Ok, so let me get one thing out in the open before I tell you what I think of the new Stargate series. I passionately believe that it was an unforgivable mistake for producers Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper to abruptly end Stargate Atlantis (with a very mediocre series finale I might add) just so that they could start running Stargate Universe. At best it was an obvious case of unrestrained project A.D.D. At worst it was a complete stab in the back to faithful Atlantis fans. That being said let us move on. And really that’s what SGU is about, moving on and taking Stargate to the next level. From its intentionally muddled opening (a sequence intercut with flashbacks leading up to the opening events) SGU clearly tries to differentiate itself from its predecessors (SG-1 and Atlantis) and steer the franchise in a new, more dramatic and mature direction. It would seem that gone are the days of miraculous technological escapes made possible by idiosyncratic genius’s and snarky military tough guys. Gone are the black and white good versus evil morality plays inspiring the audience to cheer when the bad guys get blown up. And gone is the Indiana Jones-eqsue adventure flavor that’s been so much an integral part of the Stargate franchise. Instead we have a much tenser and grittier disaster survival story whose characters are great deal more conflicted and serious than anything we’ve seen in Stargate before…..and it works, at least so far. From the beginning to the end of the pilot I was hooked, much more so than even while watching the pilots for SG1 and Atlantis (and now I can’t wait to watch the third part this Friday night). And while it was nice to see some old school characters make cameo appearances (Daniel Jackson, General O’Neil, and Colonel Carter) it definitely wasn’t necessary to convince me that I was watching Stargate, the show effectively retaining enough familiar elements to successfully appeal to the fan base while it reaches out to broaden its audience. Will this series top SG-1 and Atlantis and make Sci-Fi (that’s how you really spell it) television history? Only time will tell. But Stargate Universe is definitely off to a great start and I am excited to see where the series goes.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Stargate in a different universe.
Ok, so let me get one thing out in the open before I tell you what I think of the new Stargate series. I passionately believe that it was an unforgivable mistake for producers Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper to abruptly end Stargate Atlantis (with a very mediocre series finale I might add) just so that they could start running Stargate Universe. At best it was an obvious case of unrestrained project A.D.D. At worst it was a complete stab in the back to faithful Atlantis fans. That being said let us move on. And really that’s what SGU is about, moving on and taking Stargate to the next level. From its intentionally muddled opening (a sequence intercut with flashbacks leading up to the opening events) SGU clearly tries to differentiate itself from its predecessors (SG-1 and Atlantis) and steer the franchise in a new, more dramatic and mature direction. It would seem that gone are the days of miraculous technological escapes made possible by idiosyncratic genius’s and snarky military tough guys. Gone are the black and white good versus evil morality plays inspiring the audience to cheer when the bad guys get blown up. And gone is the Indiana Jones-eqsue adventure flavor that’s been so much an integral part of the Stargate franchise. Instead we have a much tenser and grittier disaster survival story whose characters are great deal more conflicted and serious than anything we’ve seen in Stargate before…..and it works, at least so far. From the beginning to the end of the pilot I was hooked, much more so than even while watching the pilots for SG1 and Atlantis (and now I can’t wait to watch the third part this Friday night). And while it was nice to see some old school characters make cameo appearances (Daniel Jackson, General O’Neil, and Colonel Carter) it definitely wasn’t necessary to convince me that I was watching Stargate, the show effectively retaining enough familiar elements to successfully appeal to the fan base while it reaches out to broaden its audience. Will this series top SG-1 and Atlantis and make Sci-Fi (that’s how you really spell it) television history? Only time will tell. But Stargate Universe is definitely off to a great start and I am excited to see where the series goes.
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