there is a death sentence.

Also, you'd have to trust that they wouldn't be mad if they found out you were crapping all over their experiment, or vacation spot or temple or whatever it is to them.

Plus, since there is no gate at all, there is no chance to ever get rescued except by the aliens, who they have no knowledge of at all. All they know is they can build a planet and star.

Hopefully all the stupid people are now gone.

I think they are trying to make Rush and Young get along. Which is good. Both of them are needed. Maybe they could stop trying to eliminate each other over petty bull puckey and work together.

Kelric · Post by **Kelric** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 1:29 am

Quaro wrote:I felt like this was the first episode in awhile where the crew was acting like people, not dramatic devices. Except for the pregnancy the drama felt very natural. I was having a hard time imaging how Rush and Young could stand each other at all after what happened, but I kinda buy it after this episode. I hope it marks a turning point where the drama isn't always from the crew fighting among themselves.

This. I liked this episode. It just felt right, though I would have liked it more if the pregnancy had been built up a little in the previous episode. Everything else worked, in my opinion.

Doomboy wrote:I don't understand how anyone with a brain would think staying on that planet was a good plan. You'd have to have total faith in an alien race that you've never seen before. You would have to believe that the sun they made is completely stable and will last as long as a real star, as well as the planet. Otherwise, staying there is a death sentence.

Also, you'd have to trust that they wouldn't be mad if they found out you were crapping all over their experiment, or vacation spot or temple or whatever it is to them.

Plus, since there is no gate at all, there is no chance to ever get rescued except by the aliens, who they have no knowledge of at all. All they know is they can build a planet and star.

Hopefully all the stupid people are now gone.

I think they are trying to make Rush and Young get along. Which is good. Both of them are needed. Maybe they could stop trying to eliminate each other over petty bull puckey and work together.

Nobody stayed, as far as I can tell. Or if some stayed, it was three or four people and they were not any characters they had really mentioned before. As for the argument toward staying or not staying, I don't think you need faith in the mysterious aliens - you just need to think that this planet might provide a better life than being in a spaceship that has been attacked several times and has shown you no chance of getting back Earth. I think I would have stayed if there were a handful of women (Chloe, TJ, lesbian Asian chick) willing to stay to start a new life there.

Destiny is depressing. A planet is air and water and earth and hope for your children.

Doomboy · Post by **Doomboy** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 2:38 am

Until the star winks out because the aliens got 3 when they added 1+1 or something. Or they show up and are not happy that there are monkeys screwing around in their paradise.

So far, if we have learned anything about wherever Destiny is, it is a very dark and unpleasant place. Very much a Stargate Galactica (the first couple of seasons of Galactica, anyway).

Kelric · Post by **Kelric** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 2:41 am

Doomboy wrote:Until the star winks out because the aliens got 3 when they added 1+1 or something. Or they show up and are not happy that there are monkeys screwing around in their paradise.

So far, if we have learned anything about wherever Destiny is, it is a very dark and unpleasant place. Very much a Stargate Galactica (the first couple of seasons of Galactica, anyway).

Or until the hostile aliens show up with four ships and overwhelm the shields. Three ships almost collapsed them after all. Obviously they need most people to stay on Destiny for the show, but I can understand the appeal of having terra firma under their feet.

Shinjin · Post by **Shinjin** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 8:56 am

Doomboy wrote:I don't understand how anyone with a brain would think staying on that planet was a good plan. You'd have to have total faith in an alien race that you've never seen before.

This may be dipping into R&P, but faith is irrational.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon Apr 26, 2010 9:57 am

I enjoyed the most recent episode (the trip through Rush's subconscious, intercut with the party getting trapped in the ruins). Good cliffhanger ending, although I suppose it's foregone that they'll wrap it up neatly next week. I didn't buy the overnight transformation of Chloe the Useless into Chloe the Expert Xenoarcheologist, but at least they're trying to give the damsel a reason to get into distress.

Odin · Post by **Odin** » Mon Apr 26, 2010 10:16 am

The dream-sequence think was well-done, I thought. I agree that the stranded folks will probably be rescued in the first five minutes of the next episode, especially since their underground maze isn't interesting enough that I'd expect to see a lot more of them down there. Which is too bad - it could be a chance to build some dramatic tension and show the characters in genuine danger spread over a period of time. I'm not optimistic that the show will go there, though.

Kelric · Post by **Kelric** » Mon Apr 26, 2010 11:29 am

The Rush back story was a good one, especially since we may see a shift in his character for a while (though I have no doubt he'll eventually go back to his usual self).

Doomboy · Post by **Doomboy** » Mon Apr 26, 2010 12:03 pm

Would humans really bicker amongst themselves over power until everyone is dead? I can't imagine that is a very good survival mechanism. I would like to think that they are done with the power struggles. Young and Rush are already changing. Rush is willing to put himself in great danger to get some control over the ship, while finding his human side again, and Young has stopped treating everyone like soldiers.

