Stargate Universe

Finally, some serious and great writing is back in a Stargate series. It was present in the original Stargate movie, the early seasons of SG-1 and then it disappeared (later SG-1 and SG-A were very different in nature). SG-U has the key elements of strong actors, characters, and story lines -- and it's all happening with great backdrop of the Stargate theme.

The show is well cast with actors who'd make you want to see what happens next even if it weren't sci-fi. Equally as important are the scripts - and they are very well written with conflict, suspense and unpredictability.

What remains to be seen is if the series can keep its current breadth of script ideas fresh - this tough task for any new series. It doesn't seem like it will win over die-hard SG-A fans, so it will have to develop a new base of it's own. If haven't checked out the series yet, it's definitely worth a look.

I watched all of Atlantis but not all of SG:1.

They were both similar in target audience (pre teens or early teens) and similar in small individual stories, light hearted, and action packed.

SG: Universe went a very different direction: We got to know all the characters deeply, every episode was well written with no goofs or silly plot holes for the sake of advancing the episode.

It was probably darker, the threats felt more like threats and less like "this week's goofy minor hick-up" or McKay talking about how he only has 10 seconds to save the world and that he would like people to give him some space and quiet time, because it's SUPER important that he does this now... with now only 3 seconds left!

That's fine every other episode if you are 12 and just want the day to be saved and there's nothing wrong with that. LIght hearted and nothing to invest too much into.

But Universe was for grown ups and I don't recall a single thing I thought was stupid or illogical. Even the "conscience swap" with people from back on earth was done elegantly and intelligently.

The reason it was doomed from the start was all the angry Atlantis fans who never forgave the cancellation of Atlantis, which means an open boycot was determined even before the first Universe episode aired.

A shame, so well written, and that score! I've heard that many many times ever since, it was masterful music for each episode, kind of like Firefly.

I still watch all 40 episodes from time to time, you can too if you want a really good show with an open ending. :)

I read a really negative review of this program on this site and I wanted to put my two cents in on the internet for a change. And for the record, I'm not one of these "paid" individuals at the url posted in the review before me (I didn't click it, but urls in posts make me weary anyways). Stargate Universe is a drama about a group of individuals who are trapped on a ship half way across the known universe. The idea behind this show is that the people on the ship are attempting, to the best of their own personal abilities, to find a way for day-to-day survival and how to gain control of this massive intergalactic spaceship. Many on the ship are either scientists or military personal, with a few civilians littered in.

Now where most would say this show is garbage, I disagree. This show is a welcome break from the standard Stargate TV plot line. So far, this season and last, the only goal has been trying to gain control of the ship. They've dealt with some alien life forms and other assorted baddies, but the main arc has always been trying to control the ship so they can get home. Yes, it is incredibly slower paced than the other Stargate programs, but it wasn't intended on being like them. It was suppose to be different, dealing with the intrapersonal and interpersonal issues these people face while staring potential death at any wrong move in the face.

This show gives me a sense of realism (well, as well of one can hope for when watching a science fiction program) when they are faced with problems. There's no room for error. There's no intergalactic space police that can come swooping in to their rescue at the convenient time right after they come back from commercials, they have literally no help what so ever beyond consultation from people on Earth via the Communication Stones. This isn't the hour long show where Daniel Jackson and Jack O'Neill run through the Stargate, pick a fight with someone, someone gets caught or incapacitated or whatever cliché tension builder they decided to use this week, they get rescued by their friends and run back through the gate to Earth. It's almost like their playing a universal game of "Ding Dong Ditch".

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed Stargate SG-1, I watched all 10 seasons, but after awhile the story structure got stale and it was just the same thing with different people every week. The episodes I enjoyed the most were the ones where someone had to make a personal sacrifice for the betterment of their friends. That's what it's like in real life. It humanized them for me. And that's what SGU does for me.

Now granted, I will admit that the creation of SGU after the success of the new Battlestar was pretty evident, but fact of the matter is that it works for some and doesn't for others. Think of all the shows that got canceled in the late 90s, early 2000s that everyone and their dog has breathed life back into? Family Guy, Futurama, even American Dad. These programs failed on their first run, but had such a successful run in later years that they're now part of the main stream and people are enjoying them once more.

This show isn't for everyone, it's not. If you're looking for fights with aliens or saving the world after the 10 p.m. news is over, you're going to be disappointed. But, if you're looking for something a little different with something familiar to relate with, you might enjoy it. I know I do. My name is Matt, I'm from Montana, and no one paid me a f-ing thing to write this review. Cheers.

Watched this series 9 years after it ended I'm so disappointed there isn't anymore episodes. This series was amazing and it's a shame that they weren't able to give it a proper ending. It would be amazing if the powers that be decided to film a final movie to tie up the story line!

Well, where to begin? Oh I know. A message to the fan-boys: SGU is not Stargate, and that's why we complain about it.

SGU is not an evolution of the franchise, it is a slap in the face to those following the franchise over the course of 15 seasons.

Thi is, without a doubt, the worst of all Stargate shows. The visual effects, although touted as better than sliced bread, and wayyy more expensive than the previous series fx, fails to prove itself to be any better. The music, and the montages, are simple emo pop/rock and lacks the grandiose feel of the classical music in the previous series. The camera work is amateurish, following the flavour of the month "shaky cam" and low budget kino-vision. Character development is non-existent. We are constantly bombarded with characters's whining, being jealous, flying off the handle. There's nothing to like about the characters, and I'm afraid the acting, governed and limited by the script, fails to elevate SGU beyond the teen drama that it truly is.

For anyone wanting a dark, shaky camera work, unimaginative scripts, no action, no fun, no science, no aliens, no real tension .. If all you're looking for is same-old-same-old Lost meets BSG meets 90210 with pop music montages, and jealous crying teenagers, but without the quality drama writing experience, then SGU is for you.

SGU is the most forgettable, un-compelling badly written teen soap masquerading as a Stargate franchise.

It does not belong on TV, nor does it belong in the premium section of DVD stores. It belongs in the dustbin of history, and the writers owe true Stargate fans, an apology.