Well, judging by the ratings, Stargate Universe is off to a fine start. However, there are some folks still not decided on whether or not they want to start watching a Stargate show.
Alasdair Stuart does one of the most interesting character analyses I’ve seen yet on the show. I suspect this might convince some of you to start watching.
A very thoughtful and well written examination/review. As someone who was a would-be film scholar in their university days I have to say that I agree with his assessment completely. SGU has proven, over the course of its first few episodes, to be a very good show that could easily take us to some very good places.
That said, I’m still having a difficult time with the show. The look and feel of it is very, very reminiscent of Ron Moore’s Battlestar, and the producers seem to be setting the show up to continue on that path for the foreseeable future. That isn’t to say that this is a bad thing, but I have to say that it’s too much too soon for me. I enjoyed the new Battlestar immensely, for the length of its run that show epitomized for me exactly what science fiction television has always had the potential to become: it was engaging, cerebral, exciting, heartbreaking and utterly utterly exhausting…and I can say that, as a fan of both that show and both Stargate series, SGU is not the kind of entertainment I have always turned to Stargate for, and I’m not sure that I’m prepared to invest myself in that kind of show again so soon after Galactica has ended. (and I’m certainly not ready for Caprica)
My point is, not that I’m offering this as an excuse for my apathy towards the show, that for fans of both franchises, SGU may just be too much too soon, and for fans of Stargate, the tonal shift (while potentially necessary for the longevity of the franchise) may well be pushing long-time viewers away…both of which are that I find horribly unfortunate.
Things. Things that I find horribly unfortunate. Rats.
I love the show. But I definitely don’t think of it as Stargate. It’s too different. But it’s a nice springboard to save them a lot of setup time for the premise. And I think this production team has produced a lot of good television.
I just wonder how long-time Stargate fans will feel about it given some distance from the other shows? I think it’s solid writing.
Still, Stargate fans rather enjoy the “good guys vs bad guys” structure. They’re not used to everyone being shades of grey. So I certainly get how it’s annoying to people who love rooting for our heroes and booing the bad guys.
It’s certainly different, but I’m fascinated.