I've been a huge fan of Stargate since the original Emmerich and Devlin movie first came out in the cinema back in the mid 90s. When Stargate SG-1 first came to our TV screens a few years later, I even wrote an email to Centropolis Entertainment to ask if David Arnold was being brought back to do the music. I was rather shocked to receive a reply from Dean Devlin (producer and co-writer of the film) telling me that they had nothing to do with the TV show and that should it should be boycotted.
A decade or so later, with many awards under it's belt and with one spin-off series completed, the Stargate franchise has spawned another new show: Stargate Universe (or SGU). Having watched three episodes of this new show, I have to say that while I am very impressed with the storyline and am intrigued by the new characters, it's got a few things to answer for.
Firstly is the inevitable comparison to that other dark, nitty gritty sci-fi drama series, Battlestar Galactica. Extensive use of hand-held cameras, darkly lit spaceships, in-your-face fight sequences, etc. Then there is a similarity to Star Trek Voyager, in which a starship is hurtled thousands of light years away from home. But this is Voyager done right – the crew are stranded on a deserted spaceship with very little provisions and very little air. They most constantly find ways to replenish their resources otherwise they'll die.
What I dislike about this show in terms of technicality is the hand-held camera shots. I kind of got used to these kind of shots in BSG, but coming from the Stargate stable which has traditionally relied on dollies, steadicams, cranes and tripods, this new shooting style is somewhat off-putting. And some of the shots have been so far over the shop that one's eyes have tended to tire having the focal point judder about too much. One's head doesn't jerk about like that, so why a camera should do so, I really don't know. I know hand-held shots are supposed to provide a fresh and dynamic look to the drama (as if you were watching a news report from a war zone, for example), but all it does is wish somebody would spend some money on cameras with image stabilisers (or tripods, dollies, steadicams, etc.) This technique is used by too many dramas at the moment, and I'm getting mighty tired of it. I just think that this is not the right main shooting technique for this kind of show.
On the plus side, the visual effects are excellent. They integrate exceptionally well into the live action and serve the purpose very well indeed. I expect we can look forward to some pretty specatacular stuff later on in the season. Also excellent is the cast, with Robert Carlyle heading up the team.
If they can only introduce a little more stability on the shots for future episodes, SGU has a great future and will continue to support the show.
Its absolute crap! Its crappy battlestar GALACTICA on an EMOtional rollercoaster. Now they have proven how badly the new stargate is being done can we please have atlantis back?
I honestly cannot take another episode of this rubbish. Great future my arse, its not because this is more BG then SG its because its a nice budget wasted on a stargate for both the house wife who usually watches Eastenders and the husband that gets moaned at each time he watches SG1 or SGA!
Sex, over EMOtional and the whole back and fourth through time but in the begining was just plain irratating.
Just bring back the original writers so we all have something to watch each week.
Every episode so far has had me my father and friends asking ourselves “Why are we still watching this absolute crap”
Tell ya what if your a fan of Twilight or battlegay galactica then please watch STARGATE UNIVERSE.
great concept and idea for a show too bad the writers are EMOtional wreaks!
The episodes are very “up and down” some parts are very good, whilst others are a bit dull; I think its still trying to find some footing.
Some of the character relationships and clashes sometimes seem quite predictable and one cannot help feel that the writers are forcing themselves to put those twists in to satisfy one of the original premises of the show.
Saying that, it has alot of potential, I do like my stargate a little darker.
Not having everything perfect, and everything being a struggle is a nice twist, but I wonder how long that will last too, as with every stargate the storyline line revolves around the characters being presented with a huge apparently impossible challenge, and it being solved by finding some new technology that saves the day. Eventually, everybody is going to have to be “nice” to each other on that ship, as they start to find news ways to survive, find out how to operate the ship and start fixing things etc..
I can wrap up what happened in every episode of season one of Stargate Universe.
Walk around a lot, bitch, moan, slap some one cry about it, slap someone again, moan a little more, bore the crap out of the viewers,walk around a bit more.
“That’s It” That’s every episode in a nut shell, No more no less, no Aliens, no explosions, no humour, no team work, no entertainment whatsoever.
They must have a rich backer or something with all the adverts saying it great and fantastic and blah blah blah.
SORRY IT IS ABSOLUTE BORING CRAP !!!!!!!!
Sci fi NO
Drama NO
Entertaining NO
Good acting NO
Good Characters NO
Boring Shite HELL YES!!!!
LOL, get a grip you lot ive been a fan of stargate ever scince it came out but 10 serise and 3 films on SG1 and 5 serise of atlantas is more than enuff of the same where in so much trouble, but we will get through it untill we land ourselves into even more trouble next week story line. SGU is more bassed on the people than the ship or location i love it its just like Lost was in its first serise. the writers have gone for realisam (as far as a bunch of people in a ship across the universe can be
) rather than just writing SG1 with a differnt cast its a breath of fresh air to stargate i carnt wait to see more