I think it would be nice if they could focus on threats from the outside for a good long while, and have the crew work together. Because them constantly fighting is getting tiresome.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Mon Apr 26, 2010 12:44 pm

Altho the dream sequence was useful for filling out Rush attitude I didn't really care for it too much.
I also was rooting for the spider in spider vs Chloe.
I've been watch the Sarah Conner Chronicles and I want the robot played by Summer Glau to replace Chloe. Especially as the terminator.

WarPig · Post by **WarPig** » Mon Apr 26, 2010 1:01 pm

I don't know if they'll resolve the trapped tunnelers that quick in the next episode; I think there's some dramatic tension between Chloe and Lt. Scott that needs to be explored. Along with Eli having mixed feelings about Chloe currently, it's an emotional powderkeg!

I really did like Rush's sequence as well. Always nice to see Dr. Daniel Jackson, even if he's been hitting the catering table a little much during the filming. I hope Rush doesn't change that much; his single-mindedness and antagonism in general is part of the engine keeping this show alive.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Mon Apr 26, 2010 1:56 pm

How long have they been on that ship?

Shouldn't Eli be losing some weight by now or did he smuggle some moonpies onboard?

Odin · Post by **Odin** » Mon Apr 26, 2010 1:58 pm

dbt1949 wrote:How long have they been on that ship?

Shouldn't Eli be losing some weight by now or did he smuggle some moonpies onboard?

I thought that as well when I saw the show this week. Especially since they were supposed to have started working out at one point (though I'm not sure whether we're supposed to assume that continued).

Kelric · Post by **Kelric** » Mon Apr 26, 2010 2:41 pm

They haven't shown any of the exercising since the Flogging Molly song episode. And from what I gather, the blonde doctor is about three months pregnant by now, correct? As she and Young (supposedly) stopped sleeping together before they got on Destiny, you've got to figure they've been on board for just under three months. Everybody should definitely have lost some weight. But this is a TV show after all.

That is one thing I don't think shows do a good job at, or even try to do a decent job at - show how much time has passed. Everybody has the same haircut and is roughly in the same shape as when the show began.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon May 03, 2010 10:59 pm

Put me down as impressed that they didn't reunite the party at the last second, as the writers showed every sign that they were going to do. I wonder if our castaways will patch up the wrecked alien spaceship and go chasing after Destiny. It's a stretch to think that they could do so and it doesn't seem practical anyway if they're crossing intergalactic space. Time for alien intervention?

I definitely could've done without the long character backstory that padded out this episode. And I still hope they find a way out of the pregnancy subplot before it comes to term. But I do think that the main story is gaining steam.

Quaro · Post by **Quaro** » Mon May 03, 2010 11:37 pm

The actress is actually pregnant, unexpectedly, so they just had to roll with it.

Doomboy · Post by **Doomboy** » Mon May 03, 2010 11:44 pm

I don't think they can possibly let the ship leave the galaxy. So they must be about to gain control of it. Story wise, there is just no way they can pull off nothing but shipboard stuff for the next few years.

I guess they could pull a Galactica and suddenly start season 2 with "5 years later..." But that would suck a huge amount.

I don't see how else they can go though. So my prediction is they manage to get destiny turned around and find the castaways, or the show spends several years with nothing but "while exploring the ship the crew find..." episodes. Or the sucky time skip. I hope for number one.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon May 03, 2010 11:51 pm

Quaro wrote:The actress is actually pregnant, unexpectedly, so they just had to roll with it.

Ahhhh, that explains it then. Ordinarily "has a baby" = jumps the shark. Very odd to see it in a first season. Well, let's hope for a mutant alien baby.

Kelric · Post by **Kelric** » Tue May 04, 2010 10:08 am

Ironrod wrote:Put me down as impressed that they didn't reunite the party at the last second, as the writers showed every sign that they were going to do. I wonder if our castaways will patch up the wrecked alien spaceship and go chasing after Destiny. It's a stretch to think that they could do so and it doesn't seem practical anyway if they're crossing intergalactic space. Time for alien intervention?

I definitely could've done without the long character backstory that padded out this episode. And I still hope they find a way out of the pregnancy subplot before it comes to term. But I do think that the main story is gaining steam.

I, too, was impressed that the stranded trio didn't make it back for a second episode.

I don't see them doing anything else but getting control of Destiny, or at least enough control to tell Destiny to simply turn around and follow its previous route. Remember, it was sent out millions of years ago and has been through plenty of galaxies for them to discover.

Odin · Post by **Odin** » Tue May 04, 2010 10:40 am

Quaro wrote:The actress is actually pregnant, unexpectedly, so they just had to roll with it.

That's interesting. It's not a totally unusual occurrence in series TV, but most times it seems like they work around it by changing camera angles and lighting. It's hard to imagine a series where that would be easier to do than on SG: U.

Arcanis · Post by **Arcanis** » Tue May 04, 2010 10:53 am

They probably wanted to bring it up eventually and this just pushed that forward. These people would have probably started talking about re-population of the ship within a year or two of being there, otherwise all the efforts they go through to stay alive don't mean very much if they just die further from home than they would have otherwise.